Dragon Mark

by Kit Bladegrave

  After our first encounter with Quinto, I sensed he would be the one to give me the most trouble, and he would refuse to go along with any plan we came up with. Now as I stared at him, he seemed almost defeated. Slowly, he got out of his chair and walked around the table toward me.

  He held out his hand to me, and I took it.

  “I believe I owe you an apology,” he confessed. “And that I was wrong about this entire situation and for that, you have my deepest sympathies.”

  “I appreciate that, but right now I don’t want your sympathy. I need your army ready to fight again, and they have to understand there won’t be any mercy. There’ll be no retreating from any fight,” I said sincerely. “If we attack Radnak, we have to hit him hard every time, or we’ll lose our advantage.”

  “You still think he’ll be surprised if we show up to fight?”

  I nodded as I glanced around the room. “I do. He underestimates the clans and how much they care for each other. Thinks they’ve spent too many years divided.”

  “Well then,” Charlette said, staring intently down at the map, “we’ll just have to prove him wrong.”

  “Care to share how you’re going to get the Council here?” Orella asked.

  “Oh you know me, dear,” Charlette said in a tone that could only mean she was thinking up trouble, “I have to do everything in style.”

  A clock chimed the hour, and I yawned, stretching my arms over my head. “It’s that late already?”

  We hadn’t left the town hall since arriving that morning and had been busy laying out our plan of attack on the encampment as well as what to do about the Council.

  Benji hadn’t come to fetch me concerning Everest, meaning good news. Hopefully.

  “I say we call it a night,” Charlette announced. “We all need our rest.”

  “And a few days to prepare for this first invasion.”

  “After we take care of the Council,” Orella reminded Quinto. “The longer we wait to deal with them, the worse it’ll be.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll send word tonight and cross your fingers the bastards don’t take forever to reply.” Charlette bade us all goodnight and exited with her guard of six in tow behind.

  Orella and Quinto were next to leave, and I was alone except for Jenny and Preston.

  “It’s really happening,” I told them quietly. “We’re finally getting a chance to fight back.”

  “And it’s all thanks to you and your crazy antics.” Preston messed up my hair, and I shoved him until we were wrestling around as Jenny rolled her eyes.

  “Children, behave or no dinner.”

  Preston pouted.

  I shoved him one more time, grinning as he almost tripped over his own feet. “I’ve been thinking though, it wasn’t me that caused all this to happen.”

  “No? So you didn’t decide to meet the Council and then decide to show your true colors?” Preston gave me another playful shove until Jenny cleared her throat and glowered at us both. “Then what did it?”

  “Everest, actually,” I said. “Her and that no backing down attitude. She got me to remember what fighting for a cause looked like… and she hadn’t even known before what she was getting herself into.”

  “Speaking of Everest, you should probably go check on her.”

  “You two coming?” I asked Jenny as I made for the door.

  “No, I want to go over a few more scenarios of attack, take notes, you know how I am.”

  “Always overly prepared,” Preston sighed. “Save me some chow, would you?”

  I waved a hand over my head as I exited the hall, jogging toward the portal we had that would take me back to the mountain base. The two dragons by it bowed their heads at my approach, and I patted them both on the shoulder.

  “Things are going to change for the better,” I promised them, and they smiled. “Promise.”

  I stepped through the portal into the base and made straight for Everest’s cot.

  Benji, damned loyal kid, was sound asleep on the cot beside hers.

  Amelie was reading a book, sitting in a chair close by. She spotted me and put a finger to her lips letting me know Everest was sleeping, but she didn’t look too worried.

  “How is she?” I whispered as I approached.

  I planted a kiss on Everest’s forehead, and she sighed, but her eyes stayed close. Her skin wasn’t as flushed as before, though it was warmer than normal.

  “Just been sleeping, fever’s gone down a bit,” Amelie told me quietly. “Mahlia’s going to try and give her another dose in an hour or so. How was the meeting?”

  “No one tried to kill anyone else,” I remarked. “But I do need to see Jared. Where is he?”

  “In the mess hall, why?”

  “Nothing bad, but I do think it’s time he talked to his father.” I gave Everest’s hand a squeeze and said I’d be back to relieve Amelie of the night shift, after I told Jared the probably not so exciting news.

  The mess was filled, and it was nice to see people laughing and talking, smiling, instead of sulking quietly in corners and clinging to each other like this was their last night alive.

  I spotted Tank sitting with Davis, Jared, and a few others. When I approached, Tank scooted down the bench for me to sit.

  “You’re here to tell us good news I hope?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I am. And thanks for getting that information out of Nikolai.”

  Tank saluted me with his fork. “You just have to have the right touch, though your method of beating the living shit out of ‘em first works, too.”

  “We’re going to need him to talk more,” I warned.

  “Don’t you worry about it. I’ll get him to talk.”

  I filled them in briefly with the second part of our plan, saving any mention of the Council until I had no choice. “Jared, I do have some news for you.”

  “For me?” He set his roll down, looking confused. “About what?”

  “Your father. He and the rest of the Council are being invited here so the clan leaders can confront them about hiding the truth,” I explained as our table fell silent. “Is there any chance you would be willing to speak with him? Help convince him that joining our cause is the right choice?”

  He shoved his tray aside, his jaw clenched in anger. “He won’t listen, not to me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Trust me, Slade, I’m not the one he cared about in our family, but… if you need me there, I’ll try. No guarantees though.”

  “All I ask is you try. Orella has already suggested having mine and Charlette’s memories examined if they need any more convincing.” I shuddered at the notion of having someone poking around inside my head. Seeing my memories and living through everything I had done. The few tender moments I shared with Zara and the many more I’d had with Everest. If only they could feel the fear and pain I held within me, too, then we would have them on our side in a second. But all they could do was witness.

  I stayed with the guys for a while longer, enjoying their teasing and joking around with each other, talking about anything other than battle plans and our potential loss of life when we finally attacked the encampment. That place was key to the rest of our plans moving forward. The camp would still be there, I believed that, but Radnak would amp up security, add more soldiers, more Priests. He’d make it as hard as possible for us to take it.

  But if we did, if we were successful, we could keep our advantage.

  During the meeting, we’d briefly discussed what this ritual was that Radnak was trying to complete, but none of the other leaders heard of trying to steal a soul of another. The only explanation was it would make Radnak stronger somehow. Just how strong was the question.

  Eventually, I told the guys I would see them later and went back to check on Everest. I should’ve eaten something, but the thought of food right then made my stomach churn. I’d eat tomorrow once Everest was showing signs of improving.

  Amelie was there when I got back, and Mahlia was pu
lling a vial out of her basket, popping the cork out.

  “You don’t want to wake her up?”

  “It works faster if she stays asleep,” Mahlia assured me. “Help me open her mouth and tilt her head back.”

  I did as she asked and grimaced as she poured the liquid down Everest’s throat. She choked and sputtered but swallowed it down. Her eyes screwed up as if she was in pain and a shudder wracked her body before she was motionless again.

  When Mahlia placed her fingers on Everest’s neck checking her pulse, I felt my heart plummet, but then she smiled and kissed her daughter’s cheek.

  “She should be fine for the rest of the night. I can stay if you want.”

  “No, no I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. Thanks, Amelie, for watching over her.”

  “Not a problem. Did you find Jared?”

  I laughed bitterly. “Yeah, I did and not sure he was happy about it, but we’ll just have to see how the next week goes. Has he eaten anything today?” I asked, pointing to Benji.

  Amelie smiled warmly down at him. “No, hasn’t moved from her side. I’ll take him to get dinner.” Gently she shook Benji’s shoulder until his eyes popped open. She held out her hand for his, and after giving me quick hug, he went with her to get dinner and then probably back to sleep.

  “He’s a cute kid,” Mahlia observed. “Just a bit younger than Mason.”

  “I wish you could talk to him more.”

  “When this is over, we’ll go to him, and he can finally meet his father. But until then, he’s safer where he is, away from this mess.” She squeezed my shoulder and said to come and get her if anything changed.

  I scooted the chair closer, so I could hold Everest’s hand, and propped up my feet on my cot.

  “You know,” I whispered to her, wondering if she could hear me at all, “you and I have a lot to talk about when you’re up for it. Like what we’re going to do when we can both stop risking our lives for one another.”

  I looked around the large room, picturing all these people living peacefully in that town below the mountain.

  “One day we’ll get there, and you and I, Everest, you and I are going to be together. That I promise you.” I kissed the back of her hand and sunk lower in my chair, leaning my head back as my eyes closed.

  Sleep evaded me most of the night, and at one point I gave up and went to wash my face in the restroom, passing the guards on patrol. Staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I blinked at the strangeness of my face lately. I felt older, looked it, too. This war was aging all of us, but I was going to feel like an old man by the time it was over.

  If I survived that long.

  I wasn’t sure what made me do it, but I headed downstairs to the cells to see Nikolai again. I didn’t want to talk to him, but I had to see him. The guards at his cell went on alert as soon as they saw me, but I held up my hands.

  “Don’t worry, just checking on him,” I assured them, and they relaxed, slightly. “Has he said anything else?”

  “Nothing at all. Just sits there against the wall, his eyes closed.”

  I peered in through the small window on the door. Both his eyes were bruised and swollen. There was a bump on his head, and his lips were puffy and red. The bottom one was split. I’d done some hefty damage to him earlier. I waited for the remorse to come, but all I felt was sadness that I hadn’t taken the time to finish him off. The second we no longer needed him for information, I’d kill him and be done with it. Bury him with the rest of my tortured memories.

  “If he says anything, you let me know,” I told the guards then turned around and headed back upstairs.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood suddenly as a chill shot down my spine, but when I spun around, I was alone on the stairs, the cells two levels down.

  Rubbing the spot, I decided I was overtired and went to get some sleep.

  Seven

  Everest

  For two whole days, I was confined to bedrest, first by Mom, and then by Slade. My fever was finally gone by the third day and Mom reluctantly told me I could at least move around the base, more than just getting up to go to the bathroom. My legs were weak, and the going was slow, but anything was better than being in that bed.

  I’d slept the majority of the time, but if I dreamt, I remembered none of them. The necklace had been cold against my skin for the past few days, as had the mark at my side. I’d checked that morning, figuring the healing potions I’d been given might’ve had something to do with it, but the mark remained. It looked less angry, but the flesh was extremely tender around it.

  So, I’d covered it back up and acted like I was merely recovering from using my powers too much, or a bug, or whatever else would make everyone feel better.

  Eventually, I made my way to the training room to find Slade and Jared sparring. Amelie and Tank watched from the back of the room and carefully, I headed toward them. Slade was shirtless, his chest covered in a fine sheen of sweat and my cheeks grew flushed for a completely different reason than being sick.

  “Hey,” Amelie said excitedly when she spotted me. “You look so much better.”

  “You think?”

  She helped me to a chair, and I sat down grateful.

  “Yeah, you do. Maybe we all should sleep for three days straight,” Tank teased.

  “Two days,” I corrected. “Slept for two days.”

  Jared grunted then growled in annoyance as Slade landed a solid kick to his back and sent him stumbling across the mats. He whirled back around and threw himself at Slade, trying to tackle him.

  I never thought I’d be anxious to get back to my own training, but suddenly I was jealous of Jared. I wanted to be tackling Slade to the floor right then and… well, doing more than just pinning him to the mats until he slapped them to be let out of the chokehold.

  They were back on their feet, and Slade spotted me. He barely managed a wave before Jared was on the offensive again.

  “How long have they been going at it?” I asked.

  “A few hours now. Slade’s got some pent-up energy, nerves really, waiting for the damned Council to decide if they’re coming or not,” Tank told me.

  “And Jared is nervous about seeing dear old dad,” Amelie sighed.

  “Right, so beating the crap out of each other is good for the soul, is that what I’m hearing?”

  “If you were a guy, you’d understand,” Tank explained.

  “Ah, right.” I cringed, along with Amelie as Slade and Jared went to punch each other at the same time, and both somehow managed to make contact. “Damn, maybe we should get them to stop for a while?”

  “Why? I have money on this.”

  Amelie rolled her eyes as I glanced from her to Tank. “Seriously?”

  “Not money, I told him I’d give him my roll at dinner for three days if Slade wins and if Jared wins, I get his dessert for three days.”

  “Food, always the best choice for betting.” Not like we had anything else to bet with.

  I concentrated on the fight, watching each move the two made. Jared had become a skilled fighter since he started sparring with Slade and Tank. He was good at school, but this was on an entirely different level. Against Slade, he held nothing back, and vice versa.

  They went full throttle. I blinked, and a flash of another fight appeared before me. I gripped the seat of my chair, willing whatever was happening to stop, but then another flicker of two dragons locked in combat had me trying to look anywhere but at Slade or Jared.

  Hundreds of people yelling filled my ears with painful bursts of sound, and I winced against the assault on my senses. The heavy scent of smoke and what I swore was burning bodies made me gag, and I excused myself to hurry to the restroom in case I lost the tiny amount of food I managed to get down that morning.

  I heard Slade talking to Amelie, and then he came after me. “Everest.”

  “Sorry,” I mumbled, stumbling into the nearest wall. “Think I shouldn’t have gotten up yet.” I covered my mouth
with my hand, and the nausea passed as did the weird visions of a battle I couldn’t decide was yet to come or had already passed. “You looked good in there.”

  His arm was under mine, supporting me, as he guided me back toward the cot.

  “No, can we go sit anywhere else, please? I’m sick of that damned bed.”

  “The balcony? Not as comfortable and there’s a lot of stairs just to get there.”

  “As long as we take it slow, walking feels good right now.” I waited for him to tell me no.

  But then he shifted our path, and we reached the metal grated stairs.

  The going up was much slower than I expected, but he never complained and by the time we reached the balcony, I was ready to sit down for a few minutes, or a few hours. He sat beside me, leaning his back against the wall. He hadn’t put his shirt on before rushing out after me, and I found myself resting against his bare chest, my cheek against his skin, listening to the steady beating of his heart.

  “You sure you’re feeling better?” he asked, running his fingers through my hair.

  “For the most part. Just really weak.” I scooted closer, and he chuckled. “What? You’re comfortable.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “Did I miss anything the last few days?”

  “I’ve told you what you need to know,” he said, but I poked him in the abs when I sensed he was holding back. “What? Really I have.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Not much to do until the Council agrees to come, or not,” he grunted. “You’d think they would make it one of their top priorities to check in when all the clan leaders request to see them.”

  “What did Charlette tell them exactly?”

  “She expressed that several major events of late have made her question the sanity of the Council and that she is suggesting we switch them all out, retire them, and then vote in six new members,” he told me. “I guess she should’ve insulted them harsher.”

  “Only if you want them to come here with an army,” I muttered. “You worried about it?”