California Imperium

by Aaron Crash

  Splitting the Escort was risky, but also completely unexpected. He wanted to keep everyone guessing about where he personally was. The bad mojo had been aimed at him personally. That was why he was staying in the lighthouse for a day or two, to keep his enemies guessing.

  In the end, they were all powerful enough to take care of themselves. Before they left, Steven made sure to give the Wayne twins, Aria, and Mouse all the Animus he could. They’d left full, if not with smiles on their faces.

  Except Prudence. She still wasn’t fitting in, and he knew she was excited to work again with her sister, off on their own, just the two of them... well, three including Sabina.

  Steven paused in the lighthouse stairwell to look out a round window. The Pacific Ocean was black except for white waves reflecting the light of the moon. All that water, miles and miles and miles of it, and then land, life, light. He could imagine the space between the stars being as vast, and in that space, like sharks in the sea, there were monsters. The Zothoric.

  He didn’t think dragons were meant to be so close to each other. Could it be the constant fighting among Dragonsouls was because of the limited resources on Earth? Perhaps, as a species, the Alpheros needed large tracts of territory, and in an infinite universe, dragons could own entire worlds. Maybe living in close quarters, on Earth, was an unnatural state of things. Then again, Dragonsouls were half human, and humans were violent sex-obsessed primates prone to violence. Maybe if true-blood Alpheros lived on Earth, they wouldn’t be trying to murder each other every five seconds.

  Steven reached the master bedroom, a circular room near the top of the lighthouse. For the short-term it was quaint, with sextants on the walls, the porthole-like windows accented in polished bronze. The bed took up most of the space, though it had been custom-made, so the headboard curved along with the wall. Long-term, it was too small for Steven, and if he ever redid the Aerie, he would swap out the master bedroom with one in the main building below.

  He climbed up the little spiral staircase up to the beacon. The smell of the ocean and the cold of the clouds, hanging in the sky, hit him right away. He heard the waves crashing against the rocks below, and he had to smile, remembering the hurried sex with Tessa, Sabina, and Zoey. They’d all been in a frenzy out in the elements.

  Steven inhaled the wet night air. It felt odd to be alone. He thought of Javier Jones, who seemed to travel by himself quite a bit, though the Sonoran Desert Prime admitted that it was dangerous for a Dragonlord to be alone. That was when he was vulnerable, both because an Escort should protect their Prime, but also, there was the danger of kidnapping; if someone grabbed one of his wives, Steven wouldn’t be able to think straight. He’d gotten lucky, for the most part, but he’d had to rescue Aria from Edgar Vale and Mouse from Rahaab. That last one was Mouse’s fault for going after the ancient Alpherian dragon alone.

  Javier Jones. Could Steven trust him? Could he trust any Dragonlord Primes he met?

  Most of the coast was dark, given that it was Ecola State Park, but there were lights to the north and to the south.

  It was Steven’s first time in Oregon, and it might be his last.

  What if they couldn’t solve the riddle of the Americos Chambers, and he could never step foot in America again?

  Steven was rich enough to fly his mother and friends to anywhere in the world, but he didn’t think there was any place on Earth like the American West. The grandeur, the landscapes, the sagebrush, and the sound of coyotes yammering in the night. He’d come to love the coyotes yowling on the Infinity Ranch, and since they didn’t have any livestock, they weren’t a nuisance.

  Surrounded by darkness—dark clouds, the dark ocean, and the dark island rock—Steven tried to enjoy the solitude. He’d spent a great deal of time alone, studying, working, taking care of business. Even when he had worked at jobs with people around, like at his college’s cafeteria, he’d kept to himself. He hadn’t wanted to be that guy in the back room or out behind the dumpsters, smoking, and talking shit about management. There were too many people in the world complaining about shit that they wouldn’t change, even if they could. People liked to complain in their everyday life. Put them to work and that shit went up to eleven.

  Alone, so alone, in the middle of the sea, he couldn’t relax, and he couldn’t stop thinking about his wives, not that they were officially married. The ceremonies and rituals of Dragonsouls enhanced the females’ attraction to the male, and already, Steven wasn’t sure he liked the power he had to capture and seduce women. At times, it felt great to be the center of attention, to see the light in a woman’s eyes as she gazed upon him in unashamed adoration. It bordered on worship, but a playful worship, like a woman standing in sunshine, being bathed in the light, smiling and loving the warmth on her face.

  He wasn’t meant to be alone anymore. He was meant to be part of a family, and yes, he had to take breaks for his own sanity, but he also had to give of himself, to give his wives the best part of his days and his nights. Part of marriage and family was self-sacrifice. Maybe the biggest part.

  Another part of marriage was to solidify the bonds of a community. Steven knew that several women in his Escort—Sabina, Aria, Zoey, maybe even Mouse—expected him to go through the rituals. They would get magic rings on their fingers, and they wouldn’t be able to help but love him even more. That would lead to children. Sabina had told him that they would have a girl, Regina Drokharis, little Reggie. Steven wasn’t even twenty-one yet. Was he ready to be a father? No. Not even a little. He would never be around to watch his child grow because of the work, his study of magic, and the endless wars he had to fight. He was doing well. Primacies were falling to him left and right. He was growing in power.

  Yet losing his Animus had been frightening. If he lost his power, it would change everything. His Escort was powerful, yes, beyond belief, but in the end, he was the Dragonlord Prime, he was the male, and he had to be the strong one, to protect them all.

  He pulled up the Path of the Mirror-Souled Dragon.

  HE’D MASTERED PORTAL magic. This was a big step, though he couldn’t use Magica Porta whenever he wanted. It was critical that Dragonsouls stay hidden until he could draw an army of dragons so they could deal with the Zothoric.

  He hadn’t really focused on his Exhalants, since a good portion of his Escort had already made progress on that side of the skill tree including Aria, Mouse, and even the Wayne twins, though the sisters liked guns more than anything. That made him chuckle.

  He focused on the new path:

  Path of the Mirror-Souled Dragon

  HeartStrike

  AnimusChain

  FleshForge

  Enchantrix

  Locked

  Locked

  Those last two skills were still a mystery. He wouldn’t be able to access them anyway. He couldn’t skip over any of the abilities without sacrificing them. They’d learned that the hard way with Tessa.

  Steven focused on AnimusChain. He’d read in his father’s spell book, the third volume, that AnimusChain linked Dragonsouls’ spirits together, to feed each other energy, but there was more to it than that. It was next-level Animus manipulation, allowing the user to set wards and create sigils. It was what would add ultimate protection to his Aeries.

  Steven straightened, closed his eyes, and searched himself. In his mind’s eye, he saw his Animus as a ball of dark energy in his abdomen, just above his belly button. Aria called it the solar plexus chakra, also known as the Manipura chakra. According to her, that energy center was responsible for personal power, self-esteem, and confidence.

  He reached out and pulled at the vortex of shadowy energy, shadowy because that was his dragon color, black. Tessa’s was pink, though it was darkening, and she was beginning to smell like cherries more and more. She was changing. As she was Merlin’s daughter, or descendant, he wondered what she was changing into.

  Steven let that thought go. He could feel new energy filling him, slowly, through his meditation pract
ice, and it was like a stream of darkness trickling into his energy pool, like a mountain lake being fed by numerous creeks of melting snow. But it was the world, life itself, feeding him. The fish in the waters, the whales, the plants, animals, and oxygen of the blue-green gem.

  He could feel whales passing by the lighthouse. He could feel that energy, and he could see their Animus. Could he pull it from them? Maybe, at higher levels, which meant AnimusChain was like ShadowStrength, where his own muscles stole energy from his enemies.

  What if the target of AnimusChain offered their energy to him? Yes, he could see how that would make the transfer exponentially easier.

  In combat, he could pull from Tessa, for example, if she offered. And the barista turned gunslinger turned Magician had so much Animus, more than anyone, except for Steven.

  Steven eased himself out of his meditation. Feeling calm, feeling powerful, he opened his eyes.

  A light broke away from other lights to the north. Steven watched it carefully. That was a boat, making its way toward the lighthouse.

  It was well after midnight. Who could that be? Imogene Summers had promised they were safe, that the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse was a secret Aerie that only Liang Pope’s closest vassals knew about. Steven knew, by Dragonsoul law, that those vassals were now loyal to him. Except for one. The rogue female, Tallulah Brahms, the one he’d slashed. She might be coming at him. Or escaping to the island. That would be odd, since she could fly in. Why would she be taking a boat?

  Steven wasn’t going to take any chances. He stripped out of his clothes and dropped them onto the metal platform. “Magica Defensio,” he whispered, to hide himself from any humans. He stepped up onto the railing, got to the highest rung, and flung himself off the top of the lighthouse. He felt his body transform into his True From, lengthening, thickening, wings sprouting from his back. Wings, arms, legs, and tail, that new body now felt so familiar, like he’d been able to fly his entire life.

  He didn’t go for the boat right away, but wheeled up into the clouds, flying through them. Mist turned into rivulets that streamed off his body. In his thick scales, with the heat of his Animus warming him, he didn’t feel the cold. Not like when he was a human.

  He ducked out of the clouds, got his bearings, and saw the boat approaching the lighthouse. He flew east, and yet he had to be careful. He already felt his Animus being sucked away by the Americos Chambers, and not just the closest one—he could sense them all the way down the coast. No, he had to stay away, or die.

  He turned back, flying over the ocean, zeroing in on the boat, the running lights flickering as water washed over them. The vessel pulled up alongside the concrete dock.

  “Magica Divinatio,” Steven whispered. He felt a flood of energy leave him, and he couldn’t see for a minute, but he kept his wings straight and concentrated on the two figures in the boat. One of them, dressed in a long coat, tight black clothes, and a motorcycle helmet, clambered onto the cement.

  A face flashed into his consciousness, Imogene Summers, weeping, crying for her lost Prime, and worried that her new lord would be cruel; Steven Drokharis conquered and killed wherever he went. How could such a tyrant be kind to her?

  And the next face made him smile. It was half human, half reptile, cut down the middle, like the rest of her body from her failed Dragonskin rituals. She was a ninja, the leader of the Onari Guard, and a tragic soul.

  Uchiko had come to him.

  He blinked away the Divination magic. Why had the failed Dragonskin come?

  Steven didn’t know, but it left a bad feeling in his belly. Yet he was glad to see her. He was tired of being alone.

  Chapter Fourteen

  UCHIKO STOOD ON THE back deck, water dripping off her coat, and she held the motorcycle helmet under one arm. Slung around her neck was a black surgical mask, which had become as much about health as style in some Asian countries. For Uchiko, it further allowed her protection against unwanted attention.

  Steven stood in his wool sweater and sweats.

  Imogene was below, tying off the boat.

  Uchiko bowed. “Konnichiwa, Steven-dono.” Dono was an honorific, meaning lord.

  “What are you doing here?” Steven asked.

  “Sabina. She... contacted me.” Uchiko’s voice dropped, sounding uncertain.

  “Some kind of telepathy?”

  Uchiko nodded.

  Steven smiled. “I know. She used that with me as well. I think it’s a new aspect of Divination magic that she’s perfected. Once we have a moment, I plan on asking her more about it. Telepathy during battle would be very effective.” He paused to switch gears. “What did Sabina tell you?”

  She lowered her head to speak. “That you would be alone here, and that you shouldn’t be alone. One of the Onari Guard should come and protect you. Haru volunteered. I told him he was too fat.”

  That brought a laugh from Steven. Haru was a good man, but living in America wasn’t helping him. He’d discovered Mexican food, and now he ate it by the metric ton. Even worse, he’d gotten himself hooked on Taco Bell. It was arguable if that was Mexican food or not.

  Imogene ascended the ladder as a Homo Draconis. The porchlight lit her scales, which were a variety of colors: brown, rust, and a dazzling copper color. She had a musky, rainy smell to her. She’d left her long raincoat below in the boat, which bobbed up and down on the ocean. Slung across her back, against her folded wings, was a waterproof dive bag, blackened from the rain and sea. She slung it to the ground.

  “If everything to your liking, my Prime?” Imogene asked.

  “Yes, the Aerie is comfortable. I can’t find many clothes that fit, but I’m used to shredding through everything I wear.”

  Uchiko shrank away into the shadows to let him and Imogene talk.

  Imogene gestured to the bag. “Chastity and Prudence suggested I bring you some jeans of various sizes as well as other clothing.” She seemed awkward.

  Steven knew why. “Imogene, I’m still piecing things together on how I want my Primacy to work. I won’t kill any children or females, and I won’t give you away to other Primes as gifts. Trust me. But you’re not safe.”

  “Not safe?” Imogene took a step back, whacking the deck with her thick tail in surprise.

  “Yes,” Steven said. “We don’t know who is behind the Americos Chamber magic, and we don’t know if they’ll strike the PNW while I’m away. So take my vassals, find hiding places, and sit tight. Can you do that for me? Can you take control while I’m away?”

  Imogene shifted into her human form, a brunette with fine features. “Me? You want me to rule in your absence?”

  “You know the PNW Primacy better than anyone, it seems to me. And you’ve been helpful and loyal. You could’ve escaped with Tallulah Brahms.”

  Imogene frowned. “Tallulah was always headstrong, dangerous, willing to take such risks.” She wrapped her arms across her bare breasts. “What you are offering is unheard of. Is it true? Are you going to change things among Dragonsouls?”

  “I’m going to try. But I have to play the game first.”

  Imogene smiled for the first time. “And you are playing it very well. I will help you. You can trust me. And if you need Animus, I could provide that service for you.” The words came out slowly, and the brunette had glanced away when she said them. That didn’t sit well with Steven.

  “No, Imogene, I’m fine. You know the plan. Just stay low until we reach out to you.”

  Her eyes went to Uchiko. “Yes, of course, your real wife can aid you in more sensual ways. She must be very important to you, for you to have sent for her.”

  Uchiko let out a cough, half-strangled. She let her long coat drop, sank the helmet onto it, and went into the house, moving quickly. She wore a skintight black leather jumpsuit. Her sickle-chain, the kusarigama, was strapped across her back.

  “Did I say something wrong?” Imogene asked.

  “No, not at all. Thank you,” Steven said. “I’ll be in touch.” Or Sabina
will, he thought. Using her new Divinatio ability.

  Without another word, Imogene shifted into her partial form, her skin scaling over. She bowed, then retreated down the ladder.

  The boat soon plowed through the waves, heading toward the shore.

  Steven opened the door. Uchiko had her back to him, near the fireplace, warming her hands. Her left hand was a claw, with green scales shot with yellow orange. Her right hand was brown, delicate, and human.

  He stepped inside, shut the door behind him, and set the ornate dagger on a table.

  At the sound of him, she turned, showing him the right side of her face. At that angle, all he saw was her soft black hair and her beautiful, human face. “I’m sorry you are exiled from America. I’m sorry that you are stuck with your ugliest vassal. You have so many beautiful wives, and yet, none are here.”

  Steven had to think about that for a minute. “Uchiko, you’ve always been more than a simple vassal to me. And you aren’t ugly. What Imogene said hurt you, didn’t it?”

  A tear slid from her eye down her cheek. “Yes. I’m not your wife. And my self-doubt has gotten worse as has my shame. Living in your Denver, I see the humans, and I see the women, and I will never have that again. Ever. I know it in my soul. But I still long to serve you, Steven, in every way I can.”

  Steven went to her, sliding his hand into her human one. “How did you get here, Uchiko?”

  “A motorcycle. Days ago. I kept my head down and drove in the sunshine, found inns to rest at night. I had dollars—Haru gave them to me. He also bought the motorcycle, insisting on a very specific vehicle. He said that the Indian Roadmaster was the best for long distances. I thought the name was very romantic. The master of the road.” A little grin flashed across her face.

  Steven pulled up chairs for them, red-cushioned chairs of polished wood with brass rivets. He wanted to face her head-on, though she preferred only showing him her right side. The idea of her riding down I-80 with a helmet on, covering her face, and her long coat flapping behind her was incredible to him. Then he felt how lonely she would’ve been at night, in the motels she called “inns.” She was brave to leave the Cherry Creek compound in Denver where she and the Onari Guard watched over Steven’s mother and Tessa’s family, the descendants of Merlin.