From Human to Dragon to God

by Eric Vall

  Well, shit. These Green Glass mages were annoying as hell.

  “How does the spell work?” I wondered. “Will he remember anything we want to know?”

  “Man’s memory is like a timeline, so the mage had to essentially cut out a section like with scissors.” Penelope sliced her open hand through the air as she spoke. “It’s more likely they could only erase a few things, so they didn’t take too much and erase his whole timeline.”

  I furrowed my brow, pointed my hand at Jacob, and sent my terra magic at him again. He’d better have more information because I didn’t like wasting my time.

  “What do you know about Olivier?” I asked as I tried a different topic.

  The blue-green coils pulled an answer from Jacob’s open mouth, and he didn’t fight it this time.

  “Not much,” he responded. “He’s the sage. He travels between all the camps with his portals, so he’s never in one place for very long.”

  “Is he the mage who put the curse on the rope?” I pushed.

  “No,” Jacob said through a clenched jaw.

  “Then, who was it?” I demanded as I put more force behind the tendrils of magic.

  “Ahhh,” Jacob groaned as beads of sweat dripped down his face. He’d tried to fight again, but the magic overcame him. “It was Xavier.”

  Now, we had the name of a new player. He wasn’t the sage, but he was clearly a powerful mage, and we needed to get to him, too. The trick would be finding him.

  “How many camps are there?” I questioned since I realized if Olivier or any other mage regularly portaled between them, there had to be more Sect members than we’d originally thought.

  “Well, no more than forty members are allowed to be in one camp, so no one can just come wipe us out,” Jacob replied and did a few mental calculations. “So, I guess that puts us at about ten camps.”

  “Regularly?” I tried to hide how shocked I was, but I snuck a glance at Nike and saw his silver eyes were wide, too.

  We’d figured maybe one or two regular camps and a handful of small, mobile camps. The Green Glass Sect had grown quite a bit, and that was a problem.

  “Olivier likes to recruit.” Jacob lifted a shoulder with indifference. “Especially since you keep killing our people.”

  “Speaking of your people, why are you the only one here?” I looked around the woods as though another Sect member would jump out at any moment. “They really just didn’t want you?”

  “Oh, I’m a distraction,” Jacob laughed. “They should be long gone by now. We heard you coming, and they knew you’d find them eventually if you didn’t find something else early. So, here I am.”

  Fucking hell. We’d already been here for long enough they’d probably all gotten away, but I signaled to River to send some of the warriors to double check, and a handful of centaurs trotted off into the forest.

  “Why you?” I asked as I turned back to Jacob.

  “I volunteered.” The captive grinned, and I wondered if he was crazy.

  Before he drove me crazy, too, I changed the topic.

  “Why does Olivier want to open the Breach?” I demanded.

  Jacob tried harder to fight off the magical coils that were trying to pry the truth out of him, and then he shrieked. I felt my power grow defensive when he fought it, and the tendrils grew thorns that dragged down his throat when he refused to answer.

  So, that’s what Penelope meant when she said it was easier if he didn’t fight it. I liked that trick.

  “I don’t remember, okay?” Jacob finally answered, and his voice sounded hoarse from his damaged throat. “I don’t remember why. I just know that’s his main goal.”

  Jacob coughed and spat blood onto the forest floor next to him.

  “Then why fight to answer me?” I questioned. It seemed stupid when we’d already told him that fighting the magic made it worse.

  “I’m not sure,” he muttered, and his eyes darted away from my face. “I felt like I had to keep something a secret, but I don’t know the secret anymore.”

  “Okay, let’s try something more recent.” I sent another set of magical coils at him as I spoke. “Where are all the traps your buddy mentioned in the forest?”

  “I don’t remember,” Jacob groaned and looked deflated. “I’m not a mage, so I don’t know anything about the magical traps, but I don’t remember where I put some of the regular ones either.”

  “You’ve just about used up your usefulness then, Jacob,” I declared with a sigh. “Unless you have something that helps us, I think we’re done here.”

  I turned to Penelope and the Solas, who were watching the interrogation with mild interest. The fairies stood a few feet away and murmured to each other as they kept an eye on the prisoner.

  “Penelope, I believe I’ll give you the honors of disposing of this coward if you’d like,” I offered.

  The Solas leader perked up, and her blue eyes went wide.

  “We can have him?” she asked as a grin stretched across her face. “He is a traitor, and the forest needs to be appeased.”

  “Sure … ” I wasn’t sure what she had in mind, but her excitement made me a little concerned.

  “Yes, my lady, let’s turn the tables on the traitor!” one of the Solas hunters grunted as he lifted his tiny spear in anticipation.

  He was the first male Sola I’d seen so far, but he had the same astounding blue eyes as the other fairies. His red hair was long and reached past his shoulders, but it was held back with a piece of leather like a headband. His face was set in determination as he studied Jacob, and a hungry glint shone in his blue eyes.

  “What does that mean?” the captive asked, and he withered under the fairy’s indignant stare.

  “It means you will finally serve a meaningful purpose,” Penelope replied, and her small frame seemed to tower over the trembling Sect member.

  I watched as the thirteen Solas gathered in front of Jacob in a semi-circle and joined hands, and the rest of us stood back as we watched their ritual.

  “Green Mother!” Penelope shouted. “Your children reach out to you!”

  The fairies’ green magic looked like electricity between their hands, and the ground beneath our feet began to shake. Leaves fell from the trees above us, and the shafts of sunlight that shone through the canopy brightened until most of us were squinting to see.

  “We offer to you this traitor to our world!” Penelope continued as the magical shocks between them grew stronger.

  The jade electric coils began to snap and pop as the power increased, and the ground shook with more force until it felt like an earthquake. The rays of sunlight now grew hotter, and I could feel the entire clearing rise in temperature.

  Suddenly, a green mist rose from the forest floor and surged toward the Sect member’s squirming body. It looked like an emerald steam as it flowed from invisible cracks in the ground and ascended over his trapped form, and the man screamed in terror.

  “Oh, gods, no!” Jacob shouted as the mist flowed over him. “Stop this!”

  “It’s too late!” Penelope boomed. “The Green Mother is pleased with our offering. It’s time for you to return to her what your people have taken.”

  The mist continued to circle around Jacob’s body and then settled like a thick blanket over him.

  “Take this sacrifice and make us whole again!” Penelope called out.

  The emerald mist started to sink into the ground and took Jacob with it, and his screams were muffled by the magical smoke as it pulled him deeper.

  Then he was gone.

  The ground slowly returned to its normal stillness, and the air around us cooled as the shafts of sunlight eased. A bed of peacock-colored flowers bloomed in Jacob’s place, and the Solas dropped to their knees as the electric flow of power stopped.

  The rest of us waited in silence, but I suspected some may have been in shock.

  I thought the display had been fucking awesome, though.

  “Thank you, Lord Evan.” Penelope
stood from her place on the ground and dipped her head to me. “While the traitor’s sacrifice will not heal every wrong the Green Glass Sect has done, it will certainly help the forest to regrow.”

  “It’s the least we could do,” I answered. “Hopefully, it will help.”

  The fairies fluttered their wings and took off to return to their village, and the hunting parties glanced around at each other with various looks of disbelief and satisfaction. No one was upset about the Solas’ choice to sacrifice the Sect member, but it was definitely a sight to see.

  I gazed over the people in the clearing and met eyes with Nike. We needed to discuss the information we’d gotten from Jacob, but not around everyone else. No need to freak them out or get anyone riled up.

  Before I could send everyone back to Lumin, though, the four centaurs who had gone to search for stragglers trotted back into the clearing. They walked directly to River as their tails swished back and forth in agitation, and I could tell they didn’t come bearing good news.

  “We didn’t find anyone, sir,” one of the warriors reported.

  “It looks like their distraction worked,” River muttered with a scowl. “I guess we can go home now.”

  “Stay on the path we’ve already taken,” I directed. “There doesn’t seem to be any traps there. We’ll figure out a way to handle the rest.”

  River nodded in agreement and led the centaurs back down the path to Lumin. They walked single file to avoid stepping off the trail and into danger, and then they disappeared from sight.

  Aaliyah, Ravi, the dryads, Nike, and I stayed behind to discuss our next moves.

  “So, anyone know where the hell Colaruma is?” I started.

  “Yes,” Nike confirmed with a nod. “It’s on the way to the city of Kana if we go through the Golden Plains instead of following the path we’d planned.”

  “Is that going to be a problem for us?” I asked. “And what the hell are the Golden Plains?”

  “It shouldn’t be.” Nike shrugged. “And the Golden Plains are just a different way to Kana, nothing exciting. I think it might add a day to our travels, but as far as I know, it’s not any more dangerous that way.”

  “Good,” I said. “What else do you know about Colaruma?”

  “Ah, not much,” the noble answered as he cast his silver eyes downward. “It’s always been a bit of a mystery to us in Leyte, and I’ve never been there.”

  “Don’t worry,” I consoled him. “It’s all new to me anyway.”

  “I’ve never even heard of it,” Aaliyah said with a shrug.

  “Me, either,” Ravi agreed. The phoenix had returned to her human form and lifted a shoulder.

  “We’ve heard of it, but that’s it,” Polina chimed in.

  “Yeah, we’ve been to a lot of places with the Guild, but not there,” Trina added.

  “Laika has traveled more than us,” Marina said with a furrowed brow, “but I’m not sure if she’s been there.”

  “I don’t like not knowing what we’re walking into,” I grumbled. “We need to get back to Lumin and talk to Alyona. Maybe she can talk to the history keepers about Colaruma, too.”

  “Oh, can I go this time?” Ravi chirped as she bounced on her toes. “I’d love to see them!”

  “Of course.” I smiled at her. “They don’t like me much, but you and Alyona can certainly go.”

  “How can they not like the badass dragon?” Marina gasped with wide emerald eyes.

  “Yeah, plus you’ve saved their town, like, five times since we’ve been here,” Polina giggled.

  “The horsies should be grateful,” Trina pouted.

  “Well, they didn’t like dragons before we got here,” I answered. “To be fair, the ones they knew before were pretty shitty, so we’ll just have to change their minds about me.”

  “Saving their prince should’ve done the trick,” Aaliyah grumbled.

  “I think so, too, but whatever.” I shrugged. “I’m learning to be a diplomat and shit. Apparently, that means being more understanding.”

  “Alyona would be so proud,” Ravi teased.

  “Once Ravi and the princess find out more about Colaruma, we’re going to have to move fast,” I continued our original conversation. “We need to take out as many of their camps as we can. I didn’t realize the Sect had grown so much already.”

  “Me, either,” Nike said with a worried frown. “The more of their camps we destroy, the harder it will be for the mages to continue escaping so easily. They can still create portals, but they won’t have an easy place to run away to. And what are we going to do about this Xavier guy?”

  “Tear him into shreds?” Polina suggested.

  “Rip off his appendages?” Trina chimed in.

  “Throw him off a cliff?” Marina added.

  “All of the above,” Aaliyah chuckled.

  “I like all of those ideas,” I laughed. “But we have to find him first. The sooner, the better. I don’t like this guy going around cursing everything with miasma poisoning.”

  “Remember what that other Sect guy said in Tikal?” Ravi piped up. “He said all the Green Glass mages are learning the nexus spells. Do you think they’re all miasma poisoning of some sort?”

  “Probably,” I growled. “The spells are meant to destroy cities, so it makes sense they’d use miasma to be destructive. I just can’t figure out why they like the miasma or want to open the Breach.”

  “So, what should we focus on first?” Nike asked. “Olivier, Xavier, or the camps?”

  “First, we need to handle the traps in the centaurs’ forest,” I decided. “They won’t be able to return to their normal hunting habits if there are traps all over the place.”

  “Good point,” Nike conceded as he pursed his lips. “Since Jacob didn’t know where we needed to look, should we search for the traps like we did the basilisk?”

  “Yeah, in grids,” I agreed. “That way we don’t miss anything, and we can make sure the centaurs are safe before we head to Colaruma. I don’t want to have to turn right back around once we get on the road.”

  I looked up at the sky and saw the sun was barely at high noon. We still had plenty of time to search today. The sooner we got the forest back to normal, the sooner we could start catching up with those bastards. I was a little pissed at the head start they already had on us, thanks to Jacob.

  “We could probably use the Sagittarius Order’s help to search the woods,” Nike suggested. “They know them better than we do.”

  “Agreed.” I dipped my head. “Let’s go back to Lumin and regroup with them. They can help us cover more ground as well.”

  We turned to follow the path back to the city. For a while, no one spoke, and we walked in silence. Then I had a thought.

  “Why do you think the Green Glass Sect set up these traps anyway?” I asked. The question wasn’t directed at anyone in particular, but Nike answered quickly.

  “I was wondering that as well,” he said. “I thought maybe to try for another centaur to sacrifice to the Breach.”

  “Or they’re pissed they didn’t get their sacrifice,” Marina suggested.

  “Since we rescued them,” Polina continued.

  “Yeah, so the traps are their punishment,” Trina agreed.

  “Or maybe they’re just hateful,” Ravi pointed out.

  “I wonder if it isn’t another distraction,” Aaliyah said as she tugged her long blonde braid and chewed on her bottom lip. “They obviously don’t want us to beat them to Colaruma, and they know we’re the good guys, so we can’t just leave the centaurs to find the traps alone. Especially since they don’t have magic to help them, and we have several people with magic.”

  I nearly stopped in surprise before I recovered and continued walking. The lioness had really put some thought into the Green Glass Sect’s actions.

  “I think you might be right,” I told her. “They wanted us to find Jacob and be distracted long enough for them to leave the forest, but they had to know he’d give up
something about where they were headed.”

  “Yes,” Nike said with a nod. “He was clearly a coward. He may have volunteered, but I imagine it was because he was scared of their next move, even if he didn’t remember what it was anymore.”

  “That makes sense,” I mused as I worked the scenario out in my head. “They tell him some big, crazy plan, he doesn’t like it, they ask for volunteers to sacrifice themselves for the getaway, so he signs up, and they erase some of his memories so he can’t spill too much. Then they realize they couldn’t possibly have gotten all the info from him, so they set the traps for a little more cushion on escape time.”

  “Pretty smart, really,” Ravi said with a furrowed brow. “I don’t like that they’re getting smarter at this.”

  “Me, either,” I agreed, and a growl rumbled deep in my chest. “It’s definitely time to clean house.”

  Chapter 14

  When we walked through the gates of Lumin, it looked like most of the centaurs had returned to their normal activities. The textile factories were pumping out steam while workers rushed around the buildings, and centaurs walked around in both human and horse form as they carried baskets of food, hunting gear, and various other supplies up and down the roads.

  As we approached the palace, I noticed several of the Sagittarius Order stood out in the courtyard and talked in low voices. They stopped as soon as we were visible, and a few nodded as we walked through the castle doors.

  Before I could think too hard about their conversation, Alyona skipped across the sitting room and buried her face in my chest.

  “I’m glad you’re back, my love,” she murmured.

  “Everything is fine,” I said as I pressed a kiss to her white and black hair.

  “It always is,” the princess giggled before she turned to greet the rest of our party.

  “I’ve noticed,” Mona piped up, and I hadn’t realized she was sitting in one of the regal red armchairs until she spoke.

  The queen rose from her chair and glided over to where we stood. She wore white robes today, but she still bore her signature red in the form of a scarlet belt around her hourglass waist. The ivory outfit contrasted nicely with her tan skin, and the collar dipped to reveal the swells of her ample cleavage. Her gold chain necklace drooped into the space between her breasts, while her gold bracelets jangled on her arms as she walked.