A Dragon's Clutch Read online

  “That’s not safe.” I knew how it felt to be overwhelmed by emotions that weren’t your own.

  “No,” said Gavin, “it’s not. It looks like we’re going to have to leave sooner. We were planning on staying in Japan with you then going to India.”

  “Okay.”

  “We don’t want you to feel abandoned,” Anali assured me. “And you all can come with us.”

  “Except, Michael has us scheduled to perform. And that would take away several acts,” I said. “No, we’ll be fine. You need to protect the baby.”

  “Philip is going to come here to watch over you and the others,” Gavin said.

  I smiled. I’d met Philip over a year ago right after I came into my Phoenix powers and started taking classes at the San Francisco Center for the Circus Arts. I still talked to him, as he did research for us and had written several books on magical creatures. “Cool, I like Philip.”

  “I dislike leaving you and not being able to protect all of you,” Gavin said. “I’m not one hundred percent sure we won’t be taking you with us.”

  “Uncle Gavin, I’ll be fine.” He might not be sure but I was. I had a destiny to fulfill, magical beings counting on me, and our group of Children of Fire to lead. I couldn’t let them down and I wouldn’t abandon them.

  Chapter Two

  “Big brother,” I called out. Kayin paced the hall, mumbling to himself. “Are you okay?”

  “Sapphire, did you know the bath isn’t private?” he said.

  “Yes, Miu told us it would be communal,” I said looking at him.

  He ran a hand over his black and red curls. I always felt like my red streaked hair turned me into a bad eighties rocker, while Kayin appeared to be an African prince. He stood tall with ebony skin, strong cheek bones, large round dark eyes, a wide nose, and full lush lips. No wonder he gets so many admirers leaving their phone numbers with him after shows.

  “Little sister, I thought they meant like a row of showers each in its own little cubicle like at some of theaters we perform at. But this, you shower off all out in the open, and then soak in a tub with everyone else.”

  I frowned. Why was he so upset? “Yes, I know.”

  “Without bathing suits,” he hissed.

  I waited. After a year and a half of performing with Cirque du Feu Magique, changing behind sheets backstage, pressed against each other while performing we had lost most of our modesty.

  “Shin is in there.” Kayin waved his hand about. “All unclothed.”

  I smiled. “You don’t want to see your boyfriend naked?”

  “No. Well yes, but not in front of a bunch of other people.”

  Oh, poor Kayin. “I guess you two will have to coordinate.”

  “I guess, but I don’t like him being naked in front of others.”

  “Are you pouting?” I asked.

  “No,” Kayin said.

  “Looks like pouting to me,” Shin said as he turned the corner. His long black bangs streaked with dark blue dripped onto his robe. Shin pushed up on his feet and kissed Kayin’s cheek. “Why are you pouting, dearest?”

  “I’m not pouting.”

  “Apparently, Kayin doesn’t like the other’s seeing your sexy self all wet and naked,” I said, wanting to help my big brother out.

  Shin grinned. “Honey, no one even looked at me.”

  Kayin crossed his arms, staring at a wood block print hanging on the wall.

  “And even if they did, I’m yours.”

  Kayin smiled slightly. “Yeah.”

  “Yes, of course. Sapphire, how do you put up with his silliness?” Shin asked.

  “Well he’s so pretty, sweet, and his deep rich Zimbabwean accent is rather sexy.”

  Shin nodded. “I do like the accent a lot.”

  “Okay, you two stop it.” Kayin tried to glare at us but couldn’t stop grinning. “I’m going to go bathe, so we’ll be ready for dinner tonight.”

  “Wait up,” Taliesin said. He wore the same robe, his long white hair fluttering around him as he walked down the hall. “We’ll go with you.”

  “Yes, I need to wash,” Sasha said following behind Taliesin, his Russian accent like a rough purr. He tugged on his honey blond hair streaked with red, as if it didn’t look perfect. “I trained with the trampoline act this afternoon. I like it very much.”

  “Now I’m wishing I hadn’t bathed so early,” Shin whispered to me, but loud enough for them all to hear.

  “Think I can sneak into the men’s side?” I said. The three of them were stunning. I had accepted long ago that I looked plain next to the boys.

  “I’ll help you sneak in,” Shin said.

  Taliesin rolled his eyes. “You had your chance to see me naked. Instead you shrieked and covered your eyes.”

  It’s true. I had channeled energy from Akasha to help him shift back into his human form after he’d turned into a unicorn to protect me from a werewolf. “I was surprised, and fifteen.” Which sounded lame as it happened only six months ago, but I was sixteen now, and well, things change.

  Sasha wiggled his eyebrows. “I am fine with you joining us. I’m sure your presence would vastly improve the view.”

  “From what I’ve seen you’d like the view no matter who’s with you,” I said.

  “Why limit your pleasure in life?” Sasha asked.

  “Come on,” Kayin said. “Miu will be here in an hour.”

  “See you guys later,” I said.

  “I’ll walk you up,” Shin said.

  “Afraid something will happen to me?” I asked, my wooden sandals echoing on the stairs.

  Shin scoffed. “I think not. After all you have a brilliant man teaching you Hwa Rang Do. At this point I expect you to protect me.”

  Gavin asked Shin to teach us martial arts, under the pretense of a kidnapping threat. Then Shin found out about us being Children of Fire and that faerie tale creatures are real. Knowing we had magical powers hadn’t stopped Shin from training us to defend ourselves.

  “Please, I’m more likely to throw you at the attacker and run the other way.”

  Shin gasped and placed his hand over his heart. “You wound me.” Shin stepped into the hallway on the third floor. “See you in an hour.”

  “’Bye.” I went to my room and changed into nice black jeans and a dark blue silk blouse. I brushed out my hair and re-braided it, getting ready for dinner with Miu’s family. Sitting at the low table I pulled out my laptop and got started on the leadership class I was taking. Chapter One: What Makes a Good and Effective Leader? I had gotten enough people hurt in the past. If I was supposed to be a leader, then I needed to figure out how to be a good one.

  * * *

  This couldn’t be Miu’s room. A desk sat under a window, a small lamp and desk set were the only things on it. There was a futon against one wall, its pink cover with white flowers smooth, and the pillows were placed neatly. A bookshelf with books, framed photographs, and knickknacks that looked arranged by a decorator were free of dust and clutter. In the months we had been traveling together, it usually took Miu less than six hours to cover her side of the hotel room in clothes, shoes, wet towels, and accessories.

  “Guys, this is my cousin Emiko,” Miu said. “Emiko this is Sapphire, Kayin, Shin, Sasha, and Taliesin.”

  Emiko bowed. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. Miu has told me so much about you.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “Come and sit,” Miu said, sitting on the floor.

  We made a circle. Emiko blushed when Taliesin sat next to her, their knees touching for a moment.

  “So, where are you taking your friends first?” Emiko asked Miu.

  “Tomorrow we’re going to Mandarake,” Miu said.

  “Oh, do you guys like manga?” Emiko asked.

  I shrugged. Sure I loved Studio Ghibli movies, but I didn’t read manga or watch a lot of anime.

  “Taliesin introduced us to Bleach and Death Note,” Kayin said.

  Sasha nodded. “Ye
s, and Noragami. I like it a lot.”

  “Noragami is good, but I think Soul Eater is my favorite, or Fairy Tail,” Shin said.

  “I have read those.” Emiko turned to Taliesin. “Do you like others?”

  “I started reading manga as a kid,” Taliesin said. “So I’ve read quite a few, but Inuyasha was a favorite as a child and Black Butler.”

  “Emiko, you should come with us,” Miu said. “School is out, and you know your way around Mandarake better than I do.”

  She nodded. “I would like that very much.”

  “I want to come,” said a teen boy leaning against the door frame.

  “This is my little brother Hiroshi,” Miu said.

  “Wait,” Hiroshi held up his hands. “Let me guess.”

  Miu rolled her eyes. “I have talked about everybody enough and posted pictures of them that guessing who they are isn’t impressive.”

  “You’re no fun. And I want to go tomorrow. Mom is trying to make me do extra juku over the break, but I can get out of it if I’m spending time with my sister.” Hiroshi stuck out his lower lip pouting and made his slender dark eyes as wide as possible.

  “God, you’re such a pain. Fine, you can come,” Miu said.

  “My birthday is next week,” Hiroshi said.

  “And?” Miu asked.

  “I’ll be fifteen, maybe I’ll be strong enough to come with you.” Hiroshi sat and leaned back on his hands. “Or even if I’m not strong enough to be a Treasure I could still come along as back-up help? Mama and Chichi are driving me mad with all the juku they want me to take.”

  “What is juku?” Kayin asked.

  “It’s extra school,” Emiko explained. “We go to school during the day then juku in the afternoons and evenings.”

  “Why?” Taliesin asked.

  “To test into a good high school, test into a good college, where we socialize in order for boys to get good jobs and girls to find a good husband,” Miu said her voice harsh. “It’s so stupid, most college students party—they don’t even go to class.”

  “That’s not true,” Emiko said blushing and looked at the floor.

  Miu snorted. “They have a grade for it: didn’t show up to class, passes anyway.”

  “Mama and Chichi studied hard in college,” Hiroshi said.

  “Yes, they did, but Hiroshi, Chichi is a lawyer in international law, and Mama studied conversational English and French so she could help entertain clients from other countries, so they had to study hard. Unless you want to do something special, college is nothing but partying.”

  “What are you going to do?” Emiko asked. “This would be your final year of high school.”

  “Mom is worried about me getting into a good college, but who knows how long I’ll be traveling? And now I’ve seen so much.” Miu sighed and began to twist one of her pony tails around her finger, the streak of flamingo pink catching the light. “I don’t know what I want any more.”

  “Dinner,” called their mama as she knocked on the door.

  “Coming,” Hiroshi said jumping up.

  “Need help?” Taliesin offered, holding his snow white hand out to Emiko.

  “Arigato.” She blushed and placed her hand in his. His fingers covered hers and he smiled softly at her. She was so tiny and delicate. Her head barely came to the top of his shoulder.

  Wow. Emiko must be really innocent if Taliesin is willing to touch her. Being a unicorn meant Taliesin sensed a person’s true nature, and those who weren’t good at heart, who lied and stole and hurt others, made him uncomfortable. He tended to stay on the edge of crowds, careful of coming into contact with others, but apparently Emiko got to be the exception to the rule.

  I stood and followed them to the dining room. The low black lacquered table was set with red cloth placemats. Emiko and Taliesin sat next to each other at the end of the table. His cheeks turned pink as she gazed up at him. The cuteness was almost too much. Hiroshi sat next to me before Kayin could. Kayin chuckled and sat next to him with Shin on the other side.

  Miu and her mom came out of the kitchen and presented each of us with a black lacquer tray holding a bowl of white rice, crispy tempura vegetables, miso soup with green onions, noodles with greens and garlic, honey and ginger tofu, seaweed salad, edamame, and sauces. Each of us had our own bowl or plate, presented with artistic perfection, almost too beautiful to eat. When I inhaled the delicious smells, I knew I would eat every bite.

  “It’s so lovely,” Anali said.

  Miu’s mom bowed her head slightly. “Domo arigato. I hope you enjoy your dinner. I was happy to have my daughter here to help me cook again.” She reached out and stroked Miu’s hair, frowning slightly as a streak of pink came into view.

  “Please eat,” Miu’s father, Mr. Endo, said.

  For a while there was only the sound of happy murmurs and compliments as we tasted the food.

  “So when are you performing? We are very excited to see Miu hula hooping,” Mr. Endo said.

  “Hula hooping,” Hiroshi snorted. “We did that as kids.”

  “It’s a bit more complex,” Gavin said with a smile. “Our first show is tomorrow night. Miu, have you gotten them tickets yet?”

  “No, not yet. I wasn’t sure what your schedule is, father. I know you’re very busy.” Miu glanced at the table then at her father through her lashes.

  “I don’t think I have any appointments, but I’ll have my assistant contact you.”

  “I’m looking forward to seeing all of you,” Mrs. Endo said. “She talks about all of you with such fondness, and your adventures sound so exciting.”

  Hiroshi snorted and whispered to me under his breath. “She doesn’t tell them most of what happens. They would freak out.”

  “And you think she tells you everything?” I whispered back, picking up a slice of tempura sweet potato.

  He frowned. “Maybe not. You’ll have to read my manga and tell me if she’s leaving anything out.”

  “What are you two whispering about?” Anali asked.

  “Hiroshi’s telling me about his manga,” I said.

  Mrs. Endo placed her hand on her chest. “Oh, he scares me with those pictures he draws. Such an imagination our Hiroshi has. He draws the scariest creatures and battles. Oh, I cried when that poor selkie got stabbed, what was his name?”

  “Ramsey,” I said my voice rough. I cleared my throat. “His name is Ramsey.”

  “Wait, that happened?” Mr. Endo said. “How dangerous is this?”

  “Chichi, don’t worry,” Miu said. “Hiroshi exaggerates what I tell him for his manga. You know how much he wants to create manga, and he’s using my travels as a starting place.”

  “But this young man was stabbed,” Miu’s mother said looking at Anali. “And the Sons of Belial do come after you.”

  Anali nodded. “Yes, he was hurt, and yes they do hunt magical creatures and us.”

  “We take every precaution we can,” Gavin said. “The kids know to stay in groups, and Shin has been teaching them Hwa Rang Do. We can feel them coming, and we have a field generator which blocks our energy from being detected.”

  “Do you have one of these generators with you now?” Miu’s father asked.

  “No,” Gavin said. “They’re too big to carry around. We have one at the hotel, the gym where we workout, the theater, and smaller ones on the RV’s where we travel.”

  “We can feel the Sons of Belial when they get close,” Miu said. “Sapphire is very sensitive and can feel them from much further away than the rest of us.”

  I froze, smiling lips pressed together as I chewed a mouthful of noodles.

  “So, do you all stay together, since you can feel them from further away?” Mr. Endo set down his chopsticks and looked at me.

  His protectiveness slammed against my shield while his wife’s worry slithered around me. Anali gasped softly and held onto Gavin’s arm, grounding herself. Swallowing, I took a sip of tea trying to gather my thoughts. “We spend a lot of time tog
ether, but no, we don’t spend all of our time together.”

  “Don’t you think you should? Miu needs to be kept safe, and as the Jewel that should be part of your job.”

  “Kojirō, dear I’m sure they are protecting Miu,” said Mrs. Endo.

  “I’d like to hear it from them, Hanako.”

  “I am not going to stop living my life,” Miu said. “We spend a lot of time together, and the places we spend the majority of our time have the field generator. But I have friends, and want to go out and do things.”

  “Why can’t Sapphire go with you?” Hiroshi asked.

  Miu rolled her eyes. “Sometimes she does, but we have other friends and different interests. And this whole topic is getting blown out of proportion. We aren’t in that much danger.”

  I rubbed the ice burn on my forearm of Cartazonon’s fingers I’d gotten when he touched me in a dream. I took careful breaths as images from our battle with Cartazonon and the Sons of Belial, and the walk-in who grabbed Miu and almost had her in their car before she managed to get away in Rome, filled my head.

  “Do you promise?” Mrs. Endo asked. “Promise me that you are safe.”

  “Mama, I promise.”

  I put my hands in my lap hiding the bracelet Taliesin gave me, the crystal turning a sickly yellow because of the lie.

  “I am trusting you with my daughter.” Mr. Endo looked right at Gavin. “My parents were very excited about Miu being a Treasure of Shamash and Aya. I had hoped both my children would be spared a magical destiny. I want a normal life for them. The little bit of Phoenix gift Hanako and I have help us learn languages and communicate more effectively. Our parents arranged our marriage to continue on the magical line, but both of us hoped our children wouldn’t be very powerful. Hiroshi’s birthday is next week and we are hoping he doesn’t change. We want a normal life for him, a good life.”

  Anali frowned, opened her mouth, then closed it again.

  “Not that your life isn’t good,” Mrs. Endo said quickly. “But Miu, who knows when she will be done traveling, and then will she be able to pass the entrance exams to get into a good college. You understand, don’t you?”