Landry caressed her face and then brought her hand to his lips. Always.
Jaron shuffled from one foot to the other, but he remained silent.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Talia stepped away from Landry and to the door.
The air inside the sleeping quarters smelled of the same strange flowers Talia often noticed on Jaron’s ship. The small room was spotlessly clean. A bed. A chair. Nothing else. There was no mirror, no desk, no pictures of a life left behind. Even with the sweet floral scent, the room was depressing.
Jaron sat in the chair and waited for Talia to get comfortable. Landry perched on the edge of the bed, but he didn’t touch Talia. The pressure of people watching made it difficult for her to fall asleep.
“You don’t have to actually sleep. Just enter that state of subconscious awareness,” Jaron intoned.
“Easy for you to say,” she mumbled, but she closed her eyes.
“Let your mind drift, but keep the image of the Dragumon in the forefront,” Jaron said.
Talia clenched the muscles in her legs and then released the tension. She did the same with her arms and abdomen. Finally, she clenched her neck and then released. Once her body was relaxed, she pushed all thoughts from her mind.
All but one.
She allowed herself to remember the dream in which she was a red-scaled Dragumon. Her limbs grew heavier, sinking into the mattress. Fingers tingled and went numb. Talia’s spirit floated upward out of her body. She paused a moment and watched Landry. His fingers hovered close to hers, just out of reach. His leg bobbed up and down, and his eyes never left her face.
Normally the sight would have elicited an emotional response, but Talia felt nothing. All her irrational emotions had stayed behind with her physical self. Talia’s logical mind counted that as a blessing.
Turning away, she floated through the top of the ship and materialized in Calmalder’s circle. This place was sacred, and it was exactly where she wanted to meet the Dragumon. Talia closed her spirit eyes and concentrated on the red face from her dreams. She reached. She beckoned. The tenuous thread between them thickened and grew taunt.
The red Dragumon stepped into the clearing, tall and regal as she looked around. Her eyes mirrored Talia’s. Soft violet, flecked with deepest indigo.
Her lips curled into a sneer as her eyes roamed across the human body. Every movement, every look, seemed to peel the skin from Talia’s bones.
“What’s your name?” Talia asked calmly.
“Shishali,” she sighed in a musical cadence. “What is this?” She indicated the circle of trees with one smooth sweep of her arm.
“A place to meet. To talk.”
Shishali hissed.
“Why do you kill us? We’ve never done anything to you.” Talia spread her hands in front of her in a gesture of peace.
“Humans killed the dragon lords and hunted down the mages. Your kind brought about our exile. Now we will take back what should have been handed to us. This world is ours.” Derision dripped from her tongue.
“The dragons exiled your ancestors, not my people. We have both evolved, changed. Surely we can find some common ground to heal the past?”
Shishali laughed in Talia’s face. “You don’t know? The dragon lords did not exile my ancestors. They exiled me.” She walked further into the circle. “I have lived nine hundred years drifting though space searching for my rightful home. Only a handful of us were lucky enough to meet death.”
“Nine hundred years is a long time.” Talia followed the Dragumon as she circled her.
“Yes, but we aged before we left. Returning should restore the balance of things.” She cocked her head to the side, reminding Talia of a bird. “Perhaps you know this already?”
“I didn’t know. Perhaps we can work together and find the answers we both seek. We can live together in peace. There’s enough room on Sendek for both our races.”
“There will never be enough. I will kill as many of your kind as I want, simply because I can.” Shishali turned and stalked out of the circle of trees, reappearing moments later on the opposite side. She glared at Talia, turned, and stomped off once more. The next time she reappeared right next to Talia.
“Why can’t I leave?” she growled, baring her teeth.
“I have one more question for you. Is it true you destroyed entire planets in the name of Sendek?”
The Dragumon half smiled through the snarl. “Yes, let me show you.”
Shishali closed her eyes. A wrenching tug in the pit of Talia’s stomach pulled her into Shishali’s memory. She viewed the world through the Dragumon’s eyes. The strength of the Dragumon body wrapped around her spirit, and Talia knew the raw power of her enemy.
“The Nibiru. Watch and learn,” Shishali murmured, and Calmalder’s grove disappeared to be replaced by another scene.
She now stood in a grand chamber, with ceilings too high to see. Several aliens sat around a large conference table. Tiny compared to the Dragumon. Their soft hairless skin and head and long necks made them look delicate. Their pale eyes, large orbs reflecting everything around them, gave them a childlike appeal.
Shishali lunged at the councilwoman standing in front of her. Her strong hands grasped shoulders and lifted the woman out of her chair. Part of Talia’s mind remembered Dragumon hands around her own neck. That memory was overwhelmed by Shishali’s rush of holding a life in her hands.
Her muscles barely restrained themselves as she ran a taloned finger down the length of the councilwoman’s arm. The skin split open and blood flowed freely. Shishali inhaled deeply and let the blood flow over her hands. The warm wetness smelled sweet beneath the tanginess of iron.
She brought the hand covered in blood to her lips. The Dragumon tongue savored the moment. The councilwoman screamed as Shishali’s muscles tensed, ripping her arm out of its socket. It hung limply by her side, held on only by the skin and tendons.
“Does it hurt? Oh, I am so sorry. I promise to make it stop soon.” Her hand wrapped around the slender neck and the pulse beat quickened against her thumb. The warm blood pumped with each beat as she squeezed slowly and steadily. The blood struggled to keep moving beneath the grip. Shishali found the windpipe.
“Shishali don’t play with it, that’s cruel.” One of the green Dragumon waited for her to finish. That’s when she noticed the other aliens were all dead.
“Oh, all right.” Shishali closed her eyes and applied pressure, closing off the airflow until the pulse stopped.
Talia opened her eyes and Shishali stood in front of her once more in the forest.
“That was a fun day. We leveled the city. Left no survivors. Later we destroyed entire planets as practice for when we found you. The Akorans tried to protect you. We slaughtered them, and they didn’t even try to defend themselves.” Shishali paced inside the circle. “I hope you are far from this city where I sleep. I want you to watch your world crumble around you. And then I will find you and kill you myself.”
“Not if I can help it. I’ll do what I must to stop you.” Talia had had enough. She waved her hand and the Dragumon disappeared. Then she wished for her body. A rushing sound filled her mind and her body surrounded her spirit once more. It only took moments for the emotions to react to the knowledge she returned with.
Talia bolted upright as a cry ripped out from deep within. The conflicting horror and pleasure from killing with her bare hands made her dizzy. Fear and anger pulsed through her veins. Her stomach rolled and she swallowed down the bile. She pulled her knees into her chest and hugged them as she rocked back and forth. Someone touched her hand and she jerked away from the warmth.
Landry came into focus as she blinked back the tears.
Shishali sat up in her bed, jaws clenched and muscles quivering. The woman in her dreams spoke with confidence and authority. How dare a human command a Dragumon. Even a mage did not have the right and should not expect to live after such boldness.
Perhaps she just met the mage responsible f
or the death of Nysyk and his team. The report had come in late in the night, but she had confirmed the report herself. A recent victory over four Dragumon would account for the mage’s confidence. She turned to look at the clock. Dawn approached. Shishali’s blood boiled as she balled her hands into fist, digging her talons into her own palms.
“I’ll find you and peel the skin from your soft body while you are yet alive. No one orders me to come or go.” Her harsh voice disturbed Kansisi’s sleep. She nudged him. “Kansisi, wake up.”
He mumbled something and she elbowed him in the side until he opened his eyes.
“What is it?”
“A dream about the mage woman. She thinks she will destroy all of us.”
“You are just angry about Nysyk’s death and it’s slipped into your dreams. What time is it?”
“No I’m not, and it’s almost dawn. We should begin a full scale attack before the mage comes for us.”
Kansisi sat up in the bed.
“I think you are overreacting, but I’ll humor you. We can go to the command center and pull together another team to search for her.”
Shishali did not wait for another word but jumped out of the bed and headed for the door. Kansisi followed her a little more slowly.
Chapter 34
Jaron left Landry to comfort Talia. Their need for each other was too painful for him to watch for long. He took the opportunity to seek out Jewel. She waited for him in a clearing far from the new mages’ camp.
“Will she do the unbinding?” Jewel growled, but Jaron heard the voice clearly inside his head.
“Yes. You were right though. She didn’t want to destroy them. Not enough anyway. It shouldn’t be a problem now.” Jaron climbed up on an outcropping of rock and sat down.
“She made contact with a Dragumon?”
“And killed with its hands through memory sharing. In a way, we are lucky she attracted the attention of one so blood thirsty. You know as well as I do they aren’t all like that.” He sunk his head in his hands and let his shoulders slump.
“You bring darkness with you.”
“I no longer wish to carry it.” With the admission, the demon slammed into Jaron’s mental walls. The force of the attack knocked Jaron off the rocks. He crumpled in a heap and gasped for air.
“It will control you.”
“Is there a way . . . to . . . be free?” Jaron’s strength of will held the demon at bay, but he knew it would not give up. It knew eventually it would win. The internal battle intensified and Jaron curled into himself, wrapping his arms around his head.
“Please.”
The dragon sighed and her warm breath washed over Jaron. It smelled of brimstone and burned meat.
“It can be done, but you will not live for long afterward.”
“That is . . . fine . . . Dailya.” Jaron now panted each word between gasps of air. “What . . . must I . . . do?”
“It is simple. Much easier than getting the demon. Climb on my back and we will go in between.”
“How . . . is that . . . different . . . from portal?” Jaron crawled toward Jewel.
“Dragons can stay between. Your portal is a bubble that passes through the between. We will stay long enough for the demon to lose hold on your cellular structure. It will be trapped there.”
The demon gripped Jaron’s heart and squeezed before exploding outward again in an effort to gain control of the body. Jaron struggled to climb onto the dragon’s back. Impatient, Jewel slid her hind leg forward and pushed the man up with her foot. Jaron did not feel her push off the ground or pass between. He lost consciousness long before they returned to the here and now.
Shishali knew the female mage hid in the forest. She took the chance the mage would stay close to the city and walked into the trees. She fumed as she thrashed through the woods. Kansisi had refused to come with her. Her anger increased at the thought of him and fueled her search, the fury piling until she found it difficult to concentrate.
After a few hours stomping through the woods, she calmed enough to notice a fuzzy wall of sorts around her thoughts. She had searched this section of the forest thoroughly and should have moved on a long time ago. However, every time she thought about moving east, her mind turned her west again. Her lips curled back from her teeth.
Where there is magic, there is a mage.
Shishali worked harder to calm and clear her mind before walking eastward. Whenever she grew muddled and disoriented, she sat down and meditated until her mind cleared and she could continue.
An hour of inching forward moved her through the magical barrier. Head pounding, eyes dry, Shishali took a deep breath and set off to find the mage woman with violet eyes.
After calming down from the effects of the dream casting, Talia begged Landry for some space. She realized that she had not been alone since escaping from Joharadin. How long ago had that been? Three, four days? Time had lost all meaning; each day blurred together.
She paced for a while in the small ship until she couldn’t stand it anymore. What she really needed was to find her balance. There was only one way to do that. She needed to be closer to the earth elements.
After checking to make sure no one watched, Talia slipped away to a small clearing out of sight from the practicing mages. She lay down on the cool grass and closed her eyes. Using the techniques Landry taught her, she built walls around her magical core to block out the chattering trees. Now she could enjoy the sound of the birds twittering and wind blowing without commentary. The serenity and peace seeped in slowly.
A slight breeze ruffled the leaves, making a pleasant whispery sound. The sunslight danced and shimmered through the canopy. It was all so beautiful, why did war have to mess up something so perfect?
The birds stopped singing and everything fell unnaturally quiet.
Talia stood and scanned the trees, but saw nothing unusual. She removed the barrier and was bombarded with a flood of warnings. The trees yelled at her with such urgency, she couldn’t separate their voices.
Calm down so I can understand you.
Danger. They all yelled at once.
An image of the red Dragumon entered Talia’s mind. She sauntered through the trees. She was close.
Talia’s legs tensed, her heart quickened, and sweat broke out on her upper lip as she visualized the death from her dreams. Would it be quick? She pulled in a deep breath as Shishali walked into the clearing. For a moment, Talia hoped she dreamed. But this was not Joharadin. She had not tried to dream cast. It had to be the real thing.
“I’m so glad I found you,” Shishali purred. She stood tall and walked toward Talia with the grace of a cat on the prowl. “Nothing to say?”
Talia found it hard to swallow as Shishali’s lips curled back to reveal the dagger sharp teeth. When she did swallow, her mind pulled away from her body. Her emotions shut down, leaving her numb but freeing her voice.
“Not really.”
“Too bad. I plan to kill you slowly for what you did to Nysyk.” She circled and Talia turned to keep her in sight.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Talia said.
“I found him in a canyon in the mountains. How did you do it? You don’t look strong enough.”
Understanding dawned. Talia knew the Dragumon wouldn’t believe her, but she tried anyway. “I didn’t.”
Talia braced herself as the Dragumon circled. Every muscle tightened. She hugged her arms around her and hoped death would be quick. Her enemy stepped closer, towering a foot and a half over her.
“What do you mean you didn’t?” The creature sneered. “You’re the only little mage I’ve met. What kind of trap did you set?”
The Dragumon flexed her muscles and the light rippled across her scales. For a moment, Talia wondered at the beauty of all those shades of red. Then she remembered what it felt like to use that body.
“No trap. Just little old me as you said. Perhaps you should be worried.” Talia straightened her shoulders and stood t
aller.
Shishali made a sound like tree branches breaking in a storm. “Don’t make me laugh. You waited for him and used some kind of weapon. I notice you don’t have anything with you now.”
Time slowed. Shishali reached out with her taloned hand and sliced through Talia’s left side. Talia gasped as the pain shot through her. The warm blood flowed through the rip in her shirt leaving her fingers sticky. She didn’t dare look away from Shishali, but she pulled energy from the trees to stop the bleeding.
Shishali’s eyes narrowed. Her jaw twitched. Then she growled as she watched the wound heal. “How long can you do that before you are too weak? I’m going to enjoy finding out.”
This time Shishali rushed Talia, slicing through the side of her face and down her chest with a long slash. The wounds bit deeper this time. Nausea threatened to bowl Talia over as her life flowed away. Gathering energy, she repaired the damage and ran for the forest.
“Yes, make it more fun for me little mage.” Shishali gave Talia a head start while she lowered herself to the ground and stretched her spine before leaping into the chase.
Talia communicated with the trees, looking for a place to hide. She considered running to camp, but knew they couldn’t help her. No matter what, she had to keep the camp a secret so they could perform the spell. She turned and headed the opposite direction.
Although Shishali didn’t make a sound as she sprinted through the forest, the trees provided Talia with a clear image of her position. They guided Talia, but Shishali was faster. Pain shot through her back as the Dragumon grabbed onto her shoulders and slung her to the side.
Talia landed in a heap at the base of a tree. She dug her fingers into the ground and pulled from the tree’s roots.
“What are you waiting for?” Talia tried not to pant as the pain slowly ebbed.
“Whatever do you mean? I just want to have a little fun.” Shishali paced before the tree, licking her talons.
The Magic Wakes Page 22