A Dragon's Body: A New Adult Fantasy Dragon Series (The MINATH Chronicles Book 2)

by A. L. Tippett

  She launched herself at Madatrax, her talons outstretched and wings beating fast to raise her above his head. He reared and greeted her attack with grim satisfaction as he pawed the air, aiming to strike a heavy blow. While this was happening, Sera and Tyler aimed their handguns and released a steady barrage of bullets, only stopping to reload. The harpy was lightning fast though and danced through the air, avoiding hooves and bullets easily. Realising his tactic wasn’t working, Madatrax dropped down to all four hooves. The splash of water caught the last of the sunlight, looking like tiny fire crystals suspended in the air. Tyler’s unicorn spun his glowing horn in a circle, sending a miniature hurricane towards the harpy. With a powerful beat of her wings, she thrust herself away and avoided the worst of the wind. The magical hurricane petered out into the dusky sky as Madatrax aimed his horn at her heart. Before he could release the rising magic, the harpy bared her teeth in a maniacal smile before sweeping her wings wide and sending a series of sharp-edged feathers at the Hunter and his unicorn. They cried out and tried to shield themselves from the attack. Madatrax threw a ward up in front of Tyler but not soon enough to stop all the blades. Lacerations criss-crossed both their bodies and Tyler swore. Sera watched helplessly as the harpy continued her waltz through the air, easily avoiding the attacks they sent her way.

  The harpy giggled, a sickening sound, and announced, “I tire of these games. Enough.” She closed her eyes and held her thin arms high, her clawed hands palm-up, and uttered a strange guttural croak. Both the Hunter and his unicorn fell limp, splashing into the creek, the whites of their eyes showing as they convulsed.

  Suddenly, a large blur of grey streaked from the darkening sky and crashed into the harpy. She screamed and opened her eyes to face the new attacker. With the body of a horse and the head and wings of an eagle, the hippogryph’s momentum drove her to the ground near Sera, where he began pummelling her with his hooves and snapping at her face with his sharp beak. Sera lined her eye up with the sight, waiting for an opportunity to fire without hitting the hippogryph. The harpy’s purple irises pulsed with a light from within and she screamed in the hippogryph’s face, ignoring his attack. He flew backwards and landed in a crumpled heap in the stream, washing a wave over the still forms of Tyler and Madatrax.

  Sera squeezed the trigger, sending another bullet towards the harpy. This one finally found its mark. The harpy screamed as it buried into the flesh of her shoulder. Holding her arm as the thick black blood dripped down her pale skin, she turned to Sera with murder in her eyes. Just as Sera pulled the trigger again, a black lynx leapt out of the bushes and pounced on the harpy, driving her into the ground. Sera had no idea how her second bullet missed both of them. The lynx snarled, his fangs inches from the harpy’s throat. The black flames that circled his neck and ran along his spine flared high and Sera smelt the harpy’s burning flesh. She screamed at him, but her magic didn’t affect the lynx.

  She turned her face away from him and locked eyes with Sera, hissing, “He has plans for you. There is no escaping him.” With that, she glowed brightly and vanished from beneath the lynx’s large paws. He roared his rage at losing his quarry and swiped the ground, leaving gashes in the earth. Sera looked around frantically but there was no sign of the harpy. The hippogryph rose from the stream and shook himself, water droplets shimmering in the waning moon’s light. Carefully using his beak, he propped Madatrax’s head onto a rock to keep his muzzle out of the water, then dragged the unconscious body of Tyler onto the bank.

  Approaching Sera, the grey hippogryph lowered his head and asked, “Are you all right, my sweet?”

  “Where… where did she go?” she stammered.

  “The harpy transported herself to safety,” the lynx explained.

  Sinking to her knees, her body shaking from the adrenaline, she lowered her head into her hands. The hippogryph approached and shoved his beak against her cheek, nuzzling her.

  “My sweet Seraphina. Are you all right?” he asked again.

  She yelped and raised her face abruptly. “How do you know my name?”

  The hippogryph’s beak hung open in shock. “It’s me. Torvold. Don’t you remember me?”

  The lynx was watching with interest as confusion played out on Sera’s face. Before she could respond, he sniffed the air and announced coolly, “Her memory has been wiped. But only for the time she was with Arius until she returned to Mandar City. That is a clever bit of magic. How interesting.” He said it all matter-of-factly as he sat on his haunches and observed her reaction.

  “Who’s Arius? And who are you both?” she asked, feeling more confused than ever.

  “She’s forgotten Arius?” the hippogryph – Torvold – screeched. “How is that possible?”

  “Do shut up, feather-head,” the lynx growled. “If you throw too much information at her, her brain will implode and she’ll be no use to anyone.”

  “But… but, they’re Soulbo—”

  “I said, shut up,” he interrupted with a snarl to emphasise his point.

  “Fine,” Torvold snapped. “Can we at least tell her who we are?”

  The black cat cocked his head and scrutinised her. Baring his teeth in a foreign grin, he purred, “I don’t think she’ll let us leave if we don’t divulge something.”

  Chapter Ten

  The hippogryph swung around to look into Sera’s eyes, letting his tail swing so it hit the lynx who growled his annoyance. “I’m Torvold, but you used to call me Tor. We met through a friend…” he paused and looked at the lynx for approval.

  “I assume it’s this Arius fellow?” Sera interjected.

  Tor chortled and nodded. “Yes. We met through Arius. A lot happened, and I’m not supposed to tell you too much apparently,” he shot a glare at his friend, “but there was a storm and you and Arius were separated. You crashed into my flock’s nest and after some… negotiations with my mother, I chose to help guide you back to Arius. But you were stolen away by that harpy and we couldn’t find you.”

  “Right.” She gave him a bland look. “Now I’m more confused than ever.” He shrugged his blue-grey wings apologetically. She turned her attention to the lynx. “And who are you, and how do we know each other?”

  “We’ve met twice but I never told you my name.”

  Tor poked his tongue out at the lynx before saying, “His name is Idris. He will talk you around in circles and never get around to introducing himself.” The black cat swatted the hippogryph with his tail. “What? It’s true. You’re a terrible conversationalist.”

  Ignoring Tor’s jibe, Idris turned to Sera and said, “You need to get your memories back. There is change coming and you need to know what you’re in for.”

  “I mean, it’s a good plan. But how in the Four Gods’ names am I supposed to do that?” she asked drily.

  He studied her for a moment and then said cryptically, “That is something you need to figure out alone.”

  “Which means he doesn’t know,” Tor said with a chuckle.

  “You are a vexing creature,” Idris proclaimed.

  “I do try,” came Tor’s smug response with a fluff of his feathers. Turning serious, he said, “Sera, we are here to help you however we can. But unfortunately, Idris is right. You need your memories back. I don’t know how you can do that, but you’ll have to figure something out.”

  “I don’t understand why you can’t just tell me,” she complained bitterly.

  I finally have access to the answers to what happened and they won’t explain anything!

  Sorry, but it’s for the best.

  Sera started at the foreign voice in her head, her jaw dropping. What in Ghaia’s name is happening? Am I going crazy?

  The lynx grinned at her. I can hear your thoughts, silly girl.

  Tor unknowingly interrupted their silent conversation and exclaimed, “Talk to the cat! I’d tell you everything in a heartbeat!”

  The lynx rolled his eyes at the hippogryph before turning his steady amber gaze on Sera, and s
poke aloud. “I understand your frustration. Both of us were only spectators to part of your story. But if we tell you everything that we witnessed, you either wouldn’t believe us, or we would damage your mind as you try to marry the truth with the missing pieces of your memory. Trust me when I say, it’s better this way.”

  Sera sighed heavily, frustration overtaking all other emotions.

  Tor stepped closer to her and said, “I do have something that might make you feel better. When you—” he hesitated when Idris shot him a sharp look before continuing, “returned to the city, you left this behind.” He bowed his head and, using his beak, undid a leather pouch attached to his foreleg. Laying the pouch on the ground, he flicked the leather open and pulled a blade out.

  “Firinne!” Sera cried and snatched up her lost knife. “Thank you so much, Tor! I thought I’d lost it forever.” She gripped the staghorn handle tightly and a sense of ease washed over her. It felt as if a part of her arm had been missing and was now reattached.

  “You’re welcome, my sweet.” Tor’s eyes crinkled happily.

  The lynx massaged his claws into the earth, gouging small furrows into the dirt as his tail twitched in agitation. “I too have a gift for you that may help you on your journey to accessing your memories.” Idris padded to the stream and gazed into the water before opening his mouth wide and roaring.

  Tor glanced at Sera and chuckled at her quizzical look. “Your guess is as good as mine, my sweet.”

  Idris placed a black paw against the dark surface of the creek and the water stilled. A perfect circle of water rose into the air in front of him. Its shape wobbled and morphed as it shimmered in the moonlight before it flattened into an oval the size of her palm and, under the direction of the lynx, lowered onto a small rock on the bank. The water nestled into the stone, carving the centre of the rock away to create a shallow vessel. There was a flash of bright light as it sealed itself to the newly-made bowl. Idris nodded to her, signalling the magic was complete, so she stepped forward and picked it up. The rock fit into her palm neatly while the water had solidified so it didn’t move as she twisted the bowl around. Gently touching the surface, she found it to be hard, like glass.

  “How did you do that?” she whispered in awe.

  “Magic.” Tor snorted at Idris’ simplified explanation. The lynx’s fiery mane flared higher, and he bared his teeth at Tor. “Fine. It was a complicated spell that required a little bit of help from another magic wielder.”

  “That’s amazing. Thank you,” she murmured as she weighed it carefully in her hands, surprised at how light it was.

  “It’s not from me,” he replied. “An old friend wished for you to have it.”

  “Who?” she asked.

  The lynx opened his mouth to answer, but Tor interrupted with a glare. “I know that look. For Ghaia’s sake, just give her a straight answer, Idris.”

  The feline mythic sighed and replied, “You ruin all my fun, Torvold.” He turned back to Sera and begrudgingly said, “It’s from your grandmother.”

  Sera gasped at the revelation and held it up, letting the light from the moon catch it and cast patterns over the surface of the solid water.

  Why does Nanna want me to have this?

  Tor mirrored her thoughts and asked, “It’s pretty and all, but what’s it actually for?”

  “Your grandmother found a Seeing Pool. I owed her a favour, so together we managed to combine our magic to teleport a sample of the water through this stream to you.”

  Sera’s mouth hung open. “What? This is water from a Seeing Pool? As in, the Seeing Pool that shows the past, present and future? That’s insane! Hang on…” she whipped her head around to stare at the lynx. “Did you say my nanna used magic? That’s not possible! Only mythics can access magic.” Staring at the bowl of solid water, she murmured low, speaking more to herself than the mythics, “I mean, people call her a witch, but she’s just extremely talented at alchemy.”

  “It’s not my secret to tell. I will leave it up to Del to explain where her power comes from. The Seeing Stone you have there does not have the same level of power that you would experience from the Seeing Pool. But we hope you can gain glimpses of insight from it that will help guide you on your path.” The lynx flicked an ear towards Tyler as he stirred. “That’s our cue to leave. Maybe don’t mention us to your friends when they wake up. We will meet again, Seraphina. Good luck.”

  Tor rushed forward and swept a wing around Sera, pulling her into his feathery chest in a hug. “Good to see you again, my sweet. Hopefully, next time we meet you’ll have full recollection of how charming and helpful I am.” He winked at her before cantering a few strides and leaping into the air, beating his wings vigorously to rise above the treetops.

  Sera looked to see which way the lynx was headed, but Idris had already melted into the cover of the forest. She glanced down at her Seeing Stone and caught the flash of an emerald eye in its depths. She sucked in a breath and stared into the solidified water, desperate to see it again, but only the stony bottom met her gaze.

  Tyler groaned and sat up, holding his head in his hands. Sera shoved the stone into the back pocket of her trousers and knelt in front of him.

  “Are you badly hurt?” she asked him, more out of duty than actual concern.

  “I think I’m okay. A cracking headache and some cuts,” he bit out as he assessed the damage to his body. He leaned on Sera’s shoulder and stood with a groan. She stepped out from under his arm as soon as he remained steady on his feet. Holding a hand to his temple, he asked, “What happened?”

  “The harpy used her magic to send you both unconscious.” Sera’s mind raced for a plausible explanation of how she saved them. “I managed to graze her with a bullet while she was focused on her attack and I think the shock of the pain distracted her enough to stop her spell. Her eyes glowed purple and then she vanished into thin air.” Sera shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “She said she knew you,” he asked her, eyebrows drawn together.

  “I swear to you, I have no recollection of the harpy. But my guess is that maybe I met her during the time that I lost my memory. That’s the only reason I can think of how she recognised me.”

  “Hmmm.” He gave her a funny look but left her on the bank and limped to Madatrax.

  “I’ll ring Tracker Helena, okay?” she called after him.

  “Yep,” Tyler called over his shoulder as he took the MRO Survival Kit from the saddle bag attached to his unicorn and pulled out the container of Heal.

  As Sera waited for Helena to answer, she watched Tyler layer his own body with the ointment before attending to the stallion’s injuries. Her mouth pulled down but before she could say anything, the Head Tracker answered.

  “What’s happened, Tracker Seraphina?”

  “Something terrible.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Sera lay in bed, watching the late morning sunlight dapple through her curtains. Tracker Helena had insisted she take the rest of the week off to recover from yesterday’s fight with the harpy. The Head Tracker had sent another Tracker out today to see if they could find any signs of where the rogue mythic had disappeared to, but Sera doubted they would find anything. She groaned as she rolled over, not physically exhausted so much as mentally drained from the events of yesterday. Picking up the Seeing Stone from her bedside table, she stared at it, hoping for some flash of insight. When nothing happened, she sighed and dropped it on her pillow, then grabbed her phone and checked for any new messages before calling the stable master.

  “Hey, Jor, I was just checking in to see how Balthazar is doing today?” Placing the phone on speaker, she examined the Seeing Stone again.

  “That’s sweet of you, Tracker Seraphina,” replied the middle-aged woman. “He’s fine. Exhausted but recovering well. So is Rella. I’ll tell him you were asking after him.”

  “Tell him I’m sorry I can’t get there today,” she said while she absentmindedly turned the S
eeing Stone over in her hands and rubbed her fingers over the glossy surface.

  “I’m sure he’ll understand. It sounds as if you have your own battles to recover from.”

  “How do you know about that?” Sera asked.

  “You know how word gets around the MRO,” she replied dismissively. “I can’t chat, sorry, I’m preparing the three-year-olds for the Choosing on the weekend. It’s a madhouse here.”

  “Okay, no problem. Thanks for answering my call, Jor.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll be in touch if anything changes, but Balthazar is strong. He’ll be fine. Cheerio!”

  “Okay, bye then,” she whispered and the stable master hung up. Tears pricked her eyes, but she wasn’t sure if they were from relief, realising that her unicorn was going to survive, or from the overload of information she had learnt yesterday. Dropping the useless stone back on her pillow, Sera curled into a ball and pulled the sheets over her head. Darkness corrupted her thoughts and she couldn’t find a scrap of joy in her soul. Her life was spiralling out of control and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

  What if I never get my memory back? Is this how I’m going to feel for the rest of my life?

  A shudder rippled over her skin as she considered the bleak future that awaited her.

  What’s the point of living if this is all that’s left?

  An invisible weight crushed her chest, squeezing her lungs tight. Her breaths came in sharp gulps as she strained for oxygen. Her heart raced, as if trying to fit a life’s-worth of beats into the next minute while depression flooded her mind. A feral cry ripped from her throat and the tears she’d been holding back spilled onto her pillow. Unexpectedly, her mattress bounced slightly as Hazel’s cat leapt onto her bed. Perry crept between her sheets and nestled against her back, purring loudly. The comforting presence of the usually unfriendly tabby soothed the ragged edges of the hole in her heart. The panic attack that had threatened to overcome her receded and she drank in a deep lungful of air as the band around her chest eased. Each inhale left her a little lighter. Rolling onto her back, she warily scratched Perry behind the ears.