Natalie
The storm clouds look worse as I leave the little diner and head back toward the mountains. I need to get back to Fablestone and spend as much time as possible with my father before…
I suck in a breath.
Before he dies.
That’s what’s going to happen, I realize. My father is going to die because the one clue I had to find the leader we need was a shitty clue.
And I didn’t do a very good job with it, did I?
This would never have happened if I was a real dragon.
If I was a real dragon with wings who could shift and fly and hunt, I could just fucking find him. This isn’t true, but right now, I’m in the midst of a full-blown pity party, so I’m going to imagine it’s true. The reality is that Cameron, Wilson, or even Henrietta wouldn’t have been able to find Donald, either.
This fucker doesn’t want to be found, apparently, and that’s fine.
So what if the whole clan dies?
So what if they all have horrible, terrible deaths?
I’m not a real shifter.
What’s it to me?
Only as the tears start to fall, I know that it means everything to me. Everything. Fablestone is my home. Those dragons are my family. They’re the people who love me and whom I love in return. I will do anything to save them, I realize. Anything.
I make my way out of town and down the mountain path toward the place where I’m supposed to meet Cameron at dawn. I can find shelter around there and then be ready to go in the morning when he comes for me. I don’t think there are any motels in Storm Dawn and to be honest, I don’t want to stay in the town for another minute. It makes me uncomfortable and besides, it makes me feel like I’m a huge failure.
Fuck.
I’m only about ten feet down the path when I hear someone calling for me.
“Hey, girl!”
I spin on my heels. It’s Ted. Seriously. What the fuck is he sneaking up on me again for?
“What do you want?” I ask, turning back around. I keep walking. He can follow me if he wants to talk, but I don’t have anything else to say to this guy.
“I heard about the guy you were lookin’ for,” he says.
“Yeah?” I mutter. “Heard you couldn’t find him, so what’s it matter?”
“Well, I…”
I stop.
There’s no fucking way.
“Ted?” I turn around. “Did you find where Donald lives?”
“I, um…” He digs his toe in the dirt and rocks, as if he’s embarrassed about what he’s going to tell me. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I do hold my breath. Is there a chance he knows more than he’s let on?
“I just told my gran that, you know, because she…well, she doesn’t like strangers and she certainly doesn’t like…” he gulps. “Dragons.”
“Ted,” I step forward slowly. I don’t want to spook him. “It’s very important to me that I find this man. Donald. His family is in trouble.” I take a deep breath. “My family is in trouble, too. He’s the only one who can help us. He’s the very best at what he does.”
He was fresh out of medical school when my brother died, but what most people don’t know about Donald is that he went to medical school in a country where illnesses like this were prevalent. He worked with people who cured some of the most infectious diseases in the world. His entire time at school was spent with the most brilliant minds in the fucking world. If anyone can stop this, it’s Donald.
He just needs someone to believe in him.
He just needs someone to bring him back.
“He…he made me promise,” Ted says.
“Made you promise what?”
“I did find him,” Ted says. “Followed him. Saw him change. I saw who he is for real, but then he saw me. He snatched me up and carried me to the top of the mountain.”
I roll my eyes. “Let me guess. He made you promise never to tell anyone about the things you saw.”
Dragons have a flair for the dramatic.
“Yes,” he says, his eyes wide, and I wonder how long Ted has been keeping this secret. “I think you believe me,” he seems shocked. “I didn’t think anyone would ever believe me.”
“Can you point me in the direction of his secret lair?” I ask, rubbing my forehead. Suddenly, I have a terrible headache coming on.
“I shouldn’t,” Ted says slowly.
“Listen up, Ted.”
I don’t look at him.
I can’t.
I’m too pissed off and tired and angry.
My dad might die and this is taking forever.
Longer than it should have.
“I’m going to count to three, and then you’re going to tell me where to fucking go to find this asshole. He fucking owes me. I don’t know if you’ve ever dealt with a woman on a mission. You’re young, and you seem sweet, so I’m guessing you haven’t and today is going to be a learning experience for you. You’re going to tell me, though. That’s not up for discussion.”
“I-“
“One.”
“Look, I really wish I could help you, but…”
“Two.”
I look up at him.
“Three.”
Ted points, and I look at the little path that leads away from the main mountain pass. The path is almost completely overtaken by shrubbery and brush. I never would have seen it without him.
“How far down the path?”
“Half an hour,” Ted says. “Then take a right at the broken tree.”
“And then?”
“And then just go up,” Ted says. “He lives somewhere around there. I…it’s up there.”
“Thank you, Ted.”
He stares at me.
“You can go now.”
He takes off running, and I sigh. I really didn’t mean to be a huge bitch to the kid. I shouldn’t have been so harsh with him, but I’m tired and I’m sad and I’m desperate, and I’m getting nervous about these clouds. It’s just early afternoon and already, the sky is getting dark. The last thing I want is to be caught in the rain or – even worse – the snow.
I take a deep breath and start walking. Carefully, I step over rocks and push past tree branches. I move as quickly as I possibly can. The fact that Ted could be sending me on a wild goose chase doesn’t even matter. I don’t think he is. I think he’s being honest, and I think this is my last chance.
My last hurrah.
Donald has to know what this illness is. He has to know how to cure it. Maybe there’s a plant or a pill or something none of us has thought about. He worked in a country where you can’t just walk to the store and pick up a prescription, which means he’s going to be resourceful. He has to be.
That’s Donald.
There’s another part of me, a selfish part, that wonders if he’s ever thought about me or missed me since he left. I was just a kid when Donald went away. I’m older now. We both are.
After what feels like forever, I think I spot the broken tree Ted was talking about, but I have to hurry because it’s definitely not a rain storm. It’s a snow storm. I’m not dressed for snow by any stretch of the imagination and I certainly don’t have enough supplies to keep me warm for a night spent in the snow.
Fuck.
I hurry, walking faster. I get to the tree and stare at it for a second. It’s huge with multiple big, long branches that spread out over the path, which curves both to the right and the left. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the “broken tree,” but not for the reasons I originally thought. I figured the tree stump would be busted in half or that the branches would be hanging.
No, this tree seems almost emotionally broken, and it’s quite a strange sight. There are still come dead leaves clinging to the branches, but for the most part, the tree is empty. There’s something carved into the base of the tree, and when I approach, I reach out and touch it.
It looks like dragon’s wings.
Did Donald carve this?
Did someone else?
I shiver as the snow starts to fall faster. I need to get going. Soon this whole path is going to be icy. I already realize I’m probably not going to be making it out of here tonight. I glance back to where I came from, but the snowfall makes it difficult to see. I blow some of the snowflakes out of my face as they fall. They’re thick, and several of them land on my nose.
“Come on, Natalie,” I say aloud as I turn right and continue down the path. One of the bad things about living near the mountains is that when it snows, it fucking snows. Storms roll in really quickly, almost instantly, and fighting them can be impossible. The path curves upwards, and I begin the hike, slipping occasionally, but constantly moving.
I won’t stop.
Not now.
Not when I’m so close.
One foot goes in front of the other. I don’t know what I’m looking for. My eyes scan the areas around me as much as possible, but there are so many trees and stones and rocks that it’s hard to see anything except the narrow path ahead of me. The mountain curves up with large boulders all around me. I move slowly, but steadily, and then I slip.
My left foot catches and I fall, landing on my hands and knees. I cry out loudly as the pain washes over me. I shouldn’t be loud. Not when I’m dragon hunting. I can’t help it, though, and I bite my tongue as the tears start to form in my eyes. I’ve always considered myself to be kind of tough and kind of strong, but right now I don’t feel either of those things.
Somehow, I manage to get to my feet and look down at my hands. They’re bleeding. A quick glance at my knees shows that both knees on my jeans are ripped. Like my hands, my knees are bleeding, and I realize I’m not going to be able to go much further until the storm clears. Fuck.
I need to find a fucking cave, or even a couple of rocks to hide behind or under. It’s just a freak snowstorm. How long could it actually last? I refuse to let this be the reason I can’t get back to Dad. This won’t be the thing that keeps me from him.
“Everything is going to be fine,” I tell myself. “I’ll just find a place to stay and hide, and then when the weather clears, I’ll find Donald, and then I’ll convince him to come back to the clan with me. Yep. Everything’s going to be fine.”
It has to be fine.
I don’t have any other options.
I move slowly, carefully, for another ten or fifteen minutes, and then I see it: the opening to a narrow cave. It’s behind some brush, but the snow has pushed the branches of a bush down, and I can see the opening. It’s not very big, but I don’t need big. I just need somewhere I can sit down and warm up for a little while.
I move over to the cave opening and squat down. Pulling out my flashlight, I shine it inside the cave. It appears to be empty and unused. That’s good. It means I’m not going to have to deal with trying to fight off a non-shifter bear or mountain lion. Wiggling behind the bush that’s blocking the entrance, I duck inside the cave. I have to crawl in, and I do this awkwardly because I’m trying not to let my knees rub against the ground. Eventually, I realize that’s not going to work, and I sit on my ass and sort of wiggle deeper into the cave. About five feet from the entrance, the room opens up, and I see that this is definitely a larger, deeper cave than I first imagined. It goes back, deep into the mountains, and curves, but I have no interest in exploring.
Nope.
All I want right now is to warm up, rest up, and as soon as the snow stops falling, to find the dragon who’s been hiding away for all of these years. I open my backpack and pull out my thin emergency blanket. Spreading it out on myself, I lean back against the side of the cave wall. I should wash the dirt from my wounds, and I will, but first I’m going to rest.
Just for a little while.