“Are you capable of shutting up?” Braith scowls. “You’re really getting on my fucking nerves.”
He ignores her and continues cackling to himself. “Ray will not let you within ten feet of the others, I can promise you that.”
“Can you now, when you’re back here with us as well?” Marco raises an eyebrow. “He’s not letting you in on his plans anymore.”
“Once I’ve got info on you, he will.”
My boyfriend sighs and stomps his feet. “For the last time, if you’re doing surveillance, you’re not supposed to let the people you’re spying on know that you’re spying!”
Wes flicks his wrist. “Whatever.”
“I feel like I’m in some sort of really bad spy movie.” Marco leans his head against the back of a truck. “Are you gonna whip out one of your gadgets and blow your own head off with it next?”
The truck halts suddenly, sending us hurtling out of our seats. Once we’ve picked ourselves up, muttering begins outside.
We must be here.
“Let’s have some fun here, people,” Braith sighs, cracking her knuckles. “This won’t be a nice experience.”
“There’s no point in fighting him anymore,” Wes scowls. “You’ve already lost.”
“At least we’ll have the satisfaction of bringing you down with us.”
The doors fling open. Unnatural light and screams of victory await us on the other side. We’re dragged out by guards who point their spears at our necks as if we might be stupid enough to try anything. Outside is chaos; kids surround the truck wearing Cindaraan necklaces and pumping the air as we’re marched into camp. Our dragons are dragged away in their cages, their eyes wide with fear.
“Where are you taking them?” I demand, but get shoved to the ground in return.
“Silence!” the guard hisses, his spear glowing red as he charges a fireball. “Do not question Ray’s methods.”
He really has taken over here.
Ray appears from the side of the truck, bowing his head as his followers greet him with a roar. “Thank you, my friends.” The blond boy does a loop around us. “I could not have captured them without you working so tirelessly to track them down. Now, after a year, all your efforts have paid off.”
The crowd roars once more. Some fire their elements at the sky; they dissipate before they hit the ground. We’re marched forward through the mob, who look angrier than ever at seeing us again. Some attempt to grab us, but the guards keep them back. Either the Wyrms have manipulated them or they all hate us anyway. I know many don’t like me because of my commoner status; I need to get used to being called out for that again daily.
“Where are we going?” Braith asks over the roar of the crowd.
Ray continues to talk as we walk. “Headquarters. We have done it up a bit more since you left.”
“Dragon labour?” I sigh, rattling in my chains.
Ray curls his lip. “No; human this time. It was very precise work that the dragons struggled with last time.”
“What work?”
“I’m sure you remember spying and seeing the dragons work with liquids,” he says with a smirk. “With your newfound knowledge you can work it out.”
My heart picks up in my chest. “Serum.”
“Serum, Wyrm venom, whatever you like to call it. We have many names for it here.”
“What do you need that much serum for?”
He halts, letting the guards pass us to lead. “To keep you and Violet alive for one. The rest I am hoping to use to heal the population.”
“It wasn’t meant to be used on everyone; it’s dangerous.”
“Its eventual purpose was commercial use,” Ray says with a chuckle as we look on in disgust. “The scientists had to make money somehow.”
“If it’s so great why don’t you test it, huh?” Braith counters.
Ray twists his arm back and forth, stroking the black veins underneath his pale skin. “I am. It turns out using a different serum to your natural element gives you many more perks than using your element’s serum.”
“But you look sick.” Braith scrunches her nose up. “The positives can’t be worth that much.”
Wes finally catches up to the group, hobbling over quickly on his injured leg. “Ray! Why are you telling them so much of your plan?”
Ray drops his arms and turns his back to get us all moving again. “That’s none of your business, Wes.”
“But-” Wes tries to hobble faster as Ray overtakes the guards once more, who block the two boys apart. “Ray!”
“Please, for the love of God, give it up,” Braith begs. “It’s sad to watch you chase after him like a lovesick puppy.”
“Shut up!” Wes screams at her, the hurt apparent in his broken voice.
The headquarters soon come into view as we march. The old brown paint of the building has been replaced by a smooth matte white. All the windows and doors have been replaced by glass panes so you can easily look in and see what’s going on. A Wyrm is stationed at each window, glaring at us from above. I’m hit with a blast of cold air upon entering the building, my chest tightening at the sight of all the Wyrm security that surrounds it.
We won’t be able to escape this time.
“No need to look so scared,” Ray smiles darkly. “This is your new home.”
“Are you actually going to let us see the others?” I ask, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice.
“I’m not cruel.” He furrows his eyebrows. “You can have short, chaperoned visits.”
I glare at him as nastily as I can as we’re led down the tight hallways. There’s only enough room for us to walk one behind the other, including the Wyrms.
“Seems like a design flaw to make it so tight,” my boyfriend comments, staring at the empty white walls around us.
“It’s so dragons and people can’t escape as easily.” Ray keeps his hands behind his back as he talks. “Not many people would leave their companions behind in an escape, after all.”
“Seems a bit of a fire hazard to me.”
“The Wyrms are around, which makes sure no-one uses their elements.”
“You do realise that technology can cause fires if it’s faulty, right?”
Ray ignores him being a smart ass. “You all seem curious as to what changes I’ve made, and I’m keen to show you.”
“Show us what?”
“Your new living space.” He twirls around. “You’ll be spending the rest of your days here.”
“In this drab hallway?” Braith scoffs.
Ray glares at her, admiring his work. “All of this will be worth it one day, you’ll see.”
“No we won’t. We’ll be dead,” Marco snorts.
The blond boy shuffles uncomfortably. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but sacrifices must be made.”
“Like Wes?” I ask deliberately, motioning towards his most loyal follower.
“Even him,” Ray agrees, ignoring the look of betrayal on Wes’ face. “You all have the serum in your veins that the Wyrms need.”
“If you’re so intent on doing this, why not create your own serum for the Wyrms to use?” I ask, flopping my arms in defeat.
“You and I both know that the serum needs time to germinate inside a human host. It would take years to get where we are now again. We may do more experiments in the future, but for now you will be the last batch.”
“That fills me with joy,” I reply sarcastically, making him grin.
“I am going to like having you around again,” he says.
“Until I’m eaten, of course.”
“Until then, I will enjoy your company.”
I can feel Marco bristle behind me, but I know that Ray is only interested in me because of my newfound confidence. I don’t think he wants to beat me up as he has before, but I’ll stay on my guard anyway.
I don’t want him surprising me.
“I think it’s time they returned to their quarters,” a Wyrm says. “They can’t spen
d all their time in here.”
Ray nods in approval. “Take them to the dorms. Don’t let them interact with the others yet. We will gather them all at a meeting tomorrow.”
The Wyrm dips its head and hisses at us. We all march down the hallway once more in a line, until the Wyrm makes us halt in front of a set of doors. “Each of you will have one room. There will be guards posted, so don’t think about escaping again.”
“Escaping is the last thing on our mind right now,” Braith rolls her eyes.
The Wyrm headbutts her towards one door with a grunt. It turns to me to do the same, but I just open it willingly. I’m pushed into the tiny room. There’s barely enough space to stand between the bed and the door. I can hear the Wyrm hissing outside, and I rattle my chains feebly in a sigh.
They had better get me out of these things at some point.
As I flick the light switch the bulb goes out, making me curse under my breath. Is there anything else that wants to shit on me before I go to bed?
Using the sliver of light coming from underneath the door I shuffle towards the bed, only to yelp as something moves under the covers.
“Shh!” the person hisses, kicking out at the duvet above. “Don’t let them know I’m here!”
I think I recognise that voice, but I can’t be sure. “Rocky?”
About the Author
I am an author who mainly writes Young Adult Fantasy. However, I am hoping to branch into Sci-Fi, Horror and New Adult.
Books got me through my darkest years as a teenager, and I hope that one day mine will inspire young people to keep going.
I live in the UK with my two cats, Rocky and Mishka.
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Also by Jessica Turnbull
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Elemental Dragons: Short Story Collection
Read about four dragons who face difficult decisions and tough times ahead, but refuse to lie down and accept their fate.
Russet dreams of being free, but will she ever get there?
Hercules has escaped the lab it has been imprisoned in for so long, but now what?
Ophelia’s art has gotten her into a lot of trouble, but can she find inspiration in the streets of Arimouth?
Moon has been alone for many months now, can four younglings change that?
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Glass and Ice (Elemental Dragons Book 3) Page 26