Moonbreeze (The Dragonian Series Book 4) (19 page)

I could hear her follow.

“You need to eat something, please.”

“I don’t have time, Mom.”

“I’ll make you something for the road, but you have to eat. Otherwise…”

She’d threatened me. “Otherwise what? You can’t contain me, nobody can.”

“Just eat!” she yelled, “Then you can do whatever you want for as long as you want, please.”

I chuckled. Her caring for me wasn’t a laughing matter. But doing whatever I want, that was. “I need to find her, Mom.”

“You are not going to succeed if you are not well. Eat, please.”

I took a deep breath. She was right. I was not going to be able to fly in my condition. I nodded, and heard a conversation that was taking place between Sammy and Becky.

They were worried too, that much, I could tell.

I entered the kitchen and four pairs of huge round eyes stared back at me.

“You’re awake?” George asked and got up.

I stared at him for a minute. My body was still trembling.

George saw it. “You need to eat, dude.”

“I’m working on it, just keep him here, please,” my mom begged as she made a huge racket taking out pots and pans and scurrying around the kitchen. It was driving me mad.

“Why didn’t you tell me it would be like this?”

“You know why, Blake. The walls have ears,” George answered.

I took a deep breath and blew it out. “I need to find her.”

“You need to eat, first.”

“Yes, fine,” I barked at my mom. I walked with huge strides to the bread bin and didn’t care about having something to put on it. I broke huge chunks out of it and just pushed it into my throat.

“Blake!” my mother yelled.

“I don’t have time for a five course meal. I’ll eat on the way,” I mumbled through the food that was in my mouth and swallowed the lump down.

George ran to the fridge and handed me a bottle of juice. I drank straight from the bottle as if my life depended on it. It burned my throat and I only just then realized how thirsty I was.

I could feel my sister’s and Becky’s eyes on me, but I couldn’t look at them. The old Blake had treated Elena like shit. And now… I must look like an idiot, still, they would never understand.

A cup broke as I finished the bottle and I looked around to see where it’d come from.

Tabitha.
What was she doing here? She had tears lingering in her eyes. She looked at my mom. “You said it wasn’t going to be like this.”

I looked at my mom.

“We had no choice Tabitha. You of all people knew that he had to Dent. He was getting darker by the day.”

“No!” she yelled at my mom and came rushing over to me. I retreated. It was a reflex. It made her stop and she sucked in her lips with tears rolling over her cheeks.

“So it’s only her now?” she asked. “It’s not real, Blake! You said it yourself. Fight this.”

I felt sorry for her. I knew how she felt about me, and I wished it was different, but it wasn’t. “It’s not what you think, Tabitha.” I spoke to her softly. Her lower lip quivered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Then please explain it to me, because we’ve spoken about this for months. It’s a spell Blake, you feel nothing for her. You love me, remember that.” She tried to touch my face and I pulled away again.

“It’s not a spell. I can’t, you just have to take my word for it. It’s over. Whatever we had, I can’t do this anymore with you. Now if you will excuse me, I need to find Elena.”

I turned around and walked out the door with her softly sobbing in the background.

Chairs screeched and George was the first one to catch up to me.

“We tried to find her too, but when the first rain came, it washed away her scent. The last place we had her was on the border of Areeth.”

I frowned and we all stopped. “On the border of Areeth?” Those stupid elevators.

George shrugged.

“We will help you, Blake,” Becky said.

“Thanks, Becky.”

“Oh, so it’s Becky now.” She smiled.

“Please, just don’t.” I sounded rude.

“Take it easy, Blake,” George said.

I sighed. Closed my eyes and knew exactly how he felt. I looked at Becky again. “Sorry.”

Both girls froze and Dean’s eyebrows arched. “Yeah, well, you all better get used to this because it’s not going to change anytime soon.”

HE DAY THA filled all of them with worry had finally arrived. Collection day.

The Council was coming and everything was just a big mess. Everyone scurried around, making food for those of us who were going into hiding.

We’d been woken up early.

Gertrude pushed a basket into my hand filled with all sorts of food. Plenty for the entire day.

“Stay safe and whatever happens don’t come out of that facility.” She touched my cheek softly and I smiled at her.

“Will all of you be okay?” I looked at Annie.

“Believe me, the Council so does not want me,” she joked.

“I’m too old,” Daisy said.

“Okay.”

I took Cassy’s hand as Daisy kissed her. The little curly head was as brave as they came. She’d been born with the mark too.

I smiled at her and she clutched my hand tighter.

“Read her this, it calms her down.” Daisy thrust a book into my hand. It was a thick one filled with fairy tales.

I smiled as I remembered the day Lucian called me Sleeping Beauty and I asked him if they knew about the stories too.

“Come.” I took her hand as Marcus called the two of us.

It was still dark outside and I saw the wagon with the horse.

He took Cassy from me and put her on the wagon, right next to him. I climbed into the back and the horses started moving. We stopped at every house to pick up young girls. They were all between five and nine. Maxine had a younger sister with her, and then we stopped at Olive’s house.

“Keep the others calm and whatever you do, keep quiet.”

They both nodded.

“Good luck, Elle.”

“It’s going to be fine, promise.”

“I trust you.” She looked at me and then back to her daughters. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” both girls sang and the wagon moved again.

Olivia stood in the path until the outline of the cart disappeared into the night.

I looked up at the sky; it looked so different. There were no stars and it felt so unreal. The only thing that shone was the moon, and it too was way too bright.

“Are they going to search the grounds again?” the redhead asked, her name was Nicky and she was one of the worst teenagers I’d ever met, always complaining about the hand-me-downs, etcetera.

“They always do, Nicky. But you will be safe.”

“It’s just difficult to keep the small ones quiet,” she complained.

“Well, Elle is here to help.”

“It will be fine.” I tried to reassure her but it didn’t work.

She didn’t believe me at all.

The wagon went off course and through more trees; nuts were hanging on all of them. It was a part of the farm I’d never seen.

Then it stopped.

More men appeared from behind the trees and for a second my heart stopped, until I realized that it was August and Tom.

“Road is clear. It’s safe,” Tom mumbled.

They helped with the younger girls, taking them off the wagon and August just smiled at me as he hugged Max. “Be safe, please,” he begged.

“You always worry for nothing,” Max told him back and kissed him on the lips.

“Elle.” Marcus called me back as I was busy following everyone to where the facility was.

I walked back to him as he was taking something from his jacket. It was wrapped up in a cloth. “Take this. It’s from Charles. I don’t know what it is, but he told me that you are in charge.”

I squinted. “Keep Cassy safe, please,” he begged again and I nodded.

“I promise,” I said and took the heavy parcel from him. It was a weapon.

I closed my eyes. The old man never bought any of my stories. He knew I was lying, and somehow he knew that I was the real deal, a Dragonian, a trained Dragonian.

Still, I would speak to him tonight and find out what the hell he knew. Maybe the truth would come out and I would know where the hell I was.

I found an open latch in the floor and Tom was standing next to August.

“They search the grounds every time, Elle. They’ve never found this place. Please, don’t be afraid.”

“Afraid?” I raised my eyebrow playfully.

“Fine, whatever. Just keep quiet and try to keep the little ones quiet. If they know they are here…”

“Shhh, don’t. I’ll keep them quiet.”

August nodded and took a deep breath.

“See you later.”

“Okay.”

I went in and closed the door from the inside. Something slid over the latch, to hide it.

A faint light showed an entire play area, like a small library, and coloring books were strewn everywhere.

I smiled at everyone and took a seat near Cassy who was grabbing a coloring book and starting to draw.

Hours went by, none of us made a sound.

Then I heard it.

It was a language, one that made all the hairs on my body stand up.

They were still far away but my enhanced hearing heard them as if they were right above us.

“What is it?” Nicky whispered.

“Keep them quiet,” I said, not knowing why the hell Wyverns were here.

“They are here?”

“Almost, now shh.”

All their hearts were beating like crazy. The noises of men coming closer drove me mad and the looks on the girls’ faces said they were still trying to figure out what it was that I could hear.

None of them had enhanced hearing, which meant that none of them ever had warning.

“Keep the little ones close. If they have to panic, let them panic while they are still far away.”

“You can hear that?”

“I was part of a Dent. I can hear that.”

They all gestured for the little ones who started to show fear. It was good, rather now than when they were right upon us.

I wrapped my arms around Cassy and put her teddy in her arms. She sat on my lap. Her little heart was beating like crazy. I started paging through the book and Daisy was right, it calmed her down.

The footsteps were getting closer and everyone started to hear them.

“It’s going to be okay, shhh.”

Cassy smiled as I made faces at her for a short while and then she closed her eyes.

They were right above us now and it felt as if they were right here with us in the facility.

One was walking right on top of us. I closed my eyes and started to open the laces of the parcel. I felt the curve of the blade. I knew what sort of weapon Charles had given me. The question was how the hell had he known I was good with axes?

The one spoke. And all I could recognize was the word THIS. It was one of the words that I’d learned and remembered.

My heart beat like crazy. They had nowhere to hide.

My shield. It was a magic shield, one of invisibility. I could do that much for them.

I gestured for them to come closer and the girls did. They just saw me as the one to look up to.

I wielded my shield and their eyes widened.

“Be quiet,” I said. “Take Cassy and no matter what you do, keep her safe,” I told Nicky. She nodded as she kept staring at the small sparks off my shield. “I’m going to wield something stronger but I can only do this from the outside. They won’t see you, but they will see me.”

“No, this is stupid.” Max looked petrified. “Nobody can do magic.”

“I can. My dragon showed me how.”

“Elle,” Max started again.

“It’s the only way. They know there is something here. Just in case.” I spoke again and Max nodded with tears in her eyes.

“Thanks.”

“Be quiet.”

They all nodded and I walked out of my shield and enchanted the invisible spell.

It was a bitch of a spell too, as it was not meant for me, but for others, others you wanted to protect. At first I thought I was wasting my time learning it, but right now, I was glad that I had.

They all disappeared one by one until it was only me that remained.

The latch opened and light streamed in.

“What is this?” one of them asked. His voice didn’t sound familiar but it didn’t matter.

I dropped the weapon. If I killed him, they would kill me and my shield would vanish.

I put the axe on the ground and got up.

The light was hurting my eyes as I stared at him. He started to smile.

“And who are you?”

“My name is Elle. As you can see, I’m the only one here.”

He looked around and huffed.

“Thought they could hide you from us, did they?”

“This wasn’t part of the treaty,” I said.

“And what do you know about the treaty? Here, we are law. Not some pretty face that thinks she knows stuff about treaties.”

I smiled too. “Oh, I know much more, believe me. But guess you were too clever this time. So take me. As that is clearly what you want.”

“You know how to get out of here, move,” he said that last part with ice in his voice.

I climbed the steps and saw five men. They wore some sort of a uniform, but one I didn’t recognize. Three of them, including the one that had found the hiding place after five years, were tall, with dark hair and cold eyes.

The latch closed and it felt as if I could breathe again. One was short with light hair. The way he scanned me was disgusting. Another was big, fat, and slow. All sorts of ways of how to beat the living crap out of them entered my mind but then something on the other side of the trees moved. I turned my head and found a mother of a Wyvern waiting.

My body froze as my eyes lingered on its brown, reddish body. I’d never really seen a Wyvern up close. That night at the Academy, it was too dark and we’d had to fight for our lives.

The one that found me had to push me to walk forward.

I did and he then tied my hands up with rope.

I just stared at him with warning as he tied them tighter. He found my gaze and smiled. As if it was some sort of joke.

“You are quite different from the others. No tears, nothing. You are not afraid. I have to say, I really like that. It turns me on.”