The Blood of Dragons

by Victoria Mercier

  We rushed after her.

  After three steps, Selene stopped.

  I looked back at the demi-unicorn. My eyes widened with growing apprehension of what she was about to say.

  “We can’t leave Lotian.”

  “If we catch her, she won’t have a choice but reveal the way to save him,” I blurted out.

  Selene shook her head. “Even if she knew it, which I truly doubt, Elleria wouldn’t go down without a fight. By the time we’d finish with her, Lotian would be dead.”

  “Then what can we do? What?” I demanded. My fraying nerves couldn’t take this anymore. I dropped to my knees. Despair started to fill my body. If Lotain dies here, then I will tear my heart out of my chest. I won’t need it ever again.

  My thoughts made no sense to me. Since when this demi-dragon has become so important to me? I was losing it when Selene’s gentle hand fell on my shoulder. I didn’t even twitch.

  “There’s a way, but…”

  “I don’t want ‘buts’,” I jumped to my feet. Selene started but regained her composure in a flashing speed. “We’re going to do it.”

  The demi-unicorn’s expression froze. Where Saaron was cold, and Lotian relaxed, Selene looked neither. She maintained a perfect blend of emotions and withdrawal.

  “There is an ancient spell, which involves the blood of dragons. Obviously, there are catches. The weaker the blood, the lesser effect of the spell. Also, this spell would bind you to him in a very intimate way. It works by sharing your health pool with him. And the most important—”

  “We don’t have time for this!” I hissed, ignoring the rational part of my brain. Well, I didn’t really ignore it, I simply didn’t want to know anything else about it. I feared that somehow, she could make me… hesitate, or even stop. I had no problem sharing bonds of intimacy with Lotian, and Ignelion had said that I was at least forty percent a dragoness. Whatever else Selene was meant to say, it was not for me to hear.

  Well, shit happens.

  “Extend your hand above Lotian’s body.”

  I did as she said.

  “Mental Blade,” Light had flashed, and a searing pain exploded in my palm. I stifled a cry.

  My blood had poured onto my palm, then started dripping on unmoving Lotian’s body, while Selene murmured the enchantment. Each droplet took a sliver of my strength. Good. I’d give as much to Lotian as he needed. It didn’t seem like some dreadful spell.

  And then, something happened. Space and time rippled. My blood no longer dripped, it rushed out of my palm. As the stream of my blood reached Lotian, another ripple appeared.

  And a connection was born out of it. The time stopped, though Selene, me and Lotian weren’t affected by it. In the corner of my eye, I saw the demi-unicorn’s struggling expression. In the vortex of the confusion, I forgot about her exhaustion. What if she couldn’t pull off the spell?

  The connection grew.

  With it, a new entity stirred to life in my mind.

  Lotian.

  He was alive, but only one finger held him above the chasm of death.

  Lotian, can you hear me? Are you there? I called out in my head.

  Flare…? Are we… dead? A faint, ghastly voice, without Lotian’s usual swag and smug, asked.

  Hang there, Lotian. We’ll save you.

  I sensed his mild amusement in response, then everything turned upside down and time resumed. My hand no longer bled. Actually, the wound inflicted by Selene was fully healed.

  The demi-unicorn stood for a little longer, then she staggered, but even exhausted beyond the limits, Selene remained standing. She possessed impressive stamina. I remembered everything while being in my rageful state, so things I had said about beating her… well, it was embarrassing now.

  “It is done,” she said hiding the weakness in her voice.

  “I—” a sudden debilitation hit me, dragging me to the floor. Did the gravity just increase or was I this weak?

  “Don’t push yourself now. The Blood of Dragons spell took a lot from you. And the most important thing, I failed to tell you. Your lives are bound together. Literally. If one dies, the other goes out too.”

  “I couldn’t say how Lotian would feel about this, but I’m fine with this.”

  “That will make things easier,” Rosa Watermane growled. “Two dragons with one stone.”

  Selene straightened. Did she plan to fight the elemental? In her current shape, Selene could lose. No matter that she was a demi-unicorn. Worn-out as she was, Selene might not last against a fucking water whore.

  “As a fellow Head of the House, I’ve always suffered you, despite your rude arrogant attitude. But the time for you to leave your post just come to an end.”

  Oh, shit. That’s tough. I expected Selene to sweet talk her or something, but outrightly antagonizing the water whore? Selene was a badass.

  “Wait…” I murmured.

  “Stay out of this, girl,” Selene said in a tone that wouldn’t accept any argument.

  Rosa Watermane frowned. In her small mind, the change in our relationship was difficult to comprehend. The elemental’s look threw daggers at the demi-unicorn. Ah yes, Dramer. The man in the eye of the hurricane.

  Only I was missing to join the fight.

  “No one will stay out of this, bitch,” Watermane snarled. “I need to kill all of you to save my students.”

  “Did you really believe Elleria?” Selene asked. “I’ve never expected you to be at the top of your intellectual game, but this? That’s so low that even Lotian figured out the feint. She was never going to do anything to the Elementals because she doesn’t possess such power. Anyway, the spell over the chamber is gone. So you can check for yourself.”

  Rosa Watermane hesitated. Bloodlust in her eyes receded a notch. Obviously, she didn’t trust Selene. I wouldn’t if I was her. In the end, her protectiveness won, and she left the chamber in haste.

  “This was insane,” I whispered. “We couldn’t beat her if she decided to kill us.”

  “How does he feel?” Selene asked ignoring my words.

  I grimaced because who liked to be ignored? But now wasn’t the best moment for bickering. The connection with Lotian held. It actually has grown stronger.

  Lotian? Are you still there?

  I see, the time for resting came to end, he responded relaxed.

  His body twitched, and he was on his feet.

  “Your wound…” It was still there, though it didn’t look ominous anymore.

  “I will manage,” he rasped, struggling to employ a smugness. He didn’t recover yet. “Anyway, Thank you for saving me. A few seconds longer in the Eternal Ocean and I would be squashed. Rosa is quite powerful for an elemental.”

  “And insane,” I added.

  “It’s not over,” Selene said breaking up a good mood. “Elleria is out there. Too many people didn’t respond to the alarm. Something must have happened.”

  Lotian nodded. “When I called Saaron, he seemed seriously occupied. Later he hasn’t answered my calls. Can you reach your mother or your sister?”

  “No,” Selene replied a few seconds later, though I sensed a trembling in her voice. It made me shiver. “None of the people I have a direct channel responded.”

  “We must check on everyone,” Lotian said. He stretched and then a shock ran through his body. He remembered something bad. “Fuck. Elleria warned me she would tell Dramer…” Though his voice trailed off, I knew exactly what he wanted to say. Elleria would tell Dramer about me and Saaron.

  “I know what binds my fiancée and Flare, Lotian,” Selene said. There was no hurt in her voice. Just steel. “And I can imagine, what would happen if he hears about that accident. My mother had already warned him to not get close to the academy or he would be arrested. There is no doubt that his rage would overcome his common sense and even war might ensue.”

  “I’m afraid so,” Lotian agreed, then proceeded to say something else. I didn’t hear the words.

  So, they threat
ened Dramer. And they locked me here. The fucking pony didn’t want me and Dramer to get close. Did she really think she could keep us apart for long? My fingers craved the heat of Dramer’s skin. The electrical charge that our touch roused awake made my pussy clench even now. I tasted Saaron, what would it be like to have sex with Dramer. The first man on the planet who has stirred the ashes of my feelings.

  Hey, fiery dragoness, slow down. You might not like it, but Selene is as much the victim of the system as you and Dramer. Our parents don’t care about our feelings. Try to understand that we must deal with the reality in a more sophisticated way than butting our heads with them. It wouldn’t work. My father is a monster that doesn’t understand our human half.

  Lotian… I almost shouted to him to get out of my head, then I realized that the bond, which has appeared after Selene has used my blood to save him, granted us a special connection. Something different from the telepathy the unicorns have been using. Our little thought-conversation was happening on a different level with much more intimacy. Instinctively, I knew that whatever we shared this way, no one in the Universe could eavesdrop. I don’t know how to deal with this. By this, I meant everything, really. Too much has happened in the last few months, while I craved Dramer more than anything, the encounter with Saaron and this bond with Lotian… these things have changed my perspective. The worst of all was the thought that remained at the periphery of my mind. If by any chance, someone gave me a choice between these three, I wouldn’t know know what to do.

  I hated Saaron and disliked Lotian, and yet something stronger than gravity pulled me toward them.

  Flare, let’s take a break after all of this is over. I can invite you to my house in the Opal Isles. You’ll be able to rest there without worrying about any of this mess. Was this the same guy who had told me that my dorm room was 69? Could I even trust him anymore? The bond between us said yes.

  Selene rescued me by interrupting our silent conversation. Not that I didn’t want to go that Opal Isles residence, wherever it was. I’ve never heard about the Opal Isles. But if I said yes, then I’d have to commit, which I didn’t feel ready.

  “We must find out what’s going on in the academy. It’s not normal. Nix with his city guards should flood the corridors by now. There is no chance Elleria could reach them. She might be crafty and,” Selene’s eyes flashed with an icy breath toward Lotian. “And steal even from the demi-dragon, but her power can only reach so far.”

  “You forget that there is a crazy elemental on the run as well. She let us go here, but if we crossed her again.” I traced my finger on my neck.

  Selene straightened. Lotian silently chuckled.

  “I regained most of my strength already. I’ll deal with her once and for all.” Selene’s tone held a well-hidden resentment. She felt bad that she had to back down the first time. Who would say that the unicorns can be so competitive? Of course, it can be her human part that wants to wipe the stain on her honor.

  Alarm stopped.

  Everyone tensed as if something terrible supposed to happen.

  “We must go.”

  Chapter 25

  Selene and Lotian decided to check the dragon’s part of the academy. She was sure that the unicorn students remained safe from Elleria’s scheming, though she didn’t explain why. I didn’t share her optimism, but I wasn’t keen on traveling into her part of the academy. Thank to Selene, my relationship with the unicorns couldn’t be warmer than winter winds. No prospect of being friends in sight.

  As we arrived at the entrance of the library, we noticed bodies laying on the floor.

  “Dead?”

  “No. But some of them have been injured.”

  “Two teachers supposed to be here…” I said, but the worst was remembering what I’d done here. I told my fellows students that they can kill the other teacher. Elleria, I fucking hate you.

  Selene stepped between the laying student and approached the one who was trying to get up. His eyes held something of insanity.

  “That’s Taste of Hate,” Selene said. “I still sense residues in the air.”

  “What is Taste of Hate? Sounds crazy.”

  “It’s a liquid essence of pure hatred. A rare and banned potion. If Elleria used it on the students… that will have implications.”

  Selene’s hand touched the student’s forehead. He tried clawing at her, but his fingers met an invisible force. He fell to the floor the same second.

  “Yes. It’s Taste of Hate, but Elleria isn’t capable of creating or acquiring it. The control of this substance is very tight in the city and the Dragon Academy has security measures in place to alarm the city guards and the board… oh, I see.” Selene turned away from the student, who now looked peaceful laying on the floor. She faced the library.

  “She caused the alarm to goes off to hide her true motives?”

  “I’m afraid so, but that’s not everything. If she managed to get Taste of Hate here, what else she could bring in?”

  The question echoes in the almost lifeless corridor. I possessed no way of knowing what else existed that would be forbidden in the academy or the city. These things weren’t taught in the classes.

  “We must check the library. I have a feeling it all has started there,” I said.

  Strangely, neither demi-dragon nor demi-unicorn objected.

  The library was in ruin. In every direction, bookshelves were laying demolished, half charred or sliced to pieces. Lotian and Selene didn’t show any emotions and I followed by steeling my nerves. They were ready to defend themselves. Something terrible had happened here, I tasted the flavor of some destructive spell used here. It wasn’t draconic or unicornic, it resembled the fairy magic. Ignelion? He was the Head of the Fairy House. Could it be?

  “That’s… that’s the fairy spell,” I murmured.

  Lotian and Selene looked at me with a mix of surprise and appreciation.

  “Yes. It’s rather an old spell. I’ve never encountered it,” Selene said.

  We traversed the dragon’s part of the library until we reached the common area. I’ve never been here, but now it didn’t look any different from what we just have seen. The place was in pieces.

  “Simona and Rust. They could be in danger.”

  “Who are they?” Lotian asked.

  “Two supernaturals that came to the academy with Flare.”

  “If Elleria and whoever who was helping her were able to temporarily get rid of Saaron and somehow severed the direct contact with your mother, then there is no chance Hugman could do anything here. He’s the weakest of the Heads.”

  “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” I couldn’t tell if I was happy or angry with him for saying the truth. Maybe both. I punched his arm just to vent some of the built-up tension.

  A rustle.

  Selene and Lotian switched to the combat poses in a flash.

  One of the teachers from the entrance raised a hand.

  “It’s me, Rand. Please, forgive me for my presentation, but…” most of his clothes were gone. Only shreds remained. He was the one I’d said the other students can kill. Luckily, they failed. His eyes met mine but moved on without recognition. He must be in shock to not remember me.

  “Speak up. What happened here?”

  “An infernal beast appeared here, shortly after I pulled Carl here. The students went completely crazy. We had to use stun spells on them, but some showed resistance. We had to retreat here. Carl has a broken arm and he was barely holding.”

  Okay, I broke his arm. Best if I left that unsaid. The things looked quite serious here without my five cents.

  “Where is the library staff?”

  “Everyone’s alive, though injured. It looks like traps had been placed all over the library, but it’s hard to say. The chaos—”

  “Who defeated the infernal beast?” Lotian cut in.

  Rand started. Lotian’s question sounded sharp.

  “Demi-dragon Saaron.”

  Lotian frowned t
hen, he touched his arm, but it only made him more confused.

  “No connection to Saaron. Someone severed it. How?”

  Selene’s figure looked like cut out of the block of pure ice. Despite the recent struggles, her appearance was magnificent. She wore a knee-length skirt and a midnight blue blouse. I made a mental note to learn the trick of conjuring clothes. They were caring about their wardrobe even during fights. Impressive. In truth, right now, I wished to strip to the bare skin and take a bath in steaming water, then dress up in something comfortable.

  We can arrange that. Selene and I can finish the things off. We’re responsible for this.

  Woah, these are my private thoughts.

  Your mind leaks when… he didn’t end the sentence. I received only a wink from him.

  Bastard.

  Lotian chuckled quietly attracting attention from Rand. Selene must be aware of our connection, but the teacher couldn’t know and his reaction seemed somewhat funny.

  “Lotian, find your brother and alert other Heads of the Houses. They must reach my mother and the board. I will follow Elleria and Rosa.”

  The teacher was already turning away, relieved that the demi-unicorn didn’t order him around, when I spoke up, “wait a minute, Selene. I want my revenge on Elleria as well.”

  “Flare—” A huge explosion cut off Lotian’s voice.

  The entire floor shook.

  “Rosa Watermane,” Selene said. “She must have found Elleria.”

  Selene darted toward the supernaturals’ section. Rust and Simona.

  “I can’t rest until my friends are safe,” I rushed after the demi-unicorn.

  Chapter 26

  At the back of my mind echoed shock. Lotian struggled with his own decision. He badly wanted to follow me but knew he needed to find his brother. Whatever he would choose, I wouldn’t blame him. I wasn’t his girlfriend or fiancée. Except, the little fact; if I died, he would die, too. I won’t die. Don’t worry about me.