Fire Born Dragon (Rule 9 Academy Book 1)

by Elizabeth Rain

  “Just got off the phone with Mayor Seul. The shield’s failing. Seems the Macu are increasing in alarming numbers all of a sudden.”

  I shifted the pack on my back and caught Thomas’ eye.

  “Whoever is responsible for all this? They’ve widened the portal, they’re letting the Macu in. I think we just ran out of time.”

  Together we ran for the door.

  JERRY WAVERLY WAS JUST scraping the last of the bowl clean. Delicious! A sound at the door caught his attention and he looked up, curious. Had they forgotten something? Or was the Major coming to call?

  “Mr. Tuttle?” He offered in question as the door slid open.

  Maybe he’d come by for a nightcap?

  When two shrouded figures stepped into the room he froze, the spoon halfway to his mouth.

  That wasn’t right.

  Jerry sat the spoon down. He realized that both wore robes, their heads covered with hoods to conceal their identity.

  That was when he realized that the second member was pushing the first ahead, the tip of a broadsword held aloft and brandished in warning.

  The first, taller and broad was talking, the words floating eerily into the large room. “Why, you would destroy everything the council, the Magical World, has stood for!” The words were a plea.

  The sword waved magnanimously. “What? Hiding like little children afraid of the dark? No, I’m making things the way they should be. No more running away, denying our power. It’s time we took control and ruled like we were meant to.” The sword pushed the stumbling figure forward to stand next to Jerry. He strained to catch a glimpse, to identify who was speaking, the voice familiar—but the hoods fell well forward and the faces were turned away.

  “Enough talk. We need to hurry to catch up with the others before they do something stupid.

  Jerry sensed the councilman with the sword as he looked in his direction and continued. “You will help me prevent that.”

  Jerry stiffened. “And if I don’t”

  The sword moved with wicked speed, coming to rest below the chin of the slighter figure. The sharp edge drew first blood and Jerry watched the trickle of red as it ran south. He heard a thin, frightened whimper.

  “How did you find me?” Jerry asked, stalling for time.

  The shadowed figure brandishing the sword laughed. “Why, the locket, of course.”

  The smaller figure interrupted. “I didn’t know you put a tracker in it!” the voice hissed. Jerry thought he knew that waspish tone.

  “I know, that’s the beauty of it. You had no clue.” Finished the taller figure.

  Turning to Jerry. “Move now. You’re necessary.” The implication was clear. Jerry moved towards the door along with the other shuddering figure, one hand clutching a bleeding throat.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “You know this is a stupid idea, right?” Nick whispered over my shoulder.

  I rolled my eyes. “And I suppose you have a better one?” There was no answer. We hadn’t had time to come up with something that didn’t have high risk written all over it.

  We listened to the faint rustling of the wind through the leaves and branches along the trail. The Guard, led by Marcus Tannon and joined by Thomas and Sirris, lay in wait on their signal. In effect, they were following them across the bridge with plans to engage the Demon wolves and the Macu in battle while Nick and I, under the guise of the same cloak Nick had used before, made our way with the bomb to the portal and delivered the package, and prayed it worked.

  I clutched the small bomb in the satchel at my thigh, its weight a welcome hope against near insurmountable odds. I was still wondering what we were really doing when Nick grabbed my hand and waved his other, the magical shimmer of glittery mist springing from his fingers and raining down like a shower of glitter to surround us as it had before.

  We wasted no more time; we could already hear the beginnings of the war ahead of us as the guard engaged the demons with nothing more than their fledgling magic and the homemade bombs only a few of them carried.

  We moved fast then, eager to be off the bridge where all of this could go south if we weren’t careful. The bridge wasn’t large enough to accommodate anyone in more than a single file. We made it to the other side without interruption. I forced myself to ignore the heat of battle and the writhing bodies as they fought on the thin slick of land above the falls. I couldn’t help them. Not this time.

  The screams of pain and fear made me stumble. They were my friends, every single one. It was hard to move forward.

  We flattened ourselves along the wall of the cave as several Demon wolves, followed by a pack of Macu, sprung past us. We needed to hurry. We were already three minutes in and Nick couldn’t hold the enchantment forever. We made for the back hall, forced to wait for five more Macu running down the hall, obviously freshly birthed as they snuffled and sniffed, their fur still damp and dripping from their passage between the worlds. They looked confused, but they were following their noses just the same.

  I waited impatiently beside Nick, my hand gripping his so tight it was painful. I stared at the fumbling creatures. Hurry up damn you!

  We couldn’t move until they moved out of the way. We darted past them so quick I felt the stink of their breath beneath the veil of concealment Nick held over us.

  But the Macu never paused, following their bellies.

  We moved into the portal room and screeched to a halt. It was occupied with the last three people on earth we expected to see.

  Will Bennett stood in the middle of the room near the opening of the portal that shifted and glimmered behind him. Cringing beside him stood Carol Shamon and Jerry Waverly, looking visibly alarmed.

  The sword Will held was angled towards the ground, but it was ready to move at the slightest provocation.

  He laughed suddenly, swinging his free hand in our direction. With a gasp, the glittery shield Nick concealed us beneath dropped away into gossamer dust at our feet. My panicked eyes swung to Nick’s.

  Will’s voice was merry with excitement. “You didn’t really believe that little trick was going to work a second time, did you? The only reason you got away with it the first time was I wasn’t ready for you to discover my identity yet.” He looked beyond them to the portal. He shifted out of the way as three more Macu tumbled, dripping and gurgling, through the portal to wrestle like puppies on the slippery floor. Carol gagged in disgust and skittered sideways as some of the slimy afterbirth splashed onto her shoes.

  “Now though?” Will continued, “Now it just doesn’t matter. In a matter of hours, the Macu will bring down the shield completely and the town of Breathless will see what we are. We won’t have to do a thing. Their own terror and prejudice will start the war. You are too late with your measly little bombs. What? Did you really think you could destroy the gateway by sending one of those things back through to the other side? You were dreaming to think that would work.”

  I trembled beside Nick, my hand hovering protectively over the satchel, the stay that held the flap closed already loosened.

  A sense of hopelessness filled me. If it didn’t work, then it was all for naught. It wouldn’t matter if we won the battle. The war would already be his.

  But I noticed what I’d missed before as my mind tried to wrap around the depth of our epic fail. Will Bennett was sweating. He was nervous and I wanted to know why.

  “So, you’re really a part of the Dark Faction?” I asked, hoping to stall him. He seemed to startle at that. Then he smiled.

  “Figured that out, did you? Well, that’s always been what we were about. Taking our rightful place at the top of the food chain, not hiding beneath human feet.”

  He seemed as willing to talk as I was to keep him talking. He was stalling too. Why?

  We didn’t have to wait long to find out. A sudden smile spread across his face and my stomach seized in panic.

  “Ahh, there they are. The Demon wolves are returning. See, I control them. The only thing between
them and their dinner—” he brushed the back of his fingers along Carol Shamon’s cheek, making her jerk away from his hand. “—is you. I’ll make you a deal. Give me the bomb and I’ll let Carol and Mr. Waverly live. If not?” He shrugged. Carol moved next to Jerry, who put his arm around her and snugged her back into his protective space.

  She glanced up, grateful, and I glimpsed her expression before she hid it. It stopped me cold. She wasn’t shaking with mindless fear as I’d assumed. She was shuddering with rage.

  She turned to Will. “I thought you cared about me, Will. Didn’t we have something special?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

  Will laughed even louder. “Is that what you thought? I was using you. I needed someone to cast doubt on, to make sure everyone shifted their attention away from me. Worked like a charm, too.”

  He turned back to me. While he spoke I’d removed the bomb and I held it in my right hand against my side and out of view. Behind me, several Demon wolves entered, grinding to a halt when Will Bennett held up a hand.

  The look in the largest Demon wolf’s eyes made me wonder if Will Bennett had them as much under his control as he thought. I wondered if they were only biding time before they made their own bid for control.

  “Enough talk. The bomb now if you please.” He demanded, holding his hand out, taking a step in my direction. His eyes slid away from Jerry and Carol and focused on the small glittering orb in my fist.

  I looked beyond to catch Jerry, as he made a small imperceptible jerk of his hand.

  My eyes moved back to Will. I hefted the bomb, tossing it into the air. I watched his eyes follow its progress as he edged closer.

  “You know... the problem with your theory is that you assume the only thing in the bomb is mere poison. What if I told you there was something else?” I tossed it particularly high, watching as he held his breath on its descent.

  “Give it here!” He ground out through gritted teeth. I held it still, gripping it in my right hand like a softball.

  “You know, I didn’t care much for soccer in school, wasn’t ever clever enough with my feet. Basketball bored me to tears. But softball... did I mention I was the lead pitcher for my team throughout Jr. High?” I watched his eyes the moment he got it. But it was too late. I found my stance and drew my arm back in a perfect pitcher’s form for the perfect pitch. Straight and true it flew towards Jerry Waverly, poised with arms outstretched to catch it.

  But we had underestimated Will Bennett. With a roar of fury he leapt into the air, snagging the ball inches from Jerry’s outstretched hands with a crow of delight. With a grin he landed, eyes wicked with satisfaction.

  But nobody had paid the other magical in the room much attention. Even as Will turned, a broad triumphant grin splitting his face and opening his mouth to give the order for the Demon wolves to attack—Carol Shamon moved.

  With a cry of determination she advanced on him, her hands aloft and shimmering with a strange fire, even as he turned, raising the sword he hadn’t released; she rushed forward and hit him with the furred claws that had sprung from her hands. The power in that punch sent him spinning up and back through the air and straight through the portal. There was a sucking sound and an explosion as a shiver of glittery smoke spun into the room. Then the portal seemed to solidify, the whirling patterns crackling to form a solid wall, the shimmery translucence gone, replaced with a cloudy film that reminded me of the spidery effect one sees in a shattered windshield.

  The portal was frozen and Will Bennett was gone. Nobody moved for the space of several seconds. Then everyone turned to face the Demon wolves. Everyone looked at the leader, his jaw tight and his eyes cold as he assessed the situation. Then with a snarl of distaste in our direction, he turned an about face and trotted from the room; the others following.

  They were just gone. I stared after their retreating backs in confusion and I know I wasn’t the only one. We’d all been thinking it. Save the day, protect the world, be the dinner.

  Carol had done this. She’d pushed Will Bennett through the portal and then Jerry’s bomb had somehow sealed it off.

  “Is it destroyed, the portal I mean?” I asked.

  Jerry shook his head. “No, just frozen. For how long anybody’s guess is. What I added I had hoped would have that effect. But I never had time to test it. But it’s temporary. We might have months or years. Or just days before it opens again. Until then there is no way to know what happened on the other side when that bomb exploded.”

  Movement in the doorway pulled our attention and Lucas Seul entered to stand on the thresh hold. He looked at us each in turn, visibly relieved when his eyes passed over his son. His eyes fell on Professor Shamon at last.

  “Carol. That was extraordinary work.” A small smile lifted the corner of her mouth.

  “Thank you. It worked perfectly, though there was a moment there when I wasn’t too sure.”

  I started, “Wait, I thought this was some unrequited love triangle or something.” I murmured, eyes narrowing. What the...?

  Carol laughed. “Well, that was the plan, wasn’t it? I needed to convince Will I was usable and gullible and, ooh... in love... the idiot. He thought I was so stupid. He put that tracker in the locket I gave to Sirris. The fool thought I had no clue. But I knew the moment he put it in my hand. Best way I knew to flush him out into the opening and make him tip his hand.” Her eyes flashed.

  She continued. “His ego, the same full of himself personality that allowed him to play God, was also what allowed him to believe no one else could be as clever or smart. He played us all. And I played him.” She looked at me without apology. She might have helped save the day. It didn’t mean we were friends.

  “You played us too. You were good, I bought the whole package.” I murmured, not as willing to forgive any of their duplicity, because Lucas had been in on it as well.

  My eyes shifted to his, staring until he had the good grace to look away. My eyes landed on Nicholas.

  “Did you know? Were you part of this too?” I asked him, my voice full of ill will if he had.

  He frowned, eyes dark. “No. No I wasn’t. I had no idea.” He looked at his father and I knew life at the Seul residence would not be full of the warm fuzzies tonight.

  Mayor Seul glanced at his son and spoke to them all. “I have to get back. We need to check on the shield, see if it’s still holding. Everyone else? Well, all who are able are on clean-up duty. Apparently the Demon wolves have all disappeared. They left the Macu to themselves, who are still happily munching away at our defenses. They’re still dangerous, but I think our forces can handle them without interference from the Demon wolves. Where they might have gotten off to is worrisome. We also really have no idea exactly how many of them came through before we blocked it. They can’t get in. But they also can’t leave and are effectively trapped here. Dangerous predators on the loose in the Shephard’s Mountains. What else is new?”

  He turned to go. I took a last look at portal. It was like smoke and mirrors. You could almost make out the other side of the glass. Shadows moved there, vague and distorted. But I couldn’t distinguish them. I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

  Like the others, I had to wonder how effective the net that Jerry had put in place would be. Was it closed for good? Or had he just bought us time.

  Carol stumbled over the uneven ground ahead as she followed Lucas. He immediately caught her arm and gently steadied her. The look she sent him was grateful? We’d underestimated Carol Shamon, she’d fooled us all.

  They had kept secrets from us and I didn’t like it.

  Down through the main hall and into the main cavern we walked even as several figures entered from the front, their long shadows playing and dancing along the walls bare seconds before I identified them as members of the guard, or what was left of them.

  “Sirris! Thomas!” I screamed, picking up my pace and pulling them both forward into a group hug when they got close enough. Thomas wrapped long arms around us both
.

  At the sight of her father, Sirris wriggled free and threw herself at him. “Sirris,” he sighed with relief. The sound of her muffled emotion against his filthy shirt collar hit me with a punch and I looked away. I wonder how my mother was faring in my absence. Did she miss me? A Sick feeling low in my stomach settled in. I was homesick. I wanted to see my family.

  I looked at Thomas, his expression unreadable. But I didn’t need a degree in human, or werewolf, psychology to know what he was thinking. A member of his own family wouldn’t be coming home for the holidays; Todd was still missing.

  “What’s the report on the remaining Macu.” The Mayor addressed Marcus Tannon on his way out. Marcus looked as if he had been through a shredder. The chain mail was rent and dangling loose links in multiple places. Evidence of all the near misses he’d had. But he was still standing. They all had a lot to be grateful to Jerry Waverly. Human or no, he might just have been the most Magical of all of them.

  “Well, we got most of the little beggars, I think. Several escaped and ran down the line. It may be several weeks before we can be certain we got them all. But we will. I’m confident at least that there aren’t enough left to do much damage.” Lucas nodded, glancing at a message on his phone that had just pinged through. He read it and nodded.

  “Seems the shield is already up to 87%. That’s good news. It appears to be recovering.

  I turned back to watch the reunion unfold between Jerry, a human scientist and his halfling Magical daughter.

  “I wish...” I murmured.

  Nicholas stood silent, taking it all in without a word.

  “If the humans and Magicals could all be like that, we wouldn’t need the shield.” I managed.

  Carol, overhearing them, harrumphed in disdain. “That’ll never happen. Too much bitterness and fear in the human population.” She scoffed.

  Lucas didn’t look so convinced. “Maybe, not just the humans, hmmm?” he asked her, one brow raised firmly.