Blazing the Trail: The Dragon Diaries by Deborah Cooke

Author:Deborah Cooke
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Girls & Women, Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Fantasy, Manga, General, Horror
ISBN: 0451236823
Publisher: NAL
Published: 2012-06-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

The girls’ bathroom we’d chosen was deserted, just as expected.

It smelled strongly of bleach and faintly of both cigarettes and perfume, which was also as expected. They’d removed all the dead bolts from the doors after my shifting incident in the fall, which didn’t exactly inspire confidence in our long-term privacy.

“Just be quick,” Meagan said. “I’ll be the lookout.”

Jessica took off her baseball cap and shook her hair out of her ponytail. It’s funny, but I forgot how gorgeous she looked at Halloween in that costume that emphasized her curves. It almost seems like she’s a different person, or one who lives in her brother’s discarded baggy clothes. But just that act of shaking her hair free made her look sensual and feminine. It seemed that the curve of her lips was riper and more sultry and that her gaze turned knowing. She unzipped her hoodie and I saw the gold necklace lying against her skin like the precious and ancient relic it was.

She was suddenly exotic and beautiful, at ease with a femininity that she kept hidden away. I thought of her at the birthing the day before and felt young and awkward in her presence. I was pretty sure she could sense it.

I pulled the shears out of my backpack and unwrapped them carefully. We exchanged a look, Meagan confirmed that the coast was clear, then Jessica flung out her hands and tipped back her head.

I knew she was summoning the change.

I knew what to expect.

But nothing happened.

Her eyes widened and she swallowed, and I heard the nervous skip of her heart.

“Don’t think about it too much,” I said. “Breathe deeply; don’t question or doubt your powers. I’m sure you can do it.”

She nodded and brushed her fingertips across that necklace. I saw her lashes flutter and heard her murmur something in another language. Maybe it was a prayer.

Then she tried again.

And this time, I saw the golden silhouettes of a hundred cats swirling around her ankles. They took form out of nothing, just long enough that I caught glimpses of them, then faded from view so quickly that I thought I was imagining them.

I saw that faint electric shimmer of blue dance over Jessica’s skin, like she’d been touched by lightning. I narrowed my eyes as it grew brighter, wanting to see the moment that her shape changed.

But the blue light was suddenly extinguished. It fizzled and died in a way that I knew wasn’t natural.

Jessica blinked.

She frowned.

Our gazes met for one instant and I knew what she was thinking.

Just like in the nightmare.

Just like the moment of being spellbound.

“Holy shit,” she whispered, her fear obvious. “Can you see the spell that’s blocking me?”

“Not yet. Try again.” I tightened my grip on Skuld’s shears, ready for action.

Jessica touched the necklace with her fingertips again and swallowed her fear, murmuring that prayer one more time. The shadowy cats grew brighter and more substantial before my eyes, and I knew they were answering a summons from her.

And this

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