Dragon Guard

by Devonnie Asher

  "Hm," she said, mulling over my words. "I know it may be traumatic for you, but can you describe everything you remember of the potion? What it looked like, what effects it had?"

  I swallowed hard. "I was far away, so I'm not sure about the color. It could've been orange or red. When he poured it on the dragon, it looked like its skin melted away. It smoked and bubbled like," I paused a bit to swallow the bile coating my tongue. "It bubbled like acid. But the place he poured it on the dragon grew...the muscles became more defined. It looked stronger." Just not strong enough to break its chains.

  She covered my hand with hers, stroking me gently. "It's okay, Kaos. Thank you, that was very helpful." I felt her hand on my cheek, and when I looked up, she wore a small smile. "You're so much like me, you know that? I feel your love for dragons. I understand why this upsets you so much."

  Smiling back, my eyes began to burn. "I want to stop him. No dragon deserves to be treated this way. Not for some war that we caused."

  Betheka held my gaze, her eyes full of knowing and something else. Something warmer, that made me feel like she would always be there when I needed her.

  "You're right. You're so right, my child," she sighed. "Did you recognize the dragon?"

  "No, it looked...different from anyone I've ever seen," I said. "It was completely black, and smaller than a Suneye."

  She slipped away into her thoughts again.

  "I'll need to do research," she said. "Kaos, you have to keep this quiet. Until the time is right, at least. This stretches back farther than you even know, and it is dangerously complicated. I'll explain everything to you soon, but you have to stay out of trouble."

  Stay out of trouble, the thought made me laugh.

  "I'll try, Betheka." But I couldn't promise her.

  It already felt like it was eating away at me.

  BY THE TIME I GOT HOME from Betheka's Ignimitra was restless.

  Kaos! Where have you been?

  She accosted me the moment I walked through the front door.

  A better question is how you managed to sleep through the entire morning, I shot back, making my way to her.

  I found her standing in the sun, her tail swishing about anxiously.

  I'm not sure what happened, she hung her head, walking up to me as I approached. I woke up feeling different...dazed almost.

  Dazed?

  Yes. My mind feels sharper, but also a bit hazy. At the same time.

  I stretched out a hand to prod the fresh behind her horns.

  Do you need to see Betheka?

  No. But I could use an afternoon flight.

  I liked the sound of that. It was the perfect way to clear my head and bring Ignimitra up to speed on everything happening.

  What do you say we fly to the coastline?

  Ignimitra's eyes glittered with excitement.

  Can I soak in the water?

  You can.

  She jumped happily, shaking the ground beneath my feet.

  After packing a small backpack with essentials for me, Ignimitra and I took off for the coast.

  OUR TRAINING RESUMED the following day.

  We were back with Commander Ofisi. Instead of Hiddenbrook Forest or Hu River, today's training class was held in one of the clearings of the Administrative District. I welcomed the change. As much as I hated to admit it, I felt more comfortable here. I knew these clearings like the back of my hand. The forests, not so much. Here, I could relax.

  At least, I could try to.

  The past two days had warped my mind. On some level, I had always known that the Dragon Academy was not what it seemed. But now, with concrete evidence of what lurked in the shadows, I didn't know what to do. Betheka's advice had been to lay low and keep quiet. Sound advice. But ever since our conversation, my anger was eating me alive.

  My skin felt aflame. No, I felt aflame. Consumed by the fact that there was nothing I could really do except stand aside and watch as the Headmaster and that evil alchemist got their way.

  Last night, my dreams had consisted almost entirely of nightmares revolving around what I had discovered. Sometimes I heard the black dragon crying out to me, begging me for help. In the last dream, it had been Ignimitra that they bound and tortured. By the end of it, she was nothing like herself, just a mindless muscular monster with her skin peeling off.

  Where did they draw the line? If whatever they were testing didn't work, how far would they go to win? Who would stop them from turning to experimenting on Pyralian dragons? And since Ignimitra was immune to dragonsnake venom, what would they do if they knew? I had no answers, only questions.

  You're distracted, her voice cut into my thoughts, almost frightening me.

  I glanced over at her. She was a way off, corralled with the other dragons. I tried to smile, to convince her that I was fine, but it was no use. Even at this distance, I was sure that some of my thoughts had spilled over into her mind.

  I'll be fine. But I didn't even believe myself.

  "Soldiers!" Commander Ofisi's hoarse voice echoed through the clearing. He sounded a bit under the weather which contradicted his entire presence. Men as tall and powerful-looking as he did seemed invincible. "I'm sure you'll enjoy today's class."

  A heavy sigh escaped me. Nothing good ever began with those words.

  "The Headmaster has requested that you be trained in enhanced combat today," a twisted smile was on his face. "With the threat of invasion looming, it is imperative that you be able to fight not only in the air, but also on land in the event that you are captured."

  Was this going to be another one-on-one fighting session? A twinge of anxiety gripped me. I didn't want to face off against anyone here. Well, Cuinn looked easy enough to beat. I was the shortest person in class, not to mention the only girl. I'm sure all of them thought of me as easy pickings.

  "However, things will be a bit different," he paced the front line. "Instead of one-on-one, you will be facing off against each other all at once. The last soldier standing will be deemed the victor of this exercise."

  My throat went dry. It felt like I hadn't heard him at all. Looking around, the other soldiers wore similar expressions.

  "You're allowed to utilize your fusion bonds with your dragons; however, they cannot physically intervene on your behalf."

  Whispers erupted among us. A soldier at the front said, "Permission to ask a question, sir."

  Commander Ofisi nodded his approval.

  From this angle I couldn't see the soldier clearly, I could only make out that his golden hair fell down his back in thick ropes.

  "How far are we allowed to go?" His voice had a sinister edge to it that sent a chill down my spine.

  Our instructor laughed, as if his question was entertaining.

  My stomach sank. I didn't like where this was going.

  "As much as I would like to tell you all to fight to the death," he bared his teeth. "We can't afford to lose soldiers in a time like this. Go as far as you want without killing each other."

  The soldier seemed satisfied with the answer.

  A wave of pain cascaded through my brain. The Commander's answer was ambiguous at best. He had given us free rein to do whatever we wanted to each other, as long as the other person didn't die. Images of Avek on his first night back flashed into my mind.

  He hadn't died from those injuries, but he was still being treated for them.

  The feeling of being watched pulled me back to reality. The soldiers closest to me were staring at me, macabre expressions on their faces. I was the easiest target, so naturally the majority of them would think it prudent to team up to take me down. Raw fear made my throat tremble.

  But I wouldn't show them any weakness. I tilted my chin defiantly, giving each of them a glance just as cold as the ones they gave me.

  "Fan out in a circle," our instructor commanded.

  We obliged, forming a sparse circle around the perimeter of the clearing.

  There seemed to be a rush to end up beside me, even though
we stood meters apart from each other. I ended up between a tall soldier with mahogany skin and Cuinn. The redhead didn't even so much as look at me, and I wondered if his proclamation of friendship weighed on his heart now.

  I didn't feel any such remorse.

  "Activate your fusion bonds!"

  Angel, lend me your strength and awareness.

  Of course, Kaos.

  The surge of power in my veins was a feeling I wouldn't get used to.

  The slick heat started in my hands and coursed through every muscle and joint. A dull ache in my brain transformed into an acute sensation that turned into an innate knowledge of everything happening around me.

  I could feel the individual rays of sun on my skin, hear the trees rustling in the wind at the other edge of the clearing. I could even tell that Cuinn was anxious because of the shallowness of his breath. Whenever Ignimitra granted me some of her awareness my senses sharpened. But it never felt like this.

  I looked down at my hands, seeing the faintest glow of my dragon mark through my gloves.

  This feels different, I said, finding her in the crowd of dragons. Her scales shimmered in the sunlight, more than I'd ever noticed.

  It feels different for me too. Usually I feel so drained, but this time I don't.

  I barely had the time to process her sentence before Commander Ofisi's gravelly voice rung out again.

  "FIGHT!"

  In the corner of my eye, I saw the soldier beside me start off in my direction. I pivoted to face him, unsheathing my sword from its scabbard. The zing of its release was drowned out by the sound of other swords clashing in the distance. Cuinn had chosen to attack another soldier instead of me.

  He was on me in a quick second, holding his sword in front of him with both hands. He was taller than me by a head, with thick muscles that announced his strength. Here's to hoping that the strength Ignimitra lent me was enough. The soldier bared his teeth, their whiteness shocking against his skin. Was he trying to scare me?

  Lunging forward, I made the first move. Our swords met each other hard, the vibrations rippling through my body. His desire to best me was pouring off him in thick buckets, it was like I could hear how badly he wanted it.

  He leaned into me, pushing me backwards slightly.

  "Not going to happen!" I shouted, bringing my boot up hard. It struck him square in the crotch. Disadvantages of being a man.

  "Darn it," the pain made him flinch slightly, enough for me to push him off me.

  He came at me in the next heartbeat. I narrowly avoided his blade, the whisper of its touch stinging my neck. Was he trying to behead me? A flare of anger roiled at the thought. I responded with a slash at his abdomen, he bent out of the way.

  This soldier was skilled, but so was I. He wouldn’t best me. Not today. Around me, the sounds of fighting began to intensify. No one had fallen yet.

  Perhaps I had been overthinking it. All of these soldiers were specially trained; it would take a while for them to beat each other. But I refused to let my guard down. Most had chosen to fight the soldiers closest to them. If they had the choice though, I knew they would come for me.

  I had to make an example out of this fight.

  The soldier charged at me, trying to slice my neck again. This time, I back flipped, wrapping my legs around his outstretched arms in the process. With all our might, I took him down with me. He crashed to the ground, his grip on his sword loosening. He was on his back, and I stood above him, a leg on either side of his abdomen.

  I brought my sword down on him, intending to cut off his head the way he had been trying to do to me. He blocked it, then kicked me in the back. My knees buckled. I needed more than this—we were evenly matched in strength it seemed.

  I needed an edge.

  He pushed me off him, and I stumbled backwards. The soldier scrambled to his feet; his eyes alive again. The familiar weight of my dagger strapped to my leg reminded me that I always had an advantage. What I didn't have in strength I had in agility and intelligence.

  Bounding towards him, I held my sword high looking like I intended to strike him across the neck. He blocked it like I expected, holding his sword horizontally to keep his neck protected. One step, two, three steps closer and we were basically eye to eye, that golden gaze of his marred with such disdain that I was certain he wanted to kill me.

  That was when I struck.

  I slipped the dagger from my sleeve, using one hand to hold my sword. It wasn't ideal, but it was good enough. I only needed a second to best him. With gritted teeth, I plunged the dagger into him, breaking the resistance of his leather uniform. I took care not to go too deep, though the heavens knew I really wanted to, just to make my point.

  At first it seemed like nothing happened.

  Then his eyebrows furrowed and his grip on his sword loosened. His eyes traveled to his stained clothes, then back up to me. The fight that had been his eyes dissipated, leaving one I knew well—pain. He acknowledged my victory with a weak nod.

  I withdrew my knife and sheathed it, turning back towards the fight.

  By this, other soldiers had fallen, some of them lay crumpled on the ground while others were limping away to their dragons. The infirmary would be overrun by the time this class was over. Cuinn had outdone his opponent, and I had to catch myself before I felt happy for him.

  We had never been friends.

  The blur of movement in the corner of my eye tugged me out of my thoughts. I readied my sword to meet my next opponent. It was the soldier who had asked the question earlier—I recognized his hair. His skin was tawny, and his entire face seemed dominated by the darkness of his eyes. I faced him, planting my feet in the earth.

  "We finally get to meet, newt," he spat.

  Something about him unnerved me.

  He wasn't as tall as the soldier I had faced before, nor was he as muscular. But he seemed more formidable, more sinister, more dangerous. I pushed through the nervousness I felt, tightening my grip on the sword.

  "Let's see you call me that after this," I hoped my voice sounded more menacing than I felt.

  His response came in the form of a strike that happened so quickly I barely had time to dodge it. A lock of my hair fell to the ground. Okay, so maybe I didn't dodge it as well as I thought.

  How is he moving so fast?

  I don't know, I can barely see his movements myself.

  My throat tightened. This wasn't good. How could I defend against something I couldn't see?

  He was on me quickly. As soon as I managed to evade one of his strikes, his blade was coming towards me again. The flurry of attacks wore me down quicker than I thought possible. But stopping wasn’t an option. This soldier wasn't intent on wounding me enough to get me out of today's training. The bloodlust in his eyes was unmistakable.

  His sword scratched my shoulder, ripping my uniform and drawing blood.

  "Crap," the words had barely left my lips when I realized he was bringing his sword down for another attack.

  No. This wasn't how I wanted to die.

  I twisted out of the way, managing to escape with just a flesh wound on my shoulder. It stung, but I couldn't stop to think about it. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused on everything else I could feel. Outside of the pain inflaming the two injuries on my body, I realized that with my eyes closed I could better focus on the hyper-awareness Ignimitra had granted me.

  I couldn't see the soldier, but I could smell him, I could hear him.

  I could sense him?

  He was going to go for my neck.

  Anticipating his attack, I bent backwards with one hand. Hot air danced across my skin when his sword swiped over me. Balancing, I kicked him as hard as I could with both feet then launched my own attack.

  I heard my blade slice his arm, feeling the moment it connected with him.

  "You stupid newt," his voice came out as a mangled cry. He was hurt.

  I didn't wait for him to respond. Quickly shifting into an offensive stance, I began my
own flurry of attacks. He dodged my strike at his face so I went for his abdomen. He parried my attack on his arm so I went for his feet. Together we danced around our small space of the field in a clash of swords and wills.

  His exasperation was clear.

  It was in the way his breaths became harried, and the franticness of his attacks. They were getting easier to dodge, but that didn't mean that this fight wasn't tiring me out.

  I had to end it decisively.

  He swung his sword wildly. What was with these soldiers and my head? I met his sword with as much force as I could, my grip tight on the hilt.

  Just as I expected, the sword clattered out of his hand—a consequence of his loose grip. Before he could rearm himself, I twisted closer to him, moving my sword to rest in the crook of his neck.

  I opened my eyes.

  The color of his face had deepened with exhaustion, his dark eyes belying the wild storm within him. He looked like a wild animal trapped in a huntress’ cage. He knew I had him.

  "I'll let you go if you concede defeat," I began, looking up at him with eyes as hard as steel. "And if you apologize."

  I didn't care that the last part kind of made me sound like a wuss. I was tired of them poking fun at me, and he seemed to be this cohort’s ringleader.

  The soldier looked conflicted, pained even. A flash of defiance colored his features, but it faded when I applied more pressure to the sword by his neck. A rivulet of red trailed down his neck. It was my reminder that I was in charge.

  "Fine," he winced at the pain. "You win," he sucked in a breath. "Sorry for calling you a newt."

  He looked genuine enough.

  But I wasn't satisfied, not when he had made it clear that he wanted to kill me before. Those things didn’t just change when you had a sword to your neck.

  In a single deft movement, I unsheathed my dagger and struck him with it. He crumpled to my feet. I spared him a glance—he was doubled over, clutching his side.

  It was just a flesh wound, but that satisfied me.

  "You bastard!" He shouted. I smiled in his direction, before turning my attention to the battle around us.