“What makes you Dragonborn then?” I asked.
“Well, for starters, being born with the ability to shift into dragon form would help.”
I didn't think I could do that. Not that I'd tried, but I wouldn't even know where to start to make that happen. I'd changed quite a bit and had acquired some skills I hadn't possessed previously, but I was relatively certain that changing myself into a dragon wasn't one of them.
“Well then, I can be your sidekick,” I said. “I can be Robin to your Batman.”
“You're human. You're mortal,” he said. “We protect humans, not put them in the path of danger. I can't be responsible for your safety, Vanessa.”
“But what if I want to be in the path of danger?” I asked, a smile on my face. “Please, Glyn. I need this. And besides, I may not be Dragonborn, but we both know I'm not entirely human either. I know I'm sort of messed up right now, but I have Onda's abilities, so –”
“You don't have all of her abilities,” he said.
“Okay, maybe not,” I said. “But you saw me kick ass, Glyn, and you can't deny that. You know I can do it.”
He seemed to think for a moment and ran a hand through his hair again. “I'm not going to convince you otherwise, am I?”
“Nope,” I said, sitting back on the couch with my arms crossed in front of me. “And if you try to tell me otherwise, I'll just follow you like I did before. I can always tell where you are, so I can find you without breaking a sweat. So, you might as well let me tag along and help you out.”
He sighed and shook his head. “You're not leaving me much a choice,” he grumbled.
“No, I'm really not.”
“Fine,” he said. “But the rules are simple – you obey my commands. You do what I say, when I say it. No questions asked. That is non-negotiable.”
“Done,” I said without hesitation.
He sighed again. “Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?”
“Because you're in a pessimistic mood,” I replied. “But you have nothing to fear. I can handle myself out there.”
“I certainly hope so,” he said. “I need to get you a blade. Please try to avoid chopping your arm off or doing anything stupid like that.”
Feeling a surge of confidence within me – undoubtedly, thanks to Onda – I grinned, excited to be going out on a hunt. Looking forward to the opportunity to kill some monsters.
Chapter Sixteen
Walking the streets at night with Glyn at my side was exhilarating. I had no idea what we were doing or where we were going, but holding the blade in my hands – two smallish, curved daggers, and not the large sword that Glyn wore sheathed on his back, I noted – made me feel powerful.
“What are we hunting?” I asked, curious and excited to see what other creatures roamed the night.
“The thing that killed Onda,” he said and then glanced over at me. “And if we find him, you need to get the hell out of there because you're not ready for that.”
“Like hell I'm not –”
Glyn glared at me, stopping in the street. “Listen, Vanessa, I know you're feeling all powerful right now. You probably feel pretty invincible,” I said. “But believe me when I tell you that you're not. And believe me when I tell you that you're not Onda. Get that straight, okay? Before you get yourself killed. That was the one rule I had – if I tell you to do something, you damn well better do it. Because trust me, this is a really bad guy and because you don't have the experience, you'd get yourself killed in a heartbeat if we found him.”
He turned and walked on, obviously annoyed, and I had to run to catch up with him. His fists were clenched at his side and he refused to even look at me.
“I'm sorry if that came out harsh,” he said grudgingly. “But I can't risk someone else getting killed.”
“I understand,” I said softly. “Hopefully it doesn't come to that.”
“Hopefully not,” he said. “But I need to find him. If Quint is right, he's growing more powerful by the day and we can't have that.”
“Do you think you can kill him?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Either I kill him or I die trying,” he said. “There really is no third option to this.”
“Onda wouldn't want you to die,” I said softly.
“Stop telling me what Onda would want,” he growled. “You didn't know her. And besides, she's dead, okay? And I'm the one stuck here without her. Alone.”
“Listen, Glyn –”
Something caught my attention and I stopped speaking suddenly. Both of us heard it at the same time and turned in the direction of the sound. It sounded like a scream – much like the scream I'd heard the night I'd found Glyn and Onda.
I looked at Glyn, but he'd already taken off in the direction of the screams. He shouted over his shoulder to me, telling me to stay put, but it was too late. I was following behind him. We turned down a dark alleyway and I had a flash of Deja vu. Just like before, there was someone on the ground.
A figure loomed over the body and between the two, there was a ball of bright light – so bright, it was almost blinding. But from where I stood, the ball of light looked like it was leaving the person on the ground and entering the person standing over him.
“I don't believe it,” Glyn said under his breath.
As soon as he took off running toward the man standing over the body though, the light disappeared. As did the mysterious figure who'd absorbed it. By the time we got there, the only thing Glyn and I were left standing over, was a dead body.
A dead Ranger.
“Leil,” Glyn cried out, dropping to his knees on the ground in front of the dead man.
I looked around, feeling a shot of fear-fueled adrenaline coursing through me. I felt like we were being watched. I would have sworn to it. But I looked and looked, and there was no sign of the figure. None whatsoever.
“He just flew away?” I asked. “Like that?”
“He's a Dragonborn, too” Glyn said, standing up. “He shifted quickly and flew away when we discovered him. At least now I have some answers to take back to Quint.”
“What's that?”
“Quint was right – he is manipulating the essence of the Rangers he kills. He absorbs it,” he said, almost like he was surprised to admit it. “That's what we saw. That's how Onda's essence got into you – he wasn't able to take hers before we wounded him and drove him off.”
So, it was true. He'd tried to take it, but instead, I ended up absorbing Onda's essence. It was confirmation of what I already knew – I did, in fact, have a dead girl living inside of me.
Glyn took off running before I knew what was happening. I looked from the corpse to the retreating figure of Glyn.
“Where are you going?” I yelled.
He didn't answer me – instead, he continued to run. He was obviously trying to lose me. Was trying to find the man who'd killed the Ranger we'd just found – the man who'd killed Onda – and take him on all by himself.
And there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen.
Chapter Seventeen
A thick marine layer had moved in and obscured the moon. The night was darker and gloomier than normal. I lost Glyn in the streets – he was a lot faster than me. So, I'd followed my instincts – followed that connection between us – and had eventually found him in an abandoned and dilapidated old warehouse building in one of LA's many seedy areas.
I couldn't see him yet, but I knew he was out there. I closed my eyes and allowed my instincts to take over. He was inside the building. But as I stretched out my senses, I realized that we weren't alone. There was somebody else out there too – somebody familiar.
Somebody familiar? Where in the hell had that thought come from?
From Onda. It was Onda's thought cropping up in my head. I had a feeling the person out there was the mysterious person that we'd seen over the body of the dead Ranger. The same person who'd killed Onda.
Glyn was in the warehouse waiting for him.
There
was a heaviness in the air. A dark, ominous feeling. The anticipation of violence – of death – hung heavy in the air like a thunderhead. It swirled around above us, enveloping us all. And sooner or later, the storm was going to break.
I couldn't let Glyn face the man alone. I wouldn't.
Moving on silent feet, I made my way from the alley I'd been crouched down in, to a side door of the warehouse. The door itself had been torn away long ago – only rusted hinges remained. It was almost pitch black beyond the doorway, but as I strained my eyes, I realized that I could see inside. My senses were sharpened. Heightened. Eyesight included.
The interior was dim and filled with clutter. Large boxes, crates, barrels – and enough trash to fill up an entire landfill. And somewhere in there was Glyn – and the man trying to kill him.
I crept through the doorway, careful to avoid stepping on or kicking anything that would give me away. I hunkered down and moved silently through the shadows, keeping my eyes and ears out for either Glyn or the man.
There was so much debris, so much garbage lying about, it was hard to get a clear line of sight anywhere. I couldn't find either one of them. But as I crept along a line of large crates and barrels, I heard voices. Up ahead of me, two people were speaking – and one of them sounded like Glyn.
Careful to stay out of sight, I knelt down behind some boxes. Beyond the crates I was crouching behind was a clearing of sorts. It was an open area, roughly circular in shape, that had been lined with large boxes like I was hiding behind.
And in the center of the clearing was Glyn and the man – a man I had the distinct impression was also Dragonborn.
“I don't ever do this, Glyn,” the man said. “But I am going to extend my offer to you one last time. Join me.”
Glyn's face was a mask of pure hatred. His jaw muscles clenched and his eyes were narrowed with rage.
“Who in the hell are you?” Glyn asked through gritted teeth.
“My name is Q'lynta,” he said. “I was originally born into the Mountain Clan.”
“But now you're Shadow Clan,” Glyn said.
“So far as anybody knows, I'm still Mountain Clan,” he replied evenly.
I had no idea what he was talking about. I only had a vague idea about the Clans thanks to Onda's memories, but I hadn't spent much time exploring them. I didn't see the need to. As I listened to them speaking though, I sort of wished I had.
“I know why you murder our kind now,” Glyn said. “You steal their essence.”
The man inclined his head. “I do.”
“I don't understand why though,” Glyn said.
“Because when you absorb the essence of a Dragonborn,” the man replied, “you absorb their powers as well. And once I have absorbed enough power, Chondelai will be mine. And I will claim dominion over the world of man in the name of the Shadow Clan. And all of these precious humans you're so fond of will be mine to do with as I please. So, although I may be Mountain Clan, I have the power of the Fire Clan. Ocean Clan. Lightning Clan. Ice Clan –”
The man stopped and snapped his fingers, giving Glyn a cruel little smile.
“Oh wait, I don't have the power of the Ice Clan, now do I?” he asked. “That little bit of essence got away from me.”
Glyn looked like he was about to burst – and I couldn’t' blame him. The man – Q'lynta – was purposely trying to goad him into a fight. He wanted Glyn angry and off-balance. But Glyn, surprisingly, was holding it together pretty well.
“Don't worry though,” the man said. “I'll get that essence back. In fact, I know exactly where to find it.”
“You're not going to get anywhere near her,” Glyn hissed.
The man laughed softly. “So, is that you turning down my offer to join me? For a second time?”
He moved so quickly, I barely even saw it. But Glyn had his sword out of its sheath and took a vicious slice with it. Q'lynta was caught off guard, but he recovered quickly – though, not quickly enough. The tip of Glyn's sword grazed the man's cheek, opening up a small gash, spilling blood down the man's face.
Growling in rage and annoyance, the man drew two swords and advanced on Glyn. I watched in horror as he closed the distance – the man was bigger and looked stronger than Glyn. And just watching the way he moved with a grace that was almost effortless, it was obvious he was very skilled at doing what he did.
He thrust his blade at Glyn, but he parried it aside with his own sword and thrust his dagger at the man's midsection. Q'lynta danced backward, out of range and chuckled.
“Nicely done, you almost had me.” he said.
The man flicked his wrist and I watched three small darts sail through the air. They hit Glyn in the chest in a small grouping. The man smiled as Glyn looked down at the darts and picked them out, tossing them to the ground. He looked at Q'lynta and smiled.
“You need a new playbook, friend,” he said and tapped his chest. “Lightweight armor. Your darts – and more importantly, the silver they contain – didn't get anywhere near me. No, if you're going to beat me, you're going to have to do it in a straight up fight this time. Unless that is, you're afraid to face me man-to-man.”
A predatory grin spread across Q'lynta's face. “So be it.”
The man rushed at Glyn, his movements a blur. In the blink of an eye, he'd spun past Glyn, the tip of his sword raking his arm and opening a wound. The blood flowed freely and Glyn grunted, spinning around and throwing his sword up, just barely blocking the other man's blade before it split his skull in two.
The man's leg fired out and caught Glyn in the midsection, driving him backward. But Glyn recovered just in time as Q'lynta pressed his advantage, wading in with his blades spinning. Glyn's face was a mask of concentration as he parried each and every thrust and cut Q'lynta threw at him. But each time, it was close – very close. Glyn danced backward, giving himself a little time and distance to regain his bearings.
But Q'lynta wasn't going to let him do it. He charged forward, his blades whirling. Glyn used the man's momentum against him, spinning to the side. As the man stumbled by, Glyn threw his elbow up and cracked Q'lynta in the face. Even from where I was hiding, I heard the crunch of bone and then saw the blood flowing down his face.
Q'lynta recovered quickly and slashed with his sword, catching Glyn in the back of this thigh. He staggered forward, clutching at his wounded leg, blood pouring over his hand in sheets. Q'lynta turned and kicked him in the small of the back, driving him to the ground.
A malicious smile spread across his face as Q'lynta recognized his distinct advantage. He knew he had the chance to strike a killing blow and he wasn't going to pass up on it. Stepping forward, he cocked his arms back, intent on driving both blades deep into Glyn's chest.
I knew that if I did nothing, he was going to die.
Bursting from my hiding spot with a furious roar of rage. Adrenaline washed through me in a way I'd never felt before and I hurled one of my two daggers at Q'lynta. He looked up just in time to see the blade spinning toward him – but not in time to block it. The blade bit into his side and the man staggered to the side, grunting in pain and shock. He looked at me as I closed the distance, my other dagger raised high.
It was time to finish this.
But Glyn held his hand up and called my name. I turned to him, my eyes wide with surprise.
“Stop!” Glyn called.
I froze in my tracks and looked from him to Q'lynta. The man, clutching his wounded side, looked from me to Glyn, his eyes widening in recognition.
“I thought we were fighting this man-to-man,” he growled.
Glyn's smile was predatory. “I'm not in this to play fair,” he said. “I'm in this to win.”
And with that, he unleashed a thick column of Dragonfire. The intense blaze consumed Q'lynta and the man's screams of agony echoed around the abandoned warehouse. He stumbled and fell, picked himself back up, only to fall down again. The trash and broken-down crates he stumbled over began to catch fire and the interio
r of the warehouse was suddenly growing very warm.
Moving over to Glyn, I helped him to his feet. He leaned heavily on me, the wound in his leg still hurting him. The worst of the bleeding had stopped as his powers of healing had already begun to knit his wound back together. But the gash was deep and it was going to be a little while yet, before he was back to normal.
“We should probably go,” I said. “Before the whole warehouse comes down on us.”
Glyn nodded. “Probably a good idea.”
With his arm over my shoulder and his weight partially on me, I helped Glyn limp out of the warehouse. The derelict old building was going up like a torch and it wouldn't be long before it burned to the ground – probably long before the fire department even got there. Dragonfire wasn't like normal fire – it burned hotter and far more intensely.
We turned to watch for a moment and I stared in amazement as half a dozen – maybe more – balls of intense bright light floated up from the burning ruins of the warehouse. They hovered over the flames for a long moment before shooting straight upward, into the heavens.
“They're going home,” I said. “They'll finally be at peace.”
Glyn nodded. “Yeah. Looks like it.”
He looked at me for a long moment and I knew what he was thinking – everybody but Onda would be at peace. She was still locked inside of me. But he didn't seem angry about it. No, he actually seemed comforted by it, in a way. Onda would always be with him – in a fashion.
We turned to go and I gave him a smile.
“We make a pretty good team, huh?” I asked.
“You're Robin to my Batman, right?”
I smirked at him. “Maybe I'm Batman.”
“Yeah, you wish.”
I laughed as we headed across the long vacant parking lot. Sirens sounded in the distance and we needed to get out of there as fast as we could. But then a feeling seized me. I grew dizzy and darkness crept in at the edges of my vision. I felt my body begin to tremble and shake uncontrollably. I had no idea what was happening.
No Such Thing as Dragons : Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 5) Page 37