Page 103 of Escape from the Green

"The only way you are getting her back is with force," Smoky declared, shrugging.

"We aren't exactly a fearsome threesome," Sal shot back, shaking his head.

"I didn't mean us. I meant them," she declared, meaning heavy in her words.

My kind.

More specifically, my kind in Draca form.

Talk about force.

Dozens of fire-breathing, winged creatures storming into Dark land.

It would be enough of a shock to have the guards shocked inactive. For just long enough, I'd hope, for me to find Amy, get her out, and get her back behind the veil before anyone knew our intentions.

The problem being, I would need them to agree.

And for them to agree, I would need the counsel's permission to even ask them.

"They'll never agree."

"Make them," Smoky demanded, waving an arm out back toward my land. "You are wasting time here that is better spent hauling ass back to your land to at the very least try to get them to agree. If that fails, we will think of something else. But if you don't ask, the answer will always be no."

Not needing more than that, I turned and ran, aware of their feet pounding the ground behind me, somehow keeping pace even though it seemed like I was running at warp speed.

I reached the veil hours later, night already weighing darkly on the woods.

Without giving it any thought, I grabbed Smoky and Sal's wrists, dragging them through with me at a dead run.

I was only somewhat aware of the shock and worry on the faces as I tore through the square, focused on the building before me, where one of my oldest friends and my biggest foes would be sitting, talking about silly, mundane, unimportant things while who-knew-what was happening to Amy at the hands of the Dark Court.

"What is..." Foren's voice called as we stormed in.

His old, weak voice was drowned out by the strong, worried one of Kieran.

"What happened?" he demanded, chair scraping then tumbling to the floor with how fast he stood.

"They took Amy," I forced out, finally remembering to release Smoky and Sal's wrists.

"Who?" Drayven asked, voice surprisingly strong. Worried, even.

It was no surprise to me that Amy had managed to win over almost all the members of my clan in record time. Borena, Foren, and a few stubborn, old tribe members had been the holdouts.

But the majority of the Draca had managed to see what I did in Amy. Her sweetness, her loyalty, her willingness to adapt, pull her own weight. She'd pitched in on every tribe activity she could, all the while doing so with a smile on her face.

She was light and goodness and warmth.

Everyone leaned into it.

Except, of course, for two of the elders before me.

"Dark trackers," I supplied, heart squeezing tighter in my chest.

"How do you know?"

"We could smell them," Sal declared, fearless in front of so many unfriendly faces.

"And you are?"