Cat Out of the Bag Page 8

  My fur stood on end, and anyone watching would know in no uncertain terms that I was scared out of my mind. I knew it was a simulation, but that didn’t stop my body from responding.

  I grunted, willing myself to be braver, and repeated to myself that nothing could hurt me in a simulation. But that didn’t make my fur lie flat or stop my heart from pounding under my ribs. I clenched my teeth, feeling irritated by my reaction. It was exactly what Avalon had warned me about. I could never tame a dragon if I felt that much fear.

  I entered a second, larger cavern and saw a shadow slip around a corner. There was almost no light in there—the dim glow of the sunlight streaming through the roof of the previous cavern and down the narrow corridor was almost completely obscured. The cold sank into my skin, and I regretted wearing my desert clothing—even hover bike racers wore breathable clothes. Sweat trickled down my back, making me even colder.

  “Who dares to enter my lair?” a voice boomed. It echoed off the walls, bouncing around my head like a ping-pong ball.

  I shrieked and looked for cover behind a stalagmite. If I was trying to convince myself or anyone else that I wasn’t a scaredy-cat, I was failing miserably.

  “It is I, Mango Mew,” I stated, stepping into the cavern. “I have come to tame you.” I decided being direct was the best way to go.

  “I do not wish to be tamed, Sho’kin. Get out of my cavern before I blast you into the next world.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” I said. I literally couldn’t leave because I was pinned to the ground. But I hoped my petrified stature came across as brave.

  “You dare to presume you can tame me, cat girl?” the beast bellowed, coming into view for the first time. “I cannot be tamed by the likes of you.”

  His face shot into the light, only feet above me. His eyes were large and yellow, like gleaming gems infused with fire. I gasped, falling backward. He belted out a laugh that was no less terrifying than his demand. I scrambled to my feet, remembering it was a test. I couldn’t fail. Taming a dragon could save all of us—me, Pappi, Toby, Sasha, even Pepper. All the Sho’kin could leave the trash pile and go home. If I wanted all that, I had to overcome my fear.

  “I can, and I will,” I said, gathering my strength.

  Avalon had shown me how to pull strength into my belly from the earth and the sky. The forces of above and below coalesced in my solar plexus, went out through my hands, and could subdue even the angriest beast. If I could hold on for five minutes, I could tame a dragon, who would then serve me for the rest of my life. It was worth the possibility of being burned alive or eaten in one bite.

  He laughed again, rearing his massive head back. In the dim light, the dragon appeared to be black with a dusting of white specks on his belly and neck that looked like stars across the night sky. I wondered what kind of dragon he was. Serious had explained that there were many different species of dragons and that each species had a different type of magic. He’d given me the general rundown, but it was anything but exhaustive. I couldn’t remember him mentioning a black-and-white specked species.

  When the dragon finished laughing at me, he finally noticed I was gathering my taming power. I was almost ready to let it fly, to test my will against his. He narrowed his eyes and growled, darting away before I could thrust the power at his heart.

  From the darkness, I heard a rumbling inhale of breath. I ducked and somersaulted as a blast of white-hot stardust shot toward where I’d just been standing. The cave walls melted into liquid magma, and I could feel the heat of it. I jumped to my feet and ran to the deepest corner of the cave.

  “That wasn’t very nice,” I said, climbing up the wall with my sharp claws.

  “It isn’t very nice to attempt to tame someone who doesn’t want to be tamed.”

  “But your soul is calling for a summoner. I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t heard the call.”

  “That part of my soul is a liar and a thief. I do not wish to join with you, summoner. I wish to be left in peace.”

  “I need your help,” I said, climbing onto a high ledge.

  “I have no interest in helping a little cat girl.”

  His body slid across the rocky floor of the cave.

  “Even if I have the strength to best you?”

  “If you have the strength?” He laughed again. “Well then, yes, I’ll join you willingly. But you do not have what it takes, Sho’kin. You are nothing but a cowardly kitten.”

  I bit my tongue as I tiptoed across the narrow ledge that crossed the ceiling. The smell of molten rock and fizzling stardust filled the cave, disguising my scent. The dragon could probably see in the dark as well or better than I could, but I had the grace and the silent feet of the Sho’kin. If I could just stay out of sight until I gathered my strength, I might have a chance.

  I crouched on the ledge just above his head as he searched the cave for me. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he cooed.

  I closed my eyes, breathing slow and steady as I soothed my fear and gathered my will in my belly. My life flashed before my eyes, including all the times I’d stood up for what I believed in, all the moments where I could have given up, and all the times when someone else would have backed down. I remembered them all in a stream of consciousness that seemed like the map of my life and my strength of heart. I gathered all that power into the pit of my stomach then closed my eyes. My heart slowed to its normal rhythm, and I opened my eyes.

  Focusing every shred of my strength, I opened my palms and aimed them at the dragon. My will burst forth from the depths of me, crashing into the dragon with all its might. The dragon screamed and turned on me in a flash of anger. My will streamed into him, preventing him from attacking. All he could do was try to battle against the power of my will with his own.

  The fight seemed to stretch on forever. The power of my intention played on a loop at the back of my mind as I fought him. I could not lose. I had to save Pappi. I had to save the Sho’kin and our forest. There was no other choice. Those thoughts lent me strength when I thought I had none left. As the last of my energy left my body and blasted into the dragon, I collapsed on the ledge. I had no strength left. I had nothing else inside me. I couldn’t even hold on as I began to fall.

  I tumbled through the air, the cave floor rushing up toward me. Just as I wondered if I could die of a fall in the simulation, a huge black talon caught me and gently laid me on the floor.

  “Well done, Summoner,” the dragon cooed. “I am Mythril, a night dragon. My power is stardust. I am pleased to be of service.”

  “I did it?” I asked, barely able to move as I stared up at the massive beast above me.

  “Your will is stronger than I first believed. You have won the challenge, and now I am happy to heed your call. I believe we will be a great team.”

  “Holy hairballs,” I muttered, pulling myself up off the ground. That had to have been the hardest thing I’d ever done.

  I heard a slow clapping echo through the cave, and all of a sudden, the cavern was gone, and I was back in the gymnasium, staring at Avalon as she crossed the room toward me.

  She clapped her dainty blue hands, and a smile curved her rose-colored lips.

  “You are quite strong for a novice summoner. You’ve done well. I half expected you to die in that simulation, climbing up on the walls like that.”

  “I could have died?”

  “Only in the simulation. In reality, it would have been like having the wind knocked out of you. You might have had a headache but nothing else.”

  “Did I actually fall?”

  “Yes. You climbed all the way up to the roof. We’ll have to get maintenance down here to sand the cat scratches out of the wall, but those types of maintenance needs are a common occurrence around here.”

  “So I passed?”

  “You tamed the dragon in one try. I’d say so. Now, you’re ready for the real deal.”

  “You mean I’m going to tame a real dragon next?”

  �
�Yes. We have the location of the dragon calling to your essence specifically. Serious will open a portal for you as soon as you are ready.”

  “Could I get something to eat first? I’m starving.”

  Chapter 16

  Avalon walked with me down to the first floor. We made our way to a large dining hall, where rows of tables were lined up across the room. Other summoners were already eating what appeared to be a buffet-style meal, but I had no idea which one, because I didn’t know what time of day it was outside. All I knew was that I could eat an entire raptor in one sitting.

  We lined up in the buffet line. Avalon stood in front of me, explaining what all the foods were. I’d never seen most of them because I’d spent most of my life eating cactus soup. But all the different offerings smelled delicious, and I couldn’t wait to try them. There was an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, greens, meats, rice, oats, and multiple different-colored juices. Avalon told me the name of each one, including a fruit that shared my name. I blinked a few times. I had no idea that my name was a fruit in another world. I dished up a heap of mango and what she called “barbecue chicken.” I poured a glass of apple juice to go with it.

  Avalon had only chosen a variety of soft fruits and water, and I wondered if it was a special diet of her people or if it was because she was a water elementalist. We sat down at a table with some other summoners, and Avalon began to introduce me to all of them. Across from me sat a girl with wild red hair, dressed all in furs with tanned skin and amber-colored eyes. She showed me her fanged teeth by way of smiling. “My name is Moira,” she said, “and I am a beast tamer. I’m at five hundred forty-seven beasts.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot,” I said, shaking my head. I could barely comprehend taming one creature, let alone five hundred forty-seven.

  “Moira wants to be the tamer with the most creatures,” explained another girl, who wore all black. Her clothing was sharply tailored, and her haircut was strange and geometric. She had pale-white skin and pink eyes.

  “Why should I not be the greatest tamer of all time?” Moira grunted, taking a big bite from the leg of something with her sharp teeth.

  “It’s not the number. It’s the quality,” the girl in black countered.

  “My beasts are all high quality,” Moira growled.

  “I am sure they are, Moira,” Avalon said, diffusing the growing animosity between the two.

  “Vex is a ghost summoner,” Avalon explained. “Ghosts are extremely challenging to find and tame.”

  “It requires the use of ectoplasm to bring them into corporal form. But it’s well worth it. My ghosts all have haunting abilities. It causes mass fear in anyone I battle. Fear interrupts casting for three minutes and causes confusion for ten.”

  “Wow,” I said, not having any idea what any of that meant.

  “You’re a dragon tamer?” Vex asked. “Those are so rare. You must have a very strong will.”

  “I suppose I do,” I said, feeling heat rise in my face. I’d never thought of myself as someone with a strong will. Most people thought I was a flake. Even Pappi was always lecturing me to be more practical. No one would ever have guessed that I had the will of a dragon tamer.

  “Mango succeeded in taming a dragon in her first attempt in a taming simulation.”

  “OMG,” Vex said, taking a bite of buttered bread. “It took me five attempts to tame my first ghost.”

  “I tamed on my first try too,” Moira said.

  “You tamed a sheep on your first attempt,” Vex said.

  “It was not a sheep. It was a bear,” Moira growled.

  “If I remember correctly, your first real taming was a rather large dog,” Avalon corrected.

  “Yes. A dog. Gordy. He is a good dog. A killer. Yes.”

  “A dog.” Vex snickered.

  “Gordy is vicious. Your first ghost was a little girl.”

  “The strength of a ghost depends on how long they’ve been dead, not how old they were in life. And yes, my first simulation was a little girl. But my first real taming was the rather unsettled spirit of a very powerful old man who’d been haunting his own mansion for a hundred years.”

  “Whatever. I still have five hundred forty-seven beasts. You only have eight ghosts.”

  “I’d bet my eight ghosts against your goats and frogs any day.”

  “You want to try me, ghost girl?” Moira said, posturing at Vex from the other side of the table.

  “Any time, beast girl.”

  “You’re on. After lunch.”

  “So it’s lunch time,” I said, looking out the window at the dim light and the falling snow.

  “It’s been dark all day. This time of year can be hard on top of the mountain,” Avalon said, ignoring Vex and Moira.

  “Can they really battle with their creatures?” I asked.

  “Yes. They can if they want. It actually helps to hone their skills.”

  “But doesn’t anyone get hurt?”

  “Not if it’s a friendly battle. The parameters are set before the fight. All injuries are virtual, and a point system appears on their wrist monitors.”

  I looked at the device Avalon showed me on her own wrist. “What else does that thing do?”

  “It will contact the headquarters from anywhere in the universe, and someone will answer you. You can call if you need assistance, advice, or just want a lift back here. Part of Serious’s job as head of the League is to open portals for other summoners.”

  “He must be busy.”

  “He is. That is one of the many reasons we were so excited to find you.”

  “There is a Tyrannosaurus rex calling me from Alpha Centauri,” Moira said wistfully. “Serious said he doesn’t have time to open a portal across the universe for me to tame another dinosaur. If you tame your first dragon, you can open a portal for me.”

  “Uh…”

  “Let’s just let her get settled in to the idea of being a summoner before we start using her as a taxi service,” Avalon said.

  Moira grumbled low in her throat and crossed her arms over her fur-covered chest.

  “You want to complain to our new friend, or do you want to battle?” Vex asked as she stood from the table.

  “I always want to battle,” Moira said, jumping up from her seat and staring Vex dead in the eye.

  “Good luck, girls,” Avalon said. The two stared each other down all the way to the tray pile and then out the dining hall doors. Avalon sighed. “They act like enemies, but they are really best friends.” She took a bite of a deep-red, watery fruit.

  “I never would have guessed.”

  “They are very different, so they don’t understand that the friction they feel is actually love. But knowing that is from To’tonya’s blessing of intuition. You will sense these things, too, in time.”

  “Huh,” I said, taking another bite of chicken. The food at summoner HQ was delicious, and if it were up to me, I probably would have stayed in the dining hall for a few days. But I couldn’t help but think about Pappi back at the junkyard and the chaos and confusion I’d left behind. “Will I really be able to return to my world right at the same time when I left?”

  “Yes. Serious has a time dragon. He can open portals in any time or dimension. It is very useful.”

  Avalon finished the last of the food on her tray. “Are you ready to tame your first dragon?”

  “I was thinking of having about ten more servings of food first, but I guess I’m ready now.”

  “Good, let’s go visit Serious.”

  Chapter 17

  I followed Avalon up the stairs to Serious’s office. She rapped gently on the door, and he beckoned us inside. The elf was sitting at his desk, poring over an ancient tome. He glanced at us over his spectacles, nodded, then removed his glasses and set them on the table.

  “Mango has completed her taming simulation,” Avalon told him. “She succeeded on her first attempt.”

  “Well done,” Serious said as he stood. He crossed the space
between us then clasped my hand and shook it. I looked at him quizzically and raised an eyebrow.

  “I forgot you don’t shake hands in your world. I suppose we have taken on many of the earthlings’ customs.”

  “Is that where we are? Earth?”

  “Yes,” he said, folding his hands behind his back. “We positioned our headquarters in an inconspicuous arm of the Milky Way galaxy, away from most of the action in the universe. The human world does not know about magic or creatures from other planets. They are completely cut off from the rest of civilization.”

  “That’s weird.” I said, balling my fists on my hips. It was hard to comprehend any planet not being part of the galactic collective of societies. Even my planet, Estoa, had been part of the galactic collective for over a million years.

  “It isn’t that they don’t get visitors from other planets,” Serious said with a chuckle. “They just believe they’re alone in the universe, and they also don’t believe in magic. We live high atop one of the tallest mountains on the planet. No one knows we’re here, and no one knows where to find us. Only summoners can visit this sanctuary. We are completely hidden from the dark forces throughout the universe and on Earth itself.”

  “There are dark forces on Earth? Do they have Landlords here too?”

  “Yes. As a matter of fact, they do. But they operate much more covertly. We actually have a few human summoners from Earth, and there are also a few paranormal creatures here and there on this planet. But for the most part, the society functions in complete and total ignorance of the greater known universe. It is a perfect cover for us.”

  “Are there creatures here?”

  “There are many beasts here. Moira loves to tame earth beasts, even though she’s not from here. So far, her count of earth beasts is one hundred eighty-two,” Avalon said with a wink. “I have also tamed one water elemental on this planet. It was one of my most powerful creatures. Since Earth is so separated from the rest of the galaxy and universe, the magical creatures here are quite old and rare.”