Chapter Ten

 

 

Three quick calls calmed Creata and Brenner. But Brommin was sent into a frenzy.

“Get out of there now, Trin. Shift and fly out if you have to.”

“I think that my aunt needs my help.”

“You have known her for five minutes.” He was muttering.

“I know, but I get the feeling that having her with me is important. I don’t want to leave without her.”

She leaned as they swung around a fencepost and Ystine drove across a field.

The thudding of landing dragons ahead of her sent Ystine into a sharp spin.

“You have to get out of there. We have documents about a cult in that area.”

“I can confirm that there are a lot of muddy dragons around here. There are four in front of me, so I have to change directions. I will call you in two hours if everything goes right.”

“Wait, don’t hang—”

She put her complete focus into driving Ystine through the gap in the dragons. Her uncles stepped back in reflex as the velo roared at them, and she passed through their blockade without trouble.

She was moving with a plan, and that plan got clearer as the signal went out and lesser dragons rose from the village. Nearly fifty dragons were tracking her movements as she looked around. She found what she was looking for and pulled her invisibility over herself while heading for a ridge in the middle of the field.

Ystine whispered in the helmet, “What is going on?”

“I am hiding us. I didn’t know if I could hide you as well, and I am really glad I can. Now hush, I have to concentrate.”

She drove them to the top of the ridge, and then, she waited.

The dragons formed a slow twister over her head, but she focused on the invisibility and remained still. Males. Every single flying dragon there was a man. Not one female was in search of her, and that was weird. Females were much better hunters. Farmers would know that.

Trin looked back toward the Anders’ home, and it was alive with light. She made a quiet call and sighed when the answer was yes.

Trin set Ystine loose, and they flew off the ridge, invisibility gone, and Trin’s focus was on getting Meadra. There was something in Meadra’s eyes that made Trin want to protect her. Clone of her mother or not, Meadra was family.

The dragons were still swirling over the ridge and hadn’t decided on what to do.

Trin focused on heading back to the farm. She pulled in front of the steps, and Meadra was standing there with her sisters-in-law. “Do you want to stay here?”

Meadra’s eyes grew wide. “No.”

“Get on.”

Her aunt scrambled off the steps before her in-laws could catch her. When Trin felt arms around her waist, she sped away from the farm.

“Turn left!” Meadra shouted it.

Trin followed her order and the three that followed. A tiny, broken shed was leaning against a tree.

“Stop here. I will get my bags.”

Trin blinked behind her visor and watched as Meadra sprinted to the shed. She was out in ten seconds with a backpack and a shoulder bag. It was ten seconds too long. The dragons were nearly on them.

Trin got off Ystine and fastened her helmet to the paniers. “Hang on to your bags tight. This is going to be a little rough. I don’t normally carry cargo or passengers.”

Meadra stared. “What?”

Trin backed up a few steps, and she shifted. Her crystalline-clear body stretched and swelled until she was at her full size. She roared loud and long, scattering the dragons in every direction.

With careful motions, she picked up Meadra, and when she was secure, her right claw picked up Ystine. Her wings pulsed in the air, and she took off, knocking the few dragons who had returned to the area.

She held Meadra against her chest, and as soon as she had gained enough altitude, she went invisible. Her destination was firm in her mind. She was heading to Breaker City.

Trin got to the coastline and flew along the waterline. The journey that had taken the velo ten hours was accomplished by air in one.

She saw the signal from the air and flew toward the roof of Apraxa’s home. In the first pass, she set Ystine down in the yard, and in the second pass, she set Meadra down carefully and then settled on the roof before shifting back to human.

Apraxa was staring. “You are a...”

“Crystal dragon. I know.”

Apraxa shook her head, but Meadra muttered it from the floor of the rooftop. “Diamond dragon. You are what they have been trying for.”

Trin moved to Meadra’s side and held her bluish fingers. The altitude that their travel required was not comfortable for most humans.

Apraxa was staring. “Did you say diamond dragon?”

Meadra nodded. “We were told about it. Eleven generations of dragons and humans with the most magic that could be found. One generation mates with humans and the next are born dragons. Girls are produced to mate with the dragons, and they carry the line within them. They wanted to create a male diamond dragon, but the odds were nearly impossible.”

Apraxa lifted Meadra in her arms and carried her into the house.

“I will be right there. I have to put Ystine away.” She shifted into her warrior form and walked to the edge of the roof, jumping off and gliding to land next to her velocipede.

With a grunt, she pulled her companion upright, and she patted the seat. “Well done, Ystine. You only screamed twice.”

“I was not expecting to be flown across the continent,” Ystine grumbled her disgust in her particular tone of voice.

Trin grinned and pushed her vehicle toward the warehouse. The wide door sensed her approach and slid open to allow her to place Ystine in her safe little energy shield. “I promise to wash you in the morning.”

“Thank you. It was interesting to watch you tonight. I didn’t know that I had cloaking properties.”

Trin patted the seat and grabbed the bags out of the paniers. “You don’t. I do.”

She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed toward the house in the back corner while the huge door clanged shut and locked.

It was time to get a nice, relaxing shower and take care of her aunt.

 

Wrapped in one of Apraxa’s robes, Trin walked to the living room where Meadra was sitting with a strangely familiar mug between her hands.

Apraxa was sitting there quietly, and Meadra paused to wipe tears from her eyes.

“Meadra, is something wrong?” Trin walked up to her and sat beside her.

“I didn’t actually think I would get free. I was getting married in two days when I turn twenty-four. I didn’t want him touching me.”

Apraxa cocked her head. “Him?”

Trin answered, “The seer. He was originally my mother’s fiancé, but she got out as well.”

“Oh. Ew.” She wrinkled her nose.

Trin nodded. “Oh, did you get hold of Brommin?”

“Yes, he didn’t want to take my call until I explained what you were doing. He should be here within the hour.”

Trin nodded. “Excellent. I am not that good at this sort of thing. Hey, is that a sample mug?”

Apraxa laughed at the redirected topic. “Yes. He was so happy about how it turned out he wanted to get your final approval before the full run.”

“Oh. Are there others?”

Apraxa got up and left the room.

Meadra clutched Trin’s arm. “Can we trust her?”

“Apraxa? Yes. She is an old friend and trading partner. Half the city is terrified of her. No one is getting in here without her knowledge.”

“But you trust her to know about the valley?”

Trin nodded. “I do. She has what she needs and is not currying favour with the dragons of the capital.”

Meadra sighed and set her mug down before grabbing for her bags. “I have something here I think you will like. I found them when I was a child.”

Trin didn’t know what to expect, but the bound collection of books wasn’t it. “Uh. Thank you.”

“They are LeeHee’s diaries. They were hidden under a floorboard in my room.” Meadra paused. “Which, I suppose, was her room.”

Trin looked at the stack and slowly reached out to take them. “You kept them?”

“As soon as I could find a safe place for them, I moved them, but when I knew I had to leave, I made sure that they were set to come with me. The senator needs to know what is going on there.”

Trin nodded and ran her fingers over the mismatched diaries and journals in her hands. “He does. I am not even sure what was happening there, but even at a glance, it wasn’t good.”

Meadra shuddered. “No, it was not.”

Apraxa returned with a box in her arms. “Here you go, Trin. The family was very proud of the samples.”

Trin blinked. “How did you know I would be back?”

“I guessed.” Apraxa winked.

Trin scowled. “You are too clever for your own good.”

“I know. Now, take a look at these designs. She really outdid herself.”

Trin set the books down, patted Meadra on the shoulder, and then, she dove into the box, hands first.

The first thing she pulled out was another seasonal mug that depicted spring instead of the autumn that Meadra was holding.

The delicate, pale wisps of petals blew across the surface of the glossy ceramic. Trin turned the cup over and over, and there was no flaw or bubble in the cup or the glaze. “This is lovely.”

“Their ceramics shop is a bit of a recent start, but I brought you there for a reason. Their talents and passions lie in the ceramics and not the import and blending of tea. You can help them reach the capital, and from there, the world.”

Trin nodded, but she was cradling her new favourite teapot in her hands. It was smooth with a wide belly and graceful handle. The design was several gradations of blue and grey, working up to an ecru and blue sky with curls of snowflakes swirling through them. “This is amazing. It is exactly what I was looking for.”

Apraxa chuckled. “Good. If you and Meadra are up for it, I would like to take you back to the market for some gift boxes that will fit the new line of ceramics and possibly gift tins for the tea.”

Meadra perked up. “Shopping? In public?”

Apraxa nodded. “Shopping, in public. The more you are in public, the less chance you will end up missing. We need folk around here to recognize you, and that means that you need to be seen.”

Trin looked away from her new treasure, and she smiled. “You can borrow some of my clothes. No one will recognize you.”

Apraxa clapped her hands. “Ah! We can go shopping. That will be fun.”

Meadra looked at both of them, and a tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it away, but they still lunged in and hugged her.

Trin said, “If you want to go back, you can go back, but if you want to stay out here, you have options.”

Meadra sniffed and nodded. “Yes. It has just been a wild day. Your flying was smooth, by the way.”

Trin laughed. “I have had to do drills to figure out how the wings and tail work together. She does most of the work, but I have to figure out where we are going and how high.”

Apraxa blinked. “That reminds me. How the hell can you be a diamond dragon? They are mythical, even for high-ranking dragons.”

Meadra straightened and nodded. “That is the point of the program. The diamond dragon can—in theory—control other dragons. This is the philosopher’s stone of dragons. They are said to be indestructible, enormous, and they have mastery of all around them.”

Trin looked to Apraxa, and she grinned. “It isn’t a flattering description, but I have been known to get my way on occasion.”

Apraxa snorted and cackled, turning a golden blue before slumping onto the couch. When she sobered, she agreed. “Once or twice.”

Trin was about to tuck Meadra into the room she had used previously when there was a familiar feeling in the air. She ran up to the roof and watched Brommin’s dragon form come in for a landing.

He settled on the roof, and his sharp head turned toward her, sniffing her and sending her robe flapping around her legs. Trin leaned into him and stroked his hard beak, turning into an embrace of the man himself when he transformed.

“Thank the scales you are safe.” He held her tight.

She leaned up and kissed him, holding his head as she greeted him properly. When she pulled back, she said, “What took you so long? Did you have to fight weather?”

“I had to fight my mother.”

Trin leaned back further. “What?”

“She wanted to come in my stead. She thought I would be less obvious than she was.”

Trin glanced over her shoulder where Apraxa and Meadra were staring at them. “Oh, yeah. You are barely visible at all.”

Brommin gave her a slow look. “There is quite a bit of you on display, so thank you for that.”

She looked down, blushed, and pulled her robe together. “It was your fault for the messy downdraft.”

He kissed her quickly, and then, he murmured, “Would you care to introduce me to the ladies staring at us?”

“Right. First things first. We have to put out the beacons. Don’t want any other dragons landing here and ruffling my robe.”

Brommin chuckled, and they moved to the corners of the roof, putting out the marking lights. When the roof was dark, and the only illumination was the city, they headed back into Apraxa’s hideaway and discussed the events and insane dragons of the day.