Aidan sought out Donar, who would fight Nanoq next after another break. His cousin stood near the center of the crowd with his arms crossed and a pensive expression on his face. Though he would be fresher, and only had one minor wound from his previous fight, Nanoq was going to be the toughest opponent Donar ever faced. The captain had little mercy in a duel, though at least he didn’t kill to finish it. If Zoran had participated, there likely would have been at least one dead shifter before the end of the Bitkal.
“Nanoq has the favor of the people,” Donar said as Aidan came to stand beside him.
“Do not worry about that.”
His cousin snorted. “Easy for you to say. Ruari saved you the trouble of fighting.”
In a way, Aidan was relieved that he didn’t have to compete in the Bitkal. It bothered him to disappoint his father, but he had no desire to carry the weight of leadership on his shoulders. Aidan worked best behind the scenes with no one watching. He was just glad that the two final contenders were shifters he could respect and support. No matter how this next duel went, the toriq would be in good hands after Throm passed on to the next world. Still, Aidan would prefer Donar to win since he would turn a blind eye to certain activities such as his relationship with the slayer. Nanoq would not be so forgiving.
“You’re a fine warrior. Just remember your training and you will do well,” Aidan said, patting his cousin on the shoulder.
Donar nodded. “I believe I can do this.”
“That is the spirit.”
Aidan watched as his cousin paced around, getting his heart rate up. It probably wouldn’t help him during the fight, but at least it helped Donar release some of his nervous energy. A half hour later, the pendragon called the contestants forward.
“Zorya be with you, cousin.” Aidan gave him a solemn nod.
Donar hurried to his position on the field and shifted into his dragon form. Nanoq was still in his since it would have expended too much energy to change between duels. The captain had the poor luck of having to fight all his opponents one after another, but with only six contestants to start it was bound to happen to one of them. The Bitkal was not meant to be easy. Toriq law dictated that it must begin and end during the same afternoon.
After ensuring both males were ready, the pendragon roared for the battle to begin. Both dragons leaped into the air, though Donar stayed hovering over his position. He waited for Nanoq to come to him. The captain did not hesitate to fly the extra distance, gaining extra speed as he did so. At the last moment, Donar brought in his wings and let himself fall for several lengths before flaring them again. Nanoq flew right over him.
Aidan’s cousin quickly spun about and zoomed toward Nanoq, who was forced to make a wider turn because of his speed. Donar struck from below, latching onto the captain’s right wing and dragging him downward. Nanoq beat his other wing in an attempt to fight the pull, but he only slowed it down.
As soon as Donar’s toes touched the ground, he jerked the captain’s wing, slinging the dragon’s body into the dirt with a hard thud. It was an impressive feat of strength. Nanoq’s wing was badly torn, and it took him a few moments to recover. By the time he rose to his feet, Donar was on top of the captain’s back and biting into the nape of his neck. Aidan’s cousin caught enough flesh between his teeth to get a good hold and then began clawing into Nanoq’s back. Red scales went flying. Donar dug hard enough that if he kept it up, he would soon create a tunnel through the captain.
Nanoq bucked and roared, but he could not shake Donar loose. He started to run next, picking up speed fast. Then he came to a grinding halt, digging his talons in the dirt. Donar lost his grip and went flying off.
Aidan took a step forward when he saw his cousin land in a heap of wings and upturned feet about a dozen paces away. Donar was such a large dragon that when he ended up on his back, it took a lot of effort to roll over. He was never going to recover in time.
It was all Aidan could do to stay put and watch as Nanoq leaped on top of his cousin and went for his throat. Donar tucked in his head to protect his neck and thrust his talons out, clawing at the captain’s snout and splitting it open. They nipped and slashed at each other, their angry growls growing louder with each moment that passed. Despite his cousin’s weaker position, he wasn’t going down without a fight. Aidan was proud to see Donar battling so well against an older, more experienced warrior. Now that he no longer had to hold back, he proved himself more than competent.
Their fierce grappling continued for several minutes until Nanoq managed to lock his jaws around Donar’s throat. The younger shifter raked his talons along the captain’s ribs, but to no avail. He could not break free. His struggles weakened with each passing moment that he could not draw breath. Then his legs fell to his sides.
I yield! Donar called out telepathically.
Nanoq withdrew. Well fought.
As each of the shifters changed back to their human forms, the pendragon moved to the center of the field. He waited for the captain to join him before officially announcing the winner. Nanoq was covered in blood and wounds, but he stood tall and proud next to the pendragon. Aidan was genuinely pleased for him. He only worried about how the captain would rule the toriq once he took over. It was well known that Nanoq managed the fortress guard with strict rules and tough punishments for any infractions. Of course, it was also said that he never acted rashly and that he took good care of those under him. Life could be good under his rule, assuming one did not get into any trouble.
The pendragon lifted the captain’s hand and shouted in a clear and booming voice, “To my successor—Nanoq of Taugud!”
Aidan wasn’t certain how his father really felt about the outcome. Throm embraced Nanoq and told him he was proud that such a fine warrior would be the next to lead the toriq. His jovialness seemed genuine enough, and the pendragon had given Nanoq one of his three nominations. Did the pendragon plan for this outcome? Aidan couldn’t make sense of it and doubted his father would ever tell him.
“Tomorrow evening our toriq will face our greatest battle yet,” Throm said, stepping closer to the crowd. “There is a large Shadowan den too close to our territory. We will force them back and show them we will not tolerate such an encroachment. Now that I have a successor, I will be joining the fine warriors of the Taugud in one last battle!”
Cheers rose up among the spectators, but Aidan did not join them. His father may “appear” to be fine at the moment, but Aidan knew it must take every bit of Throm’s strength to appear so. If he fought in the battle tomorrow evening, it would be his last. The pendragon would no doubt require Nanoq to stay back at the fortress so that he could take over the position right away. Aidan was not ready for his father to die, not this soon. He would have to stay close to Throm and do all he could to protect him.
Chapter 33
Aidan
One-hundred and twenty shifters flew in a V formation over the human town of Norman, skirting the southern edge. It was the largest force of Taugud warriors they’d amassed since returning to Earth and it was a fearsome sight to behold. Nothing moved on the ground below. This was the time of the dragons, and if people had not hidden in their homes yet, they did now.
Aidan hoped shifters could overcome the human’s fear of them someday. Even those who lived in the area where his toriq had taken over did not understand that red dragons would not attack unless provoked. He did not like to see them cower in fear from them when it was not necessary. Perhaps after today they would see that the shifters meant them no harm, and that they could live peacefully together in the same territory.
Aidan, Donar, and Falcon currently flew just behind the lead dragons. Throm was behind them, vortex surfacing along the slipstream created by the others ahead of him. The plan was to travel west until they reached the interstate, head north, and then double back to attack the Shadowan den from the other side. It was to their advantage that their enemy be forced to face the setting sun while the Taugud had their backs to it.
>
As they headed north, Aidan continually scanned the area for green dragons. When two appeared on the ground, feeding off of an animal they’d killed, several warriors from the rear of the V formation broke off to take them down. The success of their attack relied on the Shadowan not knowing of their approach until it was too late to form a proper defense.
The shopping center west of the airport came into view. As they made their turn east, dozens of dragons began pouring out of the larger structures. Aidan had suspected the Shadowan used the market buildings, along with the airport hangars, but when they did their reconnaissance, they could not get close enough to be certain. He was forced to re-estimate the den’s population to something closer to one hundred. His people still had the advantage, but not as much as they’d thought. He hoped Bailey and his sister, who waited somewhere east of the airport, took full advantage of the distraction to get the children. There would be no better time than once the full battle began.
Aidan and the other warriors soared downward, heading on a collision course with the Shadowan coming to meet them. Loud roars filled the air as the pure dragons called to their brethren for assistance. The Taugud reformed into a battle line.
Let us show them that we are not weak, and we will not accept their presence among us! the pendragon shouted to their collective.
The shifters returned his call for action with snarls and roars.
Aidan chose his target, a green dragon with a long scar across its face and only half of a tail. It was a sign that this one was a warrior with heavy battle experience. Throm flew just behind Aidan, but he surged forward, seeking out the same foe. His father might be determined to die in battle, but not if his son could help it. Aidan used his lither, faster body to pick up speed and take the green dragon first.
That one is mine! Throm yelled into his head.
You may punish me later, father.
The pendragon growled at him and broke away.
Aidan collided mid-air with the Shadowan warrior, talons outstretched. He slashed at his opponent’s face, digging deep. The older dragon nipped at Aidan’s arms and ripped off a few scales. It felt much like having chunks of one’s hair pulled out—painful, but not debilitating. Aidan growled and punched the warrior in the face, catching him on the side of his large snout. Blood sprayed as his opponent opened his jaws wide to let out a roar of pain.
It was exactly what Aidan had hoped the dragon would do.
He gripped the warrior’s head, holding him still, and bit down on his snout. This needed to be done carefully, or others would notice what he was doing. Aidan could not afford for the Taugud or Shadowan to figure out he could use this particular battle strategy. Only Donar knew he was even capable of it. He called for his second flame, the one that hardened Zaphiriam and fire-proofed camrium cloth, and sent a stream of it down his enemy’s nostrils. The dragon wheezed and began raking his talons down Aidan’s chest, slicing across his scales. He ignored the pain. It was best to kill the dragon quickly and move onto the next.
The warrior began to choke as his throat and lungs were hardened, and his wings slackened. Aidan continued holding him, bearing all their weight and even flying them higher into the air where few others fought. After a few more moments, his struggles became nothing more than weak pawing gestures. The green dragon could no longer draw a breath, and his red eyes drifted shut. Aidan dug his teeth deeper into the warrior’s snout and ripped it off, spitting it away. That should be enough to conceal the method of death. He let his enemy go, watching as the green dragon plummeted to the earth hundreds of feet below. Its body landed on the airport runway, misshapen and grotesque.
Aidan searched for his father and found him engaged with another warrior. Throm’s jaws were locked on his opponent’s shoulder, while the green dragon clawed at him. His father was viciously tearing into his enemy, ripping through scales and skin. He reached the warrior’s throat and bit down hard. The green dragon let out a wheeze, then slackened. Throm let him go, and the lifeless body plummeted the ground. Aidan’s father hovered there for a moment, recovering his breath. He had fought well that time, but how long could he keep it up?
Unwilling to let his father out of his sight, Aidan resigned himself to following Throm around the battle. He would watch the pendragon’s back and confront any warrior who threatened him. His father may have hardly spoken a word to Aidan since he turned down the nomination for the Bitkal, but he would not give up on the dragon that had raised him. It wasn’t Throm’s time yet, and Aidan did not want to lose him before they had resolved their differences.
Chapter 34
Bailey
Phoebe and I paced around a parking lot about a mile from the airport, waiting impatiently. We didn’t dare get any closer until the battle reached full scale, and all the green dragons in the hangars left to go fight Aidan and his clan. Earl leaned against his car, smoking one of his precious cigarettes. We’d decided to bring several vehicles since we couldn’t be certain how many children Matrika currently held. As evidenced by Christine’s daughter being taken the other night after our recon, there might be more than we last counted.
Conrad was in charge of my truck while I was off rescuing the kids, and Danae had brought Norma’s car. Hopefully, that would be more than enough. It was hard to sit still when I knew the children were so close. Phoebe had set her mouth in a grim line that made me think she felt the same way—or maybe she was only itching to fight. I couldn’t be sure with her.
Movement in the sky caught my attention. Numerous red shapes were heading toward the airport, growing larger as they came closer. They weren’t flying very high or I might have seen them sooner—maybe five hundred feet above the ground.
I looked at Conrad. “Wait until fifteen minutes after we leave and then move the truck up to the YMCA. Park behind the building and stay hidden until you see Phoebe and I come out with the children. Got it?”
He crossed his arms. “You told me this three times already, but yeah, I got it.”
“Sorry,” I said, rubbing my face. “I just don’t want anything to go wrong.”
Conrad sighed. “I know. Just watch your own ass, too.”
“The battle is beginning.” Phoebe drew our attention back to the sky.
The red dragons had formed a line and a dozen or so green were flying up to attack. That couldn’t be close to all of the Shadowan, but then I spotted a stream of them exiting the hangars and flying up—a whole lot more. In the space of two minutes, the two clans were almost evenly matched with just a slight advantage on the Taugud side.
I frowned. “Isn’t that more dragons living there than we thought?”
“Shifitt,” Phoebe cursed. “Yes. I have never seen a den with so many of them living together. Usually, only a jakhal holds more than twenty or so.”
She and Aidan had explained to me that a jakhal was sort of like a clan capital. Who knew the beasts could be so organized? I continued pondering that, trying to keep myself distracted. With so many dragons a short distance away, my slayer instincts were beginning to rise. I was doing my best to keep them tamped down. For the past few days while waiting for this battle, I had been practicing getting near green dragons without attacking them. Conrad had helped with that, working to keep me in check. If I was going to get the children to safety, I could not afford to get distracted. I’d steadily built up a tolerance with each sighting, only killing one dragon when we first started the exercises. Oddly, I had been seeing more of the Shadowan than normal in the central part of Norman.
Then a thought occurred to me. “Do you think they’ve been ramping up their numbers in this area because they plan to attack your clan soon?”
Phoebe’s mouth set in a grim line. “We believe so. It is one of the reasons my father did not hesitate to call for this battle when we informed him of the den.”
“What did he think about you rescuing the children?” I asked.
She gave me a confident smile. “I told him it would help win over the hum
ans if they could see we are not their enemy.”
“I’ll make sure they know your clan is the main reason their kids are safe,” I said.
Phoebe dipped her chin. “I would appreciate that.”
Glancing back toward the airport, which I had avoided doing to keep myself calm, I saw the battle was now in full swing. That’s what we had been waiting for. “It’s time to go.”
Danae pointed a finger at me. “Be careful. I don’t want to be healing more of your wounds after this. You’ve already tested my skills enough.”
“You’ve got to have someone to practice on, right?” I asked, giving her a teasing smile.
She just glared at me.
During our conversation, Phoebe kept quiet. Aidan had warned her one of my friends was a sorceress, and he’d told her to leave Danae alone. Shifters weren’t fans of the magic users, but the brother and sister were tolerating my friend out of respect for me.
Earl tossed me a black t-shirt. “You told me not to let you forget this.”
Oh, right. It was a little too warm outside to be wearing an extra layer, but I needed to at least try to hide my camrium outfit in case we got close enough to any other shifters for them to notice. I didn’t want to risk getting Phoebe and Aidan in trouble for helping a slayer.
“Thanks.” I pulled it over my head.
“You can thank me by coming back alive with those children,” Earl said in a gruff voice.
I gave a final nod to Conrad. “See you in about fifteen minutes.”
“You bet you will.” He made a shooing gesture. “Now, get out of here.”
Phoebe and I took off at a sprint down the street. Most of the green dragons would have left the hangars by this point, giving us the perfect opportunity to sneak into their den. We ran quickly enough it only took us about six minutes to reach the airport. Phoebe and I slowed down and headed along the row of hangars with the female shifter scenting the air.
dragons breath 02 - dancing with flames Page 28