Chinese Touch

Chapter 18-Dragon's Lair

"A what?" Bao was already running. "Bao, a what!?" I charged through the forest after her, legs pounding, heart racing. What had been in that room...

"Chang, get ready, we're leaving." Bao was strapping her gear to Chang, who was reading herself to fly again.

"Bao, what's going on?"

"We need to summon all the Changers here. We're not bringing the fight to the Emperor; he bringing the fight here."

"What?"

"You saw what was in that room. If we can get Changers here... We can truly defeat the Emperor."

"How do you know one of them won't want to take over?"

"They won't."

"How do you-"

"I just do! I just do."

"Okay, I trust you. So, how are we going to get the word out?"

"We have to be in a town. Then we... It's easier to show you."

"Okay." I jumped on Ai's back and he took off. We flew up above the clouds and made our way slowly to the next town. The dragons landed in a forest and we walked up to the edge of the town.

"What now?"

"Now, we-"

"Can I have your attention please!" The order came from a guard at the end of the road. We ran up to see what was going on. "The Emperor has declared that all young women with brown or black hair are to touch this statue." He held up a small bird. "Please line up and hold out your hand when I come past." Bao and I walked to the end of the line.

"What am I going to do? He'll find out who I am."

"Just concentrate on not bringing life to the statue. It's controllable, you should be able to choose."

I looked up to see a blonde woman sighing in relief. She was looking at her hands and I instantly knew why she was so happy. Feeling my gaze upon her, she lifted her head and looked into my eyes. I gave her a reassuring smile and she nodded, as if acknowledging what I was. A little girl ran up to her and took her hand, pulling her away. At the last minute the young girl looked back at me and smiled as well,then they were gone.

"Miss?"

"Hmm?"

"It's your turn." The guard held out the bird.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I let my thoughts wander." I pulled off my glove and held out my hand. My fingernails brushed against the hard stone, then I pressed my fingertips against it and held my breath.

~#~*~#~

"That was the most terrifying moment of my life." I sat on the side of the street and looked at my fingers. Then I pulled my glove back on and lay against the wall of the house behind me. Bao laughed warmly and grasped my hand.

"You get used to it."

I was just settling in when a hand landed gently on my shoulder, startling me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." It was the young girl from before. Her hair was a brown-blonde colour, and her striking blue eyes met mine. "My sister wants to see you. Both of you. Please, follow me." Then she was running down the street. Bao and I took off after her and finally made it to the edge of the woods.

"Come on, just a little further." She beckoned for us to follow and disappeared into the shadows. I charged after her and pushed branches out of my way. My heart was pounding so hard because as she had disappeared past the trees, a strange tingling feeling started in my chest, spreading down to the hand I had used to wake Ai. There was no doubt now, as the tingling turned to tiny stabs, that Ai was in trouble.

"Where is she?" Bao cried out from behind me. She was rubbing her arm, a look of pure terror etched on her face.

Suddenly I felt a jab of pain in my leg. I screamed out and fell. The girl whirled around, her eyes wide with fear.

"They've started! No, I told them to wait!" I could barely feel my leg, but there were no visible wounds. I screamed as something jabbed my arm, then screamed again as I saw nothing that could cause the pain. The girl pulled me to my feet and pulled me along, my limp leg dragging. Bao gritted her teeth and slapped at her arm as if trying to bring back feeling. After what seemed like an eternity, but was only mere minutes, we reached a little mass and tangle of sticks that formed a crude shelter.

I was lowered gently through the hole that formed the opening. I expected to feel dirt, but was met with several pairs of hands. They lowered me onto a straw bed and I looked up. The blonde woman from earlier was talking to a man half hidden in shadow. He held a sharp stick, and I could see two shapes in the darkness. Several others filled the massive underground room. There was another large lump in another shadow. This shape didn't move.

Bao slid through the opening and ran to me. "Ming! Are you okay?" She knelt down next to me, massaging her arm.

"What happened to me?" I asked.

"So these are your dragons." The man in the shadow lowered his stick and lighted a lamp. The darkness vanished and I cried out when I saw Ai and Chang, bound to the floor by chains. Ai's back and front leg and Chang's foreleg had bleeding wounds in them. That must have somehow affected us.

"You monster! How could you do this to them?" I cried, stumbling over to Ai. He looked at me and nuzzled my hand as I wrapped my arms around him.

"You're both Changers of good strength, you more so than her." The man pointed at me. "But, the elder one appears to know more than you do."

"I know! I've only known about this stupid ability for a month, at most!" I spat.

"As I was saying, she knows a great deal more. Now, this dragon," he pointed at Chang, "was spouting some nonsense about you having found the Dragon's Lair. And chances are, you didn't even know what you had found."

"It's true." Bao said. "I saw it too. That's how Chang knows."

"Hmm."

"Sir, what is the Dragon's Lair?"

The lump in the darkness stirred. A great white and silver dragon raised it's head and looked at me with shimmering eyes. Light emanated from her claws and wing tips. She spoke with a warm, shimmery voice.

"The Dragon's Lair is the ultimate weapon."