by Chris Cannon
They’d driven for ten minutes when Rhianna shouted, “Stop.” She pointed out the passenger side window. “See the sign over there? It says, Ice.”
“There’s no reason for anyone to be selling ice out here,” Valmont said. “Maybe that’s the Rebels idea of a joke since you’re a Blue.”
“It’s a stupid joke.” Jaxon leaned over and peered out the passenger side window. “This makes no sense. Do they really expect me to drive into the forest?”
“There must be a road,” Bryn said. “Turn on your high beams.”
Jaxon clicked on the brighter lights, and the faint outline of a well-packed dirt trail appeared. Would the SUV even fit on the path?
“One of the old roads was turned into jogging trail,” Valmont said. “And the cabin it leads to was converted to a rest station. I bet that’s where they have George.”
“Describe the building.” Jaxon turned onto the path, which was barely wide enough for the vehicle, and proceeded at a slow pace.
“I think there are restrooms, water fountains, and vending machines, plus a covered picnic area with benches and tables. It’s not very big. Most of it’s open, so they’ll be able to see us coming before we can see them.”
“We could get out here and fly in from above,” Bryn said.
“I’m sure they’ve had eyes on us since we left campus. If they see us stop, they might hurt George,” Jaxon said. “So we’ll keep going.”
“Do we have anything resembling a plan?” Bryn asked. “Because letting them call the shots is making me twitchy.”
“Here’s the plan. All four of us will go into the building. I’ll release George from being my knight and then we imprison the Rebels.”
Jaxon wasn’t thinking clearly. “If you release him from your bond before the Rebels get what they want, they won’t need him anymore. They might kill him,” Bryn said.
“Fine.” Jaxon tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “Rescuing George is the most important order of business. Once he’s safe, we’ll capture the Rebels and question them.”
Sure. Like it would be that easy.
When the headlights lit up the rest station, Jaxon slowed his speed to a crawl. “Keep your eyes open and follow my lead.” He parked and hit the automatic unlock. “I’m leaving the keys in the cup holder in case we’re separated and someone else needs to drive.”
“I’d rather fly out of here,” Bryn told Valmont.
“We’ll keep that option open.” Valmont climbed out of the car, and she followed him. Rhianna and Jaxon exited the vehicle, too.
“We’re here,” Jaxon called out. “Where’s my knight?”
“Come inside,” a male voice answered. “We prefer to do our business indoors.”
Jaxon stalked toward the open doorway, which lead into the facility. Rhianna, Bryn, and Valmont followed. The light from the vending machines lining the right hand wall created an eerie multicolored glow that didn’t quite reach into the depths of the cabin, which appeared to be one big room.
“Over here,” a male voice said.
A bright light came on. Black dots danced in front of Bryn’s eyes as she adjusted to the glow of the camping lantern set on a bench against the left-hand wall. When she could see clearly, she didn’t like what she saw. George’s hands were bound, and there was dried blood on his right temple and a goose egg like someone had hit him, hard.
“Are you all right?” Jaxon asked, completely ignoring the two Rebels who stood on either side of his knight. One had the golden tan skin of a Blue with the dark hair of a Black dragon. The other larger man had the dark skin of a Green dragon with the auburn hair of a Red. Both were dressed in jeans and plain T-shirts. If they hid their eyes with colored contacts or wore sunglasses and a hat, neither of them would have drawn attention in a crowd, which was kind of scary. Not knowing who the enemy was when they were in plain sight was disturbing.
“I’m angry as hell.” George shrugged away from the men. “Other than that, I’m fine.”
“You were supposed to come alone.” The Red-Green dragon put his hand on George’s shoulder and dragged him back a step.
“I didn’t like those odds.” Jaxon moved to stand in front of the men and held his hands up. “As you can see, I came unarmed.”
“We didn’t.” The Blue-Black dragon pulled a knife from his belt and held it to George’s throat. “Do as you’re told and you and your friends might walk out of here alive.”
Jaxon took a step closer to the Rebels. “Give me your word no one will be injured, and we’ll do what you ask.”
“You’re in no position to negotiate.” The Blue-Black dragon slid the knife on George’s throat an inch to the left, creating a cut, which oozed blood.
Jaxon growled. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.” He lowered his arms slowly, and then lunged forward. Twin swords of ice shot from his hands stabbing both Rebels in the chest.
Both dragons roared in surprise and pain.
Bryn moved closer to add her sword as backup if Jaxon needed her.
“Now. We’re going to play this game my way.” Jaxon shoved the sword deeper into the Blue-Black dragon’s chest. “Drop your knife and release my knight.”
The knife clattered to the floor. George ducked low and climbed under Jaxon’s swords to get away from the rebels.
“Valmont, since I’m otherwise engaged, would you cut George’s bonds?”
“Of course.” Using his sword, Valmont cut through the ropes. Angry red marks circled George’s wrists. “How’s your neck?”
George wiped at his spot where blood still trickled. “It’s not deep.”
“I only need to keep one of you alive. Who feels like talking?” Jaxon tilted his head and stared into the eyes of the men in front of him—first one and then the other.
“You can go to hell,” the Blue-Black dragon roared.
Jaxon jerked upward and to the right on the sword of frozen flames buried in the man’s chest, creating a gaping wound, which spouted blood. Then he pulled the sword from the body and watched as the man crumpled to the floor.
Blood poured from his chest in a rhythmic pattern matching his heartbeat. Bile rose in Bryn’s throat as the copper scent of blood filled the air. This was so wrong. Why did everything have to end in violence?
“I guess you’re the lucky winner,” Jaxon said to the other hybrid. “Start talking. You’re bleeding on my shoes.”
“He was the nicer of the two.” George pointed at the remaining hybrid. “He gave me water. I don’t think you should kill him.”
Frost shot from Jaxon’s nostrils. “I won’t kill him if he tells me what this was all about.”
The Rebel spoke through gritted teeth. “We needed a Blue dragon and a knight.”
“Why?”
The hybrid grimaced. “There’s a book. It’s protected by Blood Magic. Only a Blue can open it.” He gasped.
“Where is it?” Jaxon asked.
“Not here,” the Rebel said.
“He’s lying,” George said. “It’s in his coat pocket.”
“Doesn’t matter if you take it,” the man said. “You won’t stop the revolution.”
“Slowly reach into your pocket and retrieve the book.” Jaxon twisted his sword. “Don’t try anything stupid.”
The hybrid grimaced. “Fine.” With his right arm, he reached under the sword planted in his chest and into his interior left coat pocket. “If you removed your sword, this would be easier.”
“Give me a reason to trust you,” Jaxon said, “and I’ll remove it.”
The hybrid pulled out something that flashed in the light. “Jaxon,” Bryn yelled in warning, but it was too late.
The rebel’s knife slashed across Jaxon’s stomach. Growling in surprise and pain, Jaxon brought his other sword up through the man’s rib cage, slicing almost to his heart. Blood gushed.
“Idiot.” Jaxon snarled. “You could’ve traded information for your life.”
“Life under Directorate rule as a pr
isoner?” The man laughed, but it came out as a strange, wet gurgling sound. “That’s no life at all.” And then he toppled to the floor.
Blood flowed across the floor between the flagstones, creating an eerie checked pattern. Bryn backed up as the ribbon of red came toward her shoes.
Jaxon released his Elemental swords, making them disappear. He stared down at the two bodies on the floor and then he met Bryn’s gaze. “I had to do it. They gave me no choice.”
He wasn’t wrong. “I know.” The stain of blood on his shirt grew larger. Crap. How badly was he hurt? “Take your shirt off. Let me heal you.”
“It’s just a scratch.” He grunted as he knelt down and searched through the rebel’s pockets. “Here it is.” He pulled out a book.
“I’ll take that.” Rhianna grabbed the book. “Now let Bryn heal you.”
“She can heal him in the car,” Valmont said looking over his shoulder. “I’ll drive. We need to get out of here before the Rebels realize something went wrong.”
George squatted down next to the larger hybrid and rifled through his jacket, retrieving the long knife that matched Jaxon’s cuff links and then headed for the exit. They all followed.
Shadows danced in the trees, making Bryn’s heart jump around in her chest. Would the Rebels ambush them? She picked up her pace. A cloud drifted over the silver white moon, momentarily blocking out the light. Now would be the perfect time to attack.
A twig snapped and Bryn spun around. The cloud passed so it was no longer blocking the moonlight.
“We’re here to help.” A Red guard stepped out from the shadows.
“No offense,” Bryn said, “but you can help by staying right where you are.” She didn’t know this guard, and trusting a stranger wasn’t in the cards right now.
He nodded. “We’ll make sure no one follows you.”
Which meant he wasn’t alone. Maybe that should have made her feel better, but it didn’t.
When they reached the SUV, Valmont climbed behind the wheel and George rode shotgun. Bryn and Rhianna sat on either side of Jaxon in the back seat.
As soon as the SUV started moving, Bryn reached for Jaxon’s shirt. It was sticky with blood. “We need some light so I can see what we’re dealing with.”
“George check the glove box for a flashlight,” Valmont said.
After rooting around in the compartment, George found a small flashlight and passed it back to them. Rhianna held it above Jaxon’s abdomen so Bryn could see the extent of the injury.
Being careful, she peeled back the blood-soaked material. The knife had sliced into Jaxon’s stomach right below his navel.
“It can wait until we get back to campus.” Jaxon tugged at his shirt. His muscles were tense, like he was trying to hold still. The bouncing of the SUV down the old road had to hurt.
“No,” Rhianna said, “it can’t.”
He knew she could heal him. She’d done it before. What was his problem? And then she realized it was probably more to do with the placement of the wound, because all of a sudden it did seem a little awkward that she’d be sort of groping him in the back seat of an SUV while his girlfriend watched. She clamped down on the urge to giggle. That was a stupid, immature thought. Eventually, she’d be a professional medic who’d heal all sorts of injuries on males and females. Still, this was Jaxon, which made everything a bit more awkward. Maybe she could place her hand on Jaxon’s side. That seemed less grope-y.
“This isn’t a big deal,” she said in what she hoped was a professional voice. Placing her hand above his left hipbone, she focused on gathering her Quintessence as a ball of light in her chest. Then she imagined the light flowing down her arm, through her hand into Jaxon’s abdomen. She stared at the cut, imagining the edges of the sliced skin coming back together and stopping the flow of blood. The SUV jerked around, which made the flashlight bounce around, which made it difficult for her to tell if the blood had stopped.
“Rhianna, is that better?” Bryn didn’t think Jaxon would appreciate her inspecting his injury any closer than she already had been.
Rhianna used her sleeve to wipe away the blood. “I think it’s stopped.”
“Thank you.” Jaxon’s muscles unclenched, and he closed his eyes.
“You’re welcome.” Now, why did it feel like she was being watched? Maybe because she was. George had twisted around in his seat to see what they were doing. “Your healing magic doesn’t work on humans, does it?”
“I don’t honestly know,” Bryn said. “I can heal cuts on dragons, but I’ve never tried to help with a goose egg like yours. The medics at the Institute will know what to do.”
“I’d be happy with some ibuprofen and a bag of ice,” George said. “But that was something to see.”
They made it back to the campus gate without any further incidents.
Medics waited inside the fence. As soon as they parked and climbed out, Medic Williams approached Jaxon and lifted his shirt. “Let me check Bryn’s work.” She examined him with a flashlight and palpated his abdomen.
“How did you know I was injured and Bryn healed me?” he asked.
“Nice work, Bryn. And to answer your question, there are cameras on the interior and exterior of the SUV, as well as microphones. The Directorate and the guards were tracking your every move.”
“That should be reassuring, but it’s kind of creepy,” Bryn said to no one in particular.
A medic held an icepack to George’s head and gave him pills and a bottle of water. “I’m afraid this is all I can do for you right now. After you talk to the Directorate, we’ll have a car take you to your physician in Dragon’s Bluff.”
Bryn glanced around at the medics who’d been waiting for them with the campus guards. No Directorate members were present. “Where to now?”
“We’ll escort you to your Grandfather’s office in the library,” a guard said.
“Shouldn’t we speak to my father first?” Jaxon said.
“He’s in Bryn’s grandfather’s office because that is where the surveillance equipment is set up,” the guard explained.
Bryn almost commented on Jaxon’s my-father-is-the-speaker moment, but since he’d recently taken a knife to the gut, she refrained.
Valmont snorted but didn’t make a comment. Bryn elbowed him. He rolled his eyes as they fell into step behind Jaxon, George, and Rhianna. “What? Don’t bother denying it. You were thinking the same thing.”
Ten minutes later, they sat in the aforementioned offices. Ferrin and Bryn’s grandfather listened as George explained how he’d been abducted, and then Jaxon filled them in on what had happened at the rest station. The dispassionate, cold tone of Jaxon’s voice as he described the hybrids bleeding out gave Bryn chills.
“Using your Elemental swords was quick thinking on your part,” Ferrin said. “You represented your Clan well.”
“You did a fine job,” Bryn’s grandfather said. “Although I am not pleased you brought Bryn and Valmont with you.”
Jaxon gave a dry laugh. “Have you ever tried to stop Bryn from going somewhere she wanted to go?”
“She’s much like her grandmother in that manner.”
Funny how Jaxon wasn’t admitting he’d asked for her help. Maybe he thought it would make him appear weak in front of his father. Blue males and their egos were so strange.
“I want to know what all this fuss was about. Can we get to the part where Jaxon bleeds on the journal?” Bryn gestured toward the book sitting on the table.
Rather than waiting for his father’s approval, Jaxon pulled the book toward him. “George, if you’d do the honors.”
George removed the knife from his belt that was etched with frozen flames and placed the tip on the binding of the book. “I don’t have my sword, but I’m sure this will work.”
Jaxon slid his index finger down the blade. When the blood came into contact with the book, the leather cover popped up a quarter of an inch like an invisible lock had been sprung.
“I t
hink that did it.” Jaxon flipped the book open and methodically turned the pages, scanning each one for something that might be important.
Both Ferrin and her grandfather watched him like hawks. Were they judging his ability to make decisions in a crisis or watching for him to prove himself in some manner?
“These are mostly entries about the sales of land.” Jaxon flipped pages. “There must be something more. A-ha.” Jaxon tapped a page covered in what looked like a treasure map and then turned it toward his father. “I imagine the Rebels wanted these maps that seem to show underground tunnels which run from Dragon’s Bluff onto campus. I’m sure the Directorate will want to dispatch guards to investigate if these tunnels are still accessible.”
Ferrin stood taller. “That is exactly what I plan to do.”
“We’ll have a car take George home,” said Bryn’s grandfather and then he pointed at her. “Why don’t you, Valmont, and Rhianna walk him out.”
Apparently, they were being dismissed. It’s not like she wanted to hang around, and Jaxon would fill her in on anything she missed, but it rankled that she wouldn’t hear the information first hand.
“Of course.”
“Wait, George,” Jaxon said. “I should release you, so this can’t happen again.”
George narrowed his eyes. “My grandkids need me, so I think you’re probably right.”
“Then I release you.” Jaxon sucked in breath and then shook his head like he was clearing his thoughts.
George’s shoulders slumped, and he seemed to shrink back in his chair. “I’m going to miss that energy. Guess I’ll have to drink more coffee.”
“Are you both okay?” Bryn asked.
They nodded, but Bryn still found it unsettling.
Chapter Eight
After making sure George had a ride to Dragon’s Bluff and Rhianna was home safe, Bryn called Keegan and Ivy to tell them everything was okay. She also told them about Jaxon releasing George from the dragon-knight bond. They could do what they wanted with that information. Then she and Valmont changed into pajamas and collapsed on the couch in her dorm room.