dragons breath 01 - stalked by flames (31 page)

“Are you aware of Zoran’s battle plans?” Aidan asked.

“Yes. He wishes to prove himself to the clan,” the pendragon answered, letting out another cough. “You’ve inspired him.”

“This is too dangerous. We are not ready to expand our territory.”

His father let out a ragged sigh. “If you believe that to be so, then point it out to him.”

“It should come from you,” Aidan insisted. They both knew if he questioned his brother it would cause problems.

“Son, you have one of two choices—lead or let someone else do it. You must decide which you prefer.” The pendragon waved a hand at him. “Now go and let me rest.”

Aidan tried to argue further, but Throm wouldn’t listen. With a heavy heart, he walked away. How could his father let Zoran make such a grave mistake? This was the time to fortify their defenses and study the new land where they now lived. Attacking the pure dragons this soon would only weaken them. Aidan knew it, even if his father and brother did not.

He found several men and women passing out drinks to the warriors gathered outside the gates. When he joined them, Ember brought a cup of mead for him. What was she doing here? Ruari wasn’t even taking part in the battle.

“Here.” She held the cup out.

He took it. “My thanks.”

There was something in her gaze when it met his—a flash of malevolence she quickly hid. He stared down at his cup and suspected drinking it would cause his death one way or another. His dragon roared in his head, cautioning him further.

It wouldn’t be a poison that killed him right away. No, it would be one that weakened him just before the battle so that he could not fight at full strength. Considering it further, Aidan wondered if that wasn’t how some of the other candidates for pendragon had died. It had also been in battles, but in ones where they should have prevailed against their enemies.

Aidan looked up and found that Ember had moved away, heading for the gates. He had no way of being certain the poison was in his cup. If he called her out for it, they’d require the mead be tested on someone less important. Either someone else would become sick or he’d look like a fool for being paranoid should the mead prove untainted.

“A toast for the upcoming battle!” Zoran announced, raising his cup.

It was a tradition for warriors to drink together before heading out. Aidan checked to be sure no one was watching and poured his in the grass. While everyone else gulped theirs down, he pretended to drink his. The superstitious part of him was bothered that he couldn’t drink with his clan members. It was considered bad luck to not do so. He gritted his teeth as he realized Ruari had won this round whether Aidan consumed the mead or not.

Servants took the cups away. The warriors spread out and let the fire consume them as they shifted to their dragon forms. There was no time to waste now that they’d had their pre-battle drink. The twenty-two of them headed into the sky in a “V” formation, going northwest. Zoran gave instructions telepathically, letting them know what to expect at their first stop.

Aidan recognized the den his brother described, having noted it before. It was near the area where Bailey had been attacked by humans and damaged her truck. He’d known there was a nest there, but with ten dragons living there he and Donar couldn’t take it out on their own.

They came upon two large green dragons shortly before they reached the den. Zoran and another warrior known for his prowess attacked them. The rest of the group kept watch in case more showed up. In the air, there was little else they could do to help them.

When one green dragon fell from the sky, Aidan hurried down to check on it. The dragon’s wings and stomach were cut badly, but it wasn’t dead yet. It lay there heaving for breath with its legs twitching. He bit into its neck and broke it. He didn’t believe in letting an opponent suffer through a slow death. Not when he could end it quickly.

Another dragon landed a handful of paces away—Zoran’s kill. Aidan didn’t need to finish it off. The dragon had landed at a bad angle and broken its neck. He flew back up and joined the formation as they finished the journey to the first dragon den. Six of them were already taking to the air, having seen the red dragons coming.

Their formation swooped low and they worked together to knock their targets to the earth. Zoran had been showing off by fighting in the air, but a shape-shifter’s advantage was below. Their bodies were better designed than pure dragons for ground combat since their arms and legs were shaped more like humans.

Aidan joined Falcon in tearing one opponent apart. They made quick work of him and searched for another after they were finished. Two more dragons were approaching from the west—the remaining two for the den. They hovered in the air over the battle and blew streams of fire below. It was meant to provide cover so that their brethren could attempt to get away.

“Let’s take them down,”
Falcon said.

They flew up together with two other shape-shifters, going through the fire. Each warrior grabbed a green dragon leg and forcefully pulled the new arrivals to the ground. They struggled and fought the whole way. Once they had them on their backs, they tore into them with teeth and claws until no pure dragon moved.

“On to the next,”
Zoran announced to the group.

The second target was farther to the north. Aidan had not spotted it before, having avoided that particular section of town because the pure dragon patrols were too numerous for him and Donar to circumvent.

“We don’t have an accurate account of the number who stay in this den, but we estimate it at about twenty,”
his brother briefed them.

Aidan didn’t trust Zoran’s information. Based on what he’d seen by watching from the outskirts, the numbers had to be higher. He could only hope most of them were away.

They ran into a patrol of four well before reaching the den. A handful of warriors who had not fought yet surged ahead to prove their prowess. Aidan and Falcon watched as they took the dragons down. There had been no need for assistance.

Two more dragons appeared before they could move on. He and Falcon were the closest and flew to meet them. Aidan slashed at his opponent’s eyes and narrowly avoided getting bit in the neck. He went for his enemy’s wings next, tearing gashes into one of them. The green dragon flapped heavily trying to stay aloft. Aidan wasn’t large or strong enough to pull him down, but he kept slashing at the wings. His opponent sliced into his belly in return, sending fiery pain through him.

Aidan’s inner dragon roared with anger. He punched his opponent in the nose and went for his neck next, sinking his fangs deeply into the larger creature’s throat. Claws ripped at his back, but it didn’t damage his scales. Aidan eased his teeth, then bit down harder. Bones crunched as his jaw clamped tighter. His opponent went limp and he had to let go before getting dragged to the ground with him. There was no need to check, the dragon was dead.

Their formation flew on. Zoran’s head swung back, letting Aidan see the seething anger in his eyes.
“Well done, brother. I hadn’t thought you could win a fight in the air.”

His tone had been mocking. Aidan had no doubt Zoran brought him on this mission thinking he couldn’t fight as well in his dragon form. He and his brother rarely fought battles together and Zoran never invited him on select missions such as this.

The den came up ahead—a set of large buildings where they’d burned holes for access. At least two dozen dragons came pouring out of the structures. The tension within Zoran’s formation grew heavy. There was no way they could fight that many without losing at least a few of their own, but it was too late to turn back.

Zoran shouted encouragements in their minds as they drew closer and met the dragons in the air. Roars and snarls rose up as green against red collided. Aidan took on a dragon at the edge of the formation. It was even larger than the last one he’d fought and better at dodging his attempts to slash at its wings. He went to punch it in the nose, but it used its stubby front legs to swipe his arm away.

Aidan leaned back and struck out with the claws at his feet, managing to get a tear in the dragon’s belly. It thrust forward, going for his neck. He grabbed the dragon’s mouth and held it open, then roared blue and purple fire down his throat. Aidan couldn’t have said why he used the flames that were meant to fire-proof. No one ever used them in battle, but it worked. The pure dragon gurgled and clawed at his throat as if he couldn’t catch his breath. Aidan took the opportunity to rip his opponent’s wings to shreds. The creature plummeted to the earth.

He headed to the ground and found the dragon still struggling for air. Perhaps it would recover with time, he didn’t know. Aidan avoided its flailing legs and ripped into its belly, tearing it wide open. He reached within and found the heart. With one claw, he pierced it. The light went out in the dragon’s eyes and his body slackened. Aidan’s inner beast growled in satisfaction at the kill.

He gazed around and found all his brethren caught up in battles. Three green dragons lay dead aside from his own kill, but he also caught sight of a red dragon down. It was one of the youngest warriors in his group.

Aidan searched for who needed his help the most, but movement in the sky caught his attention. Another twenty pure dragons headed toward them. Whether they came from the same den or another, Aidan couldn’t have said. They swooped toward the ground, roaring out red and orange flames that filled the air.

Aidan lost sight of his group with all the fire surrounding them. He reached out and caught an arm—a scaled shape-shifter arm. The flames let up enough for him to see it was Falcon standing before him. His eyes had a grim look about them.

“We are outnumbered and many of us will die this day,”
the older warrior said.
“Let us take as many of the pure dragons down with us as we can.”

Aidan dipped his muzzle.
“I would gladly die in battle with you at my side.”

They entered the fray together, each grabbing an opponent. The green dragon he fought swiped at him, slashing into Aidan’s chest. The wound was deep and it took a moment to catch his breath. He punched his opponent in the nose. It sent the dragon back a step, but then he swung around to lash out with his tail. Aidan leaped up to avoid it, spreading his wings just enough to slow his descent back down.

His feet touched the earth and he tackled the dragon. His legs straddled his opponent on either side and he used his arms to keep flailing legs from striking him. Aidan bit down on the dragon’s throat, but didn’t get a good hold and was shaken off. He blew the purple and blue flames over his opponent’s face. Nothing happened. It must not work on anything except the soft tissue inside the body. Unless he got the dragon’s mouth open, that tactic wouldn’t be usable.

A set of claws tore at his left wing, sending shrieks of pain through him. It felt similar to cutting one’s finger on parchment paper, except his wings were larger and the slices much longer. Another swipe tore into his other wing. It was all he could do to hold the dragon beneath him down, but a backward glance let him see his second opponent.

Giving the beast inside him full rein, he let go of the human side of himself. He roared and bit down as hard as he could into the neck of the dragon beneath him. His sharp teeth crushed the throat. As he waited for his opponent’s struggles to stop, he lashed out with his tail at the one behind him. The spikes at the end caught on the soft scales of the dragon’s stomach. Aidan jerked them out.

The struggles below him stopped. He leaped off his dead opponent, spun around, and went after the one who’d been tearing into him from behind. They tumbled to the ground, rolling across it as they fought for the higher position. Their struggles were halted when they crashed into the body of a red dragon. It wasn’t the same one he’d seen before. Though he couldn’t glimpse the face from where he lay on the ground, the scent was of an older warrior.

Aidan pulled his leg up to his chest and kicked his opponent off of him. The dragon sailed back a few feet, giving him room to stand. He was jostled about as other fighters ran into him. There was hardly any room to move. Aidan leaped forward and went after his opponent again.

The dragon lashed at his belly, tearing into it. He wanted to roar at the pain wrenching at him, but his inner beast helped him fight his way through it. Rage unlike anything he’d felt before ran through him. He would not die this day and certainly not for his brother’s benefit.

As he ripped and tore into the dragon before him, he caught glimpses of the battle around him. At least five from among his clan were dead and most others faced two opponents. The odds were against them. They’d have to fight like they never had before to make it out of there alive.

Chapter 33

Bailey

“Damn, this is crazy,” Conrad said, gazing out the passenger side window.

I drove the truck down Alameda Street, moving at about ten miles per hour. Dead dragon bodies littered the area. They were on the road, in the parking lots, and one on a roof. Stray animals and birds fed on the guts spilling out of them as if they were at a feast. Between the corpses, carrion, and scorched pavement, I could hardly get through. The dragon slayer in me cheered at the sight, but the human in me found it appalling. So much loss of life.

We’d come to the east side of town to search for supplies and found this instead. My gut churned as I counted at least a dozen red dragons in the mix. This hadn’t been caused by a military strike, but a battle between clans.

“I hope Aidan wasn’t a part of this,” I said. Surely he would have said something if he planned to participate. At least given me some kind of warning in case he didn’t come back.

“Would you recognize his body?” Conrad asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied, rubbing at my face. “They’re all so torn up that even if he is out there I might not know it.” The thought terrified me because I still needed him—and I’d begun to care about him. He couldn’t be out in this mess, he just couldn’t.