“What are you doing all the way down here, little one?”
Trin flinched. The voice was unmistakably Darius’s, and she realized he must have found Emmy. In another moment, he’d open the door and head in her direction. Frantic, she hit the light switch and dove behind the dragon cages. She could feel Emmy’s growing alarm ringing through her head while the dragon croaked weakly back at the Dracken master.
“Unbelievable!” another voice, heavily accented, rang through the hall. Trin furrowed her brow, trying to place it. It didn’t sound like any of the Dracken or their mercenaries—at least none she’d met. “A dragon!” the voice continued in hushed awe. “A real-life dragon, just as you said!”
“I told you, didn’t I?” Darius proclaimed, his voice rich with pride. “Now come with me and I’ll show you the rest.”
Footsteps approached and Trin crouched deeper into her hiding spot. A moment later, the door squeaked open and the light switched on again. From her vantage point, she could just make out Darius, dressed in a dapper black suit, leading a distinguished, forty-something-year-old dark-haired man into the room. As he entered, the foreigner gave a low whistle.
“Amazing! Simply amazing!”
“Didn’t I tell you? It’s quite a sight to be seen,” Darius replied, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a metal band. He slipped it over Emmy’s mouth, effectively muzzling her. Guess he wasn’t about to take his chances with dragon fire. When Emmy struggled in protest, he dug a firm thumb into a spot under her wing. The dragon whimpered but meekly quieted down. He opened up an empty cage and shoved her inside, closing and locking it behind him.
“I have to confess, I didn’t really believe you,” the man exclaimed, his eyes darting from cage to cage. “It just seemed too fantastical to be real.”
“Oh, they’re real all right,” Darius assured him. “All with perfect pedigrees. The ones you see here are approximately one year of age. Soon each will be paired with a Guardian to begin their training.”
Trinity squinted at the men, trying to figure out what was going on. Why hadn’t anyone told her there were more dragons in the mall? She’d been led to believe Emmy was the last of her kind. But that was clearly untrue. Did the other Potentials know their dragons had already been born? They couldn’t have; they wouldn’t have been so excited to see Emmy.
But why keep the rest of them a secret? And what was wrong with them, for that matter? Why were they so deformed looking? She turned back to the conversation, hoping for answers.
“When will they be ready for delivery?” the man was asking, poking a finger into one of the cages. The dragon inside hissed angrily and he pulled his finger away with a nervous laugh.
“Each dragon will complete its training at five years of age,” the Dracken Master replied smoothly. “At which time we will deliver both dragon and Guardian to your people, yours to do with as you wish.” He gave a smug smile. “Dragons have many gifts, after alclass="underline" curing disease, sniffing out natural resources, finding water in the—”
The man waved him off. “Yes, yes,” he said impatiently. “But can they fight?”
Trinity held her breath, praying for Darius to scold him for the idea. To tell him these creatures were made for saving the world, not destroying it.
But the leader’s lips only curled cruelly. “Your enemies will be annihilated before they even know what hit them.”
She collapsed against the wall, her heart sinking in despair. Connor had been right all along. Caleb had been completely deceived. The Dracken were never interested in using dragons to help mankind. They were nothing more than time-traveling arms dealers.
And the Potentials! They would be sold off along with their dragons. Made into slaves. Forced to go into battle. No wonder the Dracken took only those with no family. That way there was no one left to rescue them—no one to care—when they found out the truth.
“These dragons,” the foreigner remarked, his eyes scanning the cages again, “they don’t look like the other one.” He gestured to Emmy. “Is something wrong with them? I don’t want defective merchandise.”
Darius looked uncomfortable. “We had some…issues…with the original batch of eggs,” he admitted, wiping a sheen of sweat from his brow. Trin stole another peek at the mutated dragons and wondered again what could have happened to them. Maybe something about being brought back through time? Maybe the process had corrupted their DNA somehow? It made sense now why they were so eager to get their hands on Emmy. She was perfect.
She realized Darius was still talking. “But purchase these now and you’ll get first pick of the next hatchlings. The ones born from our queen.” He gestured to Emmy, who was clawing at the inside of her cage, looking terrified. “Through her, the line will grow and strengthen, providing you with a never-ending supply of the strongest, most powerful, fire-breathing beasts the world has ever seen.”
Emmy let out a horrified squawk, now thrashing wildly in her cage. Trin tried to send soothing thoughts to calm her down.
I won’t let them do that to you, she promised. No matter what. Though, she had to admit, that was easier said than done. She turned back to the Dracken and his customer.
“So do we have a deal?” Darius asked, clamping his hand on the man’s shoulder. “I must have your commitment now. We have many potential buyers waiting in the wings. It would be a shame to allow your enemy to buy your dragons and use them against you.”
Don’t let him! Emmy begged. Stop him now!
The man opened his mouth to speak. Trin gulped down her fear. In a moment, the deal would be done. It would be too late to do anything to stop it.
You don’t want any dragons, she pushed, on sudden impulse. She didn’t know if it would work, but it was worth a try—if only to calm Emmy down. You want to leave. Now.
She opened her eyes, focusing back on the man in question, whose face had clouded with sudden hesitation. Trinity grinned, realizing she’d managed to reach him in time. Totally worth the headache now stabbing at her skull.
Sorry, Darius. No sale.
“My apologies,” he said to the Dracken leader in a voice wrought with confusion. “I don’t think I want any dragons. In fact, I’d like to leave. Now.”
Trinity waited, breath firmly lodged in her throat, as a shadow crossed Darius’s smooth face. For a moment he did nothing, said nothing, only stared at the man with growing realization. Then, without warning, he reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a gun, shooting the man square in the chest. The foreigner fell to the ground. Dead.
“You can come out now,” Darius announced, scanning the room. When Trin didn’t move, the Dracken leader sighed deeply, then marched over to her hiding spot, grabbing her by the neck and yanking her out into the open. She yelped as his jagged nails dug into her skin.
“Very clever,” he sneered. “Though very stupid. Had you kept quiet I might not have known you were here.” He tsked. “Very stupid indeed.”
“Why would you do this?” she demanded, fighting to free herself but to no avail. “Why would you try to sell dragons to that guy? You’re going to end up destroying the world all over again!”
“Actually,” he corrected, “we’re going to save it.”
“What?” She stopped fighting, staring at him, confusion mixing with fury. “What are you talking about? You put dragons in the hands of these people—who want to wipe each other out—what do you think is going to happen?”