If anything was trembling, it was my legs. What was about this man that made me weak at the knees? He was so self-possessed, so enigmatic, and tall and broad and…
The door behind me opened. I yanked my hand from Black Rock’s and took a step back. It was Santiago. He barely acknowledged us and made his way toward the lighthouse after a quick nod in our direction.
“If you decide you want our help,” Black Rock continued without breaking eye contact, “you will have to come to us, though. Ivy is not able to leave the conciliatory at the moment. She’s extremely busy trying to find a remedy for this situation with the untamed.” He handed me his phone.
I stared at it as if it were an alien device.
“Put your number in,” he said with a devastating smile. “I’ll call you with all the details in case you decide to visit.”
I added my contact information, quickly handed back the cell, and stuffed my hands under my arms, pretending to be chilly, though I was burning up inside.
“It was good to see you again,” he said. He turned, shifted faster than I’d even known possible, and took to the sky, leaving nothing but a pile of tattered clothes behind.
It took me a moment to remember how to breathe, but when I did, I went after Santiago. He wasn’t acting like himself, and I sensed he needed someone to talk to.
Chapter 4
I hiked through the chilled night air, looking for Santiago. I knew where I’d find him. He loved to perch on the lighthouse’s top railing overlooking the moonlit lake, the choppy water sloshing below his feet. Funny, I used to think it was terrifying, dangling my legs from a ledge that high, but now, with my new set of magenta wings, heights were nothing to me. Birds didn’t fear the treetops and I didn’t need to either.
The truly scary thing was the horrors Tara had left in our town.
Dead untameds. A mysterious disease. Black Rock back. Tara possibly rearing her ugly head again. And just when I’d allowed Mercedes back into my life.
Smooth move, Ex-lax, as my elementary school gym teacher would say.
I shivered, more from the cold than thinking about Mr. Combs in his tiny red gym shorts and knee-high socks, and proceeded to the lighthouse entrance.
We’d done a great job getting Peely Point Lighthouse back to her former glory. Nothing like having an army of able-bodied young men to rake, hammer, glue and sweep. I thought about Black Rock’s proposal and what it might mean if we all ventured south to help Dad and possibly learn more about this virus, too. To be honest, the trip sounded pretty great about now. Flying to South America? You had got to be kidding me. I didn’t get a senior year spring break trip because I had to keep the lighthouse running. And Dad and I never ventured outside of Michigan after Mom died. I’d literally never been anywhere. A little warm weather on a tropical beach sounded heavenly. I wondered if they had that where Black Rock lived?
Though, the way he’d made it sound, the trip would be all business. Well, even that would be preferred to hanging around here, watching my father slowly disintegrate from the man he was to some lifeless husk. Every day he seemed a little worse, and every day my hope shrank a little more. Maybe Ivy could heal him. Maybe that was the only excuse I needed to say yes to Black Rock’s trip.
I climbed the one hundred and eighty-four steps up and up, wishing my dragon body could do the heavy lifting and fly me to the top. But there was no sense in using magic for something as silly as that. Plus, a girl needed to keep up her strength. No going soft just because she had the ability to burst into a three-stories tall, monstrous creature at a single thought.
At the top, my legs burned and my heart thundered. I made a mental note to do a jazzercise tape or something now and then. I was getting lazy in my new form.
I walked past the Fresnel lens as its light rotated like a blade through the dark canvas of the night sky and found the exterior door. I expected to find Santiago on the ledge, but he was stalking the metal walkway with his head in his hands. His steps were frantic and he was muttering to himself in Spanish. When he sensed me, his tear-filled eyes found mine. Then he shook his head and whirled in the opposite direction.
Surprised at his reaction, I went after him. “Santiago?”
“No, Lila. Okay? Just… no. I can’t right now.” His voice was thick with tears. He power-walked away from me, his feet shaking the metal railing as he went.
I stood where I was, watching him. Didn’t he know this thing was a circle?
When he came around and saw me standing in his path, he turned and went the other way. As if that could shake me.
I caught up to him a moment later. My hand wrapped gently around his wrist as he tried to pass. His feet shuffled to a stop, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. Tears were streaming down his face behind his smudged glasses. His brown curls were wild in the wind.
“Please just go,” he said between stuttering breaths. His whole body was vibrating with the emotions that radiated off of him like heat.
I shook my head, choosing instead to wrap him in my arms.
He was stiff for a moment and then melted into me. His head found my shoulder, his arms snaking around my back. The weight of him sagged onto me, but I was strong enough to bear it. They’d all borne my weight time and time again. It felt good to be the comforter instead of the comforted.
“I killed him,” he whispered into my hair.
“No. He was dying. You tried to save him.”
“I didn’t save him. I freaking blew it. I killed him.”
I rubbed his back, searching for the perfect words that would stitch up this wound. Santiago was the one who never cracked, who could make a joke in the most dire of circumstances. I’d never seen him like this before. Then again, we’d never faced something like this before. If we’d fought, if we’d killed, it was because they were bad people, people who deserved it. Come to think of it, no one in Santiago’s family had died since this started. He’d never had to face death like the rest of us and it was hitting him hard.
His frame shook as he inhaled. “I thought I could be like my dad, but I almost killed us all. I’m done. I’m never going to try it again and risk hurting someone I care about.”
“What do you mean?”
“Magic. It’s over. I’m not going to do it.”
“How can you say that?” I pulled back, trying to get him to look at me. “What about shifting?”
“I’ll shift. I’m a dragon after all. It’s my true form. But no magic.” He stared off into the water, his hands smearing his tears around his cheeks. His glasses reflected the lamp light like twin moons, but I could see from the set of his mouth that he meant it.
“That’s crazy. You can’t swear off all magic. It’s part of who you are.”
When he finally met my eyes, his stare was as hard as the metal structure holding us up.
“Not anymore.”
* * *
I fell into bed at 2 AM, exhausted and emotionally drained, and found Mercedes already hogging most of it. I folded myself around her, taking comfort in her warmth, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, only to be awakened several hours later by the smell of breakfast cooking.
Mmm. Coffee.
Urging my gelatin limbs into motion, I crawled over Mercedes, hoping not to wake her, but failing. She stirred and squinted one eye at me, peering between two braids that were draped over her face. “Was yesterday real?”
I nodded, yawning. “‘Fraid so.”
“Ug.” She threw a protective arm over her eyes. “Then I need at least a couple more hours shut-eye to deal with this mess.”
I patted her shoulder to let her know she could get her rest and hobbled down the steps to the kitchen. Fang, Tom, and Ki were already waiting for me at the table, my favorite mug full and steaming. Coffee exactly how I liked it.
Why did this feel like a set up?
“What’s going on?” I asked groggily as I attempted to tame my hair into something less wild animal, and more human girl.
“Have
a seat,” Fang said, gesturing to the chair across from him. As I did, Tom slid me a pastry and Ki a plate of eggs.
Yep, definitely a set up.
“Spill. What’s going on?” I said.
Fang nearly bounced with excitement over what they were about to tell me. Sometimes he was the most ferocious dragon in the world, ripping and slashing, and sometimes he was an adorable little kid, giddy about something that made his eyes light up. Today he was like a child who knows there is a Disney trip in his future.
“We want to go to South America,” Fang blurted.
There was a thud under the table and Fang flinched, reaching down to rub his shin. It appeared to be Ki doing the kicking as both he and Tom shot daggers at Fang across the table.
“What Fang means to say,” Ki started, glaring at him, “is that we think it would be wise to follow Black Rock’s advice and head south. You know, to help your dad and see what all this is about. Maybe we can even help with the untamed situation.”
Last night, I had mentioned Black Rock’s offer in passing, and it seemed they’d taken it to heart. Maybe they were getting bored of lighthouse duties. Heck, they even seemed afraid I would say no. Mercedes was here and we couldn’t risk losing the lighthouse again. I had every reason to poo-poo the idea, but instead it was all I could think about. There was hope in a trip south, hope for Dad, something I didn’t have here.
Still, I wouldn’t admit it so easily. I wanted them to work for it, my morning entertainment if you will.
Leaning back against my chair, I pulled the steaming mug to my mouth and narrowed my eyes. “A trip south? Right now? No, no, no. We couldn’t possibly. Fly all the way to South America? It’s so far.”
Ki leaned over, his calm brown eyes locking into my own. “We could take a plane if you’re worried about being in dragon form that long.”
“And who would pay for that?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
Tom answered, already ready for me. “I’m sure the conciliatory would. They have loads of money. It helps that they create most of the new medicines humans use. Have you heard of Big Pharma? Most of that stuff comes directly from Ivy and her crew, filtered through scientists all over the world. So, yeah, they can afford to fly us to Chile.”
I scrambled for more excuses, cupping my mug. “We just got the lighthouse back. We couldn’t leave it unattended. What if Mr. Webb comes by?”
Tom sat up straighter. “But we’ve thought of that. One of us could stay behind to guard it.”
“Who?” If they said me, they were going to get a lap full of hot coffee.
“Santiago,” Fang interjected. “He offered. Said he’d rather not go.”
I set my mug down with a thud. “That doesn’t seem like a good idea.” This was something I absolutely meant. He was hurting. Leaving him here alone could only make things worse. “No, he can’t stay here alone.”
“I’m not going,” said a voice from the doorway.
When I turned, there he was, less puffy-eyed, but still as sulky and upset. The night hadn’t done anything to smooth away the hurt in his eyes.
I got up from my chair and walked over to take his hand. It remained stiff and lifeless in mine. I tried a low, soothing tone, keeping it to a whisper so the other boys couldn’t hear.
“Santiago, don’t do this. Don’t push us away when you need us most.”
“Go or don’t. I don’t care. But I’m staying here.” He pulled his hand from my grasp, turned and left us staring at the space where he used to be.
Chapter 5
“I don’t like this,” Fang said, shaking with a shudder yet again.
“Settle down or the flight attendant will write your name on the naughty list,” I said.
“You can have the window if you want, Mr. Scaredy Cat,” Mercedes said. Fang had taken the aisle seat while I occupied the one across from him. He agreed and switched with Mercedes.
“I’m claustrophobic,” he said, as if begging for understanding. He stared out the plane’s window, wringing his hands and biting his thumbnails.
He wasn’t the only one feeling this way, but he was certainly the one suffering the most. The Boeing 767 was plenty roomy, don’t get me wrong, but flying in a tin can had nothing on dragon flight.
“I’ll pretend I’m out there,” he said, pressing his face to the small round window and glancing longingly at the clouds.
I shook my head and knelt on my seat to check on the others. They occupied the next row—Ki and Tom together, directly behind me, and Santiago behind Fang, sharing with a man in a full suit and tie.
Ki was playing with the reclining buttons of his wide leather seat, while Tom examined the menu, nodding to himself in approval.
“Nice,” he said, turning the menu to show me the picture of a plate topped with lamb chops and grilled asparagus. “I’m definitely getting this.”
“Let me look!” Ki snatched the menu from Tom’s hand and started leafing through it.
Before I sat back down, I tried to catch Santiago’s eye. He ignored me for a moment, but I knew he could sense me watching. Finally, his gaze found mine. He put on a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
During the last few days, he’d been attempting to put on a happy front, but anyone who knew him could tell it was all for show.
At least he was with us, and we’d prevailed over his stubborn idea to stay behind. It had taken some juggling and many promises to Mr. Webb at the Summers Lake city council, but we had found someone to watch over the lighthouse in our absence while I sought treatment for Dad. Of course, it helped that Ki had a big family willing to help, even someone with experience with lighthouses. Not hard to imagine since the Longtail dragons kept close relationships with their wardens.
“Guys, we can’t leave Santiago alone,” I had insisted after they all seemed ready to leave him behind. “You didn’t see him last night. He needs us right now.” I told them about Santiago’s refusal to use magic, and his shaky state of mind.
“God, we’re such idiots,” Ki said. “We should’ve guessed something was up with him. No way we’re leaving him alone.” He scratched his head and glanced at his brother. “Fang, do you really think Tak would give us a hand?”
“Who’s Tak?” I asked.
“One of their many cousins,” Tom said. “He seemed like the best choice until Santiago volunteered.”
“Let’s call him,” I’d said and, after that, it had been easy. Tak was excited to come to America, and Mr. Webb still thought anyone was better than Dad and me—even if the rest of the council had voted in our favor to allow us to keep our home, even if the lighthouse had never been in better shape.
Of course before all of that, we’d worried about what to do about Mercedes. I seriously wanted to take the trip, but I couldn’t just tell my friend: “Sorry you came all this way, but I’m flying south, little bird.” She would have killed me. So, instead, I invited her. She’d always had an adventurous personality, and I was counting it would take over as soon as exotic lands were mentioned. I’d been right. It helped that she had a week off of college for Thanksgiving break and that her first class back wouldn’t be until the following Wednesday, giving us enough time to get things sorted and possibly see the sights a bit before she had to fly back.
With that out of the way and the realization that we absolutely needed to fly by regular means, our next concern had been how to pay for the tickets if the conciliatory didn’t. The distance was simply too far to travel for free on our own wings, not to mention with Mercedes and Dad in tow. My measly lighthouse stipend couldn’t pay for even one round trip, and the guys were just as broke as I was.
We worried for a few days, trying to get all our pennies together and convincing Fang that dragon bank robbery was a terrible idea, but it was all in vain because Black Rock called one day and said the conciliatory would foot the bill.
“We are only too pleased to help,” he’d said.
I’d been shocked to silence until I managed
to say, “I can’t accept that. It’s too much money.”
“Two plane tickets?” He’d laughed. “I assure you the conciliatory will have no trouble covering that minor expense.”
“Well… um, it’s actually seven plane tickets.” I’d winced to myself. He hadn’t invited everyone, just Dad and me, but going without the guys seemed wrong. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out.”
“Seven won’t be a problem,” Black Rock had insisted.
Money hadn’t seemed an issue, though I sensed he wasn’t too happy about my mostly male and very attractive entourage, which was all right by me. Things seemed to sizzle when that man got too close to me, so bringing the boys along just seemed like the safest route. Especially since I wasn’t entirely sure I could trust him... or myself.
Sitting back down on my wide first-class seat, I turned to Dad. His head was thrown back and his eyes were closed as he breathed heavily. We’d used a wheelchair to get him here, but his pallor suggested he’d struggled down the entire length of the terminal on his own two legs. I sighed with worry. It was going to be a long flight to Santiago, Chile, even with the extra room for his bum legs.
I felt as if I’d won the lottery. I was leaving the country for the first time in my life, and I couldn’t help but feel giddy, even if, at the same time, I was worried sick about Dad.
“You okay, Dad?” I asked.
He barely acknowledged my question with a half nod.
I pulled out my phone and set it on airplane mode. I’d loaded it with ebooks and music. There were also movies in the plane’s entertainment system, and the seats reclined to an almost flat position. I smiled to myself, planning on the laziest eighteen hours of my life. I’d had enough excitement and work around the lighthouse for a while. Being trapped in first class with a flight attendant planting food and drinks right in front of me sounded like heaven.
Perilous: The Dragon’s Creed Series Book 3 Page 3