by H. L. Burke
The world blurred, and she blinked several times to get the tears out of her eyes.
“You don’t have to give up Cricket if you don’t want to.” Abry gave her a fierce hug. “You’re perfect for Cricket, and he loves you. Just look how much he loves you!”
Cricket gave a concerned coo, rubbing against her neck and forehead. Cora sniffled. “But maybe I need to think about what’s best for him … and for the dragons.”
“Maybe the dragons will hatch another nurse dragon.” Abry released her and glanced at the queen. “I mean, we don’t really know where Cricket came from or how he became a nurse dragon. Maybe they just sort of magically are born when the colony needs them.”
“Magic?” Cora raised her eyebrows. “Are we six now?”
“Well, you know what I mean. My dad says magic is just anything people don’t really understand. There’s a lot about Cricket we don’t understand.”
“I guess.” Cora poked through their supplies for something to transport the dragons in. It would be best to send the striker with the queen and drake. Even though it wasn’t illegal to own, the colony might have a better chance getting started with more dragons. Should we send along some mayflies? No, they won’t last long enough to make a difference.
She picked up a cage. Good but anyone looking in would be able to see the dragons … maybe with a cover over it. Or a crate …
Pulling a wooden box from under the bench, she considered it. It would need air holes.
“Abry, would you grab me the drill?” she asked. “It should be in my dad’s toolbox.”
Abry darted off. There was the sound of some clanking metal, then she returned. “Is this it?” She held aloft the hand drill.
Cora took it and began boring holes through the crate’s top. After about a dozen, she was satisfied. “Should we send some food with them?”
“They’re going to have to learn to catch their own, and I doubt it will travel well.” Abry shook her head.
Cora rubbed her hands together. “Strikers are supposedly fine hunters.” She closed her eyes and imagined the best-case scenario, free dragons, living among the trees, making little baby dragons. “I hope they’ll be okay.”
The door swung open, and Abry tossed the tarp over the tank.
Xavian stood in the doorway. He approached, his eyes narrowed. “Why did you do that? What’s under there?”
“None of your beeswax, snitch boy.” Abry stuck out her chin. “What are you doing here?”
Xavian turned red and shuffled his feet. He clutched a rectangular wooden box under one arm. “Cora said she’d play checkers with me sometime. I wondered if today was … a good time.”
Abry wrinkled her eyes and glanced at Cora. “Really?” she mouthed.
“It’s true, I did.” Cora drew a deep breath. “It isn’t a great time, though, Xavian. A lot is going on.”
His mouth crinkled. “Sure, a lot going on. I get it.” He turned to go then glanced back. “At least let me see what you have under the tarp. I know you didn’t steal the dragons, and I’m sorry I said you did, but can’t I please see them?”
“No,” both girls said at once.
His eyes darkened. “I know I was a jerk, but I’m … I’m trying. I mean, they’re just dragons. What would be the harm in letting me look?”
Cora chewed her bottom lip, and Abry’s mouth pinched. His dad is helping us, but he doesn’t know that. He doesn’t know who his dad was or why the dragons need to be free.
“Can I at least see the little brown one?” He pointed up towards Cricket, still perched on Cora’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen one like him before. Is he a big mayfly?”
“Sort of.” Cora pried Cricket from his perch. If I’m going to keep him, I need to get people used to him. It’s not like I can keep him hidden all the time.
The dragon twisted his neck until he was looking at Xavian upside down. He cooed.
“I’ve never heard a dragon make a noise like that.” Xavian laughed. He cupped his hands as Cora passed him Cricket. Cricket flapped his wings, then settled down to rest in Xavian’s grasp. “He’s so light, and … fluttery. I can feel his heart through his ribs. My race dragon isn’t anything like this.” He brought Cricket closer to his face, and they touched noses. “Golly, he’s … he’s got such lively eyes.”
The sound of vibrating glass made Cora jump. Parker pushed the door closed so hard a pane shattered. He leaned against the nearest bench, wheezing and red-faced. “Abry, Cora! You need to hide your dragons!”
“What? Why?” Abry frowned. Cora’s heart throbbed. What was happening?
“No time to explain! Just please, do it!”
Abry pulled off the tarp and snatched up the struggling queen.
Xavian’s jaw dropped. “Is … is that …?”
“Where do we hide her?” Abry asked, her eyes wide.
Cora picked up the drake. Its claws flailed at her hands, but she stuffed it down the front of her coveralls and grabbed the queen from Abry. The queen followed the drake. The two dragons poked through Cora’s undershirt with their needle-like talons.
Parker took Abry’s hand and reached for Cora. “Good, come on. Let’s get out of here. I’ll explain when we’re some place …”
“What’re you doing here, Parker?”
Everyone whirled towards the door. Mr. Malloy and another man with slicked-back, dark hair stood in the doorway. They started down the narrow aisle of the greenhouse.
“I … I …” The usually confident Parker seemed to shrink. Cora forced her hands to go limp at her side, trying not to feel for the two tiny dragons who rested near her waist band.
Mr. Malloy’s brows pulled together. He stepped forward, holding a hand out to his son.
Parker flinched back. “You shouldn’t be here, Dad. These are my friends.”
The slick-haired man’s eyes darted about the greenhouse. “I only see mayflies and that shrimpy brown one. You better not have brought me all this way on a wild goose chase, Malloy. You owe me enough without wasting my time.”
“I know they’re here, Baxter. My girl saw them.”
“Mitzi was just imagining things, Dad. Look.” Parker lifted the striker out of the tank. “This is all they’ve got. I swear.”
“Then why are you here at all? If there’s nothing to hide, why scamper down to warn your little friends?” Baxter stalked forward.
Parker gulped and stuck his chest out. “I ain’t got nothin’ to hide. I don’t like peoples bullying my pals, is all.”
Baxter glared. “Awful mouthy for a little squirt.” His hand shot up, but Malloy grabbed his wrist.
“Hey, Baxter, he’s just a kid.” Malloy angled himself between Baxter and his son, then smiled back over his shoulder at Abry and Cora. “Look, kids, we don’t want to hurt you. If you’re hiding what I think you’re hiding, you’re best to hand it over. You don’t want that sorta heat from the Agency, do you? Nah, let us take care of it. We know how to handle these things, right, Baxter?”
“Right ...” Baxter drew the word out.
Do they think we’re idiots? Cora frowned at the men. One of the dragons in her clothing sank its teeth into her skin, and she bit back a yelp.
“You shouldn’t be here.” Xavian stepped forward. He pointed at Baxter. “I don’t know you. You don’t work for my dad, and you need to leave before I call the police.”
“You got a telephone in your pocket, kid? Or are you just really good at shouting?” Baxter’s lips curled into a sneer. Xavian cringed.
“Look.” Cora’s voice came out raspy. The men’s gazes shifted to her. She swallowed to moisten her tongue. “Just let us go. You can tear this place apart looking for whatever you think we have, but we don’t want any trouble.”
“And let you go squealing for help?” Baxter snorted. “I don’t think so, kid. Malloy, I’ll watch the brats. Look for the queen.” Grabbing hold of Xavian’s arm, Baxter yanked him towards the back wall where the girls and Parker now cringed.
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“You can’t keep us here. It’s kidnapping.” Abry pulled herself up to her full height, her arms crossed, but her face a shade paler than usual.
“I can do what I want.” Baxter shoved Xavian, and the boy stumbled against the shelf, rocking it. Baxter reached under his coat and pulled out a silver revolver. Cora’s heart kicked at her ribs. “Now shut up and sit down or I’ll let one of you have it.” He smirked at Abry. “Ladies first.”
The kids huddled together. Parker dropped his head into his hands. “I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry …” he mumbled.
Abry slipped her arm around his shoulder and whispered. “It’s okay. We’re going to get out of this somehow. I’m praying.”
Cora tried to pray too, but couldn’t concentrate past the dragons using her torso as a scratching post. She slumped over, trying to conceal the occasionally wriggling lumps. Thankfully, Baxter was more intent on Mr. Malloy’s search than his hostages.
“I just see this one.” Mr. Malloy held up the striker.
“That’s nothing. You said your kid saw a diamond scaled dragon. Where is it?”
“I don’t know.” Malloy shrugged.
Baxter stalked forward and knocked the tank of mayflies onto the floor. The glass shattered, sending panicked dragons towards the ceiling. One didn’t make it out. Its body twitched on the floor, cut by a shard of glass. Cricket gave a panicked chirp and flew into his birdhouse. Cora bit her bottom lip until it bled.
“I need my money, Malloy.” Baxter jabbed the gun towards Malloy.
“A queen dragon is easily worth ten times what I owe you.” Malloy held up his hands. “Ask the kids. They must know where she is.”
Cora slipped her hands behind her back, feeling on the floor for anything that might be of use. The wood floor boards were rough, snagging at her fingertips, but finally she touched the cool metal of a loose screw. She wriggled it out and started scratching into the floorboards. Malloy. Baxter. Dragons. She wasn’t sure what good it would do, or if it would be legible, but it was all she could think to do.
“I have the keys to Mr. Algernon’s racing warehouse,” Malloy continued. “Something in there might …”
“Shut up!” Baxter snarled.
Cora began to scratch “racing warehouse” into the floor. One of the dragons clawed up towards her neck. She gulped. How could she push it back down without drawing attention to herself? She abandoned her word at the second R and slumped forward, pressing the dragon between her chest and her knees. It squealed.
“What was that?” Baxter sprang forward. He jerked Cora up and unsnapped the first several fasteners to her coveralls, revealing the queen dragon, sitting on top of her undershirt. “Hand them over!” Baxter growled. Cora shied back. He pointed his gun towards Abry who whimpered.
Cora pried the queen off her shirt. The drake poked his head up, fighting to get to the light, and Cora also surrendered him.
“Well, well, look at these little money makers.” Baxter chuckled. “Better than I thought. Looks like you’re free and clear, Malloy.”
“All right, so let’s go.” Malloy stepped towards the door.
“Not so fast. What about the brats?” Baxter motioned towards the kids.
Malloy paled. “They’re just kids.”
“Kids or witnesses?”
“Well, that one’s my son. We’re not … we’re just not. That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“Ah, you can keep your boy. He’s been trained better than to rat out his old man, right?” Baxter bent down in front of Parker and smirked. “You know if you tell anyone, I’ll get you, your dad, and your kid sister, right?”
Parker gulped and nodded.
“If we hurt three kids, they’ll hunt us down. That’s Mr. Algernon’s kid …” Malloy grabbed Baxter’s shoulder.
“He might be worth as much as the dragon, then. The car's parked right down the path, and we don’t have time to hide bodies. We’ll bring them along, for now.” Baxter pulled Cora forward.
Cricket swooped down with a shrill cry. His talons scratched at Baxter’s face. “What the …” The man ducked and flailed out. The butt of his gun cracked against Cricket, sending him to the floor. Cora screamed.
“Shut up!” Baxter took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the beads of blood rising on his cheek. “Grab that rope over there. We’ll get them to the car.” He shoved the queen and drake into a cage.
Malloy took up a length of rope and started to wrap it around Abry’s hands.
“Tighter!” Baxter barked. “A skinny brat like that will slip right out of it.”
Malloy jerked the rope, and Abry gasped. Parker stared at his dad with wide, dark eyes. His bottom lip quivered.
“You’re too young to understand,” Malloy murmured. Soon all four kids were bound, even Parker. Baxter handed Malloy the cage.
“Shout and you die.” Baxter brandished his gun.
The men marched the kids out of the greenhouse with Malloy in the front and Baxter, gun still unholstered, bringing up the rear. Instead of taking the path towards the cottage, they pushed right through a hedge to where an old dirt road, overgrown with grass, butted up against the edge of Mr. Algernon’s garden. A beige sedan waited for them. They pushed the kids into the back seat.
Cora hunkered down. She’d never been in an automobile before. The only people she knew who owned them were rich, though this one had seen better days. The upholstery had round, black marks, probably cigarette burns, and the whole thing smelled like the ashtray outside the library.
“You drive.” Baxter nodded to Malloy. “Let’s go to this racing warehouse. If I have to leave Farrington, I want as big a score as possible. A few racers might sweeten the pot.”
Cora closed her eyes, wishing she were anywhere else.
Chapter Twenty
Hostages
Cora thought about trying to get someone’s attention from the back of the car, but Malloy stuck to back alleys, and Baxter’s eye seemed to always be on her and the others. Abry’s mouth was in its thinking expression, but Xavian looked about to cry. As for Parker, his face was perhaps the hardest to look at, for his eyes never left his father.
The car stopped in front of a blocky building. Cora strained her neck and saw the wall of the racing stadium behind it.
Malloy got out and unchained the door. The kids filed in, Cora trying not to look at Baxter's revolver. Inside the warehouse were bales of hay, crates, and along the back a line of stalls. A yellow racing dragon the size of a horse peeked its head through the bars and snorted a burst of flame.
Gold Digger’s Folly. Any other day and seeing the champion racer would’ve been a highlight. Now it just seemed like the dragon would be another victim of whatever Baxter had planned.
Baxter set the cage with the drake and queen on the floor and strode over to examine Gold Digger. “He’s worth a bundle, but he’ll be hard to unload without drawing eyes. The kid is a better investment. I bet Algernon will pay all he’s worth to get his brat back.”
Mr. Malloy edged the kids into the empty stall next to Gold Digger’s. “We can’t risk sticking around too long. Once they realize the kids are missing …”
“They don’t have any reason to look for us.” Baxter shrugged. “You didn’t tell anyone about this, did you?”
“I want to get out of Farrington before it blows up. My sister lives out of state. She’ll keep the kids for me until things cool down. We can split the money from the sale of the dragon queen …”
“Hold on there.” Baxter raised his eyebrows. “What makes you think you’re getting any of that?”
Malloy’s mouth hardened. “The queen is easily worth ten times what I owe you, Baxter. I can at least have a piece of the profit. I need it now that I’ll be on the run.”
Abry nodded towards Cora and backed all the way to the wall.
“Yeah, but I’m taking the risk selling the creature …”
The men continued to argue as Cora edged closer to Abry.
&nbs
p; “Turn around,” Abry whispered. “I think I might be able to get your ropes off.” Cora obeyed. Abry tugged at the loose end of the bonds. Xavian and Parker glanced back, then stood, shoulder to shoulder, forming a wall that blocked the girls from view.
The voices outside the stall grew louder, and Abry’s pulling became frantic.
A loud crack, like the sound announcing a race, rang out. Parker shrieked and fell to his knees. The men were silent. Cora whirled around and stared out of the stall. Baxter walked over and slammed the door shut.
“What just happened?” Xavian stammered. “Was that a gun shot?”
“Do I have to spell it out for you?” Abry snarled. She edged forward and knelt beside Parker. Sobs wracked the young man’s body.
Cora leaned against the wall feeling cold. She wanted to feel sorry for Mr. Malloy, or at least Parker, but all she could think was, Now it’s just us and Baxter, and Baxter has no reason to keep any of us alive except maybe Xavian.
Xavian’s face turned gray. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Then get away from me.” Abry angled herself away from him. Xavian slouched back into the corner by Cora.
“Help me with my ropes,” she whispered. “Abry got them started.”
“What good will it do? Can you walk through walls?” He shrugged towards the closed door.
“I’m not going to just sit here.” She scowled at him.
Moving so they stood back to back, Xavian began working at her bonds. It seemed to be doing nothing but rubbing the skin off her wrists. She breathed out her frustration. Then something slipped. Shaking the ropes off, she raised her hands, grinning.
“Great, now what?” Xavian mumbled. “We’re locked in a stall, and there’s a criminal with a gun out there.”