The Blood of Dragons

by Victoria Mercier

We left Saaron by his sports car and proceeded to an enormous jeep, designed to accommodate demi-dragons. It belonged to Nix. I’ve never been in a car in the Wasteland, though I’ve seen a few prowling with mind-numbing speed. Nothing prepared me for what I found inside. Comfortable sofa, a buffet, music, ventilation system and much more. I took a backseat, while Dramer argued with Nix. My charming steaming dragon wanted to sit next to me, but Nix feared that another spark like in the clinic would destroy his car. Apparently, these weren’t easy to get by even for a demi-dragon.

  Only after I told Dramer that it’s fine and I’d manage sitting by myself, he relented and squeezed himself in front of me. Dramer was the largest among the three demi-dragons.

  Saaron’s car roared and rushed ahead.

  “Let’s beat the smug from his face, Nix,” Dramer growled. “I’ve always hated him.”

  “You know better than crossing him again, Dramer. He’s too powerful and too cunning. In fact, your quarrel demolished entire New Queens, and father commanded you to take Selene for a wife.”

  “Like hell, I will,” Dramer grinned.

  “Stop firing himself up, brother,” Nix warned him. “You’ll demolish my car before we get to the academy.”

  I wondered why to bother with cars at all. Why not teleport there? I wanted to ask them, but their conversation turned out too interesting to interrupt.

  “Quit worrying, Nix, and press the pedal.”

  Obviously, Nix didn’t listen to, as they revealed, younger brother. Dramer was two years younger, but as he explained aging didn’t work the same on dragons. Demi-dragons could live for thousands of years, though they weren’t anywhere near that old.

  The motorways were almost empty. After the war between Titans, Dragons and Unicorns that has begun thirty-six years ago, the world’s oil reserves were quickly used up or destroyed. Humankind had a backup plan in a form of electricity, but with the appearance of Tartaros, the daylight ceased, and the surface of the planet was covered by the black ominous clouds. Only recently the sorcerers and warlock who stood on the side of the Light discovered a way to use magic as a potent fuel. But this introduced a host of new problems. The forces of the Light divided between factions and struggled to obtain the sources of magical power.

  Nix was extremely knowledgeable, and despite ferocious nature, Dramer wasn’t a fool either.

  The Great York City didn’t look a thing like New York, which stood somewhere near the center of the current megapolis. This place was a beacon of light for thousands of miles in any direction. The other two cities protected by the Holy Seal stood on different continents. The father of Dramer, Nix, and Saaron, had used to rule here alone, but his superiors decided that this would lead to separation of the forces of the Light and came up with a rotation of power. Politics was tiring. Dramer sat quietly as Nix spoke of factions and their goals.

  Dramer and Nix were closest allies and now it looked like I joined their pack. What about Rust and Simona? Will they be happy to be part of this madness? I didn’t think so. Being free meant that we didn’t bother ourselves with such nuisances as allegiance.

  The landscape slowly morphed. Buildings shot into the sky while the streets and boulevards widened. Rich and powerful lived here. Despite sitting in the car, I could sense the magic air that crackled with potent energy. More cars appeared on the streets, all of them slick and looking expensive. I had no true sense of wealth, but even in the Wasteland, if you gathered enough food to store it away, it meant you could live comfortably and even pay others for errands. Bands and gangs often used food as a commodity. It was smart on their part because members have always returned for more.

  Suddenly, out of the gloom of the evening emerged a fairy structure. A tower with a beehive-like top.

  The Academy of Dragons, or the Dragon’s Academy. It didn’t have one name.

  “We’re here,” Nix said. And so was Saaron. There was a special parking lot that he was allowed to take, while Nix didn’t belong to the academic body and had to go for a visitor’s spot. It wasn’t a matter of a distance, but a prestige.

  “Fuck it,” Dramer growled. “Take the director’s place, Nix. If she protests, tell her it’s a military business. She won’t be able to lift a finger.”

  Nix stopped the car and pressed the pedal letting his car give a wild roar, which could startle easy prey, but Saaron didn’t even twitch. This bastard was tough.

  “Fuck,” Nix said neutrally. “Remember to keep your cool.”

  The car jerked ahead and Nix braked with a loud screech of tires on the director’s parking lot. Saaron’s brows rose and knitted slightly before returning to neutrality mixed with cold amusement.

  Fucking hell, the asshole was handsome.

  Dramer almost tore the door off the jeep as he hastened to open mine.

  “Dramer!”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  The evening managed to turn into night, but the bright lights all around dispelled every trace of gloom. My gaze trailed the skyscrapers. They were so high that their tops got lost in the sky. The wealth of this place was visible even to my untrained eye. Clean streets and pavements, beautiful and exotic flowers blooming in enormous pots. Plaza in front of the academy held a huge floating orb that represented our planet.

  The Earth.

  This reminded me of my mother Sol. She’d taught me so much before she disappeared without a word. I’ve tried to figure out what had happened to her but to no avail. Not a trace remained. My soul still ached to think of her. Had she abandoned me, or someone had killed her? Perhaps, I’d never know.

  No. It wasn’t time to pull the old dusty memories. Ahead of me awaited a world filled with alpha males and females who would try to subdue me. I sensed dozens of strong power signatures coming from the academy.

  “Let me take you to your room,” Dramer offered. Nix was also out of the car, but he didn’t approach me right away, first, he made a detour to Saaron.

  Nix’s attire looked majestic. He was a demi-dragon every bit. I tried to figure out his deal. He hadn’t stated his reasons to back me up, except his allegiance to his brother. Was this all? What am I doing? I fell for Dramer, but I’m thinking about his brother in a romantic manner as well. Maybe it was his draconic blood that attracted me? My knowledge about dragons was scarce. Sol had spoken of them as the saviors of the planet, but she’d also mentioned that they were exceptional hotheads that loved to fight. She’d never mentioned anything about mutual attraction, but then she hadn’t told me that I possessed draconic blood. Maybe she didn’t know.

  “You’ll keep a distance from Flare,” Nix said coldly to Saaron. “If I get a wind that something happened to her, your little Dragon House will swarm with my guards.”

  Dramer joined them. These two were such lovely babysitters.

  “I’ll tear the academy asunder if anything happens to my Flare!” Dramer growled. Wisps of steam came out of his body. I loved the sight. Heat couldn’t harm me.

  “I would advise against such an incident. It would put everyone in misery. Now, that you called her ‘your Flare’, I am under impression that your engagement with Selene is uncertain.”

  “Uncertain? No. Saaron,” Dramer said with incredible intensity in his voice. “Selene is gone from my life. All I want is Flare.”

  Saaron blinked. So, he wasn’t made of a cold stone after all. He possessed a trace of emotions buried somewhere deep within. As quick as the shock appeared on his face it was gone. Saaron shook his head as if trying to dispel a nightmare.

  “You’re insufferable, slacker. Father went to great lengths to arrange this marriage.”

  Faster than anything I’ve seen in my life. Dramer attacked. He reappeared next to Saaron and Dramer’s fist lunched with the stunning impetus toward Saaron’s face.

  It happened so fast that I couldn’t even find a voice to yell for Dramer to stop. Nix advanced, but he got there a split second too late.

  Dramer’s fist hit Saaron’s forearm and at that momen
t an explosive wave of power discharged out of them. It’d harm me if not Nix who shielded me from the eruption. Cars weren’t this lucky. They were hurled into the air. Windows of the first few floors shattered. The ground shook and the cracks began appearing.

  “Stop it, you two!” Nix bellowed.

  The air crackled with an electrical charge. I got a glimpse at them, they stood in the same pose, Dramer’s fist touching with Saaron’s forearm. The violent wind was coming off them. Dramer steamed like a wet torch.

  What an amazing power they possessed. So, was this the strength of demi-dragons? I was fascinated.

  “I’ll kill you!” Dramer growled.

  “As if you could,” Saaron replied nonchalantly despite being assaulted.

  “Better I put a stop to this before they wreak the Staten Island.”

  A gentle breeze skimmed me as Nix charged ahead. He materialized between his brothers and smashed their heads with, suddenly gloved, fists.

  The violent whirlwind of power ceased immediately. Dramer and Saaron dropped to their knees. A neutral, composed faced was gone. Nix fumed with anger.

  They demolished the entire parking lot, all the cars and lower floors of nearby buildings. All the exotic flowers were gone. Demi-dragons had a serious problem with controlling their energy.

  Shouts came from every direction. No chance this would go unnoticed. Now, the question was; how severe the punishment was going to be? Didn’t they say in the car that the Light force was divided between factions?

  The first arrived a squad of city guards.

  “Captain,” they showed their deep respect by dropping one knee. “What happened?”

  Nix squinted at subordinate but didn’t answer. It soon appeared that demi-dragons were bigger shots than they’d made me believed. As the first guard approached me, Dramer rose. Oh, boy he was ready for the second round it seemed. This entire show fired me up and I wanted to touch his hot skin and observe how his muscles tensed and relaxed as his fingers caressed my tits. There was way more on my head than that, but the familiar heat started rising in my core and I feared that an uncontrollable urge would push me to do something I would regret. I simmered it down.

  “Set a perimeter,” Nix ordered. “No one is allowed to pass through except the director or my father.”

  Crowds started to flow out of the buildings. Soon we’d be swarmed.

  I wished for a place to hide. But the jeep was gone. Destroyed by Saaron and Dramer. Now, I could imagine how they managed to destroy the entire district. They were mighty beasts.

  “I warned you, Dramer, to not go overboard,” Nix said, his angry self no longer there. Though, when for a second, he dropped the pretense of this cool mask, his face was distorted by rage, I kind of liked it. Was it the real nature of dragons? A bad temper. I wasn’t any better, to be honest. Too often I’ve solved the problem with my fire. “Now, you get the attention of our father again.”

  “Father?” I asked.

  “He’s a pure dragon and can be moody. It’s best to steer away from him. He’s trouble to all of us,” Nix said.

  “It has nothing to do with me,” Saaron adjusted sleeves of his suit. Somehow it wasn’t damaged. “Self-defence is well within the limit of the scope of my behavior.”

  “I’ll smash your head until no scope would remain there,” Dramer warned.

  “Dramer we must take Flare out of here, first. If our father got a sniff of her power… we’ll be in deep trouble.” I had a bad feeling that it was too late for this now. Lieutenant and Selene were out there. No matter where their allegiances lay, if demi-dragons’ father meant problems, they’d tell him in one way or another.

  “Agreed,” Dramer nodded suddenly serious and intense. His face features sharpened, and I got a hunch that he was a dangerous fellow.

  “You,” Nix pointed a guard near me. “Escort her to the Dragon’s House. She’s to get—”

  “No,” Saaron cut in. “she’s just a nobody with a drop of draconic blood. Drop her by the common room.”

  The guard straightened feeling pressure of being squeezed between two imposing wills. He had no clue who to listen to. Officially, Nix was his superior, but it seemed to ignore other demi-dragon’s order wasn’t a good idea.

  “Do as he says,” Nix amended his command.

  “Nix, what the hell?” Dramer growled warningly.

  “I’ll explain it in a moment. Now, she must be taken to safety.”

  Chapter 9

  My departure turned out to be very fortunate. As I walked into the demolished academy hall, a group of serious-looking people strolled toward the epicenter of clash between two brothers. Luckily, their attention was focused elsewhere and none of them offered as much as a glance. The Dragon Soldier didn’t bother with stopping and explaining to the crowd, though some of the gathered teenagers demanded answers.

  So much for the quiet entrance. If not for Nix’s rational thinking, I would get caught in the political clash. If the goal was to avoid the attention of demi-dragons’ father, then I feared the moment they would stop caring about that. Good job, Dramer. You’re good with that.

  I wasn’t angry with him. He embodied everything that I desired in a man. Strange as it came out of nowhere, its effects pumped blood through my heart with serious effort.

  We reached the end of the hall. Six elevators were here. Five with emblems above, while the last one seemed so ordinary that it was suspicious.

  My mind was so occupied that I not only ignored the extent of the devastation but almost walked into a unicorn elevator.

  “The wrong one,” the Dragon Soldier jerked my arm. I hissed, but he looked unfazed by my display of displeasure. “You aren’t a unicorn. All the elevators are secured after 8 p.m. with a harmful spell. If you’d try to enter it, you’d end up in a hospital. Now, hurry up. My job isn’t to escort kids.”

  “I’m not a kid! I’m twenty.”

  “It doesn’t matter to me,” the Dragon Soldier shoved me into the Dragon Elevator. I half-expected the spell to react in some way. I had a hard time believing that I possessed draconic blood, despite the intimate moment with Dramer.

  The Dragon Soldier followed me, and the doors hissed, but a hand stopped them from closing in the last second. The doors slid apart and my eyes met the hate and spite in Rox’s face.

  “You…”

  “This is a spawn of darkness,” lieutenant drawled. A flash of deadly zealous flickered in his eyes.

  This man meant trouble. Serious trouble. Right from the start, I knew that his level of power was higher than mine. I squeezed fear inside me until disintegrated into a cold nothingness. There was no walking out of this. If I couldn’t deal with a lowly Dragon Soldier, then how could I beat a demi-unicorn and demi-dragon? Besides, I worried that Dramer might lose his interest in me if I turned out a weakling. I had no idea why I even cared about this.

  “What do you want, Rox?”

  The Dragon Soldier started unsure of what was going on. First, the demi-dragons had given him contradictory orders, and now Rox abnormal behavior.

  “Sir,” the soldier called hesitantly. “I was ordered to escort this girl to Dragon’s House.”

  “Dragon’s House?” So, Rox didn’t know about my draconic blood yet. Good to know that his informants weren’t too effective, or that he and Selene didn’t work together. “This thing has draconic blood? Impossible!” Wasn’t I standing in the elevator already? His logic skills were seriously underdeveloped.

  I saw it in his posture. He was about to charge inside the elevator. My every muscle screamed to attack him first. My instincts were sharpened by years of hunting in the Wasteland. The best way of defending was to attack. Unfortunately, lieutenant was strong. Suddenly, the elevator turned into a trap in my mind. There was nowhere to go, and this dragon soldier didn’t seem very cooperative. This would be rough.

  “You’re just too stupid to comprehend it, Rox,” I barked at him, knowing well enough that it was the worst possible thing I
should do. I was further antagonizing him. I couldn’t stand his ugly face.

  The Dragon Soldier next to me twitched then his hand grabbed my arm.

  “I have her, lieutenant,” he exclaimed. “Should we take her to the station?”

  “Didn’t the demi-dragons order you to escort me somewhere?” I asked icily. He blinked realizing how badly he’d overstepped. If he let me go now, I’d forget this, otherwise, this lowly trash would regret crossing me. I was beginning to get a friend-less-fever. After a day of not seeing each other, my eyes craved to see them, my ears to hear them and nose to sniff their unique fragrances.

  Doubt filled the soldier’s face. Lieutenant decided to make his move then. He advanced and slammed his open hand into the Dragon Soldier’s face. A sound of the crunched nose and cracked skull reverberated from the metal walls. It looked that my hearing improved considerably with waking up the dormant draconic power in me.

  Then, Rox spun toward and his fist shot right into my throat. An unknown power surged inside me and Rox’s hand sliced only a flame. Did I manage to evade him and added an element of fire? It all happened unconsciously and too quickly for my poor mind to make sense. But it felt as if my face turned into the pure fire itself for a split second.

  “A drone of the dark side,” lieutenant growled. He slammed the buttons of the elevator. The doors hissed and closed. We lurched in a downward motion. Downward? I expected that the Dragon House was at the top of the tower. Wasn’t the academy called Dragon’s, after all? “I’d seen how you beguiled demi-dragons. But my mind is pure. The Light guides my hand. Its edge is my edge. Devotion will purify even the absolute darkness. Die, creature of the dark—”

  His mumbling grew on me and I found his armor strangely incomplete. I might not be his equal in hand-to-hand combat, but there were ways to deal with harder bullies than him.

  My foot connected with his balls. A satisfying sound of squelch and mushing potatoes reached my ears. I smiled seeing, reddening and squealing Rox falling to his knees.

  “The next time you come after me, bring larger caliber, Rox,” I considered punching his forbidden face, but that could be an overkill. Though it wasn’t over yet, I sensed a victory. This asshole would think twice another time.