Chapter Twenty-One #3
She nods and we start forward. She leads us into the center tunnel, the smooth stone slick under my boots.
We walk a ways, and as we turn a corner, the flickering light fades, leaving us in pitch black.
I can’t use my magic to light it as I did on the way in, lest my lightning discharge to Ollie or Finn.
“The one time I want to see Kai,” I grumble.
Finn chuckles weakly. “You... love... him.”
“I most certainly do not. A little fire wouldn’t be amiss right now, is all.”
From ahead of us, Ollie snorts. “Schmoopy dragon.”
I snarl. “I’m going to fuck both of you little sluts into the ground once we’re home.”
Finn lets out a tiny laugh, “Yes... daddy.”
I purr, “Daddy, hmm?”
“Oh, no, Kai’s definitely the daddy,” Ollie mutters, and I growl.
“Shit,” Ollie whispers. “This is wrong. We never took this hard of a right.”
“Keep going, we’ll get somewhere,” I mutter, readjusting Finn’s arm over my neck. He lets out a little pain sound and I wince.
We walk in silence for entirely too long for my liking.
But when sounds filter in, it’s worse than the silence.
Metal clashing. Dragons screaming. Fighting.
“Fuck!” Ollie curses, anger clear. “No one was to attack until we were clear!”
“C’mon, it can’t be far,” I say, as I try to hurry without jostling Finn too much. “I need to shift, Oleander. You need to stay with Finnick in the tunnel.”
Light is filtering in, bright to our eyes.
“No fucking way, Vale.”
“Sorry,” Finn murmurs, voice thin.
“Yes,” I snarl to Ollie, “You must protect him and keep you both safe while I fly and kill.”
“No. You carry Finnick in your claws, fly and kill, I’ll be on the ground poisoning anyone I can get my hands on.”
“I swear to—”
But Ollie yelps, and suddenly she’s gone, a bright hole where she was standing.
“Star!” I scream as I hurry to the edge.
“I’m fine,” she calls.
I lean over and see it’s not a far drop onto rocky ground covered with sparse plants. But the sounds of battle are entirely too close.
“I can see the armada on the coast,” she calls, “The thunder is on the way, I can see them. I’m off, I’ll meet you at the Cathedral.”
“Fuck! Oleander!” I scream, trying to lower Finnick through the hole.
I suddenly understand Kai’s desire to spank her.
Finn grunts as he hits the ground.
I drop beside him, scanning the sky for my mother.
“Sorry, Vale,” he apologizes.
“Shut up,” I spit before I shift.
I let out a scream, grabbing Finn under the arms by my front feet. I push hard with my back legs, flapping for all I’m worth to get off the ground.
The armada is landing on the black sand beach on the west of the narrow isthmus.
Soldiers from the first ships are streaming towards the Cathedral.
I search for Ollie and find her white head flitting between bushes, far ahead of the soldiers.
I hope she stays that way. I turn, seeing Rowan leading half of the thunder from the east.
I spin back to find Ollie again, probably making poor Finnick ill.
But now I see the servants, and the small contingent of guardsmen of the Monkwick family, and worst of all, the people of the small town from north of the Cathedral, running towards the armada, determined to protect themselves, their homes, armed with hammers and farm tools.
I scream again, my mind reaching for Egan’s. Drop! Attack!
It only takes a moment for them to drop out of the clouds. I hear my mother speak to me, Ilma, and Egan: Divide as discussed, no quarter. Burn any Fae that’s not dragonkin.
I respond quickly, Not my mates. And try to avoid the townsfolk.
I feel my mother scoff but the orders go out.
I turn, rising, looking for Ollie. A hawkish cry pierces the air and I tilt my head up just as the flight of griffons drops.
The tiny shifter leads one contingent and the foul-tempered captain with the purple hair guides another further inland, headed towards the seat of the Monkwicks.
I head in the same direction, looking for Oleander, fearful that she’ll get trapped between the guard and the soldiers.
Why don’t these fools know the armada is on their side? Egan hisses into my brain.
I don’t know. The townsfolk might simply be uninformed but the guard should know that the armada belongs to King Alder, who their masters have aligned with. Mayhap they do?
My eyes take them in just as the clashes start. The servants are veering right, headed to back the townsfolk who are battling the soldiers.
I realize that the guards seem rather aimless.
I turn my attention back to finding Ollie. She seems to have disappeared. I scan near the Cathedral for her, hoping she made it already, but nothing. Fuck.
I drop low, surveying in large arcs, trying to find her.
Screams behind me make my scales itch. I can feel the magic the dragons are unleashing, and I swear I can hear the ships burning. Ahead of me, I see the griffons led by the tall Fae land. Archers and magic users dismount and line up as griffons take back to the air to harry the attackers.
I cannot find Ollie. My mind buzzes with the need to make sure she’s safe. I watch arrows fly and I swear to Goddess if she is hit by friendly fire, I’m eating an archer. I drop lower, looking.
Pain sears my tail and I spin, jaw opening. I flick my tail and I feel something dislodge from between my scales. I send a fraying bolt of lightning towards the soldiers behind me.
My magic is, thankfully, a quick killer, as I’m not of the constitution to deal with crying, vomiting, and the smell of roasting meat.
Swords clash as the guards come upon the now-landed griffon riders. I rise, worried about Finnick, limp in my claws. I search the skies.
The smoke from the ships is thick but movement draws my gaze. A griffon with a Fae on its back, circling the Cathedral. Lonan.
Rowan or Egan! I need a golden! Send one to me. To the Cathedral!
I fly as fast as I can, still keeping an eye out for Ollie’s white hair. Lonan must spot me for he heads for the battle. I come to a screeching back-wing landing, laying Finnick down on his back before hitting the ground myself.
“Where’s Ollie?” Kai snarls as he runs for Finn.
“Hello to you too, fire boy,” I grumble as soon as I have vocal chords again. I drop to my knees by Finn, but my eyes catch on a mostly man-shaped lump inside a woven bag, stained in multiple places with something sticky and red.
“She’s on her way, I couldn’t carry them both. Besides, the awful bitch ran off on me. Feel free to spank her ass later.”
“What the fuck—” but he breaks off as shade overtakes us.
Little brother, the old golden hums into my mind as he lands hard enough to shake the ground. He’s huge, his head nearly the size of me in my dragon form, and he is missing several of his facial spines, broken near the roots.
An elder.
He lays his head upon the ground next to us.
“Thank you, elder brother, I need your help,” I speak aloud for Kai. Not sure why, though, asshole.
Little storm sister said as much.
“Take this Fae, he is injured, and is dear to me. Be careful with him. Grab this sack too, no special care needed.”
Kai clears his throat. “Can he take them straight to Thistle Grove?”
Where?
“Small town, wooden keep, northwest of Misery Bay.”
Of course. I shall return to my cave after, though. He blinks his blue dinner plate-sized eye at me, in a stern manner.
“Yes, if you deliver him safely, I consider your debt to Balthazar complete.”
Excellent. Let me know if that mother of yours takes her rightful place. She is Narisa’s true heir.
And with that, he lifts his upper body up, using one front paw to carefully curl around Finnick, his entire body safely ensconced in it. He takes off, wings flattening the plants, blotting out the sky. His massive tail swings around and, using a large spike, he snags the bag holding Ordained Rafe.
I turn to Kai but as I open my mouth Ollie screams into my mind.
Help!
“Coming!” I yell as I shift, lifting off the ground quickly.
Where are you, treasure?
I head high, searching for her. I turn in a circle, Kai and his griffon quickly catching up below me. I see townsfolk fighting against the soldiers and small contingent of guards.
Kai takes off to the east and I start after him, moving slowly as I look for Ollie. I spot Lonan circling over a battle before he makes a quick landing. That’s where Kai is headed. I gain more height, again looking for Ollie.
There. There she is!
Not far from Lonan, thank Goddess. I angle towards her just as a guard attacks her, slashing with his sword. She ducks, spinning, as I taught her long ago to get away from a man who wants to grope. I see the flash of a dagger in her hand.
Time seems to slow and the air feels thick.
I’m not flying fast enough. I can’t get to her in time.