Shattered (29 page)

“Okay, if you just sit here, I’m going to place this cap onto your head and we’ll begin.”

“You sure this isn’t going to hurt?” Trinity asked, looking with wary eyes at the blue cap threaded with red wires he held in his hands.

Virgil gave her an apologetic look. “I said it wasn’t going to kill you,” he clarified. “You may feel some…discomfort…during the actual procedure.”

“It’s going to hurt like hell, sweetheart,” her dad interjected. “But you’ll get through it.” He walked over to the television set at the opposite end of the former bus. “Here, I’ll put on the TV, so you can have something to distract you while the procedure takes place.”

Trinity nodded, gritting her teeth. Truth be told, she didn’t really care too much about the physical pain. It would be nothing, she knew, compared to the mental anguish she’d suffer after Virgil flicked the switch—the moment when she and Emmy’s bond would be shattered and her dragon would become a stranger. No more hearing Emmy’s voice whispering across her mind. No more feeling the dragon’s love and affection wrapping around her like a hug. A lifetime of suffocating emptiness seemed to roll out before her.

I’m going to miss you so much,
she told the dragon.

Emmy looked up at her with her big, liquid eyes.
But
you’ll have him back,
she said in an earnest voice.
So
you
will
not
be
alone.

Trinity cocked her head, puzzled.
Uh, what?

You
know,
Emmy pierced her with her gaze.
The
Hunter. You told me you didn’t have time for happily ever afters with me around. But now you will. Now you can find him and be with him, and it’ll be just like the movies.

Trinity’s heart flooded. As if things could be that simple. As if life were just like a film. But still, she loved that the dragon believed it. That she had created her own little happily ever after for her Fire Kissed. So she could leave without guilt or worry.

And
here
I
didn’t think you liked him all that much,
she couldn’t help but tease.

Emmy gave her a stern gaze.
You
like
him,
she said simply
. And he will keep you safe. I like that.

Trinity swallowed past the lump in her throat.
Thank
you, Emmy.
It was all she could say.

The dragon nodded then took a deliberate step toward her. She bowed her head low, exposing her long, scaly neck with some ceremony. At first, Trinity had no idea what Emmy was trying to do. Then she realized.

“No.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t. You love your necklace.”

Emmy looked up at her.
I
love
you
more.

Oh God.

A raw, primitive grief overwhelmed Trinity and it was all she could do not to crumble to pieces. Instead, she forced herself to reach out, lifting the golden chain from the dragon’s neck with trembling fingers. As she slipped it over her own head, the jewel settled against her throat, warm and heavy.

“Oh, Emmy,” she cried, unable to hold back the floodgates of tears a moment longer. She grabbed the dragon, clinging to her with all she had left, which admittedly wasn’t very much at all. Together their minds reached out, desperate to share a lifetime of memories in the few seconds they had left.

She’d already lost so many people in her life. Her mother, her grandpa, Connor, Caleb. Now she was about to lose her dragon too. Her sweet baby dragon. And she wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle it.

No.
She shook her head. She couldn’t think like that. This was not about losing Emmy. This was about Emmy gaining new life. And that, at the end of the day, was all that mattered.

Emmy would be happy.

Emmy would be safe.

Emmy would be free.

“Sweetheart,” her father interrupted in a gentle voice. “It’s time.”

She looked up at him in horror. She wanted to say no—that it was too soon, that she wasn’t nearly ready, that she needed far, far, far more moments with her dragon before she said good-bye. But she knew all that would only prolong the inevitable. Better to rip off the Band-Aid than keep torturing herself and Emmy with an extended farewell. And so she somehow managed to force her hands from the dragon’s neck.

She had to be brave here, she told herself. If Emmy heard her have second thoughts, she might change her mind and refuse to go. And she couldn’t let the dragon sacrifice her own happiness for her.

It’s for the best. It’s for the best. It’s for the—

Emmy met her eyes.
Thank
you, Fire Kissed. It was an honor and privilege to be your dragon.

Trinity’s breath caught. Her heart lurched and panic slammed through her. She started to rise from her seat.
Oh
God. No, Emmy. I can’t—

Virgil flipped the switch.

A bolt of lightning slammed through her, knocking her back into the chair. She let out a scream. Her hands gripped her thighs and it took all her effort not to pass out, her brain feeling as if it was being burned from the inside out. Emmy’s essence being torn away for good.

Emmy. Oh Emmy!

The whole process felt like hours but might have lasted only a few seconds—she wasn’t sure. In any case, eventually the pain subsided and her vision cleared as Virgil reached over to pull the cap off her head.

“It is done,” he said quietly.

It was done. Never had one sentence held so much weight. It was done. It was over. Finito. The bond broken. The connection between her and her dragon severed forever.

“Oh, Emmy.” She choked back a sob, meeting the creature’s eyes with her own. For a moment, they just looked at one another. Just looked and looked and looked, as if their lives depended on it. Then, slowly, Emmy turned away.

Trinity’s heart broke. Completely and utterly broke. Desperate, she forced her eyes to rise to the television set her dad had turned on before the procedure. To focus on something inconsequential—meaningless—as her whole world crumbled all around her.

Unfortunately, what she saw there was not meaningless or inconsequential at all.

“What the…?”

She leapt to her feet, running to the TV to get a better look. She felt Emmy come up behind her, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from the screen.

“Turn it up!” she cried to her father. “The volume. Turn it up, now!”

Her father did, the reporter’s voice filling the school bus. “According to the free Emmy dot com website, this teenager, rumored to be one of the dragon thieves, has been spotted at the Fauna Wal-Mart on Cerrillos Road.” The screen flashed with Connor’s photo, apparently taken from a camera phone, inside the store.

“Is that the Dragon Hunter you were with?” her father asked worriedly. “Did he come here to find you?”

The video cut from Connor’s photo to an aerial shot of the parking lot above them, now filled with a caravan of unmarked trucks. To Trin’s horror, the store appeared to be surrounded. Then the camera cut to a live shot on the ground, the reporter standing just outside the store. Behind her, people appeared to be evacuating one by one, with plainclothes men interviewing each and every one of them before letting them on their way.

“Authorities won’t comment on the operation,” the reporter was saying. “But it appears a manhunt is underway. Reports say the dragon could even be inside the store.”

“Oh, Connor,” Trinity cried. “Why couldn’t you have just stayed away?”

Worried, her father switched from the TV to the surveillance cameras in the Wal-Mart itself. Trin watched as he flicked from camera to camera, searching the store for some sign of Connor.

“Wait!” she cried, pointing to the screen. “Go back!”

Her father obliged and the cameras swapped. Trinity swallowed hard as she recognized none other than Mara herself, backed by six men, storming through the store.

“Connor, get out of there,” she whispered.

“I’m not sure he can,” her father said solemnly. “They’ve got all the exits blocked. He’s trapped.” He rubbed his chin. “Virgil, maybe we should do something. If he were to be captured, he might have information on my daughter that—”

“No,” Virgil broke in. “That’s just what they want. They’ll use him to flush her out of hiding. We can’t fall into their trap. We have to get the dragon into the time machine. Now.”

Trinity glanced over at Emmy, who was looking at her with worried eyes. She shook her head to clear it. Virgil was right. Once they got Emmy to safety, she could go try to help Connor herself, but not a moment before. That was what she’d promised. That the dragon would come first. And she couldn’t go back on that promise now.

“Okay, Em,” she said to the dragon. She gestured to the entrance of the large metal box that Virgil had rigged to take the dragon back in time. “Go ahead.”

But Emmy didn’t move. She just stood there, staring at the TV screen, whining worriedly. Trinity’s pulse kicked up in alarm. She didn’t need to hear the dragon’s thoughts to know exactly what Emmy was thinking.

He
will
keep
you
safe. I like that.

But if Connor were captured…If he were killed…

“He’ll be fine,” she tried to assure Emmy. “You know how Connor is. He can take care of himself.”

Emmy turned from the TV to the time machine. She pawed the ground anxiously with her foot. But she didn’t take a step forward.

“No,” Trinity said again, more firmly this time. “I know what you want to do and I love you for it. But you can’t save him this time. You have to save yourself.”

Emmy’s eyes flashed fire. Steam shot from her nose.

Trinity grabbed the dragon by the head, forcing her to face her. “Emmy, Connor knows what he risked by coming here. If he were here now, he’d tell you the same thing. Believe me,” she added, her voice cracking, “I don’t want him to get hurt either. But I need to know you’re safe first.” Swallowing hard, she gestured toward the time machine again. “Go on,” she begged. “Please. It’s the only way.”

But the dragon refused to move.

“You need to get her in there, now,” Virgil broke in, sounding both angry and worried at the same time. “I can’t keep the power grid up for much longer. We’re going to blow a circuit and it’ll take weeks—maybe months—to get up and running again. She has to go now.”

Suddenly the dragon’s eyes flew back to the TV. Trinity couldn’t help but follow her gaze, her eyes widening as she now saw Connor himself—surrounded at gunpoint by a group of men. He was holding up his hands. His expression was full of fear.

Oh
no. Oh, Connor.

Emmy turned from the TV. Then she started to flap her wings.

“Emmy, no!” Trinity cried, realizing what the dragon planned to do.

“Oh no you don’t!” Virgil leapt forward, throwing a makeshift lasso over the dragon’s neck. “I’m not going to let you go and risk the fate of the entire world—just to save one guy who isn’t even supposed to be here to begin with.”

He yanked the lasso hard, sending Emmy sprawling back toward him. The dragon’s eyes bulged from her head and she bared her teeth at the scientist, a hissing sound winding up her throat.

“Virgil, stop!” Trinity protested. “Just give her a moment to think it all through. She’ll do the right thing. I know she will. Don’t try to force her to go.”

But Virgil ignored her, turning to her father. “Help me!” he demanded. “Get her into the box! Now!”

But Trinity’s father stood as if frozen in place. He looked from his daughter to the dragon then to Virgil. “Trinity’s right,” he said at last. “She has to make her own decision. I’m not going to force her.”

Virgil scowled. “This is ridiculous,” he cried. He lunged at Emmy, grabbing her, tossing her in the direction of the machine. “Get in there, you stupid beast! No one wants you to stay! The world doesn’t want your kind! You can only cause devastation and ruin!”

Trinity gasped as Emmy dug in her heels. Then she whipped around, her eyes flashing fire as she stared Virgil down. It was a look Trinity knew all too well.

“Virgil, watch out!” she cried.

But it was too late. The flames shot from Emmy’s mouth, hitting Virgil square in the chest. The scientist screamed, stumbling back into his equipment, the fire tearing through his clothes and hair. A moment later, the control panel burst into flames, sparking and spitting as a warning siren began to wail.

“We need to get out of here!” Trin heard her father cry. “The whole place is going to blow!”

Trinity looked around for Emmy, but the dragon was already gone. Up the ladder, burning a dragon-shaped hole through the trapdoor.

“Oh, Emmy…”

Lungs choked with smoke, she forced herself to wrap her hands around the rungs, pulling herself up one by one by one, her father hot at her heels. They had barely made it to the surface when the ground shook with an explosion, shooting them across the parking lot. Trinity hit the pavement hard and spun into darkness.

Emmy tore through the parking lot as fast as her wings could take her, her eyes locked on to the large building in front of her. The store, Trinity had called it. The place where the Hunter was trapped.

She glanced behind her, feeling a twinge of regret. She hadn’t wanted to hurt the old man. And she certainly hadn’t wanted to destroy the machine that would take her to the special place with all the dragons. But she had no choice. The boy Trinity loved was in trouble. She couldn’t let him die.

Trinity had sacrificed her entire life—her entire happiness—to help Emmy.

Now it was Emmy’s turn to do the same.

She flew at the store, crashing headfirst into panes of glass so clear she hadn’t seen them until it was too late. The windows exploded around her and her ears caught the following screams of terror.

Let
them
be
scared
, she decided.
Let
them
see
the
true
power
of
a
dragon.

She soared through the store, skimming the tops of the shelves, knocking over whatever impeded her path in her attempt to reach Connor. All around she could see flashes of light going off, shocked people holding up small electronic devices in her direction. But Emmy ignored them all. They didn’t matter to Trinity. He did.

Finally she found him, at the very back of the store, surrounded by men, a gun pressed to his temple just as she’d seen on the screen. When he spotted Emmy, his eyes widened. He tried to shake his head no, to tell her to turn around and leave the store.
Stupid
boy
, Emmy thought.
Always
trying
to
be
the
hero.

But it was her turn now.

She dive-bombed the men, claws out, teeth bared, spearing the one with the gun right in his stomach. He screamed in pain, dropping to his knees instantly, his guts spilling out onto the floor as his gun skittered across the ground. Emmy turned and went after the weapon, locking it in her talons, then tossing it to the Hunter. He caught it, a surprised smile ghosting his face. He didn’t want to approve of her actions, but he couldn’t help it a little.

That
will
teach
you
to
doubt
a
dragon.

The other men were backing away now, their faces filled with fear. Emmy roared as loud as she could, driving the point home, the power she was suddenly wielding as tasty as a steak bone dripping with blood. If they walked away now, she wouldn’t kill them. But if they even thought to fight…

Emberlyn…Emberlyn…

My
darling
Emberlyn…

It’s time to go home.

Emmy scrunched up her face, confused and distracted by a sudden sound that seemed to echo through the store. It was a song, she realized after a moment. Some kind of sad, slow song, sung by the most heartbreakingly sweet voice she’d ever heard.

Where was it coming from? Who was singing it? And why?

Against her better judgment, she turned toward the song, everything inside her suddenly yearning to find its singer, though she had no idea why. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the Hunter gesturing wildly in her direction, trying to call her back, but try as she might, she couldn’t seem to focus on him—only the haunting melody rising louder and louder in the air.

And then, there she was. A breathtakingly beautiful woman, with long blond hair and glowing eyes, standing before her, still singing the song. Emmy lowered herself down, bowing her head in worship, her whole body trembling to the tune.

Please, don’t stop singing,
she found herself begging.

The woman smiled. But it was not a beautiful smile like the beautiful song. It was a cold smile. A twisted smile. And a moment later, Emmy felt something hard and sharp snap over her jaws.

The cold metal of a trap.