Glass and Ice (Elemental Dragons Book 3)

by Jessica Turnbull

“It is a noble sacrifice.” He turns to face me. “It is the only way to make sure all dragons have a purpose, even the Wyrms.”

  “Think whatever you like, I still think you’re batshit insane.”

  He smiles as dust falls from the ceiling like a blanket. “I like this new you. Very confident, and unafraid to speak your mind.”

  “I can safely say that I still don’t like you.”

  As we step out into the alley, I try to yank my arm out of his grip, but he holds on tighter. The building shakes as that dragon destroys it further by pushing its way deeper in.

  “Maybe if it collapses the creature will die,” Ray says.

  “I think it’s going to take more than a building to take that thing down. It’s desperate for me.”

  Ray mutters under his breath and leads me towards the cobbled street. We start running down, passing building after building with their lights off. Either people are too afraid to come out, or they’re so oblivious that they haven’t noticed the giant dragon rampaging the streets.

  “Where are the police?” I pant as we stop a few streets down to catch our breath.

  “The Wyrms made them stay home, no matter what happens.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake. That was smart, wasn’t it?”

  “I did not expect that thing; I just thought that you would put up a bit of a fight.”

  The ground rumbles underneath us. I can tell without looking back that the dragon has realised I’m not in the station anymore. Ray takes my hand and we continue to run down the street, ducking into a subway. As we run down the stairs, I can’t help thinking this is a bad idea. Hiding underground won’t stop this thing; it might just attack us from above. The lights flicker as the ground shakes above us. We stop in a room filled with posters for trains and advertisements. In front of us is a train track, which is empty as it’s still probably just gone midnight. I collapse on a bench to rest my legs for a few seconds. Ray peers down the tracks, cursing under his breath.

  “Let me guess,” I say between breaths. “We have to walk down the tracks?”

  “Afraid so,” Ray confirms. “The creature is right above us, and it seems to be a lot faster than we are.”

  “Fantastic,” I mutter.

  He hops down on to the tracks, then holds his arms out to help me down. With a scoff I hop down by myself, avoiding the metal tracks as best I can. At least they aren’t electrified.

  “You can accept my help, you know,” Ray mutters. He grabs my hand again before I can pull it away.

  “I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.”

  “I do not doubt that at all.” He gives me a weird look, as if he’s looking right through me.

  We continue down the dark tunnel in silence. I wish one of us were light or fire so we could see where we’re going. My eyes can’t adjust to the lack of light, so we’re wandering around blindly on a track that may or may not have trains on it. The ground continues to shake above us as dust and grime pours from the ceiling, making me cough uncontrollably and my eyes water. This thing is not giving up.

  A loud horn behind us makes my blood freeze. A train is coming.

  “Oh shit,” I say. “This is exactly like the movies.”

  Ray mutters under his breath as a light shines the way we came. “Quick, it has to stop at the station. Use the light while we have it.”

  We quickly scan both sides of the tunnel, looking for signs of an exit. Up ahead I spot a doorknob glistening in the light and I pull Ray towards it as he won’t let my hand go. With a bash of a rocky hand, Ray breaks the lock and we rush inside as the tracks start to shake, signalling that the train is coming. As the train zooms past, I scan the room around us. It’s damp and filled with electrical tools with a single dull lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. But I also see a staircase.

  “This must lead up somewhere,” Ray says as we carefully move up the slippery metal stairs.

  “Anywhere is better than back there,” I agree.

  The stairs lead to a door into another station, almost identical to the last one. Ray peers up the stairs to the street, satisfied that the dragon hasn’t reached us yet. “Quickly.”

  “As if I’m going to walk with that thing around,” I retort.

  Police sirens blare out above us. The sounds of roars tell me that police dragons are trying to keep the creature at bay.

  “The Wyrms must have talked to the police again.”

  “About time,” I say.

  As we continue pressing forward, my muscles screaming at me to slow down, we’re met by red and blue lights and the sound of elements being hurled at the creature. It’s trapped behind a building, getting pelted by rocks, light beams and electricity. All the while, police dragons fly around its head, attacking its ears and cheeks. With a roar of fury, the dragon swats them away and punches a hole into the building before launching into the air and disappearing into the night sky.

  Ray and I catch our breath, wheezing from the dust we inhaled in the tunnels.

  “Sir, are you okay?” A male police officer runs up to us, placing a hand on Ray’s back.

  “Yes, we are both fine. I want that thing tracked; we do not want another surprise attack on the city.”

  “Sir, we don’t take orders from-”

  “Why not do as he says?” a nearby Wyrm hisses, annoyed.

  The officer nods sharply. “Yes, sir.” He runs off back to the group inspecting the damage.

  “Now what?” I ask, feebly tugging my arm, but he still won’t let go.

  “You are coming on the news with me,” he replies, smiling slightly. “We have a lot to announce to the people.”

  14

  Chapter Fourteen

  Marco paces back and forth as Isaac and Braith argue with each other. This is getting them nowhere. Hazel is trapped, and they’re all stood around arguing. He takes the room in once more. It’s a refurbished meeting room with a large table surrounded by expensive-looking wooden chairs. The walls are covered in pictures of the Aislados – apart from Javier, thank God. The floor is a rich red with green summer flowers on it; not the most attractive carpet he’d ever seen.

  “We can’t just stroll in there,” Isaac sighs.

  “And why not, tough guy? You have more than enough people to instigate a raid,” Braith scoffs, slamming her fists on the table in frustration.

  “I’m not risking any lives over this. We can do this peacefully.”

  “As if!” she screeches. “Once Ray knows Hazel is there, he’ll come for her. We don’t have time for negotiations!”

  “There is always a chance for peace,” Isaac reminds her.

  “This is going nowhere.” Marco pinches the bridge of his nose. “Braith and I will go get her if necessary.”

  “Good luck.” Isaac points to his hand-drawn map of the city. “You won’t get far without being spotted.”

  A knock on the door makes them all jump as Rayna pokes her head around, smiling softly. “Isaac, we have a problem.”

  Isaac immediately rises out of his seat. “Yes?”

  “The city has been attacked by some mutant dragon, according to the news. The prime minister is making an announcement.”

  Mutant dragon? Marco knows what that is. That Primordial Dragon must still be tracking Hazel. If it’s got hold of her…

  “Thanks.” Isaac turns on the old TV at the end of the room, flicking through all the channels until he lands on the news.

  A reporter is talking over pictures of the Anthropomorphic. Some pictures are of it attacking the police station; in others it is stomping down the street. But it’s clear that it’s chasing Hazel.

  “Maybe Haze has escaped; she could be stranded in the city!” Marco says excitedly.

  “We’ll send a-” Isaac is cut off as Hazel appears on the screen next to Ray.

  Marco rubs his face. “No! Fuck’s sake.”

  “I’m guessing that’s Ray?” Isaac muses, but no-one answers him as Ray begins to speak.

  “People
of Arimouth, the prime minister cannot be here, so he has asked me to step in for him,” Ray stares right into the camera. “We will track down this creature and make sure it does not destroy anything else. I have already sent out a team of your best police officers to track it. This creature will not be given the opportunity to attack again.”

  “Yeah, like that will help,” Braith scoffs as he pauses.

  “Now, onto another big announcement.” Ray pulls Hazel into frame by the arm. “We have caught one of the fugitives and are looking for the others. She will go back to Aria with me tomorrow, once I have sorted out the problem with the creature.”

  Hazel rolls her eyes next to him, and appears to mutter something, but she doesn’t have a microphone so Marco can’t hear. Even though she’s in Ray’s grasp, he’s happy to see her alive.

  “I appreciate your patience in this matter,” Ray continues, pulling Hazel closer. “We will sort everything out to the best of our ability. I will not fail you.”

  The news goes back to pictures of the Anthropomorphic. Braith’s mouth drops open and she points at the screen. “Ray is making decisions on the prime minister’s behalf?”

  Isaac rolls his eyes. “I guess so. But people won’t accept that.”

  Almost instantly, a Wyrm appears on screen. Marco quickly places his palms over his ears. Whatever this thing has to say, it can’t be good. Braith quickly shuts the TV off before it can say anything to sway them.

  “What was that?” Isaac asks.

  “A Wyrm, and it just got everybody watching to be on Ray’s side,” Marco sighs, lowering his hands.

  “They can do that?”

  “Yep. They can also block you from using your elements.”

  “Yeah,” Braith agrees. “Our dragons mostly handle ’em when we come across ’em.”

  “Right.” Isaac places the remote by the TV. “I’m guessing this Ray isn’t going to let Hazel go?”

  Braith shakes her head sadly. “Not a chance. We can’t let them go back to camp.”

  “So, we’ve gotta stop them before they get back,” Marco muses. “We can attack them while they’re moving back.”

  “But if Ray is surrounded by Wyrms we won’t be able to do much,” Braith sighs. “Unless…” She pauses for a second. “How many dragons do you have here?”

  “Fifteen, maybe a few more,” Isaac replies. “Why?”

  “The Wyrms can block us, but they can’t take out fifteen dragons at once.” She snickers, rubbing her hands together evilly.

  “That could work, actually,” Isaac shrugs. “Sounds like these Wyrms can’t attack from the air, so maybe the dragons will have more of a chance.”

  “Plus, they can pluck Hazel right out of the fray.”

  A grin grows on Marco’s face. “Braith, that’s a great plan!”

  Puffing her chest out in pride, she replies: “Thank you.”

  “Come on,” Isaac lays the corners of his map on the table. “We’ve got some planning to do.”

  15

  Chapter Fifteen

  “What do you mean? The Cindaraan logo; it’s an orange flame!” Ray fumes at the artist designing the new banners for the city. The poor guy has no idea what Ray is talking about.

  “I’m sorry. Do you have a picture, maybe?”

  Ray looks ready to explode. I remove the Cindaraan necklace from his neck with a sharp tug so the lock breaks. “Here, this is what he means.”

  “Oh, thank you.” The artist rolls the pendant in his hand, vague recognition dawning on his face. “Oh, I remember this. I used to be part of this in Giame.”

  “Can you do it, then?” Ray asks impatiently.

  The artist nods. “Yes, I can. Do you want me to use a lighter orange for the background?”

  “Yes,” Ray demands.

  “Please,” I add on the end, though Ray pays no notice.

  “I’ll get started right away; I should have the demo version ready by tomorrow morning.”

  Ray ignores him with a flick of his hand, so I mutter a quick ‘thank you’ before following him. It’s not as if I have much choice with the handcuffs attached to our wrists. Ray seems to think that I’ll escape if I have the chance.

  He’s not wrong.

  “Kindness goes further than cruelty, you know,” I mutter.

  “What an idiot. How could he not know about the Cindaraans?”

  “As Melody said,” I sigh as I think back to the nice woman, “Cindaraans and Krystalans don’t exist beyond the camps. It’s just something to keep kids occupied.”

  Ray scoffs, his black veins pulsing with anger. “But the Cindaraan regime is the best regime for this country. The dragons need to work just as hard, if not harder, as the human population.”

  I roll my eyes. “You always say that. Why not help the people out in some way instead? Earn their respect, don’t just demand it.”

  The blond boy pauses in his pacing. “That is not a bad idea, actually. I knew it was a good scheme to keep you here for the night.”

  “I’m flattered that you’re using me as more than a punching bag for once.”

  “How many times do I have to apologise for that?” he groans. “I am truly sorry. I thought violence would make you work harder, not drive you away.”

  “I bet you’re still being violent to everyone else back at camp.”

  He scoffs again, running a hand through his thinning blond hair. “There is a stark difference between violence and intimidation.”

  “I thought you use a mix of both,” I reply sourly.

  Before the argument can escalate further, Winter steps into the partially destroyed police station, clutching a notebook in her mouth. The blue and white dragon passes it to her partner, who pats her on the head in gratitude. He flips it open to a large wall of text covered with fancy stamps. The stamps seem to spell out some sort of insult, along with a few lines of gibberish. Some sort of intimidation tactic, I guess.

  “That doesn’t look good,” I comment, staring at the pages full of bolded text.

  “Looks like someone didn’t receive the Wyrms’ message,” he replies, closing it carefully in his hands.

  “That broadcast? Not everyone watches the news.”

  “I will send a Wyrm around there to make sure they are on my side.”

  “Or you can debate with them like other politicians do.”

  Ray yanks the handcuffs to take me in the direction of the rubble that used to be the reception area but is now just concrete and dust.

  “I do not think debating will fix this,” he motions towards the rubble.

  “Just do what other politicians do: deny responsibility. Blame someone else if you have to.”

  “You are not very helpful, are you?”

  “I’m surprised you’re still listening to me.”

  “Raymond.”

  A familiar voice makes us whirl round. We come face to face with Thula. It stares at me greedily, a sinister smile on its face.

  “Ah, you made it. I have a job for you,” Ray says nonchalantly.

  “Yes?” The Wyrm doesn’t tear its gaze from me.

  “I need you to pay some people a visit and convince them that siding with me is in their best interest.”

  A black tongue darts of its mouth. “Consider it done. The transport is prepared for the dragon.”

  “It better not be on your back,” I snarl, not wanting Aqueous to go anywhere near this thing.

  “It’s a human vehicle,” Thula hisses. “Though I would be happy to take care of him myself.”

  “No,” Ray and I say in unison.

  Thula dips its head. “Let me know when you want me to convince these people of your importance.”

  The giant Wyrm weaves through the rubble, its smaller counterparts following it as it disappears into a hole in the concrete.

  * * *

  The sun isn’t even in the sky when Ray decides it’s time to leave. I sit next to Aqueous in the truck, having been locked in by Ray. At least there’s a cage so
we can see out and we’re not trapped in a stuffy trailer for hours until we reach Aria. My companion yawns next to me, his mouth spreading wide and showing off his sharp teeth.

  “Tired? We’ll get to sleep more when we get back to camp.”

  Aqueous rolls his eyes, resting his head on his front feet and curling his tail around me. Neither of us wants to go back, but we don’t have much choice. I don’t think my companion has quite forgiven me for that, but he will in the future, once he realises that I did it in his best interest.

  “Come on, we need to go.” Ray slams the car door behind him as the Wyrms crawl over all the vehicles, two climbing on top of the cage to sneer at us from above.

  The engines whir to life as we make our way down the murky streets, buildings still shadowed in darkness. Not many people are out, but the ones who are stand in the road, throwing rocks at the cage and hurling insults.

  Good to see that even out of camp, abuse against commoners is still rampant.

  I duck as a bottle smashes against the cage, shattering on impact. Glass shards rain down on us, but Aqueous covers me with a wing. He shakes the shards off, growling at the people on the street.

  “They aren’t worth it,” I sigh, patting his neck.

  Thinking otherwise, he hisses at someone holding a rock, which knocks them off their feet in fright. I give him a disapproving glare, but he just smirks in reply.

  One of the Wyrms smacks its tail against the bars. “Do not attack.”

  “You’re blocking our elements,” I remind them, but the Wyrm just huffs in reply.

  Hills and trees roll into my view once the grey buildings of the city move out of the way. I find myself staring up at the sky, wrinkling my nose at the sight of all the grey clouds ready to burst. Luckily, Aqueous and I don’t have to worry about getting wet. A shape zooms across the ground in the distance, making me sit up slightly. That didn’t look like a bird. Another zooms past in quick succession, and I squint to try to make out what it is.

  “What’s that?” I mutter to my companion, pointing at another shape.

  His nostrils flare before his ears prick up. He barks excitedly, clawing the sides of the cage.