It was barely a question. Jennifer cast her gaze down the hall. Her friend had already disappeared among the crowds of roving teenagers. “Susan will be fine.” But she wasn’t sure of that at all.
“Where do you get your ’do done?” Anne took a cautious step forward and reached out to touch Jennifer’s platinum hair. “That color is insane. I want it!”
Feeling brave and still a bit angry, Jennifer reached up and held Anne’s freckled nose between thumb and forefinger. She shook the girl’s head back and forth with gentle mischief. “Oh no, cutie! You don’t want to go through what I had to go through to get this hair. Believe me.”
Anne gasped and took a step backward, breaking contact. The other three girls stared at the two of them, stunned by Jennifer’s audacious move. I dared touch one of them! The giddy thought raced through her mind with a mixture of surprise at her own transgression, relief that Amanda would probably disinvite her from the stupid mack party, and horror at what rumor they might generate to torture her for the next two and a half years.
Then all four of them started giggling uncontrollably, and Jennifer knew all was truly lost. They have accepted me. I have become one of them. Kill me now.
“Oh, Jenny, you are a riot!” Amanda reached out with her lint roller and rubbed it over Jennifer’s own sweater, as if leaving her own scent all over the new girl. “There. Much better. Hey, you wanna go to the mall tonight?”
Another twinge of regret rankled Jennifer at the mention of the mall. She would have to make it up to Susan when they got back from Crescent Valley. Heck, maybe she could convince her parents to keep the visit brief enough to come back early in the morning, or even tonight…
“I’ve got plans,” she finally said without paying much attention to Amanda’s look of astonishment. Apparently, not too many girls at Winoka High turned down the A+ of the A-List. “Thanks, though.”
“Huh. Yeah, well, see you around.”
The A-List turned as one, flared wool skirts all flipping in unison, and walked away.
A boy’s whistle behind her made her turn. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Wow.” Skip couldn’t take his eyes off the retreating foursome. “You know those girls? How come you never introduced—”
“Forget it.”
“Yeah, I don’t suppose any of them want a guy with a brain above the belt, anyway. Speaking of which, are you honestly going to a party with Bob Jarkmand this Friday? I mean, that’s a joke, right?”
Her jaw dropped. “You heard already?”
His expression froze somewhere between amusement and amazement. His thumb jerked. “I ran into Susan back there. She filled me in. I thought she was just screwing with my head.” Adjusting the backpack on his shoulder, he looked at Jennifer with more confusion—and perhaps less respect. “Bob Jarkmand, eh?”
“Skip, I really don’t have time for—”
“Where’s your necklace?” He was suddenly alarmed that the wooden necklace he had given her last spring, with the carved image of the Moon of the Falling Leaves, was not hanging around her neck as it usually was.
She looked down at the sterling silver chain and prism pendant she had decided upon that morning, and then shrugged. “I just figured I would wear something different today. What, doesn’t this look good?”
“It looks great. You look great. But I kinda hoped you’d keep—”
“What? Wearing your necklace? It’s not like we’re going out anymore,” she interrupted hotly. “I mean, I should probably give it back to—”
“No!”
She took a step back, startled. “Geez, Skip. Fine. I’ll keep it. But do you mind if I accessorize myself in the morning?”
“You should wear it,” he replied with thin lips. Then he shook his head. “More often, I mean.”
As patronizing as this was, she couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Skip, this morning was the first time I took it off since June! What, you want me to stuff it down my bra?”
Her joke relaxed him a little, but his grin was still nervous. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Sorry for freaking out. See you around. Say, you still going back to Crescent Valley tonight?”
“Oh, um.” She hesitated. Of course he had known she’d planned to return with her mother—but he looked quite vulnerable right now, and she didn’t want to start another fight. So she steeled herself and lied. “Naw. It’s not that important. I’m still angry at them for booting you and Susan. I told my mom I’d take her another time.”
The news did seem to brighten his mood. “I appreciate that. Thanks. But geez, you don’t have to—Anyway, if you go, you should wear the necklace.” He soothed her with a soft touch under her chin. “All I mean is, it looks beautiful on you when the crescent moon’s out.”
With a long bat of her lashes, she pushed his hand away. “Sweet talker.”
As it turned out, she forgot to put Skip’s necklace back on that afternoon before she and her mother left in the minivan for Crescent Valley. To be fair, she had a lot on her mind.
First, her backpack was full of geometry homework—an unreasonable amount, even for the enthusiastic Mr. Slider. During class, he had handed out binders full of proofs and problems, chirping over student protests that a busy geometry student was a happy geometry student.
Second, word of her upcoming Friday night date with Bob Jarkmand had washed through the school like floodwaters, penetrating every nook and cranny of the classrooms and hallways until she was drowning in schoolmates’ furtive looks and giggles.
Eddie, however, hadn’t been giggling as they walked home together.
“Are you kidding me?”
“It’s no big deal, Eddie.” She wondered why she cared what he thought. “You hung out with him yourself earlier this year. Remember the Halloween Dance?”
“Yeah, but we didn’t…go together,” he sputtered. “It wasn’t like he and I would ever plan to make out at a party!”
“Gosh, I don’t know, Eddie. You two would make an adorable couple.”
“He’s a bully.”
“He’s my date.”
“You can do better!”
“Yes, well, right now better boys aren’t exactly popping out of school lockers.”
“They’re out there.”
There, she had lost her temper and snarled at him. “If they are, they’ve lost their nerve.”
That had shut him up.
Third, Elizabeth Georges-Scales was in a huge rush to leave—the tall, lithe doctor had barely let Jennifer slide the backpack off in the mudroom before claiming she was going out to warm up the minivan and they were leaving in five minutes, or one of them would be left to fly to the farm.
Oh yeah? Jennifer had grumbled to herself up in her bedroom, in a flurry of packing and tidying. What would you do with yourself once you got there, old woman?
But she was down in the minivan in time, waving with limp enthusiasm to Eddie as he watched them go from the front door.
“It hardly seems right to leave him alone tonight,” Elizabeth observed with concerned emerald eyes as she slowly backed out onto the street. “Are you sure he doesn’t want to come with us?”
“Definitely sure.”
“Maybe I should drop him off to see his mother…”
“Mom. You left him with two hundred dollars for the night. If he wants, he can get a taxi to the hospital, order a catered meal from the nearest gourmet restaurant for both himself and Mrs. Blacktooth, and then take a limo back here.”
“I just feel strange leaving him alone at our place overnight, after what he’s been through.”
“He’s fifteen. He’s a big boy. You’d rather stay home and baby-sit him?”
Elizabeth smirked, tucked a blonde strand behind her right ear, and put the minivan into drive. “Okay, honey. You’ve made your point. I guess it’s all for the best. This way, we can spend some quality time with your father.”
“In Crescent Valley.”
Her mother’s green eyes glowed, but the rest of
her face stayed composed. “In Crescent Valley.”
“Where you’ve never been before.”
“Where I’ve never been before.” Long fingers tapped anxiously on the steering wheel. They were off Pine Street and heading for the town limits.
“And where you’ve been dying to go ever since you met Dad.”
“Yes!” To Jennifer’s delight, she had finally cracked her mother’s composure. Elizabeth bounced up and down in her seat. “Where I’ve been dying to go ever since I met your father! Jennifer, you can tell me now. What’s it like? Where is it? Is it in the forest? It’s in the forest, isn’t it? On the other side of the lake. I tried to check it out back there once in the car, but there aren’t any roads after a while and the trees got really thick and there were some enormous wolves running around and that’s where it is, isn’t it? I can tell from your face!”
Jennifer couldn’t help laughing—her mother was positively ebullient. “Mom, relax! You’ve gone years without knowing. Can’t you wait another couple of hours?”
“Jennifer Caroline Scales, you tell your mother this instant where Crescent Valley is or I’ll gut you with my sword.”
“Did you bring it?”
“Hell no. I’m not showing up in front of your father’s Giant Angry Lizard Club with a weapon.”
“We’re closer biologically to birds than lizards, Mom. Remember?”
From the older woman’s expression, it was obvious her mother was thinking back to Jennifer’s first night as a dragon. “Yeah, I remember. That was quite a night. You called us clueless.”
“Well, you were.”
“But we were right about a lot of things, weren’t we? You have to admit: Parents know more than teenagers want to admit.”
Jennifer traced a wavy line down the frosty passenger window with her fingernail. “Mom, just wait until you see all the stuff you don’t know!”
CHAPTER 5
Monday Night
Back on the farm, Joseph greeted both Scales family members with more enthusiasm than he had shown Skip and the others. Mother and daughter looked over the grounds briefly and gave Joseph some help on a few maintenance issues around the stables. Then Jennifer thoughtfully packed a waterproof overnight bag for her mother, secured it to her hindclaw, and invited her mother for a ride.
“Is this really necessary?” Elizabeth asked, climbing on. “And why do you have one of your grandfather’s old duffel bags strapped to your—Hey!”
Jennifer was off like a rocket over the lake, and was not too far from the shore when—
“Hang on tight!”
—she plunged into the moonlit surface.
They came out the other side moments later. As they gently treaded water, they witnessed the venerables’ belt of fire course around the crescent moon and listened to the strumming of the surrounding insect life. Elizabeth had calmed down enough by now to slap her daughter gently across her spiked head.
“You could have warned me.”
“What? You’re the one who thought we were going across the lake, not through it. Anyway, it’s not like you had to hold your breath. The ring was protecting you.”
“Thanks for explaining it all so clearly. Are you going to fly us anywhere now, or do we just soak here for a while?”
Jennifer imitated her mother’s voice. “Watch your tone, young lady, or you’ll be swimming to shore.”
“Hmmph.”
They were on shore shortly, and under the gently swaying moon elms Elizabeth changed into dry jeans, a sweater, and a suede jacket.
“I guess it’s a pretty casual outfit for a diplomatic mission,” Jennifer apologized as her mother rummaged for a scarf and gloves.
“It’ll work fine, honey. Where’s your dad?”
“I imagine he’s been watching the moon for the signal from the venerables. He should be here soon.”
He was indeed, and watching him put his wings around her mom as she stared at the wonderful world around her was a sight Jennifer knew she’d never forget.
“Hey, Liz.”
“So this is the place.”
“This is the place.”
Jennifer felt awkward standing there. She took a short walk to give them some privacy, and by the time she came back, Elizabeth was wiping her face with the back of a glove. But they seemed ready to go.
“You need a ride?” she offered her mother again.
“Is it far? I’d rather walk.” Elizabeth turned up the collar of her suede jacket and walked over to a moon elm touched with traces of lichen. The cerulean glow lit up her glove as she softly touched the flakes and looked up at the vast network of slender branches. When she turned to her husband, her inscrutable expression was back in place.
“Have you ever seen the silver one here?”
He stepped up to his wife and held her hand. “No. I’ve never seen the silver one in this world.”
Jennifer cocked her head at the exchange. Silver?
“These are beautiful anyway,” Elizabeth said. “Come on, let’s walk.”
It was a little awkward for Jonathan—creeper dragons were not made for long walks. But they both agreed it was important for Elizabeth to feel as comfortable as possible—and she certainly felt more comfortable with both feet on the ground.
“I’ve ridden your father exactly three times,” she pointed out to Jennifer. “Always more his idea than mine.”
“Uh—”
“I enjoyed myself every time, but it was a relief when he let me get off.”
Jennifer shook her head as if warding off a bad odor. “Please don’t say things like that. It stings my eyes.”
The buzzing of fire hornets grew fainter as they went farther west.
“It’s just so—so—” Her mother groped for the right word. “Stunning. The sky and the grass and the air is so clear, it’s like wine you can breathe. I wonder if our earth used to smell like this? Before people screwed it up.”
“I’m glad you—”
“And the ground! It’s like walking on a mattress that goes on forever. And you know the very best, most wonderful thing?”
Jennifer cocked her head in amazement. Her mother, at this moment, the stern Dr. Georges-Scales, was glowing like a teen on prom night. “What, Mom?”
“That you and your father have finally shared it with me.” Impulsively, she hugged Jennifer and her husband.
Jonathan looked at Jennifer with the simple gratitude you showed for a person who pleased the love of your life. Of course, Jennifer realized, Mom would never have been allowed here, if it hadn’t been for me.
They rounded the edge of a grove and Jennifer said, “We should be there in a few more minutes. Now, Mom, there’s something you should know about some of these dragons. There’s this old dasher who—”
Suddenly she stopped.
“Oh,” Jonathan said. Then he coughed. Jennifer couldn’t even manage a cough.
There were two adult dashers there, drinking at a slow-moving stream. One, Jennifer had never seen before. Her scales were nearly black, with peach accents under the wings. Her tail had two prongs, like Jennifer’s, but it also had spikes running down both branches. The strange dasher’s gold-orange eyes were full of shock at the sight of the three intruders.
The other dasher, Jennifer knew.
Xavier Longtail’s triple-pronged tail twitched at the sight of them, but he did not budge. The other dasher finally moved first, advancing on Elizabeth with a fervor just short of a charge.
“Get out of here!” The woman’s voice was clear and powerful—an operatic alto tinged with the same arrogant tone Xavier could use. “You’re not wanted here!”
Elizabeth stepped back in alarm. Jonathan and Jennifer slid in front of her protectively. “This is my mother,” Jennifer announced as anxious blood rushed to her head. “She’s here as my guest.”
“I know who she is, Ambassador.” The last word came out bleeding with contempt. “She’s Elizabeth Georges, the beaststalker who murdered my father!�
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“Ambassador.” Xavier’s tone was slightly more respectful. “I don’t believe you’ve met my niece, Ember Longtail.”
The revelation surprised Jennifer, but she recovered quickly. “I’m charmed,” she snapped. “Now back off.”
“Longtail…”
Jennifer turned when she heard how faint her mother sounded, and she immediately saw the whitening of the woman’s face. Her memory quickly went to the week before, when the Blaze had considered granting her mother sanctuary here in Crescent Valley. Despite the threat of Evangelina, the dragons were hesitant to do so—not least because of Xavier’s claim that his brother had died at Elizabeth’s hand.
“Yes, Longtail,” Ember spat out. “The dragon you performed your sick, depraved rite of passage upon.”
Jennifer’s thoughts flickered briefly to Eddie, and his half-hearted attempt to murder her. Of course, Elizabeth Georges would have been successful, in her own youth. When Mom tries something, she succeeds. I’ll bet it was brutal. Her stomach churned at the thought of her mother as a killer.
“She swore off that violence!” Jonathan pushed his wife farther behind him. “For years, she’s devoted her life to healing. She’s saved other dragons’ lives!”
“She killed twice after that!”
“Th-that’s not—sh-she…it was only in self-defense!” Jonathan sputtered—but Jennifer heard the desperation in his voice. He knew this would come back to haunt us, she guessed. “Two dragons ambushed her!”
“Ambushed us,” Elizabeth interrupted softly but firmly. “Jonathan, why—”
Jonathan ignored the interruptions. “They set upon her and she had to fight to survive.”
Elizabeth whirled upon her husband with a look Jennifer couldn’t understand. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and then her mother turned to the dashers and cleared her throat. Jennifer knew her mother had a great deal of pride—perhaps too much to apologize. But she also knew her mother despised killing.
“Ms. Longtail. I don’t know what to say. If I could take back—”
The gust of flame that swept out of Ember Longtail’s mouth would have consumed Elizabeth if Jonathan had not wrapped his wings around her.
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