Tibbs answered and they were beckoned inside. “Alastair is just finishing up with another guest,” he said. “He’ll be—ah, right here.”
Alastair emerged from the back of the house. Kaylee blinked. He was talking to Josh. The pair glanced up at them and Alastair muttered one last thing. Josh nodded seriously.
“Give my regards to the Northern Scarsdale Convocation Elders,” Alastair said louder. “Until we meet again.”
“An honor,” Josh said, shaking his hand. He gave a nod to Tibbs, then said, “Come on, Tygus.”
A boy who couldn’t have been more than twelve suddenly appeared at his side. His narrowed eyes darted every direction, as if he was expecting an attack at any moment.
Josh stopped in front of them and crossed his arms. “Well…if it isn’t the troublesome trio.”
“There were actually four of us—ouch!” Maddox said before Jade casually stomped on his foot.
Josh cocked his head. “Alastair’s filled me in on what went down at our school. I almost couldn’t believe it. Is it true you broke inside to steal a meteorite to prevent the Slayers from breaking in and stealing that same meteorite?”
“Uh, kind of?” Kaylee said. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”
“I’ll bet,” Josh said.
“I’ll bet it’s not.” The kid next to him glared daggers at all of them.
“Easy, Tygus.” Josh patted the boy’s head and his glare deepened to truly murderous levels. “Tamer-in-training,” Josh explained. “Still not good at the whole distinguishing friend from foe thing. Though in this case I don’t blame him. On behalf of the Northern Scarsdale Convocation I must express our extreme displeasure at your actions, and warn that it must not happen again.”
Then he leaned in close and whispered, “But on behalf of me, what you guys did sounds totally sweet. Count me in next time.”
He shot them all a grin as he left, Tygus scurrying to catch up.
“You three, with me,” Alastair said, curling his finger at them.
Reluctantly, the group followed as Alastair slowly walked through the connecting archway leading to the other side of the house. Kaylee had never realized how immense their place was; there were a dozen hallways covered with paintings and marbled statues, and each of these hallways shot off to other open rooms. Galleries bookended wings. Glass walls revealed a state-of-the-art workout facility and an indoor swimming pool.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk much since the incident,” Alastair said, hands clasped behind him. “I trust you are recuperating, both physically and mentally?”
“All except for having to go back to school,” Maddox chuckled. Alastair raised an eyebrow. Maddox dipped his head.
“Er, yes, sir.”
“Yeah,” Jade said.
“And the injury, Kaylee?”
“Great. It’s great. Um…where’s Edwin? I—we—haven’t gotten to see him for a little while.”
“My son is currently at Baba’s, where he will wait for your arrival to resume training.”
Kaylee’s heart swelled. “Training? That means we—?”
“But first, I need to apologize.”
Alastair swept around to face them. He didn’t wear the stern expression he normally did, but instead one of placation. “What you four did was not only a direct violation of Convocation protocol, it was in direct violation of my strict orders. As I’m sure you’re already aware you will be grounded. Again. Though that in itself doesn’t appear to be potent enough a punishment. You will also have this little episode marked on your Convocation records and should you pursue a career within the group in the future it may come back to bite you.”
Jade and Maddox hung their heads.
“I don’t think the gravity of what you did has registered completely: You snuck off on an unsanctioned mission, disobeyed direct orders, nearly got yourselves killed…”
Jade and Maddox appeared to be sinking into the floor with every word, appearing ready to dissolve into a puddle of shame at any moment. Kaylee simply stared at Alastair, waiting for the final blow. There wasn’t anything he could say that could make her feel worse. And, except for putting her friends in danger, she didn’t feel bad about what they’d done.
Alastair seemed to sense it, too. He gave her a reluctant nod.
“However, I did something far worse than any of that. I didn’t listen to you when I should have. Edwin and I had a long chat. A very long chat. He walked me through how he came to the conclusion of what the Slayers were doing, and though I question some of its more…renegade methods, I admit I missed things that otherwise could have been prevented.”
“And did you talk about other things?” Kaylee said. “Like maybe paying more att—”
“I’m not going to defend the way I raise my own son, Miss Richards,” Alastair said sharply. “But yes,” he added, almost regrettably. “Yes, we did.”
“So…does that mean we’re not in major trouble?” Jade said.
Alastair gave a halfway-cruel smile. “Oh no, Miss Azuma, you most certainly are. And you will be for a while. But thanks to you, the Slayers have been stopped for now and they’ve left Scarsdale.”
“They left?” Jade said. She swept her hand out towards the front of the house. “Then why do we still have those Protectors following us?”
“We’re cautious, Miss Azuma, not stupid. Just because our reports indicate the Slayers are gone doesn’t mean all of them are gone. Plus, think of those Protectors as phase one of your punishment, until you learn responsibility and can be trusted to not go running off on your own at a moment’s whim.”
Maddox groaned. “Seriously?”
A smile played on Alastair’s face. “You have my deepest sympathies. However, I imagine it’s far, far worse for those assigned to watch you.” He cleared his throat. “Now…Jade.”
Jade snapped to attention.
“For now the Convocation is allowing you to stay on as Kaylee’s Tamer.”
“Oh, thank you. I won’t let you—or her—down! I—”
“Jade, we need to discuss the possibility of more training. Even—and I know you’ve expressed your reservations before—you taking the Tamer’s test. I fear there are darker things the Slayers are planning and we’ll need all the fully trained Tamers and Protectors we can get.”
Kaylee shivered at the way he said it. Like the idea of the Slayers returning was a for sure thing, rather than a guess.
“What do you think they’ll do next?” Kaylee said.
“We’re not positive, yet. For the Slayers, this was just another attempt to destroy us in a long line of attempts. However, I do not recall such a formidable leader able to rally them this ably before. Lesuvius—” He glanced at them. “…is nothing you three need to worry about. At all.”
“Of course not,” Kaylee said, smiling politely.
“Don’t even think about him a little bit.”
“We wouldn’t dream of worrying about him. Or finding out more about him. At all.”
Alastair sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Teenagers. A force that will drive this Convocation to destruction far more quickly than anything the Slayers can do. Miss Azuma, if you could, please join me. I’d like to discuss your upcoming training schedule. Mr. Maddox, wait here so I can fill you in on yours as well.”
The pair of them walked off. Maddox let out a long breath.
“Well that went way better than I thought it would.”
“You call that better?” Kaylee said. “They’re going to have Protectors following us until we’re adults! They still don’t trust us!”
“Nah, they won’t tail us for that long. And I don’t trust us either.” Maddox’s expression darkened. “I don’t regret what we did, but I keep having these horrible visions about what would’ve happened if we’d failed. I would have lost all my best friends, the people I care about most in the world; none of that really hit me until after.”
“But we didn’t fail,” Kaylee said
. “We stopped the Slayers, and Edwin finally got to talk to his dad. Now he’ll stop acting like an idiot. Everybody wins!”
“Acting like an idiot? What do you mean?”
“You know, Edwin being…Edwin, I guess. Always charging into danger, being obsessed with discovering what the Slayers were doing. That sort of thing.”
A dawning expression was cresting over Maddox’s face. “Ah…that. Kaylee, did Edwin tell you he did all that because of his dad?”
“Not…really. But it was kind of obvious that was the reason why.”
“Partly...But he really started acting like that because he wanted to—what I mean is he only started acting like that when—”
“When what?” Kaylee said. “Just spit it out.”
“Oh look, Jade’s coming back,” Maddox said, clearly relieved.
Kaylee grabbed his sleeve. “Wait, why was he doing it?”
Maddox carefully extracted his arm from her grip, like he was handling a rabid mongoose.
“He’ll tell you himself sometime, but it won’t come from me. You’re good for him, Kaylee. You guys make a good team.”
“I know that. But why—?”
Maddox slipped out of her grasp and hurried to Alastair. Jade looked at him, then back to Kaylee. “Problems?”
“Just the stupidity of boys.”
Jade nodded seriously. “So nothing new, then.”
Edwin was waiting outside Baba’s house.
He stood leaned against one of the rickety wooden columns holding up the roof of Baba’s front porch. In one hand he held a book. Of course.
“Glad to see Edwin’s back to normal,” Jade said. “You two have fun with the Baba. I’m gonna go practice.”
“Sure. Thanks,” Kaylee said, only half listening. Back to normal…and yet, Kaylee couldn’t help feeling that some things about Edwin hadn’t returned to normal, though she wasn’t sure what they were. Edwin was…Edwin. He looked the same as he always did. Though…maybe…taller? Was that even possible in a week?
As Kaylee approached she could see that a light dusting of fuzz coated his chin, and his mouth was quirked up just a bit, as if what he was reading was extremely amusing.
In one night everything had changed for them. They had endured a lot, and she wasn’t quite sure they were the same people now. She wasn’t quite sure that was a bad thing.
But until she found out…
“Hey.”
Edwin looked up and blinked a couple times as his eyes refocused on her. Then he smiled and pushed off the post. It was a small movement, but still there was a new assuredness in it Kaylee would swear hadn’t been there before. And yep, he was definitely taller.
“Long time no see,” he said.
Up close Kaylee could see he hadn’t come out of the fight totally unscathed. A long scratch ran a path from the center of his forehead down the side of his cheek. It wasn’t deep, but Kaylee still internally winced at the memory of the destruction. She wondered, like her, how many other wounds he had that she couldn’t see.
“I look that bad, huh?” Edwin said after she was quiet a moment too long.
“I didn’t—”
“You didn’t have to. I’ve been babied more this past week than I ever was when I was an actual baby. People think I’m ready to fall apart at any moment.”
“And are you?”
Edwin quirked one eyebrow. “I feel…I don’t know. Different.” He clasped the book to one side. He held one hand up, carefully gesturing to her face. “Jade did a good job on the makeup, but it looks like you still have some lingering wounds.”
“Word to the wise, Edwin: never tell a girl she looks beat up. Even if she does.”
Edwin blushed. “I-I didn’t—What I meant to say is: I can make a charm for that. You wouldn’t need to keep covering it up.”
“I’ll bet you could. But what did I just say?”
“Uh, I mean…you look fabulous, Kaylee.”
“Repeat after me: you are a radiant specter of grace and beauty.”
Edwin snickered. “Hold on, I think I just threw up a little.”
Kaylee smacked him and Edwin laughed. He put up his hands to fully defend himself and Kaylee got a good look at the book he was holding.
“That’s not one of…” She flicked her head to Baba’s house, as if the mere mention of her name would send the old woman tearing after them.
“I’m still alive so no, it’s not,” Edwin said. “It’s my dad’s. From his personal collection. He let me borrow it as long as it gets back to him intact. I’ve been looking into what the Slayers’ next move is. I’m sure my dad told you a little about that.”
“Barely anything.”
“Typical,” Edwin said, but this time his tone lacked the usual edge it did when talking about Alastair. “The Slayers have never been the most organized bunch. But now, with Lesuvius leading, I figure they’ll strike again. The question is just when and where. I’ve started looking through the most ancient, arcane spells available to see what he might do.”
“You think…would you mind if I helped you look sometime?” Kaylee said.
“Only if you bring a bottle of bleach.”
He excitedly flipped the book over, like a puppy with a new chew toy. “You wouldn’t believe the kind of magical stuff that is still around from ancient times, most of it locked up of course. There’s the Horn of—”
Kaylee reached over and gently shut the cover. “Why don’t we recover from our first deadly encounter before diving into another one? ‘Kay?”
Edwin seemed to shake out of a stupor. He laughed. “Sorry. I guess that makes sense.”
Kaylee rocked back on her heels. She could see Jade and Maddox in one of the distant fields, going through their moves. Baba’s house was still quiet, and they both knew better than to enter without Baba’s summons. The sky held the threat of the coming Christmas storms. Kaylee was sure the mall had thrown off the veil of Thanksgiving decorations by now.
“Guess if we’re both here then we’re back in her good graces,” Edwin said, looking up at the house. “Not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”
“Totally. But I controlled a storm and you…you did that amazing spell. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“I’d never tried anything like it before,” Edwin admitted. “Apparently it was super advanced. Baba came over a few days after and practically ordered me back. She doesn’t think I’m a lost cause after all.”
“You were never a lost cause.”
“I was before…well, you helped me focus.”
Kaylee scoffed. “I didn’t do anything.”
“You did,” Edwin insisted. “You didn’t mean to, but you did. So thank you. And…thanks for coming to save me.”
“Of course,” Kaylee said, not sure what else she was supposed to say to that. “I would never just leave you.”
Edwin nodded. Kaylee could have sworn there was faint redness on his cheeks, but that was probably just the chill.
“You two done gushing?” Baba said. She stood on the porch, bathrobe on but coming slightly undone. It was probably the most horrifying thing Kaylee had ever seen.
Baba peered down at them. In her eyes, Kaylee searched for the truth of what had happened that night when the barn had been about to crush her. Some hint that, since then, there was a slight leveling of understanding between them.
She found nothing.
Or…Kaylee might have imagined it, but…was that a faint nod? It could have been little more than Baba lowering her chin in her usual look of disdain. But maybe not. Maybe it had been a brief flicker of approval.
Then it was gone.
Baba took a quick swig from her flask. “All this sentimentality is making my headache worse,” she said. “Get in here. Let’s see what kinds of things you two can screw up today.”
Smiling to herself, Kaylee followed Edwin up the stairs and, together, they stepped inside.
The adventure continues in Dragon’s Curse, Coming
Early 2018!
If you enjoyed Dragon’s Awakening, I’d immensely appreciate if you left a review on Amazon
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More Books by Sean Fletcher
The I Am Phantom Series:
I Am Phantom
We Who Remain
Subject Number One (An I Am Phantom Novella)
In the Depths of Darkness Series:
In the Depths of Darkness
Shadows of the Swarm
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About the Author
Sean Fletcher was born in the broiling, arid state some people lovingly refer to as Texas. He graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and currently lives on Whidbey Island in Washington State. He is a freelance editor for fiction and non-fiction and an avid reader of fantasy, science fiction. When not making up lies and putting them on paper, he can be found hiking, biking, or traveling wherever the winds take him.
The setting, characters and story used in this book are completely fictitious and come from the author’s imagination. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and are not intended by the author.
© 2017 Sean Fletcher
All rights reserved
First edition published November 2017
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the author, except in the context of reviews.
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