3
Blayze
Blayze led Belle to the communications room. It contained the newest, most reliable equipment available and was meant exclusively for the weredragons' use to speak directly to their planet. In this case, it was almost a waste of money. Blayze was on location for his job half the year, and no other weredragon had chosen Houston as its base. The staff treated him like royalty each time he returned, thus the overprotective attitude of the receptionist.
Belle stood against the wall as Blayze booted up the giant screen. He felt her nervousness all the way across the room. It was unexpected, given her position. True, Maxxus was intimidating, both in size and demeanor. However, she held a ranking that could bring intimidation to a whole new level. At the moment, with her shining crown of red hair trying to break free and the darting of her lovely green eyes, she seemed more like a trapped creature than someone who could make him disappear forever.
Blayze skipped the formality of going through the communications office and rang straight to the king's quarters. A disheveled and disgruntled Maxxus answered, holding a screaming baby. Blayze burst out in uncontrollable laughter.
"You find it funny, do you, Blayze? I do not. He has been at it for ten minutes. My ears are going to explode, and my nerves are shattered. The more upset I become, the louder he shrieks, and the louder he shrieks, the more upset I become. He wants his mother, but Josie's in the middle of a conference with some scientists on Earth. It must be urgent. They called while we were still sleeping, waking Phoenix."
Blayze's gaze found Belle's and she nodded. The information about the weredragons and the biologics had leaked to the scientists. They needed to tell Maxxus before Josie did.
"Have you tried a lullaby?" Belle asked, daring to come forward.
"You mean one of those sweet songs Josie sings at his bedtime? I do not know any, and my singing would frighten any child. Who are you? Blayze, why are you reaching out so early? Is this connected with whatever Josie is dealing with?"
Maxxus was perceptive, too much so. He had already drawn the conclusion that the two calls were linked. The baby needed to be soothed so they could reason with the king. If his nerves stayed on edge, there would be no peaceful discussion.
"Do you know a lullaby?" Blayze inquired of Belle.
Closing her eyes, Belle began to sing. Her voice was clear, soft, and extremely beautiful. She sang "All the Pretty Little Horses." Phoenix's crying changed to sniffles as he laid his head on his father's shoulder. His eyes closed; long dark lashes rested on plump, pink cheeks. Blayze was mesmerized. Even Maxxus was relaxing. The song came to an end. Belle blushed when she opened her eyes and spied the two men staring at her as if she had performed a miracle.
Clearing his throat and returning to reality, Blayze commented, "We have news that requires your full attention, Maxxus. Can your son be put to bed now? We do not wish to wake him all over again."
In response, the king put the baby on the large bed behind him, in full view and hearing. Maybe that was for the best. He might not shout or curse if he feared disturbing Phoenix.
"Congratulations on your mating, and such a handsome son," Blayze began again.
"Cut to the chase, Blayze. You did not call so early to compliment me. I am willing to bet you did not even think about the difference in our times."
"Fine," Blayze conceded. "This is Belle. She is a CIA agent. We have a small problem here and some bad news to impart. Try not to lose your temper, my friend. If you do, do not blame Belle. As she informed me, she is only the messenger and does not seek to lay charges against weredragons."
"I thought we were going to soften the blow, not hit him over the head!" Belle almost screeched.
"His mood was not what I expected, and we cannot waste valuable minutes unless you prefer Josie gives him the scientists' view first," Blayze explained.
"My friend is correct in assessing my mood. As my Josie would say, rip off the bandage quickly. It will hurt less," Maxxus replied.
"I should have asked for a strong drink," Belle said under her breath. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you. You have lost two of your weredragons in the last couple of days. I was informed of the second as I arrived in Houston."
Maxxus tensed, his body stiffened, and his face turned to stone. "Send them home for the death ceremony," he growled.
"We can't," Belle softly answered. "A biological weapon was used to kill hundreds of innocents along with some of our military. Others are infected and will most certainly die. The deceased weredragons died from the same illness. If we sent them to you, the Talonians would be infected as well. I believe it to be a terrorist attack."
"If I drew the correct meaning from Blayze's statement, that is not what others believe. He said you are the messenger, so state the whole message, please."
"My superiors have a theory. Weredragons, who didn't belong there, were at each of the two sites. Everything was on fire. They see these as clues that the weredragons are the terrorists. I disagree. My theory is that the weredragons were the target and the rest of the deaths were to cover up the conspiracy."
"My men have no motive to harm humans, and we do not deal in biological weaponry. It kills indiscriminately. Good and bad are destroyed. When we are forced to kill, it is targeted to only the enemy. Why do you say my weredragons did not belong in those areas? The alliance gave them freedom to go anywhere," Maxxus asked.
Belle sighed. Her reply was going to cause issues between Maxxus and the government on Earth, but he had every right to know the truth. "Yes, they have freedom. Technically, they can go anywhere they wish, at any time they wish. They can move, vacation, or change occupations on a whim. They have the same rights as humans. However, the government keeps track of their locations. If a large amount were to suddenly go missing from where they were expected to be, an investigation would instantly begin. In this case, it was only two, but they were discovered far from their home cities and not in places used as vacation destinations. It appears suspicious under the circumstances."
"My species is tracked, like animals?" Maxxus yelled, startling the baby. Luckily, it did not awaken. "The alliance did not allow for such intrusive treatment. This must be corrected instantly! And who would target my people? Why does a terrorist want them dead?"
"The only answer I have for that is someone feels threatened by their presence on Earth. Whatever, their plans are, the weredragons could get in their way. It's only a theory. I don't have proof of anything, nor does my superior. It's possible the scientists have gotten information that I wasn't told. If Josie has learned something important, will you share it with me? I'm on your side in this matter. You can trust me," Belle promised.
"I believe her," Blayze admitted. "I had my moment of doubt, but no longer. She has defied her director by telling us she disagrees with his theory and she has not really interrogated me as I assume he wanted. A few simple questions were all she asked, and she received my rude answers without taking offense."
