by D K Drake
She had had a chance to ride Mertzer with Micah halfway across Keckrick and had gained a new appreciation for the word “fast.” Even though the dragon didn’t have wings, it felt like he flew over the land, and she was sure his claws spent more time in the air than they did touching the ground.
She just wished she had been there to protect him from Micah’s sword back in Zandador. Then Mertzer wouldn’t be missing half his tail, and he wouldn’t have to live as a slave to Micah the Dragon Hunter for the rest of his life.
“I have spoken with King Omri on your behalf.” Micah’s voice interrupted her thoughts, and a hush fell over the crowd. She found her own breathing had stopped in anticipation of his next words. Had he been able to convince his father to spare the people of Keckrick?
She started to feel a bit lightheaded from the lack of breathing when he finally announced, “He is pleased with the super flowers!”
Taliya let herself breathe again and jumped down from the railing. That didn’t prevent her from keeping her ears tuned to the conversation between Micah and Javan.
“Micah,” Javan said, “before you say anything else, we need to talk.”
“No,” Micah said, keeping his voice low. “I found a way to spare Keckrick. If that is what you truly want, you need go along with whatever I say.”
“You don’t know the whole story. Your father--”
“My father,” Micah said, raising his voice to address the crowd, “has agreed to spare the lives of all of Keckrick!”
That brought wild yells and shrieks of relief from the people in the streets of Nahat. She wanted to dance and celebrate with them until she heard Micah’s next sentence spoken quietly to Javan. “He only asks for one life in return.”
The sound of a steel blade sliding out of its sheath stole the joy from Taliya’s soul. She had grown to trust Micah, and now he was about to kill her Javan!
“No!” Taliya screamed from the dock and climbed back onto the railing. She hadn’t been able to protect Mertzer, but she could certainly protect the Dragon Collector. The only problem was that she was still an arm’s length shy of the edge of the roof.
If she didn’t find a way to grow in the next ten seconds, she would never be able to scramble her way onto the roof in time.
Chapter 2
The Bloodlines Unite
Taliya studied the gap between the tips of her fingers and the roof. If she jumped, she was sure she could grab the raised edge and pull herself up the way Javan had. He had made it look easy. Then again, he was a good five inches taller than her.
Silence settled over the crowd. What could they see that she couldn’t? Had Javan drawn his stalker swords? Were the two men about to duel? She had to get up there to keep them from killing each other. But how?
“Just go for it, Taliya.” At her own prompting, she bent her knees as low as she could from her perch on the railing and vaulted straight up. Her fingers latched onto the wood, but that was as far as she could get. She dangled from the corner, unable to tug herself up or swing her legs high enough to snag the roof and use them to take some of the pressure off her arms.
“Psst. Mertzer. A little help?” Her words sounded soft and strained to her own ears and failed to get Mertzer’s attention. She began contemplating the best way to contort her body to cause the least amount of damage upon colliding with the ground when the dragon peeked his head around the building.
“Hey, buddy.” Her muscles burned, and her sweaty fingers started to slip. “I know Micah hasn’t given you an official order, but---” She lost her grip and braced herself for the inevitable impact with the ground. But the dragon’s head broke her fall, and she landed flat on her belly between Mertzer’s eyes.
“Good thing you can move quickly.” His scales were warmer than she expected them to be. He needed to get out of the city and back under the protective canopy of the rain forest. He would be able to if he was free like all dragons should be.
“Thanks for catching me.” She rubbed behind his soft ears to show her appreciation as he lifted her to the roof. She slid down his snout and landed discreetly behind Javan just as Micah was placing his sword in Javan’s hands.
“If I kill you, my father wins,” Micah said, dropping to his knees and putting his hands behind his back. “That is why you must kill me.”
Taliya watched in disbelief as Micah lowered his head and Javan stared at him like a confused statue. When nothing happened, Micah looked up.
“Go ahead,” Micah said. “Kill me. Take Mertzer. Win the throne.”
Javan stuttered his reply. “I…I don’t understand.”
Neither did Taliya. What had happened in Zandador that made Micah want to turn on his father and die?
“It’s not hard,” Micah said. “You need a Dusk Stalker. Mertzer is the last Dusk Stalker alive. The only way you can collect him is if you kill me.”
“I get that,” Javan said. “What I don’t get is why. The deal you made with Omri involved my execution in exchange for letting the people of Keckrick live.”
“No one else was in that room. How did you know about that?”
“That’s irrelevant. What matters is that I know the real deal. So why are you changing the terms?”
“Because I found out what my father is doing with the humminglo plants.”
◊◊◊
Micah noticed Taliya take a step toward them at the mention of the humminglo plants. Taliya? What was she doing up here? How did she get on the roof, and how long had she been standing there?
“What Omri is doing with the plants changed your mind?” Javan sounded baffled. “So it had nothing to do with the Destroyer?”
“What Destroyer?” The sudden appearance of Taliya already had Micah distracted, so he wasn’t sure he heard Javan right. Most of the Destroyer Bloodline had died out centuries before Micah was even born. The few who remained had abandoned Zandador and retreated to Tirza. Why would Javan be talking about a Destroyer?
“Never mind.” Javan shook his head, tossed Micah’s sword aside, and pulled Micah to his feet. “What’s Omri using the humminglo flowers for?”
Micah took a deep breath to regain his focus and explained what he had learned. “When the liquid from inside the web of the flower is consumed, it somehow cuts off a person’s ability to think for themselves. My father plans to use this substance to control the Land of Zandador. He won’t need an army to enforce his laws, and he won’t need dragons to inflict punishment. He’ll gain complete and total power over everyone.”
“Mind control?” Taliya interrupted and walked over to stand beside Javan. “Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t be willing to die if I wasn’t sure,” Micah said. “And I am sure my father won’t bother destroying the people of Keckrick once he gets his hands on their entire supply of super humminglos. The flowers are more important to him than anything else.”
“This doesn’t make sense,” Javan said. “You like having control over people. You should be trying to harness the power of the humminglos for yourself, not be asking me to usurp your father.”
Micah cringed at Javan’s assessment of his character. That is who he used to be; it wasn’t who he wanted to be anymore. He would sacrifice his own life to prove it. “My father is wrong. People matter. You taught me that.”
Determining that Javan would prefer to use his own weapon, Micah drew the stalker sword from the scabbard hanging on Javan’s right hip, pointed the tip at his chest, and forced Javan to hold the handle by smothering Javan’s hands with his own. “But my father thought I was dead and didn’t care. My death should bother him. It will if you kill me and take Mertzer.”
Micah could tell by the way Javan’s chest heaved up and down that he was considering pushing that sword in a few inches. He needed to. It was the only way Omri could be defeated.
“Don’t do it, Javan.” Taliya put her hand on Javan’s shoulder. “You’re not a murderer.”
“What other choice do I have?” Javan kept his
glowing green eyes glued on Micah’s for a long moment before shifting his gaze to Taliya. They seemed to speak a silent language Micah didn’t understand, and he knew Javan would never act without Taliya’s approval.
“Javan, stop stalling.” Tears dripped down Micah’s cheeks. He needed this to be over. He needed to die. “Put an end to my agony. Please.”
“I will. But not by killing you.” Javan yanked his hands away from Micah, put his sword away, and offered his hand to Micah to shake. “Join me. Be part of my team. Fight with me and Taliya to overthrow your father.”
◊◊◊
Javan’s words reminded Taliya that she had already agreed to go with him to Zandador. She was not thrilled with the arrangement. She had spent the first seven years of her life in that place and didn’t want to return. The only reason she said yes was so she could continue to protect Kisa even though the Dawn Stalker now technically belonged to Javan.
“No.” Micah refused Javan’s suggestion. “Mertzer can never be a part of your collection as long as I am alive. You need him.”
“No. I need you on my side.” Javan smiled. “I know of another way to collect a Dusk Stalker.”
“There is no other way. You have to--”
“You have to shut up and trust me.”
Micah cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. “All right,” Micah said after a long pause. “I’ll trust you.” He stuck out his hand, grasped Javan’s, and shook.
“Fantastic.” Taliya put both of her hands on top of theirs and lowered her voice as she looked at Javan. “Now that we have this team thing established, let’s go somewhere with a little more privacy to discuss how you intend to collect a Dusk Stalker that doesn’t exist.”
Chapter 3
First Team Meeting
That’s your plan?” Taliya’s stunned words echoed off the walls of a vacant, musty house amidst the ruins in Nahat. A splintered, dusty table propped up on its final leg near the door was the only furniture in the small room. Light streamed in through two windows, one on either side of the door. A torn, moth-eaten blanket hung from the ceiling in the far corner, separating the kitchen and living space from the bedroom area.
She, Javan, and Micah had sequestered themselves in the abandoned house on the side of the river across from the portal to hear Javan’s idea. She always embraced bold, daring adventures, but Javan’s plan seemed too risky even for her. “That is ambitious, but I don’t think you realize how long it will take to--”
“That’s the problem,” Micah said, cutting her off. “It will take time. Lots of time. Javan, you know you only have three months left to collect two more dragons, right?”
“That’s plenty of time,” Javan said. “It took me less than a month to collect my first two. I would already have three if you hadn’t gotten in my way.”
“How did you get in his way?” Taliya didn’t understand the tension between the two guys and wondered about their history.
“I did what I do; I beat him in a sword fight and captured Mertzer.” Micah shrugged his cockiness away. “But that doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that Javan has access to a Dusk Stalker right now, the same one I kept him from collecting before.”
“No, I don’t,” Javan said. “Mertzer is yours.”
“He doesn’t have to be. My offer still stands. Kill me and take him. Then you can focus your attention on collecting a Midnight Stalker for the remainder of the year. It’s your best chance at winning the throne.”
“No.” Javan crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his chin in the air. “That’s my easiest chance. My best chance is to do what I’ve proposed.”
“What you’ve ‘proposed’ is madness.” Micah’s dark skin flushed with anger. He stood more than a head above Javan and about three heads higher than her. His solid, muscular frame and long dreadlocks added to the intimidation factor when he turned his attention to her. “Taliya, talk some sense into the boy. Have you ever even activated the portal before?”
“I am perfectly capable of activating the portal.” Taliya kept her voice cool, showing she wasn’t going to let herself be intimidated by him. What she lacked in height, she made up for with attitude. “I am a Protector, after all. However, I have not yet had an opportunity to use those particular skills.”
“That doesn’t mean she couldn’t do it.” Javan put his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. He was shorter and leaner than Micah, but he was also younger, quicker, and more agile. “You know you want to try. Why else would you have taken that book from Tulkar?”
Javan unnerved her when he stared at her with those unusual emerald eyes. Even after traipsing all through Keckrick with him, she still had a hard time grasping the fact this grown-up guy with his wavy black hair, stubble-covered cheeks, and strong arms was the baby she had helped get through the portal. She had told him about that night, but she hadn’t told him she remembered those glowing green eyes he was so sensitive about.
“Well…” Taliya stalled. She did take that book so she could learn how to activate the portal. Only it was more about fulfilling her curiosity than it was about actually putting that knowledge into practice. Many Protectors had died trying to operate the portal. “It is an intriguing idea, but your plan could use a little tweaking.”
“Such as? I’m open to suggestions.”
She wasn’t sure what recommendations to make and was thus relieved when the door opened before she could respond. A tall man with bushy black hair, wide shoulders, and tan skin charged in and slammed the door behind him, causing the final leg of the broken table to collapse. His black uniform and long sword that draped from his hip marked him as one of King Omri’s soldiers.
She didn’t trust any soldiers. Taliya quietly took a step back and prepared to load her slingshot with one of her sleeping darts.
◊◊◊
“Hello, Vince.” Javan hadn’t expected Vince to burst in. The two met briefly for the first time earlier that day. This man was his great-grandfather. The family traitor. The reason his father was banished to the Land of No Return and his mother was imprisoned by the Dark King when she was pregnant with him.
But he was also the one who orchestrated his mother’s escape eight months ago and sent her to Earth to find him. Something caused Vince to betray Omri and fight for Javan to win the throne; Javan just wasn’t sure what the something was that caused his change of heart.
“What happened up there on that roof?” Vince’s deep voice filled the small room, and he focused his hazel eyes on Javan. “One minute you look ready to chop Micah’s head off, and the next minute you’re shaking his hand and walking over the bridge together like you are best buddies.”
“We’re not best buddies, but--”
“Why are you befriending a Dragon Hunter?” Vince carried on as if Javan hadn’t said a word. “How am I supposed to explain that to the soldiers who witnessed it all? Their crazy speculations are already flying through the ranks. What do you think they are going to tell Omri?”
“They’re not going to tell Omri anything because they won’t be returning to Zandador,” Micah said.
“Whoa, Micah.” His ominous tone made Javan nervous. “We can’t kill them just because they saw us shake hands.”
“I’m not talking about murder,” Micah said, rolling his eyes.
“What exactly are you talking about?” Javan asked.
“I’m simply suggesting that we capture the soldiers and give them a new home here in Keckrick. All my father wants are the humminglos. He won’t miss a few soldiers.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Vince said. “He’ll order them straight to his throne room and demand to know what transpired here. I’m guessing that whatever happened on that roof between the two of you isn’t what Omri expected to happen. When they don’t return, he’ll send one of his Justice Units to investigate.”
“Or the Dragon Destroyer,” Javan said.
“The what?” Micah sounded confused.
�
��When I was in Zandador,” Javan said, “I learned that your father hired a Dragon Destroyer to discreetly execute you after you killed me.”
Chapter 4
Keep Keckrick Safe
“W
hat?” Javan’s words punched Micah in the gut and made the room spin. Of course his father would make sure Micah succeeded in killing Javan. Then he would make sure Micah was as dead as everyone thought he was. That also meant that everyone who saw Micah alive during his brief trip home would also soon be dead. The part that didn’t make sense was that a Destroyer existed and that Omri was working with someone from another Bloodline.
“New plan,” Micah said, his anger rising. He needed his father to know he no longer controlled him or the people of Keckrick. He also wanted to ensure Keckrick remained safe once Omri got all the flowers they provided. “We strand the soldiers by blowing up the portal here in Nahat as well as the one in Tulkar so that Keckrick is no longer connected to Zandador.”
“That’s ludicrous,” Vince said. “Why would we do that? It would be an act of war, and the people of Keckrick can’t defend themselves against Omri’s dragons.”
“He can’t send his dragons if the portals are no longer operational, and he won’t risk sending his dragons on land through the desert to attack Keckrick. It’s too dangerous. He may send his army because he won’t care how many of them die on the trip, but Keckrick can fight off people a lot easier than they can fight dragons.”
“You do make some valid points, but I’ve known you too long to trust anything you say.” Vince drew his sword and stuck the tip of it right under Micah’s chin. “How do we know you’re not pretending to be Javan’s friend so you can betray him when the time is convenient for you?”