by Renard, Loki
Vilka had never heard his father speak in such terms before. Vyktor had been a demanding and at times even harsh parent, always pushing him to do more, be more. Vilka’s distant posting had been something of a mercy given the strained relationship between them. His mother had claimed it was because they were too alike, but Vilka had always suspected that it was for the same reason he was suspected by the other elders—his human blood. He no longer thought that. His father’s clear admiration for all things human was suddenly abundantly clear. Perhaps it always had been and it had been Vilka’s shame that had made him think that his father abhorred it. What else had he not been able to see? What else was hiding in plain sight? Perhaps his father was right. Perhaps chaining Kate was the wrong thing to do.
* * *
Kate sat despondently in Vilka’s chambers, the knowledge of her extreme failure weighing heavy on her heart. How could she have created such chaos? She had been warned several times and yet she had not been able to listen and now innocent lives were at stake. This was exactly the opposite of what she had wanted to achieve—a deeper understanding between the human realm and the dragon world. And now she was going to lose Vilka. The only man she had ever cared about, the man who had taken her virginity and made her his own. The prospect of being separated from him was so painful she could barely breathe when she contemplated it.
She heard the doors open and a moment later Vilka strode in, his hands going to her collar and leash. She looked up, ready for another tongue lashing and battle of wills, but it did not happen. There was a slight humming sound and a buzzing sensation, then both fell from her, leaving her free.
“I will not chain you anymore,” he said. “You made this mess, and you will help me clean it up. I will not stop you from running. I hope your sense of honor will do that. I can no longer afford to play jailer to you while a world eater flies free in another realm. Understand?”
Too shocked to speak for a second, Kate finally managed to nod. “Yes, sir,” she said, rubbing her neck where the collar had begun to feel familiar. “I understand. Thank you.”
“Do not thank me,” Vilka said. “I do this as a last resort. I have no choice but to trust you, but this is your very last chance. If you cross me again and make me regret this moment, then you will make yourself a prisoner in perpetuity.”
“I won’t cross you, Vilka,” she said softly. “I feel… I know I have done something terrible. I know I should have listened to you earlier. I was just so set…”
“There is not time to dredge over our failings,” Vilka said. “There is only time to do what must be done and right the wrongs which we have both inflicted on our worlds.”
His solemn words made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. This was her chance to redeem herself and to act in the service of the greater good. It was going to be painful and it was going to come at great cost, but she would not shy away from it. If Vilka could be this brave, so could she.
Chapter Fourteen
On the final day, Vilka and Kate met to say their farewells to Vyktor and Aria. The other elders had departed due to the potential danger of the world eater’s return, and the dragons Vilka had once commanded had gone with them. The fort was uncharacteristically silent and there was a heavy aspect to the very air that seemed to choke them all as they said words that were too hollow to reflect the solemnity of the moment.
Vyktor turned to his son and embraced him before drawing back with his hands on Vilka’s shoulders and fixing him with a paternal look.
“This is your dragon. This is your fate. There is no escaping it. There never has been. Avastias must be defeated in battle and you will prove yourself against his wrath. Most of the creature is entirely impenetrable, but there are soft spots beneath the scales of his jaw and neck. You must wound him, draw his blood and you must drink of it. With the blood of the world eater inside you, you will be given new power—the ability to subdue him and return him to his slumber. This is what is written in the histories.”
Vilka looked into the faces of his mother and his father and saw a deep sorrow and pride in equal measure.
“I will not perish,” he promised. “I will return Avastias to this world and I will defeat him. I promise.”
He embraced his mother and his father tightly, all three with tears in their eyes. They could feel that this was a turning point—a moment after which they would all be forever changed. There was no logical explanation for it, but they knew it just the same.
Kate hung back, shy and palpably miserable. She did not like the plan, she had been exceptionally vocal about it, but there was no other way and she seemed to have accepted that.
Aria went to her and embraced her. “You have your role to play,” Aria said. “As I once did. I know you’ll do what you need to do, and I know you’ll make it possible for Vilka to do what he needs to do.”
* * *
“You gave such a good speech,” Aria reminded Vyktor once Kate and Vilka had departed to face their fate. “Remember? You told him he had courage for the ages? Why do you not listen to your words now?”
“Because courage is sometimes not enough,” Vyktor snarled. He had paced many times about the room, trying to comprehend how he might aid Vilka, but there was nothing for him to do. If he were to approach the world eater, he would become mindless as the other dragons. Only Vilka with his precious human blood could face it.
Of course, there was a deeper, more disturbing truth. He was far past his prime. Exposure to the human environment had taken an unexpected toll. None of them could have known that it would happen, but not a single one of the dragons who had survived the invasion of Earth had lived a normal dragon lifespan. It was typical for a dragon to reach the age of around thirty human years and then stay in that prime for several hundred years before taking to the earth and flying no more. The dragon king himself, curled about his treasure in the far-off horde, was over a thousand years old.
Vyktor should have hundreds more years ahead of him, but since his return from Earth it had become apparent that his degeneration was taking place at a rate close to that of a human—which meant that he no longer had those centuries to look forward to. Instead, he and Aria were fated to grow old together. At first that had felt like a luxury, for Vyktor was sure of one thing—that he did not want to live in any world without his wife. But now he felt weak in the face of danger. His son would face the world eater alone, and there was nothing he could do to help, or prevent what fate had in store for him.
“How can you be so calm,” he growled at his wife who sat at the window, one leg draped on either side of the frame. She was an elegant sight, long legs and a shapely figure that remained intact.
“I’m not calm,” Aria replied. “I know what war is. So do you. I also know that our son has the blood of two warriors in his veins. If anyone can take that lizard down, it’s him.”
“Lizard,” Vyktor snorted. “It’s been a long time since I heard that word on your lips.”
“Well, that’s what it is,” Aria replied. “It’s a big, dumb sky gecko. Nothing our boy can’t handle.”
“I wish I had your confidence,” Vyktor sighed, running his hand through his gray streaked hair.
“You wish you had a lot of things,” Aria teased. “My wit, my charm…”
“Your ass over my lap,” Vyktor growled. “You have not grown any more mature in all our years together.”
“And you have not removed the rod from your rear,” Aria replied.
She was effectively drawing fire from her husband’s concerns, turning his attention to her instead of letting him fixate on what Vilka had to do. Unfortunately, it did not work and they both lapsed into concerned silence. The child they both loved had become a man, and the destiny that awaited him was his and his alone.
Chapter Fifteen
Kate held fast to Vilka’s scaled back as they ascended into the heavens. The portal was a gleaming wound in the sky, one that called her back to Earth and yet she could not help the te
ars that streamed down her face and were blown away by the rushing winds.
Vilka was showing no hesitation in the face of what could easily be his end. She could barely believe how brave he was, but she was trying to be just as brave. The guilt weighing heavily on her heart made it difficult. She wanted to crumble and beg and plea—though for what? The great menace had to be contained and had to be battled. There was no choice for Vilka, and there was no choice for her. She would have to close what she had opened and she would have to leave the man she loved more fiercely than she had ever known it was possible to love to his fate.
With a dragon cry, Vilka broke through the portal and in one wing beat they passed from the dragon realm and into the human world. They were high above New York City, the multitude of buildings laid out below them like a hyper-organized termite’s nest. What Vilka thought of it, she did not know for he had already spotted Avastias, circling the perimeter of Manhattan. Helicopters were holding at a distance, fighter jets were likewise circling the great beast.
She was relieved to see that there did not seem to be much in the way of damage. Perhaps Avastias thought the jets and helicopters were his vanguard, as the dragon legion had been. Or mere flies, seeing as they were but specks against the creature’s leviathan frame. He was casting a shadow that covered much of the city, blocking out the sun to those who thronged the streets and parks, watching the spectacle unfolding around them.
“Drop me on the tallest roof nearest the portal!” she yelled to Vilka. “We’ve got to get out of the sky quickly!”
Vilka circled down to a building a few miles below the portal, which hung very low over the city. Her plan to close it was going to work, she had no doubt of that. She already had the components ready in the backpack that had accompanied her throughout her adventures.
She slid from the dragon’s shoulders and Vilka transformed to his naked human form.
“I don’t think he’s done any damage,” she said. “I didn’t see any downed buildings or fires, or…”
“Avastias is likely confused,” Vilka said. “He will soon start to feed, his hunger must be growing. There is no time to waste.”
He took hold of Kate and pulled her close. Together they embraced against the city skyline.
“Is this going to be the last time I lay eyes on you?” He asked the question in a rough, rasping voice choked with emotion.
Kate tried to hold her emotions in check and failed. “I will come back to you, Vilka. I promise. We will find our way back to one another. We have to.”
“If you do return, I cannot promise you what you will return to,” Vilka said. “I will not lie to you, Kate, I may die doing this. If I can but tempt Avastias back to the dragon realm, I will have achieved my goal. Defeating him is a much more remote possibility.”
“Don’t die,” Kate said, her eyes filling with tears, which made him swim and go blurry and ruined what was going to be one of her last looks at him.
“I will try not to, I promise.” Vilka smiled sadly and pressed kisses to her tearstained cheeks and lips.
“I do love you,” she whispered. “Just, I want you to know that.”
“I love you too,” he said. “If you wish to come back to me, I will be waiting.”
She kissed him passionately, and then there was no time. Every second Vilka stayed on Earth he was risking capture or worse. Their arrival had almost certainly been observed by someone somewhere. The longer they waited, the more chance there was of everything going wrong.
She stood back and tried not to cry as Vilka took his dragon form. In the moment before he changed, he smiled at her, a handsome, sad, loving smile that would remain burned in her mind for years to come.
She watched him take off toward Avastias, held her breath and tried to focus on her own work as the helicopters and jets registered his presence. Vilka was several times larger than any of them, but there was still some risk as he flew over them, his pure red form streaking across the sky. He reached Avastias in less than a minute and discharged a plume of fire into the creature’s eye.
Avastias let out a roar that made the entire city shake. Kate scrambled for the device she had created for the purpose of closing the portal, setting up as quickly as possible. Vilka had already circled quickly and was flying back toward the portal at impressive speed. The world eater had arced about more slowly, but was giving chase. A couple of the jets followed in close formation, peeling off before hitting the portal as Vilka zipped through it, drawing the world eater in his wake. In seconds, both dragons disappeared from the world, their massive forms melting through the tear in space and time.
Chapter Sixteen
The world eater was enraged, its cries rending the air with a volume that threatened to deafen Vilka, but they were in the right realm now. Massive teeth snapped behind him as Avastias gave chase, intent on destroying him. The smallest miscalculation now, a false move of a wingtip would be enough to end him. But Vilka did not intend on making a mistake. His fear had gone, replaced with a battle focus that did not allow any kind of emotion.
He glanced back over his shoulder and saw the world eater’s ferocious form, and behind that, clear sky. Kate must have been successful in closing the portal, just as he had known she would be. Her inventiveness knew no bounds.
He flew alongside the great creature, dropped beneath its sweeping, crushing claws and sank his teeth into the softer belly of the thing. He held fast as Avastias roared with anger, his talons grasping fast as Vilka’s teeth tore into the world eater to reach a source of its blood. It was cannibalism of a kind, the taking of flesh, the drinking of blood. This was what the dragons had come from. This was the creature that had taken the creature of man and infused it with something more.
As Vilka drank, he felt himself expanding with a pure reptilian power. It was as it felt when he took his dragon form, but in a far more extreme and invigorating way. He felt himself transformed by the world eater’s blood, growing, glowing, the bright red of his body becoming a crimson arc against the blue sky as he expanded to a size that was comparable to the great bulk of Avastias.
The world eater snarled and slashed at him with its vicious claws. Vilka fell to the side, avoiding the great scimitars of death, plunging a few hundred feet before regaining his balance and swooping back up and around to face the world eater. They were on a direct collision course now, the great nightmare creature and the dragon with human blood coursing through his veins.
This battle had been played out a hundred times before, and a hundred times the world eater had consumed his challenger and taken the bones of his victim to the grave beneath the mountain, but Vilka had no intention of losing this battle. Avastias was ancient, a singular mind set on defeating his challenger, but Vilka was lit with the determination to protect everything that was his—two kingdoms to which he laid equal claim. He was more dragon than he had ever been, but he was more human too.
They met jaw to jaw, wrestling with massive teeth, bodies rolling ferociously in the air as they fell toward the ground at terminal velocity, wings tucked back to allow for the dive that would come down to one element: which of them would fail first, which nerve would give way and attempt to save itself.
Boom!
The world eater hit the ground hard enough to leave a crater, Vilka atop it, his teeth in the creature’s throat, finding the semi-soft flesh below the plates of the world eater’s chin.
Dust hung in the air about them, suspended with the force of their impact. In the minutes it took to clear, the entire world seemed to shake with the fury of their battle. Avastias’ roars of pure rage made the grass turn white and die, blades scattering for miles, blowing on the winds of the world eater’s battle.
There they wrestled, teeth flashing, claws slashing, their great bodies rolling over the landscape, carving it anew with raw ridges and valleys. They wounded one another repeatedly, blood flowing in rivers down the valleys made from their battle.
With a screech of fury, the world eater
took to the air again, but Vilka would not allow that. He launched himself on the creature’s right wing and shredded it into a hundred pieces that fell across the land. Everywhere they made ground was immediately alight with fire, black billowing clouds and brilliant flames consuming the territory.
Into the earth. That was the only place the world eater was going. Vilka fought fiercely, standing the heat and the pain, biting and slashing until finally he laid his jaws at the world eater’s throat and tore with all his strength. His jaws were immediately covered in a cascade of ancient blood and the world vibrated with the agony of Avastias.
It was the final wound. Avastias did not attack again. The great dragon dragged itself back to the ruins of the mountain from which it had emerged and began to burrow, scales flashing as it buried itself deep into the earth, a new mountain forming above his defeated form.
When the skies cleared, Vilka lay in human form upon the scarred ground. His body was marked with deep wounds from which he was bleeding all too profusely. He had bested the ancient, but the victory had come at great cost. His body was broken in a hundred places, bones and flesh ripped and torn and he could feel his soul slipping away.
“I am going to be so fucking angry at you if you die.”
He heard Kate’s voice coming to him as if from another world. He could not see her, for she was not there, but he could feel her as surely as he could feel his own bloodied wounds. She was at the very core of him. She was his heart and his soul. She was the cord that connected him to this realm and the next and he held fast to her memory as his eyes closed and the darkness flooded in.