Fire Bound Dragon

by Elizabeth Rain

  She spit and rinsed. “What couldn’t wait five minutes, Sadie?” I watched her clean the brush and store it in her little ceramic duck holder alongside her Waterpik.

  “I was wondering if you might be up for a bit of reconnaissance tonight? The rest of us want to make a trip into Bane Forest. See if maybe we can understand these attacks.”

  I’d told her earlier what Kimmy had shared, so she knew we were probably looking for blood suckers.

  She went back into the main room, lifting her arm and sniffing her pits. With a frown, she snagged the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head where it sailed across the room and landed atop a lamp shade. Sirris had genuine talent. She snagged another shirt from her drawer and yanked it on. As an afterthought, she snagged the deodorant from her desk. “So, was this your idea or Thomas’?” she asked.

  I considered. “Both.” I decided.

  “Hmm. Well, you only die once, right? I’m in.” She grinned, capped the deodorant and tossed it onto the desk. I watched it skitter over the surface and onto the floor.

  “Aren’t you going to pick that up?” I wondered.

  She laughed at me and grabbed her pack. “Ready? We should probably check with Thomas to see if he can whip up more of those cupcakes that Margie Bayett loves.” I couldn’t help the giggle that slipped out, slapping a hand over my mouth. Sirris snickered along with me.

  Margie was the prefect and hall monitor in charge of our dorm. Thanks to Sirris light fingers, we had a key. But it was Thomas who had used Margie’s sweet tooth to our advantage, making her a special cupcake every time we needed to sneak back in and past her eagle eyes after curfew. They made her sleep for hours. As a bonus, I was fairly sure she had a thing for him. We all thought it was hilarious.

  SIRRIS, NICK, AND I were the first to arrive at the fire pit next to Sutter’s Field. We took benches and settled back to wait. Thomas would be along, but he had to make a stop first to make a delivery.

  I thought back to our altercation with the demon wolves. “Did it seem like the demon wolves were different last time?” I asked the general question.

  Sirris considered. “Nope. They were just as ugly.”

  I rolled my eyes, though I doubt she could see me in the dark.

  “No, not that. I mean, they weren’t as mean.”

  Sirris snorted. “That’s easy for you to say, they didn’t have you by the neck, shaking you like a snow globe.”

  That had been bad. “I get that. I’m not dismissing what you went through, but I mean after. The bit of fire and poof, scared and running went the first two. It seemed like they were half-hearted in their attack. And what the tall one said? I can’t figure out what he meant. What did he want?”

  “I’d say, who cares? But maybe we should. It’s been bugging me too. Like he thought we had information and were holding out on him. If he knows where they are or what happened to the others, then why would he be needing information from us? I don’t know. It doesn’t make much sense to me.” I nodded as a branch snapped a short distance off.

  “Maybe that’s why we’re doing this tonight. To see if we can find out what the demon wolves wanted and if there’s a connection between the two. Maybe the answers to what went on on the outside of the mountain can be found on the inside.”

  Thomas walked into the clearing. Because I wanted to see his face, I pushed the flashlight button on my phone and shined it in his direction. He tried to jerk his head back, but he wasn’t quick enough. Nick and I watched as Sirris moved in on him, a gleam in her eye. “Whoa. What’s that? On your cheek?”

  “Nothing. Sadie, I’m.... Hey!” We watched him back pedal away from Sirris’ marauding thumb, swiping viciously at something there. It had looked an awful lot like lipstick.

  “What, does she think you’re some sort of eye candy or something? A thank you would have been sufficient.” Sirris complained. Finally, Thomas had had enough, throwing up his hands and catching hers.

  “It’s gone already Sirris.”

  For once, he seemed to be in a decent mood. “Besides, can I help it if I’m a serious stud-muffin and I mean... she likes my muffin?” He teased her with a wide grin, waggling his thick brows.

  I blinked. Was Thomas flirting? I didn’t know he knew how.

  A second later he was bending over at the waist and trying to breathe. Mermaids packed a serious wallop. I grinned.

  “Fine. Whatever floats your submarine. Were we going somewhere? Because you’re late,” she ground out.

  Suddenly serious, Thomas turned around and started walking, Sirris on his heels. We brought up the rear. As we fell in line, I leaned forward and whispered in Sirris ear.

  “It’s boat Sirris. Whatever floats your boat.” I added helpfully.

  “Oh just shut up, will you?” She hissed back.

  I held a fist up over my shoulder and Nick gave me a bump back with his. We were both trying hard not to die laughing.

  ALL LEVITY VANISHED the moment we entered Bane Forest. We were all armed and held our weapons of choice at the ready. Thomas and I had the best night vision, but his was better and so he led. It had been a wet spring so far and the squelch of our boots, no matter how carefully we placed them, was louder than I liked. We listened for anything out of the ordinary. Not a one of us really knew much about vampires. As young Magicals we had learned that there was a fine line between what was real and the folklore of legend. For one, though vampires liked the cover of darkness, they didn’t burst into flames in the light of day, though it weakened them. Like many predators, they were nocturnal. I believed they were stronger than normal, and the blood thing was real. But nobody really knew how long they lived or if they were allergic to Garlic or simply didn’t like the taste. What we knew was that they had attacked and nearly killed three Other’s. Shifters, like Thomas, though not Magical, were a lot stronger than their ordinary human counterparts. To be overpowered that easily spoke of strength and a certain cunning in the vampires that demanded our respect.

  We hadn’t gone far when a slight flash of movement on my left made me freeze. Nick saw it too and stopped at once, eyes gleaming silver in the dark as he tried to pinpoint its location. It was still moving. I reached out with my free hand and grabbed Sirris.

  Without trying to hide its appearance, a small red fox stepped into a sliver of moonlight. It was small and slim, its fur a glossy copper. Its bold bushy tail, tipped in white, was thrust out behind and held aloft. Bright blue eyes took us in, especially interested in Nick. I looked back at him. His jaw was tight.

  “Shit.” he whispered.

  But before I could question him, the small fox gave an impolite yip, the sound hi and frightened. She turned on a dime and moved off through the woods.

  Thomas moved to continue along the trail, but Nick stopped us.

  “She wants us to follow her. She has something to show us.” Nick ground out in an angry whisper.

  As one we all froze and turned to stare at him. “And you know this how?” Thomas asked.

  Nick scowled. “Just follow her dammit. Trust me.”

  Without waiting to see if we were behind him, Nick stepped off the trail and moved after the slim figure that had paused ahead of us, waiting to see if we were coming. There was something odd about its gait, but I couldn’t figure out what.

  We had managed only a hundred yards off the main trail when suddenly the small canine abruptly vanished over a tiny hill. We moved faster to catch up, but by the time we crested the hill, she was gone.

  But suddenly nobody cared. Moving feebly on the ground in front of us was a woman, her long brown hair a matted tangle around her face as she moaned.

  Nick and I immediately knelt beside her. Thomas and Sirris stood back and watched our surroundings. It didn’t escape our attention that this would make for an excellent decoy to catch us off guard.

  I reached out a hand and touched her bare arm to get her attention, jerking back in surprise. She was like ice. There was no warmth to her. Taking a ris
k, I removed my phone and turned the flashlight on dim for a three second peek. We had no idea what was in that wood watching us even now; we didn’t want to broadcast our position longer than necessary. But it was enough as I turned it off. We’d all seen the pale waxy features, the smeared blood against the shoulder of her jacket and neck. And the puncture holes. Two of them just under her chin and still oozing. We’d found the vampire’s latest victim. Our trip to Bane Lake would have to be put on hold.

  Thomas was the strongest of us. Nick removed his jacket and wrapped her in it before stepping back. Thomas bent down and picked her up like she was nothing. And then with the rest of us flanking him for protection, we ran back towards the trail and Bitterroot. We needed to get her to the infirmary, and fast.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Round two.” Nick muttered at my back. I slanted him a dirty look over my shoulder. No one had asked him to come, he’d volunteered for the second trip so he’d better just get over it fast. I walked faster to catch up with Sirris and Thomas. Nick had been in a sketchy mood ever since we’d followed that little red fox and found the hiker. Something about the entire thing bugged me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.

  We had come in from a fresh angle this time. We’d walked along Bitterroot lake and picked up the trail into Bane Forest from the East end of the larger lake. It wasn’t dark yet, but the shadows were gathering and dusk wasn’t far off. At least the temperature was warmer than before. I wasn’t twenty minutes in and I was shedding my heavy jacket in favor of the warm blue flannel, which was plenty.

  I stifled a yawn. Sirris and I had been all for putting this trip off a couple days to recoup the sleep we’d lost the night before. But Thomas would have none of it. He was on a mission. I supposed if it were my relatives and friends missing, I would be too.

  Nick had caught up to me, so close on my heels I could feel the occasional puff of breath along my neck, making me shiver each time. Back off!

  “What was that about the other night, anyhow? How did you know that fox wanted us to follow him?” I whispered just loud enough I knew he’d heard me. His response was so long in coming I was wondering if he was going to respond at all.

  “She. She wanted us to follow her. I could just tell, okay. I’m rather good at reading animals.” I listened to what he said, but my bullshit detector was pinging big time.

  “No, you’re not. Good with animals, that is. What gives? How did you know it was a she? And tell me the truth this time.” I didn’t imagine the growl of disgust.

  “Has anyone ever told you to mind your own business and not worry so much about everyone else’s?” He hissed. He was so close to my ear he could have bitten me.

  The last thought gave me a jolt and I walked a little faster, but I wasn’t done.

  “Yeah sure, plenty. Answer the question.”

  When he did, I had to strain to hear him. The anger was gone, replaced by a fear I hadn’t heard in his voice often. Not much scared Nick Seul.

  “That was my mother,” he whispered. “My mother must have seen the attack. She was right there when it happened. What if they’d caught her?” he finished.

  My mouth was open to find out more, but it would have to wait. I nearly ran into Sirris. She’d stopped at Thomas’ raised hand when he froze on the trail. We strained to hear whatever had snagged his attention. After a few seconds of nothing, we moved on. But the mood was broken and conversation would have to wait until later. My ears were reaching for any sound that wasn’t us. The last of the sun’s rays dipped beyond the horizon and painted our surroundings in an inky blackness, relieved only a little by the distant flicker of moonlight that found purchase through the thick forest. It was a good thing my eyesight in the dark was excellent. Nick didn’t fare so well, and more than once he almost stepped on the back of my heels because he didn’t see me in the dark. I grit my teeth.

  When the attack came, we should have been expecting it. But unlike the demon wolves, the vampires gave no warning, their steps smooth and without sound as they glided through the forest. They were natural born predators; and tonight; we were the prey.

  There was just enough time for Thomas to give a loud shout of warning and they were on us. I was swinging my bow up too late when the gleaming red eyes came out of nowhere and headed straight for me. I had just enough time to register that there were three of them and then I was too busy fighting for my life to worry about anything else. They were fast; crazy quick. The vamp after me swatted the bow from my hand before I could bring it up. But I was used to thinking on my feet and as the bow flew sideways, I was already drawing my knife and leaping out of the way as he came at me in a blur of speed. I barely had time to notice the stocky build of an experienced fighter before he was turning to match my movements and coming at me again.

  As he shifted in my direction, it was instinct that had me swinging my arm in a slicing arc across his chest. He gave a grunt and backed up, shaking his head. I was sure he wasn’t used to his prey fighting back. Hikers and joggers was one thing. We were something else. He was larger than I was, probably close to six feet, but not near as tall or solid as the demon wolves had been. He didn’t appear to be armed with anything but the pointed nails on the ends of his hands and those teeth that glittered pearly white in the moonlight. Hungry teeth and they wanted a bite.

  “I don’t know who you are you freak, but I am not the buffet. Not tonight.” I yelled at him. His glowing eyes narrowing on mine as if he understood me. I danced off the trail, circling as we each looked for an opening to catch the other off guard.

  I missed my bow, but it wouldn’t have done me much good. This was close quarter combat and the knife was better suited. Being a vampire, I had expected him to bleed worse than he did. But only the lightest trickle seeped between the clothing on his chest to let me know I hadn’t missed. My eyes wandered for just a second and he was coming again. This time I wasn’t fast enough and he had both my wrists in a painful vice before I could blink, hauling me in closer to those teeth, his breath hot on my face as he squeezed, trying to get me to drop the knife. If either happened I was dinner.

  Instead, I used his strength against him and leapt straight up, placing both feet in the middle of his solar plexus and kicking straight out. With a scream of rage he released me, wheeling away but staying on his feet. Somehow I hung onto the knife as I rolled end over end and came up in a crouch.

  He’d recovered faster and was almost on me again when I watched him freeze. His head whipped sideways as a high-pitched and feminine scream reached our ears.

  “Elise!” He growled, his voice gravelly and deep. But I could understand him fine. He was moving away from me to where Sirris was engaged in battle with a young woman.

  Sirris had one slim pale arm held in her own, but the vamp had Sirris other arm in a painful vice. They remianed locked in combat, the woman’s teeth snapping as she tried to get to Sirris and draw blood. But Sirris had done damage. The small knife in her hand glistened wet and I hadn’t missed the long thin line of red along the woman’s throat and shoulder. I stared at the woman’s face and had a fleeting moment to register the hunger and desperation there before a blur of movement out of the corner of my eyes caught my attention. My attacker was coming to her rescue. With a cry of rage his fist swung out and connected a solid blow to the side of Sirris head. She crumpled without a sound.

  I was already moving and so was Thomas, leaving Nick to handle the largest Vampire alone. He wasn’t doing so well. But the attention of the big Vampire had shifted to the woman on the ground as well, giving Nick the opening he needed to swing in with his knife and bury it in a meaty shoulder. I watched as his vampire eyes hardened. With cold precision, he stepped back and reached up with long-clawed fingers and grabbed the hilt. He pulled it out like it was nothing, eyes never leaving Nick’s face. Nick paled and I wondered where his staff was, figuring he’d lost it under the speed of the attack as I had my bow. But it was his lucky day. In disgust, the vamp tossed th
e knife aside, already moving in on the kneeling vampire and the young woman on the ground, both hands around her stomach as she moaned.

  Thomas was kneeling by Sirris who was moving, hand clutching the side of her head with a moan where the vampire had blasted her.

  I gathered my bow and notched a bolt and brought it up to fire. Behind them, Nick had located his staff and was turning in their direction. I had the largest in my sights, ready to pull the trigger when I hesitated, realizing what I had missed before. The woman wasn’t clutching her stomach because we injured her—she was heavy with child. I shifted my aim, seeing what they would do. I caught Nick’s eye and held up a hand for him to wait. Thomas was just coming round, the light of rage in his eyes a dangerous sign.

  “Thomas wait.” I yelled, the panic in my eyes obvious.

  “The hell I will,” he growled, standing and facing the three vamps. The oldest, the shorter male, stood up and faced him, eyes glittering with rage.

  “Bring it on, human. I’ll gut you where you stand.” He hissed, the words sounding hoarse as he bared his teeth and stood ready.”

  The other vamp, the largest, stood up with the woman in his arms, her head lolling against his shoulder, pink tears staining her cheeks.

  She said something and he bent down to catch the words. “Jorta, so hungry...” she whispered.

  He rubbed his chin against the sweaty dampness of her brow. “I know, baby.”

  He turned to the older vamp. “Ab’et, not now. We have to go. We need to take care of Elise.”

  Ab’et’s eyes narrowed on Thomas, who was advancing despite the warning. “This isn’t over human. You and I? We’re just getting started.” He waved his sharp hands between them and ended with a thump to his own chest.