Age of Valor: Blood Purge

by D. E. Morris

  Cailin watched, knowing what she had to do. Duty first. It was the very thing she'd told Connor and Lilia just that morning. With one final gaze at Wessely, she told him, “I love you,” before running back into the castle to do what she was trained to do, ignoring the shouts of protest behind her.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “There are moments in life where you know nothing will ever be the same again.”

  Luella stood beside Ashlynn on the beach of Horse Head Island, their eyes to the sky as Misuzu and Lochlainn darted back and forth in a game of tag with one another, flexing and flaunting the subtle changes to their shifted forms. Misuzu's tail now mirrored her wispy feathered mane; plumage began in short tufts halfway down the length of both sides of her body and grew longer as it reached the tip, coming to two points at the end like the fletching on an arrow. As she moved, the wisps floated around her, making her tail almost disappear among the clouds like mist. Her scales, too, had muted rings of gray in them that reflected the sky around her like a mirror.

  Lochlainn's coloring had stayed the same, as had most everything else about him. The biggest difference to his new form was the shape and texture his wings had taken. They no longer looked like any other dragon wings she had ever seen before with their thin, leather-like membrane stretched between several spines, but had the distinct look of leaves when the light hit them a certain way. They were ribbed and rougher than usual, the bottoms and sides patterned in alternating swoops and points like an aspen tree leaf.

  With Luella's words echoing in her ear, Ashlynn glanced over her shoulder at the others, still sitting around the dying fire, with a thin smile. It had been several hours since they'd discovered that Mairead was one of them and she was recovering quickly. They should have headed back already, but all of them knew that once they did, the chaos would separate them once more and demand their attention at once. This moment was so precious, not only because they were together, but because they had experienced something important and life-altering. They wanted to see what was different in each other before they were forced to go their separate ways.

  “If I thought it was hard to keep Rowan out of the water before, it's going to be impossible now,” Ashlynn murmured with affection, watching coils of scales dip below the surface as Rowan dove.

  “She is bigger now. People are going to think Siness has a sea serpent.”

  “I'll put her in one of the lochs. She'll make for a great legend one day.” Turning, she looked up at Luella. “What about you? How do you feel about your new body?”

  Luella gave a small shrug, her lips curving into a bit of a frown. “I cannot say that I noticed much of a difference. My scales are more purple which is lovely, I suppose. Other than that...”

  Ashlynn nodded toward Cavalon where he sat speaking with Badru, Killian, and Mairead. “Cavalon's grayer with a more blue and green iridescence now, rather than the pastel colors of before. Nothing much else seems to have changed for him, either. Your elements are different from the other four so I wonder if your changes will be different as well. Maybe more internal than external.”

  “Perhaps.” The older woman smirked. “Badru's change is the most impressive, in my opinion. Then, his original dragon form has always been my favorite.” As if the great fire dragon could be any more imposing than he already was when he was fully transformed, now he no longer simply looked as though he were cloaked in flames, but it appeared as though molten lava was running under each and every one of his scales as he moved. “I am a little jealous,” Luella admitted quietly, “but if you tell anyone, I will deny it with every fiber of my being.”

  Ashlynn bit down on both of her lips to keep herself from laughing too loudly and drawing unwanted attention. “Your secret is safe with me, my friend.”

  “As great as this has been,” Cavalon announced, standing to brush the sand from his trousers, “I think it's time we head back. We've solved one mystery only to open the door to another.” His golden eyes flickered to Mairead. “We've got three more Elementals to find, countries to rule, and people to protect.” Above them, Misuzu flew low enough so that she could shift to her human form and drop to the ground without risking too much damage, allowing Lochlainn room on the beach to shift. At the same time, Rowan crawled out of the water, returning to her human form as she emerged. “I know I don't say this often,” the Badarian continued, “but I thank the Giver for all of you every single day. You may not be my family of origin, but you're the family He put me in, and I couldn't be more grateful for it.” He offered a nod to Mairead. “That includes you now, too.” Her return smile was reserved and uncertain, but Cavalon didn't seem bothered by her hesitance. “Okay, newbie. Your turn.”

  She blinked and looked around in confusion. “My turn for what?”

  “We've all shifted and it's time to go. Why don't you lead the charge for those flying home and show us your new dragon form?”

  Badru offered his hand to help her up. “I had not even considered...” she mused, rising to her feet. With all eyes on her, she traded places with Lochlainn and gave an uncertain glance over her shoulder to her attentive audience. Then, as she had done more times in her life than she could count, she inhaled and willed the change to come.

  Everyone watched with curious excitement, waiting through the usual stages of transformation that turned human into dragon, looking for changes to what they remembered of Mairead's form before. Of all of them, Ashlynn knew her the best and picked up on the differences immediately. She was nearly twice her normal size, making those closest to her step back in case she kept growing. “She's nearly as big as Badru,” Ashlynn marveled.

  “And ginger,” she heard Killian say. Of course he would be familiar with her, too, given his duties. “She used to have a great deal more red to her scales.”

  Mairead unfurled her wings and took to the sky with a gleeful trumpet, a sound that made Ashlynn's heart light. It had been far too long since she had seen or felt Mairead joyous, and there was no mistaking her great pleasure.

  “I want to shift again!” Lochlainn cried.

  “I think I'll fly home, too,” Misuzu added.

  “Perhaps now the rest of you will have a chance to see Ashlynn's new form as well.”

  Everyone was talking all at once about Mairead and Ashlynn's new bodies and saying their goodbyes, all but Rowan and Killian. He was somewhat farther back from the group as usual, silent and observant. It was not the larger gathering he was watching but his daughter alone. Her head was tilted with her ear toward the ocean as though she was listening for something, her brows drawn together in concentration.

  “Be quiet,” he commanded suddenly, crossing the grass to move to Rowan's side. “Everyone, be quiet.” They fell silent, taken aback by his outburst. Their affront was quickly replaced with concern by the look on Rowan's face. “Rowan, what is it?”

  “Something's wrong.” Her breathing hitched and the creases in her brows deepened. “The fish are panicking. I can't understand everything they're saying. They're-”

  The ground rumbled in a quiet vibration that made everyone reach for each other.

  “It's worse on the main lands,” Rowan reported. “Da, we have to go home.” She swung her head in Ashlynn's direction. “All of us, we have to go.”

  “Go,” Ashlynn told Cavalon and Luella, seeing the look of terror they shared. “Don't worry about us. Get to your families. Misuzu, you too. Make sure Nagisa and the others are safe.”

  “What about you?” Misuzu asked, unflinching as both Cavalon and Luella disappeared in fyre. “I can't just leave you here.

  “And I can't just leave like you can. Neither can Lochlainn or Mairead. They're too new to their gifts. We'll get there as quickly as we can, but the rest of you, go.”

  “You and Rowan go,” Badru urged. “Mairead and I will accompany Ashlynn and Lochlainn back to Siness.”

  Rowan reached for Misuzu's hand and tugged. “Come on!”

  With no small amount of reluctance, Mis
uzu finally nodded. “All right.”

  Together, both of them disappeared in fyre as well, leaving only three adults and a child on the small island to stand there. Badru shifted first, then Ashlynn, allowing Killian to find his seat on her back before joining the others in the sky. Lochlainn was left for last in the hope that even a few minutes more outside of his dragon form would give them a greater chance at getting home quicker. Ashlynn knew there was no way they would make it all the way back to Altaine without resting at least a couple of times for Lochlainn's sake; on the way up they'd had to stop four times but their flight had been somewhat casual and with no real sense of urgency behind it. Perhaps a fevered flight combined with his new strength might allow them to make it farther without the need of so many stops.

  All of them checked in with him frequently, especially when the highland mountains came into view. It would have been the first place Ashlynn would have chosen to pause for a rest, but he insisted that he was fine. In fact, the last time she asked him, it must have annoyed him enough to figure out how to mentally block her. She tried asking him how he was and was met with the feeling of a stuffy head, as though she'd suddenly come down with a terrible cold. Badru, too, was met with the same dead space, though he had already thought of a way around it. Mairead swiveled her head in the direction of the smallest dragon of the group, her expression fierce. Whatever passed between them drew a look of repentance to Lochlainn's scaled face, and soon Ashlynn heard, We can keep going, Mama. Forgive me for blocking you.

  She inwardly grinned. A long time ago, Elas had told her that there was a chain of command among the Gaels, that they had to obey an order given to them by an Elemental when they were in their shifted form. That apparently carried over into higher rankings for the Elementals themselves. She would have to remember that.

  You're forgiven.

  She barely had time to pass the sentiment along before a nearly invisible concussive force came rippling through the air at an impossible speed. It crashed into the four dragons, knocking backward with a violent blast of kinetic energy that sent them tumbling and turning in all different directions. Every sense was lost to Ashlynn. She couldn't make out which way was up or down, couldn't hear anything around her. For a moment that felt like it lasted an eternity, she couldn't even breathe. Slowly, as if from far away, she could hear someone calling her name. She was falling. She felt it now, the way the wind was rushing up the side of her body. With a sudden inhale, she roared and flapped her wings. The ground was racing up to meet her and she panicked, desperate not to crash. Killian's arms were tight around her neck and she felt him leaning all the way to the opposite side on which she had started to fall.

  Hold on.

  Her body hit the grassy plains on the other side of the mountains, bouncing on impact and tearing deep rents in the earth as she went. Once more the wind was knocked out of her but she knew it could have been much worse. Her main concern was for her passenger. When she finally skidded to a stop, she swung her neck around to see Killian still clinging loosely to her, blood slicking his arms and what little of his face that she could see. She panicked and looked up, searching for the others but saw no one.

  Killian? Killian, can you hear me?

  He groaned and began to pull his arm toward himself, but cried out in immediate regret of his decision.

  Don't move. I'll shift. She made a mental face. They were about to get entirely too up close and personal but her scales had been the very thing that had wounded him so badly. She didn't want to risk him further hurting himself just to spare herself some embarrassment. Killian was quick to lift his head, however, and in a thick growl, told her not to move. She was startled into submission by the authority in his voice, and dared not even twitch a muscle as he carefully maneuvered himself around her and slid to the ground. As soon as he was free of her body, she shifted quicker than she'd ever remembered doing so in her life.

  Killian stood before her, his jerkin and the legs of his trousers sliced as though he'd been attacked by a super fine blade. Every cut to his skin was clean and deep enough to draw blood, but not so deep as to cause too much worry. His face and shoulders were another story. “Oh, Killian.” She grabbed the dagger from his belt without even asking and cut away at the hem of her dress. “I'm so sorry.” Touching a piece of the cut cloth to a particularly deep wound on his cheek, he paused her ministrations by gently taking her wrist.

  “Are you all right?”

  “What?” she asked, her high voice incredulous. “Of course I am. Look at you. Look at what I did to you!”

  “You fell from over seven hundred feet in the air. Are you sure you are all right?”

  “Killian...” She laughed helplessly. “I don't understand you.”

  “Mama!”

  Everything else forgotten at the sound her child's voice, Ashlynn whipped around to see Lochlainn racing across the glen toward them with Badru and Mairead close behind. Ashlynn met him halfway and caught him up in her arms. “Are you all right? Are you all okay? What was that?”

  “I fell out of the sky,” Lochlainn told her, breathless. “I didn't know what was happening and then Mairead came out of nowhere and caught me on her back!”

  “I have no idea what that was,” Badru huffed, glancing skyward. “It sent us all for a loop.”

  Ashlynn turned in the direction they had been flying, her eyes wide with fear. When she looked once more to Mairead and Badru, she told them, “You have to go. Use fyre. Please. They might need you.”

  “We will not leave you,” Mairead argued.

  Terror closed a fist around Ashlynn's throat and tears made her vision swim. “Mairead, I need you to go. My family could be in danger and you can get to them quicker than I can.” In desperation, she turned her pleading gaze on Badru. “Please.”

  Though there was hesitation on the older man's face, she could see understanding in his dark eyes. His family was extensive and if someone could get to them when he himself could not, she knew he would be as insistent as she. Taking Mairead's hand, he gave her a nod of encouragement. “We will travel together. You will be fine.” With a glance at Killian, he added, “I saw a small village east of here. They may be able to patch him up before you set out again.”

  Ashlynn swallowed, stomach clenching at the idea of having Killian on her back again. “We'll barter for horses if we can.”

  “And we will send someone for you if they can be spared,” Mairead promised.

  “Take care of my family first,” Ashlynn ordered. With her heavy son still in her arms, she took a step back, eyes still locked with Mairead as the younger woman disappeared in fyre with Badru. For a second, she said and did nothing, only stared at the deep trenches her body had dug as she bounced and skidded across the ground. Her arms grew weary quickly and she let Lochlainn slide from her protective grip. A nod to Killian had him ambling along beside them, wordless, as the three of them made their way to the village in the hope of finding help.

  ~*~*~*~

  Misuzu and Rowan appeared in the courtyard of a castle in partial ruins. The ground was no longer shaking, but Altaine's tallest towers, the spires that reached up like shining beacons were gone, cast down in broken piles of rubble that had taken out portions of the parapets and the balustrades. The courtyard grounds had been broken and damaged, and walkways to other sections of the castle had been taken out entirely. “Be grateful you can't see this, Rowan,” Misuzu lamented softly.

  “How bad is it?”

  The older woman took a slow, deep breath and scowled. “It could be worse. It could be a lot worse...but it isn't good.” She took Rowan's hand. “I have to lead you at least until we're inside.”

  That statement alone was enough to bring sorrow to Rowan's face. She nodded and allowed Misuzu to guide her around and through the chunks of stone that had been tossed down in the earthquake. They had to search for a way in, finding several doors blocked by debris. Once an entrance was finally found, Misuzu was relieved to see that the inside of
Altaine, at least, appeared relatively undamaged. Everything that was disturbed or broken was cosmetic, but the structure still looked sound. “One of the good things about building a castle into the heart of a mountain, I suppose,” Misuzu mused, running a hand along the wall.

  “Where is everyone?” Rowan asked, straining to listen for voices.

  “I don't know. Maybe other parts of the castle are worse. Let's go look.”

  “Wait.” She held up a finger and tilted her head. “I hear armor.”

  Misuzu held her breath. Though she didn't hear the sound at first, gradually it reached her ears. Together, the two girls moved toward the clanking of metal, a sure indication of a guard or a soldier jogging at a quick pace, and met with Niam at the bottom of a staircase. He gasped in surprise, then immediately embraced Rowan with a sigh of relief. “Good, you're safe.”

  “What happened?” she asked when he let her go.

  “Earthquake. That's all we know.” He glanced at Misuzu. “There hasn't been one this big in Siness in well over a hundred years.”

  Rowan shook her head. “It didn't just hit Siness.”

  “So we think it's a natural thing?” Misuzu questioned, brows elevated hopefully.

  Niam's shoulders lifted in a shrug. “As far as I know. Who in the world would have the power to create an earthquake like that?”

  She frowned. “You'd be surprised. Anyway, what's the damage? Is everyone okay? My daughter?”

  He didn't answer right away but turned and waved the pair along to have them follow after him. “Nagisa is fine. All of our people are whole and accounted for, though there are three casualties so far that we know of...guests of the court. I won't be surprised if the number climbs. In fact, I'd be surprised if it stays the same.” Niam pointed out places where damage had been done with each floor they ascended, showing them where windows had been broken, walls had been damaged. He had to stop them when they could no longer go any higher in the south wing because it was no longer structurally sound, leading them down another hall to get to the east wing. “Everyone is pretty scattered right now, but the children are here. We found it was the safest place for them.”