Fire raced inside Skye and she looked up to see Jenisia standing before her. The girl’s face was still streaked with tears, and her lips were trembling, but her eyes, her eyes sparkled with something terrible. One of her hands was dripping with Darion’s blood.
Mikhael brushed by her and grabbed onto Jenisia. He was shouting at her, but Skye couldn’t make out the words; her head was filled with a terrible hissing, as if she were boiling from the inside. She rose from the ground and lifted her arms out to the sides. Through a fiery haze she saw Mikhael shoving Jenisia out of the way.
“Run!” he was screaming. “Run!”
The girl ran into the forest and Mikhael turned to face Skye. She didn’t care; the change was about to consume her. All she could see was fire, and all she could feel was rage.
End Of Part 1
About Jason LaVelle
J.N. LaVelle is an author and photographer from West Michigan. When he's not spending time with his beautiful wife and four children, he's probably at the dog park with his three pugs, Dragon, Dylan and Mr. Sparkles - plus his annoying dachshund, Lady. After he's done playing with the pugs and tucking the kids into bed, he explores the paranormal world through writing.
Follow Jason here:
Facebook
Website
Twitter
For Alynne and Lyra
Click to expand map
The Ociel took me away. They didn't ask me or my parents if I wanted this; they just did it, and they have kept me here for as long as I can remember. The dragon folk raised me within their hidden sky fortress and trained me in their ways. They taught me how to fight and survive, here and on the surface.
I know very little about who I was, or where I came from. I barely remember my family; I can't even remember my real home. They've kept me here, in these ruins in the sky, until about two years ago, when the elders determined I was ready to become their soldier. Their errand girl. A Sky Hunter.
The Aether Suit the elders crafted for me is not a gift I take for granted. Powered by a fusion of ancient technology and dragon’s blood, the suit enables me to fly faster than the Ociel.
The angular suit features reinforced armor plating, motion sensors, dual energy-based arm cannons, jets, shoulder-mounted homing missile systems, and a life support system. Both arm cannons can be activated and disabled on command. When activated, the suit spawns the cannons over my armored gloves. Firing homing missiles and charge shots from my cannons is taxing on the suit, and requires additional energy to replenish my ammo.
Like the Ociel, the armor is a shining, scaled metallic sage, and loaded with secrets I can only dream of unlocking someday. It is equipped with enough defense systems to stop a war machine cold, yet covert enough for espionage. The elders tell me that despite all of this, the suit is far from complete.
Beneath the Aether Suit, I wear a flexible black and sage dragon skin body suit that serves to reduce the physical impact operating the suit takes on my body.
The dragon people are kind, but they are not my kind. The Ociel stand upright on two legs and speak multiple languages. They have massive, powerful wings, and their bodies are muscular. Their scaled bodies protect them from the elements, and most Ociel wear decorative clothing and jewelry. When an Ociel achieves something of significance, the elders honor them with tribal tattoos.
I am one of very few humans in Arcadia living among this ancient race. Yet, after all this time, I still don't know why. Even after everything I’ve done for them, the Ociel continue to hide so much from me. But my time has come, at last. After today, I am not going back.
The massive stone halls of the Ociel temple are illuminated by countless wall torches mounted on chains and on the ground, as well as roughly carved glass blocks of various sizes embedded in the walls. Because we are so high up, it never rains inside the temple, and the engineers have a complex heating and irrigation system in place that not only protects the island from freezing over, but also collects and deposits the water in the air into tanks for later use. Much of the island is open sky, so pockets of wind are always stirring up the torches and pages in books.
I can hear a slight echo with each step as I walk through the corridors, on my way to see the elders, passing several Ociel on my way to the grand chamber. We wave to each other, but they can’t see my face. If they could, they might know I was up to something, but my helmet conceals me. I turn the corner and come to the chamber doors, where Zan stands guard.
He bows as I approach. “The elders are waiting for you, Ilana.”
“I’m ready to speak with them,” I reply, returning the gesture.
The temple groans restlessly as Zan opens the heavy door; I step through and walk toward the center of the room. The twelve dragon elders are convened in their usual crescent pattern, in high-backed chairs on a raised balcony. I walk up a few steps onto a stone platform with a pillar of light cascading from the far wall. Zan pulls the heavy door closed.
“Greetings. Are you well this day?”
“Yes, Elder Ize.”
“Good. I’m pleased to hear it. The Broodmother has blessed us with another meeting. Before we begin, are there any issues you wish to bring up with the council?”
You know what I want to know.
“No. I’m ready to discuss the mission.”
“Ilana, you must always use thorough judgement before rushing into dangerous situations, on the battlefield and off.”
“I know, Elder. My mind is clear.”
The elders shift in their seats.
“Very well,” Elder Ize begins. “Your mission today is to infiltrate and destroy a splicing laboratory on the surface. You’re heading into the western hills of Starfall Point. The security systems there are far more complex than what you’re used to, so we’re sending you in with backup.”
“If there’s a group of us, don’t you think the humans will be more likely to pick up on us than if I go in alone?”
“Our family’s safety comes first. This facility has deployed far more protection after our latest operations. The humans are trying to protect their research and accelerate their progress in creating more hybrids. We cannot allow that to happen.”
Hybrids. Horrific, genetically engineered creatures that can kill and consume an entire squad in minutes. They’re the very definition of “nightmare.”
“Ilana, I must stress to you the urgency of your mission. Do whatever it takes to shut down the lab. Permanently.”
I nod.
Elder Ize lowers his gaze at me. “You must not fail. We cannot afford to let the humans’ research continue to threaten the surface world.”
“Understood.”
The elders look at one another, then back at me. “It worries us greatly when we must send you to the surface. Are you fully prepared for your mission? Do you have any concerns you wish to discuss with the council?”
“Elder Tokala, do we know the nature of the additional defenses Starfall Point has added to their arsenal?”
“We have an estimated 97% accurate rating of the lab’s capabilities, but because Starfall Point is cavernous, there is always the possibility our scouts may have overlooked some assets,” Elder Tokala says. “We’ve just uploaded the data to your suit, so you’ll have every known location and detail we’ve been tracking.”
My visor HUD displays a small box with an exclamation point to indicate the data was received.
“I’ll review the data before I leave.”
“Very well. We’ll speak again upon your return,” Elder Ize says. “May the Broodmother protect you all.”
“Thank you, elders,” I say, bowing once more. I step down from the platform and head for the door. Zan pushes it open as I approach.
“Good luck, Ilana.”
“See you, Zan.”
Goodbye, Zan.
My last walk through the sky village is a somber one. I’ve always marveled at how a place like this could exist. Arcadia is only a small piece of Namida, the system of massi
ve stone fortresses drifting far above the surface world.
I’ve attempted to research Ociel history, but it’s closely guarded, even from me. The tech here is ancient, yet it’s more advanced than anything on the surface world. Nature and science work in harmony here. The Ociel have somehow created an environment suitable for life. They found ways to grow and protect crops, and harness the sun as an energy source.
Four whelps are playing happily on a round, stone fountain with multiple tiers. Their mothers watch over them as the whelps leap into the air and fly through the water streams. They like to collect the water as they fly past and spit it at each other. Unlike the adult Ociel, the children prefer to walk on all fours.
I’ve been spotted.
“Ilana! Ilana! Come play with us!”
I walk over to the group.
“Off on another mission for the elders?” Syndra, one of the dragon mothers, asks.
“Yes.” I look at the younglings. “Sorry, babies. Maybe next time.”
“I’m sure Ilana will play with you when she returns,” Syndra says.
“Of course. I’ll see you later.”
Goodbye, kids.
The Ociel are a peaceful race, for the most part, but they realize there is evil in the world. They are incredibly fierce warriors, and have invented weapons systems beyond mankind’s comprehension. The Aether Suit is just a small testament to their ingenuity, but it was left incomplete. That was a deliberate choice, I have no doubt.
I head back to my room and close the Ociel-sized wooden door. Light streams in from the oversized window as I cross the room, and the stone walls and floor shine fragmented metallic green when I walk through the beams of light. This room was not originally intended to house humans, so it’s always felt strange living here. Everything I own hardly takes up any space.
Sitting at my data station, I face out toward the room and activate the mission data on my HUD.
[MISSION: Starfall Point Splicing Lab.]
[PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Infiltrate and secure the lab.]
[SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: Collect Hybrid research data.]
[THIRD OBJECTIVE: Destroy the facility.]
A detailed three-dimensional map of Starfall Point appears in front of me with small blue rotating exclamation points in cubes indicating known weapons systems. I see the patterns and examine the potential points of entry. According to the data, we’ll be flying in under storm cover. It can be useful, but further complicates the mission. I study the map much longer than usual. This won’t be easy.
Halfway through my examination, a small box with an exclamation point appears on the HUD.
[STATUS UPDATE: Your squad is ready.]
[Members: Ilana, Mukki, Nova, Skah.]
[Squad Leader: Skah.]
[Report to Skah in the East Armory Launch Bay.]
They assigned Skah to the mission? The elders really are worried.
I close the map and glance around as I stand up in my room for the last time, trying to capture its details in my mind. If I take anything with me, it’ll draw suspicion, so I leave all of my belongings in place.
The Ociel have treated me kindly, but the elders have denied each of my requests to explore the surface world. I know the answers are down there. This is something I must do; I must know the truth. It’s time.
***
The East Armory is one of several walled off locations the Ociel guard from its citizens. I wasn’t allowed to enter any of the armories until I was deep into my training. I place my hand on the oversized scanner, which blips and glows light blue as the stone doors separate. As I head inside the facility, Skah approaches.
Skah is the single highest-ranking Ociel sky hunter in all of Namida. He stands over three feet taller than me. He’s in a fully upgraded, custom suit of battle-worn Titan Armor and covered in countless victory tattoos. He is a walking, flying tank. We begin navigating the armory.
“The humans are prepared for a showdown on a scale we haven’t seen before. They must be hiding something nasty in that facility.”
I glance over at him. “And we’re about to go in without knowing everything they’ve deployed? Have the elders lost their minds?”
Skah is silent for a few moments before replying. “The elders insist that if we wait any longer, it will be impossible to get inside.” He sighs. “We have our orders. You know what’s at stake.”
I sense that he’s thinking about his last mission. A group of hybrids overran the facility and took out his team. The elders blamed him because he was the only survivor.
“Right. I just hope the elders know what they’re doing,” I say.
We navigate deep inside the facility, passing by several other Ociel hunters on our way to our squad. Each sector has its own clearance requirements, and I’m still limited to where I’m allowed to go.
A few minutes later, we make our way to the launch bay—a large domed area covered in one-sided glass with runways and massive doorways at the far end—and spot our squad. I’m happy to see familiar faces. Nova, Mukki, and I have a lot of history together. There’s no one else I’d rather have watching my back.
Nova is a demolitions expert. Her gear is specifically tailored toward breaking down walls, doors, and anything else that gets in our way. She wears a set of Demolition Armor, which stores and protects the explosive devices internally to prevent them from being detonated on accident.
Mukki is our onsite intel expert. He’s fluent in over two thousand languages, and is an expert hacker. Mukki will attempt to extract whatever data the humans are hiding down there for research purposes. He wears a set of Decryption Armor. Like the others, his wings stick out from between the back plates of his armor.
Skah and I approach.
“We need to deploy as soon as possible. Has everyone studied the nest?” Skah asks.
“Of course, but even with such a small squad, it’s looking bad.” Mukki projects the map of Starfall Point onto the floor using a wrist console. “We need to be prepared for the worst. The only spots that look like they aren’t covered may just be missing from our reports.”
Nova chimes in. “We can’t afford the quiet approach this time. We need to go in guns blazing. That’s the only chance we’ll have of disrupting the lab’s defenses. There’s no way we’ll even make it inside without heavy support.”
Skah nods.
“Agreed. The facility is too well protected. A preemptive strike will trigger the alarms, but we can use that to our advantage. We’ll rain hydra and homing missiles down on them, and swoop in while they’re distracted.”
“If that’s the case, why don’t we just attack them from a distance until we wipe out their defenses?” I ask.
“If we had more time, sure,” Nova says, studying the map. “Some of our artillery will hit their defenses, but there’s no way we’ll deal enough damage to shut them down.”
Mukki looks up from the map. “We also have to consider the research data the elders want us to collect. Starfall Point is their Mother Base. Everything we’ve gathered about the Hybrids is scraps compared to what we’re likely to find in there. We don’t want to risk damaging it.”
“On the other hand, do you think it’s worth keeping recipes for destruction, Mukki?” Skah asks.
“I don’t like the idea, but the harsh reality is we need to know everything we can about the enemy.”
“Good answer. All things considered, I think a low altitude flyover from the southwest is the best approach,” Skah says, indicating the spot on the map. “We’ll fire everything at once as we cross into their line of sight. We’ll blow open the west entrance and rush the lab before they have a chance to retaliate properly.”
“That’s the same conclusion I came to,” Mukki says, nodding. “And once we’re inside, we’ll need to secure the Navigation Room. We’ll have a much easier time once we have a complete picture of the structure.”
“Is everyone clear on the plan? Any questions?” Skah pauses. Silence. “Okay. The mission
starts now.”
Mukki closes the map.
Warning sirens sound as the massive doors to the launch bay open. My heart starts beating faster as we get to our lanes.
I pull up the Aether Suit’s system status for my final checks. Energy’s full. Ammo’s full. Suit is fully functional. All clear. I look over at my squad.
“Ready.”
Nova and Mukki repeat the word and take position. The stabilizers on my boots and the jets on my back hum to life at half-capacity.
“It’s an honor to serve with each of you. To the sky!” Skah commands.
The ground shakes as all four of us rush down the lanes. Mukki, Skah, and Nova begin flapping their wings. I breathe faster as my arms and legs work to build up momentum. In a matter of seconds, we clear the entire length of the lanes, and my stomach drops when I reach the edge and dive into the swirling clouds.
Down we go.
The wind rushes past as we pick up speed. The visor takes over as the clouds obscure the world. Whatever my eyes can’t see, the visor fills in. The suit knows where we are in relation to the surface. The jets on the back of my suit burst to life and shove me forward as I take aim at my destination. The suit begins to stabilize, and I am soaring through the sky on wings of fire.
A Plague of Dragons (A Dragon Anthology) Page 39