Page 9 of The Dragon Recruit
For real this time?
Aye, for real. Now, let’s take the least populated route to Cairngorms National Park and see what we can find.
Iris reveled in the wind brushing against their scales. She often felt more at ease in the air, where she could better watch out for threats.
Since it wasn’t time to admire the hills, lochs, or valleys below, she concentrated on the cars, people, and aircraft. Since it was midday during the week, the roads and air were fairly empty. And thankfully, they soon reached the boundary of the national park. From here, things would be a bit more tricky. The rogue dragons were good at camouflage.
She used the clouds as much as possible to keep herself hidden—one benefit of living in Scotland was that there were a lot of cloudy days—and spotted the small loch the rogue dragons used for water and swimming. At least, according to both her records and Antony’s. Maybe they’d changed locations, but it was worth a look.
As she slowly descended to a clearing she’d used before for surveillance, her dragon spoke up.What’s that strange smell?
She’d been so focused on looking for enemies that Iris hadn’t noticed. But now she took a deep inhalation and nearly grimaced.I don’t know. But it smells like rotting rubbish mixed with rotten eggs.
Wanting to see if she could detect any other scents, she took a few more deep breaths. However, after the third one, her wings faltered. Even when her beast tried to correct it, they plummeted. Only through some half-arsed attempts to widen her wings did she manage to slow down a little.
Hitting the ground, they turned the landing into a roll. They tumbled through the small trees, hitting branches and bushes as they went, until they crashed into a stone cottage. The bones in one of her wings cracked, pain shot through her body, and she barely held back a cry.
Iris said to her dragon,We have to keep going.
It hurts. More than ever before.
I know, dragon. And we’ll fix it as soon as we can. But the gas, or whatever it is, wasn’t by accident. Someone will come looking.
There’s a smaller loch on the other side of the hill. Swimming will be easier than hobbling.
Agreeing with her beast, Iris stood up. Since she could still smell the awful substance, she held her breath as much as possible while they struggled up the small hill. Her human form would be easier to maneuver, but she wouldn’t risk it. Herinjuries would heal faster in her dragon form, and Iris needed every advantage she could get.
Foot by agonizing foot, Iris crawled to the top of the small hill. But once she reached the top, a wave of dizziness washed over her and she struggled to keep her eyes open.
Her dragon spoke up.Roll down the hill. It’ll bloody hurt, but it’s our best option.
Even with water to break our fall, I don’t want to drown if we pass out.
The cold water should help keep us awake long enough to reach the far shore.
She eyed it in the distance. Like most lochs in Scotland, it was long and narrow, and she wasn’t sure she could swim that far.
But as another blast of the foul scent hit her nose, making her dizzier, Iris knew they had to get away or they’d be sitting ducks.
And would probably end up disappearing like the rogue dragons.
Bracing herself for the oncoming pain, her dragon rolled them down the hill. She nearly roared in agony every time something bumped against her damaged wing. By the time they hit the water, Iris and her beast struggled to remain conscious.
But the blast of arctic water jolted them, and with their forelimbs and hind legs, they swam. By the time they reached the far shore, dots swam before her eyes. Using the last of their strength, they got out of the loch and crawled to a small copse of trees. It wasn’t much to hide them, but it was the best they could do.
Because within seconds of reaching it, the world went black.
Chapter Four
Everything hurt, but her wing worst of all. That was the first thought that went through Iris’s mind as she started to regain consciousness.
Opening her eyes was hard, but eventually she lifted her eyelids. She was still in her dragon form, but the giant room, mostly empty except for the big bed she lay on, was foreign.
Slowly, she looked around at three bare walls and one made of clear glass, and she struggled to her feet.
Where are we?
Her beast replied,I don’t know. But if someone doesn’t stop the constant beeping of that bloody machine, I’m going to hit it across the room with my tail.
