Determination and the Dragon (Redwood Dragons Book 4)

by Sloane Meyers

  Then, just as quickly as he settled down, he sat up with a start. The movement caused a sharp pang of pain to cut into his left side. Home? Why was he home in the Redwoods? And how in the world had he gotten here? The last thing he remembered was leaving an enemy camp on Harlow’s broomstick, with a deep wound on his side.

  Myles reached down to pull up the left side of the long-sleeved t-shirt that he was wearing. Yup. There was a huge, ugly gash down his side. Someone had stitched it up nicely, and it did look well on its way to healing, but there was no doubt that he’d suffered a nasty wound.

  And all for nothing, he thought bitterly. The amethyst records still hadn’t been recovered. But at least Harlow was safe? Or was she? His heart clenched up at the thought of Harlow. She’d been in much better shape than he had when they left the enemy’s camp. Was she here in the Redwoods, or had she gone back to Falcon Cross? Surely, she would not have left him without saying goodbye. Then again, he had no idea how long he’d been unconscious. It had surely been a long time, since he was all the way back in his cabin at the Redwood Dragons’ home base.

  Myles stood up slowly, worried that his side would cause him pain again. But as long as he didn’t make a sudden, sharp turn in the wrong direction, the wound on his side didn’t seem to cause him too much trouble. He walked out of the small bedroom and into the living room of his cabin, where, he found, to his great joy, that Harlow was asleep on the couch. She had a book on her chest and looked as though she had fallen asleep in the middle of reading.

  Her face appeared a great deal more peaceful than it had the last time Myles saw it. Her smooth skin glowed in the morning sunlight, and an expression of pure calm was on her face. She must have been dreaming about something happy, because the corners of her lips were turned up in the slightest of smiles. Myles could have watched her sleep all day.

  She seemed to sense his presence, though, because a few moments later she opened her eyes. It took a couple seconds for her to focus her vision on Myles, but as soon as she realized he was standing there, she shot straight up from the couch, causing the book on her chest to go tumbling to the floor.

  “Myles! You’re awake,” she said, rushing over to him. She was just about to wrap him in a giant bear hug when she stopped, her eyes filling with concern.

  “Wait, how do you feel? Does your side hurt?” she asked.

  Myles smiled. “It’s alright. It doesn’t really hurt that much, as long as I’m careful not to twist too far one way or the other. I certainly don’t think a hug from my girl is going to do any harm.”

  Harlow grinned, then, and threw her arms around him. Myles buried his face in her soft hair and held her tight. She felt so small in his arms, and he was overcome with emotion thinking of what might have happened to her if he hadn’t been able to find the enemy’s base camp in time. Thinking about the enemy’s camp reminded him of the giant hole in the invisibility shield.

  “Harlow,” he asked, pulling back to look at her face. “That big gap in the invisibility shield around the enemy’s camp…was that your doing?”

  Harlow’s grin widened. “Yup,” she said. “Those idiots never realized I had a magic ring, and I used it to make a gap in the shield so you could find me. I knew you’d come for me.”

  “Of course I came for you,” Myles agreed, brushing back a strand of her hair. “When I got back to our hideout and you weren’t there, I felt like such an idiot. I never should have left you alone out there.”

  Harlow shrugged. “It was my fault. I should have been watching for intruders more closely. But it doesn’t matter anymore, anyway. Everything turned out just fine.”

  “Did it though?” Myles asked with a sigh. “I mean, I’m glad we both made it out okay. And I’m happy to be back home in the Redwoods, even though I have no idea how we got here or why we came here instead of going back to Falcon Cross. But we still don’t have the amethyst records, and now we’ll likely never get them. In fact, they were probably destroyed in all that fire. This is a big blow to the side of good in this war.”

  Harlow gave him a funny look. “But, you’re wrong,” she said. “We do have the amethyst records. I didn’t realize that you didn’t know that.”

  Myles’ eyes widened. “We have the records? Seriously? How?”

  Harlow laughed. “There’s a lot I need to catch you up on. Here, sit down on the couch and I’ll do my best to fill in the missing details.”

  Myles slowly walked over to the couch and sat down. He couldn’t quite believe what Harlow was telling him. How was it possible she had the records? She’d been a prisoner up until the moment he rescued her, and there had been no time to go searching for the records before they escaped. Then, suddenly, it hit him.

  “That leather briefcase!” he said, remembering the briefcase that Harlow had swung over her back just before they escaped. “Was that full of the records?”

  Harlow nodded happily as she sat down next to him. “Yes. And we’ve got it here now.”

  Harlow proceeded to tell him all about how she had been captured, and managed to hide her magic ring. She explained how she had quickly made a hole in the invisibility shield, and how the ringleader of the enemy camp had been Samuel, an old High Council member from Falcon Cross. She told Myles about how Samuel had tried to get her to join the enemy’s side, and about how he had started to use dark magic on her when she refused. She had just started to explain how she had realized that Izzy was an ally, when she was interrupted by loud shouts from outside.

  Myles looked up, startled. “What’s going on out there?” he asked, quickly rising to his feet. Harlow jumped up too, looking even happier than she had a few moments ago.

  “Oh!” she said. “That must be Peter and the squadron from Falcon Cross!”

  “Peter is here?” Myles asked, somewhat shocked. He was still confused how he himself had gotten here. And he had no idea why Peter himself would come all the way to Falcon Cross. Myles let out a long sigh. “It seems I missed even more than I thought.”

  “Come on,” Harlow said. “Put on a hoodie or something and then we’ll go out and greet Peter.”

  She started to head toward her own hoodie, which was hanging on a coat rack by the front door, but Myles caught her arm and stopped her. When she turned to look at him, his heart caught in his throat. He was still confused as heck about nearly everything, but the one thing he knew for certain was that he would never get tired of looking at Harlow’s face. She brought to life parts of him that had been dead for a long, long time. Just looking at her filled him with a sense of hope for the future. For a few beats, he held her eyes, drinking in how lovely she was.

  “Wait,” he finally said in a soft voice. “Before we go out there, can you at least explain to me how I got here, and why Peter is here, so that I don’t feel totally out of the loop. Heck, I don’t even know how long I was unconscious before waking up!”

  “Three days,” Harlow said in a voice just as soft, wiggling her arm free from his grasp so that she could hold his hand instead. “We flew like the wind to get here—the whole way on broomsticks. I haven’t spent much time flying on broomsticks, as you may have noticed, so it was rough going at first. But I got better after the first hour or two. Izzy led the way, and her encouragement kept me going.”

  “But how did you even know where the Dragons’ camp was?” Myles asked. “It’s not exactly easy to find and you’ve never been here before.”

  Harlow shrugged. “I called Falcon Cross. Once we were far enough away from Saul’s men, we stopped to check on your wounds. Izzy’s a doctor, apparently. She stitched you up really well, and said you were lucky to be alive. She also said you’re healing up way faster than she would have thought you would.”

  Myles nodded. “It’s the shifter genes. Shifters tend to heal faster than the average human.”

  “I don’t doubt it, after watching you the last couple days. Anyway, while she stitched you up, I got in touch with the Advocacy Bureau. They gave me the coordinates f
or base camp here, and said it was better for you to come here and recuperate at home. They said it was because they thought you’d rest and heal better here, but I think the real reason was they didn’t want Izzy in Falcon Cross until they had a chance to vet her.”

  Myles frowned thoughtfully. “They don’t trust her? Or, maybe a better question would be, do they have a reason not to trust her?”

  “They are wary of her,” Harlow said. “I think she’s trustworthy, but Peter is concerned because she was in the enemy’s camp for so long. He worries she’s a spy. But she helped save my life. If she hadn’t lied to Samuel to make him believe that I didn’t have a magic ring, I wouldn’t have been able to defend myself when all hell broke loose.”

  A knock at the door interrupted Harlow’s explanation. Myles went to open it, and found Finn, another of the Redwood Dragons, standing there. Finn’s mouth dropped when he saw Myles out of bed.

  “Myles! You’re up! How do you feel?” Finn asked, reaching to pull Myles into a big bear hug, and giving him a few slaps on the back for good measure.

  “I’m great, man,” Myles said, returning the hug. “It’s good to see you, Finn. It’ s been way too long.”

  “I know, brother. Way too long. So long in fact that you went and found yourself a girl.”

  Myles raised an eyebrow at Finn. “So everyone knows about Harlow, eh?”

  “Hard not to notice,” Finn said, winking in Harlow’s direction. “Harlow has hardly left your side. She’s been taking good care of you, and the way she looks at you makes it obvious that it’s because she’s in love.”

  Myles glanced over at Harlow, who shrugged and was blushing.

  “Seems like I owe you one, Harlow,” he said.

  “Nah,” she said. “I think we’re even at this point. We kind of saved each other.”

  “Harlow told us all about your dramatic escape from Saul’s men,” Finn said. “Wish I could have been there to take out a few of those bastards. But anyway, there’ll be more time for talk later. I came to get Harlow because Peter is here, and wants to see her. Izzy is going to be giving her testimony, and Peter will be deciding whether to accept her into the Falcon Cross clan. Peter wants Harlow to witness the testimony. You should come too, Myles, since you’re awake. After all you witnessed the whole battle at the enemy’s base camp. Peter probably wants to hear about what happened there.”

  Myles nodded. “Alright,” he said. “I was just coming out with Harlow, actually. I’m still somewhat confused about what happened, but I think I’m starting to piece it together.”

  “Come on,” Harlow said. “I’ll be explaining things to Peter, and so will Izzy. You’ll start to figure it all out bit by bit.”

  Myles grabbed his hoodie as they left the cabin, putting it on to ward off the slight chill of the February air. The Redwood forest was cool, but it felt practically balmy after the frigid weather in Montana. He breathed in the deep, woodsy scent in the air and smiled. He had enjoyed his time in Falcon Cross, and he had a feeling he’d be going back very soon, but damn it if it wasn’t nice to be home for a bit. He looked up at the trees, smiling as he took in the view of the ancient tree trunks, many of which had been there for over a thousand years. This place was ancient and mystical, and he loved it.

  In addition to Finn, the other members of his clan who were currently living at the Redwoods’ base—Vance, Grayson, Holden, and Weston—were standing around the fire pit in the middle of the base camp. Peter was there, with a large group of wizard soldiers. Another of the Redwood Dragons, Owen, was standing next to Peter. Owen was currently living in Falcon Cross, but must have flown out here with Peter so that there would be a dragon in the convoy.

  Myles walked toward the fire pit, but before he could even reach one of the benches to sit down, he was mobbed with hugs from the dragons and wizards alike. Everyone was happy to see him feeling better, and asked him questions at a rapid pace until Peter called for order.

  “Come now, everyone,” Peter said in a booming voice. “There’ll be plenty of time to harass Myles later, perhaps over a lovely barbeque for dinner. For now, let’s get on with hearing the testimony of Miss Torres.

  Myles looked over to see Izzy, whose last name was presumably Torres, sitting on a bench across from him, looking determined but slightly pale. He caught her eye, and gave her a friendly, encouraging smile. She smiled back, although she still looked nervous.

  The rest of the group sat down, either on the log benches or on the ground, as Peter began the meeting. First, he congratulated Myles and Harlow for successfully retrieving the amethyst records. Then, he asked Harlow to recount the events that led to the capture of the amethyst records, so that everyone would know the story. Harlow obliged, telling again the story she had already told to Myles of her capture, and of how Samuel had tried to get her to convert to the side of evil. Peter’s face was grave as he listened to her discuss the enemy’s use of dark magic, but he did not interrupt Harlow. Harlow made sure to tell everyone about how Izzy had tricked Samuel into thinking that Harlow didn’t have a magic ring. Harlow also told of how Izzy had helped her figure out how to fly a broomstick out of the enemy’s camp, and how Izzy had stitched up Myles. At the end of Harlow’s story, Peter turned to Izzy. His expression was serious, but not unkind.

  “Well, Miss Isabelle Torres,” Peter said. “From what Harlow has said, you were extremely helpful in getting the amethyst records, helping Harlow and Myles escape, and ensuring that Myles’ wound was stitched up. We are grateful for your help. But despite your good deeds, the fact remains that you were in the enemy camp, and supposedly working for Saul. Can you explain why this was the case, if you truly do not want to follow the side of evil?”

  Izzy stood slowly. Myles watched as she took a deep breath and looked around the circle, her face pale. When she spoke, though, her voice was strong.

  “I know my situation must seem odd,” she said. “After all, why would someone who wants to help the side of good be working for the side of evil? The answer, friends, is that I was not given much of a choice. My wizard clan, a small clan on the East Coast, was raided by Saul’s men. They killed anyone who did not agree to swear allegiance to Saul. Perhaps I should have let them kill me, but then, I thought, I will be no help to anyone if I’m dead. I thought that perhaps, if I played along with Saul’s men, that I would eventually have the chance to escape, or to at least sabotage some of their operations. As you know, I was able to do both of those things a few days ago.”

  Izzy paused to look around, and Myles looked around, too. The faces staring back at Izzy looked skeptical. Harlow must have noticed this, because she grabbed Myles’ hand and squeezed it very tightly. Myles squeezed back. He knew Harlow was nervous for Izzy. In Harlow’s mind, Izzy had helped save both of their lives and had played a significant role in getting the amethyst records. Harlow thought Izzy deserved to be an honored member of the Falcon Cross clan, and Myles tended to agree. But it wasn’t up to Myles to decide. Peter would have to be the one to make the final judgment call.

  “I did not tell the enemy’s men that I was a doctor. I have decent broomstick flying skills, and because of this, I became one of the guards for the amethyst records. Samuel wanted wizards who could fly well as guards, since they’ve had so much trouble with the flying wizards in Falcon Cross. I tried for a long time to think of a way to escape and take the amethyst records on my own, but it always seemed impossible. There were too many other guards. But then, Harlow was captured. I didn’t know who she was, but I knew she was on the side of good, and that was enough for me. When Samuel asked if I’d found her magic ring, I said I had. I realized that if he didn’t know where it was she must still have it, hidden under some sort of invisibility spell.”

  “Smart girl,” Peter said approvingly. It was the first overtly positive thing he’d said about Izzy, and Myles felt Harlow squeezing his hand tighter with excitement. Perhaps Izzy was winning Peter over.

  “When Samuel called me in with the
amethyst records, I had my first chance to see Harlow. I was impressed with how well she resisted the enemy’s attempts to use dark magic on her.”

  It was Myles’ turn to squeeze Harlow’s hand. He hated to think about how she’d been tortured. His blood boiled in anger, and he swore for the thousandth time that he would destroy Saul and his army, no matter how long it took.

  “When Myles came roaring in as a dragon,” Izzy continued. “I knew this was my chance to escape, and to take the amethyst records with us. Samuel had been a fool to bring them out in the open as he did, but he always was a bit of a fool. He was trying to show off to Harlow what he had. The rest of the story, you’ve already heard from Harlow. I helped her use a broomstick, and led her away from the enemy’s camp. Then I stitched up Myles’ wound. I also gave the amethyst records over to Harlow. I hope that this proves to you my loyalty to the side of good. I’m not sure what more I could have done to show you that I do not want to work for Saul. I was there by force, and got away as soon as I could. It was one of the darkest times of my life, and the only thing that kept me going was the hope of eventually escaping.”

  Izzy finished speaking, and for several minutes, everyone was silent. The silence stretched uncomfortably long, but no one spoke as Peter paced back and forth, stroking his beard thoughtfully and considering Izzy’s case. Finally, he stopped pacing and nodded. He had made his decision.

  “Isabelle Torres,” he said, his booming voice filling the whole clearing between the redwood trees. “It is my opinion as the lead High Councilor of Falcon Cross that you are loyal to the side of good, and should be allowed to join the Falcon Cross Clan. You were only working for the enemy under circumstances of extreme duress, and, when presented with the opportunity, you not only escaped yourself, but also helped our friends here escape. Not to mention, you helped us acquire the amethyst records, which we believe will allow us to find the dragon amethyst. This is a huge victory for the side of good. It would be my great pleasure to welcome you to Falcon Cross.”