Dragon Blood 5: Mage (5 page)

Kade stepped out of the Void with Isaac. “I think there’s more than one firing at the house.”

“Who’s going to fix my house?” Eliza demanded.

Amber started to say it was Wayne’s responsibility, but decided it was better to ignore the question rather than start an argument. “Did the Knights even try to find Wayne?”

“How do you know it was Wayne?” Isaac asked.

Amber glanced towards Kade, not quite sure what to say.

“She’s a tracker,” Kade said.

“Then why didn’t you help us find Wayne?” Isaac asked.

About to make excuses, Amber stopped herself. “Why should I do your job for you?”

“Exactly. Why should we do your job for you? Since when are the Hell Hounds our problem?” Amos demanded.

“Since humans are the Hell Hounds preferred prey,” Kade said.

“Then why haven’t we heard about them before?” Eliza asked.

The planning room door swung open and Rian stood there. “I was informed there were strangers in the planning room.” Then he spoke directly to Amber.
“Are you okay? Unharmed?”

“Wayne was waiting for me. We left when he started shooting at the house.”

“We should return with warriors.” Before Amber had a chance to agree with Rian, Isaac spoke.

“You can’t take an army of dragons into a quiet suburb without drawing attention.”

“He’s probably gone by now,” Kade said

“We could come out at the park and circle around,” Amber said. “We don’t have to take an army with us. Besides, we wouldn’t be able to get an army there in a hurry. How many Golds would know the pathway to that exact location?”

“Ronan probably would,” Rian said.

“If you’re going back there, you’re taking me too.” Amos rested his hand on his sword.

Daray stepped out of the Void, holding a referdex that he placed on the table.

“What are you doing here?” Amber asked Daray.

“I sent for him.” Rian crossed the room and opened the referdex, flicking through the first handful of pages at the front of the book. “What is the location you wish to go to?”

Amber gave him the address and moved closer to watch him find it. “I don’t see how this will help,” she said and then spoke directly to Rian.
“And don’t even think about calling Ronan.”

With his finger on the location, Rian stepped back and gestured Daray forward.

Daray stared down at the referdex for a moment, then nodded. “I can take someone to this location through the Void.”

“You’re not leaving me behind,” Amos said before he looked towards his brother, shaking his head. “You’re High Protector of New South Wales. You can’t be seen to be involved with dragons. You shouldn’t even be here.”

“Are we going?” Kade asked.

Amber nodded, her gaze still holding Amos’. She didn’t really want to take him and would have preferred to take Rian, who she knew she could trust. Just because Amos couldn’t harm her, that didn’t make Kade safe around him. But leaving him behind wasn’t about to convince him to help with the Hell Hounds. “Daray, bring Amos.”

They came out at the park and Amber mentally searched the area for Wayne. “He’s left. I’d say by car with the distance he’s travelled. Jennifer and Stanley are with him.”

“Impossible. Martin ordered him to remain at headquarters. The exit is under constant surveillance. There’s no way he could leave headquarters without Martin knowing,” Amos said.

“Then Martin must be involved.” She wouldn’t be surprised if he was. She didn’t trust Martin at all.

“Why should I believe it was Wayne firing at us? Especially now that he’s conveniently left the scene. Then you tell me Stanley was with him and expect me to trust you even when there’s still no proof. Would you believe us, if we were the ones telling you?”

Amber stared at Amos. He was right. She wouldn’t take his word either. Not without proof. “Okay. Let’s track him down.”

“Amber-”

She interrupted Kade, hearing from his tone of voice he was about to disagree with her. “We have to go after him now. While they’re still together.”

“You will take me with you,” Amos said.

Amber nodded. “Of course.” How else was she going to prove to him and his brother that the Knights were involved?

“If anything happens to me, my brother will hunt you down.” Amos withdrew his phone holding Amber’s gaze until she nodded. He turned away to use his phone, instantly turning back to her. “I can’t reach my brother.”

“I’ll call Rian’s phone. Your phones won’t work in the dragons’ world.” She dialled the number.

“Then why do yours?” Amos asked.

Amber shrugged. “I have no idea. All I know is that they’ve been fixed so they can.” Rian answered his phone. “Amos needs to talk to Isaac.”

“I will put him on,” Rian said.

Amber held out her phone to Amos, turning away from him once he took it.

“We can’t go after them with so few people. We need more warriors,”
Kade said to Amber.

“We don’t have time. And it’s not like I’m planning to confront them. We just need to show Amos that they’re working together. We can take care of them later.”

Amos returned Amber’s phone. “Let’s go.”

Amber searched around until she located Wayne and Stanley. If they didn’t go after them soon, it’d be too late. They were nearly beyond the distance she could track them. Her tie to Wayne and Stanley wasn’t as strong as it was to Kade and the rest of her people. Now she just had to figure out how to explain where they were. “A pity we didn’t bring the referdex with us.”

“I can go back and get it.” Daray disappeared when Amber nodded at his suggestion, returning a moment later with the referdex.

Amber opened it to the page of their location trying to estimate how far away Wayne was. She turned several pages, pointing to a location she thought would be near him. “They’re somewhere around here.”

Kade and Daray tried to figure out a location close to that point they would both know. Amos paced nearby, his eyes continually searching their surroundings.

Amber want to tell them to hurry up. That soon it’d be too late. Maybe she should suggest that they spend some time learning the pathways through the Void a little better.

Kade closed the referdex. “Okay, we’re ready.”

Amber barely managed not to say ‘finally’ as she took Kade’s hand. As soon as they came out of the Void she searched for Wayne and Stanley, quickly locating them. She looked in the referdex that Kade held open for her, pointing out another location. “About here.” She waited impatiently for Kade and Daray to sort out the next destination, taking Kade’s hand the moment he closed the referdex. She grinned as they came out in the shadows at the side of a building. “Come on. It’s not far from here.” She both sensed and heard the three of them follow her. She came to a stop at a street corner as the lights holding up the traffic changed and the cars started to move away. “Look, over there.” She pointed to a vehicle moving away.

“We need to get closer. All I can see is four people in a vehicle, not who they are,” Amos said.

“If we get too close, they’ll see you. Do you really want them to see you with us?” Amber asked.

“I need to get close enough to confirm it’s Wayne and Stanley.”

Amber felt like growling. Then realised the panther was prowling restlessly and wanting to escape. She tried to calm down, pushing the panther away. “Fine.” She flicked through the referdex as she mentally searched for Wayne and Stanley. She jabbed a finger at a page. “Here.”

“Hurry it up.” Amos glanced around, his gaze stopping on each passer-by that stared at him. “I didn’t expect to be standing on a street corner this morning when I grabbed my sword.”

“We can’t leave from here anyway.” Kade closed the book. He glanced around the street. “Over there.” He pointed to a shadowy location between two buildings.

Amber ran towards it, Kade at her side, Amos and Daray following. Kade took her through the Void the moment they reached the shadows. Amber mentally searched for Wayne, frowning when she realised he’d changed direction. Looking at the referdex, she tried to figure out what location to head for next. Turning another page she stared at the map for a moment. “I think I know where they’re headed.

Amos peered over her shoulder. “The headquarters.”

Amber nodded.

Amos took the referdex, pointing to a location on the map. “Can you bring us out here?”

Kade shook his head, pointing to another location. “Here.”

“No, that’s too close. Where else?”

Amber again searched for Wayne and Stanley. They still seemed to be heading in the direction of the Knights’ Brisbane Headquarters. Martin had to be involved. He wasn’t a stupid man. If Stanley was leaving the headquarters he had to know about it. When Kade closed the book Amber looked over to him, taking the hand he held out. They went through the Void to arrive under a shady tree, some waist high shrubs growing along the footpath that they could hide behind.

“Where are they?” Amos drew out his phone, glancing down to touch the screen.

Amber pointed in the direction they’d come from. “They’re only minutes away.”

Amos crouched behind the shrubs holding his phone out, pointing it towards the road.

Amber joined him, taking out her own phone to record Wayne and Stanley together. She didn’t have long to wait. The vehicle came towards them. Wayne driving, Stanley seated beside him. Jennifer sat in the back seat near a man Amber had never seen before. Then they were past them, continuing towards the headquarters. Amber rose to her feet, the others doing the same. She held Amos’ gaze. It was close, but she managed not to say, ‘I told you so’. “Do you know who was with them?”

Amos shook his head. “I’ve never seen him before.”

“Are you ready to go home, Amber?”

She held up a hand in a gesture of wait to answer Kade. “Hang on.” She kept track of Wayne and Stanley until they disappeared inside the headquarters. “They all went inside the headquarters.”

“Maybe Stanley was sent to bring Wayne back,” Amos suggested.

“And just for fun they decide to drop by your sister’s house on the chance we were there?” Amber asked.

“They had to have been watching the house,” Kade said.

Amos was silent a moment, his expression closed. “Take me back to my brother.”

Kade looked towards Amber. She nodded, taking his hand. When they came out into the planning room at Temolae Keep, Rian stood by the door while Eliza leaned against the wall across the room from him, glaring. Isaac and Roy were both seated at the table.

Silence filled the room and Amber looked at each of the Knights. “Say it out loud. Whatever you’re talking about, don’t leave us out of it.”

Amos spun to face her. “Why? So we can tell you that Martin lied to us?”

Amber nearly took a step backwards from the anger in his voice. Instead she made herself step forward, holding his angry gaze. “Yes. If that’s what happened, then yes.”

“Amos.” Isaac’s voice was soft, but it was enough to have Amos taking a step away from Amber.

“He lied to all of us.” Eliza pushed away from the wall. “He said Roy would be safe because Stanley wouldn’t be able to leave the headquarters and they’d find Wayne. I want to know what’s going on even more than you do.” She stopped in front of Amber.

“What about the Hell Hounds?” Amber asked her.

“Right now I couldn’t care less about the Hell Hounds. I want Stanley and Wayne taken care of. Stanley tried to kill my son. I don’t care what Martin says anymore. He can’t be trusted. Stanley needs to die before he can try and do it again.”

Amber smiled. “I know exactly what you mean. And that’s why I came to you about the Hell Hounds. I know what you’re willing to do to protect your son. I’d do the same for my people. The Hell Hounds are coming. Vikki’s last words were the hounds are coming. I didn’t know what she meant at the time, but now I do. Wayne knows about them too. And maybe Martin. But it doesn’t matter who knows. What’s important is that we’re ready for them. I want to go after Wayne and Stanley, but the Hell Hounds are the bigger threat.”

“We’ll think about it if Roy can stay here for a bit,” Isaac said.

Eliza spun to face her brother. “No.”

“Yes. Wayne and Stanley have no way of getting here. He’ll be safe,” Isaac said.

“There’s other dangers here,” Eliza said.

Isaac held his sister’s gaze a moment longer before he met Amber’s. “You came to us for help. Not the other way around.”

She wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but she didn’t want him to think she owed him. “Not exactly. It was for your benefit I came to you. I didn’t go to the trouble of saving Roy’s life twice only to let him lose it when the Hell Hounds came.”

“Why did you save his life?” Isaac asked.

“Because he’s not my enemy.” Ronan would have said it was because she was weak, but it was more than that. She had to believe it was more than that.

“So you did it out of the goodness of your heart.” It was clear from Amos’ tone that he didn’t believe her.

“No.”

“So it was calculated,” Amos said.

“I wouldn’t say that.” Why couldn’t he just drop it? She had no idea how to explain it.

“She did it because she’s a healer,” Kade said.

“Then if you’re a healer, why did you try and kill my brother?” Amos demanded.

Amber grinned. “That was calculated. Even the healing.”

Ronan stepped out of the Void. “What’s going on?”

Amos and Eliza drew their swords. Isaac rose and Roy jumped to his feet a couple of seconds later.

“Why are they here?” Ronan nodded towards the Knights, his attention on Amber.

“Wayne attacked while I was visiting them.”

“Did you kill him?”

Amber shook her head.

Kade spoke before she could. “He attacked from a distance, using guns.”

Ronan turned to Rian. “You should have told me.” Then he turned towards the Knights. “Put your weapons away. Surely I’m not that terrifying.” He glanced towards Rian again, his expression hard, before he turned to Amber. “What exactly happened?”

Isaac spoke first. “This is Knights’ business.”

“It affects my mage. This is my business.”

Amos gestured towards Kade. “Doesn’t he claim she’s his mage?”