CHAPTER 18: PLAYING DIRTY

----------------------------------------

Aeris looked down at Logan’s house below. She wondered what he was doing, what he was thinking.

During the flight there, all she thought about was getting that notebook. Taking it by force if necessary; she had even practiced what she would say.

But now the house was before her. And the thought of what would come next had her unsure. Her stomach hurt it had tightened so much. She constantly kicked at the air with her hind legs because there was nothing to grab onto.

If I don’t do this, I could miss my only chance to get Janine back, she thought. The more time I waste, the further she slips away. I waited before. Not again.

“But…But what if he says no?” she asked no one.

Then make him say yes, her mind replied. You get one shot at this. You need that book.

“But I don’t want to hurt him.”

He’s a jerk! He’s been nothing but mean to you! Who cares what he wants! He deserves whatever he gets!

She shook her head. “That’s not fair. I can’t hurt someone just because I don’t like them.”

Will you grow a spine already? This is why your eggs are gone. You’re too nice. You should have murdered your master in his sleep. But you didn’t, and he hunted you down!

“That’s not fair. I didn’t know—"

You knew! You knew he would hunt you down when you ran away! But you thought you could outrun him. Sareen said a Matriarch has to be unflinching. Unwavering. If you want to get Janine back, focus on the goal and nothing else. Or you’ll never see her again. Is that what you want?

It wasn’t what she wanted. But she still couldn’t bring herself to do it. Even thinking back to when she lost herself in her emotions, the things she had almost done, made her nauseous.

“I have to take charge.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat then folded her wings and dove towards the house. She slowed down just enough to slam into the door without hurting herself. The door gave easily under the force, bursting open into the wall.

She kept going down the hall, knocking things down in her wake which were ignored. Just focus on the goal, she told herself. Don’t think, just act.

The notebook was most likely stored in the study. She knew the way. If all went well, she could get the notebook and get out before Logan found her.

Thumping steps above told her she didn’t have a lot of time.

She increased her speed, bumping into tables and tripping over furniture as she stormed into the study.

The room was bigger than she remembered. The bookshelves towered over everything, threatening to topple and flatten any intruder. And there were more books than last time. Stacks covered the floor and chairs, the bookshelves full to bursting.

She spun in place, unsure of where to even begin. It would just be sitting out in the open; he had to have hidden it somewhere. But what did the notebook even look like?

A piece of the wall next to her shattered just as a gunshot rang out. Aeris ducked and backed away until the wall stopped her retreat. She curled up as small as possible. For a moment, she saw falling snow before her. She heard more rushing footsteps from below. Men shouting to each other. She looked frantically around the crumbling room for a way out. They were going to find her.

“Whoever you are, I don’t have any money!” Logan shouted. “That was your only warning so--Snowflake? What are you doing here?”

Aeris lifted her head, expecting to see her former master standing in the doorway. But the man in front of her wore glasses. Aaron didn’t wear glasses. The shade of her master shrunk then widened, taking on the form of Logan.

She didn’t feel much relief seeing the man with a gun in his hands and eyes brimming with rage.

She continued to watch the rifle. “I asked you a question, dragon. What are you doing breaking into my house?”

“I…I…came for the notebook.”

“Notebook? What notebook?”

“Your grandfather’s notebook. I need it.”

“I don’t care what you need,” he spat. “You dare break into my home in the dead of night and make demands? I would be in my rights to shoot you, but out of respect for my grandfather’s memory, I’ll let you live.” He stepped aside and pointed down the hall. “Now get out before I change my mind.”

Aeris remained still, her eyes still following the gun’s movement. She finally broke eye contact and looked at Logan. “No. I’m not leaving.”

“What did you say?”

“I said I need that book.” Her tail uncurled from her legs as she straightened up. “My friend will die without it. I can’t let that happen.”

“Your friend? The young woman who was with you or that Dr. King’s assistant? Don’t try to hide it, you dragons are always looking after one another.”

That was far from true, but she didn’t hadn’t come here to argue with the man. This conversation wasn’t going anywhere. But she wasn’t leaving without that book. Only one option remained. It was just a matter of being careful, but she still hoped it worked.

She looked into his eyes and focused on her Call.

Give me the book.

Logan shifted, maneuvering the rifle as if preparing to raise it again. She maintained eye contact and focused her mind. Just like in her training, there could be no deviation, no fear, no distraction. Only focus and need.

Logan’s eyes went blank. The gun fell from his hand and clattered on the floor. She continued to watch him, projecting her will onto him. He moved to the desk and pulled open a drawer. His eyes remained unfocused as he pulled out a worn red leather notebook and sat it on the desk.

Aeris continued to watch him as she approached and examined the book. It had no markings or title, but it was wrinkled and worn from repeated use. She carefully took the book in her jaws.

“Aeris, what are you doing here?” Nesse asked.

She spun around saw the Genial standing in the doorway. From the frown and the way her tail undulated behind her, she suspected Nesse wasn’t happy with her.

“How did you know I was here?”

“Well, I’m not stupid. The moment I saw you weren’t behind me I figured where you went.” She stepped closer, her gaze on the notebook in Aeris’ jaws. “I take it that’s the notebook? I’ll admit, I’m pretty shocked he gave it to you.” She looked at Logan and tilted her head.

Logan continued standing there, not acknowledging her presence. Aeris sat the book down. Holding it in her mouth was causing her to drool and she didn’t want to ruin it.

Nesse whirled on Aeris. “What happened? What did you do? I’ve known this brat for years; it takes a lot to shut him up and even then, he doesn’t keep quiet.”

“I…I…” She was told not to talk about her Call and what she could do. “The humans wouldn’t understand,” Sareen had said.

“Okay, okay. Let’s get back to the house. There’s a group of people outside and the sooner we get outta here, the better.”

Aeris nodded and quickly grabbed the book. It didn’t feel right letting anyone else have it. If anything happened to the book, her only leverage was gone. She didn’t even care about getting it back to Sareen.

Nesse turned back to Logan. “You should come with us.”

Logan continued to stare ahead.

“What?” Aeris asked.

“Well, I can’t leave him here. He’s a brat, but I knew his grandfather. He would be devastated if something happened to him. I owe him that much.” She nuzzled Logan’s arm but there was no response.

“But I thought you couldn’t stand Jeffery?”

Nesse smiled. “That’s a story for another day. Right now, we really gotta go.” She nuzzled Logan again. She turned to Aeris when he didn’t respond again. “It looks like he’s in shock. What happened?”

“I…”

“Look, we don’t have time for secrets! What happened?”

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“I used my Call on him.”

She tilted her head, her expression confused. “You did? I didn’t know you could do that. You know what? Not the time. Just undo it so we can leave.”

“I…I don’t know how.”

“Well, just do what you normally do.”

“But I don’t normally do anything. They just seem to snap out of it once I stop using it.”

Nesse groaned as her tail slapped the floor. “Then tell him to come with us. We’ll figure it out later.”

****

“So this is the notebook everyone wants to get their hands on,” Nesse said. “I can’t believe Jeffery was sitting on something like this.”

Aeris stared at the book as if it would jump up at any moment. They hadn’t touched it since they brought it in.

She turned to Brandy. The woman hadn’t reacted since they explained the events. It was worrying since she hadn’t seen her this quiet before.

Logan was also silent. She was unsure how to remove her Call. She had never tried. What if she had overpowered his mind? What if he would never be the same again? Nesse hadn’t said anything to her—mostly focusing on the book.

She was so close. This was the key to getting Janine back.

“You didn’t know?” Aeris asked.

“We were close, but we were still technically rivals. He didn’t share everything with me.”

“You sound close.”

“Yeah, well, he was different from other humans. For one, he treated me like an intelligent being. He would often fact check with me before publishing anything.” Her smile faded as she turned back to the notebook. “But then one day he just stopped. He became real distant almost like he was avoiding me.”

“Do you have any idea why?”

“None. Of course, back then I was young and stubborn. I took his silence as an insult instead of a cry for help. I assumed he knew more about dragons than me. That he was no different than all the others and thought he was superior.”

Brandy suddenly crossed the room and pulled Nesse into a hug.

“No, Dr. Nesse, this is not your fault! You did nothing wrong. It’s all his fault for not trusting you to help him. I’m sure if he had opened up to you, you would never have hesitated to help him.”

Nesse chuckled and nuzzled the woman.

“Well, let’s find out what this book says.”

Brandy grinned widely as she opened the notebook to the first page. Nesse looked at the page and frowned.

“What is it?” Aeris asked.

“ ‘To whoever reads this, I entrust the future to you’,” Nesse replied. “Inside this notebook is secrets that I chose to hide from the annals of history. The world was not ready for them and I feared the outcome should I have revealed the truth.”

“That sounds very ominous,” Brandy said.

Nesse nodded and continued. “ ‘However, I could not leave the world ignorant for one day, we may need this knowledge. And so, I recorded my findings in the hopes the time will come when they may be safely revealed to the world.

“ ‘My dearest family. There comes a time in everyone’s life when they are faced with a choice. A choice between that which they love and that which is right. I chose to do what I felt was right and the price was my soul. In exchange for my family’s safety, stability, and future, I stood by, remained silent, and allowed the world to continue living a lie. Allowed countless others to suffer to spare you the same fate.

“ ‘I will not ask your forgiveness for what I did was cowardice even if I believed my actions just. The only way to repent for my sin is to find a way to expose the truth for what it is. I leave behind this notebook detailing my findings and my involvement so you may know the truth. I only ask that you do not follow in my footsteps should I fail.”

Aeris tilted her head. She didn’t understand it all, but it made her wonder if Logan had read the book and what he thought of the message if he did.

“You know I don’t want to be the voice of negativity,” Brandy said. “I mean, after all that’s happened tonight, we could use some good news. But that’s what everyone is after? That book reads more like the confessions of a guilty man than deadly secrets. Why would anyone care about getting that thing?”

“Because if I know Jeffery, he wouldn’t dare just write out his secrets in plain speech. And seeing as how his family’s kept quiet for 40 years, I don’t think they cracked his code yet,” Nesse said. She groaned loudly and thumped her head on the table. “Just once I would like to have some damn answers. I’m sorry, Aeris, but you can’t give this to Teresa.”

“But I need it! She won’t—”

“I know that, but we’re playing a dangerous game here. You didn’t know Jefferey like I did. He wasn’t a stupid man. Whatever he found out, it scared him enough to hide this and keep his mouth shut.”

Aeris slapped the floor with her tail. “I don’t care!”

Nesse did the same. “You should care! I know you want your friend back and I promised I would do everything I could to help you do it, but you are so focused on getting her back, you’re overlooking everything else!” She pointed to the book. “Teresa is losing it, the city leaders are dead, the current District Lord is leaving the city, and on top of it all, the city is one bad incident from rioting! Think! Do you want a home to come back to?”

She couldn’t answer. Whether the city stood or burned made no difference to her. What happened to people she didn’t know made no difference to her.

“It’s very late, and none of us can really think clearly when we’re half tired,” Brandy said, stepping between them. “I can only imagine how cranky a sleepy dragon can be, so how about we all get some sleep and decide what to do in the morning?”

Aeris wanted to say “Fine.” But the words wouldn’t come. It wasn’t fine. She wanted to end the nightmare and be done with it. She wanted to use her Call but behind Nesse stood Logan with that same blank look on his face. Unlike him, she actually did something nice for her. How could she repay that by manipulating her that way?

“Doubt weakens your power,” a voice she didn’t recognize said. “Are you really going to let this weak-willed female stand between you and your goal?

“I’m sorry,” Aeris said. She took a deep breath and focused her thoughts.

Give me the book.

Brandy and Nesse’s eyes went blank. Brandy grabbed the book and gave it to Aeris. She carefully took the book in her jaws.

“I’m sorry,” Aeris said before turning and going outside.

She flew full speed towards Teresa’s. It had to be done. She knew that but it still felt wrong. Once this was over, she would apologize, but Nesse would see that she had to do what was necessary.

As she flew, a strange feeling crept up her spine like she was being watched. She looked over her shoulder and saw several dragons following her.

Her heartbeat quickened. There was no reason for a group of dragons to be flying in a group this late. But she hoped she was just being paranoid. She flapped her wings and ascended.

They did as well.

Immediately, she folded her wings and dove towards the ground. She pulled out of her dive once she reached the rooftops. Losing them amongst the buildings was her only hope. She wouldn’t lose them in the sky and she didn’t dare lead them Teresa’s.

A loud explosion cut through the wind rushing in her ears. She didn’t look back to see the cause already having a good idea what did it.

They’re shooting fire at me?! What did I do to them? Why are they after me?

The buildings were meant to have dragons flying between them which made losing them all the more difficult. Several times a stray fireball struck a nearby rooftop, scattering debris and nearly blinding her with smoke. It took just as much focus to avoid their attacks as it did to keep from biting down and damaging the book. Every time she attempted to use her Call an explosion threw her off.

She was struck from the side by an unseen force. The blow sent her rolling across a rooftop. Somehow she came to a stop before going over the side.

It hurt to breathe, but her only concern was finding the notebook. She lost it when she was struck. Before she could get up to look for it, five dragons, each one a different species, descended on the roof.

The one in the middle—who she assumed was in charge—stepped forward. “You may be the Dracaena’s favored, but I won’t take orders from a pet.”

Aeris curled into a ball. It never occurred to her that the other dragons might take offense to her being a domesticate. No, she hadn’t forgotten, she had relied too much on her status to protect her.

They’re going to kill me, she thought. But…but what about Janine? Who’s going to save her if I die? I can’t fail again.

“And there they go, overreaching because of foolish pride.”

Aeris knew that voice. She had heard it early that night, but she still couldn’t place the name.

She turned as another dragon landed next to her. She couldn’t believe what she saw. The dragon had bright light blue scales like the midday sky. Even in the night, she glowed as if the sun shone on her alone. The dragoness stood proud next to her as if she owned the world.

Her eyes widened. “Are you a Celestial?” she asked the dragoness.

The dragoness continued to stare at the group. “Who do they think they’re talking to? Domesticate or not, you are of my brood and a Matriarch to boot. They dare look down on you and treat you as if you’re nothing.” She smiled at her. “It’s about time they were reminded of what a dragon is capable of, wouldn’t you say?’

Aeris had no idea what the dragoness was talking about, but she nodded.

The dragon strode forward and roared, drowning out everything around them. The sound rattled Aeris’ bones. She could swear even the stars trembled.

It felt as if the world became silent. Screams and crackling flames sounded so distant and muffled. The dragons slowly laid on the ground, their heads bowed.

Aeris turned back to the dragoness. “Thank you so—”

The dragon was gone.

She looked around but saw no signs of her savior. Asking the others crossed her mind, but she didn’t dare stick around longer than she had to and wait for their courage to return.

The notebook had thankfully landed not far from her on the same rooftop. She quickly scooped it into her jaws and flew off towards Teresa’s.

Nothing happened to her again, but the flight was far from uneventful. The attacks by her attackers had set several buildings on fire and below hundreds of people were scrambling to put out the flames and escape the blaze.

Everywhere she flew, the roars of dragons rose up as in greeting or cheer. She wasn’t sure which or why but she wasn’t going to find out. She flapped her wings faster.

The moment she landed in front of Teresa’s home, the door swung open, and the woman stormed out, her face twisted with fury. Reban followed close behind along with her guards.

“What did you do?!” Teresa cried. “I can see the fires from here!”

Aeris carefully sat the book down. “I didn’t do it! I was on my way to bring you the book when these dragons attacked me and—”

“You were attacked? By who? Did they say who sent them?”

“No. But this dragon saved me. She was a Celestial like me and—”

“What are you talking about? I’ve never even heard of another dragon like you residing in the city. No matter. We’ll discuss it later. Right now, we need to do something about… those… fires...”

She slowly strode forward, her mouth open and her eyes welling up.

Aeris turned around.

Easily visible in the sky were several shapes that had to be dragons. Flying about and circling in the air. Every so often, flames would burst from one of them, striking something below and a fresh batch of screams would cut through the air.

“It’s already started,” Reban said. “The dragons are attacking.”

“But why?” Teresa cried. “Why now? Why would they suddenly attack like this with no warning?”

“That explains that roar we heard before,” one of the guards said. “Didn’t you hear it? The one that woke everyone up? We just thought two dragons were fighting or something but it was a signal!”

“Then that explains that voice we heard!” another said.

“What voice?” Reban asked. “What did it say?”

“You didn’t hear it? It came in just after the roar, clear as day. It said, ‘Obey’.”

Teresa turned to Aeris. “You did this.”

“What? N-No! I didn’t! I—” She started forward when several guards pointed their rifles at her.

“I should’ve known better than to trust a dragon! I can’t believe I fell for your little naïve and innocent act! It was all a ploy to get my guard down!”

Aeris couldn’t speak. She could barely wrap her head around how it was all unraveling so quickly. When everything seemed to be going so well.

“Well, you missed your chance! You should’ve killed me at the first opportunity!” She pointed at Aeris, her whole body shaking with rage. “Kill her!”

It all happened in slow motion. Several of the guards turned to Aeris, but the rest turned to their comrades, raised their rifles, and squeezed the trigger. In an instant, several bodies crumbled to the ground, covered in blood.

Even witnessing it, Aeris wasn’t sure what happened. Reban stood in front of Teresa

The surviving guards lowered their guards and knelt before Aeris.

“We await your orders, my Matriarch,” one of the men said.

She stared wide-eyed at the man. She had no idea what just happened. It seemed odd to complain since she would have died if they hadn’t disobeyed, but she didn’t know these men and had no idea why they were obeying her.

“Dragons truly are dangerous creatures,” Teresa said breathlessly. “To think you had even infiltrated my guards.” She fell to her knees and hung her head. “You win. I give up. The city is yours.”

Aeris backed away. She never wanted the city. None of this was part of her plan. But right now there were more important things to worry about than why people were suddenly killing for her.

“Where is Janine?” she asked.

“I had them taken to a safe location in Strendor,” Teresa said. “I didn’t dare risk leaving them in the city in case you stumble across them. Reban will show you the way.”

“Teresa, no. I’m not leaving you here.”

“I’ll be fine. I don’t know what her plans are, but I doubt Aeris intends to kill me now. She’ll need humans in place to keep the others in line.”

She didn’t plan on keeping anyone in line, but she also didn’t plan on killing Teresa. It didn’t matter to her either way. She was finally getting Janine back. That was all that mattered.

She picked the notebook up off the grass. First, she would give it to Nesse and Brandy then they would all leave together.

As she spread her wings and took the sky, she heard the dragoness’s voice again.

“Well done, blood of my blood.”