Dragonfire: Freedom in Flames (Secrets of the Makai Book 3) (8 page)

“Me, too.”

“You’re staying.” Donovan pressed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in his chair.

“I’m not lured away so easily,” Oliver said, keeping his arms crossed. “I don’t buy the ‘savior’ role one bit.”

“Either I go with you, and we save whoever is left as quickly as possible, or, you can take Victor so he can show me when we’re done here, which puts off any rescue mission for at least an hour.”

“Do you really think you’re better at finding people than we are?”

“Yes.”

“Your arrogance astounds me.”

“Does it astound you enough to risk lives?” countered Donovan.

“Fine. Fifteen seconds. You can stay or come back after I’ve shown you the location.”

“So be it.”

Oliver vanished from sight.

“If I know Oliver,” Donovan said to Landon, “he’d rather save lives than come back to babysit.” He turned his attention to Tristan. “We’ll talk about this weather control later, and don’t do anything that’ll make Oliver or myself regret trusting you.”

Tristan grimaced as Donovan disappeared. Lives had been lost. Unsuspecting people, who were probably minding their own business, never suspecting a thing in the middle of a drought. Buried alive. He glanced up at Landon, certain he’d be feeling the same load of guilt.

“You can’t change the past,” Landon said. “You can only learn from it.”

Tristan nodded and risked a glance at Dorian. “I’m sorry.” The words felt pathetic in the grand scheme of things. He waited for her to lash out, to accuse him of mass murder, but she never did. The silence was overwhelming. “Why is this okay and killing people who are trying to kill you isn’t?”

“This wasn’t deliberate. You were trying to help.”

The plants became noisier, taking sides. The fact that some were on his side made it seem a little more sane. “It wasn’t deliberate in Ireland and I was trying to save your life!” Even more of the plants were on his side now.

“Tell me why you’re here.”

“You’re trying to change the subject.”

“So, you came to argue with me?”

“No. I didn’t. But apparently this is the only way we can talk to each other.” The plants were so loud now, he could barely hear himself think. “Will you all just…shut up?”

Victor and Landon glanced around, but didn’t say anything. Eric looked uneasy. The plants hushed obediently.

“I’m sorry. Can we have some privacy?”

“I’m afraid not,” replied Eric, standing just within earshot and no closer.

“Why are you starving yourself?” Dorian asked.

Tristan rubbed his forehead.
I can’t eat.

Why not? The plants would give anything to—

That’s the problem!
Tristan stared into Dorian’s eyes, pleading for her, of all people, to understand.
I hear them talking to me. They’re happy and playful; how can I possibly chew them up and eat them?

“We don’t have all day,” Victor said, glancing at his watch. “Better get on with it.”

Dorian smiled and sat back down. “They want—”

Tristan shook his head quickly, warning her to keep silent.
I’m sure they suspect, but I haven’t told them outright.

You can’t treat plants like people. Yes, they have feelings, and they do feel a type of pain, but they want to be part of the living cycle. When you eat something, its spirit gets to live in you for a time. It’s the ultimate experience for a plant, not only to provide your body with what it needs, but to also live in your experiences. Can you imagine how different your perceptions of the world are from a plant’s point of view?

But they’ll die!

Think of it as a circulating food chain. If a plant is chosen to be sustenance for something or someone, they have an opportunity to reach their highest potential and ultimate calling. They don’t die like we do, just like they don’t live like we do. Providing the means to live is a reward most plants can only dream of.

Tristan took in the words, but couldn’t tell if she was being serious with him or not the way she smiled. “That can’t be true.”

Dorian stood from the table with a loud huff of disbelief. “How many of you would like to be eaten by the dra—”

“Dorian!” Tristan watched the human shadows shift with apprehension in the forest, as a chorus of volunteers erupted from the landscape.
Don’t say it out loud!

Fine. Sorry. You’re so sensitive. It’s not like they don’t know.

Don’t you get it? I know the plants know, but you just suggested I’d eat the people guarding you.

I guess I see your point, but I wasn’t talking to them.
She held out her hand. “Come on. Let me show you something.”

Tristan stared at her waiting hand.

“You still don’t trust me?”

“It’s not that.”

“You can touch me first if you want,” offered Victor.

Dorian frowned. “Forget I asked.”

“Where do you plan to go?” Eric took a few steps forward, raising his hand to signal others.

“Just to the garden beside the house. You can come with. I don’t mind.”

Eric raised an eyebrow and motioned for them to continue toward Dorian’s cabin. “No going inside.”

Dorian roller her eyes and sighed. “Can’t you walk any faster?” she finally said, about halfway to the house. “I’m surprised Donovan and Oliver aren’t back yet.”

Tristan ignored her, focused on keeping his momentum moving forward. They finally came to a rectangle of vegetables in neat rows. A chair appeared and Landon motioned for Tristan to sit.

“Seriously?” Dorian looked apologetic. “How long has it been since you’ve eaten anything?”

“I have no idea. A while.”

“Almost a month,” Victor said.

A cacophony of pleas and shouts forced Tristan to turn away. Dorian quickly selected three miniature tomatoes from a thick bush and displayed them for Tristan. “Listen carefully.”

Landon sucked in a breath. “Of course!”

“You can hear them?” Tristan asked, hoping beyond anything that it was true, even though he knew it wasn’t.

“No. But it makes perfect sense.”

“It does,” Victor added. “Is meat the same way?”

“I told you, I’m not eating meat.”

Dorian grimaced. “I don’t know about meat. I only hear the plants.”

Tristan studied the three bright tomatoes. They did seem happy to be chosen for the demonstration. “They’re anxious.”

“They don’t want to disappoint you.”

“How can you even say that? They’re living things!”

Dorian laughed. “They’re not people! They’re born to provide what they have for others. If they don’t provide something for another being, they can provide for the ground and hope for better luck next time. Get it?”

Tristan shook his head.

“Let’s say you and your friends are in line for one of those music concert things, and no matter where you are in the line, only five out of a thousand people will be chosen to get in. If you get picked, it’s the greatest glory in all of your life. If you don’t get picked, you’re sad, but you have patience and stay in line waiting for the next concert.”

“But they’re individuals, and this is their lives we’re talking about.”

“No. They are a collective energy with personality. They don’t live to be recognized for who they are, but if it helps, thank them for what they offer your body. They do appreciate being acknowledged and will respond even more favorably. I was telling Tynan the same thing the other day.”

“Tynan? As in Lazaro’s Tynan?” Tristan glanced at Landon, who turned away. “You knew?”

“You’re spying on us?” Dorian asked. Suddenly all the guilt was on Landon and Victor, and not the fact that she was clearly on friendly terms with the enemy.

“No, we’re not spying,” Victor answered. “But we do keep tabs on certain people. It’s called, ‘being on the lookout, just in case.’”

“They aren’t forcing you to meet with them, are they?” Tristan asked.

“No,” Dorian waved him off, as if Tynan was of no concern. “Forget Tynan. Remember when the plants went on strike for Lazaro? It’s like that. Plants
do
have a will, and they
can
control how beneficial they are. Some plants strive to please people, but others just want to experience life as a human. Or an animal. Or a fish. They enjoy being mobile, and when the ride is over, the energy goes back into the cycle. Make sense?”

“Yeah. Except I don’t understand why you forgave Tynan for being part of the whole kidnapping scheme and not me for trying to save you.”

“Look, Tristan. It wasn’t fair and I’m sorry we were harsh. We, I, were confused and angry, but really, you couldn’t stay here. None of us knew how to handle you.”

“I don’t need handling!”

“Oliver has seen enough violence in his days and wasn’t up for the challenge like Gram was.”

“I wouldn’t have done anything!”

“Tristan,” Landon whispered. “Arguing won’t change how it went down, and it all worked out for the best. So let’s get back to the food issue.”

“I’m sorry, Tristan.” Dorian picked bushels of carrots, beans, and some sort of berry.

“No, Landon’s right. I needed to go and you guys just made the decision that much easier.” Obviously, he’d taken the whole ordeal more personally than she did.

Dorian nodded. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell you, but, about the plants....”

“There’s a catch to this whole food thing, isn’t there?”

“No. No catch.” Dorian bit her lip and wouldn’t look at him directly. “Let me just say, you can do no wrong when it comes to plants. They worship the ground you walk on.”

“What?” Tristan glanced at Landon, waiting for him to put a better spin on that subject as well, but he only shrugged and kept his mouth shut.

“It’s part of the reason why we got off on such a bad foot. I really am sorry for that.”

“They don’t worship me. That’s just—” Though if the trees outside the castle were any indication....

“Look around you!” Dorian spread her arms to include the entire forest. “Look at the path you took to get here.”

Tristan twisted to face the lake, shaken by bright green path of tiny grass blades and little white flowers. “It’s probably the staff. Or Pink. That’s it.” Tristan glanced at Eric and turned back to Dorian.

“Don’t ever discount the value of having the plants on your side.”

“I won’t. In fact, I’m very grateful for their support, and their willingness to, um, keep me alive.” Suddenly they were running out of time and he felt a rush of energy from just the thought of eating again. “So that’s why I came to see you, to find out how you could eat your friends without feeling any guilt over it. I think I understand now. The second reason I needed to see you,” he glanced at Landon, then Eric, who was standing hopefully out of earshot. “Victor and I will go back to the plane, and Landon will explain.”

“Why can’t you just explain now?”

“Because we have an audience. If I go back to the plane, all eyes will be there and you and Landon can talk.”

“Why did you come in a plane?”

“Because....” He couldn’t think of a worthy cover-up story and opted for the truth. “The Seraphim Council is after me now, and that’s when I seem to be most available to them—during transport.”

“I
knew
there was a good reason to hate being transported!”

“It’s just me they’re after, no one else.”

“Okay then. When will I see you again?”

“I don’t know.” Tristan thought about taking her hand, but refrained. He rarely knew if they were on more-than-friendly terms or not. “I appreciate your help, for me and for Pink.”

She scowled at the mention of Pink, but let it go. “I’ll round up some food for the flight and we’ll see about planting a garden for you.”

Tristan made a conscious effort to change his perspective when she handed him the three tomatoes who squealed with delight. They still sounded like gleeful children who had no idea what was really in store for them. “You would help me plant a garden?”

“If Oliver lets me, I’d love to.”

Tristan smiled and used the staff to pull himself up from the chair.

“The next time I see you, you’d better be well. And if you don’t eat those tomatoes, they’ll wither away without having served any greater purpose.”

Tristan nodded.

“I’ll wait for the food,” said Victor. “Besides, I have a few questions about cooking said food. Maybe we can get Eric to escort you back to the plane and more eyes would be on you.”

“Good idea.” Tristan nodded at Landon before eyeing Eric and the plane. “Tell her everything.”

Eric didn’t budge. Dorian smiled as Tristan made his way down the hill, carefully avoiding the trail of grassy sprouts that had grown in his wake on the way up. He was insulting them in a way, by being unwilling to use the path they’d created, but she knew he meant well.

He stumbled on a protruding rock and caught himself with his walking stick. When he glanced over his shoulder, she pretended not to notice.

The sprouts finally caught on, anticipating his direction and cutting him off. He stopped again, clearly trying to figure out how to get to the rocky beach without crushing anything.

They’re trying to help, you know,
thought Dorian, taking pity on the poor plants.