by D K Drake
“My way is best,” Micah said, mumbling to himself. “Forget the team. I’m going to take care of the portal, then ride back to Zandador on Mertzer. I’m not waiting for any Destroyer to find me. I’ll find him first.”
Micah stuck his pinkies in the corners of his mouth and prepared to whistle for his dragon, but activity on the bridge caught his eye. Lydia, a Chief from Lower Keckrick, and Cyr, the Captain of the Iria, were halfway down the bridge walking towards him. Lydia pointed at him while Cyr waved.
He lifted his hand to wave back at the same moment a soldier shot both of them from behind with a Jolt Blast.
Chapter 8
Micah’s Choice
By the time Micah reached his unconscious friends, the soldier had already tied Cyr’s hands behind his back and was in the process of tying Lydia’s hands. Micah wasn’t sure whether he should praise the guy for his efficiency or berate him for shooting his friends.
He cleared his throat and opted for a little of both. “Nice work, soldier. What’s your name?”
The man glanced up, resumed his tying, then jumped to his feet a second later holding his Jolt Blast. “You’re Micah.”
“Yes. I am aware of that. I want to know who you are.”
“Ramsey. I’m, umm, Ramsey.”
“Why did you shoot these people, Ramsey?”
“They tried to cross the bridge. People aren’t allowed to cross the bridge. Unless it’s you. You can do whatever you want.”
“Of course I can.” Micah found his characteristic cockiness comforting yet obnoxious. No wonder he never had any friends until he boarded the Iria and learned how to be part of a team. Although it irritated him to listen to himself, he remained in the cocky mode Ramsey expected. “I can also get you to do whatever I want.”
“Yes, sir. What can I do for you, sir?”
“Drop your Jolt Blast, untie this man, and bring him to me.”
“Right away, sir.” The weapon clanged against the wooden bridge, and Ramsey quickly cut through the ropes on Cyr’s wrists. “Where am I taking him? Back to the portal to the castle’s dungeon?”
“No. We’re not going back to Zandador just yet.” Micah picked up the Jolt Blast with one hand, slung Lydia over his shoulder with the other, and used the weapon that looked like a handheld crossbow to point to the house he had come from. “Bring him to the second house on the left. I’ll wait for you there.”
While the man struggled to lift Cyr, Micah marched to the house, gently placed Lydia on the dusty cot, and waited for the soldier. As soon as Ramsey dragged Cyr inside, he turned to Micah for further instructions. “What now?”
“Now?” Indecision paralyzed Micah. He could jolt Ramsey and escape, or he could jolt Ramsey and stay to explain Javan’s plan to Cyr and Lydia once they recovered from the electric shock of the blast. Either way, Ramsey needed to be zapped. “Now I shoot you.”
Micah pulled the steel bow string back, clicked it into place, and engaged the trigger. A spark of electricity flashed through the shaft made of Midnight Stalker scales, and the string that scraped along the top helped create a lightning bolt that shot straight into Ramsey’s right shoulder. He jerked and twitched his way to the floor.
Lydia began to stir. If Micah was going to go rogue, this was his only chance. He had to leave before she woke up. Why weren’t his feet listening to his head?
“What did that man shoot me with?” Lydia sat up, shaking her head and rubbing her arms. “My blood feels like it’s on fire beneath my skin.”
“It’s called a Jolt Blast,” Micah said. “It stings for a bit at the setting he shot you with, but you’ll be completely recovered in an hour or so.”
“Fantastic.” Lydia stood, wobbled, and regained her balance by leaning against the wall. “Where are Javan and Taliya?”
Micah looked at the door, then back at the short-haired warrior struggling to stand. In that instant, he made his decision. “You might want to sit down for this.” He stepped over Ramsey and helped Lydia resume her seat on the cot. “They’re working on a plan to keep Keckrick safe, and we’re going to need your help to execute it.”
Chapter 9
How to Negotiate
with a Dawn Stalker
The gentle breeze upgraded itself to a moderate rustle, bringing with it the distinct smell of rain that was bound to pour from the darkening sky at any time. The prospect of getting wet didn’t bother Javan. What bothered him was the fact that one of his dragons had disappeared while the other snoozed alongside Taliya.
How could Varjiek and Taliya rest when there was so much to do and so much on the line? He used the previous half hour of his life wearing a path in the grass while attempting to contrive a contingency plan for every aspect of his main plan that could go wrong.
What if they couldn’t find a Dusk egg? What if they did find the egg but Taliya couldn’t open the portal? What if the egg didn’t hatch once they got it to Earth?
He didn’t yet have solutions to those potential problems, but he did think he could convince Kisa to give him some of her scales to set the action in motion…if she ever returned.
“I have a solution for that problem, too,” Javan mumbled as he marched over to Varjiek. The dragon’s head rested peacefully on the ground, and Javan stood on his tip toes to yell up into the dragon’s ear. “Wake up, Varjiek. Time to fly.”
The startled dragon jerked his wings up and stood, sending Taliya rolling under his tail. Fly? Who said something about flying? Doesn’t matter. I’m ready. Let’s go. Where are we going? It’s not the desert, is it? I can’t fly over the desert.
Javan ignored Varjiek and rushed over to Taliya. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Taliya rolled her head from side to side as she took Javan’s hand to help her crawl out from under the dragon’s tail. “That was a brutal way to wake up.”
“Sorry. I guess I should have known better than to disturb a sleeping dragon when a person was sleeping right beside him.”
“I’m glad I could help you learn that lesson.” Taliya flashed him a smile and looked around. “Did Kisa come back?”
“No. I decided we’re going to go find her.”
We won’t have to go far.
◊◊◊
Taliya noticed Kisa before Javan did. The dragon was standing just upriver from them on the other side of the berry bushes staring at herself in the water. Sadness filled the dragon’s eyes, and Taliya knew it was because Kisa couldn’t stand the thought of losing any of her scales. How could Taliya protect the dragon’s pride and get her to willingly surrender the scales they needed for the portal?
“I see her.” Javan’s irritated tone cut through Taliya’s thoughts. “She better stay put until we can get to her.” He started to stomp his way through the bushes, but Taliya grabbed his wrist before he got more than two steps in.
“Javan, wait.” If he approached Kisa with that attitude, he was sure to spook her into teleporting again. “You’re the one who needs to stay put. Just give me a minute. Let me talk to her alone first.”
He sighed, nodded, and backtracked out of the bushes. “If that’s what it will take to get her to give up her scales, go for it.”
“Thank you.” Taliya gave his wrist a gentle squeeze and wove her way under and around the branches, leaves, and juicy violet berries of the bushes. When she emerged from the patch of bushes five minutes and two spider kills later, she found herself freshly in awe of the white dragon in front of her. Kisa wasn’t as massive as Varjiek, but she still made Taliya feel like she was an ant approaching an elephant.
Despite her insignificant size in relation to the dragon, Taliya knew she could convince Kisa to do whatever she wanted. The trick was to stroke the dragon’s ego first. “Hey, girl. Looking good.”
Kisa swiveled her neck and focused her gaze on Taliya.
“You know, your scales do more than look fantastic on you. They’re also quite powerful.” Kisa’s ears perked up, and she moved her head slightly closer
to Taliya. “They are the only things that can properly disable the portal and keep all of Keckrick safe from King Omri’s dragons. That will make you a great heroine.”
The dragon stood a little taller, and the pride in her eyes began to overtake the sadness. Confident that she had Kisa’s attention, Taliya kept schmoozing.
“Think about it. A few days ago, no one knew you existed. Now you can forevermore be known as The Dragon Who Saved Keckrick. The best part is that no one will be able to see your missing scales.”
Kisa looked away at the mention of missing scales. Taliya had to talk fast to keep the dragon interested. “Giving up a few scales is a tiny price to pray for the glory you’ll receive. Plus, we’ll make it as easy on you as possible by taking one scale from the underside of each of your legs. You’ll still be a magnificent creature, and you may even gain the ability to run faster without the weight of those scales holding you back. In return, Javan will let you return to your cave for a bit so you can hide from the storm that will soon be blowing through here.”
“I will?”
The sound of Javan’s voice above her startled Taliya. She looked up to see him jump out of the sky and land beside her. “Javan!” she said, punching his forearm. “You can’t be hovering around on your invisible dragon and dropping in to private conversations like that. It’s rude!”
Instead of apologizing, he rubbed his arm and smiled. “I gave you the minute you requested.”
“Just for surprising me,” Taliya said, trying to think of some way to shock Javan the way he startled her, “you have to let me teleport back with Kisa.”
His smile vanished. “What? Why?”
That seemed to hit a nerve. Good. Maybe he wouldn’t pull anymore appearing acts on her after this. “You’ve asked me to leave my home and everything I know to go with you. And I’m in. I’d be a lot happier about it if I had a little bit of time to gather a few things to take with me that weren’t destroyed when the white winds blew my house apart.”
“Guess that makes sense.” Javan turned to Kisa. “You promise you’ll come back?” He must have gotten an acceptable answer because he then turned to her. “You promise you’ll both come back?”
“My home no longer exists, and my dragon is with you. I have no reason to stay in Keckrick.”
“Then it’s settled. Kisa lets us take her scales, and you both get to take a short trip back to Fralick.”
“Perfect.” Having gotten what she wanted from both Javan and Kisa, she linked her arm with Javan’s. Kisa may have agreed to give up her scales, but Taliya still wasn’t about to get too near the acid-breathing dragon without the Collector as close to her as possible. “Let’s get those precious scales.”
Chapter 10
Home Again
“T
hat scale right there.” Taliya stood under Kisa’s wide chest next to Javan and pointed to a scale just above Kisa’s right front leg. “That’s the one we should take first. I can reach it if you let me get on your shoulders.”
“Why would we do that when we can take a scale from the bottom half of her leg without anybody having to get on anybody else’s shoulders?”
Taliya rolled her eyes. Javan clearly did not understand how much appearance mattered to Dawn Stalkers. “If you want to keep Kisa happy, you have to take the scales from places she won’t be able to notice. If you do anything to mar her reflection—like taking scales from her legs—she won’t be able to function, and you’ll have a sullen, useless dragon in your collection.”
Javan leaned over and whispered in Taliya’s ear. “Haven’t you ever explained to her that beauty comes from within? This obsession with her looks isn’t healthy.”
Taliya whispered back. “My job has been to protect her, not teach her human lessons of morality. But if you think now is a good time to tell her how wrong she is to be so vain, go for it.”
They locked eyes for a moment, then Javan shook his head. “Fine. We’ll do this your way.” He walked over to the dragon’s front right leg and lowered himself into a squat. “Get on.”
“Smart man.” Taliya dashed to Javan and draped her legs over his shoulders. He slowly wobbled to a standing position, and she reached up to take the scale she had pointed out. Unfortunately, she couldn’t quite reach it. “Hold still.”
While holding on to Javan’s hair, Taliya rearranged her feet, putting one at a time onto Javan’s shoulders.
Javan swayed beneath her. “What are you doing?”
“Getting the scale I want.” Taliya let go of his hair and walked her hands up the side of the dragon’s leg as she stood. “Standing is the only way I can reach high enough.”
Taliya felt Javan’s wrists on her ankles as she extended her entire body to reach the designated scale. When she finally wrapped her hands around the cool, smooth scale, she began to change her mind. How could she pull it knowing it would cause Kisa pain?
“I’m not sure I can do this.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to hurt Kisa.”
“She’ll be okay.” Javan’s voice sounded strained. “It’s for the good of Keckrick. Now yank it before I lose my balance and drop you!”
Taliya closed her eyes, turned her head away, and slowly began to inch the scale away from Kisa’s body.
◊◊◊
Kisa stomped her front leg. Has she gotten my scale off yet? I need this torture to be over!
“What is taking so long?” Javan listened to Kisa as he kept his eyes locked on the third claw of the dragon’s front foot to maintain his balance. His knees felt ready to buckle under Taliya’s weight. He needed to speed the process along for his sake as well as for Kisa’s. “You should have been able to remove a dozen scales by now.”
“I’m not going to apologize for being gentle.”
“You’re being too gentle. Just rip it off. Kisa will be fine.”
“You’re being too brutal. I’m sure Kisa appreciates my approach.”
“Actually, she’s quite ready for you to be done.”
“She is?”
“Yes. She said she wants the torture to be over.”
“Why didn’t you say so sooner?”
Kisa’s leg flinched a second later, then Taliya said, “Quick. Walk me to the back leg.”
Javan was about to tell her to get down and walk on her own two feet, but he felt her weight shift forward. To prevent a fall, he had to move with her. He barely had time to stabilize beside Kisa’s back right leg when he saw the dragon’s leg jerk and heard Taliya announce, “Next!”
Once again, she swung her momentum forward, this time toward Kisa’s back left leg. “Whoa!” Javan tightened his grip on Taliya’s ankles and sped up to prevent her from toppling forward. “Not so fast.”
“You’re the one who told me to speed up.”
“I meant be faster about ripping the scales off, not scurrying from leg to leg.”
“That’s not what I heard.” Taliya paused, dug her toes into Javan’s shoulders, and grunted. “Got it.”
“Fantastic.” Javan sighed and began to bend his knees so Taliya could get off.
“What are you doing? Stand up and take me to the other front leg. We still have one more scale to get.”
“Why?” Javan straightened his legs and stared at a piece of grass to help him restabilize. “We only need three scales: two for the portals and one for the column in Stalker Square.”
“And one to make everything even.”
“Seriously?”
Kisa snorted. I can’t walk around knowing an odd number of scales was removed from my body. I’d never be able to face the world again. Make her take the last one.
“I bet Kisa will tell you she wants the extra one removed.”
“She just did.” Javan carried Taliya to the final front leg, grimaced as her right foot dug into his neck, and watched for Kisa’s involuntary jerk reaction that signaled the scale had been removed. Once he saw her leg shiver, he said to Taliya, “Sit back down on my
shoulders, and I’ll lower you to the ground.”
“No need.” Taliya leapt off Javan’s shoulders, spun around in the air, and landed facing Javan. “Look at these beautiful scales.” She untucked them from her waistband one by one and stacked them in the palm of Javan’s hand.
The bottom scale seemed to vibrate in his hand while he could see his reflection in the smooth surface of the whiter than snow top scale. “Stunning, Kisa. Your scales are stunning.”
Yes, I know. I work hard to keep them that way.
“We should probably go,” Taliya said. “The storm will be starting soon.”
“All right. I’ll wait for you here. But you need to be back in an hour whether the storm is over or not.”
“Deal.” Taliya nodded, checked her pocket time piece, and put her hand on Kisa’s leg.
We’ll be back, Kisa said. Before Javan could say another word, both Kisa and Taliya vanished as the downpour began.
Javan sprinted toward the trees to find cover when Varjiek swooped down, blocked Javan’s path, and spread out his wing. I’m not scared of a little rain. Hide here, young Collector.
“Thanks.” Javan jumped on top of Varjiek’s back left foot and wiped his wet hair away from his face. Varjiek let his extended wing rest on the ground, providing a cozy shelter for Javan. He rested his head against the dragon’s body, closed his eyes, and listened to the soothing pitter patter of the rain drumming on the wing above him.
With nothing to do except worry that Kisa and Taliya would never return, Javan allowed sleep to chase his worries away.
◊◊◊
Taliya’s body tingled from head to toe. She wasn’t sure if that was due to the teleportation or to exchanging the humid, stuffy air by the river for the cool, clear air of Kisa’s cave. Whatever the reason, the tingling dissipated after a few deep breaths.
