A Plague of Dragons (A Dragon Anthology)

by Jason LaVelle

  “And since you have found your people. I will take my leave,” Dax said.

  “We can’t leave you out here all alone,” she protested.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “But you can’t. There isn’t a town for miles. At least let us take you back to the lab. You can catch a cab to your hotel or whatever you need,” she offered.

  “He said he would be fine.” Trevor urged her toward the chopper.

  “Your partner does not seem to want me to join you,” Dax sneered at Trevor.

  “He’s not in charge.” She pushed him aside and took a step toward Dax. “Come with us. We’ll make a quick circle around the coast to see if the lava has begun to flow out the tube and then had back to the lab.”

  Dax bent to whisper in her ear. “You just want to know my secrets, don’t you?”

  She smiled. “Of course I do. But you’ll have to trust me first before you divulge them. So let me show you that you can.”

  Dax had been wrong about humans. This one surprised him at every turn and made him even more curious to see what she could shock him with next. “Fine. Let’s see the lava.”

  Trevor ground his teeth so loudly Dax could hear it over the sound of the chopper’s wings as they beat with increasing speed.

  The two humans entered the metal beast’s belly, and Jane held her hand out for Dax to climb in after.

  He didn’t like the idea of going inside their flying contraption. Large and heavy as it was, Dax couldn’t be certain how it managed to lift off the ground. Its wings were so tiny. None of it made sense.

  After a few minutes of staring, Jane cleared her throat. “You going to get in, or were you planning on flying alongside us?”

  If she only knew how true her little joke was. He’d much rather rely on the power of his own magnificent wings to bear him into the sky. But doing that went against all the rules. “Just wondering how it flies. That’s all.”

  “Wish I could answer that for you. Best not to think about it if you’re scared of flying.” Jane giggled. “Either way, get in before we take off without you.”

  Dax grudgingly stepped up into the beast. “I love flying.”

  “Wouldn’t be able to tell by the look of fear in your eyes,” Trevor joked. “Strap in. You’ll be safe enough.”

  The helicopter lifted with a jerk into the sky, and Jane turned to speak to two men sitting in the front. He heard her mention the tubes and the coast, and understood they were the ones controlling the beast.

  Dax looked out of the clear walls as they moved over the land. For a huge metal contraption, their flight was smooth. Lacking all the natural motion he was used to, Dax found himself unconsciously shifting his weight around, as if searching for the air currents to correctly position his body. He’d all but stretched his arms out before Jane had turned back to face him.

  “You don’t have to be nervous. We’re perfectly safe.”

  “This is not flying. This is some kind of…” He stopped, too close to revealing himself to the humans.

  Jane just laughed.

  “We’re near the coast. But I’m not seeing any activity yet,” Trevor said.

  “Too soon,” Dax mumbled.

  “What?” Trevor asked, his voice threatening rather than inquisitive.

  “Lava doesn’t move that fast. It will be hours if not days before the tubes carry it to the sea,” Dax responded, with an equal measure of aggression in his voice.

  “Who is this guy?” Trevor asked.

  “He’s an expert on volcanoes, apparently,” Jane said. “Do we have the thermal cameras on deck?”

  Trevor dug through some bags attached to the walls and retrieved a large box. “Yep. Let’s have a look, shall we?”

  Jane took the camera and pressed her face against it as she looked down at the ground below. Both she and Trevor excitedly pointed to spots below as if they could see the lava under the surface. Dax had no need of such things. He’d felt the heat while walking and knew the direction of the sloping ground. The path seemed obvious to him, but the humans with their weaker senses and abilities all depended on their creations.

  “We’ll have to come back tomorrow and check the progress again,” Jane exclaimed. “We’ve got a new vent in the cone and what looks like three active tubes.”

  Trevor seemed to share in her joy. Dax tried to mimic their excitement, but after twenty minutes in the chopper he wanted nothing else than to be back in his own skin.

  The moment they landed, he would have to find an escape.

  ***

  If he never got caught in one of those horrible flying contraptions again, it would be too soon. Dax leaped out the moment they landed and started heading toward the open road.

  “Hey. Where are you staying?” Jane asked.

  He hadn’t intended on sticking around, but the sound of Jane’s voice was like a siren song that he couldn’t ignore. Dax shrugged as he turned to face her. “Don’t really know.”

  “Are you being secretive again, or do you really not know where you’re going?” she asked.

  Always so inquisitive! But he didn’t mind her questions. He only wished he could give her a real answer. The best he could come up with was, “I’ll be around. Why?”

  “You seem to know your way around a volcano. I was hoping you’d maybe want to come check out the lava flow tomorrow.”

  He shouldn’t. Observing humans was okay, but getting close to them went against everything his Elders taught. But staring into Jane’s gem-like eyes, silently begging him to say yes, he couldn’t resist her offer. “Will your partner be with you?” Dax glanced over to Trevor, seething by the helicopter door.

  Jane looked over her shoulder and back at Dax. Those tiny lines that reminded him of hidden scales appeared across her brow, and she did a double-take. “You don’t like him, do you?”

  “I don’t get a good feeling about him,” Dax responded bluntly.

  She scoffed and shook her head dismissively at his remark. “He’s fine.”

  “Is he your mate?”

  Jane snorted and quickly covered her face with her hand. A flush of red hit her cheeks as she shook her head. “He’s my lab partner. Assistant, really.”

  The heat radiating from her body spoke more truth than her words. But he wasn’t about to pry into her affairs. He’d only had a brief interaction with Trevor, but it was enough to send red flags up for Dax. That man wasn’t the trustworthy sort. “Be careful, Jane.”

  “Thanks. I will.” She winced as if his words had struck a chord.

  “I’ll be around.” Dax turned to leave. He walked down the long driveway leading toward the open road, feeling as if he should have said something better to Jane. But words failed him. She was clearly someone of intelligence. He respected her for how she’d handled their time together; rather than pressing him for answers, she was allowing him to build a trust with her. They’d only had a few hours alone, but it had been enough for him to feel something. More than respect. But she was human. He was a dragon. Nothing could ever happen between them, no matter how warm their connection was. He couldn’t. No. Putting words to it would make it real, and whatever these feelings were, they could not be real. He’d be going home in a few days, and their paths would never cross again.

  “Hey!” Trevor came running up behind Dax. “What’s your deal?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You show up out of the blue. Disaster happens, and you and she are both unscathed, with no explanation. What are you hiding?”

  “I could say the same. You’re attracted to the woman. Yet you’d have let her die to save your own skin.”

  Trevor’s eyes darkened with anger. “I told you, man, I didn’t know she was that far behind me.”

  “When you care for someone,” – Dax faced him head on, ensuring his point hit home – “you make it your business to know.”

  The man should have backed down. Even in his human form, Dax knew how large he was. But Trevor didn’t so much as flinch
. He met Dax’s threatening glare with stoic determination. “It all worked out. She’s safe.”

  “No thanks to you.” His insides burned with fury, threatening to melt away his façade. This was exactly the kind of person his Elders had warned him about. Savage. Uncaring. Not worthy of the life he’d been granted. If not for the fact this human was connected to Jane on some emotional level, he’d have been more than happy to incinerate him.

  “You having a go at me?” Trevor’s lip curled into a wicked sneer.

  “I am. What are you going to do about it?”

  Trevor’s hand cocked back, ready to strike, but before it went flying, Jane called out from the across the parking lot. “Trevor, let’s go. We have to check the sensors and see if the tubes are active.”

  The distraction gave Dax time enough to sidestep Trevor and take his leave. “If you care, you’ll keep her safe. If you don’t, I’ll be watching.”

  He didn’t bother to listen for Trevor’s reply, though he expected more posturing and threatening words from the savage creature. That was their way. Trevor meant nothing to Dax, but the woman had left her mark on him, and he couldn’t shake the image of her from his mind.

  Against his better judgment, he decided he would join her to see the lava flowing in the morning, if only to make sure Trevor wasn’t taking her well-being for granted.

  ***

  The human world was vast and filled with colors and sounds unlike anything he had ever encountered before. A nearby city was alive and bustling even past the setting of the sun. Dax walked the streets, curiously watching the people move about. Humans were good at building things to help them with every task, it seemed. Rather than walk, they’d built metal beasts with wheels to carry them and packed the streets with these vehicles in every color of the rainbow. Invisible even to Dax, the gasses they emitted were as noxious as the poisons spewing from the nearby volcano, but the humans didn’t seem to mind.

  Rather than speak to one another face to face, they talked through small hand-held devices. He wasn’t clear on what they were called; the Teevee back home had given them so many names he wasn’t sure which was correct. No matter their name, humans used them to avoid interaction. Even the few people he saw walking together were busy with their eyes looking at these little screens. A general disconnect with their surroundings seemed to be the theme of humanity. It was no wonder they were viewed as savages. They might be smart enough, but they lacked understanding of what connected them to this world. Or maybe they just didn’t care. Except Jane. She cared.

  Why couldn’t he get her out of his mind?

  A few humans ducked into a building with bright, colorful lights. Curious, Dax followed.

  Inside was darker than out. It was a cave of a building that made him feel almost at home, except for the fact it was filled with people.

  Upbeat music flooded the air, loud enough to cover the conversations of the people around him but not enough to drown out his own thoughts. Tables and chairs sat waiting to be filled. At the end of the room, lit like a welcoming beacon stood a long bar with individual seats. Behind the bar Dax saw a familiar feature. Much like the screen his people had set up in the main marketplace, there was a Teevee, only this one was much brighter, flatter, and mounted to the wall.

  Dax wandered up to the bar and took an open seat.

  A woman with strange markings all the way up her bare arms and hair as pink as the flowers that grew on his home island, walked up. “What are you having?”

  Unprepared for the question, he shrugged. “Surprise me.”

  “You look like a beer man.” She walked away, and Dax turned his attention to the screen. Back home they watched a show like this: news reports from all over the world. He didn’t recognize the faces of the humans talking, but he did recognize the mountain they were showing.

  “Outside of the park along the southeast edge is the projected path of the lava flow. We have volcanologist Jane Calman here to give us an update.”

  The screen flashed over to an image of Jane still in her lab. She’d done something to her face – added more color to her lips and eyes. Her hair, no longer tied up in a tight knot, hung in a wavy mass like a ring of fire around her head. Dax wasn’t sure if he liked it; she looked like all the others on the Teevee, pretending to be something they weren’t. Still, he watched as she spoke.

  “We’re expecting to see an eruption from the tube system leading down the southern edge of the island. Our data suggests that this won’t be a violent eruption. What we’re looking at is a backup in the tubes that will essentially melt the roof to allow the magma to escape as it makes its way down to the sea. In the new vent that was created by this afternoon’s eruption, we’re already seeing a lot of smoke. That isn’t going to dissipate anytime soon. Volcano watchers are warned not to get too close to the crater. Highly concentrated levels of sulfur dioxide can pose a serious health risk.”

  Jane disappeared from view and another woman with a painted face began speaking into the screen. “That’s an excellent point. In the past, when Kilauea has been active, park visitors have surged to over 10,000 a day.” As the reporter talked, the screen changed again to the same view he’d seen earlier when flying in that damned chopper. “Everyone wants to see the spectacle. Eruptions are often seen as historic events. However, safety first.” The reporter glared into the screen as she gave that final warning, and then the view changed as she addressed Jane again. “Ms. Calman, other than the poison gas, what dangers do volcanoes poses to those who might want to visit?”

  Of all the sights on the screen, Dax preferred to see Jane’s face filling it. Why did she have such an effect on him?

  Jane stared into the screen just as the reporter had while she spoke. “Volcanoes are unpredictable, even with all our technology and equipment. We were up in the crater today and nearly got caught in the eruption from this new vent. Lava is an unstoppable force. My recommendation would be to not visit right now; but for those that do, stay clear of the smoke. Wear protective gear, and stay far away from the path we’ve outlined here, as readings indicate that lava should reach the surface within the next few hours and begin traveling down this ridge.”

  “Does this pose a risk at all to the community?” the reporter asked.

  Jane was quick to answer. “As long as the winds don’t change, air quality shouldn’t be affected. As for the flow of lava, it’s heading for the water. Its path will be determined by any seismic activity and obstacles it encounters. At this time, we’re not predicting any damages to homes or roadways, but as always, we’ll continue to monitor and update as we get more information.”

  The reporter’s painted face again filled the screen, and Dax found himself sad to see Jane’s face disappear. “You heard it, folks. Kilauea is at it again, and the team at the Observatory is keeping a close watch. Keep it here for more updates.”

  The lady returned carrying a large glass of amber liquid. “You want me to start you a tab?” she asked.

  Again Dax found himself unsure of how to answer, so he nodded.

  “You don’t talk much, do you?” she asked.

  He should. He’d spent the better part of the last hundred years dreaming of the day he could talk to a human. He’d had list drawn up of the things he’d wanted to ask and the topics he’d discuss when he got here, but now all his thoughts and his focus were narrowed down to one point of interest. And forbidden as it was, all he could do was think of Jane. “Not much to say,” Dax grunted, when he noticed the woman was staring at him.

  “You see that volcano eruption today?” she asked.

  Dax nodded.

  “Volcanoes are good for business. When they blow, the people flock to watch.”

  “People are stupid,” he grunted, and set his gaze to the strange designs on the woman’s arm. A snake or perhaps a crude depiction of a dragon wrapped its tail around her wrist and appeared to crawl up the length of her arm. He struggled to remember the human word for these permanent drawings they
put on their skin and what purpose they served. But aside from its purpose, he admired the novelty of it.

  “People can be as stupid as they like as long as they bring their money and a whetted appetite.”

  Still not completely sure of human facial expressions, he wondered if it was annoyance he was seeing from the barmaid or perhaps that was just the way her face looked, slightly snarly with a curl to her lip. Maybe he had insulted her somehow by staring at her arm. Dax softened his tone and asked as politely as he could, “Why risk life and limb to see hot rocks shooting from the mountain or magma dribbling slowly toward them destroying everything in its wake?”

  “Because it’s something different.” She rolled her eyes.

  “You don’t seem to care much.”

  “The volcano has been erupting since I was a kid. I’ve seen it before.” She shrugged and turned to walk down the other side of the bar.

  Humans were an odd breed, that was certain. Dax had had his fill of them for one evening. He left his drink untouched and exited the bar in search of a place to sleep that would allow him to return to his natural form.

  ***

  Volcanoes were good for creating things. Destructive though their nature was, sometimes the old had to be burned away for new things to develop. It was the cycle of nature – sometimes cruel, but never without purpose.

  Once free of the city, he resumed his natural form and spread his wings wide to take to the air. The earth below rumbled from more than just the smoking crater. Fiery beast that she was, Mother Nature’s veins ran red hot.

  Below he could see signs of other smaller craters beginning to warm as earth’s blood rose to the surface.

  Back home, his own island had regular eruptions, and he’d witnessed the cycles of new land formations as heated rock met icy water, deadly and beautiful at the same time.

  For his own people, the fire was welcome, but as Dax flew and saw the twinkling lights of human settlements, he remembered that they could not cope with the heat or destruction.