by J. P. Rice
Now was my chance. Holding the spear in one hand, I reached inside my sleeve and pried open my skin. With everyone distracted, I covered the raven’s eye with my thumb and waited a few seconds. Sliding my digit to the left, I saw dead red. The second signal was sent.
Nonchalantly, I reached into my pocket and hit the sensor Owen had given me. Then I placed the tiny object that looked and smelled like a breath mint in my mouth. The perfect decoy. My eyes darted around, making sure nobody suspected anything.
Peering up to the hillside, I watched the dull yellow lights in the form of eyes flash on. The robotic feline firing squad was ready. Now it was time to shift. Slowly. I called on my dragon blood and felt the thick liquid circulating to my extremities.
I heard a car door slam and knew I had to kick the plan into high gear before Arawn’s lackey returned with the case.
With everything in place, I cast an invisible umbrella shield to hover above my head and follow me. Fierce squawking sounded from above and everyone looked up naturally. A murder of crows passed by the moon, their silhouettes streaking across the bright object in the sky. With everyone’s heads inclined at the commotion in the sky, I went into full shifting mode.
I felt the scales run up my arm, from wrist to shoulder. My body swelled, the seams of my coat and dress bursting as I grew.
“What the hell is that?” screamed one of Tyr’s associates. He held out his hand as objects fell from the sky.
Little red globules rained down, courtesy of the Morrigan’s crows. It was a different kind of ginger storm. The men and women scattered, running toward the pavilions for cover. My invisible umbrella kept me safe. I tucked the spear under my arm and ran toward the hillside.
As I moved, two horns sprouted from my head, my jaw elongated and sharp fangs developed in my mouth. I felt the rush of reptilian skin wash over my face and travel down my neck. My body scales appeared in waves, like rows of shingling. The fire inside my chest intensified, threatening to cook me alive.
After one hell of a hibernation, the scarlet dragon had awakened.
I increased my speed as Tyr yelled, “What are you doing, you stupid bitch?”
I peeked over my shoulder as my footsteps became heavy thuds due to my increased mass and enormous feet. I saw Tyr unaffected by the crows’ downpour, safely inside his armor. He walked fast, chasing after me, but stopped after only about twenty feet. As the only dragon shifter in existence, Tyr knew it was me.
My short arms reached for my mouth to grab the sensor but came up short. Oh shit. I pushed the sensor into the front of my mouth against my front teeth and slowed almost to a stop. Extending my long tongue with the sensor on it, I reached up with my dragon hand and grabbed it.
My huge hand with three clawed fingers had trouble pressing the tiny button, so I transferred it to my other hand holding the spear. I held the sensor and spear steady with one hand and used the tip of a claw my other one to activate it. Once I heard the soft beep, I discarded the object and it fluttered to the snow below.
I started moving again, quickly speeding up to a jog. The crow’s storm had come to a stop. I took a quick peek back and saw Arawn and his crew coming out from under one pavilion, and Tyr’s crew emerging from the other.
Two fireballs raced past me and crashed into the hillside. I didn’t panic as I had another distraction ready to go. “Come on out, gophers,” I whispered under my breath.
A paralyzing pressure on my back meant that my wings were developing. Within a few breaths, they had hatched fully, extending out from my body. I beat my wings, which slowed me down from the resistance. Another fireball barely missed me, hit the ground and burrowed into the soil. A few steps later, the swooshing sound filled my ears and my feet lifted off the ground with my long tail trailing behind.
As I climbed higher, Owen sprang into action. Bullets erupted with a uniform blast, sailing under me and across the park at the two groups. Beings dove in every direction with some individuals covering their heads and running for the pavilions as a hail of bullets peppered the park.
Because of his ridiculous armor, Tyr was the only one who didn’t flee. Sparks flew from his black suit and the constant barrage caused him to stumble backward. It would be a great shame if one of the bullets sneaked through that mask and hit him in his pretty face.
I blew a kiss to the A-Cat 47s on the hillside, their yellow eyes lighting up the woodsy darkness, and said a silent thank you to Owen.
With my plan in full effect, I could ride off into the sunset or moonset in this case. Nothing could stop me now. Suddenly, a tiger’s growl sent a chill down my spine and shattered my confidence. I kept flying forward as I turned and saw two winged tigers carrying a chariot and speeding at me. Son of a bitch. How had she escaped the gunfire?
I dipped to the right and tucked my left wing, gliding under the moonlight. I shifted my vision, optimizing it for a dark setting so that I could detect them from far away. My p.m. specs were now in place so I peered over my shoulder, which was no problem with my long neck.
I turned and tried to fly backward to analyze their flight pattern, but I dropped like a rock. As I moved left and right, I realized I’d lost some of my flying ability. Titania had taken back her enhanced senses as well as her amazing flying ability. I still had enough aerial skills to succeed so I climbed in the air and focused on the chariot.
The winged tigers had some serious speed coupled with deft moves. The dangerous beasts closed in on me rapidly. I beat my wings for all I was worth, precious oxygen leaving my dry mouth. I thought I would pass out. Then I tucked my wings and dove at a steep angle for two seconds. Next, I straightened my body and extended my wings, which slowed me down. The chariot streaked by.
I knew that evasive move would only buy me a few seconds, so I formulated a plan. The fire raged inside me, speaking to my soul and begging to come out and play. An idea hit me as I turned around and noticed the tigers closing in on me. With my attention focused squarely on them, I caught a flash out of my peripheral.
A fireball curved through the dark sky and crashed into my left side. The dense flames ricocheted off my red scales and streaks of fire skittered away in the other direction. By the time I recovered and straightened out, a tiger’s jaw was widening as the beast closed in on me. For some reason, Titania flashed into my mind. I could hear her uttering the words, “It’s my stinger, silly.”
Her words caused me to react subconsciously. I whipped my tail around, the barbed end whizzing through the air and hitting its mark, lacerating the tiger right below its left eye. The winged beast roared in pain and the chariot listed harshly to the left, throwing Sigyn against the rail and nearly expelling her from the ride.
The tigers righted the ship, turned on a dime, and rushed at me again. The wounded tiger had blood pouring from the wound, drizzling down and falling into the darkness, eventually staining the snow below. Tired of messing around, I took the fire brewing inside and opened my mouth. As the tigers closed in with slobber falling out of their mouths, I blew a giant stream of fire into the night sky.
The tigers veered recklessly to the side and Sigyn fell again, grabbing on to the top rail of the chariot as her body was thrown out of the carriage. I thought about throwing the spear or even jabbing the tigers with it, but instead I kept it tucked under my right arm against my body.
By the time I turned around, Sigyn had made it back into the chariot and the tigers were charging at me, growling and baring their fangs for intimidation. I knew Sigyn could start casting crazy spells at any moment, so I went with a kamikaze attack of sorts. I tucked my wings, pointing the crown of my head at my target and sped like a javelin toward the tigers.
The animals were used to the predator role and looked at each other in confusion, wondering if they had suddenly become the prey. The tigers grunted and roared, attempting to scare me away. I girded my loins and stuck to the plan. At the last moment, right before I crashed into the tigers head on, I extended my wings and dove. I zipped righ
t under the tigers, my horn gliding past a tiger’s swiping paw.
I raised my head and shot flames out of my mouth, engulfing the wooden chariot and igniting the ride instantly. Sigyn shrieked in horror and her eyes widened as she decided what to do. She turned to me and sneered before jumping from the chariot. I couldn’t believe she had done that until I looked down and saw the pond beneath her.
Our fight had taken us right back to the park. Sigyn splashed down, breaking through a thin layer of ice and plummeting into the frosty waters. After witnessing the greatest cannonball of all time, I scanned the area. Tyr was pointing at me and screaming something I couldn’t understand. He drew his hand back and flung it forward. Appearing from his palm was a long, fluorescent blue spear.
The magical object sailed through the air. I moved to the right to clear the feeble attempt. Suddenly, the spear changed direction and was on target for my body. I dipped to the left, and it followed me again like a heat-seeking missile. I tried to dive at the last moment, but the magical spear ripped through my scales, tore into my flesh, shredded through a few of my organs and exited the other side of my body.
My heart stopped and I started to drop. Sharp, stabbing agony plagued my body from head to toe. It was indescribable. I’d never felt pain like this before. Not even the lava bath. It felt like death.
Unrelenting panic hit me as I realized death was knocking on my front door. Dead at the hands of fooking Tyr. Not fair.
I looked up at the moon. I hadn’t thought much about Luna’s name until now. One of my last acts was shifting into her skin.
As I envisioned my trip to the afterworld, a lightning bolt ran down from the sky, headed straight for me. I didn’t have the time or ability to move as the bolt powered into the spear against my body, sending a crippling charge around my insides.
At first, a tremendous pain took over, then I felt my insides repairing themselves and the profuse bleeding slowed tremendously. Then it hit me. I couldn’t lose in battle because I held the spear. It was like a magical surgery going on inside me.
Apparently, holding the spear meant that I couldn’t die either as my strength returned, stoking the fire inside. The pain had subsided, but I still felt elderly and wondered how much more magic I could use before I collapsed from old age. I could have flown away and reserved energy, but I wanted revenge on the man who’d fooked me over.
I tucked my wings, turned back around, and rocketed toward the earth. Tyr spun around, raised his head, and threw off the mask. He drew his hand back again, but before he could unleash another deadly spear, I closed in and opened my mouth.
My soul pushed the flames through my body, rushing up my throat, coasting over my tongue and out of my mouth. Tyr’s vanity protection prevented him from being able to make a quick move and the fire expanded, completely engulfing his head and diving into his armor.
He yelped like a wounded animal. I smirked and thought about how proud the Morrigan would be of me for that act of vengeance. As I turned and rose into the air, I looked down and saw Tyr’s henchmen rushing in to get him out of the smoking armor. He was being cooked inside the metal, which was what he deserved for trying to kill me. His feral screaming was music to my ears. I’d survived a similar situation. It was the chauvinistic tough guy’s turn.
My body went numb and I wondered if my wings had given out. I still heard the swooshing sounds, but I couldn’t feel myself causing the motion. My back had lost all feeling and I had to trust that my wings would get me out of there. As I sailed through the frosty night sky, I thought about where I could go.
Tyr would send his henchmen straight to my house, so that option was out. Still in dragon form, I felt myself aging drastically and my thoughts jumbled together. I needed to get to Pleasure Island so I could drink out of Goibniu’s special barrel. But there wasn’t a chance in hell I would make it by flying.
I wasn’t exactly sure where I was and peeked down at a bunch of farms in a rural area of Pittsburgh. Without warning, the whooshing sounds stopped, along with my heartbeat. I tried to get my wings to work, but they weren’t having it. My exhausted and heavy dragon body fell toward the earth like a skydiver with a faulty parachute.
My wings took mercy on me and extended, taking on wind resistance to slow the descent. It had the same effect as a parachute that had been pulled late. It slowed me down just a touch before I crashed to mother earth and my knees buckled, causing me to fall face first into the snowy muck.
The ground, although covered in a thin layer of snow, was muddy. I pulled my face up and got to my knees. My body shrank and my scarlet scales disappeared from my arms and body. My dragon arms took on human flesh and my fingers developed again. I shivered, my naked body subjected to the elements.
I peered around the area and realized I’d landed in the yard of a farmhouse. A baritone growl was all I needed to jump to my feet. My shoulders sagged due to my lack of strength and I spun around, trying to locate the beast.
With my night vision fired up, I saw the adumbration of a huge hell hound baring his or her fangs. Just my luck. I switched my visual dimension back to normal. Behind the hellhound stood a seraphic figure, bright as polished ivory. I blinked several times and still couldn’t believe I was staring at an andro-Sphinx.
Her angelic face almost made me forget that she was a murderous creature. The hound crept around behind me as the sphinx got closer. I couldn’t win this fight. I had no strength left. Of all the luck, how did I end up on a farm like this?
A door slammed open on the house about thirty yards away and someone screamed, “What the hell’s going on out here?”
The Sphinx turned and shouted over her shoulder. “We have an intruder, Mike.”
A blurry figure ran down the steps of the porch and jogged over to us. As he neared, I realized who it was and breathed in relief. I said, “Mike. I have the spear. Call off your dogs.” I picked up the muddy spear and held it up for him to inspect.
He squinted and leaned forward, then a look of recognition washed over his face. “What the hell are you doing here? Are you being followed?” he asked, spinning around in circles.
“No. Things got a little out of hand. I flew away from the deal and crashed down here. I’m aging drastically and need to get to Goibniu’s island.”
Mike looked up and down my naked body. Not in a perverted way, more in shock that I appeared fifty years older than when we had seen each other earlier today. “Yeah, you look like you’re about seventy right now. Relax for a second and we’ll help you out.”
A young lady with red hair walked over to us, and I thought I was having a lava bath flashback. The pregnant female was a spitting image of my daughter. My dead daughter.
Mike turned and said to her, “Go inside and get some clothes for her. Please.”
The woman turned and went back to the house as I collapsed to the ground again, dropping the spear beside me. I rolled onto my side and then my back, peering up at a wizard, a sphinx and a hellhound. Due to my untrusting nature, I reached over and clutched the spear.
Mike asked, “Where is this island located?”
I spoke in a raspy voice, “I need to get to the Atlantic Ocean. I don’t have an exact location. I find it by feel.”
Mike gazed up at the moon, his eyes searching for an answer. “Then it will be impossible for me to help you out.”
“I can take her,” the Sphinx announced.
Mike turned to her. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. If she can guide me, I’ll get her there. It’ll be good for me to stretch out the wings, anyway,” she said, beating her angelic wings a few times to reinforce her point.
Mike said, “I’ll hold the spear for you.”
I’d almost forgotten about the object I was squeezing with my left hand. With great reluctance, I let him pry the spear from me.
“So I can release this girl now, right?” he asked, and I wondered what he was talking about.
What girl? Then it hit me. I’d nearly forg
otten about Tyr’s girlfriend. “Yeah. Let her loose. We have the spear now. Just don’t lose that or I’ll kill you. I’ll be back to get it after I regain my youth.” I wasn’t really in a position to be throwing around threats, but this object was that important.
I faded in and out of consciousness for about a half hour as a series of unrelated images streamed through my head. Mike and his girlfriend put me into a carrying harness and attached it to the Sphinx. I didn’t want the spear to leave my hands, but I trusted Mike for some reason. Plus, the rumors of my actions would make the rounds.
The next thing I knew, we lifted off the earth and flew directly at the moon. The corners of my mouth curled up as I realized I’d done good. I’d stopped Arawn and Maeve from unleashing a supernatural onslaught on the world.
I’d also stopped Loki from getting whatever he needed to kill Odin. Knowing Loki, he’d likely be an oppressive leader and enslave the citizens of Asgard, so my actions benefitted people in another world too. Pride swelled through my exhausted body in the same way it had when I’d taken the spear from the Nazis. Utter destruction of the earth averted.
Would the Celtic Gods induct me into the pantheon? I didn’t have a clue, but my father was right. I didn’t need their approval. I’d worried for too long about whether they cared about me. When I thought about most of their shortcomings, including my mother’s, I realized they had no right to judge me.
But inexplicably, it still burned at me. I wanted to be a member of the pantheon and stand on equal footing with them. Why couldn’t I shake that debilitating feeling?
Chapter 23
Carrying Lugh’s Spear in my right hand, I smashed the soft snow into the ground as I walked toward my reception at Clara Spiritus, the home of the Celtic Gods. A sweet floral scent tickled my nose. In the valley between two ice-capped mountains, something caught my attention in the distance. My eyes wouldn’t leave the glowing object as my feet kept moving toward my destination.