Dragons Awakening
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: Science Offers Hope

Akolo stumbled over a jutting rock, wincing at the impact to his big toe. Sneakers didn’t offer much in the way of protection. The price of paying attention to the phone call rather than his feet. It was worth it. He had the information the dragons needed.

A fluttering in his stomach reminded him of the instant he stood up on his surf board. Thrill ride? Yes, but nothing in comparison with the past few days. Because he anticipated what lay ahead? Dreaded is more like it.

He stepped around the minefield of half-buried rocks on the way to Zi Yan’s perch. At the moment, she leaned against the back side of the boulder, looking away from the devastation. Flakes of ash fluttered onto his hood, reminding him to put his medical face mask back in place.

Ezer paced along the edge of the plateau nearest Mt. Vesuvius. The ice dragon foraged in the hard-packed earth, dislodging stones and crunching them down like Akolo would a bag of chips. If only he had some. He unzipped his waist pack and unwrapped a protein bar. Three bites and it was gone, leaving more cravings than satisfaction in its wake. He guzzled one of his bottles of water. Since returning from Nepal, his thirst was unquenchable.

“Guys, I’ve got good news,” Akolo said.

Ezer turned toward him, his weighted steps rocking the ground like mini pre-eruption quakes. Jokul snorted out a spout of icy mist and swallowed his mouthful of gravel before sidling up to the boulder. The girl slid around the rock to stand beside Akolo, hip resting against her former seat.

“I could use some,” she said. “What does Dr. Duboff say?”

“He thinks the heat and pressure of the core may have created an alloy out of Qwystanak’s scales.” Akolo’s words tumbled over each other like eager gymnasts. “Since nickel is the most comment elemental metal, he thinks a scale of nickel alloy might be protecting the iron underneath it.”

“His scales are gone,” Jokul said.

“How is this good news?” Zi Yan crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m getting to that,” Akolo said, enjoying the dizzying rush in his head.

“Your father can destroy this nickel alloy scale,” Ezer said.

Akolo nodded, grinning at the dragon. In his experience, dragons only had two faces: scary and terrifying. He liked to think Ezer’s face was marked by a sense of interest. The fanged mouth maintained its straight line and the nostrils spouted curls of smoke, so he couldn’t really see much of a difference. Maybe it was the tone of the dragon’s voice.

“He says the alloy scale can be weakened by exposure to extreme cold followed by extreme heat.”

“Did that,” Jokul said, turning another rock over with his front foot, pushing it aside. Too small?

“I know, that’s the good news. You chilled him. His own body reheated the alloy.” Akolo paused, glancing around at the others. “So, there should be darkened lines where the scale has been weakened. You just need to keep hitting him until he’s covered in cracks. Then expose him to a corrosive agent, which will weaken the cracked portions so you can break through.”

“And we have a massive tub of corrosive agent,” Zi Yan said.

At first, Akolo thought she was being sarcastic. Anticipation of putting her in her place crackled along his spine. He glanced at her, preparing his speech. Her eyes flashed with excitement. A nice change from the pain and sorrow clouding them in recent hours.

“What are you talking about?” Ezer shifted from side to side.

“We can heat and cool him a few dozen more times,” Jokul said. “I’m nearly refueled.”

At the rate the ice dragon devoured rocks, Akolo felt relieved he wasn’t a carnivore.

“He has slept for centuries,” Ezer said softly into his mind, “expended enormous amounts of energy to fly here and fight Qwystanak. We normally don’t eat more than twice per week.”

Akolo nodded toward Ezer, I forgot you could hear my thoughts. I hope I didn’t make him mad.

Both of them turned toward the white dragon, who slurped another stone off the ground, crunched it, glanced at them, and blinked twice.

“The Tyrrhenian Sea,” Zi said, dropping her hands to her sides.

“Yes,” Akolo said with a nod. The twinge of disappointment in being unable to outsmart her was swallowed by a wave of eagerness. “Seawater contains a high concentration of sodium chloride, which accelerates the corrosive process of metal.”

“The plan is to widen cracks in his armor and then dump him in the sea?” Jokul stopped chewing.

“He cannot fly,” Ezer said. “We must carry him to the sea.”

“How far?” Jokul asked.

“Only a few kilometers,” Akolo said. “Do you think you can do it?”

“Not if he fights us,” Ezer said. “Holding his wings will work, but he can turn his head and coat us in flame. We wouldn’t be able to maneuver away without dropping him every time.”

“And he will fight,” Jokul said.

The dragons shared a look, but neither said anything else. Akolo wished he could hear their thoughts like they listened in on his. He reached for Jokul’s mind and rammed into a bolted door. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on Ezer, but he might have had more success slamming his head into a brick wall. Throbbing behind his right eye made him stop.

“This is where you can help us, whisperer,” Jokul said, turning his silvery gaze on Akolo.

Akolo shivered. Zi Yan leaned into him, rubbing his shoulder with her own. He glanced at her, but her attention centered on the two dragons. Did she just try to comfort him? He should step away. Recalling their shared camaraderie since the eruption kept him from even twitching. They were a team.

“You enter his mind, convince him to go with us,” Ezer said.

Akolo shook his head. Did they really think he could control one of them? Especially something huge and irrational, a fair description of the red beast.

“He’s too far away.” That sounded less cowardly than his actual reaction.

“I could carry you closer,” Ezer said.

“Your devil friend would roast Akolo like a human marshmallow as soon as he saw him,” Zi Yan said.

Not an especially comforting image. Akolo looked toward her, preparing a scowl. The set of her jaw screamed of stubbornness and determination. She was arguing against the plan?

“I could carry him,” Jokul said. “When I turn invisible, anything touching me disappears.”

Akolo’s jaw dropped. “What? I don’t have light-altering scales. You can’t guarantee that!”

Jokul turned slightly, winking out of sight.

“Can you see my wings?” he asked.

Akolo squinted at the space he knew the white giant occupied. Nothing.

“No.”

“Do they have the scales on them?”

Akolo clenched his fists. “No.”

“I’m sure this will work.” The white dragon reappeared, staring steadily at Akolo. “Why don’t we try it?”

“How do we know he can get inside Qwystanak’s mind?” Zi asked, sliding in front of Akolo, a human shield between him and the dragons. “No sense putting him in the middle of the fight if he can’t.”

“He has been in both of our minds,” Ezer said, his tone softer. “We can show him multiple ways to circumvent the barriers.”

“Make yourself vulnerable to his control?” With her hands on her hips and eyebrows raised, she was the picture of skepticism.

“If we are going to destroy Qwystanak,” Ezer said, “we must work together. For that, we must trust each other.”

“Was that the long way of answering my question with a yes?” Zi’s lips twitched into a smirk. Her fingers tightened on her hip bone. Heat flooded Akolo’s cheeks. Why was he noticing her slender hands on her narrow hips? It had nothing to do with the snug-fitting designer jeans. Keep telling yourself that.

“Ezerhaydn can train him. Afterward, he can practice on me,” Jokul said. “It should be entertaining.”

“You don’t think he can do it,” Zi said.

“I am a dragon,” Jokul said. “His is merely human.”

Akolo had heard enough from the white dragon. He stepped around Zi Yan, his arm brushing her elbow. “I’ll do it,” he said. “And I’m going to make you,” he glared at Jokul, “regret that slam you just made.”

“Slam?” Jokul sounded puzzled. “I touched nothing.”

“It’s an expression,” Ezer said.

“Do we have time for this?” Akolo asked. Acrid smoke rising from the valley below answered plainly enough.

Zi grabbed his forearms and stared into his face. Her blue eyes glowed, looking supernatural. “Are you sure about this?”

Akolo almost smiled at her whisper. Did she think the dragons wouldn’t hear? Did she forget they heard thoughts? He shrugged, aware of her smooth skin trailing down his arms onto his hands.

“They can carry him without you,” she said.

Akolo wanted to believe her. He yearned to be safely away from the fire-breathing maniac trying to destroy the world. Part of his mind doubted he could aid the dragons. What about your unique ability? It was true he could project thoughts into the other dragon’s mind. Could he control the dragon? Doubtful, but he could certainly confuse him. It might be enough of a distraction so the others could carry out their plan.

“I don’t know,” Akolo said, surprised again at the concern he saw in her eyes. “I have to try.”

Zi searched his face with those eerily light eyes, such a contrast with her olive complexion. Was she truly concerned about him? Or was she feeling left out because she wouldn’t be involved?

“You’re sure?” She squeezed his hands.

Sure? Of course not. He’d admitted he might not be capable of getting inside the dragon’s head. A light clicked on inside his muddled mind. She wasn’t asking about that. Was he sure he wanted to ride a dragon into battle? Was he willing to risk himself on a slight chance he could make a difference? No one would say they wanted to commit suicide in that manner.

He nodded his head. “I’m the only one who can do this.” With any luck, he might even succeed.

Zi Yan smiled, a wavering gesture, and squeezed his hands before stepping away. Both dragons stared at him with unblinking eyes.

“I can do this,” Akolo said. Was that confidence he heard in his tone?