by Dyan Chick
James caught me mid-step and held me, a hand on each shoulder. "It's going to be fine. Once they clear your name in Realm's Gate, we can have Pyx hack into the human system and delete all the records of you."
I took a deep breath, then nodded. That made sense. "Okay." Another deep breath. "Thank you."
It was time to think of something else. There wasn't anything I could do until Pyx did her thing. "Time to talk dragon?"
James opened his mouth, but the sound of screaming cut him short.
Pyx came running into the room. "They wiped the system!"
"Who?" I yelled.
"Hunters, they're here." She raced across the room and removed a panel from the wall, revealing a tunnel, then she looked up at James. "Just like the old days, right?"
Suddenly, an alarm sounded. A wailing, throbbing sound. I pressed my hands over my ears. "What's going on?" I yelled, but I couldn't even hear my own words over the blaring of the alarm.
The next thing I knew, James was throwing me to the ground as explosions sounded overhead.
I glanced up to see men in black gas masks run into the room. A cloud of smoke billowed around me, and I coughed, then my eyes started watering. The weight on top of me shifted, James was moving from on top of me, but I couldn't see him through the fog.
Strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me away. In the chaos and noise, I couldn't tell which direction I was going or who had a hold of me. A hand pressed my head down, forcing me to bend over, then shoved me forward.
Reaching out, I felt an opening. It had to be the tunnel that Pyx left through. As soon as I crawled inside, I felt the grip on my lungs releasing with each breath of fresh air. Forcing myself to move faster, I crawled on my hands and knees, blindly moving further into the dark tunnel. I wasn't sure where I was going, but it had to be better than what I'd left behind me.
14
As I crawled through the darkness, I reached ahead of me, trying to feel for any sign of an exit.
"Can't you light it up?" James's voice came from behind me.
I stopped crawling, and someone ran into my backside. "Hold up. I can't just conjure things while in the middle of running for my life."
The person behind me backed up, and I tried not to think about the tiny space I was confined to while I whispered a spell to make light. It worked quickly, my fingertips lighting up with a soft white glow.
Now I could see the tunnel I was crawling through. It was wider than I expected, wide enough for me to easily turn around. Spinning so I was facing the opposite direction, I squinted into the darkness behind me. James looked back at me, but we were alone in the tunnel. "Where's Alec?"
James turned. "Alec?"
No answer.
He looked back at me. "He was right behind us. They must have grabbed him."
I crawled forward, trying to squeeze past James. "We have to go back for him."
James grabbed me and held me in place. "Are you crazy? Those were hunters. My men can slow them down, but they can't stop them. Even if they were still there, if you go back, they'll just capture you, too. What good does that do for anyone?"
"He shouldn't be with them. What if they hurt him?" Alec had been my friend for less than 24 hours, and I'd managed to get him caught by hunters. I sucked as a friend.
"He'll be fine. The worst they'll do is rough him up a bit," James said.
"That's terrible." I couldn't imagine what a hunter would do to a vampire, but it couldn't be good.
"That's nothing compared to what they'll do if they catch you," James said. "You go back there, and you'll both end up in trouble. If you keep going, you have a shot at proving your innocence and saving both of you."
My jaw tightened. His thought process made sense. I hated the idea of fleeing for my life after Alec stood up for me. If not for him, I'd be in the hands of the hunters, and he'd be walking free right now. He'd risked his safety and gotten involved in this whole mess to help me. Slowly, I inched ahead down the tunnel, wondering what we were going to do when we got out.
Then I stopped again. James ran into me.
"The video." I looked over my shoulder. "We don't have the video. Pyx said it was wiped. What did that mean? And where is she?"
"I wouldn’t worry about Pyx. She can take care of herself. As for the video, it’s like she said said. It was wiped, it's gone," James said.
I blinked at him. How could he be so carefree about this? "That was all we had." My whole body slumped as a wave of defeat rolled through me. "How do we prove it now?"
"We'll figure it out," James said.
"So you're going to keep helping me?" I asked.
"You didn't give me much of a choice. Hunters showing up at my house sort of requires that I help, now."
I swallowed, feeling even more guilty than I already did. Not only had I gotten Alec captured by hunters, but I'd also involved James in all of this. "Sorry, I never meant for this."
"Keep moving," James said.
Frustrated that he didn't comment on my apology, I pushed the loose strands of hair away from my eyes and moved forward. My glowing fingers helped me to see the ground ahead of me, but there wasn't enough light to see more than a few feet. "How long is this tunnel? And why do you have it, anyway?"
"You've got another hundred yards or so," James said. "And it's here in case I ever needed a fast escape. Like right now."
"Have you ever used it before?" I asked. "Wait, how did you do all the charms and stuff to keep this place hidden? Why do you need an escape when you have all of that?"
"You ask a lot of questions," he said.
"You have a lot of secrets," I said.
Ahead, I noticed a light that wasn't coming from me and I moved faster. The tunnel widened, and in the excitement of being able to stand up, I forgot about all of my questions.
Standing now, I shook out my hands, making the glowing cease.
"Let me go first," James said as he turned sideways to squeeze past me. Our bodies pressed together in the tunnel, and I could feel that he was just as muscular as he looked in his tee-shirts. I tried not to think about what he might look like naked and cursed under my breath for even letting the thought rise up. What the hell was wrong with me?
"Come on," James said. He moved forward, toward the light.
Finally, we stopped in front of a man-sized grate, and sunlight poured through the slats. I squinted at it, trying to figure out what was outside the tunnel. I could make out what looked like trees in the distance, but it was difficult to make out details.
Sharp beeping sounds, like the keys on a phone, drew my attention away. To the right of the grate was an electronic keypad with glowing numbers. James pressed a series of them and then took a step back.
I moved back and waited, hoping we'd be out of this claustrophobic space soon. With a thunk, and a few clicking noises, the grate squeaked open, and James moved forward. He peeked his head out the doorway, then hopped down.
Feeling a bit unsure, I moved slowly toward the opening, shielding my eyes with my hand against the brightness outside. Once my eyes adjusted, I was able to see James standing outside the doorway waiting for me, and I took a step back. He was easily eight feet below me. The doorway may have gotten us out, but the drop was not something I had expected. Nobody has ever accused me of being graceful and a jump like that seemed like a bad idea.
"Come on," James said, extending his hand.
"You going to catch me?"
"You'll be fine," he said.
With a sigh, I sat down, legs dangling over the edge. Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed James's hand and pushed off. For a second, it felt like I was hovering above the ground, then I landed softly on my feet. Looking behind me, I wondered if there was a charm or something on this doorway that allowed for the person leaving to practically float to the ground.
"We have to keep moving. Your face is all over the human news," James pulled at my hand, still in his.
My stomach fell. I'd forgotten ab
out the news. I pulled my hand out of James's and looked in front of me. A chill ran down my spine. When I was leaving the tunnel, I was so focused on getting out that I hadn't stopped to look at what was right in front of me.
Rows of white and gray headstones stretched on as far as the eye could see. Some were on their sides and others mostly buried by dirt. The nearest ones were so worn down, you couldn't read the inscriptions. Tall weeds and grass grew over others, and there wasn't a clear path between the stones. We were at the edge of a massive cemetery, and it looked like nobody had been here in years. There had to be a thousand graves here, and they were all forgotten. "Where are we?"
"Briarwood Cemetery," James said, taking a few steps toward one of the fallen stones. He knelt down and picked it up, returning it to its intended position. "One of the oldest cemeteries in the west. Most of the visitors are limited to the newer areas on the north side."
I turned to look where he was pointing and could make out a few cars and some small figures walking around. "They don't even seem to know this is here."
"That's how humans are. They forget their past, ignore it."
My insides twisted. I'd done that, myself. It was why I couldn't bring myself to practice magic unless it was necessary for my job. "Sometimes the past is too painful."
He looked at me, eyebrows raised, then opened his mouth as if he was going to speak, then closed it.
"What?" I knew that look. He was judging me. I crossed my arms over my chest. "You think you know me, but you don't."
"I didn't say anything," he said. "But if I were going to say something, I'd probably start with your father."
He cut through the graves, down a grassy hill, and away from the cars and people in the newer part of the cemetery. I followed behind him. "I don't even know my father. And no, we're not going to talk about it. Did you forget that we're trying to clear my name and save my friend?"
"Why do you think I brought you here?" he asked.
"So you could show me your cool tunnel?" I was starting to get annoyed, which was a better than feeling hopeless.
Suddenly, my body stiffened, and I screamed as pain shot through me. Gasping for air, I collapsed to the ground, only able to move enough to see the hunter standing behind us.
15
I'd never seen a hunter in real life before. Sure, I'd seen them on the news after some big name criminal was captured, but hunters were rare. They were specially trained, and from what I've heard, most of the recruits didn't even make it out of the academy.
But the hulking man with jet black hair glaring down at me couldn't be anything other than a hunter. He wore tactical gear over a black tee-shirt and black pants. The muscles in his arms bulged and a vein pulsed in his forehead as he glared at me. Gold sparks danced on his fingers. "I've been told to bring you in alive if possible. Don't make me bring in a body."
Terror threatened to overpower my thoughts, and my mind whirred. I grasped for anything that might be able to get me out of this, but I could hardly move as it was. Whatever spell he'd thrown at me had left me feeling like I was swimming in a vat of peanut butter. How had he done that?
James moved closer to me. "Think about fire. Heat. Flames."
Without turning my head, I glanced at him, brow furrowed. Was he crazy? How was any of that going to help me?
As James inched closer to me, I felt the temperature rise. Like James was the sun and I was getting too close. The weight on my arms lessened. My breath hitched in surprise. It didn't matter if it made sense, if thinking about heat worked, I'd do it.
Casting a fire spell was always one of my strong points, and I wondered if calling to fire would be better than thinking about it. If I could get out of this, I could throw fire at the hunter and make a run for it.
Suddenly, flames rose up my arms, and my movement returned. The hunter stared at me, open-mouthed. I knew what he was thinking, like me, he was a mage. And Mages needed spells to call to fire. He was close enough to know that I didn't say a word. I shouldn't have flames dancing up my arms, but there they were.
The hunter stared at me, frozen in surprise. It wasn't just the fact that I'd created fire without a spell, it was the fire itself. Instead of being restricted to my palms, it spread up my arms and down my torso, as if it sought to envelop all of me. What was happening?
James grabbed my arm, not even flinching at the tongues of flame his fingers were gripping. He pulled me away from the mage. "Run."
My senses returned, I raced from the stunned hunter. A half-second later, I heard him yelling at us, but I didn't look back.
The fire eased just as James ducked into a hole in the ground in front of me. I paused, staring at a perfectly round hole in the middle of the grass. There was nothing in the hole. Just a black abyss.
Sparks shot past me, reminding me that the hunter was still on my tale. Taking a deep breath as if I were about to go underwater, I jumped.
As soon as my head dropped below the ground line, the light from above extinguished as if the hole above me vanished. Then, I felt a tug, as if a parachute had been launched above me to slow my fall. It was like Alice falling into Wonderland. Slowly, I floated through the endless black. The longer I fell, the less grasp I had on reality. Was I still falling? Was I even falling at all? "James? Are you there?"
There was a sense of weightlessness, and I stretched my fingers out, half expecting to feel water. Instead, there was nothing but air. What was happening? The last few minutes all happened so fast. The escape from the hunter, the fire that came to me without speaking the words of a spell. It shouldn't be possible. I'd always been good with fire spells, but I had never done any magic without at least whispering the incantation. How had that flame appeared? And why did it take on such a strange quality?
Without warning, heat raced up my arms, followed by orange flames. I let out a cry of surprise, then shook my hands. Did I imagine this? Both of my hands and forearms were lit with flickering light, illuminating the darkness. I was still falling, through a cement lined tube. Whatever this was, it had been built by someone.
"James?" I called out again, fear in my voice. The fire wasn't going away, and I wondered if something was wrong with me. Maybe it was the tea I'd had.
Looking down again, I finally saw what looked like the end of the drop. I glided down, landing like Mary Poppins, but an evil version, one that was on fire.
James was standing nearby, and as soon as I landed, he ran over to me and pulled my arms to his chest, extinguishing the flames. "You're going to have to be careful with thoughts of fire until you learn to control that."
I pulled away from him. "What the hell is going on here? Why am I igniting? How did the hunters know where to go? Why did someone kill Jimmy?" All the fear, frustration, and anger poured out at once. I'd been trying so hard to keep it together. To stay focused on finding Jimmy's murderer and clearing my name. But the more time passed, the worse my situation seemed to get. Not only was I spontaneously combusting, but I had also managed to get the one person who had helped me without question caught by hunters.
Forcing back tears, I turned away from James and worked to steady my breathing. This was not what I had signed up for. I knew there were risks working for Jimmy, but my job was about as mild as it got. I found things and brought them to him. I never interacted with clients, and I stayed in the shadows. Most people didn't even realize I worked for Jimmy since I would occasionally sell things to other interested parties.
My mind raced. Something was wrong with me. Something had changed, and I had a sinking suspicion that it was all connected. Spinning on my heels, I turned to face James. "This means something, doesn't it?"
I held out my palms. There was no sign of injury, no burn marks, nothing. Even the most talented mages would see damage from holding fire for so long, mage spell or not, it wasn't something you did.
James tossed a jacket to me.
I caught it, then looked down at my shirt. My face burned, and my eyes widened as I realized t
he fire had eaten away at my clothes. Quickly, I pulled on the jacket. It was too big, but at least I wasn't forced to walk around in the tattered remains of what used to be a shirt.
"I shouldn't have to be the one to tell you this," James said. "It's not my place."
"Tell me what?" I dropped my hands to my side in frustration. "I am getting really tired of all the surprises. I'm over it. Just spit it out."
"I could sense it as soon as we met, it's why I had to test you. They've been looking for me for years, and I thought they sent you," James said.
"Who?"
"The other dragons, or the Dragon-Bloods," James said. "Like I said before, I've been hiding from them for a long time. They keep asking me to join them. I don't agree with their politics or their goals."
Everyone knew the stories about the dragon-bloods. A secret cult of people who supposedly descended from dragons. They were often cast as the villains in childhood bedtime stories.
Most of the mages I knew thought they were myth, that they didn't exist. Which was funny considering we lived in a city full of werewolves, vampires, sirens, and all the other things humans didn't believe in. Whether I believed in the Dragon-Bloods or not didn't matter right now. "What does this have to do with me?"
"You are a dragon-blood," James said.
I stared at him for a moment, letting the words sink in. "That's ridiculous. I'm a mage. You know that."
"You may be a mage, but somewhere in your line, there was a dragon," James said.
"I think I'd know if I had dragon blood," I said.
"No, you wouldn't. Dragon-bloods can't use their powers unless they spend time around a pure-blood dragon. They need a dragon to awaken their magic."
I lifted an eyebrow. "Like you?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm not in dragon form. Though, it is one of the reasons some of the groups have tried to recruit me. An elite or a wild dragon will do the trick, but wild dragons are far more difficult to predict. And they're not exactly legal in this realm."
"So, anyone in Realm's Gate who happens to have dragon blood will now be able to use their powers?" I asked.