by S. E. Akers
Tanner’s brow sprang into an arch. “Where’s the bag?”
“In the shack,” I replied.
“I need both of my swords,” Tanner stressed.
“I’ll turn invisible and get them,” I insisted.
“All right,” Tanner sighed. “But be quick. They can still sense your energy, and there’s enough sand smacking the air to make out your form. And keep a tight lock on those hilts. A Nimbus’ roar can shake them right out of your hands.” Then he gave my wand a quick whirl. “I’ll cover you, just in case.”
I nodded and had my frame cloaked in an instant. The two of us charged back to the beach — me, racing towards the shack and Tanner making a stand along the shore. I was halfway there when I turned back to check on Tanner. Two of the cloud dragons were circling his frame while he steadily took a battery of pokes at the creatures. I noticed the only time their eyes emerged was when they got stabbed with the diamond blade, forcing their fluffy bodies to light up along with them.
With Tanner holding his own, I resumed my course and made a mad dash for the shack. The door was already blown open when I arrived, so I bolted inside effortlessly. There was so much sand mingling in the air I couldn’t see a thing. I quickly shut the door and then rushed to batten the window. With the air much calmer and the gritty grains settling, I searched around for the bag. I soon found it lying in one of the corners and snatched it up straightaway. After a speedy rip of its zipper, I gave the duffle bag a few feisty shakes and dumped everything it held onto the floor. Both of his hilts came tumbling out and now lay on the ground, right along with a little something else — the oculus. Tanner hadn’t made a point to tell me he’d brought it, nor asked me to secure it along with his prized weapons. Whatever his reasons, I sure-fire wasn’t stepping outside without it — even if those things were able to pick up on its Veil scent like a three-day-old pile of rotting garbage. I retracted my invisible veil, opened the oculus, and peered into its glittery beam. Knowing those creatures had actual eyes they were hiding, I figured it was at least worth a shot.
I closed the oculus and threw it around my neck as I rose to my feet. If I was heading out there with a bull’s-eye strapped to my chest, the least I could do was put on my clothes. Tanner might be comfortable fighting in a lot less, but there was only so much maneuvering I wanted to do in a string bikini.
Without a second to lose, I slipped into my shorts and wrestled on my shirt. I was fastening my last button when I heard a growly “WHOOSH” coming from somewhere outside the shack. I grabbed Tanner’s hilts and whirled around to pinpoint the eerie sound. I rushed to the window and threw open the shutter. Tanner was now fighting three of the cloud dragons with a much larger one swirling the sky above him. I was honestly surprised I hadn’t received a telepathic, “What the hell’s taking so long” after seeing how deep he was in it.
I whipped back around to head out the door when I saw some traces of white, billowy mist starting to seep into the shack through the gaps in the wood-planked walls. I jumped back when the roll of the clouds abruptly shot into the room with an insane burst of speed. Then not a second after, I found myself staring at the Nimbus’ rematerialized dragonhead. And I knew those fuzzy-looking fangs it flashed weren’t going to feel like Charmin if they happened to rip into my ass.
The sight of the Nimbus rearing back with the pull of a slingshot had me clutching Tanner’s hilts so tightly I thought they were going to snap. Then the cloud dragon roared out a thunderous gale that drove my quaking body clear through the wall of the wooden shack. I rolled to a stop just outside on the beach, only to see it coming straight at me. Swiftly, I shoved one of Tanner’s hilts into my holster, freeing my hand to catch a bolt. Then I summoned a blast of lightning and sent it whizzing directly towards its head no sooner than I’d caught it. However instead of striking its snout, the Nimbus craned its head with a quick jerk of its neck and ultimately swallowed the damn bolt whole. It didn’t even ignite its billowy body or anything…nor shoot out its rear. And I knew that couldn’t be good.
“You’d better RUN,” Tanner urged telepathically.
He’d no sooner wrapped up his warning when the Nimbus’ body swelled like a fluffy white marshmallow, now looking roughly twice its size. Then with the force of a cannon, Puff the Magic Dragon fired my bolt right back at me. And it was much, much bigger…and as black as a witch’s hat.
I dove out of its path, barely missing its wickedly amped-up heat. While shaking off the remnants of the rattle, I looked back to spy the evidence the dark-magic charged bolt had left in its wake. A starburst of scorched sand lay imprinted on the beach, fanning in all directions. And even it was blacker than the daggone topsy-turvy bolt.
“Damn,” I mumbled, eyes gaping.
Tanner grabbed ahold of my wrist and dragged me under the cover of the brush and palms. “It’s best not to aim for their mouths,” he advised and then handed me back my sword. “Anywhere else would be better.”
I passed him both of his hilts straightaway. “So what’s the plan NOW?”
“There’s no way we can fight them all,” he admitted. “We need to head back to the portal.”
“I have the oculus,” I said and opened my shirt to show him. The only way his eyes could have held even the tiniest hint of a thrilled spark was if I’d happened to flash it to him less my bikini top.
“Shiloh, we’re outnumbered,” Tanner countered. “Even the bravest warrior knows when to retreat so they can fight another day.”
I stared at him crossly. He hadn’t heard one word I’d said about me choosing who and what I fought, when and how I wanted to. Though from the way he latched onto my arms, my annoyance came across like the blare of a bullhorn.
“I’m not going back on my promise,” he assured. “There are five of those things gunning for us.” Tanner nodded to the oculus. “Even more so now since they’ve caught a whiff of the Veil energy locked inside that thing.”
I let out a gruff sigh of defeat. “I suppose.”
“Then that’s settled,” Tanner said. He leaned in to kiss me when a Nimbus came darting through the brush and snatched hold of his waist. Then it yanked him back through the landscape of leafy greens in an instant. I raced after him in a heated panic and arrived at the beach to see the Nimbus carrying him up into the sky, headed straight for two of the other cloud dragons hovering farther away.
I started to summon a gust when Tanner called out, “Get to the portal! I’ll meet you there.” Then all of a sudden, two watery arms rocketed out of the ocean like a pair of geysers and snatched him out of the Nimbus’ grasp. My heart finally landed when I saw him splashing into the water, safe from any of the cloud dragons’ reach.
“You had better be standing beside the portal!” Tanner warned.
I took off like a shot through the trees and headed for the lagoon. I arrived at the lush tropical oasis shortly and without any further word from Tanner. I wasn’t about to leave without him, even though my warded access also permitted my exit. And I had a set countdown time in mind before I headed back — and rest assured it wasn’t that long. He’d fallen well outside the bounds of his watery wards, which stirred another nagging feeling. Strictly going off the fluffy shit-storm my luck had amassed within the past twenty minutes, it was only cosmically fitting that Lorelei would just happen to stumble upon the scene while out for a leisurely swim nearby.
I shook my head. I can totally see it…
Suddenly that same disturbing “WHOOSH” I’d heard earlier rattled the air, shaking a line of palm trees like a pair of pompoms. I spun around to the tune of their ruffling leaves and started searching the grounds urgently. A blanket of white mist came creeping out of the brush, swarming the lagoon from all directions. Not wanting to get carried off myself, I dove into the water for cover. I looked up at the surface to see it bathed in nothing but a hazy film of white. The Nimbus knew where I was hiding and seemed fine with waiting me out. I could wait it out right back if I wanted, but there was just on
e problem with that option: the chance it might snatch Tanner up when he came along. And I couldn’t bear the thought of that.
With a feisty jerk of my wrist, I extended my blade and pushed off the bed straightaway. I rose from the water, sword first, and made an electrifying splash when my blade pierced the mass covering the lagoon. The blow sent the monster scrambling to shift back into its dragon form as it swiftly circled the perimeter. It was racing around the banks so fast all I could see was one long, never-breaking white streak haloing my surroundings. I tracked the creature for several passes, admittedly getting a little dizzy. Then just as soon as I spied the perfect silhouette of a dragon, I hailed a blast of lightning, aimed for its side, and then let it rip with all of my might. The bolt may have initially been right on track to hit the creature, but the Nimbus abruptly dispersed when it sensed the electrical charge coming its way. The creature soared into the air not a second before it crashed with a resounding “BOOM”. With the haze now clear and the Nimbus gone, I sorely discovered that my bolt had slammed straight into the waterfall. My eyes exploded at the sight of the busted up grotto. There wasn’t a drop of anything mystical falling anywhere around the rubbly area where the watery portal once stood. I’d just blown up our daggone lifeboat.
Son-of-a-BITCH, I groaned. If past-lives were possible, you could sure-as-shit bet that I’d sailed the Titanic and had probably taken a ride on the Hindenburg. I swam towards the bank and hopped out just as I spied Tanner coming through the trees. His speedy approach came to an unnerving and jerky halt when his eyes fell upon the wrecked grotto, staring at the scene wearily.
“They destroyed the portal?” he grumbled, reeling with disgust and disbelief.
I holstered my hilt with a feisty shove. “Yeah, they did!” I trumpeted while I scrambled to summon a happy enough thought to extinguish the raging flames of my guilt.
Tanner turned to me a couple of seconds later, arms crossed and donning a shrewd glare. Oh, he definitely knew the truth.
“Well, I hope you’re up for a dip,” he announced wryly. The doubt glazing in Tanner’s eyes was drenching. “We can try waiting them out under the water, but I don’t think they’re planning on going anywhere, anytime soon. Our best bet is to swim to the mainland.”
The thought of him suggesting “open waters” irked my ears like a set of screeching tires. “How long before Lorelei knows?”
“Longer than what we’ll last here if we don’t take the plunge soon,” Tanner assured and then pointed to another swirling cloudbank.
I watched nervously as the black bank formed into another cloud dragon, only this one looked much larger, far more ferocious, and way more PO’d too. My thoughts drifted to the cerulean blue waters that would safely provide us with cover from what was now a total of six beasts, yet still held the possibility of far more danger to come by way of one relentless & riled sea-bitch. No matter how wet or shielding the water seemed, it sure felt like a potential bonfire of trouble to me.
“I think I’ll hang in the frying pan a little while longer,” I protested.
“You’ll be holding on to me,” he clarified.
That had my mind dithering a bit. “How long will it take?”
“Thirty minutes, tops,” he promised.
“Way too long,” I groaned, issuing him a round of shunning hand waves for good measure. Surfboarding his muscles to Africa couldn’t guarantee I arrived there with all of my hairs still intact, let alone my ass.
“Too bad,” Tanner gruffed. Then he grabbed my waist and flipped me up and onto his shoulder. “You’re coming!”
I bumped along on his back, racking my brain for anything that would stop him from hauling my butt into the water. Tanner finally set me back down when we reached the line of trees dividing the beach.
“I’m begging you not to make me do this,” I pleaded.
Tanner kept his focused eyes on surveilling the skies above. “Unless you’ve got a better idea, this is the one were going with.”
Deflated, I turned to the beach. My gaze fell on the spot where the lightning had singed the sand. Then my eyes locked on of one of the long jagged lines that zigzagged a path to our feet. I turned invisible and crept out of the brush. I bent down and shifted away enough sand until my knuckles bumped something rock-like just underneath. My eyes fell to the Guardian-crafted portal lying against my chest. Then the craziest of ideas began spinning the gears in my head. But when you’ve got nothing to lose, even the crazy ones didn’t seem that crazy.
I rushed back to Tanner, now visible, and tapped him on his shoulder. “Have you seen Sweet Home Alabama?”
Just as I’d predicted, he was staring at me like I’d grown two more heads. “What?” he muttered.
“The movie,” I clarified. “Can a bolt of lightning really do that to sand?”
“Make a fulgurite?” he posed.
Not only did I now know its technical term, but I’d also just received valuable intel that proved Tanner could actually tolerate a two-hour chick-flick (which would come in handy the next time “a movie on his sofa” rolled around).
“Yeah,” I said, waving for him to hurry along.
“Yes,” Tanner confirmed curiously. “But they’re jagged and rough . . . Nothing like they were depicted in that movie.”
“How strong are they?”
“They’re tubes of rough quartz, superheated sand. The bigger the bolt, the thicker and stronger they’ll be.”
I turned back to the beach, focusing on one clear patch in particular.
“What are you thinking about doing?” he questioned, almost fearing my answer.
Considering his confusion, I figured I should clarify my plans in a way he was sure to understand them, especially after the adrenaline-junkie had just confessed to seeing such a girly-movie. Kind of man-up my reply that a guy was sure to comprehend.
I held up the oculus, my eyes burning intently. “I’m going to anchor myself to the sand with a bolt, pop this baby open, and then with the help of a little wind and some lightning, those bad boys out there are going to ‘say hello to my little friend’!”
His head tipped back straightaway. “Well, that’s fitting,” he breathed.
“Why is that fitting?” I posed.
“Because tribes across the globe use them in their most sacred rituals. They issue a prayer and then blow through the hollow inside the tube . . . so the universe is sure to hear their pleas.”
I smiled at him, ignoring the sarcasm behind his resistance. “Good,” I beamed. “Then maybe this plan has actually got a shot in hell of working after all.”
I started to head through the brush when he grabbed my arm. I threw my hand up to his lips before he could fire off what I knew would be a protest. “Don’t,” I warned adamantly. I lowered my hand and looked deep into his eyes. “You promised me.”
Tanner guided his hands around my neck and then pulled me down onto my knees with a kiss so forceful and passionate I was surprised it didn’t crater the ground beneath us.
“You can’t kiss this out of my head,” I said, my heart pounding.
“I wasn’t trying to,” he assured. “I was kissing you for luck.”
“Oh,” I breathed.
“And when I halted you, it was to let you know that the sand needs to be cooled instantly after you fire your bolt, or it won’t harden enough to hold you.” Tanner stretched his lips into a smile. “So don’t get pissed when I shoot a little water your way.”
I looked to the churning dark skies, eyeing the circling cloud dragons fiercely. Then I turned to Tanner and smacked his lips with a lively smooch. “I won’t — but only this time,” I warned with a point and a wink.
After a thorough check of the angry skies, the two of us charged towards the wide-open spot on the beach I’d selected. I opened the oculus straightaway while Tanner extended both his blades to fend off any eager party-crashers. One of the cloud dragons noticed us and began its high-speed plummet to pick us off. With the deepest of breath
s and a prayer that rivaled no other, I focused my heart’s desire on conjuring the fiercest bolt I ever had and then threw my hands to the heavens. A white-hot streak came hurtling out of the clouds instantly. I fired off a second prayer as I tracked its approach. I knew it couldn’t blow off my feet, but I sure was hoping the pain wouldn’t spout out the top of my head.
Just as soon as the first traces of the lightning’s heat hit my hands, I drove the bolt straight between the gap in the sand I’d left at my feet. My body rocked with a tumultuous jerk as the earth split apart. Sure enough, the sands began instantly heating into quartz before my eyes. The coarse and bumpy tubes coiled a path around my legs, up past my knees and stopped just below my thighs. It was hot as hell and hurt of course, but the state of shock I was in from it actually working kept me from wailing like a banshee — at least that’s what I thought. A raging wave rushed towards me within seconds, smacking my lower frame clear up to my waist. Then Tanner forced the waters back just as quickly as they’d come. I glanced down to find myself looking like a driftwood-colored, twisty tree that stood rooted to the ground from the thighs down. And just in the nick of time too. A Nimbus was almost upon me and rearing back to rattle off its roar, aiming to shake me off my perch.
I aligned the oculus’ beam horizontal to the sky. Now came the hard part: whipping up a tornado mighty enough to wrangle these vicious creatures, blasting them with enough lightning to pop open their peepers, and making sure the tail of my funnel remained glued to the oculus’ mirror. So needless to say, I was hoping that now claiming three air stones would make me a triple-threat…and that Silas’ insistence about focusing my efforts on fine-tuning my wind paid off more now than when I’d tied Tanner to my bed.
Drawing upon the power from my lapis lazuli and both my topazes, I reached out to the winds whipping the air and began swaying their course into stirring fiercely for me. Amassing the modest tornado was relatively easy. Now I just had to cast my line and lasso the daggone furry things.
I steered my funnel towards the approaching Nimbus. I soon realized I needed to kick up my winds once I’d sensed the tug of creature’s resistance. I called upon the diamond for the extra boost I craved. Then the next thing I knew, my high-octane funnel had sucked up the Nimbus and the fluffy beast was trapped within its walls. The sheer surprise and delight lighting my face was uncontainable; without a doubt, I was on Cloud Dragon No. 9.