The jeep roared as it pulled out of the gate. The lights of the city dimmed as the truck picked up speed. They were now on their own.
“So, what will you do when all this is over?” Jagger asked.
Raiya sat motionless in her seat, “Probably go back to what I was doing.”
“Being a wanderer?”
“Something wrong with that?”
“No, not really.” Jagger replied. “I just figured that once the war’s over, you’ll have no one left to hunt.”
“There are still other evil creatures out there. Dragons aren’t the only ones.”
“You mean the canbans?”
“Why not? Do you really think these people can be reintegrated into your quaint little society?”
Jagger shrugged, “Who knows, maybe? It’s worth a shot.”
“After what we saw, I doubt it. The ones that aren’t feral have apparently become fanatics. You can’t reason with fanatics. You kill them or they kill you. Either way, maybe that’s what I’ll do.”
“Rough life.”
“I’m used to it. What would you rather me try to settle down in a city? To have kids call me monster and have others look at me like a freak for the rest of my life?”
“I doubt that’ll happen.” Jagger replied. “If we succeed, you’ll be a hero.”
Raiya frowned, “I’m not sure being called a hero is much better than being called a monster. In both cases, the names are going to draw attention that I don’t want. I still have scales, claws, and dragon’s eyes. No matter where I go, I’ll still be a reminder of what happened here. I’ll still be different from everyone else and there is nothing I can do about it. I’m better off not staying in one place for too long.”
She adjusted herself in her seat and turned so that she was looking at him, “What about you? When this is all over, what will you do?”
“Who knows…” Jagger replied. “Maybe I’ll carve out a nice little piece of the world for myself. Some place quiet where I can just settle down.”
“You won’t go back to the Westcon? They’re in for a lot of rebuilding if we win. I bet you’d even get a promotion.”
“I’m actually all set with that. I’ve served most of my life. Honestly, it’s the only life I’ve known and I’m ready to start a new chapter. Who knows where I’ll go.”
Raiya rested her head against the seat, “Anything’s possible I suppose.”
“We’re putting the cart before the horse anyway.” Jagger said. “Let’s focus on the goal before the reward. There’s a pretty massive dragon with an ax to grind standing in the way of any future plans.”
“True… but not for long…”
Death Valley
Dragon Territory
Formerly California
Chapter 24
Amzer’ial cautiously approached the large cavern where Eutherys slept, “My lord?”
“I’m awake.” Eutherys replied. “Do you need something? Has Entharis returned?”
“No… he hasn’t.”
Eutherys stepped out of the darkness provided by the cave’s ceiling, “I would have thought that he’d be back by now.”
Amzer’ial lowered her head, “My lord… he’s not coming back. He’s dead… Your daughter beat him to the city.”
“What happened?” Eutherys growled, his voice barely a hiss.
“They killed him and burnt his body. All I saw was charred bones when I found him… same as last time.”
“Can you be certain it was her?”
“The other dragons who were present on the scene confirmed it. A girl with green skin, scales, and yellow eyes was responsible. They knocked him out of the sky and killed him. There can be no doubt about it.”
Eutherys roared and slammed his foot on the ground, “Entharis, dead? First Raki’Agr and now this!”
Amzer’ial timidly recoiled herself, “What do we do now, my lord? Your daughter is proving to be a real threat and now that the Westcon...”
“Even so, she’s just a girl… a human girl…”
“It would be unwise to underestimate her, my lord. Entharis and Raki’Agr apparently already made that mistake. They paid for it with their lives.”
Eutherys released smoke from his jaws, “Your words are well met. I don’t intend to make the same mistake. Send out messenger drakes… as many as you can. Withdraw as much of our forces as you can to Mount Whitney.”
Amzer’ial felt a slight chill and shuddered at Eutherys’s words, “My lord, we would be halting our advances. Years of progress will be…”
“It’s a necessary loss! Are you challenging me?” Eutherys demanded as he took a thunderous step towards her.
“No, my lord… I would never…”
“The humans now have their symbol to rally around. They’ll be coming here and she’ll be with them. Count on that.”
Amzer’ial nodded, “Yes… I can believe that… Very well, my lord. It shall be done.”
Eutherys returned to his cave, “Please make sure that I am left undisturbed until our forces are gathered. I have grown weary and in need of rest.”
“As you wish.”
Amzer’ial took flight and headed for the council roost atop the highest peak of Mount Whitney. Kazrai’em and Auirn were already there. By the look of things, they were busy comparing accomplishments from past engagements.
They both fell silent as Amzer’ial landed. She took a moment to get herself perched before turning to the other two.
Auirn could clearly tell that something was bothering her, “What was Eutherys screaming about? Is everything okay?”
“No… Entharis is dead.”
“What?” Kazrai’em asked in shock.
“Eutherys’s daughter… that homunculus was in the city when we attacked. She’s been a thorn in our side for too long.”
“Orders from Eutherys?” Kazrai’em asked.
Amzer’ial nodded, “Send out your best fliers, we need to recall our forces. Eutherys anticipates a counter attack from the Westcon.”
“How much of our forces and from where?” The green dragon asked.
“All of them. Recall all of our forces to Mount Whitney.”
Kazrai’em nearly fell off his perch, “You can’t be serious? Recalling everyone would give the coalitions and opening to retake everything we’ve fought hard for. It’ll take years to get back…”
“It can’t be helped. With Entharis gone, the humans now have something to rally behind. Eutherys anticipates that his daughter will be accompanying any force that comes here. She is the one person who has successfully posed any real threat to our forces.”
“A real threat…?” Kazrai’em asked in a defeated tone. “Now that is something… Very well… I’ll send out messengers to recall our people.”
Amzer’ial looked down the steep side of the mountain to where Eutherys carved his chamber, “And post guards at Eutherys’s dwelling. He’s asked not to be disturbed.”
Kazrai’em watched Amzer’ial shift uncomfortably in place. She quickly glared at him, “Do it now, Kazrai’em!”
“As you wish!”
Kazrai’em immediately took flight and disappeared into the clouds. Amzer’ial raised her head and watched as the green dragon vanished from view. It took him some time to gain enough altitude, but eventually his body became shrouded in white mist.
Amzer’ial quickly hopped over so that she was perched on the roost next to Auirn. He looked at her intently, “So?”
“I know what you’re going to ask me…” she replied, “but my answer is still no.”
“Eutherys now acts out of fear. You must have seen that.”
“I have, but that doesn’t mean that I’m ready to betray him.” Amzer’ial hissed. “He has led us this far… I would personally prefer an amicable solution to our habitation, but that is not what our lord thinks is in our best interest. Unless he says otherwise, we’ll continue to carry out our plans to take this world from the humans. We can’t trust that they wo
n’t continue to damage it.”
“You are so incredibly stubborn!” Auirn hissed.
“You love me that way.” Amzer’ial said. “You’re my lair mate, but don’t think for a moment that I’m willing to help you betray your brother. I’ll keep your words secret, but that’s as far as I’ll go. The rest is up to you to figure out.”
Auirn nodded, “Then I should hope that my niece arrives here soon… and wins.”
“You seem pretty adamant about this.” Amzer’ial replied. “Can I ask you though… what if you’re wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean what if you’re wrong about what is poisoning us? For all you know it could be the water, the food, or any number of other things. What makes you so certain that it’s the air?”
“It’s the way the sickest of us are breathing. Even if I am wrong that it’s the air… Isn’t that reason enough for us to leave this world?” Auirn asked. “If the food is inedible, or the water is poisonous, then we can’t stay here anyway. Eutherys thinks he can use dragon’s fire to make the world more suitable to our needs. I don’t see how. For now, we’ll have to let fate decide how this plays out.”
“I guess we have no other choice… so we’ll wait… for the moment…”
The mid-day sun hit the jeep as they passed into what could only be described as Hell itself. The ground was completely black. Smoke and fire shot out of the ground in various locations all around them.
Jagger had to slow his jeep in order to avoid hitting any of the debris they passed. Raiya’s eyes fixed on the thousands of burnt corpses and skeletons that looked to be literally climbing over one another, “Is this…”
Jagger nodded, “Yes… this is the site of the Death Valley Massacre. From what I’m told, my uncle died out here.”
“So did Teagan…”
“Who?” Jagger asked.
“The people who raised me. Their daughter was named Teagan. She came out here to help the U.S. Military… and never came back.”
“No one did.” Jagger replied. “When the U.S. scouts reported that the dragons had taken up residence at a secret base out this way, the U.S. teamed up with its allies and launched an attack… they never even had a chance.”
“I’ve only heard stories… what’s your version of it?” Raiya asked.
“Probably the same as what you’ve already heard. They came out here intent on making this a decisive strike. This was supposed to be make or break for the United States. They sent everything they had; soldiers, tanks, armored cars, cannons, fighters, you name it.”
Jagger twisted his lips and shook his head, “They never even had a chance. The dragons were waiting for them, in far greater numbers than we originally knew about. They surrounded our forces and attacked from all side. There was no retreat for our people. It quickly turned from an attack to a mass suicide strike. The battle reduced the dragons to less than half their strength, but we paid a much higher cost.”
“Did anyone make it out?”
“Who knows… its believes that a few, including Field Marshal Lavoie did, but there is no one to confirm it. Likely it’s just a made-up story. I don’t think anyone made it out alive.”
“How many?”
“Well over a million people died here, not including the civilian losses… which probably triples that number.”
“Civilians?” Raiya asked.
Jagger nodded, “When our forces came through here, they saw burnt buildings and people that were either dead or dying. It didn’t look like very many people escaped southern California. There was also rumors that the several small volunteer militia units showed up to help as well. Pretty much anyone who could fire a gun was given the chance to help.”
Raiya frowned, “And after they lost, the United States didn’t have enough forces left to protect itself.”
“That’s right.” Jagger replied. “They steamrolled over us, going from city to city, destroying everything in their path. The few of us that stood up and challenged them became the Western Coalition. We salvaged as many of our homes as we could and continued the fight.”
Raiya looked on as the jeep passed a downed F-18 hornet. The nose of the fighter had been completely ripped away and the tail had been burnt off. The pilot was nowhere to be found, likely eaten by some scavenging wyvern.
It wasn’t long before the jeep entered Lone Pine, California. They soon turned right onto Whitney Portal Road. Surprisingly, the town was still fairly intact. The roads were a mess and the place was being overtaken by nature, but there were no dragon burns nor had the buildings been smashed.
The structure where the jeep had turned, was tan with red lettering on the side; ‘Se..sons.’ The letter ‘a’ had apparently fallen off many years ago.
The next few buildings were small houses with picket fences enclosing fairly small yards. Small trees stood lifeless on either side of the road.
Jagger stopped the jeep next to a small gray building on the corner. The smashed sign laying the ground said, ‘Wood Works,’ but offered no other information. The view ahead of them appeared to be nothing but dead trees and open fields. As far as they were concerned, this was the edge of town and the point of no return.
Mount Whitney peaked menacingly over several small hills in the distance. Clouds shrouded the top, making it hard to see anything. It stood with an ominous presence, almost daring them to move forward.
Jagger sucked down a deep breath as a dragon’s roar echoed in the distance, “Are you ready for this?”
“I’ve waited years to find him … yeah I’m ready.” Raiya replied.
“You sure?”
Raiya smiled, “You can wait here if you want. I’ll be back afterwards.”
“No way.” Jagger replied. “I’m not letting you do this alone. I was… what I mean is that… I was just…”
“Trying to let me know that I don’t have to do this. You don’t want me to feel forced.”
She placed a comforting hand on his wrist, “Relax, I don’t feel that way. This is what I want. Eutherys is going to die… for my mother… and for every other person he’s ever killed.”
“I’m surprised you care about them… given how they treated you.”
Raiya lowered her eyes, “My grandparents weren’t related to me. I basically fell into their laps, but they never complained. The nomads who took me in, looked at me like I was one of them. I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for them. The care I received from humans who were willing to see past my appearance helped me survive. I know that there are still some of those people out there. I originally just wanted revenge, but… I guess after meeting you… I realized that I also wanted to prevent any more people like that from being killed. I don’t want any more Mirandas on this planet… never again.”
Jagger nodded, “We’ll get him.”
“I know we will.”
The jeep’s engine purred as they moved forward. Dirt roads, downed powerlines, and smashed fences were all that welcomed them as the jeep pushed forward. It was a desolate sight, but still an improvement over Death Valley, a name which had taken on a whole new meaning.
The road became less and less paved as they drew closer to the mountain. Brush and rubble became the norm as a small brown sign that was miraculously still standing came into view; ‘Alabama Hills Information Next Right’ was all it said. A small arrow pointed off to the side, directing any would-be traffic.
“We’re close…” Jagger whispered.
They quickly passed by a road that was suspiciously in better shape than the one they were travelling on. Soon the brush was replaced by steep hills of gravel, sand, and rock. The skyline was much higher now that they were approaching the mountain.
The road became dark as the sun was blocked out by the hills in the distance. The rocks continued to grow in size as they proceeded further up the road. There were still a few trees on either side, but they were as lifeless as the stones around them.
The road quickly became inclin
ed, making everything feel slightly uneven and heavier behind them. Jagger pushed harder on the gas to keep the jeep going at the same speed. The engine became louder as it compensated.
The sounds of dragon roars in the distance made the Jagger pull his foot off the gas and look up nervously, “I think we may need to leave the jeep behind soon.”
Raiya stared at the mountains. She was almost hypnotized by the sheer size of what lie ahead of them, “Soon… I agree, but we still have some ways to go. Let’s risk it for now.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah…”
More telephone poles came into view as the jeep reached a small clearing. The mountains were now in full view ahead of them. This was going to be tough.
“Which one?” Raiya asked as the jeep picked up speed.
“Huh?”
“Which mountain is ours?”
Jagger didn’t answer. Did he not know? If not, what was his plan, just to follow the sounds of dragon roars? The mountain range was massive, extending as far as even her eyes could see.
The air became cold as mountain range grew larger in front of them, “Hello, Jagger I asked you a question. Which one?”
Jagger pointed to a tip in-between two other spikes, “There… that’s your mountain.”
Raiya’s eyes widened, “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
The mountain was a massive spire, surrounded by several smaller ones that seemed to jut out as though they were protecting it. Snow covered the land around the massive spire, making getting there much more dangerous.
Atop the mountain, Raiya could see small burnt out caves, and what looked like a hand, seated at the summit. The dragons had been working busily to create a fortifiable base in their new home.
“Well I can see why they chose that one!” Raiya said in an almost defeated tone. “This isn’t going to be easy.”
“Most things worth doing rarely are.” Jagger replied.
“I suppose…”
The road abruptly became a sharp turn and quickly ended in a small parking area surrounded by trees. Jagger pulled his jeep in until it was under the cover of several branched and quickly shut it down, “We’re walking from here.”
Drakin: The Story of Raiya Page 28