Page 26 of The Baby Dragon Cafe (The Baby Dragon #1)

Chapter 26

W hen Aiden awoke, the first thing he noticed was that Saphira was gone. It was not her habit to get out of bed earlier than him, even if she did wake up first. He looked around, confused, but she was not there.

Aiden looked around, searching for a note. Once or twice, she had gotten out of bed first, and whenever she did, she left him a note, but today, there was none.

He went out of the bedroom in her apartment, and headed to the main area, where Sparky was resting in his little bed.

“Hey, Spark,” Aiden said, petting the dragon. “Where’s Saphira?”

Sparky blinked, no response. If Saphira had been in the apartment, Sparky would have directed Aiden to where, but she wasn’t here.

Aiden searched for his phone, then called her. It rang and rang, but she did not pick up. He furrowed his brows, worried.

Quickly getting changed, Aiden went down to the cafe with Sparky, where Lavinia was opening up. Today was Saphira’s day off, but perhaps there was an emergency at the cafe that Saphira was dealing with. However, when he looked around there as well, she was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, Lavinia, is Saphira around?” he asked. Lavinia gave him a funny look.

“I should be asking you that,” she said. “Why? You don’t know where she is?”

Aiden shook his head, a strange feeling spreading through him. He was starting to worry in earnest now. This was unlike her.

He thought of who else he could ask, and Emmeline popped into his head. Aiden dialed his cousin and, as the phone rang, he took Sparky and headed outside, by which point Emmeline had picked up.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Have you seen Saphira?” He headed toward his cottage, wondering if maybe she was there. Until Emmeline’s reply came.

“Yeah, I dropped her off a few hours ago.”

He stopped in his tracks. “What? Where?”

“What do you mean? She went to Mount Echo—didn’t you know?”

“What?” His voice was high with panic. “Mount Echo— why?”

“She said she had to discuss something with Sister Mireya,” Emmeline said, “so I dropped her off on Torch.”

He had a sinking feeling. “Em, I need to borrow Torch,” he said into the phone, walking quickly to his cottage to retrieve his car. “I’ll meet you in the field.”

“Okay, but … Aiden, what’s going on?”

“I think Saphira might be in trouble. I’ll see you in fifteen.”

He hung up, too stressed out to speak further. He started his car, then drove up, making it there a few minutes early because he was speeding. Thankfully, Emmeline was already there, a troubled expression on her face.

“What do you mean Saphira might be in trouble?” Emmeline asked, as Aiden ran up to Torch, where his cousin was waiting.

“I’ll explain later,” Aiden said, climbing onto the saddle in a swift movement. Torch took Sparky into her paw and, with a kick, the dragon was off.

As they flew straight to Mount Echo, Aiden had a sinking feeling as he realized what Saphira had most likely gone to the mountain for.

He had thought the ritual was ridiculous at the time because of course Saphira belonged—but perhaps she hadn’t felt that way.

He had noticed a slight change in her behavior, and when he’d asked her about it, they had talked about how she sometimes felt like she was an imposter to be with him—and Sparky, for that matter—because she wasn’t from a Drakkon family. He had reassured her that of course she belonged with him—but maybe he hadn’t emphasized that enough?

As a surprise, he was going to show her that he had changed Sparky’s custody so that it was joint to the both of them. She would have a golden ID; he knew she felt insecure about that, and he wanted to give her the token to make her feel better.

He wanted her to feel like she had equal ownership over Sparky, that no one could take her place, even if Sparky was trained now and the cafe was doing well and their agreement was coming to a close.

But he should have done more, sooner.

He just hoped it wasn’t too late.

When they arrived on Mount Echo, Aiden dismounted Torch, rushing into the compound to find Mireya. Sparky was close by Aiden’s side, flying next to him.

Aiden found Mireya reading in one of the smaller rooms, and when he burst in, she looked up with surprise.

“Where is Saphira?” he asked, breathless.

“I don’t understand,” Mireya said, setting down her book calmly. “Don’t you know?”

“Sister, please,” Aiden begged.

“She has gone to make herself a rider, even though she is not of rider blood,” Mireya said.

Aiden’s hands clenched into fists, and he resisted the overwhelming urge to hit something. He was losing his mind with worry, his thoughts racing over terrible scenarios.

“It doesn’t matter that she isn’t from a Drakkon family!” he cried, hardly able to speak.

“Apparently to her, it did.”

“What is the ritual?” he spat out. “Where is she?”

Mireya furrowed her brows. “I am sorry, Aiden, but I cannot tell you.”

Aiden was not a violent person, but right then, he wanted to be, if that would mean securing Saphira’s safety.

“Please.” He managed to grind the word out, but just barely.

“We must not interfere, nor can we disturb the sacred ritual,” Mireya simply replied.

This was ridiculous. Aiden considered how to force her into telling him, but he felt something nudge against his shoulder. It was Sparky, trying to get his attention.

“Not now,” he tsked, but then Sparky flew out, and Aiden had no choice but to follow. He glared at Mireya, then chased after his baby dragon—just like he had that night over three months ago, the night Sparky had led Aiden to Saphira.

“Sparky!” Aiden ran after him as Sparky zigzagged through the halls, heading up. The dragon went outside, passed Torch, flying toward the edge of the mountain.

“Please, I don’t have time for this,” Aiden said, running his hands through his hair. “We need to find Saphira.”

Sparky looked back to the edge of the mountain, making a sound, then turned back to Aiden, his purple eyes wide, as if willing Aiden to understand something.

But Aiden didn’t understand; he could hardly see straight, he was so worried.

Sparky moved as if to fly off the cliff, and Aiden reached out for him.

“Sparky, what are you doing?” Aiden asked, exasperated. “We have to find …”

He stopped himself, remembering something, a vital bit of information: dragons could track their riders. Which meant that Sparky could track Saphira; he was as bonded to her as he was to Aiden, if not more so.

Aiden exhaled, the realization dawning on him, while Sparky waited expectantly. He was a baby, but he was smart.

“Good boy,” Aiden said, scratching under the dragon’s chin. He ran to Torch, and Sparky followed. They quickly mounted, then set off.

While Sparky was too small to be flying on his own through the mountains, he could communicate to Torch where they needed to go.

As they flew through the clouds, Aiden couldn’t help but feeling this was his fault: he should have done better to protect her from gossip, or reassure her, or given her the Drakkon ID sooner, or done a million other things so she wouldn’t have had to put herself in danger like this. He felt as if he was well and truly losing his mind.

It was freezing. He hadn’t even worn a jacket, he had been in such a rush, but he hardly noticed the wind whipping against his skin, he was too preoccupied in searching for her, for where she might be.

Sparky led Torch to another mountain, this one higher up. It was a stark and sharp white peak, surrounded by clouds, higher than any other mountain. As they flew toward it, the temperature dropped even further, but Aiden was focused on searching.

And then he spotted a little speck amongst the snow.

“Saphira!” he cried, voice breaking, but she couldn’t hear him. They were too far away. His chest tightened painfully. “Torch, faster!”

They grew nearer, and he could see her clearly now, dressed in a dark robe. She was climbing up steep steps, her movements slow as she pushed against the wind and snow. The steps spiraled up alongside the mountain, leading up to a cave.

She was about halfway there, but the weather was too horrid for her to be doing this. It was much too dangerous.

“Saphira!” he cried again, heart pounding painfully as they got closer and he saw just how steep the steps were, just how close to the mountain’s edge. Anxiety was making his stomach roil, and he pushed Torch harder, faster.

Then, a gust of wind blew.

And she slipped.