by Celeste Raye
Maxxus desperately wanted to rip him apart, but he dared not. What if he had found a way to hide Josie where she could not be found in time? He shook the hideous old man, tightening the grip on his throat. "We will simply follow your footprints, you fool. I do not need your guidance."
The man's eyes widened from pain and fear, but he managed to mumble, "Footprints? I flew. There will be none."
"You are lying. Your eyes say differently; the fire behind them is gone. You cannot transform. You will die soon without the cure Josie discovered. She alone holds the key to your future. If she dies, the formula dies with her," Maxxus lied.
"If that is true, then we are all dead," the man hissed.
Above him, Maxxus caught sight of a dragon. It dipped closer, letting him know they had found the footprints. He was tired of wasting time on the old man. Transforming where he stood, his claws closed around the man's neck, ending his life. He had no regrets, as the sentence for treason was death by hanging. He had simply cut the wait time.
Joining the messenger, Maxxus flew north. The tracks were hard to see in the dark and quickly vanishing in a fresh snowfall. However, Hesher and his group had been ahead of him and had a clearer path to focus on. His heart lifted when he saw dragons were stationed along the trail, their bright colors guiding him to his beloved. If not for a glowing yellow one, he would never have seen the tiny cave, covered in thick, ice-frosted, leafless vines.
Inside, a man once more, he gagged on the stench. Hesher had lit a fire, and the heat accentuated the rotting smell. Josie's screams shook him to the core, and he focused on reaching her. She was in Hesher's arms, shaking uncontrollably and screaming. The commander was doing all he could to warm her freezing form and ease her pain. Her hands and face were tinged blue. Her eyelashes were frosted. Hesher's face was grim.
Dropping to his knees and adding his warmth, Maxxus dared ask, "Can we get her back to Daer in time?"
"No, her pains have not ceased since my arrival. The child will be born here. Take her and continue warming her. I will find something to melt snow in, so we can wash her and the baby. I will move the filth away and toss it in the fire. Clean dirt is better than these filthy blankets," Hesher replied.
"Send for the hovercraft. We will need it to transport them home. Have them bring blankets for both and wrappings for my child. Do you have a knife? I will need it to cut the cord."
Hesher answered, "I do not carry one, but I will see if someone else does. Then, I will stand by the door and keep the fire burning. Josie will want privacy."
"No, my friend. I cannot do this alone. At this point, I do not imagine Josie cares what you witness. Help me save her as she has saved our world."
Hesher nodded, though the idea was embarrassing. The queen deserved to be honored. Perhaps aiding in the birth was honoring her: saving the heir along with her. "I will return with the knife," he replied.
The cave was warming; icicles dripped from the entrance. Josie had stopped shaking and seemed to calm slightly in Maxxus's embrace. "All will be well, my love," he whispered near her ear. "You are safe. No one can harm you or our child now. I will protect you with my life. Forgive my foolishness and pride. I love you."
"Sssorrry, fforr secret," she stammered through the pain.
"Let it go. We both made mistakes, so let us waste no more precious minutes on regrets. Focus on the future. We are having a baby, one who will be loved as no other child ever has. It will grow up in paradise, thanks to you, my dragon savior."
Josie screamed as Maxxus felt her belly ripple in a contraction. "I need to push. It's coming," she moaned. "It's too early. It will be too small! Oh, please, don't let it die."
"Our baby is strong like its mother. It will not only survive; it will thrive. I have to lay you down and remove the leggings. I will put them beneath you, to keep you off the dirty floor. Will you allow it?"
"I can't lay flat. It hurts worse. Prop me against the wall, so I can push against it." As he did so, she added, "This isn't how it was supposed to be! We should be in a warm, clean room with Daer to bring the baby out."
"Nothing in my life has gone according to plan, yet it has worked out for the better. I found you and now I will be a father. Neither was expected. Erase your fear and rejoice in the new life you are bringing forth."
Hesher returned, keeping his eyes on the ceiling to give Josie as much privacy as the tiny space allowed. He handed Maxxus a knife and began throwing trash from the floor into the fire. A shiver went down his spine when Josie let out another scream, and Maxxus yelled, "Push harder!"
Each pain seemed to go on forever, Josie sobbing in between. She was getting weaker, her pushes less effective as time went on. Maxxus encouraged her when he could, but at other moments he was demanding and almost cruel. He had to be in order to force Josie to give all she could.
Finally, Hesher heard him say, "The head is out. You are doing great! Come on, one more good push." One last bloodcurdling scream and the baby slid into its father's hands. However, it did not make a sound.
"Help, Hesher! He is not breathing," Maxxus yelled in a panic.
Hesher turned to see Maxxus trying desperately to clear the baby's throat. "Cut the cord! Take care of Josie," he told the commander.
Hesher complied, too worried for mother and child to suffer from the previous embarrassment.
Maxxus stood and hung his son upside down, fluid draining from his lungs. A whimper became a screech, and soon the baby was crying lustily.
That was the scene Daer walked into. Everyone was bloody but smiling. He brought fresh water, clean towels, clothing, and blankets. Dropping them all, he hurried to check the condition of mother and son. The black haired, blue eyed, weredragon boy was healthy and breathing perfectly, despite his early and less than sanitary birth. Josie had a ragged tear and required repairs. She was exhausted, dehydrated, and dirty, yet her smile was angelic as she stared at her son cuddled by her mate.
Cleaned and wrapped in blankets, the pair was removed from the hideous cave and placed in the hovercraft. The weredragons lining the snow-covered desolate ground lifted their mighty heads and sent fire into the sky in a tribute to the new heir as the craft passed them by.
Josie & Maxxus
Josie stood at the window in her bedroom in the palace. Her son was asleep in her arms, having been recently fed and changed. His long eyelashes hid the deep blue of his eyes and the flame behind them. He was gorgeous and in excellent health, doted on by both parents.
"What are you staring at, my heart?" Maxxus asked from behind her.
"The snow is almost completely melted, except in the most shaded areas," she replied. "I see Kelan and the others deploying the third and last application of the formula. It's working. What's the temperature now?"
"It has reached fifty-two degrees according to your gauge. The waterfall is dark blue once more, and life has been detected within it. Scouts say the same of the one in the nearest village, and we have reports from the large city on the other side of Talonia. They are rejoicing as their snow melts. Kelan sent dragons there to disperse the formula while you were recovering."
"I want to go out and see it all for myself. It's time to show our son to the rest of the capital inhabitants. We're both fine now, and it’s warm enough. Will you take us?" Josie asked.
"I am at your command," Maxxus answered. "But, if we are to introduce our son, then he needs to have a name. Do you have a preference?"
A soft smile lit her face, and her eyes twinkled. "I do, actually. I thought about the circumstances of his birth. Due to where and when he was born, I would love to call him Phoenix. He arose from the ashes of Talonia when it was being reborn. It feels right, just as Hope's name did."
"I like it. It is a strong name for a strong man. It speaks of immortality and remaking yourself as things change. Phoenix it is. Shall we tell the world?"
"Let's go. I want my crew to see him before they leave. I heard you mention to Acer that they'd be going back to Earth soo
n. They've been away from their families for a very long time. I'm sad to see them go, but it's not fair to keep them any longer," Josie proclaimed.
"Your timing is perfect. They are to leave at sunrise tomorrow. However, you would have been able to say goodbye no matter what. They were coming to see you. No one could go without saying goodbye. You are special to them, and they will not forget you."
The trio, all with black hair shining in the sunlight, stepped out of the palace. At first, their presence went unnoticed. As they wandered down the walkway toward the garden, eyes began to turn their way. Whispered words, then shouts, moved faster than their feet.
They passed the garden, where the domes were being removed. They passed the schoolchildren, sitting around the fountain, instead of needing to hide out indoors. The clouds were thinner and the red sun brighter as they climbed the steps to the platform in the city center. Crowds gathered below them. Weredragons emptied the sky and landed atop buildings.
Maxxus connected his COM link to screens all over Talonia, now working properly without the interference of the cloud banks and the snow. "Today, we arose to bright, life-affirming sun. With it came the warmth we have all been missing. Thanks to our savior, my mate, Josie, Talonia is rising from the cold ashes of desolation. She has given me a son amidst the resurrection of our planet. To honor the coinciding events, we have blessed our son with a name that will forever remind us of this time and give him the incentive to be strong and ever-changing as our world evolves. We would like to present to you the future king of Talonia: Phoenix."
Josie unwrapped the bundle bound to her chest and turned his sweet, chubby-cheeked face toward the crowd. His eyes opened, and the fire in them shone brightly for all to see. The applause and chants of "Phoenix has risen" did not startle him in the least. The love from the weredragons overcame any fear he might have felt. His birth and future life were connected closely with the renewed energy of Talonia, and that gave his tiny soul joy and peace.
Maxxus aided Josie in binding Phoenix in the cloth that held him close to her heart, and they made their way through the mass of well-wishers. As they passed, the baby was touched by many gentle hands upon his soft head, each citizen wanting to feel blessed by him. At the edge of the city, Josie did not stop. Her agenda was to seek out the desolation and look for any change. A vague memory had surfaced of a long-ago dream, and if it were to be proved as a premonition, then her soul could settle, for her world would be complete. Ahead, between leftover sprinkles of snow, she found what she was seeking. Crouching, with Maxxus at her side, she touched the little green sprig, sprouting up from desolate ground. She sighed, claiming Maxxus's full attention. "Look! It was real. I dreamed of this moment before I ever arrived. I saw us here, with Phoenix and the plants growing in the distance. See! There they are."
Maxxus helped her rise, kissed her lips and the baby's head, then replied, "Of course, you did. I saw you as well, in the waterfall and the volcano. I thought I was crazy, but I was not. This was prophesized. You are the dragons' savior."
Bonus Book- Nabvan
Warriors of Milisaria
Chapter 1
Alexis Fisher tucked her blonde hair behind her ear and sat on the piece of the ship that jutted out from the round, glass window that she had been training her eyes on almost every evening since she had boarded the spaceship that would take her to live on an alien planet. She loved to watch planets and stars pass by them on their journey. She had once wanted to work with NASA, exploring what was out there right alongside the greatest space program on the entire planet Earth, but no one had taken a wispy blonde of 27-years-old seriously. Getting on this ship and agreeing to essentially be a mail-order bride to some veiny Arkani had been the only way for her to get close to her dream.
She heard footsteps coming towards her and the brush of air that meant someone had sat down next to her. She didn’t bother to look because she knew just who it was. "I see you're out of bed too, Destiney," Alexis commented, pressing her lips into a thin line. Alexis remembered how Destiney used to annoy her when they first boarded the ship. The fifteen women aboard were all pretty sad, either forced on the ship because of hardships or seeking a new life because their life on Earth didn’t go as planned. Alexis knew now what was lurking behind those amber eyes and bright smile that Destiney walked around with, but her zany attitude had not been welcomed in the first couple of weeks. Now, Destiney was her only friend on the ship, and the one keeping her going.
"Well, c'mon, Alexis, you can’t tell me you're not at least a little excited. We've been on this ship for two months now, and we're finally going to be setting our feet on land again in just a few days." Destiney’s bubbly voice broke through the semi-trance Alexis had put herself into, watching the universe fly by. Alexis turned away from the window and gave a sad smile. She had some mixed feelings about the whole thing, but it was too late to back out now.
"I'm excited to get to be a part of an intelligent community again. I'm excited to find out what the Arkani know about science," she admitted, trying to find the silver lining. The Arkani would surely take to her scientific mind since the reason they needed women was because their women had begun dying of a disease they did not understand. It didn’t affect humans or the men, and Alexis was ready to be the person who helped discover why, even if it meant being the wife to one of the men who had lost theirs.
"Well, I'm excited for a new life," Destiney whispered, leaning her tanned body over with delight. "I don’t care what race this man is, as long as he cares for me. One of those alien men is going to choose me and be with only me. I've never felt appreciation like that." Alexis nodded. She knew Destiney's story all too well. Looking at the beautiful woman before her with sultry curves and wavy brown hair, Alexis couldn’t understand what wasn't to love. But Destiney's family had felt quite different, stuck in their traditions.
"It's going to be great for you," Alexis told her, placing her hand on Destiney’s leg comfortingly.
"You're always such a good friend, with the right things to say. I would go crazy in a depressing place like this without a gal like you in it. I wish you could be happy for yourself for once, though, Alexis," Destiney commented, calling Alexis out. Alexis just shook her head and looked back out the window, putting that wall back up around her that she always had. It was the closest thing to armor she had, and she just felt like she needed it.
"I just don’t have a whole lot of faith in others anymore, Destiney. I wish I could be more open like you, but I'm just not. It's why I like the stars so much. They are something you can study and predict." Alexis remained focused on the many stars and asteroids passing them by until she could see the glint of another planet in the distance. It was her favorite part of the journey they were on: getting to glimpse all the other planets that humans hadn't even known about until the last century. How all these amazing and intelligent races had remained hidden for so long, she just couldn’t fathom.
"Look!" she told Destiney excitedly, pointing towards the planet. Alexis racked her brain to see if she could think of what planet they could be passing. In her studies, she had made several planetary maps.
"Wow, what planet is that?" Destiney asked, looking out the window where her friend was pointing. Alexis thought about waking the others up to show them but then thought better of it. Many were so sullen they wouldn’t even care about it. The Arkani were going to have their hands full with these depressed babes.
The planet had large masses of green seas on its surface and an atmosphere not completely unlike Earth, with clouds. There were four moons surrounding it. Then she remembered. "Oh, it must be Milisaria," Alexis told Destiney, her finger thoughtfully tapping against her chin. "The aliens on the planet are warriors. I think they call themselves knights now, though. They're pretty friendly with humans compared to some other races, but they are really brutal, always taking over other planets."
Alexis had met one once. They often came to Earth because many countries had peace treaties and
trading deals with them. They were daunting creatures, superhuman in that they were extremely tall and all very muscular, some even having evolved a second set of arms. They had some attractive features about them, but they often weren’t very intelligent, which automatically made Alexis dislike them.
"Oh, yeah, I've heard of them. They're pretty sexy for aliens," Destiney commented with a chuckle and a blush. Alexis nudged her playfully, and the two women laughed. It felt good to laugh. Alexis didn’t know how long it had been since she had.
Their laughter was quickly cut off by a sudden jerk of the ship, as if there was an Earthquake happening in space. Both women were jostled to the floor before they felt a sudden pull as the ship sped in a different direction than it had been going before.
The other thirteen women began to get out of their beds and come out to see what was going on, running through the ship and seeing if they could tell what had happened. Despite the jarring, everything still seemed to be functioning, but as Alexis and the others opened all the shades, they saw what had happened: an alien ship had latched onto theirs and was pulling their ship inside.
Some of the women cried, and others screamed in terror, none of them knowing what to expect. But Alexis knew whom the ship belonged to. The Milisarian Knights would never let them reach the Arkani now. It looked like they were going to be meeting a different type of alien man entirely.
Chapter 2
“What’s going to happen to us?” one of the women screamed as the ship continued to be pulled into the Milisarian ship, which was intimidating in its largeness compared to the small passenger ship they had been cruising through space in this whole time. It was complete chaos as these depressed Earth women tried to figure out if they would even live through the next few hours. Alexis did not like them, but she felt like she needed to calm them down and talk to them about what would actually be happening.