Dragon's Heart (19 page)

He
smiled and stood. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your seat and buckle you in.”

Taking
her elbow, he guided her to her seat. The plane had all the comforts of a
commercial airline. While not as large as the one she crossed the Atlantic on,
it was not exactly small either.
 
Twenty spacious leather seats filled the aisle with enough legroom for a
seven-foot man to stretch out. From the way Cass laid on hers, they reclined to
a comfortable lying position too. Two people could walk side-by-side down the
aisle, and the rear held a bar with a kitchen. Draakar gave her a quick kiss
and had turned to leave when she stopped him with a mere touch on his arm.

“I
just remembered. I left my purse with my passport back at the castle.”

“No
you didn’t. Look under the seat.”

She
leaned over, placing her hand under her seat. She felt a familiar shaped
bag.
 
“My purse!” she exclaimed. “I
should have known.”

He
inclined his head. “You are welcome. Now sit back and try to relax. I will be
back to join you once this thing is in the air.”

Draakar
returned after awhile. Even though the take off and rise to the necessary
altitude seemed flawless, Maya’s nerves stood on edge and she found herself
glad for his company. She hadn’t realized she wanted company until he sat
beside her and took her hand. Even though the others sat a few feet behind her
and if she wanted companionship, all she had to do was join them. In truth, she
wanted
his
company.

“Is
this the first time you’ve flown?” she asked.

Draakar
grinned. “No, of course not.”

“You
know what I mean.”

“It
is not the first time I’ve flown. However, it is the first time I have been
flown.”

Maya
smiled, enjoying his sense of humor. “This must be strange for you, having to
rely on a machine to fly.”

“Yes,
it is a little strange but exciting. I promise, though, it would be even more
exciting to be able to show you how to fly, to cut through the wind with you at
my side.”

For
the first time since she got the phone call, Maya allowed herself to relax. “I
don’t think that would be such a good idea.”

“Why
not?”

“I
won’t want to be mistaken for a UFO.”

“Ah,”
Draakar replied straight-faced. “Not a problem, I can cloak us.”

“Cloak
us?” She frowned. “As in make us invisible?”

“In
a manner of speaking, yes. You might be able to do that also.”

     
“I would like
that.”

     
“I will show
you how after your mother is well. Why don’t you try to get some rest? Even
though we’re flying faster than this plane normally can, it will still be some
time before we reach our destination, Dulles Airport.”

“What
about fuel? Does this plane hold enough to get us there or will we have to stop
and refuel?”

“That’s
not a problem either for us.”

“Yeah.
I guess I have to restructure my entire way of thinking, my expectations of how
of things worked before I was aware of magicks, and my expectations with the
use of it.”

“It
is as natural to you as breathing. Your brain merely has to let your instincts
take over and you will be fine.”

“Promise
me something.”

Without
hesitation he said, “Anything.”

“Be
careful what you promise me, Draakar. Promise you can make her well.” She read
his thoughts; he understood she referred to her mother and what she expected
him to be able to do.

I will not disappoint you
. “As long
as she is alive when I get there, I can keep her well,” he spoke aloud. “Now
get some rest.”

“I
don’t think I can sleep. I’ve got so much on my mind.”

“I
know, but your mind and your body needs the rest. These seats go pretty far
back.” He touched the button angling both of their seats into recliners and
raised the armrest between them. Removing the barriers, he placed his arm
around her and drew her against his side. “Put your head on my shoulder.”

For
once, Maya did as he asked and promptly fell asleep wrapped in his arms.

     
Is she sleeping?
James sent
to Draakar
.

Yes. I think I’ll let her sleep
until we land.

That’s probably a good idea. Um,
I’ve been thinking. I’m a bit of a gambling man, and I’m thinking it would be
pretty high odds there would be two hit and run accidents in the same family.
Maya told us on the hike her grandmother was killed in a hit and run. Even for
Americans that’s a tad much for both grandmother and mother.

Draakar
smiled, but a cold one he knew did not reach his eyes.
Yes, the thought had occurred to me, but I think Maya believes it to be
just a coincidence. With a silver dragon loose in the world, I am reserving
judgment, and until I learn otherwise I will not say anything to Maya.

Then neither will I.

Get some rest. I am afraid that we
will all need it.

E
arly on a cold March morning, the little girl stood
dry-eyed beside the open ground. She stopped watching the oak-colored coffin
the moment it lowered into the hole. A man’s pale large hand held her small tan
one and on the other side, a woman’s soft dainty hand enclosed her other. She
looked up at them both. She’d already said her goodbyes to her mother the day
before. This small ceremony was a mere formality. Her mother died telling her
how much she loved her, and how much her father and his wife loved her already.
These people would be her parents now, her family. They were the only ones at
the graveside.
   

     
“Daddy,” the
child said, in her soft little girl voice.

     
The child
watched tears puddle in the corner of his eyes because she’d called him Daddy.

“Yes,
angel?”

“I
think we should leave now. Mommy’s gone to heaven to be with the real angels.”

A
little over six feet tall and built like a wrestler, Arthur dropped to his
hunches and hugged his daughter, who barely reached his waist. “Yes, angel,
she’s your angel now and will always be watching over you.”

The
child briefly returned his hug before pulling back. “I know, but can we go
now?” the child asked again, a little more anxiously this time.

     
“Yes, Arthur,”
his wife said, giving the child’s hand a brief squeeze in support. “I think
it’s time to go. The bags are already in the car; everything is taken care of.
We can head straight to the airport from here.”

     
Arthur stood up
and gathered his small family to him. He looked into the grave holding his last
ties to America, to his youthful self. Silently he said goodbye to the woman he
had once loved and who had given him their precious child. He turned with one
arm around each of the women in his life and said, “Let’s go home.”

     
Their rental
car had just driven out of sight when a black SUV with tinted windows drove
through the gates of the cemetery from the opposite direction. The car drove
down a windy trail until it came to the walking path leading to the freshly dug
grave. There it stopped and the driver stepped out, a man about average height
with a slender yet muscular built. He wore stonewashed black jeans and a brown
leather jacket cut to reach his thighs. The brown leather cap perched at an
angle on the side of his head obscured his face.

     
Standing
silently before the hole in the ground, with one red rose held loosely in a
dark brown hand. He watched the grounds’ people fill it with dirt. He twirled
the flower once then threw it into the grave. He had arrived a day too late.
“You haven’t won yet, li’l sis.
 
Sooner or later, I’ll find her.” After uttering those softly spoken
words, the man walked back to his car and drove off.

     
All eyes
tracked the progress of the two women and five men as they seemed to glide
through the terminal in Dulles Airport. They looked like something right out of
a science fiction movie. One of them stood out from the group. He wore a black
leather coat, the bottom brushing against his ankles. His extremely long hair
blended with the dark coat so perfectly you couldn’t tell where it ended and
the coat began. If possible, he looked even more disturbing than the others.

A stunningly beautiful woman with a rich almond complexion
walked alongside him. Her hair hung in a wild mass of loose curls framing an
oval face. It spread downward to nestle around her shoulders on a shape
hugging, golden-bronze, floor-length leather coat. The two walked slightly
ahead of the others who seemed to flank them. Those others appeared to be more
than a mere entourage. They also wore long leather jackets but in different,
interesting, and striking colors that seemed to flow as they moved through the
terminal. Exactly who or what they were remained unclear, but people
instinctually stepped out of their way.

Behind
the group were three porters with suitcases on carts. It seemed at first the
group would continue non-stop until they left the building, moving in
synchronicity, headed for some unknown mission. No one would dare to hinder
them, but suddenly they stopped. Everyone else went back to whatever they had
been doing, pointedly ignoring the group.

     
A little girl
between the age of ten and twelve, with her hair in two thick braids hanging
down her back, stood in front of a magazine rack about ten feet away from
Draakar.
She
had drawn his attention.
He knew what she was and suspected her connection to his son. He stood immobile
in shock when he felt her probe his mind.

      
Greetings, Dark Lord!

     
The voice in
his head belonged to a child, but with a lot of raw strength behind the probe.
More than most adults had. When fully matured the young lady would be very
powerful. He continued to stare at the back of her head as she thumbed through
her magazine, seemingly oblivious to his presence behind her.

     
Do you know who I am, little one?
Even
when he responded, she still didn’t turn toward him, but continued to look
through her magazine.

Yes. I think so. You’re the Dark
Dragon Lord. I’ve been dreaming about you.
 
Sometimes it’s a little confusing, and weird. I think there
are also others, another—one of gold.

     
Do not be afraid of your dreams,
little one.

I’m not—sometimes they’re
kinda cool, even if I don’t always understand them.

You will understand everything in
time.

I tried explaining them to my
mommy, but she said the same thing you just did.
 
My mommy died yesterday and my daddy is taking me to live
with him and my new mommy. We’re going to fly on a plane. I’ve never been on a
plane before. Will I be able to fly someday?

I am sorry about your mother. And
yes, I think one day you will fly.

Is it okay to tell my daddy about
my dreams?

If you want. But do not worry if he
finds them confusing, too.

Maybe I’ll wait until I understand
them a little better.
 

The
young girl put the magazine she read back on the rack and turned her head in
the opposite direction, as if she were watching someone.

I’ve got to go now. That’s my
daddy. See ya later, Dark Lord.

Till we meet again, little one. If
you ever have need of me, just call to me and I will come.

Cool!

     
Draakar watched
as a man stopped before the little girl and took her hand. They walked away
from the brethren. As they moved farther off, the child turned around and
looked right at him, then turned to face forward again, leaving Draakar feeling
as though he’d taken a punch to his gut.

      
“What the
hell?” Maya exclaimed.

They
all watched the little girl skipping happily along beside her father. They had
also seen the flash of silver in the child’s eyes. “Yes, I know,” Draakar said.
“Come on, let’s get in the limo.”

The
brethren continued moving as though nothing unusual had happened. But something
had. They walked out of the airport. A black limousine sat at the curb near the
exit with the rear doors standing open. The driver had already placed their
luggage in the trunk. The group had barely settled in their seats before the
questions began, for everyone had felt the child’s probe and heard her thoughts
to Draakar.

“What
in both of our worlds was that?” Maya asked.

“Earth
magicks at work would be my guess,” Draakar responded. “I told you, when the
brethren drained their magicks into the earth, both Earth magicks and human
brethren were changed somehow. The brethren of Earth are now…different. It’s
the only thing that explains this.”

“Ah,
did everyone notice the lass had silver eyes,” James said, shaking his head in
confusion. “How could she have silver eyes?”

“Does
this mean she’s a silver dragon?” Maya asked confused. “
The
silver dragon we’re looking for? But she’s just a child.”

“This
makes no sense,” Cass said.

“I
believe she is a silver dragon,” Draakar said, “but she is not the one we are
looking for, and interestingly, she’s female. A first in memory, and probably
due to the influence of Earth magicks. There has never been a female silver
dragon in brethren memory. Nonetheless, the one we are looking for is
definitely an adult male. The girl also doesn’t have the scent of corruption
about her. Nor does she carry the scent the male on the mountain left behind.”

     
“That’s true,”
Maya replied. “I sensed none of the things I sensed about the other presence.
But who is she?”

     
“I believe
she’s Talon’s mate.”

     
“
His what?
” Maya and Cass cried in
unison.

     
“His mate. The
one he came to Earth to find.”

     
“Ah,” Maya
said, nodding her head. “It’s making sense now. This is the ‘she’ Talon kept
referring to.”

“Wait
a minute,” Cass said, “she’s just a little girl.”

“Yes,”
Draakar replied, “but she’s still his mate and besides, by earth standards,
Talon is only a teenager.”

Maya
sent a mental picture of Talon to Cass, who nodded. “Ah,” Cass said, “I get it
now. They’ll make a cute couple…in about twelve years.”

“Well,
where’s Talon?” Maya asked. “He must be here somewhere searching for her.”

“Yes,
I think you’re right. In fact I’m sure he’s on this side of the Atlantic.”

“But…she
just left,” a puzzled Cass said, “and they were headed to the international
section, so that means she’s leaving the country.”

“That’s
right,” Draakar conceded. “No matter, I should be able to find her again now
that I’ve established a link with her.”

“Wow!
What a coincidence, that we’d run into her here,” Ian stated.

“I
don’t believe in coincidence,” Draakar responded. “Not for brethren. I am
beginning to suspect things have been set in motion of which I have been
unaware, maybe even before Talon’s arrival. Our coming here at this time is no
fluke.” He pushed his hair behind his ear. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time.
We’re headed straight to the hospital.
 
Maya, Ian, and I will stay there and the rest of you can go on to the
house I own here and settle in. After I heal Maya’s mother, we’ll meet you
there. I will communicate with the Stones and Mother Earth then and see if they
can shed any light on this.”

     
Maya’s tone
held surprise when she asked, “You can communicate with the Stones from here?”

 
“Yes, from anywhere on Terra. My power
for now is linked to them.” Most of the powers he now possessed were borrowed
from Earth magicks to enhance his own. He needed his mate to be able to call
forth all of his own powers. He needed Maya, and they were rapidly running out
of time.