Each of the dragons lowered their bodies and the three of us quickly took our positions. Yelah flapped her enormous wings first, leading the way toward the seventh bend of the river. Her body was stealthy, and the ride was smooth. Before I knew it, we were landing once more.
“Why are we landing?” I asked.
“I need to call in more members of my clan. They have been waiting for my call since you arrived in Mineral Valley. They will help keep Zendar’s guards away from us while we move in.”
I wanted to ask more questions, but decided not to. Yelah needed to do her thing and I wasn’t going to be the one to stop her from doing so.
Her voice sang out another hypnotic melody. Right as I was starting feel lightheaded from it, Lucas and Oliver appeared next to me.
“What’s she doing?” Lucas asked.
“Calling for reinforcements.”
We waited for several minutes before Yelah finally turned back to us. “Everyone is in position now.”
“Wouldn’t Zendar’s dragons have heard you if your own dragons were able to?” Oliver asked.
“Nobody who wasn’t supposed to could have heard my call, I promise you that. Dragon magic works in mysterious ways. A lot of which I cannot explain to someone who is not a part of our clan.”
Yelah had proven herself more than capable time and time again. I wasn’t going to question her and was glad when neither Lucas nor Oliver did.
“So, we ready to do this?” I said with a smirk on my face. I was beyond ready.
Everyone else nodded their heads and we mounted our dragon friends again. I was getting cozy until I felt Yelah tense beneath me. I leaned forward and followed the direction of her stare. I couldn’t see anything so I peeked at Oliver and Lucas. They both seemed just as confused as me, but Drake and Ladon were looking in the same direction as Yelah.
“More dragons out there?” I asked.
Yelah rumbled deep in her chest. “No, a pest. Don’t worry I’ll take care of him.”
A full-on pout appeared on my face. Way to rain on my parade, Queen Yelah. I wanted in on the action at some point.
“You’ll get plenty of opportunity to let off some steam once we are on the ground, I promise.”
Well, that helped to cheer me up. Some.
Finally, I heard branches breaking and leaves on the ground crunching. I squinted and pulled myself further up Yelah’s back to get closer until I saw the head of a serpent. Crap. I had completely forgotten Spiro had said one was after us. This thing was massive and moving quicker than I assumed his size would allow.
Ebony scales covered its body, with small spikes running down the backside. Its beady yellow eyes met mine, and its mouth opened, revealing some nasty-looking fangs that dripped thick, golden saliva. Chills ran across my body and I was now perfectly fine with letting Yelah handle this one.
When the serpent was within striking distance, Yelah and Ladon both roared and shot fire out of their mouths. Heat flicked back at me and I scooted back to avoid getting burned. The serpent struck through the flames, but Drake flicked his tail, slamming the serpent back on the ground. Within moments, the disgusting creature was nothing more than barbequed meat.
“Did I forget to tell you guys there was a serpent following us?” I grinned.
“Seriously, Jordan?” Lucas rolled his eyes. “Only you. Can we get out of here now?”
All of the dragons nodded and took flight. We were once again on our way. Off in the distance, I could finally see the area we were headed. It was tucked right next to the river with dense trees surrounding the opposite side. There was little to no vantage point from up here. I thought I saw massive boulders in the clearing, but the closer we got, the better I could tell they were moving and not boulders at all. They were big-ass evil dragons. Fan-freaking-tastic.
We started to descend once again, and my adrenaline began pumping on overtime. I patted my back and boot, feeling for my weapons and making sure they were secure. Everything was in place and I was more than ready.
I glanced toward Lucas and Oliver; they flanked each side of me with Drake and Ladon. Lucas’s face was creased in concentration, his bronze hair tousled from the wind, and he looked as much the warrior as I knew he was. Oliver’s cobalt eyes met mine and the grin I expected appeared on his youthful face. He was as eager for this fight as I was.
As soon as we landed, I jumped off Yelah and drew my sword. Lucas and Oliver did the same as they moved closer to me.
“Drake and Ladon will stay behind us, watching our backs. I want the three of you right behind me. Do not venture off. Do not engage any of the dragon except Zendar. We will only get one chance at this and we cannot fail.” Yelah leveled her silver eyes at each of us. I felt the power of her words weigh down on me, making me want to kneel before her. She was a powerful Queen and I had a feeling we had only seen a fractional amount of her power. We nodded in agreement and followed Yelah as Drake and Ladon disappeared to somewhere behind us.
I heard grunts and shouts from nearby, causing my body to tense. I didn’t like being told I couldn’t fight yet, but I trusted Yelah. I would listen. For now.
I charged up my power as if I was making an orb, but instead of making the orb, I pushed the magic into my sword. The hilt glowed a soft purple color and I was ready. Oliver and Lucas each had their swords in one hand and deep, ruby red orbs in the other.
Yelah halted and I crashed right into her tail, almost stabbing her with my magic-filled sword. Damn, that was close. “Why’d we stop?” I asked in a low whisper.
Yelah didn’t answer, but I continued to scan our surroundings, waiting for whatever she was concerned with. After several minutes, I was getting annoyed. I had zero patience. Lucas sensed my restlessness and placed his hand on my shoulder, calming me some.
“Okay, it’s clear,” Yelah said, finally breaking the silence.
“What was that about?” I asked, with more attitude than she deserved from me, which made me cringe internally. Sometimes I couldn’t stop my mouth.
“One of Zendar’s dragons was up ahead. Drake and Ladon took care of him for us, so we can continue on.”
“Not to sound like petulant child, but why can’t we do anything yet?” I asked, and Oliver stifled a laugh. I shot him a glare as I waited for Yelah’s answer.
“We don’t need to waste our energy when it isn’t necessary. Battling Zendar will take everything you have and then some. Please try to trust me. I know the damage he is capable of firsthand.”
Way to be a jerk, I chided myself. Of course, Yelah would know. She lost her mother the last time she faced Zendar. I needed to shut up and do as I was asked for once.
Yelah began moving again and we followed without saying anything else. Lucas glared at me, basically saying with one look what I had already been thinking. I raised my hands up and shrugged. Nothing I could do about my lack of a filter now.
After several more stops and waiting on other dragons to handle whatever was in our path, we finally made it to an enclosed area. Large rocks were stacked together, creating a makeshift fence. We crept around it in time to see Drake and Ladon taking out a ginormous dragon that stood in front of the entrance to whatever lay behind the rock wall. It appeared to be touch and go for a minute there. I stepped forward a couple times, but Lucas and Oliver slapped hands on each of my arms before I could do anything.
Drake was bleeding from three large gashes to his neck, and Ladon had burn marks on his tail, along with a chunk of scales missing from his back left leg. I hoped their part in this was almost over, because I didn’t see how they could last much longer.
Once the guard at the gate was taken down, we continued forward. Yelah stopped at the gate, appearing to have one of those mental conversations with Drake and Ladon again. They nodded and dragged the body of the guard dragon out of our way. I tried to not stare at the fallen dragon, but I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t mind the gore. I had seen a lot in my life as a protector.
It appeared th
ey had ripped his throat out right at the base of his long neck and dragged their claws on his underbelly several times, causing him to bleed out. I assumed the tearing out of his throat had ensured the dragon couldn’t call out for backup.
I was taking in all the details. Anything that might help us defeat Zendar was helpful, no matter how gruesome it might be.
“Once we enter this gate, there is no going back until we’ve defeated Zendar,” Yelah said solemnly. “We go in together and we leave together. Do you understand?”
Lucas, Oliver, and I nodded. That was how we went into every battle when it was just the three of us. No reason why we couldn’t add Yelah in as a ‘no dragon Queen left behind’ rule.
We crept through the gate. Well, the three of us crept. Yelah stomped. I liked her style better. I left the boys in the dust and kept pace with Yelah. She glanced down at me, nodding her approval of my place.
I sent a stream of my heaviest magic through my sword until it was glowing again. I was ready.
A loud roar erupted from somewhere up ahead and I heard heavy steps slamming into the ground, heading right toward us. I could feel the vibration in the ground from the impact they had. I had zero doubt that we were about to come face to face with Zendar.
Trees snapped in half as if they were mere twigs as Zendar plowed through the forest, ready to face whoever dared to enter his domain.
His gaze landed on Yelah first, then on me. He let out a horrid-sounding chuckle. I couldn’t tell if he was crying or trying to laugh. It was quite pathetic considering how much he had been talked up.
His beady charcoal eyes did one more cursory glance at each of us before he came to a complete halt. His scales were a midnight blue and scarred all over. His claws were sharp, digging into the dirt beneath him. Lastly, his tail caught my attention. It appeared to have been mangled in battle at some point. Half of the end was missing, while the other was littered with white scars.
“Yelah, I’m disappointed in you,” Zendar reproached. “You dare to face me, and the only backup you bring are Guardians.” His tone gave way to his disgust, making me eager to shove my sword straight through his heart.
“I’ve learned a lot in my time away,” Yelah answered with all the confidence I hoped she truly felt. “I don’t need backup. Your reign of terror is ending today.”
I was almost annoyed that she didn’t tell him how awesome we were, and we most definitely weren’t backup. We were the main event.
“Then, what are you waiting for?” Zendar spat out.
“Absolutely nothing.” Yelah charged and my mouth gaped. This was so not part of the plan.
Zendar lifted up onto his hind legs, and when Yelah came close enough, he slammed down, swinging his tail out and smacking her in the face. I cringed at the pain I imagine she felt, but the fierce dragon persevered and kept moving forward as if nothing happened.
Yelah lifted her front leg and swiped out at Zendar, but he evaded easily and quickly. I glanced at Lucas and Oliver, wondering what the hell we were supposed to do. Yelah hadn’t quite explained our role in this scenario, other than my sword needed to be the one to kill Zendar. Was I supposed to wait for her to tire him out, then go in for the kill, or join in whenever I felt like it? I wasn’t one for sitting on the sidelines.
“You boys ready?” I asked as Yelah and Zendar continued to exchange blow after blow, rotating between tail swings, claw gouging, and fire blasts. I wasn’t so fond of the fire.
“We’ve got your back,” Lucas said with a fierce look of determination, but before we could move in to assist Yelah, Drake and Ladon came tumbling through the gates with three dragons pushing in on them. Drake’s right front leg was hurt severely, and he was attempting to fight without putting pressure on it. Ladon had multiple streams of blood running down his back. He was losing more blood than I imagined his body should.
I looked back at Yelah. She was still handling Zendar on her own with only minor abrasions. We needed to help Drake and Ladon first.
“The three of us need to tag team the third dragon,” I said. “Once we have it mostly handled, then one of us needs to break off and help Drake and Ladon. Whoever looks worse off at the time.”
They gave curt nods and the three of us took off at a sprint to help our new friends. A look of relief appeared in Drake’s eyes as he saw us coming to their aid.
I leapt first at the second dragon who was tag-teaming Drake with another. He hadn’t seen us coming, his focus primarily on hurting our friends. I raised my sword and swiped at the scales where Drake or Ladon had already done some damage.
I pushed my magic through the sword as it connected with the dragon. A fierce howl escaped from the beast and I quickly retreated. As I regained momentum, Lucas and Oliver ran in as well. Lucas slid under the dragon, slicing from one end of its belly to the other. Oliver charged for its neck, swiftly slicing then turning back around to throw an orb at it.
I was coming back in, focused on the spot Oliver had opened up. I was going to aim the sword there next, but I made the mistake of only focusing on my target and not on my surroundings.
“Jordan, look out!” Lucas yelled, but it was too late.
One of the other dragons whipped its tail out and gut-checked me. With my breath knocked out of me as I soared through the air, my head smacked hard against a nearby tree when I landed. I quickly realized that, at some point during my flight time, my grip on the sword had loosened and it was nowhere to be seen. Shit.
Oliver cradled my head gently and lifted me. My vision was blurry, but nothing hurt more than what I could handle at the moment.
“You okay?” Oliver asked.
“I’ll be fine as long as I get payback.” I continued to let Oliver help me up and searched for my sword. I couldn’t see it anywhere and was beginning to panic. This was so not good. I’d have to find it after we eliminated one of the three dragon guards. They were too much for Drake and Ladon to handle alone after all the other fights they had been through today.
I pulled my dagger from my boot and charged up an orb. I was pissed, and this was going to hurt that ugly-ass dragon.
I crept up behind the one who had hit me as Lucas and Oliver went back to the one we had started with. Ladon saw me coming in and kept the dragon’s attention off of me.
I crawled beneath the dragon and found several deep cuts from Ladon’s claws already there, but none of them had slowed this dragon down. I slid further toward where I assumed its heart was and steadied my aim. I had one chance at this.
The dragon kept moving its feet as it continued to battle with Ladon, but I managed to stay unnoticed. Once I felt confident and the dragon stilled momentarily, I thrust my dagger up and continued to push with all my strength until even my hand was fully emerged in dragon guts. Once I was satisfied with the depth, I pulled my dagger out and shoved my other hand holding the orb right where my dagger had been.
Once the orb was in place, I retreated quickly. The dragon froze in place and Ladon backed up as well. Within seconds, the chest cavity of the creature blew out, causing minced dragon meat to fly everywhere. I’d had my revenge, but the job wasn’t even close to over.
Ladon moved on to help Drake, while Lucas and Oliver were just finishing up with the third dragon.
I retraced the path I had been thrown earlier in search of my sword but came up empty once again. I glanced back at Yelah and Zendar and my breath caught. Zendar was throwing her around like a ragdoll. Dammit, I need to find this sword!
Oliver and Lucas joined me in my search, while Drake and Ladon made sure all three dragon guards were knocked out or dead.
“Got it!” Oliver called out.
I turned and saw him pulling it from the bushes about fifty yards from where I had landed. I must have been hit harder than I thought. Thank the Fates for the adrenaline pumping through my veins right now or I’d probably be crying like a baby.
Oliver ran over to us with sword in hand. He bent over at the waist, offering the sword like
a gentleman.
I laughed and smacked his shoulder. “Thank you, Sir Oliver. Now, let’s go kill one more dragon.”
They both grinned at me and nodded. Drake and Ladon joined us then, looking much worse than I originally thought.
“You two need to stand down,” I said, knowing my words would have no effect, but wanting to try anyway.
“Good luck with that, Guardian,” Drake said. “Our job is to protect the Queen and we will do it until our last dying breath.”
I nodded, understanding their commitment. I just hoped that last dying breath wasn’t going to be today.
Drake and Ladon charged off toward Yelah without another word. Drake wobbled while he ran, keeping weight off his injured leg, but still managing to keep up with Ladon. Adrenaline and commitment made a body do things you never thought possible.
The three of us held back until we figured out how Drake and Ladon were going to play this out. Zendar currently had Yelah backed into a corner at the base of an oversized boulder. By the time he raised his front leg to deliver another blow, Ladon charged in and knocked Zendar to the ground.
“Why aren’t you imbeciles dead yet?” Zendar roared. He opened his mouth, emitting a solid stream of fire at Ladon. The blaze smacked him in the face, causing me to let out an audible gasp. Ladon went down like a sack of bricks. Yelah roared and Drake stepped in to get Ladon out of the way. The three of us charged once we recovered from the initial shock of what had happened.
Ladon’s head had been incinerated. There was no way he could survive that. Without looking at Ladon’s upper half, the three of us helped Drake push Ladon out of the way. He didn’t need to be trampled on in our attempt to defeat Zendar.
Once he was under the trees, Drake lowered his head to Ladon’s chest. “He may not have survived this, but he went out the only way any true warrior wishes. Protecting their Queen. This is an honorable death for him and his life will be avenged, then celebrated.”
Rebels and Realms: A Limited Edition Urban Fantasy Collection Page 30