dragons breath 01 - stalked by flames

by Susan Illene

  It had only been a week since the attack, but Aidan had kept his promise and dealt with them. Conrad and I hadn’t had any problems getting to my last training session, other than stopping to hide when a dragon flew overhead. I could only hope no innocent people got caught up in Aidan’s anti-gang campaign. The thought of it was enough to keep me up at night.

  I made my way across a carpet of dying grass, searching for any sign of movement. The birds sang as if they didn’t have a care in the world and squirrels raced across the ground searching for food. I envied them. Their life was simple and they didn’t have to go far to find everything they needed.

  A female figure came into view within a small thicket of trees. I gripped my gun, moving cautiously toward her. It was a middle-aged woman. She wore khaki shorts and a red t-shirt. Her brown hair was pulled back in a braid with a few gray wisps framing her face. No one looking at her would have given her a second thought, and yet she had an aura of power surrounding her. Memories of who she was came flooding back. How could I have forgotten her and why was it I could remember her now?

  “Verena,” I said, coming closer.

  “You can put that away.” She nodded at my gun. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  She gave me a patient smile. “Your friends seem to be enjoying the pond.”

  I didn’t dare look back at them. She might appear harmless enough, but she’d messed with my head somehow. I couldn’t let that go. “Why would you care?”

  She lifted her brows. “How do you think that murky old water became pure enough you could drink from it?”

  We could drink from it? I risked a glance back. The women were fully submerging themselves and washing their hair. It looked rather inviting. My body itched from layers of sweat and dirt, especially after training with Aidan.

  “Are you saying you know how it got that clean?”

  Amusement danced in her eyes. “I do.”

  Danae started heading our way. I half expected Verena to disappear, but instead she stared at the group medic. There was so much knowledge in her hazel eyes I wished I could figure out what was behind them—and how she was screwing with my head.

  “Who’s this?” Danae looked from Verena to me. She still had her gun out, but she kept it down at her side.

  “I’m still trying to figure that out,” I replied.

  “I’m Verena.” She took Danae’s free hand and gave it a brief squeeze. “It’s very good to meet you.”

  “Um, okay.” The medic took a step back.

  It was time for the woman to explain herself. “So what do you know about the pond water?”

  “I purified it for you,” Verena said, as if that was an easy thing to do—never mind the logistics of it. And how would she have known we’d be using it?

  “Right.” I scoffed.

  If not for her somehow tampering with my memories and the things she’d said the last time we saw each other, I would have written her off as crazy and left right then. But I knew I had to take her seriously. She’d even known about me going to see Aidan and my dragon slayer status. No one except Conrad should have known about that.

  Danae put a hand up. “Wait, you purified the water? How? I don’t see any pumps or filters around here and there’s no electricity to power them.”

  “I did it with magic.” Verena took hold of my arm. “The same way I can do this.”

  My body shook with the effort to jerk from Verena’s grip, but I couldn’t move. She’d done something to keep me still—just like she’d manipulated me last time by forcing me to pull up to her house. From beneath her breath, she muttered words in a language I didn’t understand.

  Tingles raced along my skin and up to a small gash on my arm from my last training session with Aidan. I’d fallen on my side and hit a rock. It wasn’t deep and didn’t hurt much, but it had been tender. A moment later the gash was gone.

  I stared at the unblemished skin and my jaw dropped open. “How?”

  Verena let go of me. “Dragons aren’t the only magical beings who returned to earth.”

  Danae grabbed my arm and studied it. “You’re totally healed.”

  I was as dumbfounded as her. With one brief touch from Verena, the wound had disappeared. Despite the heat outside, I felt chills across my body. I was only starting to get used to all the new changes in the world, but now something else?

  “What are you?” I demanded.

  “For the past twenty years?” Verena shrugged. “Nothing. But as of a few weeks ago my powers as a sorceress returned.”

  Danae frowned. “Wait. You look like you’re about forty—no offense. Why only twenty years?”

  “That is a story for another time. I’m much older than I look, I’m afraid.” She held a hand up when I started to say something else. “Wait.”

  The ground beneath us began to shake. Danae and I grabbed a nearby tree for balance while Verena closed her eyes. A serene expression overtook her as if the earthquake was a pleasant thing for her. It passed a moment later when the shaking stopped.

  “Ahhh.” She opened her eyes. “Every one of those brings us closer to the dimensions reforming as one—and bringing the rest of the magic back.”

  I let go of the tree. “What do you want from us?”

  “Nothing, for now. I simply wanted to give you a gift.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a gold pendant with a quarter-size ruby set in the middle.

  “I don’t need jewelry,” I said.

  She took my hand and pressed the pendant in my palm. It occurred to me then that I’d put my gun away, and so had Danae. When in the hell had she made us do that?

  “It is not just jewelry.” Verena’s expression turned sour. “I spent days spelling it to be a talisman for you.”

  “A talisman? For what?”

  She shook her head. “The better question is against what? This can temporarily stun a dragon. Only for a minute, but it’s enough time that you can get your friends to safety.”

  Danae took it from my hand and examined it. “Why would you give her this?”

  “As a show of good faith.”

  Good faith, my ass. There was no way she was giving me a talisman against dragons without expecting something in return. I searched her eyes, looking for some hidden agenda, but she wasn’t easy to read.

  I took the talisman back from Danae. “How do we know this will even work? For all I know this will draw them straight to me.”

  “My young slayer, I need you alive and well.” She cupped my cheek and once again I couldn’t bring myself to pull back. “There is no way I would do anything to cause you harm.”

  “Slayer?” Danae gave me a quizzical look.

  I shook my head. “No idea. She’s crazy.”

  The sorceress moved closer to the medic and ran a finger down her arm. “There is power inside of you. It has slept for all your life, but it is almost ready to come out. When the time comes, I will help you learn how to use it.”

  Verena stepped back and Danae’s eyes seemed to snap back to attention. “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t pretend you don’t feel it at all.” The sorceress clucked her tongue.

  Danae and I exchanged wary glances.

  “I think it’s time for you to go,” I said, giving Verena a warning look.

  She sighed. “Very well. But keep the talisman with you always and don’t forget it will only work for one minute. You must use that time wisely.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I replied.

  Verena bowed her head. “I wish you both well.”

  We watched as she went back through the trees and disappeared. I couldn’t be certain if she actually vanished or just moved to a point where we couldn’t see her anymore. The farther she went, though, the less my mind could focus on her. It was like trying to grasp something that was slipping away. All that was left was that I should keep the talisman on me. Where had it come from and how had I gotten it?
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br />   “We should get back to the pond,” Danae said, looking as confused as me. “I really want to take advantage of that clean water.”

  “Yeah. Me, too.”

  Chapter 25

  Bailey

  “Alright everyone,” Justin said, pacing around the center of the common room. “We’re down to two possible choices for where we can go if we choose to leave the library. Miles will recap the pros and cons of the ranch.”

  Danae, Trish, and I sat on one of the couches beneath the windows. We exchanged looks and leaned forward. It was all we could do to keep straight faces when Miles grabbed his canteen for the first time since the meeting started. Of course, he’d want to relieve his dry throat while talking. We’d counted on that.

  He spoke in a loud, clear voice. “The ranch house is just south of Norman not far from the Canadian River. The pros are it’s got a water well, a barn, and a couple other outbuildings for storing supplies. It’s sitting on about five acres with trees nearby, but not so close to the house that anyone could sneak up on us. There’s also a long road leading to it, which will give us some privacy.”

  He stopped to unscrew the cap on his canteen. “And now a few of the cons. The first is that there’s no generator. If there was one, someone already stole it. There isn’t any food in the kitchen, either. It could be that whoever lived there before took it all with them when they fled—or it was stolen. The place did look a little ransacked when we went through there.”

  Miles lifted his canteen and Trish had to cover her mouth to stifle a giggle. He drank deeply before spitting it out. The spray went all over a couple of young guys sitting close to him. His face went red and he stared at the canteen.

  “What the hell?” he yelled, then his gaze shot straight to us.

  The outraged expression on his face was priceless. We broke out into laughter so hard we had to grip our stomachs. Miles marched over and waved his canteen before our faces. “You know how hard it’s going to be to get the taste of Tabasco sauce out of this!”

  “Oh, please,” Danae said, grinning at him. “You’ll survive.”

  He pointed a shaking finger at her. “You are going to pay for this. I know this has to have been your idea.”

  Actually, it wasn’t, but she’d been the one to pour it in there while Trish and I had distracted him. Danae had wanted to take the blame when he figured it out.

  She jutted her chin. “If you loosen up enough to get me back then it would be worth it. Everybody here knows you’re too much of a stick in the mud.”

  “Oh, really?” Miles looked at his canteen and a slow smile spread across his face. “Then tell me what you think of this?”

  He raised the canteen and poured it out over her head. Rather than jump up in outrage, Danae lifted her face and stuck her tongue out to catch the water. “Hmm, Miles, you’re so thoughtful. It was getting hot in here.”

  “Can you take nothing serious?” He withdrew the empty canteen.

  She shrugged. “Not as long as you’re serious enough for the both of us.”

  He grunted and spun around, going back to his spot in the middle of the room. Justin patted his shoulder and handed him his own canteen. Then he gave Trish a warning look that promised a long discussion later. I was suddenly glad to be single and answerable to no one—if you didn’t count my dragon trainer who could probably use a little Tabasco sauce in his water as well. What would it taste like to Aidan? Maybe I’d have to give him a bottle to try sometime.

  “Sorry for the interruption, everyone,” Justin said, his expression apologetic. “I’ll let Miles get back to recapping the ranch house.”

  The man in question finished drinking his fresh water. “To finish with the cons. There are only four bedrooms and an office. Even with doubling or tripling the occupancy a lot of people would have to stay in the outbuildings. Not to mention the logistics of moving that far from here. It would require several trips to get all the people and supplies relocated. There’s also the issue of the underground tornado shelter, which wouldn’t be big enough to hold everyone. We’ve been over this once before so I’ll just stop there.”

  Justin nodded. “Thanks, Miles. Now I’ll cover our second option.”

  A few people murmured. He waited for them to quiet down before continuing.

  “You all have heard about the church that will receive the deceased and give them a proper burial. I visited with them a few days ago. They’ve expanded to include most of the neighborhood around them now and they’re looking to fill it with more able-bodied men and women. Our group fits what they’re looking for. They’ve got plenty of food and supplies, places for us to sleep, and underground shelters. The only catch is they have a lot of rules.”

  An older guy raised his hand. “What are their rules?”

  Justin glanced at Trish before answering. “Generally, what you would expect from a church. Attend religious services twice a week, no unmarried couples sleeping together, alcohol is forbidden, everyone must work, no fighting amongst each other…that sort of thing.”

  Trish leaned over to whisper in my ear. “I haven’t had the chance to tell you, but Justin wants us to get married if we go there.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet he does,” I said, grinning at her.

  Lately, Justin had been joining the prayer group that met each day in the common room. It wasn’t too farfetched that he’d consider joining a church congregation. But he was still a guy. Anyone who watched closely would notice him dragging Trish off at least once a day for a little action—and probably stress relief. She’d said ever since the dragons invaded he’d wanted sex even more. Being in constant danger had a way of messing with your hormones—which was the crappy part about not having a partner.

  “Alright,” Justin said, smoothing down the button-up shirt he wore. “Let’s put it to a vote between the ranch and church before we decide whether to stay in the library or go. All those in favor of the church raise your hands.”

  Most of the prayer group members sat at the other end of the room. I was surprised to discover a few of them didn’t raise their hands. Most of them did, though, including a family with two young children. Some of the non-religious people raised their hands, too. I counted a total of fifteen votes. There were twenty-nine adults eligible, not counting Justin, who abstained.

  “You may lower your hands,” he said after he finished his count. “Now raise them if you prefer the ranch house.”

  My arm shot up and Danae raised hers as well. She glanced over at me and whispered. “There is no way I’m joining a church!”

  “What are you doing?” I asked when Trish didn’t raise hers.

  “I can’t decide.” She gave me an apologetic look. “I like the idea of the ranch house better, but Justin and I can marry if we go to the church.”

  I sighed. It didn’t matter anyway since the ranch votes couldn’t be as high as the ones for the church. I counted a total of twelve. A couple people had abstained.

  “You may put your hands down,” Justin announced. “It appears that if we choose to leave the library we’ll be going to the church. Please raise your hands if you’d rather not move anywhere.”

  Danae and I shot up our arms again while Trish continued to abstain. I glared at her. “Has it occurred to you that you can still get married even if we don’t join the church? I can’t imagine they’d refuse to do the ceremony if you’re serious.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” Her brows furrowed. A moment later her hand shot up as she joined in the vote.

  When Justin reached us for his count, he paused on Trish for a few seconds. I couldn’t be sure what was going on behind that serious expression of his. Annoyed? Surprised? He had a knack for hiding his true feelings. I got my own count and was relieved to find it at seventeen.

  “It appears we’re staying here,” he announced.

  A few people let out excited shouts and a couple others groaned. I was relieved. Not that I had anything against religious establishments, but something
told me it would be a lot harder to get away from there during times I had to train with Aidan. When it came down to it, that was my priority. I’d made a deal with the shape-shifter and he was my only chance of getting back to my family.

  “What if some of us want to go to the church anyway?” the man with the family asked.

  Justin gave him an understanding look. “I’m sure they’ll be glad to have you if you choose to go there instead. We don’t require anyone to stay here, but you can only take what you brought with you. All other supplies must stay with the group.”

  “Then we’ll go there.” The man grabbed his wife’s hand and led his family out of the common room.

  “That vote was close,” Conrad said, coming over to me.

  “You didn’t want to go live with the church people?” I teased.

  “Fuck no.” He shook his head. “That shit’s reserved for Sundays so I can do my sinnin’ the rest of the week.” He’d mentioned once that he used to attend services with his grandma.

  Miles walked up and grabbed Danae’s arm. “You and me need to talk.”

  “Oooh, kinky.” She gave him a saucy smile.

  He just glared at her and dragged her along.

  “Scream if you need backup,” I called out to her.

  Danae looked over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

  Chapter 26

  Bailey

  “Damn, girl. You’re getting good,” Conrad said, coming up the second level of the parking garage.

  I was going through a series of sword strokes as I moved across the floor. Aidan had started me on combinations that seemed complicated at first but got easier after a lot of practice. Had it really been almost a month since we first started training? According to the calendar we kept in the library, it was already the end of June. Sometimes it felt as if the dragons had just arrived yesterday and at other times it was as if they’d been here for years.