I’m trying to make sure it’s not a bomb or a booby trap. I won’t open it until I know it’s safe.
Then hurry and bring it to one of our scientists. Although it is fairly far from the clan to cause any damage.
Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what’s inside.
Grant stood and faced the two members of his team. He pointed to the red female dragon named Zoe Watson. “Go to Lochguard and find Alistair Boyd. We need to make sure that whatever is inside won’t hurt the clan and he should be able to verify its contents. I’ll carry it to the forest at the back entrance, about two hundred feet away.” Zoe nodded, and Grant looked to the black dragon next to her. “Find one of the Protectors on duty who can help you finish checking the loch. I want to ensure there are no other surprises lurking. Pay special attention to the perimeter and the floor. Now that we know someone stashed at least one bag, there might be others hid
ing in objects that look natural.”
The black-colored Protector jumped into the air and followed Zoe back to Lochguard.
Grant looked back down at the black bag. Taking a deep breath, he picked it up slowly and made his way to the back entrance.
His dragon chimed in. Why not just call the DDA? They have the resources of the British government and can easily check it for us.
Given the recent betrayal involving the former DDA director, I’m trying to rely on them as little as possible.
But the new female in charge is different.
Even so, the exhibition is about to open in Inverness. I don’t want anything to overshadow what should be good publicity.
Publicity is a human affair. It seems like a waste of time to me. Not everyone will like us, no matter what we do.
Then think of Cat. She’s worked hard for this moment. We can’t spoil it.
I suppose. She has been nice to us, even if she was a wee bit annoying as a child.
He didn’t reply to his dragon and picked up his pace a little. Grant needed to be careful, but he also wanted to let Iris and the other dragon-shifters down in Inverness know to be on the lookout for anything unusual. If the Dragon Knights were stashing dangerous objects for later use, they might’ve done it near the exhibition’s location as well.
~~~
Faye touched down at her third checkpoint. But with her first deep inhalation, she instantly detected the scent of human mixed with something chemical.
Her dragon perked up. Finally. Let’s investigate.
Not until Brodie shows up.
Still, Faye surveyed the area around closely. The trees and their shade made it more difficult to see things clearly.
Her little clearing was free of rubbish or other signs of recent activity. Whatever she smelled must be further inside the forest.
A few seconds later there was a human yell and the sound of fighting. Faye roared in alarm to her comrades in the air before imagining her body shrinking. Once she was standing on two human feet again, she dashed toward the sound, careful to avoid breaking branches so as to not make her location obvious.
Her heart pounded as she drew closer. Pushing her body harder, Faye finally found Brodie wrestling one human male. Two others were engaging the other Protectors in human form.
She barely noticed the tent beyond the scuffle. Since Brodie was one of the best hand-to-hand combat fighters in the clan, Faye dashed over to one of the younger Protectors, Shay.
Shay struggled to get out from the human pinning him. Faye scooped down to pick up a grapefruit-sized rock and closed the distance. Before the human noticed her, she swung the rock against his head hard enough to knock him unconscious but not kill him.
After a quick check to ensure Shay was conscious and alive, she went to help the other Protector. However, Brodie had already taken care of his foe and was assisting their clan mate. Satisfied that Brodie would handle it all and tie up the humans, Faye approached the tent. She paused a few seconds but didn’t hear anyone moving about inside.
The smell of chemicals was stronger here. Just in case they were deadly, she took a deep breath and peeked inside.
She spotted a table with a variety of beakers, electronic parts, and some tools she couldn’t identify. A stack of gas masks was at the entrance, so she took one and turned back toward the forest.
After a few deep breaths, she donned the mask and went inside the tent.
Faye had no biological or chemical training beyond the basics from her time in the army, but as she surveyed the table with half-completed gadgets that looked like giant eggs, she knew it wasn’t anything good. She needed to find someone to take a look and ensure the forest wasn’t about to go up in smoke.