“Maybe it’s too risky not to. Krystal had some good points. We are a young town, after all. And the Dark Warriors are growing stronger.”
Hugh let out a long sigh. “We’re a young town, but our military is strong. And letting in more armies is risking letting in spies. A lot of clans lately have had troubles with spies in their midst. I don’t want our clan to be added to that list.”
Jake frowned. “I don’t either. But we’ve had some pretty close calls lately, where Dark Warriors have almost gotten into the city to cause harm. They’re growing stronger, and I’m not sure we can defeat them on our own.”
Hugh crossed his arms. “We can, and we will. We are Torch Lake, after all. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get some lunch.”
Hugh didn’t bother to look back at Jake as he left the conference room. Let Jake think what he wanted about the outside armies. Hugh knew it was a bad idea. Hopefully the High Council did, too. With a confident spring in his step, Hugh exited the building and started walking toward the burger joint he’d had in mind for a date with Krystal. Just because she didn’t want to come along didn’t mean he couldn’t have a delicious burger for lunch. Krystal didn’t know what she was missing.
As for Hugh, he didn’t know what he would be facing along the way to the burger joint—or that it would be something he would have been glad for Krystal to miss.
Chapter Three
Hugh had made it halfway to the burger joint when it happened. The bomb sirens went off all throughout the city, their eerie cries piercing the otherwise peaceful noontime serenity. Moments after the sirens went off, the sky turned black as night. Hugh heard people starting to scream all around him. A few wizards screamed out “Magicae lucis” to make light beams stream from their magic rings. By those dancing lights, Hugh could see crowds of people running in every direction, panic written across their faces.
Hugh, however, remained still. Like a statue, he stood in the middle of the sidewalk and looked around, assessing the situation. His whole body was tense, and he was prepared to shift, but he wanted to get a good handle on the situation before he made a move. Once he was in dragon form, he would be a notable target. He’d be nearly invincible, thanks to his thick dragon hide, but he was sure to be swarmed by enemy soldiers anyway.
This had to be the work of the Dark Warriors. They’d been growing bolder lately, and more skilled at getting by the ever-present guards that surrounded Torch Lake. If there was one area where Torch Lake could use some outside help, it was with guards. No matter how many were posted, the Dark Warriors tried to get through. Occasionally, they succeeded. Looks like today was one of those days.
All around Hugh, people were screaming at each other to take cover. Hugh still hadn’t seen a Dark Warrior, but he knew they were out there. Every now and then, he heard a whooshing noise as a broomstick swept past him, followed by the buzzing sound of a magic attack spell. He also heard the roaring of shifters. From the sound of it, the Dark Warriors had brought some bear shifters with them this time. As Hugh’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he decided that now was a good time to shift. He’d seen enough, and knew what he was facing. Time to show those Dark Warriors who was boss.
More screams were ringing out from somewhere to Hugh’s right. He turned in that direction and began to shift, deciding that the first thing he would do would be to help that group of people. Hugh let out a giant roar and began to let out his inner dragon. His clothes tore off his body in shreds as he began to grow and shift. His hands and feet transformed into the giant, strong hands and feet of a dragon. Sharp claws extended from each finger, and his human skin thickened into iridescent dragon hide. His head morphed into the mighty head of a dragon, complete with pointed horns and razor sharp teeth. When his transformation was complete, Hugh let out a long, loud roar.
Let the Dark Warriors come to him. They could swarm him now, and he would show them who was boss. A half block down from him, Hugh heard an answering roar, and he smiled. Some of the other Torch Lake dragon shifters had come out to play. Soon, the military would be out here as well. Some of the wizard experts who knew how to combat a darkness spell would be by to restore the sun that had so suddenly disappeared, and the other soldiers would help drive these Dark Warriors back. Things were under control.
But as the enemy soldiers whooshed around Hugh, he was dismayed to realize that there were far more than usual here. There had been a few break-ins by the Dark Warriors already, but never this many at once. Hugh had to admit that Krystal was right: darkness was growing stronger, in both the figurative and literal sense.
Hugh would worry later on about how these enemy soldiers had gotten in. Right now, all that mattered was keeping the citizens of Torch Lake safe. Taking a deep breath, Hugh filled his lungs with air and breathed out a long stream of fire. He caught several Dark Warriors in his fire, and they went hurtling toward the ground in a screaming ball of fire.
The screams from citizens had died down now. Most non-military had taken cover as best they could, and were keeping quiet to avoid letting the Dark Warriors know where they were. The one bad thing about that was that the steady stream of light Hugh had had from the wizards’ rings was gone. He strained his eyes in the darkness, but the black was so thick that it was nearly impossible to see anything. He was beginning to wonder if he should just start shooting out long streaks of fire and hope for the best, when bright sunshine once again hit his eyes.
Squinting in surprise, he looked to his left just in time to see Abby Fullmer, an expert in ancient magic, zooming by. She saw him and gave him a friendly salute, then disappeared into the mess of soldiers up ahead. Abby had certainly been the one to cancel the darkness spell, and Hugh had never felt so grateful. Dragons had keen eyesight, but even for them, the kind of darkness that a darkness spell brought made it difficult to see.
Now, Hugh could see that the majority of the fighting was happening about a block in front of him. It looked like the Dark Warriors were being easily pushed back, and the Torch Lake soldiers were starting to gain the upper hand.
See, he thought. Torch Lake’s army can handle the Dark Warriors alone. We don’t need outside help.
Just as he started flying in the direction of the battle, though, he saw a wizard in dark clothing zooming by him and into the alley between two buildings. Frowning, Hugh turned to see what the wizard was doing. It had been hard to tell with the wizard moving so quickly, but Hugh was pretty sure that had not been a Torch Lake soldier. If a Dark Warrior was breaking away from the main fight like this, that wizard must be up to no good.
Hugh had just about made it to the alley to investigate when he heard a long, chilling scream. The scream was followed by evil-sounding laughter, and then by another scream. Hugh stuck his head in the alley just in time to see the wizard launching a magic attack at none other than Krystal Roth. Krystal had attempted to put up a magic shield around herself, but it was clear that her magic attack and defensive skills were not nearly as developed as those of the Dark Warrior. She screamed again as another attack hit her, and Hugh felt his whole belly burning with anger. Krystal wasn’t his girlfriend. She wasn’t even his friend, exactly. She was more just an acquaintance. But seeing her in pain had set off a rage in Hugh like nothing he’d ever felt before.
He tried to run forward into the alley, but he was too big to do so without smashing the two buildings on each side of the alley to bits. He couldn’t just breathe fire at the wizard, either. He wasn’t sure he could get it far enough, and, even if he could, the evil wizard was too close to Krystal for comfort. Hugh didn’t want to accidentally fry her while taking out the dark wizard.
Hugh had little choice, it seemed, but to shift back to human form and fight that way. He wouldn’t be as strong or invincible as he was in dragon form, but it was the only way he was going to get into that alley. With a low roar, he began to shift back. He lost his thick dragon hide, and his body once again became human. But even like this, Hugh was anything but weak. He m
ight not be able to breathe fire, but he could still fight.
The Dark Wizard was still attacking Krystal with vengeance, and seemed oblivious to Hugh’s presence. Hugh used this to his advantage, running up behind the wizard as fast as he could and knocking him off his broomstick with one giant punch. Hugh’s knuckles made a cracking sound as the connected with the side of the wizard’s face. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for the next few moments. The wizard hit the ground, landing on his back and letting out a startled cry of pain. Krystal’s mouth dropped open when she recognized Hugh, and realized what was happening. But Hugh didn’t hesitate or pause for even a second. He knew he didn’t have much time before the wizard recovered his senses and began launching a magic attack at him. And without his dragon hide to protect him, Hugh would easily be taken down by attack spells. He had to strike first.
With a loud, angry roar, Hugh jumped on top of the wizard and flipped him over on his stomach. Then he twisted his hands behind his back, and tore the wizard’s magic ring off his finger. As soon as the ring was off, Hugh breathed a sigh of relief. Without his ring, the wizard’s magic would be unfocused and weak. Hugh was a much larger man than him, and could easily keep him subdued.
“Looks like we might have our first prisoner of war,” Hugh said, jerking the man up to a standing position. “I’m sure the High Council is going to be very interested in talking with you.”
The wizard only glared at him, refusing to speak. Hugh pushed him forward toward the alley’s exit. “Walk. And don’t try any funny business or I’ll knock your head in again.”
The wizard huffed, but walked toward the main street with no other protests. Hugh turned to Krystal, whose eyes were still wide. Her neat bun had become a messy bun, with loose strands falling all around her face, and her cheeks were streaked with dirt. But he didn’t see any blood or wounds on her.
“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice sounding tenderer than he’d intended. Her cheeks turned red, as they seemed to do whenever he was speaking with her.
“I’m fine. Just a little shaken up. I was trying to run for cover and that guy just came out of nowhere.” She shuddered. “Thank you. I…I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come along.”
“Don’t mention it. I was just doing my job. I’m sworn to protect this city and its citizens.”
“Still. That was awfully brave of you to run in here in human form. I’d say you went above and beyond just ‘doing your job’ today.”
Hugh shrugged, but then had an idea. With a twinkle in his eye, he gave Krystal a sideways glance. “If you really want to repay me, you could go out on a date with me. I still haven’t had lunch, have you?”
She smiled sheepishly. “No, I haven’t had lunch. And considering the fact that you just put your life on the line for me, I guess I could grab a burger with you.”
Hugh’s smile widened. “Good. Let me hand this wizard over to the military guard and debrief with the other dragons for a few moments. I’ll grab a spare uniform from the High Council building so I’m not naked, and then we can go.”
Krystal nodded, blushing deeper. Hugh wasn’t sure if she was blushing because he was naked or just at the thought of having lunch with him. For him, losing his clothes to shifting was the most normal thing in the world. He barely thought twice about it. But many of the wizards in Torch Lake still awkwardly shied away from naked shifters.
Hugh waved over some of the military guard who were inspecting some damage to the building nearby. The fighting had stopped now, and other than a few spots where attack spells had damaged the walls of buildings, everything looked completely back to normal. The other dragons had already shifted back to human form as well, and were huddled to talk. Every now and then, Jake pointed up at the sky and squinted. No doubt, they were trying to figure out how the Dark Warriors had managed to get past the city’s defenses. Hugh rushed over to them, eager to hear their theories, but also eager to get the debrief over with so he could go to lunch with Krystal before she changed her mind.
Even during a war, he had his priorities.
Chapter Four
Krystal followed Hugh into the downtown burger joint that he claimed was the best in the city, and by the delicious smell that hit her nose she’d have to say he might be right. The place was crowded now, which surprised Krystal. She would have thought that after a big attack like the one that had just occurred, everyone would have gone to their houses to hide. Then again, she should have known better. Most Torch Lake citizens weren’t the type to run and hide at the first sign of danger. After all, they’d all been through the Great Dark War a few years back. They were used to seeing danger close up.
And now that they’d seen another small taste of war, they all wanted to gossip about it. As she stood in line with Hugh, Krystal eavesdropped on the conversations around her. Everyone was talking about the attack, and wondering how the Dark Warriors had managed it. A few people mentioned how Torch Lake’s army was stretched too thin, and they needed help. Krystal, of course, agreed with them. Maybe this attack would make the High Council even more likely to take her presentation seriously and bring in an outside army. Krystal glanced at Hugh. He wouldn’t be happy about that. He seemed to think spies were everywhere.
He must have sensed her glancing at him because he glanced back at her and grinned. She felt her cheeks heating up again, and she knew she was blushing. Why did he always have that effect on her? If he noticed, though, he didn’t say anything.
“Know what you want?” he asked.
Krystal shook her head no, and turned her attention to the menu. She’d barely glanced at it since they walked in. There must have been at least twenty different burgers available, and the choices overwhelmed her. It also felt odd to be standing here doing something as normal as choosing a burger for lunch when less than half an hour earlier she’d thought for sure she was going to die. Her heart rate still hadn’t quite returned to normal, and yet Hugh was expecting her to think about what kind of burger she wanted.
“The Western’s really good,” he offered. “I usually get that one, or the California.”
“I’ll take the Western,” Krystal said quickly. She felt relieved at having that decision done, and turned her attention back to eavesdropping on conversations around her.
But once they had ordered, Hugh led them to what appeared to be the one empty booth in the restaurant. It was in the far left corner, and the booth’s walls were high-backed, giving Hugh and Krystal quite a bit of privacy. But Krystal wasn’t sure she wanted privacy. Her heart was doing funny things in her chest, and she was beginning to suspect that it was because of the man sitting across from her. She tried to brush it off as merely leftover adrenaline from almost dying, but it was hard to deny the way her heart did a little flip-flop in her chest whenever Hugh grinned over at her. Who could blame her? He was objectively one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen, and he had literally just saved her life. In modern times, you couldn’t get much more “knight in shining armor” than that.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Hugh said, raising an eyebrow at her as he took a big bite from his burger. Krystal felt herself blushing again, and quickly looked down at her burger.
“I guess almost dying shook me up a little.”
“Oh, right,” Hugh said after swallowing his bite of burger. “I forget sometimes that most people aren’t used to facing death on a regular basis.”
The comment sounded horribly arrogant, and Krystal looked up at Hugh in anger. But there was no arrogance in his face. Only a look of genuine surprise. In that moment, Krystal decided that Hugh wasn’t all that bad. He might disagree with her on some things, but at least he seemed to have a good heart. This realization made Krystal want to know more about him. After all, it wasn’t every day you got the chance to have lunch with a dragon shifter. She should take advantage of this opportunity instead of worrying that he was going to disagree with her about bringing in extra armies.
“Do yo
u really face death on a regular basis?” Krystal asked as she picked up a French fry. “That seems a bit extreme.”
Hugh gave her that grin of his that never seemed to be far from his face. “These days not as much as before. I used to work as a City Guard for my old clan, and that was pretty dangerous. Especially right after the Great Dark War. Here in Torch Lake things have been pretty calm, though. But I guess that’s changing. The Dark Warriors are ramping up.”
Krystal was tempted to make a comment saying that’s why they needed help from outside armies, but she decided to let it go. She was tired of talking about that subject. She’d spent all weekend going door to door talking about it, and all morning fretting about and then giving her presentation. She’d done the best she could for a cause she believed in. If she hadn’t convinced Hugh by now, she never would. She decided to ask instead how he ended up in Torch Lake.
“So, in the midst of all your death-defying, how’d you end up here?”
Hugh made a face. “My last clan was awful. I joined it after the war, thinking the High Council was open-minded and had big things in store for the future. They sure talked a good talk. But their actions were all corrupt. All they cared about was getting more money and power for themselves. When some dragons from Torch Lake came to my town, your High Council offered a place to anyone who wanted to move to Torch Lake. I jumped at the chance.”
“But how did you know Torch Lake would be any better?”
Hugh shrugged. “I didn’t, I guess. But it couldn’t have been much worse. Besides, the High Council here had come to save one of their own dragons. That said something about their loyalty. My old High Council would never have bothered to come help a citizen in trouble. So here I am, and I think I made the right choice. The High Council in Torch Lake has proven over and over that they do what’s best for their citizens. Or at least they try their best. They aren’t perfect, but they’re damn near close.”
Dragon Misbehaving Page 2