dragons breath 01 - stalked by flames

by Susan Illene

  On the Earth side, humans saw a rise in earthquakes and extreme weather, but they didn’t know what was happening. The dragon world experienced the changes to a lesser extent. They did suspect early on it was a side effect of their worlds converging together. They’d been planning for the day when they could finally cross over and return home after being banished for so long.

  It was only a year ago Aidan had caught sight of Bailey through the veil. He’d kept track of her as best he could, somehow sensing she might be a dragon slayer. Her features appeared similar to another slayer he’d seen—one from his world—and she’d had the mark on her wrist that looked like a star. It was faint, but he’d confirmed it was the right shape when he’d blown fire onto her palm.

  “It is her,” he replied with confidence.

  “Do you think you can win her to our side?” The tone of Donar’s voice in his head sounded skeptical.

  Aidan couldn’t blame his cousin. The dragon slayers who’d crossed over to their world would never consider working with the enemy, which was why he had to act quickly before he lost his chance with Bailey. There weren’t many of her kind and he needed her if his plan was to succeed. He’d been plotting it ever since he’d realized dragons would be returning to Earth soon.

  “Come. We must find shelter from the storm before it arrives.”

  He took flight from the roof. The last thing he wanted was to get struck by lightning. It couldn’t burn them, but it had been known to stop a dragon’s heart.

  Donar caught up a moment later. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  Aidan didn’t respond right away, preferring to focus his attention on finding a good place to take shelter. The pure dragons were fleeing the area as well, heading north, but Aidan didn’t want to go the same direction as them. Instead he and his cousin went east. The storm would eventually reach them this way, but they’d be safely under a roof by then.

  A lake came into view ahead. He knew humans had a tendency to put homes close to bodies of water. It was an instinct most forms of life had. He passed one house after another until he found one with no signs of occupancy. Landing next to it, he listened closely and sniffed the air. No, no humans had been here in a while.

  He shifted to his other form. His cousin did the same, turning into a man who appeared to be in his late twenties by human standards—though he was much older. Donar had the same olive skin color and short black hair as Aidan, but he was larger and had a square face. His cousin tended to move stiffly, as if someone had fused a sword to his spine. It was only when Donar fought that his movements became more fluid.

  “I will give her some time,” Aidan finally responded, speaking aloud. “The slayer must witness for herself how difficult getting rid of the pure dragons can be without training. Then I will approach her again.”

  If she survived long enough. If she didn’t, then she was not the right one for his needs anyway.

  Donar grunted. “That may only convince her not to work with you.”

  “You think I can’t convince her?” He lifted a brow.

  His cousin was one of the few who knew Aidan and how conniving he could be when necessary. It kept him alive. Each day he continued to breathe was a testament to his skill at making others see him the way he wished. It wasn’t often a third son survived as long as he did when his father was the pendragon—the clan chief.

  “Even for you this will be difficult,” Donar said, following him into the cabin. “Every one of her instincts is going to tell her not to trust you.”

  Aidan settled onto a musty couch and put his arms behind his head. Human furniture was far more comfortable than anything he’d ever sat on before. Dragons had ways of building things to be durable and resistant to fire, but not very soft. It was a luxury to sit on something with thick cushions.

  “I must make her trust me.” Aidan glanced over at his cousin, who remained standing. “It isn’t just my survival that depends on it.”

  “That’s what has me worried,” Donar said, beginning to pace the room. “I suspect things could get worse for us once the rest of the clan crosses over. Your father is growing weak and won’t be able to lead much longer.”

  Aidan’s jaw hardened. “I know. Believe me, that is all I think about.”

  “The slayer is small. Perhaps too small.”

  He had already considered that. “Perhaps, but with the right training she could use her size to her advantage.”

  “We could search for another…”

  “No,” he said, leaning forward. “This is the one.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Donar gave him a frustrated look.

  “Because it’s in her blood to be one of the best.”

  Chapter 4

  Bailey

  I examined the dead dragon’s body, skirting around crumpled wings the color of oak leaves in the summer. His eyes were closed and he had one massive paw stretched out with claws larger than my fingers. He was huge. Even lying on his side his body came up to my waist and he had to be about ten feet long not counting his tail. Looking at him up close, I estimated him to be about one and half times the size of Aidan, making me wonder how the shape-shifter had taken him down so easily. The fight hadn’t lasted more than a minute.

  Flies were beginning to swarm around the area where guts had spewed out onto the sidewalk. The dragon’s blood was dark red and pooled beneath him. Would there be anyone to clean this up? Something told me animal control wouldn’t be coming out anytime soon.

  I gazed around the area and didn’t see anyone nearby. Droplets of rain started to fall, making me think I should get inside. After checking the sky to be sure no more dragons were around, I headed through the library entrance. Had it been less than an hour ago when I’d come through these doors before? How could the world have changed so much in that time?

  It was eerily quiet inside. I searched around the checkout desk where I’d last seen Trish, but no one was there. Just piles of scattered books behind the counter where they’d fallen from the shelves during the last big earthquake. Where was she? Please don’t let her have run outside during the attack. I hadn’t seen her, but there’d been so much chaos I could have missed her.

  I gripped the desk counter. No. Justin would have made sure she stayed in the building. The charred remains of the students who didn’t make it to safety fast enough were still outside. He would have seen that and taken her somewhere safe. I doubted they’d go to one of the upper floors, either. That left the basement levels.

  I ran to the stairwell down the corridor. The doors were closed. I yanked on the handles, jerking hard, but they didn’t budge. On the other side, I caught hushed whispers. I lifted my fist and pounded a few times.

  “It’s Bailey. Let me in,” I demanded.

  Metal slid as the lock unlatched, followed by one of the doors opening.

  “Hurry, get inside,” Justin urged.

  As I rushed past him, he poked his head out and did a scan of the library before shutting the door again. He slid the lock back into place. There was another guy standing in the stairwell. A student I’d seen working around the library before. He and Justin must have become the designated guards.

  “Is everyone okay?” I asked.

  “Those who stayed inside are. We weren’t sure if you got away or not.” He rubbed a hand over his buzz-cut hair. “Trish has been driving me crazy with worrying about you.”

  That didn’t surprise me. “I’m alright. Just a little shaken up.”

  He circled around me. “Looks like more than that. You’ve got blood and ash all over you and your clothes are a mess.”

  I glanced down. My feet were bare, my legs covered in scratches and bruises, and my arms had their fair share of cuts and scrapes. Lifting a hand to my shoulder-length hair, I found it tangled and wild. I’d have to hit up the bathroom first chance I got and clean myself up.

  “It all happened so fast. I mean, I felt it, but my adrenaline kicked in so nothing has hurt that much.” Except
my arm where the brick had cut into it deeper than my other wounds. The pain from that was returning with a vengeance.

  “Weren’t those jeans before?” he asked.

  “Um, yeah. It’s a long story.”

  “Trish has a first aid kit downstairs,” Justin said, giving me a grim look. “You’ll find her in the coffee shop.”

  “Thanks.” I started to walk away.

  “Wait,” he called as I reached the steps. “What was it like out there?”

  I gripped the handrail and glanced back at him. “Bad, but the dragons are gone for the moment. The storm sent them north.”

  He shook his head slowly. “I still can’t believe those were dragons.”

  “There’s a dead one outside if you want to check it out.”

  “Seriously?” His eyes rounded. “How’d it die?”

  “Another dragon attacked it. That’s how I got away,” I explained.

  No need to go into the full details. I still needed time to process everything for myself before sharing with anyone else—especially the part about Aidan and my immunity to dragon fire. I didn’t know what to think about that.

  “We’ll check it out,” Justin said, glancing at the guy next to him. “Maybe find a way to get rid of it, too.”

  I made my way down to lower level one. As I came out of the stairwell, I found dozens of people gathered around the coffee shop and study areas. This section of the library had been decorated in a modern design with cutout ceilings and recessed lighting. It appeared clean and inviting compared to what I’d seen outside, but the mood was something entirely different.

  Two guys sat in foam chairs in the corridor, chatting in hushed whispers with stunned expressions on their faces. A few more people were gathered nearby crying. Others paced the floor talking frantically into their cell phones. While they all appeared worried and frightened, none looked injured. I felt like a zombie as I made my way through them. My own shock was beginning to settle in now that the danger was no longer immediate.

  Trish rushed over and gave me a bone-crushing hug. “So glad to see you’re okay!”

  “Barely.” I winced. “Watch my arm.”

  “Oh, sorry.” She pulled back and checked me over. “Oh my God, what happened?”

  “The end of the world, apparently.”

  “I was so worried about you. It was only a couple minutes after you went out that the dragons showed up. As soon as we saw them burn those guys Justin made me come down here.” She paused and tears pricked her eyes. “I had no idea what happened to you or if you made it.”

  I rubbed her arm. “I’m right here and I’m okay. Did anyone else get hurt?”

  “A few came in from the south entrance with minor wounds.” She looked past me. “Plus a wounded security guard. He was burned badly and probably won’t make it, but there’s an EMT here taking care of him in one of the offices. This is just…awful.”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  I dropped my gaze, trying not to get too caught up in the misery surrounding Trish. Down the corridor, more people gathered inside the learning center. There was a row of windows on the far end overlooking the lower level courtyard where the ground had been hollowed out. It provided a small nook with trees and natural light. If you stood next to the glass and angled your head up you could view the walkway above that led to the west library entrance. A lot of students liked to study in there, but no one would be using it for that today.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up,” Trish said, taking my hand.

  We went into the women’s restroom across the corridor. She wet some paper towels and began dabbing the blood off my face. I sat on the counter and closed my eyes. Deep breaths, in and out. This wasn’t a dream and I had to face the reality that the world had just become a very different place.

  My stomach knotted. Humans had technology on their side, but I’d studied enough history to know it only took one major event to bring civilization crashing down. We were always a heartbeat away from pure chaos. It was only during peace that we managed to maintain a veneer of civilized behavior. If troops didn’t get here soon to defeat the dragons before they did too much damage, we might not recover. I could only hope this problem was restricted to Oklahoma.

  Trish sucked in a breath. “This one is deep.”

  She was referring to my bicep where one of the bricks from the pillar had fallen on it.

  “Just clean it and bandage it,” I said, opening my eyes. “It’ll heal.”

  Trish pulled out an alcohol swab and went to work. I tried my best not to wince. The gash probably needed stitches, but I had no desire to go to the hospital or university clinic. Those places were probably packed already with people more seriously injured than me.

  “How close did you get to the dragons?” Trish gave me a concerned look.

  “Enough to feel the heat,” I answered.

  If I told her the full truth, she’d probably freak out on me. Trish had become remarkably calm since she started cleaning me up and I didn’t want to ruin it.

  She wrapped some gauze around my arm. “Their fire…it, um, burns right through people?”

  “Yeah,” I said, hesitating. “It doesn’t leave anything except ashes.”

  She turned away to grab some paper towels—probably more than she needed. All that was left was my legs. They only had minor scratches and scrapes, plus some dirt and ash on them.

  “Do you think there’s a way to stop them?” Trish asked, wetting the paper towels.

  “The military has plenty of weaponry that should do the trick. We just have to wait for them to get here.” Please, God, let that be soon.

  A faint smile touched her lips. “It feels like we’re in a movie right now.”

  “No shit,” I agreed.

  Trish gave my legs a confused look. “The edges of these are singed. Weren’t you wearing jeans before? How did you not get burned?”

  “Um, yeah.” My mind raced to come up with an explanation better than what I gave Justin. “They caught on fire, but I rolled on the ground to put them out. They were so damaged, though, I had to cut the pant legs off.”

  “You weren’t kidding about being close enough to feel the heat,” she said, frowning as she worked on my calves. “It’s too bad the fire couldn’t have at least singed off these leg hairs.”

  I kicked at her. “Hey, I’ve been busy packing and before that it was finals week and graduation. I didn’t have time to shave.”

  “If you say so.”

  We finished up and headed back out into the corridor. Justin had come down and was hovering over a guy who had a laptop in front of him. He glanced up at Trish and me as we approached.

  “We’ve been checking the news on the internet. Reports are coming from Oklahoma City and several towns north of here that dragons are attacking them. They’ve showed up in a few other states, too. This doesn’t appear isolated.” His jaw tightened as he said that last part.

  “Is anyone fighting back?” I maneuvered around to see the screen.

  They were staring at pictures people had posted of the dragons. One showed a wall of flames shooting out at the Devon Tower—the tallest skyscraper in the city.

  “The cops are reporting bullets don’t seem to hurt the dragons much. We’re still waiting on the military to launch an offensive, but I’m willing to bet missiles will work better.”

  “I’m sure they will,” Trish said, putting an arm around Justin’s waist.

  He pulled her closer. “Wherever these things came from, I’m sure we’ll take them out in no time.”

  It had been less than two hours since the dragons showed up. I imagined it took a little longer than that to gather big weaponry, but maybe Justin was right and this would be over soon.

  “Oooh, boy. That’s some crazy shit out there,” a loud voice said from the stairwell.

  I stepped around the table and saw a familiar black guy coming toward us. He was wearing khaki cargo pants and a white t-shirt that were soaking wet with splashes o
f mud on them and he had a backpack slung over his shoulder. A gash on his forehead oozed a bit of blood. He hadn’t had an easy time getting here.

  Conrad James had been in an elective class on photography I’d taken during the last spring semester. He was the type of guy who drove professors crazy—smart and obnoxious. Not a single lecture went by without him interjecting his opinions on the subject. I’d tried to avoid him, but we’d had group projects that made it impossible. Much like Trish, he’d grown on me.

  “Did you just come from outside?” I asked.

  He looked down at himself and back up. “Nah, I discovered a secret mud wrestling pit at the other end of the library. Come on, girl. What do you think?”

  “Let me rephrase that.” I put a hand on my hip. “Where exactly were you when the dragons showed up?”

  “Riding the bus on Lindsey Street, heading here for class. One of those freaky creatures came along and started burning up every car on the road. I got out of there before it reached us.”

  I’d forgotten he’d planned to take summer classes. He’d only finished his freshman year, but he was working to graduate as fast as possible.

  “Take a seat,” Trish said, waving her arm at a nearby table. “I’ll get that cut on your forehead cleaned up.”

  Conrad touched the gash. “Damn. Didn’t even know that was there. No wonder folks wouldn’t let me in their houses.”

  Trish guided him to the seat before opening up her first aid kit. I waited until she’d finished dabbing at his wound with alcohol pads before throwing more questions at him.

  “So this wasn’t the first place you stopped?”

  “Hell, no.” He shook his head, then winced. “Nobody would let me in and the other campus buildings were locked up.”

  Wherever he’d been along Lindsey Street, he must have crossed through the nearby neighborhood first before reaching campus.

  “Did you see anyone else out there?” This came from Justin.

  Conrad shrugged. “Just a few running around, but I didn’t stop to talk to them.”

  My cell phone rang. I was amazed it still worked after everything that had happened. Pulling it out of my pocket, I checked the screen and saw my mother’s cell phone number.