She stared at the black sky sprinkled with a thousand stars. One by one, they began to burst like fireworks on a clear and cold night.
The stardust zipped across the sky. Falling. Falling. Falling. Until it swirled around her, sinking into her skin, flooding every nerve with a magic so intense she couldn’t breathe.
Her body convulsed.
Her heart beat once.
Twice.
Then stilled.
Seeing Is Believing
The bodies are buried. All fourteen of them.
I killed fourteen men. Me. Alone.
When I think about it too much, my stomach gets tight. The grave mounds slowly sink into the ground, instantaneous internment. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. I can’t watch, and I turn away. Squatting beside Bodog, I stare into the fire he made. It’s safer, except the images of the dead soldiers I try to push deep into my mind won’t stay buried. I slip my right hand within the fire and let the orange and red flames lick at my fingers, willing a jolt of pain to chase the images away. After a while, I pull away and examine my hand, burn- and pain-free. “It’s not right.”
Faldon’s face shifts and the wooden lips part. “Right or wrong, the power we each have is a gift and not to be used lightly.”
“I guess Jason didn’t get that memo.” My thoughts darken thinking about my former friend. “I’ve been meaning to ask you how power is given. Jason seems to have an awful lot of it.”
“He does.”
“So how’d he get it?”
“Whoever gifted him with power made sure he either had an unlimited reserve for a specific time period, or they created a new way of permanently altering his human status.”
“Like he died and was reanimated?” My causing Jason’s meltdown and then giving him the power to enact his revenge gives my life just one more sick twist.
“It’s an interesting theory…”
“But could it happen?”
“I don’t know. I’m more familiar with Granel’s genetic alterations he created for Navar.”
Out of all of Granel’s creations, the hellhounds have given me the worst nightmares. I hate those damn dogs. “It’s a creepy hobby he’s developed.”
“It was banned hundreds of years ago, after the werewolf uprising.”
“Werewolves?” He can’t be serious. “Are you telling me you guys made werewolves?”
“Our people are masters over nature, but even we have our share of failed experiments. Werewolves were designed to control one specific human nation from wandering too far outside their boundaries, but the werewolves migrated and caused havoc when they developed a taste for human flesh. The few who survived were placed in the Unknown, where access to magic is limited. To be honest, no one knows exactly what is in there, what has survived. Thrived. Adapted. It’s how the area got its name.”
I rub my stomach and wonder if I’m getting ulcers. Seventeen and I’m killing myself with worry. “Kera’s in there…so are Reece and Signe…with those things and God knows what else. Why would you create something like that and then let it loose? It’s sick.”
“We were put here to create order out of chaos. To use our talent with science and magic and refine the rough edges of nature.” He paused. “When mistakes happen, we needed a solution.”
I push to my feet, unable to hide my disgust. “If you haven’t noticed, you guys are having an epic fail moment.”
I start toward the bridge, my worry growing with every step. Someone has to know what’s in the Unknown. Someone has to know where Kera is and what’s keeping her there. Someone.
It’s a call of frustration. A call for help. I can’t do this alone. One misstep will bring me to my knees.
Your powers have grown stronger.
I turn around. Bodog and Faldon are still by the fire. I must be hearing things.
You are hearing me. To save Kera, you must kill the Dreamweaver. It never gives up its victims willingly, so you must lure it from its burrow. Whatever you do, never listen to your death song. Now hurry. Kera won’t last much longer.
“How do you know all this?”
A king always knows what goes on in his kingdom, Dylan.
I’m talking to my dad? I clench my teeth and my jaw spasms like a Pavlovian dog hearing the bell. “Why should I trust you?”
You have no one else to turn to.
I hate it that he’s right. I feel his presence leave my mind, and I realize I’ve wandered closer to the bridge than I had intended. That my dad can distract me so completely makes me nervous.
Before I can turn around, a rush of air slashes through the area, followed by an earsplitting cry. The next moment, a huge dragon is in front of me, its weight shaking the ground when it lands. In no time, Bodog’s up a tree, stick in hand and a whimper on his lips. I grab my sword and hold it in front of me, staring down the burning blade into a pair of amber eyes.
“Don’t hurt him,” someone yells weakly.
The next moment I see Lucinda leap off the dragon’s back and reach up to help Leo down. He clutches his side where blood soaks his shirt and looks at Lucinda. “I told you he wouldn’t stay put. I knew he’d be here.”
I put away my sword and race to him, fitting my shoulder under his arm for support. “What happened?”
Leo limps along beside me. He’s sweating and can’t seem to take a full breath. “Get ready. Jason’s coming. He was in the human realm tearing it up when we got there.”
I’m almost relieved. That’s why we couldn’t find him with the maps. “What was he doing there?”
“He went after his dad.” Leo’s kind eyes flicker with pain.
I set him on the ground near the fire, and Lucinda peels back his shirt and examines his wound. “Bro, he killed his own dad. Ripped him apart. Then went after his wrestling coach, then the principal…everyone he believes should’ve stepped in and stopped his dad from being a dick, which is pretty much everyone. He’s out of control. If you’re going to save Kera, you’ve got to leave now, before he gets here.”
“Are my grandparents okay?” I feel selfish for asking specifically after them, but I have to know.
He sucks in a deep breath when Lucinda touches a sensitive area and grunts, “Yeah. Your grandfather and my dad are pulling people together and are coming this way.”
“Wait, they’re coming to Teag?”
“To the barrier. Whatever crosses over, they’re determined to kill.”
“So everyone knows about me now?”
“Hard to hide when that walking chunk of meat starts showing off his new powers and telling everyone how superior he is to us puny humans. Classic movie-villain mode.” He coughs and clutches his side. He’s about as pale as I’ve ever seen him.
“He is superior to humans,” Lucinda says, pushing Leo’s hands away so she can wrap his wound with bandages she’s pulled out of thin air.
“Cin…” Leo draws her name out.
I’m not surprised she thinks like Jason. Honestly, I can’t understand why she’s with us. From what I’ve seen, she isn’t the type to stick around a losing team.
She blinks as if she’s startled by his tone. “I meant no insult. It is like comparing a kitten to a grown lion. Same heart, different skills, and right now you are a tangle of kittens in need of better skills.”
She stands, and Leo grabs her hand. “Where are you going?”