by J A Campbell
He chanted quietly, and Melanie wondered if he called to ghosts for aid, as Elise often did.
The dragon she fought didn’t give her time to ponder the question as it lunged forward, deadly claws splayed, aiming for her face.
Elise stood on the deck, wind whipping around her as Ulvi, standing next to her, manipulated the water in the sky and the ocean. She held the shields while the dragons pounded against them. She and Marcus could hold them for a while, but they already knew dragons were on the inside as well. The sounds of battle came from all around: magical energy impacting both flesh and ship, screams as claws tore flesh, cries of fear from passengers forced to witness the spectacle.
Hagatha battled with a dragon, dodging claw thrusts as she threw lightning. So far, Elise and Ulvi were free to practice their magic without interference.
Feeling necromantic energies from Marcus’ general direction, Elise lent her strength to his call while he lent power to her shields. The veil between worlds hummed with their summons. Before long, hundreds of ghosts slid across, willing to aid the necromancers in their fight. Some, less substantial than others, could do little more than distract the dragons, but others could interact with the world and would cause actual difficulties for the creatures.
They came, nearly as thick as a cloud of smoke, their faces and hands reaching out for the living world. Their energies carried physical objects, from a hairbrush to a hammer one of the boat crew must have left out of the tool kit. The cloud swirled as phalanxes split off in different directions, heading for the draconian attackers. They chilled the already cool Pacific night air.
Something slammed into Elise’s back, tossing her forward and shattering her concentration. She tucked and rolled, tripping on her dress as she tried to rise.
Falling back, she raised her hands, shielding before the next attack came. A chair bounced off the invisible energy, inches from her face.
Elise took a moment to meld her dress into pants and a shirt before climbing to her feet. The shield around the ship had failed, but the waters churned with creatures that had answered Ulvi’s call.
“The dolphins will hold off the dragons,” Ulvi said. “Concentrate on the dragons on the ship.” He looked up to where the chair had come from. Two humans stared down at them. Ulvi reached out his hands toward them, almost as if pleading. The two on the upper deck apparently took it that way.
Elise heard their laughter, which turned to screams as they clawed at their faces and collapsed out of view. It didn’t take long for their screams to cut off into death rattles.
“What?” Elise turned to the aquamancer.
“Humans are seventy percent water.” He smiled, though sweat plastered his hair to his skull. “It does take a lot of energy to boil water, but once in a while the effort is worth it.”
Jaw dropping, Elise swallowed and made a mental note not to piss off the Turk. Of course, she could kill people in horrible ways, too, but so far she hadn’t had a reason to rip someone’s soul from their body. She didn’t exactly approve, but she didn’t disapprove either.
He winked at her before they turned to Hagatha. She landed a solid blow to the dragon she fought and sent it sailing over the side. It crashed into a deck below and didn’t move. Hagatha turned her face to the sky and let out a victory roar before she went after the next one. Elise made a note to tell her cousin that while she couldn’t sing worth a damn, her voice was made for harrowing battle cries.
“We need to sweep the ship...” Ulvi’s words cut off as the vessel rocked, throwing them all off their feet. Elise, closest to the railing, hit it and grabbed hold. Hagatha slid into her, and Elise grabbed her cousin before she could tumble off.
People screamed, and a few lifeboats released from their berths, splashing into the water below.
The ship rocked upright, sending Elise, Hagatha, and Ulvi sliding back across the deck.
The ship lurched forward, though the engines remained dead.
“What are they doing!” Elise pointed out to the water, where she could just make out several dragons swimming in a tight circle.
“So that legend is true as well,” Ulvi muttered. “Cover me.”
Elise and Hagatha took up positions next to him as he stared at the water. One of the lifeboats moved toward the swirling water, as if pulled by some current. As it approached, it began to spin.
“Whirlpool?” Elise gasped.
Ulvi nodded. “I believe I can stop it.” Veins popped out on his forehead as he muttered in a language Elise didn’t know.
Dragons screamed as the whirlpool flash froze, dragons and all. A few of the dragons surrounding the now-frozen water screamed as well, and Elise thought she saw bubbles rise, as if the water boiled. Lighter than the water surrounding it, the frozen water almost leapt upward, floating free, then falling over on its side, dragons trapped inside.
Ulvi sank to the deck. “Freezing water takes almost as much energy as boiling it.”
“Quick, before it melts, capture them!” Hagatha shouted to two mages below. They waved acknowledgement and vanished inside a WayGate. Moments later, the cyclone iceberg disappeared into another WayGate.
Dolphins leapt from the water, diving deep, dragons fleeing before them.
Elise refocused on the ship, hoping that the dragons wouldn’t try the whirlpool trick again. She didn’t think Ulvi could freeze another one.
Flashing light brought her attention to the bow. A green sword flashed as dragons twined around the bearer, who backed up under the onslaught.
“Where are the others?” Hagatha saw their friend’s predicament as well.
“I don’t know. Stay with Ulvi.” Drawing to her the spirits who had answered the necromancers’ call, Elise climbed over the railing and threw herself off.
Hagatha gasped.
“Catch me,” Elise called.
The ghosts responded, cradling her and slowing her fall to the deck below. The drop was farther than she’d expected, but she landed gently and thanked the ghosts. As soon as she had her balance, she sprinted toward Melanie. The dragons had her almost backed to the railing.
Elise zapped the nearest two with lightning bolts of magical energy. They fell, and Elise dashed past just as one of the dragons swung its tail and smacked into Melanie. The fae woman screamed as she pitched backward over the railing, green light from her sword vanishing as she lost her grip on the hilt.
“No!” Elise shouted.
“Bloody hell!” Melanie shouted, then coughed as her breath streamed from her lungs as icy water closed over her head.
She struggled to regain control of her shocked limbs and hoped the landing hadn’t broken anything. She couldn’t yet feel most of her body. Water was hard at high velocity.
Lungs burning, she struggled to the surface, grateful that the ship’s engines weren’t running. She didn’t want to imagine getting sucked into the giant props that drove this beast. As it was, she feared getting under the hull.
Clicks and squeals filled the water around her. Some instinct compelled her to throw out her hand as a large figure brushed past her. Something brushed against her hand. Grabbing hold, Melanie gasped out the last of her air as the creature jerked her forward. It felt smooth against her hand, and she didn’t think it was a dragon that sped her through the water.
Moments later, her head broke the surface. She flailed with her arms and kicked with her legs, trying to stay above the waves and cough out salt water while gulping in air.
Something brushed past her, and she spun around in the water, trying to stay afloat. The cruise ship loomed behind her, but it didn’t move except as the waves carried it. Melanie twisted around again and jerked backward as a smooth, curved head popped out of the water in front of her. It had black eyes and an upward curved mouth that looked like a smile on an elongated snout, which opened and clacked at her.
“Thank you,” Melanie exclaimed to the dolphin.
It nodded as if it understood and thrust its nose toward her. She g
rabbed on, cupping her hand and letting it push into her palm with its nose. It propelled her through the water, back toward the boat.
The cool water broke through her initial shock, and she began to shiver. Hopefully they could pull her out of the water before she got hypothermia. Humming a tune, she tried to think warm thoughts. Not sure if it worked or her body was failing more quickly than she’d thought possible, her shivering stopped.
Something slid through the water in front of them, and the dolphin slowed and back-finned. Melanie lost her grip and kicked her feet to stay above water.
The dolphin charged past Melanie straight at the dragon. Scales flashed as it whipped sinuously around and clawed at her savior.
“Oh, no you don’t!” she shouted, getting a mouthful of water for her troubles. Choking, she summoned her blade again. Fortunately, the magic that formed the blade reverted to a bracelet around her wrist whenever she lost her grip, unless she willed it otherwise.
The dragon turned its attention from the dolphin to Melanie and hissed when it saw her blade.
“I will have that,” it spat and sped toward her.
Trusting that the dolphin would rescue her again, Melanie took a deep breath and let herself sink, sword held in front.
The dragon twisted around to come at her from the side, but Melanie swung around, magically enhanced sight letting her see its movements, despite the dark conditions.
She sliced her sword toward the dragon, but the water slowed her movements, and she missed. She’d have to stick with thrusts to manage any speed.
Turning again, she tried to line up her shot when the dragon charged. It was fast and agile, born for this environment. Melanie’s hair threatened to blind her, the water slowed her movements, and her lungs burned, but still she fought, as the evil creature tried to wear her down.
She thrust, just missing as the dragon misjudged her reach.
Still sinking, Melanie tried to ignore her burning lungs. She’d never make it to the surface while this dragon lived.
The dragon raced forward, and Melanie tried to evade. This time, it anticipated her maneuver and dodged. While Melanie tried to orient herself, it raked the water with its claws. She barely avoided them, black starting to form at the edges of her vision. Her oxygen-starved lungs burned, and she let out bubbles of air slowly. She tried one more strike, but knew she would fail. She was close to drowning, and the surface was far above her.
Slicing through the water, the dragon made another pass. Just as Melanie gasped out the last of her spent air and could no longer fight the impulse to claw her way to the surface, a smooth silver figure rocketed past. The dolphin slammed its nose into the side of the dragon’s head, just behind its eye.
The dragon cried out, writhing in the water, blood spilling from the wound, clouding even Melanie’s enhanced vision until she couldn’t tell which way was up.
She threw out her hand, hoping the dolphin could still find her; sure enough, the smooth nose caught against her cupped hand, and they sped to the surface. Fighting to hang on to consciousness, Melanie desperately held onto her savior, hoping she’d make it to the surface in time.
Marcus, she thought as she struggled to keep herself conscious. I want to be with Marcus.
Elise zapped the dragon that had pushed Melanie.
Two more stood between her and the railing. Elise blasted the other two with lightning.
“Behind you,” she heard Hagatha shout.
Elise spun around. A dark red dragon and a midnight blue crawled over the railing next to her. The blue’s jaw snapped shut in the space she’d just occupied.
A lounge chair tangled her legs, and she crashed backward, wrist snapping as she tried to catch herself.
“OW! Damnit.”
The dragons grinned in triumph.
“Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!” Tallon roared as he landed hard on the deck next to the red. He shoved something against the creature’s neck, and it screamed, going into convulsions.
Marcus appeared in her view, blasting the other dragon off the boat before dropping to her side.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Think my wrist is broken, though.”
He helped her sit up and took her arm. “Indeed.”
“Melanie went over the side,” Elise gasped, tears leaking out of her eyes as Marcus put his hand over her broken bones. Warmth spread from his hands.
“Ulvi swears she is safe. I trust him and his creatures to care for her. I don’t have time to mend this now, but I’ll take some of the pain. Mind you don’t hurt it worse.”
Elise nodded and climbed to her feet, grateful she could think again and glad to know her friend was alive.
Tallon came to her side and stood there while Marcus scanned the decks. All seemed quiet, and shortly other mages and Grayson forces congregated on their location.
“Report,” Marcus said quietly.
“A few mages and agents are injured, though no one is dead. Others have transported the wounded to safety and the captured dragons to a holding facility. We believe the rest are dead,” the Native American mage said.
“Thank you, Trinity.”
“The dolphins report no living dragons survive in these waters,” Ulvi said, approaching, his captain at his side. “And they believe none gated away, but they can’t be certain.”
Hagatha came with him and hurried to Elise’s side. “Are you okay?”
Elise nodded.
“Where is my fiancée?”
“Quite safe, and enjoying herself, I believe. Though likely she is a bit cold by now. I’ll bring her up.” Ulvi went to the railing and looked over. Marcus joined him.
After a moment, Elise heard rushing water and, unable to contain herself, moved to Ulvi’s side, followed by Hagatha.
Shortly, a spout of water rose above the deck level, supporting a grinning Melanie.
“Your Highness,” Marcus said, offering his hand, as if this sort of thing happened every day.
Melanie took his hand and launched herself into his arms, laughing. “Oh, he was wonderful.”
“Who?” Hagatha crossed her arms.
“The dolphin.” Melanie hummed a quick tune as Marcus set her gently on the deck.
He kept any emotion off of his face as he conjured a blanket and wrapped it around her. She smiled up at him in gratitude. Sea water sparkled like diamonds on her skin in the moonlight.
She clutched the blankets close, lips looking a little blue in the low light from the decks.
“Very well. Trinity, please handle clean-up here along with Grayson forces and whoever Ulvi appoints. We must return to the JM headquarters. The passengers must be screened, in case any other dragons hide amongst them.”
Trinity gave a quick bow and glanced at Tallon.
“Don’t leave without me,” Tallon said to Marcus as he stepped to Trinity’s side.
While Tallon assigned someone to work with Trinity, Ulvi directed the captain to work with the mages and Grayson.
Once Tallon had rejoined them, Marcus opened a WayGate, and they all stepped through.
Elise ignored the crossroads, some of the pain from her wrist breaking through the block Marcus had put on her. Gritting her teeth, she came out the other side and stopped, shocked.
“What are they doing here?”
Marcus had brought them to one of the large areas used when big groups needed to come to JM headquarters together. In the same room stood the young dragon-kin, magically chained and surrounded by grim-faced mages.
She cast around for Darien, but didn’t see him.
Marcus put a hand on her shoulder. “They must be questioned. They won’t be harmed while their fate is being determined.”
Elise didn’t like how ominous that sounded. “Darien?”
“The injured dragon-kin is receiving care in the infirmary. A healer is watching over him, and he is already asking for Lady Elise.” Elise overheard one of the JM staff reporting to Marcus.
Frowning, Marcu
s shot her a look.
She knew now wasn’t the best time, so she glared back at him, but didn’t press the issue. Maybe she would, after he healed her arm.
Right now they had to face the bastard who had set them up in the first place.
“Very well, we will question Clarion.”
“Milord. Lord Clarion escaped capture. His whereabouts are unknown.” Another staff member in Macrow House livery reported.
If possible, Marcus’ expression darkened. “I see. Then we shall track him down and bring him in. Elise, Hagatha, follow me. Lord Ulvi, please remain to give your report to the other council members, then you may return to your ship.”
Ulvi bowed. “Thank you for your timely rescue and assistance. If I learn of anything that may aid you, I will return at once.”
“Keep an eye out for Valonna. Just in case,” Marcus said.
Clenching his jaw, Ulvi nodded again. “Always.”
“This way.” Marcus headed out of the gathering room.
“We’ll be back,” Elise said to the dragon-kin.
“Yes,” Hagatha agreed. “We’re not done saving the day yet.”
Elise snorted, then gasped as her wrist throbbed. “Where are we going?”
“My office. We need to find Clarion and apprehend him quickly, before he can do more damage. Likely he has already warned Valonna. We can try to apprehend her, but it is unlikely we will do so. She has blocked herself from scrying, but Clarion has not discovered that skill. Valonna guards it closely, not wanting to lose touch with those she conspires with, or against.”
“We have something we can scry with.” Elise touched the pendant Darien had given her. “Hagatha cleansed it, but it will still resonate with Clarion’s location.”
“Excellent.”
Marcus led them into a room decorated in heavy woods, with an electric fireplace on one side and large, comfy-looking leather chairs and couch. His desk had an ebony top, and the polish on the wood gleamed in the low light. Bookshelves lined the walls.
Elise recognized the style from his study at Macrow Manor. The décor didn’t surprise her, though she’d never been in his office here.
