by Dyan Chick
"So the others, they hid it?" I asked.
"We wondered if they hid it at first," McKenzie said. "But after speaking with the families, we found out that they didn't seem to know."
"How did you find out that was the connection?" Marco asked.
"Because right before they went missing, each mage started to manifest powers they shouldn't have been able to use," McKenzie said.
I felt suddenly sick to my stomach. "Are there any other missing mages? Anyone without dragon blood?"
Jasmine shook her head. "That's why we're here. You're in danger and we need your help."
3
My stomach twisted as I considered her words. The fact that I was in danger was less of the issue. The idea of helping the Mage Order was the part that was making me scream internally. After everything I'd done to gain my independence, to avoid joining the guild, to stay out of their jurisdiction, I was getting sucked back in.
Trying to seem as polite as possible, I faced the two women. "I don't know what I can do to help, and while I appreciate your concern, I think I'm pretty safe here."
"You can't stay here forever," Jasmine said.
"Sure she can," Marco said. "It's her house."
"Oh," Jasmine's eyes widened, "I didn't realize you and Jimmy were that close."
Ignoring her comment, I stood. "I think our five minutes are up. Thank you for letting me know."
"What about your duty to your fellow mage?" McKenzie asked.
Turning back to her, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Where was that duty when my mom was killed? If you and the other authorities of Realm's Gate are doing their job, why would you need me?"
I felt like an asshole for saying those words, for pretending it wasn't bothering me that others with dragon blood were missing. For all I knew, they could be my cousins.
"Look, we're not sure what's going on yet. You were the only one we have found record of in all of Realm's Gate with dragon blood, but it's clear that there were others. We aren't sure if whoever is taking those with dragon blood is finished. There could be more they are hunting down. Whatever is happening, we need to keep you safe," McKenzie said.
"I'm not going anywhere with you, if that's what you're asking," I said.
"We're not asking you to, at least not now." McKenzie looked over at Jasmine. The two women seemed to exchange a nonverbal conversation.
"Just say it," I said.
"We want you to help us find any other dragon bloods that might be out there, we need to get them hidden, protected, safe," McKenzie said.
"How would I do that?" I asked.
"We think you'd be able to detect the magic of the others," Jasmine said.
"I never knew I was part dragon. How would I know strangers were part dragon?" I asked.
"Your magic wasn't activated until the dragon came to town. We think it could be different now."
Skeptical of their true intentions, I watched them for a moment, wondering if I could read anything on their expressions. Both women were adept at keeping their faces emotionless. They probably wouldn't have risen through the ranks of the Mage Order if they couldn't hide their feelings so well. "I don't know if I want to help you on a witch hunt. What if the others want to stay hidden?"
"It's not a witch hunt, we want to protect them and without the knowledge of who they are, we don't know who the next target could be," McKenzie said.
"Then you're not very good at your job. Shouldn't you have caught this kidnapper by now?" I asked.
"We can do it faster with your help," McKenzie said. "Either way, we're going to find the perpetrator."
"So tell me, how did Tavas know that I would be able to activate the dormant dragon?" Hands on my hips, I waited for their response.
"We told you, your mother checked the box," Jasmine said.
"Which means someone broke into your records," Marco added.
I touched my finger to my nose. "Precisely, Marco. Why would I help you identify and label the hidden dragon bloods? It was your poor security that caused all of this in the first place."
McKenzie took a step toward me, fists clenched, clearly angry at my dig against her. "Hey, that was the hospital records, nothing to do with the Mage Order. Our archives have never been cracked."
"Not yet," I said. "But I watched a Fae wearing my face crack Vicious Jimmy's vault. I watched cops wipe video files that would prove my innocence. I watched hunters break into a civilian home in the human world, again wiping all computers, just to catch me and frame me for a murder I didn't commit. Why the hell would I trust you?"
"Knock-knock," a voice sounded from the front door.
I looked up to see Dima and Alec standing in the entry way, Scott standing next to them. Scott inclined his head toward Dima. "Alec vouched for this one, want me to send them away?"
"No." I glanced back at Jasmine and McKenzie. "These two were just leaving."
Jasmine handed me a business card. "If you reconsider your position, we would welcome your help."
I took the card. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass."
"Do me a favor, then," McKenzie said, holding out her own business card. "Stay here and don't do anything stupid. The last thing we need is to have to protect you."
I took her card and smiled at her in the most condescending way possible. "Good thing I can protect myself."
"Ladies, if you will." Scott took the hint that I was done talking to the mages, and swept his arm toward the front door.
Jasmine glanced back over her shoulder before she left. Scott closed the door behind them, then resumed his position in front of it as the guard.
"You okay, Morgan?" Marco asked.
"I'm fine, thanks," I said.
"Mr. Guiseppe, your two O'Clock is here," a shrill voice sounded from the foyer.
I looked over to see Kat, Jimmy's secretary. She was about ten years older than me and the only other regular employee who wasn't a vampire. With bubblegum pink hair and bright pink skin, she was a cheerful addition to the pale vampires we usually saw in this house. As a sprite, she'd live much longer than a human, or even a mage, but like me, she had no interest in eternal life.
"Thanks, Kat. I'll meet him in the office." Marco turned to me. "You sure you're okay, kid?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, go work. Pay my bills." I laughed.
He patted my cheek and left the room. The house had two entrances and business associates knew to use the back door, located near the office Jimmy had kept. Marco took over within hours of Jimmy's death in what had been a seamless transition of power. I was glad that the criminal organization I'd chosen to give my life to was civil about those sorts of things. Nothing like the Mage Order.
Kat lingered. "Sweetie, you need me to make you a sandwich or something?"
"Thanks, but I'm fine," I said.
"I could go for a refreshment, if you're offering," Alec said.
She gave him a look that could have stopped a car, then spun on her heels and walked away.
"Why are you messing with her?" I asked. "I like Kat."
"I like her, too," Alec said. "Sorry, sometimes I react before I think."
"Yeah, me too," I said. "Hey, what are you two doing here? I told you I was fine."
"You sure looked fine, being threatened by the Mage Order," Dima said. "What the hell was she doing here anyway?" Dima paused. "Did she tell you about Lyla?"
"What happened to Lyla?" I asked.
"She didn't show up for roller derby practice so I stopped by her house last night. Her dad answered the door."
My eyes widened. Lyla was not close to her parents. They lived in Winter's Haven and rarely left. The last time I recalled them coming to Realm's Gate was to see Lyla graduate from art school. If he was here, something big happened. "Her dad was here?"
"Turns out, Lyla wasn't answering his calls so he came to check on her. The cops told him they think she was kidnapped," Dima said.
"No, no, no," I said. "That doesn't make any sense, they said it was only those wit
h dragon blood."
"You knew, didn't you?" Dima asked.
"The Mage Order said someone is kidnapping mages of dragon ancestry. Lyla is a mage and she must have some dragon blood. That's it, right?" I asked.
Dima shook her head. "Her dad said they tested him, found some dragon blood in him."
"He wasn't supposed to tell us any of this," Alec said. "But he won't shut up about it. Says the cops are out to cover it all up. He's telling anyone who will listen."
"Shit." I turned around and pressed my palms into my temples. If the whole town knew, they'd start looking for dragon bloods. Maybe that was a good thing? Maybe people who knew and were hiding it would keep their kids safe and hidden.
Turning back around, I let out a breath. "The Mage leader told me someone is kidnapping people with dragon blood. They asked me to stay put, out of trouble and out of sight."
"But we're not going to do that, are we?" Alec asked.
"No way," I said.
"I figured you'd say that." He smiled and walked back to the front door where he'd dropped a backpack.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Snacks. We're going on a road trip, right?" Alec smiled. "There's someone we can ask for help."
4
So far, I'd enjoyed several blissful days of peace, but I'd been in a high security home, surrounded by vampires. I wasn't willing to live the rest of my life that way.
The drive was uneventful, boring even. Thankfully, after several days of being stuck inside even the act of riding in a car down the freeway was liberating. On the drive, Alec and I caught Dima up on the first time we went to James's house.
"So, he drugged you?" She glanced at me with a skeptical look on her face.
"Yeah, but I suppose I get why he's paranoid about visitors," I said.
"You know, you could be a bit less obvious about your crush on the guy. Especially since he's friends with the Fae that tried to set you up for murder," she said.
"I do not have a crush on him!" I said, a bit too defensively.
She laughed. "Right."
"Do you have a crush on James?" Alec asked from the back seat.
"I already said I don't."
"Cause, I didn't think of it before, but Dima brings up a good point. Wasn't he the one who connected you with Tavas in the first place?" Alec asked.
"Yes, but I don't think he knew what Tavas was up to," I said, surprised at my own temper rising. For some reason, I felt the need to defend James. We might have started off on the wrong foot, but I felt like he was one of the good guys. "Besides, he shifted to save my life. You heard him when we met, he was never planning to shift. Not for anyone."
"I hear the crush now," Alec said.
Rubbing my temples in frustration, I looked up at the roof. "I do not have a crush on the guy. I hardly know him."
"I've never met the lead singer of the Chemical Zombies, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to marry him," Dima said.
I lifted an eyebrow. "Really? The dude with the mohawk?"
"Hey, you're the one who is in love with a dragon shifter who probably helped set you up for murder," Dima said. "No judgement, okay?"
Giving up, I turned back to Alec. "Do you honestly think he was in on it?"
He shrugged. "No idea. But Tavas sort of showed up right where you were, right?"
"That's true," Dima said. "And he volunteered to help pretty quickly."
"He was trying to trick us all," I said. "That's what Faeries do. Look, if James hadn't shifted, if he'd just run off on us or something, I'd believe you, but he didn't. He became the one thing he didn't want to be to keep me from being burned alive."
"Despite the fact that you seem to be immune to dragon fire," Alec added.
I opened my mouth, then closed it. There was no rebutting that comment. "Good point. I hadn't thought about that."
Both Dima and Alec stopped talking, and I sat there in silence. It was as if they realized they'd gotten to me. The last few days, I had never doubted that James was trying to help me. Him, Dima, and Alec were about the only people I had left that I trusted. Now, I wasn't so sure. There wasn't any reason for me to trust James. I didn't know him and there was no explaining the reason why Tavas has shown up in exactly the place we were at exactly the time we were there.
"Exit 291?" Dima asked.
I looked out the window. We were almost to the gas station where Chester worked. "Yes."
The turn signal clicked but it sounded so far away. What if Chester couldn't help us? What if he wouldn't help us? What if there weren't any dragon bloods out there? What if I was alone? There were too many questions spinning in my head at the moment to focus. Then, a thought hit me, and I tensed. "Do you two really think James was working with Tavas?"
"I shouldn't have said that," Alec said. "I'm sure he's a nice dragon."
"This isn't about my feelings," I said. "This is about Chester."
"Who is Chester?" Dima asked.
"The Oracle. His name is Chester," I said. "The point is, he's also friends with James. If you honestly think we need to worry about him, we shouldn't be going to see Chester."
"I think it's too late for that," Dima said.
She'd just pulled the car into a parking space in front on the convenience store and staring out front of the door with black spiky hair in tight black pants, smoking a cigarette, was Chester, the Oracle.
He tossed the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it, then walked over to the passenger window.
A lump rose in my throat as I rolled it down. "Hi, Chester."
He ducked down a bit so we were eye to eye. "You're late."
"What do you mean, late?" I asked.
He stood and took a step back. "You were supposed to be here yesterday, but I suppose you don't care if you throw off my visions. Why would you care? You dragons always seem to think you get to control fate on your own."
Hands on his hips, he stood waiting. "You coming?"
It took every ounce of my willpower to not roll my eyes at him. Chester seemed to be a lot of work to be around. I wondered if all oracles were this high maintenance. Opening the door, I stepped out. "I'm coming."
Alec and Dima joined me walking through the front door of the small gas station convenience store. As we passed by the desk, Chester waved to his aging co-worker or assistant or whatever she was. Her glasses rested on the edge of her nose as she snoozed, chin resting on her chest as she balanced on the stool at the register.
"You must not get a lot of business here," Dima said.
"It comes and goes," Chester said.
I paused in front of the door that I knew would take us to the odd cleanroom. Chester stopped walking, and turned to look at me. "Oracles are neutral, just so you know."
"I didn't say anything," I said.
"Well, you were all thinking it, and I don't blame you. But just so you know, we're not allowed to take sides. I take a side, I lose my magic. Not worth it." He walked into the broom closet that acted as the passage to his private space.
Feeling a bit better, I followed him in. Just like the first time I'd come in here, my clothes were replaced by a white jumpsuit so I matched the white floors, walls, ceiling, and furniture. The whole room still had the same eerie, bright clean quality to it that it had last time.
"What the?" Alec said from behind me.
I knew how he felt. "Don't worry," I said. "Our old clothes will return when we leave."
"I hope so," Dima said. "We look like we belong in a mental institution."
"Have a seat," Chester said. "Morgan, you going to introduce me to your friends?"
"Don't you just know who we are?" Alec asked.
Chester glanced at me. "I can see why you hang out with him, he's just like you."
"Alec, Dima, this is Chester. He's an Oracle, but not a mind reader," I said.
"That's nice," Alec said. "No tea, right?"
"No, I don't play by the rules your dragon friend does," Chester said.
"I th
ought he was your friend," I said.
"He is my friend. But as I already said, I can't take sides. That's why you never get a straight answer from an Oracle. Why we can't tell you exactly what to do or exactly what the outcome will be. Oracles have to give all fates a chance."
"All fates?" Dima asked.
"There's never just one version of the future," Chester said. "Right now, I see four options."
"For what, exactly?" I asked.
"Your life," Chester said. "Or your death."
Goosebumps rose on my skin and I shivered. "I didn't come here to ask about that."
"What do you mean her death?" Alec asked.
"I'm just saying, the quest you've chosen to follow will have consequences. All actions have a result. The choices you make, and the choices others make, will determine the outcome."
"Right, that's helpful," Alec said.
"Don't worry about it, Alec. He won't give a straight answer to the future no matter what he gives us," I said.
"That hurts. After everything I told you last time, I thought you'd be a bigger fan," Chester said.
"You didn't give me anything that would help, just a reflection on how things played out," I said.
"Didn't I?" he said.
"You just said that help would come from the place I'd least expect," I said.
"And how did you solve your problem?" he asked.
"Me," Dima said.
Chester smiled.
"There was no way I could have known that going in," I said.
"But you could have been more weary of that Fae you were trusting because you trusted James," Dima said.
"That's true," Alec said.
"Alright, I get it. Morgan fucked up," I said. "Can we stop focusing on the past and figure out what we came here for?"
"What did you come here for today?" Chester asked.
"We're trying to find the missing mages. The ones with dragon blood. Do you know where we could find them?" I asked.
"You've already met the surviving Dragon-Bloods," Chester said.
"When?" I asked. "Are they hiding in Realm's Gate?" It shouldn't come as a surprise to discover that the secret organization was hiding in plain sight in the magical community I called home.