by Jada Fisher
“As long as you’re holding me at all.”
“Cheesy.”
“Are you two done, yes?” Krisjian asked, approaching again.
“Hey, just because you’ve got a crush on Mal doesn’t mean you get to be grouchy about me kissing my boyfriend.” Huh, it still felt weird to say that word. Maybe it was because we were so much more than that. Maybe because he was a literal dragon and royalty. Oh well. It didn’t matter.
“I know not of which you speak,” Krisjian responded with perfect flatness. “Time to fly, yes?”
“Time to fly,” Bronn confirmed before walking to the other side of the roof we were perched on. It was still beautiful to watch him shift, his human features giving way to his dragon ones. In less than a minute, the handsome, six-foot man I loved turned into a towering, silver beast with glowing scales and great, expansive wings.
“Come on, Krisjian. Let’s go save the world.”
I wish I could say either of us were graceful as we climbed up Bronn’s leg and onto his back, but we most definitely weren’t. At least neither of us fell and cracked our heads, so I decided that was good enough.
We took off into the night, the moon not even a sliver in the sky, leaving mostly faintly sparkling darkness. It was harder to hold on considering my thighs had lost most of their strength, so it was Krisjian that did most of the work while I held onto him.
In the distance, we could see other shapes in the night, all ahead of us on the same path to the sports arena that hadn’t had any games there since everything had started. It made sense that would be a place for a large meeting of dragons, but I had a hard time believing that several hundred would fit.
Maybe we would luck out and it would be too cramped, so dozens would fly off in protest.
And maybe pigs would also fly.
Then again, I supposed that stranger things had happened. Not that I could readily name those things, but my memory was full of holes that Krisjian could drive a car through, since that seemed to be his go-to strategy.
The stadium was approaching rapidly, and I began to wonder if we really had lost it. We were flying in a straight line and I had no shield to protect us. What if we didn’t get a single word out?
I supposed I would find out, and quickly.
It didn’t take long for us to get a clear view. Thankfully, the rotted dragon was nowhere in sight, leaving what looked like a very full house of dragons.
They weren’t all like Bronn. There were drakes, wyrms, and wyverns. In fact, I saw just about every type of dragon that I had learned about since coming into their world. From wingless and four legs to no legs and winged, just like the ones I had read about in the book. They were all assumedly dragons who thought my kind was no more than livestock to be used and culled on a whim, but it was still difficult to swallow that—if Faeldrus got his way—all of them would be dead before the end of the night.
“There, Bronn. On the top of that advertisement.”
I wasn’t sure if he heard me, but then the prince braked hard. In one fluid motion, he did end up perching right on top, letting us look out over the field. None of the dragons had noticed us, but I assumed it was because they were preoccupied looking in the other direction for the rotted dragon to approach from his nest.
“Alright,” I said, climbing up his neck. “It’s now or never. You ready to work your mojo, Krisjian?”
He nodded, swallowing hard. “I will do my best.”
“That’s all we can do.”
I reached the top of Bronn’s head, kneeling between his twisted horns, and took a deep breath. I could feel Krisjian’s hands press into me, his power flowing cool and sweet through my body.
“Hey, dragons!”
Sure, not the most gracious opening, but my voice echoed through the empty space, and the next thing I knew, hundreds of heads were turned towards me. Well, that was intimidating.
Shrieks and squawks sounded along with several roars. It was easy to see the lines of tension ripple out through the shifters and it was very clear to me that they were about to attack.
“Hold on a moment!” I cried, raising my arms as if I was going to call up a shield. Thankfully, that worked. The benefit of them not knowing that I was powerless.
Then again…maybe some of them didn’t recognize me at all, only Bronn. Wouldn’t that be something?
“Look, I know why you’re all here, but I came here in the interest of a truce. I’m trying to save all of you from death, okay? For the good of our world, I need all of you to live on to terrorize me and my people for another day.”
There were more snarls and roars, but no one attacked. For a moment, I thought we were in the clear, until several large dragons parted, revealing a massive golden one that had been laying on the ground, clearly resting.
Uh oh. I had an idea of who that was.
Sure enough, as steam filled the space then dissipated, there was none other than the blond elder standing there. He looked practically brand new, aside from a scar that was visible down the side of his neck down below the collar of his fine tunic.
“Last time we met, you surely weren’t trying to save any of our kind.”
“Yeah, well, it’s been an eventful week. Look, I know you’re all about the rotted dragon and you think he’s going to hand you the world on a silver platter, but that’s not how any of this is going to go. He’s going to sacrifice all of you for his own gain!”
“And you expect us to believe this?”
“Yeah, Krisjian,” I whispered softly behind me. “Are we expecting them to believe me?”
“I am trying. Like you said, letting them see the cracks rather than telling them outright that everything is wrong.”
“Alright. I’ll keep buying time.”
Really, that was my main job. I might not have had my abilities, or my bruiser status, but I always had my wit.
Well, at least I did when I wasn’t drugged up to my gills.
“Why would I come here and risk my life otherwise? Faeldrus—that’s his name—isn’t one of your kind. I know he looks like it, I know that your religion has him prominently featured as well, but he’s not. He’s actually an oracle, one of my own people, who got his power from killing and consuming yours.
“He got here on your backs, on your blood, but he wants more. I swear on my dead parents and on the head of every oracle that has existed, does exist, or will exist, that I am telling you the truth.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some of the dragons exchanging looks, their large heads swaying since they didn’t have forward-facing sockets. Was that doubt? That looked like doubt.
“If you really believe that to be so, then deliver yourself to us.”
“What?” I blurted out. That was just about the last thing that I had expected.
“You want us to trust you? Then trust us. Give yourself up and we’ll all leave this place. Our leader will understand that a pure opportunity arose. And when we prove that he has no nefarious needs, you agree to cooperate with us and bring all your flock into our fold.”
My heart thundered in my chest, my vision going dark at the edges. He wanted me…down there?
The thing was, it was worth it if it stopped them from being in the ritual. But we had only minutes before a missile was dropped. They weren’t supposed to fire until they saw the rotted dragon, but even if they waited until the last possible second, I didn’t foresee being able to get me out in time.
I would die.
“So what is it, Daniella the Oracle? Do you wish us to trust you or not?”
I took a deep breath. Then another. I already knew what I had to do, but that didn’t mean that it was easy.
“I’m sorry, Bronn,” I murmured before popping to my feet and taking a running leap off the top of his head.
He let out a roar that just about shattered my heart, layered with rage and betrayal. So much for all my promises. But I hardly even had time to feel guilty before a wyvern leapt off the back of another and cau
ght me against his back, slamming down hard on my front and driving the air from my body.
“See,” I wheezed as I was set on the ground. I tried not to look behind me at the angry noises that Bronn was making. I was doing it to him again, even though I said I wouldn’t. Forcing him to watch me die. “I trust you. Now let’s all get out of here, okay? War can be back on tomorrow, but not tonight. Ceasefire.”
The blond man strode forward, and suddenly, his large hands were gripping my arms. “You’re here. You’re actually here.”
My stomach dropped. I had thought he was going to default on our mini deal, but I had also hoped that maybe he would stick to the terms.
“I really am. But come on, we don’t have much time. Please, don’t back out on this.”
He looked like he was going to, he really did. “You know, I could rip your throat out right now and my whole people would praise me. Even the Great One Himself would praise me.” He licked his lips, and I sighed. Oh well. “But my word is my word. Besides, I have a special, golden new home made just for you. Let’s go.”
Oh.
“Wait, what?”
Was he really…
“What, did you think I wouldn’t keep my promise? I am many things, but a liar is not one of them. I trust you can hold on tight?”
I couldn’t believe it. It was working? I was getting them all out? Sure, I would be a prisoner, but I could be rescued another day. Our deal was only that I would bring all the other oracles into the fold if the rotted dragon proved me wrong, which he wouldn’t. “I can try.”
“Good girl.”
That grated on me, but I didn’t say anything. I knew when to keep my mouth shut. The elder just smirked, and then his body began to expand and shift.
I didn’t know if it was Krisjian’s influence or not, but I didn’t care. I all but leapt onto the crook of his leg and a drake used the top of his head to boost me onto the elder’s back.
I risked a glance back at Bronn, and I could read the pain across his dragon features. That was definitely something I would have to deal with once I was back where I belonged.
But that was okay, because I would have time if we just—
A downbeat of air had adrenaline suddenly pouring through me and I looked up into the night sky to see a familiar shape lowering itself down.
Oh no.
“There you are, my sweet. How did you find my little engagement?” he practically cooed, hovering there.
“Oh, you know, I have my ways.”
“I bet you do.”
Suddenly, he opened his feet and four shapes were falling. Bronn shot through the air, catching them then barrel-rolling impossibly fast.
It felt like a sledgehammer crashed into my side, but one moment, I was on top of the golden dragon, and the next, I was in the air. When I could see again, I was astride Bronn’s back with four very frazzled humans clinging to different parts of him.
The sacrifices.
“Those aren’t yours,” Faeldrus said with a purr. “While I appreciate your attendance, remember that you are a guest here.” He looked at the dragons below. “You weren’t about to leave me now, were you?”
I could see the golden dragon turn, and I wondered what kind of excuse he was cooking up, but he never got it out. The rotted dragon suddenly descended almost too quickly to see, and there was a sickening crunch as the elder was slammed into with Faeldrus’s long, wicked claws and powerful feet. The entire stadium went silent, until the sound of the elder being consumed began to fill the space.
Surely that had to be it. The moment the other dragons would see that he was dangerous. That he had no care for them at all.
But most importantly, it kept them occupied. Enough for Krisjian to pull a rope from the saddlebag between Bronn’s shoulders to hand to the four humans who looked like they were barely hanging onto reality and secure to his horns. When he was done, the young man clicked his tongue, and Bronn started to lift off.
I suddenly understood why when I heard the distinctive noise of some sort of aircraft. Oh right. The missile. Looking up, I saw a couple of blinking lights and then the whistle of something dropping quickly through the air.
The missile.
Bronn pushed off backward, pulling off a move one wouldn’t think that something of his size could do. I braced myself, preparing for yet another explosion.
Except that never happened.
Because of course Faeldrus looked up and of course he opened his bloody mouth and tilted his head back. Like something out of a cartoon, the bomb went right into his body, a soft glow and muffled boom sounding from inside him.
And that was it. Our failsafe was gone. It hadn’t even so much as nicked the ground. Our Hail Mary was much less Mary and more Maury, leaving just a silent crowd that was trying to catch up on what had happened.
“All your attempts really are cute,” Faeldrus chuckled. “Do you see this, my children? How these oracles use lies and trickery to manipulate you to their own ends? So how they were able to turn one of the oldest and most loyal of you with what seemed like a deal that could only benefit you?”
I could hear the crowd beginning to agree. Rumbles and snorts, assorted noises of approval. It was in that moment that I knew we had probably lost.
“Get these humans out of here,” I said quietly. “We have to keep them away from him.”
Bronn didn’t argue with me, just putting as much distance between us and the stadium as possible. As far as mission went, a half-success wasn’t so bad. I hadn’t counted on the rotted dragon dropping them right into our laps, so to speak.
…wait, why would he even do that?
“But you are stronger than that, my children. You know how to look past their lies, do you not?! You know that I only seek to lead you to the glory you all deserve.”
Those sounds of agreement reached me even as Bronn raced to get away.
“All I ask of you is that you willingly give yourselves to me. Worship me, let me lead you, and I will never leave your side. The question is, do you believe their kind, or are you willing to give yourselves up to the greater good?! Do you trust me?!”
Huh, the whole cult thing was absolutely spot-on.
The dragons didn’t seem to hear it, however, cheering and jumping and otherwise agreeing. I knew then there was no saving them. They were too brainwashed to see the noses on their own faces.
“Then join me, join me in the glorious future that only I can lead you to. Be willing to die in the name of the glorious battle to come, and no one will be able to defeat us. Are you all willing?!”
Another responding roar and then suddenly, everything stopped.
Or maybe everything kept right on going but my mind was suddenly able to take in everything that was happening at once, because a whole lot happened at once.
It felt like a dagger was dragged up both side of my ribs and then the sky cracked in two. Out of nowhere, lightning lanced down in dozens of places, leaving the air feeling like it was raw electricity.
There was a cracking sound behind us, loud enough to make my ears pop. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that a dozen more bolts of lightning were all striking the rotted dragon at once, leaving the entire stadium illuminated and sparking.
After that, there was a split moment of peace, not even a full second, where the whole world paused.
Then it all exploded.
Lightning lashed out from the rotted dragon, going through every single creature in the stadium like an arrow with a remote-control guide. Dozens of the things, crackling and full of plasma, tore through all the shifters like they were absolutely nothing.
“Fly, Bronn!” I cried, whipping back forward. “You need to fly!”
But there was no outpacing lightning.
I looked over my shoulder just as a sharp bolt stabbed right through the middle of the humans, lifting them off Bronn’s back and yanking them backward. Four souls, four innocents, gone just like that.
I opened my mouth to scream, but
no sound came out. But that was probably because the world was cracking apart, geysers of white-hot light bursting from the ground like reverse bolts, growing in size until they wiped out everything in sight, including Krisjian and the very dragon prince I was riding on.
It was into that blinding, burning energy that I fell.
We’d failed.
We’d all failed.
The humans were dead. The dragons were dead. Faeldrus was absorbing every last bit of their power that he could. All his centuries of planning had finally come to fruition. Despite everything, despite having a team of oracles up against him, he’d won.
The convergence of worlds had begun.
Convergence
Dragon Oracle, Book 9
1
Officially Rock Bottom
I was falling.
Not a fun, weightless sort of tumble, the kind that happened just before falling asleep. Definitely nothing like that exciting gap of time between leaping off a diving board and crashing into the water below. Not even like the headlong drops I’d taken into other dimensions.
No, I was falling with no speed, no direction, and yet I could feel the momentum building within me in jerking, violent motions. Like I was supposed to be landing on several somethings but whatever was supposed to be there wasn’t. All of the walls, boundaries, and rules that made up realities, that kept them separate, all crumbling before I could even so much as touch them.
It was like dying again, but so much different. So much faster.
The first time I’d slipped away from my body had been like slowly draining through a funnel, growing colder and sleepier as the seconds ticked by until I slipped under. And then there’d been the slow coming back to myself, collecting bits and pieces of whatever made me, well, me, until I was whole again. Or at least whole enough to observe as I traveled through that strange in-between place I’d ended up in.
I also wasn’t alone.
Krisjian and Bronn were falling around me, all flailing limbs and rushing wings. Both were trying to fight the plummet, to make some sort of sense of up or down or even the laws of momentum in general, but there were none. We were falling without gravity, unmoored from the laws of nature.
