Page 56 of The White Dragon Revealed

Sometimes I feel the same,Valerius admitted.

“Okay, I know which way to go,” George told them.

“Youbest,” Valerius growled.

“This way!” George moved more like a frightened rabbit than a Snake Shifter as he headed left instead of right and up another set of stairs.

Every moment being crushed beneath the mountain in those stinking, twisting tunnels had Valerius’ skin twitching. Raziel was pressed against the inside of his chest as if it would break through at any moment. That would be a disaster and both of them knew it. But the dragon within him was almost on top and his eyes burned with crimson fire, which he realized when George happened to glance back at him and jumped three feet up into the air. George ranfaster, which suited Valerius just fine.

Stevie must have called George again because George put a finger to the bluetooth and asked, “Stevie? What is it?” There was a pause and then, “Seriously? Iolaire issniffingthe Faith? No, no, you must be misunderstanding what they’re doing.”

But Valerius suddenly knew that Stevie was right. Iolairewassniffing the Faith. They were smelling for bombs!

Very clever, Caden!He thought.

His thoughts though did not reach the young man or the White Dragon Spirit. They were too far away or maybe they were both too tense to connect.

“How far?” Valerius barked.

Another fearful glance was sent back towards him. “N-not far! Just down this hallway and then there’s a door and you’re there and--”

The rest of George’s words were lost as Valerius surged forward with Kaila keeping up with him. He raced until he reached the metal and wood bound door. If he had kept up at that speed, he would have burst through the door as if it were made of paper instead of inches of solid wood and metal. But he slowed his forward momentum. He reached for the handle. The door may have been locked--it probably was--but he wrenched it open. There was a scream of metal, but it was overshadowed by the singing. The Faith were singing. Loudly. About the White Dragon.

Valerius pulled up his hood and gestured for Kaila to do the same.They might have to reveal themselves, but maybe they could somehow keep this under wraps. He stuck his head out of the door. The door was situated at the base of the last set of Stairs. There was a platform that was about one hundred feet long and wide before there were a few more steps into the huge market area.

They were about twenty feet behind the line of dozens of the members of the Faith all lined up with Iolaire’s head leaning towards them. In fact, Iolaire was being hugged very fiercely by one of the Faith. Iolaire’s eyes were closed and it looked so happy. For a moment, Valerius wondered if he had misunderstood the “sniffing” that Stevie had been talking about. But then the Faith member’s hood fell back and she turned her head. Her profile explained everything.

Caden’s mother!

The one beside her,Raziel murmured.I smell…

Valerius?!Caden’s voice blasted in his mind.

Valerius’ gaze shot up to Iolaire’s head. The White Dragon’s gaze was fixed upon him and there was panic in those huge eyes.

Caden--

Bomb! My mom! Beside her!Caden cried, his ability to communicate overwhelmed by fear for his mother.

Valerius’ gaze snapped to the person that Raziel had indicated something seemed off about. His heart stutter-stopped in his chest. There was something in the person’s right hand. They had curled their hand around what looked like a pen with a button on the end. There looked to be a cord connected to the bottom of this pen-like object that snaked underneath the person’s sleeve and was attached to something hidden beneath the voluminous robes.

In less than a second, Valerius knew that there were only so many ways this could go and if they picked the wrong way to stop it then a lot of people were going to die, potentially Caden’s mother.

If that was a handheld detonator, all the person needed to do was push the button on the top. An act that would take a second. They would blow up right there and then.

Caden could grab his mother and protect her from the blast but that would mean others would die. Such an act would save Caden’smother, but would wound the young man for the lives lost. He would not be able to forgive himself.

Valerius and Kaila could run out there and each of them take an arm. They could break the person’s fingers and stop them from pressing the button if they could get to them before they noticed. But the trigger in the person’s hand might not be the only one. Perhaps there was a co-conspirator with them, watching, who could set the bomb off. Or maybe there was a timer that would go off eventually anyways well before a bomb squad could get there.

There was only one way that Valerius saw this working. Caden would have to grab the person and fly them out through the Gash. Valerius and Kaila’s Dragons were too big to fit. Only Iolaire could get through. They could fly the person away from any other people and the bomb could be dealt with that way. If they exploded themselves, neither Caden nor Iolaire would be hurt. Not physically anyways.

It is the only way,Raziel growled.Who is doing this? Who is making these foolish people kill themselves?

I do not know. But we will find out,Valerius promised the Black Dragon Spirit.

“What if they are not the only one?” Kaila fiercely whispered. “Why send one when you could send two or ten? And not have them be wearing white and sing? They stand out.”

She was right. Truthfully, smuggling explosives into the Belowbeforethe event would have been easier. This person was the only one they’d found, but there could be others mixed in the crowd.

---