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

by A. L. Tippett

  The green progress bar on her screen flashed, “Download Complete,” at the same time.

  With a tap, she double-checked the file was indeed in her Downloads and grinned at the sight of the detailed IRC blueprint that filled her screen. “Amazing, thank you, Frank!” she exclaimed.

  “You’re welcome, Tracker Seraphina. I wish you luck on the next step of your journey.”

  Hurrying out of the Server Room, she rounded the corner into the hallway and froze. The glowing number beside the elevator doors was descending towards the basement.

  “Frank,” she hissed, “someone’s coming!”

  The silence that greeted her seemed to drag on forever as the lift dropped. The corridor was void of hiding spots. The only ways out were forward into the service stairwell or back into the Server Room. The elevator doors would open before she made it to the stairs, and she was reluctant to return to Frank’s server where she’d be cornered. She groaned inwardly, knowing in her heart it had been too easy. Just as she was about to give up on Frank’s help, a hidden door in the hallway opened beside her. Throwing herself inside the cleaner’s closet, she offered a silent thank you to the AI.

  As the doors slid open, Frank’s voice echoed out of the elevator when he announced, “You have arrived at the Basement, housing the Server Room.”

  Holding her breath, she pressed her ear to the door and listened to the steps tramping down the hall, passing her hiding place. The clump of boots echoed on the polished concrete as someone entered the Server Room. Sera cracked the door and peeked out. This might be her only chance if the guard or cleaner or whoever they were decided to check the closet. There was no sign of anyone so she gathered her gown in her hand again and eased out of the closet, before bolting for the hidden entrance to the service stairwell.

  As she sped up the stairs, the metal clanged, making too much noise to escape notice. She winced when a voice shouted below her. If she could make it back to the marquee and blend in she might still evade her pursuer. Her feet pounded on the stairs, the steel biting into her bare feet. She breathed a small sigh of relief when she made it to the hidden door on the Ground Level. The echo of her pursuer’s steps bounced off the walls of the stairwell. Not pausing to check if anyone was in the MRO corridor, she tumbled out and threw the door closed behind her.

  Dashing down the hall, she made the snap decision to forgo her heels in the locker room. Her dress was long enough to cover her feet, anyway. She was almost at the exit. Turning the corner, she ran straight into Arius. The collision knocked all the wind from her body and she doubled over, wheezing. The hidden door slammed closed behind her and the pounding footsteps drew near.

  Face fierce with concern, Arius whispered, “Do you need me to engage them in physical combat?”

  “Not yet, let’s try something first,” she panted. “If my idea doesn’t work, then sure, take him out.”

  She grabbed Arius’ hair and pulled him close to her, drawing his lips to hers. He moaned and pushed her against the wall, spreading his fingers over her hips.

  The guard rounded the corner and drew up short, bewildered. “Did you see someone run past here?” he demanded gruffly.

  “We were a little distracted.” She giggled breathlessly. “But I think I heard someone head that way.” She extracted one hand from Arius’ locks and pointed towards the MRO’s entrance, away from the Choosing Ceremony.

  The guard hesitated and looked between them and the long corridor leading toward the front desk. Sera could almost see the gears ticking over in his head as he worked out that it would be nearly impossible for someone to have disappeared that quickly. Arius obviously realised the same thing and his muscles tensed, ready to fight. The guard turned back to them and opened his mouth to interrogate her when a brilliant flash of light from outside the doors, followed by a massive tremor, shook the building. With a yell, the guard grabbed hold of the wall to steady himself.

  “What in the Four Gods’ name was that?” Sera exclaimed.

  Arius grabbed her hand and they ran out into the training yard. They stared in shock at the sight that greeted them. Lightning had struck the marquee, setting it alight. Most of the humans and unicorns were running towards Arius and Sera to escape into the relative safety of the building. Some of the unicorns were using their magic to attempt to extinguish the fire, but the flames had taken hold. Thunder continued rolling overhead as more lightning forked across the sky. Thick droplets of rain spattered the scene but did nothing to quell the blaze.

  “No!” Arius cried and looked at Sera, pain filling his gaze. “Desamor is here. It looks as if dragons will be revealed tonight, whether my father wills it or not.” He crushed his lips to hers and said hoarsely, “I love you, Seraphina. Don’t ever forget that.”

  Then he transformed.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Screams filled the yard as Arius returned to his true form. Sera watched in awe as the monstrous copper dragon took the place of the man beside her. He roared his challenge to his brother before taking off. His powerful wingbeats whipped Sera’s dress around her legs before sending the burning marquee tumbling to the ground. He spewed forth a torrent of fire into the night, lighting the sky up. It revealed a dark shape cloaked in the thunderclouds, and Desamor snarled his returning challenge. Sera squinted anxiously through the pouring rain as Arius joined his brother. Their massive wings beat the air as they hovered, sizing each other up.

  “Desamor!” Arius bellowed. “Leave this place. Your fight is not with the humans.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, dear brother,” returned Desamor. “Humans are the reason our mother is dead! They are the reason dragons have been forced into hiding for decades. We are the ultimate predator. It is they who should be hiding from us! It is time the balance of power was corrected.”

  “It’s not that simple,” implored Arius. “I appreciate that it hurt all of us deeply to lose Mother, but the humans lost loved ones because of us as well. Don’t punish these humans who had nothing to do with our loss.”

  Desamor roared, refusing to engage in rational dialogue. “You still stand up for them? I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything more from a lover of those two-legged fleshsacks,” he spat. “You have betrayed our family! You have betrayed what it means to be dragonkind. You are no dragon. You are weak. And you need to be put down.”

  Arius growled at Desamor’s tirade. “Please, Desamor, leave. This is the last time I will ask. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  The black dragon laughed wickedly. “It’s not I who will be hurt, Arius. Good-bye, brother.”

  Desamor dove forwards, mouth wide. Sera stared in horror as the two dragons locked together, snapping at each other’s throats. Dropping her gaze, she realised President Kaesus had remained in the yard and was watching her with an evil smile. Torn between the insistent need to help her Soulbound and exacting revenge on the man who had stolen her memories and possibly her father, she settled on flipping him the bird. As childish as it was, it gave her a thrill of satisfaction when his eyebrows raised in indignation.

  Abandoning her vengeful plans for now, she dashed inside to the locker room and grabbed her pistol and Firinne. Racing down the hall, she ignored the chaos of screaming graduates and mashed the elevator’s button. As soon as the doors opened, she leapt in and smacked the number for the Hunter’s Hub. Once the lift’s doors slid closed, she entered Arius’ mind. She flinched at his pain from the wounds already inflicted by Desamor.

  I’m here for you, Arius. Can I offer you my strength?

  Save it for later, he bit out, keeping his focus on the fight. I’m managing for the moment.

  She buried herself in the back of his mind as she exited the lift onto the fourth floor so she could keep an eye on what was happening without distracting him. Heading straight to the external door, she deserted the safety of the Hunter’s Hub and ran outside onto the balcony. Rain poured down and lightning crackled overhead. Scanning the skies, she quickly located the battl
ing dragons. They were flying directly towards Sera. She raised her pistol and took aim. Flaring his wings, Arius adjusted his trajectory and flew over her, clearing the building easily.

  Desamor followed him closely, but his more muscular frame meant he didn’t have the same agility as his younger brother. As his chest smashed into the roof of the MRO, she emptied her entire magazine into his belly. The bullets didn’t even mark his scaled armour. He thundered his fury before pushing off with his talons, sending chunks of concrete and glass shattering toward the ground. Sera hurled herself against the building to avoid the worst of the debris that crumbled overhead.

  Sensing Arius’ concern for her welfare, she strengthened her mental connection to him. I’m fine. I’m coming to help. I won’t let you fight alone.

  I wish you wouldn’t, he said, but he sounded exhausted already. The time he’d spent in human form at the Choosing had sapped his energy.

  The building had stopped collapsing so Sera cautiously stepped out of her hiding place. Keeping an eye trained above to watch for more falling rubble, she located the ladder that ran from the fourth-floor balcony to the roof. The metal rungs were slick from the rain and her green dress was sticking to Sera’s thighs. With a sad sigh and an internal apology to Hazel, she used Firinne to slice the bulk of the skirt off. As she carefully climbed the ladder, the roars of the battling dragons echoed over Mandar City. Once on the roof of the MRO, she looked out over the city, while the wind tore at her clothes and the rain soaked into her skin.

  Avoiding a high-rise, Desamor flew straight at Arius, bellowing his rage. He spread his wings wide and swung his legs forward, talons extended. Arius barrel rolled at the last second, swinging his tail as he twisted away, and grinned grimly as it connected with his brother’s body. The black dragon screamed his fury and banked swiftly, coming at Arius again, catching him by surprise.

  The two dragons smashed together, the collision an explosion of sound. They scrabbled at each other’s underbelly with their claws, while their massive heads snapped at whatever was within reach. Desamor clamped his jaw on his brother’s foreleg and Arius screeched in pain. Arius swung his head around and managed to lock his teeth onto Desamor’s neck. The city lights danced over their copper and obsidian scales as they waged war between the buildings. Thick red blood streamed off them both as the thunder rolled above, echoing through the streets. Desamor spewed fire at Arius but instead burnt a nearby high-rise. The apartment tower’s concrete façade began to melt from the dragon fire.

  Mythics and humans stood frozen, faces upturned as they stared in disbelief at the epic battle playing out above them. The dragons tumbled through the air, plummeting towards the ground. The onlookers screamed and ran for cover. Breaking apart at the last second, they beat their wings fiercely to remain airborne. This was the moment she’d been waiting for. Even though fear had stopped her from entering the third level of a dragon’s mind since her memories had returned, she had to push past that now.

  For Arius.

  Taking a deep breath, Sera closed her eyes. Running her trembling fingertips over Firinne’s staghorn handle, she sank into her meditative state.

  She ignored the storm.

  She released her mental link to Arius.

  She let go of her fear.

  And she delved into Desamor’s mind.

  It had changed. Desamor’s mind had grown into a twisted, sickly thing since the last time she’d connected with him. On the first level where she’d normally create the mental link to speak with him, only a dull roaring met her. No words or barricades resisted her presence. Imagining herself as a wraith, she moved through it easily. As she entered the second level, oily tendrils of madness snaked towards her. They had coiled around his memories, squeezing the joy from them, until all that remained was pain. A pang of pity seized Sera’s heart.

  No wonder Desamor can’t be reasoned with. His mind is broken. But I can’t afford to expend my energy on sympathy when his only thought is to kill Arius.

  Even the searing pain of his injuries seemed to be muffled. Shoving through the frenetic images of his past, she pushed on towards the glowing green door of the third level. She allowed the discordant ocean of his thoughts to propel her forward and her consciousness crashed into it, shattering the fragile door off its hinges.

  Shit. That can’t be good.

  Everything went quiet. Desamor’s mind stilled and he hung suspended in the air for a moment. Then his nose dipped toward the ground and he dropped from the sky. Sera frantically gathered the green lines that controlled his body and manipulated them like he was her puppet. A sickening feeling settled in her bones as she manually beat his wings and navigated Desamor’s body towards the ground. She sensed then that she had done irreparable damage to his consciousness.

  At least Arius and Mandar City are safe.

  The thought didn’t make her feel any better about what she’d done. Landing him on the road in front of the MRO, she gently laid his head down and withdrew her consciousness. Coming back to her own mind, she heaved, bringing up the wine and strawberries from the Choosing. Looking through her own eyes, she stared down in horror at the still form of Desamor. Clammy and horrified, she sank to her knees. As the rain abated, Arius landed heavily on the roof behind her.

  “What have I done?” she whimpered.

  “What you had to do,” Arius stated calmly.

  “Oh, Arius!” she cried. “I’m so sorry. He’d gone mad but when I took over control, it’s as if his mind snapped. I don’t think he can come back from that. I didn’t know how else to save you.”

  “It’s all right, my love,” he comforted her. “Come, let us go to him.”

  She climbed weakly onto his back, sitting between two spines, and he flew them to Desamor’s side. The black dragon was unconscious and his breathing was even, but when Sera tried to enter his mind only a blank void remained.

  Laying her hand against Desamor’s obsidian cheek, she whispered, “I’m sorry I failed you. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  Arius touched his nose to his brother’s forehead and closed his eyes. “He wasn’t always this way. He was a good big brother before Mother passed on. But since the War, his mind slowly warped until his version of reality became a twisted mess.” Arius sighed heavily.

  Sera looked up at her Soulbound but yelped when she realised his blood was spattering onto the pavement, hissing as it hit the ground. “You’re hurt! Let me help you!”

  “No. You’ve already spent too much energy. I will heal. At least it’s all over now. And you are safe.” On trembling legs, Arius leant his snout into Sera’s chest. Her heart nearly burst at the contact and knowing that he had survived the terrible battle.

  Thinking out loud, she murmured, “Since you helped save the city from your brother, perhaps we will have the support of the people. Maybe they will rejoice that dragonkind isn’t extinct after all?”

  He chuckled at her optimism. “We can only hope.”

  She kissed a scale on the tip of his nose and smiled, pouring all her love into the look she gave him. In the next second a massive arrow shot into Arius’ shoulder. He trumpeted his pain and swung his head, tearing the projectile out of his flesh. Flaring his wings, he turned to face the helicopter that hovered between the buildings and reared up, ready to launch. As his wings took the first beat down to lift his great body into the air, his eyes widened and his legs gave out.

  Time slowed down and all the sounds of the night were muffled in Sera’s ears. The pavement trembled as he fell to the ground, smashing the glass windows in the MRO. Sera’s soul howled as he toppled; the tearing, ripping feeling working its way up to claw out from her throat in the form of a scream. Racing to his fallen form, she ran her hands desperately over his face. His eyes rolled back in his head and only a sliver of green was visible under his slitted lid. When he didn’t respond to her cries, Sera began pummelling his cheek. An insistent tug on the back of her dress broke her trance and she rounded on the perso
n, ready to punch. It was Wren. His tiny frame shook and his dark eyes were wide with fear.

  “Please, Miss Sera. We have to go.”

  “I won’t leave him,” she snapped.

  “If you don’t hide now, they’ll take you too,” he whimpered.

  “Who?” she demanded. He pointed up. Two more helicopters had joined the one that had shot Arius. They were aiming another projectile at him. This time it was an electric net. She’d read about them at MINATH but had never seen one used on a mythic before. “Shit,” she cursed loudly.

  Wren hauled on her dress again. “Please. Come with me.”

  There’s nothing you can do for him now. You can’t rescue him if you’re locked up too. Or dead.

  With an animalistic cry, she tore herself away from her Soulbound and raced after Wren to a nearby laneway, where he pulled open a manhole. He disappeared into the sewers and, with one last anguished look back to Arius she dropped into the underground tunnel. A high-pitched keening reached Sera’s ears and it took a moment for her to realise it came from her. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she sank to the ground as she listened to the tell-tale zap of the net hitting its target and the rumble of the helicopters as Arius was lifted into the air.

  Chapter Thirty

  The black-haired boy led the way through the maze of tunnels that made up the sewers. A strange detachment had enveloped Sera, leaving her numb. It made the pain easier to bear. All the fight in her had drained away with the capture of Arius. The only thing that kept her going was the fact that their bond told her he was still alive. When Wren reached the final bird, he whistled his signature three-note tune before clambering up the rungs. The metal covering was opened from above and Wren scrambled through the hole. Voices murmured above as Wren explained what had happened whilst Sera hauled herself up the ladder. With the last of her energy, she dragged herself onto the dirt floor of the small room. She lay prone on the earthen floor, unable to summon the motivation to rise.