Shattered (16 page)

You
must
go
on.

You
must
face
your
destiny.

If
you
can’t do it for yourself, then do it for me.

She opened her eyes. Emmy was gazing at her with a worried expression on her face.
You’ve already given up so much for me
, the dragon said sadly.
I
just
hope
that
someday
I
can
do
the
same
for
you.
She paused then added,
Perhaps
I
can
start
now.

She hopped off the bed, exaggeratingly stretching her neck out and yawning loudly. Then she wandered into the next room. A moment later, Connor poked his head in.

“Um, I have a dragon in my bed?” he said in an uncomfortable voice. “She just waltzed right in here and jumped up and refuses to leave.”

Trinity laughed.
Oh, Emmy
. She smiled at Connor. “I think that’s her not-so-subtle hint that you and I should hang out and watch TV.” Okay, so the dragon probably hoped for more, but that was as far as it could go. And Trin was okay with that. “Will you order some Chinese food?”

Connor grinned. “Extra duck sauce?”

“You know it.”

Who
would
you
chose? Who would you chose?

Caleb raked a hand through his hair as he stormed down the street, cursing himself out as he went. What had possessed him to go and say something like that to her? Trinity had just lost her grandfather, her very last family. She was confused, frightened, out of her mind with grief. And what had he done? Tried to force her to make a choice between him and his brother. Then stormed off and left her alone with him. Probably making that choice really, really easy in the process.

His hand reached for his nose, wondering if his brother had broken it. Wondering if he cared if he had. He should have never gone and baited Connor in the first place. His brother had been right to hit him after what he’d implied. It was no one’s fault Trin’s grandfather was killed. Unless it was Caleb’s for not guarding Emmy better in the first place.

But he’d been so frustrated. To have this glimmer of hope, sparkling just out of reach—the first hope they’d had in what felt like an eternity—only to have Connor shoot it down altogether.

He should have taken a breath. Listened to his brother’s argument then presented his own, listing concrete reasons why going to find Virgil and Trin’s dad would be a good and logical idea. He could have told them about all the peace campaigns Virgil had held back in the day, the essays he’d penned on finding a better world. He could have told them about Virgil’s dragon, Solaris, slain during a battle over an outer territory the Council had abandoned. Virgil had loved Solaris with all his heart, as much as Caleb loved Fred. But he’d been willing to risk her life to go out there and help those who couldn’t help themselves.

All those arguments could have brought Connor—or at least Trin—over to his side. Instead, he’d alienated them both even further, lashing out at the girl he loved and storming from the room like a bratty child. What was wrong with him these days? Sure, he’d always been a bit hotheaded, but this uncontrollable rage was on another level entirely, his fuse feeling shorter and shorter with each passing day.

All
that
time
spent
in
the
Nether,
a voice inside him taunted.
It’s rotting you from the inside out.

And suddenly he realized what he had to do. To prove to both of them that he wasn’t the weak link they believed him to be. That he was as strong as Connor was—that Trinity could rely on him as a full member of the team.

He’d begged her not to ask him to leave Fred behind. And, to her credit, she hadn’t—not once. But in the end, that was exactly what he needed to do.

He reached into his pocket, hands trembling, his breath coming in short gasps as he pulled out his final gem. His one and only connection to his beloved dragon.

“You can do this,” he muttered to himself. “You can do this for her.”

Mind made up, he switched paths, heading down a dark alleyway toward the dumpster that squatted near the back. He paused in front of it, his heart racing as he pinched the gem between his two fingers. Just one flick of his wrist and it would all be over. He would finally be free.

“Come on,” he urged himself. “You can do this.”

But his hand refused to move. And instead of walking confidently away, mission accomplished, he found himself sinking to his knees.

“Fred,” he whispered. “Oh, Fred.”

He closed his eyes, the tall dragon looming in his imagination now. Bounding around him, big and goofy and hungry. Batting her eyelashes at him. Begging for just one last treat. It made him smile and it made him weep. Once upon a time, Fred had been the only one he’d had in the entire world. The only one who cared if he lived or died.

The vision twisted then. The happy, hungry Fred disappearing into thin air. And in her place a dragon who was hardly recognizable. Grotesquely thin, with scales that were dull and cracked and eyes that had lost their luster. Standing in the middle of nothingness, shivering, whimpering, and completely alone.

She looked up at Caleb with big eyes filled with pain and confusion.
I
waited
for
you,
she seemed to say.
I
waited
for
you, but you never came. Did I do something wrong? Did I beg too much? Did I snore too loud? Was I not worthy to be your dragon? Is that why you threw me away without even saying good-bye?

Caleb’s eyes flew open and his stomach wrenched. It was all he could do not to throw up then and there. But he forced himself to swallow hard and concentrate on the gem, still in his hand.

“I’ll just say good-bye,” he found himself stammering. “Just a quick good-bye. She deserves that at least. To know why I have to leave—that it’s nothing to do with her. That she’s amazing. The best dragon a guy could have.”

Just one more time. What could it hurt, just one more time?

“Do you feel them? Are they close?”

Scarlet closed her eyes, trying to pull up another image of Emmy in her mind as Rashida and the other Potentials had taught her. She’d led them this far, to some cute little touristy town in southeast Colorado, but she hadn’t been able to narrow it down to more than just this generalized area. So the rest of the Potentials had set up camp in an abandoned housing development on the outskirts of town earlier that day, and now she and Rashida were combing the streets for some sign of Emmy.

“I don’t know,” she confessed, scrubbing her face with her hands. She was exhausted and a little sick from the long trip they’d taken in the fume-filled school bus stolen from a junkyard. Now, even the prospect of seeing Emmy again was starting to pale with the worry of how far away from home she really was. The only real place she’d ever traveled to before now was to see her grandmother on the reservation. And that didn’t really count.

Why had she agreed to come along? What had possessed her to join up with this strange team of so-called Potentials and their quest for the missing dragon? To walk away from her mother, her friends, her school, and her job—without telling anyone where she was going?

All her life, Scarlet had been the responsible one. The one who picked up the pieces when those she loved fell apart. She wasn’t the type of girl who just ran away. So why had she done it now?

She tried to tell herself it was out of concern for Emmy. She’d already screwed up so badly—this was a chance to make good, to get her the vaccine she needed. But as the day wore on, even that noble idea had started to feel…itchy. Like it wasn’t quite right. More troubling: every time she tried to think back to the moment when she’d agreed to join the group, her head began to hurt and she couldn’t quite focus on the memory. As if it were dancing in the back of her brain, just out of reach.

Had they messed with her mind somehow? Tricked her into thinking it was all her idea? That was impossible, of course. But try as she might, she couldn’t push the idea away, and as the sun began to set over the horizon, her troubling thoughts only multiplied.

Suddenly her mind prickled, as if fairies were dancing across the neurons. She stopped in her tracks and cocked her head, trying to understand the strange sensation. Then, without warning, a windy trail of golden sparks seemed to roll out before her, glittering temptingly.

“What the hell…?” she murmured.

Rashida caught her expression. “Do you feel something?” she asked. Then she closed her own eyes, breathing in deep. A moment later she opened them. “I think it might be Caleb,” she exclaimed. “He’s giving off some crazy energy signals and he’s not that far away either.”

Caleb
. Scarlet’s heart involuntarily skipped a beat. She had to admit, she’d been hoping he would be the one they found first. He may have been the bad twin, but he’d also been the most understanding. And his good-bye hug had been warm.

“Come on,” Rashida said excitedly. “If Caleb’s nearby, that means Emmy is too!”

They picked up their pace, down the snowy streets, avoiding puddles best they could as they followed the sparkling trail. Soon the cute, touristy wine bars and sporting goods stores started to fade away, replaced by the seedier establishments Scarlet was more used to. Pawnshops, cash advance places, shooting ranges, and liquor stores with bulletproof glass. She could feel the suspicious stares of the men and women loitering outside, but she kept her head down and her eyes averted best she could.

At last the path dead-ended in a dark alleyway, seemingly empty save for an overflowing dumpster propped up in the far corner. Scarlet frowned, scanning the scene. A dead end? What would Caleb be doing down here?

She glanced over at Rashida. Before the girl could speak, there was a noise—a bottle skittering across the pavement. Had they been followed? On instinct, they dove into the shadows.

A moment later, two twenty-something-year-old men wearing matching Carhartt jackets and jeans stalked into the alleyway and headed toward the dumpster. Even in the darkness, Scarlet could see their crooked grins and their eager eyes.

Were they planning to go dumpster diving? Mac would do that sometimes back in the day, when they’d come home to find Mom passed out on the couch and nothing but beer in the fridge.
You
wouldn’t believe the food people throw away
, he’d tell her.
We’ll feast like kings and queens.

Oh, Mac. If only you were here now…

“Well, well, what do we have here?” one of the men suddenly exclaimed, jolting Scarlet back to present. She watched as he and his friend abandoned the dumpster and leaned over a large lump beside it. A human-shaped lump, Scarlet realized with growing unease. Some guy was lying there, motionless, his head slumped forward, his hands clasped together on his lap.

Was that Caleb? What was he was doing out here all alone and passed out? Was he hurt? Was he…dead? A surge of panic shot through her.

Rashida frowned, catching Scarlet’s eyes with her own.
We
can’t let them hurt him. He’s our only link to the dragon.

They’ll probably just rob him,
Scarlet sent back silently, as they’d taught her to do. Since she’d joined up with the group, they’d been trying to teach her how to use her newfound gifts—psychic powers she’d evidently inherited from Emmy’s little blood transfusion.
We
should
just
wait
here
till
they
leave.

Rashida nodded.
Yeah
, she agreed.
Then
we
can
—

“Hey! Isn’t this that guy?” the first man cried.

His friend looked up from rummaging through Caleb’s pockets. “What guy?” he asked, sounding impatient.

“Yeah, this is totally him. The AWOL soldier guy from a few months ago. I saw it on the news. The government’s been looking everywhere for him.”

The second man snorted. “What the hell’s he doing here then?” He started to dig back into Caleb’s pockets. But his friend swatted him away.

“Dude, there’s probably a reward out for him,” he said excitedly.

That got the second guy’s attention. He straightened up. “You think so?”

“They’re looking for him, aren’t they?” The man grinned. “I bet there’s a big reward for this guy. We just gotta drag him down to the police station and collect.”

Oh no. Scarlet stifled a gasp. They couldn’t let these guys just take him away. The police would arrest him. Lock him up, probably throw away the key.

What
should
we
do?
she sent back to Rashida worriedly.

The Potential flashed her a look.
Follow
my
lead.

Before Scarlet could reply, Rashida stepped out of the shadows, clearing her throat as she whipped a knife from her pocket. The two would-be bounty hunters jumped—obviously startled—and whirled around to face her. Their eyes glittered maddeningly under the streetlights, and Scarlet cataloged them quickly from the safety of her hiding spot. Small but wiry. One sporting an ugly scar on his cheek. The other with arms sleeved in tattoos.

Just
Mom’s type
, she thought, a little bitterly.

“Get away from him,” Rashida commanded now that she had their attention. Her voice was authoritative and fierce, sending a chill down Scarlet’s spine. She sounded very strong. Still, she hoped her new friend understood how dangerous these monsters could be.

“And what are you going to do if we don’t, sweetheart?” the scarred man asked, grinning widely and revealing a few missing teeth.

She shrugged. “Probably gut you to start. Then, if I’m feeling extra generous, I’ll feed you your entrails, so you won’t die hungry.”

They exchanged glances, then tattoo guy broke out in a barking laugh. “Yeah, well, as pleasant as that sounds, we’re a bit busy right now. So why don’t you go run and play and leave us to our business? Before you get hurt.”

“I think you’re mistaken,” Scarlet said, stepping to Rashida’s right. “We’ll be giving the hurt, not getting.”

“Oh yeah?” The man snorted. “This I have to see.”

He’d barely finished speaking when Rashida lunged at him, slashing out with her blade, slicing into his shoulder without hesitation. For a moment the man just stared at her, as if shocked into paralysis as the bright red blood soaked through his jacket.

“You little whore!” he whispered.

He sprang into action, using his full body weight to slam her into the wall. Scarlet watched in horror as the back of her new friend’s head smacked into brick, and for a moment she was afraid he’d knocked her out right then and there. But somehow Rashida managed to stay conscious, kneeing him in the groin instead. As he stumbled backward, clutching his privates, Scarlet had to resist the urge to cheer.

Score one for the little girls.

The man turned to his friend. “Stop standing there!” he screamed to him. “And cut these bitches!”

Tattoo guy didn’t need a second invitation. He dove at Scarlet, surprising her with his sudden move, his nails digging into her arms, drawing blood. She fought wildly, kicking and hitting, wishing she had a weapon like Rashida.

For a few fleeting moments, she was able to hold her own, clawing an ugly gash down the side of the man’s face and ripping open his shirt. But eventually he proved too strong, knocking her to the ground and climbing on top of her, pinning her down with his body’s weight. He leered at her, his face dripping with blood.

“Now, now, little kitty. It’s time for you to be declawed.”

She screamed, desperately trying to wriggle out of his grasp as his hands clamped down on her throat, crushing her larynx and cutting off her air supply. In an instant, she couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t move. She couldn’t even plead for her life. And any attempts to pry his hands off of her were proving fruitless. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the scarred man also had Rashida, back up against the wall, having evidently stolen away her knife. There would be no help from her.

The monsters had them. And they were not going to let them go.

I’m sorry, Caleb. I tried…

Suddenly an inhuman screech tore through the air. Scarlet looked up, eyes bulging, heart panging with sudden hope.

It couldn’t be.

Could
it?

At first she thought she must have been hallucinating. The lack of oxygen making her brain play tricks on her. But then her captor let out a very real scream and blood splashed down onto her face as his hands fell from her throat. For a moment she was blinded. Then her vision cleared. The man who had had her by the throat was now levitating three feet above her…

…locked in the talons of a dragon.

“Emmy!” Scarlet managed to croak, relief flooding her like a tidal wave. “You came.”

The dragon tossed the man aside, as if he were a bag of feed. He hit the brick wall with a horrifying thump, his body sliding down the side and collapsing in a bloody heap. He didn’t get up.

“Oh my God!” the second man cried, staring from his buddy to the dragon and back again, Rashida all but forgotten. “It’s…it’s…that thing!”

“Her name is Emmy,” Scarlet declared, forcing herself to her feet. She moved next to the dragon, placing a protective hand on the back of her neck. “And, spoiler alert, she’s about to flambé your ass.”

Emmy snorted, puffs of black smoke steaming from her nostrils, as if to prove Scarlet’s point. She took a menacing step forward, raising her head to meet her enemy’s eyes. Scarlet watched with a mixture of excitement and fear. Gone was the gentle creature from the barn. The one who had licked her face and saved her life. The dragon before her now was a wild and deadly beast—hungry for prey. She was very glad to be on the same team.

“Don’t even think about it,” she growled, as the man took a tentative step toward his fallen friend. “Trust me, it won’t end well.”

Thankfully the guy seemed to come to the same conclusion. He took one last look at his buddy then took off, bolting down the street as fast as his legs could take him. The two girls watched him go, Scarlet still marveling at what had just happened. She’d been so sure they were dead, that this would be the last evening of their lives.

Instead she’d been saved a second time. From a second monster.

Rashida frowned, glancing over at her. She looked worried. “He’s gonna go tell people,” she said in a low voice. “We’ve got to get Emmy out of here before he comes back. Otherwise there could be trouble.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. “I’ll text the others and have them bring the bus.” She turned to Emmy. “Just hang on a second, okay? Don’t go anywhere. Help is on the way.”

But the dragon already was turning away, her nose pointed to the sky. Concern flooded Scarlet. “Where are you going?” she asked.

Emmy gave her an apologetic look.
I
must
get
back
to
Trinity. She will worry if I’m gone.

Right. Of course. “Okay, but just wait a second.” Scarlet turned to Rashida. “She’s gotta go. Quick, give her the vaccine before she takes off.”

“What?” Rashida asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

Scarlet frowned, impatiently. “The vaccine! Give her the vaccine before we lose her again.” She reached out to pet Emmy. “Hang on. We’ve got something important to give you.” She turned to look expectantly at the Potential.

“Oh. Right. The vaccine.” Rashida’s face flushed. “I…I…don’t…have it on me.”

Scarlet stared at her, incredulous. “You don’t have it on you? Why wouldn’t you have it on you?”

I’m sorry, Scarlet. I must go now.

Emmy started flapping her wings, kicking snow into the air. Rashida’s eyes grew wide with fear. “Wait!” she cried. “Don’t leave! We can help you! Scarlet—tell her we can help her!”

Scarlet stared at her, a cold chill tripping down her spine. Then she turned to the dragon.
Go!
She told her silently.
Go
now.