by Randi Darren
“Not really, no. But I do plan on sending a letter for their city leaders to meet me tomorrow.
“I figure they’ll say no, but I’ll still offer them a chance.”
The two fell silent and made their way back to the room.
Red was awake when they returned.
Leila confirmed everything was as expected right before Red assaulted Vince and fed from him.
***
Vince stood waiting in the middle of the field.
It was a very wide open and visible space.
If they needed to escape quickly, it wouldn’t be an issue. Taylor had been rigged with an impromptu saddle they could take hold of to get out quickly.
“You think they’ll actually come?” Taylor said, her wings rising up off her back and settling back down.
They weren’t completely healed, and there was the distinct possibility that using them would make the wound worse.
Causing them to take even longer to heal.
But as an emergency escape route, it wasn’t something they could just overlook.
“I do. I think they’ll want to see me, if only to get an idea of what’s going on and how I’m down here.
“Let alone launching a trap to see if they can capture or kill me.
“Though I think they’ll try to talk first,” Vince said.
Red growled and then snuggled up to Vince, laying her head down on his chest. Her tail slipped up his leg and tightened around it slowly.
“Red thinks this is stupid. You should take Red aside, feed her, bed her, and then go hunting with her and the Dragon,” said the Cursed One.
Looking up at him through her lashes, he couldn’t help but wonder at the brightness of her eyes.
They’d been red before, but now they glowed like molten iron.
“I like Red’s idea. Though I would like to mate with you as well after we finish hunting,” Taylor said, her head swinging around to face him. “This waiting is stupid.”
“Apparently not as stupid as we all thought,” Leila said, lifting a hand and pointing to the distance.
Two women and a man were heading their way. They were alone, and clearly unarmed.
“A red and a blue,” Taylor said. “The third is just a human. Maybe a wizard.”
“A wizard?” Vince asked. “I don’t think I’ve met a human wizard.”
“You have. You just wouldn’t have known it,” Leila said. “They blend in very well. Very, very well. They’re not even as a rare as Warlocks,” Leila said.
“Huh.”
“One of your brother’s women is a Sorceress. More or less a Wizard,” Leila said patiently. “Her gifts are a bit odd, but… definitely a magical being.”
Everyone fell silent as the trio got closer.
“The blue is pretty. Can I invite her to the wing? She might accept if you fight her and try to mount her,” Taylor said.
“Uh… I don’t think that’s the greatest idea,” Vince said.
“Hm. That’s fair. The red isn’t as pretty, but she’ll still do fine if she’s willing.
“I’ll offer them both to join my wing. They may join simply by my authority alone.”
“Why does it matter if they’re pretty?” Vince asked.
“Because if they’re not servicing you, they can service me. I want them pretty,” Taylor said in a haughty tone.
Oh. I didn’t realize. Makes sense though.
Kinda lines up with the Dryad hierarchy as well.
“You’re Vince?” asked one of the women. She had hair so dark it was almost a blue black, and bright-blue eyes. Her scales ran along her in the exact same patterns as Taylor’s.
Though her horns curled more.
The woman next to her looked much like every other red Dragon he’d met.
The third individual was a man wearing a mask who seemed more a statue, with how rigidly he held himself.
“I am. I have Leila my Warlock and Red my companion with me,” Vince said, indicating the two women.
“And this big beauty is Taylor, my black and leader of my wing. I beat her in single combat. She was in her Dragon form,” Vince said, reaching up to affectionately pat Taylor’s side. “And I was as you see me now.”
The blue’s eyebrows went up at that, her eyes flicking to black with an appraising glance.
“We’re not here to listen to your petty self,” said the red Dragon, slashing the air with her hand. “We’re here to accept your surrender so you might be executed.”
“Ah. I see. I take it you have no wish to discuss anything then? Your position is as you stated and that’s all there is to it?” Vince asked.
“I see no reason to bother talking to you about this. Surrender and accept your fate,” the red Dragon said, taking an aggressive step forward.
Vince’s hand flashed and his blade sliced through the air.
With a snick, the blade pressed to the red’s neck and paused there.
“I’ll take your rudeness merely as bluster and allow you to leave with your life,” Vince said. “I’ll return here in seven days. I think by then, you’ll want to talk to me.”
With a flick of his wrist, he turned the blade sideways and slapped it against her shoulder without any strength behind the tap.
“Now leave, before I change my mind,” Vince murmured, mentally going through every motion possible to kill her in under a second.
As if sensing his desire to kill her, both the man and the red backed up immediately.
The blue was looking between him and Taylor.
“Join my wing,” Taylor said suddenly. “Submit to me and I’ll make you my second, based on the strength I sense in you already.
“My wing will grow mighty. We have a Dryad grove to oversee hatchlings, as well as a Dragonnewt who is godmother to the brood.
“Our nest is the vault of Yosemite, where our nest-mate stores all his gold,” Taylor said, indicating Vince.
The blue was listening intently, the scales along her cheeks turning a darker blue as her cheeks flushed at the same time.
“Your second?” asked the woman.
“My second. You’d have to retain your position against the others, of course, as it is in any normal wing. They’re only reds, however. It shouldn’t be a concern.
“I would allow you to share in our male immediately though, as is your right as second.”
The blue tilted her head to one side.
“What are you doing, Alice? We need to leave!” hissed the red.
“You said there’s already a Dragonnewt? Dryads? And a nest?” Alice the blue Dragon asked.
“Yes. On my Dragon’s Word, those are all already available or promised to be available within the year,” Taylor said.
“Alice!” said the man.
“Leave, now, both of you,” Vince said, turning his blade to the two others. “Alice is considering an offer right now. If you speak again, I’ll kill you where you stand.”
“What’s the likelihood of a brood?” Alice asked.
“I’ve only been with our male once, and I’m already needing to nest,” Taylor said with a sigh. “Too many Dryads have already had their hands on me, and his seed is very strong.”
“I accept! On my Dragon’s Word, I pledge myself, for my life and loyalty, to your wing,” Alice said, taking several steps forward and transforming into a very large blue Dragon.
The second she finished her transformation, Taylor and Alice crashed their heads together with a deep thud sounding out.
“Take our male, head north. I will take the other two. He will fill you in and direct you,” Taylor said. “If you get the chance, let him claim you.”
Turning, she scooped up Leila and Red, then took off at a graceful bounce and flapped lazily away to the west.
Alice’s head turned toward him.
“Nest-mate, please forgive me for this, but we must away immediately,” Alice said.
Realizing what was coming, Vince lifted his arms and relaxed, making himself ready
for the Dragon.
Alice’s claws came out and snatched him up around the middle. With a short hop, she was flying through the air, Vince pressed in close to her chest.
“I’m so excited!” said the blue. “I’m part of a wing with a black! And a male who can actually defeat a black and make her need to nest!”
Alice’s head turned toward him, and he got the distinct impression she was frowning.
“Though we must move quickly—another army is forming nearby,” Alice said.
“I know, and we don’t need to do anything. It’s already taken care of.
“Tomorrow, probably,” Vince said, patting Alice’s wrist.
Chapter 37
Vince held tightly to the cannister, pressing it to his chest. Staring over Alice’s side, he couldn’t see anything.
The cloud cover was thick today, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Especially since he was riding Alice fairly high up. They were attempting to stay out of sight to approach the next target city unnoticed.
They’d already tried to enter the town on foot. After dodging endless patrols from both the sky and ground, they’d gotten to the entry gate.
They’d been forced to give up after seeing the guards and their methods.
After spending six days attempting to find a way in that wasn’t a direct assault, they found nothing.
Every single person was being stopped, subjected to magical interrogation, and their possessions taken.
Apparently, the death of two cities was enough to scare them into full martial law.
Nothing was getting anywhere near the city, let alone inside it.
About the only thing that happened of interest during that week was how frequently Alice bedded Vince.
Today was their last day to act.
They were using Alice’s magical abilities to solve the problem in a direct way.
She’d shielded them from the ripping winds, giving him a chance to have a conversation with her that didn’t involve shouting.
“Are we close?” he asked.
“Yes. We’ll be over the city momentarily, nest-mate.”
“Great, bring us down. Soon as we get eyes on, I’m dropping this. You’ll need to get us the fuck out as quick as possible after that.”
“It’s really that dangerous?”
“It’ll kill everything in fifty miles given enough time. Then it’ll kill every living thing that comes into that area afterward.”
“And… you did this to Arandas? And Guerrero City? This is what happened there?
“Every team that was sent there never came back.”
“Yeah. They died.
“And I’ll do this as many times to as many cities as I have to. I’ll do whatever I need to do to protect Yosemite.
“If I have to turn this entire area into a graveyard, that’s what I’ll do.”
Alice banked steeply and rolled over. They started to slide through the clouds, the sound of the wind rippling past her wing audible.
“There’s a silver Dragon here,” Alice said, seconds after they popped out of the clouds.
“Never heard of a silver.”
“They’re rare. Even amongst the Tri-lliance. It’s a female.”
“You can tell?”
“Females are always bigger.”
Vince couldn’t see what she was talking about, but he didn’t doubt her.
“If I dropped the cannister, could you snatch the silver and drag it out of the blast zone? Get us back to the meeting point? Leila should already be there.
“I wouldn’t be averse to capturing a Dragon and making another bomb out of her.”
Alice made a strange clucking noise.
“Yes. She’s young. Probably just became an adult.
“I can overpower her and simply hold her with my magic and claws.
“That’s what you want me to do?” Alice asked.
“Yeah. I need more bombs. We’ll pull her soul out as soon as we land, and Leila can whip out her soul-stealing spell.
“I’ll toss the cannister after you grab her,” Vince said with a sigh. “Alright, let’s do it.”
Alice tucked in her wings and then fell out of the sky.
Heading toward the ground at maximum velocity, Vince could feel his body pulling at the makeshift saddle they’d put together.
Holding tightly to the cannister with one hand, he clutched the saddle with the other.
Alice turned slightly as she went.
Vince could finally see the silver Dragon. It looked much akin to Taylor, though silver and smaller.
She did mention it looked young.
“Throw it!” Alice called.
Vince tossed the cannister backward over his shoulder while Alice angled herself ahead of the silver as it flew lazily around.
The crack of Alice smashing into the silver was extremely loud. There was a whoosh and Alice started to beat her wings, pulling up and away from the city below them.
“Unhand me!” screeched the silver. “Unbind your magic immediately!”
“Hush, lest I tear out your throat. My nest-mate has demanded your capture, though I know he would just as easily tell me to kill you now,” Alice threatened.
Vince felt a sucking sensation inside his body.
Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw the soul of a red Dragon rising up over the city.
It was rapidly drawing in the lives of everything nearby.
Draining them from the world itself.
With a roar that shook his soul, the Dragon began the massacre.
“By Ferris, what have you done?” said the silver.
“Ending the war your people started, by ending your people,” Vince said, looking away from the city. “One city at a time.”
The city was already doomed; the citizens just didn’t know it yet.
Both Alice and the silver fell quiet as they retreated. There wasn’t much to be said, and apparently no one wanted to discuss what had just happened.
***
Clambering down from the saddle, Vince adjusted his sword belt.
Taking a quick glance at the area, he realized no one else was here yet.
We’re early or they’re late.
Or both.
Alice released the silver and gave it a shove, pushing it away from herself.
Marching straight to the silver, Vince expected it to attack.
When her head snapped forward, he dodged to the side and grabbed her horn.
With a vicious yank, he turned her head upside down and shoved it into the grass.
Her horns got stuck in the turf, her neck twisting over on itself. Pressing his left hand to the silver’s jaw, he ground her down hard into the dirt.
Struggling against his hold, the silver was clearly unsure of what to do with herself.
Gripping hold of a scale at her throat with his right hand, Vince snapped it off at the base.
Unsheathing his hunting knife, he slipped it up beneath the broken scale. Working the tip around, he started to dig it into the silver’s soft flesh.
“Stop! Stop, stop!” the silver said, becoming deathly still. “Please, stop. I don’t want to die.”
“Then swear yourself to my wing. Everything of you. Your life and loyalty.
“Or I’ll kill you, cut out your heart, eat it, and then turn your soul into a living bomb,” Vince said.
“I swear it. I swear myself to your wing. I swear my everything to your wing. On my Dragon’s Word, I am yours,” the silver said, her voice going up several octaves. “Yours and yours alone. Yours.”
Feeling the magic firm itself around her words said in triplicate, Vince nodded.
Sighing, Vince wondered how long he’d be waiting for Leila to show up and claim the soul.
Hopefully she showed before their guests, at least.
“Nest-mate, the emissaries come again,” Alice said.
Looking over, Vince saw two women and a man heading their way.
It was
the human and the red Dragon from before. The third was someone he hadn’t met yet.
“Oh heavens,” Alice said.
“Release her,” said the unknown woman. “Immediately.”
Tilting his head to one side, Vince considered the woman.
She was middle aged, with iron-gray hair and bright-blue eyes that were almost white in color. White horns stuck straight back from her temples and curled up around her head, almost like a crown.
She also had an aura that made Vince’s instincts twitch and itch.
“Uh huh,” Vince said, not moving an inch. “And who are you?”
“I said release her,” said the woman.
The red Dragon and the human looked shocked and pained at the same time.
Vince wasn’t quite sure why, either.
“Heard you the first time. Say it again and I’ll turn her throat into a bloody ruin.
“Now, your name?”
The woman’s eyes flashed, her hands held tightly at her sides.
“I will remember this and—”
“Your name?” Vince asked, interrupting her.
“Know me. I am Ferris,” said the woman, standing up straight.
Vince could feel that the silver under him had frozen up the moment the woman appeared.
Her name only confirmed Vince’s suspicions.
This was the head of the Dragon religion of the Tri-lliance. The goddess herself, he imagined.
“And what do you want? You were not summoned. You have no champion. No priests here.
“The two with you were invited,” Vince said, gesturing to the red and the human.
Vince sat down on the silver’s jaw, his knife still stuck in her neck.
“How about you fuck off back to Tri-lliance territory. I’ll be along shortly as I turn all your cities into dust and ghosts,” Vince said. “You can rule over a tomb.”
Ferris shuddered, her face turning a dark red.
“You speak to me as if—”
“As if you were nothing to me. Did you not hear me? I know of the bindings to your kind.
“We’ve had a nice, long-documented accounting of your people in my homeland.
“Don’t get involved, they won’t get involved.
“So again, you were not summoned or invoked. You can leave.”