by Rinelle Grey
Ultrima dodged, and the flames hit the trees below, setting them alight. As he moved, another arrow sailed past his enemy’s tail, bouncing off the scales.
The dragon didn’t even seem to notice. He screamed, the sound conveying both his distaste at Taurian's wasteful use of magic, and his determination to exterminate him from the earth.
Taurian laughed, the sound echoing through his skull.
The sound only enraged Ultrima. Lightning flared from him in all directions, sparking off the mountain and lighting up the sky.
Taurian dove and weaved, but it wasn't enough. The lightning grazed his left thigh, sending searing pain darting through him. There was nothing quite like the pain lightning could cause.
But it was matched by an adrenalin surge, dulling the pain.
Taurian dropped his scale flare. It was time to get serious. He formed fireballs, throwing them one after the other at the dodging dragon. Ultrima threw lightning back as he moved, one of the bolts colliding with Taurian's fire.
It exploded in mid-air, showering the area with sparks.
Blood rushed in Taurian's ears, and he couldn't even hear if Karla was screaming. Probably a good thing.
Abandoning the magic show, Taurian dove down towards Ultrima, his claws outstretched.
Ultrima met him with teeth, ripping into Taurian's forearm, throwing his wingbeat off. Taurian flexed the wing, but the membrane was intact. He levelled out and clawed at the other dragon, satisfaction surging through him as his claws met scales.
A second later, Ultrima's claws raked Taurian's wing membrane, ripping it in several places. Pain lanced through Taurian, and an unwilling scream was ripped from his lips. He tried to keep flapping, but the pain from the ripped skin cramped his wing.
Pulling his wings in around him, the undamaged one curling over the damaged one, he left himself fall, rolling over and over in the air as he went.
This time, he couldn't miss Karla's scream.
He waited, holding his breath, as the treetops rushed up to meet him, then at the last minute he opened his wings, forcing the damaged one to extend to its full wingspan. It wasn't enough to stop his fall completely, but it slowed it enough that he survived crashing through the trees and tumbling into the clearing.
He had only a few seconds to scramble to his feet and steady himself before Ultrima landed beside him. The older dragon stalked towards him, and Taurian tucked his injured wing against his body.
Taurian flung fire at the approaching dragon indiscriminately, not caring that it set the grass alight.
Ultrima walked through it as though it wasn’t there. The soot coloured his scales, but if he was feeling the burn, he wasn’t showing it.
The bastard.
Taurian knew he was going to lose, but his heart just refused to give in. He screamed, and summoned all the fire he could, then flung it as hard as he could at Ultrima.
Ultrima sidestepped and send a bolt of lightning hurtling towards Taurian.
He tried to dodge, but his injured wing chose that moment to give way, tripping him up, and dropping him right in the path of Ultrima's blast. Pain ripped through him, draining all his magical energy. Taurian scrambled to hold onto it, but it was no use.
It was gone.
Ultrima advanced, baring his teeth in a snarl of victory.
It was over.
As he faced the end, regrets welled up in Taurian. Regret for not knowing what had happened to his family and his clan, regret that he hadn’t been able to avenge his sister’s honour, but most of all, regret that he wouldn’t see Karla again. Pain welled up in him at the thought, competing with the pain in his wing, along with the realisation that he had come to care about her more than he thought, even now that the Mesmer ritual was complete.
Something roared in the underbrush.
Ultrima's head twisted around and Taurian's eyes followed him.
Karla's white ute broke out of the trees, heading straight for Ultrima. It didn't pause, bounding through the clearing.
Ultrima stared at it, frozen to the spot. When it became clear it wasn't going to stop, he spread his wings to rise, but it was too late. The ute crashed into his side with a thud, the shock reverberating through the ground.
Ultrima's scream echoed through the clearing. The dragon stumbled, roared again, then lifted into the air. His wingbeat was uneven, but he managed to get enough lift. He headed back to the mountain, his screeching that echoed through the air voicing his displeasure.
The relief at his rescue was tempered by concern. Despite the agony, Taurian pulled himself to his feet, and stumbled towards the vehicle. Was Karla all right?
His brain was dulled by pain, but still it wouldn't stop racing. How had Karla made it down the mountain so quickly? And why had she risked her life to save him?
When he stared in the window of the ute though, its engine spluttering after the crash, the vehicle was empty.
Taurian shook his head in confusion, then regretted it as the movement of his neck caused pain to shoot through his shoulder and forearm. He slumped back down onto the ground near the ute.
“Are you all right?” The female voice was thick with concern, but since he could tell immediately that it wasn't Karla, Taurian didn't bother to lift his head, even at the sound of human footsteps rushing towards him.
A second set of footprints, more measured and cautious, echoed behind the first.
Still not Karla. Where was she?
Stupid question. She had been in Ultrima's lair, and since he had failed in the challenge, she was still there. She couldn’t come here and help him. He wouldn’t get to see her again. Ever.
He closed his eyes.
A woman's hand stroked his scales.
Taurian ignored it. Until it moved just a little too close to the open wound. His skin flinched away, and he gave a low growl in the back of his throat. The hand was removed.
“Do you think he's okay?” the woman asked in a whisper. After a few moments, Taurian recognised it as Lisa, Karla's friend from the shopping centre.
“How would I know?” a male voice responded. It shook a little. “I've already seen far too many dragons up close today for my liking.”
Karla's lifemate. Her former lifemate. Taurian growled again, but his heart wasn't in it, the effort hurting his throat.
He was weakening fast. He needed to transform and enter the Mesmer sleep as soon as possible. But how was he going to do that without a dragon to help him? These humans knew nothing.
Karla. He needed Karla. But where was she?
Chapter 26
Karla hadn't expected to be mesmerised by Taurian's dragon form. She'd had every intention of making her escape the moment he appeared while Ultrima and the rest of his clan were distracted.
But the moment she'd seen Taurian, his golden scales glinting in the sunlight, she hadn't been able to tear her eyes away. She'd watched, her heart in her mouth, as lightning and fire had crackled and burned in the sky as the two dragons battled.
She craned her neck, trying to see Lisa in the trees below, but they were too thick. An arrow flew up into the sky, narrowly missing both dragons, and Karla bit her lip. Lisa may be confident with a bow, but how could anyone hit one specific dragon when they twisted and turned so closely? This was not going the way she’d planned at all.
Taurian seemed to be holding his own initially, and his magical fire displays were certainly impressive. For a while, she'd even thought Ultrima had been bluffing about being unafraid of Taurian being fully healed.
Then Taurian had fallen from the sky, and all her other worries had faded away against the fear that he might not survive the fall.
Karla, along with several other men and women, rushed to the edge of the ledge and stared down at the forest below. Trees blocked the view, and Karla could see nothing. Taurian had fallen from almost the height of the ledge. Was there any way he could have survived?
Frozen, Karla stared at the bush below, searching desperately for a flash o
f gold.
She'd even settle for seeing Ultrima. But there was no sign of either dragon.
All around her, people talked excitedly in a language she didn't understand. Did they have any idea what was happening? Could they see something she couldn’t?
One thing was for certain, she wasn't going to find out what was going on from up here.
Karla glanced around at the others, but all their attention was still on the bush below. She edged carefully out of the group, hoping no one would notice her.
They all seemed to have totally forgotten about her existence, even the men who had been tasked with bringing her to Ultrima.
Karla backed away slowly until she felt the rocky wall behind her. She put her hands out, feeling the stone and slowly edged along it in the direction of the archway, keeping an eye on the group huddled on the ledge, holding her breath.
When her fingers grasped the edge of the arch, she took one more step, then backed out of the room.
No one even noticed her departure.
Now that she was out of sight, Karla turned and hurried through the deserted lair. With every footstep, she expected to hear someone shouting, but nothing happened. As she entered the final room that led into the stairway, she slowed. Surely, there would be someone guarding the exit.
But the room was empty. Karla paused in the doorway, staring around the room. Something was wrong. She'd counted on Ultrima's focus on the main chess pieces making it relatively easy to escape from his lair, but she hadn't expected it to be this easy.
It was almost like he was letting her escape.
Karla shook her head. That didn't make any sense. Why would the dragon who was out there trying to kill Taurian let her escape?
Because he didn't need her any more. The only reason he'd wanted her was to attract Taurian, and now that he was here, she didn't matter. There was no need to keep her here.
Just as she was debating if that thought made her feel better or not, she heard a shout from the ledge outside, followed by loud talking. They must have discovered her absence.
Somehow, that made her feel better as she raced down the passage way, taking the stairs two at a time. She barely even noticed that her legs ached and that she was breathless. Her only focus was on getting down to Taurian as quickly as possible.
But even once she reached the cave at the bottom of the passageway, and ran through it and out into the bush, she still had to find Taurian. She paused for a moment, trying to get her bearings. Which direction had Taurian been in when he went down? Which way had the ledge above even faced?
She'd gone around and around so many times inside the mountain, she couldn't tell anymore. So instead, she headed to where they had left the ute. Maybe Lisa and Bruce would know which way to go.
After scrambling through the underbrush, ignoring the sticks and branches that tore at her clothes, Karla burst into the clearing at the end of the road where they had parked the ute.
But it wasn't there.
Karla stared at the spot where it had been. Had Bruce seen it and headed back to town? Had Lisa lost her nerve and run?
Why was she even wondering? Lisa had more than proved her bravery today, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Bruce would not abandon her.
But why had they taken the ute?
And more importantly, where?
Walking to the spot where the ute had been parked, Karla searched for any signs.
Luck was with her. Tire marks veered to the left, and broken branches hinted at the passage of a large object through the bush. Karla pushed the branches aside, and ventured into the trees.
Even with the path the ute had made to follow, it took her nearly five minutes before she came out into a clearing. Bruce and Lisa stood next to the large golden heap on the ground, their brows furrowed. Lisa's face lit up with relief when she saw her.
“Karla! Thank heavens you're here. He isn't moving and we don't know what to do.”
Ignoring her, Karla flew across the ground. “Taurian!” His name escaped from her lips without a second thought.
Taurian’s eyelids flickered, opened once, then closed again. His chest rose, then fell, his breath escaping in a sigh. Karla ran her hands over his skin, skirting around the wounds at enough distance not to hurt him. The scales were cool and smooth beneath her fingertips, and the gaping wounds took her breath away.
Could he survive this?
It was all her fault. She had thought her plan to keep him safe was so clever, and it had failed completely. She hadn’t put anywhere near enough thought into it. And now Taurian could die.
She glanced around the clearing, but there was no sign of Ultrima. If he had left, surely that meant Taurian had no chance?
The ute sat several metres away at a strange angle.
“What happened?” she demanded, turning to Bruce. “Where's Ultrima?”
Bruce waved to the ute. “Lisa jammed the accelerator on, and we ran the ute into him. I don't know if it did any real damage, but he flew off pretty quick. I don't think he’ll be coming back soon. At least, I hope not.” His face was pale but determined.
Lisa looked equally determined. “And if he comes back, I'll do it again. Damn dragon.”
Despite her concern over Taurian, Karla gave a brief smile at Lisa's tone. Maybe she'd misjudged her all these years.
Then she looked back at Taurian, his hide laced with scratches and blood, and her smile turned to a frown. His chest still rose and fell, but though his muscles seemed to be relaxing under her strokes, he hadn't opened his eyes again.
She needed to do something. But what? She couldn't exactly take him to a doctor, and she suspected that even if she did, they'd have no idea how to help him. A vet would probably be closer, but still not possible.
He needed the Mesmer ritual. That was how he said he had healed last time. But how did he do that? Was he doing it now? And if he was, was there something special she should be doing?
Why hadn't she asked him more about it?
Taurian's skin rippled under her fingers and Karla felt guilty. In her stress, she had dug her fingers into his scales. Probably she'd hurt him.
But he did open one eye.
The movement reassured her a little. He wasn't completely unresponsive. Maybe he was just conserving his strength.
“We should get him out of here,” Bruce said quietly. “Before that other dragon comes back.”
He had a point. “How?”
He wasn't quite as big as she had expected a dragon to be, but there was still no way they were getting him in the ute, even in the tray.
Bruce shrugged helplessly.
“Ask him to transform,” Lisa suggested.
It was an obvious solution, except for one problem. “He’s so badly wounded, I’m not sure he can,” Karla said.
Taurian gave a rumble deep in his throat. The sound was indistinct, and yet somehow, Karla understood what he was trying to say. Or maybe she just happened to figure it out at that precise moment. “He gained strength from me touching him before. That's what we need to do.”
“We?” Bruce asked.
“Yes,” Karla said, becoming more confident as she spoke. “The more of us there are, the quicker he will recover. Usually, they have a dozen dragons helping with this part of the ritual, but he will have to make do with us three.”
Both of them stared at her for a few minutes, but unlike her, they didn't know that Taurian had never told her this information. They took her assertive tone as knowledge, and both of them stepped closer to Taurian. They had no idea that she was pretty much guessing. Because there was no way Taurian could be telling her, was there?
Bruce hesitated for a moment before laying both hands on the side of Taurian's neck. Lisa though, seemed a little too eager. Her hands caressed his shoulder, sliding over the smooth scales with pleasure.
Karla remembered how the woman had stared at Taurian in the supermarket, and how her eyes had lit up when she heard he wasn't her boyfriend. She was
n't prepared for the surge of jealousy she felt at the other woman touching the dragon.
She bit her tongue. Now wasn't the time to get jealous. Taurian needed their energy, as much as he could get. It didn't matter how Lisa felt. What mattered now was that he survived.
Laying her hands next to Lisa's, she focused instead on Taurian, using every bit of her mind to will him to live. She hadn't gone through all of this to have him go and die on her.
Somehow, she couldn't imagine going back to a life where dragons were just fairy tales. That life would seem flat and dull now.
His skin rippled under her hands, and she heard Lisa give a soft gasp beside her. For just a second, his scales felt like smooth skin, and then it was gone. Her hands rested on thin air.
Opening her eyes, she was momentarily relieved to see Taurian's human form lying on the ground in front of her. But only for a moment. Then the fact that his skin was deathly pale, and the gashes seemed that much worse in human skin, made her feel sick.
There was no time for feeling sick. Every second counted. She needed to get Taurian somewhere safe. And covered.
“Lisa, there's a blanket in the car, it's in the foot well on the passenger’s side. Can you grab it? We can use it to lift Taurian into the back of the ute,” Karla said. Lucky she had thought to bring it with her.
“Are you sure that's a good idea?” Bruce said doubtfully. “It'll be awfully bumpy back there. And it's not safe.”
“Well, he won't fit in the front. And we won't all fit either. I'll sit in the back with Taurian, and Lisa can drive.”
She was glad none of them argued with her any further. Once Lisa brought the blanket, they managed to lift Taurian onto it, and then into the bed of the ute. Though their rough handling must have hurt him, he didn't make a sound. Karla hoped it was stoic bravery, and not that he'd fallen unconscious from the pain.
Once he was laid out, she climbed in beside him and wrapped the blanket around him as carefully as possible. Jamming her feet against the tire wells, she lifted his head into her lap.
