Dragon Fire (16 page)

Liv laughed. “I’ve never thought of it that way. But yes, it is.”

Anna floated in the feeling of freedom that surrounded her. She had never realized how oppressive the town was with its multitude of people and emotions and energies all crammed on top of each and clamoring for attention.

“Anna,” said Liv, gently calling her back to Earth. “I can make it so that you always feel this way, if you want.”

“What? Why would I want that?”

Liv studied Anna for a long time. “Only you can know the answer to that.”

“Can you teach me to do it instead?”

Anna felt Liv’s mind-touch probe her gently, as if she was looking for the answer. “I don’t know. You need to learn to control your mind-touch first.”

Anna felt her cheeks burn. Did Liv know what had happened between her and Torsten? “Pemba should be back soon,” Anna said, looking away. “He’s already started teaching me.”

When Liv didn’t say anything, Anna looked back up. “What?”

“If he doesn’t come back within the coming week, or if he no longer wishes to teach you, will you accept my help?”

Anna felt her glow of peacefulness fade away as Liv’s intense eyes bore into her. Why wouldn’t he come back? Or want to help her?

Slowly, Anna nodded. “I will,” Anna said. It felt like signing a binding contract.

“Good,” said Liv with a curt nod. “The film’s over and Haakon’s coming back. I’ll undo the shield. Ready?”

Anna nodded, but was still surprised by the rush of sound and energy that flooded her senses. “Ouch.” She put a hand to her temple.

“You okay?” asked Haakon.

“I’m fine. My head hurts, that’s all.” Anna looked at Haakon. His energy was flat. It didn’t have the three-dimensional quality that Liv’s or June’s did. Anna stood up and looked at the others. Erling, Lysa, the twins. They all had that feeling of pulsing energy around them, now that she was looking for it. But not Haakon. Or the other people in the crowd. Anna did a double take. There had to be other people who had it. She scanned the crowd again. No one.

Anna wondered why they were different as she helped pack up and get ready to go. She noticed Lysa, sitting on the snowbank, staring at the air in front of her. Anna hesitated, but then went and joined her. “You should come play handball again. We’re supposed to have a new coach tomorrow.”

Lysa looked up, her eyes blank orbs of pale green. “Erling says I should play again. That it’d help me feel better. But I don’t know.”

“You should try,” Anna said. “You can always stop if it doesn’t work.”

“Thanks,” said Lysa, looking away. “And I’m really sorry about… everything.”

“Me too.”

They sat in silence until Anna realized that Haakon and Liv were probably waiting for her. “Uh, I better go.” Anna stood and paused for a second. She wanted to reach out and help Lysa who felt so broken. “It might help to be part of the team again.”

“I don’t know if anything will help.”

“You won’t know until you try.” Anna gave her a quick hug. “See you tomorrow.” Anna walked to where Haakon and Liv were waiting. She groaned when she saw Torsten.

“Ready to go?” asked Haakon. “We’ll drop you off first.”

“I guess so,” Anna said. She avoided Torsten’s gaze that tried to latch onto hers. It felt like he wanted to dissect her with his eyes.

“You still live by the observatory, right?” asked Liv, as she climbed into the driver’s seat of her red beater.

“Yes.” Reluctantly, Anna got in the back next to Torsten. “But you can drop me off at the bottom of the street.” She’d rather walk home than be in the car next to Torsten for too long. He was worse than the twins any day.

“I promised June we’d drop you off in front of your door. And if I don’t, she’ll yell at me,” said Haakon with a smile.

“You’re on a short leash,” said Torsten, punching Haakon’s shoulder playfully.

Torsten’s brocaded overcoat touched her thigh and sent a jolt of electricity through her body. She jerked to the side. “Watch out,” she said and glared at his coat. It was teeming with dragons of all different colors.

Haakon snapped something at Torsten. And this time Anna was certain. It was the same guttural language that Pemba and Dawa spoke together.

“Why are you speaking Tibetan?” Anna asked. “You’ve never been in Tibet.”

The silence that followed was so excruciating that Anna couldn’t even breathe.

“I told you that this was going to turn into a problem,” said Torsten calmly. “She’s a wild card and we can’t afford one right now.”

R
AKAN TORE INTO THE NGARI PLATEAU
with his diamond-like white claws. Thrashing at it as if it was his desire for Anna. He was a dragon. He needed to mate with a dragon. But he didn’t want a dragon. He wanted Anna. Would he be able to forget her if he joined a Cairn? Or would everyone know that he craved the company of a human and reject him? Rakan writhed in agony. No matter what he did, it would be wrong. He flung himself into the sky, but even the sensation of the air currents along the membranes of his wings didn’t bring any pleasure.

He wanted to go back to Tromso. To see Anna. To watch her hair slide through his fingers. To feel her gentle energy respond to his and grow in intensity. To feel her lips…

Without warning, the bright yellow Nima’kor slammed into him and they plummeted, tearing at each other. They morphed and shifted as they hit the ground, popping back out in human form. “What was that for?” growled Rakan as they circled each other.

“To knock some sense into you. You didn’t feel my attack until my claws were in your hide because you can’t think about anything but that worthless human.” Nima’kor spat on the ground. “Take her if you want, but don’t ever forget that you’re a dragon. And not just any dragon. You’re Kairök Yarlung’s son. Your desire to claim the human is demeaning.”

Rakan lunged in fury at Nima’kor only to find himself on his face in the dirt. Nima’kor twisted his arm and pressed a knee into his back.

“If you can’t control yourself, you’ll never be able to join a Cairn. No Kairök will accept you.” Nima’kor jerked his arm until it was about to break. “And if that happens, I’ll kill you to avenge your mother’s shame.”

* * *

When Liv pulled up in front of her house, Anna jumped out, barely saying goodbye. She had no idea what Torsten had meant about her being a wild card. And she didn’t want to know.
Where are you Pemba?
If only he would come back and things could go back to being normal.

Anna sat on her bed in the dark, fully dressed. Her phone rang and she jumped. It wasn’t someone in her contact list. The phone trembled in her hand. What if it was Torsten? She answered on the fourth ring, just before it went to voicemail. Better to face him than to hide. “Hello?”

“Anna, it’s Liv. Are you okay?”

Anna heaved a sigh of relief. “Yeah, I’m okay. I guess.”

“You’re worried about Torsten.”

Anna didn’t answer. She had never had a reason to distrust Liv, but her instincts were screaming at her to keep some distance.

“Do you want me to shield you?” asked Liv.

“No. I’ll be fine.”

“Call me if you change your mind.”

“Okay. Uh, thanks.”

“If Pemba doesn’t come back by next week, I’ll work with you on your mind-touch. Okay?”

“Okay.” Anna hung up and stared at the phone. She couldn’t figure out whether Haakon and Liv were really friends with Torsten or not. Either way, it was weird that he and Haakon dropped their argument and pretended everything was fine in front of June. Anna groaned. How was she going to explain the situation to June who thought he was great?

Anna walked over to the window to watch the lights play on the fjord. But a thick fog had rolled in and smothered everything. Anna pressed her forehead against the window, cut off and alone.

* * *

“You have no choice,” Khotan said. His dark burgundy eyes glowed in the delicate light that came through the intricate lattice work of the living rock of his lair. “You will wait.”

Rakan growled. Normally, he loved his father’s study. It felt like being inside a three-dimensional fractal. But today it was a prison. Nima’kor’s attack had made him anxious for Anna. He’d protect her, even if they couldn’t be together. He had never liked Nima’kor. But now he hated him. He knew what the right thing to do was. And that was why he hadn’t mated with her. He hadn’t even touched her… that way. Rakan slammed a fireball into the fireplace. “I’ve waited long enough.”

“Still an impatient puppy, Rakan?” sneered Dvara, shifting into the room wearing her vermillion gown that shimmered like molten metal. She held her head high and challenged him with a look of disdain.

Rakan jumped up to hug his sister. She was okay. And he knew her aggression was just a façade. But he stopped as soon as he touched her. “You smell like T’eng Sten. You’ve been with him while I’ve been going crazy waiting, thinking you—”

“Enough,” Yarlung said, appearing next to Dvara. “At least he’s a dragon and not a human.”

Rakan stiffened, expecting an onslaught. But Yarlung turned to Khotan. “Dvara knows what I expect of her now. She’ll accept the advances of the next Kairök of her own accord.” She cupped Dvara’s chin in her hand. “Since you’re so eager to mate.”

Rakan felt Dvara’s energy flicker in anger, but she stood still.

Yarlung turned back to Khotan, her nostrils flaring. “Why did you hide this from me?”

“I didn’t.”

“Then why was T’eng Sten’s Firemark camouflaged?” Yarlung pointed accusingly at the star on Dvara’s chest, just below her Maii-a. It hadn’t been there before. “You expect me to believe that she stood in T’eng Sten’s fire without you knowing?” Yarlung lifted her hand and Khotan groaned in pain. He dropped to his knees. “You lie,” she said.

“I’ve never lied to you. I can’t. And you know that,” said Khotan. He struggled to his feet. “T’eng Sten chose to transform it, not me. As far as I’m concerned, it makes no difference whether it’s visible or not. When I die, she’ll have to join a Cairn. You can’t claim her. She’s your daughter. T’eng Sten is no worse than any of the others. His claim was irrelevant as long as she was my kai. There was no reason to mention it.”

Yarlung hissed. “Fool. T’eng Sten is a weak political alliance.” Yarlung faced Dvara again. “But we can turn this situation to our advantage. If the choice of your heart is stronger than your new suitor, he’ll win and take control of the other Cairn, which will make him a better match. And if he’s weaker, it won’t matter anymore. He’ll be dead.”

“I’ll play my part,” Dvara said. “But I won’t allow two Kairöks to duel over me.”

“You’ll have no choice. Not once Khotan asks it of you. Even you, with your unbridled passion can hardly desire a long, painful demise.” Yarlung turned her back to Dvara. “You’re too ambitious to die for someone else.” She faced Rakan. “You’re a dragon. Act like one.”

Yarlung disappeared, her words hanging like poisonous darts in the air.

“We’ll kill Paaliaq before it gets to that,” Khotan said. “And then you’ll both be free.”

Rakan’s rök seared his insides in a flame of blind rage. He wanted to lash out and destroy the world and everything that was wrong in it.

Khotan placed a large hand on Rakan’s shoulder, draining him of his pent up tension. “Trust yourself,” said Khotan. He turned to Dvara. “Bring him back before he explodes.”

“May your will be done,” she answered, bowing her head.

Rakan looked at his half-sister. Why was she acting like Khotan was her Kairök?

“I thought you were in a hurry,” Dvara said, ignoring his look. She walked over to Khotan’s worktable. It was cluttered with bits of rock that looked more innocent than they were. “Or we can stay a few more days.” She picked up a small stone. “Oh, that’s interesting. How did—”

“I’m ready,” Rakan said, interrupting her. If she and Khotan began to talk shop about triggers and other exploding devices they’d never get back to Tromso. He jumped up and transformed his black pants to jeans and a sweatshirt. He buckled on the belt he had crafted out of a strip of leather and as many different metals as he could find. He wouldn’t be caught off guard by the twins again. “Let’s go.” He needed to see Anna. Just to make sure she was okay. But he wouldn’t touch her.

* * *

When Rakan and Dvara walked into the schoolyard, Anna ran over and threw her arms around him. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you call me?”

“Anna.” Rakan wrapped his arms around her before he realized what he was doing. But by then the pure sweet smell of wild chrysanthemums had beckoned him in and he nuzzled her neck, wanting to bite her even if he knew he shouldn’t. He forced himself to release her.

“No,” she said, gripping him tighter. “Don’t let go.”

Her panic hit him like a cold shower. “Anna,” he said, holding her face in his hands. He searched her eyes, his inner turmoil forgotten. She was scared. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” Her eyes filled with unshed tears.

“Did Ulf touch you?” Rakan’s blood rushed in anger. “I’ll kill him.”

Anna shook her head.