Chapter 5 Fear And Loathing #2
“We are Dragons! Are we afraid of a little dark and quiet?” Illarion gritted his jaw, which belied his words
“I guess not. We have to go anyway,” Caden pointed out.
“Let me go in first,” Valerius said.
“Oh, the big Black Dragon must stride ahead!” Illarion groused.
“I need you to protect Caden,” Valerius told him.
That brought Illarion up short who shrugged. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense. He is your most precious treasure. Who else should protect him, but me?”
“There is no one else here,” Valerius couldn’t quite help but point that out, Caden realized.
But Illarion just snorted and the Black Dragon King glided ahead of them down the hall towards the parents’ bedroom.
The door to the bedroom was open about four-inches.
There was no light shining out from there, any more than there was from any other room.
The shades were drawn, and he recalled Landry saying that her parents had invested in black out curtains so not even a scintilla of light could get inside their bedroom.
Her mother did shift work as a nurse and her father worked security, sometimes at night, so they slept often during the day. Those curtains were drawn now.
If Caden had still been human, he would have been able to see nothing at all.
But his night vision as a Shifter allowed him to see things in shades of green and black.
It was rather like having night vision goggles on.
So through the four-inch crack in the door, he could glimpse the bottom, right corner of the bed. He could also glimpse four legs.
One pair was covered in denim. The other pair was bare beneath the hem of a nightgown that hung down to the woman’s knees.
Ross had his mother held in front of him like a shield.
Caden could see Ross’ elbow was crooked so that his hand was over his mother’s mouth.
Her breathing was stentorious and her heart was racing in her chest.
Caden imagined what it must have been like when her three children snuck into her room at night, pulled her from bed, and slammed a hand over her mouth while another was wrapped so tightly across her torso that her ribs must have ached.
Landry’s father was likely in the same predicament.
Caden listened intently. The hearts, the breathing.
It let him know that Harvey had his father in a similar position while Landry was free to roam about the room.
But she was still as stone as well. Landry was standing ahead of her brothers, but just beyond the door’s crack.
Valerius met both Caden's and Illarion’s gazes.
It was just then that Caden noticed the Shifter eyeshine had become much brighter.
Their eyes were like jewels in the darkness, bound to give them away.
Valerius tipped his head towards the door and nodded, indicating that he would burst in first and that Caden and Illarion should fan out in the room after him.
But just as they were about to move, Landry’s voice came to him, fearful and unsure, “Caden?” They all froze. “Caden, is that you?”
Caden ridiculously wanted to answer, “Yeah, Landry, totally us. Sorry for sneaking up on you like this.”
Except, of course, Landry and her brothers had their parents in practical headlocks and were standing in pitch blackness.
This was not just a situation where Caden and the two other Dragon Shifters had made some terrible mistake.
The look in Valerius’ eyes told him that.
They needed to defuse this situation and then talk.
“Go!” Valerius commanded.
He shot through the door, but just as Caden was about to follow after him, Illarion grabbed a hold of Caden’s collar and yanked him back.
“No, don’t go in there! The scent! It’s toxic!” Illarion shouted in explanation.
“But Valerius--”
There was a roar, a combination of Valerius and Raziel crying out, and then a thud followed by girlish giggling that had the hair on Caden’s arms lifting on end.
“So predictable!” Landry purred in a voice that didn’t sound anything like her own. The reason was that though the person speaking was using her body, it wasn’t her. “Raziel always assumes he is invulnerable, plus he wanted to show off for you.”
Illarion, ironically, mirrored Ross and Harvey’s hold on their parents on Caden.
He had one hand across Caden’s mouth and the other across his chest. He was having to use quite a bit of strength as all of Caden wanted to go into that room to get to Valerius.
He saw the bottom of Valerius’ boots disappearing from view as Landry dragged him deeper inside.
Caden looked at Raziel and Iolaire. The White Dragon Spirit was peeking out of the wing. Raziel’s head drooped forward. It was unconscious.
Unconscious! Not dead! Can’t be dead! Not dead!
And, in fact, there were still plumes of smoke exiting Raziel’s mouth as it breathed. Iolaire moved more of the wing out of the way. It cooed uncertainly. One of its clawed forelimbs reached up and prodded the Black Dragon Spirit’s chest. But Raziel did not stir.
“Why aren’t you talking, Caden? Surely, you have something to say, Illarion?
Or has Mephous got your tongue?” Landry laughed shrilly.
“Remembering how I batted it away like the annoying fly it is? For once realizing you’re outclassed and outmatched?
What can you do, Illarion, after all? You’re a blunt, dumb instrument and that’s all you’ve ever been!
But not even the strongest blunt, dumb instrument! ”
Illarion had loosened his hand around Caden’s mouth. Caden twisted towards him and whispered, “Poison breath… Can you make them fall asleep?”
“Caden, the truth is in the name you gave it. Poison. Death,” Illarion answered. “Valerius will survive, but no one else in that room will.”
Would it come to that? If there was no other way to get Valerius out of there? Would he kill everyone to get to him? Caden realized that yes, he would. But this was fear talking. He sensed it like a miasma all around them.
Is this normal? Caden wondered. This cloying inability to think because of fear? Or is it a gift?
“Is it just me or is it hard to think?” Caden asked.
Illarion was staring at the floor, jaw clenched, body shaking with anger and fear. He looked like a man fighting himself.
“She’s right. I’m second rate,” Illarion murmured. “Not strong enough. Not smart enough. I can’t go in there--”
“Illarion?!” Caden’s voice rose up in alarm.
“I can’t do anything!” Illarion sank down onto the ground. “I’m losing control of everything. It’s all slipping away. I can’t--can’t keep anything!”
“Illarion, this is not you! It’s the Behemoth! The fear! The confusion! All of it!” Caden cried.
But Illarion did not seem to hear him at all. Caden’s lips writhed back from his teeth as he jerked his head back towards the still only partially-opened bedroom. He could see the gas that had caused Valerius to fall into immediate unconsciousness. It flowed through the room in heady waves.
Landry’s parents were limp forms now too.
This gas wasn’t restricted to the bedroom, but there was far less of it in the hall, but he and Illarion were breathing it in.
It wasn’t enough to make them faint, but it was turning Illarion into a stammering mass of insecurities and it had Caden afraid of his own shadow.
What can I do against the gas? Caden forced himself to think. I can’t hold my breath long enough to go in there and drag Valerius out, plus fight Landry and her brothers off. Would I even have enough time to freeze them before I passed out?
He highly doubted that and the thought of being at the mercy of the Behemoth caused his skin to crawl and that fear was not unwarranted.
So think! Gas can dissipate! Gas can be blown away…
Caden dug his fingernails into his palms as the fear started to ratchet up again to blur his thinking. He kept imagining what they were doing to Valerius. He kept thinking of them coming out into the hallway. Caden scrubbed his hands over his face to try and get himself to focus on the gas.
They’re not coming out here, because they’re scared of what Illarion and I can do, Caden told himself. They need to lure us into the room.
“Iolaire? Iolaire?” Landry’s voice grew deeper and louder. She was getting closer, but still they stayed in that bedroom where the drifts and currents of the gas were strongest. “I have missed you, Iolaire. I have a spot right for you. A spot made just for you. I’m not whole without you.”
Iolaire ducked down beneath Raziel’s wing and let out a warble of fear. Caden felt cold sweat coat his face and his hands shook. Illarion was on his knees still, speaking in Russian now about his weaknesses and failures, most likely.
Can I use some kind of Dragon’s breath to disburse the gas?
But the windows are closed! It has nowhere to go!
Caden considered this. The windows were shut, but they were glass.
Easily breakable. Iolaire, can we use some kind of breath that will break those windows and blow the gas out of that room without killing people?
At first, the White Dragon Spirit did not respond.
Iolaire, please! Valerius and Raziel are in danger! We need to save them! Caden pleaded.
Iolaire let out a soft twitter and the wing shifted as the White Dragon Spirit slowly emerged. Those big blue eyes were bigger than usual. Caden’s heart was hammering in his chest. He was shaking so badly his teeth were chattering with terror. But he knew that it was and wasn’t real.
We’ve got to do this, Iolaire! I need your help! Help me do this! Caden begged.
Iolaire completely emerged from Raziel’s shadows and Caden felt it intently in his mind.
They were so close then in thoughts that they could have been one person.
And Caden understood what they would have to do.
He needed Iolaire to be mostly in charge to make it happen.
Caden semi-stepped back so that Iolaire could pilot their human form.
“I have your old spot all ready for you. I will absorb you. I will take all of you. Your will will fall away like petals in a storm,” Landry threatened.
Caden turned towards the bedroom door. A figure was now in front of it. Landry.
Foolish, he found himself thinking. The Behemoth is as arrogant as Mephous. We’ve got this, Iolaire. We’ve got this.
Because they now had something to throw at the windows to break them. Caden dropped down to his haunches and opened his mouth as he expelled a breath. Except it wasn’t a human breath, but a Dragon one.
It was filled with blinding snow and stinging pellets of ice.
The force of it sent Landry flying back to the nearest window.
The blackout curtains saved her from being cut too badly as the glass and wooden frame of the window shattered and she was pushed out through it.
His breath gushed out of him and sent the gas flowing out along with Landry.
Landry wasn’t the only one to be shoved back. The boys had been sent flying as well, dropping their hostages to the ground in untidy heaps. Caden advanced into the room, not letting up. He wrapped the brothers in ice shrouds to keep them in place even as his eyes scanned the room for Valerius.
I found him!
Valerius was stretched out beside the bed.
His arms were splayed to his sides. His long black hair was like a halo around his head.
His eyes were closed. He looked peaceful, almost as if in normal sleep.
His chest rose and fell. He was all right!
Now Caden’s head was clear of fear, both because the gas was gone and Valerius was all right!
Caden heard running footsteps outside of the house.
Landry was sprinting away from the house and down the street.
“What the Hell happened?” Illarion asked.
“Keep a watch on these two and Valerius safe,” Caden commanded as he launched himself out of the window, “I’ve got to stop Landry!”
Without waiting for a reply, Caden shifted into the White Dragon and lifted up into the air. He and Iolaire were on the hunt.