by Michelle Fox
I accepted the ear piece and set it in my ear. Niall took the necklace and helped me put it on.
"When did you order these?" Alec asked. "I know you dinna get them in Inverness."
Sara smiled. "You would be surprised. There's a shop downtown that might have these, but you're right, I ordered them."
"Because of what you saw in the future?" I asked as I helped Niall with his comm necklace. His wasn't a star but a lightning bolt.
"No, not really. More because I figured it might be a good idea. Malcolm has magic, but can't leave Inverness. I have the sight, but I'm not reliable. I don't see every little thing. I figured this kind of set-up might help fill in the gaps. I've been researching gear like this for months."
"Is that what all those boxes at the post office were about?" Alec chuckled. "I was beginning to wonder if you had a shopping problem."
"I've been testing out a lot of gear," she said, unamused. "Looking for things we can use. I was in trouble when you found me. She's in trouble. We're not exactly the kind of people who win the lottery."
"Aye, 'tis true. But maidens change our luck for the better. I'm sure of it," Niall said.
"I hope so." She nodded toward his chest. "Speaking of trouble, you're bleeding again."
I startled at that and stepped around Niall to look. I'd been standing behind him to help with the necklace.
He brushed off the blood. "'Tis nothing, lass. Malcolm gave me an ointment." He went to one of the black bags the dragons had brought with them and opened a jar. Dipping in his finger, he smeared whatever was inside across his chest.
"The bleeding stopped." I blinked in case I was wrong, but no, it was true. Niall's wound had sealed. "That's amazing."
"Malcolm is a powerful mage." He put the lid back on the jar and tucked it back into the bag. "I am lucky to have such a man as my brother."
"Maybe Alec should go in your place." Sara gave Niall's chest a doubtful look.
"Nay, lass. I'll go with my maiden. 'Tis my honor and duty to protect her." Niall's voice was firm. "And I verra much doubt Alec wants to leave you behind."
Alec nodded. "Aye. He's right."
"Just send me in," I said. "I have my own magic. You don't have to risk your lives for me." They hadn't heard me sing and didn't know what I could do.
Niall frowned at me. "I willna put you in danger like that."
"But your shoulder—"
He cut me off and pointed to his shoulder. "Is healing. See? It's not even all that much blood this time."
I gave a half-hearted nod. The wound did look better.
"You'll need help with your sister," Sara said. "She won't have legs like you."
"I'm going with you, and that's that. It's settled," Niall said.
"I just don't want you to get hurt." I cast my voice low, for his ears only.
"I'm fine. Donna fash about me." He pulled some clothes out of the bags we'd brought with us and shoved his legs into the pants. "Now, let's get this done so we can go back home."
***
Wanting to be inconspicuous, we rented a Jeep and drove with Sara telling Alec which way to go. It had been hot when we first landed, but with the sun now high in the sky, I felt as if I was being cooked. The air-conditioning couldn't handle two dragons and the heat of the desert.
The sheikh lived in a large compound made of stone the same color as the sand. The only sign of life came from the green fronds of palm trees soaring over the property. The surrounding area was filled with desert and more desert.
"No neighbors to notice anything," said Niall, his voice soft.
"And cameras so no one can sneak up on him." Sara tapped her window, pointing to black orbs sitting on the fence ringing the property.
I moved, trying to find a comfortable position. I'd returned to my mermaid form before we'd left and my tail was cramped in the small backseat. Niall reached down and pulled my tail across his lap, allowing me to stretch out.
"Thanks." I smiled.
"Hang on. We're almost there." He patted the top of my tail, the spot that would have been my thigh if I'd still had legs.
"Park there. In front of the gate," Sara said, pointing toward a gate with thick metal bars.
Alec pulled the Jeep around and parked. Before we got out of the Jeep, Sara passed back a bag of heavy metal chains. "Showtime."
Niall took the bag and wound the chains around my wrists and then my waist, sealing them with a padlock. Alec stepped out of the car and opened Niall's door to wrap him in chains as well.
Sara reached back and pressed the key to the padlock into each of our hands. "Hang on to those. You'll need them."
I gripped the small piece of metal so tight, it formed a groove in my flesh.
"Since you canna walk, I'll carry you." Niall left the Jeep and came around to my side. Alec shadowed him and barked orders as if his brother were a real prisoner. Opening my door, he lifted me out and into his arms. I leaned into his chest. He smelled of fire and a masculine musk I rather liked.
"I hope this works," I whispered.
"Of course it will work. In all of time, there has never been a dragon who failed his maiden," he whispered back.
"You guys were right," I said as the sheer size of the sheik's compound hit me. "There's no way I could have done this by myself."
"Quiet, you two," Sara said. "We're on camera."
Alec walked up to the gate and banged on the metal gate with one fist. I craned my neck, peering between the bars. This close to the gate, I could see what was hidden behind the walls. Several large buildings sat on the perimeter of the property, the center filled with bright green grass and tall palm trees. Water squirted over the lawn, trying to keep the heat from sucking the life out of it.
A man in white robes with a matching headdress and a black rifle hanging off his shoulder by a wide strap appeared at the gate. I blinked as he had appeared out of nowhere.
"What do you want?" He barked the question at us, his hand going to the gun.
Sara and Alec looked at each other and then me. "What did he say?" Sara asked in the softest of whispers.
I shook my head. Of course, they didn't understand anything he'd said. It wasn't English. Which meant that I, the kidnap victim, was the only one who had understood the man. He was watching us now, his dark eyes narrowed and full of suspicion, as the silence stretched between us. I held my breath, afraid to say anything.
Alec cleared his throat. "We heard you were wanting a mermaid." He nodded toward me.
The man examined me, his expression aloof. Then, in thick English, he said, "I will ask the sheik. Wait here." He stepped to the side, disappearing as abruptly as he'd arrived. Ah, so that explained why I hadn't seen his approach, he'd come along the wall instead of from the house.
"I can't believe I didn't think about the language." Sara smacked her forehead. "What an idiot."
Alec held up a hand. "Relax. It worked out."
"Still. We should have planned better. Shit. We didn't even tell them about Niall."
"Stop looking back, that doesna help," Niall said, his tone curt. "Focus on what's happening now."
"Or what will happen. Do you see anything?" Alec looked closely at his maiden.
She closed her eyes for a second. "No. Nothing new. Go in. Deal with the sheik and get out. That's still the plan." She looked at me. "Just work fast. You won't have a lot of time."
I nodded but before I could say anything, the man returned.
"The sheikh is not interested," he said, his tone flat.
"We have a dragon, too." Sara shook the chain that Alec had wrapped around Niall. "You don't see a mermaid and a dragon for sale every day. Are you sure the sheik isn't interested?"
Niall made a show of blowing out a shower of sparks, taking care to aim them away from me. The guard's eyes widened. "Wait here." He left again.
"Wait here, he says, " Sara scoffed. "Like we have anyplace else to go."
When the guard returned the third time, he opened the ga
te and let us in. He led us to a small out building tucked up against the wall ringing the property. The room he escorted us to held a small couch set on a white tile floor, and a sparkling chandelier hung from the ceiling.
"Put me down," I said to Niall. His strength hadn't wavered yet, but he would have to carry my sister later. I didn't want to tired him out.
He set me on the carpet. I used the power of my tail to raise myself up and balanced on the flukes. I cleared my throat and hummed a few scales. Where was the sheik? I was ready for him.
The sheik appeared several minutes later, entering through the same door as we had. He was short for such an evil man and stout. He wore a gray suit but had the same white fabric on his head as the guard. His face held large dark eyes that studied us as he walked into the room.
"You have a mermaid and dragon for sale?" He addressed Sara and Alec, but his gaze stayed on me.
"Aye, we do," Alec said. "You name the right price and they're both yours."
"I don't know you. How did you find me?" The sheik spoke in stiff, clipped English.
Sara shrugged. "It's a small world when it comes to the slave trade. We ran into a group up in Scotland that gave us your information."
"Why would they do that?"
"Because they aren't coming," Alec said, his voice gruff. "His traps have been empty, and I think his crew is getting restless. There's no money in empty traps."
The sheik frowned. "That's not good news. I gave them a special order." His gaze returned to me and lingered. "By chance, does she have her tongue?"
"Aye," Alec said. "We let the buyers make their own...alterations."
The sheik gave him a horrified look. "And you leave her ungagged? Are you mad?" He rushed toward me, pulling off his white headscarf as he did so.
I fought him as he stuffed the fabric in my mouth, but the chains wouldn't let me move enough to prevail. I fell over, losing the ability to balance on my tail with the sheik shoving me around.
The sheik kneeled on my chest, pinning me down with his weight as he held the dry fabric in my mouth with one hand and tugged off his belt with the other. Wrapping the belt around my head, he secured his headscarf in my mouth, effectively cutting off my ability to sing.
I clenched my one fist tight, relieved to feel the key Sara had given me digging into my skin. I still had a way out. My bondage was just an illusion. The sheik would not win. I would save my sister, and we would both return home.
"I will give you one million," the sheik offered, pushing his knee into my stomach as he went to stand up. I lay on the floor, resisting the urge to smack the sheik into the wall with my tail. Revenge would have to wait until after I found my sister.
Sara snorted. "You think it's easy to find these guys? That we don't have expenses?"
She gestured at Niall. "He burned half my crew before I got the chains on him. She broke bones. Five million or we walk."
"That's too much."
"Fine. Find another crew that will bring you a mermaid with a tongue still in her head." She shrugged and pulled Niall's chain tight, forcing him to take a step toward the door. "Pick her up, dragon."
He cast a baleful look her way, but did as she asked.
"If you change your mind, call us." Alec produced a piece of paper and offered it to the sheik. "But we have other contacts and I canna guarantee either of them will still be available after tonight."
The sheik snatched the paper from Alec, folding it into a small square before stuffing it in his pocket. Niall headed for the door, Sara right behind him, but Alec hung back a bit, watching the sheik. I peered over Niall's shoulder, wondering what would happen. If Alec had made the wrong call on the price, we'd miss our chance to get inside the sheik's place and find my sister.
The sheik sighed. "All right, five million." He waved at Niall. "Tell him to stop."
Sara yanked on the chain which forced Niall to reverse course. "Get back here."
"What are your bank details?" The sheik had pulled a smart phone out of his pocket.
Alec shot a blank look at Sara who smiled and stepped forward. "You'll find all the information you need here." She handed him a small business card.
The sheik was silent as he keyed in whatever information was on the card into his phone. After a long moment, he said, "It is done."
"Great. It's been a real pleasure." Sara gave him a broad smile. "We'll show ourselves out."
"The guard will escort you." The sheik's voice was tight. "I do not allow guests to roam my home unescorted. Some of the things in my collection have been known to eat humans."
"That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask...why do you collect these things?" She tilted her head in our direction.
"Why do you hunt them?"
Taken aback by his question, Sara didn't answer right away. "It's interesting work, but once they're caught, they're rather boring. "
"Ah, that's where we are different. I study them." He shrugged off his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeve of his dress shirt. Rows of small bruises tracked up and down the inside of his forearm. Some were dark with fresh blood, while others had faded to yellow. "They live longer than humans, you know this, right?" At Sara and Alec's nod, he continued. "I've been isolating their DNA and testing it in humans."
"And what happens?" Alec asked.
"I've stopped aging." He put his jacket back on. "In fact, I am almost two-hundred-years-old."
Alec gave a low whistle. "You could sell that."
"I know. I'm working on it." The sheik gave a satisfied smile. "The problem is, supply is rather limited and hard to come by. Plus, only a select few have the money to pay for it."
Sara rolled her eyes. "And you gave us a hard time about five million. How much are you charging for these shots?"
"Why? You couldn't afford them," he said, his voice cold. "Now, I think it's time for you to leave. I have work to do. I've never worked with a dragon before, and I have plans for the mermaid. Her voice might be the key to solving one of my bigger problems with the treatment I've developed."
"Do you kill them?" Alec asked.
The sheik looked offended. "Of course not. I keep them alive and farm their DNA."
"Farm," Sara echoed, her eyes wide. She exchanged glances with Alec."He's a farmer."
While she seemed disgusted at the idea, I was relieved. My sister was alive, then. I'd had a secret worry, held in the darkest shadows of my heart, that I wouldn't reach her in time, that fate would steal her soul before I could stop it. A weight lifted off my shoulders.
I had the key, my voice, and the knowledge my sister was alive.
Chapter Nine
After Alec and Sara left—both casting worried looks our way as they went—the sheik, grabbed Niall's chain and pulled him off balance until he fell to his knees. "You should be setting me on fire. Why aren't you?"
"They gave me something that stopped it," Niall said, so convincing I even believed his lie for a second. "I canna fight you bound in these chains and with no flame to call my own."
The sheik looked unhappy. "If they have damaged you in some way, they'll pay for it. I need healthy specimens, not sick ones. Stand up."
Niall climbed to his feet. Instead of his natural grace, he took the time to be clumsy and off balance.
"And you." The sheik turned to me. "I need you to sing. If you do well, you'll earn your way out of those chains." He snapped his fingers, and a dark shadow entered the room long before the being it belonged to arrived.
As it stretched taller and wider, nerves fluttered in my stomach. Who else had the sheik forced into his menagerie, and were they friend or foe?
The large...thing—I didn't know what to call it— wasn't human, but other than that, I couldn't name it. My language ability failed me. The massive form that lumbered its way through the door had the width and breadth of a baby whale. He didn't stand, he loomed head and shoulders above us all, ducking so that his upper body curved along the ceiling. Thick muscles filled his brown frame, bigger
than any I'd ever seen. His face was square with deep set eyes and featured a flat nose, that smushed into his face as if maybe it had met an accident at some time in the past. His mouth a thin line, he nodded to the sheik.
"Take her to the tank." The sheik pointed to me. "And keep her gagged."
"Yes master." He reached toward me with hands the size of man o'wars.
I shrank away from him, afraid of his touch, but he was gentle with me. He lifted me with care and hoisted me over his shoulder, stooping down even lower so I would clear the ceiling.
"What are you?" Niall asked, his eyes wide.
"He's a tree troll from Scandinavia," answered the sheik. "Very rare and almost extinct now."
"How many different beings are here?"
"Almost five hundred."
Niall shot me a horrified look. I felt much the same.
"You tend to collect things the longer you live." The sheik shrugged. "Of course, not everyone has survived. If you count the living, I have only a hundred."
"What happened to the others?" asked Niall.
"They died. I had them preserved. Perhaps someday you will be able to see them. I have monsters who haven't breathed on this earth for over a century." He gave a short laugh."I've learned that legends and myths are often made up of the dead. Neither of you should even exist, but yet here you are. Your lives will be put to good use here."
The sheik shook the chain. "Now come. I have plans tonight. Let's tuck you in nice and tight. I've never had a dragon before, but I did once house a giant or two, and their cage should be big enough for you."
"What happened to them?" Niall grudgingly fell in line behind the tree troll who strode to the door.
"I don't know really. They were too big to autopsy, but their hearts were small for their size. My guess would be heart failure. It just couldn't keep pumping blood over such a large distance without giving out. They told me their kind didn't live long."
Niall cast one last glance at me and then he was gone.
***
The tree troll took me through the compound and I did my best to memorize the layout. Any buildings occupied the perimeter and the interior held a series of gardens full of palm trees and flowers with bright blooms the size of my head. Birds flitted among the palm trees, an intelligent malice glittering in their eyes as they monitored our progress. They would hold my gaze so long, their beaks seeming to curve into a jeer, that I stopped making eye contact.