“They all left at the same time,” Cara replied in a puzzled voice. “I swear it was like they planned it.”
“Have you found them?” Riley asked anxiously, stepping into the room with Vox, Ha’ven, and Emma close behind her.
“No,” Zoran said with a frown. “Cara set up cameras everywhere after her and Trelon’s two kept escaping.”
Abby gave Cara a hopeful look. “Didn’t you put tracking bracelets on the girls?”
Trelon snorted and looked at Cara. “Yes, but they learned how to take them off and they put them on Ariel’s pets,” Cara replied. “We were chasing the darn things for days. That’s why I added more cameras.”
“What did you discover?” Ha’ven demanded, wrapping his arm tightly around Emma when he felt a surge of power, caused by his fear, rush through him.
“Just that they all left at the same time,” Cara admitted in frustration.
“How did Alice and Roam get out?” Vox demanded. “I can see the Dragonlings, they can shift and fly, but my son and Alice can’t.”
Cara blanched and looked at Ariel and Mandra. “Jabir’s symbiot shifted into a bird and carried Roam.”
“But, it is so small, how is that possible?” Ariel asked in disbelief.
“They are growing, just as our children are,” Zoran said, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.
“And Alice,” Emma asked quietly.
“Bálint’s symbiot,” Cara replied.
“I knew it,” Ha’ven growled. “I should have packed you and Alice up last night and returned home.”
Emma turned in Ha’ven’s arms and laid her head against his chest. Her arms curved around him, pulling the negative energy into her and replacing it with a positive to neutralize it. Ha’ven pulled in several deep breaths before he relaxed and held her tightly against him.
“Where could they have gone? And why?” Abby asked softly, twisting her hands together.
*.*.*
“They’ve gone to the mountains,” Trisha replied, stepping into the room with Kelan, Trelon, Paul, and Morian.
Everyone turned to look at Trisha as she stared back at them with a grim determination. In her hands, she held a small sheet of paper. On it was a picture that spoke a thousand words.
“How do you know that?” Vox demanded. “What mountain?”
Trisha held up the paper in her hands. “Bálint knows that he must always leave a clue as to where he is,” she said. “He left this under his pillow.”
Trisha walked over and laid the colorful picture down on the table. The childish drawing of a mountain with the stick figure of a dragon with small wings standing on the top was clearly visible, as were the small stick figures, one for each child, next to it.
She waited until everyone had gathered around before she continued. Drawing in a deep breath, she focused on the picture and not the fear and worry burning a hole through her stomach.
“You used to do the same thing,” Paul whispered softly to Trisha. “When you were little, you’d leave me clues as to where you were going.”
Trisha looked up at her dad and blinked back the tears. “I owe you a huge apology,” she replied. “I never knew how much you must have worried until now.”
“That’s why I taught you how to be smart, baby girl,” Paul said, nodding to the picture. “The kids are going to the mountains, alright.”
“But… why?” Ha’ven asked in a strained voice. “Why would they go to the mountains?
Trisha looked up at Abby and gave her a grim smile. Abby stared back in disbelief before a wave of dismay crossed her face as she realized just why the children were going. Turning her head, Trisha stared at Kelan with a silent plea.
“Christmas,” Morian finally said, breaking the silence. She looked up at her sons, Vox and Ha’ven. “They’ve gone to find the old dragon of the mountain.”
“They’ve gone to save Christmas,” Trisha replied with a nod.
“Oh my,” Abby whispered, raising a hand to her throat.
*.*.*
“I’s getting tired of this,” Roam growled, shaking his head and sending water everywhere.
The symbiot raft bumped against another rock in the swollen river before it bounced through a low set of rapids, sending squeals of delight from Amber and Jade.
“I’s like this,” Amber laughed.
“Me’s, too!” Jade replied with a giggle before she turned to Roam. “You’s should have more fun.”
“Cats don’t likes water,” Roam snarled.
“Yes, they’s do,” Jabir said, glancing over his shoulder. “Well, somes do. Tigers likes water. Mommy showed me pictures. They’s are good swimmers.”
Roam scowled and sat back down. “Well, this tiger don’t,” he grumbled, crossing his arms. “I’s thought you says we’d be home by morning. I’m hungry.”
“I’m hungie, too,” Spring said, gazing at Zohar.
“Me’s, too,” Phoenix replied, looking up at the trees.
“I’s can finds us food,” Bálint said, looking at the others. “Mommy showed me wheres to find it. Roam, you’s are good at catching fishes. I sees you with your daddy.”
Roam’s face lit up. “I’s needs to find a small pool of waters, just likes my dad did,” he said with a nod. “Buts, we’ve got to be closer to shore.”
Zohar nodded. “The symbiots can take us there,” he said. “Then’s, I can look at the map again that Jade and Amber have.”
“We’s can finds food, too,” Amber said with a grin. “Jade’s gots… ouch!” She rubbed her arm and looked at Jade with a puzzled look when her sister pinched her.
“We’s looks for food, too,” Jade interrupted, glaring at her sister. “We’s like water. We’s can catch fishes, too.”
“I don’t like fishes,” Alice said, wrinkling her nose.
“I’ll bring you other foods,” Bálint promised.
Alice nodded and drew her knees up to her chest. “I miss my mama and dada,” she whispered. “How much longers till we’s find the old dragon?”
“We’s got to go through the woods and up the mountain,” Zohar said. “We’s not far enough down the river yet.”
“How’s we gonna knows when we’s far enough?” Jabir asked, looking with wide eyes at Zohar.
“When we’s sees the top that looks like the one Jade and Amber’s mommy drew,” Zohar replied. “Right now, we’s needs food. I’s tells my symbiot that we’s need to go to the side.”
“I need to go potty,” Amber said, restlessly shifting.
“Me, too,” Jabir admitted with a grimace. “Bad.”
Zohar nodded in agreement and laid his hand on the golden raft, sending it images of finding a place to land. It took several tries before the small boat bumped into a quiet pool between several large boulders. Zohar, Jabir, Amber and Jade shifted and quickly flew to the line of trees.
Roam glanced at Bálint and shrugged before he shifted as well. He jumped out of the raft and ran for the woods. Bálint looked indecisively between the woods and Alice.
“We’ll take cares of Alice,” Phoenix said, crawling over the side of the raft and onto the rocky shore.
Spring climbed out behind her. “Yeah,” she said. “We’ll watches Alice.”
Bálint looked hesitantly back and forth between the twins and Alice before he nodded. Shifting, he pushed upward and flew toward the woods as well. The three girls watched as he disappeared into the dark shadows.
“Oh,” Spring snorted in surprise when Alice suddenly appeared next to her. “How’d you do that?”
Alice smiled and shook her head. “I don’t knows. I’s just thinks about where I’s wants to go. My daddy can do it, too.”
“I’s wants to learn how to do’s that,” Spring said, looking at Phoenix. “It’s almost likes what you cans do, Phoenix.”
Phoenix giggled. “I just looks likes the things around me, I don’t moves from one place to another excepts when I flies,” she pointed out. “I’s need to go to the bathroo
m.”
“I hopes Bálint can find some foods,” Alice whispered. “I’m so hungry.”
*.*.*
Bálint moved through the forest looking for the plants that his mommy and grandpa showed him. Swooping down, he picked up a curved piece of bark and set it on a log. He moved through the forest, gazing down at the different plants. He quickly found the berry bush that grew in the narrow patches of sunlight and began picking all the ripe ones from the bush. He moved back and forth, dropping the berries onto the piece of bark and going back for more. He also picked the mushrooms that grew near the large trees. He made sure they were the dark brown ones and not the red or purple ones.
He paused when he heard a sound off to his left. Turning, he quickly deposited his harvest with the rest of what he had gathered. He shifted and picked up the bark. Glancing around, he saw a narrow opening at the base of a nearby tree. He walked as quickly and quietly as he could toward the opening, trying desperately not to drop any of the food he had gathered.
A loud crash and heavy breathing had him scrambling to push the items into the tree. He fell to his knees and quickly crawled into the dark space. Once inside, he twisted and pulled the bark filled with food toward him at the same time as he made himself as small as possible.
A huge shadow crossed in front of the opening in the tree. Bálint could hear the sounds of heavy breathing. He wasn’t sure what type of creature was outside, but he hoped it wasn’t an omnivore. One thing that might help him was the rain. It was still falling. Not as hard as last night, but enough to help wash his scent away… he hoped.
He bit back a whimper when a large, scaly nose bent down and sniffed at the opening. From the look of the mouth and rows of straight, flat teeth, it appeared to be an herbivore. He jumped when one of the slightly curved front feet suddenly dug into the opening. He tried to scoot back, but couldn’t. When the creature bent down and reached further into the hole, he kicked out at it.
The creature snorted and jerked back before it began ripping at the entrance. Bálint kicked at the snout that blocked the opening again, this time connecting with the tip of its nose. The creature pulled back and sneezed loudly.
“Hey,” a voice yelled. “Over heres!”
Bálint recognized Jabir’s voice over the sounds of the animal and the rain. The creature turned and he saw its feet sink into the soft soil that it had pulled free trying to get to him. Swallowing, he waited until it had cleared the opening before he crawled forward to peek out.
“You’s scaring him,” Jabir was saying to the creature as it bent its head toward him. “You’s not supposed to scare people. Here, I got’s you some yum-yum. Mommy says you likes yellow mushrooms. That’s they’s good for you.”
Bálint blinked several times before he started again when Roam’s grinning face suddenly blocked his vision. He nodded when Roam put his finger to his lips. Sliding back, he grabbed the bark with all the food he had collected on it and handed it to Roam before crawling out of the tree trunk.
He glanced over at where Jabir was standing on a thick log feeding golden yellow mushrooms to the large brown and black scaled beast. Jabir was petting its head while he talked in a soothing tone as he fed it one mushroom after another. Jabir tilted to one side and grinned at him before straightening.
“Let’s go,” Roam whispered. “I’s don’t want to have to pet him. My tiger don’t likes something that big.”
Bálint nodded and took the bark from Roam. Together, they wove their way back toward the edge of the river where the other kids were waiting. The symbiots had shifted back to their original forms, though he saw that his had created a small cover for Alice.
“I’s going to go catch some fishes,” Roam said before he shifted and ran over to where Amber and Jade stood on a rock in their dragon forms.
Bálint carefully carried his prize selection over to where Alice was sitting with one of the red blankets wrapped around her. All he could see was her eyes, nose, and mouth. Setting it down, he smiled at her and shifted. He reached down and speared a dark brown mushroom on each of his five claws. Holding it up, he focused. It took him three tries before he could build up enough spark to blow fire on them.
Alice chuckled when the last one caught fire and Bálint had to frantically blow it out. The small dragon held out the smoking mushrooms to Alice. Tiny fingers carefully plucked one of the mushrooms off his claw and studied it warily before taking a small bite. She looked at him in surprise and delight and quickly gobbled it down and reached for another. She ate three of them before she reached for some of the berries he had picked as well.
Shifting, Bálint sat down next to her and ate the rest of the mushrooms while he watched Roam, Jade, and Amber fight over who was going to catch the most fish.
Alice looked at Bálint and giggled again. “I thinks you are going to needs to find more mushrooms,” she said, watching the three tackle each other. “They’s going to scares all the fishes away.”
Bálint nodded and laughed. “I’s can get more,” he promised, smiling when Alice opened the blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders when she saw him shiver. “I not as hungry now.”
“Me, either,” Alice said with a grin.
*.*.*
Several hours later, Zohar was yelling that they needed to get back in the raft. Things were going well until Roam tried to climb onto the raft and Spring pushed him in the water. Roam stood up and hissed, glaring back at Spring as she turned and sat down with a sour expression on her face.
“What’s you do that for?” Roam demanded, shivering. “I’s just got dried.”
“I don’t likes you no more,” Spring said with a sniff.
“What’s I do?” Roam asked, crawling aboard the raft. “I’s gave you some of my fishes.”
Spring glared at him again and turned her back on him. Roam looked at Bálint and Zohar. They just shrugged. They didn’t know what he did either. Shaking, Roam sent cold water over everyone. Amber and Jade giggled while Bálint tried to protect Alice. Zohar, Jabir, and Phoenix yelled for him to stop.
“I’s don’t understand girls,” Roam complained, sitting down and staring in confusion at the back of Spring. “They’s too confusing.”
Chapter 9
“The symbiots can’t communicate with the kids’ symbiots,” Trelon said with a grim look.
“Why not?” Vox demanded, pausing along the shore of the river.
Zoran shrugged his shoulders. “Possibly because they are young and not very powerful,” he replied, glancing along the swollen river.
“Or,” Ha’ven asked, sliding off the glider.
“They could be in a different shape and using their energy to maintain it. Like Zoran said, they are young,” Mandra said with a serious expression as he glanced up at the sky that had finally cleared. “It will be dark in a couple of hours.”
“I know,” Zoran replied with a heavy sigh, turning when he heard the sound of running feet.
“We found where they were,” Kelan said, drawing in a deep breath.
Trisha nodded. “They landed about two miles upriver. It looks like they stopped to eat,” she said with a breathless grin.
“Eat!” Ha’ven and Vox exclaimed at the same time.
“Yes,” Trisha continued. “We found the remains of several fish.”
“Alice doesn’t like fish,” Ha’ven murmured, his eyes turning dark violet as he fought to control his emotions.
Kelan gave Ha’ven a tight smile. “There was also evidence that they found berries and mushrooms,” he explained.
Ha’ven’s face tightened with concern. “What if they were poisonous?” He asked. “They might not know…”
Trisha shook her head. “They weren’t,” she interrupted. “Daddy and I have taken Bálint out numerous times from the moment he started crawling. I was very careful about showing him which one’s were good mushrooms after he almost ate a poisonous mushroom once. The remains we found were from edible ones.”
“How long ag
o were they there?” Creon asked, walking over to stand near Kelan and Trisha.
“Three, maybe four hours,” Kelan said.
Creon’s mouth tightened. “Which way did they go?” He asked.
“It looks like they are back on the river,” Trisha replied.
Kelan reached out and squeezed Trisha’s hand. They didn’t mention that they had found the tree, and tiny footprints that they suspected belonged to their son, or the remains of half eaten mushrooms favored by the large herbivores found in this part of the forest. Drawing in a steady breath, Trisha watched as Creon shifted and pushed off the ground.
One by one, the symbiots shifted as well. Ha’ven and Vox strode over to the air gliders that Ha’ven had brought with him. It was a slow process tracking the kids. Knowing that they were traveling along the river made it a tedious task to follow them since they had no idea when or if they would leave it, and while the rain had finally ceased, it had left the river swollen and tracks scarce and hard to find.
Trisha shifted and rose into the air. The other women had remained behind at the palace just in case the kids returned. Paul had also remained, but under protest. If Morian hadn’t been so close to her due date, it would have been different, but knowing that she could deliver at any time made it virtually impossible for him to leave her. Once again, Trisha realized the gift her father had given her when he taught her how to track. They would find the children. The small drawing of the mountain left under the bark was proof that her son had listened and learned.
*.*.*
“That’s it! That’s it!” Amber exclaimed in excitement. “Sees! It looks just like mommy’s picture.”
All the kids looked from the holographic map to the mountain ahead of them. Zohar nodded. Amber was right. It did look just like the one in the picture.
“Okay’s, we gots to go throughs the forest,” Zohar said.
“I’s tired,” Jabir complained. “I’s didn’t get my nap.”
“Me neither,” Alice said. “Can we take a nap?”
Zohar shook his head. “Christmas is coming in a few days. If we don’t stop the old dragon from stealing it, we’s won’t have no Christmas.”