He gently shook his head. “No.”
“Then don’t ever lie to me again.”
He swallowed. Something overcame him. He lost either his mind or control of his tongue, but he said, “You said everyone lies. But I really didn’t mean to. I was scared.”
She fanned herself with the note. “You can lie, just don’t be stupid enough to lie to me. I always learn the truth.” Holding up the note, she added, “Do you know what this is?”
With a shrug, he said, “I thought it was a joke. Maybe from Mandy or Garland.”
“No, that isn’t it at all. You see, I recognize the writing. Sage wrote this. It’s a suicide note.”
Gabe looked at her, puzzled.
“I see you don’t understand the gravity of this. I can’t really say for sure that I understand it so much either.” Her nostrils flared. “To tell you the truth, I’m a little hurt by it. I thought I was a close confidant to him—like a sister. But it seems that he was fond of you and maybe thought of you as the son he never had, and he wanted to warn you before he died.” He listened to her in growing distress, and she said, “Come, sit down.”
He did. He felt as if he’d lost everything all over again. He glanced at the note.
“Do you want to keep this?”
Gabe gave a slight shrug. He’d never had a note of any kind from anyone before. He sort of did want it. “Why did he say, ‘Everything you know is a lie’?”
“You cut to the chase, don’t you? I’ve been pondering that myself since I saw it. I was so angry. ” She made her way over to the refrigerator, grabbed a can of soda, popped it open, and returned by his side. “Drink this—in honor of him. I’ll share my thoughts.” She flicked the note. “Everything you know is a lie. I don’t think he meant that literally. No, I think he meant it figuratively.”
“Figuratively?”
“Let’s see. When he says everything, I think he means that you should be careful what you believe. I’m going to let you in on a secret, Gabe. A big one. And it affects me just as much as it does you. You see, Sage was part of the dominion. He was exiled, though. Banished. Do you understand?”
Nodding, he took a sip from the can.
“Sage spoke out against the dominion and how they treated the citizens. They live better on their side than we do on this side. This entire compound is created for them. The citizens, in most cases, unwittingly serve the dominion. It’s politics—an ugly thing. As the Count, I serve as a buffer between the dominion and the people. I have to get my hands dirty. So did Sage. I think he couldn’t live with it anymore.” She put her arm around him and, in a friendly manner, swayed side to side. “We have to grow up fast in these times. Remember, I was your age once too. It wasn’t much easier for me, either.”
“Did somebody shoot your father?”
Angela stiffened. “No. Listen to me. You have a way out of the dark times you are in. You’ll have to decide who you are going to trust. What is best for your future? And your dragon, Squawk. I don’t know how long what you have with Mandy will last. But you have a gift. I sense it. You need me to make sure that you retain that privilege. You want to retain that privilege, don’t you?”
He nodded. What choice did he have? Besides, Squawk was the only friend that he could count on.
“There is much talk about your little dragon, and not just by the citizens, but the dominion as well. They’ll want to see him in action. That means you’ll need to work more with Mandy. You’ll need to be ready for the next battles.” There was a gleam in her eyes, a hunger. “Are you certain that you have full control of that dragon?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s time to get back to work.”
CHAPTER 57
“He’s not doing what I want him to do,” Mandy said.
Gabe was in the arena, standing on the ground. She was on top of the stone platform, making some new gestures she’d been practicing. Harlan was there too, paying more attention to Gabe than to Squawk or Mandy. A handful of men from the Blue Guard were in the stands, making sure they weren’t disturbed. Sometimes the citizens would get word of a practice, and they’d try to sneak a peek at the dragons by climbing up over the arena’s fence.
“What do you want Squawk to do?” Gabe asked.
“I want him to run, jump, and roll. Do some tricks.”
Gabe slapped his head. They’d been outside for over an hour. The sun beat down on his head. Mandy’s voice pounded inside his skull. The practice had been nothing short of a disaster. When the games were going on, there was a clear objective. Both he and Mandy wanted Squawk to do the same thing. That was easy. But at the moment, Mandy was trying to get Squawk to do things with her thoughts and gestures, and she looked ridiculous flailing about.
Squawk looked just as bad. He rolled in the dust, chased his tail, leapt and zigzagged. All of it was guesswork based on what Gabe saw her doing. He squatted down and rubbed his temples. She’s going to make me a mental case. She is a mental case.
Fists on her hips, she said, “Ew! I don’t want you to do that, Squawk! Quit running in circles. He has to do better, Gabe! He almost lost that last match. We can’t have him lose another.” She glowered at Gabe. “Pretend you’re a rabbit.”
He twisted around. “What?”
“You heard me. Start running. I’ll have Squawk chase you.”
“I’m not—”
Harlan stormed over. He gave Gabe a stiff shove, knocking him over. “Run.”
Dusting himself off, Gabe got up and started jogging.
“Run faster!” she yelled.
Not hiding his anger, he shouted back, “Are you sure you don’t want me to hop?” He lengthened his stride.
Mandy started her gesticulations.
Gabe commanded to Squawk to chase him. Come on, boy! Let’s see if you can catch me! He took off at a full sprint. There were plenty of four-legged creatures that moved really fast. But Gabe was fast for a two-legged person. He might not be able to cut like a jackrabbit, but he could run like hell. The wind whistled through his ears. He ran the inner rim of the arena at full speed. Squawk did his best to keep up. Gabe started laughing. This is kind of fun.
He cut into the middle. Squawk bore down on him. He waited for the dragon. The pair of them danced back and forth. Squawk would rush at him. Gabe would skip away. They put on a show.
That’s good, Squawk. Really good.
“Get him, Squawk! Get that man rabbit! Tear him apart!” Mandy yelled.
Gabe gave her a look.
“Start running again, Gabe! Start running now!”
He took off again. Before long, his lungs burned. Lathered in sweat, he glanced over his shoulder. Squawk came at him with determination in his dragon eyes. He was a predator. A killer. A flash of memory consumed Gabe as he recalled that big dragon outside of the compound walls. Now I know how those varmints feel.
“Run faster, Gabe. Run until your legs give out!”
Oh, I’ll let them give out. Time to sell it. He slowed. Squawk closed. The dragon caught up and struck. His sharp teeth sank into Gabe’s calf.
He hit the ground, crying out, “Ow! Squawk, what are you doing?”
The dragon’s neck curled back into striking position.
Gabe looked into the predator’s eyes. The killer instinct had taken over. Huffing for breath and holding his bleeding ankle, he heard Mandy say, “Squawk, no!”
Gabe commanded the same.
Squawk fluttered back.
Gabe had sensed the beast in Squawk taking over, but somehow he managed to subdue it.
Mandy rushed over. “Are you okay?”
He pulled his pants up over his ankle. Blood dripped from the wound. “Thanks, Mandy. Do you know how to stitch a wound?”
“No.” She was smiling ear to ear with a wild look in her eyes. “That was pretty good, though, wasn’t it? Imagine what it would be like if the dragon hunted people.”
***
Inside the dragon den, Gabe stitched up the bite. M
andy sat beside him on the workbench, kicking her legs. Squawk was perched on the rafters, sleeping. Harlan stood against a support beam nearby.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Mandy said.
“I’ve been doing it a long time. My dad and grandmother taught me. Being a hunter, you get bit a lot. I’ve just never stitched up myself.” He eyed a rusty pair of scissors on the bench. “Can you cut that?”
She snipped the extra length of gut. “I hear the hunters are searching for more eggs to fill these empty cages. Did you know that?”
“I did.” He checked the wound. “Thanks.”
“You need some water to clean that up,” she said. “Harlan, go fetch a pail.”
Harlan grunted.
“I really don’t—”
Mandy shushed him. “Harlan, go, now!”
The man lumbered down the corridor, leaving the door open behind him. His heavy footsteps trailed off.
Mandy pinned Gabe down on the bench and straddled him. She started kissing him. “I feel so alive when I’m with you, Gabe.” She kissed him on his face and on his mouth. “You’re different.”
He struggled underneath the passionate outburst. Torn between pushing her off and embracing her, he settled on not doing anything. Lips sealed, he didn’t resist or embrace her. He didn’t have any idea what to do.
“Kiss me back, Gabe. Don’t you think I’m pretty?”
“Yes, but—mmmph!”
Her mouth sealed his shut. Her fingers dug into his hair.
Gabe liked what she was doing, but he didn’t have any idea how to return the affection. His stiff hands softened and fell on her back and down her hips.
She melted on top of him. Her body shuddered.
Someone yanked her out of his arms. Harlan had her up off the ground, hands locked around her waist.
Kicking, she said in outrage, “Harlan, put me down now!”
Harlan took her out of the room and down the corridor, saying, “Forbidden! Forbidden!”
Her screams echoed down the hall and faded.
Flushed, Gabe combed his hair with his fingers. He found Squawk staring at him. “What are you looking at? I didn’t do it. She did.” He touched his lips. Daydreaming for a bit about the moment of juvenile delight, he let out a starry-eyed sigh. He moved to close the door.
Out of nowhere, Harlan lunged out of the frame. His fist landed in Gabe’s belly. Spots exploded in the boy’s eyes. He sagged onto the stone floor, staring up at Harlan.
The ugly brute punched his fist into his hand. “Forbidden.”
CHAPTER 58
The next several days dragged on. Gabe spent most of his time in the den, thinking more about Mandy than Squawk. He had a bad feeling that he wouldn’t see her again until the next dragon games. In the meantime, he went about his usual routine, checking in with the Count from time to time.
He still stayed in Sage’s cove. A member of the Blue Guard was always there. Even so, it still seemed empty without Sage. Gabe would clean every day. The Count gave him money for supplies. He’d fetch what he needed and go back to the dragon den. Out on the streets, a guard always went with him. He felt other eyes on him too. Jack prowled about, but he never got close. It was sort of a relief and sort of not. Jack made for entertaining company even though he was trouble.
Inside the den, Gabe was cleaning. He’d become so adept at it that he didn’t even get his clothes dirty. At the moment, he was alone. The guard was beyond the other side of the door with Garland. A pair of gamers had come at the same time to see their dragons and had departed without a word. Gabe played with Squawk a bit after that. He watched the dragon climb in the rafters. Holding a scraper and a bucket, he said, “One day I’m going to teach you how to clean your own dragon dung.”
Cage to cage he went, scraping up the mess. He took a drink from a canteen from time to time. He filled the bucket almost to the top and said in a loud voice, “Garland, I have your lunch ready.”
There was a muffled reply that sounded like either Shut up or Piss off, two of the dwarf’s favorite phrases.
With a grunt, Gabe lifted the lid to the well-like waste bin. His eyes fell on a note that hung inside. Just like the other one, it read on the front, “Gabe.”
Heart beating hard, he snatched the note and released the lid. The lid dropped with a loud bang. He jumped. Whipping around, he didn’t see anyone else in the room. The penmanship was the same as with the other note. Angela said that Sage had written that note, but Sage was dead.
He unfolded the paper. It read. “Be ready. North tunnel outside of the compound. Tonight.”
He must have read the words a hundred times in one minute. The writing was exactly the same. He was certain of it.
Garland’s door popped open. Boots scraped over the floor. Gabe chucked the note into the waste bin. Expecting the guard who checked in from time to time, he saw someone else come through the door. It was Malak.
“What are you looking at, boy?”
Gabe stiffened. He didn’t say a word.
Malak stormed over and picked up the bucket. He dumped the excrement over Gabe’s head. Eyes glaring, he said, “Now you’ve got yourself a real mess to clean up, don’t you?” He stuck the bucket in Gabe’s chest and rubbed the dung into his clothes. “Your stitches don’t look so nice now, do they?” He spat. “Clean up your mess and get out of here. The dominion’s coming to meet with me.”
Under the watchful eye of the dragon hunter, Gabe dusted himself off and went for the shovel.
Drinking from Gabe’s canteen, Malak blocked him. “Use your hands, boy.”
CHAPTER 59
Gabe managed to finish the humiliating task without sustaining any more damage. He knew Malak wanted him to cry, but he wouldn’t. He was done crying. The tears gained him nothing. Instead, he turned the humiliation into anger. It gave him strength. He needed to bolster his personal fortitude more than ever.
At least he didn’t find the note.
At the bathroom sink in Sage’s cove, he scrubbed underneath his fingernails with a small brush. Dusk had come. He had a decision to make.
Should I tell the Count or not?
Angela was the only person who’d been good to him since he’d lost his father. She’d been reasonable. Fair. She’d brought him comfort and opportunity. But she’d lied. Either that, or she had been heavily mistaken about the first note. She’d seemed certain that Sage had written it. In his heart, Gabe knew that someone else must have written the note, but who?
He rinsed his hands off and dried them on a towel then picked up the oil lantern. A guard sat on the sofa. He was the one who came to the cove night in and night out and scratched his chin. The man stared at the wall. His club lay on his lap.
“I’m just going to go lay down,” Gabe said.
The guard nodded.
Inside the bedroom, he lay down. Eyes wide open, he stared at the ceiling, thinking about the note. Be ready. North tunnel outside of the compound. Tonight. He could picture the writing. Why tonight? I can’t leave. The guard will see me.
He beat on his chest. Was someone trying to help him or hurt him? The Count would kill him if he left and she found out. He lived in a world full of questions, and he sought answers.
No, it’s too much to risk.
It was contrary to what he believed. Before his father was killed, he hadn’t been scared of anything. He’d left the compound plenty of times and never gotten caught. No, the spirit of adventure was in him. He wanted to find out something, anything. There had to be answers to his questions.
One thing’s for sure—I’m not going to figure anything out if I wait around here.
He squirmed in the bed for hours. About an hour after curfew hit, the town became dead quiet. There was a deadness to the city. The snoring began. Finally!
He crept into the living room, where the guard slumbered on the couch. The man liked to sleep on the sofa. It was probably much better than where he normally slept. The man was a deep sleeper too.
And he snored. The man never stirred during the night. Most of the time, Gabe rose before him, and his rustlings woke him up.
Please don’t let tonight be the night you wake up. Please!
On tiptoe, he departed from the apartment. Through a small window at the end of the hall, he peered into the night. The streets were quiet. The only sound besides the wind would be the rustle of the guards who roamed the city.
He squeezed out of the window and dropped onto the ground then darted from building to building, checking over his shoulder and around the corners before he moved.
An odd feeling of freedom coursed through him that he hadn’t known in what felt like years. He liked roaming the streets of the compound and looking in forbidden places. Back when he was younger, no one really cared what he did so long as he didn’t get into trouble.
Almost there. He moved into the northwest corner of the compound where the shanties were. His nostrils flared. The place had a smell of filth unique to itself. Most of the shabby little buildings were black inside, but some of them had a faint glow from a candle. He snuck through and hopped into the washout. Movement on the wall caught his eye. One of the guards on the wall turned his way. His shadowed face searched through the night. Gabe flattened his body against the cement. Eyes closed, he swore he felt the man’s eyes brush over him. He gave it a few minutes. Some type of insect crawled over his face, over his ear, and down his neck.
I can’t take this. He opened his eyes. The guard’s back was to him. Hand digging behind his shirt over his back, he found the bug and squished it. Gabe moved on to the drainpipe at the end of the washout. The steel bars greeted him like long teeth. He squeezed through them. The pipe mouth swallowed him whole. On hands and knees, he pushed through the ribs of the pipe. His elbows ached. Some rough spots cut into his skin. He surged through the pitch black until the gray light appeared at the other end.
Almost there. New strength fed him through the agonizing blackness. Popping out and lying on his back, he’d never been so happy to see the moon. He’d never done that trek at night before. It was a completely different experience.
Squawk: Beginnings (Book #1) Page 21