Chapter 16 Help Arrives
Help Arrives
“They’re moving,” Valerius said, eyes widening. “Why are they moving?”
The horde shuffled towards Caden’s body.
They were making this low hum. They packed tightly around Caden in a tight circle.
It was like they were one being. They moved around Caden in a circle.
Every limb shifted at the same time. Every body turned and tilted at the same time.
Every head looked in the same direction. They swirled around Caden.
“What the Hell is happening?” Illarion growled. “What are they doing?”
Valerius took a single step inside the cavern and felt pain slice through him. For a minute, he couldn’t breathe. He sank down onto his knees and clutched his chest. He fell over onto his side. Pain filled him.
Agony.
Agony.
AGONY.
Illarion yanked him back into the tunnel. He cradled Valerius on his thighs, hawking over him like some massive Russian bird of prey. Or a mother hen. Maybe a combination of both. He wasn’t sure.
“What is wrong with you?” Illarion hissed, looking more afraid than angry. “Are you having a heart attack or are you bleeding to death? Is this a human thing?”
“No… no.” Valerius licked his lips. It felt like he couldn’t get any air. His vision was coming in and out. He felt on the cusp of passing out. But the pain was radiating through his body, not from his body. “R-Raziel… something is wrong with Raziel.”
“What?! What could be wrong with Raziel? He’s--he’s Raziel!” Illarion seemed to be having trouble breathing too.
“I--I don’t know but… but Raziel and Caden went to face the Behemoth…” Valerius’ lips went numb saying those words.
The last time that Raziel had faced the Behemoth, it had not been alone, but with all of the Dragons.
As powerful as Raziel was, the Behemoth was more so.
He hated to admit this. He didn’t want to admit this.
But the weakness he felt. The sense of loss was so intense that he felt scraped down to bone and gristle.
Raziel… Raziel… can you hear me?
Nothing.
But that didn’t mean anything. Valerius looked into Raziel’s lair. Landry was pacing. Her brothers were sitting on the floor, heads in hands. Jasper just stared at the “mirror” back at him.
“What’s wrong with you?” Jasper asked.
Valerius grimaced. He didn’t answer Jasper, but focused on Landry, Can you see where they are fighting from the lair?
Landry stopped her pacing. “Yes! Yes, hold on! I think I can see the crater from the outside!”
Landry ran from the lair.
“We heard roaring. But it stopped.” Jasper hugged himself tightly. “Did Raziel fail just like you did?”
You better hope Raziel did not or you will never leave there, Jasper, Valerius growled, even though it was a weak growl. Though, really, if Jasper did return he would be going to prison.
“Why can’t you Shifters do something for us?!” Jasper cried and threw up his hands.
It seemed to last forever while they waited for Landry. But she came back, white-faced and breathing hard. She put her hands on her thighs and looked annoyed at herself.
“I know I don’t actually have my body here so it shouldn’t matter that I never work out! So why am I breathless?” Landry gasped.
What did you see, Landry? Valerius felt such dread asking this question.
“Nothing,” she said, but her expression did not look relieved. “I--I should have seen Raziel flying from here. But there’s no one there! No Raziel. No Behemoth. Nothing.”
Valerius stared upwards at the tunnel’s ceiling, but he did not see it.
He saw nothing but a black void. If Raziel was not flying there were two possibilities as to what happened to his Spirit.
The first was that Raziel was fighting the Behemoth on the ground.
Unlikely, as that would eliminate Raziel’s greater maneuverability.
The second was that Raziel had been knocked out of the sky.
And considering how Valerius felt, he thought the second was more likely.
Raziel on the ground.
Raziel bleeding, burned, broken…
I am not there with Raziel. My Spirit is in pain. And I am not there. My Spirit is alone...
Illarion’s expression was becoming more and more alarmed. He shook Valerius. “What is going on with you? You cannot do this now! We’re so close! Caden needs you!”
Valerius blinked. Raziel was not alone. Caden was with him.
Caden…
Valerius rocketed upwards. He gasped as his whole body cried out in pain. He clutched Illarion’s shoulder and gritted his teeth.
“We have to get Caden’s body. Now,” Valerius gasped.
“Do you have a plan this time? Because I think we need one,” Illarion said as he craned his head around the end of the tunnel.
“What are they doing?” Valerius demanded, feeling dread fill him even more.
“Still playing ring-around-a-rosie,” Illarion reported.
Valerius’ eyebrows rose. “I didn’t think you would know such a game.”
“I was in London during the last Black Death,” Illarion answered with a shrug.
Valerius shook himself. “The Black Death will seem like a cakewalk if we don’t stop this. Your powers, Illarion, what are they?”
Illarion frowned. “Why--”
“Are any of them not fatal?” Valerius asked.
“Are any of yours?” Illarion hit back.
“No.” Valerius grimaced. “Even if I was willing to have you gas them, Caden’s body is in there. It will kill him, too.”
Illarion clenched his jaw. A vein throbbed in his right temple. “I could run in there and grab Caden--”
“Caden and Anwar were overwhelmed by a fraction of this amount of the horde,” Valerius told him.
“Then I shift as soon as I get inside of there, scoop Caden up and then shift back and we… we run…” Illarion looked at Valerius’ panting, gasping form.
The blood he was losing had slowed to a trickle. That was the only good thing.
“If we must run, I will find a way to do so,” Valerius got out.
Illarion’s eyebrows rose. “Really? Because I think you are committing suicide if we count on you outrunning the horde.”
“Then what--”
“Shhhhh.” Illarion slapped a hand over Valerius’ lips as he stared down the tunnel, from the way they had come. Illarion’s much keener hearing and eyesight were being triggered by something. “Someone is there… many someones.”
“The horde?” Valerius’ voice was muffled under Illarion’s hand. He didn’t have the strength to pry it off.
“No… I… ah! Finally! Where have you all been?!” Illarion asked.
Valerius saw several dark shapes materialize into the other Dragon Shifters.
He almost let out a sob of relief. Esme and Anwar were in the lead.
Despite being in the foul tunnels, she was still dressed in a soft blue gown and heels while Anwar was still naked as the day.
Tez and Kaila were holding hands as Tez appeared terrified by all the dirt and grime, or maybe the tunnels were causing him to remember his time in the mines. Jahara and Mei brought up the rear.
“What have you done to Valerius, Illarion?” Esme demanded as she took in his supine state.
“He’s bleeding! Oh, oh, my!” Tez cried and covered his mouth with his free hand.
“It’s okay, Tez. This is Valerius! Nothing bad can happen to him,” Kaila assured the Gold Dragon.
If only that were true, Valerius thought.
Anwar appeared stricken. Valerius saw guilt flow through the Silver Dragon King. He wanted to assure him that it wasn’t his fault. They had all underestimated the Behemoth. Him, most of all.
“Let me see that.” Jahara kneeled down beside him and looked at the gash in his leg. “This is bad, but it should have healed. Something is wrong here.”
That was truly the understatement of the year. Valerius bit down on the hysterical laughter that wanted to pour out of him.
“Raziel is… is away. Fighting the Behemoth with Caden in the Spirit Realm,” Valerius got out.
Jahara ripped her flowing skirt and used that as a bandage around his leg while the others stared at him in confusion.
“Our Spirits are only with us when they’re in their lairs,” Illarion explained. “Raziel had to leave the lair in order to fight the Behemoth. So Valerius is… well, mostly, human and mortal until Raziel returns to the lair.”
“What do you mean?” Anwar asked. “That Evren is--is locked in his lair?”
“All of our Spirits are stuck in their lairs,” Illarion answered with a bitter grunt. “They’re goddamned prisoners. Because if they leave, we become like Valerius here. And they don’t want to do that.”
“But Lana’s never said that!” Kaila’s gaze turned inwards then her gaze sharpened again. “But it’s true!”
“Evren confirms it too!” Anwar shook his head as if to deny that affirmation.
Valerius understood their shock and horror. He and Illarion had gotten a chance to accept it. And right now he wished Raziel were safe and sound in that lair. But the others still needed to wrestle with it. Only there wasn’t time.
“Raziel will be back soon though, won’t he?” Tez asked, the hand near his mouth fluttering nervously.
“I…” Valerius grimaced as fresh pain washed through him that did not come from his body’s injuries.
“Raziel went to fight the Behemoth alone?” Mei asked softly.
Alone. Raziel and Caden are alone there.
“There was no choice. The Behemoth has Iolaire in the Spirit Realm,” Valerius explained and grunted as Jahara drew the bandage tight.
“I’m sorry, but we need you to not bleed to death before Raziel does return,” Jahara apologized.
“Is Raziel returning?” Mei continued, undeterred.
“Mei! How could you ask that?” Esme glared daggers at her.
“Look at him, Esme. He’s a step away from death,” Mei said quietly. “I’m just asking what we need to know. Pretending it's not happening won’t make it false.”
“I can see as well as you, Mei.” Esme put a comforting hand on Valerius’ shoulder. “But sometimes we don’t need to say what we see.”
“But is--is Raziel coming back?” Tez asked, eyes huge and bright with tears.
“I--I don’t know,” Valerius answered and his voice cracked. “If they don’t stop Iolaire from being assimilated then Raziel will be next in any case, because they are mates.”