Maxon

by Christina Bauer

  “That was for Tempest,” I say. “He’ll be paying us a visit soon.”

  “How like my son to fall in league with a Furorling.” Chimera’s irises flare demon-red with rage. “You’re weak, half-blooded monstrosities, all of you. Only pure Furor have the right to live. I’ll piss on your corpse.”

  My brows rise slightly. “Creative, I’ll give you that.”

  Chimera lunges for me, his arms and heads flailing with effort. His long black tail looks lifeless as it drags behind him. Could be another sneak attack.

  And sure enough, it is.

  Chimera closes in, clawing at the torso of my body armor. I dodge his jabs while keeping my eye on his tail. It comes to life and makes a grab for my ankles, ready to pull my legs out from under me. Blood pumps faster through my veins as I make my counter-strike.

  My dragon-scale hand grips the nose-holes of Chimera’s silver head. A crunch sounds as my fingers and thumb snap through the soft tissue. Wielding the skull like a club, I swing it straight into the cobra-style head beside it. At the same time, my tail does another DIY surgery on the remaining venom sack. Once Chimera’s fully de-venomed, I flip onto my back, tossing the hybrid dragon over my head. He tumbles backward, rights himself, and stares me down.

  This time, there’s no hopping around and wailing with fury. Chimera underestimated me before. He won’t make that mistake again.

  What happens next takes place in a heartbeat but to me, Chimera moves in slow motion as his body balloons in shape. His necks stretch out long as telephone poles. His limbs turn into massive, arched legs.

  Seeing Chimera’s full dragon form makes my chest tighten with worry. Normally, I’d have killed him in his hybrid state, but I didn’t out of respect for Tempest. Now I have three dragon heads after me. Sure, they don’t have venom anymore. That doesn’t mean they aren’t deadly.

  Damn, Tempest better get here soon.

  Raising my arms, I summon my greatest supernatural weapon—lightning. A huge bolt of white fire crackles down from the darkened clouds. Thunder booms through the quiet night air.

  Chimera races toward me. My three bolts of lightning arc straight through his heads, stopping him in his tracks. Tiny whites lines of fire twist through his eye sockets and swirl around his long fangs. The cobra head crumples, unconscious. Meanwhile, the silver head combusts and falls over, dead. That thing’s not regenerating, ever.

  Two heads out of commission, one to go.

  Unfortunately, the lizard head remains awake, alive, and beyond pissed. It turns to me, smoke curling from its nostrils. I know what this means. Attack by fire. Even with only one head on the offensive, I don’t stand much of a chance to outrun it. Plus, my body armor can only hold out for so long under flames.

  I summon another lightning bolt from the sky. This time, Chimera is ready and easily leaps out of the way. The bolt strikes right in the center of Charybdis instead of Chimera. An ear-piercing crack echoes through the air.

  In some recess of my mind, I know this isn’t right. I’ve studied Charybdis for years and I’ve never heard anything like this. That said, I’ve never struck it with lightning, either. I don’t have time to wonder, though. There’s a badass dragon coming after me.

  Chimera rounds on me, opens his jaws wide, and unleashes a tidal wave of fire in my direction. My blood pumps so hard with terror and fury, I can hear it roaring in my ears. White-hot flames instantly encase my body. Hunching down, I summon fresh lightning and hope like hell that it’ll knock out the last head, too.

  Turns out, I didn’t need to bother.

  At that moment, huge golden shapes appear in the night sky.

  Dragons.

  This time, it’s the Kathikon, the Emperor’s personal guard. I exhale a relieved breath. Tempest will be with them, too. A low buzz of excitement zings through my nervous system. Finally, I’m feeling some decent battle rush.

  I’m not the only one who spies the newcomers. Chimera glares at the sky, growls, and then shakes out his back. Huge black wings unfold from his spine, stretching out across the desert floor. They begin to beat in a regular rhythm, stirring up sand as Chimera’s huge bulk rises into the sky. For a time, the dragons swirl and dive above me. Chimera hasn’t lost any of his skill in the air. He evades Tempest and his Kathikon as they chase him across the stars.

  Hope they catch him.

  I stand there for who knows how long, staring at the dark sky. At some point, the dark clouds roll away and the sands return to their normal shade of brown. I stumble into my lawn chair and find myself staring at Charybdis again. Fighting Chimera should’ve been the big battle I was waiting for. My gut tells me there’s more to come.

  An even better fight, actually.

  Plus, I don’t yet know what created those blue lights. And the sound from Charybdis when the lightning hit it? That cracking noise was like a cage bursting open.

  Tyberius returns to my side. His voice fades in and out of my thoughts. I’m pretty sure the guys are with him now, too. They chatter away at me, and I give one-word answers whenever I can. Somewhere along the line, the sun creeps up the horizon. It’s morning. Uther hands me a lukewarm beer. Breakfast of champions.

  “Thanks, man,” I say.

  “So, we’re still waiting here?” asks Uth.

  I roll the bottle between my palms. The movement is calming. “That’s the plan.”

  Uther inhales a long breath, and I know he’s about to give me another ‘talk to me’ speech like Ty did. I’m in no mood to hear it.

  Thankfully, he never gets the chance.

  Once again, blue lights flicker under the desert sands. Electric excitement zooms through my body. With a low hiss, Charybdis collapses in on itself and the sand disappears in a kind of sinkhole. More blue lights pour out from the earth, reminding me of a sapphire searchlight that reaches toward the sky.

  My inner wrath sense goes berserk. Battle fever heats every inch of my soul. I leap to my feet, my limbs humming with so much energy, I wonder if my skin can hold it inside. Looking down, I see the beer bottle stays firmly gripped in my right hand. I twist off the cap and make a silent toast.

  To my big battle. At last, you’re here.

  Lianna

  In my dream, I float in total darkness. My mind’s a blank, and not a peaceful Zen-like blank, either. More like empty and unsettled. Every so often, I feel like I should wake up and fight someone. It seems pretty important, too. Then, the emptiness overtakes me again. I go back to floating along, deep in sleep.

  The next thing I know, a flash of bright light overtakes my dream. Some part of me thinks it could be lightning, and another part suspects magic. No matter what it is, the result is the same. I end up wide-awake, my back pressing against a cold cave floor. It’s still dark, only now I’m freezing my ass off and freaking the hell out.

  Calm down, Lianna.

  What does Namare always say? Make a mental list of what you know.

  Item one. My skin is glowing elemental blue instead of dead blue, so I’ve got that going for me.

  Which leads directly to item two. I’m still an elemental.

  And item three. For some reason, I’m in the dark and it’s freezing cold.

  Okay. Could be worse.

  Raising my hand, I conjure a luminescent blue mist. A soft light fills the chamber around me. I’m in some kind of underground mini-cave made of black, slimy stone. A pulse drums through the air like a heartbeat. I’m fully encased in this snug place; there’s no obvious way in or out.

  I’d bet a million dollars I got sucked into Charybdis. Hey, there are worse things that can happen. At least there’s no sign of Zephyr.

  I need more intel than that, however.

  Raising my hand, I conjure a waterfall to appear before me. The liquid flares bright blue as it changes into a conduit for communicating with other water elementals. Within seconds, an image appears in the shifting liquid.

  It’s the Hall of Fountains.

  I exhale a breath I didn’t
know I was holding. This is my throne room, or it will be once I’m crowned monarkki. The circular space is empty. Nothing except tall fountain-walls and a fancy blue throne.

  “Hello? Anyone there?”

  A child’s face appears in the shifting falls.

  “Who are you?” asks the young boy.

  “I’m Lianna.”

  “Oh, everyone’s talking about you. You took Namare’s powers yesterday.”

  So, I’ve only been out for a day. Good.

  “That’s right.”

  “My Dad calls you the us..usp…”

  “Usurper?” No point asking how everyone’s reacting to the news of my rule.

  “That’s it. My Dad says that it’s better not to have a monarkki than to have a weak ruler.” He lowers his voice. “I mean, look what happened with Zephyr. He should never have been crowned, but the Valta went ahead and did it anyway. All of Dad’s friends agree.”

  “I’m sure they do.” I scan his little suit of blue armor. “You’re training to become a Water Valta, aren’t you?”

  He puffs out his little chest. “Yes. One day I’ll be Esau the Water Valta.”

  “I’m sure you will be. Can you do me a favor, Esau?”

  “Sure.”

  “Go find General Fisk. Tell him I wish to speak to him. He’ll be in the—”

  Esau takes off at a run without waiting for more information. As a Water Valta in training, I’m guessing he knows exactly where Fisk is. It doesn’t take long for my magical waterfall to encase a new face. It’s Fisk, and he’s positively beaming with joy. I smile, too.

  “Lianna, is that really you?”

  “Yup. Alive and kicking.”

  He exhales shaky breath. “I’m so glad, my girl.”

  I make a point to ignore the ‘my girl’ crack and get right to business. “How are my people?”

  “They’re not yours yet. Until you’re recognized by the Valta, you’re just another elemental.”

  My body turns wary and cold. “Why are you bringing that up, Fisk?”

  “No reason. No reason at all.”

  Sure, there isn’t.

  “Is it because I’m a usurper and the Water Valta don’t want to see me crowned?”

  Fisk glances around guiltily. “They aren’t quite adjusted to the idea of you. The Wind Valta never wanted to crown Zephyr. Now, look what’s happening to them. Zephyr kills them off left and right. They’re lucky to make it out of puberty.”

  “I get it,” I say with a sigh. Everyone knows how tough Zephyr is on his people. Even with all the memories Franklin has showed me, I’ve never seen an Air Valta who looks older than twenty. “Let’s ease them into the idea, then.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I stop by the Water Palace for a meet and greet. Nothing formal.” I scan the stone walls around me. Long black scars mark one stretch of rock. I’ve seen stuff like that before. It happens when lightning hits a certain kind of stone. “I can turn to mist and get out of here, easy. See you in an hour or so?”

  “Give me until tomorrow night.”

  I let out a low whistle. “That bad, huh?”

  “I’m their General, I’ll round them up.” Fisk’s eyes overflow with sympathy. “We found the bodies of the apprentices. Did Zephyr hurt you, too?”

  “He tried. We fought for a time.” The memory of that battle makes me shiver. “I did a flash freeze on him.”

  Fisk’s mouth thins to an angry line. “I warned you about that,” he says in his best teacher voice. The old frustration corkscrews up my spine.

  “It’s not your place to warn me of such things anymore.”

  Fisk folds his arms over his chest. “We’ll see about that.”

  A heavy sense of dread weighs down my body. As Namare aged, Fisk became monarkki in all but name. I suppose it’s no shock he doesn’t want to give up power now. I stifle a groan.

  Honestly, it’s a total shock. And a pain in the butt. I need to get out of here and think through my options.

  Leaning back, I take a second look at my surroundings. The place is old and dark. I got here by falling into the Earth. And there’s a giant heartbeat. My first call was definitely on the money.

  “I’m inside Charybdis,” I say.

  Fisk’s mouth falls open in shock. “That can’t be possible. You wouldn’t be awake.”

  “Can we not fight about this?” I rub my temples with my fingertips. “Wherever I am, I’ll get out and find you. I can handle it.”

  Fisk gives me a look that says he’s certain I can’t handle anything. What a dick.

  “How long have I been down here?” I ask.

  “About a day.”

  The little kid was right. “And Zephyr?”

  “Our spies say he’s in his Cloud Palace. Brought what could’ve been a three-headed dragon with him, too. Or it could’ve been two-headed. Our spies said it was hard to tell.”

  “Three-headed dragon?” After my stint with Silas, I make it a point to know my Class A demons. “Was it Chimera?”

  “Who cares? It’s Zephyr you need to worry about.” Bit by bit, Fisk’s mouth rounds into a satisfied smile. “We did it. We really did it.” The way he’s staring at me makes me queasy. “Our Kristalli is secured at the Water Palace, my girl. You’ll be able to get to it once you’re here.”

  Our? What the? A chill of awareness prickles up my neck.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow night in the Hall of Fountains,” I say firmly.

  A needy look glimmers in Fisk’s eyes. It’s the one he always gets before he launches into a ‘give us another chance’ speech. “Come to me as soon as you can, Lianna. We need to talk.”

  “We’ll talk tomorrow night.” With that, I make the enchanted waterfall vanish. I rub my chin and think through my options. Fisk doesn’t want to give up power or me. I need to make it clear who’s running the elementals now. However, I can’t do that while I’m stuck in this cave.

  I scan the rock walls, finding a small crack in the stone. Wisps of fresh air drift out of the hole, along with the burned tang of lightning.

  Looks like this is my exit.

  I recite a quick incantation that should turn me into mist. Nothing happens. Crap.

  You can do this, Lianna. This trick always took a while, even with Fisk around to coach me.

  I keep reciting incantations and checking limbs. It’s not working. I can only turn a leg or arm into mist. Finally, I get my whole body into the act, which is super-taxing. Makes me crave two things: A glass of water and a nap.

  Once in mist form, I wind into the crack and start my ascent to the surface.

  I only hope that Zephyr’s stays out of commission. The most I want to find on Earth is a few humans to hide out with. After my close encounters with Zephyr and Fisk, I’m in no mood for another fight.

  # # #

  I keep floating higher through the earth. Staying in mist form is pulling every ounce of energy from my limbs. The air becomes hotter and dryer as I rise, which doesn’t help. To stay strong, I need water nearby.

  What I wouldn’t give for a Diet Pepsi.

  At last, bits of sunlight trickle into the tunnel around me. The passageway widens. Crumbling dirt gives way to cracked layers of rock. The uneven stone surface makes a natural hand ladder to climb my way out. Mist form is no longer a requirement.

  I’m almost there.

  I change back into my solid state; the shift releases a pop of sapphire light. For a few seconds, I watch the blue patterns dance across my skin. Maybe some day I’ll get used to being the monarkki. For now, the sight still takes my breath away. Even so, staring at myself isn’t getting me out of this pit, so I start to climb. As I close in on the Earth’s surface, it gets even warmer and—cue the angelic choir—there’s literally a light at the end of this tunnel. I exhale a relieved breath.

  The Earth’s surface. I made it.

  I climb faster, but pause when I hear human voices.

  “The blue lights have stopped
again,” says a man.

  Uh-oh. Someone saw when I switched forms. I’ll have to ask Fisk how to hide that next time. These are probably humans and I just scared the hell out of them. I recite another short spell to change my appearance to look like my old thrax self. My lovely blue hair, skin, and robes disappear, to be replaced by my blonde hair, jeans, and T-shirt. This way, I’ll be easier for them to accept.

  “I know someone’s in there,” says another voice. “I am Maxon Vidar Xavion Aquilus, High Prince of the thrax. You’ve exactly ten seconds to declare if you’re friend or foe.”

  I open my mouth to cry ‘friend.’ No words come out. My mind stays stuck on the name. No way. That can’t be the Prince Maxon. Son of the Myla Lewis, the great Scala and Queen of all thrax. Maxon is the Scala Heir, the one person who’ll inherit her powers over igni. My parents never shut up about the guy. What are the chances, really? It can’t be right. I pause and consider this turn of events.

  Or maybe, my life just got a little weirder.

  I frown. Unfortunately, the ‘life getting weirder’ theory is probably right.

  “3, 2, 1,” calls Maxon. “Now, you die.”

  Oh, crap. Was he counting down and I missed it?

  I rush up to the surface, scrabbling through the last layer of sand. “I’m a friend. Friend!”

  Outside I find a handful of lawn chairs and a huge desert. Five thrax warriors stand nearby, and one of them is definitely Prince Maxon. I mean, he’s got a tail and everything.

  The lines of Maxon’s face are hard and angry. He gestures to the darkened pit behind me. “Is anyone else down there with you?”

  “No.”

  “You’re sure? No demons, nothing?”

  “Nope, I’m it. And I’m not a demon.”

  “Great.” Maxon turns to the other warriors. “False alarm guys. It’s just a girl.”

  There’s that word again. Girl.

  My mouth thins to a frustrated line. “You were expecting someone else, maybe?”

  “Yes, actually,” says Maxon. “We’re here for battle, not to rescue illegal tourists. My friends rushed in from Antrum for no reason. Let me guess. You’re from the House of Tärkein?”

  My hands ball into angry fists. What a pompous know-it-all.