Chapter 7
Galadon
A disturbance in the wards pricked my senses as I ate a late afternoon meal with my mother. I took another bite, hoping it was nothing. Now and then, a neighboring dragon patrol flew too close to test and annoy me. I’d fly straight there, and they’d be long gone. With half a plate of food left, I didn’t want to leave if it was another false alarm.
I might have had doubts about my mother staying with me for a while, but I enjoyed not having to eat alone anymore or do all the cooking myself. We’d settled into a rhythm of taking turns that worked well for both of us. Her presence didn’t bother me as much as I’d expected initially, though I had reservations about why she’d come here after so long.
Pain shot into my temples as something drilled into the wards. This time, it didn’t stop and continued to intensify. I stood. “Someone is trying to break into my territory. I must go.”
“What? Where?” Ujala asked, alarm on her features as she rose with me.
“The southwestern corner of the border, near Lake Livingston.” I quickly washed down the food I’d eaten with a mug of water. “At the rate they’re going, they’ll bring down that section in the next twenty minutes.”
She flicked back her dark hair. “I should go and help you.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You’re a healer, not a fighter. I will handle it.”
Ujala pursed her lips, unhappy at my response, but she knew it was true. Dragons who could mend wounds were so rare that they were revered and protected. The Craegud wouldn’t have bothered to train her in more than basic self-defense just in case she got caught off guard. Anyone trying to infiltrate my land would be a skilled warrior and, possibly, a magic user. I wouldn’t dare risk her life. Perhaps I still hadn’t forgiven her, but I had grown fond of her.
Ujala came around the table, embracing me despite my stiff body. “Please be careful. If you’re not back soon, I will come to check on you. Don’t bother arguing about it.”
“Then I will endeavor to slay the intruders quickly.”
I put an arm around her and squeezed slightly before pulling away. It was awkward, but at least I tried. For too many years, I’d had little physical contact with others. It didn’t come naturally except with Rayna. It annoyed me to no end that my body responded to her with no trouble at all.
My mother gave me a weak smile. “Killing them quickly would be good, but try not to get hurt.”
“See you soon.”
I sprinted to the take-off/landing pad a short distance from her house. The pain in my head ratcheted up another notch as I shifted. Several other dragons were ramming their bodies into my wards, attempting to speed up the process. There had to be at least four now, which wasn’t a good sign. I didn’t think they were rogue Kandoran since they’d have to travel through other guarded territories to reach mine.
No, this was along my lengthy border with the Takaran. They’d proven troublesome in the past, but I’d had peace with them for nearly six years since I joined the Faegud. I’d hoped that would be a sufficient deterrent itself, but they certainly appeared brave enough today.
Pushing off the ground hard, I launched into the air, building speed quickly. My home base was in the center of my territory, so I could reach any part of it within ten minutes. I flew so fast now that I reached my destination within seven. As soon as I got a good look at the intruders, I banked to the right to slow down. There weren’t four of them, but rather six large green dragons in the sky. My gaze dipped below to a seventh, pressing his front talons against the ward. They glowed blue as he fed magic to break the barrier.
I growled. Nothing made me angrier than other dragons trying to take what was mine. There could be no other reason for them being here. Not far from the lake's eastern bank were powerful artifacts I’d been guarding all my life. No one was supposed to know about those objects, but occasionally, dragons came close enough to my border to detect the magic emanating from them. It sometimes beckoned them closer.
To this day, I had no idea what they were exactly or why they drew others. One was buried deep in the earth with magical protections I couldn’t unravel, and the other sat inert on the ground and unbreakable. A mystical force I couldn’t describe drove me to protect the place they rested at all costs.
I soared back and forth along the border, hating that I could do nothing. They outnumbered me, so crossing onto their side would only worsen matters. My magic and strength were more powerful on my land because I’d bonded with it over the centuries.
Not wanting to wait any longer, I called a storm overhead, concentrating the darkest clouds over their position. Unfortunately, I couldn’t direct the lightning, but it did give them pause when a bolt shot down nearby and split a tree. The crack reverberated through the air, filling it with a static charge.
Feeding the storm energy, I built it on the other side of my wards so that the wind swirled and pushed at the dragons in the air, forcing their wings to beat harder. Even the one on the ground had to pause and brace himself.
The Takaran had determined glints in their red eyes as they attempted to ignore the tempest around them and continued to batter my wards. I snarled at their refusal to relent. In all my time on my land, I’d never faced so many dragons alone. Somehow, there’d always been someone else around whenever a larger force tried to infiltrate my territory. I didn’t know how I’d take down seven at once, but I’d find a way.
Pain exploded in my head—an unfortunate magical side effect that came with having a warning system. I winced and growled in agony, barely able to maintain my position in the air as I unsteadily beat my wings. The wards began crumbling with audible cracking noises, and an entire section fell. Wind rushed inside from the storm to pummel me.
Pushing past my discomfort, I dove toward the dragon on the ground, knowing he’d be the most exhausted. Meanwhile, I didn’t stop feeding the storm, so the swirling gusts continued to pummel the Takaran in the air and push them away. I wouldn’t be able to split my focus for that much longer, though.
Before the green dragon—smaller than the others—could do more than bare his teeth, I ripped my talons across his neck. Blood sprayed. He snarled and snapped at me. I punched him in the snout, crunching it beneath my solid strike. To protect his face from further damage, he ducked his head, but I wrapped an arm around his throat and jerked hard. His spinal column broke.
As he fell limply from my loosened hold, dead before he hit the ground, one of the Takaran attacked me from behind. This one was a female. She bit into my tail, sending shots of pain through me.
I spun in a circle until she lost her grip and sailed several dozen feet toward a tree, slamming into it. The other five bore down on me and would reach my location in less than a minute. My mind raced to formulate a plan for how to fight them as the female staggered onto her feet, moving unsteadily to attack again. She was a relentless one.
Lightning shot down from the clouds, forking into three prongs that struck several of the Takaran at once. It killed them, sending their burned bodies plummeting to the ground. I was never so lucky for such a thing to happen on its own, and I only knew one person who could have guided those bolts so precisely. A short distance to the west, a red dragon flew with a woman in his arms. She held her hands up as she worked to bring another bolt down to hit the female dragon who was almost upon me again. I felt the static in the air as it struck the Takaran and drilled a hole straight through her body.
Annoyed to be saved by a slayer, it took me a moment to regain my equilibrium. I forced myself to concentrate on the remaining two dragons. Shooting into the air, I reached one of them a hundred feet from the ground. Our limbs tangled with him biting into my shoulder.
I wrenched him off as his sharp incisors tore through my muscles. The pain was intense, but it only fed my rage. I jerked his head up and snapped my teeth around his neck, crunching down with the full force of my powerful jaws until all the vertebrae in his throat cracked. The Takaran’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell as I let go.
Searching for the last intruder, I found him in the sky down to my left with Rayna balancing on top of him. She gripped the spikes along his spine tightly as she slowly made her way up the dragon’s back toward his neck with a dagger in her right hand. The crazy woman was going to kill him and then go down with the body.
Fear almost froze me. Though she’d survive a fifty-foot fall, she’d likely break many bones. I refused to let her get injured on my behalf. Flapping my wings hard, I rushed to grab her, but seconds before I reached the slayer, she stabbed the Takaran in the back of his head. His wings collapsed. I pushed harder, grabbing Rayna just as the dragon began to plummet.
Are you insane? I asked, holding her tightly.
It had been so long since I’d touched her that I had to use all my control to keep from nuzzling and scenting her. She felt perfect in my arms like all those months ago. It only angered me further that she’d put me in a position where I had to work even harder to resist her.
She turned her head to glance up at me. No. It was just the easiest way to take the dragon down since Titan couldn’t fight him while holding me.
You did enough with the lightning. I could have easily finished the final Takaran without your assistance, I said, snarling at her.
She smiled. But then you wouldn’t have gotten this perfect excuse to hold me. We both know you could have let me fall, and I would have lived.
I squeezed her gently. You would have been seriously injured.
Your mother could have fixed anything wrong with me.
Perhaps. I narrowed my eyes at her. But it would have required you staying here several days to mend multiple broken bones, and I’d rather have you gone as soon as possible.
Hurt flashed in her eyes before she covered it. Yes. We wouldn’t want you to endure my company any longer than necessary. You’re welcome, by the way.
Guilt ate at me for hurting her feelings, but what else could I do? We could never be together again. If she were a shifter, I’d gladly take her as my mate. She was everything I could possibly want in a female, except for her being a slayer. A very strong one with sorceress powers, which only made matters worse. The woman had too much power if she lost control.
I landed, letting go of Rayna as soon as I was sure she stood steady enough. Steeling my resolve, I stepped back. How did you know to come here when you did?
She spun around and spoke aloud this time. “I was at the Taugud fortress to ask them for help with the Kandoran nest. Aidan said it would be a few weeks before he could have a force put together and that I needed to ask the Faegud for extra warriors because he couldn’t give me enough. Anyway, Kade insisted that Titan and I needed to come straight to you first.”
Ah, yes, Aidan’s uncle. He was a strange male, but he had a knack for seeing the future. I could do it for short-term predictions, too, but not for myself. I almost never got a warning when I was about to face trouble, which was rather annoying.
I need to repair my wards, I said.
Without another word, I stomped toward my territory line, tail swishing behind me. I had hoped it would deter her from following me, but I lacked such luck. As I searched for the precise spot where I’d need to repower the hidden stone buried a foot down, Rayna silently followed me. At least she wasn’t talking.
After searching for several minutes, I found it lightly pulsing. It lacked enough power to shield my land, but it wasn’t inert. I took a deep breath and began pushing my magic into the stone. After fueling a storm, I didn’t have much strength left, but I had enough to raise the ward again. It just wouldn’t be as strong as the rest of my border. I’d come back later to add more power once I’d rested.
“You’re injured and tired, Galadon. Let me help,” Rayna said.
No.
I noted Titan standing to the side, still in his red dragon form. He glared at me, and I suspected he didn’t like how I treated the slayer. For whatever reason, Rayna had won him over. I would have worried he had some sort of romantic interest in her, but I knew better. He wasn’t attracted to her in that way. Titan saw her only as a friend, so it kept my jealousy at bay. I hated the idea that any other male touching her could bother me so much. She was free to do what she wanted with whomever she wanted, and I had no right to feel otherwise.
“You’re nearly burned out,” she said, speaking calmly.
As the last vestiges of my power trickled through my fingertips, I pulled away. The ward shimmered, thin but present. It would do for now. I’d give myself eight hours to recuperate and then come back to fuel it further, and perhaps again tomorrow afternoon for good measure.
I rose to my full height. My wards must only have my power in them.
“Of course,” she said, throwing her hands up. “Zorya forbid anyone help you even a little.”
Rayna was beautiful when exasperated, which only made me scowl. Deep inside my mind, my inner beast rumbled with discontent. He understood that we needed to resist the slayer’s charms no matter how much she called to us. She was the enemy and always would be, no matter what she did or said. Still, the need to claim her thrummed within us whenever she came close. Why had fate been so cruel?
I appreciate your timely assistance, but you can go now, I said, wanting her to leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, I’d end up hurting her more, and I didn’t particularly enjoy doing it.
She crossed her arms. “I need to talk to you about something.” She glanced toward Titan, who crouched in wait in his dragon form. “Alone.”
This was personal and the last thing we needed to do.
I glared at her. As I've stated before, there is nothing more we need to say to each other.
Rayna stiffened under the weight of one of my fiercest looks that normally sent hardened warriors running. “Galadon. Please give me this one time to say what I need to say. After that, if you want, I’ll leave your life for good and never look back.”
I studied her face. The idea of never seeing her again created a physical ache in my chest, but it was for the best. Once I erased any doubt within her that I was not interested in anything further with her, we could both move on with our lives.
Tell Titan to carry you and follow me.
Without waiting, I launched into the air. Rayna was swift. Only a few moments passed before she’d reached the other dragon, and they flew close behind me. I stayed low, almost skimming the trees with my feet.
It occurred to me that if those Takaran hadn’t brought down my ward, Rayna and Titan couldn’t have entered the territory. My mother and a few members of the Faegud were keyed to enter, but otherwise, no one else could get past my magical forcefield. The pair could only remain now because I allowed it, but I’d cut them off after they left, hopefully within the hour. I was tired after the battle, injured, and not looking forward to the coming conversation with the slayer.
The landing pad came into view, and I dropped low once past the last budding trees before the clearing. Multiple small buildings dotted the area, though my mother’s new home was the most attractive with the large gray stones, front window, and wide doorway. I set my feet down and immediately began shifting as Ujala stepped outside.
Once I returned to my human form, I headed toward her, not looking back as Titan took my place to change form. “Mother, the slayer and I must talk. If you could provide her escort with refreshments, I would appreciate it.”
I didn’t wish to be a terrible host, especially to those who had just helped me.
She looked me up and down, concern pinching her brows. “You’re injured.”
“I’ve had much worse than this and will be fine.” My shoulder hurt, but the bite wounds were already knitting closed.
“What about Rayna?” she asked, tilting her head. “It must have been a long journey, and by the sounds of that battle, she undoubtedly exerted quite a bit of energy assisting you.”
She was right, though I hated to admit it.
“Very well. Feed them both, and then send her to my lair when she’s had her fill,” I said, stomping away without another word. I’d take this time to clean myself up before listening to whatever Rayna planned to say to me.