The Blood of Dragons

by Victoria Mercier

  “The Holy Rays,” he said. “Still under construction. In the future, the battle station will be future gates of the city.’

  “I don’t see any danger here. Why bother with all this anyway?”

  “The Darkness that lingers outside the city affects minds. If we abandon the holy protection within one generation our civilization would devour itself.”

  It seemed that the warlock liked the ominous tone of his voice, but I didn’t care much about his reasons. My friends have lived their entire time outside and their souls didn’t belong to the darkness. To me, it sounded like a fanatical crap, sold to keep the citizens in a tight grip. The warlock hasn’t stopped speaking, but my mind already drifted away. My thoughts returned to the demi-dragon Dramer and his fascinating body. For a half-dragon, he was surprisingly humane. A desire to sniff the fragrance of his skin came out of blue and scared shit out of me. Since when I cared about carnal needs? I’ve seen hotter guys than him… did I? Perhaps, I haven’t, but he shouldn’t have such an influence over my flesh. No matter who he was.

  I must have seriously zoned out because it took a solid tug from Simona to bring me around. The helicopters landed. They were massive wingless vehicles with two rotors on the top.

  A gasp escaped my mouth and I gritted seeing the satisfaction on the lieutenant’s face. The bastard believed that I would not survive the flight. He could be right, though. If their device malfunctioned, what about the Holy Seal?

  “Look, guys,” I said trying to contain the panic, which slowly rose in my guts. “I really think, it’s best if we let us go.”

  My words drowned in the roar of the engines of the three helicopters. I cursed vomiting a string of the worst profanities, I knew.

  The Dragon Soldiers banged their chests and the light that came out of their armors forced everyone to shade our eyes. Two seconds later, the Dragon Soldiers, including lieutenant, stood in lean, cloth-like armors. They didn’t seem very defensible, but I’d give them ten out of ten for the style.

  I whistled in an appreciative manner, but no one had a chance to hear it. We waded through the chaos of the winds to get into the safety of the helicopter. There a man wearing black clothes gave us headphones with microphones

  “Flare?” A familiar voice spoke in my head.

  “Simona?”

  “Are you ready?” she knew what was coming. Soon we’d know if the Holy Seal would accept me or not. If the latter, this place will get hot. Shouldn’t the soldier put a shield around me or something? Besides, if anything fishy began happening with my body near the seal, I’d jump off this thing.

  The helicopter jerked and strange lightness filled me.

  “What’s going on?” three of our voices mixed.

  “Make sure to secure your belts. Falling down from this height will be fatal even for a supernatural,” a foreign voice warned us.

  This height? I looked over and my heart jumped to my throat. Someone’s hands gripped me and pulled me back.

  “You dummy!” Simona shouted testing durability of my eardrums. “You almost fell off the helicopter.”

  My head swam. We were unexpectedly high. A plan to jump off before reaching the seal didn’t sound like a good idea anymore. I felt trapped. There was no way out. Dramer, I’ll have my revenge on you. It doesn’t matter if you’re incredibly hot. It doesn’t matter if my sex aches at the mere thought of you. I’ll make you regret that you stirred the only nest you should leave alone.

  “FLARE!” a shout rumbled in my head, terrified, I looked around and saw that we’d crossed the wall. When? Wandering in my thoughts must have absorbed my attention completely and I lost a sense of time.

  Whoever had called my name didn’t repeat it. A weak glow coated my skin. I felt no burning, no pain. Everyone else on board looked ordinarily.

  “What’s going on?” I asked before my consciousness drifted away.

  Chapter 6

  The light returned.

  People argued, threats flew between speakers, and I badly wanted to join them. It turned out that regaining my consciousness was the least of my problems. First of all, I’d noticed that Simona and Rust weren’t around, then my muscles refused to follow my commands. Panic exploded in my head. Was I paralyzed?

  “What’s going on?” I whispered. No chance of speaking louder than that. My throat felt raw. But it was enough to draw the attention of the gathered.

  The first reached me the warlock Raspin. His face told me that I was in serious trouble.

  “Where are my friends?”

  “Safe in the academy,” the warlock answered.

  “You’re a spawn of darkness!” lieutenant bellowed from the periphery of my vision. Did I see it correctly? Two Dragon Soldiers held him.

  “We’re waiting for demi-dragons and demi-unicorns. Whoever, will arrive earlier should do,” the warlock spoke with calmness, but my instincts burned brightly. It wasn’t a serious trouble. It was a shithole of troubles. Something was seriously off. The fucking holy seal malfunctioned like the dragon compass.

  Suddenly, a powerful presence crashed against my mind. Someone important arrived. In an instant, I knew it wasn’t Dramer. His power signature was different. How did I know that? Wait. Somehow, I could say how many people were nearby, how strong they were and what kind of power they wielded. The same talent as Simona. Around me, stood a perimeter of thirteen Dragon Soldier of level two, every one of them possessed a similar degree of dragon blood in their veins. Another two held lieutenant. These were stronger, around level three and had much more dragon blood, but not nearly as much as lieutenant, who was level five, with almost one-eighth of dragon blood. The warlock who stood next to me with another dragon officer, wielded the same power as lieutenant, though the warlock had not a drop of dragon blood in him. And yet, he was strong. Something was telling me that he was at the limit of how far warlocks could get. The newcomer’s strength escaped my senses. I couldn’t gauge his power and it alone filled me with cold fear. I was a defenseless mouse in the claws of a cat.

  I knew he was a demi-dragon from the kind of power he emitted.

  “Demi-dragon Nix,” lieutenant shouted. “This is the spawn of darkness. I tried to carry out the execution, but that filthy supernatural stopped me.”

  “Release him,” demi-dragon Nix said. He had a rich, melodic voice that soothed my anxiety. It was the worst moment to get lost in sexual desire. I could die in the next few minutes. The aura that rippled the air around demi-dragon Nix told me he could kill without a blink and the slightest trace of remorse.

  “Sir, please. Let me carry the execution. It’s impious to allow this creature to exists in this holy place,” lieutenant spoke in a fervent voice.

  “What’s wrong with her, warlock?” the demi-dragon asked. “She opened her eyes but doesn’t move. Why?”

  “That’s the Holy Seal’s working!” Rox shouted.

  “Shut the fuck up, lieutenant. I grow weary of your zealous.”

  The warlock appeared in my vision. His gaze focused on me.

  “We carried her and two other supernaturals from the battle station A. When the helicopter crossed the Holy Seal, the pilot reported that her body began glowing and she lost her consciousness. We’d managed to get her out of the machine, but since then no one was able to touch her. Some kind of barrier erected around her body. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  Tremors ran through me as the demi-dragon approached me. He had casually extended his hand to touch me then with a perplexed expression withdrew it. The barrier that wrapped me up defied a demi-dragon! What the fuck was going on here? I loved things simple and clear. If I didn’t like someone, I bashed them in their heads. No fake smiles, no mysteries.

  “Is the barrier her doing?” Nix asked.

  I got a better look at him and my heart stuttered. He possessed a beauty that could shatter the hardest heart and melt the coldest soul. Helmless, his blonde hair, delicately tousled by the meek breeze, matched Nix’s jade eyes. Unlike
mine, his were darker with a rich texture to them that pulled in with incredible strength. Nix wore a gold and silver armor ornated and intricated beyond anything my poor mind could imagine. The intoxicating sight transformed into sexy dreams. Neither lieutenant nor the warlock possessed any kind of beauty. Were Dramer and Nix sole owners of god-sculpted faces? Didn’t Dramer call himself a god?

  “She’s blushing,” warlock Raspin noticed.

  “Shut up, old man,” I whispered feeling heat blooming on my face and crotch. God almighty, what has gotten into me?

  “Did she say something?” Nix asked.

  “I think she told me to shut up.”

  Nix’s face remained neutral. No anger or smile. It didn’t matter to me. He was the most gorgeous man alive.

  “Take down the barrier,” Nix said.

  It made no sense. The demi-dragons should be all-powerful or something.

  “I can’t. I don’t know how.”

  This time Nix listened to my words directly. His eyes narrowed on me, then I felt his mental penetration and recoiled instinctively from the invasive presence. He frowned sensing my enmity but said nothing. He tried again. This time an illusion of delicacy gone from his intention. The demi-dragon’s might slammed against my mind’s will and I held my ground. It shocked him as much as me.

  “Impossible.” I didn’t have a clue if someone said it or the words appeared in my head.

  Next to Nix materialized Dramer, shirtless like in the Wasteland. His power rivaled one of his kin. He looked at me with a gleam in his eye before realizing that something was terribly wrong.

  “What have you done to her?” he asked aloud, power rolled out of him in spades.

  Soldiers’ gasps reached my ears. Oh, god, it’s just a beginning. I feel.

  “I did nothing, yet,” Nix answered in that lovely voice. When both of them came into my vision, my core heated instantly, and I seriously feared that flames would erupt out of it. Fuck. How embarrassing it’d be if I literally started to shit fire out of my butt. But the sensation of heating up didn’t stop despite my struggle to extinguish it. Dramer moved and his chiseled chest puffed. What kind of training regime did this man possess to achieve these results?

  “When I’d left her in your care, warlock, I told you that she mustn’t be harmed. Didn’t you hear me?’ I could sense that Dramer’s power boiled just beneath the surface of his skin. I hoped the old man would say that it was all the lieutenant’s fault, but instead, he said the truth. Dramer’s fists clenched and the air sparkled with electricity.

  “Restrain yourself, brother,” Nix warned. “A hothead like you shouldn’t come near the official business. It’s a matter of national security.” I didn’t like the sound of this.

  “Fuck this,” Dramer barred his teeth and kneeled by me. “Do you hear me? Are you okay? Are you in pain?” His magnificent amber eyes shone like two beacons of hope. I wanted to follow them. Kiss me. Words appeared in my head.

  My face must have matched the color of my hair because having such thoughts in front of anyone was utterly bothersome. No matter the look, I should feel nothing but anger at Dramer. It had been his fault I ended in this mess. Somehow, the demi-dragon was resistant to my wrath. Something inside me was melting in his presence. A fitting thing to say, after all, Dramer’s body kept steaming up. What was a deal with him constantly heating up? I was about to ask when another spectacular presence swirled among us. Its power magnificent, but alien in comparison to the dragons’. Was it this so-called demi-unicorn? I couldn’t conjure the image of such a creature. The old Earth’s fairy tales pictured them as white horses with a single straight horn raising from the middle of their heads. But when a silver-haired stunning beauty appeared before my eyes, my heart roared. She wasn’t anything as the legends had spoken. A woman like her shouldn’t exist. I wasn’t into girls, but at the time she stood near me all I wanted was to snuggle against her amazing bosom. She swayed her waist and her body skimmed Dramer’s skin. I wanted to growl as if he was a part of my turf I needed to defend.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked as she positioned herself between two demi-dragons.

  “Demi-unicorn Selene,” warlock exclaimed dipping his head very low. Other soldiers in the field of my vision followed him, even lieutenant. I expected him to deliver another ardent monolog about the purity or whatnot. He surprised me with a gentle almost soft tone.

  “Demi-unicorn Selene,” Rox repeated, then his avid eyes met mine. “Please, hear me out. This thing here is a spawn of darkness. Our Holy Seal chained it for us to slay. Please, I beg you, offer me a leave to execute the monster.”

  Demi-dragons on both sides didn’t defend my cause. At first, then I noticed Dramer’s expression. His face was distorted by rage. He turned around, Nix’s already trailing him. Dramer’s movement was a whoosh. Before I knew, he held lieutenant by his armor, high in the air.

  “Say what?” Dramer asked. “You called her a spawn of darkness?”

  “Contain yourself, brother,” Nix tone warned him menacingly.

  Selene watched fascinated, while my every cell froze. I wanted asshole lieutenant to regret his words. He had a problem with me. If Dramer let him live, then I’d make sure his life was going to be miserable.

  Rox’s armor snapped in two.

  Selene nodded pleased.

  “Sundering a dragon’s magic-infused armor with bare hands,” she exclaimed gently. “That’s something even for a demi-dragon. I haven’t seen my darling so fired up like this in a long time. You must be a true piece of work, girl. You have my fullest attention, now.”

  Something filtered down into my mind. Instinctively, I wanted to raise a barrier but the sensation differed from the moments when Dramer and Nix tried to intrude into my head. This here felt more like a conversation. Someone was inviting me to a stroll alongside the most unusual landscape.

  Hello stranger.

  I blinked but quickly realized that it was Selene’s voice in my head. So, she attempted the same trick as the demi-dragons. I’d disappoint her.

  Get out of my head.

  I’m not in your head, she replied amused, though her face held no trace of expression I sensed in my mind.

  Then, how can you speak to me?

  I believe people of the Earth call it – telepathy. It isn’t invasive. So, don’t worry I don’t see your thoughts.

  I remained silent. I couldn’t come up with anything to tell her. Perhaps, it wasn’t the smartest idea, but my guts told me that this chick would cause me a lot of problems.

  And so, you choose to play dead?

  I have nothing to tell you.

  Who are you?

  I’m Flare from the Wasteland and will happily get back there, I answered. Only, then I caught myself that the blasted pony made me talk anyway. I was furious. Maybe she invaded my head after all?

  I see.

  Her words were somewhat definitive. Suddenly, something pulled out of me and I gasped loudly. A sensation of losing integrity assaulted. I held it with all my power.

  Dramer came to me the next moment.

  “What happened?” he demanded from Selene, but her eyes were on Nix. “What is going on?” Dramer’s voice boomed.

  It was difficult to remain myself while my consciousness siphoned out of me. My gaze trained on the blue sky directly above. Not far away, black clouds were recoiling away from the seal’s presence. They must have carried me to some sort of spacious roof that also acted as the helicopter landing.

  “Nix,” Selene said. “Withdraw soldiers. Including lieutenant.”

  I’ve heard them, but my vision couldn’t focus on my surroundings. Was I fading away? It felt so. That bitch must have done something to me. She was draining me.

  My mouth opened to scream, but nothing came out.

  “What’s the matter?” Dramer asked and the temperature of the air raised so much that everything began swimming before my eyes. “Speak to me, Selene.”

  I sensed warlock’s shield.
Dramer’s power would melt him, otherwise. Soldiers were retreating in haste. Lieutenant protested until a sharp order sent him away.

  “That lieutenant will cause problems,” Selene said ignoring Dramer, who was on the edge of exploding.

  Selene put her hand on Dramer and the demi-dragon’s anger dissipated immediately. What was her deal? Was she this powerful? It made me uneasy.

  “This must stay between us for now,” Selene said. “If your warlock gets an idea of reporting this higher, then I’ll wipe his mind and leave him completely blank. As if he became a newborn. Do we have an agreement?”

  “Yes.”

  Voices melted in my brain and I couldn’t tell whose answer it was.

  “At first, I took her for an elemental. Fire sings inside her. But the shield around her doesn’t belong to elemental magic. I delved deeper, but her power is strangely elusive. Even, to my sense.”

  “That’s troubling,” Nix said.

  “I don’t care,” Dramer hissed. “Can you fix it, Selene?”

  “You’re oddly involved, darling. Why is that?”

  “Answer me, woman!” Dramer ignored her question.

  “Fine,” Selene said coldly. “The origin of her shield is draconic, but seeing the lieutenant’s hate toward the girl, there is no chance he could conjure something to defend her from the Holy Seal.”

  “That’s impossible,” warlock murmured. “Only dragons can use draconic magic.”

  “I see that someone pays attention to my words.”

  None the less, I couldn’t decide what was more disturbing, the truth about my shield or the fact that Selene was seriously jealous and pissed off. She might speak in a controlled manner, but my woman’s instinct knew what was up with her. So, Dramer was her boyfriend? This made my blood boil for some reason.

  “So, who raised the shield and why can’t she move?” Nix asked.

  “Herself,” Selene replied. “But she can’t control it and so the shield restrained her.”

  “What does that suppose to mean, Selene? She’s one of us? A wildling dragon’s descendant?”