Not wanting to think of children and risk missing something important, Faye focused on the final approach to where in the forest she’d seen the light. There were a few dragon-shifters also approaching via the ground in their human forms, which made Faye and the two other dragons with her the distraction, if need be.
She motioned with a hind leg and all three of them dove down toward the trees. She pulled up a split second before she’d crash and skimmed the tops with her talons.
The forest wasn’t as grand as it had been in the past, but there were still enough trees to block out large sections of land. Sometimes the ruins of the cottages used by the humans before the Clearances would break the tree cover, but not always.
She finally found a large enough spot to gently descend and put her feet on the ground. The other two members of her team remained in the air.
Listening carefully, Faye only heard the beat of dragon wings, the buzz of midges, and a few small animals scurrying away. She also smelled the forest, dirt, and decay of both plant and animal, but nothing related to recent human activity.
As agreed upon earlier, Faye waited for Brodie MacNeil, one of Lochguard’s Protectors, to rendezvous with her.
Speaking of the devil, he appeared out of the trees in his human form. She would have to commend him later for his stealth. It also reminded Faye that if she were to help Grant run the Protectors, she should go out into the field with each of them in turn to reassess their skills and placements.
Brodie’s tall, ginger-haired form approached her. She lowered her head. Only when he could whisper in her ear did he say, “There were traces of humans in the forest about a hundred yards from here, but all I could find were some empty bottles of alcohol. They probably were just young folk having a good time.” She bobbed her head a fraction, and he continued, “Regardless, we’ll keep looking. I’ll meet you at the next checkpoint.”
Before she could do anything, Brodie headed back into the trees.
Her dragon grunted. I hope Grant isn’t doing better. I don’t like to lose.
Neither do I, dragon. But we need to be thorough. You know that.
Just because I know it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Methinks you are anxious to see Grant again.
Of course not. Now, are you going to chat all day or can we finish our mission?
With a mental sigh, Faye crouched down and jumped into the air. It took a few extra beats of her wings to get back above the trees, but her wing didn’t ache too much and she accomplished it with little trouble.
As she glided on the air currents, Faye continued scanning the trees and wondered if Grant had fared any better.
~~~
Needing the cold water to cool him down after teasing Faye with his fingers, Grant had volunteered to lead the group who would swim in the loch.
As he currently made his way through the water in his dragon form, he arrived at his designated search location. Taking a deep breath, he dunked his head under the water. Since the loch was only about five dragon lengths deep, he only had to dive a few seconds to see everything around him. Thanks to the waterproof light strapped around his neck—dragon eyesight needed at least a little light to work properly in the dark—he could see every nook and cranny even at the deepest section of the water.
There was little beyond vegetation, some rubbish, plenty of rocks, and fish swimming by. Finishing his scan of the current section, he rose to the surface. His head broke the water, and he looked to the other two dragons helping him. They both shook their heads to signal they hadn’t found anything and everyone moved to their next area to search.
Grant glanced to the forest on the side opposite from the clan, but didn’t hear any sort of alarm. Faye must not have found anything yet either.
His dragon spoke up. Finding nothing is good. Not only because it eliminates threats, but also because our competition becomes a draw. That could work to our favor.
Ignoring his dragon, Grant arrived at his next section. The area was near the shore, but was one of the few places where there was a tall rock formation and a sharp drop off; most of the loch had a rocky, relatively flat shoreline.
Taking another deep breath, he dove down again. He surveyed the floor first, but he didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary. Next, he went to the almost sheer drop and examined the rock face. At first, all he saw were ridges and crevices that looked natural. But at the bottom, he found a circular outline in the rock, one that had been made by man.
Just in case something waited on the other side, Grant quickly swam to the surface. As soon as the other two dragons also appeared, he motioned for them to come over. Once they arrived, he dove back down. The other two dragons followed.
He guided them to the same suspicious location and pointed out the anomaly. He then extended a talon and tried to pry the circle covering loose.
At first, nothing happened. But as he worked his talon around the outside of the circle, Grant was finally able to pry the covering away. He shined his light inside, and it highlighted a small alcove containing a waterproof-looking sack. Checking to ensure there weren’t any traps, Grant extracted it gingerly and made his way back to the surface.
Not wanting to risk ruining what was inside, he swam as quickly but gently as he could to Lochguard’s side of the water. Once ashore, he laid down his find and imagined his body shrinking back into its human form. After he finished shifting, Grant crouched down and examined the bag.
It was black and partially rolled up and sealed at the top, which meant it was probably waterproof. The bag looked to be high quality. Of course it had to be if the owner didn’t want anything ruined. After all, it had been submerged for who knew how long.
His dragon chimed in. Can we open it now? We’re losing precious time.