The Wyverns are all gathered around the entrance, screaming in fury when Aqueous steps out with me. They snap their jaws in my face to try to intimidate me, but I keep walking. Damayanti and Bluey exchange a quizzical glance before following me into the wheat. The three dragons growl among each other; I assume that Aqueous is telling them what happened in the cave. That Wyvern is an asshole: we helped them escape, and we get treated like shit in return.
“We’re leaving,” I say, as Marco and Braith open their mouths to ask questions.
“Why?” Braith’s face contorts into confusion.
“We’re not wanted.” I throw my arms up in frustration. “We’re the enemy to them. They don’t want us around.”
“Why are we their enemy?”
“We’re egg stealers to them.”
“What does that mean?”
Marco grabs my arm and stops me throwing my backpack over my shoulder. He gives me a calm look and brushes my hair out of my face. “Tell us what happened.”
All my anger and frustration pour out as I tell them what that Wyvern said, and why it wanted us to leave. Their mouths nearly hit the floor in shock as I explain about the egg stealing.
“But…wait, that doesn’t make any sense.” Marco paces back and forth. “We didn’t steal Wyvern eggs; we’re all connected to Western Dragons. So why do they care?”
Braith sighs, slapping her forehead. “I bet you any money that the answer is back at the lab.”
“You want us to go back there? After what happened?”
“The lab has answers. We need to explore it.”
“I don’t want to go back there,” I agree with my boyfriend. “It’s crawling with Wyrms.”
“There must be some way of finding out answers to all this,” Braith explodes, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me. “We can’t ignore this! It’s all connected, and we’re in the middle of it. It could give us a clue as to what we need to do!”
“Calm down-”
“No!” She stomps around the two of us, her arms up in the air. “We need answers! We’re digging up more questions than answers, and I’m sick of it!”
“Braith,” Marco sighs. “Would you be able to crack Olwen’s login details?”
This makes her stop. “Y-yeah…”
“If we find you a computer, could you do it?”
“It doesn’t have to be at the lab.” She rubs her eyes, trying to disguise the fact that she’s crying. “As long as I have internet access, I could do it.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and she smiles slightly back at me, her eyes red and puffy. “The cottage is a no-go.”
“So, we have to go back to the city,” Braith chuckles. “Shit.”
I don’t want to go back to the city, but it’s a better choice than the lab. At least the city isn’t infested with Wyrms.
“How would we access a computer in the city? It’s not as if we can just wander around,” Marco asks, rubbing the back of his neck.
“The Aislados would probably know,” I suggest, thinking back to the group of child escapees, who had a terrible hierarchy that forced kids to work their way up to the ‘elite’.
“Do we have to go back there? They were assholes.”
“Maybe Isaac has turned the place around,” I muse. “He seemed like the most compassionate one. He gave me the keys to the warehouse, after all.”
Braith sighs. “Okay, I guess we should start travelling now. I don’t think the Wyverns will let us stay the night.”
I glance up at the sky, which is slowly turning pink and orange.
“We can camp in the forest,” Marco says, handing me my backpack with a small smile. “Drea and I can keep a fire going.”
I guess it’s settled.
I hope that Isaac has turned that place around. I don’t want to wander into another shithole.
5
Chapter Five
Drea breathes another spiral of orange fire onto the wood, rekindling the one that was starting to die out. She then places her head on her feet, watching her companion carefully as he opens another can to cook on the fire.
Beans and tinned pineapple aren’t the best food in the world, but it’s all we’ve got. We may be able to scavenge some more from the city. We’ve all lost a lot of weight. Braith’s collarbones are more prominent than before, and my jeans sag with each step I take. Marco has patches of hair growing randomly on his face. We need some sort of home, somewhere to call our own. We can’t spend the rest of our lives camping in forests and scavenging from houses. At least when we turn nineteen, we might have a chance.
Aqueous trots over to me with a rabbit hanging from his jaws, its brown pelt covered in blood. He cocks his head to one side before settling down beside me to eat his meal. At least here he can practise his hunting skills; living in camp softened his natural instincts too much. We struggle in the wild, but the dragons excel in their natural habitat.
The thought makes me frown.
Perhaps I was too hasty in speaking on his behalf to the Wyverns. I didn’t give him the choice to disagree with me. But if I had given him the chance, would he have stayed?
“Aqueous?” I whisper softly so the others won’t hear.
The black dragon’s ears prick up, licking his lips with his long grey tongue.
“Are you happy with me?”
My companion chirps and nuzzles my side with his cheek, his rough scales catching on my clothes. I suppose that means yes.
I blink. When I open my eyes, I’m no longer by the campfire. Icy winds buffet my face as I struggle to stand to my feet. Braith jumps up next to me, her face marred with confusion.
“Draca,” I groan, wrapping my arms across my chest in a feeble attempt to keep warm.
This time on the trek up, Draca is already waiting for us. The Primordial Dragon pokes his head out of his cave, his orange eyes blazing with fury. His anger makes me consider turning back, but he’s in charge of letting us wake up back in our own world.
“Draca? What’s wrong?” Braith asks timidly. Even she fears him after he attacked us last time. He’s supposed to be helping us, not scaring us into submission.
Like Ray.
“I’m so disappointed in you,” Draca snarls, smoke pouring out of his nostrils.
“Why? We went to the laboratory, like you said,” I retort, trying not to let my fear show to the orange beast.
He turns his eyes on me, lowering his head to my level. “You freed them.”
“The Wyverns?”
Rolling his eyes and sighing, he blinks slowly before answering. “Yes. They’re dangerous. They’re like the Wyrms: vermin.”
“They seem to be fine,” Braith shrugs. “They just don’t like us, that’s all.”
“They ate your kind,” Draca argues.
“To survive.” I recall the last conversation I had with the Reptilian Dragon.
“There were other ways. They chose to eat children.” Draca rises to his feet, rubbing his tail against the bejewelled mountain wall. “Just like the Wyrms, they are evil. You can’t trust them.”
“How are we supposed to trust you?” I counter, standing on my tiptoes to look more intimidating. “You attacked us the last time we saw you.”
The amber dragon shows no remorse. “My anger was warranted. Now we have more problems with the Wyverns being free.”
“But you lied! You said you sent the visions of our older selves, but it was the Wyverns. They’ve been begging us to save them for over a year and you took the credit.”
His amber scales bristle, but he says nothing. Instead, Braith creeps towards him to place her hand on one of his large toes.
“I know you’re stressed. We all are.” She treats the beast so nicely; it baffles me. “We did what we thought was right, but you should have told us about the Wyverns sooner. We would have trusted you.”
Draca’s nostrils flare. “That was a lapse in my judgement, yes. But you should trust me anyway.”
“Not after l
ast time I don’t.” I cross my arms, but Braith shoots me a warning glare to be quiet.
“We should, but trust is earned, not demanded. You didn’t trust the scientists who looked after you because they didn’t earn it. So why should you get to demand trust from us?”
The amber dragon chuckles. “You’re always the voice of reason, Frost. I’m sorry that my actions hurt you. I will try to control my temper. And Marine-” he faces me, his eyes hardening. “-I will get you to trust me.”
I don’t get the chance to reply before everything goes black.
* * *
My eyes flutter open to the blurry face of Marco, who smiles down at me. “Hey. You feeling okay?”
“Yeah,” I reply groggily, rubbing my eyes. “He didn’t try to kill us this time.”
“That’s great. It’s a step forward at least.” He smiles before sighing deeply. “You’ve been out a while.”
“How long?”
“A few hours.”
A few hours? But that conversation barely lasted ten minutes!
“What?”
“I thought he had a lot to tell you or something,” he says, trying to hide his worry.
“No, we didn’t talk that long.”
“Unfortunately, a lot has happened since you’ve been asleep. I think we had a visit from some Wyrms.”
“What makes you think that?”
He nods towards the campfire. When I sit up, I see my companion slumped next to the fire, missing scales and covered in blood.
“Oh my God…”
“It’s not his own blood, before you ask.” Marco rubs my shoulder as I try to get up. “I think they just got him good, that’s all. He’s resting.”
As I crawl towards my companion, Braith pipes up. “How come I don’t get a nice wake-up?”
“You have Damayanti,” Marco retorts. “Or do you want me to wake you up from your eternal sleep with a kiss?”
“From Hazy, yes. From you? No.”
Aqueous rouses slightly from his slumber to crank one eye open, giving me a warm blink before settling back to sleep. I gently stroke his forehead, relieved to see him mostly unhurt.
“So why were we out so long?” Braith muses.
“I dunno. I thought Draca had a lot to say,” Marco shrugs.
Why did Draca keep us for hours? Is he up to something?
I don’t feel any different. I don’t think he’s done anything to me or Braith, but it’s suspicious.
“He’s upset with us; maybe that’s why,” Braith sighs, resting her chin on her hand.
“When is he ever not upset with you?” Marco glances at me worriedly. “I don’t know why he keeps dragging you deeper into this if he’s just going to get upset.”
“But he wanted us to find the lab.” I barge into their conversation before it ends in a fight. “So why tell us about it if he didn’t want us going?”
Nobody speaks; they stare at the floor in silence. I groan and grab one of the nearby blankets that we’re using as makeshift beds. I sling the thin green blanket over my companion and lean against his side, resting my head on his chest. His heartbeat vibrates in my ears, matching my own beat for beat.
This is all so shit.
6
Chapter Six
Ray paces back and forth in his office, his jaw set tight. His eyes are darker than before, and the veins on his fragile body seem to be growing thicker. Rocky keeps one eye on him, while being aware of the Wyrms slithering behind him. He wonders what the crazy boy wants this time.
The room is furnished with a single wooden chair, which Ray sits on, and the walls are an almost dazzling shade of white. Rocky supposed that the dragons built this interrogation room when they were made to build the headquarters. The thought of Cerberus working long, hard hours still makes him angry.
“I am getting tired of this.” Ray halts in front of Rocky, his arms crossed.
“I don’t know why I’m here.” Rocky mimics his body language, making him sigh in irritation.
“You must know where they are.”
“If I did, I wouldn’t tell you. How would I know anyway? Magic?”
The blond boy glares at him. “Draca can communicate with you. So, I am also guessing that it can link you all together.”
“I haven’t heard from Draca in months,” Rocky says.
It isn’t a lie: the giant dragon stopped communicating with everyone in camp once Hazel and the others left.
Draca must think they’re more important.
Ray turns around, clutching the sides of his head. “I cannot hear them anymore!”
Rocky raises an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
Ray ignores him to face the Wyrms. “What have you done? Why can I not hear her?”
Rocky sinks low into his chair, keeping his mouth shut. At least Ray’s anger is directed elsewhere for once.
“Why hear them when you can hear us?” a Wyrm chuckles in reply.
Ray makes an unhuman growling noise and launches a rock over Rocky’s head. “You said you could amplify them.”
“Continue as promised, and they will sing to you again.”
Sing?
Rocky turns to face Ray head on as the blond boy crouches down in front of him, licking his lips.
“What do they mean?” Rocky dares to ask.
“The fairies. Their songs have stopped.”
“Fuck,” Rocky mumbles. Ray really has lost it.
Ray suddenly jumps to his feet, pointing towards the door. “Come. I have something to show you.”
Reluctantly, Rocky follows the crazed Cindaraan leader as he leads him down the hallway, glancing behind him every so often to check that Rocky is still following. Eventually they come to a pine door, which Ray flings open.
Rocky’s mouth hits the floor at the sight before him. The walls are covered in childish drawings of blue and pink dragons. They have plumed necks and fairy-like wings. Ray points to a pink one on the wall.
“Fae. This is Fae,” he mutters, stroking the wall. “I used to hear her.”
“Ray, are you okay?”
Ray ignores him, staring at the drawing wistfully. “All dragons must have a purpose.”
“Why?”
“Because otherwise they are expendable. No more shall be expendable.” Ray punches the wall and leaves a small dent in it, though he doesn’t seem to care as the veins pulse to heal his wound. “No more. Not on my watch.”
“Fae – is she expendable?”
The blond boy snaps towards him and Rocky knows he has made a mistake. Luckily, he moves out of the way fast enough as Ray hurls a chunk of rock at him.
“Get out!” Ray booms, the veins on his forehead pulsing with anger.
Rocky quickly leaves, slamming the door shut behind him. He cringes as crashing and banging erupts from the other side of the door. As he turns to leave, a Wyrm sticks its face in his, staring at him accusingly.
“What did you do?” it demands.
“I asked about Fae,” Rocky replies.
The Wyrm hisses and shakes its head. “I have had enough of this nonsense!”
“He’s your leader; you made him this crazy,” Rocky accuses.
The Wyrm flicks its tongue at him. “Ray is foolish. He thought he could handle the power, but it has corrupted him. The venom should have matched his element.”
“You’ve lost me.”
“You’ve heard enough already. Why not go back to your room?”
Although Rocky starts wandering down the hallway against his will, his mouth is still his own. He calls out ‘Yes, mum!’ before disappearing out of view.
Upon entering his room, he’s rushed on by Cerberus, who excitedly licks his face and barks her welcome. Hazel’s cat, Normie, greets him with a soft meow before drifting back to sleep on the bed. Rocky collapses on the bed, arms splayed across the sheets, much to Normie’s annoyance. The cream cat hops onto the floor and curls up into Cerberus’ faux fur bed instead; it’s the most luxurious piece of furniture R
ay allowed them to have.
The room is barely big enough to fit in his bed and a dragon bed, so all his clothes and belongings are under the frames. The walls are plain beige, with a single yellow lampshade dangling from the top.
Just as he is about to drift off into a fitful sleep, knocking on his door brings him back to reality. With groggy eyes, he opens the door, and is surprised to see the heavily pregnant Ciara standing there.
“Hey, can I speak to you?” she asks, rubbing her swollen belly.
“Uh, sure.” He awkwardly steps out into the hallway.
His ex-girlfriend smiles and looks down at her belly. “I know this isn’t the best time for you-”
“Yeah, kinda.” Rocky can’t help but feel awkward around the girl he’s still in love with. She’s a cheater, yes, but he can’t help it. Her warm smile always melted his heart.
“I wanted to know what you thought of the name Delilah.”
“I like it. Why?”
“You’re her father.” She rubs her belly once more. “You should get a choice in the name.”
“Delilah Hazel Adams,” he muses, smiling slightly. “I like it.”
The mention of the baby’s middle name makes Ciara frown for a second, but she quickly masks it with a fake smile.
“Yeah, exactly.”
“How are you anyway?”
“I’m good.” She looks up at him with her big brown eyes. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too,” he says reluctantly, his heart in his throat. He knows this is a bad idea.
She lights up. “I want to be with you.”
“I can’t trust you. I’m sorry.”
“I’ve learned my lesson, I promise.”
“I’m sorry.”
It takes all the strength Rocky has to turn away and close the door behind him. She bangs on it for a few seconds, but soon leaves. His eyes fill with tears as he thinks about everything he’s lost.
Ciara and Hazel.
But he will gain a child, little Delilah.
She has to be worth it.
It has to be worth losing Ciara and letting Hazel leave.
Has to be.
Glass and Ice (Elemental Dragons Book 3) Page 4