by Holly Hook
"You can help him, Felicia," he said. "You have to."
"We need to get the bullets out," I said.
Ed let out a breath and struggled less. The sound of rushing water all around us ceased.
"I've never been this close to a dragon," Ted said, running in to stand next to me. "Minus the green one that pushed the truck out of the water."
"Do you have any medical training?" I asked Ted. "Sven does. We need to get the bullets out of this one." He seemed to be the leader of the workers. "Have you treated any of the other workers?"
"Of course I have," Ted said. He straightened, in his element. A sense of relief washed over me.
"The bullets wouldn't have gone in far," Sven said. "Dragon hides are tough. Arrows are usually the best from what I've heard because they're pointed, but bullets can still do damage. We might be able to pull them out and let Felicia heal him."
Ed's body was already trying to do that with the orange glow, as if embers were trying to pull his flesh together. I could see one of the wounds poking out from under his wing. Blood still flowed. That was the problem. He was slowly losing it and trying to stay still to keep alive longer.
"We have to climb up there," I said. "Ed, don't roll over. Stay in that position. Sven and Ted here are going to remove the bullets and then I'm going to help heal you. I know you can heal on your own, but I'll give you a little boost."
Confidence filled me. I could do this. I felt it. Kneeling, I cupped my hands to let Ted and Sven use them as a stepstool. My strength allowed the two of them to scale the dragon's body, settling on top. Sven gently lifted Ed's wing, which had healed already, and threw an arrow he found to the ground. "I need light," Sven said. "Can anyone hand me—"
"Here," Ted said, clicking on a flashlight. The man was wearing a tool belt I hadn't seen before.
I squinted as Ed's blue scales shimmered like the ocean under the sun. He groaned. Ted flinched.
"It's okay. He says he's ready," I told him. Ted was a brave man.
"Hands are dirty," Ted said. "I don't want to give him an infection."
"You won't," Dirk said.
I placed my hands on Ed and reached for my magic. It flowed through my arms and into Ed, aided by the treasure below. Ellie grunted, urging them to begin. I watched as Ted poked his fingers into one of the bullet holes. Ed groaned in pain as he sank them deeper into his glowing flesh, grimacing. "It burns," Ted said, pulling out a small metal object. The bullet.
The orange glow filled the wound as it closed.
"Ed, can you try to stop healing while they're working?" I asked. From here, I could see the edge of his face in the trees. "I'm going to do that."
Ed didn't dare move, but the orange glow faded.
Sven went to work next. He was tough and didn't grimace at all. The bullet holes were bigger than I thought because Sven was able to get his entire hand into one. He was strong. Sven pulled the bullet out and tossed it into the trees, complete with dragon blood. Then he moved on to the next, climbing under Ed's gray wing to do so. It looked as if he were climbing under an ocean wave.
But as I focused on pumping magic into Ed, his wounds closed. I could hear them making pulling sounds as they did.
"We've almost got it," Ted said, producing another bullet. "These Slayers sure have powerful weapons these days."
Ellie snorted in relief. I was happy for her. It looked as if her father would pull through. She didn't have to lose her parent tonight. Dirk walked around Ed and out of sight to join her.
"I think Ed here will be fine," Sven said. "Everything's closed." He slid down and stepped back, armor clanking. "I had to use my knife to get one of the bullets out. Now I'll just need to wash my hands." He wore two bloody gloves.
Mrs. Macher leaned down snorted at him. Sven backed away. Her red eyes were filled with thanks.
"I think you officially earned full trust," I said, kissing Sven on the cheek. "Now stop feeling bad about yourself. I forbid it. You've done so much for us that there's no room for it."
Sven forced a smile. We walked to one of the streams of water. All had weakened into trickles now that Ed wasn't trying to control it anymore. Sven washed his hands in one while the Boers watched. Steve joined them, still in full dragon form. I still had to tell them about Mr. Olsen escaping, but the Boers had probably figured out that part after patrolling the clearing.
Ted washed off, too. "That was an adventure," he said. "I was glad to help. I always knew there was something fishy about what those Slayers always told us, but I could never get the other guys to listen."
"They'll find out," I said.
"They will," he agreed. "So, what did you want to ask me?"
"Have you seen the Slayers' main treasure stash?" I asked. "I assume they have you guys haul stolen treasure there."
"I have," Ted said. "I don't know where it is, exactly, but it seems to be a couple hours from here. Every time we ship something, my workers and I ride in the back of a truck."
"It's in the Sierra Mountains," Sven said. "We've seen the location on the map, so that seems to be right. What's inside?"
"Are you planning to raid it?" Ted asked.
"The dragons need the treasure," I said. "Or they—or we—will slowly die. It's already happening." It was the first time I've included myself in that statement.
Ted didn't even balk. After what he'd seen tonight, one more surprise wouldn't shake him. "I haven't seen the entrance to the place, but once inside, there's a road that ends in an underground chamber and a vault," he said. "You turn a wheel to open it. I've seen the Slayers do it. None of us workers touch it. Then once they have it open, we drive in and unload. And yes, they guard us to make sure we take nothing. They said that taking treasure weakens the dragons. I guess that part turned out to be true."
"Yes," I said.
Ted shocked me by sinking to his knees. "I'm sorry," he said. "For a while, I felt good about helping them."
"Stand up," Sven said. "It's not your fault."
"How guarded is the vault?" I asked.
"I haven't seen any guards other than the Slayers who came with us. The road might be secret," Ted said, rising and collecting himself. "Since they transport us in the backs of trucks, I have no idea what the outside of the vault looks like. But the inside...there's a lot of treasure in there. Far more than what's down in that pit they had us working in."
I tried to imagine that. After a thousand years of looting dragon dens, I could. "Ted, can you help us find it?" I asked. "I know you didn't see the entrance, but maybe other clues will leap out to you when we go there. I have a feeling the Society leader might have gone there. Of course, if you don't want to go, you don't have to. There are guys for you to take care of."
But Ted wasn't deterred. Perhaps guilt drove him the way it still controlled Sven. "I'll go," he said. "So far, the dragons have treated us with kindness. No one's whipped us. If anyone deserves that treasure, it's them."
* * * * *
We spent the next hour regrouping. Ted wanted to get to town to check on his men and I didn't blame him. The were the only family he's had his whole life. His brothers. The world would be scary at first. And Sven pointed out that they all deserved a good meal and wouldn't be able to pay for one right away. Dirk told him that we'd find him some money and he went to work explaining how to order food at McDonald's.
"And don't be scared of the clown," he added.
"What's a clown?" Ted asked.
"It's bad," Dirk said. "Let me loot these corpses for money. I bet they have tons. I'll tell you what all the pieces of paper mean. And you might have to use credit cards, but they're not tough. McDonald's usually doesn't make you use a pin number..."
Poor Ted followed Dirk, confused. At least Dirk felt useful now, helping him out like this.
The dragons had to change back. Dirk told me that he remembered seeing the Boers stuffing lots of clothes in the back of their truck for this event. The dragons stalked off into the night, making underbrush cr
ash. The floodlights remained on, but no one else came out to bother us: not the police and not the fire department. I wondered how the Society got away with hiding this whole operation from Olivia. Something didn't add up.
What if they killed the police department and the fire department?
"Are you sure the Society doesn't use magic?" I asked Sven as we sat on a drying hill. Below, Dirk and Ted raided pockets, pulling out wallets. Dirk's jaw dropped as he handled crisp bills. The freed men should be set for a little while.
In the distance, joints popped as a dragon changes back.
Sven and I were alone on this hilltop.
"This isn't so bad," I said.
"What? This?" Sven gestured to the bodies below.
"No. Everything."
"But this is war," Sven said.
"I know. But look at what we did for those guys. Nothing else would have freed them. And was this all of the Society?"
"I don't know," Sven said, putting his chin on his knee. "My father didn't care too much about them, so there might be more."
"That's great."
"And I won't rest until we end the entire Society," Sven said, that guilt and agony filling his eyes. "We can't let them own everything. They want to own everyone."
"Sven, don't kill yourself doing this," I said.
"I'll do what I have to."
"You're not trying to exorcise a demon or something. Stop. It was a misunderstanding. Anyone could have made one or hurt someone else by mistake. It happens." What was I saying that for? I'd done worse than Sven. Sven had just charged me. I had actually killed, and now, more than once. We'd both acted after getting backed into a corner.
"Are you ready?" Mrs. Macher asked from behind us.
She had shifted back, gone to the Boers' truck, and grabbed a new change of clothes. She now wore a puffy sweater and jeans that didn't sit quite right, but at least she was dressed. Her husband stood behind her.
I stood, grabbing Sven's hand and helping him up. Armor was protective, but it could inhibit movement. Of course, Sven tried to wave me off and get up on his own. Macho.
"Where are we going next?" I asked.
"Without Adler here, someone will have to stay behind and fill in this pit," Mrs. Macher said. "It won't be easy, but we have to make sure nobody stumbles into it. And there's body disposal. I'm amazed no one else has heard the activity and come out here. I'm hoping the Society did nothing terrible to the police and firefighters."
“Who's staying?” I asked.
“Mr. Boer has earth magic. He and his wife have volunteered for the job. His wife has no magic other than fire, but she'll help keep a lookout and make sure no one comes back here to take the treasure or fall into the pit. And someone will need to dispose of the bodies.”
I cringed as I thought of how that had to happen. At least cremation would be easy and no one would find the Slayers. I imagined them connected to powerful people everywhere.
I knew how Adler would solve the problem.
“Where's Adler? Have you seen her?” I asked.
Behind me, one dragon crushed underbrush under his or her feet. It was probably Mr. Boer. I sensed he might be the off-yellow dragon.
“We haven't seen her,” Mr. Macher said. “No trace. I'm wondering if the Slayers already buried her. Mr. Boer is looking for a grave.”
It was an awful job and explained why the off-yellow dragon was pacing. Sadness filled my chest. Adler might have had a lot of faults, but she'd still been a close family friend while I was growing up, always taking the time to ask me how I was doing. Now she was probably gone. There was no other explanation.
“We have to get back to the house. It's time to plan the final battle,” Mr. Macher said. “All of us. We have these men who might know what's in that stash and how best to get inside. They might even help us take the treasure back. If we get it all back, we can even promise them enough of the treasure to live in comfort for the rest of their lives.”
“Huh?” I asked. “I thought dragons didn't want to part with their treasure?”
“There are so few of us left we'll have more than enough treasure to sustain ourselves and recover,” Mr. Macher continued. “After what these men have gone through at the hands of the Society, it's only fair to compensate them if they help us.”
“You know,” I said, “Adler would hate this plan.”
Sven smiled. “Yes. She would. She might even try to hurt those guys so they don't talk about us.”
“But she's not here,” I said, feeling slimy as soon as the words left me.
Mr. Macher nodded. “Correct. And now you are.”
Chapter Fifteen
I was glad we weren't staying behind to watch the cremation and disposal of the bodies. I took one last peek into the hoard to see it was half-filled with water. Only the stalactites and the tops of some treasure piles poked out. It was dizzying, standing above all this and looking down. The hoard had become an underground lake and one Slayer had fallen down there to drown. Though the water was still now, waiting to evaporate, the smooth walls of the cave betrayed that this wasn't the first time the place had flooded.
We gathered up the men who had gone to town. By now, we were safe driving to downtown Olivia, where all those poor guys were wandering around in groups like they weren't sure what to do. A few of them ran as we pulled up into the otherwise now-empty area. It was almost midnight, and the men had nothing but the now-powered streetlights to keep them company. No police had come out to deal with the strange loitering. In fact, the tiny police station was dark. So was the fire department. It was as if our authorities had packed up and left at the order of the Society.
Ted got them calmed down and willing to follow us to my olive farm. The Machers called my parents and told them the deal. To my shock, they agreed, so long as none of the strange men came inside. Mrs. Macher said there was no danger and that the dragons would stop anything bad from happening if any of the guys got out of hand.
But everyone behaved. Three dozen tired, abused men in overalls followed me and Sven to my parents' farm as the Machers drove in the back. No one spoke, not even Ted. I sensed they were all waiting to see what this new world had in store for them.
Once at the farm, the guys scattered and sat in groups among the olive trees. Otherwise, the place was silent. It was me, Sven, Dirk, his parents, and Ed and Ellie. Steve went off to talk to the men. He was a manual worker like them. Maybe he could find them jobs or help them learn to function in the world. While that was happening, Dirk drove Ted to McDonald's so they could place another huge order.
One sandwich for each guy.
McDonald's would hate us.
Dirk drove his parents' van with Ted in tow. There was no way my parents could make food for all these guys, even with help.
But I was hungry, and without asking where I'd been, Mom manned the stove while Dad got out some boxed burger patties. They were coming around.
“Where's my sister?” Sven asked them.
“She's in the guest bedroom,” Mom told him. “We're letting her out for breaks when needed. We even let her shower."
“I knew you'd treat her well,” Sven said, waving to me. “Let's go see her. She might have thought about things and could help us now.”
Leading Sven to the guest bedroom, I took a breath, trying to calm my racing heartbeat. I thought of how Sofia's father would leave her to die with the dragons. How he didn't care. How she wasn't a loss. It was the same way Adler treated Steve.
Sofia lay on the bed when I opened the door. Though the guest bedroom had a window, Sofia hadn't tried to climb out of it because rope still held her ankles and wrists together. My parents were committing a crime by keeping her here.
“Hey, sis,” Sven said.
“Get me out of here,” Sofia said with a glare.
“That's my goal. We need to tell you about what happened first. And then you must promise not to hurt Felicia or any of the dragons."
“I don't know if I can
do that,” Sofia admitted.
At least she told the truth. “Sofia, did we get along that badly in class?”
“Well, no,” she admitted. “That was before I knew what you are.” She fixed those hard blue eyes on me.
“You fired on me first,” I said.
“Enough,” Sven said. “We have to tell her.” His words dropped into a grave tone.
I felt the need to do it. “Sofia, Sven told your father that the dragons had you hostage.”
She continued the stare down. “True. I didn't think humans would also do the same thing.”
“And then your father said it wasn't important to rescue you.”
She stayed silent for a moment. Then her lower lip quivered, but she got her composure and faced her brother. “That's a lie,” she said.
Sven sat on the bed beside her. “I heard him. That's what he said. Father and I are no longer talking. If it makes you feel better, he ordered his men to fire arrows at me when Felicia and I were on the roof of the Manager's House.”
“He what?” Shock. Sofia managed to sit up.
“Sven's telling you the truth,” I said. “Your father doesn't care about anyone but himself. He even left his Slayers to die while he fled from a fight earlier. If you'd passed your test, you might have been among them.”
“But you're his son,” Sofia said. “The special one. I'm just the Plan B.”
“We're all Plan B,” Sven said. “He's a bad person, Sofia. But you have me and you'll have everyone else here if you'd just say the word."
Sven and I told Sofia all the things that happened while she sat here. She listened in silence. As I spoke, I could see the wall crumbling. Her eyes filled with pain, and then rage, and then understanding.
Sven eyed me. Even though I now had a great understanding of dragon body language, I took a bit to realize what he meant. He and Sofia needed alone time to work the rest of this out.