31. P O W E R : Assistance

CHAPTER II

An hour had passed since the mission had begun, and no one had yet seen the Retrieval Team in flight. They'd passed over a few small towns and managed to evade being spotted by using both their silent flight and shadow-walking abilities, but as the sun crept higher into the sky, they knew remaining hidden would become much more difficult.

"It's getting pretty bright, Ferrus," Safiya called as she flew next to the eldest dragon brother. "You think we should stop for a break?"

"That depends on how far we are from Draconis," Fitch responded, scanning the ground below. He turned to Salvia and asked, "Salvia, do you have a lock yet?"

"Afraid not, Custos," Salvia replied, raising her voice to be heard over the wind. "You could be right: Draconis might be farther away than I thought."

"Then what's the plan, Sal?" Hatchet inquired. "Stop or nah?"

"We can stop," Salvia decided. "Preferably in a wooded area, since we're still trying to lay low."

"Gotchya." Hatchet swooped down toward the forest below, followed closely by his brothers and their riders.

Upon landing, Safiya and the dragons shifted back into their human forms and sat down on the grassy ground, resting against some trees while Cameron immediately began to pace. "I think we're moving a good pace," she remarked. "Hopefully Draconis isn't moving, and we'll be able to find him pretty easily once we get close enough for Salvia to actually track his location."

"You think he's off terrorizing some helpless innocents?" Marx wondered, lying on his back and flicking dandelions grass blades into the air.

"In all honesty, that's probably what he's doing," Salvia replied. "That, or establishing his rule over some random territory and ranting about how he's the strongest or the world is his birthright."

"That's our old man. A real firecracker," Hatchet put in with a wry smile.

"If that's the case, I don't think we should rest for too long, because then those people might be in trouble and we might be the only ones who can help them if this world doesn't have any protectors like ours does who are strong enough to stop our dad from bullying them and killing them or even just holding them captive, which in some ways might be worse because then he might be torturing them or—"

"Breathe, Malcom," the other three brothers interrupted in unison.

Malcom obeyed, taking in a deep gasping breath and subsequently breaking out into a coughing fit. "I think I just inhaled a fly," he wheezed.

"Good. Maybe it'll keep you from talking so much—at least for a while." Safiya gave Malcom an amused smile, then turned to watch Cameron pace for a few moments. She frowned, rising to her feet and taking Cameron by the hand. "Easy, love," she told her former host. "You'll wear yourself out with all that walking."

"I'm just trying to keep my juices flowing, Saf," Cameron replied, gently shaking herself free. "I don't wanna be stiff when we run into Draconis again. That could make me vulnerable."

"You'll be vulnerable regardless," Fitch called from where he sat. "You have no powers besides shifting. If he targets you, we're your only line of defence."

"I know that," Cameron responded, somewhat irritated. "I just—I want to be ready, that's all."

Fitch tilted his head, holding Cameron's gaze for a moment. Then he commented, "Hm. You make a good point." Pushing himself to his feet, the eldest brother put a hand in his pocket and pulled out the Dragon's Eye jewel, tossing it into the air and gripping it as it transformed into a staff with spinning blades. "We should use these moments of rest to practice," he told his brothers. "We need to be in top form when we face our father."