From Human to Dragon to God

by Eric Vall

  “Maybe he’s under a spell, then,” I conceded, though I had my doubts. “But the only way someone could’ve kidnapped Archer is if they had access to the palace and the boys. Cesar has both.”

  I could almost see the gears turning in the queen’s head as she put all the pieces together. I knew I was right, but she had to realize it on her own.

  “If this is true, I’ll tear him limb from limb,” Mona growled after a long moment, and then she turned to the leader of the Sagittarius Order. “River, bring your men back at once.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.” The centaur bowed to the queen and trotted out of the room.

  “Mama?” Leo piped up from his chair. “Is Archer coming back soon? I’m tired of waiting.”

  “Yes, honey,” Mona said in a motherly tone. “Your brother will be home before you know it.”

  “Mona, I suspect the Green Glass Sect is behind this,” I told her once she had returned her attention back to us.

  “Why would the assassins who follow you want my son?” Mona demanded as she crossed her toned arms over her chest.

  “You said the kidnappings started about a month ago, right?” Alyona asked.

  “Yes,” the queen confirmed, and her green eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  “That means they were here before we were,” Alyona mused as her amethyst eyes flickered over to me.

  “How did they know we were coming this direction?” I asked.

  “We must be getting closer to their base,” Nike suggested with a shrug.

  “But we can’t search everywhere around the city,” Aaliyah pointed out, and her brow furrowed over her orange eyes. “They could be anywhere at this point.”

  Just then, River cantered back into the room, and the sound of his hooves against the marble floor echoed around us.

  “Have any of your men seen tracks leaving the city?” I asked him.

  “They’ve only been ordered to search buildings inside the walls,” the centaur responded and then turned to the queen. “Should we change the orders, ma’am?”

  “We’ll change them to hunt down that traitorous bastard,” Mona declared as she bared her teeth. “I want Cesar here, and I want him alive.”

  “On it,” River answered and turned to go back outside.

  “We’ll help with the hunt,” I volunteered my group before the centaur could leave the room. “We have several good hunters here.”

  “I’ll take any help right now,” the centaur commander muttered and marched back outside the palace.

  We followed him out the doors, and I let him take the lead in dividing groups. I’d already accused one of their citizens of kidnapping the young prince, so I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers by giving orders, too.

  “Warriors of the Sagittarius Order, we are fairly certain that our city has been betrayed by Cesar,” River declared as he stood before his men, and several of the centaurs snorted with disgust or widened their eyes. “It is now our duty to find him and return him to the queen to answer for these allegations. He must be alive to give her answers, so mind your arrows.”

  The warriors all gave a sharp nod in response before they stomped their hooves in unison.

  River began to divide the men into groups and direct them to various parts of the city to look for clues to Cesar’s untimely exit. For the last three groups, he remembered to include us and divided us into the warrior parties. The dryads and Ravi left with their group of centaurs. Laika and Nike went with another group, and Aaliyah, Alyona, and I were added to the final group of warriors.

  “Once your search area is complete, you report back here,” River commanded. “If you find something, send someone to report to me immediately.”

  So, the groups headed out, and we trailed along behind the centaurs until we got to the area River had assigned to us. Then we branched off from the horse-men and looked for clues on our own. This section of the city seemed to be dedicated to the centaurs’ inventions and productions. Large steam-powered machines towered next to the buildings, and they pumped and grinded as their conveyor belts moved into the structures next to them. It looked like this was the source of the textiles the centaurs traded with other cities and tribes. The buildings were industrial, which meant we had to make sure Cesar and Archer weren’t tucked away in one of the many rooms inside. The buildings weren’t tall, but many of them were long, so we trudged along their lengths and checked every entry point for a trail. The dirt was nearly flat from hooves pounding on it, but I noticed we were leaving footprints, so I hoped we would find some sign of the boy or his abductor.

  Aaliyah scanned the ground as she searched for any sign of the centaur traitor, and she took deep breaths in through her nose as she used her Demi-Human level sense of smell to try and track Cesar.

  Meanwhile, Alyona ran her hands along the walls of the factories with her eyes closed, and she murmured spells to help her search. As the spell took shape, tendrils of purple magic left her fingers and combed the ground around her.

  Not to be outdone, I utilized my dragon senses to search, and I homed in on every minute detail of the road and buildings all the way to the walls that surrounded the city. We looked for any indicator of the direction he’d taken the boy, but there was nothing.

  We hunted for nearly an hour in our sector before we met back up with the warriors.

  “Anything?” I asked.

  “No,” one of the centaurs responded, and his tail twitched in frustration. “It’s like Cesar just vanished.”

  “Vanished … ” I mumbled as I considered the possibilities before I turned to Alyona. “Could he have used a portal?”

  “If he’s a mage, definitely,” the princess verified. “Or if a mage created one from the landing place. They work either way.”

  “There’s no trail,” I thought out loud, “and we already know the Sect has several mages working for them. We’re not going to find him like this.”

  “I agree,” Aaliyah chimed in, and the hunter nodded her head. “He had help getting out of the city without anyone noticing. Magical help makes the most sense, but it’s the hardest trail to follow.”

  “Let’s get back to the castle,” I suggested. “We’re going to have to figure out another way to track him.”

  We led the warriors back through the streets to the palace doors. River and the other search parties had already gathered at the doors and looked up as we approached.

  “You didn’t find him,” River observed with a severe frown. “How did he escape without leaving a trail?”

  “Let’s go talk to the queen,” I replied. “We may know how he did it.”

  River nodded and pushed open the palace doors, and I gestured to Ravi, Aaliyah, Alyona, and the dryads to follow him while I hung back enough to talk with Nike.

  “The Sect is getting bolder,” I told him under my breath. “We think one of their mages created a portal for Cesar to escape through.”

  “That would make sense,” Nike agreed as he narrowed his silver eyes in thought. “The question is, how do we find him if we have no way to track him?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question,” I muttered.

  Nike looked at me quizzically as we entered the sitting room, but he didn’t question me aloud. Then we turned our attention forward, and an exhausted Mona was draped over the chair next to Leo.

  I stood next to River as we delivered the news.

  “It would appear that Cesar has left without a trace,” the centaur commander advised the queen. “There are no trails to hunt him on.”

  “We believe he may have used a mage’s portal to escape the city,” I added. “So, he’s most likely working with the Sect.”

  “I can’t believe it.” Mona shook her head, and her fists clenched over the armrests of her chair. “He’s been by my side for years.”

  “I’m sorry,” I offered. “We’re not sure how to track him if he didn’t leave on foot.”

  “Then we have no other choice,” Mona said with a grim look.


  “You don’t mean … ?” River trailed off, but his eyes widened as Mona nodded.

  “Yes,” she replied. “We’re going to have to seek the advice of the Oracle.”

  I blinked in confusion. The what?

  “She won’t be happy,” River warned. “You know she doesn’t like personal favors.”

  “I know that,” Mona snapped, “but I’m not just going to leave my son with those beasts. And we have no idea what they want with him.”

  River threw up his hands in frustration and stamped his hoof.

  “I’m sorry,” I cut in. “What the hell is the Oracle?”

  “She’s a seer,” Mona grumbled and pursed her lips. “Nothing happens in Rahma that she doesn’t know about.”

  “Really?” I wondered. That was interesting.

  “Your Highness,” River pleaded. “You aren’t in the right mindset to go.”

  “You know I have to,” Mona countered, and her jade eyes were determined. “I won’t let my son be a hostage.”

  “Very well,” the centaur commander accepted with a sigh. “When do you want to leave?”

  “In ten minutes,” the queen responded as she rose from her chair. “I’ll change clothes, but we only need a few warriors. The rest should stay here on guard to make sure no one else is kidnapped.”

  “Absolutely, Your Highness.” River deeply bowed to the queen and returned to his warriors outside.

  “Okay, so, where is it we’re going?” I asked.

  “The Oracle’s cave is hidden in the smaller section of woods north of Lumin,” Mona explained. “We don’t hunt there. She doesn’t like anyone near her home. She doesn’t like pretty much anything or anyone.”

  “That sounds promising,” I grumbled. “So, we just stroll into her cave and ask what we want?”

  “The Oracle will already know what we want,” Alyona chimed in, and her amethyst eyes were fascinated. “There are only a few remaining Oracles in Inati. I’m surprised she lives so close to a city. Most of them are recluses who stay as far away from people as possible.”

  “Yes, the Oracle has lived in this cave for ages,” Mona clarified. “My understanding is she was there before the city was built, so our ancestors made the rule that we couldn’t hunt in her woods. So far, it seems to have appeased her.”

  “Have you been there before?” I wondered.

  “My mother went to see her before I was born,” the queen answered with a frown. “I’m not sure why. My mother always said the Oracle told her what she needed to know for the future, so that should be enough for me.”

  “And no one else goes to see her?” I asked as I raised an eyebrow. It seemed like people would be lined up to see the Oracle and have their futures told.

  “It’s forbidden.” Mona shrugged. “It’s the easiest way to make sure she doesn’t get angry with us. It’s better to have an Oracle on your side than against you.”

  Just then, River clopped back into the sitting room and stood by the door.

  “Are your warriors ready?” Mona asked him.

  “Yes, Your Highness,” the centaur commander confirmed. “I have three men ready to escort us to the cave, and the rest will be posted in various parts of the castle and the city. No one will be able to get past us this time.”

  “Good,” the queen said, and she seemed satisfied. “I’ll need the warrior you trust most to stay with Leo. He is not to leave my son’s side.”

  “Rowan!” River bellowed, and a moment later, a young centaur trotted into the sitting area.

  His horse body was white with dark brown patches that matched his mottled torso. It reminded me of a skin disorder I’d seen back on Earth. His brown hair featured one long streak of blonde that started on his temple and stretched to the tip of his hair at his shoulders, and he didn’t keep the strands in a braid like the other warriors.

  “Yes, sir?” The centaur warrior spoke in a hushed tone with a slight rasp.

  “You have a new assignment,” River informed him. “You are to stay with Prince Leo. He is not to leave your sight at any time. Do you have any questions?”

  “No, sir,” Rowan replied and dipped his head. “I’m honored to be chosen.”

  “Take Leo to his room for now,” Mona directed before she turned to her son. “Leo, you don’t wander off anywhere, and stay with Rowan until I get back.”

  “Yes, Mama,” Leo said softly, and the boy reached up to the centaur and grabbed his hand.

  I watched a small smile play across the warrior’s face before he grasped the child’s hand and walked him out of the room.

  “Now, we must leave.” Mona turned to speak to all of us. “The longer we wait, the more danger Archer is in.”

  “Let’s go,” I agreed.

  “Go ahead,” the queen instructed with a wave of her hand. “I’ll be there in a moment.”

  I raised an eyebrow, but we walked out of the palace to the road and waited, and within moments, the queen cantered out the doors in her centaur form.

  I’d thought she was beautiful as a human, but her horsewoman form was breathtaking. Her horse hair was the same shiny russet color as the hair on her head, and she had a small patch of white hair just below her human torso that was shaped like a diamond. Her long tail was white like the patch, and it swayed back and forth as she walked up to us. Her breasts were minimally covered with a stretch of black fabric that tied behind her back, but the rest of the bronze skin on her torso was left bare.

  Okay. I definitely wanted to add the gorgeous centaur to my collection of mates.

  Mona stamped her hooves and crossed her arms as she looked at us staring at her.

  “Well?” she demanded. “What are we waiting for?”

  “You look beautiful, Your Highness,” Alyona gushed.

  “Thank you,” Mona said, but she looked surprised at the compliment. “I prefer to travel in this form. Four legs are faster after all.”

  “Yes, they are,” I chuckled. “You just shocked us.”

  “Typically, I stay in human form unless I’m pregnant,” Mona explained with a shrug. “I have to carry a child as a centaur, but the warriors prefer their centaur bodies all the time.”

  River dipped his head in agreement.

  “Enough about me,” the queen said with a wave of her hand. “Let’s go find the Oracle.”

  And with that, we walked to the gates to talk to the seer.

  Chapter 8

  The sun was up high in the sky when we walked out of the gates and turned north to a smaller patch of forest. I felt like we’d wasted too much time looking for the traitor, but Mona had to see for herself.

  As we walked into the Oracle’s domain, I noticed how different it was from the hunting forest. We went from broad daylight to what looked like nightfall. The trees in these woods were denser, and they created more shadows on the forest floor. No flowers grew from the trunks or the leaves surrounding the trees, either. The sunlight couldn’t get through the broad leaves that crowded together on the canopies, so the forest floor was dark and had only patches of moss. The soil was moist from a lack of light, and our footsteps squished into the ground as we walked through the near darkness.

  Mona and River led the group on a winding dirt path and murmured to each other, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I walked next to the princess, who had been quiet during the trip so far. She seemed to be lost in thought, and I wondered if she was thinking about the Oracle like I was. Laika and Nike walked behind us, while Aaliyah and the dryads chatted quietly behind them. The three centaur warriors brought up the rear and kept their bows at the ready, and I questioned what they were worried about in these woods. I figured the Oracle’s presence kept most creatures out, but I wasn’t sure about anything.

  “What do you think the Oracle is like?” I asked Alyona quietly. I’d already pictured a big mirror, a grimy old man, and a few different animals. My knowledge was based on Earth movies, though, so I was probably way off base.

  “I’v
e read she’s small but easily angered,” the princess whispered back. “It’s said she has no patience for rudeness or poor manners. I imagine since she’s such an ancient creature, she believes everyone should respect her.”

  “Respect is earned,” I murmured. “Though I guess maybe someone who’s, like, a million years old should have earned some respect.”

  Alyona giggled and grabbed my hand, so I smiled down at her and tried to prepare myself for whatever the Oracle had in store for us. It was hard to prepare for something so unknown, though. I hadn’t even read books about the Oracle, like Alyona had, but now that the princess had given me a little to go on, I pictured a tiny old woman with anger management issues.

  After about twenty minutes in the woods, we came upon an opening on the side of a hill. The cave didn’t stand out, and no light emitted from its mouth. In fact, the opening looked like it was made of shadows so no one could see inside, and all the conversations stopped as we all stared at the entrance to the Oracle’s home.

  Mona glanced at River before she shifted into her human form. Her lower half was naked for a moment, but then River handed her a piece of fabric she tied around her hips. The queen stood still for a second as if to compose herself, and then she nodded to the centaur commander.

  “Wait here,” River ordered the warriors.

  The three centaurs looked at each other and shrugged before they turned and faced back toward the forest to guard the entrance.

  I wondered why River didn’t want the other centaurs to go into the cave. I glanced at Alyona, who seemed to know my unspoken question, but she just shrugged her shoulders as we watched the queen and River slowly walk inside.

  Be careful, Lord Evan, Miraya’s familiar voice resounded in my head.

  I hadn’t heard from her in days, and the warning caught me by surprise.

  “What do you mean?” I pushed her for more information.

  Old magic is unpredictable, Miraya replied. The Oracle is one of the oldest sources of magic in Inati.

  “Great,” I mumbled with a mirthless laugh. “Is there anything I don’t have to worry about in Inati?”