She heard the zipper on the tent open. Dan poked his head out.
“Look what I did,” Lila said.
He grinned. “I see that. Good job. We’ll make an outdoorsy girl out of you yet.”
Lila grimaced. That was not what she wanted. Maybe starting the fire had been a stupid idea.
“I’m going to get dressed. I’ll be out in a second.” Dan disappeared into the tent. Lila stood and stretched. The sound of flapping wings came from above her. They didn’t sound right though. They were louder than a bird’s wings should be. More like a slapping sound. She looked up.
It took her a second but she screamed as a huge golden dragon flew toward her. The dragon opened its mouth, and Lila was no more.
The dragon flew away, confident that this time, he hadn’t left behind any evidence of his meal. What he didn’t see, though, was her boyfriend sticking his head out the tent just before the dragon’s jaws scooped up the girl.
Sid woke alone the next morning. He exited the tent and found Aspen next to the fire fiddling with the backpack. Her mood had shifted. She was excited, happy. She pointed to the lock.
“You have the key, right?”
“Of course.”
“I think I’ve waited long enough.”
“Okay, but you know how you made me promise not to think less of you yesterday?”
Her expression fell. “Yeah.”
“Can you do the same for me? You’re not the only one with a secret. Promise me you’ll still love me, no matter what that bag holds.”
“Sure, can I have the key now?”
Sid held his hand out. Aspen reached for the key and a scream pierced the silence. Sid dropped the key.
They looked up as racing footsteps approached. Dan burst through the trees with an ashen face.
Aspen hurried over to him. “Are you okay?”
He panted and shook his head. Tears flowed down his cheeks.
She put her hand on his shoulder. “Dan, you gotta talk to us. What happened?”
“A dragon,” he said.
Aspen looked at Sid, her face beaming. “What about a dragon?”
“A giant gold dragon. He got Lila. She’s…she’s gone.”
Her expression changed from excitement to horror.
Sid’s mind raced through the possibilities. Marcellus. It had to be Marcellus. No other dragon would be that vicious. Sid wouldn’t have suspected him, except that he destroyed Aspen. He was the only dragon capable of such brutality. The humans would believe that all the dragons were monsters. It would be too late to warn the humans now. They would not trust the dragons.
Aspen gave Dan some water.
Sid pulled her aside. “Aspen, you okay?”
“No. I didn’t think dragons were capable of this.”
“Neither did I.” Of course Sid knew that it was a dragon, but he couldn’t let on that he knew before today, or she’d get suspicious. If he were being honest with himself though, he was still having trouble believing it.
“They will never be looked at the same way again. As soon as Dan’s story shows up on the news, people will be crying for blood. They will hunt them.”
“I don’t think it will be that bad.”
“Yeah, it will be that bad. And I don’t want to go to another funeral. Before this year, nobody I knew had ever died. Now I’ll be attending the funeral of yet another one of my friends.”
“Come on, let’s pack up and get out of here. We need to tell the park rangers what happened.”
They hastily packed up and headed down the mountain. They left Dan at the visitor center, and Sid promised the rangers he’d take Aspen to her parents. Then he raced home to talk to Theo. Marcellus needed to be stopped. Now.
Sid sprayed gravel as he flew up the driveway. In his blind fury, he saw nothing as he ran to the door. But as he reached the porch, he tripped and caught himself on the wall next to the door. At his feet lay Talbot. Dead. His heart clenched. First Matt, then Lila, now Talbot. He didn’t know how much more death he could take.
He gathered the bird in his arms, looking for injuries. There were no obvious ones. Someone must’ve broken his neck. He had to have seen something that Marcellus wanted to keep quiet. It was a shame he had to die when Sid already knew the truth.
Theo wasn’t high enough up on the political chain to be much help. Sid changed and flew off to see Pearl.
He scared a couple of hikers as he flew over the Red Mountains and found a sleeping Pearl in a cave just south of Heart Lake.
Pearl, he said, I need to you wake up.
She opened one eye. What are you doing here? I thought we discussed you not leaving your human form.
I know, but something came up. Something the council should know.
Sid told her about Lila and the things Aspen had told him, deliberately leaving out her name. He could feel Pearl’s emotions change from irritation to anger. Pearl was always so levelheaded, and her fury surprised Sid. She thought for a few minutes.
How Marcellus could do something like this is beyond me. He was always cocky, but I never imagined he would be this brutal. Let’s stop and think for a minute. We know what he did to this girl, but are we sure he’s the one eating the humans?
Who else would do such a thing?
There are hundreds of gold dragons. It could be any one of them.
None of them raped an innocent girl.
True. If I take this to the council, you know what will happen to him.
Yes, Sid replied. And I would like to deliver the punishment.
She looked at him and cocked her head to the side. Sid, I lived with the humans for ten years, and most girls would only share that story with someone for one of two reasons. Either they were looking for attention or they completely loved and trusted the person they were sharing it with.
Sid shifted uneasily and squatted down so she couldn’t see his mark. Aspen trusts me.
Aspen?
Yes.
The one you told me you could handle? The one you sealed yourself to.
Yes.
Pearl bristled. Sid, you do understand the consequences if she seals herself to you, right?
Yes, I do. And I am being careful, but I won’t stay away from her.
You’ve put me in a very difficult position. As a member of the council, it is my duty to ensure that you’re doing as instructed. I must report all that you have told me. The consequences will not be pleasant.
I don’t care what you tell them as long as you make sure Marcellus is taken care of.
Of course, she sighed. You should leave though.
What are you going to do about the humans being aware it’s one of us?
We will send ambassadors, and no, you can’t be one of them. That part will be fine. We should be able to get to Dan before he tells anyone else. We’ll bring a canyon dragon with us. He can muddle with the boy’s memory so he won’t remember a dragon actually being involved. Locating Marcellus could be difficult though.
Remember, I get to kill him.
Only if you are still alive.
What’s that supposed to mean?
You really think the council is going to ignore your rendezvous with Aspen?
They have bigger problems with Marcellus.
You are living in a dream world. The council can deal with more than one issue. Now, go.
All backcountry hiking was banned in Yellowstone. Aspen’s parents forbade her from outdoor activity all together.
The funeral was Tuesday. Aspen and Sid spent most of the day with friends from school. That evening they drove to Sid’s house.
“Why didn’t Dan say anything about the dragon? He told us it was a gold dragon, but now he acts like he has no idea what happened. That Lila just disappeared.”
Sid kept his eyes on the road. “I don’t know.”
“That’s BS. You do so know. You didn’t seem surprised when nothing was in the papers about the dragon, or today when Tori asked Dan what happened. His story had cha
nged. You know.”
It was time to fix this. If Dan hadn’t interrupted their breakfast, Aspen would know already.
“Okay. So there is something. Aspen, I want to tell you, I really do. But right now the dragons have a huge mess on their hands, and I won’t make things worse by dragging you into it. As soon as this dragon is caught and disposed of, I’ll tell you everything.”
“No. This has gone on long enough. Both you and Obsidian have some explaining to do. In fact, I think the next time I visit him, you need to come with me. Let’s clear the air once and for all. I’m already in the middle of the dragon mess.”
Sid sighed. She was right. He wanted her to know the truth anyway. He just hoped she would still talk to him after he told her.
“I need to go get something. After that we’ll drive out into the park and get this over with.”
“Really?” Aspen grinned at him, and her feelings abruptly shifted to sheer excitement. This had been a mystery she’d been dying to solve.
Sid wanted to grab the backpack he’d given Aspen on the hike. It had things in there that would make it easier to explain. They walked through the kitchen; seated at the kitchen table were Theo, Ella, and a petite blonde woman wearing a black dress and red heels. She straightened her pointed glasses and held out her hand.
“You must be Sid.” Her grip was firm, confident. “And, Aspen, I’m so sorry for your loss.” She gave Aspen a hug. Aspen’s eyes bugged, but the woman didn’t seem to notice. “I’m Vicki. Theo’s party planner. I’ve missed him since he left. He threw the best parties in LA since he had an unlimited budget. But that is beside the point. We have a Halloween party to plan, and this house is absolutely perfect. Come, sit.”
Sid moved toward the table, but Aspen held him back. “I’m not so sure a party would be a good idea anymore. The whole community is grieving, and they will be for some time.”
Ella spoke up. “Actually, Aspen, the party is a month away. It’ll be good for the community to look forward to something. I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Aspen crossed her arms. “Fine. But we have something to do. You three can do this without us.”
“Come on, this will take all of thirty minutes. Sit,” Theo said.
Aspen reluctantly climbed on one of the stools and gave Sid a glare. He grimaced and mouthed, “Sorry.”
Vicki laid out vintage pictures. A man with nails puncturing his face, a bearded woman, a man with enormous muscles, and a two-headed snake. “I thought a good theme would be a freak show. We’ll bring in sword and fire swallowers, pinheads, strange and exotic animals. The whole nine yards.”
Ella studied the pictures. “What about food?”
“Carnival and fair food, of course. Corn dogs, french fries, elephant ears. And we’ll have carnival games set up throughout. What do you think?”
Sid shrugged. Parties would be new for him, so he didn’t know if this was normal or not. Ella took over. “This is fine.”
Theo nodded, and Aspen took the pictures from Ella.
“Fantastic,” Vicki exclaimed. “I’ll get on it right away. We’ll need to set up a few days before. I only need a couple more things from you all before I leave. Costumes. This is Halloween, so everyone will need to be dressed up. For Theo and Sid, I was thinking typical freak show hosts. Tux, top hat, and bushy mustache. But I haven’t come up with anything for the girls yet.”
“I want to be the bearded lady,” Ella said.
“That’s easy. What about you, Aspen, what do you want to be?”
She laid a picture in front of Vicki. “This is who I want to be.”
The picture was a faded black and yellow postcard. In the center was a busty woman wearing what looked like a bikini top and a flowing skirt. Her feet were bare. In her hands she held an enormous snake, which wrapped itself around her body.
Vicki gasped. “Oh perfect, you can be Serpentina.”
The thirty-minute meeting turned into two hours, and by the time Vicki left, it was too late to do anything. Plus, Aspen’s parents were twitchy about her being out after curfew, which meant she had to be home at nine on the dot.
Just as Aspen was about to get out of the car, Sid handed her the backpack.
“Bring this with you tomorrow when you go see Obsidian. I’ll meet you there.”
“How do you know where ‘there’ is?”
“You’re too nosy for your own good. Tomorrow everything will be clear, I promise.”
He kissed her, and she forgot all about why she was supposed to be mad at him. Damn him for distracting her like that.
The next morning Aspen woke up way too early. She wasn’t meeting Obsidian until ten and racked her brain trying to find the connection between him and Sid. She felt as if she was on the brink of understanding something, but it eluded her. She pulled out her computer and flipped through the pictures she’d taken of the dragons. How did Sid fit in? She found the pictures of the silver dragon. They were the best pictures she had ever taken of a dragon. She was gorgeous. Sid had been with her that day. The dragon had stared at him when she landed in the courtyard. Almost as if she had been having a conversation with him.
Of course she had. Why? It wasn’t fair that Sid got to be part of their world and she couldn’t.
Who was Sid? A messenger of sorts for the dragons? She’d never seen Obsidian and Sid together. But that could be because they knew they’d have a crapload of questions to answer for her. Or was it possible….
Could Sid be a dragon? Could they shapeshift? She supposed stranger things were possible. She knew dragons had magic.
Aspen shook her head. No, that was stupid. More often than not though, Aspen thought of Sid and Obsidian interchangeably.
She got up and moved to window, tripping over something. It was the backpack. The same one from when they went camping. The zipper was still locked. She ran to the garage and got the wire cutters. The lock came off easily.
The backpack held an old tattered book. There was no title page, just a list—a very long list. She paused to read a few of the lines. There was a checkmark next to “Take a math class,” but not next to “Get a high school diploma.” What was this? She flipped farther and saw “Kiss a girl” checked.
She closed the book, reached into the backpack, and pulled out a framed picture of the silver dragon. There was a Post-it note with the words “My sister” scrawled across it in Sid’s handwriting.
Aspen’s heart raced. She dropped the picture. How was this possible?
She picked up the book and flipped through the pages again. It must be a to do list of sorts. Was she just some project from the book? Something Sid or Obsidian could mark off so that he could say he did it?
Everything made sense, and it pissed her off. Obsidian or Sid or whatever his name was lied to her. Repeatedly. Oh, he was so in for it.
The clock seemed to move more slowly that morning. The more time that passed, the angrier she got. She supposed she could just call Sid and ask him to come over, but she wanted to see him as Obsidian, and her backyard was too small for that.
At a quarter to nine, she laced up her boots, put on her coat and gloves, grabbed the backpack, and headed out on the trail that led away from her house.
Obsidian was already in the clearing when she arrived. Her anger nearly dissipated. Her heart constricted. She loved both of them, and they were the same. She should be happy, but he’d lied to her.
“I know what you can do. I want to see your human form.”
How do you know?
She held up the backpack and the broken lock.
“I’m waiting,” she finally said.
Watching him change was one of the strangest things Aspen had ever seen. His body shrank. Claws became fingers, and a snout became a nose. It took less than thirty seconds.
She sank to the ground. In spite of the evidence she had, she still wasn’t quite expecting it. Sid held a hand out to her. She swatted it away and stood up on her own.
“Why’d
you lie to me?”
“I tried to tell you, but I never quite got it out. I’m so sorry.”
She’d forgotten what kind of effect he had on her. He sounded so sincere. She wanted to reach out and touch his face, and she had an overwhelming desire to kiss him. Focus, she reminded herself.
“You didn’t tell me though. You seemed so shocked that I couldn’t trust you, yet our whole relationship is a lie. I can’t even seem to reconcile that you and Obsidian are the same.”
He took her hands in his, his eyes seeking hers. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
Aspen closed her eyes, gathering her anger, and opened them again. She ripped her hands from his. “What about the book? Was I just a task to mark off on your stupid list? You are just like Marc. I never should’ve trusted you.”
Sid glared at her. “I’m nothing like Marc. Don’t you dare make that comparison.”
“I was a joke to you. A mission so you could finish whatever it is you’re supposed to do here.”
Sid pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s true I used parts of our relationship to mark off things in that stupid book, but believe me, I’m in much more trouble than you can imagine. I liked you, and I used the book as an excuse to get close to you, but both Theo and Pearl were against it from the very beginning. They were right. I shouldn’t have fallen in love with you, and I certainly didn’t expect you to reciprocate. But it happened. I love you. You have to believe that.”
Aspen crossed her arms. “And why the hell should I believe you?”
Sid leaned down and peeled away his sock, revealing the tattoo with her name.
“Because this proves it. This ties me to you forever. I will never love another.”
“Is that true?”
“Of course it’s true. When you die, I will live out my remaining years alone.”
She crossed her arms. “How do I know you aren’t lying to me again?”
He gripped at his hair. “I don’t know how else to tell you this, Aspen. I’m madly in love with you. No stupid book will change that.”
Aspen’s heart caught in her throat.
Obsidian (The Dragon Kings) Page 15