The Quickening

by Antonia Tiranth

  Oh, I most certainly could, I wanted to argue. My letting Aer back into my life was my decision, not Karen's.

  Yes, things were awkward between us right now, but that was because I was still angry with him, and he was probably feeling guilty. Or he'd better be, and if he wasn't I was going to make damn sure he did.

  But before he'd disappeared we'd had a great relationship. And damn it, he was hot as hell and a dragon. No guy Karen had ever fixed me up with had been better looking than Aer, and I was pretty sure none of them had been a dragon.

  "Karen ... look, I have to give him a chance."

  "A chance for what? You said yourself he only cared about you as a friend."

  "Yeah, well, maybe I can change his mind about that.” Maybe I already had? But, if not I sure planned to try.

  "Jo,” she replied, a note of warning in her voice, “what if he up and leaves again?"

  "Then I'm going to follow him and kick his ass."

  She sighed. I think I had exhausted her arguments. “Okay, fine, whatever, but this is the last time I set up a date for you."

  Ha! I wish. She'd threatened me with that before, and since the last time she'd said that there had been four more dates arranged. I didn't doubt that she would set up more dates if I let her. She liked the feeling of control, but she did mean well.

  "Why don't we see how this works out and then you can decide if you give up on me or not?” I asked, hoping that would soothe her hurt feelings.

  She didn't reply for a minute but finally said, “Yeah, whatever."

  I smiled, knowing I had succeeded in giving her hope that she could pick out the next guy I'd date. “Cool. I'll see you on Monday, ‘kay?"

  "Yeah, you're driving this week right, even though you're at your parents?"

  "Yeah, my car's here, remember? I'll be there to pick you up bright and early with an offering of coffee."

  I hung up and turned my thoughts to the problem at hand. I probably should be a little more worried about breaking in somewhere. I mean it is against the law, regardless of the reason for it. If I got caught, the least they would do to me is call the police, and I didn't want to think about the worst. “So, don't get caught,” I said aloud.

  Out of an excuse to stay in the kitchen, I went back into the living room. Aerandir was sitting on the couch, his eyes closed. I thought at first that he was asleep but when I sat next to him, he opened his eyes to look at me.

  "What is it?” I asked.

  "My brother. They forgot to give him a dose of drugs so he was able to contact me."

  I pulled my feet under me and put one elbow on the back of the couch, resting my head in my hand. “What do you mean contact you?"

  "All Rikashi can send their thoughts as images,” he started but I had to interrupt.

  "Ah, so that was what you did in the kitchen earlier?"

  He nodded. “Some of our kind have telepathic ability. They can communicate over great distances. Usually only the Tasartir, Rikashi of metallic colors—"

  "Metallic?"

  "Silver, gold, brass..."

  I made a sound of understanding and motioned for him to continue.

  "Tasartir are usually the only ones with that ability but sometimes one of the Elessar, chromatics, like me, have it too. Shirak is one of them."

  "So, what did he tell you?"

  "He couldn't tell me much. They realized their oversight and drugged him again. But he was able to tell me what the room lay out was and that there are two younger Rikashi also being held with him."

  "I'll bring them out too,” I said, my mind already working, figuring out a way to carry three of the small dragon shifters.

  He was quiet for a long moment. “Phi, I can't ask you to do this."

  "Too bad, you already asked me."

  "No, with two more that just increases your chance of getting caught. I can't let you do it."

  I snorted. “Since when have you ever let me do anything? I make my own decisions, and my decision is to help your brother and these other two Rikashi. You said it yourself, you can't get in there and I'm fairly certain you aren't going to be showing those wings to a complete stranger."

  He looked away from me, lowering his head in defeat. “No, showing even you was against everything I've been taught."

  I scooted closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for trusting me."

  We sat like that for a while, neither speaking. I was the one to break the silence. “So, we're still doing this?"

  "I see no other choice,” he said, his voice reluctant.

  "Good, now get drawing, scaly butt."

  He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “Scaly butt?"

  I shrugged. “New nickname. You draw, and I'll think of some way to carry your brother and those other two."

  "A sling or backpack might work,” he suggested.

  "Ah, yes, perfect!” I exclaimed, bouncing up, and without thinking, I kissed his cheek.

  Warmth flooded my face as he turned to look at me, surprise in his eyes. “What was that for?” he asked, his voice sounding choked.

  "Um, for being so brilliant,” I said hurriedly, hoping there was no tremble in my own voice. “Draw. I'll find a backpack."

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  Chapter 6

  Aerandir Cirdan Gwindor

  My cheek burned where Phi had kissed it. Part of me was kicking myself for not turning into the kiss, and I didn't fail to notice the pink color of her cheeks afterward nor the strange note in her voice. Did she have the same feelings for me? My heart sang at the thought.

  By the time I was able to regain control of my wayward thoughts and wishes, she was gone. I turned my attention back to the paper before me, drawing what I could from the images Shirak had sent to me.

  Along with worry for my brother and worry over the situation with Phi, there was another thought that nagged me. One burning question. How did these humans discover us?

  Who was leading them to the Rikashi? Had another Rikashi accidentally revealed him or herself to a human? No, we were something out of storybooks. In fact, I vaguely recalled seeing something like Rikashi in a children's book. Anyone seeing a Rikashi would blame the vision on alcohol or delusion. There had to be something else. A sickening thought entered my mind. Had a Rikashi turned on his own kind?

  No. That just wasn't possible. Every Rikashi I knew would die to protect each other.

  "Aer? Did Shirak contact you again?"

  I shook my head, shaking away the horrid feeling. “No, I was just thinking."

  "About?” She sat beside me, opening an old backpack, pulling books with dragons on the covers from it and setting them on the table. I bit back a laugh at all the sci-fi fantasy books—Dragonlance Chronicles, Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dragonswan, The Adventures of Meghan the Dragon Girl by Ellen Houston. Phi glared at me bringing me back to the problem at hand.

  "About how the humans are finding Rikashi. The only possible explanation is one I don't think I want to face."

  She stopped what she was doing and looked at me. “You think it's another Rikashi?"

  I nodded slowly, scrutinizing my drawing. “It's the only thing that makes sense. The Council was too careful wiping us from human memory, and we are schooled too sternly in the rules of the Erestor to have accidents."

  "But you revealed yourself to me,” she protested.

  "Yes, but if the situation were different I never would have.” I put a few more details on the schematic and then sat back. “But why would a Rikashi turn on his own kind?"

  "Jealousy?"

  I shook my head. It didn't add up. There was peace between the clans. “It would have to be over something big, and the only thing that has ever come between the clans was the Melwasul—the extermination of the dragons—but peace was made."

  "You talk as if you were there. How old are you?"

  I laughed. “I'm not like an elf from storybooks,” I assured her
, as I lifted one of the books on the table and dropped it. “I'm the same age as you.” I decided to omit the fact that I would probably live long after she had died. It was something even I didn't want to think about. “Memories of our ancestors are passed through generations. My father's father was on the Council after the Melwasul, representing my clan."

  A strange look came over her face.

  "What is it?” I asked.

  "Nothing, let's concentrate on getting those three out and then we'll worry about who did this."

  She was right. I nodded and handed her the drawing, pointing to the front door. “There's the entrance. Shirak and the others are being kept in the basement. There may be a door down there that you can open from the inside to get out faster."

  She took the drawing, studying it carefully. “I think we need some way to talk to each other while I'm in there,” she said in a musing tone. “Dad kept our old walkie-talkie set. That might work."

  A bit of my worry was relieved. I didn't want to be waiting outside stressing about what was going on inside the house. At least this way if something went wrong I could try to help. “Takes batteries?"

  "Yeah. Dad always keeps extra batteries on hand, so we should be all right, but we better test it before we head out,” she murmured her eyes still on my map. “Going in the front would probably be suicide so probably a window.” She looked up. “You said they can tell when a Rikashi is nearby, just how close is ‘nearby?’”

  I had been hoping she wouldn't ask that question. “I'm going to have to be at least three blocks away."

  She chewed her bottom lip, and for a brief moment I wished I was doing the nibbling. “The radios should work over that distance. I hope. I remember them working that far when we were kids."

  I reached out and put a hand on her knee. “Are you really sure you want to do this?"

  "Stop asking or I might change my mind,” she said, punching my shoulder lightly. A teasing smile curved her lips, and mischief twinkled in her eyes.

  I knew once Shirak was free I'd have to disappear again. If leaving five years ago had been hard, I knew leaving her now would be torture.

  I quickly plastered a smile on my face. “Of course I'm sure. As sure as I can be.” I stared into her eyes, searching her face for any sign of fear and found none. “Thank you, Phi.” Gods, to tell her what I really wanted to tell her.

  She gave me a small smile and then returned to studying the plans. “Can you tell me how to get there now? I want to drive by and check it out."

  I nodded, took the sheet of paper back, and wrote the address. “Take the radio, we'll test it out as you drive away from here."

  "Good plan,” she said, patting my cheek. “Let me go get them and I'll head out."

  "Phi?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Be careful."

  "Of course."

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  Chapter 7

  Josephine Erlina Moreau

  As I drove away from my house, I checked the walkie-talkie every few minutes to make sure it still worked. The thing fizzled out after about five blocks, but that should be fine, since Aer said he could get within three blocks of the house. I wasn't too happy with the thought of help being so far away, but from what he said, if he came any closer these people would know he was there.

  I turned down the street, driving slowly, searching for the correct house. All the houses were singles, so it would be easy to sneak in between two. I found the house, and the gods must have been smiling on me because the house next door had a “For Sale” sign in the front yard. Pulling into the driveway, I turned the car off and got out, looking at both houses.

  There was a man sitting on the porch of my real target. I smiled and waved, trying to look like I was merely checking out the neighborhood. He nodded at me and continued reading his paper, or more likely continued pretending to read his paper.

  I walked up to the porch of the house that was for sale, pulled one of the flyers out of the mailbox and pretended to read it while studying the house next door. It was on a slight hill with a large pine tree between it and the one I was standing at.

  Perfect. It would be easier to get into one of the windows with the tree there. Now to see what the back was like. Walking as casually as I could, I strolled around to the back of the house. Both homes had a forested backyard. Most importantly to me, there was no fence between the two. Another good thing. I could approach from the other side of this house, sneak through the backyards and gain access to the target.

  I allowed myself a silent chuckle as I realized I sounded like a spy movie.

  Suddenly, I got an odd feeling. I don't know how I knew, but I knew there were people in both houses. Strangely, I felt this pull toward the one that was for sale. I had to make a sincere effort not to start walking toward it. What the hell was wrong with me?

  "It's almost time.” I heard a whispered voice and turned, looking for the owner. There was no one nearby.

  "Hello?” That was odd. I could have sworn I heard a voice.

  "It's almost time. We are ready."

  "Ready for what?” I turned a circle, looking for someone hiding, but still there was no one.

  Maybe I was sleep deprived.

  I started toward the car. I felt someone coming toward me and looked up at the back porch of the for sale house, seeing the door open. A man stepped out, his face looking stern, his long, black hair pulled into a severe ponytail. He reminded me of Snape, but without the greasiness, what a well-groomed Snape might look like. He must be the owner of the house.

  "Hi,” I said, waving the paper. “I was interested in this house."

  He just looked at me for a long moment with strange eyes that were so pale blue they were almost white, and then he smiled, though it wasn't a comforting smile—it was a slimy smile. “Forgive me,” he said, coming down the steps. “The house is already under contract. I've been after the agent for a week to take that sign down. They told me I couldn't take it down myself."

  I took a step back. I didn't like the way he was looking at me. Realtors usually put those “sold” signs up so fast that you blinked and it was there. Why was he lying?

  "That's all right, I'll just keep looking. I liked this neighborhood, though. Sorry for trespassing."

  "No harm done.” He cocked his head to the side as he continued to study me. All the sternness was gone from his face, but it seemed false. “Might I inquire your name?"

  I didn't like anything about this guy. Every fiber of my being was telling me to run the other way. “Katie, Katie McBride."

  He made a soft sound in his throat. “Ms. McBride, hmm?"

  I don't know what it was about this guy, but he was really creeping me out. I cleared my throat. “Well, since the house is no longer on the market, I won't bother you anymore."

  I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away. When I got to the car, I glanced back and saw that he had followed me and was standing at the top of the driveway staring at me. A shiver went up my spine as I ducked into the car, slammed the door and turned the key.

  What was with that guy? Even as I drove away I could feel both that he was looking at me and the pull back toward the house. Once I got a few blocks away those weird feelings disappeared, and I felt stupid.

  Bullies bigger than me, I'd always faced down with a balled fist. Dangerous looking gangs on the street got no more than a passing glance as I walked by. But that guy? I was still shaking. My hands were white-knuckled from holding on to the steering wheel so tight. My heart was racing like a frightened rabbit that had just escaped the wolf.

  I cracked the window, letting the cool fall air blow away the crazy feeling. I took the long way home, knowing that if Aer saw how upset I was he'd cancel the rescue. I might not know Shirak, but I was more determined than ever to get him out of there now. I could still feel something calling me, but it was faint now.

  Aerandir was waiting for me when I opened the front door. “Well? How did it go?"

&n
bsp; "Fine,” I lied. There was no way I was telling him about Mr. Creepy.

  He narrowed his eyes, looking at me closely. I knew him too well and knew he knew me just as well. It was only a matter of time before he realized something was bothering me.

  "Something happened.” It wasn't a question.

  How did he know? I thought I'd gotten better about hiding things, but apparently not, or at least, not from him.

  "Sort of,” I replied, tossing my jacket onto the back of a chair. I told him about the guy but not about the strange pull I had felt toward the house. That was just plain crazy.

  Aerandir frowned. “Let's hope he's not home when we go back."

  I nodded my agreement. “Looks like it will be pretty easy to get into the house though, so no worries there.” I checked the clock on the wall. Two o'clock already. Only a few hours until sundown. “It feels like I've slept a ton, but I think we should have a nap."

  "Seems like a good idea.” He looked at the couch and suddenly I had an idea, but I knew it was a bad one, and thankfully I managed to keep from voicing it. I mean how desperate would I look if I offered, totally out the blue, to share my own bed with him.

  "You won't get any sleep on the couch. Why don't you use my parents’ bed?"

  Aer nodded and followed me down the hall to the bedrooms. My mind was still entertaining the idea of crawling into bed with him. We reached my parents’ door.

  "Night, Aer."

  "Good night, Phi. Sweet dreams."

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  Chapter 8

  Aerandir Cirdan Gwindor

  I didn't sleep much this time, but I did doze off for a bit, waking a little after sunset. I got out of bed and went to check and see if Phi was up. I knocked lightly, but there was no answer. I heard a groan and opened the door. She was tossing in her sleep again and talking, though this time more quietly. I went to the bedside, sitting beside her and leaning down to catch what she was saying.

  "Who are you? What do you want?” she murmured, turning her head from side to side.

  I frowned, wishing I knew what she was dreaming. I reached out and touched her cheek. She frowned. “What are you ready for?"