Chapter 44 #4
I descended low enough to be right above an undead dragon, who moved in an unpredictable pattern.
I stayed steady, directly above him and not letting myself hesitate, I shapeshifted while still in the air, and landed on top of the beast. The dragon growled, shaking its head, but I held on tight to its scales.
They did not feel like regular dragon scales, more like slimy, decomposing sponges.
The smell of rotten flesh overwhelmed my nose, making me inhale through my mouth as I released the long dagger from my belt.
Still holding the neck of the undead beast, I plunged the blade into its neck, doing little to no damage.
Black liquid sprayed from the wound when I slammed my dagger against its flesh one more time.
If they were like the other undead, no amount of damage except a direct shot to the brain or removal of the head could stop them.
The neck of the dragon was too wide and protected by thick, wet, leathery skin and multiple layers of slick scales.
It would be nearly impossible to decapitate it.
I pulled myself up, grabbing the thick skin and inched closer to the head of the monster.
Almost losing my balance, I plunged my dagger into the top of its head.
The beast jerked in the air and the next moment, I was freefalling, rotating in the sky with rapidly accelerating speed.
I shifted a little too late. The smoke and black sky did not let me see the ground, and I hit the surface, landing hard. I growled, still rolling. The wings of my dragon brushed the rocks below and I hissed, in response to the pain.
A moment later, a swirl of fire hit the ground beside me, sending scorching heat up my arm, burning my face with agonizingly hot specks of dust. Only by luck, I avoided a direct blow that would have ignited my body in a matter of moments.
I got to my feet, and I quickly saw dark scales with an unfamiliar pattern attach itself to the undead.
The new dragon was directly above me as he fought the creature in the air.
“Don’t just stand there!” Sage’s voice exploded in my head and I pushed off into the air. I tried to get closer, but the two dragons constantly changed their positions and I could not find a way to land on the monster’s back.
The two dragons growled and clawed each other. A loud, piercing screech from the undead exploded in the air, then the beast got a hold of Sage, tearing his stomach from one side to the other.
“Sage!” I shouted.
“Help!” the old man groaned.
I launched myself forward without aiming. Swiftly shapeshifting, I gripped its neck and bared my knife. The undead was still holding the dark scaled dragon, whose body had gone limp.
“Sage! We’re gonna fall!” I shouted and plunged my knife up to its hilt into the massive skull.
Then we were free falling. Within seconds, the blackness of the sky and the land below mixed and blended together.
I thought about Alina’s hands tracing my face.
Her dark copper hair brushing my cheek, her strength and her overwhelming beauty that stole my heart from the first moment my eyes met hers.
The shock of the violent impact paralyzed every limb in my body and for some time I was unable to move off the already dead corpse.
Finally, I managed to lift myself up enough to crawl to Sage.
My head was ringing as my own blood dripped onto my hands and the scales of the crawler, making everything slippery.
My confused mind tried to discern where the wound was located, but every concern ceased when I finally saw Sage still trapped under the enormous weight of the beast. Sage started to shapeshift as I pulled him from under the crawler dragon. “Why did you do that?” I asked.
My eyes landed on the dark outlines of his internal organs that were clearly visible in the moonlight.
The gash in his stomach was too large for him to heal. There was no way he could survive that. I shifted my gaze back to his face, distorted by pain and agony.
“The . . . Queen . . . was the one . . . who sealed . . . the borders before she…” he whispered.
“Why?”
“The disease . . . spread.” Sage’s chest was rising and falling maniacally. “I . . . I’m sorry.”
“Tell me more.” I shook his shoulders. “How does it work?”
“The . . .spell . . . seals . . . trapped here.” Sage’s eyes closed.
“Tell me more. How do I open it?”
“Your . . mate . . . Never . . . let go.” A violent seizure shook his body and his head was hitting the ground below.
I extended my arms, stopping the brutal hits.
“Old man? Sage? Damn it!”
I held him in my arms as his body stopped moving, and with a last sigh, he finally let go. Almost mechanically, I took out one of my knives and focused my eyes on Sages’s face. With one motion, I plunged my blade into his temple.
“May your journey be peaceful,” I whispered and closed his eyelids.
My mate. Alina was my mate. We were mated. Every piece of the puzzle landed into its proper place. In this world of death and suffering, I found someone worth fighting for. We were meant to be together, I knew that for sure. Deep down, I knew it all along.
I stood up, looking back at the castle.
“Ty!” Sol’s voice broke my stupor and I shapeshifted returning back into the night sky.
“We need to go back!”
“Behind you!” Sol shouted and I changed my course, avoiding the teeth of the undead dragon.
I flew to the side and immediately took a hard turn, landing on its back. The monster shook its head and both of us were falling to the ground fast. I shapeshifted and used my blade to kill it and barely had any time to turn back before the impact on the rocks below.
When it was done, I rushed back to Sol who was being attacked by two dragons. With horror, I saw the two monsters claw his body while pulling him in opposite directions.
“Sol!” I shouted, darting toward them.
I was too late. They tore his body into two large pieces and were feasting on his still warm flesh.
“No!” I attached myself to the back of one of them and quickly turned, killing the beast. The two of us fell, while the last monster was still in the air.
“Sol! Sol!” I repeated, but he was already gone. There was nothing I could see of the other half of his body.
In that moment, the thick, coal black hatred coated my heart and transformed me into something I could hardly control.
In just seconds, I was right beside the remaining beast. I shifted in the air and pierced my blade right between its opaque white eyes.
While I was falling, my mind registered tiny details that, at that time, hardly had any significance.
The ribbons of smoke lifting up into the night sky, someone crying surprisingly close by.
The talons of the undead dragon released what remained of Sol’s body, and all I could think about was that I did not see his head. I did not know where it went.
“No!” I shouted, but my tears never appeared, my dragon did not know how to cry.
The castle looked as solid as ever, as if nothing could affect its monumental lines and the calm artificial stillness of the rocks, except, the front doors were wide open.
Everywhere I looked, there were smears of blood, torn body parts, organs and bones.
My skin crawled when I saw smaller bodies that belonged to women, clumps of hair, and ribbons adorned with fresh winter flowers.
“Alina!” I shouted, darting through the halls.
How could I leave her? Why did I ever leave her?
Fear like I never experienced before rose from within and I could not stop calling her name.
I stumbled into the main hall, where only hours before, Hanoch had greeted us as his guests.
The tables were overturned, the tablecloths on the floor, and there were more remains of dragons and people.
On the table that Hanoch had occupied with his family, laid his dead body, but there was no one beside him.
In the passing moments, nothing made sense, all I could hear was the wild beating of my heart that was overpowering all other sounds.
I approached the table, looking at my older brother.
His eyes were wide open looking up at the ceiling, his lips parted as if he had tried to say something.
Pain and regret exploded deep in my skull.
I lost so much time because I could not let go of the past. The past that Hanoch was not even responsible for.
All the years I hated him for being there, for seeing me in my most vulnerable state.
In my lowest, darkest moments, I became too self centered, too focused on what I was going through.
Never once did I consider what it was like for him.
It was too late now.
I swung the door to the second corridor open and immediately saw the massive body of a killed undead dragon, and another monster was eating its flesh.
The foul smell of rotten meat hit my nostrils and I nearly gagged.
At the same time, the crawler dragon noticed me and bared its teeth covered in black blood.
Moving slowly, I reached for my hunting knife.
I only had a moment before the beast pounced on me.
In one motion, I made a deep cut in the scales of its throat and thick opaque liquid poured out of the wound.
The dragon continued moving closer with its giant head raised, actively protecting its brain from my blade.
I bared my teeth and darted forward, jumping on top of the dead dragon’s body and launching myself up into the air.
My knife pierced the flesh on top of its head and I avoided the sharp teeth that closed only inches away from my arm.
I adjusted the blade, cutting deeper into its skull.
The undead dragon froze for a fraction of a second and fell to the ground with a loud thump.
I got up, trying to catch my breath. Suddenly, a loud screech sounded right behind me and my skin crawled.
I did not even have time to turn before an enormous force threw me forward, right through the window.
The glass shattered under me and pieces of it pierced the skin on my face and neck.
I fell forward. My body slammed into the railing, and pushed me forward.
My hand clenched the stone of the balcony and I had to let go of my knife that flew out of my hand.
The monster jumped onto the railing, extending its long body above me.
It raised its head and made a loud, harsh sound that echoed down in the valley.
I groaned, my hands were slipping. I could let go of the railing and turn, try to overpower the monster in the air. But something within me did not want to run anymore.
I looked up, noticing the sallow, gray skin and black patches on its face.
A wave of hatred hit me and I could not control the rage, the fury. With all my strength, I pulled myself up, unwilling to retreat.
The dragon growled, flapping its wings.
“Come here, motherfucker!”
Just then, the monster’s skull was stabbed from behind.
The undead’s body slammed to the floor backward, and a young man just managed to jump away at the last moment.
Denis only glared at me without saying a word before sprinting off.
Not willing to waste any more time, I ran into the deserted hall.
“Alina!” I shouted.
The screams and sounds of multiple voices, crying, begging, pushed me deeper into the room.
“Alina!”
I kicked open the next door, immediately spotting multiple wounded and dead. And in the midst of the chaos, I saw a splash of bright red hair.
“Alina!” I shouted.
She stood up, turning toward me, and all I could see were the effects of the unspeakable horror in her brown eyes.
She was here. She was safe. I took a step toward her, feeling the weight of enormous relief replacing the unbearable tightness in my chest.
Alina looked to the floor, then back at me, and when my gaze followed hers, my heart stopped.
Beside her was Victor who held on to the body of a woman in a light brown flying suit.
Her head was covered in blood, the material was torn, exposing her skin.
Frid was lying with her eyes still open, her limp hand convulsed touching the floor.
Victor touched her cheeks with his fingertips, pleading with her.
He did not seem aware of his surroundings.
“No!” I exhaled, taking another step forward.
Alina darted toward me and I caught her in my arms. Her body was so cold, she was shaking with sobs when she wrapped her arms around me. Carefully, I cupped her face, making her meet my gaze.
“I’m sorry I left you. I am so sorry.” I kissed her hair.
“Frid,” she cried.
I looked back at Victor who picked the girl up and cradled her in his arms, moving slightly from side to side. His face turned into a mask, only his eyes were filled with madness.
More screams followed, and an undead dragon burst into the room.
Before anyone could react, he arched his back, and expanded its chest. A stream of flames showered the people nearest the exit.
Victor just looked at it, without moving.
Only a moment had passed, but I could not see him anymore, he had disappeared into the wall of flames.
In one motion, I covered Alina and turned my back, absorbing the blast.
She whimpered against me.
“I love you,” I whispered, feeling the agonizing heat as the leather of my suit melted and melded into my flesh.
“Ty!” Alina screamed, and everything disappeared.