“What is an MRI scan?” he asked.
“It takes a picture of your brain,” Ruby answered.
His face paled. “They cut open a man’s skull to do this?”
“No, it can see inside your skull.” Ruby frowned. “Never mind. Let’s go, we’re losing light.”
Fara hooked a backpack over her shoulder, which she’d stocked with food and water, in case they got stranded in the cold, and then pulled on a pair of thick gloves. “My old bones are not going to like this one bit.”
“You can stay behind if you want,” Ruby offered. “I will take care of Magnus.”
“I know, but I’d like an answer to this mystery myself.” Fara pulled on a thick hat and clapped her hands together. “I’m ready.”
Ruby smiled at the old woman. “You’re going to be hot in that getup. We have to drive halfway up the mountain before I can shift. I can’t risk anyone seeing me.”
“That’s okay, my truck has air con.” Fara walked toward the door.
“I thought Ruby was driving,” Magnus said quickly.
“I know this side of the mountain better than anyone, I’ll drive us to a spot where we’ll be hidden.” Fara opened the front door and went outside into the summer sun. Pushing her hat back, she wiped her forehead. “It sure is warm.”
“Not up there.” Ruby looked at the peaks in the distance. “Up there the air is cool, and the view is incredible.”
“I hope I don’t get airsick,” Fara said as she dumped her pack in the back. She stood for a moment, considering, and then stripped her coat and hat off, too. “You’re right, I don’t want to overheat in the cab.”
Ruby hid her smile. “You might want to do the same, Magnus.” Her eyes traveled over his body. “I never knew a man could look so good in women’s clothes.”
Magnus looked down at the sheepskin coat Fara had loaned him. “I look good in anything.”
“Or nothing,” Fara volunteered with a dry cackle. “Come on, Mr. Modest, let’s go.”
They got in the truck and set off down the dirt track toward the road, taking a right instead of a left. The road meandered along the side of the mountain, and Fara followed it, managing to avoid hitting other cars by a whisker, before she took a left turn, along a narrow road that soon grew steep as it climbed into the mountains.
The engine strained but kept on going. Fara, cursing and cajoling her old truck, nursed it up the steep road. “She’ll get us there,” Fara assured them.
“I just hope we’re in one piece,” Ruby murmured. Her hand clutched the car door, the whites of her knuckles showing, but that was the only telltale sign she was scared. Scared might be too strong a word, Magnus got the feeling nothing frightened his mate. Ruby muttered something else under her breath, but he didn’t catch it, nor did Fara, which might’ve been a good thing. He didn’t need their relationship breaking down again. It mattered to him that they were friends because right now, they were the closest to family he had.
“I was driving before you were born,” Fara told her, a wide grin on her face as she rose to the challenge of transporting them to their destination. If Magnus had to use one word to describe Fara, he’d choose tough. Like old boots.
“I believe you,” Ruby replied quickly. “But did you pass a test?”
Fara’s grin widened and she whooped loudly. “Come on, nearly there.” The truck found another burst of energy and climbed a steep slope that curved around like a serpentine until it leveled out. Ruby relaxed a little, sitting up in the seat as they neared the end of the journey. Soon it would be her turn, would the journey on Ruby’s back be any smoother?
At last, Fara pulled the truck into a clearing next to the road. The wheels bumped over raised tree roots and came to a halt under the canopy of large deciduous trees. With palpable relief, Ruby opened the truck door and slid out, her feet landing hard on the ground.
“I understand why you wanted to ride with me earlier.” She took a deep breath and pulled her shirt straight. It tightened over her breasts and Magnus had a hard time not staring at her.
“I tell myself she has survived to a good age despite her driving.” He grinned as Ruby rolled her eyes, but she made no further comment.
Magnus walked a few steps away from the truck and inhaled deeply. It was good to be back up here. The forest and the mountains had a sense of home. Walking toward a clearing in the trees, he looked up at the distant mountain peaks. Why had he been up there? Stumbling around in clothes that were worn and shabby. The fabric rough-spun and hand-dyed, nothing like the clothes he wore now. As surreal as Ruby’s theory was that he belonged to another time, another age, he couldn’t deny he was different. Not just his clothes, but his speech and his lack of understanding of the world around him, a world that had moved on while he slept.
“Magnus. Are you gonna help or just stand there mooning around?” Fara asked.
He turned and caught Ruby watching him. With a swift smile, he sauntered back to the truck and grabbed the packs out of the bed, placing them on the ground while he and Fara pulled on their warm clothes once more. Fara checked him over, making sure he was wrapped up warm as if he were a kid and she was his mother.
“Habit,” she said, withdrawing her hands. “Sol used to be childlike. Toddler-like really. He’s changed and grown over the last few years since they moved to Wolf Valley. Nadine’s helped him a lot.”
“You like them. They are your family?” Magnus asked.
“As good as,” Fara agreed. “They helped me, I helped them. I’m not a charity, you know.” Her brusque tone hid her true feelings. “So, don’t go thinking you can take advantage of me.”
“I would not dream of it.” He nodded his head, while Fara turned away to hide her true feelings.
“Whatever we find up there, you’re still all right.” She slapped his upper arm, not meeting his eyes. She too was concerned. This worried Magnus. Was there something they were not telling him, or were they both concerned he might be a mass murderer or something just as bad?
“We should go, we have to hike through the trees to the valley.” Ruby pointed about a mile into the distance and he realized dressing in warm clothes might’ve been a mistake. “I can shift in there, and we can get everything on my back, including you two.”
She picked up one of the packs and shouldered it. “Ready?”
Fara checked that her truck was locked and pocketed the keys. Magnus wasn’t sure anyone would try to steal the heap of rust. But he appreciated that the older woman cherished it. “It’ll be here when we come back,” he assured her.
“Of course, it will. Everyone around here knows what’ll happen to ‘em if they tried to steal it. I’d claw their eyes out.” She cackled. “I’m only joking.”
“I believe you are a formidable woman, Fara, and believe you are more than capable of clawing someone’s eyes out.” Magnus picked up the two remaining packs.
“Hey, I’ll take one of those.” She held out her hand and he passed her the lighter of the two.
“What’s in these?” he asked, shouldering the pack, and setting off after Ruby who was twenty feet away. Magnus breathed deeply, catching her scent on the breeze that rolled down from the mountain.
“I brought some climbing gear,” Fara confessed. “I don’t trust dragons.” She inclined her head toward Ruby. “If something happens and she can’t fly, we are stuck and I’m not freezing to death up there.”
Magnus nodded, he wasn’t about to enter into a conversation on why Fara didn’t like dragons. All he said was, “I hope you trust me if I am a dragon.”
“Oh, you’re different.” She gave him a wink and set off after Ruby, who was glancing over her shoulder impatiently. He couldn’t be certain, but he suspected she’d heard their conversation.
Following the two women, who kept a small distance apart from each other, he took one last look at the truck, happy to feel the dirt beneath his feet.
Ruby set a fast pace, but he noticed she slowed when terrain got too steep, and not fo
r her own sake. There might be a degree of animosity between her and Fara, but both women were in this together. Magnus relaxed a little. They were a team and would put their differences aside for the good of the team.
For him.
The thought was a good one. He wanted to be accepted. It was important to him. Did that mean whoever he was before was not accepted? Possibly because he had a forked tongue and scales?
Did dragons have forked tongues?
He wasn’t about to ask Ruby.
“What you are smiling about?” Fara asked breathlessly as she reached the top of a steep trail and stopped for a drink. She took the opportunity to flop down on the ground, resting her legs as she gulped down water as if she’d been lost in the desert for days.
“Just enjoying the day.” His smile widened as he glanced at Ruby. Her face was flushed, her breasts rising and falling from the effort of the climb. She looked beautiful. It didn’t matter what time or place he came from, he knew beauty when he saw it.
“Well, don’t get too wrapped up in it.” Fara handed him the water bottle. “Keep your mind on the reason we’re here.”
“Why are you here, Fara?” Magnus asked after he took a slug of water and handed the water bottle back to her.
“For a share in your treasure.” She winked at Magnus and put the water bottle back in her pack.
“I’d give it all to the person who can tell me who I am,” he confessed, earning him a sharp look from Ruby.
“Don’t say that. Not until you’ve seen your treasure. Only then will you realize what it means to you.” She put her thumbs under the straps of her pack and eased the weight off her back, before letting it settle again. “Are we ready to move?”
“Yes, we are.” Fara put her feet under her and got ready to rise. Magnus offered her his hand, which she gratefully took. “If we have to walk much further, I might have to let my wolf do the work.”
She fell into step behind Ruby, who left the path and headed through the trees. “Not much further. Once we get inside this valley, we’ll be hidden from view.”
Then he would see her dragon. A thrill swept through him. He might not have his memories, but he knew dragons were magnificent beasts. Not that human Ruby wasn’t magnificent enough.
The terrain grew more inhospitable, and they had to push their way through undergrowth, and climb over fallen trees brought down in storms. With their tree roots not deep enough to penetrate the hard rock, the shallow dirt wasn’t strong enough to anchor the trees as they grew tall and wide. Magnus frowned. How could his head contain so much knowledge, and yet not recall when he was born, or who his parents were?
“Here.” Ruby stood on top of a large boulder and leaned down to offer her hand to Fara. “Take my hand. Magnus might have to give you a boost up, too.”
Fara stopped at the foot of the boulder and sighed. “I hate getting old. I used to scamper over this mountain like a young pup.” She shook her head. “Are you ready to destroy my dignity?”
Magnus chuckled. “Let’s leave your dignity intact.” He hunkered down and clasped his hands together. “Put your foot in here and lean on my shoulder. Reach for Ruby’s hand and we’ll soon have you up there.”
Fara gave him a grateful smile. “This is why I’m here. I don’t need your treasure. But I do like a man with manners.”
She placed her foot in his hands and he raised it up, letting his leg muscles take the strain as he stood up, Fara’s hand on his shoulder, her fingers digging into his flesh as she pushed herself up. Ruby reached for her hand and took it, heaving the woman up until they stood side by side, grasping each other as Fara got her balance.
“Are you okay?” Ruby asked, looking into Fara’s face with concern.
“Yep. I’m good.” Fara forced a smile on her face. “No boulder’s going to get in the way of this old gal.”
“Good for you, Fara.” Ruby slowly let her go and looked down at Magnus. “We’ll move out of the way, so you can get up. Or do you need a hand, too?”
He grinned. “A man is supposed to save the damsel in distress, my pride would never allow it to be any other way.”
Fara looked down at him and rolled her eyes. “Are you calling me a damsel in distress?”
“Never,” he replied quickly.
“Come on, Fara. We just have to step across to the next boulder.” Ruby disappeared from view, and Fara followed.
Magnus took one last look around, a sense of being watched struck him. He quietened his breath and allowed his senses to roam, but the only things out there were birds and other small animals. A memory brushed against his mind, just out of reach. He’d been here before.
His heart rate accelerated, and he placed his hand on the large boulder. Had he come this way with Fara when she led him off the mountain? He was convinced they had not cut through this valley.
“Are you coming, Magnus?” Ruby called, a hint of worry in her voice.
Magnus turned back to the boulder and heaved himself up, his fingertips gripping onto the almost smooth rock, while he levered his body higher with his feet. “You have not lost me yet.”
Ruby looked relieved as he stood up, and his heart slowed and then faltered at the feeling of longing that swept over him. Then she turned away and took a small leap to another boulder, before turning and reaching out for Fara.
He held back, letting the two women work together. This would strengthen their bond. Although a slight pang of jealousy hit him. It should be him forging a closer bond with Ruby.
Where that thought came from he didn’t know, but he truly hoped this adventure into the unknown would yield some answers to the secrets of his past.
Chapter Seven – Ruby
The journey into the valley was slow, which did not suit Ruby or her dragon, who huffed smoke out of her snout. She was impatient to be the center of attention and allow their mate his first glimpse of her vibrant red scales, and to sample her flying prowess.
Show-off, Ruby told her.
Which her dragon ignored.
Although Ruby’s patience was tested, she didn’t hold it against Fara, who was strong and supple despite her more advanced years. With a fierce look of concentration on her face, she worked her way along the valley, climbing over obstacles, and ducking under fallen trees, which had fallen from the tree-lined sides of the valley over the years. In various states of decomposition, they littered the valley, leaving the impression of a tree graveyard. This whole valley gave her the creeps, the shadows deepening the further they ventured inside its jaws.
“This should be far enough.” Ruby stopped. The ground surrounding her was relatively clear, but it was shielded by a recently fallen Scots pine. Its branches still believed it was alive, and no needles had yet fallen. It rose up into the air, a good ten feet or more, and would hide her dragon from anyone who might be watching from the entrance of the valley.
But not from above the valley. Ruby’s dragon would scan the area once she had shifted. If there was anyone close enough to see, she would sense them.
“Let me have a drink.” Fara retrieved her water bottle from her backpack, took a long drink and then passed it around. “Maybe I should have swallowed a couple of Valium, too.” She closed her backpack securely. “I don’t like flying in an airplane, so I’m certain I’m not going to like this.”
“I promise to look after you,” Ruby told her, then her eyes rested on Magnus.
“Well, here’s the thing. I’m going to get this strapping young man to put his arms around me and hold me tight.” Fara cackled as jealousy flickered over Ruby’s face. “Only because I know full well you won’t allow a single hair on his head to get damaged. So if he’s attached to me, I’m safe.”
Magnus laughed. “You are an old fox.”
“An old wolf, actually,” Fara corrected him. “And damn proud of it. Takes a lot to get one over on Fara.”
“I believe it,” Ruby said. “You remind me of my mom.”
“You don’t say that as if it�
�s a good thing.” Fara folded her arms across her chest, ready to take offense.
“My mom is one of the best people I know. Loyal, strong, kind. With a hard exterior, she used to protect herself for a long time.” Ruby stepped back from the others, figuring out how much room she needed and whether it would be better if Magnus and Fara hid behind the fallen tree before she shifted.
“You love her,” Magnus interjected, watching her every move. Ruby shuddered, liking the way his eyes followed her as if he couldn’t tear them away.
“I do.” She glanced over to Fara. “Saying you reminded me of my mom was a compliment. You’d protect those you care about from anyone or anything that might try to hurt them, and damn the consequences.”
“Ahh, stop blabbering and get on with it,” Fara said brusquely. “We’re wasting daylight.”
“Okay. I’m ready, but I want you two to stand back. Way back. There’s enough room here for me, but only just.” Ruby watched as Magnus wrapped his arm around Fara to guide her to a safe distance.
“I can do it,” Fara said bluntly. “I’m not an invalid. You brought me up here to help, not so you can mother me.”
Magnus let her go, waiting until she’d taken a position behind a boulder and then standing next to her, shielding her with his body. If she noticed, she didn’t make a comment. With the two people watching, Ruby was ready to shift. It was an unusual feeling to shift in front of two strangers in broad daylight. Normally secretive, she was used to hugging the darkness or staying out of sight.
“We’re waiting,” Fara interrupted her thoughts.
Ruby didn’t answer, she simply allowed her dragon to speak for herself. With a rush of air, static electricity sparked and crackled across her skin as she left this world, only for her dragon to burst through the veil that separated the woman from her beast. Large, red, and fierce, her dragon swished her tail like an angry cat as she looked above them to the clifftops, making sure it was safe before she relaxed.
Exactly what her dragon would do if there was someone up there looking down on them, Ruby didn’t want to contemplate. Although her dragon had always been a preserver of life, except for the few small animals she’d killed in her younger days, when mastering the art of hunting, she’d never hurt a soul. Yet Ruby was aware of the simmering primal force that was barely kept in check by the human side of the partnership.
Awakened Dragon: Bear Creek Book 18 Page 5
