by Mari Mancusi
Promise me, Scarlet. Promise me you’ll look after Mom…
“But that’s so…cowardly,” Caleb cried, looking indignant. “He just gave up? Left you to face the monster on your own?”
“Yup.” She let the word hang in the air then gave him a pointed look.
He sighed, obviously getting her meaning. He scrubbed his face with his hands. “God, Scarlet, you must think I’m the biggest loser ever.”
She shook her head. “No,” she said simply. “I think you’re scared. And I think you’re sick. Just like Mac was. But unlike Mac, I think there’s still some part of you that cares. Some part that doesn’t want to give up. That still wants to do what he can to make this right.”
For a moment, Caleb said nothing. Only stared at her with eyes so intense she shivered, feeling naked under his gaze. Her knees buckled and her stomach flip-flopped madly. Had she made a mistake sharing all of this with him? Did he now think she was a fool, powerless to escape her family’s demons? She’d wanted to show him that there was hope. But had she only mirrored her own hopelessness instead? Suddenly she couldn’t bear the idea that he would think her pathetic, weak.
“Caleb…” she started.
He reached out, tracing her cheek with a gentle finger, brushing away a tear she hadn’t realized she’d let fall. Her breath hitched as his gaze locked onto her, his expression transforming before her eyes. Not a look of disgust or pity, she realized with a shock. But of childlike wonder. As if she’d just revealed herself to be some kind of goddess or angel, come to take him home.
She peered at him with serious eyes. “There are still monsters out there, Caleb. And I plan to take them on, no matter what. But I’d really love to have you by my side. Will you stand with me, Caleb? Will you help me fight the monsters?”
His answer came as a kiss. Tentative at first, his mouth whispering across her own, as if asking permission, then with more force when she didn’t pull away. His lips were warm. Soft. His kiss impossibly tender. And as his hands reached into her hair, a shiver passed through her, her whole body breaking out into goose bumps, her heart hammering in her ears.
“Oh, Scarlet,” he murmured against the hollow of her throat. “I’m so sorry, Scarlet.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” she assured him, her voice a breathless whisper. “Just tell me you want to keep fighting.”
“I want to,” he rasped. “God, I want to.”
She smiled, feeling his earnestness like a warm blanket wrapping around her. Maybe they could still make this work. She leaned forward, giving him one more soft kiss—then pulled away. When she did, she saw color in his cheeks. A bright red against his otherwise translucent skin. As if she’d literally kissed the life back into him.
Then she looked around the room and started to laugh.
“What?” Caleb asked, glancing over at her, puzzled. Then he followed her gaze, his jaw dropping in disbelief. The glass palace in the sky—the one that had been in such grand disrepair when she’d first arrived—was now gleaming, shiny, looking brand new.
Caleb blushed. “Well, that’s a bit embarrassing,” he stammered.
“I think you mean a bit awesome,” she proclaimed, rising from the couch and dancing across the room. “Oh, Caleb, it’s gorgeous.”
“It is, isn’t it?” he said softly. And it took her a moment to realize he wasn’t looking at the house. She felt her own cheeks flush. It was all she could do not to jump on top of him and start kissing him all over again. But there were more important things to discuss first. Like saving-the-world important.
“So let me get this straight,” she said, sitting down beside him, folding her hands in her lap to avoid touching him again and losing control. “You’re trapped here in the Nether and can’t get word to your brother. But somehow we need to get him a message to let him and Trinity know that the Dracken are on their way.”
Caleb’s happy expression faded. “Right. But there’s no way—”
“No way for you,” she interrupted. “What about me?”
“You never shared a bond with my brother. He won’t hear you if you call.”
“If I call from here,” she corrected. “But what about the real world? He has a cell phone right?” She paused, considering. “Of course I’m still trapped in that stupid truck…”
Caleb stared at her, a look of excitement dawning on his face. “There might be a way for you to escape,” he said in a low voice. “I mean, I don’t know for sure. It depends on how Emmy’s blood has bonded with your own. But if you could pull it off, I’m pretty sure you’d be able to get out of the truck at least. And then you could call my brother the old-fashioned way.”
“Yeah?” she asked, hope surging through her. “I’ll do it. Whatever it is. Just tell me and I’ll do it.”
He took her hands in his, looking at her with worried eyes. “Are you sure?” he asked. “It won’t be easy. And it’ll probably be dangerous. After all, the Dracken that have us prisoner? They can be real monsters.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “Well, it just so happens that monsters are my specialty,” she proclaimed. “So why don’t you go ahead and tell me what I need to do?”
PART 5:
CREVICE
Chapter Thirty-Four
Strata-A—Year 189 Post-Scorch
Connor stepped into the sterile hospital room, his eyes falling upon his mother lying in her bed. She looked frailer than ever, the veins in her skin like purple snakes winding around her body. She was hooked up to monitors, which beeped and whirled with information on her vitals that he couldn’t interpret, and a ventilator to help her breathe. When she saw him, she smiled weakly.
“My Dragon Hunter,” she proclaimed. “You came.”
“As soon as I could,” he said earnestly, knowing it hadn’t been soon enough. They’d been out on the Surface Lands when he’d first gotten the message on his transcriber that she’d been admitted after collapsing in the market. The cancer had spread to her lungs, the doctors had told him. They weren’t sure how long she had left.
He’d begged his commanding officer to give him leave to go. But they were too far out, he was told. They couldn’t spare a vehicle to take him back to the closest surface elevator, and walking back was suicide. So he’d been forced to stay until they’d found and slayed the ruby dragon that had been plaguing the glass gardens by the western block. A tough old geezer that refused to leave his lair—even with the lure of the hunters’ songs. And so they had laid siege until the dragon finally got too hungry to hunker down and flew out, giving them a clean shot. As the days had ticked by, Connor’s worries had grown. Would his mother even be alive when he returned?
“I’m sorry it took so long,” he said, sitting down in the chair beside her bed. “We were out on assignment.”
He told her the details, assuming she’d be excited to hear them as usual. But when he saw the look on her face, he stopped midstory.
“What?” he asked, puzzled.
She glanced toward the door. “Can you close that?” she asked.
He rushed to do her bidding. When he had returned, she smiled at him. “My cancer is gone.”
“Wait, what?” he blurted out. Of all the things he’d expected her to say, this was certainly not one of them. “What do you mean, gone?”
“Lower your voice,” she hissed. “They’ll find out soon enough, and it has to seem natural. Or they’ll arrest your brother.”
Connor raked a hand through his hair, even more confused. “What are you talking about, Mom?” Was she starting to suffer delusions as well?
“Two days ago, Caleb came,” she told him, a smile creeping to her lips. “He injected dragon’s blood into my IV.”
“He did what?” Connor almost roared. Then he remembered himself. “Oh God, Mom, I’m so sorry. If I had been here…”
His mother wa
ved him off. “You’re not listening,” she admonished him. “Your brother saved my life. I was so weak I could barely sit up in bed. Now I feel like I could dance around the room. Run a marathon. Slay my own dragon.”
Connor felt like he was going to throw up. There had always been rumors that dragon’s blood had healing properties. But no one had ever synthesized it properly. And the rats and other animals the scientists had experimented on had all died after a few days. He felt tears well in his eyes. What had his brother been thinking?
“Connor, don’t cry. This is a good thing. Your brother met up with these people—the Order of the Dracken—you know, from the Sky Houses. They gave him a job. They gave him a dragon. And they gave him the blood to heal me.” She smiled up at him, a guileless smile that broke his heart. “The doctors won’t understand, of course. They’ll probably call it a miracle. But I’ll always know. It was because of my son. My Caleb.”
Connor felt as if the lump in his throat would strangle him. He wanted to shake his mother, tell her she didn’t know what she was talking about. That the blood would not heal her—that she would be dead in a week like all the others. But how could he? How could he steal away the first sparkle in her eyes he’d seen for months—maybe years?
All this time he’d slaved away, doing what he could to keep her in food and medicine and shelter. Draining, dirty work that made him want to curl up in a ball at the end of the day and sob like a baby. For months, for years, he’d done it without complaint—all for her. And now his brother had waltzed in and poisoned her with what he told her was a cure. And in a week she would die, Caleb’s praises still fresh on her lips.
“Mom…” He started then he stopped, realizing that he’d been so angry at the blood transfusion news, he’d missed the other thing she’d said. “Did you just say Caleb has a dragon?” he said. “Like a real, live dragon?”
“Oh yes,” his mother agreed. “Her name is Trinity—like that girl—the founder of the original Dracken. He showed me a video of her on his reader. She’s beautiful, Connor. A descendant of the great Emberlyn herself.” A smile played at the corners of her lips. “I’ve never seen your brother so happy—so alive. And after tomorrow, their bond will be complete. They’ll be together forever.” She locked her eyes on him. “But don’t tell anyone,” she added, as if remembering. “Of course it’s extremely illegal to own a dragon. If someone were to find out…”
“Oh I won’t tell anyone,” Connor managed to grind out, forcing himself to his feet. “Trust me. I won’t tell a soul.” He started toward the door, his heart hammering in his ears as rage and worry fought for dominance.
“Where are you going?” his mother cried after him, sounding concerned. “You just got here—are you really going to leave?”
“I’ll be back,” he promised her. “But first I’ve got to go find Caleb. I’ve got to…thank him…for all he’s done.” He paused then added, “And, of course, I’d like to meet his dragon.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Okay, Emmy, are you ready to do this?”
The night was warm and dry and dark, with a waning moon casting only minimal illumination down on the New Mexico subdivision. And while Trinity had managed to procure a flashlight from the garage, she was too afraid of getting caught to turn it on.
I’m ready, Fire Kissed, Emmy assured her, tossing her head with confidence. Trinity bit her lower lip. At least someone was.
“Okay. Let me know if I’m hurting you,” she told the dragon as she lifted one leg to straddle Emmy’s back. The dragon had grown some since the football stadium and now had just enough room between her wings and her neck for Trinity to straddle between. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable of positions, but it felt secure enough for short term. At least, that’s what she told herself.
Are you ready? Emmy asked.
Trinity glanced back at the dark house, wondering what the Dracken kids would think when they woke up and found her gone. They’d been so great to her, rescuing her and taking her in, trying to shake the authorities from her trail. She felt bad just taking off in the middle of the night like this. But she had no choice. The note had said to come alone.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she assured the dragon as she squeezed her neck. “Let’s do this!”
She could feel Emmy’s head nod, followed by a small breeze at her bare ankles as the dragon began to flap her wings. A moment later they were off the ground, rising into the air. Trin bit down on her tongue to avoid screaming in a mixture of terror and delight as her fear of heights warred with her trust of Emmy.
Higher and higher they went, passing the rooftops and then the power lines, until there was nothing in front of them but dark, empty sky. There had been no wind on the ground, but now she could feel the currents of air caressing her face. Burying her head in Emmy’s soft scales, she inhaled the dragon’s musky scent, trying to concentrate on her rather than the reality of what they were doing.
Someday maybe we’ll be able to do this every day, she told the dragon.
Would you really want to if we could? Emmy teased. You’re shaking like a leaf.
Trinity blushed. Yeah, well, maybe every other day…
She could feel the dragon’s chuckle rise up her throat. Emmy turned her head to look at her then nuzzled her cheek with her snout.
It’s going to be okay, Fire Kissed. I know it will.
“I hope you’re right,” Trinity whispered, more to herself than to the dragon. “Remember this could still be a trap. When we get there, I need you to keep your ears open and all your senses tuned. If anything seems strange or wrong—even if you’re not sure why—let me know.”
You know I would never let them hurt you.
“I’m more afraid of them hurting you,” she admitted.
Do I have to remind you yet again of my fire-breathing superpower?
Trinity laughed, squeezing Emmy’s neck. “Okay, okay, Smaugie. Let’s do this.”
With Emmy’s wing power, it didn’t take long for them to reach the Wal-Mart. The store was dark and even the RVs that were parked there this morning were gone. In fact, there was not a single car in the parking lot, which made Trinity a little uneasy. If her father was waiting to meet her here, wouldn’t he have a vehicle?
“Maybe he’s running late,” she told herself. But her heart beat a little faster all the same.
On her instruction, Emmy dropped down to the ground, landing with a grace that made Trinity proud. She dismounted then checked the dragon over. “You okay?” she asked. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Emmy snorted and shook her head, as if offended by the question. Trinity laughed and reached out to scratch her nose. “Thanks Ems,” she said. “That was a great ride.”
But as she leaned down to kiss the dragon on the snout, she heard a noise behind her. Someone clearing his throat. She whirled around, half expecting to see that the cops had been lying in wait. Instead, she saw…
“Dad?” she whispered.
He was older, obviously, than he’d looked in the vision she’d gotten from the Ouroboros. His once over-gelled hair was now a wild mess, sticking out in all directions. He was thin too—almost scrawny—and not much taller than Trin. He wore thick, black-rimmed glasses that appeared to be held together by a My Little Pony Band-Aid and his shirt illustrated the periodic table of bacon.
But it was his eyes behind those glasses that gave her a real start. Even under the parking lot lights, she recognized them. The same eyes she’d seen a million times before—every time she stood in front of a mirror.
“Hello, baby girl,” he said quietly, his voice cracking at the edges. He looked like he wanted to both laugh and cry at the same time. “You came. You finally came.”
For a moment they both just stood there, taking one another in. Trinity opened up her mind, trying to listen for anything suspicious. But all she felt was an overwh
elming love radiating from the man who had helped bring her into the world. Love, affection, longing, and regret. But mostly just pure, radiant love.
He’s okay, Emmy concurred. He wants to help.
It was all Trinity needed to hear. She threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest. He wrapped his own arms around her, squeezing her tight.
“Oh, Trinity,” he whispered. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this day. I was afraid it would never come.”
“I thought you were dead,” she admitted, feeling the tears cascade down her cheeks as she inhaled his warm, earthy scent. Her father’s scent. “If I had known…”
He pulled away from the hug, a stern look on his face. “You couldn’t know. That was the whole point. The time line is very fragile. It cannot be disturbed more than necessary or we risk catastrophic results.” He gave her a rueful smile. “Now come,” he said. “It’s not safe out here. We must go under.”
“Under?” she asked a little doubtfully.
Her father didn’t answer. Just reached down to what appeared to be solid pavement. Then, to Trinity’s surprise, he lifted it, revealing a dark hole in the ground.
“What…how…?” She stared at the ladder leading down into the abyss, her heart beating a mile a minute.
“Our lab,” Dad explained. “We built it sixteen years ago, when there was no development on this side of town. Five years ago they approved the Wal-Mart being built on the property. We couldn’t move at that point. There was too much fragile equipment and no way to transport it. Not to mention I had given you this address to meet me at. So we let them pave it over and then we added a little trapdoor.”
Trinity shook her head, hardly able to take it all in. “So you don’t work at Wal-Mart?” she asked.
“I do actually,” he said. “Both Virgil and I do. We figured it was the best way to keep a look out for you and let you know where we were without rousing suspicion. Also, it enabled us to hack into the store’s surveillance cameras so we could watch for you when off duty.” He shrugged. “Truthfully, we expected you around three months ago. Virgil was worried something went wrong and that you didn’t get the Ouroboros.” He smiled sadly. “But I learned long ago never to underestimate your mother.”
