Raiya clenched a fist and tried to hit Andy, but was too weak to make any real impact, “You were supposed to protect her!”
“I tried, she was too quick.”
“Why?” Raiya asked as she vainly struggled to get to her feet. “Why would she do something like that?”
Andy lowered his eyes. “She knew that she didn’t have long… In the end, she made a choice to give up what little time she had left to save the one person left that she cared about… you.”
Jagger ran to Raiya’s side and grabbed her arms as she tried again to stand up, “Are you okay?”
“No!” Raiya screamed. “What kind of stupid question is that? Miranda’s gone!”
“I know…” Jagger said softly. “I didn’t even see her grab the power cell until it was too late.”
“She’s gone Jagger! I watched her die… I can’t believe it… I saw her eyes… She was right in front of me, but I couldn’t get to her!”
For the first time since he met her, Jagger saw something he didn’t think he’d ever see; Raiya was crying. He quickly absorbed the shock as Raiya balled her fists, “Raiya there was nothing you could have done... This is what she wanted…”
“Don’t you say that!” Raiya screamed. “There should have been. I should have been stronger… why couldn’t I save her?”
Jagger grabbed her, pressing her head against his chest. Nothing he could do was going to prevent the immanent melt down, but at least she was with friends, “She made her choice… She was already dy…”
Raiya’s eyes flared to a yellow fire as she looked up at Jagger, “Shut up! Don’t you dare give me that bullshit excuse! I don’t care if she was near death. I don’t care if she had Dragon’s Bane or any other disease. No one deserves that kind of death! Do you hear me? No one!”
“I’m sorry.” Jagger replied. “Look… this may have been less painful for her than dying of Dragon’s Bane.”
“You don’t fucking know that…” Raiya hissed.
She didn’t say anything else. What could she say? Miranda was gone and nothing was going to bring her back.
Raiya gave up and buried her face in Jagger’s chest. It was an odd and uncomfortable feeling, adding to the stress that she was already dealing with. She’d never had to rely on anyone, not since she was a child. No matter how hurt she felt, she’d always dealt with it. However, this time was different. This time she’d lost someone she cared for and she didn’t know how to handle it, “Why…?”
“Nothing I can say will make you feel better right now.”
“Then why say anything?”
Jagger shrugged, “Because you asked…"
“I don’t believe it!” A voice yelled from behind. “That was a dragon lord! They killed a dragon lord!”
Jagger looked over to see Commander Bhatia staring in disbelief at the corpse of the gray dragon lord. A large group of soldiers slowly congregated around them.
“I didn’t think they could be killed.”
“Does this mean we have a chance?”
“An actual dragon lord… dead.”
“They are going to be pissed!”
Commander Bhatia smiled as her turned back to his men. He looked up and pointed at the remaining dragons, “Well come on men! Lieutenant Bishop did his part, now let’s do ours! Denver won’t fall, not today and certainly not on my watch! To the walls!”
Chapter 22
Cheers went up from the men and women defending the city. The last of the dragon army was defeated and its survivors were in full retreat. It was over.
Bullets from old projectile firearms shot into the air, followed by hats and helmets. The celebration could be heard for miles.
The celebration spread through Central Command square. Though the celebration was erupting around them, Jagger’s group was completely unconscious of it. They stood together as Jagger pointlessly attempted to console Raiya. His shirt was soaked with her tears. Many soldiers attempted to congratulate them, but quickly backed off when they saw what was happening.
Eric and Andy stood on either side, attempting to give Raiya some privacy. It wasn’t much, but she appreciated the effort.
The cheering crowd slowly flowed towards Jagger and his friends. They formed a circle and began clapping for the group. Raiya let go of Jagger and stood cautiously off to the side.
The moment they saw her face, many of the men and women in the crowd froze. A few gasps emanated from the scene as everyone beheld the person most responsible for saving them. For a second, time had completely stopped.
Raiya froze in place. She’d seen these looks before. This was usually when people either turned into a lynch mob or began running away.
“This could be bad.” She whispered.
As the initial shock wore off the crowd, one soldier slowly began to clap his hands. One by one, each person in the crowd quickly began cheering again. Many came up to her and either tried to hug her or shake her hand.
“Thank you! Thank you!”
“We owe you one!”
“You’re amazing!”
“Hey, can you teach me to breathe fire?”
Raiya didn’t know how to handle this. Her eyes teared up. For the first time, she wasn’t looked at like a freak or a monster. These people were actually happy to see her, “I… you’re welcome!”
Jagger smiled at seeing her caught off guard. It was a short-lived celebration when the large crowd began to part and form a path. A very stylish man in a white uniform, black trousers, and a blue cape stepped forward. His white hair matched his uniform and shined in the sunlight. A large scar covered most of his forehead and the bridge of his nose.
Commander Bhatia appeared next to him, “Attention!”
The cheering immediately ceased as every man and woman in uniform froze in place. The smile disappeared from Raiya’s face as she turned to see what was going on. What now?
Commander Bhatia stepped forward and beckoned towards the group, “Sir, this is Lieutenant Jagger Bishop of our Eastern Division.”
Despite a rather cold expression on his face, he spoke in a mild yet welcoming tone, “I’m Field Marshal Lavoie, welcome to Denver.”
Jagger shuddered as Marshal Lavoie extended his hand, “Sir… it’s an honor to finally meet you.”
Jagger immediately turned to his friends, “This is…”
“Raiya, Dr. Andrea Wagner, and Eric Fausten, am I correct?”
“Uh… yes sir…” Jagger replied, clearly caught off guard that Lavoie knew who they were.
Lavoie smiled, “I haven’t been in power this long without having eyes in other camps. You all caused quite a stir with the U.S. Remnant Forces. It’s rumored that a doctor their tried to put a bounty out on your heads.”
“A stir that was of their own making.” Jagger replied.
“No doubt. I’ve heard of Dr. Castillo’s fanatical behavior.”
The Field Marshal’s eyes quickly glanced around the group as he spoke, “On behalf of the city of Denver and of the entire Western Coalition, I thank you for your help. In killing a dragon lord, you’ve given us new hope that we could actually win back our world.”
“This is actually the second dragon lord we’ve killed.” Raiya replied.
Quiet gasps erupted from the crowd. Marshal Lavoie’s eyes widened, “You don’t say? Which one was the first?”
Andy stepped forward and showed the Marshal his camera, “Sir, we killed the red one.”
“That leaves yellow, green, black, and the Dread Lord.”
“You know about the Dread Lord?” Jagger asked in a surprised tone. “I thought most people regarded him as a myth.”
“When you don’t see something for a while, it becomes a myth… however I’ve personally seen him.”
Lavoie pointed to the scar on his face, “Trust me, I know what he’s capable of.”
Jagger nodded, “We’ve seen him too… in fact, we believe he’s hunting us.”
“No doubt you’ve attracted his attention
by killing off his brethren.”
“We haven’t been able to stay in one place for very long without getting attacked.”
Commander Bhatia frowned, “Which means he’ll probably send another force after us. You being here poses a great risk to our people.”
Marshal Lavoie turned to him sternly, “Enough of that. Remember your place, commander. Do not forget what these people just did for us.”
Commander Bhatia lowered his eyes, “Apologies, sir.”
Lavoie nodded and turned back to Jagger, “Even so, the commander is correct. I assume there’s a good reason as to why you decided to put my people at risk?”
Jagger nodded, “There is sir, a very good reason.”
“Very well. Perhaps we should speak about this in private.”
Marshal Lavoie beckoned them to the capital building. Jagger stepped forward and followed closely behind the Field Marshal.
Raiya held back hesitantly. She was still uneasy about the large group around her. However, she eventually followed them inside when Jagger looked back to her, “It’ll be all right.”
Andy and Eric took up the rear as they passed by the massive columns of the capital building. The building was so huge that it cast a shadow over half of the field.
The group entered a massive lobby from the first set of doors. What was once likely a luxurious building had been reduced to burnt wood and exposed electrical wires on the inside. While the exterior had held together almost perfectly, the inside had taken extreme damage. Burns from dragon’s fire scorched the floor. Glass and debris were scattered everywhere. The few people running around trying to clean everything were obviously overwhelmed. The looked as though they hadn’t slept in days.
Marshal Lavoie led the group to the large staircase opposing the entrance, “Sorry about the mess, we’ve seen an increase in dragon attacks lately and haven’t really been able to keep up with the damage.”
The marshal proceeded through the first set of doors at the top of the stairs. The next room appeared to be a makeshift waiting area. A large wooden desk lined one side. On the other side of the room were four luxurious leather chairs that had somehow been spared any damage. They were dark brown leather with brass studs in the back. Between them was a dark wooden table with a cracked white vas in the middle.
A young woman with dark brown hair sat at the desk, focused on whatever she was doing. A large terminal computer had something flashing on the screen that was out of their view.
She wore a dark navy-blue suite with a blue shirt underneath it. She had no rank, insignia, or citations of any kind. The only identifying marks were the blue and gold patches on her shoulders just below the neckline. She was likely assigned to Marshal Lavoie as his assistant.
Lavoie stopped at the next set of doors and turned back, “If you’ll excuse me for a few minutes. I have to make sure our defenses are ready to handle another attack. I won’t be long. –Carole, please see to it that our friends here are comfortable.”
“Yes sir.”
The young woman stood up and walked out from behind her desk. She eyed Jagger suspiciously, “Chief Warrant Officer Carole West, at your service.”
Jagger stood at attention and saluted, “Lieutenant Jagger Bishop and company.”
Carole stiffened up and saluted nervously, “Sorry sir, I didn’t realize you were an officer.”
“Honest mistake.” Jagger replied.
“Well… can I get you anything, sir?”
Jagger looked at his friends. None of them volunteered any information. “No, I think we’re okay for now.”
“Very well… let me know if you change your mind. In the meantime, please make yourselves comfortable.”
Jagger flopped down in the nearest chair. He was visibly exhausted. His eyes fluttered and he moved gingerly as though he was in pain. His head rested against the back and let out a deep sigh.
Raiya sat down and turned away from the group as they took their seats. She was still upset, and didn’t want to talk to anyone. It was her goal to keep that poor girl safe and she had failed. Her lips quivered, but her eyes remained dry.
“You okay?” Jagger asked.
Raiya barely moved as she spoke, “I’m fine.”
“Look, if you want to talk about…”
“I said I’m fine!” She shouted.
Carole looked up from her post to see what the commotion was about. Jagger signaled that everything was fine, “All right…”
Eric sat down in the second chair next to Jagger, “Jagger… who is this guy?”
“You’ve never heard of Field Marshal Reginald Lavoie?” Andy cut in before Jagger could reply.
“No…”
“He’s easily one of the greatest heroes of this war. Even the remnant forces respect him. The man has been credited with more dragon kills than anyone else. It’s said that he was able to kill off an elder dragon all by himself! He was a Lieutenant General in command of the Canadian Army when the war began. After the United States, Canadian, and Mexican Governments collapsed, he came forward and helped organize the three militaries into a resistance movement. As they established themselves a foothold in North America, the resistance became known as the Western Coalition.”
Jagger nodded, “A similar event took place in Europe and Asia, following the dragon rampage. Everyone that remained standing became part of the Eastern Coalition.”
“I see… the man’s a war hero.” Eric said in disbelief
“Probably closer to a folk hero at this point.” Jagger replied. “A lot of those stories are likely exaggerated.”
“What you mean like the one where I killed an Elder Dragon with my bare hands?”
Jagger shot to his feet as Marshal Lavoie entered the room, “Sir!”
“At ease.” The old man chuckled. “Actually, most of those stories are badly exaggerated. I lost a lot of good men earning that reputation and believe me… I could do without it. –Carole, another chair please.”
“Yes sir!” Carole replied as she pulled a chair out from behind her desk and wheeled it over to the table.
Lavoie nodded as he sat down, “Thanks.”
“No problem, sir.”
As Carole went back to her duties, Marshal Lavoie sat back and folded his hands together, “So… Lieutenant Bishop, what city do you hail from?”
“Sir, from New Framingham.” Jagger replied.
“Terrible loss, that one. I just received the report. Our scouts didn’t locate any survivors.”
Jagger frowned, “We found one… but…”
“Her name was Miranda.” Raiya said. “She was the little girl who sacrificed herself to kill the dragon lord.”
“I see…” Lavoie said sympathetically. “I am truly sorry for your loss. It’s always tough losing someone you care about, especially when they’re so young.”
Raiya fell silent. She didn’t even acknowledge what Field Marshal Lavoie was saying. There were far worse demons for her to fight in her own mind at that moment.
Lavoie turned back to Jagger, “So what brings you to the capital? You said you had a reason for coming here?”
“Yes sir.” Jagger replied. “We need the Western Coalition to organize an offensive against the dragon’s primary base.”
Lavoie looked like he was about to choke on his own tongue, “An offensive? We haven’t been able to launch an assault against them in years. None of our bombers have ever been able to get close enough to Mount Whitney to do any damage and they somehow see our missiles coming. What exactly are you hoping to accomplish?”
“We want to end the war.” Eric pipped in.
“A noble and admirable goal if ever there was one, young man.” The marshal replied. “However, there remains the problem of a massive dragon horde. Even if you could take out their base, they’ll scatter and regroup somewhere else.”
Raiya quickly turned and looked at Lavoie, “Not if we kill my father.”
Shit. She didn’t mean to say that, but it just came out.
“Your father?” Marshal Lavoie asked.
Raiya lowered her eyes, “My father is Eutherys, the black and red dragon lord… The Dread Lord…”
Marshal Lavoie’s jaw hung open as he looked at Raiya. He was completely dumbfounded, “Eh… well… I guess that certainly explains a lot about you, doesn’t it? I’m interested in hearing your story...”
“Another time, maybe.” Raiya replied. “Honestly, we’re not even completely certain how it happened. All I know is that he killed my mother, massacred the people of Richmond… and I want him dead.”
“I can understand why, but how will killing the Dread Lord end the war? They still have three other lords that could easily take over.”
“They won’t.” Jagger replied. “I have… assurances… if we kill the dread lord, they’ll agree to a ceasefire.”
“What kind of assurances?” Marshal Lavoie asked.
“My uncle.” Raiya replied.
“Another dragon lord, I take it?”
Raiya nodded, “The black one.”
“And why would they agree to a ceasefire?”
“Because they’re dying. The nitrogen levels in our atmosphere are poisoning them. The dread lord refuses to listen to reason and no one will stand against him. If we can take him out, the dragons will stop fighting us.”
“What do they want in return?”
“Help getting off this planet.”
“What?” Lavoie scoffed.
“Yes, they want help to return to their home world.”
Marshal Lavoie shook his head, “How are we supposed to do that? We don’t have the technology.”
“The U.S. Remnant does.” Andy said.
“Oh?”
Andy sucked down a deep breath, knowing that he was committing treason by revealing this info, “Our forces have been devising an emergency evacuation of Earth if we lose the war. We have designs and a prototype of our colony ship ready to go at a secret location.”
Field Marshal Lavoie rubbed his forehead as he processed everything they’d told him. Raiya watched his expression change from confusion, to fear, to dismay, and all the way to disbelief. He’s not buying this… I knew it was a bad idea.
Drakin: The Story of Raiya Page 26