Page 72 of Dragon Fires Everywhere
“What was that hideous display, then?” Felicia asks, throwing a dramatic hand in the air toward Azrael. Three of her fingersare just bone. I look around, but no one aside from my friends seems to recoil at the gruesome sight.
“He saved me,” I tell everyone, searching the crowd for friendly faces. For awe and understanding instead of fear and worry.I refuse to take the mug Ellowyn is trying to push at me. “From something dark trying to pull me under the water.”
“And yet two ofourcoven are missing,” Carol says, rolling her eyes. “Youare all here and accounted for. You can pretend to be a victim all you like, but those of us with even an ounce of intelligencecan see right through you and your melodramatic fake threats. The water is fine. Have a look yourselves.”
A couple of witches move forward and peer down at the river, using muttered light spells to show the water in the quicklyfalling dusk, and a murmur seems to go through the crowd. Because the river looks normal. Cold and brown, as it should lookon a frigid December night. Whatever attacked me and then escaped Azrael’s grasp hasn’t just retreated. It’s taken away allsigns it was ever here.
I don’t know why I bother being surprised.
“She was burned,” Jacob tells the crowd in his steady, serious way, and surely that has to turn the tide. “Burns I’ve onlyseen on people attacked by black magic. The dragon clearly saved her from it being worse.”
“They will use this dragon against you,” Carol counters at once, watching the ever-multiplying crowd the same way I do. “He’stheir paid muscle.Wenever trucked with ginormous magical creatures who areknownto prey on children.”
“No, you prefer biddable rodents,” Frost says coolly, and gets the full force of her glare.
“This is getting out of hand,” Emerson says then, wielding herpowerful voice and unshakable certainty. “Azrael is not going to hurt anyone, I can assure you. We’re not sure why or how he was freed from the curse that jailed him in our newel post, but he’s not a threat.”
“Saysyou,” Carol accuses, her voice echoing out through a crowd that only grows larger every time I blink. I see Sage with a coupleof other teachers, looking entirely too smug, and I want to hurt him.
“Yes, says me,” Emerson replies in a tone that suggests Carol is unhinged. Carolisunhinged, but we’ve all learned that making direct statements about such things will backfire. No one likes a direct woman.The horror! Emerson keeps going, sounding almost soothing now. “If Festus and Felix are missing, we can look into that, butit has nothing to do with the dragon.”
“I thought you wanted everyone to have a say, Emerson.” Carol smirks. “I thought the Riverwood was built on everyone workingtogether to form the best community we can.” She’s quoting something Emerson said at the ascension trials. Everyone seemsto know it. And then she titters. “Not suredeath by dragonis best for any community.”
Emerson doesn’t say anything for long, ticking seconds that I can measure by the pounding of my heart. She surveys the crowd.Carol has gotten most of them worked up. There are a lot of fearful gazes in Azrael’s direction, even though all he’s doingis standing there, arms crossed, in his human form. Jacob didn’t fully heal his injury, but it’s no longer actively bleeding.And it’s been stitched up in some way.
But people don’t see any of that, I realize. They don’t care that he’s been hurt, that he’s done something brave.
They’re afraid.
“You must destroy him!” Maeve shrieks. When she stomps her foot, her heel crumbles straight off. The actual heel of her foot,not her shoe. She reaches down, picks it up, and shoves it into her purse.
No one besides us seems to notice.
Did everyone see that?Rebekah asks quietly.
Maybe she’s found a new way to feed her weird bird, Ellowyn replies.
“We willneverrush to end someone’s or something’s life,” Emerson is saying, loud enough so the whole crowd can hear. “What we need todo is find out why we thought magical creatures were extinct in the first place, only to discover that many of them have beencursed into the everyday objects in our homes. Give us some time to do that before we rush to judgment, with our assurancesthat Azrael will bring no harm to anyone.”
Carol staggers back as if Emerson took a swing at her, andcries out, “You can’t let a fire-breathing dragon cavort about the town! More people might go missing!”
“You’re engaging in hysterics, Carol,” Emerson says, bright and inordinately patient. She moves her gaze out to the crowdagain. “I said we take responsibility for him. I meant it.”
“I don’t feel comfortable with this!” Joanne Walters yells. Not a surprise, as the woman loves to complain.
“Ourkidswalk these streets,” Cailee adds from where she stands next to her husband. She’s wringing her hands together, and she lookssuitably terrified.
“None of you have kids,” Dane blusters, right on cue. “Yet,” he adds as an afterthought, gesturing at Ellowyn’s belly. “Youdon’t know what it’s like to worry for your children.”
I could tell them I am innocence personified. It does not matter, Azrael says in our heads.Don’t waste your breath.
“Emerson is right,” Holly Bishop says then, pitching her voice to carry through the crowd. “Even if we have concerns, we can’tjustkillhim. That’s over-the-top.”
Carol’s gaze is sharp, magical, a direct contrast to her crumbling and missing coven. “Imprison him, then.”
A murmur of something too close to assent goes through the crowd.
Emerson nods. “If you think Carol speaks for you, and you’d like to see the dragon imprisoned, raise your hand.”
