Thorn by Tia Didmon

CHAPTER3

Ella scrambled to get her footing, but the water was up to her knees. "Do something!"

Draco held his hands out as the world around them froze. The bubble extended six feet beyond the boat, where the river raged and mother nature continued to unleash her anger.

Inside Draco's globe of magic, nothing moved until Draco did. "Cole, fix that hole in the boat. Ella, you're immune to Draco’s spell, you can move. I'll suck the water from the boat and Cole can erase the humans' memories. We had planned to spend the night in the village, but I don't think it's safe. We have to keep moving."

Ella put her finger through the water. It moved like pudding. Thick and resistant, as if made of gelatin. She recoiled from Cole when he held his hand out to help her through the thick water.

"Ella, are you all right?" Cole asked.

Her gaze flitted between the frozen passengers to the raindrops hovering in the air. Being told about magic is different from seeing it.

"You must let go of your human beginnings. This is your world, and magic is a part of it."

She didn't comment on the lack of compassion in his voice. "Easy for you to say. You grew up with magic." She realized she knew nothing about Dragon origins. "You do grow up, right? You're not spawned fully grown out of a magical egg or something?"

Cole grabbed her arm, pulling her towards the exit of the boat. "Draco, move us to the dock. Imbue the humans with memories of us landing safely. We will off-board with them."

A shiver ran down Ella's spine. The people looked like wet mannequins. Frozen in an act of terror. Everyone but her, Thorn, and her two Dragon bodyguards. She shuddered when Thorn licked her hand.

Draco frowned. "Thorn is concerned. He wants to know what we can do to reassure you. You know he would never hurt you."

This was a lot for her to take in. To accept. When it was a trip to the Amazon, it seemed like an exotic adventure. One to break the boring and unhealthy rut she had allowed her life to become. Hiding in her apartment was no way to live. "How does it work? Your magic I mean?"

Draco tipped his hands in the air, still concentrating on moving the boat safely down the river. "Dragons are born with magic. We are taught early about the dangers of dark magic. Which spells are safe and the ones that have repercussions for both us and our environment. Druid magic is different. You develop your magic and learn to control it after your twenty-third birthday. The dragons made a vow to protect the Druid reemergence. There is a lot for you to learn. I asked you to have patience. Your emergence is close, or my magic would have affected you."

"Who is attacking us?" Ella asked.

"The spell caster is masked. It could be a dark dragon, but I suspect the mage," Draco said.

"There are mages?" Ella asked.

"Only one, and he seeks to destroy the dragons and rule the druids."

Jericho moaned. She stared at the frozen man. "Are they hurt?"

"Holding them this long is unnatural."

Cole stood after repairing the hole in the side. "You need to release them and do the memory wipe."

"I will release them once you replace their memories. You're better with memory wipes than me."

Cole proceeded to touch the temple of each passenger.

"What do you mean by Cole being better at memory wipes? Aren't all dragons the same? Your magic, I mean?" Ella asked.

Draco shook his head. "Each Dragon has a unique ability. Specialty. While we can all perform certain tasks like this one, Cole is better than me. The details he places in their heads are more specific. Vibrant."

"What is his special ability?"

"I don't know. Cole has always been an enigma. He will tell us when he's ready," Draco said.

The boat made its way to the dock as Cole used his magic to remove the water. The dragons nodded to each other before the bubble dropped.

Jericho stood, making his way to Ella. "That was quite a trip. Not sure I want to do that daily."

Thorn growled menacingly at Jericho.

Draco frowned. "Leave him alone Thorn."

Jericho gave Ella an awkward hug. "Take care. I hope to see you again." He moved to the throng of passengers taking the offramp.

Thorn's eyes flickered as he moved to follow Jericho.

"He's attracted to her. You can't kill a human for having a crush on your woman," Draco said.

An image of Thorn ripping Jericho's throat out flashed in Ella's mind.

Cole glanced at the departing Jericho. "Draco meant to say you shouldn't kill him. Not that you couldn't."

Ella made her way down the ramp, exiting the boat. She waved to the captain once her feet touched the dock. Thorn's body bumped her leg, reminding her she was not only surrounded by dragons, but a wolf who thought she belong to him. "Where are we going?"

Cole pointed at the village. "We arranged for a hut to stay the night. We'll go clean up and change clothes, but it's not safe for us to stay here long."

The assortment of huts made from bamboo and grass were like those upriver. As they traversed the wet ground, she felt a pull in her chest. Unable to discern its origin, she rubbed her neck.

Cole stopped. "Ella, what is it?"

She pointed to the mountain distance. "I feel something. We need to go there. I can't explain it.

A villager wearing a robe, holding a staff in his hands, babbled in a language Ella didn't recognize.

She touched Cole's arm. "What did he say?"

Cole glanced toward the mountain. "He says the mountain is cursed. Those who seek its treasure never return."

"It's treasure? Is it gold?"

The villager shook his head, then stalked away.

They arrived at a hut in the middle of the village. Like the last one, it was simple, with two cots, a table, and a chair. The single lantern's low light cast shadows on the ceiling.

Draco and Cole put their backpacks on the floor. "While you change, we will look around the village. Thorn will stay here." They left as she put her backpack on a cot.

Ella sat, wishing she could lie down and have a couple of hours' sleep before flipping open the pack and grabbing dry clothes. She was about to remove her top when she realized her pack and her were completely dry. She was unsure which Dragon accomplished the task, but was thankful, and lay down on the bed.

Images rolled through her mind as soon as her eyes closed. Thorn ran by her side as they traversed a trail littered with palm fronds and ropey vines that snaked down from the surrounding trees. She snapped her eyes open, gazing into those of the wolf.

This time she closed her eyes and concentrated on the image, attempting to control the power surging through her mind. She reached out, feeling the wolf's fur. Thorn's dragon soul pulsed beneath her hand when she pet him. She could understand the images as if he were speaking in a human voice. Then the soul changed. The communication altered to something primal. The wolf and the man were separate. Together. She didn't understand what had happened to Thorn and the wolf, but both would protect her with their lives.

Cole entered the hut. "I've had an interaction."

"What does that mean? With a person?" Ella asked.

He shook his head. "I sense a plant. One imbued with magical power, but we thought it extinct and hasn't grown in our world since the temple was destroyed."

"There was a temple here?" Ella asked.

"Yes. The Temple of Knowledge. It fell two-thousand years ago, but one of their vocations was on the study of plants, and their role within the magical world. We thought all their creations were lost."

Ella sat up, putting her hand on Thorn's head. "Mara said there was a herb I needed to start the transformation. This must be it."

"Yes. This plant must be protected. We will retrieve it and return it to the Dragon Caves. It could be harmful to humans."

She stood up, grabbing the pack from the bed before slipping it onto her back. "I guess it's time to go."