by S. E. Smith
Cara was beyond pissed, she decided. She was up to berserker level. She let the flow of adrenaline consume her as she flew like a tiny avenging angel towards the four skimmers. She let loose a long stream of dragon fire. The fire poured over the first skimmer, engulfing it. As the pilot pulled up, the slightly angled wings on each side caught the two skimmers next to him throwing them off course. When they over corrected they spun out of control, to close to the ground to correct, and slammed into it just meters from where Trelon lay helpless. The fourth skimmer slammed into the back of the first one as it pulled up into a steep climb trying to get away from the fire engulfing it. Both of them exploded as they collided. Six down, Cara thought, eight to go. A burst of energy swept by Cara’s right shoulder but she had already changed directions. Moving as fast as she could, she was a tiny blur flying in and out between the skimmers who were having trouble keeping her in their sights. She moved towards one that had angled down to target Trelon. She might not be able to slam them the way Trelon did but that didn’t mean she couldn’t jump on them. She did spiral twists as she came up under it and gripped it with her front and back claws. Her weight threw the skimmer off and she jerked down opening her wings to act like a parachute. The skimmer flipped over and spun out of control into the trees on the far side of the meadow. Cara quickly did a mid-air somersault and headed for the next skimmer. One skimmer was on her tail, firing bursts of energy at her. Cara spun around in a circle, barely clearing another skimmer which had come at her from the other side. As she spun between the two, their bursts hit each other tearing through the wings of one and the cockpit of the other. Both careened out of control into the forest. Cara soared up into the air with the last five remaining skimmers on her tail. She took off across the tops of the trees moving in and out as they followed her. She felt a burning scorch her leg as one of the energy bursts made contact. Ignoring the pain, she swerved down into the canopy hoping the skimmers wouldn’t follow.
Trelon was beside himself. He watched in helpless horror as he tiny mate attacked the skimmers. More than once he fought his helpless body trying to force it to get up. He was too weak even to shift back. The small symbiosis was the only thing keeping him alive right now while it worked desperately on his damaged lung. It was too weakened to do more than try to stem the internal bleeding. His eyes followed Cara’s dragon as it twisted and turned between those attacking them. He had to admit she was doing a pretty damn good job at fighting. His dragon grunted in agreement but still felt like their tiny mate needed her ass beaten for disobeying them. Trelon bit back a chuckle as he watched her cling to the bottom of one of the skimmers upside down. When she opened her wings causing the skimmer to hurdle end-over-end into the forest, he was glad she was on his side. He watched as two more skimmers exploded. It wasn’t until he realized she was drawing the other skimmers away that uncontrollable fear choked him. He screamed silently as he watched her disappear over the treetops, five skimmers on her tail.
Chapter 17
It seemed like hours, but in reality was no more than fifteen or twenty minutes since the battle began that he caught sight of Symba, two of his brothers, and a half dozen more warriors flying over the treetops to land near him. Symba immediately rushed to his side. Trelon gave a weak prayer of thanks to the gods and goddesses as the healing warmth engulfed his weakened body.
“What happened?” Mandra demanded. He knelt down next to Trelon while Creon stood surveying the damage.
“Curizan skimmers.” Trelon responded weakly. “More than a dozen of them.”
Creon turned to look down at Trelon in surprise. “More than a dozen.” He said in astonishment. “You did a hell of a job in kicking their ass.”
“Not only me.” Trelon choked out. He could feel his symbiosis working on his lung. “Cara…” He said as black spots began to dance in front of his eyes. “Find Cara…five more…after her.”
Mandra leaned his sapphire and silver head closer to Trelon trying to keep him conscious long enough to give them some more information. “Trelon, which way did your mate go? Trelon…”
Creon let loose a curse as he watched his brother succumb to his injuries. “Get him back to the palace as soon as you can. I’ll go after his mate.” Creon turned to two warriors and nodded.
Pushing up off the ground, Creon drew in a deep breath trying to locate the direction in which Trelon’s mate had flown. It took all three warriors several widening turns before they caught the faint scent of blood coming from the east. Creon’s dragon growled deep in its throat at the thought of the tiny human being injured.
Cara’s heart was in her throat as the three remaining skimmers followed her. She had managed to trick two of them into following her through the canopy. They had not been able to navigate the thick foliage and had crashed into some thick trees. The other three, though, had been more cautious. They followed her from above. On several occasions she had to change directions when they had fired on her. She was covered in numerous cuts, scrapes, and burns. Her right leg was burning really badly from where the one energy burst had hit her. It wasn’t until she noticed the thinning of the trees that she really began to worry. She was so tired. There would be no way she could survive if she was out in the open. Cara broke through the thick canopy and cried out in surprise as she found a sheer cliff in front of her. Unable to slow her forward momentum fast enough, she hit the rock face hard. Jagged stone cut into her upper and lower legs as she threw them out in front of her and she barely managed to jerk her head away from a small ledge that was sticking out. One of the skimmers spotted her and let loose a series of energy bursts. Rocks rained down around her as the stone exploded. Small cuts appeared in Cara’s wings and her dragon cried out in pain. We have to find shelter. Cara said desperately to her dragon. Look around and see if you can find anything.
Cara pushed off of the rock face, ignoring her bleeding limbs, and turned to glide down along it. At the bottom, her dragon let out a cry of triumph as she spotted a small opening in the rock. Cara was so focused on the skimmers firing at them she couldn’t respond before her dragon turned in a sharp circle, collapsing her damaged wings, and flew through the narrow opening with a twist.
Cara could see inside the dark space but that didn’t mean she was going to stay there. The narrow opening widened to reveal a worn cavern of about ten meters by twenty meters wide. She could make out a small, swallow pool of water in one corner. Cara’s claustrophobia kicked into high gear as she realized her dragon planned to hide in the small, dark cavern.
NO! Cara said sharply. She could feel the panic rising inside her. She would rather take her chances against the remaining skimmers than stay in this dark, tiny hole. NO! She repeated to her dragon who was fighting against her. I can’t do it. I can’t breathe. I have to get out. Cara pleaded.
Cara forced her dragon to turn around. She had almost reached the entrance when the whole side of the mountain seemed to shake. Rocks from the ceiling rained down on her and dust filled the air making it even more difficult to breathe. Cara stumbled back in horror as she watched the opening slowly close as tons of rock covered the entrance.
NO! Cara screamed in despair as the thick darkness became as dark as a tomb.
Cara scrambled towards the ruined entrance frantically pulling at the rocks. Her torn claws stung as the dirt and grit embedded in the open wounds. Her dragon sensed her growing terror and worked hard trying to calm her but Cara was beyond listening to anything. The thin band of gold around her neck quivered as it did the best it could to heal the dragon's palms but Cara was ripping them open faster than the tiny bit of symbiosis could heal. It finally moved slowly back around Cara's neck, too weak to do much else. Cara slammed against the huge boulders again and again until finally her dragon refused to respond to her any more. It took over, understanding Cara was too far gone to control herself any longer. As Cara's cries turned to hiccups then to silence her dragon wandered over to the small pool of water. She lay down near enough to it to lap at the water without ha
ving to get up. After she had satisfied her thirst, she began to gently lick her wounds trying to clean them as best she could. Inside, Cara withdrew into a tiny, shivering ball. She rocked back and forth pulling away from the suffocating darkness. She heard nothing; not the soft coughs of her dragon calling for its mate, not the water dripping from the ceiling, not even her own heartbeat. She shrank as far as she could so she couldn't hear the screaming in her head as the darkness filled her soul.
Trelon slowly opened his eyes. His mind was clearer than it had been in three days. He had been in and out of consciousness, his wounds more severe than he first expected. The blast to his back had not only punctured one of his lungs but also damaged his spine and other organs. His symbiosis had worked on him continuously along with the healers. He frowned. Where was Cara? He was hurt she wasn't beside him. He thought she would have stayed near knowing he was unable to go to her. A throat cleared and he turned his head towards the sound.
“Where's Cara?” Trelon asked weakly. He tried to clear his throat but it was too dry.
Kelan came forward and pour a glass of water. Holding it up to Trelon's lips, he waited until he had drunk almost half the glass before he answered. “Creon and Mandra are still looking for her. Zoran is still gone with Abby. We notified him but told him to stay with his mate. We did not want to take a chance of anything happening to her and we all agreed there was nothing he could do at this time.”
Trelon struggled to sit up. “What do you mean they are looking for her? Tell me what happened.” Trelon demanded harshly.
Kelan sat down in a chair near the bed. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed heavily. He didn't want to upset Trelon but what he was about to tell him would drive him from his bed. He knew if it had been Trisha missing he would have fought the entire Curizan military to get her back. He watched as Trelon finally pushed himself weakly up into a sitting position. His brow was covered in sweat and he was extremely pale. Trelon's symbiosis and the healer had both worked a miracle. Trelon did not realize how lucky he was not to be dead. He didn't remember any of them being so close before, not even during the Three Wars.
“Do you remember being attacked three days ago?” Kelan asked quietly.
Trelon frowned. Yes, of course he remembered. There had been over a dozen Curizan skimmers. He had taken out several of them before one had snuck up behind him to blast a hole through his back. His breathing became erratic as he remember Cara's tiny dragon coming out of nowhere and attacking the remaining skimmers. She had taken out most of them but there had still been five of them left.
“Where is she? Where's Cara?” Trelon choked out fearfully. She couldn't be dead. He would know if she was dead. His dragon would know immediately if his mate had perished.
“Creon and two warriors were able to follow her blood trail to the eastern mountains. He found the remains of two other skimmers. The remains of the pilots were not Curizans but Valdier. Mandra found out they were members of Raffvin's elite guard. They found her blood on the side of one of the cliff faces. There was quite a bit.” Kelan said quietly. “It looks like they fired on her as she clung to the side. A section of the cliff face was destroyed. Creon and Mandra organized a team to clear the area. We believe she was buried under the rock slide.”
Trelon was shaking his head slowly. “She's not dead. I would know. My dragon can feel his mate. She's not dead!” Trelon repeated desperately. He closed his eyes and sent out his senses. He would know if she was dead. He couldn't feel Cara but his dragon could sense his mate. It was like one was alive and the other wasn't but that was impossible. They were now two halves of a whole. There could be no dragon without Cara and vice versa. The gold bands on his arm picked up just a hint of an image. It was very weak and blurry but it was enough to let him know they were alive.
“She's in a cave of some type near the base. I can’t get anything more.” Trelon said weakly as he leaned back against the headboard of his bed. They must have replaced it, he thought distractedly, as he stared out the balcony doors. “Help me up.”
Kelan started to shake his head but stopped at the stubborn look on Trelon’s face. He was getting up with or without help. Kelan stood up and leaned over. He gripped Trelon around his waist not commenting on the amount of weight around his shoulders from Trelon being too weak to stand. He helped him into the cleansing room and turned it on. Trelon leaned heavily against the side letting the water pour over his sore muscles. He sent out a call for Symba. He was going to need additional help if he was going to go after his mate. He focused inward for a moment concerned about his dragon. It had taken some punishing blows. If he hadn’t been so worried he would have chuckled as it rolled its eyes at him. His dragon was more than ready to go after his tiny mate. He still thought she needed her ass whipped for defying them. I only hope that we get to threaten her with it. Trelon said softly to his dragon. And don’t forget what happened the last time we threatened to discipline her. Trelon reminded his dragon. The deep grunt of his dragon bolstered Trelon’s mood.
Trelon shook his hair out of his eyes. “Let’s go get my mate.” He growled as he stepped out of the cleansing unit.
“Maybe you should get dressed first. No offense, but this is really more than I want to see.” Kelan said with a smile. He was happy to have his brother back.
Trelon had grumbled and complained but Kelan had put his foot down. They traveled in his symbiosis or Kelan would tie his sorry ass to the bed. It was only when Trelon realized just how exhausted and weak his own symbiosis was that he agreed. Symba had spent a considerable amount of energy keeping him alive and healing him and his dragon. He absently rubbed Symba’s big head as he watched the landscape change below him. They passed over the meadow. The only evidence of the battle three days ago was the scorched grass and the huge crater left from his fall. The forest had quickly reclaimed the damage done to it.
“We collected all of the remains of the skimmers and the pilots. There was a mixture of Curizan and Valdier warriors. All the Valdier warriors have been linked to Raffvin’s elite guard. I should have questioned his desire to have his own private guard. I never realized it was as big as it was.” Kelan explained as he flew east towards the mountains.
“Has Creon found anything else out?” Trelon asked.
“Yes.” Kelan said quietly. “I worry what he has discovered could lead to another war with the Sarafin. From the Intel he has received, it looks like Raffvin had his hand in King Vox’s disappearance.”
Trelon let out a loud sigh. If the Sarafin suspected the Valdier were responsible for their King’s disappearance they would attack, proof or no proof. “What game is Raffvin playing? I thought he was on his way there.”
“He is but we suspect it is just a decoy. What he plans to do there, we have no idea. Creon said Ha’ven is on his way there. He is friends with one of the brothers. I guess during the wars he saved his life. A life debt is owed. Ha’ven hopes to use it to prevent bloodshed before we figure out who Raffvin is working with. Now that Ben’qumain is dead, there has to be someone else controlling the Curizan section of all this.” Kelan said. “There, that is the last place Creon was able to scent your mate.”
Trelon surveyed the area below in shock. Over a hundred warriors worked in their dragon form moving tons of rock. From the scorch marks on the face of the cliff, the skimmers must have fired repeatedly at it even after the cave Cara had taken refuge in had been covered. It was almost as if whoever had ordered this wanted to make sure they would not reach his mate in time.
Kelan landed his symbiosis in a small clearing not far from the bottom of the cleared rubble. Trelon climbed out slowly. He was still weak. Symba jumped out next to him and wrapped new bands of gold around his wrists.
“No, Symba.” Trelon said gently. “Save your energy. We may need it for our mate.”
The gold bands swirled in color. Symba would do whatever was necessary to protect Trelon and his mate. It still felt guilty about leaving them alone three days ago. I
f it had…
“No, Symba.” Trelon whispered shaking his head. “I am to blame. It is my responsibility to protect her. I would be dead if not for you.” Trelon sent warmth through to Symba watching as the colors slowly calmed.
Creon turned as he watched his brothers walking towards him. He shifted and climbed down from a narrow path between the rocks. His gaze ran over Trelon. He nodded as if satisfied with what he saw before he spoke.
“We have almost reached the entrance to the cave. Another hour and we should break through.” Creon said in greeting. He knew deep down that all Trelon cared about was reaching his mate. His own thoughts flashed to Carmen. He focused briefly on the symbiosis he had left guarding
her. His face never showed the smile at the image his symbiosis sent back. Carmen was not very happy with him right now. He refocused on his brothers.
For the next hour, Trelon stood by helplessly as he watched the warriors work. Both Kelan and Creon refused to let him shift and help. They told him to save his energy for when they finally broke through to his mate; that was when he would be needed the most. A loud roar went up echoing through the work area as the last boulder was moved. Trelon had never been so proud to have such fine warriors working to protect his family. In truth, many of them had fallen in love with the tiny human female as she had flitted around the palace. Tales of her exploits on the V’ager had circulated to the point she was held in awe by all.
