From Human to Dragon to God

by Eric Vall

  Well, what the fuck now? I’d thought River and I were at least cool.

  “How exactly do you plan on getting your people from the cliff?” I smirked.

  “We have the best and brightest minds in Inati,” River sneered back and leered over me. “We’ve survived decades without you. I’m sure we can figure it out.”

  “Don’t be dumb,” I scoffed. “You need me. I’m the only one who can fly up to that cliff like the skyraptor.”

  “And terrify my people as soon as they see a dragon?” River laughed without humor. “No, thank you.”

  “River, I have to agree with Lord Evan,” Mona interrupted. “He and his party have helped with every other aspect of this mission. We should take advantage of his help and abilities while we have them.”

  “Helped” was a bit of an understatement for what I’d done so far, but I’d let it slide since she was on my side this time.

  “You’ll just have to convince the prisoners I’m there to help,” I added. “Besides, I like to think of them as our people. I’m here because I want to help and support Rahma. This is my home, too.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it’ll be an easy task to convince a bunch of scared centaurs that the big, black dragon is a friend.” River rolled his eyes.

  “You’re a leader,” I argued. “What you tell them shouldn’t be questioned. If you tell them I’m a friend, they’ll believe you.”

  “I command the Sagittarius Order,” he countered. “My soldiers listen to me, but the people being held captive are regular men. They don’t know how to follow orders.”

  “Lord Evan makes a good point, though,” Mona advised. “Even the civilians know you’re a leader, so your word still means something to them.”

  “I guess,” the centaur commander grumbled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “It’s all moot if we don’t hear anything back from your phoenix,” Mona hinted to me.

  “I can’t keep sending her messengers,” I replied. “I won’t put her at risk because you’re impatient.”

  “Impatient?” the queen echoed, and her jade eyes narrowed as she looked up at me.

  “Yes,” I confirmed. “Impatient. Now, while we’re waiting, we need to decide how we’ll handle the information she gives us. Most likely, the skyraptor is delivering the prisoners to his master somewhere in those same mountains. Once she tells us that the beast has left to make his delivery, I’ll fly ahead to follow it to the meeting location. I’ll take Alyona with me, so she can cast the spell as soon as we see the mage.”

  I paused and waited for an argument.

  “Continue.” Mona waved a hand.

  “Once we know where the mage is, we can capture him,” I explained. “Then we can interrogate him about the skyraptor and anything else you want to know. The more we find out from him, the safer we can keep our people.”

  “And what about the rescue?” River interjected and crossed his arms over his muscled chest.

  “Our immediate priority should be to capture the mage, so he doesn’t get away,” I answered. “When we have him, I’ll fly up to the cliffs, and Ravi and I will free the prisoners. I can give them a ride back to the ground, as long as you’ve done your part and told them I’m a friend. If you don’t do that, I’m not sure how else we can get them down safely.”

  “Your plan seems intelligent,” Mona murmured before she turned to her commander. “River, do you have any questions about it?”

  “No,” the centaur replied as he looked down.

  I didn’t want to make him look like an ass, but he’d already flipped the script on me twice since I’d thought we were cool.

  “Good, you can go now,” she said and dismissed him with another wave of her hand.

  The centaur commander furrowed his brow but walked out without any argument.

  I looked over to Aaliyah to watch the lioness stab her last piece of fruit with her claw and shovel it into her mouth.

  “I’m going to go check on Alyona,” the Demi-Human said around a mouthful of food. “I’ll be right back.”

  With that, Aaliyah shoved her chair back from the table and sashayed into the hall.

  I watched her walk slowly, and I knew she was letting her tail swing side to side for me to see. I thought about how a rub to her tail could send her into a hard climax, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her body again, tail included.

  “Do you enjoy the Demi-Humans?” Mona asked and interrupted the reliving of my time with Aaliyah in Tikal.

  “I enjoy all types of women,” I murmured as I walked behind the queen and began to rub her shoulders.

  “All types?” Mona nearly whispered before she nearly went limp in my grasp. “Gods, that feels so good. What are you doing?”

  “A massage?” I replied in confusion. “You don’t have massages here?”

  “I’ve never heard of it.” Mona rolled her shoulders toward me and groaned. “I wish I had before now. I’m enjoying this.”

  “Me too,” I whispered into her ear as I slid my hands further down her chest to massage the exposed sides of her breasts.

  “Ohhhh,” the queen moaned at the touch. “Can you do that everywhere?”

  “Of course, Your Highness,” I hummed into her ear. “Would you like to see?”

  “Yes,” she hissed. “But I can’t. Not here, not now.”

  My massaging hands faltered for a split second.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” she answered quickly. “But … ”

  “But?” I pressed.

  “I want my people to trust in you because you’re helping,” the queen sighed as she got out of her chair to face me. “I don’t want them to think you waltzed in here and seduced me into supporting your little campaign.”

  “So, you feel seduced?” I chuckled and raised a brow.

  “Yes, Lord Evan,” Mona deadpanned as she stared directly into my eyes. “I want you to fuck me. Very much. I want to feel your dragon seed fill me up, and maybe even give me the daughter I desire.”

  My cock twitched at the queen’s confession.

  “Then that’s what I’ll do.” I smirked and dragged my fingers down her arm to take her hand. “Whenever you want it.”

  “I want it now,” she murmured and pulled her hand away, “but we need to wait until things are settled.”

  Part of me knew she was right, but the dragon part of me wanted to ignore her reasoning and take her right now. I gazed hungrily at her skimpy outfit and slender body, and I could hear her heart racing and feel her heat from here. Gods, she was really going to make me wait to pour my dragon seed into her and mark her as one of my mates.

  Just then, though, another flame-colored bird flew in through the window and fluttered to a stop on the table.

  “There are Green Glass Sect assassins here,” Ravi’s voice whispered frantically from the bird’s beak. “They’re coming for the hostages!”

  The bird went up in flames, and the queen looked at me with wide eyes.

  It was show time.

  Chapter 6

  “I have to go get the princess,” I told Mona as our eyes met.

  “I’ll let River and the Sagittarius Order know to be prepared to leave,” the queen responded.

  “Tell them to start going to the cave,” I directed. “We can catch up.”

  Then I sprinted out of the dining hall to our chambers and burst through the door.

  “Evan!” Alyona gasped, and her amethyst eyes were wide as she turned to me. “Did you hear from Lord Nikolas and Ravi?”

  “Yeah,” I confirmed. “The Green Glass Sect is there, and they’re about to move the prisoners.”

  “We must hurry, then,” Alyona agreed, and she turned to the lioness who sat on the edge of the bed. “Laika and Aaliyah, are you ready?”

  The wolf warrior nodded her head and gripped the handle of her broadsword.

  “I’m always ready.” Aaliyah licked her lips menacingly and stood up. She had changed into her hu
nting robe, which was a crimson and gold outfit that hugged every curve of her slender body and was cut in a V down to her navel.

  I recalled how the outfit looked on her when blood dripped from her sharp claws and canines after our last big hunt. I hoped she would rip someone apart again today, especially with the traitors making another appearance.

  “Let’s go,” I muttered.

  “Wait,” Alyona said as she held up a hand. “I asked the history keepers how to defeat a skyraptor while we were there.”

  “And?” I wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

  “They said we’ll need water magic,” she continued. “We need the dryads so they can show you how to use water to attack the beast.”

  “The sisters just got back from setting their traps a few minutes ago,” Aaliyah pointed out. “I’ll go get them.”

  With that, the lioness rushed out of the room.

  “You have your spells ready?” I murmured to Alyona as I wrapped my arms around her. I hated bringing her into battle, but she was a skilled priestess.

  “Yes,” the princess confirmed with a determined look. “I’m ready, my love. Don’t worry.”

  Then Aaliyah came back into the room with the dryad sisters in tow.

  “Let’s kick some Green Glass Sect asses!” Polina growled.

  “Yeah!” Trina agreed as she punched her fist into her other hand.

  I started to tell the women we would fly up to the skyraptor’s lair, but suddenly, I had an idea.

  “Alyona, can you make a portal that teleports us to the cave?” I asked.

  “Of course, my love.” The princess smiled.

  “Awesome, let’s portal up there,” I suggested. “The centaurs will catch up with us.”

  Alyona nodded and drew a large circle in the air with her hand. Then she closed her eyes and began mumbling the spell. Purple sparks shot out from her fingertips as she continued the circle, and within seconds, a fuzzy image appeared in the air. As the portal cleared, we could all see the trees and the dirt path that led up to the tunnel, and the scene was illuminated by moonlight.

  “Go ahead,” Alyona ordered.

  I nodded and carefully walked through the portal. Flying had taken some getting used to, but this shit was crazy. It was like waking up from a dream and realizing you’d sleepwalked into another room.

  I glanced back to see Laika and the dryads step through the portal without a second thought, as though they’d used a portal a thousand times, probably because they had. Aaliyah, on the other hand, looked as uncomfortable as I’d felt, with her ears flat on her head and her tail straight down behind her legs.

  Alyona was the last through the doorway she’d created, and it dissipated behind her.

  With everyone accounted for, I turned to face the problem ahead of us.

  Only one Green Glass Sect guard paced back and forth in front of the dark cave opening. The moonlight was the only source of light in the clearing, and I could just make out a collection of boulders next to the mouth of the cave and some small shrubs that lined the bottom of the mountain. I didn’t see anyone else yet, and the guard hadn’t responded to our arrival, so I led the women to a patch of shrubs off the path and out of his view.

  “Can you teach me water magic?” I whispered to the dryad sisters.

  The three women glanced at each other, looked back at me, and nodded.

  “Come this way,” Polina whispered as they guided me further into the brush.

  We crept along for about five minutes and arrived at a small gap in the trees with a pond in the middle. The moon provided a shaft of light that reflected off the water’s surface and gave us just enough light to start our lesson.

  “Sit here.” Trina pointed at the bank next to her, and all three women plopped down onto the ground.

  I sat down between Trina and Polina as Alyona watched, while Laika and Aaliyah took up sentry positions at the bushes we’d come through.

  “Water magic is like a combination of cultivation and your other skills,” Trina explained.

  “Yeah, but you have to sense the water first,” Marina continued.

  “True,” Polina agreed. “Once you sense the water, you have to feel it like you do your spiritual sea.”

  “Then, once you’ve brought the water to yourself, you can pull from it like you do your other magic,” Trina said as she gestured to the water in front of us. “Start here and try to access the water from the pond.”

  Marina stretched her hand over the pool and spread her fingers out, and a moment later, a stream of water rose from the surface to meet her hand. She moved her fingers, and the stream shifted and mutated into the form of a flower. She turned her hand over, and the watery flower sat on her palm until she released it. Then the liquid flowed back down into the pond.

  I was mesmerized by the magic as Polina pulled up water as well and formed a bird. Its feathers appeared to wave as the water ebbed in her hand, and this gave the bird the appearance of breathing.

  This magic seemed super cool, but also fairly easy, so I closed my eyes and focused on the pond. Then I reached out with my dragon senses and felt the calm water in front of me. In my mind, the pond flowed into my spiritual sea, and I let the pool create waves along its shore. Then I reached out, pulled from the sea, and spread my fingers wide.

  When I opened my eyes, a small sphere of water hovered above the pond’s surface. Then I focused on the shape, and the bubble began to shift and flow until I turned my palm up, and the water sphere transformed into a small dragon that landed on my hand.

  “Oooh!” Marina whisper-squealed. “A tiny badass dragon!”

  “You’re a fast learner, Lord Evan,” Polina murmured. “As long as you can access water, you’ll be able to make whatever you want.”

  “And once you get more experienced, you’ll be able to pull water from below the surface and use that,” Trina added.

  “Very impressive, my love,” Alyona whispered as she smiled with pride.

  I grinned at my creation, and then I reformed it into a spear I could grasp with my outstretched palm.

  “That’s it!” Polina cheered.

  “Shh!” Aaliyah hushed from her post.

  We stopped chattering, and the water from my hand flowed back into the pond.

  “I got this,” I muttered as I stood and helped the dryads up. “Let’s go.”

  “They’re moving something,” Laika whispered, so we trudged back to the trail and watched as the guard moved from his position outside the mouth of the cave. Then four more Sect members exited the cave, and they each held a torch and an end of a rope that was wrapped around a centaur. He fought their hold, but the ropes kept him in their control.

  The Green Glass Sect members walked into the open, and then I noticed they were followed by another person who wore dark green robes. A hood covered his head and most of his face, and he carried a knife that appeared to have a bright green glow.

  That one had to be the mage.

  I noticed Ravi in her bird form as she flitted out of the cave and landed on a boulder just outside the opening. Nike had to be close behind, which meant now was the time to move.

  So, I signaled to the women with me, and we attacked.

  Aaliyah sprinted out of the cover first and launched at one of the guards who led the entourage. She jumped so her knees hit him in the chest, and they both fell to the ground. Then the lioness took long swipes with her extended claws to the man’s throat, and he gurgled and choked as his blood poured onto the ground around him.

  Nike had apparently seen the attack and sprinted from the cave. He swung the Sword of Light as he ran and sliced through two of the ropes holding the horse-man in place.

  I watched as Laika followed Nike’s lead and slashed the other two ropes, and then the centaur reared up on his hindlegs and kicked one of his captors in the back of the head.

  The Sect member fell to the ground as blood gushed from his head wound, and he didn’t get back up.

 
I summoned a fire bow and arrow and shot one of the captors before he could react to the release of the centaur. The fiery arrow lit up the dark clearing as it pierced his chest and lit his shirt on fire, and the traitor bellowed for a moment then fell down to the ground.

  I could hear the mage as he mumbled under his breath, but Ravi had transformed into her human body, and she quickly created a fire whip and lassoed the hooded figure. Then she yanked on the rope and smashed the mage against a tree. While he was still disoriented, the phoenix threw the rope around the tree, so he was tied to the trunk with his hands trapped at his sides and the hood still covering his face.

  The dryads took notice of the mage’s situation, and I watched as the sisters used their nature magic to bring tree branches down to wrap around his body.

  The mage struggled against the bonds before he growled in frustration.

  I smirked and turned to see Alyona cast some kind of spell against one of the captors who had come to his senses and pulled out a dagger. A moment later, the Green Glass Sect member dropped his weapon and fell to the ground. His eyes rolled back in his head so only the whites were visible, and he convulsed for a few seconds before he passed out.

  That was one hell of an attack spell.

  The last captor looked at me with terror, and I decided to try one of my new powers, courtesy of the basilisk. So, as the man met my eyes, I focused on summoning my petrification ability.

  Predation: Activated

  Skill: Petrification

  Suddenly, the assassin’s body tensed up from head to toe. Then his eyes glazed over, and he stiffly fell to the ground.

  Holy shit, it worked.

  I looked over my shoulder at Alyona to see if she’d watched my new power, but she was focused on the mage tied to the tree. He’d begun mumbling a spell again, but this time, a puddle of a black, oily liquid began to pool at his feet. He started laughing as the oil crept up his robes, and I didn’t like this at all.

  So, I reached out with my senses to do a status check.

  Classification: Human mage

  Condition: Miasma poisoning

  Priority: Healing required immediately

  Danger: At risk of imminent death

  Status: Critical