Antebellum Awakening (The Network Series #2)(3)
“Then I told Luther that I wouldn’t go with him,” Camille said with a little sigh, speaking of one of the many Guardians enamored with her. “There are too many Guardians I’d want to say yes to, and not enough time. I’ll have to dance with all of them, I guess. Oh! We better turn back. We’re at the back hedge now.”
Indeed, we stood at a hedge several feet taller than us and as wide as I was tall, the last protection between the dangers of Letum Wood and the castle grounds. Occasional breaks in the hedge allowed movement to the forest. We lingered at one such spot, peering down the rolling, grassy knoll that led right into Letum Wood.
“Can we stay just a second?” I asked, meeting her eyes. I’d hate myself later for letting myself remember all the old times, but being this close weakened my resolve. I won’t go in. I’ll just try to see the animal that’s scurrying around. “I want to look at it, that’s all.”
She hesitated, then nodded once. Camille seemed to understand my random needs and tumultuous bouts of emotions since Mama died better than anyone. She lost her parents at a much younger age. Knowing she’d made it through gave me hope on some of the darkest days.
“Just for a minute,” I promised, scanning the green depths. For a moment I could smell the fresh pine, hear the chitter of a squirrel, and feel the rush of blood moving past my ears as I ran down a cool dirt trail. How I missed it!
The movement in the leaves had ceased and didn’t seem to come again. Just when the longing to return to the cool, misty forest nearly overwhelmed me, when I was ready to turn away and put it behind me for good this time, the deep foliage of the forest stirred and shifted. I grabbed Camille’s arm.
“Did you see that?” I asked, breathless. To see a creature in Letum Wood in the light of day was a rare occurrence. It could be nothing more than a game of chase among a few large rodents, but Letum often hid far greater things. “Something is moving in the trees. Something big.”
“Don’t say that,” she muttered, shifting her shoulders as if something cold hung there. “You have the worst kind of luck lately. What if it’s a lion? They sense beauty—I’m sure of it—which means I’ll be the first to be eaten.”
I rolled my eyes. “Lions don’t come out during the day. Look! It can’t be the wind. It’s moving again.”
The leaves shifted anew, accompanied by a low snort that sent clouds of steam billowing into the clearing. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Perhaps lingering hadn’t been such a good idea.
“Uh, Bianca?” Camille whispered, “W-what is that growling sound?”
A massive shape with a long, supple neck and shiny scales that gleamed a blue-black in the sunlight slipped into sight. The graceful creature hung back, barely discernible, until a long tail with two sharp spikes flickered out of the trees like a whip. When a pair of yellow eyes peered out from the darkness, I sucked in a deep breath and shoved Camille behind me.
“A forest dragon,” I whispered.
“Then look away!” she screeched, whirling around and pressing her hands to her eyes. “If it looks you in the eyes it will paralyze you and eat you for lunch!”
The eyes blinked once, then retreated into the forest, while the ebony tail, flecked with sapphire, twitched but remained visible. He was shifting positions.
“His eyes are gone,” I said.
“Did he leave?”
“No.” Forest dragons were surly and prone to anger, usually catching their prey in the dead of night by sneaking up with panther-like precision, or so the legends said. I felt less than comfortable finding one in full daylight. They hadn’t even been seen in centuries, at least not by anyone who lived to tell the tale. Some witches questioned whether the legends surrounding them had ever been real. So why would a forest dragon come out in the daylight now?
“Okay,” Camille whispered, panic edging into her voice. “Okay, okay, okay. We just need to get out of here, that’s all. Will it come after us if I start running? What if I scream?”
The lemon-colored eyes reappeared from the dark depths, staring right at me. A little shiver skimmed my spine, but I didn’t look away. I felt no spell, no desire to move toward it, as the stories claimed. Instead, I felt unusually calm.
“Don’t scream,” I whispered, listening to the little instinct inside. “I don’t think it wants to hurt us, and I’m not sure it’s seen you. Back up to the other side of the hedge.”
The dragon stepped forward, moving out of the tree line and into the sun with lazy grandeur. His chest alone was three times taller than my height, with a willowy tail and long wings that folded onto his expansive back like sheets of leather. I squinted against the bright reflection off his glittery scales. I needed a plan.
As soon as Camille is safe, I thought, distract the dragon so he doesn’t fly after her, then transport to Chatham.
“Go find a Guardian and tell him what’s going on, Camille,” I said, keeping my gaze locked on the dragon’s queer eyes. Now that he stood in the sunlight, they had faded to a shade of burnt orange. “Can you do that?”
“Y-yes,” Camille whispered. “Right. Calm. Calm. Calm. I’m calm. I’m calm. Can’t you just transport us out of here?”
Camille hadn’t learned transportation yet, so she didn’t know I couldn’t take another witch with me. “Transportation doesn’t work when two witches are touching. Just run back to Chatham. As soon as you’re safe, I’ll transport over and meet you near the back door.”