Page 48 of Dragon 7

As if he knew those thoughts, Yoichi glanced over his shoulder and scowled. A dark sigh left him and then he looked forward and walked on.

Soon, the trees opened, and a clearing spread out under the moon and red figures filled it.

What is this?

Dozens of people.

Hooded.

Cloaked.

Still as gravestones in a cemetery.

I gripped my guns and pointed at them. "Where are my brother and my Tiger?"

The hooded figures inched back.

One of them pulled down their hood, revealing a woman with gray hair. She gave me a sad smile, broke from the crowd, and walked toward me. She did not look at the barrels or slow for them either.

"Dragon." Her voice came old and even. "I am the Death Guardian. Your mother chose me herself, to watch over you whenever she left this earth."

My eyes cut across the hoods, searching for my brother and finding only red. "Where is Hiro?"

"With the Roar, the Claws, and the Fangs."

"How?"

"A few of us carried him there."

The guns stayed up. "Carried him?"

Yoichi stepped between us with his hands open and his palms out. "You can trust them, Kenji."

Trust?

There was none of it left in me tonight.

There was only Nyomi and Hiro.

“Okay.” I switched to fire.

“Let’s try this a different way.” My fingers tightened, and I pulled the trigger.

Flame ripped from both barrels and lit the clearing red. The fire threw the hooded figures into hard black shadow and rolled its heat back across my face. "Where is my Tiger?"

Some murmurings spread across them.

Further back someone cleared their throat.

Then they all went silent, and the red figures parted.

And there she was.

What? No!

Four hooded figures held Nyomi up. Her head hung forward. Sweat beaded her forehead and ran down the side of her throat. A red robe hung loose off one shoulder.

Then, the smell of blood hit me.