Voices of Dragons

Her parents would never know what happened to her. She’d never see Tam again. She’d never see Jon.

She got up on her hands and knees and pounded her fist on Artegal’s shoulder, putting her whole body into it. He had to feel that—scales flinched under her hand. Then she screamed, “Stop!”

He snorted, shuddered, as if waking up from a nightmare. He spread his wings, which caught the air like sails, and braked, dropping straight down to a clearing below. Kay closed her eyes and sighed, breathing out thanks. Once she was on the ground, she could run. On the ground she could do anything. It was only a hundred feet up that she was helpless.

Hind legs forward, he slammed to the earth, and she slid across his back, yanking hard against her harness. Instead of folding his wings back, he rested them on the ground. His neck slouched, and he was breathing heavily. Exhausted, maybe. Still frightened.

Hands shaking, she unhooked herself and slid down his shoulder. The ground rocked under her. Her legs wobbled, and she sank. It was as if she’d ridden a roller coaster times a million. She sat there, trying to breathe, reminding herself that she was supposed to be ru

He raised his head on its long, snakelike neck. She looked back into those onyx eyes. She scrambled backward through dirt and pine needles. She didn’t mean to, but she saw those eyes, that mouth that could close over her in one bite, remembered how scared she was and wanted to get away.

Artegal lowered his neck and head, pressed his body to the ground. Pulled his tail tight around him, making himself smaller. He looked like a rock now, instead of a monster. This was a different kind of frightened.

He said, voice low, “Panicked. Didn’t think of you.”

He was apologizing. This was dragon body language she’d never seen before. Almost like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Kay stopped. Her heart was still racing; she was still having trouble catching her breath. But she didn’t want to run away anymore. This wasn’t his fault. He’d been frightened—of course he had, they both had. Like he’d said, no one had ever done this before. They were still learning.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice shaking.

He drew a couple of deep, steadying breaths. Then he said, “That plane. Flew like a dragon.” And that was what terrified him. “What is it?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it. I could ask—my mom might know something. The bureau must be freaking.” She stood, brushed dirt off her hands, looked around. She had no idea where she was. North of home. That was all. “I have to get back. I have to get back right now.” She was miles from the border. This was completely different from being able to hop over the creek to get back home.

“The plane. Saw us. Yes?”

It hadn’t just seen them, it had followed them. “Yeah.”

“What will they do?” he said.

“I don’t know. It depends on if they figure out who I am. I have to go back and find out.” She was going to get in so much trouble. She could just feel it.

“We should stay away from the border,” he said. “For a little while.”

And how long was a little while? A lump stuck in her throat, because this felt so final. A real good-bye this time. She didn’t want to go, not knowing when she’d be able to come back. “Then…then I guess I’d better get going. Let’s get that stuff off you—”

He sat up, his neck curled, his usual pose. “Will carry you. As far as I can.”

After his panicking and flying blind, she may have hesitated ever riding him again. But she didn’t. It wasn’t his fault—they’d both been scared. Besides, she could either ride him or hike for hours with climbing gear slung on her back.

They didn’t fly again; Artegal carried her on foot. Compared to the headlong flight, it was slow going. The motion wasn’t a smooth glide, but rocking that almost made her sick. It took a lot more effort for him, and he was getting tired. She was going to be much later than expected getting home. If there was any kind of an uproar going on about the jet, her parents would be livid.

As soon as she recognized the lay of the land, the slope of hills, she tapped Artegal’s shoulder. “I can walk from here, I think,” she called.

But he went on farther, until she could hear the rushing water of the creek at the border. “Here,” he said.

The care he’d taken made her life a little easier and his harder. She smiled grimly. “Thanks.”

Quickly, because the sun was now fading into afternoon, she undid the knots of his harness and coiled the rope.

“You’ll walk back?”

“For a time,” he said. “Until I won’t be seen.”

“Be careful.”

“You too.”

He had turned to go when she said, “Artegal? What happens if we don’t see each other again?” For whatever reason, whatever the fallout after this new plane, and whatever its pilot said about seeing a girl riding a dragon.

Artegal thought for a moment. She might have expected denials, assurances that surely that wouldn’t happen, that this would blow over and they would see each other again. But he didn’t do that. That’s what a human being would have done.

“Then we will remember. Tell stories, so others know it’s possible for us to be friends. Keep the book safe. Pass it on, if it will help.”

She nodded, trying to convince herself that nothing would change. “Okay.”

Once again, they hiked away from each other. In moments, he was gone. She couldn’t even hear him anymore.

She focused on her own journey.

Even though she wasn’t across the border yet, she was close enough that she thought she was safe. She let her guard down, just a little.

Then she heard voices.

12

Human voices echoed through the trees ahead. Kay couldn’t make out what they were saying nor could she tell exactly where they were, but they were definitely looking for something. She dropped to a crouch at the base of a tree, hiding as well as she could, just in case.

She took a chance and found her cell phone. Muffling the sound, she checked for messages. One, from her mom, an hour ago.

“Kay, something’s happened, there might be trouble at the border, so I need you to get home right away. Call me as soon as you get this.”

She wouldn’t call until she was back in her Jeep and driving away from here. But she couldn’t do that until those people left. For whatever reason, it seemed the pilot who’d crashed hadn’t told anyone that he’d seen Kay and Artegal, but the pilot of this new plane must have reported it. And now, people were looking for her. Kay wasn’t used to hearing people this far out—no one came here, that was the point. Who were they? Military, police maybe? Her dad? She really didn’t want to see him right now. She didn’t want to have to explain all this. She hiked along the border until she couldn’t hear them anymore.

She found a narrow place with stepping stones where she could cross. Once she was on the right side of the border, nobody could say anything, even if someone caught her. But if she showed up with wet boots, people would ask questions.

Safely away from Dragon, she ran straight through the woods, back to the trailhead where she’d parked her car before the searchers could find her and ask what she was doing out here by herself.

She threw her car into gear and drove. A few miles away, about halfway to home, she pulled over, gripped the wheel, and caught her breath. Her heart was racing as if she’d been ru

When she was breathing a little more normally, she found her phone and called her mother. It rang once and went to voice mail.

“Hi, Mom. Sorry I didn’t get your call, but I’m on the way home right now. I’m okay.” She hoped that was good enough.