by D K Drake
“We’ve been walking for hours in this miserable rain, and it will be dark soon,” Javan said. “Either we find a place to camp for the night, or we get on Varjiek and head back to Luisa’s.”
“You can go back if you want.” She adjusted the straps on her bookbag that held her dragon and continued to follow the path of the muddy trail. “I’m going to keep hiking until I find the perfect place for my egg to hatch.”
“You know I’m not going to leave you here by yourself.”
“You should. Your dragon is back at the house with a human you barely know.”
“Skylark is there, too. She’ll make sure Starshade remains safe. Besides, I trust Luisa. She’s proven herself a friend. Starshade is alive because of her.”
Up ahead, snapping branches added to the sound of the rain smacking the leaves all around them. Taliya reached for her slingshot, but Javan put his hand on hers.
“No worries,” he said. “It’s just Varjiek. He got tired of flying over us in the rain and needed to land.”
Taliya and Javan both laughed when they saw Varjiek splayed on the ground covered in mud shaking off tangles of vines. “So much for invisibility,” Taliya said. “Should we help him?”
“Nah. After losing to the rain, he needs to beat the vines by himself.”
“Hey.” Taliya pointed to a massive tree that stood higher and taller than any of the trees around it. It had an opening in its hollowed out trunk in the shape of a triangle big enough for them to walk through. “That looks like the perfect place for an egg to hatch.”
“It also looks like the perfect home for snakes and bullet ants and spiders and all kinds of other deadly animals that are known to inhabit this place.”
“True. That’s where Varjiek comes in handy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ask him to smoke the animals out for us.”
“Say what?”
“Just ask.”
Javan shrugged and talked to his dragon. Varjiek perked up, stalked over to the tree, and stuck his snout inside. His sides filled with air. He blew a cloud of smoke into the tree and jumped back. Spiders scurried out under the smoke, and a snake slithered over Taliya’s foot on its hasty departure. “Good job, Varjiek. Now we can safely enjoy this space.”
Once the smoke cleared, she turned on the lantern Luisa had given her and let herself into the tree. There was enough space for her to stand, but Javan ducked slightly.
“It feels good to be out of the rain,” he said. He took a blanket that he had stuffed in a plastic bag out of his pack and spread it out on the dirt. “We may be soaked, but at least this blanket is mostly dry.”
Taliya sat down and leaned her egg against the trunk of the tree opposite the opening. She left her lantern on and placed it beside her egg to give it the warmth it needed to dry after being toted around in her rain-soaked pack. “There,” she said, rubbing the cool shell. “You’re safe, warm, and cozy. When you hatch, I promise to take you back to the Land of Zandador and let you run free for your entire life.”
She held her breath and waited, but the dragon refused to hatch.
◊◊◊
Muffled sobs slowly broke through Javan’s slumber and brought him back to a state of wakefulness. He felt stiff after sleeping in a sitting position against the tree trunk all night, and the morning rays of sun allowed him to see Taliya sitting with her knees pulled to her chest. She had her head buried in her arms atop her knees and was sobbing.
He crawled over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. “Are those ant bites flaring up again?”
“No. Arm’s fine.” She sniffled and looked at him with bloodshot eyes. “It’s my dragon. She never hatched. And she won’t. It’s been more than three days. The viability period ended hours ago.” She wiped her eyes. “It’s time to focus on Starshade. We have to get her back to Zandador.”
Her words sounded more hollow than the tree they were in. He had to do something, anything to bring her spirit back.
He picked up the warm, pink egg and placed it in his lap. “I know your shell is all pretty and pink and you don’t want to mess it up, but enough stalling already. It’s time to shatter that shell and let yourself live. Cause this is your last chance. If we walk through that tree door without you, you have no hope of surviving without us.” Then he leaned closer and whispered, “I need you to hatch. I hate seeing Taliya cry, and I don’t think she’ll ever stop crying if you don’t hatch.”
Shell hard. Can’t break.
Javan jerked his head back. Did the egg just talk to him?
“What’s the matter, Javan?” Taliya put her hand on his. “Why do you look so startled?”
“I think your dragon just talked to me.”
“Huh? Starshade won’t even talk to you. I thought you determined dragons have to grow up before you can communicate with them.”
“That’s what I thought. Maybe I was wrong.” Javan shrugged and put his ear to the shell. “If you can hear me, kick.”
One kick vibrated against his ear.
“Kick again.”
Another vibration.
Javan sat up and held the shell. “Keep kicking! You can do this. Fight!”
The shell shook in Javan’s hands.
“Is she seriously trying to hatch?” Taliya put her hand on the shell and looked at him through wide blue eyes when it moved. “That’s impossible.”
“Might want to think of a different word to use because that looks like a crack.” Javan smiled and pointed to a rugged black line rippling its way along the side of the pink shell.
Chapter 41
Azurrior
Taliya wiped her face dry and gaped at Javan. “Are you sure that’s a crack?”
“Yup.” He gave her a crooked smile and placed the egg on the blanket in front of them. “I guess all she needed was a little encouragement.”
“I can’t believe you’re communicating with a dragon before it even hatched. You should have tried that three days ago!”
“I know, right.” He squeezed her hand. “She’s not out of her shell yet. Her thoughts are faint, and she is weak. Let’s pray she can win this fight for her life.”
Javan closed his eyes and started talking to a God she couldn’t see. Why would he bother to do such a thing? Did he really believe God could hear him? Surely the God who created the universe had more important things to do than answer one guy’s prayer about an unborn dragon.
A claw poked through the crack. Taliya gasped. “Look!” She elbowed Javan. “She’s alive!”
“I love it when God answers prayers right away.”
Another claw. A tail. An ear. A snout. Then the shell shattered, and the tiniest, cutest, bluest creature emerged. She shook. Waves of color washed over her sticky skin. When she stopped shaking, her skin returned to the color of the blue sky on a cloudless day.
“Are you sure this is a Dusk Stalker?” Javan asked. “She looks more like a skinny chameleon.”
“Her features like her snout, claws, and tail are those of a Dusk Stalker, but her skin is unlike anything I’ve seen or read about. She is truly incredible.”
Javan cupped his hands together and lowered them to the ground. “It’s okay,” he said. “We won’t hurt you.”
The dragon gingerly walked over Javan’s fingers and rolled onto her back in the palms of his hands. She lifted her paws in the air as though she wanted her belly scratched. “Oh,” Taliya said, scratching the dragon’s blue belly and laughing, “that’s why you didn’t want to meet me. I’ve been calling you a girl, but you, sir, are most definitely a boy.”
◊◊◊
Micah paused before moving the chair that kept Jane locked in the room.
Jane. That wasn’t her name. It didn’t fit. Neither did any of the names Micah tried to match her with when he delivered her dinner the previous night. Since she wouldn’t talk to him about whatever Omri was blackmailing her with, figuring out her real name had become his obsession.
Kent
on had shown him how to find lists of names on the Internet. Micah planned to read through the list he printed to see if she reacted to any of them. He would read names out to her all day if that’s what it took. Besides, he had nothing else more interesting to do with his time until Javan and Taliya returned.
He noticed the light was already on, moved the chair, and opened the door. “I know you’re expecting breakfast so you can throw it at me, but I’ve decided discussing your name would be a more productive use of our time together.” It took him a second to realize he was talking to empty cot. She was always sitting in that bed. She never moved from that bed.
A force shoved him into the wall and kicked him in the groin with her knee. He doubled over as the papers with his lists of names flew out of his hands and floated to the floor. He tried to grab her but couldn’t move.
He watched helplessly as she walked out the door. Taking a few deep breaths, he started to follow when she backpedaled into the room with her hands up.
Kenton’s figure filled the doorway, and he had a gun aimed at Jane. “I don’t know about the two of you, but I’m tired of being cooped up in this house. How about we go out to breakfast this morning? I’d like to introduce you to some good old-fashioned southern cooking at a diner down the street.”
Micah grimaced as he forced himself to stand. “You want to take this dangerous woman out in public?”
“I don’t think she’s as dangerous as she wants us to believe she is. Maybe if we start treating her like a human being rather than a prisoner, she’ll respond in kind and start talking.”
Micah wasn’t sure Kenton’s theory was sound, but it was worth a shot. Nothing else had worked. Maybe being kind was the trick.
◊◊◊
The dragon sleeping in Javan’s hands looked as perfect as a glass figurine, but Javan knew this dragon wasn’t fragile. “Your dragon is a fighter, Taliya.”
Taliya stroked his belly with her finger. “More like a warrior.”
“A blue warrior. No. Azure. That’s a better description of his skin color. He’s an azure warrior.” Javan shifted to his knees and exclaimed, “We should call him Azurrior!”
“Azurrior.” Taliya bit her lip and nodded as though thinking the name over. She finally smiled. “I like it. That’s his name. Azurrior.”
“This little fighter is tired.” Javan carefully placed the baby on the blanket. He curled into a ball, and his tail wrapped around his body twice. “Let’s let him rest for a bit. Then we’ll head home.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For never giving up on my dragon.” Her voice sounded shaky, and her eyes began to water. “I almost did. I was ready to leave him here. Alone. With no chance of survival once he did hatch.”
“Nonsense.” He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear. “You’re the one who made me believe.”
Their eyes locked. She leaned slightly closer to him. His heart thumped as he leaned closer to her. Their lips were inches apart. He wanted to kiss her. But did she want to kiss him? Was he reading this moment right? Only one way to find out. He closed his eyes and moved his lips toward hers.
“Noooo!” She screamed, pushed Javan aside, and crawled out of the tree. “Get back here, Azurrior!”
“Azurrior’s gone?” At the sound of those scary words, Javan forgot about the missed kiss and scrambled out of the tree after Taliya.
Chapter 42
The Blue Blur
Micah had never worn anything like the earth uniform Kenton gave him. The denim jeans were a heavier material than he was used to wearing, and the t-shirt with a big circle in the middle that encompassed the word Cubs made him feel like he was walking around with a target on his chest.
Jane also wore jeans, but her shirt had flowers on it and had two holes over her shoulders. It made her look soft and feminine despite the sour look on her face.
When they stepped in the diner with booths along one wall and stools lining a bar on the other, Micah realized everyone in the place was wearing different clothes. How could there be no order? How could everyone be allowed to wear whatever they wanted?
Then again, the clothes were comfortable. He kind of enjoyed being in something other than his stiff Zandadorian uniform.
“How about those Cubs?” A man Micah had never met pointed at his shirt. “We have a chance to go deep in the playoffs this year, maybe even win the World Series.”
“Go, Cubs, go!” Kenton pumped his fist.
Micah had no idea what was happening but he attempted to play along by patting his shirt and roaring like a baby bear. The man gave Micah a quizzical look, and Kenton pulled Micah back toward a corner booth. “What was that?” Kenton asked.
“You tell me,” Micah said. “Why was a man I don’t know talking to me bear cubs? Was that because of this target on my shirt? What kind of uniform did you put me in?”
“It’s a t-shirt that represents my favorite baseball team, not a uniform.”
“Oh. Yeah. Okay. That explains everything.” Micah scratched his head. Wasn’t baseball the game Javan had been watching on television? How many teams played that game, and how did one choose which team to like? Did all strangers who followed the same team always comment on each other’s clothes as a bonding ritual?
As they were about to sit, Jane ran into a woman carrying a tray full of empty plates. The plates, glasses, and silverware shattered to the ground. To Micah’s surprise, Jane helped the woman pick up the spilled objects. An act of kindness following an accident.
Interesting. That gave Micah hope that a real person was hiding somewhere under the shell of a killer.
◊◊◊
“Are you sure Varjiek’s sure we’re on the right trail?”
“He’s sure.” Javan wished Taliya would be quiet so he could focus on listening to the dragons. They had taken to the sky on the back of the invisible Varjiek to look for Azurrior after trying unsuccessfully to track him by foot in the forest. “Azurrior’s constant thoughts make it easy for Varjiek to follow, but the little guy is so small and fast that he’s hard to see.”
“He’s been running around for hours. All that running worries me. If he’s anything like Starshade, he’ll have trouble breathing soon and will need Luisa’s leaf of life.”
“We have another problem. He’s headed toward a road, and the road leads to the town of La Fortuna up ahead. I don’t even want to think about what could happen if he makes a public appearance.”
“Forget the public appearance. He could get smashed by a car!”
“Don’t worry. Varjiek is going to grab him as soon as he’s clear of the trees. Hold on.”
Javan tightened his grip on Varjiek’s neck as Taliya tightened her grip on his waist. Varjiek whooshed past the tree line and dove toward the road. Only he wasn’t quite fast enough. Azurrior darted away while Varjiek pulled up to avoid getting hit by an oncoming car.
They continued to fly over the road and watched as a blue blur dashed across the ground and ran into a church building at the end of a square of grass.
“Land behind that church.” Javan and Taliya jumped off Varjiek as soon as he landed. “We’ve got him cornered now, Varjiek. You go back to Luisa’s and eat, then return for us. I don’t need a hungry Noon Stalker hanging around a busy town square.”
I will eat quickly and meet you back in this spot. Varjiek flew away, and Javan and Taliya ran to the front of the church. The doors were propped open for tourists, and no one was filling the pews on this Friday morning.
“Azurrior? You in here, buddy?”
Hard ground. Short trees. No green. Sky gone.
“You’re not in the woods anymore, pal. The sky is still there. You just can’t see it because of the ceiling.”
Ceiling.
“Yeah. The hard ground is called a floor, and these benches are called pews.”
Floor. Pews. Benches. More!
“You come with me, and I can teach you all the words
you could possibly want to know.”
A blue face peeked out from a middle pew, and Azurrior crept out into the center aisle.
“That’s it. Come here.” Javan crouched down and lowered his hands to the floor. When the dragon was less than ten feet away, a woman behind Javan screamed.
“What is that creature?”
A man answered. “Another thing that can kill you in Costa Rica!”
Kill? Danger!
The startled Dusk Stalker zipped past Javan, Taliya, and the two tourists. As Javan feared, the dragon was now loose in a well-populated area. This was bad. This was very, very bad.
Chapter 43
Tiny Terror
“S
he’s up to something.” Micah followed Kenton upstairs into the kitchen after locking the Destroyer in her basement cell upon returning from the diner. “I can see it in those eyes of hers. She’s working on another way to try to kill me.”
“You’re being paranoid. She’s stuck in a windowless room with no weapons of any kind. It’s safe to say that you are safe.”
“I thought I was safe when I had her tied up with ten feet of rope, but I still ended up with a bullet wound.” Micah still wasn’t sure how she had escaped those bindings the other day. Not knowing how she had freed herself from that seemingly impossible situation made him believe she could find a way to get out of that room they had her locked inside. “I’m certain she has something planned. We can’t get complacent because she refuses to talk.”
“That silence is a tactic to drive you crazy. Based on how you’re acting, I’d say it’s working. It’s also rather impressive.” Kenton grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and walked to his office. “You have to have a tremendous amount of discipline to say nothing to anyone. Ever.”
“Did you just compliment a Dragon Destroyer?”
“I suppose I did.” He plopped down in his swivel chair and turned his computer on. “The even stranger part is that I’m having this conversation with the son of my sworn enemy. Truth be told, I dare not get complacent around you just because you’re acting friendly.”