Dragonfall

by Erik Schubach

  I heard gunshots and crunching and the sound of creatures shrieking in challenge. The comm officer was calling in the main assault force, “Case Normandy! I repeat Case Normandy!” My heart was speeding up as I heard multiple thuds and grunts from Quinn. I felt pain in my side then my left cheek. She was getting hurt! I was pacing back and forth and Mei was trying to calm me down.

  A minute later the main body of the assault team arrived we got glances of the chaos before the video went to static. Quinn's team was pinned and she was trapped by the cathedral by a large group of creatures, she was defiantly forcing them back with her flaming granite fists and roundhouse kicks. The cacophony of sound increased exponentially. Guns were firing, people were screaming... men were dying.

  I almost collapsed when it felt like something slashed my leg. “Quinn!” I screamed and I couldn't stop myself, I leapt almost to the ceiling and my dragon erupted from me as I clawed through the ceiling and skylight and leapt into the air. I barely noticed Mei shielding everyone from the heat of my flames and debris from the skylight as I flapped away. Quinn needed me, she was hurt!

  I got maybe a fourth of the way there when it happened. I was struck by multiple simultaneous bolts of lightning. Multiple times more powerful than anything Saint George had ever thrown at me. I could feel it through my cloak of flames. I tried to stay aloft, but the pain blurred my vision. I was struck again and I spiraled out of the sky. The enormous sound from the impact of my giant dragon form striking the ground at terminal velocity filled my ears.

  I felt it through the burning pain of the lightning. I may have cracked a rib or two in the fall. I floundered to all fours and pulled myself out of the crater in the road I crashed into, and there standing no more than fifty yards in front of me was Jackie... Morgan la Fay with a staff in her hand and two on her back. The one in her hand glowed like Merlin's. I flashed back to him saying she stole his lightning. She didn't look injured, but I thought that Thomas... then I cringed. She had consumed the dragon hearts from her murders last night and healed.

  I stood on my haunches and spread my wings, I pulled back my dragon head, preparing to hit her with my most powerful dragon fire. She shook her head and said, “Ut ut, none of that now.” And I screamed in pain as gnarled and twisted tree trunks sprung from the ground impaling my dragon form. Four went through my wings and two crossed under my chin, preventing me from letting loose my dragon fire at her.

  I tugged with all my might but couldn't tear my wings free. I tried to dissolve them but couldn't. I screamed at her, the ground shaking, “Why are you doing this?”

  She laughed, and it was something decidedly evil, something... the woman was deep in the pit of insanity. Then she said, “Because I want to make this body whole. Then I want the world to cower at my feet when I command all the elements. I was so close before. Until Merlin bound me to Avalon. I had to watch the world from there as I withered and died as time slowly took me. But I took that pompous Light Bringer with me.”

  I was twisting and thrashing at the trees as she started walking toward me. The trees and plants along the road withered and died as she passed. She was like the angel of death herself. She laughed at my struggles. “My, you are powerful aren't you, my spells can barely contain you, unlike your pathetic water dragons.” I roared in defiance and yanked again. Two of the trees were slowly being pulled from the ground.

  She smirked. “I had wanted to find out how you were able to get out of my trap in the woods. It should have been impossible. I crafted the spells specifically to counter your two elements of fire and water, Queen.” She sneered when she said Queen, like it was a joke. “But then I figured it out after watching your battle with the fool Georgios of Lydda. He was using my teachings to counter your elemental magics. The granite walls and earth prison in the end... your blood-tie was wielding earth magic. She is a reborn earth elemental. It took the two of you to defeat him.”

  She walked up to me and started stroking the flames of my dragon wings and the flames cooled and pulled back from her, I could feel the fire element flowing through me screaming in pain. She smiled and said, “I knew it would just be a matter of time until someone figured out where I staged the murders of your dragons last night. So I set up a little... distraction there. I knew your champion would be leading the charge. All my pets there have instructions to kill her at all costs.”

  She turned her back to me and I thrashed again. She turned once again but looked a little nervous that one of the trees was almost uprooted now. “She and her annoying earth magics won't be here to help you this time. And now that I have taken your control over the water elements and countered your fire element. It is a simple matter of me taking your heart and enslaving the fire element to my will as well. With you and your precious Agent Trask dead, it will be mine to bind. I will take the rest of your water dragons shortly thereafter since I now command their element.”

  She seemed almost giddy. “The earth dragons will fall to me quickly when I control the three other elements!”

  She swapped her staff for one that glowed differently, I recognized the glow from the staff of Saint George's I had destroyed. A water staff!

  She smirked. “Oh, you recognize it? I thought it would be poetic to drown you with your own element before tearing your heart from your body now that you can't do anything about it.”

  She slammed the staff to the ground and all the hydrants in the area exploded and torrents of water shot toward me. I growled at her and reached out for the water with my mind. It seemed confused and a little frightened at what it was doing, I caressed it and promised I would make things batter. I asked if it could do me a favor.

  The look on Morgan's face when all the streams of water twisted around each other into a huge water dragon that struck out at her was priceless. She dove to the side as it hit the road where she had stood. The ground shook as asphalt chunks went flying in all directions. A piece hit her in the side and she tumbled along the ground. I was laughing as she got to her feet as I redirected the water beast toward her again.

  She pulled her hand from her side to see blood on it then she dropped the staff and grabbed the third and struck it to the ground. Twisted trunks and branches sprang forth, forming a wooden barrier between her and the water construct. It wasted its fury against her improvised shield. She switched staffs again and slammed it to the ground and I was struck by burning lightning again. I lost my concentration and the water splashed to the ground.

  The wood parted and she strode out toward me, seething in fury. “How did you do that!? It is impossible, the scales tilt in my favor!”

  I laughed at her through my pain. “Apparently, they never taught counting in your day. Me water elementals numbered nineteen. We are at parity you eejit, the scales tilt slightly in my favor don't ya know. I will not allow you to warp and twist me water element to your evil purposes.”

  She screamed at me then slammed the lightning staff on the ground with twice the fury as before. I braced myself for the searing pain. About a thousand or so lightning bolts came streaking down from the heavens at me. I closed my eyes and heard a deafening roar of energy and the smell of ozone where the lightning burned the air itself... but no pain.

  I opened my eyes and there was a huge white stag standing between me and la Fay. Energy was arcing around between its antlers, it had taken the strike for me! Then it took a step toward Morgan and it was Merlin, not a stag. There was no shimmering, no dissolving of the form. One instant it was a majestic buck and the next it was a man. Then I remembered the tales of Merlin being a shapeshifter.

  His voice boomed out to her, “I will not allow you to use my power against the Drakon, Morgan!” I saw the back of his shirt was covered in blood, there looked to be a stone claw in his back. He was hurt!

  Then the battle of lightning and arcane energies played out in front of my eyes. Merlin, even injured, was spectacular. He was backing her up, stopping everything she threw at him. One of his strikes made it through when he
motioned with his hand and one of the hydrants laying on the ground behind her slammed into her back.

  She was hurt... bad. She screeched and threw some seeds into the water flowing past and about twelve large tree creatures grew up between them and they all started attacking Merlin. As he held them off with his lightning and his staff, Morgan raised to her feet and dragged herself toward me with an evil smirk on her face.

  She got up to me, and yelled toward Merlin, “You have lost Light Bringer! Another element is mine!” She thrust her hand through my flames like they weren't even there and her fingers sank through my chest, burning through my flesh as they tore, bones breaking. I couldn't even scream in pain as her hand wrapped around my heart and she pulled with all her might.

  I thrashed through the searing pain and whipped my tail around and slammed it into her side. This caught her off guard and she went tumbling along the road and hit the curb. She staggered to her feet hissing out, “Impossible! Why could I not tear it free?” Then her eyes squinted. “The blood-tie! That infernal soul bond! Trask yet lives!”

  I ignored the searing pain in my chest and gazed down at her. My sight was red with bloodlust and I heard my voice saying to her from a million miles away. “Yet again you underestimate me you wee madwoman. Do you want to know how I got out of your trap in the woods? It wasn't me Quinn. I am a Drakon Primitus!” Slabs of granite burst from the ground as I thanked the earth elements for their help. The granite effortlessly reduced the trees holding me to kindling as I reared up. A glint of blue caught my eye. The amulet around her neck that bound the air elements to her will.

  She whispered, “But... the First Dragon is a myth...”

  I reared up and roared and willed a stalagmite to come spearing up from the ground toward her. It struck the amulet with an immense amount of force that sent her tumbling back to the ground. She scrambled to her feet and I saw a small crack in the amulet flaring as I heard sirens converging on our location. A bubbling blue energy came from the amulet then rocketed out into the sky. I grinned, the amulet was clear now.

  Merlin had just dispatched the last tree beast and flicked his hand out toward Morgan. Her lightning staff leapt to his hand.

  I reared back then sent all my elemental fury toward her, my flames shot out just as she threw a handful of leaves up in the air and vanished before my inferno engulfed the area she once stood. I turned my head up and roared in fury, a pyre of flames lighting the heavens. She had escaped again!

  I looked over at Merlin and he staggered then slammed Morgan's staff against his and they fused together into a single, double headed staff.

  I dissolved my dragon aspect and ran to his side and steadied him. He smiled sadly at me. “She can no longer use my power against the Drakon until she constructs another staff. I never thought I would live to witness the fury of a Queen of the Drakon unleashed. Thou art a vision Myra. But my time here is done.” He pulled the claw from his back. There was so much blood. “I leave it to thee to protect the realm my lady. I am finally free.”

  He staggered and I supported him. He gently pushed away from me and slammed his staff to the ground. Tens of thousands of lightning bolts came down from the heavens. I was blinded for a second and I could feel the immense power of Merlin, the Light Bringer. A tear rolled down my cheek as my vision came back and Merlin was no more. I collapsed a moment later.

  Chapter 12 – Fury

  I had just made it to the cathedral unnoticed. I silently thanked McGregor for the distraction. I looked at my wrist monitor as I raised my camera to the window and was shocked at what I saw. Hundreds of creatures packed the cathedral and I thought to myself, “Shit Quinn, you've really stepped in it this time,” as the monitor went to static.

  I exhaled and thought to myself, “What is it James tells Myra? Dragon up?” I flicked my arms and flaming granite encased my arms and legs as all hell broke loose. Every door and window exploded out and mystical creatures started pouring through them. My team engaged, but it seemed that most of them were charging me instead of them.

  I took a deep breath then charged at the first group in front of me. I was trading blows with a minotaur and landing spinning sweeping kicks to keep the others surrounding me at bay. Damn, where is Steve? This guy is a hell of a lot stronger than me. He struck my arm and it felt like he hit me with a Volkswagen.

  I grabbed the horns of the bull monster and leapt into the air over his head, pulling him backward with me. I landed behind him still grasping his horns. His back was arched backwards then I kicked with all my might.

  There was a sickening crunch as my stone hardened foot, crushed the bones in his back. He bellowed as he fell to the ground. I was hit in the face by a gargoyle, it would have torn my head off if I hadn't instinctively covered my body in flame when I sensed the danger. It still hurt. I backflipped and landed on it's back and grabbed its wings and yanked. With the sound of granite grinding against granite, they tore away from its body. It bucked me off roaring in pain, then I swung one of its own wings at it and took its head clean off of its shoulders.

  My team had finally reached me, and we were all fighting back to back. The gunfire was almost deafening. I heard a bellow and glanced over to see Steve charging another minotaur. They locked horns and arms in a violent crash. Then Steve twisted his arms around and swung up, breaking their grips on each other and a moment later he had his assault rifle pinned against the rib-cage of the beast and he emptied a clip into its gut. The other minotaur collapsed to the ground, unmoving, in a puddle of blood.

  Steve glanced at me and shrugged his shoulders, snorted steam from his nose and then he dove back into battle. I suppressed a laugh and went about taking on a trio of griffons surrounding me. These all smelled of rot. I figured that none of them was real that they were all magical constructs formed by Morgan's magic.

  We fought for a few minutes, and I was starting to get a bad feeling as the rest of the assault team arrived. The gunfire multiplied and the shrieks of creatures and men drown out everything else as I realized... Morgan la Fay was not here! This was a diversion! Oh shit! Myra! I was distracted and a griffon clawed my leg right above my granite covering. I almost fell and I could feel Myra's fury and fear through our bond. I thought, “Please Myra, keep it together, don't do anything foolish!”

  I covered most of my body in granite armor now and dove at the griffons. A minute later I saw a squad fall to a group of bat-like creatures. Dammit, they are pushing us back! It is like they are all homing in on me and my men are just getting in the way. I blanched at that. My god, they are. My men are dying when all those things want is me. I started running down the road yelling, “You want me? Come get me!”

  It was like a wave as the creatures turned to follow me. I grinned as I led them away. They were being shredded from behind by my team as the beasts ignored them to chase me. Ok, I can work with this. When there was some separation from my men I charged at the horde, there must have still been fifty or so. I bellowed a challenge like Myra would and slammed into the two gargoyles in the lead. Bringing my fists down in a pile driver and reducing their heads to rubble.

  My team must have understood what I had figured out and they kept their distance as the sharpshooters picked off one baddie at a time. I was taking too much damage, I'd have to put an end to this soon before I got sloppy and got myself dead.

  I had just thrown one of the bat creatures into an oncoming griffon when my back arched in pain and my wings felt as if they were on fire! Wait, my wings? I don't have any w... MYRA! She was in trouble!

  In my distraction the last minotaur had slammed into me, sending me tumbling along the ground. The granite on my side was cracked and crumbling and my ribs hurt like hell. I repaired my granite armor and rolled up onto a knee. Shit! The minotaur was bearing down on me and I didn't have time to react.

  But then there was a huge white buck standing between me and the minotaur, it locked horns with the beast and stopped it dead in its charge. The white stag shook its he
ad and sent the bull careening into its oncoming allies with such force that I heard a crunching and cracking of bone and the pained cries as the beast and some of the horde died painfully.

  The stag was suddenly Merlin and he slammed his staff on the ground and dozens of lightning bolts came down and struck in the middle of the enemy. I could smell the acrid smell of rotting flesh burning as the remaining combatants fell. Merlin was crouching in front of me and offered a hand to help me stand. I allowed my granite armor to fade.

  He had a crooked smile on his face. “Thou art a formidable warrior lady Quinn. I would be remiss in my pledge to Queen Myra if I were allowed harm to befall you.”

  I started to smile, but then my eyes widened as I saw a massively damaged gargoyle diving at Merlin's back. My arm was covering itself with granite as I started pulling him aside and swung at the beast. It had sunk its front claw into Merlin's back before I severed it with my strike. He spun as he fell and lightning shot from his staff, reducing the gargoyle to dust.

  He was gasping and panting in pain as I rushed toward him just to fall to the ground writhing in pain as white hot energy tore at me. No, not me. I gasped out as I fell, “Myra.” Merlin nodded and forced himself to his feet then he was gone. I mean no fanfare, no poof. Just gone.

  Steve had reached me and pulled me to my feet, I gasped out, “Myra is in trouble. She's between here and the loft.”

  Steve nodded and dragged me along with him to a Humvee saying, “K boss.” He tore the door off the driver's side and then tore out the driver's seat and got in. I grinned and got in the passenger side, trying to catch my breath, as Steve navigated the streets, driving like a bat out of hell. I saw a tremendous lightning display in front of us. I felt Myra's fear, then surprise that she was still alive. There was a delay then another lightning blast, it hurt bad, then I clawed at my chest, it felt like my heart was being crushed I panicked and trashed my tail at the offending pain... no, Myra thrashed her tail.