by Ophelia Bell
On the way out through the door, the big red dragon he knew as Geva fell into step just behind her, piquing his interest further. Belah squeezed his hand and her soft laugh tickled inside his mind.
“You’re more than three thousand years old. Surely you’ve met other females like Erika.”
“None that were on my side. Not since you, my love.”
“Don’t get any ideas. Geva may look deferential, but he is every bit as possessive of her as she is of him.”
A laugh erupted from him unbidden, making the others turn back and look in surprise. He bit back more laughter and shot an amused look at his lovely blue goddess.
“My love, between you and our mates, I have my hands full. One demanding female is quite enough. Especially when she comes with not one, but two possessive sidekicks.”
His skin tingled with a brush of cool wind, signaling the presence of the North brothers falling into step behind him.
“Trust me, we will happily keep you busy, sir,” Iszak said under his breath. “When time allows. What did she find?”
Their group descended the staircase two-by two all the way to the lowest level. The air heated and dampened the closer they came to the doorway at the bottom, and the incongruous scent of winter snow accompanied it. They filed into the cavernous space, spreading out around a circular pool several yards in diameter filled with crystal clear water.
The water was the source of the scent, he realized, and was also filled with power evidenced by the buzz of euphoria that seeped into his body.
“Aodh,” Belah said, squatting down to dip her fingertips into the steaming water. “I don’t understand. It’s his power that infuses this water. I’d know it anywhere. But he never knew about this chamber. He couldn’t have.”
Erika shook her head. “Not unless he was here when the thing was built about three thousand years ago, give or take a few centuries. When did you guys first use this temple?”
The light wavered and shifted between darkness and golden light as Belah’s siblings entered. Ked’s power sent an uncomfortable buzz through Nikhil’s skull that faded with Belah’s touch. When Aurum moved to her brother’s side, the light in the room returned to normal, and it was as though everyone released a pent-up breath at once.
“This was the first hibernation temple,” Ked said. “You ought to remember when we first went to ground. You chased us here, but the temple already existed then.”
Erika trailed her fingertips through the steaming water. “I hate to break it to you guys, but this room has been here a lot longer than the first hibernation, which from everything I’ve learned must have been around the sixth century BCE. Our equipment dates it around three and a half millennia ago. There are remnants of dragon scales that old, plus some other evidence … biological … in the water.”
“What about those?” Nikhil asked, motioning to the pair of intricately carved statues on the far side of the pool in the shadows.
Erika stood up from the edge of the pool where she was squatting and walked to the other side. “That’s what I wanted to show you, actually. Not the statues, but these six markings on the floor between them.”
The rest of the group followed her around the pool.
Nicholas stopped short a few paces from the statues. “Holy shit.” He grabbed for Aurum’s arm and pointed at the larger of the two statues—a huge likeness of a satyr, actual size, crafted in perfect anatomical detail.
Aurum let out a soft squeak and Belah froze in response.
“What is it?” he asked.
“That’s Neph,” Belah said. “The nymphaea Dionarch who visited us at the Enclave before we left.”
Nikhil’s eyebrows shot up and he looked more closely, finally seeing the likeness in the statue’s face. He’d only had a brief visit with the man who had come to ensure his nephew Calder and his mates were safe before insisting on returning to the Black Mountain forests to wait … for Aodh, he’d said after confirming that the white dragon wouldn’t be able to follow through on his promise to get Nikhil into the Haven.
“Strange to see a statue of a satyr inside a dragon temple, don’t you think?” Erika asked. “And who’s the fertility goddess? Someone special?”
“Those are my brother’s mates,” Aurum said. “He didn’t like to admit it, but we all saw it. Gavra and Assana confirmed that Vrishti’s begun searching for him. I don’t know what this statue could mean, though. She’s young. Barely more than two decades old. There’s no logical reason for her likeness to be here for so long. Besides, we have a link to Neph now, and he says she is with him. They are trying get to Aodh as we speak.”
“Guys, the statues aren’t the important thing here,” Erika said. “Look down, dammit. These glyphs on the floor fucking glow with power if you touch them.”
She bent down and rested a hand on top of one of the six designs carved into the floor at the feet of the statues. Immediately all six glowed and a low hum filled the room, causing the hair on the back of Nikhil’s neck to stand on end.
She lifted her hand and the glowing stopped, as did the humming.
“I wonder …” she said, then moved to step within the hexagonal shape within the circles.
“Erika, don’t,” her red-haired mate said, jumping into the circle with her. The second he entered, the entire circle lit up beneath their feet, and with a pop of air, they disappeared.
Collective gasps and curses sounded from around the room.
“Someone tell me where the fuck they went,” Nikhil growled. He targeted each of the six humans who had been in the room when he entered, finally staring at the pretty blonde with the braid who was scribbling madly in her notebook. When the room quieted, she glanced around and then froze when she caught his intense gaze.
“Ah … Best guess from the translations …”
Belah interrupted her. “They were teleported to another temple. Wherever Aodh is, he somehow managed to infuse this room with his magic, including creating this portal. Each of those glyphs are old draconic. They are keys to the other dragon hibernation temples, all of which he had a hand in designing and building. All except for this one, which is why this room is so confounding. This temple was here long before we needed it, and none of those six temples existed yet. That glyph …” She pointed to a glyph that glowed bright blue, “Leads to the temple where my children sleep even now, which was only just completed and sealed within the last year.”
A brighter glyph pulsed green—the one that Erika had touched before stepping into the circle and being followed by her mate. A second later the couple appeared again, Erika laughing and Geva scowling.
“That was fucking epic!” She hopped out of the circle. “The temple in Sumatra is where it goes. Aww, honey why are you frowning?” She patted Geva on the cheek. “Didn’t ever think you’d have to go back there, did you?”
“Are you certain?” Nikhil asked, pushing past the others to squat down beside the circle. “If this is true, we could have secure exits from the temple to all these other locations.”
“I’ve translated two of the glyphs so far. Sumatra is one, Madagascar is another …” the blonde with the braid tried to say again.
“Sweetheart, you don’t need to do the rest, I can tell you what everything says in this room if you just ask,” Belah said. “Come on …” She reached out and took the young woman by the hand.
“If we can get to the Madagascar temple from here, we can pick up Calder’s trail,” Nicholas said, shooting a look at Nikhil. “We shouldn’t wait too long to follow. This will give us an advantage. Especially if the Lamia’s taken him to her base.”
“Jesus, I still picture a razor-toothed beast eating babies inside a dank cave whenever you say that,” Erika said.
Nicholas snorted. “That’s not too far from the truth, really.”
Ignoring them, Nikhil stood back from the glyphs and
nodded. “We will use the portal but not until we ensure the temples on the other end are secured, understood? We’ll begin with Madagascar.”
Wasting no time, he kissed Belah on the cheek and stepped into the circle with Nicholas and Aurum. The gold dragon glowed so brightly her brother’s darker, unpleasant buzz was completely drowned out, replaced by warmth as pleasant as a summer sun. Aurum bent down and pressed her palm into the center of the glyph with the orange glow, and a moment later, a rush similar to the drift pulled Nikhil through space.
Chapter Fifteen
Nikhil
They landed in a dusty cavern almost identical to the one they’d left, except this one was missing the pair of statues the other had.
“The power is weaker here,” Aurum said. “Definitely not built by Aodh, but it’s linked. He was the one who always oversaw the construction of the temples. My siblings and I had our own tasks. How did we never know about these chambers? They must exist in every single hibernation temple.”
Nikhil gave the room a swift, scrutinizing look, and seeing nothing more than dust, he moved to the door. It was a heavy block of solid stone with another glyph etched in the center of it. He traced his fingers over the pattern and it responded instantly, lighting up with a blue glow that was reflected by the glow of the marks at his wrists and around his neck.
“What’s that about?” Nicholas asked.
“It must be tied to blood,” he said. “I wonder if the glyphs respond to anyone who isn’t a dragon or mated to one.”
The trio made their way up a flight of stairs similar to the one in the other temple and came out into a vast, empty throne room. The space echoed eerily with their footsteps. Somewhere in the distance a clattering sound echoed and was followed by the rhythmic fluttering of small wings.
“Someone’s here,” Aurum said. “They’re in pain … frightened.”
“Who would have access to the temple?” he asked.
“Only Guardians can open the doors from the outside, once the ascension is over. The temples remain cloaked after the fact, but the spell is no more than camouflage.”
“So anyone with a vested interest could locate one if they knew where to look,” he said. “When I led the Ultiori, tracking down where you guys slept was one of our missions. We never had much luck beyond narrowing it down to a half dozen islands, including this one. You didn’t give Calder this location before he drifted to Madagascar, did you?”
Nicholas shook his head. “He didn’t come to Madagascar for the dragon temple. The Haven used to have an entry point here before Nyx shut everything down. Since Meri’s aware of all the various routes of access, he hoped it would lend credence to his story if he seemed to be arriving through a portal that happened to be near one of the bases of operation you mentioned.”
“Then someone must have gotten lucky,” Nikhil said, following Aurum up a staircase and down a long corridor.
An agonized groan echoed through the elaborately carved stone halls. Nikhil darted a glance to the ceiling, and the flickering glow of an aura filtered through the floor above them. Aurum let out a soft curse and broke into a run.
“Is it human?” Nikhil asked, speeding up to pace her with Nicholas on their heels.
“Dragon,” Aurum said as they reached the closed doorway to the exterior where he could see the aura of a huddled shape hunched down in the corner just outside.
Aurum smacked her hand against a glyph beside the door, which lit up in bright gold. The stone slid open to reveal a blood-soaked shoulder with what looked like a deep gash rending through intricately inked muscle. The figure the shoulder belonged to was dressed in ripped black clothing, and when they drew close, appeared to be holding his belly.
Aurum held her hands up, halting their trio and nodding at them both. Nikhil nodded back, accepting her silent command and watching her walk softly toward the bleeding figure. Ahead of her he spotted the shimmering golden cloud of breath she’d expelled as it caught the errant evening light from the jungle outside and swirled its way toward the stranger as though it had a mind of its own.
Aurum’s foot knocked a loose pebble and the figure immediately jerked, head turning sharply and eyes widening in shock. The person scrambled around and half-stood. From this angle, Nikhil could see it was a man who’d clearly been involved in a bloody skirmish of some sort. Cuts covered his arms, his shirt was barely scraps remaining clinging to his body by the blood that had seeped through his wounds. His jeans were almost as destroyed.
“Who the fuck are you? This place was supposed to be empty. How’d you open that door?” His eyes darted to the heavy, carved jade door they’d just come through.
“We’re friends,” Aurum said, holding out her hands in a nonthreatening gesture. “How we got here doesn’t matter. How were you hurt? Let us help you.”
Within the next few seconds, her smoke reached him and he seemed to relax slightly. He shook his head. “You’re in danger. They’re after me … about half a dozen hunters. I got separated from my squad after we escaped the Ultiori camp. I knew this place was here and thought I’d hole up until the hunters gave up looking, but I couldn’t get the damn door to open.”
“Sealed temple doors require a Guardian to open from the outside. You’re a Shadow. Surely you could have hidden from the enemy anywhere.”
The man’s bloodied skin rippled and he let out a long groan. “Not enough energy to fade. I’m having a hard time keeping it together enough not to shift out in the fucking open. I hoped if I could get inside and shift, I could stay put long enough to heal and for my team to track me down. Our squad’s Guardian is in the wind. I thought I’d be able to open the door.”
He darted a look over his shoulder and let out a curse.
“How close were they?” Nikhil asked, hurrying past the man and sprinting up the long staircase.
“Only about fifteen minutes … which was ten minutes ago. They’re fucking ruthless! What the hell are you doing? Don’t go up there and wait for them. Let’s get inside! There are too many for us to face.”
“Get him back to Sri Lanka!” Nikhil yelled back down to the others. He reached the top of the staircase, emerging onto a flat sandstone roof that looked down onto a jungle below. Sounds of booted footsteps and rustling branches reached his ears through the thick foliage at the bottom of the hill this secluded temple entrance was hidden on.
He waited and watched, his gaze darting to every movement, his hearing tuned into any sound that didn’t fit within the context of the jungle. He flexed his fists, his adrenaline already flowing in anticipation of a fight.
When the first tiny figure came into view far below, a surge of power crackled through Nikhil’s limbs, the energy burning hot in the marks at his wrists and neck. The gaze of the person making his way toward the top of the mountain shot to the spot where Nikhil stood, fixing instantly on him. His marks were a beacon, but that was good. The sooner they reached him, the sooner he could make them hurt. While he relished the moments he inflicted pain on Belah to give her pleasure, he still craved the opportunities to release his own beast and let it run rampant.
The first man called out a warning, then a battle cry. They were at a tactical disadvantage with their position, but clearly weren’t smart enough not to stupidly assume Nikhil was the only one here waiting to fight them. The rest of the hunters emerged from the forest and spread out, charging up the hill in an attempt to flank him.
There were six, just as the injured dragon had said, and within the blink of an eye and the span of a drift, they were on him, popping into view a scant yard from where he stood at the top of the steps.
Nikhil drew his dagger, let out a snarl, and lunged. As he leapt, he pushed the magic that infused is blood down his arm and into the blade. The steel flared with bright blue fire as he swiped it across the first target’s face, aiming for his eyes. Then he drifted, rematerializing several feet
away behind the other men. His first victim howled in pain, dropped his weapon, and covered his face. Blood flowed through the gaps in his fingers.
Nikhil laughed, his entire body vibrating with pure pleasure at the hunter’s agony.
“You’ve never had to face me before, boys. Are you sure you want to stick around?”
The five who still possessed sight whirled around, their eyes widened in shock.
“Sayid,” one man said. “Dr. Waters said you were dead.”
“Wishful thinking,” he taunted.
“Because you betrayed the Ultiori,” another man snapped. His lips curled into a sneer. “She wasn’t happy about that. Said if we ever ran into you to kill on sight. Said we’d be rewarded. I’d like that reward, because she always has a nice juicy bonus between her thighs.”
The five soldiers circled him while the sixth continued wailing from his debilitating injury. The continued flood of agonized shrieking fueled Nikhil, his fingertips itching with the power that filled them and the need to cut again.
“You don’t know me that well if you think this is going to be easy.” Nikhil studied their movements, waiting for the right moment. Beneath him, hurried footsteps retreated, signaling that Aurum and Nicholas had obeyed his command to take the damaged dragon back to their base through the portal. He was on his own.
This was going to be good.
He flexed his free hand, relishing the fresh surge of power, and slowly turned, following the movements of his opponents. How cocky were these men? He hadn’t trained them personally, but they’d clearly recognized him. They no doubt knew him by reputation, but that didn’t mean they knew how he fought.
He wished for a sword. A larger weapon would have been ideal for a fight with this many opponents. But swords were impractical to carry and weighed him down too much when he drifted. The large bayonet-style dagger he carried was the heaviest thing he could drift with. It was clearly enough to put one man down even without killing him. A human man, at least, and every Ultiori hunter started out human.