by C. J. Hill
“In a safe place.”
Aaron kept his voice even. No point in losing his temper. “Can I have it?”
“Later. How is Bianca these days?”
He sounded so polite, so civilized. It was hard to believe this was the guy who’d had men chase him down and sedate him. “Why did you drug me and where are you taking me?”
“Didn’t I make that clear? I’m sorry. You’ll be going to my home for a paternity test. You resemble Dirk, true, but for all I know you could be some look-alike the Slayers found so they could try and track me.”
Aaron rubbed his forehead. “Dude, they sell paternity tests at Walmart. You don’t have to fly me anywhere.”
Overdrake picked up a glass from a cup holder and took a casual drink. “I drugged you because you ran away. Which, I assumed meant you knew I wanted to talk with you but you weren’t willing to come with me peacefully. Sometimes parents have to use force with their children. You understand that.” He said this as though drugging and kidnapping him was the same as sending a five-year-old to his room. “Besides, if you happen to be a Slayer, drugging you will have taken away your powers and a chunk of your memory.”
Aaron had heard the story of how his grandfather drugged a Slayer to take away his powers and had ended up killing the kid. And now his own father had drugged him? The thought made him feel sick.
“Are you looking at me blankly,” Overdrake drawled, “because you’ve forgotten everything you knew about Slayers?”
Had he forgotten things? He was part Slayer so the drug might have affected his brain. He remembered making plans with Tori. But he’d done that as a dragon lord. Maybe other parts of his memory had just been wiped clean. How would he know?
Overdrake swirled the liquid in his glass. “You do know what a Slayer is, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” Aaron said. “Mom told me about them. They’re people programmed to kill dragons and fight dragon lords.”
“You ran into some at the Renaissance Fair?” Overdrake prompted.
Dangerous ground. Aaron had already worked out his story and he wouldn’t even have to lie much about what had happened, but he still had to worry about slipping up. “The Slayers didn’t run into me. They attacked me because they thought I was one of your men.” He didn’t have to fake the irritation in his voice. He was still ticked they invaded his house and scared him and his mom half to death. His home hadn’t felt safe since.
“And Tori was one of them?” Overdrake asked.
“They didn’t give me their names.” Aaron said the words as though the question was ridiculous—which it was. Tori hadn’t given him that sort of information. He’d figured out who she was afterward. “I don’t remember how many Slayers there were,” he went on, steering the subject away from her. “Five, maybe. They wore helmets so I couldn’t see their faces. They wanted information about you and the dragons. After they realized I couldn’t tell them anything, they didn’t stick around long.”
“Did they hurt you?” Overdrake asked.
“They grabbed me and threatened me.” He paused. “It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it was.”
A muscle pulsed in Overdrake’s cheek. “I believe you. For all of their supposed ideals, they’re willing to break the law or intimidate others when it suits their purpose.” He set his glass into the holder and laced his fingers together. “Tell me, what are your feelings toward them?”
Aaron let out a disbelieving cough. Was he serious? “My feelings about the nameless, faceless guys that attacked me? Uh, I’d have to say anger and fear.” He’d felt enough of both emotions during the attack. “Slayers are dangerous and I want them to leave me and my family alone.” Especially Jacob. He didn’t want them ever recruiting his brother.
Overdrake’s gaze went to Dirk. Aaron hadn’t thought Overdrake cared about Dirk’s opinion on the conversation. His brother had hardly acted like he was paying attention, but he nodded in approval before returning to his homework. Whatever he was doing, it required lots of numbers.
Overdrake leaned back in his chair, more relaxed. “I’m glad Bianca warned you about the Slayers and things didn’t turn out worse. What did she tell you about me?”
Aaron ran his hand along the chair’s arms, thinking over what to say. “She doesn’t talk about you much. She told me you had dragons and you were going to use them to take over the government. She didn’t want me to be a part of it, so that’s why she left when she was pregnant with me.”
The bottom half of Dirk’s pencil snapped in two like he’d been pressing it too hard. Dirk flicked the broken half away and reached into a backpack for another.
“Did your mother teach you about dragons?” Overdrake asked.
“She told me some things, but I didn’t pay much attention. It’s not like I’ve ever run into one.”
Overdrake picked up his glass again. “No, she made sure you wouldn’t. She stole you from me and tried to keep you from your heritage.” He smiled at Aaron. “We’ll set that right.”
Aaron shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Keep calm, he told himself. You wanted this. But it was hard not to be freaked out. Before, when he’d thought about contacting his father, it had always been a choice, something he could back out of if he wanted. Now that option was gone. “Did you tell my mom you were taking me?” he asked. That’s what any normal kid would ask in this situation. “She’s going to freak out if I just disappear.”
“She disappeared with you thirteen years ago,” Overdrake said, taking a drink. “You know what they say, turnabout is fair play.”
“She’ll call the police and tell them you kidnapped me.”
Overdrake waved his hand, dismissing the protest. “This isn’t a kidnapping, it’s a custody dispute. They happen every day in America and the police don’t do much about them. Really, considering she denied me custody for twelve years, I think my turn with you is long overdue.”
“You didn’t let her see Dirk,” Aaron pointed out. That got his brother’s attention. Dirk’s posture stiffened and he frowned. He didn’t look up, though. He was concentrating firmly on his equations.
“It was unfortunate but necessary,” Overdrake said. “Bianca knew when we married that I needed sons to help me. You can’t imagine how upset it makes me to know she’s hidden you away from me all this time. And, no doubt, she’s told you horrible things about me.”
For the first time, Aaron wondered if his mother had lied to him about his father. “You’re not going to use the dragons to attack cities?”
“See, this is exactly what I mean. She’s poisoned you against me. I’m going to use the dragons to set cities free.”
Uh huh. “Does setting them free involve burning things and killing people?”
Overdrake laughed. “Is that the sort of person you think I am? Someone who enjoys destroying things?” He shook his head. “A leader builds things, not destroys them.”
What did he mean by that? “So you’re not going to attack with the dragons?”
Overdrake sighed as if Aaron was a little kid asking whether Santa was real. “This is what you need to know. I plan on building a great future for this country. Think of me as an architect with blueprints for an amazing palace. Whenever a builder creates a new structure, he needs to clear the ground first. Get rid of the rubble and weeds. Things that shouldn’t be there to begin with. Clearing them takes work and effort, but what he builds is so much better, it’s worth the effort. Do you understand?”
Not really. But Aaron suspected that the answer to his earlier question was: yes, Overdrake did plan on using the dragons to attack. Aaron nodded uncertainly.
“Good,” Overdrake said, “Now tell me about yourself. I assume you play sports.”
Aaron didn’t just play sports, he was the best athlete in his grade. “Yeah. Football, basketball, and some soccer.”
Overdrake nodded as though he expected as much. “Dirk’s always been varsity. Your grades?”
“As and Bs.” More Bs than his m
other liked. She wanted him to get straight As.
“Where do you live?”
Aaron tried not to swallow. Swallowing would make him look guilty. “Charleston.” His family had vacationed there enough times that he could fake it. No way was he going to tell Overdrake his real address. “You’re going to give me my phone so I can call my mom, right?”
“I’ll let her know you’re safe. Did she ever remarry?”
“No. She’s single.” It was partly true. She and Wesley, his stepdad, were separated. Aaron didn’t want Overdrake to consider that she might have any Slayer children.
“Really?” he asked. “I always imagined she would remarry quickly.”
Aaron swallowed despite his best efforts not to. She’d married Wesley not long after Aaron was born.
Overdrake didn’t seem to notice his discomfort, or at least didn’t press the subject. Instead he spent the next twenty minutes asking about Aaron’s hobbies, his school, and bits of his life.
Aaron answered them carefully, making sure not to accidentally give information about his mom or brother.
After the plane landed, Overdrake turned to Dirk. “So, was he lying about anything?”
Aaron froze. Tori had said counterparts could sometimes tell when the other was lying, but Aaron had assumed he would have to be talking to Dirk for him to detect a lie. But maybe that wasn’t the case. Earlier, when Aaron was talking about meeting the Slayers, he hadn’t told any lies. He’d just left out a lot of the truth. The look that Overdrake had shot Dirk—he’d been asking if Aaron had answered honestly. Dirk had nodded in reply.
Would Dirk know he’d lied about their mother remarrying? If he did, he might figure out why. And his address—he’d lied about that too.
Dirk picked up his homework. “As far as I could tell, the kid was telling the truth.”
Overdrake smiled, happy with that piece of news.
Aaron just stared at his brother. Because he could tell Dirk was lying. Somehow he felt the dishonesty as strongly as if he’d been the one uttering the words. This was both good and bad news. Good news, because Dirk didn’t rat him out. Bad news, because it was apparently a lot easier to tell when a counterpart lied than Aaron had hoped.
***
Overdrake blindfolded Aaron before he led him off the plane. Aaron remained blindfolded for a car ride that must have been at least an hour long. He didn’t know whether to be worried or to think all the cloak and dagger stuff was lame. He wasn’t allowed to take off the blindfold even after Overdrake led him out of the car. They walked down an uneven path for ten minutes, maybe more. Then they went into a building, climbed down several flights of stairs, and walked through a hallway.
It didn’t matter how many times Aaron asked, “Where are you taking me?”
Overdrake always answered in a variation of, “You’ll see when you get there.”
Aaron didn’t see though, he smelled it: something like old car parts. A door opened, Overdrake towed him through it, and then the door shut with a loud metallic clang. Were they in some sort of mechanic’s shop? Aaron’s adrenaline spiked. Something felt wrong, ominous.
“This,” Overdrake said, “Is where we’ll administer your paternity test.” Finally, he took off the blindfold.
They stood in some sort of dimly lit cave. It was several stories high and as wide as three or four basketball courts. It had the echoing feel of a basketball court too. A pond sat by an outcropping of boulders with a hill of boulders behind that. Smaller boulders lay near Aaron’s feet. The odd thing about the cave was that they’d come through a door to get here. Weirdest place ever. Creepy. Dirk and Overdrake stood beside Aaron, looking bored.
“Can you see?” Overdrake asked him.
“What am I supposed to see?” Aaron asked.
Overdrake grunted like he wasn’t pleased with the answer.
And then Aaron saw that the black shape he’d thought was a hill of boulders wasn’t rock at all. It was alive and moving toward them. A huge, slinking beast. Aaron took a step backward, almost tripping over his own feet. “Is that a dragon?”
“It is,” Overdrake said, his voice sounding pleased again. “Meet Khan. He’ll most likely kill you if you can’t protect yourself, so you have three options.” He pointed to a small opening in the ceiling of the cave wall. “You can fly up there and hide, you can go into the dragon’s mind and control it, or you can pick up those rocks at your side and use them as weapons.”
Aaron took another step backward. “Are you insane?” He should never have come here; should have never told Tori he’d do this.
“If you’re my son, the dragon’s fire won’t hurt you. If you’re an imposter, well, you’ll die. But you’ll have learned an important lesson before you do, which is that you shouldn’t impersonate someone.”
The man was insane. He was standing there calmly talking about the dragon frying him like this was all some game that didn’t mean anything.
Why did Aaron have to prove himself? He hadn’t come to Overdrake claiming to be his son. The man had kidnapped him from the fair and brought him here. Aaron wanted to yell at Overdrake, but Khan was coming closer. He needed a plan. He needed to do something—fight or hide.
But all Aaron could manage was to stand motionless, gawking at the dragon. With its dark scales, it looked like a shadow that had come to life, some sort of inky nightmare. The thing was so huge it could have easily ripped an elephant apart. It lifted its long neck, glared at him with a pair of golden eyes, and growled, showing rows of dagger-like teeth.
Aaron didn’t know how to fly or control a dragon. The boulders to his side were the size of large ice coolers. Too heavy for him to normally pick up, but he must have his dragon lord strength now. The dragon was closer than five miles—it was almost closer than five yards. Aaron hefted up the corner of a boulder, and it lifted into his hands as easily as a pillow. He held it over his head, stepped into the throw, and launched it at Khan’s throat.
The dragon dodged easily enough and in return, shot a blast of fire in Aaron’s direction. Long churning flames. Instinct made him leap sideways, a motion that took him higher and farther than he’d planned. When he landed, he was a good fifteen feet away from the boulders, his only weapons.
A stupid move. He searched around for something else to throw. There wasn’t anything. He’d have to leap back there.
Fly, he told himself Fly!
Nothing happened. His feet didn’t leave the ground.
The dragon turned and took a threatening step in his direction.
Overdrake held up his hand. “Enough,” he said, and the dragon halted. Within the span of a few seconds, it went from attack stance to calmly sitting, eyes half shut.
Overdrake clicked something on a remote and the lights in the cave brightened. “You passed your test. You do indeed have powers when you’re near a dragon. Although I must mention that of the three options I gave you, attacking a dragon is the most foolish one. But then, we have plenty of time to work on your education.”
Aaron planted his hands on his hips, his breaths coming out fast. “You call this a test? Hey, I’ll tell you what you can do with your education.” He then spat every swear word he knew at his father. He was still shaking from the fear and adrenaline and his heart felt like it was about to hammer its way through his chest.
Overdrake shook his head. “You’ll need to work on your temper. I don’t stand for that sort of disrespect from my sons.”
“I could have been killed!” Aaron yelled and added a few more swear words.
Dirk rose a half a foot into the air and glided over. It was weird seeing him levitating off the ground that way. He took hold of Aaron’s arm and pulled him toward the door they’d come in. “I’ll show Aaron around and take him to his room.”
The door was steel and looked like something that belonged in a prison, but Dirk opened it easily enough. Aaron was still cursing when Dirk dragged him out into the hallway and shut the door behind them.
&
nbsp; “Calm down,” Dirk said, landing on the ground again. “You were never in any danger. My father had control of the dragon the whole time.”
“It shot fire at me!” Aaron shook off Dirk’s grip. He could do that now that he had extra strength. “If I wasn’t a dragon lord, I would have been burned alive. What sort of psycho test is that?”
“Khan only shot fire at you after you’d thrown the boulder. By that point, it was clear you were legit, and dragon lords don’t burn.” Dirk motioned for Aaron to follow him down the hall.
Aaron didn’t really have a choice. He didn’t want to be standing in the hallway when Overdrake came out. He grudgingly followed Dirk. “He’s crazy, isn’t he? Like, legitimately mental.”
“No,” Dirk said. “He just likes to make a point. And the point he was making today is that he’s in charge and there are consequences for anyone who crosses him. Once you’ve learned that lesson, everything will be much smoother.” Dirk said the words like they didn’t bother him. “Oh, and by the way—welcome home.”
Home. They both knew this wasn’t his home. Aaron wasn’t sure if Dirk was trying to be friendly or just ironic.
They kept walking down the hall, their footsteps clanging on the floor.
“Back at the fair,” Aaron said, “when you saw me, you told me to run. Why?”
Dirk looked unruffled by the question, but his voice had a note of bitterness. “Because my mother gave me up in order to protect you—in order to keep you from being trained as a dragon lord.” He opened a door and went up a stairwell. “Seemed like a shame to have that sacrifice be for nothing.”
Aaron let out a sharp breath and followed after Dirk. He suddenly felt like he’d betrayed his mom, done something horribly wrong.
Instead of walking, Dirk lifted off the ground and flew over the steps. Aaron leaped up a few stairs, bumped into the stairwell, did the same thing at the next bend, and gave up the idea of using his powers to shorten the climb. He trudged up them the normal way.
Dirk checked over his shoulder to see if Aaron was keeping up, saw he wasn’t, and waited for him. “Don’t look so depressed,” he said. “Being a dragon lord isn’t a bad thing. You’ll get the hang of leaping eventually. Plus you’ll get to control dragons and fly.”