Imagine Dragon

by Julia Mills

  Whipping her head back to the front and stalking to the very edge of the shore, the gossamer wings on her back pushing against the thin cotton of her shirt as mysticism crackled and sparked forming an outline of her silhouette. Immediately at her side, his voice rough with the force of his Dragon and bronze scales covering the backs of his hands and crawling up his arms, Tristan growled, “We’ve awakened the Beast.”

  Snapping to attention, Kayne called to Murdock, Atticus and their mates, “Y’all ready. The Obscured is stirring. I’d rather we take the bastard while it’s still groggy.”

  “Damn straight,” came the unanimous reply then Maddox added, “Uther is monitoring what’s goin’ on as he tries to wake Zared.”

  “He’s where he needs to be,” Kayne acknowledged before snapping back to the matters at hand. “Tell Morrigan and Lugh we’re ready, too. I can’t get them to answer. Must be the Fairy magic in the air.”

  Silence was the only answer he received before Atticus cleared his throat and replied, “Ah’ve no seen them, Kay. We thought they were with ye and yers.”

  Speaking aloud and into everyone’s mind simultaneously, he seethed, “What the fuck?!” Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down as he went on, “Then we do this without them and I kick some Godly ass later.” One more quick breath and a look at Pearl who was equally pissed and he added, “Time to rock-n-roll. The others are waiting at the Clinic for any survivors we find. Keep outta the Fairy Mound and take the nasty fucker down once and for all.”

  A resounding roar sounded from all involved, reminding him of his years in the Marines and their shout of ‘Oorah!’, somehow soothed his ire with his father and reminded him of what was really important – his real family. The woman by his side, the men he called Brethren, and the mates they’d been blessed to find. No matter what, there was no doubt in his mind or soul that he would give up his very life to protect them.

  One last call to the Dragons waiting at the summit of Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach and their plan would be underway. “Orion, you and yours ready?”

  “Aye, scales on and ready to fly.”

  “Keep your mind on the battle, Golden Boy, not your mate,” came Maddox’s snicker, to which Kayne teased, “Whatever, Old Man, can you even still fly? I would’ve thought your old wings were too tired to flap.”

  I’ll show you flappin’, you pain in the ass,” grumbled the Mad Dragon, making the entire group erupt in laughter.

  “And with that,” Kayne advised. “Let’s save the world one more time.”

  With a running commentary of his Brethren’s voices along with what they could see flowing through his mind, Kayne let Ailill burst forth at the precise moment that Pearl’s Strix and Tristan’s Dragon did the same. Fluttering above, ready and raring to go was Felicity, her lavender wings flashing instantly changing to deep purple with streaks of red and black as a shriek of unholy proportions cut through the cool morning air.

  “That’s our signal,” Kayne ordered.

  One thrust of his wings against the sea breeze and he was rising into the air. Pearl by his side and Tristan bringing up the rear while Felicity stayed right above the water giving them a target, Kayne went higher and higher, stopping just under the clouds before he leveled off.

  Turning his massive body in the air, he aimed his snout to the left of the tip of Felicity’s feet, pulled his wings in tight and dove, like an arrow shot from a bow. Changing from Fire Dragon to Sea Dragon just as his snout broke through the surface of the water, Kayne continued his dive until he stood atop the Fairy Mound.

  Waiting until Pearl in the form of a magnificent Sea Eagle, Tristan also as a Sea Dragon, and Felicity, still in her Warrior Fairy form were standing beside him, Kayne pointed to the smaller underwater land mass attached to the Mound, suspiciously hidden by an unusually large amount of moss, bladderworts and sponges of all colors and shapes. Showing the others in the water and in the sky what he could see, Kayne asked, “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?”

  “Aye, tae bastard tis there. Cannae ye no see the murky sludge waftin’ from tae bott’m?” Murdock’s deep grumble confirmed what Kayne already knew, there would be no time like the present.

  Glancing toward Pearl, her eyes glowing with power and her wings shaking with unspent adrenalin, he took a deep breath and cried out, “GO! GO! GO!”

  Working like a well-trained unit, even though it was the first time for some of them, Kayne’s group attacked the top of the Obscured’s prison while Murdock’s group came at it from the bottom. Steam drifted through the water as blast after blast of Sea Dragon flames cut through the ancient Fairy enchantment and ate at the dirt and muck of the tiny island.

  Quaking as the Obscured’s indignant roars and ravenous hunger beat at not only the raising party, the chunk of malignant Earth and malformed mysticism broke free of the Fairy Mound and shot to the surface. Inky, leathery, scale-covered tentacles burst from the dirt, their barbed underbelly and quad-lipped mouth filled with sharp, poisonous teeth snapping and grabbing at the Dragons and their kin.

  Right on cue, Sadie, Orion and Maddox reigned fire down on the partially unearthed Obscured. Furiously agonizing screams filled the air as noxious fumes and burning sulfur assaulted his senses.

  But there was no giving in…no going back…the Obscured would die, even if it meant Kayne went with it.

  Breaking through to the Beast’s steely prison, Kayne dove through the hole, changing back to his human form a split second before his feet hit the sludge-covered ledge. Searching through the unending tangle of tentacles, appendages, and vines of caustic magic and hateful intent brought to life, he swung to the right at the sound of Atticus and Murdock cutting through the bottom of the pod.

  “Do ye see anythin’?”

  “Does tae Beast have a heart? A nerve center? Somethin’ we kin bludgeon?” Atticus and Murdock, although only recently reunited had picked up right where they’d left off, finishing one another’s sentences. Any other time, Kayne would’ve laughed, but at that moment, he really wanted to kill the Obscured and get the hell out before Pearl joined him in the heart of the Beast.

  No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Pearl appeared on one side with Tristan and Felicity popping in on the other. Glaring at his mate, he growled, “Didn’t I tell you…”

  “Shut the hell up.” Pearl rolled her eyes before pointing to the farthest corner through the thickest mass of the Obscured’s anatomy. “There’s what makes this Abomination tick. How about we slay this asshole and go get hitched.”

  Smiling from ear-to-ear despite the situation, Kayne readily agreed, “Right after you, my Queen.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Swinging from slimy tentacles and sliding down unctuous appendages had never been something Pearl had aspired to but having point blank asked Kayne if he wanted to be officially mated made what she was doing look like child’s play.

  What was I thinking…

  “Ye were thinkin’ that ye love the man an wanna spend fere’er wit’ him. Now, pay attention, Ah’m not there tae save yer arse.”

  Gwennie’s gruff answer to a question Pearl had only speculated about in her own mine forced her to address the elephant, or rather pissed off Thunderbird, in their friendship. “It wasn’t my call to make. Sadie said you were to stay back with the others. You all have to know that I wanted you here.”

  “We do,” came Laurel, the Gargoyle, the peacemaker and the youngest of their Clan’s, soft reply. “I think I know where Phryne is but I can’t reach her with our mind speak. There’s something blocking it.”

  “That’s great news, Hun,” Pearl quickly answered, nearly losing her grip because she was paying more attention to her Sisters than what she was doing. “I’ll talk to you about it when I get back. Keep trying and take care of Gwendolyn for me.”

  “I will,” Laurel chuckled at the exact time that Gwennie scoffed, “Ye wish.”

  Cutting off their communication and securing her mental blocks Pearl could
only sigh when Kayne grumped, “Watch what you’re doin’. We’re here to kill the bastard, nit feed it one of the most magical beings in the universe.”

  “I’ll take that as a backassed compliment and not kick your ass later.”

  Enjoying his low rumbling chuckle in her mind as they climbed closer to their objective, Pearl sensed movement to her right just before a huge four-lipped mouth grabbed for her arm. Getting a too-close look at its razor-sharp teeth and the thick viscous venom dripping from their tips, she was just about to holler for Kayne when yet another and another came at her.

  Doing her best imitation of Tarzan, Pearl swung as hard and far as she could from the appendage she was holding onto, flew through the air, and grabbed hold of another with both hands before sliding down its inky-scaled surface. Unable to stop, she whooshed past Kayne then past the brothers as she’d begun calling Dock and Atty, stopping only when Tallulah, the Mermaid mated to Atticus reached out and took hold of her arms.

  “Thanks for the save.” Pearl winked. “That one almost got away from me.”

  “Almost?” Kayne’s glib remark sounded as he touched down beside her. “Looks like that ship has long past sailed.”

  Before she could razz her mate, Murdock called from above, “Ah hate tae break up all tae fun, but the Beast willnae wait no longer.”

  Looking just ten feet below the tiny ledge she, Kayne and Lulu were perched on, Pearl swatted her Dragon in the chest with the back of her hand and shouted directly into his mind, “Time for Plan B.”

  “Plan B? We’ve got a Plan B?”

  No sooner had the words left Kayne’s mind than the massive bulbous center of the Obscured pulsed in double time as it rose from the nest of skeletons and bones it called home. Flashing from blood-red to violent pink to fluorescent green and back again, over and over while the malevolent creature pulled at least twenty of its thickest tentacles under the monstrous sphere that served as its body, for lack of a better word.

  Scrambling to come up with the Plan B she’d spoken of, Pearl watched in horror as the Obscured shattered its magically-reinforced, Earthen prison, stood on its inky appendages and attempted to wade through the waters of the Loch towards the shore. Jumping from her perch, she threw out her left arm, grabbed ahold of one of the tentacles and swung around until both her arms and her legs were wrapped around the slimy leg.

  “Son of a bitch!” Was the unanimous outcry from all those with her as they did exactly the same thing.

  Not waiting for them to latch on, she let her head fall back and with her extremely formidable eyesight looked for any weakness the Obscured might possess. Blocking out Kayne’s yelling and the concerns of the others that she’d made a hasty move, Pearl carefully scoured the underbelly of the Beast. Nearly giving up, just about to agree with her mate that she had rightly ‘effed up’, her eyes landed on a tiny dot, no bigger than the palm of her hand, dead center of the globular body.

  “I found it!” She shouted, not waiting for the others to climb up the appendage like it was the trunk.

  So close she could see what could only be described as spidery veins pumping and pulsating, pushing globs of blue-black gelatinous liquid through their thin-walled tubes. She really had found it, the heart of the Beast, the one vulnerable spot on the whole monstrous Abomination.

  With the top of her head less than an inch from the gooey, dripping sphere of the Obscured’s nerve center, Pearl raised her right hand, smoothly accepting the magic that changed it from its human form to that of her Stringes. Taking three deep breaths, counting to ten as she exhaled each time, she was perfectly calm and perfectly focused as she swung her feet backward as hard as she could.

  Holding on with one hand, she kicked her feet just like she had as a little girl swinging on the playground. Flying forward then backward, again and again, she finally reached maximum height.

  With no further preparation and while Kayne screamed every obscenity he could think of and a few he made up, Pearl swung off the Beast’s leg and flew straight and true with her clawed hand leading the way. Hitting her mark, the tips of her talons punctured the mucus-like membrane with an ear-splitting pop promptly followed by a huge expulsion of noxious, sulfur permeated the air and an overload of thick, black viscous liquid and slimy chunks of gore, flesh and bones.

  Holding on for her life, she was bombarded with the innards of the Obscured, sure that the avalanche was over when with a mighty wheeze that sounded like Godzilla had just gutted Mothra. Slapped in the face with a ginormous slab of slick, greasy only-the-Gods-knew-what, Pearl instinctually let go of the Obscured’s appendage, gladly falling backward into the deep waters of the Loch.

  Swiping at her face as she flipped onto her stomach and swam for the shore, she called out, “Kayne? Atticus? Murdock?”

  When no answer came, she poked her head through the surface of the water, looked towards the sky and yelled into Sadie’s mind, “Do you see anyone down here? I can’t get an answer.”

  “Because you blew their asses all the way to the shore,” the Dragoness who’d been her friend and Leader for longer than Pearl could remember chuckled. “Orion, Maddox and I were laughing so hard we damned near fell outtalk the sky.”

  Laughing along, she asked, “Does Kayne look mad?”

  “Would you be asking because you care or because your goanna turn tail and run?” Sadie’s chuckle turned into laughter causing Pearl to grumble, “I really hate that you know me so well.”

  Unfortunately, she didn’t hear Sadie’s reply as a distress call sliced through her consciousness.

  “Help! Please, please help us!”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Listening to the conversation between Pearl and Sadie cooled his temper, but Kayne still planned on ripping into his mate for scaring the living shit right out of him. For several long, horrible seconds, he’d thought she was dead, had feared the worst, and was ready to pull a ‘Romeo’ move and follow her fine, feathered ass right into the Heavens. If for no other reason than to kick her butt for making him worry.

  Then a voice that sounded so familiar it made both him and his Dragon stop everything – even breathing – called for help. Watching the platinum hair covering the top of Pearl’s head change direction a split second before she dove back into the depths of the Loch between the muck and gore floating on the surface, had him wading into the waters as he called over his shoulder, “Keep a lookout for any more live bits and pieces of that fucking Obscured.”

  Diving as soon as the water was deep enough, he followed the bond he shared with Pearl. Pushing himself deeper and deeper into the dark waters, visions of a tall woman with golden curls and bright blue eyes invaded his mind.

  Refusing to be shoved aside, the images turned into more of a movie as the complete picture of the woman developed. Swaying back and forth on a wooden swing hung by thick jute rope from the branch of a tree, she sang and smiled at the baby in her arms.

  “Over in Killarney, many years ago

  My mother sang a song to me in tones so soft and low

  Just a simple little ditty in her good old Irish way

  And I'd give the world if I could hear that song of hers today.”

  Something like déjà vu, feelings he locked away so many centuries ago, came rushing at him at the exact moment the woman in his mind cooed, “Aye, me wee Kayne. Year the bonniest boy ‘twas ewer born.”

  Dropping like a stone, lost in disbelief and denial, Kayne was pulled back to reality by Pearl’s scream. “Wake up, Dragon Man! There’s three barely alive Fairies stuck down there in the muck.”

  Rushing to save the three Sarai, four-foot Water Fairies that most thought no longer existed, Kayne asked Lulu, “Is it true that sunlight can harm a Sarai?”

  “Only if they’re very young,” she instantly replied. “And since most think they’re all dead, I’m guessing the ones down there are not.”

  “Thanks.”

  Reaching for the Sarai with his mind, Kayne opened all his mental shie
lds, letting the tiny magical beings see that he was only trying to help. Tinny squeals of joy and relief pierced not only his mind but his eardrums as the mini Fairies spoke as one, “Thank the Goddess. It’s her boy. It’s Kayne. She said you would come.”

  Not understanding, or more pointedly refusing to hope, he worked quickly to release the Sarai from their mystical chains. Following them to the surface and leading them to the shore, his feet had barely touched dry land when the woman from his mind came running towards him.

  Wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek, she marveled, “Ah ne’er imagined tea day. Ah prayed and Ah hoped, but I ne’er really believed.” Placing her hands on either side of his face, she smiled so sweetly as tears filled her eyes and added, “Tis me, Kayne. Year mum. Ahom here me boy. Saved by year mate.”

  Stumbling back, trying to absorb what the woman had just said, Pearl blessedly appeared at his side. Stepping in front of him, she demanded his full attention as she spoke privately through their mating bond. “It is her, Kayne? Sadie, Murdock, Maddox and I all checked her mind. She believes with her whole being that she is Emilia Migraine, your mum, and the mate and wife of Lugh, the Celtic God of the Sun. Is she right, or delusional?”

  Looking deep into his mate’s eyes, still not sure if he believed anything that was happening, he nodded then bringing Sadie, Orion, and Maddox into their conversation asked, “Are you all really sure? How could she have survived? It’s been fucking centuries.”

  “I have no clue, but I swear it’s her, Kay,” Maddox’s voice was more solemn than Kayne could ever remember it being.

  “I searched every nook and cranny and to my extreme shock, I concur with Doxie,” Orion, ever the diplomat, replied.

  Waiting for Sadie’s answer, Kayne could feel, as well as see, the longing in Emilia’s heart and soul. The pain she’d suffered, the loss she’d endured, it was all right there for anyone and everyone to experience. If the woman standing mere feet from him was a liar, she was a damn good one and the Dragoness’ response reinforced the Demi-God’s belief.