Chapter 12 Jasper #2
"Know him?" I grinned, already moving toward the path that would take us up to the ledge. "I used to get drunk with him. Come on!"
I grabbed Palmer's hand and pulled her along, scrambling up the rocky incline. When we reached the top, the dragon had already begun his transformation. Black scales melted away like smoke, revealing dark skin and familiar features I hadn't seen in far too long.
"Jasper," the naked man said, his voice rough with disuse and his eyes wild as he scanned my face. "How the fuck are you… here? Alive?! I thought I was hallucinating when I caught your scent."
"Technically, ghosts don't have a scent," I replied, unable to keep the smile off my face. "But it's good to see you too, Malik."
“I’m sorry, ghost?” He shook his head in confusion. “I probably should be more shocked, but the amount of weird shit going on around here lately is making that difficult. And I want to hear more about it, but holy shit, it’s great to see you!”
"Yeah," I said softly. "I know. It's a long story, but damn. This is crazy."
He shook his head in awe, his golden eyes bright with emotion, then noticed Palmer standing awkwardly to the side. "And who's this?"
"Palmer Vale," she said, stepping forward with more confidence than most would show after nearly being eaten by a dragon. I couldn’t help but smile as I noticed her keeping her gaze solely on his face. Public nakedness was fairly normal in Besmet, but not so much in her world.
Malik's grin was as wide as I remembered, his golden eyes glinting with amusement as he looked Palmer over. "Well, well, Jasper, you finally managed to find a pretty girl willing to put up with your ass, huh?"
Palmer's eyebrows shot up, but she smirked. "Trust me, it wasn't easy. He's got more baggage than any ghost should reasonably have."
Malik laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that echoed off the rocky cliffs.
"I bet. This one always did have a knack for trouble.
" He clapped me on the back, his hand passing through my spectral form with a shiver of cold.
"That,” he said, pointing at the spot his whole hand had just slid through, “is fucking wild!
But seriously, what the hell are you two doing in Besmet?
This place isn't exactly a vacation spot, especially today. "
I sobered quickly, the weight of our mission settling back onto my shoulders. "We're looking for my brothers, but why did you say that, especially today? What's happening?"
Malik's expression darkened. "You showed up in the middle of a warzone, Jasper. It's another long story, one we don't have time for. The simple answer is: there's a battle happening right now. At the castle. Unjust executions were scheduled and Asrael—"
Palmer stepped forward, her voice steady and determined. "Asrael is here? Now? In Besmet? Have you seen Ashland? Or Misha? Or—"
Malik held out his hand. "Yes. They're all here. And it was because of those boys that my people and I were freed. I was sent out to scout the surroundings, but I need to get back to help."
"We're coming with you," Palmer announced, already making sure her weapons were secured.
My old friend glanced at me from the corner of his eye, and I nodded. "If that's okay with you, of course."
"Right, that's what I meant, too," Palmer added, still laser-focused on her weapons.
Malik grinned. "More than okay, we'll take all the help we can get. Asrael's day has been coming, and today is that day. Fair warning, it's gonna be risky."
"We can handle risky," I said, meeting his gaze steadily. "We didn't come all this way to back down now."
Malik studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But we need to move fast. Asrael's been on a rampage, and I don't want our allies to be down a dragon when he decides to unleash his full power."
As if on cue, a distant explosion echoed through the valley, the sound of battle a grim reminder of what awaited us. Malik's form began shifting, black scales rippling across his skin as he transformed back into his dragon form.
"Climb on," he said, his voice already deepening into a growl. "I'll get you to the palace as fast as I can."
Palmer and I exchanged a glance, then scrambled onto Malik's back, settling between the ridges of his scales. I wrapped my arms around Palmer, holding her close as Malik launched into the air, his powerful wings carrying us higher and higher.
The wind whipped around us, the sulfuric scent of Besmet stinging my spectral senses.
Below, the landscape was a twisted mess of rock and fire, a stark reminder of the horrors this place had witnessed.
And yet, there was a strange beauty to it, a wild and untamed energy that pulsed through the very air.
"This is insane," Palmer shouted over the wind, her voice laced with a mix of fear and exhilaration.
I couldn't help but laugh, the sound being carried away by the wind. "Welcome to my world, darling. It's been a long time since I've been on the back of a dragon, but it's not something you forget."
Malik banked sharply, dodging a sudden updraft of hot air from a nearby magma pool. Palmer gripped his scales more tightly, her knuckles white with effort. I held onto her, anchoring her as best I could.
"Almost there," Malik called back to us, his voice a deep rumble that vibrated through his body.
The palace loomed ahead, its obsidian spires reaching up like claws against the blood-red sky. The sound of battle grew louder, the clash of steel and roar of flames a grim symphony that sent a shiver down my spine.
Malik descended rapidly, his wings tucked close to his body as we plummeted toward the courtyard. At the last moment, he pulled up, landing with a bone-jarring thud that sent dust and debris flying in all directions.
Palmer and I slid off his back, our feet hitting the ground with a jolt. I steadied her, my hands lingering on her shoulders as I surveyed the chaotic scene before us.
The courtyard was a battlefield, filled with writhing bodies and the clash of weapons. I quickly scanned to see if I could spot any of them, but that was pointless. There were just too many bodies, too much blood.
"What are we waiting for!?" Palmer shouted over the sounds of battle, already armed with two daggers in her hands. "Lets kick some fucking ass, Jasper!"
"I'll help where I can, but I'm going to stay invisible to everyone for the time being." I adjusted my form until I was nothing.
"Wait, why?" she asked, frowning when she turned to look at me and found emptiness. I'd even hidden myself from her.
"Because I'd be a distraction. Everyone right now needs to focus, but I'm right here, darling. I'm right next to you, okay?"
She nodded, and I noticed the way her body was practically vibrating with the need to fight.
This was her. Everything she'd ever trained for had led to this moment.
I longed to be able to join her, to join them.
To let out my rage and resentment, but all I could picture was one of my brothers spotting me mid-battle and being so stunned that it would cause them to fuck up and get caught off guard. So as much as I wanted to, I couldn't.
One more moment of invisibility was worth it. I had the rest of my… life? Is it a life if you're not living? That was the thing, though. I'd never felt more alive than right this very second, and I'd do anything to never lose that feeling.
"Let's do this, ghost boy," Palmer shouted over the near-deafening sounds of the surging battle around us.
Palmer launched herself into the fray with an awe-inspiring and terrifying ferocity.
She moved with a fluidity that displayed her years of training, her body a honed weapon as deadly as the blades she wielded.
I stayed close, invisible to her as well, but my spectral form was tethered to hers as if bound by an unbreakable chain.
Her first target was a mind-controlled demon, his eyes glazed over with Asrael's malevolent influence.
Palmer didn't hesitate. She leapt, her body arching through the air like a sleek predator.
Her dagger flashed, a silver arc that ended at the demon's throat.
He crumpled, and the dark magic holding him dissipated like smoke.
She landed lightly, already pivoting to the next threat. A group of three demons, their eyes equally vacant, charged her. Palmer's lips curled into a snarl, her blue eyes blazing with determination. She was a force of nature, a storm unleashed.
Palmer ducked under the first demon's wild swing, her dagger slicing through his hamstring.
He howled, crashing to the ground. She spun, her other blade lashing out to parry the second demon's attack.
The clash of metal rang out, a sharp counterpoint to the cacophony of battle.
She followed through with a vicious elbow to his face, sending him sprawling.
The third demon lunged, but Palmer was ready. She sidestepped his attack, her foot hooking around his ankle. He stumbled, and she struck, her dagger plunging into his back. He fell, and she was already moving, leaving the fallen demons behind without a second glance.
Her every movement was a dance, a deadly ballet that left her opponents broken and defeated.
She wove through the battlefield, her blades a whirlwind of steel that cut through the enemy like a scythe.
Each strike was precise, and each step calculated.
She was a symphony of violence, and I was just the lucky invisible son of a bitch who got to witness it fully.
A massive demon, easily twice her size, blocked her path. His eyes were clear, not under mind control, but filled with a malevolence all his own. He sneered, his voice a rumble like distant thunder. "You're just a little girl. You can't hope to defeat me."
Palmer's response was a cold smile. "Watch me."