Venom and Earth

by Turnbull, Jessica

  The room is made of concrete, and is empty apart from a stack of scales in the corner, all a different colour and shape to the last. Fortune sniffs the pile, pulling out a dull black scale. It looks as if it fell off days ago. The white and gold dragon growls to Aqueous and kicks it to him. Catching the spinning scale with a claw, Aqueous sniffs it. There’s a strong tang of blood but also a familiar sweet, cool smell, like frost on dewy grass.

  Damayanti.

  3

  Chapter Three

  I feel happier today for some reason. I can’t explain it; I just do. Playing with Normie has helped. Usually he’s lazing around in the sun outside or hiding underneath the bed as the kids chatter in the cabin, but today he’s hung out with me outside the stables and even played with a twig. I didn’t really appreciate his ‘gift’ of a dead mouse, but it shows he cares about me.

  Aqueous has been acting strangely all morning, though. He and Asteroid have just been staying in their beds and chattering quietly to each other. I hope he’s alright.

  “Hey, hun, whatcha doing?” Rocky makes me jump by sneaking up on me and tapping me on the shoulder.

  “Jeez, you scared me! I was playing with Normie.” I skim the twig across the grass, watching Normie’s little brown paws swipe at it as it flies by his nose.

  My brother smiles and settles down beside me, patting the ground next to him for Cerberus to join him. Instead, his companion speed-walks over to Aqueous and Asteroid, who have been quietly chattering to each other behind the tree ever since we got back from school.

  “Excited about your first lesson with Violet today?”

  Throwing the twig across the soft grass, I reply: “I have no idea how to teach her. She’s got all eight; she can’t master every single Element.”

  He shrugs. “So? Let her master one or two; let her choose, even. You’ll do great teaching her, no matter what.”

  “Thanks,” I reply, though I don’t quite believe him.

  We sit in silence for a few minutes, watching Normie happily fling the twig in the air and roll across the dirt trying to ‘kill’ his new toy. Then all of the dragons suddenly shoot to their feet, looking fearfully up at the sky.

  I glance up at the clear blue sky expecting Draca to come crashing into the town, only to see a patrol of dragons. There are five in total, flying in an arrow formation with their silver armour glittering in the sunlight, roaring at the top of their lungs. My attention is again diverted to my partner, who is cowering with Asteroid and Cerberus as the patrol flies overhead.

  “What’s that about?” My brother puts a hand over his eyes in an attempt to block out the sun to see better.

  “I dunno, but it’s freaking Aqueous out.”

  Just as quickly as they came, the patrol leaves, the dragons still screeching as they fly over the town, circling the walls.

  “That’s weird. They don’t usually fly over us like that,” my brother points out, sitting up to watch them fly away.

  “Maybe someone tried to break out.”

  He shrugs. “Makes sense. More and more people are becoming unhappy with the strict regimes around here.”

  “It’s hardly strict.”

  “So wearing that brooch doesn’t make you feel sick?”

  Looking down at the silver brooch on my shirt, I feel bile rise in my throat and I murmur: “Yes.”

  “Then there you go. Someone was bound to try sooner or later.”

  “Maybe…”

  Normie headbutts my knee and flicks one half of the twig in front of me, a proud gleam in his bright blue eyes. I coo and fuss over him for a bit, letting him enjoy the attention before he gets bored and climbs on my lap for a nap.

  * * *

  The field is full of photographers. I only got here five minutes ago, and already a large group of reporters has gathered, readying their microphones and camera equipment. It’s bizarre. No-one has been told what’s going on. Someone must have leaked something to the press, otherwise they wouldn’t bother reporting on a class of children. Violet tugs on my shirt, directing my attention back to Mr Stirling.

  “Hazel, you will be encouraging Violet to exercise wind as one of her main Elements, then she can choose the second one. We don’t know how many she can use safely, and we don’t want her to exhaust herself. We’ll keep it to two for now, and see if that can be increased later, okay?”

  I nod silently. He turns back to Violet, who ducks her head in embarrassment; she doesn’t like the attention being on her again. “Which one do you want to use as your second Element?”

  She shuffles awkwardly for a few seconds before whispering: “Earth, please.”

  Mr Stirling raises an eyebrow but does not question her. “Of course. Have fun – don’t let the cameras put you off.”

  Are they here for Violet?

  Before I can question him, he’s already jogged over to another pair, probably to give them the same lecture.

  “I dunno why I picked Earth; it’s the first one that came to mind…” Violet mutters, clutching Utopia close to her chest.

  “It’s no problem. Do you want to try conjuring a ball of wind?”

  Perking up, she nods vigorously and lets Utopia flutter out of her arms. “How do I do it?”

  “Cup your hands together, like this.” I cup my hands and form a ball of clear water in my palms, before letting it evaporate into the air. “Then think of a ball of wind, and concentrate.”

  The girl stares into her hands for a few seconds, but nothing appears. “I don’t think I’m-” Before she can finish, a white light blinds me and I fall backwards, hearing a loud yelp as I land on something scaly.

  “Fuck!” My eyes are still adjusting after the flash. It takes a full minute for my sight to return to normal. Turning around, I scramble to my feet, realising that I landed on my companion’s tail, partly crushing it. “Sorry! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

  The black dragon rolls his eyes and shakes his head, even lashing his long tail to prove he’s fine.

  “I’m sorry, Hazel. I don’t know what happened!” Violet cries, curled up on the grass, her grey eyes wide and locked onto her hands.

  “You used the wrong Element, that’s all. Try again.” I give her a hand up, only to be hollered at by the photographers.

  “Miss Samuels! What does it feel like to have all the Elements?”

  “Miss Adams, how will you teach such a gifted girl?”

  “Miss Samuels! Please use another Element! We need more for the story!”

  Violet ducks behind me, clinging to my shirt so tightly that her knuckles start turning white.

  “Leave us alone.” I snap to the nearest one, a man clutching a small camera.

  “Mr Stirling told us we could ask whatever questions we need.” He argues. “We have his permission to film you.”

  “So he told you about Violet?”

  “Of course, why else would we all be here? The first Elemental with all eight elements! Who can say no to such a large sum of cash in exchange for a few pictures?”

  So Mr Stirling has told them everything. That explains why they’re here and he’s doing nothing to stop them. What a prick.

  “Come on, Violet.” I hold her hand comfortingly as she detaches herself from my waist. “Just try once more; ignore them.”

  Glancing between the photographers and her hands, she doesn’t meet my gaze but nods mutely.

  Backing off a few steps, I call to her: “Good, try again. Concentrate on wind.”

  The ginger-haired girl cups her hands once more and takes a deep breath before closing her eyes. After a few seconds, tiny pieces of dirt fly out of the ground and into her open palms, until a large lump of dirt has formed in them.

  “It’s not wind and you technically didn’t create it out of thin air, but that’s good enough for me. Good job.”

  Violet grins and separates her palms, causing the dirt to disintegrate in her hands. Utopia gallops around her companion’s feet chirping excitedly and pointing to her own
feet with her small tail, where a green earth marking in the shape of a vine has formed. This sends the reporters into a frenzy; they scream questions at Violet and try to get close-ups of Utopia.

  If every lesson is going to have screaming reporters present, I’m not going to be happy.

  4

  Chapter Four

  Aqueous gives the cream cat another nudge, then steps back as a sleek paw goes for his face. He chirps urgently to his friend once more, and Normie finally relents, rolling out of their shared nest and arching his back in a stretch. His mouth opens in a wide yawn, showing off his tiny white teeth. Normie climbs onto the dragon’s back, happily curling up between his shoulder blades. Asteroid chirps to Aqueous – a signal to hurry up.

  Careful not to wake anyone, he silently tiptoes around the nests before hurriedly stepping outside into the cool night air. Normie squeaks in protest and fluffs up as a chilly breeze ruffles his fur, but Aqueous reminds him that he’s only needed for tonight; then he can go back to bed.

  As the two dragons sneak through the streets, they duck behind a line of bins as a guard dragon steps out of the shadows on the other side of the street, slowly scanning the area before stepping back and blending with the darkness. Aqueous is about to stand up, but Asteroid pushes his head down with her foot. Before he can ask why, the dragon reappears in front of the bins, scanning the area again. His heart thumping in his chest, Aqueous glances at Asteroid worriedly; her orange feet stick out due to how bright they are. Tasting the air, the dragon snorts and moves on, disappearing into the dark shadows. The two dragons sprint away, grateful that the bins masked their scent.

  The two reach the bookshop, where everyone else has already gathered. Drea spots them first, and waves them over with her tail. Exquisite growls at the sight of Normie, who hisses in reply. Shushing Exquisite, Fortune squeezes through the gap in the wall, as he did the previous night.

  More confident than before, the others follow, keeping an eye on Fortune’s fire signal up ahead. Normie digs his little claws into Aqueous’ back as they squeeze through, uncomfortable with the restricted space and thick, hot air.

  Once everyone is in the room again, Exquisite lights up her tail and leads Aqueous to a hole in the wall. It’s too small for a dragon, but Normie can fit through. The cat climbs down and sniffs at the hole, before looking back up at his scaly friend. Nuzzling his head, Aqueous chirps encouragement as Normie crawls through the hole, huffing with effort. As soon as he’s gone from view, the dragons settle in the room, keeping their eyes locked on the hole.

  5

  Chapter Five

  “Normie! Normie!” Wes bangs a fork against Normie’s blue plastic bowl, expecting to see the Siamese cat jump out at any moment, acting as if he hasn’t been fed in weeks as a ploy to get more.

  “He’s probably out hunting.” I take the bowl from Wes and shift some of the cat pellets into the bowl with the fork. “He’ll eat it when he comes back.”

  My friend nods but still scans the stables worriedly. Asteroid calls from outside, anxious for her companion to hurry up.

  Wes sighs and shrugs. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

  As we step outside, a large shadow flies overhead, roaring.

  “Another patrol?” I squint to see in the bright sunlight but only make out the dark form of a large dragon.

  The dragon swoops down to the ground, landing clumsily next to Aqueous. After the dust clears, Cerberus’ brown scales catch the sun and shimmer almost blindingly. She’s wearing a leather saddle, with reins like a horse. Rocky slides off the saddle, grinning.

  “We’re flying!” he exclaims.

  “That’s great!” My brother runs into my outstretched arms, nuzzling my head.

  “Once we’re flying better, we can lose the reins and stuff. It’s really fun, though!”

  “Sounds cool!”

  I feel a twinge of jealousy at the thought of him and Cerberus soaring through the air, but I push that thought away; I’ll be doing it next year. Cerberus nudges Rocky’s shoulder, expecting attention; but her amber eyes don’t convey her excitement; they look dull and tired.

  “Are you mentoring Violet again today?” Rocky asks, patting his companion’s neck.

  “Yeah, but the news guys are really annoying.”

  “But you get to be on TV!” Wes points out excitedly.

  “I guess… but they put Violet off.”

  “Well, put her back on track,” my friends shrugs, as if it were that simple. “What Elements is she learning anyway?”

  “Mr Stirling told her she had to use wind as he’s in her class, and she chose earth as her secondary.”

  “Sounds easy; she chose two opposites. She’d be hard to beat in a battle.”

  “Well, hopefully Ray doesn’t want to use dragons to build another new building,” Rocky says quietly.

  That building was such a waste of time; they spent three months building it and no-one really uses it. I shudder at the thought of Aqueous having to work long, hard hours and not even getting paid properly. Although the money was useful, I don’t want Aqueous doing that again.

  “Do you guys want to get something to eat? Ray wants to meet up with me to discuss our findings,” Wes asks, looking between the two of us carefully.

  “No, thanks,” I say, a little too quickly, making Wes glare at me.

  “Wes, I can honestly say I’d rather eat my own faeces,” my brother snorts bluntly, mounting Cerberus and tugging on her reins. “Anyway, I’ll see you two later.” With that, Cerberus sprints forward, building up speed before soaring into the air, her large brown wings outstretched like a majestic eagle. As she flies higher she does a backflip, causing my brother to scream until they are the right way up again.

  “He can be an ass sometimes, you know,” Wes mutters.

  “I know, but he’s my brother.”

  Wes balls his hands into fists. “I don’t know why you all can’t understand that Ray is trying to help us. He does everything he can to help us figure this thing out.”

  “Only because it makes him look good!” I snap.

  He grits his teeth before huffing and turning away from me. “You don’t know him like I do.”

  “Of course I don’t, but I don’t think he’s a good role model.”

  “You don’t know anything. Fuck off, Hazel.”

  Before I can say anything, he’s run off down the street, Asteroid steadily trotting behind him, casting Aqueous a pitiful glance before focusing her attention back on Wes.

  * * *

  “Miss Adams!”

  I suppress a sarcastic retort as another reporter approaches me, thrusting a microphone in my face.

  Violet’s lesson finished twenty minutes ago. She managed to conjure a ball of fire out of thin air, which is an improvement on pulling dirt out of the ground. Even though she used the wrong Element, she did well. Now the reporters keep asking me stupid questions and following me around.

  “Do you feel pressured into teaching Miss Samuels because of her gifts?”

  I roll my eyes and continue walking, but the man tags along behind me as his cameraman tries to get a shot of my face.

  “Miss Adams, how does it feel teaching Miss Samuels knowing that she’ll go down in history?”

  Again, I ignore his question and pick up the pace, turning a sharp corner to try to deter him. Aqueous growls as the reporter goes to grab my arm, lashing his tail in annoyance. The camera then turns on him, circling him to film his shiny scales and large jet-black wings.

  “Miss Adams, how does it feel knowing you’ve got the first tamed black common dragon?”

  This guy isn’t getting the message at all.

  Spotting a small alleyway, I jog over, only to have a large grey dragon with pale blue wings and stubby horns land in front of me, blasting water at my feet.

  “Miss Adams, just answer my questions and you can go.” The reporter and cameraman come up behind me, thrusting the microphone in my face once more.

  S
cared, I look to my companion for help, but he’s squaring off with a lithe dark green dragon with orange stripes across its body.

  “So, Miss Adams, how does it feel having a black common dragon as your companion?”

  Before I get the chance to answer, a roar deafens us and a white dragon flies overhead, before swooping down and tackling the dragon that was threatening Aqueous. The two dragons roll down the street a few yards before the white one ends up on top, nipping at the green dragon’s face. The grey dragon roars in fury and leaps over to help, but my partner tackles him mid-flight, sending him into a large bin in a crumpled grey heap.

  While the news team are distracted, I slowly back away, only to be pulled through a door that must have opened while the dragons were fighting.

  As the door slams, out of fear I shoot water out of my hands as I flail in the stranger’s arms.

  “Oh for fuck’s sake. Are you gonna do that every time?”

  Marco.

  Squealing in delight, I wrap my arms around him as tightly as I can, revelling in his warmth and familiar scent.

  “Hey,” he whispers, kissing my forehead softly and brushing my hair away like he always does.

  “Hey,” I look up at him, beaming. “How did you…?”

  “Protectors have to guard the reporters too; some of them are premiers. Mine had to go off and deal with a guy that Mason and Sadie were pestering to get on TV.”

  Giggling, I press my face into his chest, feeling his heart race. “I’ve missed you.”