Chapter 23 “Golden Dracos”

Already being later on in the day, the sun was low when Dominique met up with the group a little way away from the Academy. The group flew together, not bothering to travel forwards in time just yet. Dominique led the way with Seth some way behind while Redemption and Anita's and Gina's dragons flew next to Akira, one on either side.

Akira watched the two boys before her, smiling as she realized that the tension between the, seemed to have calmed down a bit. She didn't know what had happened while she was away talking to the council but they seemed to have made their peace, for now at least.

They flew, deciding to only travel forward in time when they reached the mountain range that used to be the boundary between Haiden's lands and the rest. Once in the future, they continued on their way.

The sun slipped away and the moon rose, yet still the group kept going, not bothering to take a break and Akira dozed off.

“Akira, we're here,” Redemption's voice woke her up.

Covering a yawn Akira opened her eyes to see a few dark shadows ahead of her and realized that they were mountains. She glanced up at the sky only to see that the moon had already passed the peak of the sky, and yet it had not yet fully begun to make its decent yet. Morning was still some way away.

Turning her attention back to what lay ahead she watched as the dark shapes of the mountains grew closer. The dragons flew on, ignoring the mountains as they easily flew over them, yet once over, Breeze, suddenly began to descend and so the other dragons followed.

As Akira caught sight of the valley below her a smile spread across her face. While in the dark all she could make out was a stream going right through the valley in to a lack, the moonlight reflecting off it, she knew that in the day time, she would see just how lush and beautiful this valley really was. For she had been here before, this had been the Resistance's third hideout. Redemption had been right, they were here.

Breeze settled on the ground near the lake and Dominique turned in his saddle, watching as the others landed behind him. Anita and Gina looked around in awe while Seth just looked intrigued.

Smiling Akira slipped from Redemption's back. She was suddenly wide awake, all sleep having left her.

“So...” she looked around as the others followed her lead and got off their dragons, “Where exactly are these Dracos of yours?”

All eyes turned to Dominique who just grinned before he walked over the edge of the lake. Even before he reached it he began to suddenly pull off his shirt.

“What in the Lands are you doing?” Gina asked looking mortified.

Dominique turned towards her, his shirt half off, a grin on his face. “I’m going swimming,” he told her innocently.

“What?” Gina asked while Anita shot Akira a confused look.

“You want money, don’t you?” Dominique asked, an eyebrow raised.

Gina nodded dumbly.

“Then you’ve got to swim,” Dominique told her as though it was the most logical thing. Pulling off his shirt completely he tossed it aside and then with one smooth motion turned and dived into the lake.

“Alright,” Gina turned to the rest of the group. “I declare a coup, the boy has officially lost it!” yet as she spoke something hit her on the back of the head. Whirling around she turned to find a grinning Dominique treading water.

She was about to yell at him when he pointed at her feet. Slowly Gina looked down, her mouth dropping as she saw a smooth, small round object that had hit her head moments before. She knelt down and picked it up, staring at it as she stood up again.

Akira leaned in close, squinting her eyes as she tried to make out what Gina was holding, yet the moonlight was not bright enough to light it up.

“What is it?” Gina murmured.

In reply Akira held out her hand and it burst into flames. While Anita and Dominique stared wide eyed at Akira’s hand, which seemed to be unaffected by the fire, while Seth and Gina watched calmly as Akira moved her hand alongside the object Gina was holding to light it up.

A surprised look crossed Seth, Akira and Gina’s faces as they stared at the gold Draco that Gina held in her hand. On one side was stamped and ‘A’ and when Gina flipped it she found a ‘C’ on the other.

“Golly, in the future they have gold producing lakes,” Gina whispered in awe.

From where he was treading in the water Dominique chuckled and Gina looked over at him, wondering what was so funny.

“Sorry to disappoint,” he grinned, “But what you’re holding there is actually a piece from what I threw into here.”

“You threw gold Dracos into a lake?” Anita asked him, looking as though she were contemplating whether or not Dominique was sane.

“It was blood money….” Dominique began as a dark look crossed his face. “Quilus collected it in exchange for betrayed the Resistance.”

“Quilus?” Seth asked.

“He was in the Resistance,” Akira explained. “When Nemis and the council set out a reward for handing over the Resistance he couldn’t resist the temptation.”

“What happened to him?” Gina asked while she turned the gold Draco over in her fingers.

“He’s dead,” Dominique replied flatly.

“Huh,” was Gina’s uninterested reply as she stuck the Draco in her mouth and bit down on it, as though making sure it was real.

“So if you threw this away,” Anita began, “What changed your mind to make you come get it now?”

At this Dominique grinned, “We need it for a good cause, don’t we?”

“So…is there more?” Gina asked cautiously.

“Tones,” Dominique replied.

“Great,” Gina’s face lit up as Akira let the flames around her hand suddenly disappear. “In that case,” Gina turned to Seth, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, “Get swimming boys,” she said gaily.

Seth raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you go in?” he asked.

“Huh,” Gina snorted, “Because, I don’t particular enjoy going swimming with nothing but the moonlight. Who knows what could be swimming around in that lake,” she shivered dramatically.

“It’s perfectly safe,” Dominique assured her.

“Forget it,” Gina replied as she grabbed Akira’s arm and forced her to sit down beside her on the bank of the lake. “Us girls will watch and keep an eye out on any of the Dracos you boys recover; someone could come and steal them if we were all in the water at once after all.”

“In the middle of nowhere?” Dominique asked while Seth let out a snort.

“I like Gina’s plan,” Anita grinned as she sat down on the other side of Akira.

“Of course you do,” Seth replied.

Dominique didn’t reply as he disappeared under the surface of the water. Moments later he came back and flung another Draco at Gina who raised her hand and caught it expertly.

“Come on dude,” Dominique turned to grin at Seth, “At this rate there will be no Dracos left for you to find.” He did not give Seth a chance to reply as he disappeared beneath the surface again.

“Oh, I’m going to find plenty,” Seth commented as he pulled off his shirt. He shot Akira a grin before he dived into lake.

“Boys,” Gina sighed.

The three girls sat, watching as Seth and Dominique disappeared under the surface of the lake again and again, sometimes coming up with a Draco and sometimes with none. The dragons sat some distance away, watching all this with a lazy look in their eyes.

As Dominique and Seth joked about who would find more Dracos, Akira felt a small smile come to her lips. Maybe this whole bad blood business between Seth and Dominique was finally over. Who knew, perhaps fighting whatever it was out had actually helped.

“You know what bothers me,” Anita spoke as both boys disappeared beneath the surface again.

Akira and Gina turned a questioning look on to Anita.

“What was the whole point of Steeson controlling Seth and Will only to send them back?” Anita continued.

“Uh…to try and kill us?” Gina replied.

Akira frowned as she remembered her fight with Seth. If she remembered correctly, he had avoided killing her in it. She wasn’t sure if it was because some part of him stopped him from doing it or if Steeson had wanted it that way. Yet why would Seth not try to kill her only to have Will attempt to kill Drake? It just didn’t make sense.

“I don’t mean that,” Anita shook her head. “I know that he probably tried to kill some of us and all but to what end? I mean come on, if you were Steeson why bother sending two riders under your control back to the Academy in the past when all they could do is kill one, two riders tops?”

Akira knew Anita had a point, yet Gina did not look convinced.

“I mean the whole controlling effect wears off if you somehow knock the victim out, that means that it should wear off by itself in time if nothing were done, shouldn’t it?” Anita asked.

“What’s your point?” Gina asked as she ducked, avoiding a shower of Dracos that would have smashed right into her face. She glared at the culprits yet Dominique and Seth only grinned, disappearing beneath the surface to escape her gaze.

“I mean,” Anita paused as though not sure herself of what she was about to ask. “If Steeson knew that the controlling effect was going to wear off, then why bother sending Seth and Will back with us when he knew that once gone they would be out of his reach?”

“Maybe he doesn’t know about the whole effect wearing off thing,” Gina replied as she picked up a gold Draco from where it lay at her feet.

Akira did not join in the conversation, staring at the starry sky above as she listened.

“I doubt he doesn’t know,” Anita shook her head. “Look at Ray, the effect wore off on him; there have to be others to. Even if Steeson didn’t know at the beginning, he sure would have found out soon enough.”

“Who cares what his reason was,” Gina replied. “Steeson messed up, too bad for him but great for us.” As Dominique’s head submerged she suddenly threw the Draco she head as hard as she could, letting out a shout of triumph as it hit Dominique directly on the forehead and bounced back in to the water.

“Hey!” Dominique yelled.

“Ha!” was Gina’s reply.

“Gina,” Seth looked amused as he spoke, “Do you want to come for a swim.”

“No thanks,” Gina grinned in reply.

Seth and Dominique exchanged a look and a grin suddenly spread across their face as they swam for land. Gina’s grin disappeared as she watched them make their way out of the water towards her.

“Heck no!” she yelled as she jumped and began to run. Seth and Dominique sprinted after her.

Akira watched them go, running across the valley with Gina’s shrieks echoing off the mountains around them.

“Do you also think it’s nothing?” Anita asked. Akira turned to find Anita watching her with worried eyes. “Do you think that Steeson messed up?”

Akira paused before replying. “No Anita. I don’t think Steeson made a mistake,” she told her.

Anita nodded, looking relieved. “Good, I thought I might be the only one to think so.” She frowned, “Something just isn’t right Akira. Right from the start, this Steeson guy creeps me out. It’s as though…”

“He has everything planned out,” Akira finished off for her.

Anita nodded solemnly when Gina’s cries for help interrupted. Both girls turned their heads to watch in amusement as Seth, who had Gina slung over his shoulder, carried her towards the lake. Dominique followed with a grin of triumph of his face. Ignoring Gina’s attempts to get free and her shrieks, Seth walked right up to the edge of the lake and tossed her in.

Akira chuckled, and Anita even smiled, as there was a big splash and Gina’s shrieks abruptly stopped. Yet as soon as she resurfaced they resumed, with her yelled fowl words at Dominique and Seth.

“Someone sure doesn’t like getting wet,” Akira chuckled.

“No, they don’t,” a voice whispered beside her ear.

Akira’s eyes narrowed as she realized that Seth had snuck up behind her.

“Now it’s your turn.”

Before Akira could react Seth had his arms around her and lifted her up bridal style.

“Seth don’t you dare…” Akira began, yet she never got to finish as Seth carried her to the edge of the lake and with a wide grin jumped right in, Akira still her his arms.

As the cold water submerged Akira, she heard Redemption chuckle in her mind. Seth’s arms loosened around her and at once Akira kicked for the surface. She emerged to find that Gina was laughing at her misfortune, seeming suddenly not as upset about being wet now that Akira was to. Shaking her head Akira treaded water.

A shriek made Akira turn her head to shore just in time to see Dominique toss Anita in to the lake to.

“Looks like we all got wet after all,” Seth’s amused voice spoke from behind Akira.

“You!” Akira whirled around, splashing Seth right in the face.

“Hey!” Seth protested innocently, still grinning, “What was that for?”

“You’re seriously asking?” Akira replied dryly.

Seth just grinned in reply as he came closer to her. “Are you upset about getting a little wet?” he asked as he leaned his face in to hers.

“No, I’m upset about the long dragon ride we have ahead and how being wet, I’m going to get cold and probably get sick,” Akira responded.

“We can always get dry first,” Seth replied.

“And waste time?” Akira asked as Seth leaned in even closer.

“Not if you want to get sick,” Seth grinned, his lips almost touching Akira’s.

“Hi!” As Dominique suddenly appeared beside them Akira and Seth both started, banging their heads.

“Owe,” Akira reached a hand up to her head while Seth rubbed his forehead, shooting Dominique a look of daggers.

“So,” Dominique quickly began, “I was thinking. We probably have enough Dracos now, so how about we get going?”

“Like this?” Gina asked as she to suddenly swam over. “Are you crazy? I’m not sitting on a dragon thousands of feet in the air with the wind blasting against me when I’m soaking wet, not thanks to you! I’ll be sick quicker than you can say 'Draglin!'”

Akira shot Seth an ‘I told you so’ look.

“Guess that means we need to get dry first,” Seth sighed.

“That sounds good to me,” Anita spoke as she swam towards the shore.

Akira watched as Gina and Dominique followed.

“What’s wrong?” Seth asked her.

Akira shot him a questioning look.

“You have that look on your face that says you’re deep in thought,” Seth told her.

“Nothing really,” Akira sighed. “I’m just wondering how things will turn out when we get to Academy City, if it’ll be a big waste of time and all or if we’ll actually find what we’re looking for.”

“Well,” Seth began, “I guess that depends on just how hard we look.”

Akira cracked a smile. “I guess it will.” With that she turned and began to follow the others to shore. The quicker they got dry, the quicker they could get on their way to Academy City and hopefully, find out something useful that could help them in their quest against Steeson.