Obsidian: The First Battle Read online

swarming all around here now that there are three dead angels. They’ll be out for blood.”

  I look at Oren. His strong jaw is clenched as he calculates the odds. I shake my head and look at Cato, “We’ll be safe there?”

  Cato nods. “There are enchantments in place that keep things hidden from their view, but we need to go now.”

  Oren doesn’t look away from Cato, but he nods and says, “Lead the way.”

  Cato’s home is small, but surprisingly cozy. I nestle into a very comfy chair as he sets up the fireplace. Oren hovers close behind me. Tension is just flowing out of him and it unsettles me. Cato takes a deep breath and blows on the wood. I’m not sure why, but I’m in awe when fire blows out of his mouth and ignites the wood.

  He stands up and looks at me. His smile is comforting, “There, much better.”

  “You have us here, now talk,” Oren says, impatiently.

  I look back at him. “Will you just relax a bit, Oren? You don’t have to be so rude.”

  Oren rolls his eyes at me. Jerk.

  “It’s quite alright, my sweet human,” Cato says. I turn to see him staring at Oren. I swear there is a twinkle of admiration in those mysterious green eyes.

  “My name is Jenna.”

  Oren growls, I don’t think he wanted me to tell him my name. Oops.

  “The name given to me is Cato, as I assume you’ve deduced by the encounter involving the Seekers.”

  I nod.

  “Back to my original question. Who are you?” Oren is done with pleasantries.

  Cato sighs. “I was close with your parents.”

  “You knew my birth parents?” he asks. I can hear his voice tremble slightly.

  “We were in the same pack…”

  I don’t like his use of the past tense, so I ask, “What do you mean, ‘were’ in?”

  Those green eyes begin to tear. Please don’t say it.

  “What… what happened to them?” my friend asks.

  Cato turns and looks into the fire. “I was out gathering food when our home was attacked. Those emotionless machines brutally killed all of them. Even the toddlers.”

  I cover my mouth, desperate to hold back the tears.

  “I came back to a scene straight out of a nightmare. It was a bloodbath that no one could have survived… yet somehow you were alive. We thought we had traveled far enough away from where your mother had given birth, but they were able to track us.”

  “I don’t understand,” Oren says stiffly.

  “When a newborn dragon is born, it is like a beacon of energy that angels are able to sense. It is normally such a tiny blip that they tend to slip under their radar. You, however, were special.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Cato turns and looks at him, “You’re energy erupted with a force so powerful that it was unlike anything even our strongest elder had ever seen. Our species have grown weaker and weaker with each passing generation, Oren. You are the most powerful dragon to be born since the Great War, not to mention the first to be born with wings for hundreds of generations.”

  I look at Oren and can’t help but smile. I always knew he was special. I fold my arms though. I’m sure he’ll somehow turn it around and use it as an excuse for further brooding.

  “So, my parents are dead because of me.” I freaking knew it.

  Cato walks over to him and shakes his head. “No, they chose to sacrifice themselves so you can live.”

  “So why did they let me live?” he asks.

  “That is the thing, I don’t believe they even knew you were there. I found you hidden. Your mother had protected you from harm. This kind of sacrifice caused a unique and unheard of protection that enveloped over you. It hid your energy from being detected. From any perspective, you appeared to be just an ordinary human child.”

  “What went wrong?” Oren asks.

  I didn’t understand why he asked, but Cato looks away. I guess he got it.

  “A Seeker came back and saw me holding you,” his voice is so sad.

  I gasp, “Wait, was it Sophia? The angel we met tonight?”

  “Yes, it was. She thought I was going to eat you or something. So I… I used you as a bargaining chip to escape. I’m not proud of it, but it was the only way I had a chance of living. I knew you would need someone later in life to help guide you. I also knew that she would keep you safe if she thought you were human.”

  Oren turns away. I can see the shame in Cato’s face. I force myself to leave the comfort of the chair and walk over to him. I stare into those troubled emerald eyes. They are filled with so much despair.

  I grab his face. “Thank you.”

  Tears begin to fall and he closes his eyes, “I did nothing to deserve your thanks.”

  “Without what you did, I would never have known him and he means the world to me. It’s not like you abandoned him. You found him and you’ve been watching over him ever since,” I say, looking back at Oren, who stares back. He isn’t sure if he should smile, cry, or be mad at me.

  Oren shakes his head. “I’m not willing to just accept him, Jenna,” he looks at Cato. “But I will allow you to teach me everything you know.”

  I let go of Cato’s face and slink back to my chair. Oren walks over. As he passes, his smooth fingers stroke my cheek. My eyelids suddenly feel very heavy.

  “I understand. What would you like to know first?” is the last thing I hear before everything goes black.

  Screams of pain jolt me awake. I try to jump off the couch but I get tangled up in a blanket and fall to the floor. Embarrassed, I sit up and look around. My brain is completely scattered. I pull out my phone. No missed calls? I pull up my texts and read a text sent to my parents. Oren must have send it to them last night for me. Like a bolt of lightning, the scream comes back to my mind and I stand up.

  “Oren,” I shout out.

  Crashes come from outside and I run out the door. All I see is a blur slung into the house and my friend falls the ground. His fangs extend and he growls as he looks up at Cato, who looks just as ferocious as Oren does right now. Cato sees me and his face warps back to normal and he smiles.

  “Well hello there, sleeping beauty. I half wondered if you were ever going to join us today,” he says with that light chuckle.

  Flabbergasted is the best way to describe how I’m feeling right now. A wonderfully sweet and chiming laugh pipes out to my right.

  Oren is smiling at me, “Yeah, she has always loved her sleep.”

  They look at each other and all I can do is stare from one to the other.

  “She did have quite an ordeal yesterday, I suppose we could cut her some slack,” Cato says with mock sincerity.

  “Yeah, she is only human after all.” They both burst into laughter.

  I’m so glad they can laugh at my confused state. Jerks. “What the hell is going on out here,” I demand.

  Oren straightens up and dusts himself off, “Uh oh, she’s mad.”

  “I suppose we can take a quick break,” Cato chuckles.

  They walk over to me. I fold my arms and slam my butt onto the ground. They sit on the grass next to me. I know it’s petty, but I turn my head away, continuing my tantrum.

  “He’s training me, Jen.”

  I refuse to look at him, but nevertheless, I’m intrigued. “What on earth are you training for?”

  “Oren has a multitude of skills he still has yet to unlock, but he needs them if he expects to have a chance of surviving.”

  I look at Cato, “Surviving what?”

  “A war is coming,” Oren’s voice is solemn. I look over at him, shocked by his tone. He isn’t looking at me.

  “How can you expect him to fight in a war?” I ask, looking back at Cato. “How can you even ask that of him?”

  “He is destined to be our leader, young one.”

  This is disgusting. “He’s 17 years old, Cato. He isn’t even old enough to vote, yet you are pushing him to become some leader for a war that doesn’t conc
ern him?”

  “It does concern me, Jenna. It has everything to do with me,” he says as he grabs my hand.

  I yank it away. I can’t believe what I’m hearing right now. What the hell did I miss last night? I snap a look at Cato. “There is no way I’m going to let you manipulate him into becoming some weapon you can use to protect yourself.”

  “Jenna,” Oren says. I guess it’s his turn to be the disapproving one.

  Cato holds up a hand to Oren. “It’s okay. I understand. She is scared for you. You’re lucky to be so young and have someone who loves you so deeply. It’s rare.”

  “This isn’t some game and he isn’t manipulating me. I was born to lead my people into a revolution against the angels. They’ve slaughtered dragons for far too long. It’s why I was born with wings.”

  “But,” I start, but I have nothing left to dispute. I hate that he’s winning this argument.

  Cato stands up. “Our kind have lived in darkness and fear for so long that we have forgotten how to live. He is our salvation. He will lead us into one last battle. It will be all or nothing. But for right now, it’s time for you both to go back home. You have school tomorrow.”

  He begins to walk away. Oren jumps up and says, “You can’t be serious. How am I just supposed to go back to school? I have to be here, training with you.”

  “Um, because you have to go home. Regardless of what you think, back there is where you belong,” I state with a matter-of-fact tone.

  Cato looks back at both of us. “You have to go back and stick to your regularly scheduled routines. Angels will have completely infiltrated this city and they will be combing through everything, looking for anything out of the ordinary. If either of you are missing from your normal