by Avril Sabine
Amos picked up a picture. “Is this them?”
Kade sat beside Amber at the table. “Yes.”
“Who gave you this information?”
Amber met Amos’ gaze. “Ronan.”
“What makes you think he’s telling the truth?” Isaac took the picture from his brother, looking at it.
“Anyone could have drawn that.” Amos gestured towards the page his brother held.
“It was drawn centuries ago by someone who’d seen them.” When Amber finished telling them about the Hell Hounds, avoiding the parts where her and Ronan would destroy the binding, silence filled the kitchen.
It was Isaac who broke the silence. “How do you know when they’ll come, and how do you know they are even coming?”
“We’re going to have to tell them,” Kade said directly to Amber.
She didn’t agree. They were just as likely to side with the ones maintaining the binding. “Because the binding is failing. It hardly lasts at all now. It won’t be long until it no longer works.”
“Why should we trust Ronan?” Amos asked.
“He’s one of the oldest dragons still living.” She thought it best not to say he was the oldest dragon. No one knew that. “I trust his instincts of survival more than I trust his words.”
“You said only mages can see these Hell Hounds when they’re wearing someone else’s skin,” Eliza said.
Amber nodded.
“Then how are we meant to see them?” Eliza asked.
“You can’t.”
“Not without the help of mages,” Kade said.
“Are you expecting us to become your allies?” Amos asked.
Amber shook her head. “Not exactly.”
“Is it only humans that can become mages?” Eliza asked.
“You can’t become mages, if that’s what you’re asking. Although have you thought about using your dragon abilities? Are any of you Gold? What about capturing a Pliethin?” Amber asked.
“We are Knights,” Eliza stated.
“Think about it.” Amber’s eyes travelled from Eliza to Isaac. “What about the humans that you know.”
“I can’t expect any of my Knights to give up their humanity,” Isaac said.
“How human are they when they consume dragon bone?” Kade asked
“That’s different.” Amos still remained on his feet, regularly pacing the kitchen floor.
Amber couldn’t see how it was, but guessed arguing the point wasn’t about to help the situation. “Didn’t you hear me, when I explained about Knight Mages? They have more strength, but most important of all, they’ll be able to see Hell Hounds. They aren’t mages, just stronger humans.”
“I heard. I just don’t know that we trust you enough to believe you,” Isaac said.
Amber rose abruptly from the table, taking a step away, about to tell them if they didn’t believe her she was wasting her time. Before she could speak there was a popping sound a bit like glass breaking and almost immediately a thud in the wall behind her. Her gaze was first drawn to the kitchen window she faced, focusing on the hole in the glass, before darting to the wall behind her. Directly behind where she’d been sitting a bullet was embedded in the wall. She mentally searched the area as her eyes darted around the room looking for safety.
Before anyone else could move, Kade grabbed hold of Amber, taking her through the Void, bringing them out in their bedroom at Temolae keep. Her phone began to ring. She ignored it. “Take me back. That was Wayne. I’m sure it was Wayne.”
“Are you crazy?”
“No. We can’t leave them there.”
“They’re nothing to us. They don’t even believe what we told them. I’m not letting you risk your life for them.”
“Then bring them here. To the planning room.” Amber’s phone finished ringing, starting up again immediately.
Kade stared at her for a moment. “If they’ll come.”
“Try.” She pulled out her phone and saw it was Roy. “Kade’s coming to get you.”
“Amos thinks you planned this.”
Of course he would. “I think it’s Wayne. I didn’t have a chance to be certain before Kade took me out of there.” She left the bedroom, running towards the planning room.
“Kade’s here but they’re arguing with him. We don’t trust him.”
“Go with him, Roy. I’m not about to get you killed after saving you twice.”
“Is that what this is about? Because I owe you?”
“No it’s about surviving. We’re not going to manage this if only a handful are willing to fight against the Hell Hounds. Go with Kade. If you go with him, your family will too.”
“You better not get my family killed.” Roy hung up and a moment later he appeared in front of her with Kade, who immediately disappeared back into the Void.
“Is everyone okay? Are you?” Amber eyed him up and down, not seeing any wounds and unable to smell blood.
“No one’s hurt, but someone’s still shooting at our house. The window broke before Amos dragged me out of the kitchen.”
Kade stepped out of the Void with Eliza, his eyes meeting Amber’s for a second before he disappeared again.
Eliza pointed a finger at Amber stepping close to her. “This is your fault. You brought this on us.”
Amber pushed Eliza’s hand away from her face. “No, this is the Knights’ problem. That was Wayne out there.”
Kade brought Amos out of the Void and left again.
“We didn’t want to be brought here.” Amos gestured towards his nephew. “You forced us to come here by kidnapping Roy.”
Roy spoke before Amber had a chance to. “It was my choice to go with Kade. If we’d stayed there one of us would’ve ended up getting killed.”
“Don’t start sticking up for them, Roy. We’re Knights. I won’t have you siding with them,” Amos said.
Chapter Seven
Kade stepped out of the Void with Isaac. “I think there’s more than one firing at the house.”
“Who’s going to fix my house?” Eliza demanded.
Amber started to say it was Wayne’s responsibility, but decided it was better to ignore the question rather than start an argument. “Did the Knights even try to find Wayne?”
“How do you know it was Wayne?” Isaac asked.
Amber glanced towards Kade, not quite sure what to say.
“She’s a tracker,” Kade said.
“Then why didn’t you help us find Wayne?” Isaac asked.
About to make excuses, Amber stopped herself. “Why should I do your job for you?”
“Exactly. Why should we do your job for you? Since when are the Hell Hounds our problem?” Amos demanded.
“Since humans are the Hell Hounds preferred prey,” Kade said.
“Then why haven’t we heard about them before?” Eliza asked.
The planning room door swung open and Rian stood there. “I was informed there were strangers in the planning room.” Then he spoke directly to Amber. “Are you okay? Unharmed?”
“Wayne was waiting for me. We left when he started shooting at the house.”
“We should return with warriors.” Before Amber had a chance to agree with Rian, Isaac spoke.
“You can’t take an army of dragons into a quiet suburb without drawing attention.”
“He’s probably gone by now,” Kade said
“We could come out at the park and circle around,” Amber said. “We don’t have to take an army with us. Besides, we wouldn’t be able to get an army there in a hurry. How many Golds would know the pathway to that exact location?”
“Ronan probably would,” Rian said.
“If you’re going back there, you’re taking me too.” Amos rested his hand on his sword.
Daray stepped out of the Void, holding a referdex that he placed on the table.
“What are you doing here?” Amber asked Daray.
“I sent for him.” Rian crossed the room and opened the referdex, flicking through the f
irst handful of pages at the front of the book. “What is the location you wish to go to?”
Amber gave him the address and moved closer to watch him find it. “I don’t see how this will help,” she said and then spoke directly to Rian. “And don’t even think about calling Ronan.”
With his finger on the location, Rian stepped back and gestured Daray forward.
Daray stared down at the referdex for a moment, then nodded. “I can take someone to this location through the Void.”
“You’re not leaving me behind,” Amos said before he looked towards his brother, shaking his head. “You’re High Protector of New South Wales. You can’t be seen to be involved with dragons. You shouldn’t even be here.”
“Are we going?” Kade asked.
Amber nodded, her gaze still holding Amos’. She didn’t really want to take him and would have preferred to take Rian, who she knew she could trust. Just because Amos couldn’t harm her, that didn’t make Kade safe around him. But leaving him behind wasn’t about to convince him to help with the Hell Hounds. “Daray, bring Amos.”
They came out at the park and Amber mentally searched the area for Wayne. “He’s left. I’d say by car with the distance he’s travelled. Jennifer and Stanley are with him.”
“Impossible. Martin ordered him to remain at headquarters. The exit is under constant surveillance. There’s no way he could leave headquarters without Martin knowing,” Amos said.
“Then Martin must be involved.” She wouldn’t be surprised if he was. She didn’t trust Martin at all.
“Why should I believe it was Wayne firing at us? Especially now that he’s conveniently left the scene. Then you tell me Stanley was with him and expect me to trust you even when there’s still no proof. Would you believe us, if we were the ones telling you?”
Amber stared at Amos. He was right. She wouldn’t take his word either. Not without proof. “Okay. Let’s track him down.”
“Amber-”
She interrupted Kade, hearing from his tone of voice he was about to disagree with her. “We have to go after him now. While they’re still together.”
“You will take me with you,” Amos said.
Amber nodded. “Of course.” How else was she going to prove to him and his brother that the Knights were involved?
“If anything happens to me, my brother will hunt you down.” Amos withdrew his phone holding Amber’s gaze until she nodded. He turned away to use his phone, instantly turning back to her. “I can’t reach my brother.”
“I’ll call Rian’s phone. Your phones won’t work in the dragons’ world.” She dialled the number.
“Then why do yours?” Amos asked.
Amber shrugged. “I have no idea. All I know is that they’ve been fixed so they can.” Rian answered his phone. “Amos needs to talk to Isaac.”
“I will put him on,” Rian said.
Amber held out her phone to Amos, turning away from him once he took it.
“We can’t go after them with so few people. We need more warriors,” Kade said to Amber.
“We don’t have time. And it’s not like I’m planning to confront them. We just need to show Amos that they’re working together. We can take care of them later.”
Amos returned Amber’s phone. “Let’s go.”
Amber searched around until she located Wayne and Stanley. If they didn’t go after them soon, it’d be too late. They were nearly beyond the distance she could track them. Her tie to Wayne and Stanley wasn’t as strong as it was to Kade and the rest of her people. Now she just had to figure out how to explain where they were. “A pity we didn’t bring the referdex with us.”
“I can go back and get it.” Daray disappeared when Amber nodded at his suggestion, returning a moment later with the referdex.
Amber opened it to the page of their location trying to estimate how far away Wayne was. She turned several pages, pointing to a location she thought would be near him. “They’re somewhere around here.”
Kade and Daray tried to figure out a location close to that point they would both know. Amos paced nearby, his eyes continually searching their surroundings.
Amber want to tell them to hurry up. That soon it’d be too late. Maybe she should suggest that they spend some time learning the pathways through the Void a little better.
Kade closed the referdex. “Okay, we’re ready.”
Amber barely managed not to say ‘finally’ as she took Kade’s hand. As soon as they came out of the Void she searched for Wayne and Stanley, quickly locating them. She looked in the referdex that Kade held open for her, pointing out another location. “About here.” She waited impatiently for Kade and Daray to sort out the next destination, taking Kade’s hand the moment he closed the referdex. She grinned as they came out in the shadows at the side of a building. “Come on. It’s not far from here.” She both sensed and heard the three of them follow her. She came to a stop at a street corner as the lights holding up the traffic changed and the cars started to move away. “Look, over there.” She pointed to a vehicle moving away.
“We need to get closer. All I can see is four people in a vehicle, not who they are,” Amos said.
“If we get too close, they’ll see you. Do you really want them to see you with us?” Amber asked.
“I need to get close enough to confirm it’s Wayne and Stanley.”
Amber felt like growling. Then realised the panther was prowling restlessly and wanting to escape. She tried to calm down, pushing the panther away. “Fine.” She flicked through the referdex as she mentally searched for Wayne and Stanley. She jabbed a finger at a page. “Here.”
“Hurry it up.” Amos glanced around, his gaze stopping on each passer-by that stared at him. “I didn’t expect to be standing on a street corner this morning when I grabbed my sword.”
“We can’t leave from here anyway.” Kade closed the book. He glanced around the street. “Over there.” He pointed to a shadowy location between two buildings.
Amber ran towards it, Kade at her side, Amos and Daray following. Kade took her through the Void the moment they reached the shadows. Amber mentally searched for Wayne, frowning when she realised he’d changed direction. Looking at the referdex, she tried to figure out what location to head for next. Turning another page she stared at the map for a moment. “I think I know where they’re headed.
Amos peered over her shoulder. “The headquarters.”
Amber nodded.
Amos took the referdex, pointing to a location on the map. “Can you bring us out here?”
Kade shook his head, pointing to another location. “Here.”
“No, that’s too close. Where else?”
Amber again searched for Wayne and Stanley. They still seemed to be heading in the direction of the Knights’ Brisbane Headquarters. Martin had to be involved. He wasn’t a stupid man. If Stanley was leaving the headquarters he had to know about it. When Kade closed the book Amber looked over to him, taking the hand he held out. They went through the Void to arrive under a shady tree, some waist high shrubs growing along the footpath that they could hide behind.
“Where are they?” Amos drew out his phone, glancing down to touch the screen.
Amber pointed in the direction they’d come from. “They’re only minutes away.”
Amos crouched behind the shrubs holding his phone out, pointing it towards the road.
Amber joined him, taking out her own phone to record Wayne and Stanley together. She didn’t have long to wait. The vehicle came towards them. Wayne driving, Stanley seated beside him. Jennifer sat in the back seat near a man Amber had never seen before. Then they were past them, continuing towards the headquarters. Amber rose to her feet, the others doing the same. She held Amos’ gaze. It was close, but she managed not to say, ‘I told you so’. “Do you know who was with them?”
Amos shook his head. “I’ve never seen him before.”
“Are you ready to go home, Amber?”
She held up a hand in a ges
ture of wait to answer Kade. “Hang on.” She kept track of Wayne and Stanley until they disappeared inside the headquarters. “They all went inside the headquarters.”
“Maybe Stanley was sent to bring Wayne back,” Amos suggested.
“And just for fun they decide to drop by your sister’s house on the chance we were there?” Amber asked.
“They had to have been watching the house,” Kade said.
Amos was silent a moment, his expression closed. “Take me back to my brother.”
Kade looked towards Amber. She nodded, taking his hand. When they came out into the planning room at Temolae Keep, Rian stood by the door while Eliza leaned against the wall across the room from him, glaring. Isaac and Roy were both seated at the table.
Silence filled the room and Amber looked at each of the Knights. “Say it out loud. Whatever you’re talking about, don’t leave us out of it.”
Amos spun to face her. “Why? So we can tell you that Martin lied to us?”
Amber nearly took a step backwards from the anger in his voice. Instead she made herself step forward, holding his angry gaze. “Yes. If that’s what happened, then yes.”
“Amos.” Isaac’s voice was soft, but it was enough to have Amos taking a step away from Amber.
“He lied to all of us.” Eliza pushed away from the wall. “He said Roy would be safe because Stanley wouldn’t be able to leave the headquarters and they’d find Wayne. I want to know what’s going on even more than you do.” She stopped in front of Amber.
“What about the Hell Hounds?” Amber asked her.
“Right now I couldn’t care less about the Hell Hounds. I want Stanley and Wayne taken care of. Stanley tried to kill my son. I don’t care what Martin says anymore. He can’t be trusted. Stanley needs to die before he can try and do it again.”
Amber smiled. “I know exactly what you mean. And that’s why I came to you about the Hell Hounds. I know what you’re willing to do to protect your son. I’d do the same for my people. The Hell Hounds are coming. Vikki’s last words were the hounds are coming. I didn’t know what she meant at the time, but now I do. Wayne knows about them too. And maybe Martin. But it doesn’t matter who knows. What’s important is that we’re ready for them. I want to go after Wayne and Stanley, but the Hell Hounds are the bigger threat.”