Thorn by Tia Didmon

CHAPTER2

Ella opened her eyes to strange surroundings, and sounds of howler monkeys, frogs, cicadas and exotic birds. Rain clattered on the roof of the simple bamboo and grass roof. Was this a dream or a nightmare? How did she get here?

Memories of her conversation with Mara and Zara flooded back. She had agreed to go to the Amazon with Draco. He'd been waiting for her at the apartment when she returned. Thorn licked his hand before she led them inside. While she had explained she didn't travel well. Draco had told her to trust him. She had laid down on the couch, but she couldn't remember why. Now she was surrounded by forest and birds. Her hands fisted at her sides, willing the panic away. She could do this. Save Thorn.

She pulled back the multi-colored woven blanket as she sat up. The only furniture in the small room was the bed. She yelped when her toe banged into the metal frame of a backpack, laying on the floor. She opened the flap to find her clothes inside before making her way to the door and cracking it open.

The small village with dozens of haciendas with bamboo and grass construction sat amidst the lush canopy of gleaming leaves. A large fire pit at its center allowed tendrils of smoke to waffle in the air as a man rotated his dinner over the open spit. Her stomach throbbed with the smell of gamy meat.

Draco stepped onto her simple porch. "Good. You're awake. We were beginning to worry."

She joined Draco, wrapping her hands around the single bamboo rail. "We? Thorn is with you?"

"As is Cole."

She ran her fingers over a cut mark in the wood made by a machete or thick knife. "Who is Cole?"

"He is newly awakened. Once Mara saw him, she realized he was the man in her vision. He is here to protect you, and help us restore Thorn's humanity."

Ella tried not to focus on the strangeness of the conversation. Her entire life had been a series of weird. She'd never fit in, even before the attack. Dragons. Druids. Magic. Her day-to-day life was less foreign to her. While her parents had assured her she wasn't adopted, she'd always felt apart from her family. Now she searched the other side of the world, looking for an object, to save the wolf that was a man. Laughter bubbled from the madness. She placed her hand over her mouth.

Draco's eyes narrowed on her. "Are you all right?"

Her eyes roamed the lush canopy at the base of the mountain. "For a girl who woke up in the Amazon, after having barely left her apartment in months, I'm doing peachy."

"You are surprisingly accepting of our world."

Ella watched a young boy poke the embers of the fire. "It isn't like I have a choice. Roker's attack made me aware of the dark dragons. Zara explained the dragons like you."

Draco glanced up at the clouds. "Zara told you what you needed to hear in order to heal. You know nothing of our history, or Thorn's, but you are helping us, anyway."

She winked at him. "Who could turn down a handsome dragon?"

Draco extended his chest. "You think I'm handsome?"

They both turned as Thorn growled.

Ella knelt down and pet him. "I didn't hear him approach."

"He's been here the whole time guarding you, but he was shielding himself."

Her eyes widened. "He can appear invisible?"

"We all can, but Thorn appears to be regaining his magic. We thought it lost until a few months ago."

A muscular man with black hair and a backpack approached the hut. "Hello, Ella. I'm Cole. The boat is ready to leave when you are."

Ella frowned at the wooden quality in Cole's voice. He was polite, but his eyes held no emotion. She glanced at Draco. "He's not the warm and fuzzy type, is he?"

Draco chuckled. "We are incomplete without our mate. Cole will acclimatize in time, but only our other half can restore our emotions and make us whole."

"Your emotions?"

Draco nodded. "They dull in time. The darks feed on Druid blood so they can have brief periods of feeling."

Cole pointed to the river. A long boat with a brown canopy creaked against the dock as people loaded its bow. "We need to go."

Draco retrieved her backpack and helped her position it before grabbing his own and followed them to the loading area. She was seated between the two men with Thorn at her feet before she realized she was the only woman on board. Most of the passengers wore dark, dirty clothing, with calloused hands, and were lacking for a bath. Only one man appeared clean-cut with a brown brimmed hat and new khaki pants. He sat next to Draco with his eyes on the captain.

The captain called out from the rear of the boat. "The trip downriver takes four hours. Keep your hands inside the boat and enjoy the cruise."

Ella had to stop herself from laughing. She envisioned a cruise with luxury suites, swimming pools, entertainment, and massive buffets. Here the boat railings were made of bamboo and the humans were the buffet for the dozens of insects flitting over the river.

The clean-cut man sat forward, placing his elbows on his knees. He held his hand out to Draco. "Howdy. My name's Jericho. Are you part of the Peace Corps?"

Draco shook his hand. "No. My sister purchases herbs from this area for her shop. We're visiting the villages to get the best merchandise. What is your business on the river?"

Jericho pointed to the captain. "My brother is in talks with Mack. He wants to retire and we are considering taking over the riverboat business."

Draco and Jericho talked about the area and its culture. The man reminded her of the customer at the café. Her fingers fidgeted in her lap as she tried to steel the unease. The young man had done nothing to raise her suspicions. Had leaving her home for the first time in months made her unnecessarily suspicious? Was it a sign of a panic attack? Thorn's throaty growl interrupted her train of thought.

Jericho sat back in his seat, resting his arm on the railing. "I don't think the mutt likes me."

Draco put a reassuring hand on Thorn's neck. "He's fine, but I recommend you keep your distance from Ella. Thorn is protective of her."

Jericho laughed uneasily. "Over protective pet. Got it."

Ella lifted her face in the air, inhaling the thick smell of rotting vegetation. As the clouds moved away from one another, the sun was able to illuminate the river. As fish crested the surface, the waves shimmered as they looked for their next meal.

The shout from the captain had Draco and Cole standing before her. A heavy clunk and whirling sound preceded the puff of black smoke that burst from the engine.

Draco helped the captain pull the cover off the engine compartment. "I'm handy with electronics. I believe this is the sensor. Give me a few minutes. I can get it started."

The captain knelt beside Draco, looking at the black oil bubbling from the pistons. "If you get that running, I will refund your ticket."

Draco smiled. "No need. It's not as bad as it looks." He hunkered down as the captain returned to the controls.

Though Ella couldn't see what Draco was doing in the compartment, she felt a surge in the air. An electrical current alerted her that Draco had used his magic. "Start it up." He yelled to the captain before climbing out of the compartment.

The engine roared, emitting the smell of burnt oil. The boat surged forward, then sluggishly continued down the river as Draco returned.

Ella whispered in his ear when he sat beside her. "You used magic. I felt it."

"Yes. Someone tampered with that engine. We have to be careful. We wouldn't have made it ten feet downriver if the engine was in that condition when we left port."

Her hand strayed to Thorn's ears. His soft fur comforting. "You're a Dragon, and you have magic. Why do you need me? Can you just fly to the herb or artifact you need?"

"If you know where it is, I'd be more than happy to oblige. Mara sent us to follow you. She thinks you will figure out the spell and locate the items needed to break it. Cole and I are just along for the ride."

She glanced between Cole and Draco. "Hot bodyguards?"

Thorn made a series of noises that sounded like grumbling.

Draco snorted. "You keep teasing like that, and Thorn is going to take a chunk out of my leg."

Her smile was slow in coming. "Thorn knows I only have eyes for him."

Thorn yawned in an exaggerated manner. Her wolf was preening.

"Don't encourage him. His ego is already the size of Asia," Draco said.

Ella laughed until a hard thud rocked the boat. She grabbed the rail before her momentum propelled her forward. Shouts erupted as a passenger who'd been standing splashed into the water.

A deckhand reached for the man who'd fallen over, but as he grabbed his hand, a snake coiled around the man, treading water. The thick yellow body squeezed the air from its prey before its fangs bit into his shoulder.

Cole jumped into the river, splashing loudly, spraying the scaled predator. The snake released the lock on the man's shoulder, unaccustomed to being attacked. Cole wedged his arm between the man's body and that of the snake. The predator reared up, hissing at the man interrupting its meal. When their eyes met, the Anaconda released its prey and slithered along the water, away from the boat. Cole helped the injured man into the boat before returning to Draco and Ella.

"Are you okay? I didn't feel you use magic. How did you get the snake to release him?"

Cole's eyes remained on the man attending to the injured passenger. "All animals know the difference between a predator and its prey. That snake knows exactly what I am and what I'm capable of doing to it." Water dripped from his clothes to the floor.

"You sound almost disappointed."

Cole looked at her with emotionless eyes. "I haven't had snake meat in centuries."

"First of all. Gross. Second. If you're trying to look human, jumping in the water with a forty-foot snake will not do it."

Draco leaned over the railing of the boat. "The fish are following us, as are three other snakes."

Cole nodded. "The animals are being coerced into attacking us. I will take measures to block the compulsion."

"Who is doing it?" Ella asked.

"I don't know. That in itself is concerning," Cole said.

They looked up as thunder cracked in the sky. Echoing in the distance as the clouds raced together, churning in hues of grey and black.

"That isn't natural," Ella said.

As a response, the heavens opened, pouring a tsunami of water, feeding the churning river. Branches and leaves raced past the boat as the passengers clung to the side. The captain barked orders to his deckhand while navigating the choppy waves. The tip of the vessel dipped into a rolling swell, sending a wave of water crashing over the deck.

Ella felt the crackle of energy beneath her skin. A warning unnatural forces were at work. "Is that you?" she asked Cole.

"I have nullified the spell responsible for the excessive rain. The pressure system will abate in the next hour. I am leery of using my magic to alter the weather. This kind of tampering could have lasting effects on this ecosystem."

Ella glanced at the men huddled together on the boat. "We must get these people to safety."

Cole pointed at a dock in the distance. "I've told the captain to stop at the village ahead. It will make our travel in the mountains longer, but I believe we are the target of these attacks. These people won't be safe unless we are away from them."

"Agreed," she said.

She had no time to scream before the log impacted the side of the boat. It buckled as the loud crunching sound vibrated in the air and wood splinters erupted around them. The river flowed into the boat, pooling at the bottom as the water level rose.

Shouting erupted around them as the engine gurgled through the water.

A wave rolled over the railing as Ella lost her footing. "The boat is sinking!"