Page 54 of The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary

‘There’s no reason for a vet to have something like that!’ Virginia exclaimed. ‘Honestly, they’re all in on it. Clearly, this is a conspiracy. Arrest them all. Including that mad old biddy! She’s probably the mastermind.’

Portia’s anger overwhelmed her shock and fear in an instant. They weren’t going to implicate Iris in all of this. She was not going to allow it. And Noah had been used. It wasn’t his fault.

‘Enough!’ Portia shouted.

The air around her rippled and convulsed, the magic in her slipping free, surging up and out in a wave.

Jade burst up from her perch on Portia’s shoulder, rising over them all in flight, wings wide. She lifted her head and let out a cry of rage which echoed everything Portia had been trying to suppress. All around them the other teacup dragons took wing, even those held by jesses or tied, all of them spreading their wings and rising, or trying to. Every dragon in the place reacted. Chaos whirled around the whole auditorium as they tore themselves away from their handlers, or broke through the boxes in which they were cased. High above them all, Jade hung in the air, her tail lashing from side to side, her bright eyes glittering in outrage.

The other teacup dragons spiralled up to join her, hovering over the stunned crowd, weaving intricate patterns in the air, with their hummingbird wings blurring.

And then, to everyone’s consternation, a voice rang out around the auditorium, a voice not heard in years, the voice of a dragon. It was high and musical, like birdsong, despite the archaic formality of the words and there was no mistaking where it came from. It was Jade.

‘Ambassador, in the name of all dragonkind and in honour of our heritage shared, I demand thy intercession. This is unjust. I am witness to all and will attest to the truth. Heed me or as dragonkind we will be forced to seek reparations ourselves.’

21

The stunned crowd gaped up at the swarm of tiny dragons, watching them go from inconsequential pet to active threat in moments. No one could doubt the anger in them.

And that voice, Jade’s voice, rang through each and every one of them. Eloquence and threat all ran together, fuelled by magic.

‘That creature belongs to me,’ Virginia announced, first to recover her wits. ‘I don’t know what you villains have done to her sweet soul, but she is mine and I lay claim to her. I bought her from Harvey months ago, and I have the paperwork. Portia Starling is a thief as well as a saboteur. And clearly she has been carrying out abominable experiments on my sweet Jadis.’

Jade opened her mouth and let out a long threatening hiss, her long tail lashing back and forth like a whip now. But this time she said nothing. The magic that had given her the power of speech seemed to have been completely used up. She had spoken for Portia’s sake, but she couldn’t speak for herself. Not now.

‘That isn’t true,’ Portia protested. ‘Virginia almost killed her. Anyone who was there will tell you. I had to rescue her.’

No one else got a chance to say a word. Virginia ploughed on, drowning out everyone.

‘You took her without permission. She is mine. And once I have her back under control, I’m going to take her apart to find out how you’ve done this, understand? Someone fetch the nets. Let’s get these beasts back under control.’

‘No!’ Noah cried. ‘If you net them, you’ll hurt them. You’re going to damage their wings and they’ll never trust any of you again.’

Virginia just snarled at him. ‘No one asked for your advice, Dr Turner. In fact, I think we’ll need to examine your credentials and how you secured them. You’re part of this conspiracy. I’ll have you struck off.’

A long series of bangs silenced everyone, the sound of a walking stick striking the floor. In the quiet that followed, Ambassador Gilden cleared his throat rather pointedly.

‘Well, what a to-do,’ he said.

‘Your excellency, we have this in hand,’ Virginia said, struggling to get her temper under control when faced with Gilden’s austere expression. ‘Please don’t trouble yourself. This affront⁠—’

‘Oh, it’s no trouble,’ he said, his voice as cool as a glacier. ‘But if you will indulge me for a moment, madam.’ He extended his arms and let out a noise that Portia had only heard one person make before. It was the sound Noah had made that first night they met. A familial call, dragon to dragon, but from him, it sounded so much more natural, like a song. Like the magic she had heard on the island.

Jade swooped towards him, landing gracefully on his arm.

‘Well, little one,’ he murmured, and his voice was all kindness. ‘What is all this about?’

The guards recovered themselves and Portia found herself turned around, her hands pulled behind her back ready to be shackled. She gave a cry of alarm, and Iris tried to protest.

Jade gave a scream of rage and defiance, surprise getting the better of her. Her claws were out and her wings unfurling in an uncharacteristically aggressive action.

Gilden started back, shocked and Virginia chose that moment to strike her last blow.

‘She’s attacking the ambassador, the little demon.’ She grabbed one of the nets someone had finally arrived with and flung it at Jade. It missed, thank goodness. Jade was faster than that. She had already gained several yards in height, her wings pumping hard. The net hit the ambassador in the face, the weighted ends winding their way around his head. The whole thing took him off his feet to sprawl on the ground.

All hell broke loose.

Portia felt the wave of betrayal coming off the teacup dragons, every one of them, filling the air and the panic whirled around them like a miasma. It infected her too, seized her heart and squeezed. Their link with magic surged into life, wild and unhinged, and she could feel their fear. Virginia had threatened Jade, and attacked her. And if the woman took the little dragon captive again…