Drakhana's Claim

by Tara Starr

  In order to be a true ice dragon, you must embrace the cold. You must be able to swim in icy waters without shivering. You must be able to fly to the top of Verglas and beyond without shivering. The cold is part of who you are.

  Along the way, I lost that. I’m not afraid to admit it as I float in the nothingness with Ivy. I let the cold slip away from my blood. I became warm and soft and complacent.

  The shock of the experience locks me up at first. It’s like jumping into a frozen lake. You feel all your muscles tense up as a reaction to being frozen alive.

  I wanted nothing more than to push Ivy away. I wanted to kick up and surface. Then I realized, why would I want to do that for? I’m an ice dragon, born and bred. I grew up at Verglas. I’m tough to withstand subzero temperatures.

  “Open yourself up to it, Logan,” Ivy says, her voice like a song I’ve never heard before but absolutely love. She can lull me to sleep and keep me awake all at the same time.

  I trust her. She wouldn’t have brought me here if it weren’t for something that might shift the tide to our favor. So, taking her words to heart, I open myself up to the ice. I embrace the cold.

  It hurts in the beginning. Almost like the first sensations you get during frostbite. But when I finally accept that I’m going to be a part of this, the pain fades away, replaced by pure bliss.

  My flesh and blood turn to ice. I become like the pillar—crystal clear. I hold my form and lose it at the same instant. So many things are happening at once that I can no longer pinpoint exact emotions.

  I’m not sure where I begin and Ivy ends. She too turns to the clear crystal of ice. I slip my hands along her arms before I clasp my hands together behind her back. We cage each other in as a way not to lose ourselves completely. We keep each other sane through all the power coursing through our veins.

  In the trippiest experience of all, one second my consciousness is with Ivy then the next I’m floating above the Verglas Mountain. I can see for over a hundred miles all around me. I can see up close and for afar all at the same time.

  The dualities of the experiences might have been the most overwhelming part of this entire thing. I should have been experiencing vertigo or nausea, but there’s only the great power of the ancients. It helps me focus on the movement happening in the distance.

  I bear witness to the mobilization of the fire clan. They are coming and they aren’t afraid to bring a show of force. They are drunk with their own power and can’t wait to use it on all of us.

  Well, they have another thing coming. They don’t know what’s about to his them and why. I’m ready to fight.

  When this all started, I told myself that I wouldn’t find myself on the same side of an argument with Ivy. She knew how to push my buttons and I certainly pushed hers. I guess that’s what being heart-bonded means. We trigger each other until we find common ground to stand upon.

  I thought I had been doing well. Conquering the fire clan better than Ivy ever could with her strike force. Then I find myself with my tail tucked between my legs. Those fire bastards blindsided me and I haven’t felt right since.

  Finally, Ivy and I see eye to eye. The fire clan must burn for what they had done. Not only will the ice clan rule Verglas and its surrounding territories, we will rule all of California before I’m done.

  For the first time, I am not afraid. I can see clearly in what seems like years of total blindness. I have a purpose and part of that purpose is having Ivy in my life. We must fight together for us to win. I know that now.

  We need to pull off a full-on assault. We need to attack them on all sides so they won’t know which part of their holdings they need to defend. Like a venomous snake, we must strike when and where they least expect it.

  I test my new found powers by extending my consciousness all the way to LA. I expected I wouldn’t reach that far, but I’m there in a snap. I check on all my business managers.

  They are executing each and every order that Ivy and I left for them. They are out for blood as much as we are. I feel pride for my men. Ivy has her strike force and I have my business managers and advisers. I was right when I told her that together we would build empires.

  Thank the dragon gods we left them with something to accomplish. We must act as one on all fronts. One swift attack that will cripple the fire clan for generations to come.

  I return my consciousness back to Ivy. She smiles at me like I hung the moon and the stars for her. I see myself reflected in her eyes.

  “What?” I ask, unable to help myself.

  “You were testing out your powers.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

  “I just happened?” I say in the form of a question.

  “Maybe now, if we hit the fire clan hard enough, this coming battle will force them into an indefinite retreat.”

  “If we all work together?” I get serious. “I don’t think there’s anything we can’t accomplish. Like you said, we are one.”

  “We are ice.”

  “They are coming,” I tell her. “I saw them mobilizing their troops. This battle is about to happen.”

  Ivy sucks in a breath. Then she brings her lips to mine. When we come together, it’s like a galaxy explodes into life. All the knowledge of the ancients’ seeps into every pore of our bodies.

  We are awake. Our eyes are open. We are ready.

  In a bright flash of blinding light, we’re back on the ledge—out of the pillar. We are holding each other like we’re practically one being. I feel her heart beat in mine.

  She breathes when I breathe. She blinks when I blink. We are mirrors of each other despite being separate.

  Sparks fly out of our finger lips. Electricity arches over our skin.

  “Are you feeling what I’m feeling?” she asks.

  “I’m ready to send those fire clan bastards back where they came from.”

  Armed with the secrets of the ancients, we walk hand in hand out of the cavern back through the tunnel. We don’t even have to call on our dragons when we reach the other side. All we have to do is will it and it is so.

  Twenty-Nine

  Ivy

  Still feeling the after effects of the bonding with Logan and the ice, we fly toward the front lines. Already there is smoke climbs up to the sky. The acrid scent burns up my nostrils. I snort.

  The battle’s begun, I say to Logan through my teeth.

  We’re just in time, Logan says, touching my wingtip with his. We will win this day.

  I turn my massive head toward him. Give them hell?

  He nods and grins. Give them hell.

  We make our descent. I go directly to the front of the line while Logan moves to protect my right side. When I land, I lift my back claws so that my razor-sharp talons slice through the fire dragons in the process of charging my troops. I take out several of them in one go.

  I life my head up and let out a mighty roar, letting my troops know that I have arrived and that I have come to fight with them. Answering roars resound from all my generals and commanders who are also in their dragon form. The dragons who have remained as men lift their swords up and bellow their battle cries.

  I shed my dragon and draw my sword. There’s not enough room for me to move in such a bulky state without harming my own troops. I cannot risk that until I’m certain that I have enough leg room to whip my tail around.

  Logan does the same. He shifts back and fights close to me, choosing a bladed staff as his weapon of choice. He lifts it above his head and brings it down in a might arch that cleaves a fire clan soldier right in the head.

  “Nice!” I laugh. Then I sweep my sword and take out two fire clan men in one go.

  “This is not a competition, you know,” Logan says before he plunges deep into battle.

  I’m too full with the power of the ancients to hear the admonition in his tone. Our goal is to take out as many of our enemies as possible without losing that many of our troops in the process. I want this over fast.

  We need to execute swift and leth
al blows. No more time for fancy swordplay. We bring down each and every one that comes into our path.

  The fighting is brutal. When I have time to breath, I extend my consciousness toward my men and check on their progress. I have a few that are in the middle of fighting while I have others who are moving toward their assigned stations. We are creating an impregnable wall that the fire clan cannot hope to break through.

  Some of my men shift and fight at the same time. It’s absolute chaos. The smell of blood stains the air as men rise and fall.

  What becomes abundantly clear to me quickly is how powerful the fire dragons are. They are relentless in their campaign to push forward. Some of them have the kind of strength that I witnessed in Las Vegas. That bitch Kirralee imbued them with her powers and the knowledge she has gained from them.

  Well, two can play at that game. I look to Logan and say, “Cover me.”

  “My pleasure.” He comes to my side and begins fending off anyone who dared come close.

  I lower my eyelids and connect with my generals and commanders. I warn them of the coming power. Then I draw from the heart of the mountain. I give each one of them just enough to go toe to toe with their more powerful counterparts.

  Mighty roars of gratitude follow the gifts I have bestowed. There will be much explanations needed later. For now, I return to myself and lift up my sword once again.

  I jump right back into battle. In the melee, I lose sight of Logan, but I know he’s close by. I concentrate on cutting down the fire clan men in front of me. Their blood stain my sword’s blade.

  I break their chests open. I cleave their heads from their necks. Yet, no matter how many I kill, there still seems to be more of them. They are like a horde that’s nonstop in their onslaught.

  My troops and I don’t seem to be gaining any ground. I cry out in frustration right as a general from the fire clan comes forward. He’s in the kind of armor that reflects his status. The fire clan emblem shines on his breast plate.

  He grins at me. “There’s a price on your head, princess.”

  The way he says my title is like a foul word. I raise my sword and brace myself for his attack. I don’t care if the fire dragons give the whole world as a bounty on my death. I will keep my head on my neck.

  “Come and get it,” I say, spitting on the ground he stands upon.

  He swings his sword in a wide arch. I block his blow, feeling my arms quiver at the strength of it. My knees actually bend beneath me.

  Gritting my teeth, I push up with all my might and swing him off. Then I raise my foot and kick him square in the chest, embedding my footprint on that fucking emblem of his clan. He stumbles back, but quickly recovers and charges at me with renewed vigor.

  He pounds at me with his broad sword, chipping at the blade of mine. It’s all I can do to keep his attack at bay. I twirl around as a way to avoid his oncoming blow only to have him wrap his free hand around my braid and pull me back.

  I’m flying through the air for what seem like the longest second before I land. All the wind is knocked out of my lungs. Before I can cough or regain my breath, the general places a heavy foot on top of my chest.

  By all the grace of the dragon gods, I manage to raise my sword to keep him from taking my head off my body. My battle with him has taken me far enough from the front line that I see my chance. I reach deep inside of me for the ice. I call to the power the heart of the mountain has seen fit to bestow upon me.

  I connect with the ancients. My dragon comes forward and melds with me. But instead of the usual sleek version, we transform into the dragons of old. The larger beasts that one with the hearts of their homeland.

  I become as might as Rastus in the battle of Las Vegas. The blue that once tinge my scales have now disappeared, making me into the fairytale white dragon. A symbol of power in every right.

  The general that was once cocky while fighting me looks up with jaw agape. Then he turns and runs. Before he can get far, I bring down my head and bite his body in half. Let’s see him collect the bounty on my head now.

  I plant my talons on the ground, calling on the ice that lies deep within out land. I feel the power enter into me and gathers in my chest. A blinding white light emanates from within me.

  Once I’ve gathered enough strength, I open my maw wide and release it as a blast of blue flames. Anything the fire touches freezes. This means the fire dragons. Any ice dragons in the midst of my attack remain safe as they carry the blood of the ancestors within them.

  I close my maw and move forward, pushing the remaining fire dragons back. They are still too cocky for their own good, thinking that they can stop me. I gather the same amount of strength again, defending with a swish of my tail before I am ready.

  Men and dragons alike fly back when my tail sweeps through their ranks. The barbs at the ends even pierce through a few of them. There’s something satisfying with seeing my enemies fall at my feet.

  Once my chest shines that uncanny white light again, I lower my head, open my maw, and let loose the blue flames of my ancestors. I roar as I go, making sure that my men hear me. I want them to take this as encouragement to redouble their attacks. Like walking the tunnel, I can already see the light at the end.

  The fire dragons who do not wish to freeze to death begin to retreat. Hope rises in me. The moment I knew in the pillar we would win finally arrives.

  Thirty

  Logan

  There is a hum in the air. A buzzing the crawls up my arms and legs. The battle cries of men fill my ears. My senses are hyper-focused. All I see is fire and ice clash in thunderous roars and crashing metal.

  There is an adrenaline rush that comes with battle that’s unlike any other. It is a feeling that cannot be replicated during training. You need to be faced with someone actually trying to kill you in order to be able to react accordingly. There are limits to sparring that disappear when you’re on an actual battle field.

  It’s fueled by how many times you swing your weapon at an opponent, bringing them to their knees. The smell of dirt and blood burn up your nostrils. The pungent scent of scorched flesh brands itself into your memory that you will not soon forget.

  This is why many soldiers lose their minds during or after battle. Once you see a man get maimed by a cleaver, you can never unsee it. Your dreams are filled with the painful death cries of the dying.

  You may not know it while all you’re doing is trying to survive, but battle changes you. It molds your brain in such a way that you will never be the same again. This is why I’m impressed with those who come back again and again. Like Ivy.

  When this is all over, can she really shake away how it feels to hold a sword in her hands? Slicing into flesh wit great efficiency? I can equate it to going in for a kill in business. Those calluses never really go away. But instead of hardening your fingers, they harden your soul.

  All that existential crap can wait for after we win this battle. Right now, what’s important is to stay alive and introduce as many of these fire clan bastards to their maker. They all deserve to go to the dragon underworld.

  My throat is hoarse from all the screaming, but I don’t stop. I keep going, cleaving my way through the fire clan army. I’ve switched from my staff to picking up double blades after it was cut in half by a commander that I encountered. All the more to kill my enemies with.

  I’m so busy dispatching the commander that I lose sight of Ivy. Somehow, we were separated. Our minds and bodies are still linked. I know where she is on the battlefield. She’s not far, but she’s not close enough where I feel comfortable.

  I bring my swords down in a slashing cross move that slices the commander’s chest, through the breastplate. He falls to his knees, blood gurgling out of his mouth. I kick him backwards and he collapses in a heap.

  In a small miracle, I get a reprieve. My eyes quickly scan the fighting for Ivy. I spot her just in time to see the general that she’s fighting grab her braid and pull her to the ground.

  My firs
t instinct is to call out her name. That is the worst thing to do in a battle because it will distract the person you’re calling, which can end in their demise. Instead, I make a run toward where she fell.

  In what seems like the blink of an eye, a bright light flashes from her and she transforms into a magnificent pure white dragon. She’s many times the size of her usual form. Her scales no longer hold the blue tinge that they used to.

  I stand there in awe of her magnificence. On top of her sleek head is a regal crown of thorns. Her wings are silky smooth with an intricate web of membranes.

  There is a moment’s pause in battle. All the surrounding dragons, friends and foes alike, stop to stare at her. The general she’s been fighting turns and runs, but she chomps down and bites him in half. In my mind, I cheer. Good riddance.

  Then she plants her claws into the ground and calls upon the powers of the ice. Blue streaks of light lift out of the ground into her body, congregating in her chest to form a bright ball. Then she opens her jaw and sprays that light in a blast of icy wind. It freezes all the fire dragons it touches.

  It hits me that she’s not the only one who can become a magnificent dragon. Like she’s done, I summon the power of the ice beneath my feet. I call upon the powers of the ancients that was given to us in the heart of the mountain.

  My dragon comes to me and we meld together to become a monster of epic proportions. One that brings fear in the hearts of our enemies. I lift my head and let out a roar that is heard from miles away. It shakes the ground.

  Ivy turns her head slightly in my direction. I give her a cheeky wink and she rolls her eyes. I chuckle.

  Head in the battle, Logan, she warns.

  Like she’s done, I plant my claws into the ground and absorb the power of the ice. Once I feel that my chest is full, I let out the same freezing blast that Ivy did. Us together turns the tide in our favor.