by M. K. Eidem
Cai just looked at her for a moment then began pulling the chain over his head.
"You stupid female, don't you know anything? You can't force someone to reveal what's in their relay jewel. Not even a Supreme." Tove told her his tone full of venom.
"I know." Autumn stopped Kirall's move toward Tove at his insult with a glance. Neither of them could touch him if this were going to work.
She bowed her head slightly to Cai, thanking him as he put Jack's crystal on the device, and the bottom quarter sank into it. Turning, she walked over to where Tove was standing, Kirall following close behind. She turned to face Tove so that the Council could see her extend the box to him.
"Touch the encryption device." She didn't raise her voice, but it was easily heard.
"Lady Autumn," Rad tried to interrupt, but she cut him off.
"We've tried this your way, Elder Rad, and all we got out of it was Lady Macawi slipping her mate empowered jewels."
"What?!" Rad looked from Macawi who was now defiantly sitting straight up, her tears miraculously gone, to Tove, taking in his change in appearance. Furious, his gaze shot back to Lando. "Were you part of this, Elder Lando? You know the rules."
"I do, and no Elder is allowed to assist someone accused," Lando respond. "I didn't."
"Yet you allowed someone in your area that you knew was going to break Council rules," Dacke growled as he rose to his feet in the Supremes area. "I call for Elder Lando to be brought up on charges."
Suddenly all the Elders were on their feet shouting and pointing as they tried to be heard, except for Nixie who silently watched it all. Slowly, she rose to her feet, and let loose a growl that had every head turning toward her, including Autumn’s and Kirall's.
"That is enough!" While it was easy to see her power pulsating around her, Nixie kept it under tight control. "While I realize I am not presiding over this Council, I refuse to keep my silence when something so egregious has happened." She looked at Rad. "Elder Rad, I agree with Elder Dacke that Elder Lando has broken the Code of Ethics for this Council and should be brought up on charges. But I ask that we deal with that at the next Council because right now I believe it is in the best interest of everyone on Mondu to learn if one of our other Elders has been in contact with our worst enemy."
Silence reigned for several moments before Dacke spoke. "Elder Rad, I agree with Elder Nixie. The current matter before the Council should be our primary concern. Elder Lando can be dealt with at the next Council.”
All eyes returned to where Autumn still stood before the smirking Tove, holding out the encryption device.
"Grip the crystal, Tove, if you wish to prove your innocence," Autumn said in a calm, firm voice easily heard as she stared into his eyes.
"I don't have to prove anything," Tove fired back, but when he tried to break her gaze, he found he couldn't.
"Grip the crystal, Tove. Prove you haven't conspired against your people."
"No, I'm innocent," he repeated, and while his gaze flared with concern, none of it was heard in his tone or seen in his demeanor.
"Then grip the crystal so you can prove that," Autumn challenged.
"I…" he struggled to keep his hand from rising.
"Grip the crystal, so your family doesn't have to forever live under the shadow of this."
When his hand reached out, Tove made a small gurgling sound but said nothing.
"Tove?" Macawi's concerned voice filled the Assembly, but Autumn ignored her.
"Your family needs to know the truth, Tove. The truth only you can give them. Do the right thing for them."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Kirall looked back and forth from his mate to Tove with each exchange of words. What was she doing? Did she really think she'd be able to talk Tove into it? Even if it benefited his family? Then to his amazement, Tove's hand slowly began to lift as if she were getting through to him.
Glancing quickly around, he could see that everyone else was just as stunned as he was, but they could all see Autumn wasn't touching or intimidating him. She was just talking to him.
And… Kur! She actually got him to grip the crystal!
Chapter Eleven
"Tooove! Why aren't you ansssswering?!"
Somehow Autumn was now able to understand and recognized the hissing. It threw her back to that horrible night, and she began to tremble so badly she nearly dropped the encryption device.
"Autumn!" Kirall's arms were immediately around her, pulling her as close as the encryption device between them allowed.
"It's him, Kirall," she whispered, her voice quivering as she looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "General Terron."
"You're wrong!" Tove denied even as he lunged to try and knock the crystal free, but Cai blocked him.
"You voluntarily activated your relay jewel, Gold Prime Tove," the Commander growled at him. "Now, we will all listen."
"I didn't!" he screamed out in denial. "She did something to me!"
Another beep sounded, and the Assembly went silent as the hissing returned.
"I am not a paaatient being, Dragooon," Terron hissed. "We had an agreeeement. I've done what yooou wanted. I killed the lassst of the Supremessss. This crystal isss prooof. It isss time yooou do what yooou promised. Contact me or yooou will regret it." The transmission disconnected, and a stunned Assembly stared at Tove.
"She changed my relay jewel!" Tove accused even as he began backing away from Cai, his eyes wildly searching for a way out.
"You know that isn't possible," Rad scoffed at Tove. "Lady Autumn would have had to change the biosignature for that to happen, and if she'd done that, you wouldn't have been able to activate it." His gaze turned to Autumn. "Lady Autumn, you claim that is General Terron speaking?"
Still in Kirall's arms, Autumn took a deep breath and pulled herself together before turning to face the Council. "Yes, it was General Terron. I'll never forget that voice."
Just then the crystal began to glow indicating an incoming transmission, and with it on the encryption device, it was answered.
"Timesss up, Tooove," was all Terron hissed before he disconnected.
"What the hell does that mean?" Autumn asked, looking up over her shoulder at Kirall.
"I have no idea, but it can't be good," he told her.
"Tove," Rad was just about to demand answers when a loud boom was heard causing everyone to look up to the high-domed ceiling just as the Assembly began to shake.
"What in the name of Kur?!" Cai cursed, grabbing his relay jewel.
The next boom had the structure shaking even more violently, knocking people off their feet. People screamed, and panic began to set in with many running for the exits uncaring if they pushed others into the Arena to do it.
"Everyone! Calm down!" Rad tried to be heard over the growing melee, but it was useless as the shaking continued.
"Autumn!" Kirall pulled her close then checked to make sure the ceiling was holding then hollered to Cai. "What the fuck is going on?!"
Cai looked at Kirall, his eyes filled with anger and dread, then shouted out one word. "Varana."
"Fuck!" Kirall cursed. "How many?"
Cai moved closer so they could hear him easier. "Ty said at least five ships. They're targeting the dome." With that, another boom sounded, and their gazes all jerked and watched cracks begin to form in the thick stone dome.
"Kirall, we need to blow the dome off." Autumn dropped the encryption device and moved to the center of the Assembly.
"What?" he shouted, following her, sure he had to have heard her wrong.
"If we blow it out, it can't injure anyone inside, and everyone can then shift into their Dragon form and escape instead of getting picked off one by one outside before they can shift, which is what I’m sure the Varana have planned."
"Is that even possible?" Kirall yelled, looking up at the dome.
"Yes," she told him her voice full of power and confidence. "We're Supremes, but it’s going to take a great deal of energ
y."
Kirall looked toward the Council and saw it was in shambles, but the Elders were doing their best to protect those with them. "Dacke! Nixie! We need you on the floor. Now!" Kirall put the power of a Red Supreme behind the order. "Father?"
Kiran knew what his son was demanding. "They will all be under my protection," he shouted.
In a moment, the other two Supremes were on the floor.
"What's going on?" Nixie demanded.
"Varana," Kirall told her. "They're trying to bring down the dome to kill as many of us as they can. We have to blow it off so everyone can shift and get out."
"How?" was all Dacke asked.
"Like this," Autumn said and closing her eyes touched that power that allowed her to shift forms, then raising her hand, palm out, she pressed it up into the air.
As a stream of red and silver power shot from Autumn's palm to the ceiling, the other Supremes closed their eyes and raised their palms adding streams of black, white, and red power to Autumn's. Slowly, the entire dome began to lift before an explosion forced it back down.
"Again!" Autumn ordered. "Keep pushing!" This time the dome lifted high into the air. "Now blow it up!"
In a matter of seconds, the dome that no Dragoon had ever been able to break out of exploded into a thousand pieces. An instant later, four Supremes streaked through it to confront their mortal enemy.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Autumn couldn't believe what her Dragon eyes were seeing. There weren't five Varana ships attacking Dramman, there had to be at least a dozen. Some were still firing into the area where the Dragoons had congregated outside the Assembly to watch the proceedings on large screens, while others were hovering above the ground with ladders full of descending Varana.
Rage, unlike anything Autumn, had ever known filled her. These were the beings that murdered her family, and they were trying to do it again to her new one. She wasn't going to let that happen.
'Stay close,' Kirall ordered.
'No, I'm a Supreme, and I'm going to protect my people,' she replied, and she knew exactly where to start. With a roar, she flew toward the closest ship and let out a stream of fire that burned away the ladder and every Varana on it. Flipping around, she ignored the shots pinging off her scales and flew back under the ship shooting a stream of fire up into it. She didn't wait to see what happened to that ship, her Dragon hearing had picked up on the screams and explosions inside it. Instead, she turned her attention to the next ship and then the next.
Swooping up high over the battleground, Autumn took a moment to catch her breath and watched in awe as her mate latched on to the underbelly of one of the still firing ships. Flipping it over, he drove it toward the ground, releasing it just before it impacted and exploded.
'Mate magnificent,' her Dragon cooed.
'Yes, he is,' Autumn agreed.
Just then a Gold Dragon off by itself caught Autumn's eye. She was curled up around herself and being stabbed by the Varana that surrounded her.
'She protecting a young'un' her Dragon growled.
'Then let’s help her.' In a moment, they were arrowing toward the female. 'Can you protect yourself from my fire?' Autumn called out.
She saw the Dragon lift its head for a moment to see who was asking then quickly lowered it again and curled into an even tighter ball.
'If not, I can protect my young'un from it. Incinerate them!' the Gold Dragon answered.
Dropping what compared to any other Dragon was a small wing, Autumn flew in a tight circle and did precisely that. She incinerated every Varana torturing the Gold female until they were nothing but ash.
'Are you okay on your own now?' she asked as the other Dragon slowly began to untwist herself.
'Yes, my mate is coming fast.'
'Be safe,' Autumn told her then flew off. In the distance, she saw her own mate taking down an even bigger Varana ship with the help of Nixie and thought 'Damn, my sister-in-law is kick ass.'
'She great Dragon,' Autumn's Dragon agreed.
'You and I need to talk more,' Autumn thought, suddenly realizing that while she'd accepted this part of her, she still ignored her a great deal of the time.
'Not your fault, you still learning, but I would like that.'
'Where next?' she asked and felt her Dragon's surprise then smile at being asked.
'I think…' her Dragon cut off to let out an enraged bellow.
'What?' Autumn demanded.
'There.' Autumn knew if her Dragon could point she would have. Instead, she let Autumn see what she saw, and in her mind, Autumn's scream was louder than her Dragon's.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Kirall wanted to rail on his mate when she openly disobeyed him. He needed to know she was safe and protected because he hadn't been there when she'd been harmed before. But as he flew behind her and watched her take down a Varana carrier ship all by herself, he realized there were times he still thought of her as a weak, defenseless human. Even though she kept proving time and time again that she wasn't.
'Our mate strong. She call out if need us,' his Dragon reassured him.
'Alright, then let’s get to what we do best.'
'Killing Varana,' his Dragon replied, his glee easily heard.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Autumn flew fast and low picking off Varana and throwing them over the steep cliffs that surrounded Dramman as she made her way to her target. When a small ship landed and lowered a ramp, she aimed a stream of Supreme fire into it, and it exploded. The Varana that had been racing toward it was blown back, and Autumn landed between him and the burning ship he meant to escape on.
Shifting, she waited for him to rise before speaking.
"Remember me, General Terron?" she asked, extending her claws. "I'm going to take more than your eye this time."
Terron looked at the small creature before him in disbelief. No female challenged him. They all ran in fear. Then her words sank in, and his one eye widened.
"Yooou dead," he hissed. "I killed yooou myssself."
"Oh, you tried." Autumn turned for just a moment so he could see her back. "But it takes more to kill a Red Supreme, especially one of Razeth's descendants," she taunted. Crouching down, she began to circle when he did, her arms out. "When I was a young'un, I took your eye. You should have learned your lesson then and stayed away, but since you didn't, today I'll take your life."
"Yooou can try," Terron hissed, "but thisss time, I will make sssure you dead."
Autumn just gave him a taunting smile then attacked.
Terron swung for the face of the much shorter Dragoon knowing every female in the universe instinctively protected it. When she did, he could sink the claws of his other hand deep into her belly. But instead of doing what he expected, the female slid below his striking arm on one leg, scoring her claws across his lower abdomen but not sinking them in deep.
"Yooou fool tooo not strike when can," he hissed spinning around to face her.
"Don't worry, I will. Next time. This time I got exactly what I wanted," Autumn said, giving Terron a satisfied smile.
Not understanding, Terron looked down and saw she had sliced through the black straps that represented all the Dragoons he had killed. It was the ultimate insult. As they fell off his body, he let out an enraged roar and attacked.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
'Need to get to mate!' Kirall's Dragon growled pulling up short from attacking the last Varanian ship in the air.
'What? What's wrong?' Kirall demanded.
'She fight Terron.'
Kirall's heart nearly fell out of his body at that. His mate couldn't fight Terron. Not only was he the most feared Varana in Mondu history, but he had also already harmed her! He had to get to her. 'Get us there!'
As his Dragon did, Kirall couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was about to call out to her when his Dragon stopped him.
'No distract her. Will kill.'
Kirall knew his Dragon was right, but it still took all his control not to
do so. As they got closer, he thought they'd gotten there in time, then he heard the roar Kirall had heard on too many battlefields and knew he hadn't.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Autumn's eyes widened but only for a moment at Terron's completely enraged roar, but it cost her. She quickly slid out of the way of his charge, but still, his claws raked her side.
"Reeemember how that feeels?" he hissed.
"Like a young'un hit me," she taunted, ignoring the pain and blood flowing down her side. "Maybe it was your men that actually attacked me. After all, I remember you screaming out in pain as I took your eye."
"Arrrg!" Terron hissed and attacked again.
This time, Autumn was ready and called on her Dragon to help. In a heartbeat, she was up over Terron's head twisting around to land on his back. Dragon claws exploded out of her boots, giving Autumn the leverage she needed to rake her claws over Terron's face, ripping out his remaining eye before she forced him to the ground.
'"Remember how that feels, General," she growled jumping off his back. Giving him a hard kick in the side, she felt his ribs break as the force flipped him onto his back.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Kirall watched in disbelief as his mate, his tiny mate, was doing what he nor any other Dragoon had ever been able to do. She was defeating General Terron, the deadliest Varana in all Dragoon recorded time.
As the General blindly swiped at her, he was about to tell her to just finish it when he was hit with something else that should have been impossible.
His mate, a direct descendant of Razeth, and blessed by Kur himself, shifted into a Beast form and kicked Terron onto his back.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
"This is for my family!" Autumn growled in an agony-filled voice she didn't recognize a moment before she pulled back her clawed hand and sunk it deep into Terron's chest. She ignored the gurgling sound he made as she leaned low, his blood splattering across her face as she closed her hand around his beating heart. "But this," she hissed. "This is for Jack!"