𝕺𝖕𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖘 𝕬𝖙𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙 - 𝕱𝖊𝖒𝕺𝕮 𝖃 𝕷𝖊𝖔 𝖁𝖆𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖟

Kiera

I kept looking back. I half expected to see those nasty sun dragons toting a flying chariot with a screaming magical saleswoman throwing potions, but nothing followed us.

Leo steered the dragon toward the southwest. Eventually, the smoke from the burning department store faded in the distance, but I didn't relax until the suburbs of Chicago gave way to snowy fields, and the sun began to set.

"Good job, Festus," I patted the dragon's metal hide. "You did awesome."

The dragon shuddered. Gears popped and clicked in his neck.

I frowned, and Leo looked over my shoulder. I didn't like those noises. If the control disk was failing again—no. It couldn't, I can't lose him, too.

Leo patted Festus, too. "I'll give you a tune up next time we land." He promised. "You've earned some motor oil and Tabasco sauce."

Festus whirled his teeth, but even that sounded weak. He flew at a steady pace, his great wings angling to catch the wind, but he was carrying a heavy load. Two cages in his claws, and four people on his back. If we had the time to land, I would've been able to drop the cages into my void-pocket.

"Leo." Piper said. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah. . .not bad for a brainwashed zombie." Leo's face burned red. "Thanks for saving us back there, beauty queen. If you hadn't talked us out of that spell—"

"Don't worry about it," Piper said. "You, Kie? How are you holding up?"

I sighed. "I'm alright. Sorry, Jason, for slicing you up."

"It's all right," he laughed. "I would've killed you had Medea not stopped us."

"I was about to stab you in the chest. I would've killed you." I argued.

I heard Jason scoff. "Maybe if there was more water in the store—"

Leo clamped a hand over my mouth. "Please, don't start shit."

"Mmm-mph!" I bit Leo's palm and he yelped, retracting his hand.

"She bit me!" He wailed.

Piper groaned. "Oh my god, you're like kids."

Leo glared at me and wiped his hand off. "We're going to have to put down soon," he warned. "Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea's not following us. I don't think Festus can fly much longer than that."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his canary cage, too. Question is—where are we going?"

"The Bay Area," Leo guessed. "Didn't Medea say something about Oakland?"

Piper didn't respond for so long, I wondered if Leo had said something wrong.

"Piper's dad," Jason said. "Something's happened to your dad, right? He got lured into some kind of trap."

Piper let out a shaky breath. "Look, Medea said you would all die  in the Bay Area. And Besides. . .even if we went there, the Bay Area is huge! First we need to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits. Boreas said Aeolus was the only one who could tell us exactly where to go."

Leo grunted. "So how do we find Aeolus?"

Jason leaned forward. "You mean you don't see it?" He pointed ahead of them, and I kind of saw something.

"Oh," I said. "It kinda looks like glitter."

"What?" Leo asked.

"That. . .whatever it is," Jason said. "In the air. I'm not concussed, because Kiera saw it, too."