Immersion (Apalala Clan Book 1)

by Dzintra Sullivan

  Ladon nodded and took a step to go at the exact time the whole Oasis shook, Ladon was knocked to the floor by the initial impact. The other brothers reached for something firm to balance themselves against. Ladon scrambled to his feet and grabbed the door frame, his world once again shaking from another attack on the Oasis, the impact had made even the floor under their feet shake with fear.

  “What the fuck is that?” Ladon shouted as he started to hear the screams of fear flowing in from the courtyard where the clan members were gathering for an announcement.

  “I don’t know, Ladon,” Attor said. “But let’s agree it ain’t fucking good.” He waited for a second to see if there would be a third impact, when there wasn’t he turned to Ladon and commanded, “Get those dragons and meet me on the roof.” He took off in the opposite direction Ladon had. Wyvern turned, grabbed his notebook and headed in the same direction Attor had left.

  Wyvern flipped out his cell and dialed Volos as his footsteps followed his brother. “V? We’re under attack,” was all he got out as another boom hit and his cell went dead.

  Volos’ stomach fell out along with the death of the call from Wyvern. “Under attack? Fuck,” He exclaimed in a hushed voice. “Okay, well, someone better be talking,” Volos continued to mutter as he took the steps three at a time. He wasn’t about to waste time with the elevator, and the confinement freaked him out anyway. Opening the stairwell door on the fourth floor he stepped out and walked over to the curtained area between the nurse’s station and the ICU. From the angle he stood on he could see Kylee’s body hooked up to machines, but the beeping looked solid and rhythmical. Volos was happy she was going to live and knew Payton would be relieved.

  If only he knew where she was to tell her…

  As if a light bulb went off a name popped into Volos’ mind… Paxern. “Of course he will know, and he’s here as well.” Volos felt a renewed sense of hope as he went to the nurse’s station and asked.

  “Could you please tell me which room Mr. Paxern is in?” he said quietly to this very young nurse. And from the look of sex in her eyes she was over flirtatious and more than obviously liked what she saw in Volos.

  “Oh hun, it’s way too early for visiting hours. You’d have to come back in a few hours,” she trilled back to him.

  “It’s just… well…” Volos tried to fake his concern. “He’s my uncle, and I only just found out he was here. His brother, my dad… asked me to come right in and check on him for the family.” Volos threw the guilt a little thicker. “My dad is beside himself with worry, there’s just the two of them left in our family.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry… that’s hard.” She looked around to see what her fellow staff were doing, then back to Volos. “His nephew, right?”

  “Oh yeah, Uncs Pax was the best growing up,” Volos lied through his teeth.

  “Second-floor, east wing room fifteen. He’s up for discharge today. Maybe your timing is perfect to take him home.” She smiled warmly as Volos thanked her and went back down the stairwell.

  Standing at the door of room fifteen, Volos stared at the man who laid asleep on the bed, his silver-gray hair was a mess and his body still sported a few marks, but primarily he looked unkempt yet undamaged.

  “Are there many wolf shifters around?” Volos’ voice caused James to sit bolt upright in bed, his eyes seeking the owner of the deep voice. A look of shock crossed his face as his eyes fell on the humungous man that sat in the chair at the end of his bed.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re not a doctor. Who are you?” James Paxern adjusted himself in the bed, making sure the pale blue hospital sheets maintained his dignity.

  “James, I’m not a doctor but I can smell a big bad wolf in the room. You know who likes to eat wolves?” Volos leaned in nice and close to the edge of the bed, the pupil of his eyes turned to slits and then returned to normal. “Dragons like to eat wolves, James.” He sat back in his chair.

  “I didn’t do anything…” James voice was high pitched, “… I got the message last time. The papers should have already been stamped.”

  “Wrong side, James.” Volos shook his head slowly. “I’m on the stop C.O.D.E. side of the ocean. You know our leader…” Volos leaned in again gazing at James, picturing how much joy he might have picking the flesh from his bones. “Payton, you met her, right?”

  James nodded reluctantly.

  “I thought so.” Volos leaned back on the chair, his legs kicked up and crossed on the corner of the bed. “She’s missing. You’re a tracker, and you’re going to help me find her.” James went to say something when Volos held up his hand to silence James’ thought. Volos continued, “You will help me or I'll fucking eat you, roasted over an open fire with a sweet plum dipping sauce.” Volos licked his lips. “Understand?”

  James nodded reluctantly. “Do I have time for a shower?”

  Volos shook his head. “Nope. Five minutes. Or I’m starting with your toes.” Volos grinned, he wasn’t fussed on the taste of human, always had a funky after taste. However, if push came to shove, he would eat this man and shit him out tomorrow if it meant finding Payton in time to save her life.

  James nodded again, slipped into the bathroom adjoining his room and reappeared moments later having relieved himself and changed into a clean shirt and shorts.

  They slipped silently out the stairwell and opened the door to the outside just as the sun was rising above the horizon.

  James shielded his face against the bright light. “How am I supposed to find her? It’s not like I categorized her scent,” James grumbled. “I might be a wolf, but I’m not a miracle worker.”

  Volos’ laugh was short and sharp. “I am a dragon, James… a very pissed off, dangerous and fucking hungry dragon. So, if you think I’m in the mood for bullshit, you’re wrong. You scented her a few days ago, on the cliff face. From my interpretation, you may have been hunting, and got caught up with Miss Hunter instead. Then, there was a long meeting in your office, up close and personal, where you would have most certainly recorded her scent. A wolf can’t help doing it. I personally think sniffing each other’s asses so you can record a scent is the vilest and most disgusting habit, but you are wolves.” Volos shrugged. “You do have her scent recorded in that wolfy brain of yours and I think now is the perfect time to pull it up to the surface and go find her, don’t you?”

  “Dragons can be such arrogant asses, you know that?” James snapped back.

  “Hungry arrogant asses,” Volos accentuated the word. “Now go as fast as you can, I’ll keep up.” Volos smirked. “Or, perhaps I’ll eat up?”

  James ran to the edge of the forest and out of the public view. A few heartbeats later and he had dropped to all fours, his body elongating and sprouting a silver gray thick coat all over. James flicked a look back to Volos, who nodded his appreciation. James then took off with the scent in his nose. The scent was not much and definitely not on the ground. A high scent was harder to follow, but not impossible. All scents have to flow down eventually, so it being an older scent actually played well into their favor. He was headed northwest away from the town and deep into the forest.

  Another sonic boom hit the dome as Attor looked up and wondered how much more the enclosure could take. “What did you find, Wyvern?” On the rooftop stood Attor, Wyvern and Ladon, along with the three dragons Attor had seen training in weaponry and thought they were ready to step up. They looked terrified, anxious but ready to fight.

  The perfect combo, Attor thought to himself.

  Wyvern got out his notebook and tapped on some keys. “From my surveillance, it appears there’s three sitting above the water surface, that’s where the sonic booms are coming from. They have a hovercraft. Seems they’ve pinpointed the dome, and are pounding it shot after shot.”

  Attor nodded as Wyvern continued, “There’s also another two personal submersibles. They’re sitting at the base of the dome on the east side and have just started trying to drill through the dom
e.”

  “Fucking phoenix,” Attor growled. “They won’t be able to drill through. The thickness is far more than even all of their heads combined.”

  “Going by the type of drill head they’re using, it’s more likely to be utilized for explosive placement. So…” Wyvern said calmly, “… it’s a locator hole for the explosives to sit, giving the user enough time to move back and set it off from a safe distance.”

  “Would that work?” Ladon asked.

  “It has before,” Wyvern replied.

  “Where the fuck is Jo?” Attor shouted. “V said he was ordered back.”

  Wyvern shrugged. “No idea, but I wouldn’t wait too much longer, they’re attacking. And if we don’t defend now there won’t be anything left to defend later.”

  Attor heard his words and nodded. “You’re right, Wyvern.” The youngest of the brothers smiled widely as Attor continued, “Kloth, you stay here and help organize the clan. They need to be ready to wing up and fly. If this dome cracks, the water influx will rival Niagara, understand?” Attor handed him a warrior band, so they could be located later if the clan had to separate.

  “Understood…” Kloth was a young dragon, but eager to be considered a dragon worthy of being a warrior. He nodded as he placed the band on his wrist and went out in the direction of the clan.

  Attor turned and handed Arach and Ryu a band as well, the two followed directions and placed them on their wrists.

  “Arach, you go with Ladon, and hit the surface. Keep communication to the mind.” He looked to Ryu. “You’re with me. We are going for the submersibles. You cool with that?”

  Ryu, who spoke in broken English, as he was from one of the clans based in Japan, nodded. “Ready, boss.”

  Wyvern coughed, as Attor looked back to him. “Hey kid, I want you to stay on the computers, if we all keep our minds open, you have the most important job of being our eyes and ears.” He tapped the notebook.

  Wyvern nodded but inwardly he was furious, he wasn’t a kid and loathed that his brothers treated him like that. He was as big as them, as strong as them, and could fight as hard as them. He just needed one of them to give him a chance to prove it. “Whatever, Attor.” He turned and went down the stairs from the roof. If he stayed any longer, he may have made Jo look like a fucking angel.

  “Let’s put these birds to rest,” Attor stated as he clapped his hands. “Our clan is depending on us.”

  He could hear the wolf howl ahead of him, so Volos sped up his run to match the urgent tone to the sound of the beast. The trees opened slightly as Volos entered. It had been a dense and thick forest before the deforestation. Most of the old growth forests were designated for the tourists to walk through, they have sign posted tracks and areas, of course this was to protect the untouched beauty of the area. Volos and James took a more direct route. One because it was quickest and two, wolves tend to attract the attention of rangers when seen on the paths.

  James still in wolf form sat at the base of a massive tree. Volos hadn’t seen a tree trunk that wide in a very long time, it reminded him of a time when he would take flying lessons with his mother. She would take them all into the dense forest floor and encourage them to change and fly. His mother understood why they went underwater as much as anyone. However, she was also of the opinion that all dragons should know how to fly in the air as well as the water.

  One of the secrets to surviving as a dragon was to be flexible to its environment. Volos’ heart ached for the lost time with his mother. He’d grown to accept the gaping hole in his soul from her death as part of his existence. He couldn’t remember what it felt like to be whole anymore. He was fractured, permanently, or at least he thought so until he saved a certain human.

  James cleared his throat bringing Volos back out of his daydream. Volos looked at him. “You need to take a leak? Pick a bit of bark, man, it’s not like there isn’t room, it’s the size of a small house.” Volos laughed as he looked at the huge trunk.

  The wolf growled to get Volos’ attention then looked up. Volos’ head tilted as he wondered what he was staring at. Taking a few steps closer, Volos raised his head to follow the wolf’s eye line.

  “What the fuck?” He squinted as he tried to gain a clearer focus through the dappled light of a layered forest. “Payton?” he whispered, glancing down at the wolf who was looking extremely smug. “Good dog.” Volos smirked and turned back to the tree, cupping his hands around his lips he yelled, “Payton.”

  He saw her jump, and the tip of the tree sway unnervingly to the left then right as she wiggled while struggling to look down.

  “V?” her voice traveled down to him.

  “Payton, I’m coming up,” Volos shouted with his hands cupped. As he went to reach for the bottom branch he glanced back at James who was still in wolf form. “If you see anything, howl.”

  James nodded and plonked his ass down on the layer of leaves that covered the forest floor.

  Volos leaped and hung for a second from the lowest branch, it was at least nine foot up off the ground and it was just the start. Swinging his legs up, he used his upper arms to pull him up on top of it. Volos looked up, a small shake of his head as he realized this tree was at least two hundred foot tall. “Just like arm day at the gym, Volos,” said to himself. “Pain is simply pleasure with balls,” he stated while sizing up the next branch for distance and strength. “Ball-up, V, Payton needs you.” He leaped to the next branch, it was six feet up and three feet to the right. Using the momentum of his movement, he swung his legs up, giving aide to his lats and biceps that were currently ridged with the strain.

  “Be careful, V,” Payton yelled down. “There’s a giant…”

  Payton’s voice drowned out as the blood pumping through his body became deafening, looking for the next branch and the next. Volos repeated the process over and over again.

  Find the branch, size it up for distance and strength bearing, then leap, swing and pull.

  The sweat was pouring off his body, leaving it to glisten in the midday sun which was beating down from above.

  Volos’ spine straightened like ice as he heard the howl of James from below and the scream from Payton above. His head turned and twisted around the tree and its branches, holding on to swing out slightly from the base to better see what the issue was. His eyes located a very large bird flying in the sky, the elegance in which it was surfing the wind currents was smooth and effortless. Volos’ head flicked back to Payton who was still screaming out warning words as she pointed to the bird. Volos creased his forehead with confusion until the winged beast came closer.

  “That’s not a normal bird,” Volos whispered. “It’s a fucking phoenix!” Volos held his breath as he watched the massive beast swoop in with the speed of a jet, at the last moment, it tilted his pelvis and extended the large talons, ready to grab hold of its prey and fly away.

  Payton squirmed to the other side of the tree branch, it wavered and swayed with her weight change. She was screaming but Volos wasn’t sure if it was the bird or the fear of falling that was the most concerning for her. Settling on an equal importance, Volos looked down and back up.

  Down or up, which would be quicker?

  He needed to change. He needed to let the dragon fly. It was the only way to save Payton before the phoenix grabbed her and he lost Payton forever. Volos’ blood was pumping hard, the wolf was howling up a storm and Volos could hear distant howls coming back as the reply came to James from his pack. He knew he had to change right now, halfway up a big fucking tree. Taking a look at the branch he stood on, he doubted it would be strong enough to hold him in full dragon form, but what choice did he have?

  Volos gritted his teeth as he brought on a change as fast as he could, the wings shooting from his shoulders with a speed that caused him to wince with pain, his mouth opened involuntary to release the roar of agony as the bones of his body cracked and realigned into the shape of a dragon. It wasn’t normally a painful process, but Volos didn’t normally s
peed it up to this level.

  Payton looked down, her eyes unable to look away from the creature that Volos was turning into further down the tree. She gasped as he roared in obvious pain, his back rippling like an ocean wave as it extended to accommodate a full-scale tail. His arms and legs thickened as she watched his entire body coat itself in the most iridescent blue/green colored scales, the gold flicker she’d seen on his wings now coated down the center of his tail at the ending and making it look like it’d been dipped in twenty-four karat solid gold.

  Volos looked up to Payton, their eyes meeting briefly. She watched in awe as his chin had pulled forward into a muzzle, and his eyes that had slid further round to the side, the two small horns that had grown from the top of his forehead. She could still see Volos, even though the slitted pupils.

  Crack.

  The gasp from them both perfectly timed as the branch he was standing on began to break.

  “Volos,” was all he heard Payton scream as he began to fall.

  You’re on track for a direct impact, have you visual yet? Wyvern spoke to the mind of Ladon. All the dragons could hear him but he directed it at one in particular. It was sort of like a walkie-talkie system for dragons, those on the same channel could hear all that was being said.

  Yeah, I see the fuckers, Ladon snorted back as the bottom of a hovercraft came into his view. He looked at his new sidekick who was waiting eagerly for direction. Let’s scare them first, Ladon winked, he was all ramped up for a battle to rival the history books, but feared it would be over so quick he wouldn’t have time to enjoy it. With a beat of his wings, he came up beside the hovercraft, raising enough of his body out of the water he leaned on the side of the boat and used his most friendly tone.

  “What’s up fellas?” He fought hard not to laugh as the boat shook in the water, the three large men jumped to the opposite side of the boat away from Ladon at the same time. “Hey, no need to be like that.” Ladon frowned at their unfriendly reception.