Stacey’s terrified scream.
He went to lunge forward, in a bid to break the Mage’s spell over him, but it was useless.
The Mage laughed heartily.
“Enjoy the show, Zane,” he said moving back towards the cell’s entrance. “I know how much it must hurt you inside.”
And even though the Mage was wise, and said he knew Zane’s hurt, the truth was…
No one but Zane possibly could.
CHAPTER THREE
The window of opportunity had passed. No miracles today. Stacey lay on the bed helpless while next to her, her friend was screaming as she was being raped. She didn’t want to look at what Quraal was doing but he kept on slapping her face about so she had no choice. Eventually it became too much. Tears didn’t do it justice. Imagining your heart in the middle of a black lagoon, being eaten up by the water, wasn’t enough. When you hurt someone this much, or someone that they love, it’s not just a matter of the pain. It’s that you’re no longer who you were before. Tragedy such as this becomes a part of your identity.
And now it was Stacey’s turn.
Quraal left Jasmine in a sobbing, yet still paralyzed mess, and proceeded to move onto her body, the horror like nothing she’d ever before imagined. His face wasn’t even beautiful anymore. It flickered. It changed. Back and forth through the dim lighting of the room. She saw the corpse inside him – face with rotting black goo, and fiery red eyes. And that was his true form. One of.
He said nothing. He slapped his penis on top her belly, and then she felt its sticky presence to move below her.
Stacey’s eyes drifted towards the door.
Nothing. Nothing.
Nothing –
“ZANE!!!” Stacey screamed.
The door had just burst open and there he was, her hero, standing in the middle of it breathlessly.
Quraal’s attention immediately shifted, and a look of mild panic jolted him.
Zane wielded an enormous green bladed sword into the air.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
“Get the fuck off my Blossom,” Zane shouted.
Quraal growled angrily, and jumped off the bed. His hand extended itself, and a glowing red sword zoomed out of the closet and into his hand.
“That’s it,” Zane said. “COME ON!!!”
CHAPTER FOUR
Zane’s sudden appearance to rescue Stacey, may have seemed like a miracle to her, but a miracle it was not. The gratitude could be attributed to the very cunning and observant, Master Narses. While his initial reaction had been to blame Stacey for his daughter Evelyn’s death, and launched into full combat with Zane who stood to protect her, Narses had not been able to strike Zane down after the fight. Zane had knelt before him, groveling, and weak. The eyes of the Dragon Guards were on Narses, and it was expected Zane would die then.
But, as he later explained to Zane, he had doubts about what had occurred that morning in the Palace. It was only a short time later that the Human Mage had made his presence known, and requested to be reinstated as the King’s advisor. Narses agreed, but only so he could spy on the Mage to see whether or not he could be trusted.
After the Mage’s confessions to Zane as he lay paralyzed at the corner of the cell, Zane was not yet aware that Master Narses had been watching the entire interaction unfold from the shadows of the opposite cell. He could hear both Stacey and her friend screaming from the portal the Mage had created in the wall, and thought that they were both done for. There was nothing he could do.
But then as the Mage turned to leave the cell, he encountered a problem.
“Master Narses,” he gasped. “What brings you –”
Master Narses sent a blast of energy which sent the Mage crashing back up against the wall. He cast another spell to relieve Zane of his paralysis.
Zane stood up and pointed to the portal. “Quraal is through there.”
Narses produced a long green sword and handed it to Zane. Then he withdrew a gold sword of his own.
“Let’s end this,” Narses said.
CHAPTER FIVE
Quraal roared an unearthly battle cry and then advanced towards Zane, fiercely swinging his red sword through the air. It soon clashed with Zane’s and they pushed off each other before attacking again. This time Quraal somehow managed to fling Zane across the room till he hit the back wall near the bathroom and the bed Stacey and Jasmine were still trapped on.
Grinning, Quraal tipped his sword and then jumped over to lunge at Zane again. Before Stacey even realized there was another presence in the room, Quraal was knocked to the side before he reached Zane, tackled by Master Narses. Narses then sliced Quraal’s chest open with his sword, but his second attack was blocked. Quraal rolled across the room and made for the exit.
Narses quickly chased after him.
“Help,” Stacey called to Zane who was rushing over to the bed. “It’s the necklaces. We can’t move.”
Zane ripped the necklaces from both Stacey and Jasmine.
Stacey immediately put her arms around Zane’s chest, and squeezed him tight, while Jasmine scooped up her clothes and locked herself in the bathroom.
“Am I too late?” Zane murmured. “Did he…?”
“Too late for Jasmine,” Stacey whispered. “But I’m okay.”
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to get here sooner,” Zane said.
“But you’re here now. You saved our lives.”
Zane removed her arms from him. “You have to stay here.”
“No!” Stacey shouted, sobbing. “I’m never losing you again!”
“I have to help Narses,” Zane insisted. “Quraal must be destroyed.”
He offered her a kiss on her forehead and an anguished parting smile.
Stacey’s blood boiled and her heart broke in two. What an agony it would be, to lose him all over again…
CHAPTER SIX
Even with Zane’s assistance to defeating Quraal, the fight would not be over quickly. As Stacey dressed herself as quickly as she could, she continued to hear the battled screams and shouts of all three men as they engaged in combat. Windows crashed, walls shook, furniture and appliances were thrown this way and that. Once dressed, Stacey turned to the bathroom and knocked on it.
“Jasmine?” Stacey called. “Are you okay?”
“Go away,” came Jasmine’s muffled voice.
“Come on, babe,” Stacey said earnestly. “It’s me. There’s no one else here.”
“I’m not coming out till it’s over.”
Stacey cringed. Bit her teeth together. Hesitated.
“Let’s go now while they’re busy with each other,” she said.
After a moment she heard the sound of the door being unlocked. Jasmine peered at her through the crack. Her face was wet from the tears.
“I’m so sorry,” Stacey whispered. She put her arms out to Jasmine.
Jasmine allowed her to. She sobbed as Stacey patted her back, comforting her.
“It’s okay,” Jasmine said after a moment. “Not the worst guy I’ve been with.”
Stacey laughed, even though the joke wasn’t really funny. She stepped back and took Jasmine’s hand. “Let’s make a break for it.”
Jasmine nodded solemnly.
The girls then ran to the doorway and peered out into the hall. Suddenly the wall just ahead of them exploded with a burst of fire.
Both Stacey and Jasmine screamed.
This was followed by an enormous earthquake like crash as the roof caved in under the pressure of a gigantic force pressing up through it. Stacey and Jasmine dived into the bedroom again, barely missing large slabs of concrete and debris that were about to fall on them.
Stacey heard the sound of more crashing on the other end of the apartment, and the unbearably high pitched screeches of a dragon.
“ZANE!” Stacey screamed. “ZANE HELP US!”
Then the roof above them started form a series of cracks.
Jasmine and Stacey held each other in terror, and shortly afterward, everything
turned to black.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Days. Weeks. Months. Hours.
Stacey didn’t know how much time had passed.
She was now awake, with her eyes barely open, and she could just make out she was in a hospital bed. Very thin cover. Very thin sheets.
Even though she was mostly awake, she was still drifting in and out of consciousness. Her body felt as though it had been hammered by a train. It was exhausted, but rested at the same time. In her mind, she grappled through images. The first thing she thought of, was her old apartment. Just being at home. Studying for her exams.
Dennis. Coming over and being a nice guy.
Teresa, still alive.
It felt so real. It was the normal life she’d once lived.
And then she remembered the Island. How she had held a dagger out to defend herself and caused someone else to die. She remembered the blood falling. How its heat burnt into her face.
Then there was Jasmine. Poor Jasmine, suffering beside her. Stacey had been sure they were both about to die.
Zane…
Her beloved.
Where was he?
Was he with her here?
Stacey sat up, her eyes squinting around the room. There was a man asleep in a chair against the back wall. A young man. But one she didn’t recognize.
“Hello?” Stacey murmured. “Someone…”
The man’s eyes fluttered. Seeing Stacey caused him to sit up in alarm. He reached to his jacket and pulled a pen and paper from it. Then he got out of the chair and made his way over.
“Who are you?” Stacey demanded. “What’s going on?”
“You’re in the city hospital,” the man said casually. “You’ve been here for almost a week.”
“How did I get here?”
“There was an incident. Involving…” The man’s attention was suddenly interrupted. He gazed out the door to Stacey’s room, and then turned back to her. “I have to go now.”
He wrote down something on his paper and tore it out for her.
“Call this number when you’re able to,” he said.
“Why?” Stacey demanded.
She heard the sound of footsteps. People coming to her room.
“I want to help you,” the man said.
The door burst open and two security guards grabbed a hold of him.
“Come on, you,” one of the guards said. “How many times do we have to tell you –?”
Stacey rolled up the piece of paper into her hand and stuffed it under the covers. A man and woman wearing white coats, and a nurse had now come to her bedside.
“Who was that guy?” Stacey asked. “What did he want?”
“Never mind him,” the female doctor stated. “He shouldn’t have been in here.”
“Was he going to hurt me?”
“Oh no,” the doctor gushed. “He was just a stupid reporter. We get them in here all the time.”
“How are you feeling, Stacey?” the male doctor asked. “Are you in any pain?”
“No,” Stacey said. “I just feel really tired.”
“You’ve been in a brief coma,” the doctor explained. “You sustained a significant blow to the head. Fortunately there doesn’t appear to be any serious damage.”
“Oh. Thank goodness.”
“But we’ll need to ask you a series of questions, and run some further tests on you before we can be sure you’re okay.”
Stacey nodded. “Where is…?”
“Who? Where is who?”
Stacey looked around anxiously.
She felt the screwed up paper to make sure it was still there.
“Nothing,” she said. “It doesn’t matter.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Over the course of the next few days, Stacey had a number of visitors. These included the police, her parents, and Jasmine who had also made it alive out of the apartment collapse. Judging by what Jasmine had told her, and the questions she’d been asked by the police, they seemed more than little concerned with covering up the truth of what had happened. Despite witnesses reporting the appearance of three dragons fighting in the sky above the apartment complex, the police were insistent that those reports have yet to be confirmed.
“Did you have a reporter come see you?” Jasmine asked on her visit.
Stacey nodded. “I didn’t get his name but he gave me his number.”
“You should talk to him,” Jasmine said. “I spoke with him, and it seems he’s building a case to get the laws changed. He says the dragons are abusing their rights with their human prisoners.”
“Not all dragons are like that,” Stacey replied. “Zane is good remember.”
“Well, you have to tell him that. I told him that you were innocent of your convicted crime, and he’s looking into that too.”
“How do we know we can trust him?” Stacey complained. “Every new guy who shows up turns out to be someone or something else.”
Jasmine shrugged. “I’m sorry. I’m just telling you the truth.”
Stacey squeezed her hand. “I know you are. How … are you dealing with…?”
“I hardly remember it,” Jasmine answered. “I don’t want to.”
“Yeah. I know how you feel.”
“I should be going anyway,” Jasmine said letting go of her hand. “I told Dennis to stay away if he was thinking of trying anything with you.”
“Yeah…” Stacey sat up a bit more. “You haven’t spoken to Zane at all, have you?”
“If I had, I would’ve told you,” Jasmine replied.
“Okay,” Stacey smiled.
“Don’t worry,” Jasmine said. “If he loves you … he’ll come back and rescue you again.” She then lowered her head and walked through the door.
“Zane,” Stacey whispered to herself in bed. “Where are you, my darling? Where on earth are you…?”
CHAPTER NINE
Zane was standing in the garden outside his deceased brother’s manor, watching the moonlit stars hovering on the faraway horizon. He was thinking about Stacey. Thinking how he wished they could be together now. But the full extent of Quraal’s manifestation in this world had yet to be realized. There were troubling times ahead.
Zane and Narses had lost their battle with the Dark Dragon. He had proven himself far more powerful than either of them were prepared for. Thankfully, they had both escaped with their lives. But Narses was mortally wounded, and in Zane’s care. He continued to encourage Narses that with each day his health was restoring, and soon he would be better, but the older dragon’s eyes confirmed the very thing Zane didn’t wish to believe. Narses was on his deathbed.
It was not only his attending to Narses’s health that had kept Zane from reaching out to his beloved Blossom. Narses foretold of a grave turn of events that had now been set in motion. On Firebound Island it was said that Quraal had returned and had taken over the Palace and the Dragon Guards. When Zane asked if he should be concerned about Quraal seeking out vengeance against either of them, or perhaps his beloved, the old dragon had replied: “He has much bigger sights in his eyes than that.”
“What are you talking about?” Zane demanded. “Who is he after now?”
“There will be a war,” Narses answered. “The first war. The only war. A war between Humans and Dragons.”
“Then I must leave now!” Zane cried. “He must be destroyed before he can go any further!”
“Trust me as I say this,” Narses replied. “If you go after him, or your beloved, you will deeply regret it. The best thing, the only thing for you to do is to stay here. Ride out the storm. And then one day, it will all be over.”
That was four nights ago. Last night, Narses hadn’t even been able to speak he was in so much pain. Upon visiting Narses tonight, it appeared he was unconscious. Perhaps only hours away from death.
Standing there, it was so hard for him to stay still. He trusted Narses and knew that the old dragon believed he was speaking the truth. But he also knew his beloved was calling for
him, pining for him, needing him to be there for her. Zane could hardly stand it. It made him sick to the core.
If only there was some way he could reach her. Some means that he could perhaps…
But then what was the point?
What did it matter unless he was there with her?
As they should always be. Always and forever.
The dragon inside Zane roared a painful roar. He realized that in spite of how strong he’d been, and how long he’d been able to keep still here, he could bear his separation from Stacey no more.
CHAPTER TEN
Technically Stacey was still under arrest. Since she’d woken up, the police had someone loosely stationed outside the door to her room, in the event she tried to escape. He also followed her around the hospital with the doctors during her tests and examinations. Uncomfortable, to say the least. She couldn’t really believe they’d send her back to the Island after all she’d been through. She still hadn’t spoken with anyone in regards to this, but she knew that detectives were regularly keeping up to date with her condition and pushing doctors for a date of release.
In spite of all this, there was nothing to stop Stacey from making calls to anyone. She had the nurse escort her out in a wheelchair to the patient’s phone room, where she was able to make her call to the reporter Jasmine had been so insistent was on their side. With the cop on duty outside the room, and being unable to listen in on the call, Stacey was safe to speak freely.
He answered after a couple of rings. “Steve Sherper, speaking.”
“Hi,” Stacey said nervously. “Are you the reporter?”
“Uh-huh. I’m freelance. But I get my stories out there. Who’s speaking?”
“Stacey Caversham. I was … you were…”
“Oh, I know who you are,” Mr. Sherper said immediately. “I’ve been looking forward to your call.”
Shared By The Dragon Clan: The Complete Set Page 17
