Chapter 17 Farewell
Farewell
Tāwera sprinted through the lengthening shadows toward the cemetery and rapidly climbed until he was no longer visible from the settlement or the ship moored in the harbor.
His heart thumped against his ribs with a cadence noisy enough to drown out nature’s sounds.
Once he reached a haphazard pile of gray rocks and privacy, he stripped off his footwear and clothing and focused on centering his mind.
He had to do this to help Nyree. She wasn’t a killer, despite her dragon status.
Her conscience would trouble her. He knew this because he understood her.
Tāwera breathed deeply and exhaled to settle his jangling fears.
He could do this.
After another hasty breath of mountain air, Tāwera pictured his taniwha and willed his body to shift. Once again, his shift was sluggish, but this time he experienced tender muscles rather than outright pain. Not as untroubled as this morning’s shift. Okay, discomfort he could deal with today.
The second half of his shift progressed faster than the last time. Now to fly. He needed to keep out of sight and soar up to the top of the hill where he could help Nyree escape. Together, they could best this Ari person.
Tāwera sprang upward, his wings beating faster than average to catch the air. He lifted off, the discomfort remaining. It was a peculiar ache in his bones, but at least he knew he was alive. Even better, he was flying more easily than during his outing with Nyree.
He flew over a ridge, keeping low. “Nyree, can you hear me?”
She didn’t answer, and alarm flowed through him. Were they too far apart, or had Ari injured her?
He upped his wingbeats, the force of the wind greater against his body.
The soreness increased to a low-level pain, and for an instant, panic beset him.
No! He must do this for Nyree. He wanted a future with her.
He wanted to grow old with her. The thought of children flashed through his mind and the prospect of what they might have fueled his determination.
Tāwera released a roar that echoed through the hills. It was a roar of resolution. His will to succeed to make this vision come true. He swallowed back the pain and flew in the direction he thought Nyree and Ari would’ve walked.
“Nyree?” He tried again, and once again, silence greeted him.
His breaths emerged with a harsh rasp, his fitness lacking for this second flight of the day, but he flew onward on sheer willpower.
If Ari killed Nyree or injured her, he’d never forgive himself.
He soared over another hill, and his wings stilled, shock filling him at the sight of three dragons flying toward him.
A black dragon like him, along with a red and a green.
He plummeted two feet before he remembered to flap his wings. Friend or foe? What did he do now?
“Tāwera?”
His name slid into his mind, the tone containing power.
“Yes,” Tāwera replied with caution.
“I am Manu. With me is my cousin, Hone, and my brother, Kahurangi.”
“How did you get here?” Tāwera wheezed.
“Where is Nyree?” Manu asked.
“The Ari-man has her. He wants her to shift and fly him to a boat. I was attempting to intercept them. We didn’t want the humans to see either of us, but Nyree has gone silent. She is not answering.”
“You are not flying strongly,” Manu observed as he and the other two dragons soared at Tāwera’s side.
“The curse has affected my flight ability. This way.”
“Can you make it?” Manu asked, concern in his voice.
“I must,” Tāwera replied. “To save Nyree.”
“You like her,” Manu said.
“Yes, very much.”
“How much farther?”
“We’re almost there. We should see them at any minute.” Tāwera kept pumping his wings, but exhaustion was taking its toll. He was sinking closer to the land. Relief struck when he spotted Nyree and Ari. “Nyree?”
“Tāwera,” she replied.
“We’re coming to save you.”
“We?” A sliver of pain leaked through their mental bond, and fury propelled him onward as Ari struck her with the gun. They were now close enough to see and hear Ari’s shouts and orders.
“Change to a dragon and fly me to the ship.”
Nyree straightened, and confidence blazed in her. “No.”
Ari slapped her so hard she fell, and with his attention riveted on her, he didn’t notice the dragons silently hovering above him.
Ari went to grab her, his plan obvious. He intended to beat her into submission.
Nyree jerked from his touch and twisted her body, at the same time kicking out and striking his upper thigh. He let out a roar of pain and cursed.
Tāwera seized the human’s inattention to attack by blasting him with flames.
Ari roared and stepped back. His boot slipped on the loose scree, and he screamed in panic.
His arms windmilled, and for the first time, he perceived the four dragons hovering overhead.
Ari’s legs moved, but instead of saving himself, he lost his footing and toppled backward over a steep incline.
There was a scream as he rolled and hit the studded rocks, then silence.
“The humans are coming,” Manu warned.
“Is he alive?” Tāwera asked.
One dragon darted in the direction Ari had fallen. A minute passed before the dragon reappeared.
“If he’s not dead, he’s badly wounded. He has a broken leg at least, and blood has pooled around his head,” the dragon reported.
“We should go,” Manu said. “Tāwera, with us.”
“Are Mum and Hana safe?” Nyree demanded.
“Yes,” Manu said. “We got word of the kidnap plot and moved them to friends in the South Island. They are safe and helping Jessalyn with her work. We’ll leave now.
You’ll find us in King Haakon Bay, near the start of the route that Shackleton took to make his land crossing. We’ll meet you there later tonight.”
Men’s voices carried on the air, and Nyree nodded. “I can deal with this. Thank you for coming for me.” She smiled at Tāwera and stepped close enough to kiss him on the snout. “Manu will look after you.”
“Move out now,” Manu ordered.
Tāwera doubted he had the energy, and his liftoff was not the best. He groaned inwardly, the pain a notch higher than earlier.
“Great job,” Manu encouraged. “We’ll fly out of sight and let you rest. No hurry. We have the remainder of the day to travel to the ship. We’re happy to explore on the way.”
A surge of gratefulness filled Tāwera. “Thank you.”
Four hours later, they reached the coast, and Tāwera landed on the pebbled beach with a clumsy thump, his muscles screaming in agony as he skidded across the gray stones.
A group of lazing elephant seals jolted upright in alarm.
The bulls postured with their prominent noses but soon gave way to the dragons.
The animals lumbered to the far end of the beach at a speed Tāwera admired even as pain tormented him with each muscle twitch.
The other dragons shifted and dressed in clothes they produced from a bag.
Tāwera sat where he’d landed and struggled to calm his breathing.
He didn’t even mind the ugly stench from the bulky seals.
Each breath was a gift when every muscle in his body throbbed like an aching tooth. He wasn’t sure he’d manage a shift.
“I’ll grab clothes for Tāwera,” one man said.
“Bring food too,” Manu ordered. “Something to drink.” He turned to Tāwera. “Can you shift, or do you need rest first?”
Tāwera sighed. What sort of taniwha was he? He didn’t look any older than these dragons, yet he felt immeasurably senior to them.
Manu gripped his forearm before releasing it. “Can you tell me about the problems you’re having? Perhaps I can help.”
Tāwera explained shifting was difficult. It could be painful, although this time, he’d managed better. He became starving, and sex worked far better to counteract his moonlust than shifting.
“You and Nyree had sex.”
“No,” Tāwera snapped. “We made love. I like and respect Nyree. I wish to have a future with her.”
“What does Nyree think about this? How did she react to the fact I thought you might be mates?”
“Mates? When did you say this?”
“When I replied to your email.”
“I did not see this reply.”
“I see.” Something in Manu’s tone had Tāwera studying him closely, and he noted the quiver of his lips.
“How did you know to come to Nyree’s aid?”
“Ari wanted to sell Nyree, her mother, and her sister to the local MC club after he discovered she could shift to a dragon. Unknown to Ari, the vice president of the club is my cousin. He informed me, and we came up with a plan to help Nyree and trap Ari in a place where we could deal justice and put a stop to his plan.”
“You intended to kill Ari all along?”
“He beat Nyree and threatened her family. Our people. That is not acceptable.”
“No, it isn’t,” Tāwera agreed. “She allowed him to beat her to protect those she cared for.”
“I understand that now,” Manu said. “She should’ve come to me earlier, so I could help her. We thought she’d be safe here, but I underestimated Ari’s determination. Nyree’s departure pricked his pride, and he wanted to punish her for the slight.”
“You understand him. He bears an uncanny resemblance to my brother, although his skin is much paler than Rāwiri’s. Half-brother. The one who placed the curse on me.”
“You think Ari is a descendant of your brothers?”
“It is possible since you told me my brother married and had several children with Aroha.”
“The woman you were to marry.”
“Yes,” Tāwera said. “I was young then. What I feel for Nyree is very different to those I had for Aroha.”
“Glad to hear it. Ah, here is Hone with clothes for you. Do you think you can shift now?”
“I must,” Tāwera said.
“I have a few theories about your shifting problems. We will talk later. It might be best if you eat something first while you are in dragon form, then attempt to shift.”
“Very well.”