A Plague of Dragons (A Dragon Anthology)

by Jason LaVelle

  These people had moved as far from nature as anyone could. Should the mountain explode with all the pent up fury below, it would mean the death of all who inhabited the island.

  What would the Elders do in this situation?

  Tell him to return home. They would not do anything to risk revealing themselves to the humans. Savage creatures as they were, to learn the truth would lead to the extinction of Dragonkin. That was their mantra, one drilled into every little Wyrm from the moment of their hatching.

  He circled lower, seeing a hard line of magma breaking through the surface of the earth. It was a magnificent sight, glowing brightly against the darkness of evening.

  He hadn’t been the only one to notice its glow. A he closed in, he spotted swarms of people. Humans, just as the barmaid had predicted, heading for that very same fissure.

  Jane had proven that not all humans were ignorant. She had a reason to be close to the mountain while she studied it. But these people, rushing toward danger in the dead of night, were welcoming trouble.

  He veered away from the crowds and landed in a crater that had not yet begun to warm.

  Dormant for the moment, it had old caves and vents created from the last of its eruptions that would make a perfect shelter for Dax to sleep in.

  He tucked his wings to his side and scooted into the small opening, hoping it would widen as he explored within.

  Although it had seemed abandoned on the outside, once he’d made it past the entrance, Dax caught the smell of home: molten rock mixed with the earthy musk of his people. He’d never considered that the island might be inhabited by others of his kind. All the warnings of his Elders made it seem as if they alone were the last of their kind, having been slaughtered and driven out by the humans all those years before.

  And yet, there was an unmistakable musk that said another dragon was close.

  That thought made him excited to explore deeper into the caverns, where light failed to reach and even his keen eyes could no longer make out the shapes of rocks.

  He inhaled a deep breath and let it ignite with his inner flame before blowing out a long stream of fire.

  In the moment of heat and light, he saw another tunnel. Carcasses of dead rodents and debris left by spelunkers caught fire and burned slowly, creating beacons for him to use as he traveled.

  Twisting and turning, he continued his trek until he caught the soft crimson glow of magma. And a voice, low and rumbly.

  He peeked his head around the corner. The tunnel ended at the edge of another crater, alive with a fresh river of molten rock. Even more exciting was the Drake lounging next to the steaming lava. He had massive with scales of deep crimson, glowing around the edges with the fire that burned within his belly.

  Dax took a step closer, ready to introduce himself, but hesitated the moment he heard him speak.

  “Come to watch the mountain burn?” At first Dax thought the Drake was speaking to him, but after brief pause, he continued to talk to himself. “Tourists love the fires. They’re so pretty. Oooh, look at how it burns!”

  There was something familiar in the deep, haughty voice, as if he had heard it before, but he couldn’t place exactly where that was. He stared, scrutinizing the other dragon as he continued to ramble.

  “Stupid humans. The whole lot of them. They have all this glorious land to enjoy, and what do they do?” The Drake laughed maniacally. “They destroy. They abuse. They don’t even see the beauty. They don’t deserve any of this.”

  Hearing those words, Dax was reminded of some of the Elders back home who’d preached about the horrors of humanity. The abuses of the land. The drive to conquer and destroy. They spoke as if humanity was a plague to be endured until they destroyed themselves, and then the day of the dragon would come.

  “Come. Flock to the mountain.” Laughter continued. “And burn with it.”

  As if in response, the ground shook below them.

  Burn was right. He could feel it in his bones. This volcano was nearly ready to release, and when she did, everything in her path would burn.

  But Dax did not share the same enjoyment in knowing that cleansing by flame meant loss of life. Even the Elders of his people who preached against the vile human plague would never go as far as wishing their destruction. Patience was always their motto.

  This Drake, however, with his maniacal laughter, was clearly hoping to see them all die.

  He hadn’t seen much of humanity, but even if they were ignorant of their place in nature, there was no joy to be had in their potential destruction. Dax chose to turn away from the madness, hoping to avoid crossing paths with him in the future.

  And again his thoughts turned to Jane. She would burn. His heart nearly froze as the reality struck him. The mountain would erupt. Lava would flow and bring with it destruction. If not for her, he’d leave the island and return home. He could see a volcano there and not have to endure the sight of people dying.

  But Jane was here, and despite not knowing her well, he felt something strange whenever her image came to mind.

  He cared whether or not she survived, and for that reason alone, chose to stay longer – if only to warn her.

  Don’t Get Burned

  Dax set out with the sunrise to explore the eastern ridge of the island, where Jane said the lava might be found, and where he hoped to find her. After an hour of hiking, his hunch was confirmed.

  The sky above, a mix of clouds and smoke, blocked out most of the sharp rays of early morning light, but in places where the sun peeked through, bright shafts highlighted the ground, and there he saw her. That shiny suit she wore reflected the sunlight and made her sparkle like the diamond she was.

  She shouted over to him, “I was hoping I’d see you today. How’d you find me?”

  “I had a feeling wherever the lava would be, so would you.” Dax greeted her with a wave, and picked up the pace as he approached.

  She smiled up at him, lighting her eyes with a warmth that went beyond joy. This was her passion. Her inner fire might not burn as his did, but it filled her with a drive to know and to understand the place she inhabited.

  So like a dragon. If only she were.

  “So what can you tell me about the mountain today?” she quizzed him.

  Dax remembered the drake from the previous night. His laughter. His excitement. And the reason for it all. “That it will erupt very soon, and this island is at great risk.”

  “It’s too early for the dramatic doom and gloom voice. Maybe try and save that for later.” Jane shrugged off his warning. “This volcano system has been erupting for the better part of the last twenty years.”

  Her attitude surprised him more than her words. She was a scientist; she studied. The facts were there, and yet she remained flippant about the danger. “Really? Then why is she so mad?”

  “She?”

  “Mother Nature,” Dax responded.

  “Right.”

  He thought about it for a moment on her relative calm and tried to better understand. “You’ve had constant lava flow?”

  “Pretty regular, yeah.” Jane had her little handheld device again; it stole her eyes while she tapped on the screen but continued to speak. “The volcano system is the tourist attraction of the Big Island.”

  “That is strange, then. Both the fact that humans… people… flock to it, and that it would become so violent after so many years of constant release.”

  “Exactly. Totally regular. Then a few weeks ago, the flow stopped.” Jane pocketed her device and knelt down to a bag at her feet.

  “Pressure builds,” he mused quietly, trying to make sense of the puzzle. “Pressure needs a reason to build.”

  She heard him and responded. “Yeah… Kaboom.”

  “Is that a word?” Dax laughed.

  “You’re so funny. Half the time you seem to understand, and then you say stuff like that. Where are you from?”

  “If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” Dax joked.

  “I thoug
ht you were done pretending to be a secret agent.” Jane pulled out another strange device from her bag.

  Humans have a gadget for everything. Dax chuckled to himself before responding, “You said I was pretending.”

  “Badly!” She playfully tapped him on the arm.

  “Can’t be good at everything, I guess.”

  The earth rumbled violently underfoot, and Jane lost balance. Dax caught her. That momentary connection sent his heart pounding. She was so soft, so small in his arms. The scent of her perfume caught his attention – sweet with hints of citrus, reminding him of the flowers back home on his island.

  She looked up and giggled nervously. “Good catch.” Her eyes lingered on his, gorgeous green irises with flecks of gold like buried treasure. For a human, she was so dragon-like it was uncanny. Even her face had a dusting of speckled marks, like the ghost of dragon scales.

  Instinct, intuition, desire… He couldn’t put a name to the reason he bent his head and captured her lips, but that moment seared his insides with a heat he had never felt before.

  She pulled away from him, severing their connection suddenly. “Damn, you’re hot. Wait... That didn’t come out right.”

  Dax took a breath and turned away as he blew out a wisp of smoke and tried to let his heart settle. Beneath his skin, his blood ran like fire through his veins.

  “You okay?” Jane asked, concerned.

  “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m so sorry.”

  “No. It’s okay. Really.” She put a hand on his shoulder and immediately pulled away. “But you feel like you’ve got a fever. We need to get you checked out.”

  Dax turned to face her. “I always run hot. I’m fine. Just a little embarrassed.”

  “Don’t be. Can I tell you a secret?”

  “Sure.”

  “Tit for tat?” she asked.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Means I tell you something and you tell me something in return.”

  “Tricky little human.” Dax laughed before realizing he’d said the h word again.

  “I think you’re kind of cute. In that awkward, not sure if you’re foreign or just screwing with me kind of way.” Jane bit her lip, and though it appeared she was nervous, it made her look all that much more adorable.

  “You’re an enigma that makes me want to spend every waking moment figuring you out,” Dax responded.

  She paused for a moment, and then her cheeks reddened as if fire had ignited just below the surface of her skin.

  “I mean it. I’ve never met anyone like you. Our time together is precious,” Dax said.

  It was her turn to look away.

  “Have I said something wrong?”

  “You flatter me,” Jane said. “You have to understand – most of the time I’m wearing my proximity suit, sweating bullets, or tied to my computer. I don’t get out much, so I can’t even remember the last time a guy complimented me so poetically.”

  “Not even Trevor?” Dax asked, and the moment he did he regretted bringing up the other man.

  “He’s a guy.” She shrugged. “He’s nice when he wants something.”

  “But you’re female.” Dax was rendered momentarily speechless. By the sheer fact of her gender, she should have been treated with respect. Males earned the love of a woman; that was a prize beyond all others, something worked at through actions and displays of devotion. Complimenting ranked somewhere down with a morning greeting. Jane deserved so much better than that.

  “You wouldn’t know I was female by the way I dress most days,” Jane laughed nervously.

  “Trust me – it’s quite clear. And Trevor should treat you better than that.”

  “Trevor doesn’t have me.” She shrugged. “We just hang out every now and again.”

  “Even to have the honor of hanging out, as you put it. He should recognize how special that time is and ensure you feel it, too.”

  Her face reddened once more, and he worried she might tear a hole into her lower lip if she bit down on it any harder.

  The earth rumbling below their feet provided the perfect distraction from the awkwardness of their conversation.

  Jane dropped to her feet and reached for her backpack again. “I’m seeing strange patterns to the quakes and the lava flowing through these veins.” She pulled out a hand-drawn map. “We’ve been studying the regular runoff to the sea for the last year. These tubes were active all the way up to last month. Now I’m seeing breakthrough from points here and here, but the tubes are dry at the sea wall.”

  Back to business. She seemed more in her element when talking about the volcano, and Dax welcomed the change in topic. Being so close to her had stirred strange feelings within him, uncomfortable and raw. The longer he let his eyes linger on her, the more intense they became – a flame that if given a name would have to be lust. But even that cheapened the warmth that rose straight up to his chest as he looked at her. He’d never felt this way before. He’d never wanted to commit to a mate back on his island. He’d enjoyed the bachelor life. But Jane awoke primal desires that he shouldn’t feel, especially for a human.

  “Something has blocked the tubes?” Dax asked.

  “But what? They were free flowing. What could have stopped them so suddenly?”

  “A cave in, perhaps,” Dax offered.

  “We should see a sinkhole then. But there’s still a crust of earth over the tube.”

  “Whatever happened, it’s showing up in other tubes as well. As if someone had gone through and put a stopper in all the lava flow, causing a backup.”

  Dax remembered seeing the drake the night before. His people practiced techniques like that when they built their temples inside active volcanoes. But rather than block flow, they worked to divert naturally and create more than adequate drainage channels away from the places they wished to remain long-lasting.

  “One thing is clear,” Dax said. “The volcano will erupt soon with a force that you haven’t seen before. And people need to be warned to stay away or leave the island.”

  “I think you’re right about the eruption. But we’re used to volcanoes around here. We know how to deal with them.”

  “I don’t think you’re listening…”

  “Have a look at that.” Jane cut him off turning toward the horizon. A new plume of smoke burst upward. “Looks like new vents are popping up. That crater has been dormant for years.”

  “Mother nature always finds a way,” Dax warned.

  “That she does,” Jane said in awe, as she watched the cloud rise higher into the air.

  Dax caught sight of something else flying in the sky. At first he thought it was the drake he’d seen the night before, but on second glance it was a machine. “Should that airforce-one be flying so close?” he asked.

  “Air force what?” Jane giggled. “You mean the plane?”

  “Is that what it’s called?” Dax’s cheeks reddened.

  “One of these days, you’ll have to tell me where you’re from.”

  “One day.” Dax winked. “But then I would have to kill you, right?”

  “You stick to that secret agent story.”

  “I will. But I’m concerned for that… plane. Is it not too close?”

  Jane pulled out her device and tapped again on the screen. “I’m sending a message to our contact at the airport. ATC will need to divert to the other side of the island to be safe. See. We can deal with volcanoes. No problem.”

  “I do wish you’d listen.”

  “One sec.” She turned around to finish her message.

  Dax watched the smoke and the craters, wondering what was going on deep in Mother Nature’s belly. If his suspicion was right, Jane could not possibly be prepared for the true eruption.

  Jane turned back to face Dax. “Trevor needs me back at the lab. Can I meet up with you again later? Maybe we can do dinner?”

  He hadn’t thought of food up to that point, but now that she’d mentioned it, he would really enjoy eating something. Perha
ps not human food, but time apart would give him a chance to hunt up a little meat in the meantime. “Sure. How about I meet you at your lab at sunset?”

  “Perfect.” She reached out and gave his bicep a little squeeze. “Looking forward to it, secret agent man.”

  “Do me a favor. Stay in the lab today.” Dax gave her a parting warning as she walked away.

  Jane waved rather than respond.

  ***

  He caught sight of wings in cloud of smoke rising above the crater. Dax might have backed away the night before, but now, understanding the destruction that would be caused, he had to go and speak reason.

  Looking around to ensure he was alone and out of sight, Dax pulled his clothing off and called his true form to the surface.

  Rising like a well-fueled flame, his wings erupted outward. He stretched them wide as his body reshaped and armored scales hardened over the soft flesh of his human form. The transition brought out a groan of relief as he fell forward on his front claws. He shook away the remaining quakes in his joints and took to the sky, heading for the recently erupting crater.

  Sulfur’s stench emanated from the thick cloud. Dax let it fill his nostrils, a reminder of home during the active season. Home seemed so far away at that moment. He’d only been gone a couple of days, but in that time he’d seen so much, it felt as if he had entered into an entirely different dimension.

  Beating of large wings near him reminded Dax of his course. He angled himself and fell into a circular coasting pattern just inside the massive plume.

  “I didn’t expect to see another dragonkin here,” Dax offered in as friendly a voice as he could muster.

  “No dragons are my kin,” a deep voice responded.

  Definitely familiar. He’d heard that arrogant tone elsewhere, but he couldn’t place it. Dax searched his memories for a clue to the voice’s owner.

  “All dragons are kin in some fashion.” Dax chuckled to himself. “Though some don’t want to admit it.” He tried to bring back the image he’d seen the previous night. Not a wyvern; too large. Not a hydra; he’d have no business in a volcano. He was like Dax. But as far as he knew, there were no other drake settlements left in the world. The Elders spoke of the time of blood and fire, when savage men drove them away. Might of numbers versus greatness of strength. Numbers always won in the end; that was the first lesson he’d learned as a hatchling, and the main reason his people were not permitted to see the human realms until they’d come of age. Too dangerous.