by Brenda Trim
“I would never turn you or your family away,” Angus agreed. “You always have a place here, but you realize my realm is no’ withoot its own problems.”
Zander took a sip of the Dragon Piss, and shuddered. He didn’t say anything but set the glass out of reach. Lorne didn’t see what the big deal was. He liked the shit.
The Vampire King raked a hand through his shoulder-length hair. “Aye. I know verra well aboot the Unseelie. While they are the bane of your existence, they doona care aboot my Izzy. She isna the target of their actions, and that makes her far safer here than in our realm.”
“Plus, there is the fact that there is no direct access from Hell to Khoth. They’d have to discover she was here first then it would take a miracle for them to find us,” Lorne added. “How is your absence going to affect your people?”
“That’s a valid point. My time away from Khoth caused great damage,” Angus admitted.
Lorne saw the weight his absence left on Angus’s soul to this day. The king would likely never get rid of the guilt from his actions. Then again, Lorne knew if the king were placed in the same position again, he would leave without hesitation. Keira was his heart and soul, and he would do anything for the female.
Jealousy struck Lorne, but he didn’t understand why. He’d never felt such deep love for any female but wondered what it would be like. Many in Khoth dreamed of a relationship like the king and queen shared, but few came close to having it.
“What are we doing?” Elsie asked as tears trailed down her cheeks. “I’ve been so worried about Izzy that I haven’t considered how much the realm needs you. Shit will get ugly if you’re gone. I can just see vampires openly feeding on humans and the Goddess cursing us again. Some queen I turned out to be,” she muttered and buried her face in her palms.
“Calm doon, a ghra. You and my mamai are the best queens the realm has known. I doona have all the answers right now, but you are right to place Isobel’s safety first. That is your job. And, in doing so, you are looking oot for your subjects. If the demons get Isobel and free Lucifer, no one is safe,” Zander explained as he rubbed circles on Elsie’s back.
“We need to develop a fast and efficient communication method between here and Earth,” Angus began. “That way, you will know immediately if trouble is brewing, and can go home at once.”
“We can assign extra guards to the portal, and they can cross over several times a day to check in with his warriors,” Lorne suggested.
“Aye. That could work. I have Kyran and Mack finding suitable land to build a house for the Dark Warriors staying close to the portal,” Zander added.
“Sire, Your Highness,” Legette interrupted as he entered the throne room unexpectedly.
Angus stood abruptly, kicking his chair away from the table. “Aye. What is it, Legette?”
“Sire, there’s a problem at the marketplace.”
“Shite. What happened?” Angus blurted, and his light green eyes blazed with anger.
Legette’s eyes narrowed, and his lip curled. “Unseelie are attacking,” he snarled.
“Fuck,” Angus growled. “Send cadres one, two, and three to the site immediately. Send cadre four to Heqet. I want to make sure this isna a diversion. The next Civappu is nearing, and I refuse to allow them to destroy the site again,” Angus commanded as he grabbed a giant sword from the wall and stalked toward Legette. Lorne stood, along with Zander, and the two joined the pair by the door.
Lorne rushed out the door to gather his unit. The Unseelie were getting bolder by the day. They’d never attacked so close to their city. No doubt Cyril was behind this. Fucking parasites. Lorne hoped this was the day they eradicated every single one of the vile creatures.
* * *
Chapter 5
“Shite, those are ugly bastards,” Zander muttered from his perch on Angus’s back.
They’d quickly gathered weapons as they prepared for battle. Lorne thought the Vampire King would blow a gasket when the Maáhes stripped off their clothes and donned utility belts, but Zander seemed unfazed by the act. Cuelebre dragons didn’t remain clothed when they shifted into their animal forms. It was wasteful, and only in extreme circumstances would they shift and tear through their garments.
However, the growl that escaped Zander when a few dozen dragons stood naked in front of Elsie made Lorne’s balls shrivel. He was no stranger to mated males and their jealousy, but Lorne made sure to keep his distance from the Vampire King and his queen until he shifted into his dragon. That was one wrath he didn’t want to experience.
He didn’t miss that Elsie refused to leave until she kissed Zander and saw them off. She stood by her mate no matter what. Shit, the young Queen insisted on riding into battle with him, but Zander instantly shut down her suggestion. He said she needed to remain at the castle, and protect Izzy and Blaze. Lorne was relieved Zander nixed Elsie’s plan because no way in hell he was assuming the responsibility of safeguarding the Vampire queen. He could only imagine what Zander would do if she was harmed, or worse, killed.
“Aye. And they stink like a rotting corpse,” Angus replied in mind speak.
“That’s too nice of a description, Sire. I hope you don’t have a sensitive stomach, Vampire,” Lorne added telepathically.
Zander curled his lip and shifted his gaze back to the ground. Citizens were running over each other, screaming as they tried to escape the massive Bugganes. The Unseelie beasts were hard to miss given they were big as trees and uglier than trolls. Lorne’s fury rose as he watched one creature use its massive tusks to tear through the side of a vendor’s booth.
The citizens of Duamutef took great pride in their market. It was a place one could find just about anything, and then some. Each merchant built a booth to compliment the goods they were selling. Some were obvious like the shoe-shaped building for the shoe peddler, or the booth constructed of wax that housed Maggie’s homemade candles. But then there was Marshall and his pyramid-shaped tent where he sold smoked torc. Each was unique and added character to their beautiful city.
Legette’s voice intruded into Lorne’s mind with a growled warning. “Keep sharp. Barghests have joined the Buggane in this attack.”
Barghests were the Bogies of the Unseelie world. They had horns, fiery eyes, as well as, razor-sharp teeth and claws. Those were its distinctive features. The problem was they could take many forms, typically choosing that of a shaggy, black dog. They were often found at the scene of massive deaths, howling their triumph.
Lorne roared a warning to the citizens before he swooped in and landed between a pair of Buggane and a group of females. His massive tail accidentally struck their building, and knocked down a wall, along with, one of the creatures. Before Lorne could follow through or defend himself, the second creature slammed into his side.
Lorne trumpeted in pain as sharp tusks tore a hole in his dragon scales. Buggane tusks were coated with an acid that ate at the protective coating that surrounded each scale. They used their brute force to knock a dragon off kilter then shoved their tusks into the thick flesh, and let the acid do the rest. It didn’t take long for the poison to reach a dragon’s vulnerable tissue.
Shaking its head side to side, the Buggane proceeded to shred Lorne’s muscle then punctured his lung. Heaving, Lorne positioned his large body between the females and the Unseelie. His talons swiped at the Buggane which ripped its tusks from Lorne’s side. Blood poured from his wound to the ground.
Without pause, he rose in height to tower over the Unseelie. Suddenly a ghoul raced between the Buggane, startling Lorne. Ghouls were even worse than Barghests.
Ghouls were small, greyish creatures covered in oozing sores. They contained a virus, and if their secretions touched anyone, they would turn into mindless zombies. No one wanted to be corned by a ghoul, and Lorne noticed one had its sights on the females. Luckily, dragon scales were impervious to the ghoul virus, and unless it could jump fifteen feet into the air, it couldn’t reach the wounds that threatened to topple
Lorne.
He couldn’t allow the creature to get to the females. Careful of his surroundings, Lorne released his dragon fire and burned the ghoul without destroying anything else. Off to the side, Lorne heard Angus’s dragon roar. He glanced to see his king surrounded by Buggane and ghouls. Lorne noticed Legette and his unit had shifted and were fighting the enemy with swords. Lorne acknowledged the area wasn’t spacious enough for all the dragons, so some were forced to fight the beasts in human form. Unfortunately, the knights weren’t close enough to assist Angus.
Distracted with worry for his leader, Lorne didn’t see the Buggane until a brute force slammed into him. His dragon stumbled but managed to grab the Buggane by its head. One vicious twist and the beast’s head popped from its shoulders. Black blood poured from the creature and immediately destroyed the ground beneath it.
Before he took off toward Angus, Lorne lifted the four females and set them on a nearby roof, hoping they would be safer away from the melee.
Lorne fought his way to Angus, killing Buggane and Barghest with his dragon fire. As a result, the blood and death were poisoning the earth around them, which was weakening their King. Pain ripped through his side, and Lorne stopped to inspect his wound. It was a deep laceration, and the sight of his bright red blood sparked an idea. Trumpeting, he flung his Maáhes blood over the blackened earth, knowing it would heal the land.
He flapped his wings as he walked, sending the crimson liquid in a wide arc around him. A Barghest in the form of a giant torc cut across his path. Lorne barbequed him with his dragon fire and kept going.
The loss of blood left him lightheaded, and Lorne could barely walk a straight line. Several Máahes shifted to their dragon and took to the sky, but the Buggane didn’t allow them to get very far before they clawed their wings.
Without warning, a distinct energy filled the area like a dense invisible fog. Lorne’s limbs became heavy, but as he glanced around, he realized he wasn’t the only one affected. Thank the Gods it seemed to hamper the Unseelie, as well.
“What’s coming?” he sent out telepathically.
“Thank fuck it’s not Lucifer,” Zander barked, and Lorne noted the vampire sounded out of breath and strained.
Lorne couldn’t see the male because of the surrounding chaos but was relieved he survived the battle. He would not want to face Elsie if anything happened to her mate.
“It’s familiar, but not,” came Angus’s reply. “I detect Zanahia’s power, but it’s twisted somehow.”
“Could it be Cyril?” Lorne growled.
“Aye. The bluidy bastard would be vile enough to steal the queen’s power and twist it to fit his needs, but I canna sense him,” answered Angus.
Zander tossed a small dagger with precision, and it landed between the eyes of a ghoul making its way toward the Vampire King. “Have you been able to detect his presence in your realm since your last encounter?” Zander asked.
Angus’s dragon shook his massive head. Was it Lorne, or did it seem like Angus moved more freely? Lorne tested his body as the king replied, “Nay, I havena sensed him since he attacked the castle then disappeared.”
Before anyone could respond, several things happened at once. The spell trapping Lorne was lifted, a bright blue light flashed, and enraged cries filled the air. Lorne gaped as a portal opened in the middle of the market.
What the hell was happening?
From what he’d been told by the Cuelebre shaman, magic of this magnitude shouldn’t be effective in Duamutef’s city limits. His mind whirled over what could’ve gone wrong. He was not proficient with magic like the shamen, but he knew enough to hazard a guess that Cyril had selected this location so he’d have a big enough blood sacrifice to overcome the protections in place.
A quick glance confirmed Lorne’s theory. So much bloodshed in the area, most of it red. For the first time, he wished for more of the blackened earth. At least that meant the Buggane suffered more than their innocent citizens.
Flapping in the distance told Lorne reinforcements were on the way, but he doubted they’d get there in time as he watched Unseelie pour from the portal by the hundreds.
It was imperative they close the opening before the creatures overtook the entire city. If that happened, it would mean the end of the Cuelebre in no time at all. The mere thought enraged Lorne and fueled his dragon. It enabled him to continue his fight and ignore the searing pain.
Lorne’s dragon sliced through several Barghests and made its way to Zander. The Vampire King was highly skilled for a nobleman. Angus had always fought beside the dragons, but his father and the kings before him never did. It was a major disagreement between Angus and his father when he declared he would fight alongside his knights.
Zander snarled and flashed his fangs at a charging ghoul then quickly decapitated the creature when it jumped toward him.
“Move aside, and I will burn it. If it touches your skin, you’ll become a ghoul,” Lorne informed the Vampire King.
Zander swiveled and took steps toward a Barghest, fighting the creature while he spoke to Lorne. “Och. That’s like the Wendigo on Earth, except they are humanoid in shape and covered with bright orange scales. Nasty fucking creatures if you ask me.”
Lorne chuckled and incinerated the dead Unseelie with a blast of dragon fire. His flames caught several creatures that were barreling through the portal. Within seconds, Lorne was surrounded by countless Unseelie, including Red Caps. He hated those malicious beings. Red Caps were small and quick, trying to dig their nails into his scales, but their efforts went unrewarded. Unlike the Buggane, they couldn’t do harm to his dragon unless they reached his eyes.
A female’s scream rent the air and chilled Lorne’s blood. It made him wonder about Cambree. It was the weekend, and her office was closed which was why the market was so busy. Cyril planned his attack well, he concluded. Lorne needed to find Cambree, and make sure she was safe.
Flames flew from Lorne’s wide jaws, incinerating everything nearby. Ghouls were everywhere, and the last thing they needed was an outbreak.
“Angus!” Zander called out as he continued to fight ferociously.
For the first time, Lorne understood why Angus served this male and his family. He was loyal and dedicated to those he loved and would protect them with his life. All characteristics Angus shared with him.
“Can you close that fucking portal? Shite. These creatures will overwhelm us soon,” Zander continued.
“Aye…if I can reach the area,” Angus answered.
Lorne didn’t miss the uncertainty in Angus’s reply. The king was the most powerful being on the planet next to Cyril and Phineas, Keira’s brother and King of the Stoorworm, yet this power was unlike any they’d ever encountered.
Lorne trumpeted when a Buggane rammed into his injured side. Using his talons, Lorne stabbed the creature unabashedly. The poisonous blood of the Buggane covered his entire hand, and his dragon struggled to call his flame. He finally mustered up another stream of fire and barely had enough to clear the fluid from his hand and turn the fucker to toast.
That wasn’t a good sign. Soon he’d be out of flames. The Cuelebre could generally produce fire anytime they wanted, but with repeated use over the past half hour, he was depleting his energy stores. And, the blood loss was making it worse. Their fire went first, and if Lorne weren’t careful, he’d black out.
He quickly shifted tactics and used his wings to batter several creatures attacking him. His powerful appendage knocked a Buggane to the ground, and Lorne used his mighty claw to crush its skull. Time to bully these fuckers, he thought and used his excessive weight and massive wings to clear a path for Angus.
Angus’s light green eyes met his, and the king nodded his understanding as Lorne plowed his way toward the portal. Finn’s dragon joined him, and the two barreled through, leading Angus. The king suddenly closed his eyes, and Lorne wanted to scream. That couldn’t be a wise decision on the battlefield.
Spots danced in Lorne’s v
ision as a Red Cap jumped on his back, and managed to reach his open wounds. It sank claws into the large punctures in his scales and flesh, and his dragon bellowed in pain.
Suddenly, Angus opened his eyes and breathed a thick stream of dragon smoke that covered the portal. His thick arm reached toward the blanket of gray and carved a rune into the fog. Instantly, a loud boom echoed through the area as a blast knocked most off their feet.
“Thank the Goddess,” Zander exclaimed as his sword began clashing again.
With the portal closed, Lorne renewed his efforts, slicing the heads of the surrounding Unseelie. The closing of the portal cut off the Unseelie’s energy source, slowing their effort.
Lorne bit the head of the last Buggane and snatched the Red Cap from his side, and tossed it on his pile of victims then glanced around. None of the vendor stalls remained standing. This was a favored destination for the entire realm, and now the ground was covered in death and destruction. Handcrafted items littered the ground, like unwanted trash. The sight enticed Lorne’s dragon. It wanted to scoop up the treasures and stash them in his horde.
Undoubtedly, this attack was a major blow to their kind, but nothing compared to living without Angus for a thousand years. Every element of their planet and bodies were affected by that.
It took no time for the reinforcements to turn the battle in their favor, and Zander limped over to Angus. The king shifted back to his human form, and a civilian rushed to his side and bowed.
“Take this, Sire. It’s all I own, but it is yours,” the male professed and handed Angus a robe. The king graciously accepted the gift and slipped it on. Even in the tattered garment, Angus stood tall and proud.
“Our enemies struck a blow today,” Angus boomed as he tried to meet the eye of every knight and civilian. “Many were lost today, but we will rebuild and honor our fallen. That Unseelie bastard will not win. The Cuelebre cannot be defeated when we band together.” Cheers erupted as the members of Duamutef clapped and yelled.