by Eve Langlais
“Fine, but if it doesn’t”—she eyed him over her shoulder—“I’ll want another kiss.”
It was gratifying to see him tongue-tied.
“I’ll go see if I can find a torch.” He headed for the stairs.
“I’ll help.” She rapidly sent thoughts to the dragon.
The dragon lay back down, almost crushing her in its depression. It had apparently heard that excuse before.
She patted its snout. “I promise I’ll be back.”
“Actually, that might not be necessary. Look what I found.” Cam bypassed the stairs for what appeared to be an old metal crate that was actually some kind of utility shed with tools, probably for emergency fixes on the ship they’d seen.
A way out of here, and she’d never even suspected. She felt stupid for not realizing escape was so close.
Not that escape would be easy. Ruby had turned them away once and would probably do so again. As for the soldiers, would they shoot children?
She only had to remember they’d been using her people as dragon food to know that answer.
It didn’t take as long as expected for the white-hot flame of the torch to slice through the metal link. It clanged to the ground, and the dragon immediately sat on its hind quarters, towering over them both.
It uttered an ululating cry of joy.
“Be free,” Kayda whispered.
Chapter 17
The dragon stretched, and Cam narrowly missed being cuffed by the sweep of its wings. They crackled as they snapped open. The big drake let out a shriek.
He could only assume it was happy given Kayda beamed. Even better, the dragon ignored them.
It jumped and landed on the rim of the tower, its mighty hindquarters bunching as its claws gripped the broken concrete walls.
Kayda was quite smug as she said, “Told you it wouldn’t eat us.”
He was kind of glad he didn’t have to try and kill it. There was something kind of radioactive about seeing a creature of legend come to life. The big drake was nothing like the small dragons. And it was more than just size.
There was an intelligence in its gaze and a yearning for what they all wanted. Freedom.
It leaped, pushing with its legs, sending the precarious perch crumbling. Not that it mattered. The dragon flung itself into the air, wings snapping, and for a moment, it seemed impossible that such a thing would be able to fly. The drake caught an air current, and he hovered before the first mighty flap. The wings pumped the currents, aiding it in lifting higher into the sky, where it bugled an excited cry.
“He’s finally free. We did it!” Kayda flung her arms around him.
This called for more than a hug. He kissed her, pressing his mouth to hers and tasting the victory in the embrace.
They did it. They were still alive. The shadow overhead warned him.
Despite knowing the futility, he spun Kayda behind his back as the dragon banked and then arrowed for them. Dinnertime. Cam muttered, “Told you so.”
“Turn around.”
At her soft demand, he whirled and saw the husband and wife he’d shown leniency to aiming their weapons into the sky. Wrong choice. The bullets bounced off the drake’s hide, and then it was too late for them.
The dragon snapped the wife with his jaws and slammed the husband into a wall, leaving him broken.
“Well, shit,” Cam exhaled. “The dragon saved us.”
“Remember how I said we shouldn’t leave an enemy at our back?” Kayda smirked. “Told you so.”
“I guess you did.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe that worked.”
“What do you mean? You told me it was a great plan.”
Cam rolled his shoulders. “I honestly thought it would eat us.”
“It still might,” she said, looking overhead. But the dark speck of the old drake was gone, and night was falling. “Now what?”
“Time to get the kids before they move out overland.”
It turned out they didn’t have far to go. As they crossed the plateau, twilight casting shadows and the sunset at their back making them blind, they didn’t immediately notice Gellie suddenly waddling to them. It took his trumpeting for Kayda to say, “Gellie? There you are. I was so worried. What are you doing here?”
“Not just him, look,” Cam muttered. He pointed to where the last survivors of the Necropolis spilled over the edge.
They were led by Milo and Lila. By the time they were all traversing the plateau, Gorri held the rear.
Kayda exclaimed, “Where are the rest of you?”
As they neared, he could see the blood on them. They’d fought.
“Zee went crazy,” Lila explained.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“When Gellie returned without you, for some reason, he freaked on Zee. And the old guy lost it. Said it wasn’t fair that we were all alive and his daughter wasn’t. That he’d made the bargain and they should have honored it. Then he opened the door to the basement.”
Her mouth rounded in horror. “The ghouls.”
“Only a couple made it inside before we got it closed again. They managed to kill Zee before we could, and a few of the kids who fought them to save the others.” Gorri’s head hung. “I made it too late to help.”
Kayda put a hand on his arm. “You did your best. And we’ll mourn them later. Come, let’s get everyone inside the tower.”
It was Lila who asked, “Did you find a way to escape?”
And he knew it strummed Kayda’s guilt to admit, “No, not yet. But we do have a place we can use as a home.”
They trudged back across the plateau, the little ones hustling at the urging of the older ones. Milo led the way with some of the older kids armed with spears. Gorri and Lila hung back with Cam and Kayda.
“What happened?” Lila queried in a soft undertone.
It took a moment to catch them up, and then Gorri swore. “Fucking Ruby assholes.”
Whereas Lila looked sad and had no acerbic comment for once.
It was Kayda who addressed Cam. “What should we do next?”
Wait, why was she looking to him? They all were.
Why me? But he knew the answer. Kayda was out of ideas and feeling wounded by revelations. The others were lost without the home they’d counted on.
His mind worked quickly. “First thing, we get the kids tucked inside the tower with someone guarding them while we do a sweep to make sure we didn’t miss any of the Ruby citizens.”
“Then what?” Gorri asked.
He rubbed at his rough jaw. “Then we all go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. It’s been a fuck of a day. We’ll figure shit out in the morning.”
It took a few hours to go floor by floor, and even then, they didn’t trust it, so Cam disabled the elevator and they barricaded the stairwell doors.
It took a while to settle the survivors into their new rooms. Cooped up for so long in the Necropolis, they exclaimed over their new beds. The sheets. The fact they had real light and food.
For now. They’d taken the base from Ruby, but how long before they made a push to get it back? Because Cam didn’t doubt they would try. They’d gone to too much trouble to abandon their perfidy now.
Cam lost track of Kayda as they dealt with the younger ones and set barricades and warning systems at all possible egresses. Just in case.
Feeling confined, he returned outside, staring at the night sky. That was where Kayda found him.
“What are you looking at?” she asked, joining him to sit on the crate of tools.
“The stars. It’s the one thing that stays the same no matter where I go.”
“I’ve only rarely had a chance to see them,” she admitted as she leaned against him. She inhaled deeply. “There is something decadent about being outside in the open.”
“Soon you’ll have this all the time.”
“For some kids, today was the first time they were ever outside.”
Which was the saddest thing he’d ever heard. Even he and his sister,
the test subjects, got to spend time outdoors.
She sighed. “What are we going to do?” She didn’t need to say more.
“We are going to give those kids a chance to live. The next transport is due to arrive in three days.”
“How do you know?” She straightened to look at him.
“I read the countess’s notes. She kept meticulous records and a calendar of dates.”
“You’re planning to take the transport? How? The last one was full of soldiers. There’s only twenty-two of us left, most too young to fight.”
“I have a plan, but I’m going to need some help from the kids.”
She paused before slowly stating, “It’s going to be dangerous.”
“Fighting for freedom always is, so if you want me to promise no one will get hurt or killed, I can’t. But I can offer them a chance, which is more than they had before.”
“What do we need to do?”
“We’ll work out the finer details later. Relax a moment with me.” He jumped onto the flat part of a wall and held out his hand.
He pulled her up beside him and through a ragged hole, which acted as great camouflage for a guard post. Nothing fancy, but with plenty of openings for looking outside. It was private, though. No one would find them here.
Kayda went eagerly into his arms, lifting her face for a kiss. Sighing as their tongues intertwined.
“We should go back inside before they come looking,” she murmured.
“We should.” He wanted to groan. Why did he have to be so responsible?
Her hands went to the buckle of his pants and tugged. “We’ll have to make this quick.”
“You are so fucking perfect.” He made quick work of her pants, and the hand he slid between her thighs found her slick and ready for him.
There wasn’t much room in their hidden nook, but by sitting down and having her straddle him, they made it work.
He slid into her warm channel and clutched her ass tight as she pushed herself down on him, sheathing him entirely. Squeezing him so nice.
They rocked together, bodies in tune, hearts racing, lips locked as intimately as the lower parts of them.
When they came, it was as one, the swelling crest of pleasure sweeping them both and leaving them panting.
Hugging.
He never wanted it to end.
But he still had a prophecy to fulfill. In order for Ozz, and by default Kayda, to live, he’d have to die. The days left to them ticked down, and in between the lovemaking, there was so much to do.
Starting with the plan for the transport. The following day Cam and Kayda apprised the older crew of Milo, Lila, and Gorri before they addressed those that remained. A motley crew aged six and up, looking to him for help.
Cam tucked his hands behind his back. “Fellow citizens, we have a little problem.”
“Did the ghouls find us already?” chirped Simon in the front.
“No ghouls. Not yet at least,” he said, reminding them to be cautious. “But a Ruby transport ship is expected a few nights from now.”
This caused a buzz and a few frightened faces. By now they knew of the treachery.
Cam held up a hand. “Don’t freak out. I’ve got a plan. But I’m going to need your help.”
No surprise, he got all the volunteers he needed. This was a matter of life or death. They had to succeed.
When the transport arrived, he dressed in a ruby uniform. He and Milo would camouflage themselves as soldiers and Kayda and Lila as regular workers. The only flaw in their plan was not knowing if everyone on board the ship knew each other. How often did they change up the guards?
He stood looking bored behind Kayda as the ship kicked up dust during its landing. Same spot as before. Rattling a stack of crates.
The gangway opened, and a man in a helmet stepped down first. His voice had a tinny echo to it as he said, “Where’s the dragon?”
“Escaped,” Kayda stated, remaining by the stairs. In the dim lighting, she could have been anyone.
“Escaped?” The soldier glanced to the sky. As if he’d see a menace coming.
“He’s long gone. Do you have our supplies?” Because they were overdue.
Instead of answering, the soldier asked, “Is the shipment ready?”
“Yes.”
Still the soldier didn’t budge from the ramp. The next query held the expected suspicion. “Who are you? Where’s the countess?”
“I am her assistant.” She arched a brow and tried to look as snooty as possible. “The countess is sick in bed. Something she ate. We think.” She shrugged. “You’re welcome to go check for yourself. I don’t believe she’s contagious.”
“No need. Bring out the supplies.” The soldier waved, and the others on board exited the transport. A group of ten, just like last time. Six of them in helmets. Four without, meant as replacements for the current crew.
Those were the dangerous ones. Cam remained watching as they trooped down the steps. By Kayda’s tense posture he knew she waited for someone to sound a warning, to notice the imposters.
The soldiers returned from the first level, hands full of heavy cases, meaning they couldn’t easily pull their guns.
“Now,” Cam barked.
The thing about living in the tunnels, and surviving, was the children had gotten good at blending in and hiding. Some popped out of the crates the soldiers carried to attack, the element of surprise helping. The handful of camouflage devices they found also assisted. Those wearing them popped suddenly into view and darted for the soldiers, who took a moment too long to assess the situation. And then hesitated even longer as the leader, who’d not yet realized the cases were empty, yelled, “Don’t drop the goods.”
But the time it took to set them down gently was long enough for the children to swarm and tug at their helmets, breaking the seals.
The air at this altitude wasn’t enough to kill them on contact, which was why the younger children were tossing buckets of ash. Despite only being slightly exposed, the panic proved very real. For those soldiers at least. Those Diamond born and adapted to the tainted air didn’t freak out.
Those were the ones Cam and Gorri shot.
Their bodies hit the ground, and in the chaos, Cam saw the leader running back into the transport. He couldn’t be allowed to leave with it. Cam ran for the ship, but Lila was faster.
By the time Cam arrived, barreling onto the transport, the soldier leading the group was dead and the pilot was on his knees, blubbering.
Cam didn’t say a word as Lila tore off his helmet and ended him. They were all guilty even if it was just by being complicit.
It was shortly over except for the guy who kept screaming. The shrill noise ended abruptly.
And the children, who weren’t children anymore, cheered.
There was even more rejoicing at the food stores on board the ship. The children stripped the vessel bare of all supplies until only Kayda, Cam, and her closest friends remained. They stood outside the transport staring at it.
“It’s big,” Gorri noted.
“It is,” Cam agreed.
“Big enough for everyone now that the cargo is gone.”
“Ayuh. But where would you take them?” Cam folded his arms. “Here’s the problem. We don’t have enough fuel to take it somewhere safe.”
Kayda knew better than to mention they could fly to Ruby. Ruby wasn’t safe. “Are you sure we wouldn’t make it to the Marshes?”
He shook his head. “Not even close.”
“You can’t know that for sure,” Gorri protested.
“Have you ever driven?” he asked with an arched brow.
Given Gorri had still been in diapers when the volcano erupted, the answer had him grumbling.
“What are you proposing?” Milo asked.
“The way I see it, we have a few problems. One, more Ruby soldiers are going to come back. Two, the dragons. Three, the volcano, which subcategorizes into ash fall, poisoned air, and making overland travel virt
ually impossible.”
“And how do we fix one, let alone all of those problems?” Lila interjected. “Ruby will keep sending soldiers with more and more weapons. We won’t be able to hold them off. As for the other problems…you can’t fight a volcano. So long as it’s spewing, the dragons are here to stay.”
“What if we could stop it?” Cam said.
“How?” Milo asked.
“Before the countess died, she said something about them using the volcano as a place to dump their toxic waste. Stop the transport of their garbage and maybe, just maybe, the volcano goes back to sleep,” Cam said.
“If that happens, the ash stops, and the cold might come back,” Milo mused aloud. “The fire dragons don’t like the cold.”
“Great idea, but how the fuck you going to stop Ruby from using us as a dump?” Gorri sputtered.
“In the famous words of my sister, Casey”—Cam smiled—“we’re gonna blow some shit up.”
Chapter 18
Nothing like telling everyone they’d be exploding the source of their strife.
Cam was a hero in their eyes. A shining savior and everyone wanted to help him. Be around him. But when the door to their room closed, he was hers and hers alone. Those precious days as they planned were the most perfect she could have ever imagined.
Until he abandoned her.
She awoke one morning to find Cam had disappeared and left her only a stupid note. A note she’d read through once and then destroyed in her anger and grief. How dare he leave when she needed him most.
I’m going to make things right for you and all of Diamond. Thank you for everything.
He dared to thank her! She should thank him for dragging her out of the apathy that plagued her. Should hit him for being so obtuse. Then shake him. Why did he have this stupid belief he had to sacrifice himself for her?
It wasn’t fair. Saving Diamond shouldn’t come at his expense.
She stomped from the room she’d briefly shared with Cam, unable to look at the bed and its rumpled sheets without seeing him there. A solid presence that she loved to snuggle.
Who knew being wrapped around someone would be so comforting?
Why did he have to go and be heroic?