by Julie Kagawa
It wasn’t a shock and it just confirmed what I’d always suspected. Talon was training me to be a part of that war. Soldiers, guns, tactical maneuvers, showing no mercy to my prey; I certainly wasn’t going to be sitting at a table with high-ranking diplomats. No, I was destined to become one of their elite operatives, maybe a Basilisk like Riley, fighting an endless battle with St. George.
Reaching the end of the boardwalk, I turned and stared out over the water, shivering a little in the warm breeze. So, this was truly my last hurrah. Talon already had my life planned out, where I would go, what I would be. Never mind that I wasn’t certain I could do this. Never mind that I hated my trainer and everything she made me do, what she wanted me to become. Talon’s decision was law; I didn’t have any say in my own future.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Pulling it out, I clicked it on and saw a new text message across the screen.
We still on for tonight? Smoothie Hut at 5pm, yes?
Garret. I smiled, feeling my crushed spirits rise a little. Screw Talon. Screw their war, their trainers, their plans, all of it. The summer was still mine. I wasn’t theirs yet.
Definitely, I texted back. See you then.
Garret
For once, Ember was waiting at our meeting place ahead of me.
I spotted the red-haired girl sitting on the curb in the parking lot, legs crossed, foam cup in hand. She looked deep in thought, chewing on her straw, but when I pulled the Jeep into the spot next to her, she bounced up instantly with a smile.
“Hey, Garret!” she exclaimed as I reached over and opened the door, letting her into the cab. She slid into the passenger seat and beamed, and my skin prickled under that smile. “You must be rubbing off on me. Look, I’m on time and everything.”
“I see that.” I took advantage of the moment just to watch her, noting the dark jeans and top she wore instead of her usual shorts and T-shirt, and the way the afternoon sun fell into her hair and eyes, making them glow.
Focus, soldier. I shook myself and put the Jeep in Reverse, pulling out of the parking spot. Ember leaned back and stared out the side window, her gaze troubled. I remembered her earlier call, the warning not to come to the house, and wondered what was happening at her home. If I could get her talking about her family, the twin brother especially, maybe I could discern something useful. Maybe I would discover she was just a normal teenager, after all.
“I apologize if I got you in trouble this weekend,” I offered as we pulled onto the main road. “I didn’t mean to make things difficult with your family. I can talk to your brother, if you want me to.”
“What? Oh, no, it wasn’t you, Garret.” Ember shrugged and shook her head in disgust. “Dante is just being a neurotic freak. He gets carried away with the whole overprotective big-brother thing sometimes. And with what happened at the party...” Her eyes darkened a little. “I figured I’d give him some time to cool off before I told him about us.”
“You and your brother are close?”
“Well, yeah.” She turned back, cocking her head. “He’s my twin, after all. We used to do everything together.”
“But not now.”
“No.” Sighing, she looked down at her hands, twisting them in her lap. “He’s...different now. It’s like he’s pulling away from me, and I don’t know why. I wish he’d talk to me like he used to.”
I knew I should continue asking questions, find out as much as I could about this twin. But Ember looked distressed, and I found that I hated the sight of her unhappy. When we paused at a stoplight, my hand moved of its own accord to gently brush her hair back, tucking it behind her ear.
“I’m sorry,” I said as she turned in surprise. “I don’t have any siblings, but Tristan is the closest to a brother I have. I know how...distracting it can be, when you don’t see eye to eye.” She blinked at me, and I pulled my hand back. “Just keep talking to him. He’ll come around eventually.”
“Yeah,” she murmured as the light changed and we moved forward again. “I hope so.” She brooded a moment more, than shook herself, perking up as we turned onto the highway ramp. “Hey, where are we going, anyway?”
I grinned at her. “It’s a surprise.”
Ember
“Movies.”
“No.”
“Bowling.”
“No.”
“Ice skating.”
He looked at me strangely. “In California?”
“I’m sure there are spots for it. We have a professional hockey league and everything.”
“I suppose you’re right. And no.”
“Concert.”
“Not even close.”
I let out a little huff. “I’m being kidnapped and spirited off to Saudi Arabia to be the forty-second wife of Grand Sheikh Ramalama.”
He chuckled. “You caught me. I hope you brought your camel repellant.”
“Smart-ass.” I wrinkled my nose at him. “You do realize I have a brother, right? I can keep this up alllll afternoon.”
He gave me a patient smile, as if he, too, was familiar with sibling tactics and no amount of pestering or torture would make him spill. “Do you have something against surprises?”
“Yes! I don’t like secrets. I’d rather have everything up front and out in the open.”
Which was, now that I thought about it, a bizarre thing to say. My whole life was a lie. Everything Talon did, everything they taught us, was to maintain that deception. I was tired of it. Not to say that I wanted the world to know about the existence of dragons; even I knew what would come of that, but it would be nice, sometimes, to be myself. To not have to lie to everyone about everything. I used to be able to do that with Dante but, it seemed, not anymore.
Garret blinked, and a shadow crossed his face, as if my statement touched something in him, too. But then he pulled off the road, into a crowded parking lot, and I gasped at the sight of the Ferris wheel and huge wooden coaster, looming at the end of a boardwalk.
Garret swung into an open space and killed the engine, grinning at me. “I thought you might like this more than sitting in a theater for two hours,” he said, and there might have been a note of amused triumph in his voice, but I wasn’t paying much attention. “Of course, we could still go to the movies, if you want. Turn around and head back—”
“Are you insane?” I wrenched open the door and hopped out, turning to glare at him impatiently. “I will personally rip all four tires off your car if you try to leave now, so come on.” He laughed, slid out of the Jeep and followed me across the parking lot as the screams, music and intoxicating smell of cotton candy drew me forward like a siren song.
Past the gates, I paused at the edge of the boardwalk just to take it all in. I’d never been to a carnival before, and didn’t want to miss anything. Crowds of people, some with bright stuffed animals tucked under one arm, milled back and forth with no sense of direction. Bells and whistles rang out, things spun, glittered, flashed and whirled so quickly it was almost overwhelming.
This was going to be awesome.
Garret stepped up beside me, gently brushing my elbow. “Well?” he asked, bending close to be heard over the crowd. “This is your occasion. Where to first?”
I gave him an evil grin. Oh, that was an easy one. “Come on,” I said, taking his hand. “I know exactly where we’re going. This way.”
* * *
“Remember,” I told him, gazing at the top of the coaster as the cars inched slowly up the track, “when we start going, you’re supposed to put both hands in the air and scream. It’s more fun if you scream, at least that’s what Lexi says.”
He gave me a dubious look from his side of the seat, and did not relinquish his death grip on the railing. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“Suit yourself.” I smiled as we reached the very top
of the vertical plunge and teetered there on the edge. For a moment, I could see the whole park spread out before us, and was reminded almost painfully of flying. “Guess I’ll scream for us both.”
Then the coaster plunged downward, and I did. It was almost better than flying.
Almost.
We rode three more times. The last was at his insistence, and I finally got him to let go of the railing. (Though he still didn’t scream.) After that, we moved on to the swing ride, the Tilt-A-Whirl and the bumper cars, with Garret effectively blocking everyone who tried to ram their car into mine. I caught a glimpse of his face once, when he sideswiped a car heading right for me—that same fierce excitement I’d seen while he was surfing. A warm glow of pleasure spread through me, even as I barreled full speed into the back of his car. He was having just as much fun as I was.
“Where to now?” he asked a bit later, when we’d ridden nearly all the fast rides and had finally taken a break to eat. The food tent was crowded and noisy, but at least it was shaded, and a cool ocean breeze blew in beyond the edge of the pier. “I think the only ride left is the Ferris wheel and the little kid’s coaster. Did you want to go on either of them?”
Before I could answer, my phone buzzed. Wincing, I dug it out, scowling at the name flashing across the screen. “Dante,” I muttered and, feeling surly and annoyed with him, clicked off the phone. “Not interested right now, big brother. Go away.”
Setting it on a napkin, I looked back at Garret, who seemed to be awaiting orders, or at least a decision. I grinned at him over hamburger wrappings and the demolished remains of a funnel cake. “Ferris wheel definitely. Kiddie coaster, I don’t know. You wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen riding a giant pink caterpillar with four-year-olds, would you?”
He shrugged. “I’m game if you are.”
Giggling at the thought of Garret on a giant caterpillar surrounded by toddlers, I stood, pitched our trash into a bin and turned back to the table, dusting sticky funnel cake powder from my hands.
Suddenly, I got a cold, tingly feeling on the back of my neck, and froze, my stomach turning uneasily. Was I being watched? Where? By whom? Was Riley somewhere in the crowd, spying on me, having followed us all the way from Crescent Beach? That was a bit creepy, though. It didn’t seem like him. The rogue dragon might be arrogant, defiant and rebellious, but he didn’t strike me as a stalker.
Who, then, was watching me?
Garret blinked as I came back, still waiting patiently to hear what I wanted to do. If he noticed that I was distracted, he didn’t comment on it.
“Hold that thought, then,” I said, gazing around for a restroom, spotting one behind a hot dog stand. “I’m going to wash my hands. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be here.”
I smiled and left the table, following a gaggle of human girls toward the restrooms, my gaze scanning the crowd for anyone familiar. But almost as quickly as it had begun, the strange feeling vanished, and all was normal again.
Garret
Ember smiled and brushed past me, her fingers skimming my arm as she went by. My heart jumped, breath catching, but she had already melted into the crowd.
Leaving her phone sitting on the table.
I stared at it, my smile fading, cold realization settling over me as I remembered. The reason I’d come, the purpose of this date. It wasn’t to ride coasters, stand in lines or drive miniature cars into one another. I wasn’t here to have fun. I was here to discover, once and for all, if Ember was our target. The bug lay nestled in my pocket, and her phone lay within easy reach. All I had to do was slide off the case, slip the bug behind the phone battery and snap everything back into place before she returned. It would take ten seconds, fifteen tops.
Slowly, I reached across the table, my fingers resting on the smooth black case of her phone. It beeped as I pulled it toward me, indicating a text had come through. I hesitated, then touched the screen, bringing it to life. A green bubble blinked, the new message displayed inside, and I turned the case around to read it.
Hey, Tweedledee. I don’t want us to fight. Call me soon, ok?
I paused once more, feeling the bug in my pocket. There was still plenty of time before she came back. This could end our search. This could uncover a nest of dragons and their guardians. Or not. Either way, once the bug had been placed, there was no reason I had to see Ember, ever again.
Reaching into my pocket, my fingers closed around the bug and pulled it out.
Ember
When I maneuvered my way back to the table, Garret was in the same spot, his chin resting on his hands as he watched the milling crowd. They watched him, too, or at least I saw several appreciative glances slide his way from passing human females. Bristling, I walked faster, but if Garret noticed the interest, he didn’t respond. His expression, though alert and watchful, wasn’t the hyperawareness of that day in the mall, when he’d scanned the crowds like he was afraid a ninja would come leaping out at him. He seemed relaxed, more at ease, though as I walked up, a faintly troubled look crossed his face as he glanced at me. It was gone in the next heartbeat, though, so I’d probably imagined it.
Apparently, I was imagining all sorts of things today. There was no sign of any mysterious stalker watching me through the crowds. All seemed normal, though with so many people milling about, it was difficult to spot anything. Besides, if someone was watching me, what could they do in this mob?
“Ready?” I asked, bouncing up to the table. My phone lay on the napkin where I’d left it, and I slipped it into my pocket. Garret smiled and rose to his feet with easy grace, tossing his empty cup into the trash bin.
“Lead the way. I’m ready to tame a giant caterpillar if you are.”
A couple walked by, a stuffed gorilla under the boy’s arm, and I perked up. “Ooh, wait, new plan,” I announced, making him arch an eyebrow at me. “Let’s go check out the fairway.”
“Fairway?”
I pointed to the stretch of game booths up and down the boardwalk. “Lexi says they’re all horribly rigged,” I explained, watching a skinny guy toss a basketball at a tiny orange hoop, where it bounced off the rim. “But you can win prizes if you score enough points.”
“Prizes?”
“Yeah! See, he’s probably trying to win her that big stuffed penguin.” I pointed to the skinny guy, who was digging through his pockets now, while a dark-haired girl looked on hopefully. “But it looks like he only gets three shots,” I explained as the guy handed the booth attendant another bill, “and you have to keep paying for more chances.”
“So, I’m paying them to play a game that I’m probably going to lose. To win a prize that I don’t even want.”
“Looks like it.” Now that I thought about it, it did seem pretty rigged. Kristin once bragged that a guy had spent over a hundred dollars trying to win her a giant poodle. “Actually, never mind,” I told Garret. “Forget it. I don’t want you to lose a ton of cash trying to win something. Let’s go check out the Ferris wheel.”
I started to turn, but his hand closed on my arm, stopping me. Surprised, I glanced back to see a faint, almost smug grin on his face. “What makes you think I’m going to lose?” he asked, making me blink in shock. “This is part of the date, right? If you want a giant stuffed animal, I’ll get you one.”
* * *
And he did. I don’t think he missed one target as they bobbed by on plastic waves, even knocking down the tiny, really hard to hit frogs worth three times as much. The kid manning the booth looked reluctantly impressed as he handed him a giant pink bear, the biggest prize on the wall. Garret looked amused as he accepted it, then turned and handed it to me. I grinned and crossed my arms. “Pink looks good on you, Garret. Sure you don’t want it?”
“I was playing for you,” he replied, smiling back. “Take it. It’s yours.”
“Oh, fine.” I smiled and took the huge toy, hugging it to me. The bear’s fur was silky against my skin and smelled faintly of cotton candy. “But only if you let me win you something.”
“Deal.”
And I did, finally knocking down six questionably sturdy pins with a softball to win a tiny stuffed blue dog. (This was after the ring toss, hoops and dart game, all of which, I decided, were horribly rigged.) With the amount of tries it took, I could have probably bought the stupid thing three times over, but Garret accepted the prize like it was made of pure gold, and his smile made me warm with happiness. I did get that strange “you are being watched” prickle on the back of my neck once, but I couldn’t see anyone in the milling crowds, and after a few moments of fruitless searching, decided I wouldn’t let it make me neurotic. Let them stare, whoever they were. I wasn’t doing anything I was ashamed of.
Finally, as the sun began to set over the ocean, we sat side by side on the Ferris wheel bench, rocking gently and watching the crowds get smaller and smaller as we rose into the air. The breeze was cool and the noises of the carnival were muted as the chair took us farther from the ground, the clouds so near I felt I could reach up and touch one. My dragon stirred and fluttered her wings, not satisfied with being below them, wanting to soar overhead. But this was the closest I’d been to the sky since that secret night with Cobalt, and I felt pretty content to stay right where I was.
Hugging my bear, I snuck a glance at Garret. His face, turned toward the distant ocean, was troubled, his eyes far away and dark.
I blinked and bumped his shoulder with mine, bringing his attention back to me. “You okay?” I asked softly.
Garret
No. I wasn’t.
I’d realized something, maybe while smashing into bumper cars in an effort to protect Ember, maybe while giving everything I had to win her that bear or maybe while just sitting here with her, side by side. I...liked this girl. I wanted to spend more time with her; she was constantly in my thoughts, and right now the only thing I wanted was to lean in and kiss her. Which was, of course, disastrous for the mission, but I couldn’t help it. Somewhere between that day on the beach when I’d met her for the first time and the night of the party when we’d kissed in the ocean, she had become something more than a potential target. She had, very inexplicably, become the most important thing in my life.