The Chronicles of Dragon Collection (Series 1 Omnibus, Books 1-10) (124 page)

CHAPTER 14

One of the greatest of dragons in the realm soared above the clouds with his great wings beating. His scales were a colored blend of iron, copper, brass, and traces of silver. He was the leader of the sky raider breed, who were some of the largest dragons. Flying fortresses in the sky. All the dragons knew him by name. Inferno.

He hadn’t landed in days. Instead, he watched Nalzambor from above, spying on enemies. He and his breed thwarted efforts wherever good people rallied. Farmland and villages burned. Lives were snuffed out in the moon and sun light. When he dropped through the clouds, the wind made a terrifying whistle between his horns. His armored belly rumbled.

Below, a herd of cattle began to stampede. Inferno bellowed a monstrous sound that bent the grass and shook the leaves from the trees. Stunned, some of the cattle staggered, shaking the horns on their heads. Others doubled over on their knees and rolled over.

Ten times their size, Inferno landed among them. His eyes were burning coals. He snatched a bull from the ground and tossed it into his mouth whole.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Gulp!

Inferno grabbed another and ate, and another. One more he swallowed whole. When he had finished, he’d eaten over twenty head of cattle. His neck swayed from side to side, and his eyes narrowed.

Burrrrrrp!

The noise was so loud, even more leaves fell off the trees. Inferno ate three more and moaned. His claw patted his belly. He blew a fog of smoke from his snout.

Puff!

Picking his teeth with the long claw on his left forefinger, he strolled through the grasses, head lowered. He took a deep draw through his nostrils and smelled something living that was not cattle. Men. Fear. Sweat. He could smell it all.

When Inferno neared a grove, a rider on horseback burst free.

Inferno spat flame, setting both man and horse on fire. A clamor of cries rose within the trees, and Inferno pressed within. Trees snapped and fell, uprooted. A volley of arrows zinged off his nose.

A small regiment of Legionnaires lurked within the woodland.

Inferno’s chest expanded and glowed with a bright orange light right before he unleashed a flood of fire.

Man and horse screamed.

Inferno stomped everything that moved and burned. Metal armor and strong bones collapsed under his great might. In seconds, the grove was a blaze of fallen wood ruins.

In his great dragon voice, he chuckled. Scanning left to right, he snorted, spread his wings, and lifted himself up and out of the blaze.

Whump. Whump. Whump.

He lifted toward the clouds, a bit slower this time. His belly hung a little low, and there was more effort in his wings. He sounded another triumphant roar down at the valley. Cattle still stampeded, trampling anything in their path. Fear. Inferno thrived on it. He recalled the last dragon war. All he had terrified. All he had killed. Man and dragon alike.

Soon won’t be soon enough.

He loved war. He loved battle. The mere thought of it made him salivate. Lava dripped from his jaws. He tilted his head toward the heavens and beat his wings a little harder. His great frame and bulging belly lifted upward and began to pass through the first layer of mist.

A blue streak zinged out of the clouds, right past his nose.

What!

Inferno dropped his neck and turned in the air toward it. It was a dragon. A blue streak, no less. One of the good ones.

I’ll have you for a snack!

Behind him, more blue streaks darted out of the clouds and latched onto his wings.

You dare!

Lightning burst from their mouths, singeing his scales.

Inferno roared, spun, and writhed in the air. Wings pinned by a dozen smaller dragons, he plummeted toward the ground. A second before he hit the rocks, the blue dragons fled him.

WHAM!

The entire valley shook.

Hot with rage, Inferno reared up.

I’ll kill every one of you little fleas!

The blue streaks, fast and sleek, peppered Inferno with jolts of lightning that lanced through scales and skin.

His tail lashed out, knocking two from the sky. His great claw swatted another from the sky. He gushed out fire and terrible roars.

The blue streaks darted in and out of his fury, striking his eyes and blasting his nose. The wounds were more annoying than fatal.

You rodents cannot kill me!

He slapped another blue dragon from the sky with his tail and stomped it under his great claws, grinding it into the ground.

Only half of the small dragon force remained, and many of them were wounded. They broke off the attack and jetted skyward, vanishing in the clouds.

You will not escape me!

He spread out his great wings. The veils of skin that made up his wings were shredded.

Noooo!

He lifted his great neck skyward. The blue streak dragons reappeared, circling wide above him.

You dare mock me! You think you can end the great Inferno! My wings will heal in no time!

Suddenly, his eyes shone like fiery moons.

Another dragon dropped through the clouds and right through the ring of blue dragons. Big and vast, the steel dragon, half the size of Inferno, led a train of good dragons—more than he could count—of all colors and sizes. They swooped down, hovered in the air, and surrounded Inferno.

You’ll pay for this!

It was the steel dragon’s thoughts that responded.

Perhaps, but you won’t be around to see it. Annihilate him!
it ordered.

Dragon breath—flames, balls, lances, shards, and bolts of power—blasted from hundreds of dragon mouths, pounding Inferno into the ground. The wroth heat bubbled his scales. His horns caught fire. His wings disintegrated. Drawing up all his power, he let out the greatest blast he had in him. Fire erupted from his mighty jaws, coating three dragons with liquid fire in the sky.

I’ll take you all! I’ll take you all with me! I’ll—ulp!

A blue streak dragon flew inside his mouth with a green orb of energy carried in its claws. A moment later it zipped out—empty handed—narrowly missing Inferno’s snapping teeth.

The dragons in the sky pounded him with their fierce breath once again. Geysers of power came from green, yellow, red, and blue dragons of many varieties and colors.

Sluggish, Inferno raised his weary head. Pain throbbed in every scale. He leered at the steel dragon and filled his breath once more. All the dragons had landed and surrounded him.

I wouldn’t do that if I were you.

Inferno scoffed.

Why? Because there is an orb in me?

It will kill you instantly. Surrender and go home to the king. Ask for mercy.

Never.

Then you will die.

Then I’ll take all of you with me.

The steel dragon’s eyes went wide.

Move!

Inferno let out a gust of flame. And exploded.

Most of the good dragons survived, recovered, and stared down into the smoking crater. Only scales, horn, and pieces of bone remained of the vanquished Inferno and almost half their comrades.

A threatening roar came from high in the sky.

On the ready, dragons!
the steel dragon said, twisting his great neck in the air.

Inferno’s brood, the sky raiders, blackened the sky in the dozens.

“Vengeance comes!”

CHAPTER 15

Nath snapped up into a sitting position.

“Agh!”

Shards of pain lanced through his body.

“Oh,” he moaned, slowly collapsing back down on the bed. He tried to rub his sore head, but could barely move his sore arms. He narrowed his aching eyes and turned his chin from the candlelight that blurred the distance. “Where am I? What happened?”

“You jumped off your balcony, you fool,” a harsh woman’s voice said.

It was Selene, but Nath couldn’t see her.

As his memories rushed back to him, every bit of his awakened body began to throb. He’d jumped and plummeted a thousand feet. He hadn’t meant to. His intent had been to regain his dragon form and fly. Halfway down, he panicked. Mouth screaming and arms flailing, his life flashed in clips of his two hundred twenty-five years. In a split second, he met the sweet kiss of the bone-crushing street. Lucky for him, he didn’t feel a thing, until now. And he wasn’t dead. At least, he didn’t think he was.

“So, I live?”

“Call it a miracle. They often favor the foolish.” Her face appeared before him. A hard scowl. A look that wanted to kill him herself. But there was worry behind her dark eyes. “Patience, Nath. It’s no wonder you can’t take dragon form. You have no patience.”

He propped himself up on his elbows.

“Ugh! How long have I been out?”

“That does not matter,” she said. “What matters is that you breathe again.”

“Breathe again?” His heart jumped. “Did I die?”

“Sorry,” she said, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “It was a figure of speech, but I can only assume at some point you stopped breathing. Falls from tall towers typically knock the wind from a fellow.”

“Heh,” he said, unable to contain his smile.

“What is that for?”

“Well, it’s good to know.”

“What’s good to know?” she said, lifting her brow.

“That I’m so hard to kill.”

“It’s not that, it’s because your skull is ten times thicker than others.”

“And that’s a good thing.”

“Being thick-headed is not a good thing!” She huffed. “Will you ever outgrow your boyish charm?”

Wincing, he swung his legs over the bed and said to her, “Are you saying I’m immature?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

He rolled his neck and cracked it from side to side. Her words had the sting of truth in them. But he thought he’d been more responsible than ever. After all, he’d agreed to the Truce and spared all his friends. Hundreds and thousands of lives had been spared. But now he sat in the tower, feeling much like a child again.

I never should have transformed back into a man. I wouldn’t have all these problems then.

“Come with me,” Selene said. “If you are able to walk, that is.”

With a groan, Nath stood up and wobbled. Selene caught his arm and helped straighten him up. Shaking her head, she said, “I can’t believe you jumped. Perhaps I should shackle you somewhere. After all, you
are
my prisoner.”

“Don’t you dare,” he said, limping after her.

“Why not? You are a prisoner, and I am responsible for your care.”

“Hah,” he laughed, glancing around. He wasn’t familiar with his surroundings. “You shoved me off the terrace in the first place. You had me fight Kryzak to the death. And then you tried to kill me.”

She stopped and pushed him back.

“Yet you live. Why don’t you quit brooding and take a moment to think about that?”

Taken aback, he said, “Wow, I can’t die.”

“Now you jest.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course you can die. I could have killed you if I wanted. And I’m not the only one, either.” She ran her claw over his chest. It sent a chill through him. “Every dragon has a weakness.” She patted his chest and walked away. “You know that.”

She walked on outside the chamber he’d never been in before. The Great Tower had hundreds of rooms, and he’d only been in a few of them. Anything could be going on in any one of them. He followed her down the hall. She was escorted by a pair of draykis guards that leered at him. He sneered back.

I wonder how they’d fare if I tossed them out a window. I’ll find out soon enough if they cross me.

Selene knocked on the next door in the hall. Nath heard the soft scuffle of feet on the other side and watched the door open. Sasha’s head popped out.

“I thought you should know that Nath is now awake,” Selene said, motioning his way.

“Nath!” Sasha said, running to him and giving him an embrace. “It’s so good to see you!” She patted his shoulders. “Alive!” Her face became confused. “Why-Why did you do that?”

“Long story,” he said, “but it’s good to see you, even though I just saw you moments before I … well … fell.” He glanced at Selene then back at her. “How long has it been?”

“I’ve been tending you for more than a week.”

“A week!” He glared at Selene. “I was of the impression it wasn’t quite so long.”

“Oh Nath, I’m so glad you’ve awakened. I would have been tormented in my travels had you not.”

“What travels?”

“I’m going back home,” she said, squeezing his hands.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, “but I was hoping you’d be able to travel with me across the lands. Say, maybe I can come with you.”

“We are going south,” Selene injected, “and she is headed north. And with haste, I might add.”

“What’s the hurry?” Nath said.

“This is Bayzog’s request. It’s between her and him, and something to do with their children.”

“What has happened, Sasha?”

“Oh nothing, Nath. It’s a family celebration. Rerry and Samaz have upcoming years-of-life celebrations, and they urge me home. My return will be a surprise to them, but I’d been tending to you.”

“Sasha, you didn’t have to do that. Please, get home to your family. I’m alright.”

“But I worry,” she said, brushing his cheek.

“I did something foolish, and I promise it won’t happen again,” he said, giving her a little hug. “
I
should be worrying about
you
. It should never be the other way around. Now go. And don’t let me be a burden to you any longer.”

She squeezed him tight.

“Thank you, Nath. Thank you!” A tear dropped from her eye. “I’m relieved.”

“Tell Bayzog good-bye for me. He’ll know what I mean.”

“I will,” she said, scurrying by Selene. The pair met eyes. It left Nath with a strange feeling. Then Sasha, tugging at her pendant, scampered back through her door.

“Oh my,” Selene said, “you sound so grown up all of a sudden. Humph. Come with me, Nath. Come with. It’s time to travel.”

***

Gorlee–disguised as Sasha—stood with his ear to the door. Selene, Nath, and the draykis shuffled by, and then he heard them no more. He wiped the tear from his eye. Selene had told him he needed to work on being more convincing in his role. But Nath’s golden stare had begun to penetrate his disguise. The ruse became harder to maintain the longer they were in company with each other. He had shared this with Selene, and she had decided it was time Sasha moved on.

Moving away from the door, he sat down at a desk and rested his head on his arms. Tired and confused as he was, scrambled thoughts bounced back and forth in his head.

What do I do? What do I do?

Selene controlled him. What she wanted, he did. And posing as Sasha was only one of those things. She’d made him do other things. Despicable acts. He’d hurt people. Cheated and deceived them. And deep down inside, it ate at him.
Why?

The Deep. That was where the answer lay, and he knew it. He wanted to wait until Selene left, but what if she took him along?
I can’t wait any longer. I can’t live like this anymore.
He sat several long hours and started to cry.
What
am
I? Am I a lie?
Gathering himself, he removed the yellow stone pendant, left his room, and headed for The Deep.

I will find the answers, or they will find me.