He allows me to hug him again, but this time I feel more comfortable knowing that there are positives to our situation, despite what Ray does to us.
He can’t trap us forever.
He will not keep Aqueous doing hard labour for ten hours every day for the rest of his life either.
“Hey, Wes told me about Tyson... Are you okay?” For a moment, I think I see a glimmer of happiness in his eyes, but it’s quickly replaced by concern.
It’s not you, it’s me.
“I don’t understand why,” I admit, letting him run his fingers through my hair.
“Me neither,” he shuffles uncomfortably. “It’s just that... Rocky talked to him last night. You don’t think he would have done something, do you?”
Rocky was just too accepting. He flipped when he thought I was going out with Braith, yet he’s completely fine with Tyson? I don’t think so.
As much as I hate to admit it, I think he’s done something.
“I think he has. I just don’t want to accept the fact that he ruined it for me.”
Marco shrugs. “You could ask him.”
“I don’t think I’ll like the answer.”
We’re both silent for a few seconds, before Marco stiffens and squints at the dragons. “What’s that?”
I follow his gaze to a large red dragon carrying a thin glass tube in its mouth with royal purple liquid sloshing around inside. Two guards flank it on each side, pushing the workers out of the way. Carefully, the dragon places the tube into a small metal hole in the floor, fitting into place with its head tilted at an awkward angle. The guards snort in satisfaction and point the dragon to several other glass tubes with different coloured liquids inside.
That doesn’t look like furniture for the new Headquarters.
“What are they building now?” I ask.
“No idea, it looks strange though. Why would Ray want that built? It makes no sense. Could it be acid or something?”
“I dunno, but I don’t like the look of it.”
* * *
“Aqueous!”
At quarter past six, dragons start returning from work. My companion is near the back, his tail trailing in the dirt. A thin layer of sawdust drapes his entire body, making his usually pitch-black scales look dark grey. As he reaches me, I look into his eyes and see pure exhaustion. A patch of crusted blood is stuck at the base of one of his claws and a thin trail of crimson on his shoulder drips droplets onto the floor.
For a second I don’t know what to do. Then I decide to test how powerful my element has become by giving him a shower.
“Come on, get under the tree.”
With a sigh, he lumbers over to the gnarled oak tree a few yards away and collapses underneath it. I unwrap the scarf from around his neck and throw it over a low branch. He gives me a puzzled look until I raise my hands and point them at him.
With a loud ‘whoosh’, water comes spraying out of my hands. For a second my companion stiffens, before grunting happily and clambering to his feet. He spins around in the cold streams, making sure every scale is clean. Once I’m satisfied that he’s clean enough, I drop my hands, making him whine sadly.
“You’ll get another one tomorrow,” I promise.
He stands upright and closes his eyes, drops of water streaming off him. Once he’s dry enough, he opens his eyes and looks down at his stomach before looking at me with a hope-filled gaze.
“I know.”
My companion noses my hands as I produce a large clump of tinfoil from my bag. He yelps excitedly when I unwrap it and place it on the ground, watching him eat the beef greedily. As he’s eating, I study his claw. It doesn’t look too bad; he probably caught it on something while he was lifting, or stepped on a loose nail. Happy that it’s not serious, I lean against his side and sink to the ground, watching the orange sky fill with light pinks and yellows as the sun begins its descent down the empty horizon.
I’m happy that he’s okay. He hasn’t got any serious injuries, although he acts like he hasn’t eaten for a week and a half.
I don’t know how much progress there is on the building, but I hope it doesn’t take months upon months to build. After all, the dragons won’t be able to keep up working like this if they have to do it non-stop for weeks on end. My companion is exhausted after one day of work; how is he supposed to last weeks without getting ill?
Aqueous licks his lips after he’s finished eating and wraps his tail around me lovingly. I make a sphere of water appear in my hand, and he laps at the cold water eagerly.
He can pretend that he’s a tough guy, but I know he’s just a huge softie.
After he’s finished we lie on the grass together, watching the sun set. Secretly I hope it never does, so Aqueous can stay with me under this tree forever, where we can keep each other safe. I must have dozed off, because when I open my eyes, the sky is pitch black and littered with stars. The half-moon glows brightly in the sky, with not one grey cloud hovering around to block out the glowing sphere.
“Oh,” I rouse my partner, who has fallen asleep with his feet in the air. “Aqueous, we fell asleep! Let’s go to bed before we catch a cold, okay?”
Groggily, my companion groans before stretching and rolling onto his feet. As I go to get up, it feels as if I’ve been glued to the ground. I tug at my arm to break free but it is encased in rock. I panic as rocks form around my neck, threatening to choke me.
Seeing me panic, Aqueous leans down and clamps his jaws on the rock around my neck, huffing with effort until it crumbles in his mouth. It makes no difference, however, as another forms in its place.
“Tch tch. I thought you two were smarter than that?”
My heart beats uncontrollably as Ray steps into view, a dark smile on his handsome face.
Fuck.
A roar hits my ears and something is dropped beside me. I can just about see Marco, in the same predicament as I am.
“You two should know better. First of all, watching the dragons work. Second of all, talking shit about me next to a fucking security camera!”
He’s heard everything.
“Now, tell me about the Primordial Dragon, and what it has to do with the markings. Marco, you seem to know what to say, you tell me.”
“Why should I?” Marco tries to kick out at Ray, but the blond boy steps back and clicks his fingers.
I gasp as the rocks tighten around my neck, blocking off my breath. Aqueous panics above me, attempting to bite through the rocks once more.
“What are you doing? You’ll kill her!” Marco shouts, panic-stricken.
“You better hurry up then,” Ray says coolly.
My companion’s jaws are too weak from work all day. He starts to whimper and cry out as he can’t think of anything else to do.
“Okay! A team of scientists have created a Primordial Dragon. It’s what the Original Elementals had to defeat.”
“Go on.”
Black dots dance in front of my eyes and my head pounds painfully. My companion cries out in fear as my struggling weakens.
“We think the markings sprang up again because of the creation of the Primordial Dragon. It hatched a few days ago and connected with someone. That’s all I know! I swear! Let her go!”
Ray taps his chin with his finger. “You had better not be keeping anything else from me.”
The rocks clamped around my neck and hands crumble, and I twist onto my side, coughing violently and breathing heavily. My companion stands over me protectively as Ray paces around, his eyes locked on me with a smirk on his face.
“Winter, I think we are done here.” Ray pats his companion’s head, who nods quickly. “Good. Both of you expect your dragon’s wages for today docked in half. I do not want to see you two watching them work ever again.”
My friend sighs in relief as the rocks around him crumble into dust. He quickly crawls behind Drea, who is watching the duo with blazing eyes. If looks could kill, they would have dropped dead that instant.
“What was that stuff in
the tubes?” Marco calls put defiantly.
“None of your concern. Do not watch them work again.”
As Ray walks away, Winter hesitates for a second. She looks at Aqueous, guilt clouding her vision. My companion grunts something to her, but her gaze quickly hardens and she gallops after her partner, not looking back.
“Haze!” Marco throws his arms around me, patting my back as I have another coughing fit.
“Wha... Why...”
“I didn’t know there was a camera there! Did you see it? I bloody didn’t!”
“I... We... Need to tell the others.”
“Tomorrow.” He gives me a stern look as I open my mouth to argue. “Rest. You’ve just been strangled, let yourself recover.”
Fuck, he’s right.
I don’t have the energy to tell Wes right now. The world is still spinning for me. I really should go to sleep...
“You’ll have to sleep in the stables with Aqueous,” Marco mumbles. “I don’t think people will appreciate us waking them up, and I’m sure he’ll keep you warm.”
Aqueous grunts in approval and lets Marco lift me onto his back. My friend turns to leave but I grab his arm and manage to whisper: “Please don’t go.”
Marco smiles slightly and brushes his finger against my cheek. “Are you sure you want me to stay?”
I nod mutely and reach down to grab his hand. Aqueous grunts and nudges open the large wooden door to the stables. Some dragons raise their heads as they enter. It must be late, as the stables are completely full. My companion gently nudges me onto his blanket before curling up around me protectively. Marco squeezes in the little space left between Aqueous and I, curling his arms around my waist. The other dragons start probing Aqueous for answers, and look shocked as he starts to grunt agitatedly, swinging his tail back and forth wildly. Some growl and hiss in shock when he’s finished, but others don’t look surprised.
A beige ball of fluff rubs himself against me, purring loudly and happily about the possible late-night attention. I reach out to stroke him, and he headbutts my hand and licks it, his tongue rough against my sore skin. With a loud meow, he curls up against my chest and rests his head on his paws, sighing contently.
“Night,” I mumble to the half-asleep cat.
Marco sighs contently and breathes a ‘good night’ before quickly falling asleep.
Aqueous curls up fully around Marco and I, resting his head on his pillow. Drea grunts and settles down in a crowded corner, keeping one eye on Marco. Aqueous lets me rest my head on his foot, and even folds a wing over my body to keep me warm.
It feels nice to be able to be so close to him again. I have missed waking up to his cheeky grin in the mornings. With one last yawn, I close my eyes and quickly drift into sleep.
It feels like only a few minutes have passed when I open my eyes, and Aqueous rises to his feet beside me, gently lowering my head to the floor. Marco must have left earlier because it’s only me in the makeshift bed now. When I open my mouth to speak to my companion, only a small rasp comes out. My throat aches.
Spotting that I’m awake, he leans down and nuzzles me before stepping around the sleeping bodies of the other dragons and quietly slipping out the door.
Be good. Once the building is done, it’s done. No more work.
27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Cindaraans! Now that you have all gathered, I wish to unveil our new expansion! It is free for all of you to use at any time!” Ray motions for his companion to cut the red tape.
Winter quickly obeys, biting the thin tape until it falls in two pieces to the floor. People cheer hysterically as the grey building with blacked-out windows is viewed for the first time. It doesn’t look like anything special.
The damn thing took long enough to build.
After four months, it’s finally finished.
But, due to the money Aqueous brought home, I’ve been able to treat him and Normie. Wes and I decided to buy the little fluffball new toys and a proper bed, which he largely ignores. Aqueous also got a comfier pillow for his bed. I don’t know how long the money will last though, because I have to buy new textbooks and another dragon kit for the start of Year Two in August.
“How did Ray pay for all of this?” Rocky wonders, staring at the building in a mixture of disgust and awe. “The materials and wages must have cost a shit ton.”
I’ve asked Rocky about Tyson multiple times, and he swore he knew nothing of it. He told me his injuries were from Kyle, for saying something sleazy about his mother. I don’t believe him.
“Ray docked daily wages when dragons stopped working, remember?” I nudge his arm playfully, and he does the same.
However, I can sense a lot of hostility in the air, as some kids are still upset over a loss of pay. If a dragon was caught resting, even for a few seconds, it would lose an hour of pay. After the first month, I don’t think anyone got the full day’s pay they were promised.
“Unfortunately, I do. I got warned about Cerberus dropping a mop, which meant they docked her pay by an hour. It’s ridiculous.” Cerberus grunts her agreement, busy sizing herself up to my partner.
He’s slightly bigger than her now, and Rocky said he’s stopped growing. Next year all he’s got to worry about is his wing strength increasing, so by Year Three I’ll be able to fly him.
We walk away as Ray dismisses us. I don’t want to spend any more time around him than I must.
Rocky nudges me back to reality, concerned by how quiet I’m being. “You’re not worried about your exam, are you? It’s just to test your element and your bond with Aqueous; you’ll have no problem passing.”
“I know. But it’s with Mr Reedman! What if he fails me?”
“Then you take it again next year...?”
“But I’ll have enough on my plate next year as it is; there are academic exams thrown on top of the Elemental one. It’d be hard work to keep up.”
My brother nods slowly, his gaze locked on the ground. “Yeah,” he mutters.
“I know you’re worried,” I murmur, resting my head against his arm. “But just keep calm and you’ll be able to see the words.”
“I won’t though. It doesn’t work! They still jumble up!” He wipes his nose on the back of his hand.
School is so hard for him. The teachers aren’t too helpful; they only care for the smart kids. Or the ones who try to help have no idea how to deal with dyslexia. It’s one of the reasons he tries so hard in art; it’s the only academic subject that requires minimal reading and writing. He excels in it.
His art is beautiful.
“I know. Try your best, okay? I’ll be proud of you no matter what you get.”
He smiles slightly at that, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I know you will.”
“I’ve gotta go see Marco; he’s giving me one last lesson before the exam.”
With a small smile, he mutters: “Your hair is growing well.”
My hair now reaches my shoulders, but only just. They cover up my markings though, which is one good thing, I suppose.
“I know. It’ll be long again in no time. I’ll see you later.”
“Later.” He hugs me once before allowing me to jog down the street, Aqueous flying high above me doing back flips to show off.
It doesn’t take long to reach the field, but I don’t spot Marco anywhere. I guess I’m early. Aqueous jumps into the river, swimming through the water like an otter. Despite the narrow banks, he loves swimming under the water and exploring the riverbed.
I see Drea before Marco. I sit down as they approach, and he quickly sits next to me.
“Hey, ready for your last lesson with me?” He punches my arm softly.
“Yeah. Can’t say I’ll be sad to see you go,” I joke.
With an eye roll, he tackles me and pins me to the ground. “Take that back and I’ll let you up.”
I kick out wildly for a few seconds before huffing in defeat. “Fine. You’re the best teacher ever. Happy?”
“Yep.” He grins and allows me to sit up.
Aqueous slithers out of the river and shakes his foot over Marco, covering my friend’s face in dirt. My friend whines childishly and rubs his eyes, making his hands brown with dirt and bits of leaves. Other kids have started gathering on the field with their mentors for their last lesson at this point. I spot Rocky and Ciara sitting underneath a tree, laughing and holding hands. Marco groans as Mr Reedman comes into view, wandering around and eyeing everyone’s progress.
“Come on, before he starts screaming at us for not doing anything.”
He holds out his hand to help me up and I take it, only for Mr Knight to walk past and roll his eyes in disgust. “I remember the days when poor people were separated from the rich,” he mutters under his breath.
Shut up.
Mr Knight has been weird with me all year. He’s been teaching me to the best of his ability, but I know he secretly looks down on me for not having much money. He was never happy with Marco mentoring me; I think he saw it as a waste of time. Marco seemingly ignores his comment, but studies my face to see my reaction.
“What do you want me to do?” My words snap my friend out of his daydream.
“Nothing. You’ve worked hard enough. This is the last lesson we have together, and I want you to relax before your exam. What time is it anyway? Aren’t you one of the first ones?”
“Wind and ice are before me, because they have the smallest classes. My time is twenty past six.”
“You’ll do great, I know you will.” Nudging my elbow playfully, he jumps back as I try to do the same to him.
“But Mr Reedman is the examiner. He’ll fail me for sure.”
“All of the dragon training teachers are there. They each say whether you’ve passed or failed, and the majority wins.”
The fact that it won’t just be Mr Reedman has calmed my nerves a bit. Surely they can’t all fail me just because Mr Reedman says so.
“That sounds a little better,” I smile.
“Good. Have you been told about the mentoring qualification?”
“Huh?”
He rolls his eyes and unfolds a piece of paper in his pocket. “You need to fill out a form on how well I taught you. I’ll get a grade for teaching you, basically.”
Elemental Dragons Book 1: Blood and Water Page 21