Zarya grimaced.
“Ugh! What in th’ soddin’ ’ells is that?!” Nester asked, making a face.
The sight also revolted Kaijin, but he maintained his composure as best he could.
Sigmund crossed his arms and regarded Omari, stone-faced. “Your point has been proven, Omari. Now, get rid of that gruesome thing.”
Frowning, Omari tossed the bird-corpse into a pile of ashes. “So this is what remains of the camp? To whom do we owe this glorious destruction?” He eyed Kaijin, smirking.
“This is no time for your little quips, Omari.” Kaijin frowned. “We need to find Aidan and that egg.”
“He took it right out of my hands and fled!” Zarya said. “To where, I don’t know.”
“Perhaps back to the Mistress?” Sigmund asked.
She slowly shook her head. “He’s been acting strangely as of late.”
Nester raised an eyebrow. “Aye? I didn’t know ’e was actin’ normal before.”
“We must find him and the egg at all costs,” Sigmund said. “Or we will all face Her wrath.”
XXI
Aidan fled until he was satisfied that the egg was far enough from the camp to be safe. He stopped to rest, and from where he stood, he watched light consume the camp. As the glow spread, he worried about his friends, but his urge to protect the egg and keep it safe was greater than his concern for them. He fidgeted with the knot on the bag while he mused.
I am not a coward. The sound of footsteps approaching snapped Aidan back to the present. He clutched the bag close to his body.
Gaston drew nearer with Carver slung over his shoulder. Gaston stopped in front of Aidan and dumped Carver at his feet.
Aidan’s lip curled, and a growl of distaste rumbled in his throat.
“A trade,” Gaston said coolly. “The boy for what’s in that bag. No violence, no hard feelings.”
Groaning, Carver lifted his face from the dirt, and he gazed at Aidan pleadingly.
Aidan glanced from Carver to Gaston and bared his fangs. “Do not take Aidan for fool.”
Gaston lifted his eyebrow. “Of course not. I just thought you would have more feelings for this boy than you would for an egg. An advantageous trade, wouldn’t you say?”
“Aidan, I’m sorry,” Carver whimpered. “I should’ve listened to you. Please don’t let him hurt me.”
“Shut up, boy!” Gaston drove his heel into Carver’s back, causing the boy to let out a yelp.
Aidan winced in sympathy. Seeing Carver being abused left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Well, Aidan?” Gaston asked. “Are you going to give me what is mine, or not?”
“This does not belong to you,” Aidan retorted.
Gaston scowled. “So it seems you would rather do this the hard way.” He drew his sword and slipped the blade under the top shoulder seams of Carver’s armor, slicing them through.
Aidan swallowed. No ... but if I interfere ... I must protect the egg.
Gaston put the point of his blade against the tunic on Carver’s back.
Carver froze. “No!” Gaston planted his boot on Carver’s back, smashing him into the dirt.
Gaston looked coldly at Aidan. “I can keep going.” He pushed ever so slightly on the sword and Carver cried.
Aidan gritted his teeth at Carver’s reaction but did not let go of the bag. I cannot. I ... He barely repressed the fury. “Only a coward would kill helpless boy.”
Gaston laughed and pressed the sword deeper. “What do you know about courage, Aidan? Half-breeds like you are the bane of this world: too lowly to be accepted by your own pure-blooded Dragonkind, and too repulsive to be accepted by the rest of society. Half-breeds are like festering wounds that won’t heal. Now, give me that egg!”
No, I must stop Carver’s suffering ... but ... Aidan clenched the bag’s knotted top more tightly. “No. There is no need for death. It solves nothing.”
“You’re insane, Gaston!” Carver shouted. “Get off me! Aidan, help!”
Aidan shut out Carver’s voice and said to Gaston, “You will not kill him.”
“Oh, no?” Gaston lifted his foot and drove his blade into the small of Carver’s back. Carver screamed in agony.
Aidan froze. This man really is evil.
Gaston smirked. “All I have to do is give it a little twist and he will die a slow and painful death.”
Aidan gently set the bag down.
“Good,” Gaston nodded at Aidan. “Now, give it to me.”
He frowned. He had a feeling he’d lose both Carver and the egg if he continued playing Gaston’s game. “Aidan is no fool.”
Gaston tilted his head. “Did you not hear me, Aidan? I am going to kill him.”
“You will kill him regardless of what Aidan does.”
“And what if I do? It’s not like you can do anything about it. You are too much of a pacifist. You will not kill me. You’ve never killed.”
You’ve never killed.... He had killed—only once in his life, true—but he still regretted it. He wanted to forget, but he couldn’t. Would he be forced to add more darkness to his shame?
The more Aidan dwelled on his thoughts, the more Carver suffered.
“This is unnecessary,” Aidan said softly. “Please do not force Aidan to do something he will regret.”
“No, you will not kill me,” Gaston jeered. “Because if you do, it will haunt you forever. You will have a huge bounty on your head. The Legion will find you and avenge my death. You will always be a fugitive. No one will trust you—not even your own kind. You will be forever shamed. As if you weren’t already alone, half-breed.”
“No, Aidan will not be shamed. He will have saved Dragon’s child from evil slayers like you.”
Gaston’s smile quickly faded, and he slowly twisted his hand. Carver began screaming more loudly.
These weren’t screams of pain—they were dying screams.
Aidan snapped.
He lunged at Gaston and tackled the Legionnaire to the ground, knocking the sword out of his hand. He tore at Gaston’s armor, tearing the scales away and puncturing skin with his claws.
“You ... you won’t kill me,” Gaston sputtered, blood running down the sides of his mouth. “You can’t kill me ... pacifist.”
Aidan felt as though he’d entered a nightmare—his greatest fear. But he couldn’t stop. He felt like he had to do this—he had to finish the job.
Gaston gagged and weakly looked up at Aidan. “My death ... will only prove everyone right. That Dragons are a dangerous threat to society and must be ... exterminated.”
Aidan gritted his teeth, frustrated. His eyelids fluttered, feeling as though something had possessed him, he drove his claws into Gaston’s neck and severed his windpipe and jugular.
Blood spurted; Gaston writhed, then went still. Blood dribbled on the ground beneath the jagged wound, coalescing between Aidan’s fingers.
Aidan lowered his head and slowly withdrew his hand. He watched the warm, crimson liquid drip from his fingers, staining the ground. Gaston died looking right at him, the way Aidan’s first victim had died, so long ago.
The image had etched into Aidan’s mind, and he remained on his knees, staring at his shaking hand.
Carver stirred nearby and groaned in pain. “Aidan ... Aidan ...”
Aidan’s gaze turned to the boy, but he did not respond. There has been too much death already, and the day is not yet over.
Carver’s body twitched. He was barely able to swivel his head to gaze at Aidan. “Aidan, I ... I can’t feel my legs!”
Aidan focused on the burlap sack. He undid the knot, uncovered the egg, and examined its speckled surface. The urge to protect his kin was so strong that it frightened him. He rubbed his bloodstained hand over the egg’s shell, checking it for cracks or other damage.
Blood smeared onto the surface. Aidan attempted to wipe it off, with little success. To his relief, the egg overall appeared safe and sound. Aidan tenderly nestled it back into the sack, re-
knotted the top, and carried it over his shoulder. His feral urges subsided.
He went to Carver, who looked up at him with a face drawn with pain.
“Aidan,” Carver whimpered. “My back ... I can’t move ...”
Aidan carefully scooped Carver up with one arm and slung him over his other shoulder. He sniffed the air and caught the scent of Kaijin and the rest of his comrades not far away, faint amid the reek of smoke.
Slowly, Aidan began his trek back toward the camp’s smoldering remains.
* * *
“Look! There ’e is!” Nester pointed toward Aidan in the distance amid large rocks and boulders that dotted the landscape. He ran ahead of the group to greet him.
“Nester, wait!” Kaijin flung his hand out, but the brownie was gone. He couldn’t even wait for us? Kaijin sighed.
The group eventually caught up with Nester, who had stopped in his tracks and gawked at Aidan, who carried a boy in his arms. Aidan was bloody and looked exhausted. He barely acknowledged them.
Zarya gasped and rushed forward. “Aidan! What happened to you? Who is that?”
Aidan didn’t respond. Instead, he laid the boy on the ground in front of Zarya. There was sadness in Aidan’s eyes—and regret.
“Please, help me,” the boy said weakly. He turned his head, trying to see everyone. His gaze settled on Zarya, who knelt beside him.
Zarya laid her hands lightly on him and spoke a prayer. The healing light came in answer. She released him. “Your spine was almost severed. You are lucky to still be alive. What on Exodus happened?”
The boy stirred, and his face lit up. “Oh! I can move again! Thank you! Thank you!” He leaned on an elbow and slowly eased himself up to a sitting position.
“Will someone explain what in Celestra’s name happened here?” Sigmund demanded.
Nester narrowed his eyes at the boy, scrutinizing him. “Wait, I think I’ve seen you before. Somewhere in Faywald, methinks, aye?”
The boy’s gaze leaped from Sigmund to Nester. “I used to live in Faywald, yes. My name is Carver. I was recently recruited by Sir Gaston to join the Legion. I thought it would be a great opportunity to finally get off the streets and make something of myself. Gaston had me convinced that Aidan was evil, like all the other Dragonfolk. But Gaston hurt me and tried to hurt Aidan.” He sighed and lowered his head. “I was such a fool. Aidan got injured because of me. I’m sorry, Aidan.”
Aidan’s gaze fixed blankly on the camp.
Zarya mended some minor scratches on Aidan’s back, chest, and arms. “Something has happened. Aidan is in shock.” She looked at him closely. “Can you hear me, Aidan?”
Aidan’s gaze flicked to her briefly, then away again. They watered, but no tears came.
Nester stood before the giant and jumped up and down, waving his hands to get his attention, but Aidan didn’t seem to notice. “Nope! ’E ain’t ’ere.”
Tension kept Kaijin on edge. The sensation came from Miele, who fluttered not far above him. He had her attention, and she beckoned him to follow.
He left the others, following the sounds of her flapping wings for a short distance, until he noticed a small mound further away. It looked like a human body.
Kaijin approached it but stopped when he was a few steps away. The armored man’s face and body was maimed to the point of being almost unrecognizable. A large gaping hole replaced his throat.
“Looks dead to me,” Omari said from behind him.
Kaijin jumped. Did he follow me the entire time? He exhaled and turned to the other mage. “Aidan could’ve not done this, could he? I mean, he doesn’t like violence.”
Omari studied the body. “Perhaps the afriti did it? ... No, the claw marks are much too small. Perhaps it was a bear.”
“These lands seem too sparse for bears.” Kaijin paused. Claws. Could it have been Aidan after all?
Percival approached the corpse, sniffed it once, and then retreated back between Omari’s ankles, shuddering.
Omari picked up his familiar and set Percival on his shoulder. “It is all right, my friend,” he said aloud. “He is the way he should be: dead.” He cast a dark look at Kaijin.
Nester skidded to a halt beside them. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. “Soddin ’ells! Is that ...”
Nester tilted his head and squinted at the mutilated remains. “Aye. I remember that armor. Scalier than a fish! ’E was a big bloke, too! What ’appened to ‘im?”
“I don’t know,” Kaijin replied. “We found him this way. Omari suspects he was attacked by an animal of some kind.”
Nester blinked. “Aye? Well it must’ve been a pretty big animal!”
“Did you know this man, Nester?” Omari eyed the brownie.
“If it’s who I think it is, then aye. I remember ’im from back in Faywald. ’E was crazy enough to challenge Aidan to a fight! Aidan beat ’im, of course ...” Nester suddenly scowled. “And that’s when we won all that money and ... Arg! Aidan was a soddin’ fool and gave it all away to some orphanage.... Oh, all that money ...”
Leaving the brownie to wallow, Kaijin and Omari joined the rest of the group.
“Find something?” Sigmund asked.
Kaijin and Omari exchanged glances.
“There’s a ... corpse back there,” Kaijin said.
“A corpse?” Sigmund craned his head to see past Kaijin’s shoulder toward the stretch of rocks and boulders beyond.
“Oh, Goddess ...” Zarya whispered, rushing in the direction of the small mound in the distance.
Aidan had not moved from his spot, though his face had lost its usual silvery sheen and gone dull. He blinked once—the first time he’d blinked since he brought them Carver.
“Aidan, are you all right?” Sigmund asked.
Aidan clutched the knotted top of the bag. His mouth slowly opened.
“That corpse ...” Carver said suddenly. “It’s Gaston.”
Sigmund’s attention snapped to Carver. “Gaston? I’ve heard that name mentioned recently in my travels. He is a slayer.” He scowled at the boy. “And you are working for him?”
Carver lowered his head. “Not anymore, sir.”
“I am a Celestial guardian, appointed to protect the Dragons from slayers and other evil. Give me one reason why I should believe you.”
Carver gasped. “A Celestial? A guardian of the Dragons? Oh, hells, I ... I didn’t realize—”
“Answer me this instant, boy.”
“I—I swear it, sir! I swear I won’t have anything to do with the Legion anymore! I will return home to my life on the streets and learn to enjoy it.”
Sigmund observed the boy for a long moment and then rubbed his chin. “I have a better idea. But first, we need to return to the Mistress.”
A tear rolled down Aidan’s cheek, and he rubbed it away with the back of his fist. “Leave Carver alone. He had nothing to do with it. It is Aidan’s fault that Gaston is dead.”
All eyes turned to the giant.
“Wait ... So you did kill him?” Kaijin asked.
Omari smiled thinly. “I knew that sinister side of you would be of use to us, Aidan.”
“No, Aidan regrets what he has done,” Aidan continued. “That is why Aidan does not like violence. Someone—”
“—always gets ’urt. Aye, aye, we know, Aidan,” Nester finished with a roll of his eyes and a shrug.
“Unfortunately, violence was necessary this time.” Kaijin said.
Aidan shook his head. “Violence is never ‘necessary’. It is just convenient way to resolve problem.”
Kaijin opened his mouth but closed it again quickly and thought about his response. “Sometimes, some of us do not have control over how we resolve problems,” he said finally. “Sometimes we cannot change fate.”
“Defeating him was part of the mission, Aidan,” Sigmund explained. “He committed a crime—no, a sin against the goddess—by doing what he did. Not even I could detect any aura of goodness in that man’s heart.”
&nb
sp; “But Aidan does not like killing,” Aidan said.
“Not everyone likes killing, but justice must be served. Would you have let him live so that he could steal more eggs? Kill more Dragons? Sell their corpses for his own fame and monetary gain?”
Aidan hung his head.
“He was going to kill me, Aidan,” Carver broke in. “And you, too!”
“There are black markets all over the world selling Dragon scales and body parts,” Sigmund explained. “I would not be surprised if they were going to do the same to you, too, Aidan.”
Omari’s lip curled. “Despicable.”
“Indeed, it is.” Sigmund’s expression mirrored Omari’s distaste. “They care nothing for the well-being of others and care only about filling their pockets with gold. The death of this one man has saved the lives of countless others.”
Kaijin nodded. “Take it for what it’s worth, Aidan. You saved a baby Dragon. The Mistress will be very happy.”
Aidan managed a small smile, but he looked back over his shoulder at Gaston’s corpse. Zarya returned, her head hung low.
Omari huffed. “What are you so sad about?” he asked her.
Zarya looked up, regarding everyone solemnly. “I prayed for the goddess to take him.”
“What? So you even pray over the corpses of enemies? I thought Celestials despised slayers?”
“We do,” Sigmund broke in. “But as servants of the goddess, born of Her breath, we must ask Her to take their souls away and pronounce on them the final judgment that only She can give.”
Zarya sighed. “I am ready.”
Aidan slung the bag lightly over his shoulder and led the way back to Kyniythyria’s mountain.
XXII
The return trip to Mallowyn Crags was a swift one. As the group began scaling Kyniythyria’s mountain, Aidan, who had lagged behind, stopped. Did the egg just move by itself?
He waited to see if it would happen again. It did.
Startled, Aidan held the bag in front of him. He waited a few moments and saw the bag jerk.
“Aidan! What are you doing?” Sigmund called from up ahead, where the rest of the group had paused.
Enflamed (Book 2) Page 22