"What are we waiting for?"
The very last second.
Dozens of holes began to open in the ground and demons of every color began to pour out. They began to grab their traitorous brothers, throwing them to the ground.
Hold on!
Loric launched them into the sky as several demons came within a few paces. Another hole opened where they had been standing and more demons emerged.
They were flying faster than she had ever experienced.
We should be to the hidden entrance in under a minute.
Okay, but make sure that you don't do anything crazy while I'm down there. Morrigan felt good that everything was going as planned. In less than a minute she would be underground, and soon the White Witch would be finished. Dead or alive.
They landed and Morrigan slid to the ground. She grabbed her sword and the small utility pack from the bottom of Loric but then noticed that the hole wasn't there. In its place was a pile of dirt and rocks where the hole should have been.
"No, no!"
The witches must have known about the hole and blown it up.
Before or after the team had made it safely down? She couldn't lose it now, she had to stay positive.
There’s another way through the lake, but it will draw attention to the raid.
If the hole was blown by the witches, then they already have plenty of attention. Are you up for it?
A bath? One of us sure needs it. Can we pee in their cauldrons when we get inside?
She strung her pack over her shoulder and climbed up into the saddle.
Go!
They flew into the air again, even faster this time.
You'll need to take a deep breath and duck your head down. I don't remember exactly how long it takes underwater to get to the cavern.
What would she do if she didn't have an ancient dragon for a spirit animal? They approached the lake and Morrigan took a few deep breaths. All around in the moonlight, she could see a hundred little skirmishes as demons fought each other on the shore, and more bubbles were still rising out of the lake.
Hold on!
She ducked down as they dove out of the sky, dodging a huge bubble full of demons, and felt the sting as they hit the water.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THEY ROSE back out of the water into the hidden witches cave. Loric had remembered the way.
I bet I've had to do that same splashdown a dozen times over the centuries.
Everywhere they looked there were witches huddled in groups. All at once they realized what was happening and began to prepare a flurry of fireballs. They wouldn't bother Loric, but a single fireball would kill Morrigan.
I’ll get us out of this.
The cavern was wide at the opening but quickly became too narrow for a flying dragon. The only way for him to go was down into the huge pit that dropped into the earth. Morrigan held on as they dove downward in an attempt to escape the attack. The fireballs would extinguish before they reached them, as long as they didn't crash into the floor first.
This is a half-mile deep, we won't have a problem.
As they dove, they passed several landings that were lit up by some kind of orange fire, revealing more groups of resident witches. How many witches were there here?
Hundreds. Maybe thousands by now. It's their largest stronghold by far, but the place that we want to go to is at the very bottom. It's where they train, and where we will hopefully find our troops.
Morrigan couldn't help wondering if they were even still alive.
Don't even think it.
The bottom of the pit was coming fast. Just as they were about to crash, Loric spread his wings and they came out of the dive. The cavern widened out into a huge chamber, allowing them to fly freely again. More of the bright orange fire lit up the entire area. She imagined an army of demons down here, waiting to start a war.
"Over there!" she pointed where she saw six people standing. They flew to the far end of the cavern and could pick out two black jaguars as they landed on the rocky floor.
The witch is close. I can almost feel her presence.
"How did you get down here?" asked Matt as she slid down off of Loric.
"We had to get wet."
"We didn't think you would be able to make it. After we all got inside, we hit a trip wire that blew the hole."
"They knew about it all along," said Natalie as she stood next to her jaguar.
"We never would have gotten this far if you hadn't drawn them outside. We've only seen a few witches on the way down,” said Matt.
"We passed twice as many witches on the way down here than I've seen in the last five years combined," said Morrigan.
"Then they've definitely been preparing for an attack. Not a single report from anyone in the field has even suggested something like this. How could we have missed this?"
Maybe we have a few demons working for us?
The idea wasn't a new one, they had regular checks at the base to make sure that the troops weren't demons in disguise. Something had been overlooked by someone. More than ever, there would have to be some major changes in the way that they prepared for a threat like this in the future.
"So what are we all standing around here for?"
"We're trying to figure out how to break through the barrier," said Trevor.
"What barrier?" Morrigan looked around and noticed a huge sheet of dark ice that blended in with the cave walls.
"The way was open when we first got down here, but this happened as soon as we approached. We were going to blow it up, but then you arrived," said Matt.
"Loric can take care of it. Did you guys see what was inside before it closed up?"
"Nope, we just saw an empty room,” said Trevor
“So it could be the witch. Or an army of demons."
"Or both," said Josie.
She's lived this long because she's smart. I can throw some flames into the room, but I won't be able to get through that doorway. We should be ready for anything.
The troops waited with their spirit animals. None of them had ever seen anything like this. Matt had been a top University student but had ended up behind a desk once he began his service. Ever since she had enrolled at the University with her Dragon, she had instantly become the unofficial leader of almost every battle in the foreseeable future.
At least the ones on this side of the ocean. I still want to show you the Swiss Alps sometime.
She figured that the team was waiting for the chance to go in with guns blazing, so they wouldn't like what she was going to say.
"Once Loric melts the wall, he will smoke her out." She could see the energy leave their faces as they stepped back from the wall of ice.
"By smoke, you mean incinerate?" asked Natalie with her Jaguar waiting next to her, licking her lips.
"No, I mean smoke. The White Witch will be ready for an attack from a dragon. If we can toast her, then great. But if she fights her way out here, then we’ll need your best."
"You will have it, let's get into position," said Matt. They all stepped behind Loric and prepared for whatever came through the opening. Morrigan climbed up Loric and took her place.
"Watch our back and hold until I give the word," said Morrigan just as Loric took a deep breath and shot fire out of his mouth toward the ice wall. In just a matter of seconds, they would find out if they had a chance at ending the war before it started, or if they were only making things much worse.
CHAPTER TWENTY
KEEP THE FLAMES COMING!
I have to breathe sometime.
The wall of ice had been melted and now the flames were penetrating into the room. The team continued to wait behind Loric as he stopped to catch his breath.
Matt stepped up and motioned toward the opening but Morrigan held her hand up.
Loric, do you want to take a look?
Sure, what's the worst that could happen?
Loric stepped closer to the opening and stuck his head inside. Immediately the opening began to fill w
ith ice again and he stepped back to avoid getting frozen in place. Through the bond, she had seen everything that Loric had seen.
"She's alone in an empty room! We've got her trapped," said Morrigan.
I'm not sure if I can flush her out. She can command the ice so fast that I will quickly use up the oxygen down here trying to melt it.
So she's stuck. If we call for backup, we can wait until she needs to come out for food.
If The Demon is right, then she may not need to come out.
So it's a standoff?
Hardly. For her, it's a prison cell, and I'm the head guard.
She considered the possibility. If this would stop the witches from commanding an army of demons against them, then it would be a good enough solution for now. She looked to tell Matt but he wasn't there. There was a gunshot from behind and then she was falling.
She hit the ground and her vision went out of focus. She could sense Loric's alarm, but she couldn't let him get distracted. She screamed in both her head and out loud.
"Guard the witch!"
She could feel herself losing consciousness. No matter what, Loric had to keep the White Witch from getting out. If she died here, it would be her last request to her dearest friend, her spirit protector.
Her vision returned just long enough to see all six of the troops standing around her, and then it went dark again. It had all been for nothing. Loric would never carry her daughter on his back. Now it was imperative that the witch be stopped. Loric’s bond with her would be replaced with a new one. A bond to his new duty, to guard the White Witch. The last thing that she heard was a loud roar, a cry of revenge from Loric.
I’ll guard the witch with my life, until the time is right. One day I will avenge you.
See what happens next in book 2, Dragon Spirit, Will to Act.
Get The Dragon vs The Witch, bonus story for free and find out what happens when The White Witch tries to escape.
Click HERE to get the story.
DRAGON SPIRIT HUNTRESS HIGH SERIES
Huntress High 1: Cry of Revenge
Huntress High 2: Will to Act
Huntress High 3: Bond of Vengeance
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CORY REYNOLDS: I began the Dragon Spirit series with the desire to make a long series with shorter episodes every few weeks, instead of long installments every few months. That way the reader would hopefully remember some of the last book when they read the new one.
I also had the hopes of incorporating some of my quirky personality and martial arts training. Whether in dreams or in real life, I’ve experienced some things that are just too inspiring to keep to myself. Finally some of it comes out in this series.
A big thanks to my in-laws who have probably wondered for years what I’m working on while they watch our kids. Also thanks to the beta readers who have helped and most importantly my wife for being supportive as I write into the night. Thank you my love!
Table of Contents
Dragon Spirit
FREE BONUS STORY
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
DRAGON SPIRIT HUNTRESS HIGH SERIES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dragon Spirit: Cry of Revenge (Huntress High Book 1) Page 6