Earth Born (The Earth Born Cycle Book 1)

by N. E. Conneely

  Shasta wet her lips. Three little words and everything would change. The pain in his blue eyes would ease, and she’d get to see his dazzling smile. At least that’s how it went in her head. Reality could be a finicky beast. She opened her mouth. “Because—”

  “Shasta, Cord.” Silas trotted over. “Finn was the most affected by the spells, which seems rather at odds with how the last attack occurred. Do you have any ideas as to why he was the target?”

  Shasta swallowed the three important words she’d been about to say. She turned to face the young dragon while she pulled her thoughts away from her relationship and to the matter at hand. Unlike her group of students, this group contained two younger dragons, two mature dragons, and the older Branstan. Had she been a magic user, she would’ve attacked Silas or Glimmer as the younger dragons had fewer defenses than the older ones like Finn.

  “Well, no. The attack against him was far more potent than that against the rest of us, and that shouldn’t have been possible.”

  Silas bobbed his head. “But why?”

  Her gaze drifted across the group the dragons. Silas was the youngest, and for pure ease of a dragon to attack, that would’ve been her pick. However, if she had been trying to incapacitate the most dangerous dragon, she would’ve gone after Branstan. Since Branstan suffered no worse than Silas and Glimmer, that brought Shasta back to Finn and Amelia. They were alike in age and likely in power. There was really only one significant difference between them. “The bones.”

  Cord had had a parallel thought, because as her lips formed the words, he was already trotting toward Finn. She sprinted to catch up, drawing even with him as they passed Glimmer.

  “Finn,” Cord asked, “can you tell if Edgar’s bones are still in the blanket?”

  The dragon whipped his head around, pushing his nose against the cloth package that was still entwined with his harness. His throat vibrated as he trilled. A light glow emanated from within the blanket. “He is here.”

  Shasta breathed a sigh of relief. “Could you tell if the attack was against you or an attempt to seize your son’s bones?” She winced as the last word left her lips, but there wasn’t an easy way to refer to what was inside the blanket.

  Finn huffed out a plume of smoke. “The air stopped wanting to hold me. The best I could do was hope that I could figure out a way to land safely. At one point the air stopped supporting me entirely and I fell several feet. A force kept tugging at parts of me, but I can’t say if it was to get Edgar or for some other purpose.”

  Cord beat her to the next question. “Was the tugging at you or at the harness?”

  Finn’s body rippled in the draconic equivalent of a shrug. “It is hard to say. Some of both.”

  Shasta held back an exasperated sigh. There had to be something else Finn knew, something he felt, saw, or smelled.

  Cord continued to press for information. “Anything you can think of could be a help. This attack is different from the last, and I for one would like to understand why.”

  Amelia draped her head across her mate’s shoulders. “What hit me was a shadow of what hit him. We are dragons, not witches. The only thing I can tell you is the magic that touched me felt similar to echoes we sense on Edgar.”

  “Please, let us honor our son.” High whistling notes accompanied Finn’s words. “Then I will answer any of your questions.”

  “I’m sorry for any pain we caused you.” Shasta bowed to the dragons. “If there’s anything we can do to help you through this, please let us know.”

  Amelia angled her head toward town. “Simply accompany us the rest of the way to the gathering place and stay for the ceremony. You helped bring Edgar home, and it would”—one glittering tear dripped down her face—“mean a great deal if you would help us honor him.”

  Shasta ignored her own watery eyes. “Lead the way.”

  This time the dragons sorted themselves into a different order with Branstan at the front, Amelia and Finn behind him, and Silas and Glimmer in the rear. Shasta and Cord took up a position right behind Amelia and Finn as they slowly walked to the gathering place. Shasta rubbed her eyes on the edge of her sleeve. This morning she’d hoped the dragons would look at the bones and see anything but one of their own. Now she hoped that this trip would bring these two, as well as the rest of the community, some peace.

  That hope was overshadowed by the most recent attack. If the monster who abducted Matilda had also taken Edgar, that individual had been here for months or even a year. Then there was the ease with which the creature, presumably Mr. Evil, had attacked. Dragons had natural defenses, but if Mr. Evil had a connection to the bones and could perhaps even use them to boost his power, well, that would’ve given him an advantage.

  Since this would be her first dragon funeral, she didn’t know how they planned to honor Edgar, but she hoped their ritual destroyed the bones. Otherwise, she’d have to tell two parents who’d just recovered their son’s remains that it wasn’t safe to keep the bones in town. For the security of the settlement, they’d have to be kept somewhere else. And that was one conversation she didn’t want to have, especially not with a dragon.

  She glanced over to Cord. He was wearing one of the expressions he’d cultivated as a cop. Appropriately somber for the occasion but not revealing any of his personal thoughts. It was one expression she’d never been able to read, and since he kept his eyes carefully forward, there were no additional hints as to his thoughts. Perhaps his reasons for his death-defying dive between dragons were pure. But she had doubts, ones that would only be laid to rest by lengthy and rather private conversation between the two of them. It wasn’t so much that she minded procrastinating having that conversation, but she would worry about him until things were settled. She needed a solid partner, not one who was taking crazy risks.

  Perhaps she should activate the emergency charm. That would alert her parents, and either her mom would make another magical phone call or they’d show up. This case was getting more and more dangerous, and she had been sent here as a teacher, not a hunter of evil and bringer of justice. Of course, if she activated the charm, she’d have fess up to all the danger she hadn’t reported. Then there was the simple fact of needing to use the emergency charm on her first reasonably solo assignment. Her brother would never let her live that one down. After all, he’d managed to kill three ghouls on his first case, and he’d done it without any backup. This case was only solo as far as her parents are concerned. She still had a partner. She’d like to think between the two of them and the dragons, they could take care of one crazy person with magic.

  The green blanket carrying Edgar’s bones swayed with Finn’s walk. Then again, the creature she’d seen in the cave was more than just a guy with magic. He’d killed both an adult and a baby dragon.

  And it would be rather high-handed to call for backup without first consulting her partner. After the funeral, she’d corner Cord long enough to talk to him about work. This was his first case too, and he deserved a say about summoning help.

  Between one footfall and the next, the earth went from its typical steady rhythm to something of a hum that vibrated up Shasta’s feet and through her legs. She jerked her eyes up off the ground, peering around the sizable creatures in front of her. Dragons had lined up facing each other, creating a corridor for them to walk through. As Finn and Amelia passed, the dragons stretched out a forepaw and lowered their heads into a bow. Dragon after dragon on each side of the line repeated the gesture.

  Shasta couldn’t stop the tears from dripping down her cheeks, but she kept her lips firmly clamped against any sobs. This was for Finn and Amelia and poor little Edgar. She wouldn’t spoil it with noisy humanoid displays of emotion. She kept her eyes locked ahead as the group slowly proceeded into the gathering area. Five dragons were at the end of the line. A sizable chocolate dragon stood next to an equally large ruby-toned dragon. At an angle to them was a pair of ginger dragons. Scyld stood behind the four of them, his ebony body occupying a wh
ole segment of the field by itself. As the group neared the end of the line, Scyld took off. He rose up into the air until his great wings shielded the group from the sun. Then he hung there. The little light that did get through was dark and somber.

  Branstan reached the end of the double line of dragons and pivoted to the left, joining the line. Shasta followed him, Cord at her side. Silas and Glimmer arced to the right, becoming part of the opposite line. Amelia and Finn stopped in front of the four dragons. Amelia swung around, her nose only a few feet from her mate’s back and the cloth holding their son’s bones. She trilled, and the leather slowly retreated from the cloth, releasing it from the harness. The tone of her voice changed as the cloth rose into the air. First the chocolate dragon, then the ruby joined her. Shortly after that, the pair of gingers added their trills.

  With the cloth holding Edgar now held up nearly twelve feet from the ground, Amelia and Finn pivoted around until they were between the two sets of dragons. Underneath Shasta’s feet, the earth’s hum turned into a deep and steady vibration, one that traveled all the way up to the top of her head.

  First Branstan, then Silas and Glimmer hummed in harmony with the earth. The note was picked up down the line until the air pulsed with the dragons’ cry. Time seemed to slow down, and Shasta found herself straining to breathe. She wasn’t crying anymore, but like every dragon, she was watching the blanket holding Edgar. It rose higher into the air, above the head of even the tallest dragon on the ground. Something was going to happen, but she had no idea what it would be.

  At once, six dragons on the ground below the blanket lifted their noses in the air and billowed forth flames of white and blue. For an instant Shasta could see the blanket, the flames swirling around it, but then it was too bright. She closed her eyes, tilting her head away. Slow seconds later, the light dimmed.

  She slowly opened her eyes, first peeking through her lashes. Where the blanket holding Edgar had been, there was nothing, not even a pile of ash on the ground beneath. Scyld slowly descended. First a little and then more sun peeked around his wings until the only spot still in shadow was where Edgar had been. The ebony dragon landed on the ground under the place where dragon fire had returned Edgar to the elements. He tilted his head back and roared.

  The force of the sound knocked Shasta off-balance. She couldn’t get her feet under her and landed heavily on her hands and knees. Her ears rang, and she was fairly certain her heart had actually skipped a beat. She was afraid to lift her head up, afraid to see if there had been more than sound knocking her back. Cord’s hand came to rest on top of hers. She tilted her head to the side and found him on his hands and knees as well, slowly shaking his head as if that would help.

  Every dragon roared. It was too much for her sensitive ears. The sound morphed into dull ringing that persisted when she looked up to see them shooting flames into the air. Scyld’s flames were nearly pure white. Edgar’s family’s ranged from a bluish white to a true blue. Shasta glanced up at Branstan to see a pale yellow going dozens of feet into the air. She tilted her head, glancing down the line where the flames slowly turned a bold orange and brilliant red.

  Little by little the flames faded away, leaving only the sun to light the area. When first one and then several dragons lifted out of the formation, flying to different parts of town, Shasta rearranged herself so she was sitting on the ground, arms clasped around her knees. Not only was this more comfortable than where she’d been, but it was significantly more dignified. Unfortunately, the end of the ceremony did not mean the end of the ringing in her ears. If it didn’t fade soon, she’d have to see if her mom had packed a charm to help with this type of injury. Cord’s ears were as sensitive as hers, so he would need it just as much.

  The group of dragons slowly dispersed. Shasta glanced up at the sky. Judging from where the sun was, it was shortly after noon. That was plenty of daylight in which to accomplish things, but unless she regained her hearing, she wouldn’t be doing much.

  As soon as the thought was fully formed, her toes tingled. Little bits of earth flowed up the side of her feet, covering her boots. Warmth radiated up into her, and the ringing started to fade. She leaned over to grab Cord’s hand and saw the earth covering his boots too. A few moments later, the earth retreated, leaving her shoes clean and the remnants of the healing behind. She wiggled her jaw from side to side, popping her ears. She could hear the breeze rustling through the grass and the trills and whistles of dragons talking among themselves. Her ears had been healed.

  “Can you hear me?” Cord asked.

  Shasta turned to face him. “Rather better than I’d expected.” She patted the ground. “Thank you. I’ve been so low on power I didn’t even try to heal us.”

  Cord lifted his hand from the grass. “Same.”

  The ground vibrated as Branstan and Silas walked in front of them, and Branstan lowered his head until it was level with the two of them. “Do you know why this person continues to attack us?”

  “No, but I think I know how to find out.” Shasta pointedly didn’t look at Cord. “And no one is going to like it.”

  “I will like it,” Branstan rumbled. “I want to know why we are under attack. I want to hunt the man down, and I want to kill him.”

  “Me too.” Shasta bared her teeth in a feral smile. “We go back to the cave. That’s the only place we know he’s spent a significant amount of time. We hope he’s there, corner him, and kill him.”

  Branstan’s talons were digging furrows as he flexed them. “Yessss.”

  “It’s better than waiting to see what he does next.” Cord sighed. “But it’s not without risks. Shasta fought her way through several traps. If he’s still there, he’s undoubtedly increased his security.”

  “If?” Silas asked.

  Shasta nodded as Cord explained. “He may move his base of operations or leave the area entirely. I doubt he wanted to be discovered. What was his goal? Abducting Matilda makes me think it was more than simply gathering power from dragons. There are easier ways to do that, and if he’d taken a lone dragon, it might’ve been some time before he was discovered. Ophelia is proof of that.”

  “We gain power as we age, but Ophelia had been ill.” Branstan’s eyes closed for a moment. “She would have been an easier target than another dragon of similar age, though still more challenging than a child. Our young, like Edgar, or even Matilda, are far more vulnerable, especially to magic.”

  “So,” Shasta said slowly. “He attacked the group, and Matilda specifically because adolescents aren’t usually that far from town without one or both parents. Even in a group, we were an easier target than an older dragon. As groups of dragons go, we were small, weak, and easy to attack.”

  “Then we only take older dragons when we return to the cave.” Cord looked pointedly at Silas. “It’s too risky to bring youngsters if there’s a chance that theory is accurate.”

  “Agreed,” Branstan rumbled. He, too, looked in his son’s direction.

  Silas quickly bobbed his head.

  “I believe that leaves one question,” Cord added. “When do we attempt this invasion?”

  “Now.” Shasta held up a hand to hold off any arguments. “The monster behind all this has used a significant amount of magic in the most recent attack. When you factor in the strike against Matilda and the ones against us while we were training, the sooner we act, the less time he has to regroup.”

  Cord frowned but didn’t argue.

  Branstan looked into the distance. “It’s a long flight. If we leave now, the return flight will be during the night. However, I think a timely assault merits night flying. How long will it take the two of you to prepare?”

  “If someone could send word to the brownies to pack meals for us, we should be ready in half an hour.” Shasta glanced at Cord, who nodded in agreement. “We would need to go back to our house and gather a few things before picking up the food and returning to the field.”

  “We’ll meet you at the dining hall
in half an hour.” Branstan looked pointedly at Silas. “You will carry their message to the brownies.”

  “Yes, Father.” Silas bobbed his head.

  “I will see you at the dining hall in half an hour.” Branstan backed up and took off into the air.

  Since Cord was already giving Silas instructions, Shasta started back toward their house at a steady jog. There were a few supplies she wanted, including things Cord might not approve of, and she’d rather gather those before he got home. And then there was that emergency call. She’d dig out the emergency charm so it was ready if he agreed the situation merited its use.

  The sand-toned dragon lounging across the roof let out a whistling snore. Shasta suppressed an eye-roll. Even in the middle the day, she couldn’t escape having one of those creatures using the house as his own personal nest. She crossed the threshold and carefully pushed the front door closed behind her.

  After using the bathroom, she pulled out her backpack and started pillaging her trunks for supplies. She tossed the useless flashlight on the bed and rummaged around, finding three more. After verifying that they worked, she put them in the pack as well as a different shirt and a light jacket. She added a ten-foot coil of rope, wishing she’d taken the time to request a longer rope from the brownies.

  She dug around the bottom of her trunk, glancing at the bedroom door to ensure it was closed before pulling out a spell-locked box her mom and insisted she only open in case of emergency. She carried it over to the bed and set it down. It was simple, made from a sturdy oak tree with a knot dead center in the top. She pressed her finger against it, added a drop of magic, and spoke the rune to shape it into a spell. “Purisaz.” With a hiss, the top of the box popped up. She wiggled it off the body of the box. Inside, nested in strips of newspaper, were four glass jars with shiny metal tops. Written in black permanent marker on one of them were the words Energy Boosting.

  Shasta tugged the bottle out of the box, took a deep breath, unscrewed the lid, and started to drink. As the foul mixture slid down her throat, she silently thanked both her parents for making this only three horrible ounces rather than the eight it would’ve been if she’d had to brew it herself, though being more condensed didn’t improve the flavor. As soon as she swallowed the last disgusting drop, she screwed the lid back on the jar, tucked it back in the box, replaced the top, and locked it. “Haglaz.”