by Eric Vall
“I need you to go and find every map in the library,” I explained to him, “once you’ve found those maps, bring them here so we can make a note of every single mention of a castle, a ruin, or a guard post in the mountains and forest near Hatra.”
“Yes sir!” Dagen practically bounced in place as he vibrated with excitement. “Castles or ruins or guard posts, to the east of Hatra!”
“Don’t rush while doing this.” I made sure to impress on him the importance of what I was asking. “Be thorough so you don’t make any mistakes, this involves the safety of our city.”
“I won’t let you down, sir.” Determination shone in his emerald eyes, and he saluted me before he dashed out of the room.
“He’s young,” Laika murmured as she turned back to gaze at a map, “young and eager to please.”
“I trust he won’t make a mistake,” I murmured in reply, but I was suddenly distracted as I felt a shift in the air outside. “What is she doing up?”
It was Valerra’s presence I sensed outside of the building, which was odd because I was sure she was still bedridden.
“What’s wrong?” Laika asked as she focused on a nearly faded map.
“I thought I felt Valerra outside.” I stood up and made my way to the entrance. “I’m going to go check and see if she’s really out there.”
“I’ll be here,” Laika replied faintly as she pulled out another barely held together map to compare against the one she was looking at.
I walked out of the room and out of the building to see the sun was beginning to set over my city, and it dyed the bluestone buildings around me a rich purple.
Valerra stood several yards away from the entrance of the temporary palace, a pale figure against the light of the setting sun. Her hair seemed to glow like molten fire as it consumed the rays of light. In her arms was her sister’s egg, and it was crimson and sparkled with specks of gold.
“Huh, you’re fully healed,” I remarked as I looked her up and down and couldn’t see any signs of her being in pain. “Are you going for a walk?”
“Of course I am healed.” Valerra rolled her eyes at me as she waved her hand. “I’m not one of your puny humans who will die if too cold a wind sweeps by them. And, no, I am not going for a walk.”
“You really hate humans, don’t you?” I leaned against the wall of the building and bit my cheek at her response.
“Are you only just noticing?” Valerra scoffed as she wrapped her arms tighter around the egg. “It seems you might have a brain after all.”
Then she turned and walked away from me, and her long hair swayed behind her with every step she took.
“Wait, where are you going?” I followed after her with a frown.
“Back to my canyon,” she replied in a matter of fact tone as she walked in the direction of the main gate. “We’ve already discussed this. I leave with my sister’s egg when I’m recovered. I’m recovered, hence, I leave.”
“How about you don’t leave?” I countered as I caught up with her easily. “There’s more than enough room here for you and your sister’s egg.”
“Quite the comedian, aren’t you?” Valerra rolled her eyes again and yawned languidly. “It was not humorous the first time, nor will it be the second time.”
“I’m being serious here.” I stopped in front of her and blocked her way. “I want you to stay here, in Hatra.”
“I am also serious.” Valerra’s eyes glowed fiercely with the light of the sunset. “I refuse to stay in this city, surrounded by so many humans.”
Then the dragon pushed past me and continued walking in the direction of the main gate.
“Why don’t you stay long enough to teach me about being a dragon?” I asked as I switched tactics in an attempt to convince her.
“Why would I?” Valerra yawned and continued walking without even giving me a glance.
“Because I’ve helped you,” I countered easily and tried to play on her pride. “Turnabout’s fair play, and you owe me.”
“I dislike having such a debt.” Valerra stopped and glared at me for a moment before she huffed. “You may visit me by the waterfall, and I will deign to give you some morsels of wisdom.”
“How gracious of you.” I dipped into a mocking bow.
“Yes, you should be grateful.” Valerra didn’t seem to notice or care about my mockery as she started walking again. “Very few can claim such a boon from me.”
“You know, since you don’t want to stay in the city,” I continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “it could be kind of dangerous in the canyons by yourself. You don’t know if there’ll be another attack. What if you can’t hold them back long enough for us to get there?”
Valerra stopped walking to glance at me with cold golden eyes, and then she looked down at the egg in her arms. Her jaw clenched minutely before she looked up at me again.
“Your point being?” There was no uncertainty in her voice, but I saw a sliver of doubt in her amber eyes.
“Why don’t we patrol the area together?” I suggested with a shrug of my shoulders. “I mean, who’s gonna be dumb enough to attack two dragons?”
“Patrol?” Valerra scrunched up her face in disgust at my suggestion and resumed walking. “Together? You must be joking.”
“Dead serious.” I raised an eyebrow at her reaction and shook my head. “You know just how dangerous the demons are and how cruel they can be. Who knows what they would do to a defenseless and unhatched dragon.”
A wind swept around us, and Valerra tightened her arms around her sister’s egg. We had already reached the main gate, and I didn’t have much more time to convince her into patrolling with me. Otherwise, she would leave, and tracking her down in the canyons could prove both difficult and dangerous.
“Fine,” Valerra growled out, “but I am only doing this to protect my sister’s child. I will not be lifting a single claw to help your humans.”
“I know, I know.” I lifted my hands up to placate the angry dragon. “This is just looking out for you.”
“Looking out for me?” Valerra snarled back as her eyes flashed angrily. “Are you implying I am weak?”
Her fangs and claws seemed to lengthen in the waning light as killing intent leaked out from her body.
“No, not at all,” I replied soothingly as I inwardly cursed my poorly chosen words, “I just meant this works out in your favor. You’re back in your canyons, you’re away from humans, and you have an extra set of eyes protecting your sister.”
Valerra’s brows knitted as she glanced from me to the egg in her arms. Then her shoulders slumped for the merest of moments before she straightened again.
“I see.” Valerra shifted the egg in her arms and nodded. “Very well, our first patrol shall be on the morrow.”
“Wait, what?” I blinked, somewhat surprised she had finally agreed. “Tomorrow?”
“Meet me by the waterfall at sunrise.” Valerra stopped in front of the main gate and turned to face me. “Do not be late, I have no patience for tardiness in others.”
She didn’t wait for a response from me, she just shifted her stance and jumped high in the air. Then Valerra shifted fluidly into her dragon form and soared into the sky above me. With a quick flap of her wings, she was far out of sight.
Well, isn’t she demanding? Miraya’s voice echoed through my mind with amusement.
“Let’s keep this between us,” I muttered to the Sword Spirit with a grin, “but she’s kinda hot.”
Chapter 6
The next day, I woke up a good while before dawn and walked from my bedroom to the ramparts of the main gate. As I strolled through my sleeping city, I thought about last night’s conversation. Valerra had somehow agreed to patrolling our territories and teaching me about being a dragon, but she’d immediately scheduled a patrol for this morning. It was incredibly short notice, and I’d only been able to let Laika know about it before we’d gone to bed.
The wolf Demi-Human said she would let everyone know whe
re I was in case my patrol ran long. Or, if I found something during my patrol, there was always a few squads of warriors from the Blue Tree Guild ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice.
I didn’t expect for Valerra and me to run into any trouble we couldn’t handle, though. I was pretty strong and had more than one massive cheat on my side with my healing power and the Sword of Hatra bonded to my soul, but then there was also Valerra. If there was something even I would struggle with, I knew she would be able to handle it easily.
For now, I was outclassed and outgunned by her. But I promised myself that wouldn’t last long.
As dawn started to break over the horizon, I reached the top of the ramparts and shifted into my dragon form to fly in the direction of the waterfall. I passed over the edge of the desert and along the length of the river and aqueducts that provided not only water, but life, to the people of Hatra.
In the distance, I could see the waterfall rise before me, and at the very top of it was an enormous crimson dragon that stood proudly on a rocky outcropping. Valerra was easy to see even at this distance.
I couldn’t help but wonder how large I’d grow by the time I’d lived as long as she had.
With a few more flaps of my wings, I made it to the crest of the waterfall, and Valerra rose up to meet me.
“Good,” Valerra rumbled, and her scales glistened with dew from the waterfall, “you aren’t late.”
“Good morning to you, too,” I replied dryly.
“Let us depart,” Valerra said as she ignored my comment and took to the air. “I’ve already patrolled my canyons. What is left is the desert sands. It shall be interesting to see what we find in that barren land.”
I followed after Valerra and, thankfully, she slowed down enough so I could catch up with her. Just one of her wings was easily five times the size of my dragon form, and she could quickly outpace me if she wanted to.
As I glided toward her head, I mentally patted myself on the back for managing to turn such a massive dragon into a reluctant ally.
“You know,” I called out carefully, “what did the demons even try to offer you?”
“What are you on about?” Valerra rumbled back to me.
“The demons couldn’t have just attacked you outright,” I replied as I glanced at Valerra’s giant eye and shifted my wings to beat in time with hers. “They had to catch you off guard, otherwise you could have easily taken them out.”
Valerra remained silent as she glided over the desert sands that glistened as if they were molten gold.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” I continued on with my theory. “Did a demon somehow manage to get your sister’s egg? But how would they have gotten past you? I mean, I barely flew into the canyon before you started chasing me.”
“There was a man,” Valerra growled out, and the temperature around us rose, “a strange one. For a moment, I wasn’t sure if he was human or not. In fact, I was convinced he was a spirit of some sort.”
“A spirit?” The sudden spike in heat didn’t bother me, but I knew Valerra’s fiery temper was rising to the surface. “Why did you think he was a spirit?”
“Because he had no scent,” she hissed angrily, “there was nothing to him that had substance. Thus, I thought he was some wraith or ghost who’d lost his way. Because of that, I was going to ignore him and leave him be. Until I saw he held my sister’s egg in his hand.”
“What did he look like?” I asked as suspicion nagged at me.
“A blond man.” Valerra paused for a moment and glanced over at me. “The oddity was his appearance kept shifting, and for the merest of moments, I caught the stench of death and decay from him.”
So, there was a possibility Olivier and perhaps the Green Glass Sect were some of the suspects behind the attack on Valerra. We knew a Demon Lord had to have been involved, but for humans to be involved as well? What the hell was happening?
This is dangerous, Miraya whispered in my mind. There is something much larger at play here, larger than you realized.
“Valerra,” I rumbled as I internally agreed with Miraya, “do you know anything about the lands near Hatra? Do you know if there’s any castles or fortifications.”
“Of course not!” Valerra snarled and whipped her head around to glare at me. “I have been in those canyons for three thousand years protecting my sister’s egg, why would I leave such a well defended area?”
“It was just a question,” I huffed. “I’m thinking the demons that attacked you have a connection to the demons that attacked the mine. There’s a pattern to the attacks, and I wanted to see if you could help figure out who was behind them.”
“I don’t care who’s behind the attacks,” Valerra rumbled back, and her voice promised pain, “but if I ever find them, I will make them regret every single second of their life that led them to meeting me. Then I will wipe them out of existence with excruciating pain.”
“And I will help you.” I nodded in agreement since I was sure our enemies were one and the same.
It wasn’t an easy silence that settled between us, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Valerra was more considerate than I had thought she would be as we continued our patrol, and she carefully angled her immense body so it wouldn’t hit me whenever she changed directions.
I’d begun to fly in loops around Valerra, a bit of practice for myself when it came to aerial maneuvers, when I saw something strange before us. It almost looked like a carpet of black on the desert sands … if carpets moved.
I realized it wasn’t a black carpet when we flew closer, but it was still a bit of an odd sight. From how high up we were, they looked like bugs. Still, that wasn’t the right way to describe the creatures. They had what looked like fur on top of thick and scaly skin. The best way I could describe them was by comparing them to very hairy turtles, if the turtles had somehow managed to lose their shells.
The beasts moved slowly over the surface of the desert, and I wasn’t sure if their lack of speed came from their size or because of the intense heat radiating from the shifting sands. I didn’t want to imagine the blisters that would develop on anyone’s bare feet after spending a day in this desert.
“What are those things?” I asked. “Bugs, or some type of demons?”
“They’re native to the desert,” Valerra explained with extreme disinterest. “They’re known as desert echidnas.”
“Should we leave them alone?” I asked as I glanced back at the creatures for a moment.
“If you want to.” Valerra gave a shrug of her massive shoulders and yawned. “They are rather vicious and territorial, though. Our presence should be enough for them to try to attack us.”
“Wait, why aren’t you attacking them then?” I frowned at Valerra before I glanced back down at the milling creatures underneath us.
“Why should I?” Valerra replied languidly. “Fire doesn’t work on these creatures, and I don’t feel like exerting myself to fight them.”
“What?” I asked in surprise. “So, they’re like behemoths and have impenetrable skin?”
“No, I simply said fire doesn’t work on them,” Valerra’s annoyed voice echoed around us as she launched into an explanation. “They’re not even close to the defensive strength of behemoths. These things are just petty annoyances.”
“If they’re petty annoyances, then they should be easy enough to take care of,” I said as my eyes locked on the insect like creatures. There were hundreds of them, but it should be a piece of cake between the two of us.
“Take this as a lesson,” Valerra replied as she ignored my question and remained hovering in the air. “Get rid of them by yourself.”
“By myself?” I gaped at her. “This would be quicker if you joined in.”
“And yet, I shan’t.” Valerra’s lips curled upward in a smirk as she bared her fangs. “Be a good little disciple and dispatch them for your mistress.”
“Wait a second!” I growled back at her. “When did I become your disciple?”
“When you asked me to teach you,” Valerra answered flippantly as she shifted in the air to a more comfortable position. “Therefore, commence. Otherwise, they’ll start rampaging. And once those creatures start rampaging, they won’t stop until they’ve been killed or they’ve marched themselves to death. They might even reach your city.”
“Fucking hell,” I growled out as I glanced down at the creatures.
So, what was my next move?
The echidnas were fireproof, so I doubted my lightning would be able to do much against them. I could probably use my stone powers to squash a bunch of them, but I didn’t want to expend all of my magical energy on a group of bugs. I gnashed my fangs as I hovered in the air and tried to think of a plan.
Well … I could always tear them apart with my claws and fangs. I was a huge, badass dragon after all, and each echidna didn’t look larger than one of my legs. There were hundreds of the creatures down there, but as long as I kept their attention on me, they wouldn’t go in the direction of my city.
Besides, if things started to look bad, Valerra would hopefully join in and lend me a hand. I glanced back at Valerra’s perfectly relaxed form high above me and squinted at her. She didn’t have a choice if these things started overwhelming me, not if she wanted to protect her own best interests.
But I was confident in my abilities to take care of the echidnas myself.
With a growl, I dove down through the sky and pulled up just shy of slamming into the creatures. Then I raked my claws along the backs of the echidnas closest to me. There was a spray of dark green blood and a keening cry from the creatures as all their eyes turned to face me.
A roar of pain escaped me as the emerald blood splashed onto my scales and burned through them down to the muscles of my forelimbs. Even my talons felt as if they were beginning to disintegrate. I glanced down at my forelegs and saw the echidnas’ blood had eaten away at the flesh it came in contact with. My glimmering obsidian scales were gone, and now ivory bone peeked out from between bleeding layers of muscle.
How the hell was their blood acidic enough to eat through my scales?
