I couldn’t take my eyes off the mountains, blackish green on the bottom, but growing white until the colorless tops sparkled in the sunshine. This city had palm trees and snow. Fire and ice. A bit like hanging out with dragons. I could see why the conciliatory chose to live here. I would love to live here. It put Summers Lake to shame.
Black Rock took a left, following a road that lead toward those gorgeous mountains. I watched in wonder as the buildings began to thin out and the trees flooded in. When I looked back, the shimmering city sparkled like emerald-cut diamonds, the tallest one towering hundreds of feet above the rest.
“That’s the Gran Torre Santiago,” said our Santiago from the back. “It’s sixty-four stories high. Tallest in Latin America.”
“How do you know so much about it, smart ass?” Tom asked.
Santiago shrugged, still keeping one protective arm around my unconscious father. “I like to know all things Santiago.”
Another joke. Maybe we really were making progress.
Higher into the mountains we climbed. The types of trees changed from tropical to more hardy. The air in the car was the same temperature, but I had a feeling the atmosphere around us was much colder than when we’d stepped out of the airport.
Before long, Black Rock pulled the van onto a small, look-out parking lot. There was nothing here but a stellar view of the city below and more highway angling up.
He turned off the key and palmed it, glancing back at us. “Please gather all your belongings. I will wipe the vehicle clean of prints after we all exit.”
“Are we on foot from here?” Mercedes asked, her perfect eyebrow arching. I could tell by the tone of her voice she was really saying I hope, for your sake, we aren’t on foot from here, bro.
“We will be flying up. The conciliatory cannot be accessed any other way.”
Flying up? That was going to be a problem. “Um, Black Rock.”
He didn’t wait for me to ask. “I will personally carry your father and guarantee his safety. One of the males can carry your friend.” His eyes darted to Mercedes and away. It seemed he had sensed her growing distaste for him but was playing it cool.
I drew in a deep breath and blew it out. “Well, okay then.”
We gathered our things. Black Rock established a magical perimeter so no tourist would wander into our dragon party. Tom tied the packs together and agreed to carry them in one of his claws. Black Rock would carry Dad and Mercedes had already asked Fang if she could ride with him. Fang turned ruddy before smiling and nodding. Ah, young love.
Then there was the question of getting naked in front of all these people. Oh, my best friend seeing me turn into Barney with wings. That, too.
I pulled her aside and drew her close. “Listen, Mer. Things are about to get weird, so—”
“About to get weird?” There went that arching eyebrow again.
“You have a point. But, listen, I’m going to shift. Into a dragon. Can you handle that?”
She examined me up and down. “Yeah, that’s dope. I actually can’t wait.”
Somehow she was taking this all in stride. I threw my arms around her, silently thanking her for being the coolest chick I knew. Then I jogged off, behind a tree and started to strip. Dang, it was cold.
Naked, shivering and clutching my clothes, I summoned my magic and shifted. I never got over the feeling of my body blowing up like a pool toy as my bones snapped in place, Transformer style.
When I was finished, I stepped out. Mercedes was there to take me in. Her eyes bugged out and her mouth dropped open. At first, I was afraid I’d scared her, but her fist went up as a whoop escaped her throat.
“That’s wicked! Lila, oh my God.” She ran up and hugged my scaly leg.
I nuzzled her with my nose. Everything had gone better than I’d expected.
The rest of the crew shifted, and we were on our way. Black Rock was as good as his word, carrying my father in both front claws like one might carry a family heirloom. I kept a watchful eye on him and another on Mercedes as she clung to Fang’s neck still whooping. No fear of heights for her.
We climbed up the mountainside, the air chilly and crisp, the sky impossibly blue. It felt like a dream. Black Rock banked, letting us know to follow. I adjusted my wings and zoomed between two peaks to find a smooth, rocky area that had to function as a dragon landing pad. We dropped down lightly, the snow swirling around our feet as our wings maneuvered our bodies onto the rock.
As we landed, a beautiful female sprinted out of a crevasse. Her red hair and black coat rippled around her as her frantic steps closed the distance between us in seconds.
Not good.
Black Rock shifted into human form, his naked body striding through the snow to her. “Ivy, what’s wrong?”
“Black Rock, you have to come and see this. We have a big problem.”
Chapter 7
We ran after Black Rock, barely taking the time to throw on clothes. Hopping into my boots, I made sure another of the conciliatory was helping my father onto an expensive leather couch in the main hallway before barreling after the throng of shifters ahead of me. He’d be fine for a minute. I had to see what was going on.
What had happened? Another attack? I didn’t see any smoke. In fact, the conciliatory was so sparkly and clean it could’ve been a high-end office building and not a dragon fortress inside a mountain. High ceilings, modern fixtures, marble floors, everything screamed expensive and finely decorated. I’d never been in fancy hotels in places like Paris or Rome, but I bet they looked like this, mixed in with some high tech upgrades that would make the folks at Google jealous. A huge wall screen displayed news from at least seven countries. There were motion sensor doors, keypads to open locks and touch screen pads on stands at odd intervals. And that’s just what I could see in the first few minutes of being here.
Big Pharma money sure bought some pretty amazing gadgets.
Ivy’s red hair fluttered behind her as she jogged in the lead. I recognized her from several months ago when the conciliatory intervened with our battle against Tara. She was Black Rock’s right hand woman, slim and fit, like a very hot Jean Gray from the X-men. I wondered, with a flash of jealousy, if they were a couple, before reminding myself that I didn’t care.
Ahead of me, Black Rock didn’t run so much as allowed his huge legs to carry him at the same pace as everyone else. What would he look like running? A majestic animal? Gleaming. Sparkling.
Holy Hannah, what was happening to me? Maybe it was the fact that he hadn’t put on clothes, just donned those scale pants that advanced dragon magicians could conjure up. This left his back muscles exposed, flexing as he strode down the brightly lit hallways.
Get it together, Lila.
Mercedes jogged up beside me. “What is all this?”
“I have no idea. Some emergency? You know as much as I do.” I shrugged as I jogged beside her. “Why are these hallways so long?”
We ran past an open doorway, the room displaying what appeared to be a training facility—ropes dangled from the ceiling, obstacles littered a track, and there was a pit of some sort that I was dying to check out—but it was gone in a flash. Many other doors were closed, hiding infinite wonders, until we followed Ivy into a very large, very sterile room.
The space was the size of two gymnasiums with soaring ceilings, tile floors and tall blank walls. The vast array of technology and medical equipment reminded me of movies I’d seen of government research facilities.
Before I could look much further, a shriek drew my attention.
Strapped to a metal table, a man thrashed, foamed, and spit. His arms and feet were bound with thick straps, but his back arched as he kicked against them. Blood and spittle dripped from his lips as his wild hair lashed from side to side, obscuring all but his mouth which was snapping open and shut. His exposed skin was riddled with sores and wounds that oozed with pus. They could be seen everywhere except under the towel someone seemed to have thrown over his privates.
/>
“What are you doing to him?” Mercedes shouted, starting forward. Before I could grab for her, she’d made her way to the table, gripping the bonds and attempting to pry them apart.
The man on the table stopped thrashing, snapping to attention as she tried to free him. Then he lunged to bite.
Teeth scraped through the air close to her flesh, but luckily Ivy was there to yank her away before the attack could really begin. Ivy sunk a needle into the man’s neck, thumbing the plunger. As the fluid flooded his system, his thrashing slowed. As his head lolled to the side, his bloodshot eyes rested on us. Then closed.
I ran to Mercedes, pulling her into an embrace as the boys circled protectively around us.
“What is that?” Ki asked, his voice shaking.
“That’s an untamed,” Tom remarked. “He didn’t act anything like the one Black Rock brought to the house.”
Fang nodded, stepping between us and it. I had to admit that all of muscle was nice to have. Mercedes trembled in my arms and, though I was hiding it better, I was quaking inside, too.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Ivy said, pressing her fingers to the man’s neck. “The treatment didn’t work and I wanted Black Rock to note his symptoms before sedating him. I didn’t know there would be an entourage.” At the last comment, she flashed an unwelcoming sneer before smoothing it away. “But it’s probably better you are here to see what we’re up against.”
“What we’re up against?” Ki asked, flicking his eyes between the untamed and Ivy.
She nodded gravely. “The man Black Rock found practically dead at your doorstep was like this before succumbing to the virus. Our patients are like rabid animals before falling into a more docile stupor.”
“The thing you found near my home was acting like that?” I stared at Black Rock.
He blinked twice before dodging my question. “Ivy, when was this dragon brought in?”
“A few hours ago. Our scout team got a call. He was terrorizing a village two hours from here.” She walked to a very large computer screen and tapped it to life. Scrolling through, she pulled up a map and pointed near the coast of Chile, south of where we were. Black Rock studied the location as I studied all the other dots on the map.
“What are all these?” I asked, staring at the spattering of dots along the coast. There were at least six in various places around Chile.
Ivy stared at me and then began pinching the screen to zoom out. More dots appeared. A dozen. Two dozen. Then double that all through North and South America.
“Are these the infected?” Ki’s voice was high.
“Only the Western Hemisphere?” This was Santiago. It was the first time he’d spoken since we’d landed. He seemed more skeptical than terrified.
Tom stepped forward, the panic clear on his face. “Is Tara doing this? Infecting all these people? If she is—“
Ki put a hand on Tom’s chest to steady him. “No one knows that.”
“But we suspect it.” Ivy turned an icy stare in Tom’s direction, crossing her arms like a wall between them. It was clear she was in the “blame the offspring for the sins of the mother” camp.
I liked her even less. Taking a step forward, I prepared to tell her so. Smart lady scientist or no, there was no reason to be a bitch.
Black Rock stepped up, his voice cutting through everything. “We know nothing about where this threat came from. All we know is that it is new and it’s only affecting the untamed.”
That was good. At least it meant this virus wasn’t what was ailing my father. I hadn’t admitted it to myself until this moment, but I’d been afraid of that possibility. My heart sunk and then rose. It meant this trip might offer little in the way of help for him if Ivy was so focused on the untamed, but it also meant he wouldn’t end up like that man on the table.
“You brought us here for what then?” Tom said, cutting into my thoughts. “You said you would heal Lila’s father, but it seems to have your hands full.”
Black Rock sighed, turning to him. “The honest truth?”
Tom nodded.
“I need your help.”
Everyone stared.
“You,” Fang said, “need us?” He pointed at our group of ragtag teenagers.
We were all shocked. It would be like the head of NASA asking our help on a mission to Mars. Or if Britney Spears suddenly called me up to choreograph her next video.
“How can we help you?” Santiago said, still skeptical.
Black Rock’s shoulders sagged. “As hard as it is to say, we’re out of our depth. We are not research scientists. We are law enforcement. Ivy here, does her best, but she is not trained in this either. You four,” he nodded to Fang, Ki, Tom and Santiago, “are the sons of the brightest dragon minds of our generation.”
“Then why not get our parents?” Santiago asked.
“Because if this gets out, mass hysteria could be our next problem. Your parents live and die by the creed, and it would require them to share whatever information we provide with all dragon leaders. And once this gets out, do you think everyone will believe the virus only infects the untamed? Not likely. Mass fear in our kind has never gone over well. People get sloppy. Disaster strikes.”
“You don’t need us,” Santiago said. “Dad says Ivy is a very powerful magical healer. I’m sure she can come up with something.”
Black Rock raised an eyebrow in Ivy’s direction, while she lifted her chin in defiance. What was going on here?
“Well…” Black Rock began hesitantly. “She—”
“She is right here,” Ivy said, taking over the explanation. “Healing magic has been our doom. It is science we should embrace. Not all dragons are capable of extraordinary things. Besides, more often than we’d like to admit, we cause more harm than good.”
Her green eyes darted to Santiago. He lowered his head in shame. Clearly, Black Rock had told her about the unfortunate end of the untamed on our kitchen table. Though that was unfair. The man had practically been dead when he arrived.
But I didn’t care about Ivy’s philosophical crisis. I was more interested in why Black Rock had lured us here.
“So you thought we’d keep our mouths shut?” I thought about the time he’d literally kept my mouth shut. “Is that why you picked us? Because we’re easy to control?” Anger flared in my chest. I could feel my magic tingling just under the surface, ready to burst out and hurt someone.
Deep breaths, Lila.
“No, that is not why I asked you here,” he said, holding out his hands in a calming gesture. “I asked you here because…,” his golden eyes found mine, “because I trust you. Because I think you are very special. Because I think you are the best hope at solving this mystery.”
His gaze held mine as if he were speaking only to me.
Behind us, a door slammed. Ivy, it seemed, had stormed out.
“She seems nice,” Tom said, dryly.
Santiago stared after Ivy with a curious frown.
Black Rock came to her defense. “She’s upset with me because she thinks she can figure it out herself. She hates failure, which is what makes her an excellent member of the conciliatory. We disagreed on bringing you here. As the elder member, my voice was the one that mattered. I’m sorry if she’s taking her anger at me out on you. I will speak to her.”
“I’m sure that’ll go well,” Mercedes said with a smirk. “That girl is pissed at you, Captain Dou—“ She stopped herself just in time.
Or not. Black Rock was staring at her.
He shook his head and waved us toward the door. “Come on. Let’s get you settled.”
* * *
An hour later, Mercedes and I sat on a very large bed, stroking the luxurious satin comforter.
She fell back, splaying out in ecstasy. “I could get used to this, if only I didn’t have to see Captain Douche every day.”
“You gotta cut that out,” I said, running my hands over the most expensive bedding I’d ever seen. “You basically said it t
o his face today. And, lest you forget, he’s why we’re here. He paid your way.”
She shrugged, hopping up. “Check this out.” She grabbed the remote from the glass cube that served as a nightstand and clicked on the seventy-two inch TV set embedded in the wall across from the bed. Scrolling through channels, she stopped on some Latin game show. The people on it were dressed in brightly colored body suits throwing themselves into pits of Jello.
“I love foreign TV. What do you think they’re saying?” She watched, enwrapped as a woman in a Jello-encrusted feather boa yelled at the screen.
“I am the Queen of Jello,” Mercedes told the TV in a nasally voice. “Surrender to me, plebeians. You may have all the pudding, but the Jello is mine.”
I laughed at her crazy impersonation, then left her to her garbage television, slipping into the bathroom. It was as big as my bedroom at home, all tile and chrome, bright lights, a toilet mounted into the wall and a TV inside the mirror. I needed to get into medical research to live this type of lifestyle, it seemed.
Turning on the faucet, I wet my face. Whether I was trying to wash away the day or gain some sort of clarity, I didn’t know. Everything was happening so fast. We’d seen the problem and realized its scale. We’d learned that this was way over the conciliatory’s head and that Black Rock thought we were his best bet at figuring it out. We’d also learned that whatever ailed these poor creatures had nothing to do with my father. Why did I drag him all the way here, through all this danger, if Ivy was too busy with other problems, if there was no cure?
This thought burned through all the others. I’d brought him here because Black Rock had suggested they might be able to heal him. Was that all a lie? A trick to get me here? Anger flared around the edges of my vision until it was all I could think about.
Wiping my face, I went into the bedroom where Mercedes was spread across the bed flicking through channels. She popped up when I made a beeline for my shoes. “What’s up?”
Perilous: The Dragon’s Creed Series Book 3 Page 5