Deadly Intentions (Blood Feud - Volume 2)

by David Temrick

  As though to answer his question Bethia landed on the ground behind him and let forth a triumphant roar. Above her the younglings darted among the orcs, those that were large enough grabbed onto and tossed orcs into rocks, equipment and other enemy forces, while others belched flames into the most condensed areas of attackers. Tristan sheathed his sword and shifted his shield to his back as he leapt up on Bethia’s unsaddled back and smiled back at his brother.

  “Not so you’d notice, no.” He answered flippantly.

  The large red dragon leapt into the air and they joined the younglings wreaking havoc within the orc encampments. Below them Kevin organized the withdrawal to the palace, all along the lines soldiers moved fifty yards back, then turned and protected the next line of defenders. Before long all of the humans who weren’t dead or dying were inside the palace walls. Bethia had forged the younglings into a devastating force that proved to tip the balance of this war. Their reports on where the other elder dragons were at proved confusing at best. Suffice to say that they were missing in action, which had Tristan and Bethia’s nerves set on the razors edge.

  Chapter 15

  Despite their best efforts, the hordes of orcs drove their way through the Great Gateway and into Terum territory. Draconis, Socolis, Lesariu and Raithia carried their riders into the fray of conjured dragons and dangerous magicians. Draconis led the draconic force into battle, with Dion of his back, though neither of them wanting to put their kin into harm’s way.

  The Dragon King pulled into a steep climb as three mystic dragons flew towards him. The sorcerers on their backs launched their missiles of flame and lightning. He folded his wings into his body as he allowed himself to roll over and fall into an equally steep dive. Dion clutched his scales nervously as the wind pulled his hair back and his cloak whipped behind him.

  Draconis snapped his wings out, jamming Dion into his spine with bone jarring pain. The human pulled his bow from his back along with an arrow in one fluid motion, drawing back and firing at the nearest mage. The mystic dragon winked out of existence as the mage took the cloth yard shaft in the middle of his chest. Another arrow followed the first as another sorcerer and conjured dragon came coasting in behind the fallen one.

  Draconis saw the shower of blood and bone spray out of the back of the sorcerers head. His arrow pierced the magicians’ eye socket and forced its way through the back of his skull. The blood sprayed all over the magician coming up behind him, temporarily blinding him. Mina lashed out with her formidable whip, pulling the mage easily from his spot on the back of the mystic dragon. Socolis came in from above and destroyed the dragon with a column of fire.

  Four more sorcerers came at the elders in formation, each casting a devastating spell of fire at them. Mina and Lesariu quickly rolled out of the way; Euri screamed as Socolis pulled his wings in and dove. Raithia was too slow to react though and Draconis could see the fire burn her scales from her hind legs all the way down her tail. He could smell the cooked flesh and looked for his daughter as a wave of fear griped him. Draconis banked over to the left to avoid another mystic dragon that obscured his view of the old blue dragon and his child.

  When Draconis had finished his turn, Lesariu drove her head into the mystic dragon, carrying it up and away from the King of Dragon’s and his son-in-law, though he had completely lost sight of his daughter and the elder blue dragon as well. Mina decapitated one of the mages as Lesariu darted past him again, and Euri cast lightning from the tip of her staff which caused another of the mystic dragons to explode and send its rider first up and then tumbling through the air to his death on the plains below.

  Draconis caught a fleeting glimpse of them and the elder silver dragon pinned his wings to his body and dove towards Raithia and Annadora as they fell together from the skies. Two mages continued to cast their pillars of fire on the tumbling blue dragon, mostly missing, but a few of the shots hit the unprotected flesh between her chest and legs. Draconis could imagine the gaping holes of cooking dragon flesh they left in their wake. The acrid odor of cooked flesh rose up to meet them as he continued his steep dive.

  Both of their breaths caught in their throats as Raithia spread her majestic wings and used them to bank between what remained of the smoldering towers. The sorcerers launched their powerful attacks again, though this time they hit a glowing blue field that surrounded the pair of them.

  You two worry like old women. Annadora shot into their minds.

  Draconis chuckled as Dion drew a bead on the sorcerer who was closest to them. The human King let fly as the magician banked to the right to follow the large blue dragon. The King’s arrow quivered in the tower as the sorcerer urged his mystic dragon into a steep climb to escape the elder silver. Draconis beat his powerful wings and followed after the purple dragon and its mage rider with Dion firing arrows as quickly as he was able.

  Eurydice darted past with Socolis, causing Dion to hold his shot, and used her staff to catch the magician by surprise. Even from this distance the King could hear the metal staff connect with and shatter the leather mask these sorcerers wore. The mage was lifted out of his seat by the blow and tumbled through the air as his mystic dragon faded from sight.

  You old men need as much help as possible. Socolis chuckled in their minds.

  Dion released his arrow as another mage drew level with the white dragon. The arrow struck the sorcerer in the shoulder, spinning him from the back of the purple mystic dragon. The dragon winked out of existence as the magicians scream and errant lightning bolts cut through the silent air.

  You were saying? Dion shot back, bemused as Draconis’ booming chuckle echoed off of the smoldering towers around them.

  Socolis pulled even with Draconis and Lesariu who shot both Kings a dark look which was met with light laughter quickly joined them. Raithia pulled even with them, her body showing damage from repeated attacks, but otherwise in good spirits. The younglings darted in from the east, laying fire and mayhem to the hordes of orcs as they poured through the gateway and into Terum lands.

  In the distance Bethia was battling with a large purple mystic dragon, neither its rider nor Tristan could be seen though. None of them were sure if that was for good or ill, so they focused instead on the seemingly never-ending flood of orcs and their magician protectors. Bolts of lightning clumsily missed the four elder dragons as they directed their young far below them.

  Father! Euri called in Dion’s mind.

  The King looked off in the distance as what he took to be the horizon now came into sharper relief. A mystic dragon, of impossible proportions menacingly glid along the currents, flying south towards the elder dragons. As a unit the four of them turned towards the large purple dragon. Draconis organized the four elders and their riders by mind speech and already he wondered who would be the first to volunteer themselves to be thrown onto the back of the gigantic…

  No. Lesariu shouted loud enough to echo in all of their minds.

  What’s wrong young one? Draconis asked pointedly.

  Nothing. It’s of no consequence. She said dismissively.

  Don’t lie grandmother. Came the unmistakable voice of Mina.

  Dion’s thoughts intruded into Draconis’ and the elder dragon felt his son-in-laws shock, it mirrored his own. The human King could have sworn the young lady was unable to use mind speech. His suspicions were confirmed by the voices of his wife and daughter chattering in his mind, obviously as surprised as he’d been. When the King had been just a lad his father had always taught him that women are women and men are men, rarely do they share duties, abilities or intelligence. His mother had been ample proof that his fathers’ sentiments had been those of a dying breed of chivalrous backwards thinking that negated women based on their sex.

  Dion knew better than most that women and men were two sides of the same coin and while some women were happy being subservient to men, they were few and far between in his experience. This was a feeling that only intensified when he’d been courting Annadora. While
he wanted to spare his wife any pain, it was done out of love and not out of some archaic thought pattern dismissing her aid as unworthy based on her sex. The mother of his grandson bore that same fire that had marked his wife and his daughter.

  The King also knew that living up to the courage that his son possessed, no matter how much she tried to hide it, was Mina’s direst wish. While his wife and daughter continued their barrage towards the young lady, helped in no small part by Lesariu who simply refused to fly anywhere near the mystic dragon, Dion calmly nodded his head. Draconis had never been privy to his daughters husbands thought patterns before. They gave him newfound respect, though it was tempered with sadness as he knew all too well the burden of leadership.

  Father, you can’t! Euri shot at him.

  Husband, please! Annadora shot at Dion.

  She was brave enough to fight alongside both of you. Dion shot at Lesariu and Eurydice, who both averted their eyes in anger. And she’s been a courageous and strong woman in battle today! The human King added, directed at his wife. I see no reason why she can’t volunteer.

  She’s the mother of our grandson! Annadora yelled back into his mind.

  Both of your sons are down there, and your daughter fights at your side. If that excuse works on anyone up here, it’s you more than all combined. Dion answered her coldly.

  Draconis dislodged his mind from his son-in-law’s. He’d seen and heard enough to know that Dion was correct. It was a moot point all the same as further arguments were halted as the sorcerer riding the back of the giant mystic dragon unleashed a powerful lightning bolt, forcing the elder dragons to roll and scatter to avoid being hit. Even so, Draconis felt lightning travel up his arm and tingle in his right shoulder. Plans were quickly made to get Lesariu near enough to the purple dragon for Mina to leap from her back and distract the magician. The elder dragons were put to task avoiding the columns of purple fire and lightning being belched by the mystic dragon and the powerful bolts of lightning being cast by the sorcerer.

  Younglings darted up through the clouds, breathing fire on the giant purple dragon. The columns of fire seemed so much smaller and inconsequential than it had been when it was being cast on the orcs. Distracted, the giant purple dragon rolled over and the mage lashed out with lightning bolts, which when they connected, instantly killed younglings it struck. The younglings began falling from the skies at an alarming rate.

  Socolis darted in, allowing Euri to fire off bolts of her own. One such bolt caught the powerful sorcerer in the shoulder, knocking him down as the giant dragon dropped and flipped back over. Raithia flew in, flipping over in the air as she belched out a column of fire that encompassed the mage. Annadora stopped mid swing with her short sword, not wanting to burn her arm as the flames rose high enough for her to avert her eyes.

  A hand reached out of the flames from the back of the purple dragon and grabbed the Queen by the hair. Burns and blacked spots covered the bare forearm as the flames vanished and the sorcerer unceremoniously yanked Annadora from the back of Raithia by her hair while thrusting upwards with his free hand.

  From the Kings vantage point they had to avert their eyes as an incredible bolt of lightning pierced through Raithia’s blue belly. Errant pieces of lightning traveled up and down her slack body as the mighty purple dragon easily flew out from underneath her. They watched in horror as the blue dragon fell from the sky. On the back of the purple dragon lay a dazed Queen Annadora. The magicians hand was wrapped around her hair as he launched more bolts of lightning with his free hand; her face was clenched in pain as she tried to free herself from his grasp.

  Lesariu darted past, allowing Mina to leap onto the back of the purple dragon. The Guisian Princess was a terrible sight to behold as even from here the two Kings could see her rage. She lashed out with her whip, severing the sorcerer’s arm at the elbow. What remained of the hand and forearm went limp as the Queen slid down the length of the mystic dragon and slipped off.

  Draconis shouted his daughters name as he pinned his wings to his side again and dove after the Queen. Dion held on for dear life as Draconis felt his human body lifting off of his back. They gathered up speed as the Queen came into sight. Draconis pulled his wings in tighter accelerating their fall. Draconis could feel the human Kings’ vision began to go black and white as his peripheral vision began to close in on him, oddly, so was his.

  ~

  Mina wondered at her sanity as she watched Tristan’s mother slide off the back of the purple dragon. She tried to reach out and grab a hold of her, but her palms were too sweaty to properly grasp the Queen’s silky robes. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a silver streak dart past. Satisfied that Draconis would succeed where she’d failed, she instead refocused her attention of the sorcerer.

  He’d recovered faster than she would have; she looked up just as he unleashed a smaller bolt of lightning. Ducking for cover, she rolled towards him. She punched with all of her strength into his stomach. The sorcerer doubled over as the air was driven from him. Mina then drove the palm of her hand up into his chin as he leaned forward. The sorcerer rose off his feet. His mask flew off and his hood fell off as he fell backwards. Mina ripped the Dragon’s Fist from her belt and lifted it over her head in anticipation.

  Instead of rising to his feet though, the sorcerer launched another bolt of lightning from his back. It hit her square in the chest, tossing her backwards and off of the mystic dragon. She tumbled end over end; unable to catch her bearings long enough to do much more than give herself over to death. The wind was knocked out of her as scaled claws closed around her midriff. The Princess’s eyes shot open and she looked up to see the smiling face of Euri looking down on her.

  Slipped did we? She asked lightly.

  There was no mockery in her tone, in fact, if Mina didn’t know better she would have sworn she noticed tears in the younger woman’s eyes and deep breathing that only came from a long period of holding in air.

  The large white dragon picked up speed, heading back towards the mystic dragon. Mina could see Lesariu weaving in and out of the sorcerer’s visual range, evoking a continued barrage of weaker bolts of lightning. Socolis chuckled darkly as he caught up to the purple dragon. He cursed suddenly and banked to the right as the sorcerer launched a bolt with his severed arm.

  Apparently losing a hand doesn’t affect magical attacks. He muttered moodily in their minds.

  Toss me. Mina asked.

  I’m sorry, what? Socolis asked.

  You heard me. She shot in uncharacteristic anger.

  Biting back any witty reply, Socolis merely wished her luck before tossing her towards the sorcerer. If the mage had been expecting this tactic, he hid it masterfully behind a look of complete shock. Mina muttered a quick prayer before giving herself over to death once again. She wound up with her Dragon’s Fist and whipped it out with all of her remaining strength.

  The sorcerer recovered from his shock enough to launch repeated bolts of lightning at the Guisian Princess. The first one struck her in the leg, tearing open her simple trousers and splattering them with her blood. The second one she felt like hot coal along the left side of her face. The third and fourth struck her on the left and then the right shoulder. The bolts turned her slightly mid-flight. She managed to focus her will and drew her hand back and whipped out with her weapon.

  The razor sharp ends of the spines of her whip wrapped around the sorcerer’s neck. He reached up with his remaining hand and tried to pull the cord away from his neck. His fingers bled where he pulled with all his strength as the cord tightened around his neck. With his severed arm he hit Mina with a more powerful bolt of lightning, throwing her backwards. The error of his judgment registered briefly on his face as his throat was crushed. With a final savage tug, the young woman pulled his head off his shoulders.

  The mystic dragon vanished in a powerful explosion, throwing Mina farther back. She tumbled head over foot as she fell again. She realized with cool certainty that this must be the fina
l moments of her young life. Her life began to flash before her eyes, from childhood playing with her mother to her brief love affair with the Guisian General Fudi, the spell that gripped her and Tristan for months, her pregnancy and eventual joy at the life she’d brought into this world.

  She saw the face of her beloved son, his nose, ears and eyes as they grew and contorted into the face of her great love. Silently she tried to finally let Tristan know her truest feelings before a flash of golden light passed over her face. Mina was at peace and ready, this golden light must be the nimbus coming to take her to the afterlife she considered with an odd sort of detachment.

  ~

  Eurydice watched the sister of her heart take the fight to the enemy sorcerer. His blasts seemed to have no effect as she lashed out with her whip and wrapped it around the bastard’s throat. Raithia was dead, her mother for all she knew was dead and her father was diving to his certain death as well. She could no longer feel their warm presence in her mind’s eye.

  The Vallius Princess watched in morbid gratification as the sorcerers head was ripped from his body. She mentally urged Socolis to pick up speed so they could catch Mina as she would undoubtedly fall once the mystic dragon faded away. The white dragon gathered speed as he shot forward bringing himself in low enough so Euri could catch Mina.

  Then the purple dragon exploded and tossed Socolis backwards. Eurydice held on for her life as he tumbled through the air and began to fall. She couldn’t feel his thoughts and feared that the explosion had somehow killed him. After a few terrifying moments of vertigo, he spread his wings and came out of his fall.

  A golden blur shot past them, knocking Socolis backwards again. He quickly recovered and Euri looked over his flank to see Lesariu plummeting after her granddaughter. Socolis gathered his wings close and dove after her while Eurydice clung onto his scales and tried to keep her eyes open despite the incredible wind.