by D J DuMont
They had their differences, yes. And Willow was sure that within a few minutes, she would be just as frustrated with Locke as she always was. But for that brief moment, she felt like she had found peace.
“I can do this,” she whispered to Cayenne. “We can do this. Don’t worry about Clove. Don’t worry about my father. We have magic inside of us, and we can do anything. Anything.”
For once, Willow actually believed those words. Cayenne seemed to believe them, too. She lifted her head high to the sky and roared. Sam looked up, startled, but Willow just laughed. And then, from the dragon stables, Willow heard an answering roar. She knew it was Clove, and her heart warmed at the sound. Whatever was wrong with Clove, or her father, Willow was going to find a way to fix it.
She was a Dragon Heart, after all.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Then we took the shopping cart and tied it to my cousin’s pickup truck with this old rope we found,” Alexis said, barely able to contain her laughter. Sylvie started laughing so hard that she nearly choked on the sip of root beer she had just taken. Willow was just staring at her friend in shock.
“Let me get this straight. You found a random shopping cart and decided it would be a good idea to tie it to a pickup? Please tell me this story isn’t going where I think it’s going.”
Alexis looked at Willow and shrugged as she tried to choke back her giggles. “What can I say? I have my moments of feeling adventurous. And yes, this is probably going exactly where you think it’s going. We took turns riding in the shopping cart while my cousin drove us around. Let me tell you, a shopping cart being pulled by a truck is one bumpy ride.”
Willow’s jaw dropped. “Alexis, you could have been killed!”
Alexis shrugged. “But I wasn’t, and neither was anyone else. So no harm done.”
“Did your parents ever find out?” Sylvie asked, wiping away tears of laughter.
Alexis shook her head. “No, which is a miracle. My cousin was eventually pulled over when a cop saw what we were doing. But the cop knew my cousin’s best friend’s dad or something like that. I forget what the exact connection was. Anyway, he let us off with a warning. A very stern warning, but still. I can’t believe he didn’t tell our parents.”
Willow sat back and shook her head in amazement. “I never would have pinned you as the wild shopping cart joyride type.”
“Really?” Alexis asked. “Why not? I like to have fun as much as anyone else. Just because I’m not part of the super-secret club you, Sylvie, Locke and Cara all belong to doesn’t mean I’m not cool.”
Willow and Sylvie exchanged an alarmed glance.
“Alexis, it’s not like that. It’s not like we’re trying to keep you out. It’s just…”
“Complicated,” Alexis finished Sylvie’s sentence for her. “I know. That’s what Willow says, too. It’s complicated. Look, I know you guys don’t like to talk about this. I’m sorry for pushing the subject. It just starts to feel a little lonely after a while, always being left behind while people run off to do… whatever you guys are doing. I like adventure, too.”
“I know,” Willow said quietly. “Actually, when I was in California with you we had all kinds of cool adventures. I shouldn’t be at all surprised by the shopping cart incident. I promise you, if it was up to me, I’d involve you into our little…club. But it’s not up to me.”
“I know,” Alexis said quietly. But she was looking down now, pushing the last of her brownie sundae around with a spoon.
Willow looked at Sylvie helplessly. They both hated not being able to talk to Alexis. Alexis had been such a good friend to both of them, and Willow didn’t know how she would have made it through the winter break without Alexis to keep her company. But the Dragon Heart Agents were all sworn to secrecy.
Willow frowned, and pushed away the last of her dessert as well. The restaurant would be closing soon, and the snow storm outside was only getting worse. They needed to get going, but none of them were looking forward to driving their snowmobiles through this almost-blizzard. The weather reports had all said that the snow wasn’t supposed to start until after midnight, but those reports had been wrong. Alexis, Willow, and Sylvie had come into the city of Birch Point itself to watch a movie and go to dinner, banking on the fact that they would make it back before midnight. It had seemed like the perfect way to kick back on a Friday night, and Willow had thought that maybe Sylvie was right—relaxing would make doing magic spells easier. Willow had just let herself get too wound up.
But Willow wasn’t relaxing now. The snow outside the window was growing thicker, and Willow’s own worry over Alexis was growing stronger. Was it really possible to be close friends with her roommate when she had to hide such a big secret from her?
“Do other people talk about us?” Sylvie was asking now. “About Locke and Cara and Willow and me?”
Alexis sighed. “Yeah. I mean, some more than others. But we all kind of wonder where you guys sneak off to. I probably shouldn’t even tell you this, but one of the guys actually went to Headmaster Damon and said he thought you were all up to no good.”
“What?” Willow asked, somewhat shocked. She hadn’t thought that many people had noticed the fact that they were gone every afternoon, let alone that people had thought it necessary to warn the headmaster.
“What did Headmaster Damon say?” Sylvie asked. Willow knew that Sylvie was nervous, too. There’s no telling what would happen to the Dragon Heart Program if their cover was blown.
Alexis shrugged. “He laughed it off. Said that we must be imagining things.”
Willow put her head in her hands for a moment, then looked up. “Alexis, I’m sorry that we can’t get into it. It’s not because we don’t like you, I promise—”
“No, no. It’s okay,” Alexis said, suddenly sitting up straight and waving over their server. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s your business, and I trust you. But we should get out of here. That snow is getting worse, and we’re going to end up stuck in Birch Point for the night if we don’t get moving.”
Willow sighed and nodded, but she couldn’t help but notice the hurt look in Alexis’ eyes. She wondered suddenly if her father had ever had to deal with a situation like this. Had he had a friend at Birch Point who felt left out? Had he had to hide what he was doing when he went to Dragon Heart training? Willow bit back tears. She wished more than anything that she could speak with her father right now. But he was somewhere far away, presumed dead even though Willow knew in her heart he was alive.
With a heavy heart, Willow paid her portion of the bill and followed her friends outside. Their evening of fun had taken a strained, somber turn, and Willow just wanted to get home. But the snowstorm wasn’t going to make that easy. Sylvie looked up at the dark sky with concern.
“Maybe we should just stay in town for the night. Better to splurge for a hotel room than to risk freezing to death.”
Alexis looked like she was about to agree, but Willow spoke first.
“I just want to be in my own bed. I’m going to make a run for it.”
“Willow, don’t be foolish,” Alexis said. But Willow had already made her mind up.
“I wouldn’t ask you guys to come with me. I understand if you want to stay. But I’m going back.”
“I’m not letting you go out there alone,” Sylvie said, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Then you’ll have to come with me,” Willow said stubbornly, hopping onto her snowmobile and starting the engine. She should have felt guilty for making her friends worry about her like that, but she was feeling restless. She didn’t want to stay in town, spending money she didn’t have on a hotel room. She wanted to be in her own bed, closer to Cayenne and closer to Clove. She felt closer to her father when she was near the dragons, and she needed to feel close to her father tonight.
And so, without another thought for her safety or for how much her friends would worry about her, Willow revved her snowmobile again and took off into the wo
ods. The snow felt even thicker as she picked up speed, and the road was barely visible. A little voice in Willow’s head told her to turn back, but her pride wouldn’t let her. She didn’t want to admit to her friends that she was wrong. So she kept going forward, hoping that she could make it back to Birch Point Academy by memory, since all the road markers were obscured.
She’d been riding a good five minutes before she realized she wasn’t alone. To her left, a movement caught her eye. She looked over to see Sylvie catching up with her, and Alexis not far behind her. Willow should have known. Of course her friends weren’t going to let her go alone. If Willow insisted on going, they’d insist on going with her. Willow gulped back fear and gave Sylvie a small wave, then pressed forward. Now, she had no choice but to find her way in the snowy darkness. It wasn’t just her life on the line. It was her two best friends’ lives as well.
The thought of having two best friends made Willow smile, but the smile didn’t last long. She was realizing that the further she went, the less sure she was of whether she was on the right path. The darkness and snow both thickened, and Willow felt panic growing in the pit of her stomach.
Just keep moving, she told herself. Just keep moving, and you’ll be fine.
But as the minutes ticked by, and Willow realized she should have made it to Birch Point Academy’s campus at least ten minutes ago, she felt anything but fine. She desperately tried to think of a magic spell that would save her, but nothing came to mind. There was no spell that could hold back a blizzard, and so, Willow kept moving and did her best not to think about the fact that this might be the last night of her life.
Chapter Twenty-Three
At some point, it must have become clear to Sylvie and Alexis that Willow didn’t know where she was going. Sylvie sped up and got right in front of Willow’s snowmobile, forcing her to stop. Willow tried to go around her, or to wave her out of the way, but Sylvie wasn’t having it.
“Willow! We’re lost!”
Sylvie’s voice was almost inaudible against the sound of the howling wind. Alexis brought her snowmobile to a stop next to Sylvie and Willow, and Willow could see the panic in her California friend’s eyes. This wasn’t funny anymore. They should have stayed back in town, and Willow knew it. But it was too late now. They had no choice but to keep going, and to keep trying to find the way.
“We’re going to run out of gas and be completely stuck. Let’s huddle and wait for morning,” Sylvie said. At least, that’s what Willow thought she’d said. Hearing anything other than the angry storm was difficult. Willow shook her head.
“I can find the school. I promise.”
Sylvie gave her an exasperated look, but then shrugged. “Fine. Then find it. And quickly.”
Sylvie moved out of Willow’s way, and Willow slowly began moving forward again. It wasn’t easy to go fast out here. The headlight from Willow’s snowmobile didn’t pierce too far into the darkness ahead of her, and the last thing Willow wanted was to run into a tree or something. Then she’d be toast for sure. Even if she didn’t injure herself that badly, she’d be stuck out here with no possible way of returning to civilization. Riding on one of her friends’ snowmobiles wasn’t a realistic option. These things were so tiny that they were barely enough to fit one person.
And so, Willow moved ahead slowly, biting back the tears that threatened to spill over. What a fool she had been. She was going to die out here, and her mother would be all alone. If her father did ever come back, he’d be so disappointed in her. She was turning out to be the worst Dragon Heart Agent that Birch Point had ever seen. Not only had she risked her own life for no good reason, but she was dragging her friends down with her as well.
“Oh Cayenne. If only you were here,” Willow whispered. “You could fly through this mess and see exactly where we need to go. You could keep me warm. You could save me when I can’t save myself.”
Willow’s voice caught in her throat, and she did her best to bite back tears. Crying wouldn’t help anything, and yet, she was finding it harder and harder not to cry. And then, just when she thought all was lost for sure, she saw a familiar shadow appear in the trees in front of her.
“What the…I must be hallucinating,” she said to herself. But the closer she got, the more she realized she wasn’t hallucinating. There, in the forest ahead of her, was the unmistakable outline of a dragon. And not just any dragon. Even in the darkness, Willow recognized the eyes that blinked back at her. She would have known those eyes anywhere.
“Cayenne! You found me! But how? How did you know?”
In response, Cayenne turned and started running through the snow, leaving a deep, smooth burrow through the snowdrifts as she went. Willow felt her heart leap with joy, and she turned her snowmobile to drive in the burrow. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Sylvie and Alexis following her. She couldn’t see their faces, but the bright headlights from their snowmobiles were bouncing along behind her. Willow could hardly believe it. They were all saved. Cayenne was going to lead them home.
It only took a few minutes for Cayenne to find the road again. Willow was sobbing with happiness now, her tears soaking into the thick fabric of her ski mask. Somehow, Cayenne had heard her. Willow had no idea how her dragon had known, but she had. Willow didn’t care what Anjali and Sam said—Locke was right. Dragons really could feel their partners. Willow had no doubt that Cayenne had somehow sensed that she was in danger and flown out to find her. Sure, there was probably going to be some sort of consequence for all of this. Alexis couldn’t possibly have missed the fact that there was a dragon flying in front of them, and explaining that away was likely going to get Willow in trouble with the CIA and the top leaders of the Dragon Heart Program. But right now, Willow didn’t care. She was going to live, and her friends were going to live, and that’s all that mattered.
Less than ten minutes later, Willow saw the front gates of Birch Point Academy. The lights on the gates were barely visible through the storm, but they were there. Willow and her friends were home. Willow sped up, as though the gates might suddenly disappear into thin air if she didn’t reach them faster. As she approached them, she pointed her magic ring at the giant metal and shouted “Aperio!”
She somehow managed to perform the opening spell perfectly. Without her even needing to ring for campus security, the gates swung wide to let in the three snowmobiles. As soon as they passed the threshold onto campus property, Cayenne began flapping her wings and silently rose into the air. The dragon quickly disappeared into the night, but Willow called after her softly.
“Thank you, Cayenne.” She knew in her heart that her dragon could hear her.
Willow and her two friends quickly took their snowmobiles to the student snowmobile hangar, where the vehicles were all stored. They parked them carefully and hung up the keys, then made their way back to their dorms through the ever-stronger blizzard winds. It wasn’t until they were back in Willow’s and Alexis’s room, peeling off their winter clothes, that anyone said anything. Sylvie, who had stayed with them in the room, gave Willow a worried look. Willow knew exactly what the problem was. They were alive, but Alexis had seen the dragon. Willow had to say something, and fast. What was she supposed to do in this situation? Probably notify Anjali immediately. But the thought of confessing that she had been the cause of a security breach made her stomach turn.
“Alexis, listen,” Willow said, grasping for words.
But Alexis raised her hands to silence her. “I didn’t see anything, okay?”
“Alexis, please,” Sylvie said in a pleading voice. She sounded as desperate as Willow felt.
Willow couldn’t believe that she had gotten them all into this situation. What would happen if Anjali found out? Would she kick Willow out of the Dragon Heart Program? Threaten to wipe Alexis’ memory?
But Alexis appeared to be the calmest one of the group, even though she was the one who had just discovered that dragons exist.
“Listen,” Alexis said. “I don’t know wha
t you two are involved in, but it’s obviously much bigger and weirder than I thought. I understand now why you’ve been so secretive about it. It’s a little freaky to see a dragon pop up out of nowhere, but I trust you guys. I know you’re both good people. So I’m just going to pretend I didn’t see that, and if or when you’re ready to explain things to me, I’ll be here. Until then, let’s just be thankful that we all made it home tonight.”
Willow felt like her heart was going to burst with happiness. Alexis was a much better roommate than she deserved. “It’s not that we don’t want to explain things. It’s that we can’t, Alexis. We’re sworn to secrecy. Otherwise, believe me, we’d tell you.”
Alexis smiled. “Well then, no use discussing it anymore, eh? That was a long trip home, and I don’t know about you but I’m ready for bed. Should we call it a night?”
Willow smiled. “Sounds good.”
But even as Willow climbed into bed, she couldn’t stop worrying that Anjali was somehow going to find out what had happened, even if Alexis didn’t tell her. Surely, Cayenne wouldn’t try to tell Sam and Anjali? Cayenne was loyal to her, right? With a sigh, Willow finally drifted into an uneasy sleep. She had to be more careful, or she was going to blow her chance to follow in her father’s footsteps and be a great Dragon Heart Agent.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Willow did her best to lay low over the next few weeks, and for a while, her plan seemed to be working. She managed to do a decent job of performing magic spells and mixing potions, and her alchemy skills were gradually improving. Sylvie and Anjali were right: the more Willow relaxed, the better her magical skills became. She needed to stop overthinking everything and just let the magic flow through her. Easier said than done, but she was getting a little better at it each day.
Where she really managed to shine, however, was during their dragon training classes. Willow’s fears that she wouldn’t be able to ride on a dragon turned out to be completely unfounded. It turned out that she was a natural at riding. She even flew better than Locke, which was a good feeling. At least there was one thing in Dragon Heart training that he couldn’t make fun of her for. As the weeks continued to tick by, Willow felt her confidence growing each day. She was starting to feel like she actually belonged here. She wasn’t just an imposter. She was a Dragon Heart.