He frowned and huffed once. "The weres will track us. I'm in no condition to fly, not yet." He rolled his shoulders but winced, letting out a little grunt.
Bells grinned and he cocked his head, grinning back at her, big and sloppy. "What?" he asked.
"Well, hiding and running is what we fae do best. Don't you worry, I got this." She moved her hands to make a pattern in the air and each time she repeated it, the pattern grew more solid, more visible. It glowed green and red and purple. Her voice pitched higher with each repetition. When the rune grew so bright that she couldn't see through it at all anymore, she put her lips together and blew out, making a pop! noise. At the same time, she stopped moving her hands and spread her fingers out as wide as she could. The rune seemed to split in half, each part drifting through the air at one of them. When they made contact, they burst into tiny butterflies that scattered in every direction, quickly gone.
Jaekob smiled. "Pretty show. But how are we going to avoid being chased?"
"Easy," she said with a wink. "Now we smell like flowers and trees. It lasts until we go to sleep, or until the sun sets and rises again."
He slammed his fist into his other hand. "Fantastic! A neat trick, little fae." His smile faded a bit.
She looked at him questioningly. "So, why are you trying hard not to frown all of a sudden?"
"Now we have to find a way to get through the city without getting caught by those elves, who'll be chasing us soon. And don't forget about all the people who probably aren't very fond of dragons right now for trapping them in with the infection. Or simply for not stopping it yet."
"Fine, but where will we go? Do you think the sword is still in the city?"
"I don't know, but there's only one way to find out for sure. We've got to get to Mikah. This is now bigger than you and me. I hate to say this, but he has to be warned."
"He didn't seem to listen to what you had to say when I met him. And it's a fantastical story. Do you think he'll help us now when he wouldn't before?"
Jaekob's expression grew hard and determined. "It's the only way we'll get the sword back before the elves can put it to terrible use. We'll have to convince him. Let's go," he said, and walked east toward his family manor.
Bells smiled at the thought of seeing Chef again, but then, in the distance, she heard wolves howling and a chill ran up her spine. She hurried to catch up. However bad things might get in the future, Jaekob would heal, her energy would return, and they were going to the safest place in the city. Maybe in the world. Nothing could get to them as long as they were under the shell around Jaekob's home. It would buy them time, and that was what they needed most.
Books by J.A. Culican
Novels
The Prince Returns-Keeper of Dragons book 1
The Elven Alliance-Keeper of Dragons book 2
The Mere Treaty-Keeper of Dragons book 3
The Crowns’ Accord-Keeper of Dragons book 4
Second Sight-Hollows Ground book 1
Slayer-Dragon Tamer book 1
Warrior-Dragon Tamer book 2
Protector-Dragon Tamer book 3
Short Stories
The Golden Dragon-Keeper of Dragons short story
Jericho-Keeper of Dragons short story
Phoenix-Hollows Ground short story
Savior-Dragon Tamer short story
About J.A. Culican
J.A. Culican is a USA Today Bestselling author of the middle grade fantasy series Keeper of Dragons. Her first novel in the fictional series catapulted a trajectory of titles and awards, including top selling author on the USA Today bestsellers list and Amazon, and a rightfully earned spot as an international best seller. Additional accolades include Best Fantasy Book of 2016, Runner-up in Reality Bites Book Awards, and 1st place for Best Coming of Age Book from the Indie book Awards.
J.A. Culican holds a Master’s degree in Special Education from Niagara University, in which she has been teaching special education for over 12 years. She is also the president of the autism awareness non-profit Puzzle Peace United. J.A. Culican resides in Southern New Jersey with her husband and four young children.
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Sword of Fire (Through the Ashes Book 1) Page 17