Shattered (30 page)

“Trinity! Wake up, sweetie, wake up!”

“Five more minutes, Grandpa,” Trinity moaned, trying to shrug off the rough hands shaking her awake.

“We don’t have five more seconds. Get up. Now.”

She opened her eyes. Her father was staring down at her. His face was covered in ash and his hair was half-singed from his head. Her jaw dropped, everything coming back to her in a flash of horror.

Connor! Emmy!

Somehow she managed to scramble to her feet, her bruised ribs twanging in protest. “Where’s Emmy?” she cried.

Her father gestured toward the front of the store. “She went that way.”

She nodded grimly. “Okay. Let’s go.”

But to her surprise, her father just shook his head. Trin opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong but then saw for herself. His left leg was blackened, charred nearly to the bone. There was no way he could move now.

Or maybe ever again.

It was all she could do not to throw up. All the work he’d done…all the years he’d sacrificed…and this was to be his reward? “God, I’m sorry,” she said lamely, not knowing what else to say. “Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry.”

He waved her off. “Go find your dragon, sweetie. Go save the world.”

After giving him one last tortured look, Trinity ran down the parking lot, barely able to breathe as panic wound up inside of her at a frightening rate. The place was a madhouse now—screaming people, police, fire trucks, the media.

And somewhere out there, the Dracken.

“People, I need you to stay calm!” a man’s voice broke out over a bullhorn. “You need to get in your cars and go home. There’s nothing to see here.”

But there was plenty to see and everyone knew it. As Trinity raced toward the front of the store, a policeman stepped into her path. “Sorry, miss,” he said. “You can’t go inside.”

“You don’t understand,” she cried. “I can help!” Her eyes fell to the broken window and her heart sank. Something inside of her, something very small indeed, had been holding out hope that maybe the dragon had decided to flee the scene instead of making a rescue attempt.

She should have known better.

“Wait, who are you?” The man’s eyes narrowed. “You look—”

“There you are!” Suddenly Luke was in front of her, grabbing at her arm. “Come on, Sis. We have to go. Now!”

Trinity allowed herself to be dragged away from the police officer. The man watched her go, squinting at her hard, then reached for his walkie-talkie, speaking in a low voice she couldn’t hear. Crap. He’d recognized her, she was sure of it. He’d be alerting the others to be on the lookout for her now. But what could she do? She ran after Luke, skirting the thick of the chaos, then around to the side of the store.

“Connor!” she cried as her eyes fell upon a familiar figure pacing the parking lot.

“Trinity!”

They ran to one another, throwing their arms around each other in a desperate embrace. “Oh, Connor,” she cried again, unable to help herself.

She could feel his whole body trembling as he clung to her, his face buried in her curls. “She saved me,” he told her in a tortured voice. “They were about to kill me and she swooped in and saved my life.”

Trinity didn’t have to ask who. “Where is she now?”

He gave her a tormented look. “They have her. Mara was able to lure her away from me using a Hunter’s song.” He winced. “She actually got Emmy to walk straight into a trap. I’m guessing they’re going to try to bring her around to one of these side exits and take her away with as few witnesses as possible.”

Trinity’s heart wrenched. “We’ve got to save her!” she cried. She turned to the store, her mind whirling for a possible plan. But what plan could there be? They had the numbers. They had the guns. They already had her dragon.

Connor shook his head. “I’m sorry, Trin. There’s no way…”

“But we can’t just let them take her away!” she protested, horrified. “If they do, I won’t be able to find her. We’re not bonded anymore. If they take her away now, she’ll disappear forever.”

His eyes locked on hers, his expression grave. “I’m sorry, Trinity, but there’s only one thing left to do.”

For a moment, she didn’t understand—she couldn’t understand. Except somehow she did. She knew exactly what he was suggesting.

Sacrifice
one
to
save
the
world.

“No,” she said in a hoarse whisper. “You can’t. She saved your life.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” he demanded. “Do you think this is how I wanted it to be? But what choice do I have? You yourself said there’s no more bond between you. That means they can give her to someone else. Someone who has
their
best interests at heart, not Emmy’s. They’ll abuse her, clone her, use her for their own gain…”

Destroy
the
world.

Suddenly the side door to the Wal-Mart burst open. A group of men poured out, dragging a dragon-sized cage, Emmy thrashing behind the bars. Mara was barking orders to each of the men, thankfully not looking in Connor and Trinity’s direction.

Trinity let out a horrified cry. Connor grabbed her, pulling her down behind a car so as not to be seen. Then he squeezed her so tightly she was half-afraid he’d break her bones. Not that, at the moment, she would have cared.

“I’m an ace shot, Trinity. I know where to shoot so she won’t feel any pain. It’ll be over in an instant.”

Trinity stared at him, her whole body numb. She had no idea how she was even upright at this point. Everything inside of her told her Connor was right. It was the only thing they could do now. For Emmy. And for the rest of the world.

She drew in a breath. Her heart squeezed. She opened her mouth to speak, hating herself for the words that would move past her lips. Emmy’s pendant seemed to burn at her throat as if it were made of fire.

Oh, Emmy. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.

But the dragon couldn’t hear her now. She’d never know the bullet was coming. Or why it had to come. Trinity could only hope she died instantly. That she didn’t realize she’d been shot. Didn’t realize Trinity had been the one to give the command. Emmy had sacrificed her own happiness to try to save the boy Trinity loved. And now he was about to put a bullet in her.

Oh, Emmy…

She squeezed her eyes shut. Then she opened them again, losing herself in Connor’s large blue ones. “Trinity?” he choked out. “Trinity tell me to do it. I won’t do it unless you tell me to. It has to be you.”

She peeked over the hood of the car. Across the parking lot, the men were almost ready to load Emmy into one of the trucks. It was now or never.

“Okay,” she managed to spit out. “Okay, you can—”

“Connor! Trinity!”

A military truck screeched to a halt in front of them. Trinity’s mouth dropped open as she realized it was none other than Scarlet herself at the wheel. As she watched, the girl popped open the door, half jumping, half falling out of the large vehicle.

“What’s happening?” she cried as she ran toward them. “Where’s Emmy? Are we too late? Did they get her?”

Connor nodded grimly, reaching for his gun. “But don’t worry. We’re going to—”

“Wait!” Trinity interrupted, looking at Scarlet, a strange feeling of hope rising within her. “Scarlet, go to that truck over there! Go to Mara and tell her you’re the one bonded with Emmy. That you’re her Fire Kissed now. Tell them that you’ll go with them. You’ll do whatever they want. That you can’t leave the dragon behind. Tell them…” She swallowed past the huge lump in her throat. “Tell them that you are destined.”

Scarlet stared at her for a moment then at the truck, looking utterly confused. Trinity closed her eyes and pushed her as hard as she could.

If
you
love
Emmy, do not ask questions. Just go now. Or Connor will have to kill her.

Scarlet’s eyes widened. Trinity could almost see the war going on in her head as she grappled with what to do. Then, without another word, she took off, tearing down the parking lot toward the truck and the soldiers. Connor watched her go, a look of dismay on his face. Then he turned back to Trinity.

“What have you done?” he whispered.

She met his eyes with her own. “What I had to do.”

His face twisted. “Don’t you get it?” he cried, sounding distraught. “If Scarlet bonds with Emmy, you’re never going to get her back. That’ll be it.”

“Yes,” she agreed sadly. “I’ll never get her back. But she’ll be alive.”

Her voice broke. Her knees trembled. Emmy. She’d lost Emmy.

But Emmy would not be lost. And that’s all that mattered in the end.

“And what about the Dracken?” Connor demanded, still looking angry and frustrated. “You do realize you just sent the girl into the hands of the Dracken, right? Not to mention the government. What’s to say they’ll even believe her? Or take her back to their headquarters?”

“Because they need her,” Trin said quietly, watching the girl cross the parking lot with determined steps. “At least for now. Until they find a replacement.” She shrugged. “And that will give us some time to come up with a plan to break her out. When I went inside Scarlet’s head, I opened up a back door to her mind. Just like you did to me once upon a time. Wherever they take her and Emmy, we’ll be able to track them down and break them out.”

Connor’s eyes narrowed. “Break them out?” he asked in a slow voice. “From the secret government lab? And let me guess. You’re going to ask your new friends the Dracken to help you out. Is that what you’re saying to me?”

A shiver tripped down Trinity’s spine as she realized what he was getting at—what had sent the flicker of fear across his pale face. “Connor…” she started to say.

But a loud banging interrupted the rest of her words. Trinity squinted at the truck that Scarlet had pulled up in. Was someone still inside?

Connor motioned his head to the back of the truck while pulling the gun from his waistband. Slowly she wrapped her hands around the back handle, sliding it upward as Connor raised his weapon.

“Don’t shoot!”

Trinity let out a strangled cry as her eyes fell upon Caleb, on his knees inside the truck, his hands out in front of him in surrender. He was ghostly pale and sick and shaking and in horrible, horrible shape.

But he was here. He was alive.

“Caleb,” Trinity cried, the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh my God, Caleb!”

He squinted at her then at his brother. For a moment, his cracked, bruised lips seemed to move, as if he were trying to force words out that refused to come.

“What is it?” Trinity asked, the emotions swirling inside of her, too fast and furious to catalog. “Can I help you? Do you need something? Water? Food? Anything?”

“Scarlet,” he rasped. “Where’s Scarlet?”

Then he collapsed onto the truck bed.

The Surface Lands—Year 189 Post-Scorch

“Oh yeah, baby! That’s how it’s done!”

Caleb gave out a loud whoop as the wind thundered across his ears and then blasted him full in the face as he and his dragon, Trinity, tore across the burnt-out ruins of the Surface Lands. She dove low, skimming the top of the world, then pointed her nose to the sky, wildly chasing the sun. At Caleb’s command, she even performed a few barrel rolls, and his stomach lurched in a mixture of excitement and pure, radiant joy with each and every one. But it wasn’t just the adrenaline rush that had him grinning like a loon. It was the freedom.

For the first time in his life, he was free.

Finally, they landed on the side of a cliff, a narrow ledge leading to a shallow cave. Caleb gathered firewood into a pile then looked up at his dragon. “Would you do the honors?” he asked with a grin.

Trinity bounced her head in affirmation and he laughed. For such a majestic creature, she certainly had a silly side. Just like her namesake, Trinity Foxx, was supposed to have had back in the old days with her own dragon Emmy. Caleb watched as his Trinity pulled back her mighty head and let loose her flames, torching the wood and creating a fire that would make any scout proud.

“Nice one,” he praised, reaching into his pack and pulling out the leg of lamb he’d brought with him. Carefully, he set it down into the fire and soon it was bubbling with heat. Trinity let out an excited whine and shook her head, splashing Caleb with a gob of drool.

“Ew, keep it in your mouth, girl,” he scolded playfully. “The food will be ready soon enough.”

After dinner, the two of them curled up by the fire as they’d been doing every night that month, Caleb working to clean the grime out of the dragon’s scales. It was a daily job—and not an easy one—but he found the process soothing all the same. And Trinity seemed to love it too, always purring and grunting the whole time he worked.

“This is all we need, right, girl?” Caleb asked with a happy sigh. “You, me, some undercooked meat—and the rest of the world can go to hell.” He looked out over the vista, trying to remember a time when he’d been so happy. He couldn’t.

Everything was right with the universe now. His lifetime of failure was behind him. He was a member of the most powerful group on the planet, the Dracken, and they had entrusted him—the one everyone always said was no good—with his very own dragon. And what a dragon she was! One look at her shining teal scales and sparkling eyes and suddenly Caleb found himself wanting to be a better person. The best person in the world—just to prove himself worthy of this magnificent gift that Darius had bestowed upon him.

And after tomorrow, they would be together forever. The bonding between them would be complete and their lives would be intertwined. After tomorrow, Caleb would never have to be alone, ever again. He’d live his life with someone who loved him and cared for him—who would gladly die for him if need be—always by his side.

It was the ultimate dream come true. And he had to keep pinching himself to believe it was really his life. The no good, forgotten, bad seed Caleb. The one everyone had written off. He would be a dragon guardian forever.

Even better, because of him, his mother would live. Three days ago, Trinity had offered him a priceless gift—the healing blood from her one soft scale. The blood that would cure his mother of her cancer. At first he’d been scared—he’d heard stories of people trying to use dragon blood for healing, only to have it kill them instead. But Darius had explained this blood was special and secret and in limited supply. And if given willingly by a dragon, rather than harvested against their will, it could do almost anything.

The dragon nudged his hand, a warm blast of air tickling his fingers. He laughed and gave her a hug. “You’re just sweetening me up for a second course, aren’t you?” he teased. “You know I have that other bone in my bag.”

But before he could serve his dragon her dessert, he heard a scraping noise behind him. Puzzled, he turned to find none other than his twin himself climbing up the side of the cliff. When Connor reached the top, he held out his hand. One of those bouncers the Council had invented flew up, settling in his palm.

Caleb scrambled to his feet. What was he doing here? He motioned for Trinity to back into the cave, where she wouldn’t be out in the open, exposed. Had Connor come alone? Or had he come here with his dragon-hunting team?

“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded, hating how shaky his voice sounded. He crossed his arms over his chest, scowling, as he stepped in front of the cave’s mouth.

Connor didn’t answer. He looked past Caleb, into the cave. “So it’s true,” he said in a resigned voice. “God, I was hoping you were lying to her.”

Caleb shot an involuntary glance at Trinity, who was pawing the ground nervously, eyeing the stranger.

Who
is
that?
she asked.
He
looks
like
you.

He’s no one,
Caleb told her.
Just
let
me
get
rid
of
him, okay?

He turned back to his brother.

“Connor, go home,” he snarled with as much bravado as he could muster. “Once again, this doesn’t concern you.”

“How can it not concern me?” Connor demanded, not stepping down. “My brother is cavorting with monsters.”

“She’s not a monster!” Caleb protested, losing his cool despite himself. But still! He wasn’t about to let anyone talk crap about his dragon. “Look at her. She’s beautiful. Majestic. Powerful. Wild.”

And
she
chose
me,
he added silently.
Out
of
everyone
on
the
earth, she
chose
me.

Connor’s face twisted with anguish. “Are you even listening to yourself?” he asked. “We’re talking about a dragon. The same creature that killed our own father.” He gritted his teeth. “Look, I know it’s not your fault. Dragons can be very persuasive. They can put humans under a spell. You don’t really want to be with this thing. You just think you do because it’s screwed with your head.”

“No!” Caleb protested, shaking his head vehemently. “That’s not true! That’s just what the Council says to keep people from discovering the truth about dragons. Trinity is loyal and brave and completely devoted to me. She’s more like a sibling than you ever were.”

Connor’s face paled. “Caleb, you don’t mean that,” he protested.

“I certainly do. Now get the hell out of here before I have her blast you to kingdom come.”

He waited, praying his brother would just leave. He didn’t want to have to kill him, after all.

But of course, this was Connor. And Connor never stood down. “I’m sorry, Caleb. But you leave me with no choice,” his twin said resignedly. And then he opened his mouth…

…and started to sing.

“No!” Caleb cried. He ran to his brother, trying to cover his mouth with his hands. But Connor was too strong, shoving him backward, sending him sprawling. Caleb hit the ground hard and rolled off the cliff. Only his fingers, clutching a hanging root, kept him from plummeting to his death.

“No. Trinity! Don’t listen to him!” he cried as he strained to pull himself back on the ledge, his whole body breaking out into sweat. “Blast him with your fire!”

But the dragon seemed not to hear him. She was stepping out from the protection of the cave, her eyes glazed and her tongue lolling from her mouth.

“No!” Caleb begged as his feet kicked uselessly against dirt sides. “Please, Connor, don’t do this! She’s all I have in the world.”

Connor turned, leveling his gaze on Caleb. “Then you don’t have anything at all,” he said.

And then, with one quick movement, almost too fast to follow, he reached for his gun-blade, plunging it into the dragon’s soft scale, like a hot knife through butter.

Trinity screamed. And Caleb screamed with her. He flailed and almost fell. But it was his brother who ran to him. Grabbing him by the hand and yanking him back onto the ledge. It took him a moment to regain his senses. Then he ran to his dragon.

“No. Please, Trinity, no,” he cried, his voice choked with tears.

The dragon looked up at him with watery eyes, filled with pain. She stretched out her neck, then licked him on the face, her rough tongue scraping his skin.

I’m sorry,
she said.

Then her muscles failed and she fell to the ground with a loud crash, one last heartbreaking, shuddering sigh assaulting Caleb’s ears. Then she lay still.

“I’m sorry,” Connor said. “But it had to be done. You’ll thank me one day.”

Caleb looked up at him. He opened his mouth, trying to speak. But the words wouldn’t come. In fact, at that moment, he wasn’t sure they’d ever come again.

And he wasn’t sure if he cared if they did.