Enemy of the Realm Read online

  “Like I’ve been trying to tell you, Jack knows more than you think. In fact, I doubt he even told anyone you were . . . on vacation.”

  “Really?”

  George nodded. “Trust me, he knows where you went. And he will be more than willing to help us.”

  Marcus frowned. “So he . . . knew everything?”

  George clearly heard the tone in his voice, and his eyes darted to the driver. “A lot.”

  Marcus felt a little heat prickling under his skin. Jack had lied to him his entire life.

  “He only did as I instructed,” George said calmly. “And what he thought was best.”

  “He didn’t trust me to know anything, you mean,” Marcus muttered.

  “It was a little more complicated than that, Marcus.”

  Marcus knew it wasn’t the time for this talk. But he was hurt by the revelation. All those times he had asked about his father. And where his dad had gone. Jack had known the truth.

  “I deserved to know,” he said.

  “And now you do,” George said. “You were just a boy.”

  “You don’t know what I was like,” Marcus said, a bit more sharply than he intended.

  George sighed. “No, I guess I didn’t. And I’m sorry about that.”

  Marcus felt a little pang of guilt. “Well . . . I’m glad Jack won’t be mad.”

  George lifted the paper again, though not before Marcus caught the hurt in his eyes.

  “I’m sure he’ll be relieved. He was your father more than I was.”

  Dree shifted in the back, obviously uncomfortable. “What’s he like?”

  “You’re going to like him,” Marcus said, as they stopped at a light. “He’s . . . interesting.”

  “I like interesting people,” she said wryly, staring at a fire hydrant. “Great idea. Obviously for water. Does that mean you have water systems running beneath the entire city? Fascinating. They must be very high pressure for that system to work. I wonder if I could create something like that for . . . home. Do you think I could take one apart—”

  “Later,” Marcus said, rubbing an exasperated hand through his hair.

  As they turned onto Marcus’s street, he started growing more and more excited to see the apartment. Even if it seemed like Marcus might belong in Dracone, he had still grown up in Arlington. He still missed his room and his friends and Jack. Marcus could just picture the look on his uncle’s face when he told him he had ridden on a dragon.

  He thankfully still had his wallet in his backpack and quickly paid the cab driver before leading them inside the building, nearly running with anticipation.

  But Marcus’s excitement faded the second he opened the apartment door. The place was in shambles: furniture had been upended and strewn around the room, drawers had been ransacked, and clothes were scattered everywhere. Marcus exchanged a concerned look with his father.

  Uncle Jack was gone.

  Chapter

  2

  Dree held up a shattered picture of Marcus, the only one she had found. He was much younger in the picture, with a goofy lopsided grin and big ears. It had been cast carelessly onto the ground, and she could feel the shards of glass under her boots. It seemed a bit silly considering the state of the apartment, but she couldn’t keep herself from carefully placing it back on the table. She had already seen her house decimated by drones. Now Marcus’s home had been ransacked too.

  She could hear him frantically tearing through his bedroom now, while George searched Jack’s room looking for any clues as to his whereabouts. Dree had taken the kitchen and living room, but she knew they were all probably searching in vain. Either Jack had cleared this place out, or someone else had. And they had done a very thorough job.

  She wondered if Francis had any operatives in this world. She felt a flash of anger at the thought of him and his mocking, evil smile. Sometimes it was still hard to believe the popular prime minister was behind so much bloodshed and destruction. That he had broken Dree’s father and was responsible for the murder of so many innocent dragons. And now he had Baby Hybrid. She felt heat pressing against her skin from inside and tried to calm down. It wouldn’t be good to set anything on fire here. That wouldn’t help Marcus’s mood.

  She glanced at the picture again, thinking about her own family. Were they okay? When she had left they were still living in a hidden cave, at her insistence, apart from her cowardly brother, Rochin. He was probably living downtown again, away from the slums that Francis was even now eradicating from the city limits. But she was desperately worried for Abi and her little brothers, and she knew Francis would love to get his hands on her family for leverage . . . or revenge.

  And then there was Lourdvang.

  She knew her other “little brother” would never stand to hide from the drones for long. He was a fighter, a protector—and that meant he was in danger. Dree didn’t know what she would do if she ever lost him—the bond they shared as dragon and Rider meant everything to her. She had helped raise him from almost a newborn, back when he was the size of a dog. He had since grown into a powerful dragon, and she was proud of the leader he was becoming.

  There was no time to dwell now, though, and Dree quickly resumed her search for clues. The faster they found the Egg, the faster they could get back to Dracone—to Lourdvang and Abi and everyone else—and rejoin the war.

  She walked into the kitchen, scanning over the ransacked drawers littering the floor. Dree picked up a plate, wondering what it would have been like to live in a place like this, where everything was so advanced and clean and sterile. But she didn’t feel the same magic here as in Dracone, the same visceral energy in the air and the wind. She wondered if it had been here once, and they had forgotten it in favor of these technological marvels—just like Francis was trying to do there. Whatever it was, Earth just felt cold and empty.

  Suddenly, Dree heard footsteps coming from the hallway outside the apartment door. She froze, slowly placing the plate down and crouching beside the counter, out of view. She kept her eyes on the front door as it eased open and a portly blond boy stepped in, clearly trying to be stealthy. He wasn’t really succeeding. His face was twisted in concentration as he gingerly tiptoed toward Marcus’s bedroom. He took a peek inside, grinned, and prepared to charge through the door.

  He never made it.

  Dree exploded from behind the counter and tackled him, sending both of them sprawling across the room with a violent thud. Dree landed on top and pinned down his arms, her wiry arms flexing.

  “Who are you?” she demanded.

  “Ow,” the boy moaned, grimacing and looking up at her. His cheeks immediately flushed red, and a few spotted scarlet hives appeared on his neck like chicken pox. “Am I dreaming?” he whispered.

  Marcus rushed out from inside his bedroom. “Dree, what happ— Brian?”

  “Hey, buddy,” Brian said, still pinned to the floor.

  For the first time since they landed on Earth, Marcus laughed. “It’s okay, Dree. He’s a friend of mine.”

  Dree quickly let Brian go, watching as the boy rubbed his rib cage. “Sorry about that,” she said.

  “She hits like a linebacker,” Brian muttered.

  “You have no idea,” Marcus said, pulling his friend up off the ground. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Yeah, thanks for leaving without any warning,” Brian said. He glanced at Dree, flushed anew, and then lowered his voice and leaned in closer to Marcus. “Who’s the babe?”

  “I can hear you,” Dree said.

  George emerged from Jack’s bedroom, tucking something into his pocket. “You must be Brian.”

  “Mr. Brimley?” Brian asked in amazement, looking between George and Marcus. “But . . . how . . . I mean . . . where . . . you’re alive?”

  “So far,” George responded wryly.

  “How did you know we
were here?” Marcus asked Brian.

  “Right.” Brian plopped onto the couch, looking around. “This place is a mess. Was Jack a messy dude?”

  “Brian, focus!” Marcus said.

  “Sorry. Jack came over to my house two weeks ago. Showed up all inconspicuous, like a spy or something.”

  “He is a spy,” George said.

  “Oh,” Brian said, frowning. “O . . . kay? Anyway, he told me that he was leaving, but if I saw you I should tell you that he went on a fishing trip. And I was like, no offense, Jack, but shouldn’t you be looking for Marcus instead of going fishing? But he said you were fine. So I’m like, where is he? And he said you were visiting some family. And I go, okay, cool, but it would have been nice to know. And you know, dude, it would have been nice to know.”

  Dree smiled. She couldn’t help but like Brian. He seemed permanently exasperated.

  “So he went on a fishing trip?” Marcus asked, rubbing his forehead.

  “Weird, right?” Brian said. “I mean, he doesn’t really look like a fisherman. Oh, and before he left he gave me this little camera to set up outside in the hallway. It takes pictures when people walk by and sends it to my phone, and I caught a quick glimpse of you and ran over. Though I totally missed the girl you were with, which is surprising because . . .” He stopped. “Well, you know. Anyway, that’s all I know. So how was the family visit? Was it to go see your dad in Russia? And are you going to explain who this girl is at some point or what?”

  “I’m Dree,” she said, extending a hand.

  Brian broke out in hives as he shook her hand. “Brian,” he murmured. “You have a strong grip.”

  George was now standing at the window, looking out at the parking lot thoughtfully. Marcus walked over to him. “Does Uncle Jack even fish?” Marcus asked.

  “He’s not on a fishing trip,” George said. “It’s a code we used before I left. It means that he’s in trouble.” George turned to Marcus, frowning.

  “And it also means Brian isn’t the only one who’s been watching this apartment.”

  Chapter

  3

  George’s grim words hung in the air for a moment, and then Brian looked at Marcus. “What does that mean? What trouble? Are the Russians here?”

  Marcus followed his father’s gaze out the window, scanning over the skyline. He was looking for a glint of white metal or a black shape on the horizon. Were the drones out there right now? Was Francis watching them? Or was it the CIA?

  “What do we do now?” Marcus asked, ignoring Brian.

  George sighed. “We go ahead as planned. The Egg is the priority. But without Jack’s help, we’ll need to gather more information. And that starts with scouting the location. I was kind of relying on him to catch me up to speed on any changes.”

  Brian rubbed his forehead. “An egg? How is an egg more important than the fact that your uncle Jack is missing?”

  “This isn’t a normal egg,” Dree said. “It’s an ancient dragon relic full of indescribable power.”

  Brian stared at her for a moment, and then he turned to Marcus. “She’s joking, right? Is she joking? Or . . . ?”

  Marcus realized that he couldn’t keep Brian in the dark any longer. “You’d better get comfortable,” he said. “It’s kind of a long story.”

  As Dree listened in and George did some research on Marcus’s computer, Marcus sat down beside Brian and covered everything from the beginning: the drones, the portal, the group’s journey to Dracone. It was almost hard for Marcus to believe it all himself, but Brian never interrupted.

  After Marcus finished talking, Brian stared at him in silence for a bit. Then, a hint of recognition filled his eyes. “Is this why you kept melting Xboxes?” he asked. “Because you’re not . . . you know, from here?”

  “That only happened once,” Marcus said, rolling his eyes. “And that’s what you’ve taken away from everything I told you?”

  Brian turned toward Dree. “So you’re a Dragon Rider too?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “This is the greatest thing ever!” Brian said excitedly. “So now you have to find the Egg to turn the tables against the evil dude Francis to save Dracone? And the Egg is full of dragon magic? I want in! How can I help?”

  Dree giggled and Marcus just shook his head. “For now, you can just keep a secret.”

  “I can do that.” Brian grinned. “Dragons? So cool. Except for the whole drone part.” He paled and looked at the window. “Are they out there?”

  “They won’t risk exposing themselves until they have to,” George said. “They’ll wait until we make our move, and then they’ll go in for the kill. When that happens, we’ll just have to be ready to escape in a hurry.”

  “But first, the Egg,” Marcus said, looking to his father for next steps.

  “Exactly,” George replied. “But we have to steal it from one of the most heavily guarded compounds in Arlington. Without Jack as our guide. All while being hunted by drones and the CIA. So settle in, we have a lot of planning to do.”

  George paused.

  “Brian, this isn’t your mission, and I won’t put you in danger. You’ll have to go home.”

  Brian looked like he wanted to argue, but the seriousness of the situation finally seemed to hit him. “Okay, but if you need anything—”

  “We’ll see you later, Brian,” George said.

  Brian saluted and hurried off, giving Dree one last flushed grin. The door shut behind him, and Marcus turned to Dree, shaking his head. “Sorry about that. He’s a bit . . . weird around girls.”

  “And you’re a regular charmer,” she said sarcastically. “I like him.” She turned to George, folding her arms. “So, what do we have to do?”

  Once the sun set, Marcus, Dree, and George ventured out once again. They moved quickly through the streets, trying to stay clear of any lights, not that it really mattered for the drones. If Trackers were up there, Marcus knew there was infrared locked on him even now. But the group had done their best to stay out of view, and they had no choice but to keep moving. George needed to get a look at the CIA annex to see if the security perimeter had changed. If there were any new obstacles, they would have to alter their plans.

  George made his way down another side alley, with Marcus and Dree trailing close behind.

  “So how do you like Earth?” Marcus asked, glancing back at Dree.

  Dree snorted. “It seems like a lot of hiding so far. But I do love the Internet.”

  She spent an hour that afternoon on the Internet, poring over all the information it had to offer. She quizzed Marcus on subjects spanning from global wars to celebrities to space exploration. She was amazed that athletes and movies stars were so popular, instead of soldiers and famous warriors. When she wasn’t surfing the Web she was busy inspecting every piece of technology she could get her hands on—including disassembling the television. She was also clearly getting very anxious to get back to Dracone.

  “We’ll get the Egg soon,” Marcus said, guessing at her thoughts. “We have to be careful.”

  “Every minute is another one that Francis could be finding my family,” she pointed out. Ahead of them, George was looking around constantly, getting his bearings. They were moving through an empty parking lot lit only faintly by a few dim streetlights.

  “I know,” Marcus said. “We’ll get back there soon, don’t worry.”

  “What was it like to live here?” Dree asked, staring up at a building twinkling with a hundred office lights.

  Marcus thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Fine. Sometimes I felt . . . lost.”

  “Was Brian your only friend?”

  “Pretty much,” he admitted.

  She laughed. “Don’t worry. My only friend was a dragon.”

  Suddenly, Dree’s smile disappeared. A shadow of concern fell over her face. />
  “Lourdvang’s okay in Dracone,” Marcus said. “I’m sure of it.”

  “I know,” Dree said, though her voice betrayed her fear. “I just want to get back and help.”

  “Just one more day,” Marcus said, as George walked ahead checking the night sky for drones. “We’ll go for the Egg tomorrow night right at sundown. George said so.”

  “You mean your dad?” Dree asked softly.

  Marcus paused. “Yeah, my . . . I’m not sure I’m ready to call him that yet.”

  Dree stepped up beside him, watching as George waved them forward. “You don’t think he’s telling the truth about Francis? That he was forced to build the drones?”

  “I just think he still has a lot to answer for.”

  “We’re here,” George called back.

  Marcus hurried up beside him and frowned. “Where?”

  George smiled and pointed at a burger joint with a blinking neon sign. “Underneath.”

  Marcus laughed in disbelief. “The CIA annex is in Johnny Burger?”

  Johnny Burger was Brian’s absolute favorite restaurant. He and Marcus had eaten there for years. Johnny called them the “twin terrors” because of how many fries they could devour, and Marcus suspected that he and Brian were the reason Johnny eventually ended all-you-can-eat Thursdays.

  “You know it?” George asked.

  “You could say that,” Marcus said. “So where’s the entrance?”

  “It all looks the same, actually,” he said. “Okay, listen. There should be a dumpster out back. There will be a camera hidden in the tree behind it, and another set into the roof. There should be two doors on the back of the building . . . one will have no handle and should have a MAINTENANCE sign on it. Check and see if there is a little square groove next to it—seamless and black. If there is, then I know the first security measure hasn’t changed. It’s just a fingerprint scanner. Check it out and get back here.”

  “You’re not coming?” Dree asked.

  George laughed. “It would cause a lot of trouble if I popped up on there. Just act like two kids sneaking around to hang out or something. Do not make it obvious. Just try to be casual back there.”