by Avril Sabine
“Apparently.”
“What?”
“I’ve got to read a book for Ronan. He just better not expect a book report on it because he certainly isn’t getting one.”
“I doubt whatever he’ll expect from you, after you’ve read it, will be as simple as a book report,” Kade said.
Amber thought of the picture in the front of the book. No, it wouldn’t be that simple. Nothing was ever simple when it came to dragons. For a moment she wondered if she was doing the right thing coming back. It didn’t take her long to know that she was. All she had to do was think about what the nine weeks and five days away from everyone had been like.
Crystal, who was the only other person at the table with them, said, “Don’t forget you’ve got to talk to Rian first.”
Amber grinned. “I do? It must have slipped my mind.”
“What about?” Kade asked.
“Nothing,” Crystal said quickly.
“I have to ask him a couple of questions about several things Ronan said.” She glanced towards Crystal. “Among other things.”
“So when will you have time for me?”
Amber met Kade’s gaze. “I’d like to say right now, but I’ve got a feeling things are going to get really crazy again.”
“But I don’t want crazy. At least not for another six months,” Crystal wailed.
“Why six months?”
“Because then Flinn and Kade will have passed all their tests.”
Amber frowned turning to Kade. “Didn’t you have another test to do besides hold this place for a year?”
Kade nodded.
Crystal answered before he could. “Yeah, but we had someone attack us, trying to take our castle from us. As if we’d let anyone take Temolae Keep. We retaliated as a test.”
“We would have retaliated anyway,” Kade said.
“Yeah, but we used it as a test,” Crystal said.
“Was anyone hurt?” Amber looked from one to the other as worry arrowed through her.
“No one died,” Crystal said. “Well, no one that you know, anyway.”
Why hadn’t they told her they’d been attacked? That they’d needed to retaliate. They’d faced battle without her there to heal them. She shouldn’t have wasted so much time staying away.
Kade reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. “We’re fine. Stop worrying about it. There’s always battles. Remember, we like to keep what’s ours.”
Amber smiled reluctantly. “And what’s your neighbour’s too.”
Kade chuckled. “Yeah.”
“A Gold just came into this room in the Void. It’s that one that tried to kill you, Amber. The assassin we talked to at Ronan’s,” Crystal said to both of them.
“Daray, out of the Void now.” Still holding onto Kade’s hand, Amber turned to face him when he stepped out of the Void. “What do you want?”
“I’m on guard duty.”
“No you’re not. And stop watching me from the Void. I really dislike that.” Amber pointed a finger at him. “Stay right there.” She turned to Kade. “I’ll see you later.” Still holding his hand, her other one rested against his chest as she leaned in to kiss him. When she drew back, she held his gaze for a moment. “I missed you.”
“Good. Remember that next time you think about taking off.”
Amber grinned. “I’m not going to take off again.” With a glance towards her almost finished breakfast, she rose from the table, headed for the door. As she passed Daray, she said. “I’m serious. Stay here.” She mentally searched for Rian, hurrying through the castle to corner him in a hallway. “I need to talk to you.”
With a nod, Rian headed for the planning room, closing the door behind them. He sat at the table, across from her. “Welcome back.”
Amber nodded. “Thanks.”
“I was informed when you arrived last night, but I knew you would want to spend time with Kade. That is why I only told Crystal this morning.”
“That’s not what I want to talk to you about. First, what’s the name of my second warrior?”
“Daray.”
“He belongs to Ronan.”
Rian grinned fleetingly. “Not since he talked to Doneele. His daughter has an extreme case of hero worship for you and Jasper.”
“I thought he was going to stay out of her life.”
“He was worried about her. I do not think he planned to talk to her, but she spotted him. Your brother took her to the theme parks on the Gold Coast as a reward for doing so well at school. Daray followed. Jasper said he could join them for the day.”
“And this is okay?” When Rian nodded, she asked, “I mean, this won’t cause problems?” Rian smiled. The same amused one his father used when she said something stupid. She glared at him. “Well?”
“It may cause problems, but having another loyal warrior at your back is never a bad idea.”
She nodded, trying to think of a way to speak to him about Crystal.
“Was that all?”
“Not quite.” She continued to stare at him, almost wishing he wasn’t siting there so patiently, waiting for her to speak. Why didn’t he ask her what she wanted? “Crystal spoke to me this morning.”
Rian continued to sit patiently.
Amber tried to wrack her brain for the right words. None came. “Oh come on, Rian, help me out here.”
“She should not have bothered you.”
“Yes, she should. We’re friends. That’s what friends are for. She wants me to tell you that if you like her, then there’s no problem to the pair of you hooking up.”
“And if I do not like her in that way?”
“Then tell her.”
Rian remained quiet for several minutes. “Have you considered the problems it would cause you with Flinn?”
Amber stabbed a finger in his direction, leaning forward. “Don’t you dare put this on me. If you’re interested in Crystal don’t you make me the reason you won’t do anything.”
“I am your first warrior. Your needs must come before mine.”
“Well in that case, you’re fired. Now go talk to Crystal.”
Rian chuckled, rising to his feet. “I am not fired, but I will talk to Crystal.” He paused. “Was that all?”
She thought of the book Ronan had given her. “Yeah. For now.”
With a nod, Rian headed for the door, closing it softly behind him.
Amber rested her arms on the table, dropping her head onto them as she breathed out heavily. “Damn dragons,” she muttered, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Before she could have Daray bring her the book she’d left on the table, Crystal spoke to her.
“Rian wants to talk to me. What’s he going to say?”
“I wouldn’t have a clue.” She rose to her feet, heading for the door.
“But you must have some idea.”
“No. Not really.”
“Okay. I’m almost where he wants to meet me. I’ll talk to you later.”
Amber couldn’t help smiling at the excitement that had been in Crystal’s words. She hoped it worked out for her. Crystal would be devastated if Rian rejected her. She guessed she should have Daray bring the book to her. She hesitated. Surely she deserved at least a little break before she started. Mentally searching for Kade, she found him not far from where she was. Yep, she did deserve a break. She strode towards Kade’s location.
Chapter Four
That afternoon, Amber lay on her bed, an arm flung over her eyes, the other stretched out so her fingers touched the book she’d just finished reading. The book she alternated between wishing she’d never opened and relieved that she’d been warned so they could prepare. Her head was filled with all the information she’d learned. It made her want to check on everyone. Even her grandparents. Obviously everyone could survive without her watching over them all the time. Even in battle. They’d managed to last nine weeks and five days without her protecting them.
She had no clue what she should be doing
first. She needed to figure something out before she contacted Ronan. She wasn’t going to let him call all the shots. He’d said they needed Dragon Mages, well they could start with her uncle. And if the Hell Hounds were definitely coming she wanted to make sure her mother could protect herself. An image of her mother with a gun at her head came to mind and she quickly pushed it away, not wanting to give into the fear and anger that image always brought.
And she’d insist that Ronan let her tell the mages closest to her how to store power. She didn’t want all mages to know. That was plain crazy. Especially after what had happened with Shannon. She also needed more information. Knowing Ronan there were probably other things he hadn’t told her and didn’t plan to tell her. Reluctantly moving, she took out her phone and sent Ronan a message. I’m ready to talk now.
She noticed him come out of the Void in her planning room before he disappeared back into it. Rising to her feet, taking the book with her, she headed for the bedroom door, only to stop as Ronan came out of the Void in front of her.
“What have you done to the planning room?”
Amber shrugged. She had no idea what had been done since she’d been away. “You’ll have to ask Rian.”
“I can’t stay in the Void in there.”
Amber grinned. “Well that’s handy.” She mentally reached for Rian. “When did you make it impossible for Golds to stay in the Void in the planning room? And can we do it to the rest of the castle?”
“The materials are hard to come by, which makes them very expensive. Only the planning room and Crystal’s bedroom have been done. Golds can still enter those rooms from the Void, but they cannot stay in the Void while they are in them. You can also still communicate with your mind beyond the walls of those rooms.”
Amber laughed. He knew her so well. Of course she wanted Crystal’s room protected before hers. “Thanks.”
“What did Rian say?” Ronan asked.
“That he’s planning to do more rooms.”
“Nice try, kitten. I know where the stone comes from and how impossible it is to get.”
“Where does it come from?”
“In the Hell Hounds’ world.”
Amber stared at him with narrowed eyes. “You better not be saying that just to convince me to break the binding.”
“No. It’s the reason why places like Feralenzi, that were made centuries ago, are full of it and yet it’s so rare now. There are two types. One that prevents anyone from walking through the Void and one that prevents mind talk outside of the area as well as Void walking. Obviously the second one is the more expensive.” He gestured towards the book she held. “Have you read it?”
Amber nodded. Before she had a chance to say anything Ronan reached out and took her to the planning room, through the Void. “Would it hurt you to ask?”
“Probably.” Ronan gestured towards a seat, sitting in one opposite. “Should we get all the questions, you’ve probably got, out of the way first?”
There was no way she was going to start with a question after that comment. “Actually I was thinking of starting with my demands.” She sat down, placing the book in front of her on the table.
“This is for your benefit too. You don’t get to make demands.”
“Yeah, I do. My uncle will become a mage. My mother if she wants to be. And Crystal and Mum will learn how to store power. As well as anyone else one hundred percent loyal to me. None of that is negotiable.”
Ronan stared at her, his gaze unblinking. Eventually he nodded. “I can see the benefits of those demands. Teaching Crystal and Donna about storing power would make our mages more powerful than anyone else’s. Roger’s from a powerful clan and it would be good to have them beholden to us. Giving your mother the means to protect herself, helps protect you. I’m impressed, kitten. A pity my sons never learned as quickly as you have.”
“Maybe they would’ve learned quicker if they’d had a decent reason to.”
“Are you saying surviving isn’t a good enough reason?”
Amber smiled, trying to mimic Ronan’s predatory one. “Surviving isn’t as important as living. But then I’m human.” She shrugged. “We tend to want to do more than just survive.”
“Any more demands?”
“Not for now, but I’m sure I’ll think of more later.”
“Don’t be smart, kitten.”
“Does that mean your feeling of having missed me is wearing off?”
“You need to be taking this a little more seriously. It’s been six years since the last binding was performed and already it’s starting to fail. The binding before that lasted nine years. It’s getting close to the point where it won’t work at all.”
“How do you know? Have you been working with them?” She remembered he’d once told her he was friends with some of his enemies.
“No, I listen and I hear rumours. It’s not hard figuring out the facts when the same group wants to buy both a captive Gold and a Pliethin. No questions asked, no answers given. And the years are getting closer and closer together.”
“Why couldn’t you just follow one of them back to wherever they’re taking the Gold and the Pliethin?” Amber gestured towards the book on the table. “Why did you need to get your grandfather’s notes?”
“It was more than just the location. You’ve read them. Do you think you could have worked all that out by yourself? Without those details it would have been impossible to break the binding.”
“I wasn’t expecting you to work it out by yourself. I just thought that when you found their location, you could have gotten the information from them.”
“They don’t have this information. No one does but us. They’re asking for pure Gold Warriors. That’s what they think the problem is. Not that the binding is starting to fail, but that the quality of dragons they’re using is causing the problem.”
She didn’t even bother suggesting they try and explain it was the binding failing. She doubted the Knights would be willing to listen. They’d probably think it was all about preventing the deaths of more dragons. “Can you get Pliethins to make more mages?”
“I’m already ahead of you, kitten. I have quite a few stored away. We need the humans now. Once that would have been easy. They were gathered from the Knights.”
“Why didn’t all Knights become mages?”
“There used to be two types of mages. Dragon Mages created with dragon blood and a Pliethin and the Knight Mages created with dragon bone and a Pliethin. Both could see Hell Hounds, only Dragon Mages were able to use dragon powers. The Knight Mages gained more strength.”
“I thought you didn’t know how to make Dragon Mages.”
“I didn’t. It was in my grandfather’s notes.”
Amber gestured towards the book. “It wasn’t in there.”
“You don’t have all his notes.”
Why didn’t that surprise her? “You have to stop doing this, Ronan. We aren’t going to win if you keep half the information to yourself.”
“We’ll win.” His predatory smile momentarily formed. “You’ll make sure of it. Especially with the amount of lives at stake. Lives you want to protect.”
“You don’t want to see what will happen if any of those lives are harmed because you didn’t give me all the information I needed,” Amber said.
“You threatening me, kitten?”
“No.” She held his gaze. “I’m warning you. Don’t piss me off.”
“Are you sure you won’t have kids with Rian?”
“Positive.” More so now that Crystal wanted him. But she certainly wasn’t about to tell Ronan that. “What else do I need to know?”
“If I give you the rest of the notes, you’ll want to share them.”
“Probably.”
“I’ll think about it.” He paused. “You need to find humans. More than the handful you’ve already decided you want to turn into mages. I have some, but nowhere near the amount we need. And don’t go recruiting them from the same place they got Coo
per from. That boy is useless.”
She couldn’t help smiling. Nor could she argue Ronan’s statement. Cooper was almost afraid of his own shadow. “I have at least one other person in mind.”
“You’re going to need more than one. Who is it?”
“Angela.”
“You better not be planning only to use teenagers as mages.”
“You said you wanted mages we can trust. I trust Angela. She’s also not weak like Cooper.”
“Who else?”
Amber shrugged. “I’ve got a few ideas, but I need to talk to some people first.”
“What ideas.”
She smiled. “You’ve got your secrets, I guess I need a few of my own.” She laughed when his eyes narrowed. “Don’t worry about it, Ronan. I’ll tell you all about it after I talk to a few people.”
“Don’t go making any mages without my approval.”
She gave a half shrug, gesturing towards the book. “I also want to make copies of this so everyone else can read it. Without having to wait days for all of them to get through it.”
“Only your immediate allies. Your people. Not your mother and grandparents though. Kade, Crystal, Jasper and Rian.”
“What about Flinn? He should be able to read it too.”
Ronan shook his head. “Sometimes you trust far too many people.”
“Sometimes you don’t trust enough. I will be letting Flinn read it.”
Ronan rose to his feet. “Call me when you have some humans organised.”
Amber also rose, nodding. “Of course I will.” She grinned. “You’ve got the Pliethins we need.” He disappeared into the Void and she mentally reached for Rian, asking him to join her in the planning room. Before she even thought about finding humans, she needed more copies of the journal.
Chapter Five
After Amber sent Rian to make photocopies of the book, she walked down a hallway beside Crystal, their arms linked together. When Crystal remained quiet, she asked, “I thought you said you wanted to talk to me.”
“Did you give Daray permission to be in the Void?”
“No.” Before Amber could tell Daray to get out of the Void, Crystal let go of her, reaching out her arm and disappearing. She stared at the spot her friend had been. It took her a moment before she could speak. “Daray, get out of the Void.” He appeared, halfway down the hallway. Alone. Fear hit her. “Crystal?”