He focused. “A gut feeling isn’t scientific. We need to be certain.”
Emily looked at him askance and it took everything he had not to lose himself in her deep brown eyes. “Even with decades of research, side effects are never certain. All it takes is one person with a rare reaction to add something new to the list.”
“Decades of research is one thing. A few hours is another.” As Emily continued to read the results, he added, “Why are you here, Emily? I know you’re close to your family and by coming here there’s a chance you might not see them for a while.”
“They moved to Australia. I won’t be seeing them anytime soon,” she stated.
He wanted to know more but sensed Emily wasn’t going to disclose anything else from her tone. All he could do was focus on his work.
He’d barely set up the next test when the phone rang. He answered and a female’s voice in a Northern English accent filled the line. “Trahern Lewis, I’m Arabella MacLeod. I’m bringing something up on your screen.”
“What—”
A new window opened for a program he’d never seen. A forum-like page with several replies filled the screen. Before he could read anything, the female’s voice continued, “This is a dark website used by Dragon Knight recruiters.”
“Dark website?”
“It’s a secret part of the internet that an average person can’t access. I found something you should look at. Read the first post.”
Trahern looked at the post:
Want to be a part of the Dragon Knights and rid the UK of our dragon problem? Then take these ingredients and figure out the best recipe to make a dragon-shifter’s dragon go insane. With heightened surveillance, we only take dedicated members now. Find the solution, document proof, and we’ll be in touch.
The rest of the post was a basic formula, minus the proportions. Trahern read down the list. At the last ingredient, he tapped the screen. “This plant must be the mystery element.”
Arabella replied, “I looked up the scientific name. When you translate the name used by the locals in the Amazon, it’s called dragonsoul in English. It’s indigenous to the Amazon rainforest.”
Emily, who had been listening next to Trahern, jumped in. “I’ve never heard of it. If the attackers are getting their hands on this plant, it must be via a black market.”
Arabella answered, “I’m looking for sources now. If these bastards are using a forum on a hidden site, they know their way around the dark web, where you can find and buy almost any illegal item. As soon as I find where they’re getting it from, I’ll let you know.”
“Good,” Trahern said. “I’ll see what we can find elsewhere. There has to be a specific compound that affects inner dragons. If I know what it is, I might be able to neutralize it.”
“You’ll hear from me again later,” Arabella said before she hung up.
Trahern glanced to Emily, and she nodded as she moved to her laptop. As she typed, she glanced at him. “We’re one step closer, Trahern. Tell me the second you find anything and I’ll do the same.”
He nodded and went searching. While he didn’t have a way to contact any of the Amazon dragon clans and ask if they know how to counter the effects of the dragonsoul plant, he might be able to find something buried in a research journal somewhere.
~~~
Sid sat next to Brendan’s bed and gently brushed the hair off his forehead. Since there was nothing to do but wait, Gregor had gone to check in with Trahern while Sid stood guard with the Irish doctor. She still didn’t know enough about Ronan O’Brien to pitch ideas of future cooperation. However, she needed to work on it since adding Clan Glenlough to her network would be a boon for both her and Bram. Sid didn’t follow clan politics too closely, but she knew Bram wanted to add the Irish clan to his list of allies.
Brendan sighed in his sleep and she focused back on the boy. Sid wondered if she had also been restless when she’d been unconscious as a teenager. She knew her parents had never left her side. Brendan’s parents hadn’t been able to come because of the Irish DDA’s more restrictive rules when it came to movement between clans outside of Ireland, but Sid would take their place for now. She would fight for him until her dying breath.
Maybe it was selfish, but she hoped her own child never went through something so traumatic. Although, given he or she would have two doctors for parents, the child would have a better chance than most.
She half expected her dragon to growl and say the child was hers. But for once, her dragon merely sat and observed. She was keeping her promise to not interfere until the boy was better.
Just as Sid thought about how working with children might help her get along better with her beast, Dr. Ronan O’Brien spoke up from the opposite side of the boy’s bed. “Earlier, Dr. Innes was adamant about too much of the dragon slumber drug permanently silencing an inner dragon. I’ve never heard of that before. How do you know it’s true?”
Sid looked at the Irish doctor and saw genuine interest in his eyes. At one time, she never would’ve shared her secret with a near-stranger. But if there was to ever be openness and collab
oration in the future between clan doctors, Sid needed to take the first step. “Because it happened to me twenty-four years ago.”
Ronan frowned. “Your dragon is silent?”
“Was, as in past tense. But I did go twenty-four years without my beast.”