He dragged his claws across Melinda’s stomach, just lightly enough to leave a series of four red scratches in her brown skin.
“I simply…cut…those…ties.” He chuckled a low sound that sent chills racing through Melinda’s veins.
“You will find that when I want something, there is no force in the universe to keep me from having it.” His hand shot up and grabbed Melinda by the throat, making her choke out a gasp of surprise. “And now, I will have you.”
He smiled wider as he produced that pair of razor sharp claws, holding them high above her head.
“And now I will kill you,” Athan said.
Chapter Ten
“What? You can’t kill me; you need me!” Melinda screamed.
Athan continued to chuckle. “Yet, another little mistruth. You see a human woman can only reproduce one baby at a time. I’m sure you are aware of this. Possibly more than this on the rare occasion of twins, triplets, etc. This is simply too slow of a process; we quickly figured that out during our early blessing attempts with human women, even ones as genetically gifted as yourself. So, this was very disheartening to us, but we are tenacious people and we persevered and searched until we found an answer. The most brilliant among us have figured out a way to tap into the most ancient and powerful magic’s of the universe and we have discovered a way to harness your power to return our own Volosian women to their former selves. So this way, they can remain fertile. And Volosian women can reproduce at a much faster rate.”
“I don’t believe you… you can’t do this! You can’t sacrifice me!” Melinda screamed as she squirmed underneath his threatening claw. It was now or never.
The rest of the council began to laugh at her cries. They were all evil, weren’t they? They were mad. That was all… all of them mad… where was Roth?
“And without further delay, let’s begin the awakening!” Athan shouted as he raised his claw higher and elicited a cheer from the crowd gathered around.
He was looking away from her for just a split second, his right hand raised in a prepared death blow and his left hand still clamped tightly around her throat. Melinda made her move.
Melinda grabbed at Athan’s wrist with both hands and pulled as hard as she possibly could, summoning strength from every single muscle in her body, but she could not dislodge his grip on her neck; it was like a strong vise with no release in sight She struggled to breathe as he applied the slightest pressure to her airway. Oh God, she thought, he’s going to choke me out.
At that moment, a booming voice filled the temple chamber.
“Release her!”
Melinda looked up – as did Athan and the four Councilmen – to see Roth standing a few feet away. Judging by the look of pure rage on his face, Melinda could tell he had overheard every word of her exchange with Athan, especially the part about killing Meztli.
“Athan, son of Taran.” Raising one arm, Roth pointed at his colleague. “I hereby charge you with the crimes of murder, deception, and acts of treason against my command. By the Laws of Volos, you will meet me in a Battle for Retribution, effective immediately!”
Just as Melinda’s vision began to gray out, Athan let go of her. A rush of air suddenly whooshed into her body, only adding to the dizziness that she felt. The world around her was going in and out from the brightest light to total darkness as she tried to regain her equilibrium. Her body rejected the rush of air at first, forcing coughs to erupt from her bruised and aching throat. She coughed, sucking in air, and rubbed at her bruised neck, feeling the muscles in her abdomen tighten as they tried to aid in the inhalation of large quantities of air, scraping and chopping her already tender throat passage. She watched Athan turn and climb out of the circle, seemingly unconcerned with his nudity.
“You were not fit to command,” Athan sneered at Roth. “You allowed personal feelings to come before duty. I should counter-charge you with insubordination, as I am now your commanding officer.”
He stabbed a finger in Melinda’s direction. “You violated the Oracle before she could be prepared for ritual presentation. I could smell you had been in her chambers on board the ship.”
“I claimed her as my own,” Roth said, lifting his chin. “She is mine, now.”
“We shall see about that,” Athan said. He treated Roth to a sinister smile. “I accept your challenge to battle. It will be a pleasure to put an end to your miserable existence.”
“So be it,” Roth said and nodded. “We shall convene to the arena.”
“Oh, but why wait?” In an instant, Athan transformed into a large dragon with red and gold scales and great, dark red wings. He reared his head back and spat a ball of fire at Roth, who jumped out of the way just in time.
Roth leaped up into the air with lightning fast speed, his eyes glowing with a raging intensity that terrified even Melinda as he swiftly changed into Dragon form and flew right towards Athan, rearing a vicious and deadly claw back, ready to strike him down.Chaos erupted. The High Holy Councilmen scrambled, shouting at Roth and Athan to respect the Sacred Circle and to leave the temple immediately.
The two beings completely ignored them as Athan sidestepped Roth’s claw strike and countered with one of his own, which connected to the side of Roth’s head. He used the momentum of the strike to flip around and deliver a heavy spinning back kick into Athan’s stomach sending him sprawling backward several feet. Athan caught himself in the air and launched again towards Roth’s head, breathing a ball of fire that he caught and threw at him at well over a hundred miles per hour. Roth barely managed to leap to the side before the fire consumed him, hitting the green flames of the circle at its base and leaving a large gap in the fire. The entire room was now filled with a strong burning, ashy smell.
Melinda used the distraction to her benefit. She dropped out of the chair and tumbled onto the floor, and made her way across to the steps. She found her discarded dress and quickly pulled it on. The thin fabric clung to her sweaty, clammy skin but at least it covered her.
She looked up to see the two dragons engaged in a fight to the death. Streams of fire erupted from their throats, setting the surrounding foliage and tapestries ablaze.
I’ve got to get out of here! She thought and searched frantically for the exit. Suddenly the gap in the fire was gone and a wall of flame blocked her path once again. She tried to find the Councilmen but they had vanished. Probably blinked out of here – God, I wish I could do that!
The deafening shrieks from the dragons echoed off the walls. Melinda clapped her hands over her ears. She watched Roth slam Athan up against the cavern wall, leaving a huge hole as several large pieces of the wall broke off and tumbled to the floor below them.
A large chunk of stone plummeted from the ceiling and landed right in front of her, almost breaking her toes. She jumped back instinctively with a scream.
Her outcry proved to be a dangerous distraction – for Roth. His head swung around, faceted eyes seeking Melinda. In that moment, Athan got his jaws around Roth’s throat. His long, deadly-looking fangs sank in. Blood welled up, and Roth let out a shriek. His pain went out like a shockwave and Melinda dropped to her knees, gasping for breath from the sheer force of it. The rumble of his humongous voice echoed deeply inside of her body, and it felt like her insides were being torn apart by the sheer velocity of a bomb exploding in her lap. She tried to recover and focus on what was happening. If Roth died then she was as good as dead too. As she watched, Athan flung Roth to the floor. Blood dripped from the red dragon’s mouth as he hovered over his opponent’s unmoving form.
“No!” Melinda cried. With no thought to her own safety, she picked herself up and ran to Roth. She touched his face; his dragon skin was oddly smooth under her fingers, almost like silk. She could feel his pain, his struggle to live. She realized in that moment that she had some feelings for Roth that ran deeper than mere dependence; he was a good person. And she believed in that moment that he really did care for his wife and that he cared for her too, in his ow
n way. He was not human, so the way he showed love was not the same as a normal man’s. She was beginning to understand that. And it was ok. He did not deserve to die this way.
“Don’t leave me.” She turned her attention to his neck and the oozing puncture wounds. They looked too severe to be helped; she had never seen someone injured so gravely in person before and it broke her heart. The pain had to be unbearable and the realization that a magnificent creature like him could be so destroyed like it was a piece of trash was the worst thing she had ever seen. Tears began to roll down her face and she found herself reaching out, searching for something to make this right, something to make this better. As she looked upon Roth’s tired, face, the light beginning to fade from his eyes as his body began to shut down, something compelled her to reach out and place her hands over the injuries. She should have been grossed out by this, the gore of it all, but she wasn’t. It felt compassionate and she yearned to do it. Some of the holes were larger than her palm.
Melinda’s eyes began to flutter just then as a feeling she had never felt before swiftly came over her. She should have been terrified, but she wasn’t. She closed her eyes and allowed the trance state to come over her, consuming her mind into a state of nothingness—no fear, no pain, just being. This world was similar to the other trance she had induced into, but instead of seeing a vision of the past, she saw a glowing light emanate from her fingers. It started slowly but then began to glow brighter and brighter until her arms were nothing but pure, blue light and the light began to transfer itself into the wounds, almost infecting them with glory. The blue and white tendrils of energy spread outward over Roth’s neck, slowly, fluid-like as the wounds began to seal, disappearing—vanishing right before her very eyes as if they had never even been there.
She felt herself emerging slightly from the trance, slowly stepping out of the dream world she had merged with. The aura remained with her, the blue light of peace, serenity, healing---it had spread over her entire body and she felt like her entire being had been engulfed in a Heavenly pool of warmth and love. Fear did not exist. Pain did not exist. Nothing could harm her. She felt the unlimited power of the universe cradling her, holding her gently in its warm and loving embrace.
She turned her attention on Athan. She could see him through the aura that now surrounded her own body. Climbing to her feet, words in a voice that she did not recognize as her own began to spill out of her lips, easily and without any conscious thought. A distant part of her mind did not recognize the language, but the words seemed to have a mesmerizing effect on Athan. It was as if something else was controlling her at this point; she was a puppet for a much higher, much stronger spiritual being and she wanted nothing more than to let it fill her completely and allow it to do the work that must now be completed.
Melinda’s voice grew louder, echoing around the chamber. The red and gold dragon hung in the air before her, unable to fight or flee, caught in the spell. The air around Melinda began to move. A strong wind filled the temple, building to a cyclonic force that whipped her hair and clothes around while she herself remained grounded, standing with her arms at her sides and her feet apart.
Behind her, Roth rose up. Still, in dragon form, he spread his magnificent wings to their full span and, opening his mouth wide, sent a blast of pure white light from his throat. The beam struck Athan, who let out a raptorial screech, which rocked the entire room, great particles falling to the ground. The sound beaconing from his throat sounded like everything in the universe crying out in horrible pain all at once. And then as soon as it began, it was over as Athan’s being turned into a ball of ash. The wind storm intensified momentarily and caught the particles carrying them away and extinguishing all the fires in the chamber as it exited through the passage leading out of the temple.
A silence fell over the grotto.
It was over. The blue light that had filled Melinda’s entire being swiftly disappeared, leaving her standing there with nausea and dizziness moving through her body. She knew that she was about to fall, but her body felt almost paralyzed to stop it. as she swayed. “Oh…shit,” she mumbled. She toppled over, falling towards the ground rapidly. Roth, reverted back to his human form, caught her before she could hit the ground.
Chapter Eleven
Melinda awoke to find herself in a large bed, in a room she did not recognize. She looked around trying to make sense of where she was and what had happened before struggling to prop herself up on her elbows. Her whole body felt like she had just been hit by a truck and someone decided to kick her in the back of the head for good measure. Her head was swirling with so many mangled and confusing thoughts that nothing really made sense to her.
“Good morning.”
She blinked, twisting around to see Roth standing beside the bed. She rubbed her face with one hand, trying to keep her eyes from closing tightly and whisking her off to sleep again.
“Mm,” she grunted. “What happened?”
“It would appear your powers are greater than anyone – myself, included – ever realized.” He smiled. “What do you remember?”
“You and Athan fighting. As dragons.”
“Yes. What else?”
“He…bit you? On the neck.”
Roth nodded. “He did. Do you recall anything after that?”
She frowned and massaged her temple. “Light,” she said. “Blue-white light, everywhere.”
“Do you remember where the light came from?”
“What’s with the Twenty Questions?” Melinda protested. “No. I don’t know where it came from. It was just…there.”
Roth settled on the bed beside her. “The light came from you, Melinda,” he said softly. He reached over and touched her hand.
She looked at him, and for the first time she noticed he didn’t have on that tight black uniform; instead, he wore a soft, pale yellow tunic and a pair of white trousers.
“Wait,” she said. “How is that possible?”
“Do you remember when I told you that my wife, Meztli, had more genetic coding that bore a closer resemblance to that of a Volosian?” Roth asked, and Melinda nodded. “Like a Volosian female, she had the ability to awaken the rejuvenation process within the male counterpart – what we call the Oracle Gene. She also had the compatibility required to allow herself to become impregnated by a Volosian.”
He looked down at his hands; his wrists crossed one over the other as they rested on his knee.
“My people possess a store of energy which allows us to transport ourselves from place to place. We can use it to transport others, as well. Together, we can make our ships travel across space in a matter of days, even hours. Meztli had one other ability, a kind of empathy which allowed her to tap into my energy and use it to her own will.”
He reached out and gathered one of Melinda’s hands in his. “It would appear you have inherited this trait, as well. You drew from my energy to heal me. You then used it to place Athan in a kind of stasis until I could dispatch him. It caused a surge within me, which is why my final attack on Athan yielded such…potent results.”
“Wow,” Melinda breathed. She sat up, tugging the sheet up over her chest out of modesty despite the intimacy they had already shared. “Do you think Athan knew I had that power-empathy thing?”
Roth shook his head. “Not until it was too late,” he said solemnly. “But I think I know why it manifested.”
Melinda rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know – because I’m descended from your dead wife.” She frowned, thoughtful. “I wonder if anyone else in my family has it…”
“It is a rare configuration,” Roth said. “One which only occurs once in a generation, and then not in every generation.”
“Ah.”
“Have you ever heard the term ‘made for each other?” Roth asked suddenly.
Melinda chuckled. “In almost every love song or romance novel ever written,” she said. “Also in Valentine’s Day cards, movies, TV shows…” She looked at him and smiled. “Why? Are
you going to tell me that you and I are ’made for each other’ because I could tap into your own private energy source?”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Telling you would be redundant,” he said. “I believe you already know the answer.”
“Oh, come on!” she scoffed and flopped back against the pillows. She looked up at him again. “Seriously, Roth. If you say people are meant for each other, then you can also argue the theory of Love at First Sight.”
“Why do you deny such things exist?” he challenged. “Both were a common occurrence between Volosian males and females. We had a symbiotic relationship. Once formed, our bonds lasted for life. It makes us stronger, more powerful. Athan must have known this about my bond with Meztli. I always suspected he would try to separate us, to weaken me until I surrendered my command to him – something he had always wanted.” He grimaced. “I never thought he would go so far as to kill her to make that happen.”
“That man,” Melinda said, “was a weasel. Which is an insult to weasels.” She shook her head. “I know I said it before, but I’m so sorry, Roth. Really. You didn’t deserve to have your happiness taken from you.”
“When the Great Plague wiped out our females, every male who lost his mate went mad. The reason our population dropped so drastically, driving us to seek Oracles to preserve those who remained, was due to the high rate of suicide.” Roth swallowed and looked down.
“I watched it happen to my parents. After my mother died, my father took his own life. His last words to me were ‘I cannot bear to be without her.’ When I lost Meztli, I knew how he felt…because she and I had shared a similar bond.”
This is getting way too depressing, Melinda thought. “Okay,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.
“How do you know when you’ve found the person who was ‘made for you?’?”
“We are drawn to one another,” he replied. “We can meet for the first time and be filled with a sense of familiarity that we have known each other before.”
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