by Unknown
I frowned as I looked him over. He looked neither happy nor anxious, just an ambiguous apathetic expression which wasn't at all like him. He shrugged. Shrugged! I mean, what the hell? I gaped at him but before I could recover, Hanuman was already moving on.
“And then we have our champions,” Hanuman declared. “The first was requested by the Godhunter herself and he happens to be the best fighter of all the suparnas! Garuda, first hatched offspring of the Goddess Vinata!”
Hanuman waved a hand to his right, where a regal looking woman stood. She was very tall, with dark skin and light brown hair which was worn piled up high on her head, encircled by a dramatic crown, making her appear even taller. Beautiful golden wings soared up from her shoulders, framing her like a saint. She nodded at the crowd and looked down at me like I was a slug she'd soon pour salt on.
The gate across from me opened and out walked Garuda. He did a spin, his falcon wings lifting around him in a spectacular show, and then stopped to pose. He was in boiled leather armor, which was cut to resemble feathers at the edges, and had a golden helmet on that looked more like decoration than protection.
“If you're done vogue-ing, maybe we could onto the fight,” I drew my finger across my throat.
“What's that's supposed to mean?” He made the same gesture and I gaped.
No way, this was too brilliant. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a movie reference.
“Finger across the throat means death,” I smirked and miracle of miracles, some of the crowd got the joke.
“Oh, I'm not done yet, Godhunter,” Hanuman chuckled from above Garuda's head. “I said you'd have to fight three fighters.”
“Yeah?” I frowned.
“There's two more coming,” he grinned at me like I was the butt of some huge joke. The audience laughed as well, all but my friends and lovers.
“So I'm to fight all three at once?” I lifted a brow.
“You got it,” Hanuman chuckled some more but the laughter died out when he saw that I was actually pleased by the news.
“Fine by me,” I said. “This will be faster than I thought.”
I had been worried that Hanuman might call off the fight after he saw me shift into a dragon but if I got to battle all of them at once, he wouldn't have the chance. I was ecstatic.
“Cocky,” Hanuman huffed. “That's not very becoming of a lady.”
“Who said I was a lady?” I widened my smile. “I'm the Godhunter, remember?”
“Touché,” he returned to laughing. “Then let me introduce your other opponents. From the vanaras, we have Nala, my trusted second in command.”
A vanara strode out of the same gate Garuda had emerged from. He was in his monkey form and it was a big one, more ape than monkey. He was red furred and wore golden plated armor with a brilliant white tunic beneath. There was a golden barb attached to his long tail and he slashed it through the air for the audiences' delight.
“And finally, one of my best friends as well as the most fearsome riksha warrior. King Jambavant!” Hanuman shouted the name.
A bear came striding out of the gate, walking on two feet like he was in the circus, which made his already impressive size even larger. He was bigger than any real bear I'd ever seen, much like how the Froekn were bigger in their wolf forms than actual wolves. Wolves were one thing though, this was a bear. He must have stood fifteen feet high and he was bulging with muscles. It was a good thing my dragon trumped even that.
The bear let out a roar and the gates came crashing down, dust rising around them. Hanuman called out, “Fight!”
They all started running towards me but I just stood and smiled as I let my dragon loose. It was like taking your bra off at the end of the day, that feeling of relief from constriction. I took a deep breath as my limbs lengthened and my bones thickened. It felt wonderful and so free. I heard the rip of fabric as my robe fell away and I lifted my leathery wings in a dramatic arch as I lowered my head to face my opponents.
I let out a screeching, bone-shaking roar and everyone went quiet.
The fighters before me had stopped in their tracks and even though it was harder to read the expressions of Nala and Jambavant, I could tell they were horrified. I slammed my forepaws down into the ground, making the ground tremble, as I began to laugh.
“Did I forget to mention that I'm a dragon-sidhe?” I rumbled out, shocking them even more with my speech.
“Holy fucking faeries!” Hanuman shouted as he came to the railing's edge. “I don't think I've been so surprised in over a century. Well done, Godhunter. Bravo!”
“Thank you,” I turned my head toward Garuda then, totally disregarding anything else Hanuman said. I had two objectives in mind; rescue my men and kill Garuda. “So, Garuda, you remember that naga girl you beat up yesterday?”
“Nagini,” Garuda growled, his eyes fastened on me in rebellious pride.
“Her name was Nagini?” I asked, thinking of so many Harry Potter jokes.
“No, that's what you call a female naga, you idiot woman,” he corrected me.
“Really?” I cocked my head, disregarding his insult. “Huh, so that's where JK Rowling got it.”
“What?” He looked utterly confused.
“Finger across the throat means death,” I snapped. “This is for the nagini.”
Then I roasted him. I heard screaming all around me, not just from Garuda, but I didn't stop. I burned him till his feathers were dust and my dragon heart was near to bursting with happiness. The thrill of it was intense, the scent of blood and cooking meat made my belly rumble, and the screams were sweet background music. Oh yes, I'd forgotten about this, the dark side of being a dragon-sidhe. Maybe I should let my dragon do all the killing in the future. Then I wouldn't have to suffer with things like mercy and a conscious.
“Stop!” A woman was shrieking. “Someone stop her! Hanuman! My son!”
I glanced up and saw the woman Hanuman had introduced as Vinata. She was leaning over the railing, screeching as she clawed at Hanuman. Oh that's right, Garuda's mother was there. At least she wasn't looking at me like I was a slug anymore.
“Godhunter!” Hanuman cried out to me. “You've made your point. We concede the fight. You win, I'll free your men. Look, I'm freeing them now,” he gestured and a monkey ran forward with a large key.
“Are you not entertained?!” I shouted, happy to finally get to use the most famous arena line of all time. I took one swipe at Garuda and beheaded him. Which was pretty merciful at that point.
Vinata didn't agree with me about it being merciful. Her cries shot up in pitch until she really was screeching, like how birds do. Her wings were open behind her and her hands changed into talons as I watched. She tried to climb over the railing to launch herself at me but Hanuman pulled her back down and restrained her.
“You will die slowly, dragon!” Vinata cried out to me in her high-pitched voice. “I will shred the skin from your body and then feast on your carcass!”
“Oh! Thanks for reminding me,” I started in for my own feast. Mmmmm extra crispy.
“Vervain!” Trevor's voice stopped me and I looked up to see him leaning over the railing, a little ways down from Hanuman and the struggling Vinata. “Don't! We don't eat the flesh, remember? We don't eat the flesh of men.”
“We don't?” I frowned, my fey nature conflicting with my human and god sides. “Which we? I think a different we does. Plus, it smells so good. I bet he tastes like chicken.” I snapped my teeth in anticipation.
“I will hunt you through all the realms!” Vinata screamed. “You will never be safe from me!”
“Then I deserve a last meal, don't you think?” I cocked my head at her, completely unmoved by her threats. It wasn't like I haven't heard it all before and my dragon was practically immune to fear.
“Vervain, no!” Kirill came up beside Trevor and then Odin joined them.
“Would you consume the corpse of a son right before his watching mother?” Hanuman shouted over the cri
es of Vinata. “Have some compassion for her loss!”
I glanced at the other terrified fighters in the pit and realized why Hanuman was so distraught. One of them was his second in command and the other was his best friend. He didn't want them dead. This had nothing to do with a grieving mother but I could respect friendship... and motherhood.
“Alright, spoilsports,” I huffed and some smoke came out of my nostrils. “I won't eat him, he'll probably leave a fowl taste in my mouth anyway,” I laughed. “Fowl as in birds, get it? Cause he was a bird.”
“Yes, we understand, Vervain,” Horus rolled his eyes.
“But there better be one hell of a meal after this,” I added sternly as I looked over at Hanuman. “I'm starving!”
“There will be!” Hanuman declared nervously. “In honor of your prowess... if you stop now and accept your victory.”
“A feast?!” Vinata cried in horror and turned on Hanuman. “She just killed my son! Kill her, you have more than enough vanara to overtake her. Kill her now!”
“I can't kill her,” Hanuman growled and shoved Vinata into the waiting arms of a vanara guard. “The rules of the arena forbid any vengeance upon the victor. The Godhunter won fairly. She will not be harmed in my realm, not tonight at least. Garuda knew the risks and you must accept his death.”
“I will not!” Vinata shouted as she was carried away. “I will not accept it! I will have my vengeance. I will come for you, Godhunter. I will come when you least expect it!”
“We will honor the rules of the arena,” Hanuman called down to me. “As long as you honor the surrender of your opponents.”
“Relax, I'm not gonna kill your friends,” I harrumphed and sat back on my haunches. “Just get me some clothes, will ya?”
“Get the victor some garments!” Hanuman declared with relief. “And then we feast!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“So that was like the shortest fight ever,” I grumbled. “All the posturing took longer than the actual fighting.”
“Vhat fighting?” Kirill chuckled. “You roasted a bird. It vas cooking, not fighting.”
“It's a bit emasculating to have you come to our rescue,” Odin muttered.
“I'm sorry,” I gaped at him. “The next time you get in trouble, I'll just leave you to it then.”
“I'm just saying,” he huffed.
“What are you saying?” I whispered down to him. Trevor was sitting between us. “What's wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” he sighed. “I'm fine.”
“He's been acting weird,” Trevor looked from Odin to me.
“No, I haven't,” Odin protested.
“Da, very odd,” Kirill nodded from my right. “You know ve take care of each ozer. She saves us and ve save her. No emasculation involved. I'm very much a man.”
“Yes, you are,” I glanced over to give Kirill a quick grin and then looked immediately back. “Where's Azrael?” I sat up straight and looked around us.
“He vas right here,” Kirill frowned and looked into the empty chair beside him.
Then all of us jerked in our seats as our rings sent a jolt of fear through us.
“He's in trouble,” I said. “What the hell just happened?”
“Hold on,” Trevor frowned as he concentrated. “I think he was summoned.”
“Summoned?” I blinked. “Who could summon the Angel of Death?”
“A witch,” Odin said grimly. “A sorcerer to be exact. A summoner of demons.”
“Azrael is not a demon,” I shook my head to try and clear it of this nonsense.
“It appears zat he's close enough,” Kirill said with a grim expression.
“Is there a problem?” Hanuman called down to us.
“I'm afraid we have to leave,” I stood and my men followed.
“What is it?” Brahma stood as well.
“It appears that something has happened to Azrael,” I tried to keep it vague. I didn't want the other gods to know he could be summoned.
“But he was just...” Brahma trailed off as he looked around the room. “Did he just disappear?”
“Yes,” I turned to Hanuman. “Thank you for your hospitality and for releasing my men. I'd like to formally apologize for their invasion of your territory.”
“What?” Rain stood from his seat, a few places down. “What about Constantin?”
“We're leaving, Rain,” I growled low. “Now!”
“Apology accepted,” Hanuman smirked at Rain. “And you're welcome back, Godhunter. As long as you call ahead.”
The rest of the table chuckled as my friends and lovers got up to leave with us. I gave Rhiannon a reassuring look as we left. We wouldn't forget her or Constantin. We'd be back. She didn't seem so reassured. Brahma and Sarasvati took up the rear, corralling the rest of us out as if they suspected a sneak attack from behind.
“Stop!” Rain grabbed my arm as we rushed through the hallways. “We can't just leave them. They're the whole reason we came!”
“We'll come back after we form a better plan,” I pulled my arm out of Rain's grip and quickened my pace. I could feel Azrael's anxiety. Whoever had him was making him very nervous... not an easy feat.
“Damn you, Vervain!” Rain cried and stopped in his tracks. “He's one of my best friends.”
“Ours as well,” Adriano added and Ilario nodded.
I stopped and turned to face them.
“I understand that,” I said calmly. “And I promise you that we will return when we have a better solution. There's nothing we can do as it stands.”
“Change into a dragon and kill them all!” Rain shouted.
“Rain,” I dropped my voice to a whisper. “It may surprise you to hear this but dragons can be killed. We nearly went extinct from humans killing us and these are gods. Three of them I can handle but not thousands. You saw how many gods are here. The vanara alone have huge numbers. We need an army to take them on and I don't think the one I can assemble will be big enough.”
“What?” His jaw dropped.
“But I can't talk about this now,” I continued, “because one of the men I love more than life itself is in the hands of some crazy witch and I need to get to him. Azrael's welfare is more important to me than Constantin's. I'm sorry but my lover comes first. When he's safe, then we can talk about saving Constantin and Rhiannon.”
“Fine,” Rain growled and we all started running through the monkey palace.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Torrent!” I shouted as we came out of the tracing chamber in Pride Palace. “Torrent!”
“I'm coming!” I heard him shout down the stairs.
The whir of the elevator started and in a few moments, Torr and his girlfriend Artemis were coming out of it right in front of us.
“What's going on? I sent the others home since you were taking so long,” his eyes darted nervously.
His platinum blonde hair was mussed into spikes and his pale skin was a little flushed. Artemis just grinned at me. If it wasn't such a dire situation, I would have teased Torr about their obvious make-out session.
“Azrael's been abducted,” I declared.
“Azrael?” Artemis frowned. “Who could abduct Azrael?”
“We think it was a witch,” I glanced at the others. “He disappeared at dinner.”
“He disappeared?” Torrent looked horrified.
Really horrified. Enough so that I wondered if it was a phobia of his. Did he think he could just cease to exist someday? He was made partially of Internet magic so perhaps he did but that was yet another problem I'd have to get back to at a more convenient time.
“We know where he is, thanks to our rings, but it's warded and we need you to unmake the wards,” I said. “Can you do it?”
“Of course,” he ran a hand through his hair. “Let's go.”
“I'm coming too,” Artemis declared. “I haven't got to see him unmake magic yet.”
“You know this is a secret, right?” I asked her.
�
��I'm not an idiot,” she huffed.
“Just making sure,” I gave a little laugh.
“We'll go as well,” Aidan, one of my Intare, said.
“No, I want you all to stay here and look after our guests.” I looked over to the sullen Rain. “I assume you three will be staying here until we go back for Constantin.”
“You assumed right,” Rain grimaced.
“But, Tima,” Aidan whined.
“I have a lot of back up,” I waved my hand towards the gods. “I'll be fine.”
“Alright,” Aidan sighed.
“Thank you,” I nodded to him and the other Intare before heading into the tracing room.
I took Torrent's hand so I could lead him through the Aether. The others had already been to the location with us when we scouted it out so they were good on their own. Kirill took Artemis' hand so he could lead her and then we stepped into the Aether. A brief moment of weightlessness hit me as my body became thought and then we reformed in front of a modest looking home in an average looking suburb.
“Alabama?” Torrent asked in a tone almost as horrified as the one he'd used earlier.
“I know,” I shook my head. “Who would have thought.”
“Oh, it's strong,” Torr stepped toward the edge of the small property and ran his hand in an arc through the air. After a few minutes of concentration, a flash sparked in front of him and then a curtain of sparkling energy fell. “There,” he said proudly. “All done.”
“That was amazing,” Artemis breathed. “I'm so turned on right now.”
“Thank you,” Torr winked at her.
“Azrael may be in the hands of some crazed sorcerer but at least he doesn't have to listen to this drivel,” Horus rolled his eyes.