Dragon Blood 2: Wyvern (12 page)

Amber was woken by a whispered argument. She struggled to sit up, smiling when she saw Rian.

Rian turned on Ronan. “Now you have woken her.” He strode to Amber’s side and helped her sit up, rearranging her pillows so she could lean back into them. “Do you need anything?”

Amber shook her head and looked from Ronan to Rian. “What were you arguing about?”

“Your warrior wanted to know how I could let you get in such bad shape and not have a scratch on myself. He thinks you wore yourself out healing me.”

“You owe her a life. I saw the state you were in when they took you from the ballroom,” Rian argued.

Amber put a hand on his arm. “We saved each other. I healed him so he could get us out of there.” Her eyes met Ronan’s. “We’re even. No debt on either side.”

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you sure?”

It had to be that way. Ronan was too proud to accept any other option and she needed things to stay the same. An ally she could trust, not one resenting her. Amber nodded. “Even.”

Ronan turned his gaze to Rian. “You heard her, boy. We saved each other.”

The door burst open and Crystal flung herself at the bed. “Amber!” She swiped at tears with the back of her hand. “I thought they’d killed you.”

Jasper and Kade followed Crystal into the room. Jasper went to his sister’s side, while Kade turned to Ronan.

“Who was it?”

“I never saw her, but we were held at one of Paili’s smaller castles.”

“She has to die,” Kade stated.

Ronan nodded. He turned to the doorway where Tory stood. “You can leave if you wish.”

Tory shook his head. “I chose sides long ago.”

Amber frowned. “Sides?”

“Paili is my mother.”

Amber stared at Tory. “That’s why she hates Ronan.”

Tory nodded. “She didn’t want me. I wasn’t Gold. But she didn’t want Ronan to have me either.”

“Why?” Crystal now sat beside Amber on the bed.

“Because she’s very possessive of what she sees as hers,” Tory said.

Rian glanced towards Ronan. “It is a common dragon trait.”

“If it’s mine, no one is welcome to it unless I give it to them. Even if I have no use for it,” Ronan said.

“What about Rian and Hound? Is she their mother too?” Amber asked.

“No.” Ronan looked towards Amber who yawned. “Everyone out. You’re tiring Amber.”

“It’s okay,” she yawned again. “I’m not that tired.”

“We’ll be back later.” Crystal slid off the bed.

Jasper patted her on the shoulder. “Rest.”

Ignoring Amber’s protests, everyone started to leave. Her eyes met Kade’s.
“You’re not going to leave too, are you?”

He smiled, moving closer so he could sit on the edge of her bed. “Never.” He took her hand.

Relieved, Amber’s eyes drifted shut. “Good.”

When Amber woke the next time she found Rian standing at her door and Kade dozing in the armchair by her bed. Even though his eyes were closed, he was still human so he couldn’t be properly asleep. She stretched, finally feeling like she’d live. Kade sat up at her movement.

“How do you feel?”

“Good.” She glanced at the drip. “Good enough to get this thing out.”

Rian moved to her side and lightly pinched her skin. He nodded and started to remove the drip.

“Why’d you pinch me?” Amber asked.

“You were extremely dehydrated when the doctor hooked you up earlier.” Rian held a cotton wool ball against her arm as he removed the drip and then taped the cotton wool down with a band-aid. “A light meal will be here in a minute.”

“Thank you.” She turned to Kade. “Did anyone else get hurt at my party?”

“No one was killed. They took off as soon as they had you and Ronan. They escaped through the Void, all headed in different directions.” Kade rose to stand by the bed, taking her hand. “She will pay for this.”

“Don’t get mad, get even?”

Kade smiled, but it was not a friendly smile. “Precisely.”

“Kade, I don’t know-”

“If we let her get away with this everyone will think they can do the same. Survival of the fittest.”

“Stupid rule,” Amber muttered.

“But it is a rule and not one that any dragon who wishes to live would ignore.”

“If you seriously want peace, then give me your funeral plan,” Rian said.

“I don’t want a war.”

Kade shook his head. “Do you understand anything we’ve told you?”

“Yes. But we don’t need a war. We just need to get rid of Paili,” Amber said.

“Kill her,” Kade corrected.

Amber winced, wanting to protest.

Ronan entered the room. “What do you suggest other than war, Amber?”

“I don’t know. But there has to be something. Crystal can see through the Void, you can enter it. There’s got to be something we can do.” Amber frowned as she tried to figure out a plan.

“I’m sure we can come up with something in the next couple of days,” Ronan said.

“Amber needs to go home to her family tomorrow,” Rian said.

“It’s Saturday?” Amber looked from Rian to Kade who both nodded. “What about my ordinary party? And where is Brann? I haven’t wished him a happy birthday.”

Kade grinned. “You just escaped death and you want to party?”

“Can you think of a better reason to celebrate?” Amber demanded.

Kade took hold of her hand. “No.”

Amber met Kade’s eyes and wished they didn’t have an audience. She ignored that thought and turned to Ronan. “So what do we do about Paili?”

“Give me a week or so to come up with a plan.”

Amber nodded. She hesitated. He was her ally, even if it was reluctantly. “As long as they’re not in the Void, I can tell you how many people are in a residence from outside the building.”

Ronan continued to meet her eyes, finally nodding. “That will help.” He started to leave the room, then turned back. “Try not to get yourself killed or captured. I really hate having to replan once I settle on one.”

Amber grinned. He’d never admit it, but maybe he was becoming her friend. “I wouldn’t dream of inconveniencing you.” The moment the door was closed, she turned to Kade. “Now, about my party.”

“It’s very short notice.”

“And?”

“Open party or limited invite?”

Amber tugged Kade closer. “Open party. Did you forget something earlier?”

His lips were a breath away from hers. “I can’t imagine what it might be.” His lips brushed hers before he kissed her.

Amber wrapped her arms around Kade. When he pulled back she smiled. “Much better.” She pushed him away slightly. “But now I’m starved. Go and find out what’s taking my breakfast so long.”

“I will get it. It is waiting in the hall for you. They did not want to interrupt when Ronan was in here.” Rian strode across the room and opened the door. He returned seconds later with a tray.

Amber sat quietly beside Kade, Rian on the other side of her. Maira drove while Brann sat passenger. Amber held onto Kade’s hand, every kilometre closer to home made her grip tighten. The party last night had been a great finale to a pretty good holiday. Well, apart from being kidnapped. Flinn had convinced Jessica to have it at her home so Kade’s place wasn’t trashed. But Amber thought that was only because he and Crystal had stayed at Kade’s place last night and he hadn’t wanted to have to kick everyone out once he’d had enough of the party. Considering how popular he was, socializing was not something he liked to do. Amber could sympathise with him. Ever since everyone had thought she and Kade were together, she’d gained a lot of friends she didn’t need. Not a single one of them sincere.

Kade reached over with his other hand, loosening her grip. He grinned when she looked up at him. Amber looked away. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. Or see anyone. In particular her grandmother. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she’d had enough sleep. Even getting to bed not long after midnight hadn’t helped. It was the dreams that had disturbed her sleep.

Each one had been the same. Trying to stay afloat in a large lake. No matter which direction she looked, she couldn’t see the shore. And no matter how long she swam in any direction, it still didn’t appear. Worst of all, the lake had been filled with blood. She didn’t need to be a genius to figure out why she was having nightmares. She probably would’ve been more worried if she didn’t have at least a few bad nights. A few more nights and she should be fine. She hoped.

Maira pulled up in front of Helen’s house. Rian held the door open for Amber, who reluctantly slid out of the car, looking around. It all seemed far too ordinary. She crossed her arms, glad of the jacket she wore. It wasn’t just the cold of the late afternoon that seeped into her. This would never be home. A shiver went through her. Was anywhere home?

Kade slipped an arm around her shoulders. “What do you want to do?”

Amber shook her head. How could she tell him when she didn’t have a clue? She took a deep breath. For now, she had to go inside. She shrugged off Kade’s arm. It was best they kept things platonic in front of her family for now.

Amber took her bags from Brann. “I want to do this alone.” Well, as alone as one could be with a Gold Dragon shadowing her from the Void.

“Rian will wait in your room for you. I’ll return after dark,” Kade said.

It was almost an anticlimax to find only her mother in the kitchen. “Hi, Mum.”

Donna stared at Amber. “Are you all right?”

Amber forced a smile. “Yeah. Tired. We stayed up late last night. It was the last night after all.”

Donna moved forward to give her a hug.

She returned it, feeling awkward.

Donna held her at arms length. “Are you sure you’re fine?”

Amber nodded. She searched for a way to change the topic. “See what everyone gave me for my birthday?” She held up the topaz that hung at her neck. She’d been glad to find she still wore it after being kidnapped.

“That looks very expensive, Amber.”

She shrugged. “Maybe that’s why I only got the one present.” She searched the house with her mind, finding only Rian in her room. The rest of the place was empty. She frowned. “Where’s Grandma?”

“Visiting friends.”

That was a surprise. She had no idea who’d want to be friends with her grandmother. “I’m going up to my room.” She lifted her bags a little. “To unpack.”

“Did you take any photos?”

“Crystal has them. I’ll get her to email you some of the best ones.” After she’d checked to see there was nothing inappropriate in them. Like a dragon or two. Amber gestured towards the door that led out of the kitchen. “I’ll unpack.”

Donna nodded and Amber felt her mother’s eyes on her as she hurried upstairs. Dropping her bags, she locked the bedroom door behind her and fell onto her bed to stare up at the ceiling. “I don’t belong here,” she muttered.

Rian lifted one of her bags and gestured towards the ensuite with his free hand. “There’s a gift sitting on the vanity for you.”

Amber sat up, looking through the open door to a small black drawstring bag. It seemed like a long way to walk when all she wanted to do was crawl under the blankets and forget about the past few days. Curiosity finally dragged her from her bed and she pulled the bag open to tip a rainbow of jewels across her vanity. Her shower being turned on made her look up in surprise.

Ronan pointed at the door. “Close it.”

Amber looked towards Rian who methodically unpacked her bags. He glanced up and gave her a small nod. Once the door was closed, Amber pushed the jewels to the side and perched on the edge of the vanity. She watched Ronan, too tired to care about games.

Ronan crossed the small room, grasping her chin to tilt her head up. Amber looked away from him, tugging out of his grip. She pushed at his chest until he took a step back.

“What do you want, Ronan?” She gestured towards the jewels. “And what’s with them?”

“Are you already regretting you saved me?”

“No.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Haven’t you heard? I was at a party last night. Sleeplessness tends to make me irritable.”

“I thought you weren’t going to bother lying to me.”

Amber stared at him. Surely he couldn’t know about her nightmares.

Ronan grinned suddenly. “I haven’t learned to read blocked minds yet.” The grin vanished. “You didn’t sleep more than half an hour at a stretch last night. So let’s try this again. What’s wrong?”

“Bad dreams.” Amber shrugged. “Nothing important.”

“Don’t you humans rave about the importance of talking about these things?” Ronan held up a hand when Amber started to speak. “And not to me. First an uncle and now you’re going to try and turn me into an agony aunt?”

Amber smiled weakly. She picked up a dark blue jewel, holding it up to Ronan. “And these? I hope they weren’t to cheer me up. I’m not so easily distracted.”

Ronan shook his head. “Homework.”

Amber frowned at the jewel in the palm of her hand. “That doesn’t look like any homework I’ve ever done before.”

“This is between you and me, Amber. No one else. Understand?”

Amber met Ronan’s pale blue eyes, noting the hardness. “How can I? You haven’t explained a single thing.”

Ronan took the jewel from her and tossed it amongst the others. “You could have gotten out of that dungeon without my help. Why didn’t you?”

“We saved each other. Are you still worried about the debt? There’s none. We already sorted this out yesterday.”

“As if I’d argue it in front of a witnesses. But we both know better. I was dying and you risked yourself to save me. Why?”

Amber pushed off the vanity to pace the small confines. She finally turned to face Ronan who leaned against the door, his arms crossed over his chest. She could have given him a reason he understood, but it wasn’t the main one. “Because I can’t walk away from anyone.”

“That’s a liability.”

“In your world.”

“In any world.” Ronan stepped forward, taking her by the shoulders. “Don’t you understand? You could have been out of there in minutes. Flown home and been safe.”

“That’s if the chain didn’t break my wing.”

“That wasn’t your only option. You still could have gotten out of there easily on your own.”

“You would have been dead.”

“And that’s your problem, why?”

Amber shrugged, dislodging his hands. “I don’t know.” She turned away. “I know I should have left you. It made sense to get out of there. But I couldn’t do it. You’re the worst father, a complete bastard, but…” her words trailed off and she turned back to him. “I couldn’t leave you to bleed to death.”

“You keep trying to see me through your modern eyes.”

“Then how should I see you?”

“I’ve made sure people think there are older dragons than me. But I am the oldest, Amber. Only you and I know that. I was born in the Dark Ages. I am what those times made me. A survivor.”

“Dark Ages.” The words were a whisper as Amber stared in disbelief.

“We didn’t mark off the years so you’ll have to forgive me if I can’t give you an exact date. But let’s say it was the year 500AD. I learned to fight against Vikings. Does that give you a clearer picture?”

Amber opened her mouth. No sound came out. She closed her mouth and tried again. “Vikings?” She sat heavily on the toilet lid, her mind wanting to shut down. Instead it jumped tracks as it often did and she looked up at Ronan, a smile forming. “Do you think you can hide in the Void and help me with my next history test? You could pass the answers along to Rian who I could station outside and he could tell the answers directly to me.”

Ronan stared at her for a moment before he laughed. “You’re a natural. Stop fighting against yourself and enjoy your power. You could have nations at your feet, Amber.”

“Only if I let you stand beside me to enjoy the adulation I’m guessing.”

“We would be unbeatable.”

Amber shook her head. “No, Ronan. That really isn’t me. I just want to live my life, not run everyone else’s.”

“You would make an amazing queen. You could rule forever.”

“And why would I want to do that? What’s the point in living forever?”

“Point? Why do you need a point? You humans and your imbecilic quest for the meaning of life.”

“Then why have you struggled to stay alive all these centuries if there’s no point or meaning?”

Ronan stared at her for a moment. “If there ever was a meaning it’s been lost in the passing of centuries. Now,” he shrugged as a smile formed. “The desire not to let someone else win after all this time is what drives me. Even the ones who are long dead. I won’t let them win either.”

“Is that enough?”

“Obviously. I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Amber laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. Although if I was better at following orders you might not be.”

“Which brings us back to them.” Ronan gestured towards the spill of jewels. “This is for you alone. I don’t care how attached you are to your family, but if you can’t promise to keep this secret between us, I won’t give it to you. They aren’t like you. They don’t push themselves past the point of good sense.”

“It’s not deliberate.”

“Do I have your word?”

“I don’t know. What if it would help them too?”

“This is for you alone. Do I have your word or will we forget I ever visited today?”

Amber stared at the jewels that looked like there were twice as many from being reflected back at her from the mirror over the vanity. Keeping secrets from Crystal hadn’t worked out very well last time. “I don’t know, Ronan. I’m not good at keeping secrets from Crystal. She knows me too well.”

“Then how about we make it essential you keep this secret. If she finds out our earlier deal is made void.”

“Then no. I can’t risk everyone like that.”

“Even if what I have to tell you has the potential to not only save your life but others?”

“Then why not just tell me with no strings attached?” Amber glared at Ronan. It was at moments like this she couldn’t believe she’d saved his life.

“You’ll inherit my journals if I die. For now, the knowledge is mine to do with as I wish. And I wish to attach strings.”

Amber was torn. Did he tell the truth? Could she ignore something that might save lives? She thought of Rian as he lay at her feet, surrounded by his own blood. Of Ronan’s blood spilling onto the dungeon floor. No wonder she had nightmares about a lake of blood. She met Ronan’s eyes. “This bargain has nothing to do with any earlier ones made. I’ll keep it along with all your other secrets, Ronan.”

“You only hold one secret. That of my birth year.” Ronan’s eyes were ice cold.

“I’m not colour blind, Ronan.” She refused to be cowed. “There’s a big difference between gold and bronze.”

Ronan stood in front of her, taking hold of her chin. His voice dropped low. “It’s safer to be colour blind.”

“Just like it would’ve been safer to leave you there to die?” Amber left her words hang, waiting for Ronan to answer.

Eventually he turned away from her, grabbing a handful of jewels with his right hand. He let them spill into his other hand. “Your life is the price for breaking your word.” One jewel was in his right hand. A blood red teardrop. He held it out to Amber. “Deal?”

Her life. She smiled at the irony of it. Only Ronan would offer her something that could both save her life and cause her death. She wasn’t about to tell anyone and risk their first deal too. She wouldn’t have even considered accepting if she wasn’t so worried about keeping everyone safe. She took the jewel, her fingers closing around it. “Deal.”

Ronan held up another jewel, tossing it to her. Amber caught the diamond in midair. She looked at him with a question in her expression. He grinned. “You’re going to learn to wear jewellery.”

The questioning look became one of confusion. “And how will that save my life?”

“Mages once learned how to put their power into jewels so they could draw on it when they needed extra. Only the mage who had put it there could see the power in the jewellery. And only their power could be drawn back into them. There were a rare few who could use the power stored by others, but not many had that ability.”

“How will that save lives?”

“If all your friends lay dying, who would you save? As it is, you have a limited amount of power. Would you choose Crystal? Kade? What about your brother? If you were surrounded by a sea of their blood, how would you be able to tell which one needed help the most?”

The imagery of a sea of blood was too close to her nightmares. She grasped the diamond tighter, her hand moulding to the facets. “How do I do it?”

“You practice.” He took the ruby from her and tucked it into her jacket pocket. “Not with this one.”

“Practice? That’s it? No explanations? No magic spells?”

Ronan laughed. “I couldn’t walk through the Void back when there were Dragon Mages. When it was decided no more should be made, their secrets died with them. I only have my observations.”

“When did they stop making them?”

“Middle Ages.” He gestured towards the jewels on her vanity. “Practice. When you learn I’ll give you jewellery to wear.”

“That’s going to be difficult to explain to Mum.”

“I’m sure you’ll manage.” Ronan turned, reaching for the door.

“Ronan?”

He faced her again, leaning against the closed door. “What?”

“What do you really look like?”

“You ask the oddest questions.”

She stepped closer. “I know you change at least your eye colour. What do you look like?”

Ronan changed before her eyes. He was only a little taller than her, more muscular and younger, as if he and Rian were the same age. His pale blue eyes were flecked with gold and his hair was white blond. The lack of age made him look less dangerous. “Curiosity will probably be your downfall.”

“Thank you.”

Ronan nodded, changing back as he turned and opened her door. He didn’t even acknowledge his son as he strode across the room, opening the French doors. He stepped into the Void as he walked out onto the balcony. Amber continued to stand there, her mind tangled with a million thoughts.

She looked at the diamond she still held. How was she meant to practice when her every moment was watched? Her eyes moved across the room to where Rian stood by her door. Unable to bear any more scrutiny, she closed the bathroom door and turned off the shower.

Amber surveyed her bathroom. How much time could she spend in here without feeling like the walls were going to close in on her? It looked like she was about to learn.