Stealing the Dragon’s Heart by Kiersten Fay

3

“Batta, you did it!” Tag exclaimed. He held up the glowing blue stone between his thumb and forefinger to examine it against the moonlight.

The rumors were true!

Before Onnika’s eyes, the ghostly, luminescent blue stone subtly shifted to a lovely rich violet. It was said to be among the rarest stone in the known universe, changing color depending on the surrounding light. Tranzinite: the true treasure of this planet.

The ritual of a job well done commenced with the men slapping hands high in the air as they howled with glee.

“I knew you wouldn’t let me down,” Tag said.

This had been his real reason for coming here. With the right buyer, Tag and his crew could live as kings for the rest of their lives.

Onnika had no idea what that meant for her and Caryn. Would they be set free, or would the nature of their incarceration merely change? Knowing Tag, he’d never let them go. He enjoyed the security of their gifts too much, especially Caryn’s. Her tendency to always choose the right path had proven invaluable to him.

Case in point.

The gemstone glowed brighter still, and Onnika was drawn in for a closer look. Soft pinks melded into aqua and teal. Deep purples mingled with rustic reds. Facets in the center caught the light and refracted glittering gold specks, creating yet another color dimension. “It’s beautiful.”

Laughing, Tag tossed the Tranzinite into the air and caught it tightly in his fist before shoving it into his right pocket. “Set for life, boys. Set. For. Life.”

Caryn sidled up to Onnika. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” A shadow of pain still ghosted up her spine, but it was a sensation she’d grown accustomed to. “So tell me. Do you still not believe in your own abilities?”

Caryn was the only one who wasn’t convinced her magic guided her toward the most advantageous path. Rather, she believed her magic was based on a much simpler concept, such as luck. Any decision might work in one’s favor if luck was on one’s side. However, they’d run into quite a lot of bad luck over the years: Tag and his merry brood, for instance.

In answer, Caryn lifted her arm and shook the torque on her wrist. “If my magic always led me in the right direction, would we be stuck with these?”

Onnika glanced down at her own set of cuffs. “Mm. Quite unlucky, I’d say.”

One corner of Caryn’s mouth twitched. Her humor was short-lived, her mouth falling back into a frown. Caryn blamed herself for their situation, when really, Onnika was the one at fault.

Something skimmed across Onnika’s subconscious, a feather tickling the back of her mind. Her head whipped around to scan the horizon.

Noting the sudden change in her demeanor, Tag gripped her elbow and pulled her close. “Sensing something, Oni?”

Of course Tag knew the specifics of her power. He’d forced it out of her one day while threatening Caryn at knifepoint. If she hadn’t come clean, he’d have slit Caryn’s throat right in front of her. She’d known that because her magic had revealed his ruthless intentions. That was the essence of her gift: reading an individual’s truest intent. At least that was the best way she could describe it. It wasn’t like mind reading, or even seeing the future. It was sensing within a person a strong desire combined with the motivation to act on that desire.

Right now she was getting a taste of something, or someone, on the hunt...and a malignant excitement. Eyes wide, pulse pounding, her voice came out in a whisper. “They’re coming.” The paid militia, charged with guarding this land. There were many of them, all racing toward them, no doubt armed to the teeth.

Shoving her away, Tag commanded the others, “We have to move. Now!”

His urgent tone was all the prodding they needed. Everyone sprinted in the direction where they’d left their shuttles. As they footed it past boulders and crevasses, the roaring engines of land vehicles rose from behind.

“Batta,” Tag shouted, “what do we do?”

“What do you think?” Caryn yelled back. “Keep running!”

Duh, Onnika thought. What else could they do?

The grinding engines grew louder. Having fallen behind, Baker ditched his pack filled with priceless minerals and then bolted past her and the others.

“Coward,” Onnika crowed. But when the sound of gunfire echoed across the land, she and everyone else dropped their packs, too. A bullet whizzed past her head. Gasping, she lost her footing, but at the last second, she caught her balance and lurched forward, pushing her legs hard against the rocky terrain. More bullets zinged by.

She glanced over her shoulder. Two vehicles raced toward them, kicking up sand and dust in their wake. They wouldn’t be able to outrun them. “Caryn, we could use a little of that luck right about now.”

“Uh.” Caryn glanced around. “I’ve got nothing.”

Suddenly a string of bullets cut through Caryn’s path. She skidded to a halt, twisted her body, and pushed off in a different direction. Onnika followed. So did the others, all except Baker, who had sprinted several lengths ahead, paying no attention to his crewmates. Onnika knew his intention was to outrun the others in hopes of saving himself. Good luck with that, dick.

Lungs burning, she sprinted harder after Caryn, trying to come up with a plan. The militia would soon be upon them.

The vehicles broke off, the first following Baker, the second following them. She chanced another glance to see Baker brutally gunned down, his lifeless body crumpling in a heap.

With its prey down, the vehicle circled back, targeting them once more. More shots cut in front of their path. This time, Caryn didn’t change direction. She kept going, as did everyone else.

“Batta?”Tag questioned when he saw they were headed toward a ledge that overlooked a wide chasm. A dead end. No turning back.

They skidded to a stop at the edge and turned to face the gunmen. Onnika and Caryn clasped hands. Ajay and Rice looked terrified. Tag was furious, but what could he do now but accept his fate like the rest of them?

Both vehicles ground to a halt in front of them, kicking up a plume of dust. A man leapt out and sauntered toward them. His ruthless grin identified him as the leader. He surveyed the group one by one, as if trying to decide who to kill first.

He raised his gun.

Knowing they were about to die, Onnika and Caryn held each other in a tight embrace, burying their faces in each other’s shoulders.

A loud crack rang out. The ground shifted beneath their feet. Onnika peeked one eye open. Everyone stood frozen…then the soil at their feet gave way. Gravity took hold. Suddenly they were falling…no, sliding down an incline, surrounded by thick sand and dust. It coated Onnika’s mouth and lungs, the taste of it sour. She was blinded by a heavy cloud of the stuff, barely able to breathe. Bouncing off a series of large boulders, Caryn was torn from her grasp, Onnika’s hand clutching empty air. She grappled for purchase as she rolled and slipped over sharp rocks and stones that sliced her skin. Finally, after what felt like ages, she rolled to a stop, coughing and hacking and spitting up grime.

“Caryn?” she choked, her weakened arms struggling to lift her body off the ground. Sharp pain radiated along her right shoulder and left thigh. She felt the heat of blood leaking out from various wounds. When she received no answer, she called out louder.

“Oni?” Caryn’s raspy voice broke through the dust cloud, thank the gods! “You okay?”

“I’ll live. You?”

“I think my arm is broken.”

A masculine groan interjected. “I’ll break more than that when we get out of here.”

Tag had survived. Oh, goody.

The dust cleared enough that she could make out movement. Caryn stumbled forward, clutching her arm. Tag was half buried under an avalanche of rock, his torso and one arm visible. Above, a handful of shadowed militia peered over the edge of the cliff, trying see through the fine debris in the air. Onnika and Caryn ducked behind a boulder. Moments later, their engines roared to life and then grew faint as they drove away. A temporary reprieve. It wouldn’t be long till they found an alternate way down.

“Where’s Ajay and Rice?” Tag asked.

Onnika glanced around. “I don’t see them.” For all she knew, they’d been buried under tons of stone. As he struggled, something fell from his pocket and rolled to a stop at her feet. She bent down to pick it up.

“Son of a bitch! Get me the fuck out from under here.” He used his free hand to uselessly shove at a heavy boulder that pinned his other arm.

Onnika drew closer to stand over him. His glaring gaze met hers for a brief moment and then dropped to the glittering Tranzinite in her palm.

She gave him a cruel smile. “It’s been real fun, Tag, and by that, I mean eat shit and die.”

“Onnika, don’t you da—”

The heel of her boot met his face.