Raiya sucked down a deep breath as her whole body shuddered. Losing control was an extremely unsettling feeling. The idea of allowing someone else control, trusting them enough to give all of that, was foreign to her. Even so, there was nothing she could do. She’d made the decision and had no regrets. Whatever happened next, she’d welcome with open arms.
Her energy was quickly sucked from her body and she became unable to hold herself up. She collapsed forward, forcing Jagger to lay back on the ground. Her body was completely lethargic; even simple movements were burdensome.
Raiya lay on top of Jagger, unable to move, “Oh God… I… I’ve never felt that before… whoa…”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah… you?”
“How could I not be?”
Raiya smiled and gently raised her head. She looked straight at him with glossy eyes, “We don’t have much time… we should get some rest… tomorrow is going to be a big day.”
“I know.” Jagger replied. “So, let’s just enjoy the here and now for as long as we can.”
Raiya rolled off to the side and rested her head on his chest, “Sounds good…”
Chapter 26
Raiya awoke the next morning with her head on Jagger’s chest. His skin was looked slightly irritated where it had come into contact with her scales, but otherwise he looked okay. He looked down at her as she moved away. She was still warm from the few embers that were still burning. The hibernation side-effects had all worn off.
“Good morning.” Jagger said as she began to get dressed.
“Morning.”
“Ready to get going?”
Jagger looked confused, “Um… sure, I guess.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh nothing… just… what the hell was that last night?”
Raiya smiled like a school girl and shrugged, “Does it really matter?”
“I don’t know, kind of?” Jagger replied.
Raiya let out a deep sigh, “Oh boy… all right look, I care about you. You’re my partner and… honestly the best friend I have. Can’t we just leave it at that?”
“All right.”
Raiya’s face dropped, “What…?”
Jagger shrugged, “I don’t know I mean… I guess I kind of thought…”
“Jagger I’m a wanderer, a nomad. What did you think was going to come of that? Do you really think anyone would want us living near them in the city?”
“I guess not.”
She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. The affection was anything but welcome and stung when it was meant to sooth. She stepped back as she threw her shirt on. Her heart tugged as she continued, “Right…. You’re going to want to settle down some day, you’ll never be able to do that with me. So, let’s not complicate things any more than they already are.”
Raiya took a few steps back and leaned against the opening of the cave, “The sun is out… it’s actually warm. We should get going.”
“All right.”
Jagger stood up and pulled his pants back on, “Ready?”
Raiya quickly turned away, “Sure.”
Despite her best efforts, Jagger saw the look on her face, “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Shut up, I’m fine!”
It was a lie. Her words were hollow and she wasn’t even sure that she believed them herself. The pain she felt from rejecting Jagger cut her deeply. Likely that was worse than any injury she’d get fighting her father. Even so, it was for the best. She was probably going to get killed in the fight with her father, and even if she didn’t, there was no way that she’d be able to settle down in one place. On top of that, she didn’t even know if her lifespan would be compatible with his.
The whole problem weighed heavily on her heart. Though she was convinced that this was the right decision, part of her appreciated Jagger pushing. A selfish part of her wanted him to persist. That part wanted him to fight for her, but she quickly silenced it, “This whole thing is stupid… let’s just go.”
The look on Jagger’s face gave Raiya the impression that he wasn’t buying it. She wanted to let Jagger in on her fears, but now wasn’t the time to bring it up. If they survived, maybe then she’d get the chance. He must think I’m flake… I kind of wish I was…
They stepped out of the protection of the cave into the sunlight. Raiya could feel a gentle breeze on her skin, but it was considerably warmer than it had been.
Jagger stepped out behind her and looked around, “Let’s head back to the trail we were following. It was the smoothest path.”
“My thought’s exactly.”
It didn’t take them long to regain their footing and begin climbing the mountain again. Where the path wasn’t snowy, it was covered in loose gravel and dirt. The unstable ground coupled with the sharp incline took a toll on Raiya’s feet. She did her best to ignore it, but the aching quickly became bad.
“You know… why couldn’t your uncle just fly us up here?” Jagger asked as he struggled to keep pace.
“That would be too easy.” Raiya replied. “Besides, that would pretty much give any other dragons in the area a clean shot at us.”
Jagger frowned, “Uh huh… you don’t really trust him, do you?”
“I believe that he wants my father dead… beyond that, only time will tell.”
“Right…”
WREEEEEEEE!
Jagger looked up at the summit, “Raiya, the horde is still there! How are we going to get past them?”
“Keep climbing… we’ll get as close as we can for now. We may need to wait until night fall.”
“Central Command, this is Avenger One. We’re in position. All units are accounted for. We’re standing by for orders.”
“Roger, Avenger One. We’re prepping the fighters now.”
Commander Bhatia sat back in his hummer, “Any word on the U.S. Remnant or EastCon forces yet?”
“None I’m afraid. It looks like we’re on our own.”
“Surprise, surprise… well we’ll have to make this count.”
“Copy that, F-22s are on the way… ETA 30 minutes.”
Commander Bhatia turned and looked at Eric, “I sincerely hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Don’t look at me.” Eric replied. “I’m as much part of the diversion as you are. Our hope rests with Jagger and Raiya.”
The commander opened his door and stepped outside, “You think we’ve got a chance?”
“There’s always a chance.”
“That’s the statement of a dead man if ever there was one…”
Bhatia shut the door as Eric stepped out the other side. A young sergeant approached him and saluted, “Sir.”
“Report, Sergeant.”
The young soldier removed his helmet, revealing short brown hair. He turned and pointed back to the encampment as he spoke, “Sir, the heavy armor and infantry units are in position. We’re having a little trouble with two of our AA artillery batteries. They took some damage in the last attack. The engineers estimate that it’ll take roughly two hours to fix.”
Commander Bhatia glared at him, “Sergeant, we need all four of those batteries up and running in thirty minutes. Do I make myself clear?”
The young soldier shifted uncomfortably under his commander’s gaze, “Yes sir!”
“Take anyone you need, just get them working. If we don’t have a way to bring the larger dragons out of the air, then we’re all dead.”
“Understood, sir!”
The young sergeant put his helmet back on and ran back into the group. Commander Bhatia nodded as he disappeared, “This is going to be a complete shit show if we don’t have those fully functional.”
Eric kept his eye on the crowd. Tanks were being moved into formation on the flanks, while MLRS trucks picked up the rear. The soldiers had been divided into groups. Each had various weapons ranging from blades, to bolt guns, to assault rifles. The other group carried small rocket
launchers that would hopefully knock some of the smaller dragons from the sky.
Commander Bhatia was about to say something, when one of the scout towers radioed. The sound of his voice was frantic and it was clear from the static that his hands were shaking, “Sir, we have incoming contacts, ten degrees East! My God… it’s a whole lot of them!”
Commander Bhatia’s eyes widened as he grabbed his binoculars, “Dragons?”
“No sir! They’re definitely human, though I can’t tell if they’re friendly. They’re closing fast!”
Bhatia squinted through his binoculars, trying to get some idea of who was incoming, “They’re not U.S. remnant forces… who are they?”
In the distance, he could make out several large transport helicopters, gunships, and multiple fighters flying escort around them. Commander Bhatia lowered his binoculars, “What the hell?”
“What is it?” Eric asked.
“Those fliers aren’t anything like what we have… if I’m right, we’re looking at Mil Mi-26 choppers. The fighters I’d recognize anywhere. Those are Chengdu J-10s.”
“Who uses those?”
Commander Bhatia quickly returned to the Humvee and switched the radio to the multi-frequency setting, “Unidentified fighters, respond! Identify yourselves and state your intentions!”
At first his only response was static. He waited a moment for it to clear before speaking again, “Unidentified…”
“Acknowledged, Western Coalition forces. This is Captain Suen, Commander of the Eastern Coalition Expeditionary Force.”
Commander Bhatia squinted at the incoming forces in surprise. Captain Suen spoke with an accent he didn’t recognize, but could easily understand. He watched as the small specks in the distance grew bigger, “State your intentions.”
“We have been monitoring your communications and understand that you are attempting an offensive against the dragons. We would be honored to provide assistance. I formally request permission to join up with your forces.”
For the first time since they’d met, Eric saw a smile appear on Commander Bhatia’s face, “Well I’ll be damned…”
He quickly pressed the button on the side of the radio, “Captain, permission granted. You’re a welcomed sight. I owe you a drink after this is over!”
“Roger that, Commander. We’ll drink it together. Let’s get to work… For Wuhan!”
The massive troop carriers landed a few hundred feet away from the main group. Over a hundred men jumped out of each, carrying equipment and weapons. They began setting up their emplacements right next to the Western Coalition’s.
An older soldier in an olive uniform hollered something in a language that he didn’t recognize. As his men scattered to carry out his orders, the soldier made his way over to Eric and Commander Bhatia. He stopped a few feet away and saluted, “You command here, yes?”
The man had a thick accent, likely from one of the Russian provinces. Commander Bhatia nodded, “That’s me.”
“Colonel Nikoli Popov of Eastern Coalition Ground Force, at your service.”
“Commander Bhatia, Western Coalition… this is Eric Fausten, commander of the nomadic volunteer force.”
“Nomads?” Colonel Popov said as his dark brown eyes widened. “You really are desperate for help.”
“As desperate as they come.” Eric replied.
The old colonel brushed a few strands of his iron gray beard, “Surprised you don’t have any canbans in your ranks.”
“Not that desperate.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Jagger lay against a large bolder with his back to the summit of the mountain, “I didn’t say I wanted you to do anything. I just said it was cold up here.”
“We’re not going to find another cave, you know that right? Besides, we’re so close…”
“Too bad…” Jagger whispered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
At that moment, the deafening screech of two twin jet engines whizzed by. Raiya covered her ears as she looked up. Two fighters blew by into the distance.
“It’s them!” Raiya cheered as the fighters came around for another pass. “The Westcons are trying to drive them off!”
The fighters moved in, fired their heavy Vulcan cannons across the field of dragons, killing several of them in the process. An uncountable number of dragons flew from the side of Mount Whitney, led by an elder dragon.
The path still wasn’t clear, but there were considerably fewer dragons on the mountain than there were before. Raiya nodded, “Well that’s a start.”
“Not enough… we’ll never get through them…”
“No, but at least we can move up a little.”
Jagger nodded, “All right, let’s go…”
“Watch your six, Wraith Two! You’ve got wyverns gaining on you!”
“Damn… how can they fly so fast!”
The two jet fighters burned their engines as hard as they could. It was all they could do to get back to the combined forces that were waiting to blow the dragons out of the sky.
The elder dragon roared to his squadron, “Take them down… crush the humans in their glass bubbles!”
Three drakes moved forward to try and grab the fighters. Their wings flapped so fast that the pilot could barely see them. It wasn’t looking good for the pilot. The dragon was too close.
The massive beast roared and was about to grab the fighter when a red beam appeared in front of it. The drakes were instantly cut to ribbons by laser fire. Red beams shot through the drakes’ wings, causing them to fall from the sky. Their screams could even be heard over the hum of the jet engines.
The elder stopped in his tracks when he noticed the massive force below him that was converging on the Mountain, “No… they’re already here! All dragons, retreat!”
The cloud of wyverns and drakes pulled back as the human forces opened fire. Several were brought out of the sky as they made their way back to the mountain.
The elder flew as fast as his wings would carry him. In the distance, he could see the large perch where the dragon lords conducted their meetings. He thrust his wings even harder, attempting to pick up more speed. The wind tore at his face and his muscles ached.
Eutherys, Auirn, Kazrai’em, and Amzer’ial were all seated on their perches as the elder dragon crashed down, “My lords… I bring news from the East!”
“Breathe brother!” Eutherys replied. “Take your time, now what did you see?”
“Humans, my lord. Thousands of them! Those fighters were just trying to provoke us! They led us into a trap!”
Eutherys growled, “My daughter… –Kazrai’em!”
“My lord?” Kazrai’em replied.
“Take every last dragon, drake, and wyvern on this mountain.”
“We’re to attack them, my lord?”
“Wipe them out.” Eutherys replied. “All of them. My daughter is your primary target. If you see her, kill her!”
“Thy will be done.”
As Kazrai’em departed, Eutherys turned to the remaining elders, “Stay close to me. If my daughter somehow makes it here, she will be unable to defeat all of us.”
Auirn hissed softly as he looked down the side of the mountain, “You think she’ll try to come here?”
“Yes brother, I do…”
“Jagger, look!”
“I don’t believe it!” Jagger replied.
The entire mountain was covered in darkness as the horde of wyverns, drakes, and dragons leapt into the air. A massive elder dragon circled the mountain, letting out a bellowing sound. As each dragon heard it, they immediately took to the air.
Raiya ducked down each time he passed, “Just a few more…”
The enormous cloud of dragons pulled away from the mountainside, into the air. Raiya looked on in disbelief as a path appeared in front of them, “It worked…”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am… I didn’t think my father would be so foolis
h as to send out his entire horde!”
Jagger shrugged, “Calculated risk, maybe? I’m sure they figure that if they can defeat this last band of resistance, then the settlements should be easy picking.”
“Well… they’re probably right…” Raiya replied. “I just hope this works. If Auirn can’t recall those dragons, everyone fighting down there will be completely slaughtered.”
“Then we’d better hurry. Are you ready for this?”
Raiya frowned, “Yes. It’s what I’ve wanted for so long… I have to be ready. There is no going back now.”
Raiya bit her lip as they began marching towards the summit, “Jagger… go back.”
“What?” Jagger asked.
Of all the things Raiya would have asked him, this came as a surprise. The look of fear in her eyes was an even bigger shock, “Hell no I won’t go back. Why even ask me that?”
“I... don’t want you getting killed.”
“I don’t plan on getting killed.”
“Jagger… you’re my friend… I don’t have very many.”
Jagger smiled, “I’ll still by your friend when all is said and done. Trust me.”
Raiya lowered her eyes, “I won’t be able to protect you.”
“No need.” Jagger replied as he patted the bolt gun on his back. “Got all the protection I need.”
“You’re an idiot!”
“So you keep telling me, but I’m still going with you.”
“Jagger, please?”
“No.” Jagger replied adamantly. “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it together. We’re partners, remember?”
Raiya huffed as she turned back to the path, “Just don’t die on me!”
“I won’t.”
Chapter 27
Captain Suen blinked as a drake appeared in her sights, “Wraith leader, this is Daoji One. I’ve got him in my sights!”
“Roger that, Daoji leader. He’s all yours!” Wraith One replied. “My wing, weapons free. Take down as many as you can.”
Captain Suen let loose with a pair of missiles. One struck each of the dragon’s wings. The drake screamed as it fell from the sky, “Woo hoo! Fry dead bastard!”
Drakin: The Story of Raiya Page 30