Ivormantis

by Alice Brown

  Blain went to the door and opened it. He offered his hand in friendship to the vampire. “Elijah, come in. Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll admit that you have me intrigued.” Blain led him to his office, where Dominic was already seated.

  “Elijah, this is a good friend of mine from Dragonose, Dominic Mantasillion. Dominic, Elijah, head representative for vampires in the Council.”

  Dominic and Elijah shook hands and both men sat down. It never ceased to amaze Blain how graceful vampires could be, especially the older ones. Elijah was definitely old. Blain had no idea how old, but knew he had to be at least a couple hundred years old. Blain walked around to his desk and sat down, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. The next few minutes could go either way. They would know shortly if Elijah was truly holding up the laws of the supernatural or if he was in with the ones that were corrupt.

  Looking at him, Blain started. “Elijah, my friend, do you happen to know anything about an Omega Elf, one with substantial power? It seems she has been running from your kind for a while now.”

  “So, it is true?” the vampire inquired while sitting up, suddenly taking interest in this situation.

  “Is what true?” Blain inquired carefully. He was well aware of Dominic hanging onto his dragon by a mere thread.

  “I have heard whispered rumors for years there is an Omega Elf with untold powers.” He stopped and shook his head as he chuckled to himself. He had blown those rumors away as rubbish only to find out now that it was true.

  Blain looked over at Dominic to make certain that his friend had his beast firmly in control. “Yes, it is true. She is Dominic’s mate, my friend, so for your own safety, please tread carefully on this subject.”

  Elijah turned to Dominic. “Your mate? I don’t know whether to congratulate you or pity you.”

  Dominic chuckled, “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

  “Okay, so let me see how close to the mark I get. Everywhere she goes she is in danger. There are vampires, and I dare say, other supernatural creatures that would do almost anything just for a taste of her blood.” He stopped and looked over to Dominic. “Well, how close did I come?”

  “Pretty damn close,” Dominic growled. “But there is much more to this story. Bullock’s clan is the one out for blood and we’ve had no choice but to defend our lives and those of our mates. We had to exterminate them. I’m sorry, I know as a vampire, it probably saddens you that your own kind have been taken down, but believe me, we simply didn’t have a choice.”

  “Oh, I believe you. I don’t know you well enough yet, but I do know Blain. I know he would never allow bloodshed on his property unless it was to protect what was his.” Elijah sat back in the chair. “Okay, I’ll bite, what piece of the puzzle do I not know about.”

  Blain looked at the vampire and frowned. This was going to be the difficult part. “Old friend, I really don’t know how to tell you this, but some of the members of the council are involved in this.”

  The vampire sat stone still, not moving a muscle, not even breathing for a few minutes. Blain began to worry. Would Elijah take the council’s side? Elijah finally came out of an almost trance-like state and wiped his hand down over his face. “Somehow, this doesn’t surprise me. By any chance is that old hag Hazellette involved?”

  “Afraid so,” Blain answered quietly.

  “Who else?”

  “We aren’t too sure at this point. We do know she is working with a warlock, one that we believe to be very old and powerful. The wizard and Hazellette are working together to get Bullock’s clan to capture Meldamiriel.”

  Elijah stretched his legs out in front of him. “I would like to tell you this all comes as a huge surprise to me, and discovering that there indeed is an Omega Elf is just that. However, hearing Hazellette is involved in trying to kidnap the elf and use her for her own good doesn’t surprise me in the least. My guess is the warlock involved is Clyde. I have been after that warlock for a long time now. About twenty years ago, the council received a report that he was using magic for his own gain and not being quiet about it. Hazellette was off on another assignment, trying to settle a coven’s dispute, so I was asked to go look into it. It was while tracking him that I came across a home that had his magic signature all over it. I walked in and found two adult elves dead. I held back silently in the shadows and watched an angel come up to the house. He was loaded down with weapons, and I wasn’t sure why he was coming around. I watched as he fell to his knees, heart-felt sorrow pouring out of him as he grieved the loss of these two lives. It was then I stepped out of the shadows and introduced myself.” Elijah stopped and shook his head as he recalled that day. “I remember asking him if they were the only ones living in the house. He answered yes, and I knew I smelled a child, but it wasn’t my business to get involved with the elven nation. I just assumed he would take the child and raise it as his own. I left shortly after, not wanting to let Clyde get too far ahead of me, but he has strong magic abilities and has always been able to cloak his appearance when needed. I have also long suspected Hazellette has been involved in some underhanded dealings within the council for years. I do clearly remember her assuring the council that she had taken care of the problem with Clyde when another complaint had come in. The problem is I am on the go so much, trying to keep peace and keep my own kind in line, I am rarely at council headquarters.” He stopped and looked down at his feet. “What I need is some damn help!”

  Dominic smiled over at him. “If you help us with this problem, I just might have the help you need.”

  Blain spoke up. “So, Elijah, have any suggestions on how we can end this mess?”

  “I have a few ideas. When I leave here, I am going to stop by council headquarters and do some snooping around. I’m going to see if I can get a feel for who else might be in with Hazellette. Then, if she is working with Bullock’s clan, I think I’ll go pay them a little visit. I’m going to do my best to take the route they should take on their way here. Hopefully I can cut them off and diffuse the situation.”

  “Elijah, I’m not trying to belittle you in any way here, but can you take on two very strong magic users and an entire clan of vampires?”

  Elijah didn’t look offended in the least. “It’s all part of the job description, man. It has never been taken into consideration as to whether I can or can’t do a job. I just go do it.” He sighed as he stood. “I guess one of these days I won’t be able to do the job, and then my end will be at hand. But for today, I’ll do what I can to get rid of Hazellette and Bullock.”

  Chapter Six

  The following day, Dominic led Meldamiriel out past the gardens. In the very back was a large open piece of land with a tree line beyond that which was the beginning of a small forest. Beyond all that was a gorgeous waterfall, but that would need to wait for another day.

  Dominic had made up his mind he was going to prove to his little mate that she could pack a punch when needed. She had been silent since they had left the castle and he could feel the anxiety rolling off her in waves.

  He turned, still holding her delicate hand, until he was facing her. “Sweetheart, loosen up. Everything is going to be okay.”

  Her face turned a bright pink with embarrassment. “Dominic, not only do I not want to alert every supernatural being within a hundred miles radius of my location, but I also don’t want to hurt you. You have just been healed from a horrific spinal injury, which could have easily paralyzed you for life. What if I end up injuring you? How am I supposed to live with myself?”

  “Are you scared of hurting me?” Natasha’s voice rang out as she walked up to them.

  “No, you and I have trained before. I also know I can kick your butt, too,” Meldamiriel stated with a devilish glean in her eye.

  “Oh, don’t be too sure about that. I have a bit of back up with me, now.”

  Meldamiriel did a quick scan, thinking Blain would suddenly pop up. Not seeing anyone, she was a bit c
onfused. “Okay, I’ll bite. Who is your back up?”

  Natasha turned to Dominic. “Could you leave us for about ten minutes?”

  He gave a short nod and walked back toward the garden. Natasha wasn’t naïve enough to think he would totally leave them alone, unprotected. She asked more for the privacy of undressing.

  “The who is Naquadus, but as to the what…” she let her voice trail off as she quickly striped out of her clothing.

  “Don’t scream,” she warned as she stepped back and allowed Naquadus to come to the surface.

  Meldamiriel’s eyes became as big as saucers as she watched her best friend change into to a beautiful aqua dragon.

  “Hello, sweetie. I am Naquadus, Natasha’s dragon and mate to Sapphamire. You have nothing to fear, I won’t hurt you.”

  Meldamiriel’s breathing began to get choppy as she reached up to her shoulder, just then realizing that Dominic had bitten her last night as they claimed one another. “He bit me. Am I going to turn into a dragon, too?”

  The big dragon smiled down at her. “No, honey. I was a very special and rare gift to Natasha when she mated with Blain. You will wear Dominic’s mark forever though. Have you not seen it?”

  Meldamiriel shook her head, then tried to turn her head back far enough to allow her to see what the big dragon was talking about. Meanwhile, Naquadus circled around the small elf to see for herself. “Here it is. Oh, it’s beautiful, Meldamiriel! It looks just like Ivormantis.”

  Meldamiriel made it a point to hunt up a mirror as soon as they returned to the castle. “So, you know Dominic’s dragon, Ivormantis?”

  The big dragon came back around in front of her and sat down on the ground. “Yes, I was there the night he and Blain were injured. Natasha has gained some unique abilities since I joined up with her. We were busy throwing fireballs at those scumbag Raptorians. Both Blain and Dominic had taken to the ground to combat the enemy, but I remained in the air, throwing firebombs at those curs, trying to provide aid to the men below. Unfortunately, I was too far away when Blain and Dominic were attacked. By the time I could reach them, the damage was already done.” The big dragon’s eyes filled with tears. “That was the worst day. And then the waiting. Waiting hour after hour, worrying that Dominic would not make it. Natasha has some healing abilities as well, so I was forced back into the background so she could use her gifts, but I still watched everything. I saw how exhausted King Thoran, Natasha, and our healer became trying to heal both men. Blain wasn’t so bad; we knew immediately there was no saving the eye. The Raptorians wanted it as a trophy. But I knew Natasha was worried about how he would react to the loss of one of his eyes.

  “Ivormantis was the worst. When they finally allowed Dominic to return to his human body, it wasn’t easy to keep Ivormantis locked up. With Dominic’s spine injured, it could have prevented Ivormantis from ever flying again and Dominic from ever walking again.”

  The big dragon stood and blinked a couple of times, as if to clear moisture from her eyes. Meldamiriel tilted her head to the side and studied this large animal for a moment. She hadn’t met Blain’s dragon, Sapphamire, but she had met Ivormantis and surprised herself by taking a liking to the huge beast. Now, as she watched Natasha’s dragon, she smiled. She could see her getting along with Naquadus very well.

  “So, are you ready to start training?” Naquadus asked her.

  “Umm, I guess so. I’m not going to hurt you though, right? And you’re not going to hurt me?” she confirmed.

  “No, sweetie. I’m a tough cookie to injure to begin with. But I give you my word, even if you by chance do cause me pain, that this is a training exercise. I’m not going to attack you or hurt you in return.” The big dragon actually lifted an area above one of her large eyeballs as if to raise an eyebrow. “That is simply not how it is done.”

  Naquadus turned and gave a shrill whistle. Ivormantis was at her side in an instant. “You called?”

  Naquadus turned to Ivormantis. “I am going to fly away and then come flying back at full speed. You stay here to protect her if needed. I’ll also scout around the area while I am up in the air.” She then turned to Meldamiriel. “Melda, try to think of ways you could stop me, as if I was actually going to attack you. Remember, use the earth and its resources as your power.” The beautiful dragon then took to the air without waiting for a response.

  “Okay, sweetie. I know you can do this, just concentrate. Can you create a force field?” the big ivory dragon asked her.

  “Yes, I have done it once, but it wasn’t very strong,” Meldamiriel replied.

  The big dragon shook his head and frowned down at her. “You’ve got to stop thinking that you are weak, babe. You are the mate to a powerful dragon warrior. Fate would have never allowed that unless you were a very strong individual. Now, let’s try that force field.” What the dragon wasn’t revealing was he knew for a fact since she had mated with Dominic, she had become stronger. How much so would be seen in the next few minutes.

  Meldamiriel closed her eyes and blocked all sound out. She concentrated on the earth and its generous resources and energies. Being careful to only pull what she thought she needed, she watched this energy swirl around her in her mind’s eye until it completely surrounded her. It felt like being wrapped up in a soft, warm blanket.

  She barely cracked one eye open in time to see Naquadus flying at her at maximum speed. She slammed her eye shut and concentrated on the barrier she hoped would be strong enough. After a moment when she didn’t feel anything, she peeked again.

  Naquadus was laying on her back in the middle of the field about twenty feet away from her. Forgetting everything else, she immediately started running toward her new friend, ready to apologize. This was exactly what she had been afraid of. When she got half way there, she realized the force field was still up, not allowing her to get any closer to the aqua dragon.

  She then heard Ivormantis’ voice, “Drop your shields, sweets. You aren’t going to get near her until you do.” She thought she heard humor in his voice. Surely that couldn’t be correct.

  She stopped and closed her eyes, gently releasing the energy back to the earth. Once it had faded away from her and transferred to its natural home, she sprinted quickly of the Naquadus’ side, her fingers lightly brushing over the dragon’s neck.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Are you okay, Naquadus?” she questioned, all in one breath.

  The dragon chuckled, pushing herself back upright. “Of course, little one, I’m fine. You did very well in defending yourself against me just then. That’s good. That’s the strength you need to harness and control. But you did well. Now, let’s see what else you are capable of.”

  Suddenly, a huge blue dragon dropped down out of the sky. “Hi, Meldamiriel, I’m Sapphamire, Blain’s dragon. Do you mind if I participate as well?”

  She gave Ivormantis a quick glance before responding. She knew she was safe. She knew that neither her mate nor his dragon would allow harm to befall upon her. She also knew that somewhere within Naquadus was her best friend, Natasha, who also would never let her get injured.

  “Sure,” she replied and bit her lip, not certain what to do next.

  “Meldamiriel, I’ve been thinking. Vampires are susceptible to fire; it’s the one thing that can bring them down. Why not practice a bit with that element. If they do come after you, fire may very well be your best defense against them.”

  Sapphamire looked over to his mate. “ Naquadus, take another pass around and come back in with some fire power. Let’s see if she can deflect it.”

  The aqua dragon took to the skies quickly and came down a moment later raining fireballs aimed straight at Meldamiriel. Meldamiriel closed her eyes once again and pictured the dragon coming toward her. She held out her hands in front of her, surprising even herself, when the fireballs started hitting them. It seemed as if she could absorb their energy completely.

  Finally, after aiming about twenty fireballs straight at the little elf, Naquadus c
ame in for a landing. Her feet had just touched down on the ground when Meldamiriel’s eyes sprang open. The colored orbs she caught with her energy were now a bright orange. They seemed to barely touch her hands in front of her, lending her an evil look.

  “Hey, Naquadus, ready for these to come back at you?” Meldamiriel inquired just seconds before she raised her hands and started hurling fireballs at both Naquadus and Sapphamire.

  Both dragons took to the air immediately. Sapphamire looked down and chuckled. “Oh, it’s about to get fun now, love. Watch out!” They both just barely dodged one of the fireballs. Sapphamire glanced back behind him as they continued flying and muttered, “Well, I’ll be!” He dodged left and downward as he watched in amazement as the fireball tracked his every move.

  “How in the hell is she doing that?” he growled as he continued zigzagging his way through the sky, attempting to dodge the fireball that was chasing him no matter which way he went.

  Sapphamire finally realized their little elf guest was having entirely too much fun chasing him with her powers. His big oaf of a friend next to her was probably egging her on. He glanced over to Naquadus, realizing how they could end this. “Head for the falls.”

  Both dragons emerged from the depths of the pool the falls fell into. The sight that greeted them made their eyes widen in shock. Sapphamire assumed that when the fireballs hit the water, the water would absorb the power and weaken them. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

  Sitting afloat along the water, as if they were huge floating candles, were several fireballs. The fireballs energy never dissipating, because the water never had the chance to absorb its energy. It was as if there was a thin layer of protection between water and fire. A shadow fell upon the two dragons in the pool of water, causing Sapphamire to look up. Above him he watched Ivormantis fly in, carrying Meldamiriel on his back.

  Just as Ivormantis touched down, Meldamiriel looked on at the pool of water in front of her with glee. Clapping her hands, she yelled, “Yes, it worked!”