by Raven Storm
I laid one claw gently on his back, and he didn’t react. Carefully I rolled him over, dismay and adrenaline flooding my body as he fell limply, like a dead sack of flesh. I sniffed his neck like I had seen Benedict do many times to me and was overwhelmed by the amount of information that filled my mind. Dehydration, concussion, infection, depression… The list went on, but he was still alive. The faint flickering of his pulse under my fingertips told me that much.
“Ronan, it’s ok. I’m here now.”
His handsome face was covered in dirt and cuts, as if he turned his own rage upon himself when he was unable to get to me or find anything else to attack. I sent out a small tremor of a distress call, unsure what to do. Benedict and Kieran were there in minutes, sniffing me then turning their attention to Ronan. Kieran’s eyes were wet.
“I don’t know what to do.” I whispered, turning my face to Benedict. Benedict picked him up in his arms as if he weighed nothing.
“Let’s see if we can get one of the first houses built. He needs to feed from all of us. He’d likely kill you if you tried to heal him yourself.”
Kieran’s head whipped around to stare at Benedict, shock lining his face.
“You’d let him feed from you?”
Benedict ducked his head slightly but kept his face rigid.
“He is part of this mateship just as much as Wren is. Her health is improved by ours, so it only makes sense. Besides, I already had to feed half the colony after you were through with them.”
It would have been easy for him to be angry with Kieran, but Benedict’s tone was teasing, his eyes holding a rare degree of respect. Kieran looked away, embarrassed.
No one said another word as we made our way out of the cave. Benedict took to the air carrying Ronan, and Kieran and I followed. We pumped our wings hard to climb up above the cliffs to the mainland. The caves had been on the north side of the island, carved by thousands of years of the water pounding relentlessly against the rock. The cliffs to the east were massive and deadly, offering an unbeatable natural protection. The ground quickly sloped southward to the volcano, which sat quietly, still covered in ash and black, hardened magma. As we descended and headed further south we came upon the drakens in a small valley, already covered by green in a circle around the earth witch. She danced and writhed in the grey ash, sweat pouring down her face as the ground continued to erupt into fresh life around her. Grass exploded outwards, and small saplings stretched towards the sky. She managed to cover a large expanse around her in grass and new trees, before her knees gave out. A draken with lavender scales rushed in, catching her as she fell. Benedict veered down towards the crowd, and we landed heavily among them.
“Where did the other witches go?” I asked.
“They left an hour ago to get...my sisters…” The earth witch answered, her head lolling to the side as she fought to stay awake. Benedict gave Ronan to Kieran and put one large hand gently on her head.
“The drakens recognize the alliance between the earth and air covens.” The witch smiled vaguely, and instantly dropped into sleep.
“They’re back!”
A draken pointed, his voice filled with awe as he looked up to the sky. Dots appeared over the horizon, and the drakens cheered the return of Astrid and her coven, each one carrying an earth witch on the back of their brooms.
“More witches! Benedict will be thrilled.”
I snorted as Kieran shot me a smirk. It was so good to be with my mates again. My smile froze as Astrid waved at us, her thighs gripping hard on her broom. Panic was etched across her features.
“ATTACK!”
We rushed down to the edge of the cliff, stopping short when we saw what tailed the witches. An entire legion of the same grotesque, flying creatures that had chased us from Lyoness flew behind the witches, a mass of darkness so thick they appeared as one dark, cloud of death.
“Well, time to see if the wards work,” Benedict muttered, then spun me into his arms as we disappeared.
Five
We materialized on a large rock about a hundred yards from shore. I whipped around, fear in my eyes as the horde loomed closer. Benedict seized my hands, his face deadly serious.
“Our females have defended our shores for centuries with powerful voice magicks. The wards should hold, but anything you could do to help would keep from straining them.”
Anxiety grabbed my chest and squeezed.
“I can’t sing!” I gasped, in disbelief he thought I was in any way capable of this. Benedict bent his forehead to mine.
“It’s instinct. Just try.”
“What if I fail?”
“You won’t."
My heart pounded painfully against my chest. I leaned down and rested my head on his chest. His steady, controlled beat calmed me. He truly believed I could do this.
No one had ever had confidence in me before. No one had ever expected anything of me. Now I was to face a horde of monsters alone? I wasn’t alone though—I had Benedict, and Kieran, and Ronan and the rest of the drakens. I had little Luci, and the witch covens who risked their safety so that I would survive. I might as well start living as though I was worth all their efforts.
I swallowed and turned to face the oncoming darkness. Benedict backed away to give me room as I closed my eyes, focusing inwards on my draken instincts.
Intruders are coming. They will take our land, threaten our mates and our young. Will we let them?
My inner draken snarled, indignant with rage.
NO! WE WILL DESTROY THEM!
My eyes snapped open; my fangs bared in a snarl. Raw, wild energy swirled me. I would ravage their bodies upon the shoreline; no one threatened what was mine.
“Get back to shore,” I hissed at Benedict, and he stiffened.
“Are you sure? What if—”
“NOW!”
He disappeared in a wisp of black smoke and I waited, letting the dark creatures come closer. When I could see the whites of their eyes, I opened my mouth, and sang.
The sound wasn’t something I could describe, but reminded me of when the drakens had sung in the mountains. My voice let out a ringing high note, the better to pierce the air and be heard clearly from further away. I couldn’t tell precisely when the hordes heard me, but I saw the results. Instead of flying over the land and attacking, the first few lines of the horde kept flying straight ahead, crashing headfirst into the cliffs and rocks behind me. I stood firm, baring my fangs as bodies rained into the sea. The drakens gathered in the valley cheered, so I took another breath and sang again—a lower, sultry note that froze the next two lines, who were an arm’s grasp from me. They twitched and adjusted their course for me, willingly diving into the water to get to me faster. The waves made quick work of slamming them against the razor-sharp rocks, and I turned my attention to the remaining lines. They made it the entire way to the island, and I held my breath as the wards flashed to life.
Demons and vampyres fried, screaming in pain and burning alive as they crossed the lines of the wards. It wasn’t as quick as disintegrating into ash—the enemies of the drakens burned from the inside out, their charred bodies falling into the ocean. It was easy...too easy.
The legions were led by three shadow demons, who barely flinched as their soldiers died in droves. Two of them disappeared in a wisp of smoke, abandoning their soldiers to the mercy of Lyoness’s shore. Benedict dove towards the third, punching him out of the air and down into the ocean. They both disappeared under the waves and I gripped my rock in anxiety, leaning out to see.
Benedict broke the surface of the water first, a limp and unconscious demon in his claws. A moment later he vanished and reappeared on shore. I flew after them, landing inelegantly as my claws scraped against the hardened magma.
“Wake him up.”
Three drakens held the shadow demon down as a fourth sliced a gash over the creature's chest, black blood welling in the wound. White magick sparked, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I suppressed a
shiver. The shadow demon gave a pained rattle, then shrieked as if he were being dissected. Benedict held up a hand and the draken controlling the white magick drew his hands back.
“What are the Overlord’s plans?
There was silence, except for the demon’s tortured breaths. Then he laughed—a terrible, sickly rasping sound.
“More. There will be more. And it will not matter what wards you have—you will all die.”
At a nod from Benedict the draken rose his hands again, and the demon twitched in agony. He writhed on the ground as if an invisible force assaulted him.
“More of what?”
The shadow demon laughed, and then black smoke billowed from his nose, his mouth, his eyes—Astrid began shouting, screaming at everyone to back away. As drakens and witches fled, Benedict snarled and threw himself on the demon, snapping his neck and nearly ripping the head off in the process. The pressure in the air released, as if sighing in relief. The smoke dissipated, and the witches looked like they had seen a ghost.
“That wasn’t a shadow demon—” the witch who had traveled with Astrid added.
“It was, but it was almost something else—” Astrid continued.
“Something...familiar.” a brown-haired witch finished. She must be an earth witch--she had ridden behind Astrid on her broom.
Benedict stood, covered in black blood that wasn’t his.
“We need to have a war council.”
I opened my mouth, but he already had me pinned in his gaze.
“I need you to ensure Ronan is cared for.”
I stopped, any argument dying before it began. I wanted to be involved, but Ronan’s safety was more important. I owed him that after what my absence put him through.
“Fine,” I allowed, stretching my wings towards the sun. I eyed Kieran and the witches. “I expect to be fully briefed.”
I stomped away with as much dignity as I could toward the one small tree the first earth witch had managed to raise. Ronan and a few of the other drakens had been carefully stretched under its shade, resting and allowing their bodies to heal.
“Is he awake yet?”
Yarin was a Healer; one of the few drakens who preferred using his hands for tasks other than fighting. He bowed lightly as I approached him, his beige scales flashing in the sun.
“Not yet, though he is much more stable. His body is trying to heal, so now would be a good time to try and get some blood into him. I recommend blood in a cup so that—”
He shut his mouth as I leaned into Ronan, the top of my forearm. At least if he went mad, I could heal my arm. My throat would be another story.
Even in the throes of unconsciousness he smelled my blood—his fangs uncurled from his lips, and his eyes shot open as he grabbed me. Two fangs pierced my arm and I inhaled deeply, embracing the quick, biting pain. His hands grabbed my waist and roughly pulled me against him, releasing my arm and sinking his teeth in my neck. I tensed. I could probably fight him off in his condition, but I didn’t want to. Yarin sighed and turned around to give us privacy.
His fangs hurt just dangling there in my throat, but I didn’t want Ronan moving. The pain reminded me of everything we had overcome so far, and everything we had yet to face. I felt my head grow dizzy as he pulled more and more blood from me.
“Ronan, stop.”
I tried to pull away, but he held me down, clamping my arms to my side in a vice grip. Yarin turned and raised an eyebrow, asking silently if I needed help. I shook my hand, then moved my hand down to his waist. I grabbed him hard through his breeches, breaking his blood frenzy. Ronan gasped and jerked, his fangs dislodging from my throat at the exact moment his eyes cleared.
“Wren.”
I sighed with relief at the golden orbs that gazed back at me, teeming with awareness and life.
“I thought you’d died. I thought I’d died.”
His arms closed around me again.
“Not yet,” I whispered, and he laughed.
“When the mountain exploded, I thought I’d lost everything. Kieran, my king, you. My entire life...my heart.”
I knew Ronan was much younger than most of the other drakens, but this is the first time I had been made acutely aware of it. The way he spoke, the way he dreamed, with so much hope for the future...
“Come with me.” I whispered.
He rose stiffly, muscles strained and atrophied. I thought of the cave where I had found him, closing my eyes to better picture it. Ronan clung to me, and when I opened my eyes, we were there, surrounded by darkness.
We didn’t need light. We didn’t need anything except each other.
His hands found my face and pulled me to his. Ronan’s kisses were always desperate and heated—as if at any moment happiness could be brutally ripped away. Our bodies met quickly and ferociously, Ronan making up for lost time as he threw me against the cave wall and thrusted inside deep of me.
“When we have a proper bed, all three of us will make you scream.”
I moaned as I imagined it; all three of my mates together with me, lost in each other. Was such a thing even possible in times like these, when the mountain lay ruined and my large, magnificent bed faraway? Ronan ran a hand down my wing scales as he took my breast in his mouth. I cried out his name and he came, his face twisted in agonized pleasure. When he was done, those golden eyes turned on me. He laid me down across a flat rock, his face descending to my hips. I didn’t get a single word out before his tongue and hands worked their own magicks, sliding and licking and touching. It was a testament to how much I missed my mates that I came as quickly as I did, my cries reverberating around the dark cavern as I felt him smirk against my inner thigh. I would have preferred to stay here, to simply linger and hold Ronan to me, but I knew that’s what Benedict wanted. If I had any chance of finding out what they were meeting about, I had to go.
“We must get back. I want to know what’s going on.”
I spread my wings without thinking, stretching them out along with the rest of my body. Ronan’s eyes bugged out in his head, and I turned to see why. Joining the purple tips and red mid-section was a beautiful gold that almost went to the bottom of my wings. Only one band of white remained at the very bottom.
“It’s the sunset,” he whispered reverently, reaching a hand out to touch it.
“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” His eyes shot to mine as he said it, and I blushed, closing my wings self-consciously. A mischievous gleam flashed in his eyes, and I knew we were thinking the same thing. He always had been on the same level as me. He held out his hand, and I took us back.
We arrived in the middle of what appeared to be a standoff.
“I brought you the earth witches, who promised to revitalize your island in exchange for territory here. It was not part of our territory bargain.”
Astrid stood in Benedict’s face, unafraid of his ugly sneer. I could tell he struggled not to take an automatic step back, the air witch a force to be reckoned with in her own right. The brown-haired earth witch next to Astrid nodded, her face just as stoic.
“Should the Overlord fall, we would wish to return to our forests regardless. This is only temporary.”
Benedict scowled, crossing his arms.
“Fine. The witches may have the west end of the island, after you revitalize the south section for us and our wounded, then the rest of the island as you please. You may begin immediately.”
Astrid raised a brow to the earth witch, a tall willowy woman with brown hair spilling down her back.
“We cannot begin immediately,” The earth witch said slowly, her eyes squinting as if she were trying to see through the massive mounds of rock and stone towards the volcano on the north side of the island. Benedict growled, and I threw him such a nasty look that the sound disappeared into his chest.
“Can you explain?” I asked politely, and her head turned towards me.
“I am Vela, leader of the earth coven,” she offered to us, “and I don’t think there
’s much point in growing too much while the fire demon hiding in your volcano is still alive.”
The drakens all blinked, me included. Vela glanced around at the varying degrees of befuddlement that surrounded her.
“Ah,” she said slowly, “you didn’t know about the fire demon.”
I whirled back to Astrid.
“You said the demon hordes caused the eruption!”
Astrid blanched. “No, I said it was a magical eruption that wasn’t natural. Nothing about what precisely did it.”
Benedict looked ready to throttle everyone.
“Was the eruption caused by the Overlord or not?”
Vela shrugged, her long hair rippling over her back.
“Depends. You’ll have to travel to the middle of the volcano and see for yourself. They are sentient, you know.”
“The volcano?” I asked in confusion. Vela looked at me like I was slow. “Oh,” I said, blushing, “you meant the fire demon.”
“What do we do now?”
Benedict sighed heavily.
“We go into the volcano, obviously.”
Six
The earth witches continued to heal the island, despite Vela’s recommendation to wait. I think they wanted to prove themselves worthy of a home on Lyoness, but I worried they would overextend themselves. A group of a dozen witches concentrated on the valley in the south, quickly managing to create a young forest with several trees strong enough to withstand being built upon. The air witches used their brooms, showing the drakens how to safely and humanely build homes within the young branches. Most of them were unaware of the monster under the volcano, threatening to destroy us all at any moment.
Benedict didn’t want the witches to come exploring with us under the volcano, but it was sheer stupidity to leave them behind. A wave of their fingers could banish the air and squelch any fire, and Vela had the most familiarity with fire demons. The other earth witches were happy to stay busy, working with the drakens to continue building a new village.
“Should we ask a fire witch to come?” I wondered vaguely, noting the twin scowls on Astrid and Vela’s faces when I mentioned them. I shrugged—it made sense to me.
