When Lainey stopped at the alcove and looked expectantly at Dakari, she could tell by the look on his face that he had no clue what was going on. She hadn’t noticed before but the alcove was at her level. Anyone over nine years old would probably not see it. She shimmied in, and beckoned for him to follow. He looked quizzically at her, his apprehension evident. From the end of the hallway came a shuffle of feet. Probably just a maid, but even a maid could point fingers.
Dakari lowered himself and tried to squeeze in. The shuffling became louder and any minute someone would be upon them. He was in up to his knees when the footsteps stopped. He imagined himself shrinking down and opened himself to the possibility. He didn’t think he had enough strength left in him
What would you do if you were Lainey?
The thud shook the cave and Lainey knew it wouldn’t be long until reinforcements came. Essam no doubt had summoned his best warriors and Lainey could imagine the chaos that was about to erupt. As fast as she could she raced back to the entrance of the alcove. The food was gone! She had left it here only minutes before. The food was to sustain her on her escape and now she had none. It would be too dangerous to go back to the kitchen to get more. Disheartened, she climbed in. She wiggled in her normal fashion but found she couldn’t move back. Using her hands she felt for the obstacle that blocked her way. She felt the warmth of skin and realized what she touched was a foot. Dakari was here!
Lainey woke cold and hungry. She felt for Dakari, found nothing, reached for the food and came up empty handed. She saw a faint light and moved towards it. Down the path she found him sitting up gorging on a chicken leg. He had conjured a ball of fire and it lit the passageway, offering warmth and making it look as cozy as the skiing lodge her parents favored. He smiled at her and offered her the bucket of chicken. “Do you have any idea where we are?” He asked between bites. She grabbed a wing, and looked up at him. “I know that the cave faces west, because I could see the sunset as I scrubbed the entrance.” She bit into the heavenly food
Dakari opened his eyes and saw Lainey’s concerned face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to zone out on you. Werecats can send mental messages to each other even when we’re not in feline form. I was letting my sister know everything you have told me so far.” “Will they come for us?” Lainey asked as they began to make their way down the passageway. It was so much easier with Dakari’s light. What had taken her half an hour now only took a few minutes. “They can’t pinpoint where we are by the descriptions just yet. They are on alert, awaiting any more news from us.”
From the ledge they were perched on, Lainey could see the water rising quickly. She turned to Dakari but he was frantically searching for a higher landing. As the water crested their ledge the waves ceased to crash outside on the cliffs as the water levels inside reached the height of the water level outside. The eerie silence, coupled with the lack of sunlight caused Lainey to start to lose hope. Had they really come all this way to be drowned so close to freedom? She felt Dakari tap her shoulder, the only light the red glow of the crystals. His strength was waning but he grabbed her wrist and whispered.
Brilliant reds faded through pinks and oranges to an almost eerie golden yellow as the sun let its grasp of the day weaken and die. The glorious cover of night spread and the last of the water receded. Waves again raged war with the cliffs and on a night like thousands before, the cliffs stood firm. Before he conked out for good Dakari had broken off a stalactite and charmed it into a magic flashlight. It’s light was enough for Lainey to see and placing it between her teeth she began to climb. Higher and higher she climbed until she reached the location she thought she had seen the large crevice. The darkness was too dense even with the light to see the size of the breaks between the rocks of the cliff and she found herself feeling her way. The roar of an incoming wave sounded like a stampede of horses and she held on tightly as t
Lainey found it much easier to climb back up to the ledge in the light from the crystals. In no time she found herself eye to eye with Dakari. He was laying on his side, eyes open but only somewhat coherent.When he saw her he jumped. His eyes opened wide and a huge grin replaced the vacant stare of a moment before.“I thought you didn’t make it. I thought somehow you fell off the ledge and drowned.” Dakari gushed, “I’ve never been so happy to see someone.” He pulled her the rest of the way up, and gave her a warm hug. She didn’t realize she had been so cold and wet until she felt heat radiate through her, and for the moment her clothes were dry.Lainey was touched.&nb
Lainey’s eyes opened abruptly and the nightmare stopped. In the dream she had been running from something and tripped just before she made her escape. Looking around now and realizing where she was, she hoped the dream wasn’t a premonition. Still snuggled into Dakari’s side for warmth, she turned to survey their current situation. Still on the side of the cliff, tucked back into a natural recession in the rock she looked across at three islands, one far larger than the other two.“I forgot about those islands when I described what it looked like out here.” She thought and turned to see if he was awake yet.Lainey giggled some at the sight of Dakari, eyes closed, murmuring to himself. Remembering his description of mental communication, Lainey
Dakari took the amulet into his hands and closed his eyes. “It is being called, I can feel it trying to answer. Can you feel it?” He said, sounding very much like one of those television preachers that preach late in the night. Lainey looked at him like he had grown another head. “What do you mean? How can rocks be called? That doesn’t make any sense.” Remembering that humans would typically have closed minds when it came to things like this, he attempted to
The Hunt for Knowledge“The journey is the treasure.” Lloyd Alexander~~~“The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things. Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.” The Last Unicorn~
As they unpacked the helicopter, Dakari noticed a backpack wedged in the corner of the little cargo area. It was old, and filthy, and had the stench of the dragon lair on it. He called to Paolo and his team. “Did anyone grab this bag from the caves before we left?” He questioned. Each man shook his head, looking just as baffled as Dakari. “I had this area pretty packed when we left home, with all the blankets and medical necessities. It had to be put in there while we were down with the kids.” Paolo advised. Dakari knew he had to open it, but the thought of finding those disappearing embryos caused him to hesitate. What would they do then? He reached to undo the zipp
Dakari and his team took off at first light. The air was crisp and cool, visibility at its best. They gratefully accepted another boost from Mr. Toma, and they arrived back in Ireland in less than an hour. Penny had wanted to join them but her body wasn’t up to the task yet. The blast of electricity had done far more damage than anyone expected. Without Penny’s invisibility cover, they actually flew the helicopter right to the cliffs. They pretended to be watching the ocean churn below, when in fact they were watching to see if there were still dragons about. Thirty minutes later, Dakari was satisfied that eve
After the coroner arrived, they trudged back inside Grandfather's house. They needed to see to the living, mourn the dead, and find a way to celebrate the victory.The leaders from the different groups gathered, ready to put a plan into action.It was hard to concentrate on all there was to do when Kaya, her panther, kept screaming about their mate inside her head. She looked over shyly at Dakari. He was looking at her too. The look he was giving her made her insides turn to mush and her mouth go completely dry.Grandfather came to them both, put his hands on their shoulders. The corners of his mouth turned up in a way that let you know he completely understood what they were feeling. “Why don't you two see to what needs doing, then
Katalea stood, her heart in her eyes, looking at Dakari. Grandfather smiled when he recognized the look. “Dakari, welcome to the family. You two found a hell of a time to find each other.” He chuckled at the irony. “You will have time to develop your mate bond later. Now, we need to see to our injured.” Dakari only had eyes for Katalea. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. How had he missed it? He thought back to her school days and laughed at her early attempts at conjuring.
“Hold On!” Penny screamed as they soared into a cloud of dragons.“Where did you come from?” Katalea screamed back, trying to be heard over the endless noise.“Just be glad we came in time!” She said in her mind. Why in the world were they trying to speak over the Armageddon surrounding them.Katalea thought flying would be smooth. This was like trying to ride a rocket hurtling through time and space. The charred air was so hot, and they moved so fast that everything was blurred. Katalea called a tornado, a steel grey funnel reaching from the churning clouds, reminiscent of days long gone. She directed in with her mind, a heavenly vacuum capturing countless dragons in its downward spi
The emergency meeting on the beach was in stark contrast to the one the day before. Gone were the happy feelings and hopeful outlook for the future. Those feelings had been replaced by dread, fear, and anxiety. Katalea stood before the Pride and delivered the premonition. Somber faces listened as she told what transpired in her dream. The weredragons would be attacking by nightfall. It was time to come together and make sure everyone knew the plan. They had been over this scenario so many times before, the difference was, this wasn’t a drill. Some of them wouldn’t see the sun rise in the morning. Others would lose a loved one. No one questioned the authenticity of her dreams, she had never been wrong before. It was time for the prophecies to play out.&nb
They took off with bombs exploding all around them. Blinding streams of blue, flashing lights of red, and once an explosion of diamonds that glittered and flittered down to the sea. The fireworks display was breathtaking to behold and a fitting send off to the little girl they had all come to love. Maggie was pretty sure she never wanted to be this close to a firework again.Dakari thought of Lainey, and knew her bracelet would be glowing red. She wouldn’t know what that meant yet, but he had charmed her memory enough to enable small bits of him to filter in as the years went by. For now, he would be happy that she would sleep without nightmares. It was the least he
They brought the sandwiches back to happy soldiers, who were content to eat before starting out. The park was full of people anyway, out enjoying a rare warm day in winter, so there wasn’t any rush. Children played football, couples shared smooches on blankets, and students studied out of doors in groups and by themselves. As the day wore on, more people began to arrive. They came in groups, with heavy blankets and looked as if they meant to stay awhile. Dakari, bewildered by the behavior, gave up and went to take a nap under a tree. Curious by nature, Maggie set out on