by Lee French
“Yessir.” She stood, trying to decide if she’d rather go for a run or find Drew.
Rondy held up a hand. “I have a suggestion for how to cheat against Caius. Enion is bound to you and you’ve proven you can take him into Caius’s demesne. The rest of his flight of dragons are bound to him. It’s possible you can take them all.”
Claire blinked and wondered if she could have thought of that on her own. Probably not. “That’s…a really good idea. Thanks, Rondy. I’ll call on you when we get to the Palace.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“C’mon, Enion.” Claire waved to Rondy as she jogged deeper into the woods, content she’d see him again soon. “I need to ask your flight for volunteers for a dangerous mission.”
Enion raised a claw in a salute. “Dragons report for duty!”
Chapter 30
Drew
Drew stared at the white, textured ceiling over his bed in the dim moonlight. Mutt snored at his feet, blissfully unaware of his master’s insomnia. Tomorrow morning, Claire would leave and he would stay. She’d face something awful while he fretted in the woods all day.
“They’re all going to die,” Kay said. His soft tones hovered between pity and sympathy, reminding Drew of the way people had talked to him at his parents’ funeral.
He recoiled from the idea. After losing everyone he cared about, it had taken years to let Claire in. Losing her would hurt twice as much as his parents. “You don’t know that.”
“I haven’t met Caius, but if he’s the same thing as Kurt with two thousand extra years of building power, he won’t be defeated by three Knights and a dragon. They probably won’t even get into his demesne because the Palace will stop them. He forged all their weapons and armor and he’s the source of all their power. It’ll come down to their skill and whatever they bring with them. Which means he’ll win.”
Drew blanched, imagining Justin swinging a sword through Caius without affecting him. “Why the hell didn’t you say something before?”
“It hadn’t occurred to me until just now. Sorry. They spent a lot of time convincing themselves to do the thing and very little discussing how to accomplish it. Their brilliant plan is to walk in the front door, announce their intention, and hack at whatever jumps into their way. Typical Knights.”
Caught between humor and horror, Drew coughed out a strangled, squeaking sob. He checked the soft blue glow of the hands on the clock beside his bed—half past midnight. Claire should be in bed, maybe as awake as him. Calling the mist, he connected his room to hers.
When the mist cleared, he sat on the edge of her bed in darkness. Behind him, Claire rolled and mumbled in her sleep. Her movement made him acutely aware of his presence in her bedroom wearing only pajama pants. His cheeks flared with heat.
“I love how you think things through,” Kay said.
“We talked about the implied dumbass thing,” Drew muttered.
Enion chirped in question and climbed out of his cage before Drew could decide what to do. The dragon clicked on the bedside lamp.
Claire rolled again and made groggy noises. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “What’re you doing here?”
Drew blushed so hard he thought his head might explode. “Uh. There’s a, um, really good reason.”
Kay snorted. “I’m in awe of your intellect. Truly.”
She wore a nightshirt with green sleeves and picture of a fat dragon on the front. “Sure,” Claire said. “And this really good reason is…?” Before he could form coherent words, she reached across him to take his left arm and drag it across his body. “What’s this?”
Drew flushed and tried to pulled his arm away. “Nothing. Just a scar.”
Her grip firm, she forced his arm steady and took a good look. “This scar looks exactly like my locket. This is why you wouldn’t take your jacket off before. You didn’t want me to see it. How’d you get it?”
“Just tell her,” Kay said. “She might as well know.”
With a sigh, Drew told her what had happened in the graveyard. “I guess I thought…” Everything he’d thought seemed stupid now. “I didn’t want you to worry.”
“C’mere.” She patted the bed, her eyelids drooping. “Stay here. Get some sleep. Enion, turn off the light.”
Drew, the reason he’d come forgotten for now, climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around the only thing that mattered in the whole world.
Chapter 31
Justin
At five in the morning, as he did every day, Justin woke to the obnoxious buzz of Marie’s alarm clock. Half an hour later, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and with his hair still wet from a quick shower, he filled cereal bowls for everyone. The moment he put the box away, Missy ran out with a giggle of joy for the new day, trailing her stuffed unicorn on the floor. Lisa followed, clutching her favorite teddy bear.
Today, the utter normalcy of the household routine felt surreal. Justin poured milk and orange juice for himself and both girls. They sat and ate breakfast together, joined by Marie a few minutes later. Claire, as a proper teenager, wouldn’t wake on her own until noon. Every time he swallowed a bite of half-soggy, half-crunchy O’s, he tried and failed to come up with a way to explain what might happen today.
Marie finished first. She kissed everyone goodbye and hurried out to catch the bus.
Justin smiled at the bit of cereal stuck to Missy’s cheek and Lisa’s juice mustache. Lisa used a clean spoon to feed pretend cereal to her teddy bear with gentle care.
“Girls, you’re going to spend today at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Mommy will be home in time for dinner.”
Both girls nodded. Lisa asked, “When will you be home, Daddy?”
“I’m not sure.” He had a thought to say he might be out late, but couldn’t make himself do it. He picked up their bowls and carried them to the sink. “Go get dressed.”
Though it was early, he followed the girls to the back of the house to wake Claire. They might as well get to the Palace as soon as possible.
He opened the door to her room and saw Enion on his pillow, upside down with his wings splayed out. Then he noticed Drew’s mop of red curls behind Claire. Though Drew had a bare arm and shoulder, Claire wore a nightshirt. Righteous fury swelled in Justin’s chest. He’d been very clear about this, and they’d gone and…
…sought solace in each other when both knew Claire might die today.
The anger drained, replaced by mild discomfort at barging in on them. Besides, the sheets weren’t tangled. Nothing else suggested they’d done more than slept in the same bed. He’d been clear about nakedness, not comfort. Pulling the door shut with as soft a click of the latch as he could manage, he counted to ten and knocked.
“Claire? Are you awake yet?”
“I am now!” Claire called out. Whispering in her room made Justin smirk.
“I’m taking the girls over now. We should get going sooner rather than later. I’ll make sure Drew is up while I’m over there.” He covered his mouth to avoid chuckling as he heard more frantic whispering.
“Okay. Yeah. I’m moving.”
Maybe later, he’d tell them he knew. With a mild grin, he helped his daughters button, zip, and tie, then carried them to the farmhouse. Tammy and Jack hadn’t finished breakfast yet, and Drew was already in the shower. The kid must’ve moved fast.
Half an hour later, he sipped orange juice while Claire and Drew devoured breakfast. Mutt sat on the floor, eating a bowl of Thanksgiving leftovers. Avery leaned against the counter with a travel mug of coffee. Anne sat at the table, clutching a large, multicolored cloth bag she’d brought. Drew’s news about their weapons and armor hadn’t been welcome, but better to discover their limitations now than to find out when Caius stabbed him.
“I have a baseball bat,” Justin said.
“I have a nine millimeter, a shotgun, flares, and a collection of tools,” Avery said. He wore sweat pants and gray T-shirt with Portland PD in block letters. Justin had never seen him in anyth
ing but a suit before. “Should include a crowbar, which sounds like my best bet. I’ll bring the guns, but I’m not sure bullets will work against a ghost in a metaphysical realm. My kevlar vest will be useless, as everyone else will have swords.”
Anne sighed. “Fighting and weapons are outside my skill set.”
“Maybe you guys should take some time to figure out the best way to handle this,” Drew said. “I mean, another day or two isn’t going to mean the apocalypse, right?”
Justin drank down the rest of his orange juice while Anne, Avery, and Claire ran through their opinions and arguments for and against. He ignored them because he wanted to think. If Marie were here, she’d agree with Drew. Unfortunately, the only way to find out what worked best would be to try it. Once they tried something, Caius would catch on.
He stood and cleared his throat. “We’re going to have to make do with what we’ve got and deal with those bugs at Nine Cans afterward. Our objective is to find the door and use it to reach Caius. Claire is more or less disconnected from the Palace now, so she’s got the best chance of getting close to him. Avery and I will try to act like bodyguards. And we’ll have dragons. Claire, take Marie’s butcher knife. Let’s go and get this done before we all find reasons to delay just one more day for the next ten years. Meet at Claire’s room.”
Without waiting for more argument or discussion, he fetched his baseball bat from the closet in his bedroom, put on his old boots, and didn’t bother with his cloak. Claire and Drew moved to the couch together and watched him leave. He had a powerful urge to tell them not to waste too much time making out before Claire left, but curbed it.
Avery followed him outside and clapped him on the shoulder. Justin nodded to him and went to the stable. Explaining everything to Tariel took several minutes. She accepted it all without arguing. He suspected the stubborn set of his shoulders kept her from making smartass retorts.
Finally, he trudged through the woods to stand in front of his sycamore. The yellow ribbon hung limp and lifeless. Kurt had suggested marking his preferred doorway so he could always find it. If Kurt still lived, he’d oppose Justin on this path. He could hear Kurt’s voice in his head, calling him “boy” and telling him to get his head screwed on straight.
But his mentor, a good man and teacher, had been wrong all his life. Caius had betrayed them all, not the other way around. Justin climbed the tree and untied the ribbon. Succeed or fail, this tree wouldn’t matter anymore. With that grim thought, he pushed through the tree and into his room in the Palace.
The dissonant tones grated in the back of his mind. Wasting no time there, he hurried down the hall to the stairs. When he reached the fourth floor landing, he saw Khalil coming up and paused. They could use another ally. Khalil had already proven he knew something was wrong here. With the full story, Khalil might be persuaded to help them.
“Khalil? Do you have a minute?”
Khalil furrowed his brow. “Why do you have a baseball bat?”
“The same reason I have a crowbar.” Avery joined them from below. His eye twitched and he moved stiffly.
They moved into the fourth floor corridor. Though Justin would have preferred real privacy, he didn’t want to waste time and no Knights standing around should be good enough. He and Avery kept their voices low as they filled Khalil in. When they finished, Khalil gave them a grim nod.
“I went home last night to find my wife holding wards on the house against three disturbing creatures the size of dogs that I think were once rats. Their skin resisted my sword and they almost killed a neighbor child. After I dealt with them, we tried to figure out where they came from. I have no idea. I came back to ask around for suggestions. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
Avery offered him his choice of the shotgun or the crowbar. “What we’re doing will, hopefully, make things like that stop happening. Are you with us?”
The tones in the back of Justin’s head vibrated and grew worse. He gritted his teeth. Beside him, Avery groaned and grimaced. Khalil pressed on his forehead.
“He’s trying to break into our heads,” Justin said.
“He knows.” Khalil gripped the crowbar. “Yes, I’ll help.”
The floor rumbled. Lights flickered.
“Room four-sixty-two. Now.” Justin ran for Claire’s room with Avery and Khalil on his heels.
Chapter 32
Claire
The door shut and Claire looked back at the kitchen. She wished for privacy but didn’t want to kick Anne out. The witch already arranged crystals, sticks, string, and leaves on the table, preparing for their success.
Anne glanced aside and caught Claire’s eye. “Ignore me. I’m paying no attention to you. Drew’s help when you leave would be appreciated, so please stick around.”
Claire nodded and gave Drew a smile she hoped he would interpret as confident. “We’ll be fine.” Only ten of Enion’s family had been willing to face this danger and she didn’t blame the rest for staying here. Eleven tiny dragons held the butcher knife on her lap, waiting while she said goodbye to Drew.
She felt strange not wearing her armor to do this. Though she hadn’t had it long, the suit already felt like a second skin. Instead, she wore a long-sleeved shirt, a miniskirt, spandex shorts, and knee-high socks inside her combat boots. As with most of her clothes, nothing matched. Tie-dye clashed with plaid, which clashed with mismatched stripes. Like she clashed with the Palace.
“I wish I could go with you,” Drew said with a sigh. “To watch your back.”
“You’ll be here to help when we’re done. That might be worth more than you think.”
He brushed her cheek with his thumb and echoed her smile. “People always say to be careful at times like this. Don’t be careful, Claire. Be bold and clever and brave. Get the job done and don’t die.”
She pushed his glasses up his nose and touched her forehead to his. “Don’t do anything stupid while we’re gone.”
Drew kissed her. For once, it didn’t seem awkward. He broke it off and turned away, his cheeks bright pink. Claire thought she’d feel his lingering touch for the next year. Her mind stuttered and stalled until she gave up trying to find more words and focused on the Palace. He’d understand. She had to go or she’d never leave.
As usual, she fell through the couch and landed on her rear in her private stone room. This time, she hit the cushion she’d left behind on her last visit. All eleven dragons jumped into the air. Mutt scrambled to his feet. Drew squawked and fell over.
“Why are you here?” Claire took Drew’s hand and helped him sit up again. “And Mutt. I don’t understand.”
“This is the Palace?” Drew looked around the room, eyes wide. “Kay thinks the blood oath pulled me, and I brought Mutt the same way Enion brought the dragons.” He stood and walked around the room. “I thought it would be bigger. More, you know, palatial.”
Claire threw her arms around Drew’s neck and laughed with an edge of hysteria. “This is only my room. There’s hundreds more like it. Also a giant kitchen, meeting rooms, a dance studio, a library, and a whole bunch more.”
The floor rumbled. The light flickered and dimmed. Claire jumped to her feet and wondered if she’d caused this by disconnecting her locket from the Palace. Bracing herself against the wall, she hurried to the door and opened it to check the hallway. Justin, Avery, and Khalil ran toward her.
As she watched, the stones in the floor rippled in a wave from behind, knocking all three men off their feet.
“Caius is fighting against us already,” Justin said as he took help from Khalil to stand. “He’s not going to let any of us in to see him.”
“If I were him,” Avery said, wiping blood from his lip, “I’d let my enemies in one at a time to take care of them individually.”
Claire ducked back inside. “Let’s go,” she told Drew. “We’ve got to find the door you think is here. Probably everyone and everything here will be against us. And we need Rondy.”
Rondy stepped out
of the wall wearing golden plate armor with a white cloak and a gleaming silver sword. The pins holding his cloak in place and his chestplate bore an imprint of the same heart as Claire’s locket. A golden band held his dreadlocks in a tail.
“Vive le resistance!” Rondy bellowed, thrusting his sword into the air.
Claire blinked at him, stunned by both his boldness and his armor. “Way to be incognito.”
“He already knows what’s going on,” Rondy said with a wide, feral grin. He spread his arms to indicate the room.
Though it seemed like an optical illusion, Claire thought the room might be shrinking. “Out! Get out now.”
“We’re all going to die,” Mutt whined.
“Shut up,” Drew muttered as he lurched to his feet on the unsteady ground and staggered across the seething, uneven floor. “Mutt,” he snapped, “if you’ve got even a shred of courage hidden inside, this is the time to find it and use it. There’s not going to be a second chance.” He threw himself across the floor. “Claire, we have to find Caius. He’s considered the heart of this place, right? The heart of anything is usually in a protected part. What would you say the center of the Palace is?”
Dragons hovered around Claire as she lurched into the hallway. Several doors opened at both ends of the hall and Knights stepped out, their footing solid. Caius meant to cheat. Claire needed to cheat too. She took the butcher knife from the dragons.
“The Thoroughfare,” she said as Rondy floated out behind her. “It connects everything like an artery.”
“Then the Thoroughfare connects to the heart.” Drew rolled out of the room holding Mutt by the scruff of the neck as the floor and ceiling slammed together.
“Claire!” Justin gripped his baseball bat and leaned against the wall. “These men are being controlled. They’ll heal, but try not to kill anyone. They don’t deserve that.”
