Chapter 37 Abraxis
Abraxis
At the end of the week, Mina tests out of every class on her schedule and passes with nearly perfect marks.
I watch her from afar as she exits each examination room, her face set with determination that both worries and inspires me.
She will still get to graduate with her class, she just doesn’t have to be in the classes anymore.
The slight tension in her shoulders tells me all I need to know.
Her sole focus, besides our precious hatchlings, is ending the mage threat for generations to come.
The fierce purpose radiating from her sends both pride and fear coursing through my veins.
Addy and Garrett petition to join Mina’s flight, and she welcomes them back with open arms. I observe their reunion from across the courtyard, noting how Mina’s expression softens for the first time in days as she embraces her childhood friends.
The way her shoulders relax momentarily fills me with gratitude.
It’s good for her to have friends at a time like this, when the weight of our plans lies heavy on all of us.
The next day, I stand in the shadows of the stone courtyard, watching as Mina lies in her dragoness form, her emerald and silver scales gleaming in the sunlight like polished gemstones.
The hatchlings—our children—clamber over their mother’s massive form, their playful chirps and tiny roars cutting through the afternoon quiet.
My chest tightens at the sight, a mixture of love and fear for what’s to come.
“Are the preparations done?” Thauglor’s deep voice comes from beside me, his presence announced by the faint scent of ancient stone and mountain air. He keeps his eyes fixed on Mina and the hatchlings, his expression unreadable to anyone who doesn’t know him as well as I do.
“They are. We have enough white paint to paint part of my maw white and my father’s more than mine,” I answer, feeling the words vibrate in my chest. My eyes move briefly from Mina and the babies to Thauglor, then back to my daughter as she launches herself off her mother to glide through the air.
The sunlight catches on her tiny scales, sending flashes of light dancing across the courtyard stones.
“I think Mina’s scales rival the oldest iron dragons I’ve ever met,” Klauth says as he joins us, the sharp scent of brimstone announcing his arrival before his words do. The pride in his voice mirrors my own thoughts.
“She’s a living siege weapon,” I say, unable to keep the awe from my voice as I watch my mate toss her head, launching our daughter into the air. The joy on the hatchling’s face as she spreads her wings contrasts with the gravity of our conversation.
“So, what’s the final plan?” Klauth asks, his shoulder brushing against mine as he settles in to watch Mina and the babies. The slight physical contact is grounding, a reminder that I’m not alone in this fight.
“I’m going to be unshifted under Vox’s wing.
Mina is going to be under Abraxis’s wing.
When signaled, they will open their wings and shift back, and we will shift to our dragons and obliterate them.
” Thauglor speaks with such calm confidence that a chill runs down my spine despite the warmth of the day.
The casual way he discusses annihilation is a stark reminder of his age and experience.
“Where are we doing this?” I ask, realizing this part of the plan hadn’t been clear to me. The taste of anticipation is metallic on my tongue as I await his answer.
“Blackhaven,” Thauglor says, turning to look at me directly.
The intensity in his ancient eyes holds me in place.
“It makes more sense for a wyrm black dragon to hide in the home of the black dragons.” He tilts his head slightly, and I watch as Mina’s dragoness form responds to the subtle movement, stretching her long neck to nuzzle her nose against Thauglor.
The unspoken communication between them makes my heart ache with something like jealousy, though I quickly push it aside.
“The main reason is that we have too many hatchlings here that haven’t been anointed, and we don’t want them discovered,” Klauth adds, his logic solid and undeniable. The mention of our vulnerable young sends a surge of protective instinct through me, making my muscles tense involuntarily.
I watch as Mina shifts back to her human form, the air shimmering around her massive body as it contracts and reshapes.
Even after all this time, the elegance of her transformation takes my breath away.
The three hatchlings follow her lead, their tiny forms changing with a shimmer of light.
She guides them toward us, their little feet pattering against the stone like raindrops.
“This is a three-fold plan,” she says as she reaches us, gently urging the babies to shift into their human forms. With careful hands, she passes a baby to each of us, the weight of my daughter settling against my chest, warm and familiar.
Her tiny fingers curl into the fabric of my shirt as Mina continues, now empty-armed, “First, we see if my idea works. If it does, great.”
She draws in a deep breath, and I notice the subtle movement of bone plates beneath the skin of her face—a sign of the stress she’s under but trying to hide.
The sight sends a pang through my heart.
What we’re about to do is taking a toll on her, though she’d never admit it.
Her scent, usually reminiscent of a thunderstorm, now carries an undertone of something sharper—adrenaline and determination.
“What do you need us to do?” I ask, looking down at our daughter as she lays her head on my chest and closes her eyes. The complete trust in the gesture makes my throat tighten with emotion.
“Be prepared for anything,” Mina answers, her eyes shifting to a burning golden hue that sends a thrill of both fear and desire through me.
She draws another deep breath, her shoulders squaring.
“You, me, and Thauglor leave for Blackhaven tonight. Klauth and Balor will defend the babies and the nest here.”
I watch as she turns slowly, taking in the courtyard with all its ancient stones and memories.
The fading sunlight casts long shadows across her face, highlighting the sharp edges of her cheekbones, the determined set of her jaw.
When she turns back to me, the intensity in her eyes nearly stops my heart.
“We take no chances and do what needs to be done to keep everyone alive,” she says, her gaze drifting to our children. The fierce love and protectiveness in her expression is almost painful to witness—a mirror of what burns in my chest.
Without another word, she takes off at a run, her movements fluid and powerful.
My enhanced senses pick up the subtle change in the air as she shifts mid-stride, her human form melting away into the massive dragoness.
The sound of her wings catching the air sends a gust of wind toward us as she heads toward the upper nest.
I look back at the others and nod, my daughter still nestled securely against my chest. “She has a plan, and goddess, help us. She’s going to make it work one way or another.
” The words come out sounding more confident than I feel, but beneath the uncertainty, I know it’s true.
Mina will not fail—not with everything she loves at stake. And neither will I.
Every beat of my wings feels as if it may be my last. The muscles across my shoulders burn with exertion, each powerful stroke disturbing the cool air currents that whip past my scaled body.
Then again, the last time I flew into battle, I almost died.
The memory of searing pain and the smell of my blood haunts me even now, making my heart hammer against my chest scales.
Mina’s dragoness form dwarfs mine as she flies beside me, her emerald and silver scales catching the sunlight in blinding flashes.
Next to her, I feel like a mere hatchling—small and vulnerable, despite my considerable size.
Our mate is a little over half the size of Thauglor, who flies ahead of us both, his massive shadow darkening the ground below like an eclipse.
Mina’s growth is alarming—she’s damn close to wyrm status, a full five years early.
The power radiating from her sends vibrations through the air that I can feel against my wing membranes.
We circle the courtyard at Blackhaven, the familiar stone structures of my birthplace coming into sharp focus beneath us.
The scent of home—mountain stone, pine, and the lingering metallic tang of dragon blood from generations of training—floods my nostrils.
I release a thunderous roar that tears from my throat before angling my wings to descend.
The wind resistance pushes against my chest as I land with a heavy thud in the center of the courtyard, talons scraping against ancient stone.
I move aside, the heat from my exertion radiating off my scales as I shift and watch Thauglor land next.
The ground trembles beneath my feet with the force of his impact.
All around us, guards scramble back into the shadowed alcoves, their fear palpable in the air—a sharp, acrid scent that tickles my nostrils.
Their racing heartbeats drum in my ears as they press themselves against the cold stone walls, terrified by Thauglor’s arrival.
“Is that Mina?” My father’s voice reaches me from across the courtyard, the familiar deep timbre sending a wave of childhood memories washing over me.
He points skyward, his eyes fixed on my mate still riding the thermals high over Blackhaven.
Her silhouette blocks out the sun momentarily as she circles, powerful and graceful.