"Look out!" David said.

We both dodged out of the way before the wall of fire could incinerate us.

The dragon landed in the arena. It pawed the sand and snorted. Smoke streamed from its nostrils and a wild look of anger flashed in its eyes. All of its rage and anger seemed focused on David and me.

"We can't keep running forever," I said to David.

"Agreed. We've got to find some way to get that collar off the dragon," David said.

I snapped my fingers. "David, I'm going to try something, but I need you to distract the dragon for just a few seconds."

"What are you going to do, Eliza?"

"Just distract that dragon. I only need a few seconds. I'm going to try a Fast Time Jump."

"All right, I hope you know what you're doing," David said and took off running.

I circled around in the opposite direction. It was working. The dragon couldn't focus on both of us at the same time. I waited for the dragon to focus on David and then ran towards the Dragon. I jumped into Fast Time for a split second and hurled myself through the air and landed on the dragon's back.

I grabbed my etheric knife, ignited it and slashed at the strap that held the gold collar on the dragon's neck. The collar fell off and the dragon bellowed in triumph.

I reached out with my mind and focused on calming the dragon down, but the sense of raw anger and pain was so great. I stroked the dragon's scales and whispered gently to it. The dragon reared up and gave a mighty roar that shook the arena to its foundations.

"Stop her," Father K shouted to his guards, but the guards took one look at the dragon and ran away.

Just then, David jumped on the Dragon's back.

"Now what?" David said to me.

"I don't know. I didn't think that far ahead. Just try to hang on," I said and reached out with my mind. I pictured flying through the air out of the arena, and the dragon reared back and took to the air.

Father K's platform was right in front of us. I could see how shocked he looked. This wasn't how things were supposed to work out. The platform flew out of the arena and into the city.

"Eliza. What are you doing?" David said.

"We're getting that bastard right now," I said.

Father K's platform streaked ahead and flew out of the city.

"He's getting away," David said.

"No, he's not," I said and pictured a stream of dragon fire enveloping the platform. The dragon roared and a stream of dragon fire shot out towards Father K's platform. It hit several of his guards including the pilot and the platform crashed into the ground.

The dragon flew down and landed next to the smoking wreck of the platform.

David and I jumped off the dragon, and ran up to find Father K stumbling out. His elaborate costume was in tatters and severe burns scarred his face. He put his hands up and grinned.

"All right. You caught me. Congratulations. I never saw this coming. Who knew you were a dragon rider, Ms Grant."

Something about his smug tone of voice sent me over the edge. I reached down inside me and summoned the Wend. The Dark Power filled my hands. I was going to decapitate that smug son of a bitch right then and there, but David grabbed me.

"Eliza. He has to be brought in front of the Galactic Council. He has to stand trial."

I struggled to throw David off. Every ounce of my being wanted to feed. The Wend wouldn't be denied.

"All right. I understand."

David relaxed his grip for just a second. It was all I needed. I leaped towards Father K and plunged my hands into his chest.

Father K shrieked in pain and fear. It was music to my ears.

I lost consciousness for just a second and when I came to I was holding the tattered remains of Father K's costume. I threw it away in disgust. I felt the presence of the Wend sink back into the depths. For now it was satisfied.

I looked around for David. He was standing near the wreck of the flying platform. I went to him and put my arm on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, David. I couldn't control myself. I had to do it," I said.

"I know, Eliza. And that's what scares me about you."

"Look. You knew what I was. What I have to do. It's either me or him."

"What if it's me one of these days. What if it's Thomas or Nicole. What happens when you can't control your Power?"

I stepped back and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"That will never happen. A Keeper of the Wend must be in control at all times."

"In control, huh. You mean cold, distant and remote," David said.

I turned away. It was true. The only one I cared for in this life was Uncle Paul. Everyone else I kept at a distance. A Keeper of the Wend must walk alone, Mary always told me.

David came to me and put his arms around me. I turned around and buried my head in his chest. David stroked my hair.

"So what's our story. What are we going to tell Colonel Nash?" I said.

"The truth. You lost control. It's not the first time this has happened and it probably won't be the last," David said.

We stood there in the field. I let David hold me. It felt so good to be in his arms.

Just then, a dozen Orion beam ships decloaked above us. David and I stepped back and straightened our uniforms out.

The familiar appearance of the Orion beamship Oylmpia set down in the field. The doors opened and Carrie, Thomas, and Nicole sprang out. Thomas ran toward me and gave me a big hug.

"Eliza, thank goodness you're all right."

I hugged Thomas back.

"Thanks, Tom."

Nicole and Carrie approached us. I was surprised to see that even Nicole looked happy.

"We're sorry we had to leave you, but the mission called for us to make sure that Prince Charles was safe at all costs," Carrie said.

"Is the prince safe?" David asked.

"He's resting comfortably on the Orion Starship. I wasn't worried. I knew you'd be all right, Ross," Nicole said.

Nicole looked in amazement at the black and gold dragon that was behind us.

"Where did you find this dragon?" she said in amazement.

"He was stranded on the desert planet. He saved our lives twice. I'm not leaving here without him," I said.

"We can't take a wild untamed dragon on the Invincible," Carrie said.

"Well you'd better find a way because he's not staying here. We have to take him back to Blackstone," I said.

"Blackstone? Do you know what you're asking, Grant? Dragons aren't like goldfish. You don't just throw another one in the tank. We have to have strict approval from the Council of Elders on Azor," Nicole said.

"Nicole is right, Eliza. Dragon law is very complex. I'm afraid he's going to have to stay here until we can get approval from the Council," David said.

"The hell with the council. I say we just take him. We can mess with all the red tape later," I said and went to the dragon who lowered his large head. I stroked his long black and gold beard. Don't worry, boy, I thought. I won't let them leave you behind.

"Eliza, are you sure this is wise? This is a wild dragon we're talking about," Thomas said.

"I can keep him calm, Tom. Trust me," I said.

"Every time you say that I get nervous," Thomas said with a grin.

"All right. We'll take him with us," David announced. "Grant, I want you to work with Agent Heidegger on this one. She'll supervise your handling of the dragon."

I looked at Nicole who was already scowling.

"Sounds like fun," I said.

"The dragon can travel in one of the cargo holds. We should have plenty of room," Carrie said.

"Great," I said coldly. I still couldn't forgot how Carrie betrayed me during our Blackstone training. It was hard even being around her.

It took a few hours to load the dragon onto the Orion Starship. I was a bit nervous flying on the dragon's back and I tried to think calm soothing thoughts as we flew into one of the empty cargo holds where Nicole was waiting. I landed the dragon gracefully and slid off its back.

Nicole came forward and placed her hand on the dragon's head. She petted the dragon and I was surprised to see that the dragon allowed her to do it.

"The first thing you have to understand about dragons, Grant. Never show any fear. They only respect strength," Nicole said.

"Yeah, I kind of picked up on that. Anything else?" I said.

"Yes. If you're going to be a Dragon Rider. You need to listen first and talk second. You've got talent but there's still a long way for you to go," Nicole said.

Over the next few days as we traveled back to Earth, I got to spend a lot of time with Nicole. She taught me everything she knew about dragons which was a considerable amount. My respect for her increased. I learned a little bit about her background. How she grew up poor in the mountains of West Virginia.. We didn't exactly become best friends by the time the starship reached Earth, but a certain grudging respect was reached between us.

Finally, the starship ride ended. Carrie, David, and Thomas entered the cargo bay. Carrie was accompanied by a dozen Orion Royal Guardsman. Nicole and I got to our feet.

"What's the deal with the honor guard?" I said to Carrie.

"Her Majesty wants to speak with you," Carrie said.

I glanced at David who gave me a terse look. The last time I spoke with Empress La Ron Na hadn't exactly ended well. I did threaten to put a black hole in the engine room of her starship. I hope she didn't hold it against me.

"Prepare to receive her majesty," one of the guardsman announced.

The lights in the cargo hold dimmed and a large shimmering image appeared in the air. It was the cold and beautiful face of the Orion Empress. Her beautiful violet eyes looked down on us dispassionately.

"It seems I'm in your debt, humans. I must thank you for returning my wayward son to me."

"The honor was all ours, your majesty," David said. "I hope that relations between Earth and the Orion Empire can continue to work well."

"We shall see, Agent Ross. We shall see. Eliza Grant."

I stepped forward. "Yes, your majesty."

The empress looked at me coldly. "I trust that you are behaving yourself on my starship."

I shrugged. "So far it's been kind of boring."

The empress smiled and pursed her red ruby lips.

"I find that very hard to believe. Danger seems to surround you, child. Captain Brunner tells me of your exploits on Earth. They sound very impressive. It's a shame that you turned down my offer. I could use someone of your skills."

"Yeah, well that's not going to happen anytime soon, your majesty."

"Didn't they tell you anything about me, child. I always get what I want. It's only a matter of time. Until next time, Keeper of the Wend," the empress said with a smile. Her holograph flickered and went dark. The royal guardsman turned around and left with a flourish.

"We will arrange for a jump door to take you back to Blackstone Control," Carrie said.

"Thank you, Captain Brunner," David said.

"Eliza. Be well. I know this doesn't mean much to you, but I hope that you know I wish you all the best," Carrie said.

"I know you do, Carrie," I said with as little emotion as I could manage. It was going to take a few more apologies from Captain Brunner to make me forget the choking death cloud that she used to "test" me.

Carrie nodded and left the cargo bay.

"I see there's no love lost between you and Carrie," David said to me.

I didn't say anything. It hurt too much. Carrie was one of the few people in my life that I called a friend. I trusted her with my life. I wouldn't be so naive in the future. A Keeper of the Wend must walk alone.

"So are we just going to show up in control with our new friend here?" Nicole said and pointed to the dragon which was sleeping.

"We have to take him to DragonMountain," I said.

"Easier said than done. The other dragons might not even accept him, and do you know if he can even be controlled outside of your company, Eliza?" David said.

I walked over to the sleeping dragon and stroked his head. The dragon opened one eye, snorted a puff of smoke and then went back to sleep.

"Look, we've got to try. Seth is too important to be left by himself," I said.

"Seth. Is that his name?" Nicole said.

I reached out with my mind and spoke the name to the sleeping dragon. I got back an image of fire. The image was warm and inviting.

"Yes, that's what we can call him," I said.

"I hope Joseph accepts him into the clan. You don't want to see two alpha male dragons fight. It hasn't happened in over a thousand years, not since Joseph has been leader. This could be dangerous, Eliza," David said.

"Look, what are we going to do just drop him off at the pound? Can you imagine him loose on Earth." I said.

"I'll assume responsibility with you, Grant. We'll do everything we can to see that he is accepted into the clan," Nicole said.

"Thank you," I said to Nicole.

"All right. I'll inform Colonel Nash that we're taking Seth to DragonMountain. That will be first priority," David said.

David took out his razor phone and sent a text to Control marked double priority. Almost instantly a response came back. David read it.

"All right, we've been cleared by Control. They're arranging a jump door right now. Eliza and Nicole, you're going to have to be there every step of the way to make sure that this gets pulled off. If Seth isn't accepted into the clan, we'll have no choice but to put him down."

I stood in front of Seth and tried to imagine this magnificent creature being killed. It was something that I didn't want to even think about, but I knew that if Joseph didn't accept him into the clan then death would be the most merciful option. We couldn't just put Seth on some planet. He would cause too much trouble.

As if understanding that something important was about to happen, Seth raised his head and sat up on his haunches. He looked around the cargo bay and snorted.

I went to Seth and climbed on his back. I thought calming thoughts to him and Seth settled down.

"All right, if we're going to do this then I'll need you both with me," I said to David and Nicole.

David and Nicole climbed on Seth's back. David put his arms around me and I almost shivered with excitement. I couldn't get over how warm David was.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Grant," Nicole said.

"We'll find out soon enough," David said.

Suddenly, a large shimmering blue jump door opened in the cargo bay. I nudged Seth forward and he spread his wings and flew through the jump door.

To Be Continued

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