Ambush. Part 15

"Beck?" Kate said with surprise.

Four things worried me: one, Kate and Wyatt had used the elevator without my permission; two, they were spending time together and leaving me out; three, Kate didn't look happy to see me; and four, I had not yet come up with a good story for why I had secretly been growing dragons down below. Instead of instantly begging for understanding, I decided to go with false indignation in an attempt to make them feel like the bad guys.

"What are you guys doing?" I said standing up straight. "This is my house."

"Too late, Beck," Kate said, disappointed. "We saw what was down there. How could you?"

False indignation wasn't working so I tried being contrite. "You don't understand, I had no choice," I pleaded. "My father made me do it."

Wyatt just stared at the ground as if for once in his life he realized that it wasn't his place to talk.

"Your father?" Kate said, sounding heartbroken. "Isn't he in Kingsplot?"

I nodded.

"How did he make you do it then, Beck?" Kate asked. "Did he force you to get the stone? Did he force you to plant it? Did he force you to gather all that water and all that food?"

Kate's blue eyes were wet at the edges. I couldn't stand it.

"Did he force you to lie to me?"

Wyatt started to quietly ease backward and out of the room.

"You don't understand," I argued.

"That's true," Kate said, standing up as tall as she could. "I don't understand how this could happen after all we've been through and everything that's happened to us. I don't understand why you would promise me one thing and do another. I don't understand how the boy I love could do this to me."

The word love made my heart start to rip itself apart in shame. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was, but the darkness easing into my brain was really bothered by her use of the word boy. The guilt and sorrow I felt in my heart were being buried by my brain. I should have listened to my heart, but my brain was gaining control.

"I'm sorry you don't understand, but you still don't have permission to be here," I said calmly. "I would have told you if you had given me time. You're the ones who are out of line."

"We came to get you," Kate explained, a frightening strength in her voice. "Millie said to come on up, but when we got to your room, you wouldn't wake up. We shook you pretty hard. So I figured I'd show Wyatt the elevator. When I saw the b.u.t.ton glowing, we decided to press it. Sorry if you feel we crossed some sort of boundary. I know how strictly you follow rules."

"Not fair," I said selfishly. "You don't know what's happening."

"Really?" she said. "I think I have a pretty clear grip on what's happening. In fact, I can even see what's going to happen next."

"What?" I asked.

"I'm going to break up with you," she said seriously. "Good luck, Beck. I have a feeling you're going to need it."

"Kate," I lamely tried to debate. "Don't do this."

It was already done. Kate walked out the door and left me alone with a growing feeling that the entire world was against me.

"Whatever," I said, totally disgusted with myself and completely driven to carry on.

I stepped into the elevator and pushed the b.u.t.ton.

I was going down.

Chapter 20.

For No One Very few things really surprise me, but I was pretty surprised when two days later the stone hatched and, unlike the times before, I was right there when it happened. I was down in the gla.s.s cavern tending the closed and swollen nest and preparing more water and food. One moment I was stacking cans of food I had swiped from the kitchen when I looked over and the leafy pod began to open up. Three of the broad green leaves rippled and unfurled.

The cavern was suddenly filled with the sound of gurgling and popping. I couldn't decide if I should run toward the pod or away. The leaves shook and rolled open like the top of a tin sardine can. I could smell a sharp, pleasant odor like newly cut gra.s.s or fresh Christmas trees. The big pod bounced up and down and then, with a wet crack, it gushed open at the top and liquid of some sort flowed out. The pod then dropped and seemed to exhale. As it settled, a small dragon pushed out of the goo like a mountaineer cresting an impossibly tall mountain and tumbled from the nest onto the dirt. A dark mud formed around the small creature as it lay there taking long, deep gulps of air.

I stood there frozen from surprise.

The small dragon shifted in the dirt. I ran to the creature, not having any idea what to do. It was covered in slime and was already slightly imposing. It looked as though it was made of a mixture of stone and plastic. It was too big to pick up, so I knelt down next to it while talking softly.

"Hey, guy," I said, having no real idea if it was a girl or boy. "Don't worry; you're going to be fine."

The dragon was orange with a stark red streak running down its curved back. It looked like a wad of wriggling fire. Its face was long with a pointed snout and deep-set green eyes. I had raised a number of dragons, but I had never seen one so new. I was about to get some water and offer it to the small creature, but I was stopped by the noise of the nest gurgling again. I looked over and saw the leafy pod shake and twitch. Another leafy fold drew back and the head of a second dragon popped out of the sticky mess and tumbled to the dirt.

The surprise was almost debilitating.

I staggered and tried to steady myself. I was confident that I had planted only one stone, and yet here was a second dragon. All of the rocks I had previously sown had produced single dragons, but I was seeing double. The second one was yellow, and had a broad maroon streak running down its back. It too was covered in goo.

"Towels," I said, trying to regain my composure. "I need some towels."

As I stood, I watched the first dragon push up on its front legs and shift closer to its companion. He started to lick the yellow one, cleaning the goo from its back.

"Ewww," I said, disgusted. "That's repulsive."

Despite the disgust, the two little dragons gave me a great sense of happiness. Joy rushed up over me. I felt like I had done something important, something that would make all those like Kate and my father reevaluate how they were treating me.

"Names," I said, looking at the two dragons. "You two need names. How about . . ."

Before I could even begin to label them the nest moaned and popped once more.

"Uh-oh," I whispered.

Four huge leafy folds split open and the center of the nest boiled up into a bubble. The bubble grew until it was three feet high and then with one frightening pop it burst, sending goo all over the gla.s.s cavern. I wiped my eyes clear and there before me was a third dragon falling out of the pod.

This dragon was different than the other two. Not only was it jet black, but it was much bigger. It had a ring of small uneven b.u.mps around its large forehead and right ear, making it look like it was wearing a jaunty crown. Its legs were muscular and long and its arms were streaked with thick black hair.

The two smaller dragons immediately shifted toward the new arrival and began licking and cleaning. The black beast was so mesmerizing that I was almost drawn into licking it off as well. It had wide orange eyes and a long neck. Small spikes ran down its lower back and onto its split tail. I didn't really want to play favorites, but I knew immediately that I liked the black one best.

The large dragon pushed its front end up with its arms and steadied its wobbling head. I was tempted to reach out and touch it, but the temptation vanished when it opened its mouth and let out a terrifying screech. I covered my ears, thinking the gla.s.s cavern would shatter. The dragon then closed its mouth and looked at me as if expecting something.

"Yes?" I asked.

It continued to stare at me while the two smaller ones worked to clean it off.

"Water?" I guessed.

I ran and got a bucket of water and set it down. I don't want to embarra.s.s myself, but I think I might have curtsied right after giving it to him.

The black dragon screamed and then took a long, l.u.s.ty drink. It pushed up on its back legs and wobbled on all fours. The two other ones did the same thing, keeping close to his sides and continuing to clean him.

I leaned to my left and took a closer look at the leafy pod they had just emerged from. It was now completely deflated and lying on the ground like a mound of soggy seaweed.

"Three dragons," I said in awe. "That's a surprise."

The Grim Knot had never said a thing about the last dragon being more than one. Of course, the authors of The Grim Knot had never really experienced the last dragon. That part was for me to finish someday. And, whereas I typically needed to write things down so I wouldn't forget them, I had a feeling that I would never forget the fact that these three dragons had come from one stone.

I stared at them all, feeling a strange strength and power

rising in my chest. There was no part of me that wanted to

share this with anyone-not with my father, not Kate and Wyatt, no one. The moment felt intimate and intoxicating and personal.

The black dragon stumbled two steps closer to me and lowered its head slightly. I reached out and touched him on the left ear. His skin felt warm and rough and wet. The orange and yellow dragons saw what was happening, and the backs of their necks rankled.

"I'm not hurting him," I told them. "See."

I touched the black dragon on the forehead and then on the back of his long neck. The orange one hissed and then backed away.

I laughed out loud.

I had to believe that the rest of the world would have loved to be where I was and see what I saw. Dragons were a myth, a story, and a lie. But I knew different. I knew they were as real as any other creature. And I knew that my family was the key and the connection to keeping them alive. There was no way I could destroy these. I would raise them and then hide them wherever necessary to protect them. Their survival depended on me, and I wouldn't let them down.

I petted the heads of all three dragons one by one.

"Don't worry," I consoled them. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

The dragons moved their legs and arms, stretching and screaming. All three had wings, but none of them could open them fully yet. The orange and yellow ones had black claws and beet-red mouths. When they opened their jaws to scream or squawk, their tongues looked like red chilies. The black one's tongue was blue and long and curled at the end when he rolled it out.

In the past it had been kind of difficult to name the dragons. Not because I couldn't come up with ideas, but because I always had to make sure Kate and Wyatt agreed. Now, the task belonged to just me and I already knew just what I wanted to call them.

The one with the red stripe reminded me of a redheaded kid I once knew named Paul. He was a tough kid who was always. .h.i.tting people and things. So I felt his name might work perfectly-Paul. The yellow one was Malcolm because it sounded tough, and the large black one was Jude because I had wanted to name one of the previous dragons Jude, and Kate had said no.

The trio of dragons moved carefully closer to the soggy pod. Jude opened his jaws and began to devour the very nest of leaves he had come from. After he had taken a few large bites, Jude raised his head and signaled Paul and Malcolm to join him. All three chewed and tore at the nest until there was nothing left.

I had never seen any dragons do that.

"I have a feeling you're going to show me a lot of things I've never seen before," I said to them.

Jude screeched, and Paul and Malcolm followed suit as my mind continued to grow just a bit darker.

"I can't believe Kate doesn't want this," I said to Jude.

He ignored me and bent down to drink another full bucket of water.

Chapter 21.

The Long, Winding Road Even suspension was working out great for me. In fact, the last week of my being suspended was one of my favorite weeks ever. Okay, I did feel sick about Kate and me splitting up, but I had things to take my mind off of it-things like dragons.

Jude, Paul, and Malcolm were more entertaining than the other dragons I had raised. Paul and Malcolm followed Jude everywhere, acting like his own personal bodyguards. They let him eat first, dug spots in the dirt for him to sleep, and kept an eye on me constantly. I had the feeling that if Jude didn't trust me, I would be in big trouble. But, Jude did trust me; he stayed by me like an old family dog. Whenever I was down in the gla.s.s cavern, he was attentive and obedient to everything I said.

It wasn't all fun. They were going through food and water quickly. I had planned on taking care of only one dragon. I was collecting and bringing whatever I could find for them to eat, but I knew I could only keep it up a few more days before they were out of food and looking at me as more of a snack than a zookeeper. Plus, Millie was getting suspicious of the snacks and food that were disappearing from the pantry. I kept telling her that she was just getting old and had lost track, but she wasn't buying it.

My biggest concern was the size of the dragons. They were bulking up quickly. The gla.s.s cavern could still fit them, but there was only one way out, the elevator. I knew that once they were too big to be transported in the elevator, they would be trapped down there forever. I was pretty sure I couldn't keep feeding and hiding them down there for much longer. I figured I had about a week before they were too big to transport up. So, consequently, I had about a week to find a new spot to keep them.

One of the nicest things about me taking care of the dragons was that I had been so busy I hadn't had time to bother Millie and Wane, or cause any trouble for Thomas around the manor. All three of them thought I was just spending time in my room and working on the huge pile of homework my teachers had sent with Kate.

I missed Kate, but I stubbornly knew she was wrong and I was right. She knew how important this was. She knew that my family had an obligation. And she had to know that there really was no way for me to simply sit back and ignore the drive inside me. Yep, she was being stubborn.

Wyatt had called me the day after Kate and he left the manor. He said he wanted to help me clear things up, but I know he just wanted to stop me-to control me and make me feel bad about what I was destined to do. The phone conversation didn't go well. In fact, it ended with the two of us yelling at each other.

Big deal.

I couldn't control how selfish other people were. They could be helping me and experiencing what I was. Instead, they were all choosing the weak way out.

Because I had been so good, Thomas and Millie agreed to let me take the school bus to and from school once I was reinstated in school. I was still grounded, but they were going to allow me that. It was nice of them, but I knew that deep down they were just trying to get out of having to drive me.

So, the Monday after my three-week suspension I was standing out at the front gate of the manor, hoping that the dragons would do all right without me for the day. I had left them as much water and hay as I could possibly get them. I was also hoping that school wouldn't be too painful. I hadn't really been back since the bus incident, and then there had been that cornstalk problem. I usually felt good knowing that at least I would have Kate and Wyatt on my side, but now I didn't have that.

"Whatever," I said, trying to act tough.