Valley of the Dragons (Rule 9 Academy, #3)

by Rain, Elizabeth

I shrugged, “Sure, okay.”

  It surprised me when he nodded and took off walking away from the edge and back down the trail through the woods in the direction we’d come. When we emerged through the other side into the main valley, I expected him to head for the cabins. Instead, he turned in the opposite direction, walking towards the top of the tiny hill there. A massive cottonwood tree stood dead center of the knoll. A small fence with a little gate surrounded what looked to be a family cemetery. A few of the stones looked fairly recent. But there were several more that showed their age, the names and dates etched into the granite surface faded nearly smooth with time. He knew right where he was going, walking to a grave-site with one of the oldest stones. Still, the grass was neat and summer flowers bloomed in profusion at the base of the stone and looked well-tended.

  Though Faint, I could make out the name and date etched there.

  “Elspeth Walsh?” I murmured, a tingle of awareness skating along my spine.

  Franz nodded. “My great-grandmother. She was 202 when she died. She came to this valley as a young girl about your age and never left. Married, raised a daughter and helped grow this valley into what it is, and what it represents to all of us.

  “And what’s that?” I asked. Though I thought I knew the answer.

  “A place for us to embrace our Dragon. Where we can live free and be what we are, absent of judgment or persecution.”

  “And now you have someone out there trying to destroy it all.”

  He nodded. “My great grandmother Elspeth fled to Basilisk Valley almost 300 years ago with her family. Brothers Aidan, Fergus, and Finn; her father Duncan, and her mother Moira, too. Moira was wounded in the battle. She made it this far and died on this hill. Some say a part of Duncan died too, in his grief at her passing. But my great-grandmother was a courageous woman, and she persevered. I’ll be damned if I’ll allow some group of misguided zealots to come in here with their own plans for some insane idea of justice and destroy what she lived her life creating.”

  I frowned, something else occurring to me. “What happened to the brothers then?”

  Franz nodded in my direction approvingly. “Well, they settled and two of them married and had children. Along with the other survivors, they helped populate this valley. Mostly they recovered from the horror of the night they fled Salem. So many lost family members and loved ones. Her brother Aidan never recovered. He left the valley the same day they buried Duncan, his father, next to his mother. He never returned and no one knew where he went. Not for a long time.”

  I looked at the stone next to his Great Grandmother Elspeth and his Mother Emmaline. Duncan Walsh’s name and the date he died was not quite as faded as Moira, his wife’s, but it was close.

  My lie detector was screaming meemies. Franz Hobert had just lied to me. Only this time, I was sure I knew the truth. It answered too many questions about my own history.

  Being a dragon was no accident. It didn’t just pop up in the bloodlines. I thought of the invitation to attend summer school here and how strange it had seemed, and the pieces fell in place for me.

  Franz Hobert said nothing, but he stood quiet, staring at me expectantly. Clever old coot.

  “Aidan was my grandfather or was it great grandfather, wasn’t he?” I framed it as a question, but I already knew the answer. It made too much sense and explained too many things. But not all.

  “Great. Yes, I believe he was. My grandmother tracked him to Breathless before I was born. But he never responded to any of the letters. He sent them all back. My father kept them in a shoe box in his closet. I discovered them as a child. He told me the story and curiosity made me keep track of Aidan’s son Sam, and then later, your mother, Carly. ”

  I’d never met my grandfather, nor his father, and my mother had talked little about them, not until we inherited the house and moved there. Even then, information had been fleeting.

  “That would make my mother part dragon as well, then.” I murmured as the knowledge moved through me. And then the anger came.

  “She never told me what I was. Why? It would have explained so much about what made me different. She let me grow up thinking there was something wrong with me!” The rage was surfacing and the bitter betrayal. I felt the hairs along my arms and neck flatten into tiny bronze scales as I wrapped my arms around my body and shuddered, too many thoughts flying through my mind to process them all.

  “So I’m only what, a quarter dragon then? Does that mean my chances of completing the change are that diminished?” I ground out. More disappointed than I wanted to admit.

  Franz shook his head. “No. It doesn’t work that way. The dragon gene itself is passed down as a separate element, a recessive if you will. But when it shows up, it manifests fully. Moira, long distant aunt, was a skilled healer, her knowledge and abilities well known to all who knew her. She was a Dragon as well, but never developed the ability to shift. Your mother as well lacked that ability. Remember; Aidan was bitter when he left, running from his own demons the rest of his life. He married, had your grandfather, and buried his young wife to cancer when his son was only a child. He passed that bitterness on. Your own mother knew it too. She grew up in that house with a father who hated the heritage that had cost him his childhood and parents. Carly grew up knowing she was different and running away from it. When she met your father, she kept that part of herself secret. She left her heritage all behind to be with your father and live a normal human life. And then you came along and her past caught up to you both. We can’t escape who we are, Sadie. Not any of us.

  The rage still shivered through me and I was suddenly glad that my mother wasn’t there to bear the brunt of it. She’d lied to me. She who had always preached the truth had told me the biggest whopper of all. But I was older and wiser than I’d been even just those few months ago when I’d first arrived in Breathless. I was coming to realize that none of life was simple and that sometimes what we did to hurt those we loved was simply a product of our own survival.

  But I was still mad at her.

  I KNEW BEYOND DOUBT the news couldn’t be good. We were gathered in the main mess hall eating breakfast. Ava Jones, the cook and our driver from the first day, was standing sentinel, as usual. Making sure breakfast was on time and served proper. Her eyes narrowed when Franz Hobert, sitting at a student’s table with a group of students near the front of the room, cleared his throat and stood up. The grim tilt of his head and the bleakness of his tired eyes told it wasn’t good.

  “I have an announcement to make.” He glanced down at a young man about our age who looked like he hadn’t been to bed yet, though it was 8:00 a.m. and long past when he should have. The man in question looked worried sick, which added to the niggling dread percolating in my stomach and making me put my fork down.

  Franz moved his gaze to encompass every person in the room. “Last night, according to her boyfriend Barry here, his girlfriend Janice Whitmore never made it home. Her cabin mates have confirmed that she never slept in her bed.” Barry must have been the haggard young man and I guessed the rest of the table; a bunch of panicked looking girls were her room mates.

  “I’m going to let Barry give you some of the details. He can tell you more.” He sat, folding his hands and leaning his chin on them on the table. He looked exhausted.

  Barry stood, using the table to support him with his hand flat down beside him. “We went to the movies last night and had a fight. It was so stupid... whatever. She made an excuse, went to the bathroom, and slipped out the back when I wasn’t looking. I just assumed she’d come back here and retired to her cabin. This morning, when I went to talk to her and apologize, her roommates told me she never showed. So sometime last night she disappeared. We have to find her. If those bastards have hurt...” his voice choked up and he sat back down, the chair sliding sideways as it bounced under the pressure. He stared blankly, his expression bleak as he refused to meet anyone’s eyes.

  Franz stood back up. “We are doing all we can
to determine the whereabouts of Janice. I don’t need to tell you that this isn’t good. Maybe it’s nothing, but I would rather err on the side of caution. I need to reaffirm that you all need to be taking precautions. Nobody, and I do mean nobody is to go anywhere unless they are in a group and the bigger the better. Don’t leave to go off on your own under any circumstances. Janice is a Dragon shifter. Based on the condition of Jake Winters, I believe they are being tortured for whatever sick, twisted reasoning is behind this mess. Janice is a second-year student. She hasn’t embraced her change yet. I don’t need to tell you what could happen if they work her over and force that change early...”

  He cleared his throat once more. “Something else. I wasn’t sure it had much to do with us here on the mountain, but she’s not the only one gone missing in Purdy. There’s a rumor going round town, not sure how reliable it is because it comes from a small sector of homeless vagrants. But the buzz is there was an attack on one of them the other night. From the description given, it sounds a lot like a rogue vampire to me. But the interesting part is that a group of saviors, they called them, intervened and pulled the attacking vamp off their buddy and hauled him away. The reason it got my attention is that they said it looked an awful lot like they shot him up with something that incapacitated him before they took him off. Takes a fairly high dose of anything to render a vampire out of commission...”

  My eyes met Sirris. He was probably right, and it was the same group of gangbusters that were plaguing us and the community of Purdy. Still, if he was a rogue vamp, I didn’t hold much sympathy for him.

  I thought about Janice and her coming change. I had heard rumors of the dangers before coming to the valley. Franz Hobert and the other older students like Niel had put it in complete perspective for me. If the change came too soon, the chances of dying were higher. Embracing your dragon had to come when your body was ready, and not before.

  Finished, Franz Hobert sat back down. He stared at the plate of food someone had placed in front of him and gave it a savage shove, upsetting his drink. The amber liquid flowed over the tablecloth unnoticed by anyone at the table. But I watched the wet stain spread along the edge and dribble onto the floor. It looked way too much like blood.

  I looked at my food and crumpled my napkin and threw it on top. I was finished as well. I shoved away from the table. Thomas and his brother Todd, Sirris, Nick and Fern followed my lead. For us breakfast was over. We all had way too much experience with death and dying and it made us lose our appetites quick.

  We left together without a word. We walked back and I thought of my dream, wondering if it was more a portent of things to come than a mad wandering of my subconscious imagination.

  “I don’t think we can just sit around and let Franz Hobert and the counselors do all the work. I don’t think I’m cut out to sit idle and let everyone else have all the fun. Besides, if this affects us then I plan to be part of the solution...if you know what I mean.” I glanced around to make sure we were alone.

  Thomas spoke up. “Agreed. I say we do a bit of reconnaissance ourselves and check things out. I mean, it’s not like we’re breaking any of the rules. Not if we stick together and don’t split up. Safety in numbers, right?”

  Sirris looked at him and rolled her eyes, but she didn’t protest.

  Nick took care of that for her. “You heard what he said though. They are taking care of it. They probably don’t want a bunch of kids interfering.”

  I stared at him in disgust, my mouth getting ahead of my brain as I answered. “Nobody asked you Seul. We hereby invite you to stay out of our way and safe in your cabin...”

  “Oh, no. You aren’t pulling that one on me, Cross. I’ll be there, if for no other reason than to make sure you don’t get that hot head of yours ahead of your brain and do something stupid...”

  Todd intervened as our voices rose and carried. “You two will broadcast our plans to the entire camp if you don’t stop arguing. Get it together. Nobody said you weren’t willing, Nick. Well, most of us didn’t. And Sadie, he’s got a point. Franz does probably have this well in hand. Sounds like he may have had a bit of experience in dealing with the human population. Still...” his grin widened and turned sinister. “There’s nothing saying we can’t lend him a hand. But in keeping with your concerns, Nick, I think we should let Niel in on this. His brand of Dragon expertise could come in especially handy; don’t you think?”

  “No!” Nick charged, voice dripping with disapproval.

  “Yes!” I countered, a wide grin exploding across my face at his expression.

  Thomas jumped in, ignoring us both. “I think it’s an excellent idea. You have my vote on that one. We could definitely use one more.” Several other hands shot in the air like we were taking a vote. My smile turned smug.

  Nick rolled his eyes and ground his teeth audibly in disgust.

  Fern spoke up and my eyes pulled to the movement beneath her maroon t-shirt. Kit rolled around suspiciously, a stubby spiked tail weaving in the air before it was snatched back in. We heard a snarl and a crunch. I wondered what she’d just fed the little demon.

  “I don’t think we have the luxury of assuming Franz Hobert and the counselors can handle this alone. He’s capable, nobody is arguing that point, but I think he will need all the help he can get. Besides, as interesting as things have been around here, I have to confess that I’m a little bored. Kit and I could stand a little action.” She reached a finger beneath the hem of her collar and made a scratching motion with her finger. Seconds later a loud purring growl sounded, similar to a cat’s but much rougher.

  I stared at my strange friend’s diminutive stature. So feisty for someone so small. But I did rather wonder if camp had quite lived up to her expectations. Though a lot of her training was in the practice, it occurred to me that she hadn’t probably gained a lot of new knowledge in a camp geared towards dragons. That went double for my other non-dragon friends. We were all just relieved that we would return to Drae Hallow and Rule 9 Academy without needing to repeat our previous semester of schooling. We’d missed several weeks of school the previous semester while off fighting Will Bennett in the alternate dimension of Wyndoor.

  “So, when are we going to do this bit of exploring?” Nick ground out sarcastically, gaining several dirty looks from the rest of us.

  But it was I that spoke up, tongue in cheek. “I say as soon as I go speak to Niel and invite him to the party. Maybe tonight.” His answering black glare was all the reward I needed. Check and Mate, Nicholas.

  WE’D HAD NO DIFFICULTY convincing Niel. Turns out he was acquainted with Janice. She was in one of his classes as well as a distant fifth cousin or some such relative. Along with the rest of the guys, he joined Sirris, Fern and me at the edge of the forest. It was a Saturday night and we had no classes the next day, so we were hoping to be in and out and back in bed before dawn. Sleeping through breakfast would be worth it the following morning.

  Sirris eyes gleamed silver in the moonlight, and we shared a smile. It had been a while since we’d been adventuring together. As dangerous as this outing could be, it was nice to be working together again.

  Fern brought up the back. The occasional whisper of her soft voice drifted forward and I knew she was carrying on a conversation with her familiar, hiding in plain sight on her shoulder. As a chameleon of the first class, Kit was an expert at blending in to whatever surroundings she found herself in.

  We fell in line beneath the cover of the darkened wood; the leaves making an eerie rustling noise as they whispered against each other over our heads. It hadn’t rained in several days, and I knew the dry earth beneath our feet would kick up plumes of dust as we walked along the road towards Purdy. If we’d been able to see our feet, that is.

  The moon overhead was nearly absent, only a thin sliver showing and not enough to cut the heavy canopy of trees we walked beneath. But at least it was warm, the balmy air thick with humidity and making us brush absently at the glistening dampness on our
foreheads. More than one slap and expletive, theirs—and mine—told me we weren’t the only thing alive and hungry for action that night. We’d forgotten the bug spray and the mosquitoes were grateful.

  We walked towards Purdy, because so far, that was where everything seemed to have centered or began. It might have ended on the mountain, but it had started in the town that should have been way too tiny for the crimes happening inside its city limits.

  We weren’t talking much; it was too muggy for casual conversation and we weren’t known for being a real chatty bunch. Still, if not for Todd suddenly slamming to a halt in front of his brother, we might have had a far more unpleasant ending to our night.

  “Shh! Hold up. There’s something up ahead.” We followed his lead and left the trail, blending in with our surroundings seamlessly. Experience had turned us into dangerous little soldiers. Words weren’t necessary as we fanned out and pulled our weapons. I hid behind the wide expanse of a rather impressive black maple, Fern at my shoulder. Her fingers were weaving a glittery pattern in the air and her lips were moving. I stood unmoving, a bolt notched in my bow and ready for any action.

  We didn’t have to wait for long. I recognized the voices from the night Todd had been attacked, but as we waited for them to pass us and offer a decent target, their words suddenly faded. I listened in confusion, my eyes trying to make out those of my friends spread out in the woods like we were. Several moments passed before Thomas stepped from his hiding place and we joined him, just off the road.

  An odd gurgling sound reached our ears. I swore, creeping forward cautiously. I knew that sound well enough, I’d heard it way more than I ever wanted to in the last couple of months. Someone was struggling to breathe. Together we stepped back onto the road. Our intruders were gone, but they’d drug something up the mountain with them and left him/her like so much refuse in the middle of the trail for us to find. His placement was no accident, I knew. Suspicious of a trap, we approached the fallen victim with caution. Thomas and Todd hung back, watching for any surprises. But they were long gone.