Dragon Blood 4: Knight (15 page)

Friday night, Amber got a text from Crystal telling her to stand on Kade’s verandah. Confused and curious, she told Kade before she headed outside. Kade stood beside her and she sent Crystal a text to let her know she was on the verandah. Crystal came out of the Void with Flinn.

Laughing, Amber rushed forward throwing her arms around her friend. Crystal was grinning and a quick look towards Flinn showed that he seemed extremely unimpressed. “When did Flinn learn how to use the void?”

“This morning. You can’t believe how hard it was not to message you, but I wanted to surprise you. It’s been the longest day ever.”

Linking arms, Amber walked back towards the house with Crystal. “I can imagine.”

Crystal’s smile faded. “How are you? I wanted to come and see you, but mum wouldn’t let me. Talking on the phone and sending messages just isn’t the same.”

“I wanted to come and see you, but I had no idea how to explain a visit to your mum. Especially with how long it takes to drive there and back. Some things are much easier now my mum knows. Although she does tend to freak out a lot about it all.” She dropped onto the couch tugging Crystal down with her. “How long can you stay?”

Crystal shrugged. “I have no idea. Flinn wants to learn some pathways. He didn’t want to leave me alone. Well, with only his warriors to look after me. He wanted me to go to Temolae Keep. Said it was safest. As if you’d let anything happen to me.”

They talked for several hours until Flinn returned to collect Crystal. He arrived on the verandah, opening the front door to tell Crystal ‘hurry up’ before he strode outside.

At the front door, Crystal threw her arms around Amber. “I can’t wait until I move out of home and can visit you whenever I want.”

“Move out of home?”

Crystal nodded. “Yep. As soon as school is over. I mean, who’d want to live with their parents when they can live in a castle?”

“Flinn is okay with you staying at the castle without him?”

“I’ll be staying with him in Brisbane until the end of the year, but then we’re going to the castle.”

“Crystal-”

“It’s okay. I know what you’re going to say. There’s nothing between us. Not like there is between you and Kade. I’ll be fine. He’s not about to let anything happen to me.” Crystal grinned. “I’m more valuable than gold.”

Amber laughed, hugging her friend again. “Of course you are.” She reluctantly let her go. “Be careful.”

“I will.” Still grinning, Crystal crossed the space between her and Flinn, linking her arm through his. She barely had time to wave before they disappeared into the Void.

Amber continued to stand there, staring at the spot where Crystal had been.

Kade joined her at the front door, sliding his arm around her waist. “You coming inside or are you planning to stand here all night?”

She rested her head against his shoulder. “There never seems to be time for anything other than trying to survive.”

Kade tugged her away from the door, closing it. “Things will get better. They’ll start to learn not to mess with us.” He stared at her a moment.
“But you’re going to have start being a little more wary of Ronan. I think you’re getting too close to him.”

Her eyes narrowed and she pulled away from Kade.
“What do you mean?”

“You’re beginning to think he’s a friend. He’s not. An ally is different from a friend. Don’t trust him too much, Amber.”

“I don’t.”
Was she getting too close? No, surely not. She knew he wasn’t a friend. But she wasn’t clear about what exactly he was. Not like she’d once been. He mightn’t be a friend, but he also wasn’t a foe.

“Be careful.”
He reached for her, drawing her close.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Nothing will.”
She held onto him tightly. She didn’t want anything to happen to Kade either. She recalled the pain she’d felt when Vikki had said Kade was dead. Her arms tightened as she closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of him, hearing the beat of his heart. She wasn’t about to let anything happen to either of them.

Kade drew away from her. “Come on. Bed. You look tired.” He walked with her to his bedroom door, leaving her there alone. Like the previous night, Ronan stepped out of the Void as soon as Amber was in bed.

“I was beginning to think you were going to sit up giggling all night.”

“You sound like you’re upset we didn’t invite you.”

Ronan sat on the bed, leaning against the bed head. “Not likely. I would’ve been tempted to gag you for some peace if I’d been here.”

She grinned. “Sure, Ronan. You probably would have joined in.”

“Go to sleep, kitten.”

Her grin faded. Was Kade right? Was she getting too friendly with Ronan? Once she’d been too terrified to joke so easily with him. Once she’d constantly been on her guard. Now, she didn’t know what to think. But she did know that whatever plan Ronan was working on, it would be dangerous. Everything he’d done so far was dangerous. And she was certain he wanted to involve her in it, whatever it was.

“What’s wrong, kitten?”

“It’s getting closer, isn’t it?”

He didn’t even pretend not to understand. He nodded.

“It’s probably going to scare the hell out of me and give me even more nightmares.”

“Interesting choice of words.”

“Is it? I wouldn’t have a clue since you won’t tell me anything.”

Ronan chuckled. “Trust me, it’s better that way. Now go to sleep.”

She stared at him a moment longer before she closed her eyes. Like the last two nights, Ronan took her to the coastline of his home. Tonight she didn’t speak as she snuggled into the blankets heaped onto the bed. Dread pooled in her at the thought of what was to come. She had a feeling it was going to be far worse than taking on Tahmid. Surely there was no way he could make her fall in with his plans. After Tahmid they would be even.

Her sleep was dreamless, but she woke with the same feeling of dread that she’d gone to sleep with. Before Ronan left the room, he stood beside the bed staring down at her.
“Be ready. We’ll meet at your castle after lunch. Tell only Kade. I’ll inform everyone else who needs to know.”

He disappeared into the Void before Amber could ask any questions. Growling, she threw her pillow. It sailed through the air, passing the place where Ronan had stood before it collided with the wall. It didn’t make her feel any better.

Kade entered the room. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she growled. Why couldn’t Ronan have told her exactly what he was planning? Why all the secrecy? How hard was it to tell her in her mind what to expect instead of leaving her to wonder and worry.
“We need to meet Ronan at our castle after lunch. We’re to tell no one.”

“We should have guessed that he’d plan something for either today or tomorrow. Especially since you keep telling him you need to finish school.”

She flung back the sheets, rising to her feet. There was only two weeks left of school. “He better not think he can arrange all my days once school’s out.”

As soon as breakfast was eaten, Amber, Kade, Maira and Brann went to Temolae Keep, leaving their Gold behind to watch the house. Or at least that was the excuse they gave him for leaving him behind after telling him they were spending the weekend at the castle.

When they arrived at the castle, Amber spent a bit of time with her mother and Jasper, who had arrived not long after she did, but was too restless to manage that for long. Flinn, Crystal, Morgan and Orin arrived well before lunch and Crystal talked excitedly about her plans for the rest of the year. Amber still wasn’t certain that moving in with Flinn was the best choice for her friend, but didn’t bother saying anything else. What could she say with the amount of time she spent with Ronan? He was far more hazardous to her health than Flinn could ever be to Crystal’s.

Just before lunch Alsandair and Chait started to bring in more people using the excuse that they were joining them for the meal. All the secrecy was beginning to make Amber worry that they had a spy in their castle. When she said that directly to Kade, he laughed at her.

“Of course we do. Probably several. Just like we’ve got spies in the castles of some of our enemies. The trick is to figure out who the spies are so we can give them misinformation.”

After that, Amber couldn’t stop eyeing each of the servants that entered the dinning room. It was crazy. Shouldn’t they make sure all their staff was trustworthy? She looked around the table, her eyes resting first on her grandparents, sitting one on either side of her mother, Jasper across the table from them, and then on Roy and his family. Although it probably didn’t matter since even their guests weren’t all that trustworthy.

When lunch was over, they all headed for the planning room, after Amber had asked Gary to keep her mother distracted for a while. Before she reached the room, her grandparents cornered her.

“We want you to come back and train with the Knights,” Charles said.

Amber stared at him for a few seconds hardly able to believe he’d said that. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Stanley and Dominic have both been reprimanded. As will Wayne and Jennifer when they’re found.”

“How? Were they made to jog around the track for an hour? Or maybe it was two hours.” She didn’t like the bitterness she could hear in her own voice. That wasn’t her. None of this was her. Very soon she wouldn’t be able to recognise herself.

Kade strode back towards them. “We’re not about to let her go to your headquarters. We can’t protect her there.”

“This has nothing to do with you, dragon,” Helen snarled.

Amber moved to stand beside Kade, her arm brushing against his. “Don’t speak to Kade like that. And for the last time, I’m not interested in joining your Knights. All they think about is killing.”

“And your dragons don’t?” Charles demanded.

There was no answer she could give to that question. Or at least none she wanted to give. “Why ask me? Why not Jay?”

“He wouldn’t make a good Knight,” Helen said.

Amber eyed her grandmother. Was that a compliment? “What makes you think I would?”

“You’re not weak,” Helen said.

Okay that had to be a compliment. Especially coming from her grandmother. She shook her head. “I’m not interested. I’ve had enough of killing.”

“Don’t give me that rubbish. What do you think you’re planning to do today? Stand back and watch the fight? Stop making idiotic comments,” Helen said.

Obviously that was it for the compliments. Amber stared at her grandmother a moment longer. That warm and fuzzy moment certainly hadn’t lasted long. “This conversation is over. Your Knights had their chance and they weren’t interested in it.” She spun, striding towards the planning room, Kade at her side.

He linked his fingers through hers, momentarily squeezing.

She looked up at him, smiling as she squeezed back. Her smile disappeared the moment she stepped into the planning room and saw that Ronan had arrived. It looked like she was about to find out what he had in mind. The dread she’d woken with returned with a vengeance.

Kade closed the door behind them, tugging Amber towards the table. She reluctantly followed, sitting down beside him.

Ronan’s gaze went to Crystal. “Is the Void clear?”

Crystal nodded.

Ronan turned to Roy’s family. “The moment Tahmid realises its a trap you need to get Roy out of there. That’s the only reason I’m letting you join us. You’re to kill only those that get in your way. Understand?”

Isaac and Eliza nodded, but Amos didn’t bother to nod until Ronan turned his gaze directly on him.

“And what about us?” Charles asked. “You better not be expecting us to leave the moment the fighting starts.”

Ronan smiled. “No, you may kill as many of their dragons as you want. Wasn’t that the deal?” He held Charles’ gaze a moment longer before he turned to Crystal again. “You already have your orders.” When Crystal and Flinn nodded his eyes travelled the table, momentarily resting on Amber, Kade and Flinn. “None of your warriors will be able to be there without compromising the test. At least not in the Void. They can remain close and come in the moment the fight starts. They can bring Charles and Helen with them.”

“We’re not about to miss half the fight,” Charles said.

“As if I’d leave Kade and Amber unprotected that long,” Maira said.

“If we involve too many Golds, Kade and Flinn can’t use it as a test,” Ronan said.

Flinn gestured towards Roy’s family. “We’ve already got three extra to bring Roy’s family through the Void and one for Jasper. That’s more than enough.”

Amber thought she better cut in before an argument started and she missed out on hearing the plan for herself. “What do I need to do?”

Ronan’s smile turned predatory. “What you do best, kitten.” Holding her gaze he paused a moment. “Kill.”

She fought against the urge to back away, holding onto the sides of her seat so she didn’t move. “Kill who?”

“Tahmid.”

Her grip tightened on the seat. “I would have thought you’d want to do that yourself.”

“Either one of us, kitten. It’s all the same. Aren’t you mine?”

Amber opened her mouth to disagree, but Kade nudged her with his foot. She managed not to look in his direction.
“What?”

“Don’t throw his offer away, but don’t acknowledge it directly either.”

How did Kade expect her to do that? “So what do you want Kade and me to do? Get as close to Tahmid as possible?”

“That would probably be a good idea.” Ronan rose from the table. “We should have just enough time for me to show you Golds the pathway through the Void to where Roy is to meet Tahmid.”

“Where is it?” Amber asked.

“An abandoned industrial site a few hours from where Roy lives. We had to make it an area he’d be able to drive to. We don’t want to make Tahmid suspicious.” Ronan turned to Flinn. “You first.”

Amber reached for Kade’s hand.
“Be careful today.”

“Stop worrying.”

She couldn’t help it. There was no way she wanted to go through being told he was dead again.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about all of this. I think we need more warriors.”