“What are you?” He blurted out.
“That’s the question you asked earlier, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Raiya sat down on the bed and shrugged, “To be honest, I have no idea.”
“Huh?”
“My mother was pregnant with me when the dragons attacked our home. She was injured as she fled Richmond. After the city fell, she made it all the way to Philadelphia.”
“The Richmond attack… led by one of the Five Dragon Lords and one of the worst massacres of the war.”
“What do you know about it?”
Jagger shrugged, “Not much I’m afraid. I wasn’t there. Most of what I heard came from reports later one.”
“Tell me.”
“Okay well, the attack was launched by five dragons. Two wyverns, one elder dragon, and one dragon lord. The city put up one hell of a fight, killing both wyverns and sending the elder packing, but nothing they did could push back the dragon lord. The death toll at his claws alone was beyond words.”
Raiya frowned, “Yeah… well after that fight… I was told that my mother lived long enough to hand me off to an old couple there. They told me that she had dragon’s bane… I guess that’s why I look like this.”
Raiya leaned against the wall as she tried to get comfortable, “So do you know anything else about the dragon?”
Jagger sucked down a deep breath, “Well… there is currently a pretty massive reward out on that dragon’s head. They’re asking any mercenary or dragon hunter group to keep their eyes open for a black dragon with yellow eyes and red tips on its scales.”
Raiya smirked, “No merc in their right mind would be stupid enough to try and go after one of the dragon lords. It’s an automatic death sentence. I should know…”
“Why?”
“Because I’m hunting it.”
Jagger’s eyes widened, “What the heck? Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It murdered my mother... and probably my father. I want it dead.” Raiya said through clenched teeth.
“How are you going to kill it?”
“I’m still working on that. I’ve been coming up with new ideas about how to fight it.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed.” Jagger said.
“No… I’m not going after it without a plan. I’ve been tracking it since I was old enough to get out on my own. It’s a blight on this world that has to be stopped. You and I know both know it.”
“True… well sadly I don’t have any other information for you. By the way, how did you find out about your real parents?”
“I looked up my mother as soon as I was old enough… and put two and two together about my father. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe he’s out there somewhere. I don’t know… and I somehow doubt I ever will.”
“He might still be out there. I mean it’s not impossible.”
Raiya rolled her eyes, “An optimist in this day and age, truly a rarity… and an annoyance.”
“I do my best. Good night.”
“Yeah, night.”
………………….
Jagger closed the door behind him as he left the room. Raiya kept her eyes fixed on it until she heard the soft impact of his own door closing. Well here I am… stuck in a stranger’s home, in a town where I clearly would not be wanted. Probably best if I just leave before everyone wakes up.
Raiya frowned as she looked down at her slender body. “I guess I really did need some food.”
The relief of finally being able to sleep in an enclosed space was extremely comforting. She quickly stood up, pulled off her robes, and tossed them on the floor next to her. Her undershirt and loin cloth quickly followed it.
She turned to the side and sat down on the mattress. The soft sheets made her skin itch for a moment before it became accustomed to fabric. She curled up and wrapped herself in the blankets before resting her head on the pillow.
Raiya’s head and neck had to adjust to cushion. At first, she wasn’t certain that she could sleep. Then her body began to heat the sheets warm her skin. I’d forgotten what this… felt like.
Her eyes fluttered and she quickly fell asleep in a level of comfort that she hadn’t known in years.
What is wrong with you man?
Jagger lay in bed looking at the door. She’ll be gone tomorrow morning before you even wake up, just you watch. She’ll probably make off with half your guns too. That’s considering she doesn’t kill you in your sleep.
Jagger sighed as he pressed his head into his pillow. It was the right thing to do and worth the risk. The poor girl looked like she needed to get back to civilization and I get the feeling that she hadn’t eaten in days.
Jagger closed his eyes as he stretched out. Eh… we’ll just see what happens tomorrow.
He rolled over a few times and looked at the wall. He pictured her curling up under the sheets of his spare bed. For such a weird creature, she was very pretty. She’s pretty sharp too, read me right away.
Jagger’s thoughts had drained him enough that he could finally lose consciousness. See you tomorrow… maybe.
Chapter 4
Jagger’s eyes shot open to the ear-piercing alarm sounding in the distance. His room was almost pitch-black except for a small orange hue coming from behind a curtain. He jumped out of bed and ran to the window. Not sure what to expect, he quickly pulled back the curtain and peered out onto the town.
To his horror, a building that was a few blocks away had been set ablaze. A large dragon was circling it with its head angled down towards the ground. The high-pitched scream of the dragon’s roar hurt her ears worse than the alarm. He quickly got dressed and ran down the hallway to Raiya’s room, “Raiya, you still in there?”
“Yes.”
He quickly flung the door open to see that she was already dressed. “We’ve got to get to the gate. You need to be evacuated while I get to the command post! We’re under attack.”
“I’m ready, let’s go.”
She opened the door and joined Jagger in the hallway. The building shook, causing debris to fall all around them. Fearful screams could be heard from the other apartments as they reached the door.
“Another dragon?” Jagger asked.
“Maybe more… the wyvern and drake class dragons tend to attack in packs… but…”
“What is it?” Jagger asked as they continued running.
“They don’t usually attack at night… and that didn’t look like a wyvern or a drake.”
“How can you tell?”
“It was too big, its roar was too deep, and the way it flies… smaller dragons have to continuously flap their wings to remain airborne. Older dragons have longer wings and can hang in the air like a bird of prey.”
“So… what are we dealing with?”
For the first time since he met her, a look of fear appeared on her face. Though it wasn’t cold, goose bumps appeared on the parts of her skin not covered by scales “I think we may be dealing with an elder dragon. If so… we’re fucked…”
“Great. All anyone’s ever been able to do is drive them off…”
The two made their way to Jagger’s jeep and hopped in. The engine roared to life as he slammed it into reverse. Raiya turned and pointed above them as she hopped into the passenger’s seat, “Look out, wraith class!”
They both looked up to see Jagger’s home set ablaze. The brick walls resisted the flames, but the windows blew out and fire spewed from them. The whole building was quickly transformed into a massive inferno.
Jagger could hear the screams of the people in his building and hit the brakes. Raiya looked at him oddly, “What are you doing?”
“Can’t you hear them? We’ve got to go back!”
“We can’t.” Raiya said stoically.
“Seriously? There are people still in there. Families with children…”
“I know that,” Raiya replied sternly, “but you can’t help them. They’re already dea
d. Dragon fire is much hotter than any fire you’ve ever dealt with. If you get too close, it’ll kill you in seconds.”
Jagger closed his eyes and slammed his fist on the wheel as the painful screams were quickly silenced, “Damn it…”
“Sorry… there wasn’t anything you could’ve done.”
WREEEEE!!
As the voices vanished, Jagger spotted the large dragon crawling across the blackened building. Its eyes reflected in the fire as the beast jumped into the air. It grabbed two other people who had just emerged from their apartments and crushed them in its grip.
They didn’t even have a chance to scream as the dragon grabbed them and tossed them aside. Its claws were incredibly powerful.
“Can you shoot a gun?” Jagger asked.
“What?”
“Can you shoot?”
Raiya nodded, “Sure… Anything up to a rifle.”
Jagger pulled the jeep out of the parking space and put it in drive. The tires squealed as he reached behind his seat and grabbed the bolt gun, “Here, we’ve got to try to draw it off.”
“Draw it off?”
“There’s a lot of innocent people nearby. If we don’t do something, they’re going to die. I’m asking you… will you help me?”
She looked at him suspiciously, “You’re asking me for help?”
“Yeah, will you?”
“… Yes?”
Jagger nodded, “All right, let’s do this…”
Raiya grabbed the gun and turned around in her seat. She peered through the small scope that was seated just above the barrel. She looked like a sniper, trying to carefully line up his shot.
Jagger revved the engine to draw the dragon’s attention. It was still dark and hard to see anything. His bolt gun didn’t have a night vision scope, but hopefully Raiya’s eyesight could handle it.
Raiya switched on the power converter and lifted the gun over the roll bar as it came on. She remained motionless, except for a few wrist adjustments.
“What are you waiting for?” Jagger shouted as she lined up her shot in the direction of the massive shadow.
“Shh!”
SCREEEEEEE!
“I think we already got his attention.” Raiya said as she aimed.
“When you get a shot, take it!”
“One second… just a little closer… a little closer… Come on you son of a bitch…”
Raiya pulled the trigger and sent three pulses flying towards the shadow. The black silhouette of the dragon immediately turned blue as static charges flew through its body. The beast seemed almost paralyzed as the electricity flowed through its.
RAAAWRRK!
“I think we just pissed it off.” Raiya said as she fired off three more shots.
Little by little, the dragon began to slow its approach. It was as though someone had attached weights to its wings. Each thrust was labored and it had to lower its head each time. The dragon was clearly in pain as it struggled to keep pace.
After two more shots, it gave up and flew off into the clouds. Raiya threw her first into the air, “Got it!”
“Yes!” Jagger shouted. “Good job!”
As Raiya sat back down, her advanced hearing detected fearful screams coming from the left. The sound was coming from where the burning building stood, “Jagger, we’ve got to go over there.”
“Where, to the main compound?”
“Yes.”
“The elder dragon is still there, are you crazy?” Jagger demanded.
“Yes, but I can hear voices over there as well. They need our help. Some of those voices are children and trust me, that dragon won’t spare them.”
“You can hear that?” Jagger asked.
Raiya pulled the green hair back and pointed to her elongated right ear, “What do you think?”
Jagger smiled, “So now you care?”
“Contrary to seemingly very popular belief, I am not a monster.” Raiya shot back. “I may not really want to get involved in everything that’s going on, but I don’t want to see people die, especially not kids.”
“Good answer.”
Jagger turned the wheel hard to the left, causing the jeep to swerve. Its tires whined and screeched as the car slid across the old pavement. He pressed on the gas the moment it righted itself, causing the engine to rev even louder. Christ, the old girl is going to need a tune-up after this one.
The massive flames grew larger as they approached the square under the burning building. As they reached the clearing, they saw a massive dragon dodging around the laser citadels that had been set up on the walls protecting the city. He moved gracefully each time they fired like they were nothing.
“Why aren’t they all firing?” Jagger asked as his eyes scanned the wall at the edge of town. “There are supposed to be six in total. I only see three.”
Raiya pointed to a few small plumes of smoke, “Something tells me they were taken out before they had a chance.”
“Shit! This isn’t supposed to be possible.”
“It never is…”
Two more wyverns appeared and drew the attention of the laser cannons while the elder dragon continued its work. The citadels were doing their jobs, but the dragons had them outnumbered.
Jagger watched the scene unfold and frowned, “This isn’t look good. We’re not going to last long!”
The terrified screams brought them both back to the field. A small family had been caught in the dragon’s sight. The three children huddled with their parents for protection, as if that would do them any good. Every time they tried to run out of the square, the dragon would swoop in and push them back.
“He’s toying with them.” Raiya said through clenched teeth.
“What?”
“I’ve seen this before… Some of the elder dragons are known for being sadistic. They’ll taunt and torment these people until they either get bored, or the family begs for death.”
Anger flashed through her eyes as the horrific scene continued to play out, “Not this time… Let me out.”
“What?”
“Let me out, I can help them!”
“You’re serious?”
“Trust me.”
Jagger thought she was insane. How was she going to help them without getting eaten or becoming human jerky? He was about to refuse when she locked eyes with him. Despite her appearance being that of an eighteen-year-old girl, her eyes showed a level of determination and maturity that he had not seen previously.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.” He said.
Jagger hit the brakes, causing the jeep to screech to a halt. Raiya nodded and jumped out, “I’ll be just fine…”
She marched quickly towards the family. Her face was a mix of stoic and angered expressions. She’d faced down dragons before, but nothing this big. On the surface, her stance was pretty bad assed, but Jagger couldn’t be sure if it was genuine or a ruse.
………………….
She reached under her cloak and slowly pulled a blade from a concealed sheath on her leg. It measured at least twenty inches and was completely covered in blood. She lowered it to her left side and clenched the grip.
The dragon’s ears perked up as her feet crushed the burnt grass. He looked up and saw her coming towards him. The beast hissed and moved in to attack, “Finally… someone bold enough to challenge me.”
Jagger grabbed his gun as Raiya stepped fearlessly into the dragon’s path. She stepped around the family so that she blocked the dragon’s view of them.
This was where she would make her stand. She stood with her hands on her dagger, her feel roughly twenty inches apart, and her knees bent. Her eyes were burning with the same yellow fire she’d used on Jagger the day before.
She turned her head to the side and was clearly surprised when she saw who the family was, “Fosters…”
Mr. Foster looked up at her, “Please… I’m sorry for what I said, please help us.”
“Don’t move, stay behind me and you’ll be safe. I
promise.”
Mr. Foster nodded, “Thank you.”
The dragon ceased its descent a mere six feet from the ground and stared at Raiya, “You bear the appearance of a human, yet your eyes are telling of a much different story. How intriguing.”
Raiya stepped forward menacingly, “Leave this town, now, and I’ll let you live.”
The dragon chuckled, “You are brave young one, stupid, but brave. Clearly you deserve such beautiful eyes, but you’re in over your head.”
The dragon landed and spread its wings. She couldn’t see it as easily in the moonlight, but now that it was on the ground, the fire and artificial light lit up the beast’s scales. Its hide was bright red in color, and its wingspan was far more impressive than any other dragon she’d ever seen.
The shock hit her, causing the hair to stand up on the back of her neck. She’d completely miscategorized this dragon. He wasn’t an elder at all. Raiya was face to face with one of the Five Dragon Lords. It wasn’t the one she was hunting for, but there was no mistaking it close up. Oh shit…
An elder dragon would have been nearly impossible to kill. Her plan was to simply ward it off or distract it long enough for the Fosters to get away, but one of the dragon lords would not be susceptible to any of her strategies. It definitely wouldn’t be scared off by a single human. There was nothing she could do now, but that was not about to stop her.
She immediately looked over her shoulder at the Fosters, “Run, now! Don’t look back!”
The family scattered, heading towards the group of people that were running to the gates. The dragon roared and tried to give chase, but Raiya stepped in its way with her blade pointed at its throat. Its eyes were full of malice, “If you’re so tough, why leave?”
The dragon could have easily just knocked her over and gone after the family, but Raiya was betting that its pride and ego would not allow it to ignore a challenge. She stiffened herself and kept the blade pointed.
The dragon smiled as it curled its neck back and looked at her. Its lips curved into a hideous smile, “You really think you can take me on? I’ve lived for thousands of years. Am I to be slain by such a pathetic creature?”
“Pathetic or not, I’m not letting you hurt them.”
Drakin: The Story of Raiya Page 5