Dodge City Knights

by Aaron Crash

  Steven wasn’t worried about any of the Dragonlords. Tessa had to shake her head at her man. True to his nature, Steven let the Wayne twins plan the wedding while he had his head down, studying Icharaam’s gifts. Because there hadn’t just been a single gift deep underground in Icharaam’s tomb. There had been five items decorating a statue of Icharaam in his partial form: armor, orb, vambraces, cloak, and crown. This chamber didn’t have a Quinnestri statue. It didn’t need one. They were all pretty sure it was the Elf Queen who had created it under Icharaam’s instructions before he died.

  When they’d come up to the surface bearing the prizes, the place had been surrounded by Dragonsouls, Dragonskins, Magicians, Morphlings, and Warlings.

  The war was over. Mordred and the other Dragonknights were dead, and Steven Drokharis was victorious. All of the United States was his.

  Those who weren’t sure about Steven had fled like Umbra. Others immediately began to make arrangements with Javier Jones and Steven’s other lieutenants. Steven now commanded the biggest force of Dragonsouls the world had ever seen.

  And he’d married eight women. Steven never did anything small. And he was twenty-one years old. Not a bad start, or so he would say, grinning.

  Her husband. Wow. It was weird to think that. The ring felt weirder. They were now even more connected. If she closed her eyes, she could feel him, especially when he was excited.

  The wedding itself had been anticlimactic after facing down a fucking three-headed dragon. Oddly enough, the women who hadn’t cried during the battle cried at the wedding. Aria couldn’t stop sobbing and was barely able to say her words. Then again, it was late: Dragonsouls married at midnight on Sunday night/Monday morning. Paanga offered to do the wedding, but they wanted Liam Strider, who got a little emotional himself. He’d lost his Escort fifty years prior, and he’d never gotten over the loss.

  The Five Widows and the Three Queens smiled and cried happy tears during the ceremony. The women didn’t want to rush things with Steven. They were content to wait on marriage.

  Tessa scooped coffee into the portafilter. She should’ve been sleeping. Her brother was. Aria had given up her room so Jared could stay in the house. Mouse had as well, so Tessa’s mom, sister, and future brother-in-law had a place to crash.

  However, the barista wanted to start up the coffee. They had their wedding gifts to play with, and they couldn’t do it around the humans, only they were going to. This was the day Tessa was going to show her family who she was and what she could do. If all went well, that day would live in their memories forever.

  Tessa couldn’t wait to see Steven’s mother’s reaction when she found out that her son was an actual dragon.

  They were going to drive out to the cliffs near Guernsey Reservoir. Vassals had driven the Orange Crush, Jeeves, and the Poupon back to the ranch. Chosen Ben and Chickadee Hamms, personally, had made sure their beloved Ford Bronco II found its way home.

  At the sound of the hissing espresso maker, Eve Downfyre raised her head. Her sister-wives—Agatha Stipe, Hannah Cannon, and Sun Savage—gophered up. “Coffee?” Hannah asked, excited.

  “Let’s go help!” Agatha bubbled.

  Tessa was joined in the kitchen and then the morning was coffee, breakfast, marathon chatting, naps, and another party. Caterers showed up and they were back in the big event tent as the feasting commenced.

  Bud said he would cover for them while they were gone.

  Steven’s Escort, Uchiko included, drove up to the reservoir along with Mrs. Whipp and the Ross clan. Tessa drove her family in their special van, which had a lift for her brother, Jared.

  Monday afternoon, in early April, the place was deserted. The sun was out, and it was a hot eighty degrees, with a wind that had just the right amount of cool to it. Miles of sagebrush perfumed the breeze.

  Steven gathered up his mom and Tessa’s family. “We’ve been keeping a secret from you.”

  His mom rolled her eyes. “We know that you’re not just friends. I thought we established that.”

  Chazzie winced. “Oh, dear, here we go.”

  Pru joined in. “He’s gonna have to get naked in front of his mom. That’s gonna be awkward.”

  “Awkward AF.” Chazzie cleaned that up.

  Jared shook in his chair, laughing. “I know what AF means, twins.” He called them what Tessa did, and that made her smile.

  Tessa went and stood with Steven. “No, not that. You were at the wedding last night. You know that what we have isn’t platonic.” Butterflies tickled her belly. “Mom, Abigail, Jared, Steven is a dragon, and I’m a sorceress, a descendant of Merlin. I’m kind of a big deal.”

  Mrs. Whipp tilted her head. At least the breeze couldn’t make her hair any crazier. It was all over the place. She put her red-knuckled hands on her hips. “A dragon? I don’t believe it. I bathed him when he was little, and I’ve never seen a single scale.”

  Steven stripped off his shirt. They’d brought extra clothes. “It’s true, Mom. Watch.” He burst from his clothes and grew into his True Form. Sunlight sparkled off his long black body. To emphasize his transformation, he snorted out twin flames from his nostrils.

  Mrs. Whipp frowned and nodded. “Yeah, a dragon. I would much rather you be a dragon than a drunk or a gambler. Is it safe, though, this dragon business?”

  “Not one bit,” Steven growled. “Why do you think we put you in a compound with security? Haru is actually a half-dragon ninja. Long story there. But, Mom, we just won a war against our enemies. Everything has changed, and we have magic to protect you. I’ve never been safer than I am right now.”

  Tessa’s mom went forward. “I have to touch him. I have to be sure. I feel like I’m going crazy.” She laid a hand on Steven’s scales. She turned to Tessa and scowled. “He’s warm. Of course he is.” She laughed shrilly. “He’s a dragon.”

  Abigail and her fiancé, Peter, both had their mouths open. If their eyes got any wider, their eyeballs would roll right out of their sockets.

  Jared screamed at the top of his voice, “Cool!” He had himself propped up by his arms.

  Mom stomped over to Tessa and grabbed her arm. “Tessa Ann Ross, you have never, ever been an easy child, but this? This? This is too much! And what is this business about being a sorceress?”

  Tessa had to admit she was a little hurt by her mother’s reaction. They’d fought, a lot, but this wasn’t anything she wanted to be ashamed of. She was proud of who she was and the powerful Magician ancestors, warts and all. She could’ve killed Umbra and eaten her soul, but she hadn’t. “Watch, Mom, watch.”

  “Magica Defensio!” She stepped onto the pink platform of her horizontal shield spell. She raised the force field to float out beyond the cliffs and above the lake. She then lifted Jared in his chair with her telekinesis ability.

  “Wow. Force powers,” Peter the fiancé muttered.

  Tessa flew back and set Jared back down onto the ground.

  “Tessa.” Mom uttered that one word and then closed her eyes. “First there was your rebellion. Then you were gay. Then you were gay and polyamorous. Then you were this pansexual bisexual thing. And now you are a sorceress. A real-life sorceress. Well, I’m at a loss.”

  Jared wasn’t. “What else can you all do?”

  Zoey came up to him. In her hands was a gold necklace, one of Icharaam’s gifts. “Do you want to see something cool? Not only can I change shape, but, dude, I have armor.”

  Jared’s eyes widened. “Like in The Golden Compass?”

  “You tell me.” Zoey put the gold necklace around her neck and then changed into a huge bear, bigger than a Kodiak. She stood over Jared. “Watch this next part.” Her voice came out as a bear’s growl.

  The necklace glowed and a shimmering golden armor covered her, more energy than iron. The armor necklace could take her Animus and shield her using that energy. It held up nicely against spellfire and gunfire. It wasn’t so good against Exhalants, yet Zoey loved it. She’d become a real tank, able to soa
k up damage. For someone who liked to charge into battle heroically, it was the perfect gift.

  “Buh, buh, buh, bear,” Jared stuttered. “Armored bear. Armored bear!”

  Tessa went to her brother and motioned to Sabina. “Zoey isn’t the only one with armor. Sabina, do you want to show what your cloak can do?”

  “I have a gun in the truck!” Chazzie offered.

  Mama Ross went pale.

  Sabina shook her head. “No, chica, it’s okay. Just throw your new Impetim spells at me.” The cloak was black with a slight green tint to it. The magic item had tied itself to Sabina’s Animus.

  Chazzie and Pru both hurled pink shotgun scatter at her. The cloak swirled around her and caught every single Impetim missile.

  “Magica Impetim!” Sabina shot her green sparkles into the air and they arced across the lake and disappeared as they fell from the cliffside, vanishing completely before they hit the water. So far, the cloak was great against magical attacks, channeling the Animus back into Sabina.

  Steven growled in a great voice over them. “We got some wedding presents from a long-lost relative.”

  “Like fifty thousand years lost,” Mouse sneered.

  “Did you get anything?” Jared asked the blonde.

  Mouse shrugged. “A husband.” She lifted her hand to show her simple gold band. “And this ring. I guess those are cool. I guess.” She grinned mischievously to show she was kidding. “I do have an ancient sword that burns with a green fire. It’s pretty sweet. Merlin had it for a while.”

  “Merlin?” Jared was vibrating with excitement. “Merlin! Like if my sister is related to Merlin, then I must be too!”

  Mouse shot him a finger gun. “Totally.”

  Jared turned on Chazzie and Pru. “Hey, twins, are you just sorceresses or can you change into cool stuff like Zoey and Steven?”

  “Wanna show him?” Chazzie asked her sister.

  “I certainly do,” Pru sniffed. “Of course we’re probably not going to be as cool as Zoey and Steven. I mean, wow, a bear and a little boy dragon. Ooh.” She walked to Jeeves, opened the back, and took out two golden vambraces.

  Pru slipped one on and threw the other to her twin. Chazzie slid hers on.

  “You like these clothes?” Chazzie asked.

  “Not really. Let’s give the kid a show!” Pru said.

  Tessa winced. Were they going to get naked? Poor Jared, a boy shouldn’t see beautiful naked twins at that age, or he might be ruined forever. What else could ever compare?

  Instead, the Texas twins turned into Homo Draconi.

  Chazzie showed him her teeth. “See, we’re dragons too, but we do it just a little bit better than the others.”

  “Ready to shake and bake, Chaz?” Pru asked.

  “You know it.” Chazzie vanished and reappeared next to Pru. She disappeared and stood behind Jared. She gently poked his head with a claw. Chazzie then teleported and squatted in front of him. “What’s awesome, pink, and has limited teleportation abilities?”

  “You guys!” Jared said with real excitement.

  Mama Ross tsked the twins. “Don’t change human. Just stay as, er, pink dragon ladies.”

  “They smell like bubblegum!” Jared shouted. He was sweating, slightly pale where he wasn’t pink from the sunshine streaming down. Her brother didn’t spend much time outside.

  “What else did you guys get?” Jared asked.

  “Normal wedding presents,” Tessa said. “Dishes, a popcorn popper, a toaster, and, oh, this might be less flashy, but in the end, I think it might be cooler.”

  She walked to the Orange Crush and retrieved a black velvet bag. Inside was something roughly the size of a small bowling ball. Steven had slipped behind the Bronco II and was putting on clothes so he wouldn’t be naked. They had something very special planned.

  “We’re going to join a bowling league,” Mouse said. She grinned at Chazzie and Pru. “And I’m personally inviting the twins. Those girls love to bowl.”

  “Guilty pleasure,” Chazzie said.

  Tessa loved that they were all getting along so well. The Wayne sisters were smart, geniuses in fact, and they were brilliant enough to know how to get along.

  “It’s not a bowling ball,” Tessa said. She reached in and pulled out a black orb, perfectly round. It turned a dark pink where it touched her fingers. “I can cast spells using Animus, and this orb here can store Animus. It’s like a battery. For now, though, it’s not going to be for me. It’s going to be for you.” She gently laid it onto his lap.

  “What? I don’t understand.” Jared frowned. “You’ll need it, right? I mean, you’re basically superheroes, and you need it to fight crime, or whatever.”

  “I think we’re fighting intergalactic, inter-dimensional demons next,” Mouse said, sighing. “Thrilling. Miserable. Terrible. Horrible.”

  Steven came around and bent down in front of Jared’s wheelchair. “We’d like to help you, big guy. You won’t be able to tell anyone just yet, but soon, it won’t matter who knows and who doesn’t.”

  Tessa’s mother gasped. Abigail looked like she was about to squeeze off her fiancé’s arm.

  Jared’s eyes went to Tessa, then to Steven, then back to Tessa. “You have healing spells, don’t you? Like real healing spells.”

  “We do,” Tessa murmured and took her brother’s small hand. “We’d like to try healing you.”

  Mom was crying now, as was Abigail.

  Jared smiled at them. “Gosh, lots of tears last night and today. Whatever. Let’s try it, Tessa. Let’s do this thing.”

  She reached out and felt the autoimmune disease affecting his body. His Animus spun perfectly in his body, but that body was damaged.

  She cast FleshForge, as did Steven. They began to adjust his body, channeling the changes through his Animus. As they healed his nerves he laughed. “It tickles. But I feel it working. I feel...stronger.”

  Tessa smelled Steven’s smoky orange blossom scent, and she loved him, loved how giving he was. The FleshForge was temporary, but with Icharaam’s orb acting as a battery, Jared’s body would heal. They hoped that with a few more sessions, they might be able to link the FleshForge to his own Animus. As long as he rested, ate, and hung out with friends and family, that would be enough to keep him charged. For now, he could just keep the orb near him. Inside were the remnants of Icharaam’s own energy, and Steven knew how powerful Alpherian energy was. Mathaal had given Steven the last of his Animus before he died.

  However, the orb was a battery that either Tessa or Steven could refill using AnimusChain.

  Jared’s muscles were still badly atrophied. That didn’t stop him. Tessa and Steven helped him out of the wheelchair. He stood on his own and turned to his mother. “It’s a miracle, Mom.”

  She had her hands covering her face and she was weeping freely.

  “Thanks, man,” Jared said to Steven. “Did you get a gift you want to fork over to the poor crippled boy?”

  Steven mussed his hair. “Looks like you won’t be crippled for long. I got this crown thing. Pretty lame. I can’t figure out what it does.”

  Mrs. Whipp rushed over and took her son in her arms. “I always knew you were special,” she hissed. “I love you so much, Steven. I’m so proud of you.”

  And the most powerful dragon on Earth was speechless. What could he say to that?

  Abigail threw her hands up in the air. “This is impossible. Impossible.” She stomped away to stand on the cliff overlooking the Wyoming lake.

  Tessa went to her and took her sister’s hand.

  That wasn’t enough for Abigail. She threw an arm across her sister’s shoulder. “Okay, so you’re this powerful wizardess person. But are you happy, Tessa?”

  Tessa smiled and smiled. “I’ve never been happier.”

  “You beat me getting married.” Abigail hugged her, and Tessa closed her eyes. They were alive, their family now knew about their secrets, Jared was healed, and for the first time in a long time they were saf
e.

  Happy wasn’t a big enough word for what Tessa was feeling.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  SIX MONTHS LATER, STEVEN walked from Wayne Manor, which wasn’t as huge as the twins first planned. It was still relatively ridiculous, since it was the second biggest house in the compound and only two people lived there. Granted, the two were Chastity Virtue and Prudence Pride, and together they equaled like ten normal women. They’d called him over to see if he liked the black velvet painting of dogs playing poker. In the end, he did. It went well with the wagon wheel motif they’d decided on.

  The gravel crunched under his feet. August on the Great Plains was a hot, dry affair, with savage afternoon thunderstorms. At least they didn’t have to fight in them.

  Steven had thought six weeks was a long time without battles and intrigue. The months since the Battle of Duchain Hill felt shorter in some ways, longer in others. This was by far the longest break he’d been given since that fateful night when Edgar Vale had shot him. He’d used it to study, of course, and to get his forces ready for their first strike against the Zothoric. And Spider Finger it seemed.

  Their Divination magic wasn’t showing them very much; even Sabina was having trouble getting anything to show up on her radar. Umbra was in the wind. No one had seen her. The Shadow Archer had been a mysterious presence in the Dragonsoul community for centuries, and so they weren’t surprised that they couldn’t find her. She was elven, for sure, and it was interesting that she’d shown them her white hair and ears. Tessa threw around the words “dark elf” and “drow” but they knew so little about Quinnestri and Lyra that they couldn’t be sure of anything.

  More and more, when Steven cast Magica Divinatio during his meditations, all he saw were the doors at the top of the St. Vrain Aerie. He knew that was the next step.

  The last pages of the third volume of the Drokharis Grimoires were no longer encrypted. They were journal entries from his father, talking about his wives, his children, and his theories on the Zothoric and Alpheros. He was suspiciously quiet about the Lyra, which was the name of the elves, and didn’t mention Mulkred or Excalibur at all. Steven had the idea that he’d taken his father’s research into new territory.