“Meaning?”
“A plan is in place,” I lie. We’re living one moment to the next, just praying we can deal with whatever else pops out of the woods. I wish that was our only problem. I move away, pacing my nerves down, trying not to think about what I’ve become, because when I do, a strange excitement mixed with dread overwhelms me.
The face in the tree crumples, shifts, and protrudes once again, keeping its wooden eyes on me. “Have you noticed anything peculiar about Kera?”
“She’s fine.”
“Although she is half first, she was always more human. Far more human than you. Infusing her with a power like Navar’s will change her.”
Isn’t that what Kera said earlier? That she felt like she was changing? It’s stupid. We are who we are, and Kera is the most amazing person I’ve ever met. “She’s fine,” I repeat. “Perfectly the same.”
I’m the one changing, being led like a blind dog along a cliff edge.
“Kera may look like she’s handling it, but don’t be so sure. She was always one to break the rules. Now that she has the power of the firsts in her, there’s no telling what she will do.”
“She’s. Fine,” I snap. I don’t need him piling more imaginary trouble on my back.
“You are as headstrong as ever and easily led into trouble from which you cannot retreat. Don’t you think you’ve caused enough problems lately?”
What is he implying? That I could have stopped the council from branding me for death? That I should have let Navar continue to control and exterminate whomever he chose? That I could’ve controlled the power rushing through me that ended up burning a hole in the forest and killing God knows how many? Does he think I don’t have a conscience? That I easily sleep at night? I wasn’t raised with this power. It was dumped on me, and I was left alone to figure it out. If he wanted to get me pissed off, he’s done it.
My jaw clenches. “You want to help me? Fine. How ’bout you take away my nightmares?” I step forward. “Or tell me what’s with this?” I hold out my hand and fire bursts in the middle of my palm. The flame whips back and forth, bending toward the tree as if it were a dog sniffing after a treat. My fingers close, snuffing it out, and I regard the man in the tree. “How’d I get it? How do I get rid of it?”
“The fire is from me. When you ended my life, you absorbed my powers. As the son of the true king of Teag, that is your privilege. It’s what makes our ruler the most powerful of all.”
“So to get more power, I have to kill someone?” He’s got to be kidding. I always thought the firsts were a little shy of normal, but this is beyond messed up.
The lips dip in a deep frown. “No. Someone can give you their power temporarily for the purpose of protecting our people.”
“I’m done with Teag and our people.”
“They need you, Dylan.”
I eye him suspiciously. He’s saying they need me now? Apparently, getting entombed in a tree really has a way of changing a man. “Last time we met, you thought me being dead was a great solution to my sudden appearance.”
“I never thought that. I saw the potential for danger you possessed, the chaos you would bring, but Kera saw what I couldn’t. She saw your heart and the goodness that lies within it. Is she right?”
“It doesn’t matter if she’s right or wrong. They definitely want me, but it’s not how you think. They want me dead.”
The bark splits more and the face protrudes, stretching the boundary of his prison. “You are the heir to the kingdom. You are their prince. Give them a chance. They don’t know you.”
I’ve gone back and forth about going back to Teag all week. I need to retrieve Jason’s body. It’s something I should do, and I know it, but hearing Faldon, the man who tried to kill me, tell me what to do makes me want to do the exact opposite.
I shake my head, all manner of vile accusations pounding through my mind. “If you think you can guilt me into going back, then you don’t know me, either.”
I will go back, but in my own time and for my own reasons. Giving Faldon one more long, hard look, I turn my back on the burned-out tree and the spirit of the grandfather Faldon never was, and walk away.
Breath of Fire
Kera ran past the shed and into the woods, following Dylan’s grandparents’ dog. She’d recognized the face peering out from the woods—and he should not be here. She stopped and examined the charred spot along the ground, smelled the distinct sulfurous smell of dragon spit. “Blaze?”
Her eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on her. Just like the monster, Faldon’s pet dragon had somehow entered the human realm. She had to find that dragon before he caused more damage. Luckily, the ground was wet from the afternoon showers and what damage he may cause would be minimal...she hoped.
“Blaze,” she hissed. “Blaze!”
A sudden yelp sounded, and Scooter raced past her, leaving the scent of burning fur in his wake. A rumbling purr sounded ahead. Stooping, she peered into the underbrush and saw two glowing amber eyes. She slowly moved forward, her voice like silk as she talked. “There’s my sweet boy. Are you scared? What are you doing here?”
Though he was tiny, Blaze was a flying demolition expert. A dragon in the human realm was the last thing she needed to worry about right now. She needed to focus on Dylan.
If her suspicions were correct, Dylan had the ability to collect power, just like the Lost King, and that was bad. It was rumored that particular ability could push someone over the edge of sanity. She couldn’t allow Dylan to risk that. As long as she kept Dylan in the human world, everything should be fine. Which meant catching Blaze and sending him back to Teag was her problem to deal with.
She slowly raised her hand, stretching it toward the tiny dragon. The bushes rustled and Blaze shot away. Kera took off after him. It was like chasing shadows. He was too quick, darting from tree to bush to ground. Any thoughts of a speedy capture disappeared.
She slowed and glanced around. She had no idea which direction the dragon had gone. As she contemplated her next move, a sudden zip of leathery wings sounded next to her right ear. Her hair swirled past her face. When the strands settled back onto her shoulders, she saw a puff of his odorous smoke floating in front of her.
Blaze had dragged his tail through the smoke and made a trail that pointed in the direction he went. Kera followed. Whenever she stopped, Blaze would briefly make an appearance. It didn’t take her long to realize the dragon wasn’t interested in losing her. He wanted to play.
Exhausted by the chase, Kera knelt on the forest floor, not caring that the soppy ground soaked her knees. “I’m done playing, Blaze. You win.”
The dragon’s deep purr reached her ears. She cocked her head, trying to place his whereabouts. A flutter stirred the air behind her and she stayed still, not letting his stalking bother her, though Blaze had been known to spit fire at someone who refused to play.
Kera sank her fingers into the earth and called on her new powers. The magic hummed within her core. Before, when she had needed to use her father’s magic, she had to recite spells. Now, with the infusion of Navar’s deep power, she didn’t have to lean on spells as much. Whatever she wanted, happened.
Beneath her fingers, the earth bubbled, and in no time she held a wriggling slug. “Yummy. Look what I have.”
She held it in the air, letting it bounce enticingly between her fingers. The sound of rustling leaves grew until Blaze trotted out from his hiding place, wings tucked neatly against his sides, his barbed tail dragging a serpentine line in the soil. Tip to tail, Blaze was no longer than her forearm, and when he stretched out his iridescent wings, the wingspan measured close to two feet. The red-and-gold-tipped coloring wasn’t conducive to hiding, yet he seemed to have no problem blending into the forest underbrush and deep shadows.