Page 11

Chapter Eleven

Once more my human left me to my own devices. This work thing of hers was really getting in the way of her duties for me. I could have used her nimble fingers to scratch my scales. My second molting hit more rapidly than expected. Then again, I’d been eating copiously and had already tripled my size since hatching—which led to grumbling by my human when I nestled in her lap.

The skin on my body had begun to split and flake. Lethargy filled my limbs and the fever simmered. I wanted nothing more than to sleep, however, I couldn’t let myself. I had to remain vigilant for a foreboding filled me. An impending sense that something was amiss.

I blamed my humans and their paranoia. It had been more than a week since those people had shown up to collect the rocks and had mentioned a lost lizard. While Pip was convinced they spoke of me, I doubted it. No one could have predicted my birth. Part of the reason maternal progenitors scattered their clutch was to preclude anyone from finding us before we could defend ourselves. While I might speak confidently about our superiority, my inherited knowledge did warn of the danger our mere existence placed us in.

Humans had always hunted us. Some even enslaved us. A rare few worshipped us, bringing livestock for feeding, virgin sacrifices, and treasures to pad the hoard. However, that happened long ago and that world, those cultures, had long since vanished along with the veneration once held for my kind. Part of my plan involved bringing back that adoration tempered with respect. A respect earned most likely by eating a few people and destroying cities that might defy me.

Those kinds of actions would require me to mature to a dominating size, accumulate enough wealth to impress, and a gather bevy of loyal subjects to cater to the small matters beneath my attention. Servants who would be more committed to the honor bestowed upon them than my current pair, who kept leaving me alone to attend their other duties. As if anything could be considered more important than me!

I rubbed myself against the scratching post Maddox built for me to use to help slough the skin. He’d yet to impress me as a protector—although we’d not yet faced a threat—but he did well when it came to other things like bringing large loads of food, and the cave he’d suggested we find had been well outfitted should I ever need to escape. We’d returned several times with Maddox insisting I lead the way to ensure I knew the path. As if I would forget. I also hoped to never have need for it, fleeing being cowardly and all. Still, until I matured a bit more, it didn’t hurt to have an alternative to capture or death.

The television remained turned off, the repetitive inanity of the actors boring. I’d read the few books available and hungered for more knowledge. Pip had promised to give me lessons on using her laptop once she realized my claws could tap the keys like fingers. I looked forward to discovering for myself what this Google thing could teach.

While dragons were known to be collectors and fierce predators, we also liked to learn. Or at least, I did. My kind did have individual strengths and interests, not that I remembered what any of those were. Inherited knowledge sometimes sucked without the more personal memories that might have better guided me.

A rumble of an engine roused me. Not the right cadence for Pip’s bike or Maddox’s truck.

A stranger!

Pip’s instructions rang in my ears. Whatever you do, don’t let anyone see you. I don’t usually get visitors, but sometimes people get lost or you get something weird and random like those RCMP officers showing up. If you hear someone, hide.

Hide. The shame. Not to mention, my curiosity demanded to know who dared enter my territory.

Yes, mine. While Pip might have originally owned this plot of land, as my servant, what was hers was now mine.

I crept onto the counter with the sink, knowing the horizontal blind in the window hid my movement while the slits between the slats did offer me a narrow view.

A large, black vehicle and a smaller white one parked next to the trailer. From them spilled people: a man with graying temples dressed in a dark suit, a woman in blue pants and a matching blazer wearing glasses. I found myself most intrigued by the last four in the group who’d been outfitted in shiny gray suits that included helmets. The latter carried odd-looking guns.

But most concerning of all? From the large vehicle they pulled a cage!

It would seem Pip might not have been overly paranoid after all.

“Our surveillance has indicated it’s in the trailer.” The man in the suit spoke.

The woman pointed. “Spread out and surround it. We don’t want it escaping through a window.”

“What of the roof or floor, ma’am?” A tinny-sounding question from the tallest helmet wearer.

“This model of trailer doesn’t have any egresses other than the door or windows.”

“Assuming it wasn’t modified,” the tinman said.

“Then you’d better pay attention,” snapped Graytemples. “And don’t miss when you shoot those tranquilizers. These creatures can be dangerous when cornered.”

“We don’t need another incident like the one in South America,” the woman added.

The more they spoke, the more I found myself concerned. They appeared to have come prepared, but then again, so was I. I slid down and stuck my arms through the straps of the bugout bag Maddox left for me then eyed the floor. Contrary to this woman’s knowledge, there was a hatch leading to a makeshift storage box under the trailer. Pip showed it to me, saying “ If you can’t run, then hide and be quiet until they leave.”

I moved the carpet covering the hatch and hooked the hole with a claw and flipped it open. Quickly, I slid into the dark and cramped space. Pip had cleared most of the items from it, leaving me enough room to crouch. While I couldn’t replace the small rug, the hatch blended seamlessly into the mosaic floor once closed.

Bang. The door to the trailer broke as the strangers bullied their way in and footsteps thumped overhead.

“Search the trailer. Given our specimen isn’t very old, it might still be small enough to fit in a canister or cookie jar. Be vigilant and thorough,” the woman ordered.

A set of steps moved away, but the woman remained, judging by the slight creak right overhead. Cupboards open and closed. Things were moved, and not with care.

“Find anything?” Graytemples entered the trailer.

“Not yet, but it has to be around. See the scratching post in the corner? Looks like it’s going through a molting.”

“Seems late for a first one. Subject Vermillion only took five days,” Graytemples stated and I almost gasped. Could it be I wasn’t the only dragon currently alive?

“You’re assuming that’s its first shed,” the woman cautioned.

“You think it might be on its second one already? I guess it’s possible if it hatched soon as the volcano blew, but the fragments we recovered from the firepit seem to indicate it happened more recently.”

“Could be this one matured in the shell for longer and is going through the phases faster,” the woman opined.

“I haven’t found anything,” reported another tinny-sounding male.

“You haven’t been searching long enough,” barked Graytemples.

“There aren’t many places to look,” argued the other. “This place is tiny.”

“Search again!”

Thump. Thump.

“Are you sure our eyes in the sky didn’t accidentally miss it leaving the trailer?” the woman asked.

“Only the owner exited. She left on her bike and there’s been no movement since, but the drone’s last pass overhead captured a heat signature.”

“And where is that drone now?”

“Getting recharged. A new one should be in the air shortly. Soon as it passes overhead, we’ll know where it’s hiding.”

I felt a chill go through me despite the fever. Would the drone’s sensors be able to detect me under the floor?

“Well, well,” Graytemples muttered.

“What?” the woman exclaimed.

Only the man didn’t reply. The deep silence didn’t bode well. I began to shake, not from fear, but because my fever suddenly increased tenfold, causing my muscles to spasm. Not now. I couldn’t afford to be incapacitated with danger literally inches away.

When the hatch opened, the sudden bright light made me shut my eyes.

“I found it!” screeched the woman. “Where’s the tranq gun?”

“I don’t think we need to worry. Look at it. Shaking and sweating in the grips of its morph. It can’t do shit right now,” Graytemples claimed as he reached down to grab me.

While I might not be feeling my best, I resented the claim. However, their foolish belief gave me an advantage. Let them think me incapacitated.

The man reached into the cubby and lifted me from the hole, the grip rough and only further adding fuel to my agitation.

The woman clapped her hands. “Goodness, look at the size of it already. We found it just in time.”

“It’s wearing a backpack.” Graytemples tugged at it.

“Remove it and get it into the cage.”

I didn’t dare move as they took my bugout bag. Let them bring me outside where I wouldn’t be trapped when I made my escape.

The door to the trailer opened and fresh air hit my face. The moment Graytemples headed down the steps and hit level ground, I acted. I whipped my head to the side and bit. Couldn’t have said what I clamped on to but Graytemples screamed and dropped me to the ground.

“It was faking sleep. Shoot it!” screamed the woman.

I hissed in her direction. Before I could lunge and give her a well-deserved chomp, one of the tinmen emerged from the trailer while aiming his gun. He fired and I dove to the side, the missile narrowly avoiding me.

Noise from behind made me whirl to see another man in a shiny suit coming for me.

Surrounded by the enemy!

Panic filled me.

Rage too.

Add in my fever and the fact I’d not yet had my afternoon snack and I exploded.

Quite literally.

The skin on my back split as I bristled. My throat and belly tingled as heat built.

As the second tinman went to press his trigger, I opened my mouth and breathed. Not just air, though. Flames jetted forth.

“It’s a fire-breather,” the woman squealed in panic, stumbling away from me.

“Get behind Kalvin. His suit is fireproof,” Graytemples ordered.

Well, that explained the gray shiny apparel and helmets. The tinmen, not fearing my heated defense, advanced on me. One of them even dared to fire! I quickly huffed and the tranquilizing dart hit the ground in a melting mess.

Before another missile could be aimed, I ran towards the man in the tin suit standing between me and the forest.

“Catch him!” screamed the annoying woman.

The tinman dropped into a crouch and opened his arms wide as if to hug me. Despite the protective suit, I blew flames in the direction of the helmet. The male’s instinct made him recoil, letting me scurry past.

“You idiot. His fire can’t hurt you. Don’t let him get away!” The woman continued to screech as I raced for the forest.

As my clawed feet dug into the dirt, I strained and grunted.

Pop.

Through the rips on my back, my wings emerged and unfurled, just in time as two tinmen converged from the left and right. I leapt, my coiled legs springing me into the air. The moist membranes along my spine snapped open and caught an air current, however, frantic flapping didn’t give me much height, just enough to glide several feet before my clawed toes touched the ground. I bounced upward again in time to miss another dart.

The forest lay straight ahead. I raced for it, zigzagging and springing into the air, making myself a difficult target.

Once I made it past the first thin line of trees, I did as Maddox advised. Grabbed hold of a tree trunk and climbed as quickly as I could. I darted across the first solid branch before soaring to the next.

The strangers, intent on capture, followed below. I could hear them muttering and cursing. Searching but not finding.

Until Graytemples said the dreaded words, “The drone’s overhead. I’ll have its position in a second.”

Damned machine.

“It’s in the trees!” Graytemples hollered.

I growled, annoyed, and chose to climb higher. High enough my head popped from the canopy and I found myself staring at the hovering drone.

My throat and belly tickled again. The fire spewed too fast for the machine’s operator to react, scorching the metal and plastic, sending it crashing to the ground.

Now try and find me.

I didn’t waste time racing from the area lest they launch another drone. Maddox’s advice rang in my head. Don’t head direct. Try and make sure you lose any followers.

Following that counsel meant it took a lot more time to reach my cave, but in good news, I appeared to have lost the hunters.

Just in time. The moment I entered my hidey hole, I collapsed. The exertion of the change was too much. A vulnerability I could ill afford but couldn’t stop. I only hoped I didn’t wake inside a cage.

If I woke at all.