Their father had always worked them on fear. He trained with fear and pain. All the older kids knew this. But today was different. Deirdra and Greg could do nothing to stop their father from what he did. Their father always told them the smart and strong were the ones who survived. He told them that the Blood Dragons were the best of the Dragons. They were the smartest because they could look into someone’s body with their hands. They could choose to take the life or save the life. He had never once killed one of his children, until today. As the children were lined up with guns in their hands they didn’t notice their own father behind them. He walked the line as they took aim and shot. They didn’t notice when he would put his hand on the shoulder of the child that missed. They didn’t notice them fall to the floor with no life left in their eyes.
Twenty children out of forty five walked out of that room. Greg got the job of disposing of the other twenty five children that were dead. Their father just said to get rid of the weak ones.
“I am just weeding out the weak, nothing to worry about Deirdra. Besides killing is your specialty right? You are the worst of my daughters, so this should be easy for you. Would you like to weed out the next test I have for them?” Aldrich smiled the evil smile of his.
This was the first time she had ever thought her father was crazy. He was killing the children he made. He was killing the children he cherished. She knew he was a vile evil man to the others, but he always loved the young ones. Especially the boys, he loved having sons. This was the reason Deidra tried so hard to be on his good side. He favored the sons more than the daughters. The daughters were mainly used to look after the babies. Or they were used in the house to clean. The mothers were just used to make babies and fun for him. She knew her father despised women.
By the end of this training day there were only ten children that lived through it. When she walked them back to the area they all lived, her sisters shot her looks of worry and fear. They knew change was coming after they lost the one Pearl they had ever captured alive. Deirdra just never knew that she would lose her siblings, that her father would kill his own children.
The next day her father did the same thing as the day before, but with the brothers and sisters that have never been chosen to fight before. These were all the ones her father called weak and no good, but to stay home and do the bitch work. When the day was over she only had five sisters left. Twenty brothers went in and fifteen came out. Deirdra knew real fear for the first time in her life. Not the kind of fear for her life, but that of the ones she loved. There were not many women to begin with, but knowing now that she only had five sisters left was shocking to her. She was also scared for the really little children and the babies. She feared the mornings now.
The next morning she got some good news though. Her father got some Intel and gathered some of her brothers and took off to Mexico. He told her that he would be back by dinner the next night. Deirdra moved as fast as she could. She gathered all the sisters together and told them what their father has been doing. Most of them had already guessed. She had come up with a plan the night before as she lay in bed and could not sleep. She called in a favor she knew a certain man would do for her. A man who was in love with her, he owned a boat, one that could travel the rough seas. She promised him she would marry him if he did this favor for her. She knew she would be dead before he even got back.
Deirdra told her sisters to gather all the children, especially the really young ones who were not yet fed the hate their father fed them. She told them to do it quietly, to try not to gain the attention of their brothers. The man she knew met them all at the dock. It was in the middle of the night and she got them all on board and settled. Deirdra had never had any romantic feelings for this man. She only ever used him for his ship. Tonight though, she kissed him like she was going to die tomorrow, which she probably was for doing this. She pulled away and shoved a paper in his hands.
“You get them there safely. Get them in the dingy boats and leave. They know what to do from there. Just drop them at the coordinates that are in this. If it is a mile in either direction off course they will all die. So make sure you get it right. I will be waiting for you here in a week. I will marry you then. I will go wherever you want to take me.” She wiped the tear from her cheek and ran back home.
Deirdra was taking a huge chance with their lives. But the coordinates she marked were the ones she found years ago. It was about five miles off the coast of Ireland. Her boat would not go anywhere near the land, but she could see the beach and the mountain in the distance. She knew that was the location her father must be looking for. She kept that information secret. She was holding it for a good time, a time when she could get on his good side and truly win her place at his side. Now she was using it to save her sisters and the children.
The next morning, when her father arrived back at the camp, he was in an awful mood. He was screaming and yelling about incompetent fools. She guessed that the lead he had fell through and he didn’t find what he was looking for. It took him another day to realize there were no children in the camp. When he realized this he went looking for Deirdra.
“Where are all my children?” Aldrich yelled and spat in her face the next morning.
“They should be where they always are.” She lied
“Well they are not. Even my daughters and the babies are gone. They are not smart enough to get away from here all on their own Deirdra.”
“Well maybe this time they did, you have never killed one of us before, and now you are killing us and our mothers.” Deirdra spat back at him
“Did my ruthless bitch of a daughter save me the trouble and kill them all for me?” He smiled then, true pride showing in his face. Right then she knew she did the right thing. She knew now her father was truly insane. One of her brothers came running up right then, before she could respond.
“Father there is a trail leading out the back gate. It looks like they headed to the docks. Six adult feet tracks and lots of little tracks, they definitely took off with the children.”
True rage shown in his eyes as he glared at Deidra, he stared at her for a minute and then looked to his son. “Kill the human women. I don’t care if one of them left is your mother, I want them all dead. Then gather everyone in the middle of the camp. I have something to show you all.” Aldrich said with venom dripping from his voice.
Ten minutes later all her brothers surrounded her. There were about a hundred of them all ranging from fifteen to fifty. Even the ones that would not go with her were standing there. And all of them stared at her. Some were outright pissed off and others were surprised. There were a few who could care less that she was standing there with their father. He had his hands on her shoulders and faced her towards the crowd.
“It seems my most faithful and loyal daughter has betrayed me. It seems she sent your sisters somewhere, with all my children, your brothers and sisters. They are now gone. They are also now traitors. They have about a two day lead on us. I want them found and I want them dead. You hear me Deirdra? They are all now dead because of you. Even the babies they are all dead. Greg, Caleb and Jake I want you on the next plane to Ireland. I want you to find any pull you can and follow it. Find out where they go and then kill them. If you find the hidden Sect, you stay there and call me. I will be on my way there to meet you. As for the rest of you, split up in threes, go anywhere and everywhere, find them and kill them. I will wait here for your calls. I will wait here and ten of you will stay here, along with the ones too young to fight. Just in case the traitors come back. As for this traitor in my hands, she is no longer your sister. Kill her as you would any traitor.” Aldrich spat
Aldrich threw her into the crowd. Deirdra was killed by her brother’s hands. After she was dead they all broke up into groups and packed up. The groups left the camp and the other three made arrangements to fly to Ireland.
They landed in Dublin and walked until they felt a tiny pull. It was behind them as they walked into the countryside. Th
e pull moved past them swiftly and then disappeared. They all saw the truck though. They ran until they were just stopped by something they couldn’t see. They stood there for a while and then they felt Dragons. They pulled out their guns and opened fire. Just as quick as the pull was there it also was gone. They all thought they killed them.
They walked a little off the road and into the trees. They made camp and were waiting to see if they felt more Dragons, before they called their father. Greg knew they had to be sure. They knew there was something strange at work here, but they were unsure of what it was.
They set up their tents and made a fire. The evening was setting in and the cool air was blowing. About an hour later they had their dinner roasting on the fire and were waiting for it to be done. Greg felt a tiny pull so he looked around. When he saw nothing he let it go and turned the small rabbit over on the fire. A second later the fire exploded and caught them all on fire. As they ran screaming the earth opened up and swallowed them and all their belonging whole. They were never heard from again.
The other groups were everywhere. None had felt any Dragons yet, some of the groups used their time away from Aldrich as a vacation. They partied and drank their days away. The guilt of killing their sister ate them up. But most of Aldrich’s sons were out for blood. They believed everything he told them. They believed they were superior to the other races. It was just a matter of time before it caught up to them.
Aldrich sat in his office. Betrayed by his own kin and hurt. The voices in his head never stopped their banter. He knew it was all her fault. She worshipped that stupid King. She always ran when he needed her. Heal this and that, take this hurt out of this person and help with this birth. By the time that bitch got pregnant with his child, he knew things would change. But when she had a girl and not a boy, as his own hands told him it would be, it was too late. The voices had already told him what she was up to. They told him the things she did behind his back. They told him what he really needed to do. They told him he was the rightful King of the races. They told him everything. Now they told him to be patient, that his sons would not fail him. They told him the time was soon and he would be King. Patience was the key.
He sat a waited. His phone was on and ready to receive calls. It was just a matter of time. He would wait a month before he rounded them all up again. He would then know who was loyal to him. After a month he would bring them all back and regroup. After a month, he should know that the others are dead and he is the King. After a month he would rule all.
Chapter 15
Puppies and Half-Bloods
Ben was very excited to wake up this morning. He knew the puppies were coming. He woke up before everyone and cleaned his room up. Ben quietly left the suite and went down stairs. The day before he had helped Mary and Mateo put the kennels up outside, so he went to go check those. There were dog houses in each kennel that were not there the day before. The wood looked like the same wood on the main house, so Ben guessed that some of the builders must have made them. Ben checked the sides, they wouldn’t budge when pushed on, and that was good. He then checked the gates made sure they would lock in place. The handle was high so he knew the dogs would not be able to open it. When he was positive it was perfect for the puppies he went inside.
Mary had placed four beds in the corner of the kitchen for the puppies. It wasn’t far from the feeding area she made in the kitchen also. The kennels weren’t far from the back door in the kitchen, so if they got bad in here she could walk them right out. Ben made sure everything was in its place in the kitchen and moved to the living room area. They had placed the crates against the wall behind the couch. This is where the puppies would sleep at night, so they did not make a mess. Mary and Ben had agreed that these crates were meant to be a safe area. So if the puppies were bad, they go outside to a kennel. Ben had loved this idea, something told him that is what they needed, a safe spot and a spot they go when they were bad. Since the crates were meant to be their sleeping area they should not fear it.
When he made sure everything was in place he pulled out all the toys Mary had bought, placing them all in a basket next to the crates. He knew they would all find a toy they loved and would allow them to take that toy in their crate. Mary had also gotten a huge playpen area that was placed off to the side of the crates, in the middle of the room. This area would be for the really young ones that Ben had picked out. They would have to stay in here until they caught on to going outside with the bigger pups. The hard part was going to be making sure they all got along.
Once Ben had all the garbage thrown away he took a seat at the breakfast bar. He made himself a mug of cocoa and waited. Mary walked in thirty minutes later startled to see Ben sitting there. She laughed and shook her head. She walked right over to him and sat down. “Is everything in order young Ben?” She asked, knowing he had checked everything already.
“Yes Ma’am.” Ben said
“Well then you saved me some time this morning. I set my alarm to wake up a little earlier than normal, so I could do those checks too, but I fully trust your judgment. So now that I have some extra time I think I will make something special this morning. Would you like to help me?” Mary asked him
“I would love to. What are we making?” Ben asked
“How about some cinnamon rolls? I haven’t made those yet.”
“Yummy, what do I need to do?” Ben asked. Mary told him what to grab and from which cabinet. They soon were fully into making the dough kneading and rolling it out. The girls joined them about an hour later and were surprised to see little Ben helping out. They said nothing and just smiled at him they worked around the two and quickly had other things cooking.
The rest of the house slowly made their way to the table. The air in the house today was determined and hopeful. Everyone took their seats as breakfast was brought out. Gabe’s eyes were huge when Mary placed the cinnamon rolls near him. He beamed, standing to hug her. Mary knew that her homemade cinnamon rolls were his favorite.
“Dad you have to have one of these. Mary always made them when I would have a bad day. She made everything better with these. Trust me if you are having a bad day, these will brighten it up.” Gabe said placing one roll on his plate then handed the platter to his father.
“Thanks son, everything that woman has cooked so far has brought a smile to my face. She is a wonderful cook. Honestly I am surprised you are not fat having grown up with her cooking.” Michael laughed
“Hey now watch what you say, if it wasn’t for the training we do, you would have put on fifty pounds by now dear.” Rosa admonished
“Well I have been training and I put on ten pounds, so how does that work?” Monica asked
“Oh love that is muscle not fat.” Brad kissed her cheek as he snagged a cinnamon roll off the passing platter.
“Well I can definitely say none of us have eaten this well in twenty years, except maybe Gabe.” Jaco said
They all laughed and ate. Everyone ate pretty quickly because they all wanted to give the good news to everyone. As they finished they all took their plates to the kitchen, which was an oddity to the ladies who worked in the house. Kaiden and Zoe were the last in the kitchen.
“Ladies we are all headed down to the barracks, I don’t think anyone wants to wait anymore. So can clean up wait until later? I would love for you all to join us.” Kaiden asked
The girls laughed and ran out the back door. Everyone was already in their training clothes, so it was pretty much a race to the barracks. Kaiden and Zoe, along with Zach and Halina, stood atop a small hill. All the others were starting to gather around them. Kaiden waved to the houses so that all of the married couples also came out. The married couples were all half-bloods who chose not to turn, choosing to have a family with the ones they loved. They were not required to train with everyone else, as most had small children and babies at home. The older couples also did not have to train. But Kaiden wanted to give the news to everyone. Once he thought the crowd was large enough
and he saw everyone there he began.
“Ladies and Gentlemen we have some news. Yesterday we came upon a journal. In this journal is the story of the Dragon who made us what we are. Thousands of years ago, there is no real time frame, there were Dragons. They could not shift into humans like us, but they had magic. They apparently killed each other off and the last Dragon was Marsali. She settled in a cave that is at the top of the mountain, she watched a group of humans. She watched them and fell in love with them. She approached them one day and offered them the chance to turn into Dragons like her. You see when the Dragons were alive they all had magic, when one would die that magic went to all the others. When they all died the magic went to Marsali. So this group of humans took her offer. They are all of our ancestors. They are the reason we are all here today.” Kaiden explains
The crowd grew quiet in thought and some faces looked confused.
“Now when she cast the spell to change them, she also placed a border around this mountain and the land. The border will always be there, until the last one of us dies. There is a spell book that adds extra protection to the border. Last night the four of us cast a spell. The border is now more protective of us. No one that means harm to us, human or Dragon, can see beyond the border or feel. We could stand in front of them and they would not be able to see or feel us there. So patrols are safe. Now, in this journal Marsali listed some fail safes. These fail safes were put in place in case the races ever faced extinction. The journal was also spelled so it would only be found if we faced extinction.” Kaiden let that sink in for a minute.
Second Chances (The Extinct Race Series) Page 13