Beast, as the dragon referred to himself, shook his body and tail. He lifted each paw and sniffed around, getting a feel for the physical form that he usually stayed trapped inside. Ah, it was a good feeling not having to lurk anymore—now he was in control! It was only too bad he could not just fly away and do whatever he wanted, no matter how tempting. Aidan had entrusted him to help win this brawl, and he would prove more than equal to the task.
Lorcan let out a roar, signaling that they could attack. Beast let out a gleeful snarl. Those dragons with the yellow circles painted on them would not stand a chance against him. He was a mighty beast. For too many years he had been forced to hold back, but no more. He would give these backward dragons a real fight.
As each of the teams leaped into the air, beginning the assault with aerial combat, he rose with them. Beast enjoyed testing his wings and making them go faster. He eyed the opponent directly ahead of him, a dragon with no sign of shifter blood in him. He had short forelegs, rather than long forearms, which put him at a disadvantage despite his bulky body. Beast did not concern himself with his opponent’s size. That would only make him slower and less quick to react.
He clashed with the other dragon midair and tore into him with his teeth and what remained of his poor, damaged talons—which was Aidan’s fault, the fushka. There was no mercy in his attack. Beast tore through scales, ripped chunks out of his opponent, and tossed him down to the ground once he was finished. He found another dragon with the yellow circle painted on her neck. She was a female warrior with a well-honed form and a vicious gaze. She’d just finished her first opponent, and her eyes were filled with bloodlust for more.
Beast went after her, flying as fast as he could. He caught hold of her shoulders and folded his wings so that she had to take all of his weight. She screeched, having to work twice as hard to stay aloft. Beast clamped his jaws around her throat and kicked at her. The talons on his hind feet were in better condition and did much damage to the female dragon, tearing into her belly and ripping off her scales. She struggled against him, but he had cut off her ability to breathe, and she weakened by the second.
When she began to tumble, he opened his wings enough to slow their descent. They struck the ground with his sharp incisors still in her neck. She pressed against Beast’s chest, but her attempts were weak. He waited until she passed out before letting go. The female dragon would survive, but she would wake up later with a headache and a sore throat.
Pounding footsteps came from behind him. Aidan, lurking in the far recesses of his mind, urged him to turn. Beast spun around just in time to raise his forearm and block the blow from a Faegud dragon with shifter blood in him. With his right hand, Beast punched his opponent in the jaw and sent him reeling backward to the ground. Then he leaped on top of him and tore into his soft belly, growling as he did so. A hot, metallic tang splashed into his mouth. Ah, the heady taste of enemy blood. Aidan did not appreciate it the way he should. In fact, Aidan took many things for granted that Beast did not.
After a few moments of chomping, he remembered that he must stop. This was not a real enemy, and Beast could not kill him. He left the dragon lying there, breathing heavily and flailing his little arms. What a weak creature. Even when Aidan was in control, he never gave into his pain and fought until the end.
Beast sought out and attacked several more dragons, tearing into them with the same relish as the others. One managed to get a swipe at his belly, but except for that, they took all the damage. He was hardly winded when the roar sounded, ending the battle. Beast searched around, finding only eight dragons left standing. Six of them were from his team, including Falcon. His gaze sought out Donar and spotted the bloody dragon wavering on his feet. He had barely survived the battle. Beast would have to ask Aidan to let him work with Donar’s beast sometime. There would be much to be gained by that.
Lorcan beckoned those who still stood. Beast padded his way toward the dragon, stepping over a few moaning bodies. There were far too many who fell so easily. He was embarrassed for his kind, especially for those with pure blood who did not have to compete with a human soul. They had no excuse not to be as vicious as they wanted in this brawl.
It is time to return control, Aidan said.
Beast stopped when he reached Lorcan. I think not. You will give me the rest of tonight in reward for me fighting this battle and winning.
That is not what we agreed.
Lorcan is saying there will be another feast. I wish to taste my meal for once, instead of only receiving the dull sensations you share. You will give me this, Beast demanded. He was not asking for much. There was nothing significant tonight that required Aidan to be in control. He would gladly recede to his normal place once it was time to sleep.
Fine. Aidan made a sighing sound in his mind. But don’t do or say anything that will cause trouble or embarrass me.
Hah! If you will recall, I am usually the voice of reason between us, Beast said.
Aidan let out a snort. That is a matter of perspective, my friend.
Chapter 22
Aidan
The Faegud pendragon led them to a secluded area about a twenty-minute flight from the jakhal. Aidan was still sore from yesterday’s activities—particularly from Beast’s brutal takeover and his overeating at the feast afterward. Donar and Falcon had noticed his odd behavior, to which the dragon told them to mind their own business, but thankfully no one else caught the difference. Aidan was grateful when he woke up as himself again. The more he flew, the more his muscles loosened and he became in sync with his body.
He gazed at the small clearing they flew toward and noted a small tunnel opening in the ground. It was barely wide enough for a dragon to fit through and much narrower than what he’d seen at the jakhal.
Aidan addressed Lorcan, Why are we here?
My mother is concerned about spies. There are those who still prefer the former pendragon’s ways and resist hers. We have executed several dragons so far who we caught attempting to ally with our neighboring toriq—the Ghastanan. She does not want to risk any others interfering or revealing what is discussed today, Lorcan explained, his tone grim. I will remain out here guarding the entrance while you negotiate with my mother and the elders.
Aidan did not like the sound of that. It appeared the Faegud clan had as much instability and internal strife as the Taugud, perhaps more. He could only hope their efforts were not wasted. This agreement would be important to his toriq’s future, but only if it had a chance of succeeding.
Do not worry. This is normal for a treaty negotiation, Falcon privately explained.
To negotiate away from the jakhal? Aidan asked, skeptical. Then again, he had not been alive when his toriq negotiated the last treaty with a dragon clan not consisting fully of shifters. Perhaps he was being paranoid.
Yes, Falcon said.
You all may change now, Hildegard announced. She led the way by allowing the flames to consume her, and the elders followed her example a moment later.
Aidan, Falcon, and Donar gave each other surprised looks. This was more than a little unexpected. They’d anticipated remaining in dragon form for their entire stay with the Faegud, but after a moment of hesitation, they shifted as well.
It was such a natural act for them that it took less than a minute for them to appear in human form. Hildegard and the others remained consumed by the flames for far longer before finally emerging in their new bodies. It was painful to spend that amount of time shifting. Only the youngest dragons in their toriq underwent such a slow process, but Aidan had to remember the Faegud were different. The human side of them lurked much deeper and required a lot more concentration to bring out. He was surprised all of the elders—five in attendance—could do it. He had been under the impression the remaining shifters of their toriq were few and far between. These males and females, though, showed their age and had to be at least a thousand years old, perhaps more. They likely came from a time when their people had stronger traces of hum
an characteristics in their blood.
Hildegard finished shifting first and stood before them. She had long, dark-brown hair that went to her waist, smooth skin that was lightly tanned, and features reflecting a middle-aged woman. The build of her human body was similar to Phoebe’s, with a larger bone structure and toned muscles. Her eyes had remained the same orange color as when she wore her dragon shape. She wore a fine red tunic and black pants.
As Aidan recalled, their clan still had a few families capable of producing the second flames that could fire-proof camrium cloth and certain other items such as stone or zaphiriam. There were only a small number of materials that could endure the process, but it was a skill no toriq would want to go to waste.
The elders emerged from the fire last, each with pained expressions on their faces. Their tunics ranged in colors from dark blue to brown to green, but they all wore black pants. Black was the most common color for shifter garments because of the special plant—sude camria—from which they used to manufacture their fire-proof cloth.
Lorcan stayed in his dragon form, taking a position to stand guard. Hildegard beckoned everyone else, and they followed her down the tunnel entrance. It went at a steady decline for about two dozen paces before flattening. Just after that, it curved to the right and eventually led to an open cavern with large flat stones for seats. The female pendragon settled at the far end, with the elders taking positions on either side of her. Aidan, Falcon, and Donar sat on the remaining boulders with their backs to the entrance. Tension thickened the air as they waited for the pendragon to speak.
“Today we have the opportunity to renew ties between the Faegud and Taugud,” she began in a clear, strong voice. “And it is a long time coming.”
Lorcan’s mother went on to state the goals of their meeting, and her hope that they could come to a mutually satisfying agreement that would benefit both toriqan. Only Hildegard and Aidan would be allowed to speak openly, though they could privately confer with their advisors during the negotiations. After she finished laying out the guiding principles, she looked at Aidan.
“Perhaps we should speak of trade first?”
He nodded. “That would be acceptable.”
Hildegard folded her hands in her lap. “Now that we have returned to Earth, our remaining needs are few. The food is plentiful, and there are many materials lying about for the taking. We truly only lack in one area—gray stone and the ability to shape it. Those with the talent to breathe the second fire have maintained the skill to create clothing, but it has been too long since we have wished to build structures above ground. You have quarries for gray stone and masons who could help train our people in how to carve and shield it, do you not?”
Aidan glanced at his cousin. Hildegard knew very well that Donar’s family came from a long line of masons who could work gray stone. “We do. Our artisans are kept quite busy, but arrangements could be made for them to visit for a short period to train your people. We could also supply you with enough gray stone to build a few small structures.”
“That would do for a start, and three months with two of your masons should be sufficient for an instruction period,” the pendragon said.
None of us can spare that kind of time, Donar spoke telepathically to Aidan.
I am aware, as I am certain Hildegard is as well.
His cousin blinked. Of course. I suppose I could possibly spare one month, and there is another mason’s son who could do the same. That would be enough for them to learn all the requisite skills. Any progress after that would have to come from their practicing on their own.
Very well. I will take that under advisement, Aidan replied, then returned his attention to the Faegud pendragon.
“Our masons are quite busy with projects for our toriq,” he said, keeping his tone neutral. “We have two, including my cousin, who could each spare two weeks to train your people.”
Hildegard’s lips thinned. “That would hardly give them time to learn all they need to know. I would agree to six weeks, but nothing less.”
Aidan mulled that over, using his own experience at carving stone as a basis. “Four weeks to start. Your people will then practice on their own—which is necessary to increase their skills—and our masons will return after six months to help them refine their techniques for a period of two weeks. That should be more than sufficient.”
Donar jerked his gaze to Aidan, frowning at him, but he kept quiet.
“Agreed,” Hildegard said, then narrowed her gaze. “But I require that the masons and gray stone supply come within two weeks. We wish to have at least one shelter built before winter arrives where humans and shifters can come together for meals.”
Aidan considered it. “Two weeks should be enough time to prepare both.”
One of the elders produced a sheet of parchment and penned the terms onto it. At the end of the negotiations, he and the pendragon would review the document, and if satisfied, they would sign it.
“For the Taugud, we do not require anything material from you. As you mentioned, food and supplies are plentiful enough now that we are on Earth. Our current needs run more toward a requirement for security and reinforcements in battle. I have a request I would ask of you in return for the supply of stone and the use of our masons.”
Hildegard narrowed her gaze. “What is it you want?”
“The Taugud have gained all the land we want to the south. In fact, we have expanded our territory to cover much of what the humans would refer to as southeastern Oklahoma. The difficulty will be in holding the land and acquiring the city in the middle of the state. Large sections of it are currently being held by the Shadowan and Thamaran.”
The pendragon was quiet for a moment. “Which territories do these toriqan currently hold?”
“The Shadowan have the northeast part of Oklahoma, as well as sections of what is called Kansas and Arkansas. The Thamaran have the entire west half of the state and something the humans refer to as the panhandles for Texas and Oklahoma.” Bailey had pointed at these places on a map for Aidan to see. He understood where they were located, but he could not quite grasp why they called them panhandles. She gave up explaining it to him after they argued about it for more than ten minutes. In his mind, the state of Oklahoma appeared more like a pot that was melting at the bottom and Texas did not look like any cooking implement he had ever seen.
A large, colorful sheet of parchment appeared in Hildegard’s hands that she must have pulled from shiggara. Aidan was surprised to discover she kept a map in her mystical pouch. The pendragon stood and held it flat against the wall where they could both look at it. He found it depicted much of the region where their toriqan lived, and it was perfect for their discussion.
“Show me,” she said.
Aidan pointed at the panhandles and outlined the rest of the territories for his clan and the pure dragons. Hildegard had added the chasm to the map as well with a inky black line, indicating where it ran almost parallel to the Red River with an approximate half-hour flight between them.
She pointed at Oklahoma City. “This is a large human population center. You want to hold all of it?”
“Eventually, yes, though we recognize it will take time and many battles to accomplish,” he replied.
Aidan’s father believed getting the humans on their side would be beneficial to their toriq. Not only for security reasons, but also because the advanced technology they used could prove useful. The first way to do that was to force the pure dragons out of the city, as this would show the humans that shape-shifters could be allies. Gaining mutual respect and trust would have to be taken in small steps after that, though Bailey’s participation would help speed up the process. First, though, Aidan would have to prove she was not a threat to his toriq. He was still waiting for an opportunity to present itself on that delicate matter.
“Why?” Hildegard asked, knitting her brows. “The Thamaran and Shadowan are not going to give up that territory easily. Many of the pure dragons still seek rev
enge on humans, and others have plans to enslave them after their numbers are sufficiently dwindled—not that I agree with their ideas, mind you.”
Aidan met her gaze. “We are aware of that, but we are thinking ahead, like you. Human allies could make all the difference to our future.”
Hildegard’s gaze turned guarded. She appeared to be mulling something over and possibly speaking privately with the elders. Aidan waited several minutes before the pendragon spoke again.
“Do you see this city here?” she asked, pointing at the map.
He eyed the word above her finger and remembered the name from Bailey mentioning it before. “Dallas.”
“Yes. We have plans to take this city in the spring from a neighboring toriq. If you agree to assist us with that, we will help with your plans after winter as well.”
“You do realize our toriq is much smaller than yours, and we cannot provide an equal number of warriors?” The Taugud had a little over two-hundred if the castle guards were counted as well as the shifters who lived outside the fortress, but the Faegud must have closer to seven or eight hundred.
Hildegard nodded. “That may be, but in the early spring when the weather is cold as often as it is warm, you will have the advantage. Most of our warriors are pure dragons that will be hampered by cooler temperatures—the same as our enemies. The more shifters we have fighting, the greater our chances of success even if the numbers are not in our favor.”
Aidan could see the value in that. “Very well, but in return, the Taugud will require you agree to come to our aid any time we need warrior support.”
Thankfully for Aidan, this was a subject he and his father had discussed at length. He knew exactly what assurances he must gain from the Faegud. It was too late in the year to coordinate any large-scale battles together, especially with preparations for winter keeping dragons busy, but his toriq could handle any smaller skirmishes that came up in the meantime anyway.
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