Before I can answer, her a high-pitched screech fills the room, and my hands fly over my ears to block out the noise. Braith and Marco try to shout over it, but they can’t be heard. My ears feel as if they’re about to bleed. When the noise finally becomes unbearable it turns off. A light ringing fills my ears to replace the sudden silence. My companion is bristling in the corner, his lips pulled back in a snarl. His usually happy gaze has been replaced by a mixture of anger and fear, and his eyes are locked on me.
“What’s wrong?” I can barely hear myself over the ringing in my ears. “It’s just me.”
The black dragon sinks to the floor submissively, but doesn’t drop his harsh gaze. I want to approach him, but then I realise.
He’s looking behind me.
Slowly I swivel around on the balls of my feet, only to come face to face with the very thing we’ve been running from.
“Sleep now, children,” the grey creature hisses, flicking its tongue hungrily. “We are here for you now.”
I’m pulled away from the Wyrm by Braith, who looks frantically around the room as more Wyrms appear. The last thing I hear is her cry out before everything goes black.
28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
With a scream I shoot bolt upright, my chest heaving from the dream. My surroundings are unfamiliar; I have woken up in a grey room that smells strongly of antibacterial wash. My eyes fail to adjust to the lack of light, which means it’s definitely not the cabin.
I guess it wasn’t a dream after all. Wanting to explore my surroundings further, I swing my legs over the bed only to bring a tangled mess of tubes with me. They are connected to my back, a glowing blue liquid flowing through the tubing. Stifling a gasp, I go to yank one of them out when a hand grabs my arm.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The room fills with a blinding light that forces me to squeeze my eyes shut until I can adjust. Upon opening them, I see that the room is filled with surgical equipment and vials with different coloured glowing liquids in them. The person in front of me steps into my view; a large grey-haired man with thick glasses and leathery skin. Though he seems excited, the bags under his eyes betray his exhaustion.
“Who are you?” My voice is dry and croaky, as if I haven’t had a drink for days.
“My name is Dr Thomas Gard. I’ve been looking after you the past few days.”
I suddenly realise that he was the scientist who was showing the Wyrms off on TV before Draca broke out. But how did he survive? Everyone at the lab was reported dead.
“Days?”
“Yes, you’ve been asleep for four days.”
“Where are my friends?”
He chuckles slightly. “Safe, I can assure you. They were not as injured as you so they were only asleep for a day or so.”
“I wasn’t injured.”
“Your back.” He points to the mass of tubes. “I have healed this for you.”
Gingerly, he takes a step forward, but I shuffle back along the bed. “Healed me how?”
He leans against one of the tables. “With the Wyrm venom. It can heal.”
“Wyrm venom?”
I remember the Wyrm leering over me before I was knocked out. How could I forget that the Wyrms were here?
“The Wyrms can heal each other using their venom,” the doctor continues. “And with the right care, it can heal humans too.”
“So why heal me?”
“Because you have the markings. Unfortunately, it takes a few days to work completely, but I think it’s a small price to pay.”
“Take them out.”
“Excuse me?”
“The tubes. I want them out.”
With a scowl, he answers: “Fine.”
He yanks the tubes out of me, making me flinch.
“Doctor, the others are restless.”
The voice of the Wyrm makes me jump as it slithers into the room, eyeing me thoughtfully. I back away at the sight of the creature, but Dr Gard smiles.
“Thank you. I will bring her to them soon.”
The Wyrm dips its head respectfully and slithers out the room, though not before shooting me a sly glance. My heart races at the thought of its plan. There were obviously many of them, and Dr Gard seems to get along with them. What if he’s being controlled? He’s the scientist from TV, but he’s still alive. They must need him for something.
“This way.” Dr Gard motions towards the door.
Outside the room is a corridor with other similar-looking doors. The only light source is a dim bulb hanging from the ceiling, creating an eerie sense that anything could jump out at any moment.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask fearfully.
“To your friends. You wanted to see them,” he scoffs, leading me down the hallway.
We stop at a red door, which the doctor opens with a key and allows me to step inside.
“Hazy!” Braith rushes into me, pulling me towards her. “We were hoping you’d wake up soon.”
“Where are we?”
The door slamming behind us makes me jump, but Braith is unfazed. Marco comes up behind her, kissing my cheek softly.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he whispers.
“Oh, don’t be a baby!” Braith pushes him away. “We both knew she’d wake up.”
“Just because some stranger told us she would?” Marco hits back.
“Guys, seriously, what’s going on here? I saw a Wyrm and the doctor guy seems okay with them.”
Marco sighs and squeezes my hand softly. “He says that he can control them, as he created them. They’re his pets.”
“He created the Wyrms? But Draca told me the Wyrms tricked the scientists.”
Braith nods solemnly. “I think that’s what’s happening here too,” she admits.
“Where’s Aqueous?”
“He takes the dragons out once a day.” Marco’s tone gets more venomous. “He won’t tell us why, though. They come back fine, but I have the feeling he’s done something to them.”
“But Hazy, the good thing about this place is that we are literally right next to the lab. We just need to find a way out and we can get there.”
“What ways out are there?”
The two of them look between each other glumly. “Not a lot, it seems. You need a key to get from room to room, and only Dr Gard has it,” Braith sighs.
“Of course.”
“So we have to get it off him somehow.”
“And how are we gonna do that when he’s got Wyrms everywhere?” Marco snorts, leaning against a wall and crossing his arms. “He only lets us out for food.”
“Which reminds me,” Braith pinches me in the arm playfully. “The food here is shit, Hazy. Don’t eat the porridge; it’s just water.”
“Anyway,” Marco glares at her for going off topic. “We still need to find a way out that can get us to the lab and away from the Wyrms.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
My boyfriend sighs and stares at the floor. “I don’t know.”
“I guess we have to scope this place out for now,” Braith says. “It’s not like we have any other choice.”
The door swinging open makes everyone jump, but I beam as my companion walks through, his eyes downcast and sullen.
“Aqueous!”
The black dragon’s eyes light up upon noticing me, and he shoves his forehead against mine for a nuzzle. He wraps one of his feet around my back, pulling me in for a tight hug.
“I see that you are connected to the black one,” Dr Gard’s voice booms from the doorway.
“Yes,” I answer nervously, clinging to Aqueous tighter.
“You’re lucky. I’ve never seen a black common one before.” With that, he slams the door.
“Yes! The gang is back together!” Braith announces excitedly.
“So now we just wait for him to let us all out for food,” I murmur, still embracing my companion.
“Yeah. We should be able to find some s
ort of clue from there. Hopefully with you around it will make it easier because Marco and I aren’t the best at staying on track.”
* * *
A few hours later the door swings open again and a Wyrm pokes its head into the room, grinning darkly.
“Come, children. It’s time for dinner.”
“I hate when they call us children,” Braith mutters.
The Wyrms leads us down the hallway to the largest set of doors. It headbutts them open to reveal a large dining area filled with empty tables and chairs. Wyrms glare at us from all around the room, eyeing us as if we’re hunks of meat.
“Why don’t you sit down?”
We sink into the nearest chairs and face the table as the Wyrm slithers away.
“Fuck! I hate it when they do that,” Marco hisses.
Dr Gard comes in with a Wyrm on either side. He carries a large wooden tray with four small bowls of an unappetising brown liquid.
“Why don’t you eat?”
Now that the Wyrm has suggested it, all of us find ourselves grabbing a spoon off the tray and slurping up the disgusting food. The thick liquid slides down my throat slowly, making me want to gag. It’s a soup of some kind, but tastes more like dishwater. Dr Gard does the same, which makes me think that maybe he is under Wyrm control. Maybe he doesn’t realise it.
The dragons are each thrown a small chunk of meat, which they dig into greedily. Bluey is looking skinnier now, so whatever they’re getting they need more. Once we’ve all finished, Dr Gard takes the bowls wordlessly and leaves, the Wyrms following him.
“Phew. I thought they would stick around forever,” Braith breathes. “I don’t like the way the Wyrms look at me.”
“Did you see how Dr Gard ate when told?” I ask excitedly.
“Yeah, we thought that too. But there’s been times when he’s been able to ignore their requests, so I don’t think he’s being controlled.”
“At least we have a few minutes to ourselves,” Marco remarks, nodding towards a group of Wyrms who are fighting over a deer leg.
My companion rests his head on mine, his hot breath soothing me as it hits my forehead. Although he looks relaxed, I can tell that he’s tensing up in case the Wyrms try anything.
“So what do we do?” Braith asks.
“I dunno. I’m not learning anything,” Marco snaps, tapping the table with a finger.
“Well, we need to think of something quick,” Braith remarks, tearing her gaze away from the fighting Wyrms. “We can’t stay here for much longer.”
“I think we all know that, Braith.”
“Shut up. Do you have any ideas, asshole?”
“Guys, stop!” I jump into their argument as they glare at each other. “Turning against each other won’t help.”
Braith snorts and crosses her arms. A Wyrm slithers up to the table. “Why not go back to your room?”
As soon as the words leave the Wyrm’s mouth all three of us stand up and head to the door, Dr Gard quickly overtaking us to lead the way. His empty stare puts me off looking at him for too long, but I notice that he stares at our dragons with an emotion that could be delight.
Dread washes over me at what he’s doing to our companions. They have no way to communicate what is happening.
The door to our room slams shut behind us. Our companions don’t follow us in.
“Where does he take them?” I mutter.
“I dunno, but I don’t like it. With the Wyrms around, who knows what he’s doing.” Braith slumps to the floor and rests her head against the wall. “But we need to get out of here, and fast.”
29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Days pass with the same routine every day. Dr Gard takes our companions and won’t tell us why, and we’re only allowed out for meals. The days are long and boring. Being trapped in a small room with each other is taking its toll. We all argue several times a day, and some days go by without us having a single conversation. It pleases Dr Gard to see our little group in turmoil, but I hate it. We need to get out.
Aqueous sighs next to me, his usually bright blue eyes dull and tired. Whatever Dr Gard is doing to the dragons, it’s wearing them out. Each time the black dragon moves I can see that it’s a struggle and all he does now is sleep between meals. I’m worried that Dr Gard could kill him, and I’d only know when our bond gets broken.
I stroke his cheek softly. One eye flutters open to look at me briefly before quickly closing. His breathing is shallow and slow, as if every breath takes an effort.
“Hold on, Aqueous; we’ll get out of here, I swear.”
My companion grunts before going quiet once more, falling into a deep sleep. He can’t take much more of this. He’ll die.
Marco and Braith sit in opposite corners of the room, staring blankly at the walls and floor, but their expressions betray the worry they feel for their companions. My boyfriend meets my gaze briefly, but looks away once footsteps start echoing from behind the door.
Everyone jumps as the door opens and Dr Gard steps in. “I need your dragons again.”
Drea is the first up, heaving herself to her feet to lead the way. Bluey is the last up, his legs wobbling underneath him. He looks as if he could collapse at any minute.
“What are you doing to them?” I rise to my feet, glaring at the old man.
“That’s none of your business,” he replies coolly.
“It is when you’re hurting my companion,” I snap back. “You’ll kill them.”
The man just shrugs. “So what if I do? You’ll survive.”
“I don’t want to live without him. I don’t want our bond to break.”
“The bond between humans and dragons is the worst thing that we invented at this facility,” he spits, going to close the door behind him until I jam my foot in the way. “Can’t you see I’m trying to help you?”
“You’re not helping us, you’re hurting our companions!”
The doctor cringes at the word “companion”, and looks me dead in the eye. “You want to see what’s going on? Fine, come.”
Before he can change his mind I slip out of the room. Marco and Braith head towards the door as well, but Dr Gard slams it in their faces.
“What are you doing? They deserve to know too.”
“Then they should confront me themselves instead of hiding behind you.”
I follow the doctor down the long corridor, watching as the dragons march slowly towards their destination. Drea flings the doors open next to the dining room, casting me a wistful glance before heading in. The room is a huge laboratory, filled with test tubes and microscopes and other scientific equipment placed neatly around the room. The walls and floors are plain white, with light bouncing off them that makes the room even brighter. The dragons all seem used to the routine by now, and make their way towards a large cylinder in the middle of the room. The cylinder has tubes of various colours sticking out of it and screens on each side. Dr Gard approaches the machine and turns it on, before taking a tube and sticking it into the back of each dragon’s neck.
“What are you doing?” I mumble, the confidence that I had earlier slipping away.
“You’ll see. Do you know what this is, Hazel?” He holds up a faded yellow dragon horn, watching my reaction carefully.
“What are you doing with that?” I ask, disgusted.
“Dragon horns and Fairy Dragon wings are part of the mixture.”
“Fairy Dragons are extinct.”
“There are still some hives here and there. We have one in this facility for our experiments.”
“That’s horrible!”
“All the ingredients are necessary. I am trying to make the world a better place.”
My eyes flick over to Aqueous, and the two stumps on top of his head. “Did you hire the horn farmers?”
“The Wyrms and I did. We needed horns, and Aria graciously let us have them. For a price.”
“So you’re telling me that camp was in on it?” I cross my arms.
&
nbsp; “No, only the protectors. Why do you think they were there one day and gone the next? The authorities found out and arrested them all. The fools didn’t think to hide their paper trail.”
“This is sick.”
“No, it’s necessary. You’ll understand one day.”
Aqueous looks at me pleadingly, as if he wants me to go. With my heart pounding I approach him before Dr Gard can stop me and hug the black dragon, his fear choking me like a thick fog.
“They’re scared.” Tears form in my eyes at the sight of the four downtrodden dragons. They used to have so much energy, and now they’ve been reduced to husks.
“That’s normal,” Dr Gard taps away on the screen. “Come away from there, we’re starting.”
“Starting with what?”
He places the dragon horn and a thin blue butterfly-like wing into a slot and presses a large button on the side of the machine, making it come to life. Instantly each dragon roars with pain and falls to their knees, gritting their teeth.
“You are so gullible, you know,” Dr Gard chuckles, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Wyrm venom? Please.”
“What’s happening to them?” I ask quietly, tears falling down my cheeks at the sight of Aqueous writhing in pain.
“Wyrm venom was just a ploy to gauge how smart the three of you were,” he chuckles, returning to the machine. “Turns out not very. ‘Wyrm venom’ is actually dragon blood, the part that holds the element. The horn combines the mixture and the Fairy Dragon wing shapes it into liquid.”
He presses another button and the dragons roar once more. Blue liquid flows out of the tube from Aqueous’ neck, being sucked towards the machine. A mixture of red and purple comes out of Drea’s tube, electric blue from Damayanti and yellow from Bluey.
The liquid that healed me was dragon blood.
The dragons writhe in pain as the liquid is pulled from their bodies, their eyes bulging. Bluey’s mouth opens in a silent scream, saliva pouring onto the floor.
“Stop!”
“Stop? Why would I ever stop?” Dr Gard says. “This can heal everyone in the world; my greatest invention.”
Venom and Earth Page 23