“No.”
Living dangerously. “Okay. Whatever you say. Anything else I should watch for?”
“Nope. Enjoy the flight, but pay attention. I’ll be in contact with Kahurangi and Tane. If there’s a problem, I’ll signal you. Stay close enough for telepathic communication.”
“Will do.” Hone tugged off his T-shirt. He removed his boots and tossed the rest of his clothes over the back of a wooden outdoor chair before moving away from the others to shift.
His taniwha burst forth, the sharp pain of bones and skin rearranging sucking away Hone’s breath. He groaned, slumping forward as limbs changed to clawed feet. As he’d assumed, his hide was redder than normal. The scales on his chest remained glossy black but his legs and tail glowed scarlet in the subtle outdoor lighting.
Not far away, Manu pushed through his own shift. He was mainly black but the spines along his back and the tip of his tail shone a regal purple.
“Ready to go?”Manu sent the thought winging to his mind.
“All set.”Hone lifted his wings, beating them to warm up muscles not used during the months of lockdown. Pleasure roared through him as he took to the air, every sense greedily drinking in the magnified sensations. He hated to admit it, but flying beat sex. Using the prevailing wind currents, he lifted and rose higher until the estuary spread out below him. The scent of mud and mangroves ebbed, and instead he smelled someone’s dinner—a roast of beef—and animals.
In the past, the dragons had an uneasy peace with the Maori tribes inhabiting the country. Some taniwha had stolen or attacked the tribes while others had brokered peace in return for a frequent tithe. A pity the moa birds had become extinct. Legend said they’d been tasty morsels, the giant ones large enough to feed more than one dragon.
Life for a modern-day taniwha had its benefits. Food was plentiful, but the need for secrecy was a concern. He wondered if he’d live long enough to experience the day when the shifter population came out to humans. Commonsense said that day would arrive soon.
“Head over toward that party,”Manu instructed.“We’ll do a low swoop. They sound drunk, but it will still be a good test.”
Hone smelled the beer and the sweet scent of drugs, the pungent smoke from their bonfire. He chuckled, his humor emerging as ahuh-huh-huh. If the units failed or didn’t work as Manu predicted, these men and women would assume they were hallucinating.
Following Manu’s lead, Hone maneuvered lower. He gave a lazy flap of his wings and flew above the group. Their loud chatter, punctuated with colorful curses and thethump-thump-thumpof heavy metal music, never faltered. Manu flew in a tight circle above the property and Hone followed, rejoicing in the movement of muscles and the wind blowing across his scales.
“Good. They don’t see us. Let’s fly to the heads, do a circle over the sea and come back via the airport. Watch out for planes.”
“Don’t have to tell me,Hone replied.“Last thing I need is a sheared off wing or tail.”
The briny fragrance of the Tasman Sea seduced him into swooping low and flying mere feet above the churning waves. He reveled in the spray against his face. God, he hoped this unit continued to work. It would make such a difference to their people and to other shifters who found it increasingly difficult to maintain secrecy in this modern world.
“Stop playing, cuz. You haven’t flown for a while and you’ll be sore tomorrow. Airport now. That will be our big test.”
Hone heard the strain in Manu’s voice and snapped to attention. He wanted to encourage his cousin but remained silent. This trial was important.
He trailed Manu as his cousin headed in the direction of the airport. Long before the terminal came into sight, the rumble of airplanes vibrated on the air and the scent of fuel filled his nostrils.
“We’ll follow the trajectory of the incoming planes and keep away from those taking off,”Manu sent.
“I’ll stay behind you in tight formation.”His cousin’s tenseness came through clearly, and Hone battled the teasing words trembling for release.
Manu slowed the beat of his wings, then rose steeply to follow an Air New Zealand flight coming in to land. Once the plane taxied, they banked and waited for the next—a flight from Singapore. They repeated the exercise a third time, flying closer, near enough to the cockpit to see the pilots at work. Neither man shifted their attention from their instruments.
“Nothing coming through on air traffic control.”Excitement radiated through Manu’s words.“I’d like to test at Ardmore Airport now.”
Hone bared his teeth in a celebratory chortle.“Well done, cuz. Are your units waterproof? You could give one to Jack to test.”
“Jack promised to test one for me, but he wanted us to do our checks first because the water dragons get stuck in their natural forms for longer after they shift.”
They repeated the checks at Ardmore airport, following six small planes in as they landed.
“Kahurangi said there is a break in the arrivals. We can land here.”
He could do with a rest. His muscles were screaming at him, but he wouldn’t have missed this experience for anything.
They landed beside a hangar on the far side of the airport. Although the airport at Mangere was the main airport, Ardmore airport was the busiest with numerous private planes.
“Kahurangi and Tane say no alarms have been raised anywhere.”
