Dragon's Isolation - Miranda Martin Page 0,20
who he is.
“We’ll find him, Mommy,” Malcolm says.
“Right, baby,” I agree, though I’m not really paying attention to him.
I’m trying to pay attention to every detail around us. Peering into the shadowy confines of the broken remains of buildings that might be hiding Shidan. This area was hit hard by whatever happened to the City before the Devastation. That combined with the intervening years has made this section of town worse off than most.
It looks like a bomb went off, but years ago. The structural beams of the buildings are twisted, some of them look partially melted, and the facades are blasted through with massive holes in them. Where there was once glass-like fronts, there is nothing.
If Shidan is in one of these, hurt or passed out, it will be impossible to find him. My chest clenches tight, and I have to push that thought aside. Something happened to him. That much is clear, the question is what?
Was there an accident? Did he get in a fight? With who? or what? Or is it worse… is he infected?
“Shidan!” I yell
“Daddy!” Malcolm yells helping with the search for his father.
Our own voices echo back to us mockingly. The City is huge, and the two of us alone are never going to find Shidan except by blind luck. I could go to Rosalind, ask her to help organize a search for him.
I could, except we’re in lockdown. Quarantine because of an unseen, silent killer that is spreading through the Zmaj males. Addison’s fear is it will mutate and affect the humans too. There won’t be any help. We’re on our own.
My hands tremor and I chew my lip, struggling to hold back tears. I yell for him again and nothing. He’s hurt. He needs me. Needs us.
How do I find him?
“AMARA!”
Shidan! It’s him, I heard his voice. I look down at Malcolm to make sure I’m not losing it, and the grin on his face tells me it was real. I scoop him up into my arms and run, seating him onto my hip as I go.
“That way, Mommy,” Malcolm says, pointing.
He’s heavy, and running with him on my hip is awkward, throwing my gait off, but I push on. Malcolm yells for his dad over and over. One block, two, and three. Nothing.
“Amara!” Shidan’s voice echoes.
I can’t tell which direction he is. It’s almost full dark, the moons aren’t out tonight, and it’s making it even harder to figure out which direction to go to find him.
“That way, Mommy,” Malcolm says pointing.
“Are you sure, baby?” I ask, and he nods emphatically.
“Okay,” I say.
It doesn’t seem right, but I’m not sure one way or the other. I’ve found before when Malcolm is certain of something, he’s usually right. It’s one of the ‘unusual’ aspects of our son. So I listen and run.
My lungs burn, and I’m heaving, when I turn a corner and see Shidan. Malcolm slides off my hip and runs to his dad. I run too, ignoring the need for air. Shidan jerks around at the sound of our approach. His tail rises behind his wings and his hands ball into fists. He’s in a fighting position until he sees Malcolm running at him.
“Malcolm!” Shidan yells, opening his arms wide.
Malcolm leaps into the air feet away from his father and glides into his arms. Shidan pulls him in and holds him against his chest. I finish running up and something in Shidan’s eyes is off. A cold pit full of ice forms in the pit of my stomach.
“Amara… my treasure,” Shidan says, throwing one arm out and inviting me in.
I step into the comfort of his embrace. The scent of him fills my nostrils, and endorphins release, leaving me giddy with relief. I cling to him, unable to speak. Tears stream down my face, so I bury myself into his shoulder.
None of us speak, holding tight to each other until the emotions overwhelming us pass. When the tears slow, and my breath stops hitching, I wipe my cheeks with both hands and run my hands through my hair.
“Are you all right?” I ask, stepping back so I can look at him.
It’s hard to see in the dark, but I can’t see anything physically wrong.
“I’m fine,” he says. “I missed you both.”
“Why didn’t you come home?” I ask, frowning.
His forehead wrinkles and his eyes dart around. He opens his mouth then snaps it shut.
“I was…” he says trailing off.
“And? What happened? Draker says you seemed confused when you came through the