Fire Dragon

Chapter 23

23

 

Morning came all too soon.  Nyssa and Sean whipped up an easy breakfast of eggs and toast while Cody put up a fresh pot of coffee.  Kane was subdued as he ate, but then again, so were the rest.  Quinn sat looking out of the huge arched windows, alternately drawing on his cigar and sipping from his mug.  Declan was nowhere to be seen.  Kane had found him dozing on one of the swivel chairs in the boardroom when he’d walked in earlier. 

Trust him to be ready for anything. 

Everything had been quiet except for the soft beep coming from the TV screen. 

He’d gone to freshen up, and when he returned a little while later, Declan had gone.  He’d thought that maybe he would continue his nap in his room and come down later.

Conversation flowed easily between Kane and Nyssa.  He liked the little Lady immediately.  She was Cody’s wife and the one bringing Leah to him when she had been taken.  Underneath her feminine exterior, he could see the strength that shone through.  Her apology was heartening, and it was only then that he realized how many people he’d put at risk by his stubbornness.  Here were good people, who had stepped forward to help out a friend, people who would willingly lay down their lives to see his own daughter saved.  A huge bubble of remorse filled him.  Had he given Declan a chance at what he deserved, this would never have happened. 

Declan surprised them all when he came in from outside.  He’d showered, changed and gone out before they even knew he was missing.  He looked worried about something.  He was still frowning when he grabbed some coffee and scooped a mouthful of eggs off Nyssa’s plate as he mumbled a greeting.

“There’s a pageant in town tonight.  That’s going to be followed by a live band and some street dancing.  I talked to the hands out back.  Most of them are going.”

Quinn grunted from his place at the window.  “All we can do is make our move and hope he doesn’t retaliate.”

Kane stood up wrinkling his nose.  “He will when he gets a whiff of me!  I stink.  I need some fresh clothes.” 

It was so unexpected, that everyone looked at him in surprise.

Quinn laughed a deep rumbling sound.  Cody and Sean followed suit, and Nyssa grinned, covering her mouth with a napkin.  For a few moments, the nerve-racking events unfolding had taken a back seat.

Declan shook his head and joined them.  Kane smiled slowly, realizing what he did. 

“I’ll see what I can do.”  Sean offered.  They were around the same size.  He had a few sets of work clothes here as well.

The rest of the day dragged on uneventfully and by evening, they were all wound up again.  The static had died completely, and even after Cody had done a check on that area, he still found no trace of Leah.  The Dream Catcher had moved, finally, but it only got further away from land.  They anchored there and didn’t move again for another few hours. 

The sun dipped behind the horizon, bringing with it a cool evening breeze.  Most of the workers had left already, some in pairs, others in groups.  They were all dressed smartly with touches of green and gold to get into the spirit of things.  Their cheerfulness would be short lived if things didn’t change soon.   

They sat around the oval table munching on potato chips, making small talk while waiting for their cue.  

“How long do we have to wait here?”

Leah’s voice crackled through the speaker.  Declan saw hope flare in Kane’s eyes, and he held his breath in anticipation.