by Alan Marble
It was with no small amount of trepidation that he began to make his way over to the bridge, and it was not just his newly acquired skittishness about such bridges that was to blame.
Crossing onto the bridge, he looked briefly off to the side. The gorge seemed to be a bit shallower here but it was still hundreds of feet down sheer red and orange cliffs, all the way to the bottom where the green and blue river flowed more lazily along its course. It was beautiful, in its own way; most of the tourists on the bridge were busy lining up to take pictures of one another against the backdrop. Jonah even felt compelled to step closer to the edge to get a better look, in spite of his nervousness, but the scenery was not the reason he had come here.
Rebekah, too, was standing at the edge of the bridge, leaning against the guard rail and gazing off into the distance, the breeze causing her hair to flutter over her shoulders. He stepped up close to her, slowing as he neared, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He didn’t know what to say, but she spoke up first, anyway, without turning to face him. “What do you want?”
“To apologize.” She was silent for a moment, and Jonah stood there watching her. She really was beautiful, he realized, and somehow the backdrop of vermilion and blue made her look even more striking. “For back there. In the room.”
“Forget it. I’m the one who should be apologizing for letting it happen.”
He still wasn’t really sure what to say. Part of him wanted to blurt out that it was not such a bad thing, that she had nothing to apologize for, that he only wished that he hadn’t been such a heel. Stepping up to the edge of the bridge, himself, resting his hands on the guard rail, he peered over the edge, looking down at the river hundreds of feet below. “I don’t think you have to apologize,” he muttered, closing his eyes when he felt a hint of vertigo teasing at his senses.
She breathed a heavy sigh next to him. “No, Jonah, I do have to apologize. I’m supposed to be your protector; I swore to do the job ever since we found you. It’s my duty, at least until we get to the Convocation, when you can be better … instructed. I should have known better than to do something like that. Our relationship needs to be more … professional. Detached.”
“I see,” he muttered, letting his eyes open again to take in the sight, the dizziness already passing.
“You sound disappointed.”
He turned to look at her a little skeptically. It would have made things a lot less complicated if he could just leave it at that, but he was disappointed all the same. “Maybe I am, a little,” he demurred.
“Don’t be,” she offered with a bit of a frown, finally turning to glance at him. “I’m not that good in bed, anyway.”
“It’s not … look, it’s not just that. Yeah, you’re sexy. Yeah, I was … I mean, when you kissed me like that, I was ready to go all the way,” he sputtered, a little abrupt in his confession, fixing his eyes on the horizon so he did not have to measure her reaction. “But I don’t want you to think I’m … you’re an object to me. I think you’re nice, and I … think I’d like to get to know you better …”
Again, she shook her head. “Please, Jonah. Don’t.”
“Look, I know you think I’m an ass, and that’s fine, but …”
“No,” she repeated, turning away from him. “We just can’t afford to have this discussion. I don’t really have time for … feelings. I just have a job to do. I’m sorry if I seem a little cold but I’m going to have to keep my distance.”
Jonah breathed a sigh. “Rebekah …”
Once more, she cut him off. “No. Just stop. Look, our ride is going to be here in a couple of hours. We just have to keep things professional for a little while longer and then I won’t have to deal with you anymore, I’ll be done with my duty.” Breathing a sigh of her own, she squared her shoulders and began to walk back in the direction of the motel. “Try not to get yourself into any trouble before then, hmm?”
“Wait,” he blurted out, reaching out and grabbing her by the shoulder. “This isn’t fair.”
She turned to look at him with something of an irritated scowl. “Not fair?”
Jonah was sure that he could see more to her gaze than irritation. There was something else there, he told himself; a conflict within her own eyes, that all too familiar disconnect between a nascent and genuine attraction and the fear that it brought up. He could have been dreaming it all up, he realized, but could not help but to see that there was some glimmer of hope there. “You’re not being fair to me, Rebekah. I can’t figure you out. One minute you’re flirting with me like crazy, the next you’re as cold as ice. One minute you’re a tease and the next just doing your job. One minute you’re about to spread your legs for me and the next it’s all business?”
Instantly he regretted the last few words that came out of his mouth, and the way that Rebekah furrowed her brows at him and gaped confirmed that he’d just made an even bigger ass of himself in the end. “Jesus, Jonah … just … just shut up. Leave me alone.” Quivering with anger she turned once again and headed back the way she had come.
Jonah found himself at a loss for words. He wanted to call out, to apologize again, but even then he’d probably manage to find some way to bungle the situation worse. If she had any feelings for him before he had surely managed to douse those flames for good. Gritting his teeth a bit and balling his hands into fists, he watched as she stalked her way off the bridge, disappearing between the little buildings of the interpretive center.
Even then, he felt the odd urge to chase after her. Swallowing down the unsettling emotions, he turned his gaze back to the river flowing beneath him, scowling. He didn’t have any time for this kind of confusion, either. He’d only known her a few days, it wasn’t right to feel this way. He’d just have to find a way to get past it. Some way to get back to his own version of normal.
Shoving his hands in his pockets his fingers came across the little disc of silver that he had wedged in there earlier. Pulling the token out again, flipping it over in his fingers and watching the way the sun shone dully against the patina, he spoke out loud, as if to the coin itself. “This is why I don’t do relationships. I don’t … I don’t want this.”
Briefly he cocked his hand back, as if he meant to dispose of the cursed little coin right then and there, fling it out into the yawning chasm of the canyon where it would plummet down into the river, never again to be seen. Then he would be rid of it, and, perhaps, be rid of the rest of his problems.
Somehow he found himself unable to. Seething, he stuffed it in his pocket once more, turning to look back at the way Rebekah hand gone. Shaking his head, exasperated, he followed after in spite of it all.
ELEVEN
When their transportation had finally arrived, Jonah found himself relegated to the back seat in the otherwise spacious SUV, an entire row of seating separating himself from Rebekah and the driver, a fairly quiet man who went by the name of Davis. He felt as if he had been serving out some kind of sentence back there, particularly during the long, empty stretches of the roadway through the lonely heart of Nevada. Much of the trip was spent with him trying to find some way to get comfortable there in the back, sprawled out and doing his best to get a little rest.
After what seemed like forever they finally arrived at their destination. They had crested the mountains and dropped into the broad valley where the lake rested, hints of brilliant blue water bedecked by snow capped mountain peaks visible through the window in the back, but his view was limited. The sun was still low in the sky, the morning young, and he briefly remembered the lessons back in high school photography class about how it was one of the best times of day to view a landscape.
Yet he was forced to take in the view framed by the backs of two heads, people - dragons, by their own accounting - who had all but ignored him the whole way.
Their ultimate destination turned out to be a rather large, rather expensive looking home in an exclusive area along the shore of the lake, tucked away in a small valley and hidden away
by trees; they had passed through more than one security gate along the way. When they had finally piled out of the vehicle, Jonah took the opportunity to stretch and take in the rarefied and crisp mountain air before giving the home another look.
Upon second inspection it looked more like a mansion, if not some kind of luxury resort. The main structure was enormous, done up in a style reminiscent of of an alpine cottage on a grand scale. The exterior was paneled in natural wood, a broad set of stairs carved out of logs cut lengthwise and set into the ground leading up to a large deck patio, over which hung a balcony that was equally large in size. The pointed roof seemed to tower over him where he stood, looking a bit out of place among the pines.
“Huh. Nice place,” he muttered under his breath.
For the first time in what seemed like hours, Rebekah turned to look at him, her expression a little withdrawn. He thought it looked forced and unnatural on her face. “It’s not my style,” she sighed. “But Carolus had this place built years ago, and it’s become something of an unofficial retreat for the clan.”
“Carolus?”
She shook her head. “Just come along inside.”
Watching as Rebekah led the way up the oversized steps, followed close behind by the ever quiet Davis, Jonah breathed out another quiet little sigh, and shook his own head. Conflicted on whether to press the issue at some point, he instead decided that he should keep a little distance for the time being, waiting for them to pass through a set of broad glass doors before following, blinking to let his eyes adjust to the dimmer light inside.
He found himself in a grand foyer, sumptuously appointed and practically oozing wealth and refinement from every corner. An ornate chandelier made of some kind of antlers hung high overhead, centered over a pair of winding staircases that led up to the second floor. A massive grandfather clock directly opposite the entrance ticked away the hour, while various works of art studded the walls in every direction.
“Glad to see you made it in one piece, kid!” A slightly accented voice broke his little reverie, tore his attention away from drinking in the sight of the wealth around him, and he was somehow less than surprised to see the big, balding Abe crossing from the other side of the foyer to clap him on the shoulder. “Though I hear it was a rough trip.”
“Yeah. Sorry about your car,” he offered a little lamely, turning to watch Rebekah making her way up the flight of stairs and to the second floor without looking back.
Though he had no cigar clamped between his teeth this time, Abe still smelled vaguely of tobacco, that sweet and pungent odor that made his nose wrinkle slightly. “Try not to worry about it, that’s what insurance is for. Besides, I’ll get a new one for my troubles,” the man said with a slightly conspiratorial tone. “Anyway, I also hear that you had your first flight. Well worth the loss of a car to bring you to that, my friend. Congratulations.”
Jonah found himself bristling at the congratulations, as if it were not the sort of thing he should be congratulated for, at all. He still was not quite sure he was convinced of it, himself; for as little sense as the whole night had made, he was sure that there was still some rational explanation that could be dreamed up, some sequence of events, unlikely as they might be, still more likely an explanation than dragons. “Yeah, thanks,” he replied, unconvincingly, not in the mood to be confrontational about it.
“I’m sure the next time will be a little less traumatic for you. Come,” he said, slapping a big meaty hand against Jonah’s shoulder and guiding him up the stairs. “You two are the last to arrive. It’s time that we began the Convocation.”
At the top of the steps, he was led beyond a pair of heavy wooden doors into a large room whose description he could not immediately decide : dining room, conference hall, or something of the like. A long, wooden table was set in the center of the room, framed by a roaring fireplace on the wall opposite the entrance, the walls here decorated no less lavishly than the foyer below. There were enough seats for perhaps twenty, but at the moment there were only six seated, Rebekah among them.
“Jonah, I want you to come meet Carolus. He’s the one who has so generously offered his private residence for our gatherings, and one of the only dragons older than myself. That’d explain his name, every bit as old and crusty as he is,” Abe said in a jovial manner, gesturing to the man seated at the head of the table. “Jonah, Carolus. Carolus, Jonah.”
The older looking gentleman nodded with a dour smile. “Fortunately I do not share your lack of respect and regard for tradition, Ibrahim. It is a name you were given at birth, you should be proud of it.” His voice sounded harsh and authoritative, but Jonah thought he could detect a hint of playful prodding, as if between two old friends.
Abe merely shrugged with a smile. “Tradition only goes so far when it gets too old. Just like a fine wine, there’s a point when more age doesn’t make it any better.”
Carolus sighed softly, before turning a pair of watery, light blue eyes in Jonah’s direction. Wispy white hairs framed his face, somewhat tired but forceful, a smile cast in his direction that he could not quite read. “Ah, so, you are the new Silver Dragon. Allow me to welcome you to the clan; I only wish it were under brighter circumstances. Now that we are all here we mustn’t delay the Convocation any further. Introductions with the others will come later, please have a seat.”
Jonah nodded, withdrawing from Carolus with an odd sense of relief. Choosing to sit in an empty chair next to where Abe had seated himself, leaning back and watching with a skeptical eye as the meeting began.
Carolus stood, holding his arms out at either side and gesturing to both of his sides. “Esteemed brothers and sisters of the clan, welcome. As the eldest among us it falls to me to call to order this Convocation. All are present and accounted for save for our elder and Jeffress, who is currently missing. I need not remind you of the severity of the situation we are facing, therefore I fear we must bypass formal greetings and salutations, and get right down to the matter at hand.
“It is no secret among the clan that our elder was taken, kidnapped by agents of the Syndicate who left no demands. Now Jeffress has been attacked and is unaccounted for; we do not know whether he has been taken, as well, or killed. Further attacks have been perpetrated upon some of our youngest and newest family members. It is clear that the Syndicate is becoming more aggressive in the pursuit of our clan. We must now decide what actions to take.”
Abe cleared his throat rather noisily, calling attention to himself before speaking up. “Carolus, we all know what sort of action you are going to propose. We don’t need a Convocation to know that you are planning a rescue attempt to break him out of wherever they’ve got him locked up.”
“Indeed, it is no secret what course of action I would propose, but that kind of decision can only be made in Convocation. Furthermore, there is information I would like to share. I believe we have tracked down the location where he is being held,” the older man said, coolly
There was a brief moment of silence, and while no one spoke, Jonah could see the looks of shock and surprise that were passed between those gathered around the table. One of them, a middle aged woman with raven black hair and somewhat hawkish features to match, spoke up. “Then there can be no question, we must mount the rescue.”
Several of the gathered nodded, but it was Abe who spoke up again, his jovial tone of voice dropping a little. “And are we certain this is the wisest course of action?”
“What other course of action could there be?” It was the same woman, turning to look at Abe a little incredulously.
“I urge patience, Jenna,” the balding man said, calmly and pointedly. “We still do not understand this renewed aggression from the Syndicate. That we can still feel the elder, and know he is unhurt, is unprecedented. We do not know what they want from him, and we can safely assume he will be unhurt in the near future …”
One of the other men at the table, who looked to be close in age to the woman called Jenna, interrupted. “N
onsense! We know exactly what they want from him! We are connected to him and he to us. Surely they are looking for a way to subvert this connection, use him to track us down. How else is it they found Jeffress?”
“Jason. Jenna. Everyone, please, let us maintain our decorum and order,” Carolus intoned, raising his hands as if to ask for silence. “Ibrahim has a valid point, one that we should all consider. We do not understand the motives of the Syndicate, and we do not know what their plans are. We will all have our opportunity to speak our minds, please, let us not interrupt one another.”
“With all due respect,” the man apparently named Jason said, folding his arms over his chest. “We do understand the motives of the Syndicate. They seek to destroy us at all costs, and I would daresay they have been succeeding of late.”
Abe waited to respond, his voice measured. “With this, I do not disagree. Still, I must question the wisdom in letting our emotions rule our logic. Yes, we must mount a rescue attempt, but must we do so before we have exhausted all other avenues?”
“And what would you propose as an alternative, Ibrahim?”
“We know they have stepped up their attacks on us. It goes without saying that they are likely to do so again, in the near future. I say let them come. The next time, we will be prepared for them. We will defend one another in force, and capture the agents of the Syndicate, ourselves.”
Jason spoke up again, skeptically. “To what end?”
Smiling slightly, as if he had just revealed some secret, Abe continued. “Interrogate them. The creatures in the employ of the Syndicate are simple-minded; if we can capture one uninjured, or with a minimum of injury, it could be … convinced … to divulge some of its secrets to us. We could learn of their methods. Perhaps then we could mount our rescue attempt, more well informed, and better prepared. Perhaps then, we could be on the offensive rather than constantly running and defending.”