Boom!
A massive firebolt struck the ground right next to Auirn. Everyone looked up to see the red dragon almost on top of them, “I knew it! Auirn, you are tul’zethian! Your brother will not show you mercy this time… blood traitor!”
Auirn took to the sky, “Raki’Agr, what are you doing here?”
“Long have I suspected that you would betray us. Your radical ideas about our survivability here would only have led you down this path. It was inevitable.”
Auirn immediately took to the air, “Raki’Agr… you’ve never been able to see beyond the bounds of your own lust for power. Our people are in trouble, but you would rather see our people meet their end than ask for help! I cannot allow this.”
Jagger quickly raised the bolt gun and fired four shots into the air. Raiya glared at him, “What the hell are you doing?”
Jagger peered through the scope, “If Auirn dies, we may lose our only chance to end this war. We can’t let that other dragon escape!”
Raiya forced a half-smile, “All right… let’s try to get him on the ground!
Eric grabbed the bolt pistol from under the seat of the jeep, “We’re going to need more than bolt guns to bring him out of the sky!”
“I know…” Raiya replied. “–Auirn… can you knock him out of the sky? Then we’ll take over!”
Auirn let out a mighty roar as he charged at the other dragon lord. The two twisted around each other. Auirn grabbed Raki’Agr by the throat and jerked his arm violently.
Raki’Agr screeched in pain as the two dragons hit the ground with a loud boom. Auirn landed a few feet away on his back. The stunned dragon struggled to get back to his feet. He was in clearly sore, but didn’t appear injured.
Raki’Agr recovered much quicker and immediately turned to his opponent, “I’ll kill you for this!”
Raki’Agr drew back his head and lurched forward, spewing a massive stream of flame at his old friend. Raiya saw what was happening and immediately moved into flame’s path. She curled her tongue back and let her own flames fly.
The two streams impacted against each other. There was a loud boom, followed by a large explosion between them.
Raki’Agr’s eyes widened when he realized what was going on, “What…?”
………………….
Jagger watched from a hundred feet away, “This isn’t going to end well.”
He raised his bolt gun and fired four shots into the dragon’s wing. The bolts struck the rough hide and disappeared. There was no visible effect. The dragon lord didn’t even have to shrug them off.
Jagger dropped the gun, realizing that it was useless and ran back to the jeep. He grabbed one of the larger power cells out of the back and turned it on. The power indicator rose to full strength as it powered up. A high-pitched ringing entered his ears as the lights came on.
Jagger set it to maximum output when it reached full strength. Red lights flashed and a warning indicator beeped that something wasn’t right. The newer models had a kill switch that would automatically turn the power off if they weren’t plugged in. These however, were much older. Though they all had the same universal hookup, the originals were considered dangerous and banned in most cities.
“What are you doing?” Eric asked. “You’re going to get yourself killed. Turn it off before it explodes!”
“No way, that’s exactly what I want it to do!”
“What? You want to get yourself killed?”
“Not me…” Jagger replied as he charged forward.
Raki’Agr ceased his flame attack in order to catch his breath. He glared at Raiya with utter malice, “I remember you… Your skin is that of a dragon. I made a mistake letting you live that day… I won’t make that same mistake twice!”
Raiya’s eyes were full of hatred as she stared down the dragon lord, “You set my father loose on New Framingham… didn’t you?”
Raki’Agr smiled and began to chuckle, but did not respond. That told Raiya everything she needed to know.
Auirn was back on his feet, ready to pounce between them when Jagger dove in front of Raki’Agr. The dragon lord opened his mouth, about to fire another blast when something impacted in his throat.
Raki’Agr closed his mouth as he choked on whatever had been landed in his mouth. Raiya looked at Jagger, “What did you just do?”
Jagger immediately got to his feet and grabbed Raiya’s hand, “Fucking run!”
Jagger and Raiya turned and ran towards Auirn. Raki’Agr swallowed hard to clear his throat. He was about to give chase when a high-pitched ringing emanated from his insides. Raiya’s head looked back to see the mighty beast’s neck explode in a massive blue flame. It didn’t even have a chance to cry out in pain as the carcass collapsed on the ground.
Chapter 20
Andy and Miranda appeared out from behind the jeep. Eric looked on in disbelief as bits and pieces of burning flesh dropped around him, “Jagger… I can’t decide if you’re my hero or the worst kind of crazy!”
Jagger stood up as he was joined by the rest of his group, “Did we just…?”
Raiya nodded as looked at the corpse in a state of shock, “We just killed a dragon lord…”
Andy stepped forward and touched the headless carcass, “I was beginning to think that it wasn’t possible. Their hide is impenetrable by any weapon I’ve seen so far. Even the high energy stuff couldn’t do it. Their hides were just too dense.”
Auirn growled softly as he looked at his old friend’s remains, “Except you didn’t attack his hide… you destroyed him from within. Our bodies’ scales are solid… but inside, we’re as vulnerable as you are.”
“You don’t sound too happy.” Raiya said as she turned to look at her uncle.
Auirn lowered his head, “What do I have to be happy about? He was my friend. For many years, he was someone I could always commiserate with. It brings me no joy to see any of my brethren fall, even Eutherys.”
“So…”
The old dragon huffed, “You may rest easy. I do not hold what you’ve done against you. He was a necessary loss. I just hope that this will not have to be repeated once Eutherys is gone.”
“What will you do now?”
Auirn looked to the north, “I will need to return to my people before anyone else sees this. If they realize that I had any part in Raki’Agr’s death, it will cost me my life.”
Dust kicked up, causing a large black cloud as Auirn thrust his wings. He slowly lifted himself into the sky and hovered over the group, “You’d best find a safe harbor. When word of what happened here reaches Eutherys, his response will be relentless. I will be watching you, as much as I can. The dragon roost is to the north… I believe you call it Mount Whitney. Do not proceed there until you have a plan… and absolutely do not go alone!”
Auirn thrust his wings downward one last time and disappeared into the clouds. A feint roar in the distance was the last they heard of him.
“So, what now?” Eric asked.
Raiya looked back at the group. Her eyes darted between each of their faces. They were looking to her for an answer.
Raiya wasn’t a leader. She’d never even wanted to be one. All she ever wanted was to wander the land and be left alone, “I… I don’t know… what can we do now?”
“We’re going to need help.” Jagger replied. “The dragons protecting their base have to be drawn out… It’s the only way we’re going to get in.”
“So, who do we turn to? We’ve successfully pissed off pretty much everyone we could consider an ally.”
Jagger nodded, “I know… but what choice do we have?”
Raiya sighed, “All right… so what’s our plan then?”
“I think we should start with the Westcon.”
“You think they’ll listen to you?”
“Who knows?” Jagger asked. “It’s worth a shot.”
“Wait, wait, wait…” Eric cut in. “So, our plan is that we’re going to one of the major powers, asking them to send t
heir army out as bait?”
“Yup… pretty much.” Raiya replied.
“Well that’s crazy!”
“You got a better idea?” Jagger asked.
When Eric didn’t respond, Jagger nodded, “Didn’t think so.”
Raiya looked back at the jeep for a moment before responding, “All right, where are we going then?”
“The capital of Westcon is in Denver, Colorado. The U.S., Mexican, and Canadian forces that merged, met there for a final showdown with the dragons. They dug in and fortified themselves with everything they had. The dragon attack never came, so the countries formed together into the Western Coalition, similar to what was going on in Europe and Asia. They’ve held out there ever since and attempt to aid in the establishment of fortified colonies all over the Western Hemisphere.”
“New Framingham being one of them.” Raiya replied.
“Yeah that’s right. Some have been a lot more successful than others.”
Andy nodded, “So we’re going to Denver then?”
“Yeah.” Raiya replied.
“We’d better bundle up; it’s going to be cold up that way.”
Raiya lowered her eyes and looked at her arms, “Oh great…”
Eric yawned as he looked at the dragon lord’s body, “Can we start out in the morning? It’s still dark and we have yet to have a break.”
“Yeah… that’s not a bad idea.” Raiya replied.
She turned and walked over to the body of Raki’Agr. Her jaw clicked and a large stream of flame left her lips. She moved her head back and forth, covering the body in flame.
Andy quickly grabbed an odd device out of his pocket. He quickly started pressing a red button on the back, causing tiny flashes of light.
“What is that?” Eric asked.
“It’s a camera.” Andy replied. “If you’re going to try to get help from any of the factions around here, you’re going to need proof. Trust me, they’re going to want to see evidence that we killed a dragon lord.”
Jagger nodded and turned to watch as Raiya went to work, “Hey, is that really safe?”
Raiya ceased her fire breathe and looked at Jagger, “We need to keep warm... Call it a calculated risk.”
“All right…”
The group settled in for the night next to the burning body. Their makeshift campsite wasn’t much, but it was cozy enough for everyone to relax.
Raiya sat up on the edge of the site, opting to keep guard instead of sleeping. Jagger laid back and looked up at the stars, “Eric, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” Eric replied. “What’s up?”
“You seemed a little hostile when Auirn spoke to us. What’s up?”
Eric frowned, “Those dragons have taken so much from us, do I really need a reason?”
“I guess not.” Jagger admitted. “It just seems like you have much more of an ax to grind with them and I mean even before your father died.”
“Yeah…”
“Look if you don’t want to talk about it…”
“They took Riley from me.”
“Riley?”
“My wife…”
“No shit, you were married?” Jagger asked.
“Yeah.”
This isn’t going to be pretty. Jagger thought. The same story as the rest of us…
Eric kept his eyes on the stars as he spoke, “We grew up together and got married pretty quickly when we came of age. Some in our group thought we were too young, but we didn’t care. We knew everything about each other, shared everything… We couldn’t imagine a life without one another.”
“What happened?”
“We were expecting our first child. She was six months pregnant… When the dragons attacked, she had trouble getting away… They caught her… two drakes and three wyverns. I was out on a hunt when they attacked.”
Jagger noticed tears coming out of Eric’s eyes as he spoke, “When I got back… I found her… in pieces. The dragons took their time and ripped her to shreds for us to find. She never even had a chance.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
“I went from getting ready to start a family, to being completely alone in a matter of hours.”
Raiya kept silent on the side of the group. Her eyes were focused on the sky. Her expression remained stoic, but every few moments her lip twitched into a frown.
“It’s been five years.” Eric huffed. “I’ve… come to terms with it about as much as I’m ever going to. Just don’t expect me to be happy about working with dragons… in fact if it comes to that, don’t expect much out of me at all. I came with you to kill dragons and prevent this from happening again. That’s it.”
Jagger was beginning to wish he’d kept his mouth shut, “No problem buddy, whatever you say.”
The camp fell silent. No one knew what to say after that. Jagger knew that he responsible for the mood. If his group was going to get any rest, he needed to change the subject if he could. What could he say after that? Come on Jagger, think of something. Sitting here feeling bad isn’t going to help anyone.
“I wonder if they’ll have pizza in Denver.” Really? That’s the best you could come up with?
Raiya turned and looked at him, “What?”
“Pizza? You’ve never tried it?” Jagger asked.
“No…”
“It’s cheese, tomato sauce, and usually some kind of meat and vegitables on baked dough. I haven’t had one in years. It’s so good!”
“If you say so.” Raiya replied.
Eric shook his head as a smile slowly returned to his face, “Nah man… I’d kill for plate of nachos. My group stumbled across a destroyed caravan with a ton of food when I was a kid. My dad made us this massive plate of nachos with all kinds of stuff on them. It was the best thing ever.”
Jagger looked above his head as he lay back, “What about you Andy? What do you miss?”
Andy was nearly asleep when he heard his name called, “Me? Oh… well… I still remember my dad grilling hot dogs before the food shortage hit.”
“Hot… dogs?” Raiya said in a disgusted tone.
“Yeah they were great. Put them on a bun, coat them in ketchup, mustard, relish, or cheese and chilli and they were delicious. My mouth waters every time I think of them.”
“You… actually ate dog… willingly?”
The group burst out laughing as they watched the stars. Raiya frowned, “What? What’s so funny?”
“Hot dogs aren’t actually made from dogs.” Jagger replied. “They were usually some combination of beef and pork.”
“Then why were they called hot dogs?”
“Hell if I know…”
“What about you?” Eric asked Raiya. “Any particular food you’d like to dig into?”
Raiya leaned forward, looking into the flame, “Not really…”
Eric frowned, “Oh come on, there has to be something?”
………………….
Raiya sighed as she thought back to her grand parents, “Well… I don’t remember much about it… but my gramps used to make something on his stove called pancakes. They were these doey little circles and he’d poor this sweet syrup on them.”
Eric pointed at her, “Flapjacks, yes! God… I haven’t had those in years!”
He then turned over and looked at Miranda, “What about you, little darling? Would you like a nice big cone of ice cream?”
Miranda looked at him oddly. Eric tried to illustrate with his hands and some ash, “It’s like frozen milk, except it’s made in all different flavors. I bet you’re a strawberry girl, aren’t you?”
Miranda smiled and nodded vigorously.
“Yeah I thought so.”
“I wonder if we’ll ever get those things back.” Jagger said in a sad voice. “We lost so much… It’s hard to say if any of the old world will survive this awful war.”
“They’ll be back.” Andy replied. “The U.S. Government created a time capsule. It’s currently hidden under the command center. I
t’s basically a massive drive containing as much of our history and culture as we could store on it. History, sports, food recipes, city construction layouts, scientific achievements, everything. If we can beat the dragons… it’ll all come back in some form.”
“Hear that Raiya? You may get to try hot dogs after all.”
“Yeah… I’ll pass.” Raiya replied, despite a tiny smile momentarily flashing across her lips.
“What do you mean he’s dead?”
Eutherys’s roar echoed across the mountains. The ground shook with a mighty boom as he growled. The other dragon lords to back away and lowered their heads in submission. Eutherys quickly turned and slammed his tail against the side of the mountain. The resulting boom echoed for miles.
Amzer’ial stepped forward with her wing-muscles tensed. If Eutherys was to become violent again, she didn’t want to stick around to see the result, “It would appear that your daughter is far more powerful than we originally expected.”
“Can you be certain that it’s him?”
Amzer’ial nodded, “We found Raki’Agr’s bones. They were too big to be from any other dragon. It was him, we can be sure of this.”
“Even so, he has been missing for many weeks and we’ve lost track of the girl.” Auirn said. “How can you be certain it was her? We’ve been fighting against the humans for decades. Could it be possible that the human forces got lucky and found a way to take him down? He was never the smartest of us…”
Eutherys slammed his claw against the ground, causing another loud boom to ripple across the mountain, “Do not speak ill of our brethren. He was one of us and a fine warrior.”
“Forgive me, brother.” Auirn replied. “I did not intend any disrespect to our fallen comrade.”
Eutherys nodded, “And none will be implied from your words.”
Amzer’ial turned and snapped her jaws shut in a threatening manner, “His hide had been burnt away and his bones were charred. Only the breath of a dragon could do that.”
“Which means she’s mastered fire breathing.” Eutherys said.
“We also saw footprints and tire tracks, so how many humans do you know that have the ability to breathe dragon’s fire?”
Drakin: The Story of Raiya Page 24