“I asked that question, actually,” he said. “The Keeper theorized that they are an ancient species native to this world. A species that either lay dormant or just kept entirely to themselves all that time. It's actually not as uncommon as it might seem.”
“Given the fact that we haven't encountered them before, I'd venture to guess that their appearance here is a relatively new thing,” I said. “So, what changed? Why now?”
“That's the million-dollar question,” Quint said.
I thought back to that rally I'd seen in the cavern. Thought about the one Chokan standing on the rise above the others, seemingly whipping them all into a frenzy. And then I thought back to the first words the first two creatures I'd encountered said to me.
“What if,” I started, “this species has lived below ground all these centuries. Maybe feeling like they'd been driven there by man and had no choice. And what if a leader has emerged – one who feels like it's time to push back on man and reclaim the surface of the planet?”
“Interesting theory,” Quint said.
“It's what one of those things said to me that first night,” I reminded him. “That they were going to reclaim the Earth.”
“If that's the case, that could explain their sudden appearance,” Quint said. “It could explain it very well, in fact. But we're going to need more information. I just don't know how to go about getting it. If the Keeper has nothing, we're dead in the water.”
I leaned back in my seat and drummed my fingers against my thigh. I knew I was going to have to come clean and tell Quint what I'd done. What had happened. It was going to sting and bruise my ego, but – it could turn out to be a good thing for us.
“I think I might have an idea how to go about getting that information,” I said.
“Yeah? How so?”
I cleared my throat and recounted my tale of the night before. I could have sugar-coated it and tried to play it off, changed a few facts around, but I opted to be honest with Quint – as I always was. I respected him far too much to lie to him. And as I spoke, he sat there and listened, his expression neutral, just soaking in every word I said. When I was finished, he leaned forward in his seat, a wry grin on his face.
“This girl – this Ella – she's becoming a real thorn in your side, isn't she?” he chuckled. “First, she kicks your ass and now she saves it. I have to say, I'm liking this girl more and more.”
An image of Ella appeared in my mind, unbidden. She was a beautiful girl. No more than five foot five, probably mid-to-late twenties, with some curves to her – curves, as they say, in all the right places. Her skin was the color of alabaster, her eyes darker than midnight, and her hair cut in a short bob – probably for practicality's sake. Long hair could get in the way during a fight and could be a liability if it happened at an inopportune time.
And Ella struck me as a very practical girl. Practical, driven, and lethal.
Still, there was something about her that I found intoxicating. It wasn't just that she was beautiful, but she had a sharp mind, a quick wit, and what I took to be, a kind and gentle spirit about her. Which was odd to say about somebody whose hobby was running around killing things, but I just got the impression that she did it for the same reason we did – to protect the people. And that there was a lot more to her beneath the surface.
Ella was something of an enigma to me, and one that had been on my mind constantly since last night. Images of her face would just appear in my head at random moments. I'd hear the sound of her voice. I'd even smell the scent of her skin – something I'd only been able to scent when we were standing close together – she obviously had something that helped her mask her scent. The smell of her skin though, was intoxicating to me.
I felt totally and completely drawn to her. It was crazy, and yet, there it was.
“I asked her about the Order of Midnight you mentioned,” I said.
“And?”
“She lied about it,” I said. “Said she knew nothing about it.”
“But you think she does.”
“I know she does,” I said. “And I know she's part of it.”
“How can you be so sure?” Quint asked. “How do you know that she's not a psycho vigilante after all?”
I shrugged. “Call it a hunch,” I said. “But something in her changed – almost panicked – when I mentioned the Order. I could smell it on her. And besides, I'm pretty sure some psycho vigilante wouldn't be able to move like this woman. I watched her up close and she is an absolute artist with her blades, Quint. She's too well trained just to be some deranged vengeance seeker. This woman was molded and shaped to be a killing machine.”
“An artist, eh? That's pretty high praise coming from you,” Quint said. “She must really be something.”
I smirked. “You have no idea, Quint,” I said. “I almost got myself killed because I stood there for a minute just watching her. She's as well trained as any Ranger.”
“Which makes her a threat to us,” he said.
“How so?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Because if the stories about this Order are true, they aren't going to be our friends,” he said. “Their mission is to protect humanity by wiping out all non-humans. I know you've been living in the world of man for a while now, but just in case you forgot, you're actually not human.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah, that's right. I almost forgot,” I said. “But honestly, she probably could have killed me last night when I was first engaged by the Chokan. Or at least, let me die. But she jumped into the fight to save me. And the conversation I had with her after the fight was – friendly. I never once got the sense that she wanted to kill me.”
“Fair point,” Quint admitted. “But it would behoove us to exercise serious caution with these people until we know more about them.”
“I don't disagree,” I said. “But Ella could be our best chance at finding out more about the Chokan – and about the Order.”
He nodded. “She's a direct line to both, you're right,” he said. “How did you leave things with her?”
“Friendly,” I said. “Or at least, cordial. There didn't seem to be any animosity there. More like a curiosity. She didn't know what I was and wanted to find out more than she'd wanted to admit.”
“Maybe you can play that to your advantage.”
I cocked my head. “How so?”
“Why not tell her?” he asked. “See how she reacts? Use it as bait to draw information out of her?”
“Because our presence here is supposed to be a secret.”
Quint laughed. “Yeah well, secrecy went out the window the minute she saw you blowing fire,” he said. “I think that particular cat is out of the bag.”
Color crept into my cheeks. I didn't like the reminder that I'd already screwed the pooch in front of Ella before. The more I thought it about it, the more I realized I couldn't seem to do anything right when she was around. And that bothered me – but I knew that I had nobody to blame but myself for it.
“So, you're suggesting that I just tell her we can assume the form of a dragon on command?”
He shrugged. “Why not? Who is she going to tell?” he asked. “And of course, the better question is – who would believe her even if she did spill her guts? Who, in their right mind, is going to believe that she saw a man who can spit fire?”
I thought about it a moment before nodding. “Yeah, you make a good point,” I said. “But what about the edict of the Council?”
He looked at the framed portrait of Astrid on his desk, a warm and genuine smile touching his lips. “What the Council in Chondelai does not know, isn't going to hurt them,” he said. “They've thrust us into this never-ending war and every now and then, it doesn't hurt to have some allies.”
I nodded. “Very true,” I replied. “And perhaps, if we have allies, in time, we could bring the war to an end altogether.”
“Think you can find her again?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I hope so,” I said. “I figur
e if I stake out that cavern and sewer access, she's going to turn up sooner or later. She seems to take real pleasure in putting those creatures down. The girl was actually smiling when she lopped the head off one of those things.”
“This woman sounds fascinating.”
I nodded. “She most certainly is that,” I said. “And I'm on it. I'll get the intel we need on these lizards and on the Order.”
“Just be careful,” Quint said.
“I will,” I replied. “And I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to head up to the forest for a little while. I need to recharge for a bit.”
He nodded. “How long will you be gone?”
“Probably just this afternoon,” I said. “I just need to go meditate in the woods for a bit. Get some clarity in my head and my soul. Recharge my batteries.”
Quint nodded as if he understood – which, he probably did. “Fair enough,” he said. “Just make sure you're in a place where you're going to have cell phone reception.”
I nodded. “Absolutely,” I said. “What was the good news, anyway?”
Quint smiled and reached down beside his desk, coming back up with a black bag. He set it on the top of his desk and unzipped it. He reached inside and withdrew a cloth bundle. Setting that on his desk, he unwrapped it to reveal twin curved, long-bladed daggers – exact matches to the two I usually carried.
Only these two were made of bronze.
Feeling like a kid at Christmas, I stood up, smiling wide. I looked at him, as if asking for permission to touch them.
“Of course,” he said. “These are yours.”
I picked up the twin blades and tested the weight of them – they were perfect. I spun them around in my hands, getting used to the feel of the new blades. The steel of the blades was etched with intricate lettering in our native tongue. The hilts were made of ivory and felt like they'd been expertly fitted to me. They were amazing and felt like natural extensions of my hands.
“These are incredible, Quint,” I said. “Thank you for having these made.”
“Of course,” he replied. “Can't have my Rangers running around with improper equipment, now can I?”
“Not if you want the creatures in your territory dead,” I said, grinning like a child with a new toy.
“Check in with me when you get back.”
“Absolutely.”
Wrapping the blades back in the cloth – and then put the bundle into the bag. I thanked Quint again and then left his office, carrying the bag with me. I needed some time in my natural element, that was for sure. I needed to charge up my batteries for the coming fight.
But, armed with two new, exquisite weapons, I was eagerly anticipating getting to try them out later on that night.
As I walked to my car, I wondered if I'd see Ella later on that night – and found that I was looking forward to it.
Chapter Eleven
Ella
For being a trained warrior – and I had no doubt, that's what he was – Zarik was fairly unobservant. I'd followed him out of the sewer and had followed him back to his apartment. I'd kept a discreet distance, of course. And the Order had trained me pretty well at concealing myself. But still, I thought the only reason I'd been able to follow him all the way back to his place was because he'd been – preoccupied.
Maybe it was the fact that I'd saved his life. Maybe, being the big, bad, fire-breathing, obviously alpha man he was, he didn't particularly like that. I knew some guys had a problem with their fragile little egos, and having a girl, of all people, step in to rescue them never sat well in their minds.
But I couldn't help it. There was something about the man that intrigued me. That inquisitive part of my brain – the part that almost always got me into trouble – had practically dared me to follow him home. To learn what I could about him. And I'm never one who can deny my own nature. Not that I ever try all that hard.
After learning where he lived, I'd gone home. Mostly, because I'd had to report back in to Jacob. It was one of the conditions of him letting me go out on my own solo patrol. I gave brief thought to telling him about my encounter with Zarik, but ultimately decided against it. I didn't have enough information yet. And given that Zarik wasn't human, Jacob would have expected me to put him down – as was the code of the Order. Me telling him that I didn't think he was a bad guy, or that we were on the same side of things wasn't going to fly. Jacob would have demanded his head.
For the first time since I'd joined the Order and had taken up the life I was leading, I disagreed with him. For the first time ever, I was thinking differently, that maybe not all non-humans were evil creatures who deserved the sword.
It was an opinion Jacob would neither understand, nor tolerate. He saw things in black and white – humans good, non-humans bad. Yet something about the mysterious man made me begin to question that sort of world view.
I sat on a bench across the street from Zarik's apartment. The sun was out and it was a warm, but pleasant day. I'd told Jacob I was heading out to run a few errands, do a little research, and some training – which wasn't uncommon and was the easiest way to get out of the house for the day without any questions.
I'd been sitting there for a while and was pondering going in to see if I could figure out which apartment was his. It was a ritzy looking building with smoked glass windows, all sorts of fancy ornamentation, and even a doorman – obviously, the people who lived there had some money.
Which made me even more curious about him. Hunting didn't pay very well, but the Order managed to make sure our needs were met and that we got a monthly stipend for our troubles. The stipend was nice, but I never would have been able to afford a place like Zarik's. And – human or not – I believed he was a hunter like me. Which, of course, made me wonder where he got his money.
I sat up when I saw the car he'd been driving when I'd followed him – a black BMW – came up the ramp that led out of the building's underground parking garage. The windows were to darkly tinted to see through, but I knew it was him – though, that didn't prevent me from shooting a quick glance at his license plate, just to be sure.
I jumped off the bench and climbed onto my bike, jamming my helmet on quickly before starting the engine. I waited for Zarik's car to pass me – and then waited for a couple more cars to get between us – before I pulled out into traffic. I had no idea where we were headed, but I made sure to keep some distance between us to avoid being seen.
We were on the road for a little more than an hour, having gone well out of the city and up into the Angeles Crest Forest. It was a little trickier to stay discreet on the road that took us deeper into the San Gabriel mountains, but I managed.
Eventually, he pulled off the highway and down a long dirt road – a driveway to a cabin well off the main road. I passed the driveway and continued on for another half mile or so before finding a place where I could pull off the road. Getting off my bike, I pushed it behind a bush before pulling off my helmet and locking it to the seat.
Setting off on foot, I headed back in the direction Zarik had pulled off the road. There wasn't a marked path and the going was a little slow, but I moved as quickly and quietly as I could. Eventually, I stood at the edge of the treeline that surrounded Zarik's cabin, sheltering behind a large bush.
I studied the cabin, looking for movement inside, but saw nothing. His car was in the driveway, but I didn't see Zarik anywhere. Keeping behind the trees and bushes at the edge of his property as possible, I made my way around to the back of the cabin and still saw nothing indicating he was inside. I briefly considered going inside to have a look around for myself, but quickly dismissed it – that was a little too reckless, even by my standards.
I picked my way through the trees. Although the sun was high overhead, the floor of the forest was still dim and gloomy. I noticed that a small path had been cut through the forest, leading from the cabin and down a gentle slope. The trees were pressed close together all around me, which provided me plenty of cover as I follow
ed the direction of the path, wondering if maybe Zarik had come that way.
In between the massive tree trunks, I saw movement in a small clearing just ahead. It was Zarik. I crept behind one of the trees and peered around. He was practicing with his blades. The sun glinted off the edges of his daggers, flashing brightly. He was shirtless and the sun glistened off the sheen of sweat covering his toned body – it was hard to not notice his physique.
Aside from his incredible body though, I was mesmerized as I watched him practicing. He turned and spun, his blades cutting and dancing through the air in deadly strikes. He was a poet with his weapons, his every movement effortless, efficient – and lethal. Zarik was fast, moving with blinding speed. And for the first time, as I watched him, I began to have doubts that I could actually beat him in one-on-one combat.
I was good. Maybe I was even as great as Jacob said. But Zarik was on a whole different level.
Honestly, I probably could have watched him all day – and not just for his body. His skill was absolutely hypnotic. As it was, I had no idea how long I'd actually been standing there watching. But eventually, he put his blades back into their sheaths and set them down on a tree stump with a lump of fabric, I assumed was his shirt. He wiped his face with a rag and dropped that on the stump as well.
And that's where things got weird. Really, really weird.
Zarik took off his boots and set them next to the stump before unbuckling his pants and sliding them down his legs. I felt a warm heat growing in the center of me as I looked at the man standing beneath the sun, his golden colored body coated in sweat – naked as the day he was born.
And as I watched, Zarik stretched his arms out from his sides like he was doing a yoga pose – and then his body started to change. My mouth hung open as I watched him transform into a creature that was covered in green, scaly plates. Wings erupted from its back and had a span that was easily ten feet. His neck elongated and changed into something fierce, with a long snout and a mouthful of teeth that were as long as his daggers – and probably just as sharp.
No Such Thing as Dragons : Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 5) Page 20