The White Dragon Revealed (Dragon's Reign #5)

13. The Scent Of Danger

THE SCENT OF DANGER

T he Below extravaganza was going better than expected. Caden grinned down at Rose who was helping another little girl up onto his and Iolaire’s back. The people already perched there leaned down to grasp the girl’s hands and pulled her up to join them.

Iolaire flapped their wings--carefully and just once--and the snow that had settled on the ground of the Below flew up into the air again and came sparkling down. Caden saw a father lift up his son so that he could get some of it on his tongue. The boy giggled and clasped his father’s neck with two chubby arms in delight.

Everywhere there were faces full of joy and delight. Even the Shifters assigned to monitor the event were grinning or, at least, not looking as grim as usual. There was a lightness to the air like champagne where happiness bubbled up in steady streams.

This was what he, Rose and Iolaire had planned for this event, even before Marban got “involved”. The fact that it was still going so well even with Marban’s additions was gratifying. He almost felt like he could breathe. The event was going to go off without a hitch!

“Marban,” a female reporter with closely cropped black hair said as she sidled up to the crime boss. Marban, of course, looked anything like a crime boss with his paunch and grandfather’s wrinkled face. “How did this event come about?”

Caden fought not to roll his eyes. She was asking the wrong person.

“Well, I had the honor of meeting Iolaire that terrible first day they joined with their human partner,” Marban said, showing just the right amount of sadness at the remembered events. Caden tensed. Was Marban going to trash Valerius?

“Indeed.” The reporter scented a scoop. Clearly, she hadn’t thought that Marban would bring up the tragedy. “What explanation did Iolaire give for its battle with Raziel?”

It wasn’t a battle! It was a scuffle. Where I ran away and got very lucky!

Iolaire twittered softly at the thought of fighting with Raziel and those who had died.

Marban put his hands together in front of him as if in prayer. “It was truly a tragedy, Marta.”

He knows the reporter’s name? Oh, man, Marban is always working it!

The reporter, Marta, lit up and immediately jumped in with the obvious, which had Caden wincing, “Do you blame King Valerius? After all, it was his actions in chasing Iolaire here that--”

Marban continued on as if she hadn’t spoken, “... based upon a terrible misunderstanding and King Valerius’ desire to protect the people. You see, King Valerius and Raziel, in the heat of the moment, made the understandable connection that Iolaire was somehow involved with the bombing.”

“Not to mention finding another Dragon in their territory, unannounced and uninvited.” Marta’s tone was dry.

Marban nodded, consenting to this as well. “It was a shock. A shock all around. And it led to a terrible accident.”

The reporter blinked as if she couldn’t possibly have heard Marban right. “I believe that’s the talking points from High Reach. I didn’t expect them from you, Marban.”

For one moment--though Caden didn’t think the reporter or even most of the viewers caught it--Marban’s expression became sly as he answered her, “I have--and always will--speak truth to power. ”

Like you have no power, Marban?!

“But, in this case, the truth is what has come from High Reach,” Marban continued with an almost helpless shrug. “And I will state it far and wide.”

It was now the reporter’s turn to look sly. “I heard that you have been named to a new Shifter Council that King Valerius is setting up. And that this appointment was made right after Iolaire’s appearance.”

Oh, boy. So yeah, uhm, that looks bad,

“Do you really think that King Valerius would create a Shifter Council on a whim and put me on it, Marta?” Marban was tutting and shaking his head. “The Shifter Council has been planned for some time. That you are only now finding out about it is… well, getting insider information out of High Reach is always difficult.”

Marta’s expression hardened slightly. “So you’re saying that your appointment to this Council, Iolaire’s appearance and the deaths of over a dozen people in the Below are not connected?”

Marban’s smile seemed to grow. “What I am saying is simply this: that a Shifter Council, where a citizen from the Below is prominently featured, can never be a detriment to the Below, Marta.”

Marta opened her mouth to ask more questions, but two Snake Shifters were suddenly at her side, leading her away from Marban even as she protested.

“Wait! I have more questions--”

“Others have to get their time in too with Marban,” one of the Snake Shifters hissed into the shell of her ear.

She looked affronted and then paled when she caught sight of the man’s serpentine smile.

“Thank you, Marta! Always good to see you!” Marban waved at her and Caden had a feeling she would not be welcomed for any further interviews.

She’s smart though. She connected some dots. But Marban is also right. The Shifter Council and his closeness with Valerius will only help the people here, Caden thought. I wonder where Valerius is.

He glanced back towards the stalls where he had left Valerius and Kaila, but he saw no signs of their hooded heads. He hoped that Kaila hadn’t decided to use her hoverboard or do something else that would attract attention. Kaila was not discrete. He supposed most Dragons weren’t.

Caden felt a light touch on their shoulder. He looked down and saw Marban standing there, one hand on Iolaire’s shimmering white scales. The wily old Swarm Shifter was looking all around him. Marban had a soft smile on his lips that was not one that Caden had ever seen there before. Certainly not one he’d used on camera. He thought it might be an actual genuine smile. Marban glanced up at him. Their gazes met. The Swarm Shifter smiled more broadly and nodded his head as if to say, “This is good. Better than good. And I did not expect it.”

Of course, that was when things went sideways.

Marban lifted his right hand to his right ear where there was a bluetooth device. The words were too low for Caden to hear over the roar of the crowd, but he saw Marban’s expression change from one of happiness to alarm to anger then a blank mask replaced them all.

What’s happened? What’s wrong?

But Marban couldn’t hear him. Only Iolaire realized his alarm. Again, Caden searched for Valerius, but he didn’t sense Raziel or Valerius’ minds at that moment, so he couldn’t even reach out to them to talk to Marban on his behalf. This was the biggest downside of being in their Dragon form. They couldn’t talk to anybody really.

Damnit! What’s happening?

Marban moved quickly to Rose’s side. He was all smiles again, but those smiles were plastic and strained. They were not genuine. But the cameras would show nothing wrong. The crowd would just see the same fond grandfatherly figure that had always been there and always would be.

But Caden knew better and anxiety had him almost flickering their long tail too fast. Iolaire took over and stopped the children from being thrown end over end. Instead, they just let out delighted laughs as the tail moved a little faster than it had before, more like an adult ride than a kiddie one. His focus though was on Marban and Rose .

What is wrong?

Marban was pulling Rose away from the children so they could talk privately, or as privately as they could in the middle of a crowd with cameras rolling. Rose frowned and tried to gently shake him off, but Marban was not letting go. There was a plaintive cry from the children on his tail. Evidently, both he and Iolaire were now distracted and had stopped moving their tail altogether. Iolaire quickly restarted the steady swaying while they both looked back at Marban and Rose.

The two of them were scanning the crowd. Not those near to them, but farther back, towards the Stairs. Rose suddenly jerked her hand towards the landing. It was then that Caden caught sight of the white robed figures. His heart was in Iolaire’s long throat.

The Faith!

Before when he had seen the Faith, the most Caden would have felt about them was annoyance and a bit of embarrassment. They had always just seemed like a group of too earnest people who Caden secretly believed wanted to be Shifters with all the benefits that brought. It was like the poor worshiping the rich for all the benefits that money brought, but claiming they didn’t want any wealth for themselves. Though his mother was quick to assure him--and anyone who asked--that wasn’t the case with her and, sometimes, he believed her. But now seeing the Faith had a cold chill running down his spine.

Is there another bomb set someplace? This would be the perfect event to “make” some more Shifters, Caden realized with a sickening lurch .

Iolaire twittered uneasily.

Do you sense anything, Iolaire? Can you, uhm, sense bombs? Like maybe smell them? Caden asked, knowing that was hugely unlikely.

Iolaire responded in the negative. Not at this distance at least. But maybe if it was nearer they could. Yet between them and the filing line of Faith that were flowing into the Below, there were thousands of people. How could they get close enough to them without crushing people?

His gaze swept the crowd, looking for Valerius for a third time, but the cloaked and hooded figure of the massive Black Dragon King was not anywhere to be seen. He half expected to see Kaila dancing out into the crowd regardless of the Faith. But she was not there either.

Where are they?

But then he realized that even if he could find them, Valerius and Kaila acting against the Faith would be a bad thing. Unless it was done really carefully.

Caden looked down and saw Marban speaking furiously over his bluetooth device. He still had a smile plastered on his face, but it fit tight across his tense features. Through the roar of the crowd, Caden heard the words, “Faith”, “round up”, “block off”, “sniffer” and “now, absolutely now!”

Rose was trying to interact with the kids with that bright and sunny expression from before but her eyes were tracking the crowd worriedly. She glanced up at him and mouthed, “Faith.” He gave a brief nod to show he understood.

Once more his gaze slid towards the crowd. He saw Shifters moving through the people towards the Stairs, but there were too many people in their way. Some of the Shifters were totally blocked from moving forward. They started to shove, but there simply wasn’t room for the people to go. They were not going to be in time to stop the white robed figures of the Faith from fanning out into the crowd.

What if one of them has a bomb? Caden thought again. He remembered the explosion and a flash of white and Iolaire’s voice. There had been no pain, but his heart beat faster and his breathing increased. They have to be stopped.

He looked down at Marban and the Swarm Shifter caught his eye. He knew in that instant that Marban understood that his people were not going to get to the Faith in time, not in their human forms anyways. But swarms of rats, snakes and insects appearing in the middle of the crowd would cause a huge panic. People could be injured, or even killed, as they raced for the exits and some ended up getting trampled or crushed against walls. The news people would record it all and what had been a wonderful moment for the Below would become yet another tragedy. Marban knew this too and he looked almost defeated at that moment .

It was then that Iolaire sent him an image of them hovering over the crowd in front of the Faith. There was plenty of room in the air.

Yes! Perfect, Iolaire! Let’s do it!

Caden had Iolaire shake their head violently at Marban to indicate he shouldn’t give the command to shift. Not yet anyways. Then it was with incredibly gentleness that Iolaire sent the children sliding off of its tail and back, only to be caught by surprised parents. Iolaire flapped their wings then. People put hands up to block their eyes as gusts of wind whipped up snow and dirt from the ground. Soon they were hovering ten feet above the ground then twenty. There were ooohhhhs and ahhhhhs from everyone. They had no idea why he and Iolaire were doing this other than to show off some of their flying.

Iolaire glided towards the platform at the bottom of the Stairs where the Faith were gathering and about to stream out into the crowd itself. Most everyone was gazing up at Iolaire in awe. Caden looked for those who weren’t . He figured if he was carrying a bomb, he’d be more intent on that then even watching a Dragon hovering over him. But the wind from Iolaire’s wings was flattening the hoods against the members’ heads and it was hard to tell who wasn’t looking because of guilt and who wasn’t because it was impossible to do so.

We can’t stay up here, Iolaire! He told his Spirit. We need to get down there! We need to block them!

Iolaire started to lower them to the ground. It wanted to be between the crowd and the Faith. This would be close enough to see if it detected any chemicals that might mean there was a bomb on one or more of the Faith.

What if they detonate the bomb now?

Caden’s gaze skittered over the white robed figures. He figured if they did that they would use their massive body and wings to block the blast from reaching the majority of the crowd. People were, thankfully, scattering as Iolaire made this unexpected landing. They settled down in the half-moon space.

Be big. Be bad, Iolaire. We need to impress them. Pretend you’re Raziel! Caden told the Spirit.

Iolaire twittered that they only needed to be themselves, but the White Dragon Spirit did have them “puff” up so they looked even bigger than they were. They sat up on their haunches. Their wings were spread wide. And then Iolaire breathed on the steps between the Below and the Faith until they were covered in a sheet of ice. No one was easily getting down those without falling on their asses.

Good idea, Iolaire!

The crowd had gone very quiet. News crews who had been filming the scene from the far edges of the Below now had a perfect view of this confrontation up close and personal.

He heard a male reporter breathlessly saying, “Iolaire has turned the steps to ice. One would almost say that it is trying to keep the Faith out of the Below. But why?”

Why indeed? No one is going to easily believe that the Faith could be behind these bombings! Caden thought with a touch of dismay.

A woman, the leader of his mother’s sect, came forward with a beatific smile on her face. She seemed completely unaware of the possibility that the reporter had voiced that they were keeping the Faith away from everyone else as best he could. The leader--he thought her name was Joanna--stopped about two-feet from the iced steps and raised her arms. This caused the Faith to break out into a soft and moving melody that seemed to float up in glorious waves to the ceiling. Caden only winced when he listened to the lyrics.

“Oh, White Dragon. Oh, Ninth Dragon. Oh, Ice King or Queen. We call to thee for guidance and morality--”

Who thought up those lyrics, Iolaire? Caden groaned.

But he quickly shook off any interest in the song and looked at the people. Those damned hoods were blocking faces. Everyone was singing in unison, making these arm movements in a coordinated effort that reminded him of a combination of Walk Like An Egyptian video and Irish dance. It was more polished than their usual stuff, likely because they knew they were going to be on television.

Iolaire, we’ve got to make sure that none of these people have any explosives on them! Caden reminded his Spirit.

Iolaire twittered its understanding. Immediately, it lowered their head to the leader. Her smile widened as Iolaire pressed their snout to her chest and breathed in. She clasped their head in an awkward embrace, singing loudly of her joy.

Nothing there. God, though, she wears too much perfume! Lilacs!

Iolaire disengaged them from her embrace and went to the next person at the end of the line to their left. That person immediately stepped forward and embraced Iolaire just as the leader had. Again, no scent of chemicals.

Does C4 smell like anything? Caden wondered.

And even if it did, would they recognize its scent? Would they sniff every single person and miss the obvious? But Iolaire seemed confident they’d discover the person if there was a person to be found.

Another reporter had joined the first and he heard them saying over the continued singing, “Aww, Iolaire is letting the Faith hug it!”

The first reporter chuckled, “Yes. Is Iolaire sniffing them?”

“It might be! Maybe that’s its way of greeting?” the second replied.

“Let’s hope it isn’t smelling them for tastiness!” the first reporter chortled.

Iolaire was sniffing the fifth person. Caden kept looking down the line of Faith. Was anyone reacting differently? Tense at their approach? Sidling away? Trying to hide something?

While quite a few of the Faith were eagerly looking down the line towards them, waiting for their chance to embrace him and Iolaire, there were just as many not looking. Some had their eyes closed as they sang their hearts out. Others appeared to just be murmuring. Others had their faces hidden.

Which one of you is guilty? Caden wondered. Is one of you guilty?

He thought he saw one of the people about five down twitch when they moved their head to the next person. He fixed one of their blue eyes on this person. They had their hood pulled down and were definitely shifting nervously.

Iolaire, skip the rest of these people! Go to them! They are looking suspicious!

His Spirit complied and bypassed the next person who nearly toppled over as they thought his and Iolaire’s snout would have been there to catch them. Instead, they glared down at the figure who suspiciously kept their hood pulled down almost to their chin. Their blue eyes narrowed! This person was definitely acting suspiciously. They loomed over the hooded figure.

I won’t let you hurt anyone! Caden hissed.

Then they leaned in and the hooded member of the Faith slowly put their arms around his snout. They drew in a deep breath and…

Mom?!

There was no scent of C4 or any other explosive, just his mother’s clean scent of sandalwood and cinnamon. She hugged him fiercely.

“Iolaire,” she whispered, but he heard his own name somehow in the name of his Spirit.

Mom…

This was the first time that his mother had seen Iolaire up close, let alone touched them. They closed their eyes and purred. He knew they should pull back and not treat her any differently than the rest of the Faith, but he couldn’t quite do it. And Iolaire was loving being so close to her, too.

You think of her as Mom too? Oh, man, she’s going to love that! She’s also going to think she’s not worthy of that but I can’t wait to tell her.

His mother saved them both by drawing back. Her hands drifted over their snout. He could see her face now. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she was smiling broadly.

It was in this moment of hesitation, gazing at her lovingly, that Caden and Iolaire caught a whiff of a plasticky, acrid scent. A scent he knew did not belong. A scent Iolaire knew to mean danger.

It was a member of the Faith with a bomb.

And they were standing right next to his mother.