“Yes, and now we’re trapped in an even worse situation! You should have just let me handle it alone. I would’ve been fine.”
“Right, of course you would’ve, facing down your own anger and pain manifested in a disturbing mirror image of yourself has never messed anyone up before.”
She rolled her eyes.
I stalked away a few steps.
“What exactly are you suggesting? That I can’t handle my own emotions?”
“Why else would it have manifested as it did? Baladon knows those emotions all too well. You said it yourself he uses them. What would have happened if I hadn’t gone there with you? Tell me, Mori.”
She crossed her arms and glared at me. “I don’t know.”
“I’ll tell you what. You would have been captured, or killed right then and there. Baladon would have had you back as his with no fighting chance.”
“If you haven’t noticed, he already does!”
“Clearly, he doesn’t know we’re here.”
“So you say,” she shot back and shoved me hard in the chest. “Why can’t I just be angry!”
“Anger is not what we need right now,” I growled, even as I tried to get a hold of my own anger. “Nor is fear of failure.”
Her brow arched. “Is that so? Then while we’re at it, maybe we should talk about you and how you’re clearly not keeping it together as much as you’d like to think.” Her voice rose on the last few words, and both of us glanced around quickly, but we were still alone.
“We’re not talking about me.”
“Maybe we should! You are no better than me right now, blaming yourself day after day for what’s happened to your friends and your clans. When are you going to face your fears? Your guilt? You might not have actual darkness from Baladon’s touch in your soul, but it’s there and if you don’t face it, all of it, you’re going to be in the same boat as me.”
I growled and turned away from her to keep walking, but she grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me to a stop. “We have to keep moving.”
“We will, once you admit that you are not holding it together.”
“And what if I’m not? Now is not the time for us to break down.”
“What’s bothering you so much? What? I see guilt in you, but it’s more than just what’s happened,” she mused, and I sensed her looking deeper than just my eyes, into my very soul. “You’re guilty for something that hasn’t happened yet. How can that be?”
“Let it go, Mori,” I urged, my upper lip twitching in a snarl.
She refused to back down. “Tell me.”
“If we get out of here with the orb—and alive—I will, I swear it.” Lie, that was a complete lie. I might have decided to listen to Lucy on some level, but I was still not going to tell this woman of her fate if she wound up with me. I couldn’t. “We need to move.”
She released my arm and the second she did, I wished she hadn’t. I felt so strange around her, as if I was trying to remember what it felt like to be around her, but that was impossible. We never met until I came here to save her. All of this confusion over the riddle and the visions, my dreams, and these raw emotions was too much. It was going to drive me crazy, and from the aggravated look on Mori’s face, I wasn’t the only one. She started to walk again, and I had no choice, but to follow.
“For your information,” she whispered as we went, “I can tell when you’re lying.”
I ground my teeth. “So I lied. So what.”
“One way or another, Forrest, when this little adventure of ours comes to an end, you will tell me what you’re hiding.”
“Fine, but only when you accept that this war is not your fault.”
Her steps faltered, and she glared at me over her shoulder, but kept walking and said nothing else. Every few steps, she held up her hand again and picked up the pace. No minions came our way, nor snuck up behind us. I couldn’t decide if we walked into a trap or were just damned lucky. We turned right at another corridor, and the ground sloped upward beneath our feet.
“Where is this realm?”
“Inside a mountain,” she replied quietly. “A very large mountain, in a realm he created after he stole the orb from me.”
“Guess there’s no way it’ll collapse once we remove the orb?”
“Sadly no, the magic does not work like that.”
“Pity, I’d love to see this place come down on his head.”
If we couldn’t destroy his realm easily, my thoughts went back to the worries I knew the others had on their mind. How did we even go about killing a god? Especially one who absorbed the powers of so many others? He was strong, too strong, for us… but that riddle, it said the three could do it. Kate, Sabella, and Mori, whether she was ready to believe it or not.
Nowhere in any story or text did I recall it being mentioned how to kill a god. Mori wasn’t nearly strong enough to do it alone, and even with Sabella and Kate as Vindicar, how could they stand against the might of a god filled with so much evil? They would be slaughtered in minutes. It spoke of the six of us… but there was nothing special about Craig, Tristan, or myself.
“Forrest,” Mori whispered, grabbing my arm and yanking me out of the tunnel and into a darkened alcove.
Coming down the tunnel straight toward us were several minions, but from the excited look on Mori’s face, they weren’t what she was bouncing on the balls of her feet about. We turned into the stone and waited, holding our breaths for the minions to pass. Once they were gone, she poked her head back into the tunnel and pointed.
“We’re close. Very close,” she breathed. “Ready with that plan yet?”
“Setting them all on fire sounds like a grand idea.”
“Seriously?”
“What? They’re flammable, and all we really need is a distraction, right? Rush in, grab the orb, and use it to get out of here,” I explained lightly. “We’ll be fine.”
She held out her hands, but there was no light emanating from them. “I might not be strong enough to use the orb right away. The second we go for the orb, Baladon’s going to bring down every minion in this mountain on our heads.”
“Can I use it?”
Frowning, she started to shake her head, but stilled. “Maybe… if you’re holding it with me, I might be able to pull strength from you.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
I started to step out into the tunnel again, preparing myself for a fight that could very well end with us both dead, and no one ever knowing what happened, when Mori caught my arm and held me back.
“What’s wrong?”
She was worrying at her bottom lip and shoved her hair back behind her shoulders. “I wanted to tell you something, just… just in case we don’t get through this alive.”
I wasn’t good with talks like this or saying goodbye before it was time. I was ready to tell her that when she wrapped her arms around my neck, stood as tall as she could on her toes, and dragged my head down to hers. My arms moved around her waist, crushing her to me as the sudden desperation of our current situation hit home.
Just when I’d found Mori, the woman from my dreams, the one who made me feel complete, I was about to walk into unknown odds, face down an enemy that could likely kill me, and her. Would there ever be a time when I could sit back and just enjoy my life and those in it?
Or was I doomed to always be dogged by death and destruction?
The embrace ended far too soon and then Mori was out in the tunnel. I hurried behind her to catch up while deep within me I readied my fire. No matter what happened next, I would do my best to keep Mori alive.
When we reached another alcove, we stepped in, and Mori pointed to what appeared to be a corridor intersecting this one.
“Down there,” she whispered. “I can’t tell how many minions or if Baladon’s with it, but the orb, it’s just down that hall.”
“Stay here,” I told her and started to go. She squeezed my hand hard, but there was no more time to waste, and I pulled free.<
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Claws extended from my fingertips and I felt my fangs elongate in my mouth as my fire heated my stomach and swirled within me. If only this corridor were larger, I would shift completely and charge in there with the full fury of a dragon. But sadly, all shifting would do now was get me stuck between the ceiling and the walls.
At the entrance to the corridor, I peered around and jerked back just as quickly.
Four minions, possibly five, stood outside a set of tall, black double doors and they were heavily armed, writhed in shadows. At least there weren’t any of Baladon’s more intimidating beasts. I wasn’t sure I could deal with the damned spiders or the giant basilisks Tristan told me about. There were only so many monsters a dragon was willing to put up with or take on.
I breathed in deeply through my nose then turned the corner and drew fire into my mouth. The five minions shrieked as one, charging toward me and I unleashed hell on them.
My flames lit the first two on fire, destroying the shadows that created them, and their smoky forms fell to aside, giving way to the next three.
They came at me swords swinging.
I ducked and dodged around each strike, grabbing hold of one of their arms and using his sword to fend off the other two, then I spun him around and slammed him into the wall. He dropped the blade, and I quickly scooped it up, spinning in time to catch the sword aimed for my back.
Sparks burst to life where blades met, and I kicked back one minion only to be attacked by another, his sword moving almost too fast for me to see. Our blades locked, and I reached out, slashing across his face with my claws, drawing them back wet with black blood. He snarled at me, and we pushed off each other.
I swung the sword in my hand, making ready for his next attack when another latched onto my back. It wrapped an arm around my neck and dragged me backward, as yet another rushed to his aid and wrenched the sword away.
I struggled to get free, but then there were three holding me back.
I snarled and flashed my fangs, unable to get an arm free, and losing air quickly.
“Baladon would want you alive,” the one before me hissed in a raspy voice, casually dragging the sword point across my chest. “But I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if we bloodied you up a bit first.”
He slashed the blade across my torso, and I roared at the sharp pain as blood stained my front.
I fought as hard as I could against the minions holding me, but then he slashed me again, and I felt my dragon threatening to burst free. The blade stabbed into my shoulder, and as my blood wet the sword and the minion cackled in delight at my pain, my instincts took over.
If I died, Mori would be left defenseless. She was mine to protect, and I could not fail her. I lowered my head, letting my body go slack in their arms. The minion with the sword drew its arm back, and made ready to strike again.
It never had the chance.
Fire boiled over within me, and my dragon burst free of its confines, throwing the minions into the walls as my massive head reared back. With a wicked grin, I opened my jaws wide and clamped down on the minion trying to run from me. Too damned late. I bit it in half and threw what remained of its body into the tunnel.
It was a tight squeeze, but in my lust for blood and death, I didn’t care how cramped the space was. I tucked my wings in close, using my heavy, spiked tail to lash out against those trying to escape from my wrath. I dragged them into my waiting claws and tore them apart until there was nothing left but scraps of cloth and weapons clanging uselessly to the floor. Bits of revolting-tasting flesh and armor stuck in my teeth, and I shook my head fiercely, trying to get rid of it, but the taste of that sour blood stayed with me.
“Forrest?”
I turned toward the tunnel. Mori studied the mess around me, wide-eyed.
I growled as she neared, wanting her to stay back. I was in the mood to keep destroying whatever crossed my path and was worried I’d hurt her. But then her eyes narrowed as her gaze settled on my shoulder and chest.
“You’re wounded.”
The pain hit me all at once, and I groaned, holding up my left leg as blood oozed from the wound. I lowered my head, but my blood was still on fire, and my dragon was in no mood to be tucked away.
“You need to shift back,” she ordered.
I huffed at her.
“Don’t give me that. Shift back so I can take care of your wounds. Now.”
I shut my eyes and tried to reign in my crazed emotions, but nothing happened. I shook out my head, my wings fluttering in agitation, and focused on returning to my human form. But no matter what I did or how hard I tried, I was trapped as my dragon.
I tried to explain to Mori, but the only sound that came out of my mouth was a grumbling grunt. I was growing weaker by the second from losing so much blood, and there wasn’t a chance the other minions heard nothing of this attack. They would be on us any second. I tried to nudge Mori back to the tunnel, wanting her to hide herself away, but she refused to move, holding onto my snout firmly and glaring at me.
“I’m not leaving you. We’ll figure this out.”
I pushed her harder, but then something heavy groaned behind me, and we both froze. I managed to spin around in the space, keeping Mori back by putting one heavy leg in front of her body.
I waited.
Slowly, the doors creaked open. I lowered my head, eyes narrowed straight ahead as my fire built within my chest. Blood dripped to the floor beneath me with a steady pattering sound. Drawing on my fire was agony, but I would be ready for whatever came through those doors.
They swung inward, and all I could see was complete darkness. No torches burning, no candles. Nothing. I expected Baladon to emerge from the depths of those swirling shadows as fog rolled out of the room and across the floor.
But the figure that did appear confused me.
Mori gasped, trying to push around my leg.
“What happened? How did you get here?” she asked, but I refused to let her get any closer.
Something was wrong. The person before us, it wasn’t who Mori thought, at least not anymore.
“Forrest, let me go to her!”
I growled deeply and pushed her back further, glaring at the figure in the doorway. A sword was sheathed at her back, and her armor at first glance was pristine. But the longer I stared, the more I noticed how banged up it was, how covered in blood it was, crusted and deep crimson. She leered at us, her eyes flaring a dark green just as the other Mori had back at the temple.
“Agaris! You’re alive!” Mori yelled, still struggling to get past me.
“Mori, my sweet, sweet Mori,” Agaris purred as she reached behind her for her sword. “How wonderful of you to stop by.”
I felt Mori stiffen as Agaris drew her sword, flashing the red crusted blade in the dim lighting of the tunnel. “Agaris, where are the other gods?” Mori asked quietly. “Thorne and Harper… where are they? Where are your brothers?”
Agaris, one of the gods of war, tapped her fingernails along the edge of her sword. “I’m afraid they got in the way. Now then, how about you and I go and visit our brother, hmm? He would very much like to see you again.” She started forward.
My gaze flickered past her to the room beyond. The faintest of lights emanated from it, soft and glowing.
The orb. It was in there. We had to get to it.
I nudged Mori with my leg, hoping to drag her from her sudden frozen state at seeing how Agaris had turned. When she still didn’t move, I pulled on my fire and unleashed all of it against Agaris. She screamed, throwing her arms up to protect her face from the flames, but it was all the distraction I needed. With a hefty shove, I sent Mori soaring to the doorway and watched her slide inside the room.
“I’ll kill you dragon! And turn your hide into my armor!” Agaris screamed, charging out of the fire, her sword raised, ready to kill me.
I sucked in another breath and met her attack head-on. Her sword came down toward my face, but I lowered my head, and her blade clashed aga
inst my horns instead. I managed a glimpse of the doors in time to notice them shut me out. I prayed the room was empty, but I couldn’t go to Mori until the threat with Agaris ended. I drew on my fire and unleashed it a second time, chasing her around the tunnel as she pushed off the floor and ran along the wall.
She lunged at me again, that blade aimed point down for my hide. I whirled around, but not fast enough, and the blade sliced through my scales, drawing more blood. She hit the floor on her feet and didn’t slow down the attack. My form was too massive to move easily in this space, and she used that to her advantage.
“You won’t win this fight,” she yelled as I swatted at her with my tail, trying to drive a spike through her middle and pin her to the wall. “And Baladon does not wish you dead, not yet!”
He had a funny way of showing it.
I roared and willed myself to shift back, but my dragon was in control, its rage burning hot, as fire dripped from my jaws now in a continuous stream. My claws dug into the floor, tearing up stone as easily as if it was dirt. I watched Agaris closely as she stalked from one side of the hall to the other, searching for a way to make her move.
The second she finally took a step forward, I opened my jaws wide and blew fire until my body grew too weak to keep up the attack. My blood was smeared all over the floor, and I sucked in a harsh breath right before I lost my hold on my dragon form and finally shifted back.
I staggered into the wall, feeling the fresh wound along my hip from her sword.
She chuckled wickedly as she stalked closer.
I hurried to pick up two swords left behind by the dead minions and brandished them. My vision was growing blurry, but I had to keep fighting, give Mori time to get the orb.
Agaris seemed impressed I was still standing, and I hated to admit it, but so was I.
“This will not last long.”
“It doesn’t have to,” I muttered in reply. “Are we going to do this or what?”
She bowed her head and then attacked in a blur of speed. My sword barely managed to keep up with hers, and she landed an elbow to my face, then a kick to my gut that sent me falling backward.
Stars (Dragon Reign Book 8) Page 12