Bramble Burn

by Autumn Dawn

  “She says no dragons,” Kjetil said, but stopped when she swore and looked skyward. They were already here.

  They were at the bridge. Juniper looked from the pulse of magic in the trees to the sky, her gut cold with fear. She whipped out her cell and scrolled through her contacts, stabbing the right name. “Breaker! No dragons! Call them back, get them out of Justin’s airspace! He’ll…oh, God,” she moaned as a circling dragon faltered. She made a sound of distress as he floundered and lurched forward, as if she could catch him. “No!”

  The dragon plummeted, fell into the trees. There was no impact, only a burst of green light. It grew, illuminating a rapidly growing oak topped with a roaring dragon head. Other heads sprouted on top of the tree, squawking and bellowing as massive branches resembling arms waved menacingly. Justin made a Jabberwocky. Powered by the blood and bone of living things, the forbidden tree walked and the ground shook. Smaller trees snapped, crushed by the massive weight. This close, she could see monster boars, flying apes and many smaller animals trapped in the wood. They were dead, but the tree was fully fueled. Unless something stopped it, it would live for the life of the oak.

  She swore, venting her sorrow and rage. “Get them away!” she snarled into the phone and stashed it in her pocket. “He’ll murder you! Stay back,” she screamed at the sky, praying the dragons would listen. She sprinted for the other side of the park. As soon as her feet hit the ground she drew on the power, getting a feel for the scope of the threat. There was plenty of it. Power pulsed like the heart of Bramble Burn, a hot, condensed pulse like a tiny star.

  “I’m outgunned,” she told the werewolf at her side. “I’ll try to bind the Jabberwocky with the other trees. He’s armored, fireproof and warded. Snarling the roots is our best bet…who are you?”

  Kjetil stepped in front of her as a man in a concert t-shirt and jeans skidded to a stop beside them, slightly out of breath. He waved a hand at the tree. “The cavalry. You said roots? I’ll go low, you go high. I’ve got rock.”

  Rock? Rock what? Whatever. She didn’t have time to waste. She focused on the trees, choosing three of the closest. Justin had enough power to subvert them, but not enough concentration, not with dragons hovering just out of range (thank God!) and a raging Jabberwocky to control. One didn’t drive a tank and remote control cars at the same time, and it was the same with the trees. She grabbed the trees and made them clutch the monster, fretting at the creak of wood. At first the Jabberwocky smashed through them, forcing her to work ahead of him, abandoning broken oaks. He was strong, but not fast.

  “Is he in there?” Kjetil demanded, touching her shoulder. “Can we get him another way, or do we have to pry him out of the tree?”

  He broke her concentration, but it was important. He needed to know how to strike at Justin, and she was part of a team. “He’s in there. I have to rip it open and get him out before I can control the Jabberwocky.” There would be no sneaking up and taking him unawares.

  The break made her realize she was panting. Any minute the bracelet would buzz, and she’d be done.

  Meanwhile, the rock moved. Slowly at first, it rumbled under the Jabberwocky’s root-feet, tripping and gripping. It barely slowed the monster, only making it madder. The Jabberwocky charged, hurling broken trees in their direction. They fell short, but it was getting closer. Kjetil sprouted fur and grabbed a fallen log, batting away smaller projectiles, ready to pull her out of the line of fire if anything got too close.

  The Jabberwocky took one more step and sank as a pit opened under it. A third of its length disappeared under the ground. The heads snarled as the branch arms strained, roots snaking out as the tree tried to climb out of the crumbling ground.

  Juniper threw her power at the surrounding trees and grabbed the Jabberwocky’s arms. She strained, and branches broke off with a great crack. The smell of sap filled the air as the oak screamed. A hollow appeared through a rip in the trunk. Justin’s monster was coming apart at the seams.

  Her bracelet vibrated. Kjetil grabbed her arm, suddenly human. How he even knew it went off with all the chaos, she didn’t know, but he wouldn’t let her shake him. “Stop! You’re done, sweetheart. Look.” He nodded at the F&R personnel who swarmed the park, cars screeching to a stop. “They’ve got this.”

  She swayed and he pulled her close. She needed a minute.

  A minute turned into ten as she watched F&R launch tear gas and a flash grenade into the cracked tree. Werewolves swarmed the weakly thrashing oak, using axes to widen the crack and slip inside. They dragged her brother out, cuffing him as they pulled him away from the trees, his eyes streaming from the gas as he coughed.

  Juniper’s lip curled in disgust as she turned away. “I’m ready to go home.”

  “Let me see what I can do. The police are going to want a statement, but I know you’re tapped. Let’s tag an EMT.” Ignoring her groan, he took her to a medic, who examined her and, over her protests, made her lie on a stretcher.

  Kjetil hushed her and found a cop to take their statements, promising to answer any other questions in the morning, after Juniper had rested. With the medic vouching for Juniper’s need to recover, they got out of there fairly quickly.

  “Where did the rock guy go?” Juniper asked, slumped in the seat as Kjetil drove. She was so tired her thoughts were beginning to loop.

  “I don’t know. He ducked out when the cops showed up. You did good, Jun. I’m proud of you.”

  She shook her head. “Why did he do it? I mean, he’s a jerk, but Justin isn’t this stupid. He had to know he’d get caught.”

  “I don’t know, but that’s a problem for tomorrow. Tonight you need to rest.”

  She sighed. “I’m beginning to feel like a Victorian maiden, always needing rescue. Maybe I should buy a fainting couch.”

  He snorted. “Any woman who can take on a several story, dragon-powered Jabberwocky shouldn’t worry about her reputation. In fact, there are those who find it reassuring that you need a nap after raising giant trees and fighting monsters.” He glanced at her and smiled at her sleepy, batting lashes. “Rest, honey. I’ve got you.”

  Kjetil called her parents and broke the news, and he was there in the morning when the cops arrived to take her statement.

  “I’m sorry to inform you that your brother suffered an overdose,” the lady cop said sympathetically. “He’s alive, but his mind is damaged. The doctors are doing what they can, but they say he was given Xerc, a berserker drug.”

  “I’ve heard of it,” Kjetil said grimly. “The ice giants make it.” He brushed a thumb over Juniper’s hand, which he was holding. “It makes men fight like demons, but sometimes drives them crazy, too.”

  “It’s made it difficult to get a statement,” the male cop said grimly. “If someone deliberately gave him an overdose, we can’t prove it.

  “Do you recognize this stone? It was found on your brother last night.” The male cop handed her a picture of a large emerald. The size of a grapefruit, the stone was slightly scratched and glowed with deep green light.

  Her eyes widened. “No, but it explains a lot. No wonder he was able to raise a Jabberwocky! Whoever gave this to him…” She looked at the cop with concern. “You have this locked up, right? This isn’t something to leave in an evidence locker. In the wrong hands, it might as well be a bomb.”

  “Our experts determined that, thank you. It’s been properly secured.”

  She slumped with relief. “Thank God.” She looked at Kjetil unhappily. “Whoever gave that thing to him knew exactly what they were doing. If you hadn’t taken me to the park, if I hadn’t known to call Breaker…” She closed her eyes, imagining the carnage. Justin might have destroyed all of downtown.

  “Do you mean Verbreaker, the Skylord’s son?” the lady cop asked. She exchanged looks with her partner. “Dragons have gems.”

  “He’s investigating the matter, so you should definitely talk to him,” Kjetil suggested. “He’s already questioned Juniper about the case
.”

  They asked a few more questions, but Juniper didn’t have anything useful to add. It was bad enough that she would be a witness at her brother’s trial, and she wished she had a smoking gun to offer.

  Days dragged by, and there didn’t seem to be anything happening with the case.

  That’s when Indris announced it was time for Gilly’s dragon debut.

  “This family needs a distraction,” he said firmly when he called that morning. “Gilly needs your support when I introduce her to your grandmother, and it’s an excellent time for you to visit. You can see her academy and learn more about dragon culture.”

  Juniper thought about arguing, but she’d wanted to learn more about Indris’s world for some time, and it was a family thing. She had to go. “What about Kjetil?”

  “He’ll make a useful chaperone. Between the two of you, my job will be easier. Your mother is going, of course.” He didn’t say it, but they knew she wouldn’t be useful as a chaperone, not the way a tree mage and a dragon-slaying werewolf would. She was human, and dragons would automatically dismiss her as a threat. She would need protection, too.

  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning,” Indris told her. “Meanwhile, I’ve ordered clothes suitable for the visit. Please have them fitted.” He rattled off the address.

  “You ordered clothes for me?” she asked, irritated. “That’s a bit pushy, Dad.”

  “Your mother peeked in your closet when we were there. Have you added anything new?”

  She sighed. Busted.

  “I’m aware that working attire has to be functional, and you know this is a very important occasion. Please humor me.”

  “Okay. What can I expect?”

  “I’m glad you asked. We’ll visit Gilly’s school first and then meet your grandmother. After that there’ll be a family dinner, where you can expect to meet many of our closest friends. Later, we will attend a formal dinner. There will be dancing.”

  That wasn’t too bad. She liked to dance.

  Indris hesitated. “Drakes can be rather…forward. Unless you’re mated to a dragon, many of them will count the days until your husband expires. Some of them will be willing to help him expire. If you want him, you’ll have to be firm in your refusals. Don’t be afraid to step on toes.”

  “Are you sure this is safe for Gilly?”

  He sighed. “No one will try to force either of you, but that’s not what I’m worried about. Ask for my help if you need it.”

  “You look like you smelled something rotten,” Kjetil said as he entered the tree, wiping away the mud from the drenching rain. Wind lashed the tree, making it pop and groan. It was a good day to run indoor errands.

  “My father wants to introduce Gilly and me to dragon society. Apparently the drakes are horny devils; I’ve been given permission to swat noses. You should stay very, very close.”

  Kjetil’s eyes sparked. “When do we leave?”

  The mountains were beautiful from dragon back. Tall and blue, capped with snow, they were an easy commute for a dragon and very difficult to assault. Gilly’s academy was built into the side of a mountain overlooking a beautiful valley. The building was built of gray stone with blue slate roofs and reminded her of a fortress. Indris landed on the wide shelf to let his passengers alight.

  “Beautiful, but cold,” Margaret fretted. “Gilly’s missing summer.”

  “Dragons don’t feel the cold,” Juniper reminded her. “She’s probably thrilled to have pretty mountains to explore.”

  “Are there ice giants here?” Margaret wondered as they approached the gate.

  Indris smiled indulgently. “The scholars are well defended, dear. Dragons protect our young.”

  The courtyard was smooth, paved stone. Very fireproof and very bare. Juniper frowned at the lack of greenery. Would it kill them to plant grass?

  They had lovely murals in the courtyard and carved reliefs on the walls, and there was a wall fountain gushing sparkling spring water. If several gangly adolescent dragons gathered here, they wouldn’t break anything.

  “Hey! Hi,” Gilly called, running across the courtyard. She gave her mom and Indris a big hug, beaming. “Hi, sis! How do you like the school? Isn’t it great?”

  A long legged woman with an indulgent smile walked sedately in Gilly’s wake. She had silver-blond hair and a young face, her body graceful and strong. Her leathers were silver and blue, and she was armed with a long hunting knife that could pass for a short sword. “My Lord Indris,” she said, her sharp, pale blue eyes evaluating their party in a glance. Her gaze lingered on Kjetil, taking his measure. “Welcome.”

  Indris smiled. “Margaret, this is Thallia Silverclaw, our daughter’s mentor and bodyguard while she’s at this school.”

  “Madam.” Thallia inclined her head respectfully.

  “Thallia, this is my daughter, Lady Juniper, and her mate, Lieutenant Kjetil Bjorn, son of the Northwest Pack leader.”

  “Ah! The tree mage. I’ve heard a great deal about you, my lady.” Thallia smiled warmly…and only at her. The others might as well not exist.

  Juniper was very good at reading people. In a moment she summed up Thallia’s attitude. Juniper was the adopted daughter of a dragon lord and powerful, a potential mother to a dragon. Thallia was prepared to like her.

  Margaret was human and easily dismissed. As Gilly’s mother and Indris’s wife, she would be treated politely, but Thallia would never respect her.

  Kjetil was a known dragon slayer and a potential threat, but she would work with him as needed. In the way of dragons, Thallia viewed him as a temporary mate for a half-elf who could live a very long time…and one day mate a dragon and have dragon offspring. It was a closed loop with no room for “inferior” human sentiment.

  Juniper took a close look at the body language between Thallia and her sister. Gilly adored her, and Thallia had hints of maternal protectiveness. Was that instinctive to dragons, or unique to Thallia? Either way, she concluded that Indris had chosen well. Juniper and Thallia would never be close, but she thought Thallia would do her job.

  Juniper inclined her head politely. She didn’t have to like Thallia’s attitude to have a cordial relationship. She might be with Gilly for some time, and they needed to work together.

  Gilly clearly felt the niceties were over. She grabbed Juniper’s arm and towed her to the doors leading to the inner hall. “Come and see my room, Jun! The ceilings are dragon tall, and you can see the mountains. The flying is amazing.”

  Juniper shook her sister’s hand off her arm with a laugh. “No need to tow me; I’ll come willingly.”

  Gilly snorted and captured her hand so Juniper wouldn’t fall behind, walking at a rapid clip, pointing and waving to show off her favorite features. It was clear she was happy.

  The corridors were big enough for young dragons and there was plenty of light in the stone halls. Gilly gestured to one of the wide stone doors that led to a book-filled room. “That’s the library, and over here…”

  Juniper planted her feet. “Wait a minute. I want to see this.”

  Gilly heaved a sigh. “It looks like a library, Jun. Knowing you, you’ll want to browse, and I don’t want to be here all day.”

  “I promise not to cross the threshold.” Juniper could no more pass a room full of books than iron could avoid magnets. She peeked inside, admiring the rows of leather bound books, with a considering look at the banks of computers.

  “It’s for students, sis. It’s not like you can borrow any books,” Gilly pointed out.

  “That’s a shame,” Juniper said wistfully. “Imagine all that history.” Her grandfather had been generous with his volumes of elvish history, but she liked reading from other viewpoints, too. “I’d love to read about some of the old conflicts from a dragon perspective.”

  “That can be arranged,” Indris said. He looked surprised and pleased that she had an interest. “I can loan you some of my books. In fact, you could take a distance learning course.”

 
; Gilly made a face, which earned her a frown. “Education is always a good thing, daughter.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Juniper promised, sincerely tempted. She walked down the hall to get things rolling again. “So what else is wonderful about your new school?”

  Gilly grinned. “Aerial combat training! Martial arts. It’s summer, so there aren’t a lot of academics yet, but I have to study with a tutor anyway to catch up on history and social studies, and they have an awesome auto body shop.”

  Juniper blinked, imagining dragons flying cars up here where there were no roads, but it was Indris who asked with surprise, “You like cars?”

  “Yeah. Who knew, right? I like making them look pretty, anyway. Ryain is right; cars are art.”

  Indris’s eyes narrowed. “Who’s Ryain?”

  “He’s an older boy. I’m keeping an eye on it,” Thallia murmured.

  Indris grunted, only mildly mollified.

  Margaret chatted with Gilly as they toured the cafeteria, the gym and the grounds, her enthusiasm clearly easing her mother’s concerns. By the time she fetched her things it was time for lunch, so they shared a surprisingly good meal in the cafeteria (which assured Margaret that her daughter wouldn’t starve) before flying to the dragon city.

  Juniper rode Gilly, Kjetil’s body warm at her back. Goggles blocked the wind and leather and fur kept her warm as the city came into view. Dragon Haven was built in the saddle between two mountains, beautiful stone houses lining both peaks. Glacier water spilled from a hydroelectric dam, thundering down the sheer mountain to spill into a wide lake sporting stone docks and fishing boats. Flocks of mountain goats and Dall sheep dotted the mountain, tended by dragon shepherds. There were some fenced gardens, but not as many as she would have expected, given the size of the city. They probably imported a lot of their food.

  They landed on the roomy deck of one of the higher houses and dismounted. Indris became human, and he looked pleased. “Welcome to my city home. I’ll show you to your rooms so we can deposit your luggage, and then I’ll give you a tour.” He nodded as a servant arrived to help carry luggage and led the way through a wide stone door into a spacious, airy palace of a home. Ceilings soared, windows sparkled, and unpretentious but elegant furniture dominated rooms heated with gas fireplaces. It might have been built of stone, but the house felt like an upscale lodge.