Chapter 17 Axel #2
As if I’d risk Jade’s life for something like this, Asteria says. Give me a little credit. I only got a human yesterday. I wouldn’t even consider flinging her into a conflict a day later.
“Thank goodness.” Liz groans as she shoves up to her feet.
She shifts her shoulders forward one at a time.
“I swear, the part of me that hurts the most isn’t even the place I had a hole blown in a while ago.
” She rolls her head around on her neck.
“It’s the parts on my back that were lying on these cursed swords.
” Her eyes widen, and she bites her lip.
It’s terribly cute, but it’s also clear she’s thought of something.
What is it?
She shakes her head. “I—” She gapes at me. I keep forgetting that we can talk this way now.
What did you just realize?
It happened again. She sighs. I was her—the woman named Gyda who was bonded to that Freja, the ice dragon.
And?
She swallows. And Freja gave me these swords. She stares at me. The ones that are on my back right now. Your swords, the ones you said were left for the earth dragons.
We all know you’re talking privately, Hyperion says. It’s extremely rude.
You know what’s worse? I snap. Losing all my memories, and I know how that feels, because you shoved me into a volcano.
Now Hyperion’s laughing. Did you finally regain those memories, brother?
I glare. Why would you ask that?
You’re acting just like you did before—one minute.
That’s how long it took from when you bonded her again to when you started snapping and snarling at anyone who so much as looks her direction.
It’s truly amazing. Hyperion looks ticked—pacing back and forth in a place where there isn’t really room for a blessed of his size to pace.
He barely gets three steps in before he has to turn around to keep from falling off the edge of the mountain.
Sammy, even without a bond, had Gordon following him around like that Fluff Dog creature.
Jade bonded Asteria yesterday and she’s already ordering her to fly over and heal her sister.
And Asteria’s listening. Now you’re already mimicking Liz’s rudeness.
Not to interrupt, Asteria says. But I’m going to drop Jade off at the hotel and return. If we don’t hurry, the blessed-loving humans might have already been escorted offsite.
“She’s getting smarter,” Liz says. “We should hurry, and we should come from the other side.”
“Shouldn’t Axel eat something first?” Jade asks.
It’s not a terrible idea. I toss my head toward my back so Liz will climb on.
“I can fly.”
I snort. Didn’t you just say we should hurry?
Liz scowls. “Hyperion was right. You’re rude.”
I can’t help my smile. Asteria, you drop off Jade, round up a few more volunteers, and once I’ve eaten, we’re going to find any humans who want to join us. . .and let them.
And we’re going to roast some soldiers who want to kill us, Hyperion says. Your sister Coral was telling me about the human Christmas celebration, but this sounds better than that to me.
Before Liz has climbed all the way up my back, she freezes. “Hyperion Flame Blessed, when and why were you talking to Coral?”
My brother frowns. Does it matter?
Liz’s hands tighten on my scales. “If you even so much as look her way, I will slice you to ribbons. Are we clear?”
My brother launches into the sky without answering.
Are your wings alright? I expected her to fly her way up to my back instead of climbing.
“They’re fine,” she says. “I’m just not pressing it.”
I feel the bond to see whether she’s telling the truth, and it feels like she is. Good decision.
I’m not about to admit that having her on my back feels right somehow, and I wish I hadn’t waited so long to bond her.
Liz directs me toward the pens to the west of Selfoss where the earth blessed were keeping the animals.
“Unless you prefer grubs.” Her eyes are sparkling.
“I hear that’s Gordon’s favorite, and he said that while Iceland isn’t great for bug life in general, there are some really great ones hiding in the black sand areas. ”
I shudder. Definitely not.
“That’s good—he wasn’t really very keen to share.”
Within half an hour, I’ve eaten—with Liz averting her eyes and plugging her ears—and we’re ready to open the portal.
“Do we have a plan?” Liz asks.
Don’t die, Hyperion says. And kill any of them who so much as look sideways at Liz.
“No, that’s a bad plan,” Liz says. “You only kill a solider if—”
He’s right, I say. If any of them even look at you, I will incinerate them. No fighting us about that, or we’ll leave you here.
“Not you, too.” Liz kicks me, as if that might bother me. “Listen, we’re going to try and find brights, remember?”
No, you’re going for brights. I say. I’m going to make them sorry they ever tried to harm you, and to make sure that none of them ever—
Liz pulls on my energy again, which is kind of cute, and she broadcasts as far as she can.
What Azar meant to say was that we saw lots of humans there who wanted to join us.
We’re going to try and make sure they don’t change their minds by acting unnecessarily aggressive.
She pauses her yammering long enough to scowl at me and Hyperion.
Now that Azar can shield me, you won’t have to worry about me being harmed.
So if you can’t shield your ensnared, leave them here.
We’ll be back with more brights, hopefully very soon.
She kicks me again. “Now, portal.”
I’m not your dutiful horse.
That makes her smile, which isn’t what I wanted exactly, but I don’t hate it either.
Before I can say anything else, Hyperion opens the portal. Let’s just go already. You two are as disgusting as ever. He flies through before anyone else, but in spite of his words, he’s smiling as he does it. Hello humans, he shouts. We’re baaaaack.
“Has someone been showing him old movies?” Liz asks. “Because he should not be watching those. I think they’re warping his already strange brain.”
But then we’re through the portal, and the teeming chaos below demands all our attention. The soldiers are actively shoving, clubbing, and threatening to shoot the sign-holding fans of the blessed.
“If you’re interested in coming back with us,” Liz shouts. “We’re ready to take you now. As you may have already noticed, I’m healed from the military’s vicious attack, and I brought even more friends.”
A soldier opens fire, aiming for Liz again, but this time, I’m ready. A bright red bubble pops into place, and Liz shakes her head.
“Not again, guys. That first shot was just beginner’s luck.”
Asteria swoops down low, bullets ricocheting off her belly and striking some of the humans.
“Wait,” Liz says.
But Asteria has already zapped the line of soldiers, and they all shudder and fall to the ground.
“I said that we shouldn’t—”
Calm down, Asteria says. I told my strike blessed to stun, and that’s what I’m doing too.
Liz is practically beaming, but Hyperion’s ticked. This is no fun at all. Definitely not as good as Christmas.
An hour later, we’ve identified six hundred and forty-three brights, incapacitated over three hundred soldiers, some of them repeatedly, and portaled the brights home. After the last portal closes, he finally stops grumbling.
It was probably faster than attacking randomly, my brother grudgingly admits. Especially since they came with us, giddy and pleasant. That’s better than drooling or kicking and screaming.
Liz is always right. That’s what I’m learning.
I can’t help being a little proud of her—she is mine, after all.
That thought makes me shiver with satisfaction.
It greatly exceeds any frustration I felt about Hyperion saying I behave strangely with Liz.
What does he know about strange? He’s saying things that make no sense and talking about Christmas.
He’s changed so much himself, he wouldn’t even recognize himself anymore.
After we’re all back without a single injured blessed, Liz says, “Tomorrow, let’s try and save my mom and the blessed they’ve been torturing.” She yawns. “But not until after I’ve slept.”
Save—who? Hyperion looks confused, so I fill him in. The glint in his eye is. . .predictable. Maybe this will be our Christmas.
“Your brain is so twisted,” Liz says. “We’re going to save dragons and my mother. Not to start another war—and starting a war is bad. Christmas is about love and peace and spending time with family.”
That’s why I said this would be our Christmas, he says. Yours sounds terrible.
“What makes killing people wonderful for you? Do you just like burning things?” Liz asks.
I can’t tell who she’s asking.
Yes, Hyperion and I say at the same time.
She rolls her eyes and flies away.
I nearly trip over Hyperion when I race to fly after her.
You don’t have to sleep, Hyperion says. And now that you can eat, you don’t need to worry about running out of energy. We could fly somewhere. Or, if you’re angry, you could attack me again.
No thanks. I can’t help my smug smile. You need to bond a human, I say. Then you won’t be so needy.
Hyperion’s insulting me when I fly off after Liz, but I don’t care. Not much, anyway.
By the time I catch Liz, she’s flying through the hole in the side of the Hotel Selfoss. Who blasted this hole? I’ve been meaning to ask.
You did, she says on a private thread.
I like that you’re speaking to me this way. I can’t help my smile. You must be pleased to finally be bonded again?
Liz points.
Gordon’s coiled up in the corner, like he has been for the past few nights, but when I look closer, I notice why she’s pointing. Sammy’s lying on top of the pile. Gordon’s not asleep. He’s staring at Sammy, smiling idiotically.
Like an idiot.
Which is probably how I’ve looked. Ugh.
Right by the exit, Asteria’s curled up, too, and right next to her, nestled in a pile of blankets, is Jade. Her chest is rising and falling, her eyes closed. Asteria’s not smiling like an idiot, but she looks wistful.
I understand now, Asteria says. It’s. . .you just want to take care of them. Doing so makes you feel. . .satisfied. Complete.
“I think it’s like that because you’re both happy with the bond,” Liz whispers. “It’s certainly not always like that.”
Shh, Asteria hisses. Don’t wake her up.
“They’re bonded now, dummy,” Liz whispers. “As brights, they could always hear your telepathic hissing.” Which is why I was using the private communication with you.
That hurts a little—I thought she was using it with me because she wanted to, not because she didn’t want to wake her siblings. But why do I care? I’m shaping up to be just as bad as Gordon.
I don’t hiss. I sound elegant. But Asteria lowers her tone quite a bit, I notice.
“You can go,” I say. “I’ll be just fine here.”
I look pointedly at Asteria and Gordon, responding to her privately. I don’t want to sleep in some communal opening while you just disappear.
Liz rolls her eyes. “Well, too bad.”
We’re bonded now. That means I can stay.
Yes, we all know, Asteria says. You don’t have to brag. I’m sure you’ll be entwined again any moment.
But how did we entwine? Did we do it quickly?
His missing memory annoys even me, Asteria says. It’s made him an idiot.
She’s changed—the old Asteria was never crabby. They’ve all changed—Hyperion, Gordon, Rufus. They’re all different than they were when we came here. I might not have noticed before, since I was changing too, but the humans—Liz—has changed them all. Jade, Coral, and Sammy, they’ve changed us too.
Now that I’m finally catching up, I don’t hate it.
I’m not leaving. I land and follow Liz. I wish you’d stay on this side.
She stops and turns, placing her hand on my leg. Azar.
When she touches me, I like it.
But when she says my name, I really like it.
She yanks her hand away. Stop being so clingy. She glares. You only bonded me so I wouldn’t die. I understand that. Believe me. And you can’t follow me through that door. You’re too big.
I shift into Axel.
She rolls her eyes again. Still too big.
I drop to the floor, my head now on level with hers.
You almost died today. I want to say more—I want to tell her that it scared me.
I want to tell her that I can’t have her walk away, not when I just got her back.
I want her to touch me again and say my name.
I want her to curl up next to me if she’s cold, and I’ll keep her warm.
I want the chance to incinerate anyone who threatens her, and I can’t do that if she’s not beside me.
“Apparently my near-death turned you into a golden retriever.”
A golden what?
“It’s a dog, Axel. A dog that won’t leave its owner alone.”
As if her words called it, the little dog in the other room starts barking. Liz whips the door open and crouches, and Fluff Dog leaps into her arms, licking her face.
Stupid lucky punk.
I want to lick her face.
It’s a strange thought, but even as I want to discard it, I can’t. I want to touch her face, and I want to touch her mouth, and I want. . .Hyperion’s right. There is something wrong with me.
Liz starts walking through the tiny doorway with the fluffy thing.
Why does he get to go with you?
Liz spins then, setting Fluff Dog on the floor to yip and bounce and nip at her pants. She points. “Coral’s in there all alone,” she whispers. “I’m going to go and spend some time with her, alright?”
You should let her bond a blessed, too.
I expect her to argue, but she just arches one eyebrow. “I’m going to teach you something your mother should have.” She looks utterly serious. “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
After spouting that bizarre, unintelligible phrase, she slams the door in my face. And that’s how I get stuck waiting on her while she sleeps—alone. At least the other blessed who are as pathetic as I am are all lying with or beside their bonded humans.
Almost an hour later, Rufus shows up.
He probably understands somewhat. Like me, he’s all alone.
You need to bond someone tomorrow. I hold his gaze. I mean it.
His half-hearted nod isn’t very reassuring.
Why haven’t you?
He shrugs again.
Tell me.
Rufus drops his head on his front legs and sighs. I’m happy Sammy and Gordon, and Asteria and Jade are bonded, but they’re the humans who taught me what humans should be. None of the other humans really feel quite right. I guess I’m just looking for a good fit.
And if you don’t find one?
I’ve already lived much longer than most earth blessed. He closes his eyes. It’s enough.
We’ve all changed, alright. I’m just not sure all of it’s good. It looks like loving someone who doesn’t love you as much is just another way to experience pain.