by Willa Hart
“How did you do that?” Ash finally asked Tamar.
“Better question,” Hale interrupted. “What the hell was that?”
Tamar gaped at us, the color still gone from her face. “I…I do not know. I have never done anything like that before, at least not in my human form.”
We exchanged confused glances as we processed this new development. Kellum scratched his head thoughtfully, then looked at Tamar.
“This might sound crazy, but a lot of crazy things have been happening recently. Favor’s new powers, the return of the jadokari, these jerks trying to kill Favor—”
“We get it,” Ryen said. “What’s your point?”
Kellum looked almost embarrassed by what he was about to say, but he pressed on. “I remember stories from when we were fledglings, stories about a very special cry from a dragon that could knock out humans. Remember?”
The guys nodded their agreement, and even Tamar said she recalled a children’s story about the unimaginatively named Dragon’s Cry.
“My favorite was about a princess doomed to marry a villain but is saved by the dragon she secretly loves with a Dragon Cry.”
“Is it possible?” Kellum asked, a mix of concern and curiosity lighting his sapphire eyes.
Tamar shook her head. The rest of her body shook as well. “It was just a story.”
“That’s like saying the Easter bunny actually hides eggs all over your backyard,” Ash agreed.
“Or the tooth fairy putting money under your pillow,” added Hale.
“That’s what we thought about dragon’s tears,” Kellum pointed out, clearly not convinced of his theory but not willing to give it up without further discussion.
“Then why didn’t Favor pass out?” Danic asked.
No one had an answer for that.
“I really want to talk more about this,” Ryen said, glancing around uneasily, “but this probably isn’t the right place or time. We have no idea how long they’ll be out, and we really don’t want to be here if the local police show up.”
“We don’t have enough for a bribe big enough to keep us out of trouble for this,” Danic agreed.
Kellum turned to me. “Favor, did you actually see Zoe in that vision?”
“No, just the statue.”
“So she might not even be in this town,” Hale said with a heavy sigh.
“What do you mean?” I asked, blinking at them in shock. “Are you saying this was a trap?”
“Maybe,” Kellum said, frowning. “I don’t know how they could fake a signal to your brain, but there’s no earthly reason that keeper would go after you like that so suddenly.”
I threw my hands up in the air and spun a frustrated circle. “That’s just great! For all our hiding and subterfuge, they know we’re here and they’re already out to get me. Well, let’s not make it easy on the bastards. Let’s go.”
“Are you sure you leave Romania altogether?” Tamar asked, worry etched on her brow as we hurried through the square toward her SUV. “They almost succeeded in killing you.”
I snorted and shot her a heavy look. “Fuck ‘em.”
She laughed in response.
Chapter 3
“Where the hell are they?” Danic snarled, echoing the impatience we all felt. “They should have been here by now.”
He stood in the doorway to our little stone home, staring at the rocky dirt road leading to our hidden compound, awaiting the arrival of the newest additions to our growing entourage. After the attack in the town square four days earlier, Kellum had reached out to Lazlo Aurelia, the acting casique of the L.A. Weir, to fill him in on our progress — or lack thereof — as well as the suspicious nature of the vision that had led us to the statue of St. Michael.
In typical Lazlo fashion, he’d responded with a brief, cryptic response that reinforcements were en route. Danic — Mr. One Man Army himself — didn’t think we needed any more muscle, but I certainly didn’t see the harm, especially after my face-off with a knife big enough to gut an elephant. Besides, I’d grown to trust Lazlo’s judgment implicitly.
Despite my initial suspicion after he stepped into Max’s role as casique, Lazlo had proven himself as loyal to Max as I was, and that was saying something. For the last five years, Max had been my mentor, my protector, my teacher. My life had revolved around him — not just because I lived with him and Aunt Shirley, but I’d always secretly expected he’d turn out to be my dragon, the one I would be keeper to.
Of course, so much had changed since Max basically fell off the face of the planet. My increasing powers had allowed me to seek him out with my mind — or maybe it was my heart. Whichever part of me that could reach through space and time to glance through the veil and speak with him. But I hadn’t been able to find Max for well over a week, no matter how many times I visited his lair, no matter how many notes I left for him to reach out to me.
Worry gnawed at me that something bad had happened to him. We never spoke about it, but I could tell the boys felt the same. They did an admirable job of keeping their concerns tucked neatly out of my sight, not wanting to add more stress to my overflowing plate. Noble intentions, and I loved them all the more for their caring, but keeping secrets was no easy task between us anymore. We tapped into each other’s emotions radiating off our bodies like heat waves hovering over a desert road.
As concerned as I was for Max, my heart ached for poor Aunt Shirley, sitting around all alone back home and probably feeling utterly helpless. Maybe she’d grown used to Max’s antics, his comings and goings, but she’d always had Max’s great-nephews or me to keep her company. I made a mental note to call her later, when we found a place with cell phone coverage. Our tiny stone hideout was so well-hidden not even cell phone signals could find it.
The thought of talking to her gave me a boost. As exciting as an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe should have been, I missed Los Angeles. Since my parents died, I’d never found a place that felt more like home. I had family, friends, lovers, and all the sunshine a girl could ask for.
Out here in the misty mountains of northern Romania, far from the comforts of home, it was easy to get discouraged, especially since we’d made no progress on finding Zoe. We were little more than tourists, even with Tamar teaching us about local customs. We didn’t belong here, and we’d have to be very careful if we wanted to survive and find Zoe. Hopefully the reinforcements Lazlo had sent would lighten our load a little. If they ever showed up, that is.
“Damn,” Kellum said as he stared out the west-facing window. “Night falls pretty quickly here.”
I joined him, ducking under his arm so it would drape over my shoulders. The sky was fading from a bright gray to a darker gray, while a low ground fog rolled down a ravine to wrap around the stone houses like spectral arms in an embrace. A lovely sight to tuck away into my memories, but also a harbinger of darkness, when the four enforcers who’d flown over with us might have a harder time spotting infiltrating enemies during their patrols.
“No earlier than in Oregon,” I said, not at all wistful for the bad old days of foster care homes and rainy weather. “But definitely earlier than Cali.”
“Maybe they got lost,” Danic said from his post in the doorway.
“If our reinforcements are that useless, then maybe it’d be better if they stayed lost,” Ryen said as he snapped the last piece into a jigsaw puzzle.
Technically, it was the last piece in the box. The final product itself still sported several gaping holes from pieces that had been lost since the Care Bears featured in it had been popular. I sometimes felt guilty when I paid attention to the puzzle instead of searching for Zoe, but after spending our days driving around hoping to catch a hint of her whereabouts, we all found the mindless task of hunting for pieces helped ease our stress. Other activities could do that too, but a girl had to rest sometime.
“Let’s not write them off before they even get here,” Kellum said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
As much as t
he Novak brothers loved each other, as well as the Campbell twins, they could get on each other’s nerves, just like any siblings. Or so I heard, not having siblings of my own. Kellum was feeling the stress of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and Danic’s impatience and Ryen’s snarky comments were grating on him.
“Honestly, I’m more frustrated with myself than the new guys,” I said to distract them all for a second.
Kellum pulled me tight against him and kissed the top of my head. I breathed in his spicy scent and smiled against his shoulder, relishing the quiver of lust that rippled through me. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time for fun, considering guests would be arriving any second.
“It’s not your fault, Favor,” Ash said, moving over to join Kellum and me.
Hale was close behind. “Yeah, don’t beat yourself up.”
I pulled away from Kellum and rested my back against the rough wall. “It’s just so weird. It’s like she clipped a wire and now the line between us is dead. Did she do it on purpose, or is she just too weak to put out a signal?”
I swallowed hard at the lump that had suddenly developed in my throat. It didn’t budge. Instead, it made my eyes burn with tears I didn’t want to shed. Not out of pride, but because I only had so many tears. Plus, crying exhausted me and served no real purpose.
“Maybe it’s not her fault,” Ryen said, joining the group. When he saw my stricken look, he quickly added, “Not your fault either. Maybe there’s something in the air here that’s blocking you. You haven’t found Max either.”
“That’s true,” I conceded. “I can’t even find his lair anymore. It’s like the fog out there, totally obliterating what I once saw so clearly.”
“Like the world’s hardest Where’s Waldo,” Ryen said, taking my hand and pressing it to his lips.
“And just like Waldo, Zoe’s here somewhere,” Danic said, finally leaving his post to soak up the connection we were sharing.
“Right, we just keep looking and putting out feelers, the best we can,” Kellum agreed. “You can sense she’s still alive, and we know the jadokari won’t hurt her, not while a ransom is still at play.”
“But how long are they going to wait?” I asked, not really wanting the answer because it wouldn’t be enough time. Not with the way things were going.
“Tamar told me she’s hearing whispers that they’re growing impatient,” Kellum answered.
“Ix-nay on the uth-tray, bro,” Ryen said with a grimace.
I shook my head. “No, he’s right. We don’t have time to just fart around. We’re going to have to take action pretty soon. Otherwise I’m afraid they’ll take their frustration out on Zoe.”
“Maybe so,” Kellum said with an air of authority, “but we’re not going to make any new moves until the fresh meat arrives.”
“If they ever do,” Danic muttered, glancing toward the open door, though it was already too dark to see much of anything.
“Relax,” I said, taking Danic’s big paw in mine. “They’ll be here. I just can’t see what good they’ll do us.”
Kellum rolled his shoulders back and serenity fell over him. “Personally, I choose to believe these new men will be just what we need to accomplish our mission.”
“Your optimism is inspiring,” sighed Ash. “I wish I could be so sure.”
“Optimism doesn’t always come naturally,” Kellum explained. “It’s during the darkest times that it’s important to know how to create your own.”
“What fortune cookie did you steal that one from?” joked Ryen.
“Actually, Uncle Max taught me that.”
We all fell into a somber silence as we each wondered what had happened to Max and if he was okay. I could sense he was still alive — or rather, I sensed he wasn’t dead. The distinction was subtle but real, and it was the best way I could hold onto what little optimism I had left.
Hale broke the tension by clapping his hands and giving us all a big cheery smile. “The jadokari might know we’re in Romania, but at least they don’t know where we are.”
“You sure about that?” Danic asked, raising a bushy eyebrow at his cousin.
“Why else would they attack us in a public space instead of ambushing us here?” Ash shot back.
“True,” Ryen agreed with a nod. “We’ve been really careful about our comings and goings, and it’s not like this place is on the beaten track.”
Hale nodded emphatically, really holding onto his positivity with an iron grip. “And even if they suspected we might be in this area, our cottage doesn’t even look inhabitable from the outside.”
Ryen snorted. “Hell, it’s barely inhabitable on the inside.”
“Aww,” I said, “I think it’s kind of cute. You could even call it charming.”
“Yes, a very cute and charming little hovel it is,” he chuckled.
Danic shrugged, then headed back to the doorway. “At least it has running water. Could be worse. We could be camping.”
“Uh, no we couldn’t,” Ryen said, sounding personally offended at the suggestion. “Not me, anyway. I’m way too addicted to brushing my teeth and, you know, not shitting in a hole.”
Kellum gave him a mocking laugh. “As if you wouldn’t walk straight into the fiery lava pits of Mount Doom if Favor went there first.”
Ryen looked thoughtful for a moment, as if there was a question about that suggestion. A quick poke in his ribs earned me a smile and a kiss, while the others chuckled their amusement. Mostly because they would follow me too. My heart nearly burst right out of my chest with love for my boys.
Ryen pulled me to him and smiled down at me. “He’s right, you know. I’d follow you anywhere, Favor. Even if it meant camping.”
I grinned back at him. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
Our lightened mood was punctured by a loud mechanical blat. We all jerked into high alert, and the boys went to investigate. Since Danic was already at the door, he was first to identify the weird noise.
“Vehicle!”
“Is it Tamar?” Hale asked from his perch at the eastern window.
Danic shook his head. “No, it’s older. I think that noise was a backfire.”
“Great, the reinforcements show up in a farting car,” Ryen sighed as he joined his brother at the door.
The tension in my body eased, leaving me more exhausted than ever. This whole living on the edge of death thing was starting to get real old, real fast. It was all I could do to muster the energy to join the guys in greeting the newcomers.
An absolutely ancient SUV rumbled up the dirt road, its engine chugging hard on the incline and its muffler spewing a trail of steam. Actually, it looked more like a precursor to the modern SUV. What Max always called a Bronco, no matter the make of the vehicle. It sputtered to a stop just outside our cottage, then belched out an impressive blast before going quiet.
I leaned into Ryen, who stood next to me. “Sounds like you after chili night.”
As he laughed himself into a coughing fit, the rest of us watched with guarded curiosity as three figures climbed out of the Romanian “Bronco.” The driver looked like a giant in the dim light cast from the lamps inside our house. The man who climbed out of the back passenger-side seat wasn’t nearly as tall, but his body shape looked fit. He opened the front passenger-side door and helped the last person out from the Bronco. Judging by the man’s stooped form, he was just this side of ancient. They were halfway to the cottage when we finally recognized them.
“Lazlo!” Kellum cried, his face breaking into a grin.
At the same moment, Ryen shouted, “Rufus!”
The third man was Elder Almeric, the oldest dragon on the elder council. Contrasting Lazlo’s cosmopolitan style — a pale blue linen shirt tucked into loose white linen slacks — and Rufe’s casual jeans and a t-shirt, Almeric looked positively comical in a pair of what I’m pretty sure were once called breeches — short pants that ended just past the knee — and a blousy shirt partially covered by a lea
ther vest. I’d never seen him in anything except his elder council robes. He looked every bit a medieval wizard on vacation.
Danic was the only one among us who didn’t seem pleased to see them. “What the hell? I thought you were sending more muscle!”
Almeric grinned up at Danic and patted one of his bulging biceps as he passed on his way inside. “It appears to me you have more than enough muscle for all of us, young man. What you need is more brains.”
Before Danic had time to react to the apparent insult, Lazlo slapped him on the back. “Good to see you too, Danic. Why don’t we go inside to talk.”
We followed them inside, leaving Rufus to take up the rear as he looked around wide-eyed and fascinated by his new surroundings. Hale, Ash and I set about making tea for all of us, while the others allowed our guests to settle around the table before joining them. Lazlo didn’t bother waiting before starting.
“The council felt the wisest move was to send emissaries,” Lazlo said, as if his words explained everything we needed to know.
“Why?” Ryen asked as he leaned against the doorjamb and kicked one foot back against the wall.
“This all feels a little too familiar. Like the old battle come anew.”
“I don’t even understand what that means,” Danic said, glowering at his boss.
“What it means,” Almeric said, taking over, “is that the jadokari’s power and influence seems to be growing at an alarming rate. You’ll recall they’re the dragon followers of an ancient cult started by the evil mage Vazha, centuries ago. The details are lost in time, but somehow Vazha managed to seduce these dragons with his incredible power.”
“They must have gotten something out of the deal,” I said as I placed tea in front of Lazlo and Almeric. Ash and Hale were doling out the rest.
Almeric looked puzzled as he stroked his long white beard. “Not that we’ve ever learned. But even dragons can fall prey to charismatic leaders, whether good or bad.”
Lazlo took up the story from there. “After Maximus killed Vazha, the jadokari disappeared. Honestly, we thought — or maybe hoped — they’d be freed from whatever black spell Vazha had cast on them, but that doesn’t seem to have been the case. Now we believe they were simply hibernating, for lack of a better word.”