Wings of Frost

by J. D. Monroe

  Please come for me.

  Things could have been complicated, but Velati chose to make them simple. He wanted Marlena back. The sentimental part of him needed her like oxygen, but the centuries-old warrior in him knew that he would survive without her. His life might be colorless and grim, but he could survive with another piece of his heart ripped out.

  He was on a mission to get to the Gate before the Chosen did. Anyone who stood in his way would die. Simple as that. Get to the Gate. Make them pay tenfold for what they had stolen.

  Dyadra concealed their approach with her stealthy mirage. Though she’d adamantly protested, Dyadra’s husband Will correctly pointed out that she didn’t trust anyone else enough to keep her safe. Despite her protestations, Will was thrilled to be going into action. Velati flew on her tail, with Rihz on his back.

  Once she unleashed the devastating whirlwind on the closest building, she lost her stealth. Velati dove for the large building that they’d marked as the temple. The Gate was there.

  Gunshots rang out all around them. Rihz’s legs clamped onto his neck as another surge of warm energy enveloped him. A bullet pinged off Velati’s armored foreleg, then another pierced his wing. Sharp pain bit through the delicate membrane, but he ignored it. Making a rapid descent, Velati swept his head around, exhaling a deadly cloud of frost that enveloped half a dozen of the Chosen fleeing the temple. They staggered, groaning in pain as the frigid air invaded their lungs and seized their muscles.

  He roared, eliciting a chorus of screams, then battered them again with another wave of cold. This time, the figures slumped, barely breathing. Behind him, chaos erupted. Pairs of Kadirai and hybrids were dive-bombing the compound. Huge bolts of lightning battered a nearby building, shattering its walls. The deafening roar of an explosion told him that Erevan and Natalie’s mission to blow up the vehicles was successful, cutting off their escape. Everyone had their part.

  As he landed hard at the temple’s entrance, he breathed deep. Where was she? His chest filled with the decaying smell of the blood magic. Somewhere, there was the faintest hint of her floral scent.

  He shook his body, stamping his feet to signal to Rihz. “Off.” When the man had slid from his back, Velati folded in his wings and returned to his human form. Out of breath, he lifted his right arm to find a grazing gunshot wound on his tricep.

  “You okay?” Rihz asked.

  “Let’s go.” Rihz handed him a loose cloth from the bag he carried, and Velati was already moving forward as he tied it around his waist. Once he was covered, he summoned sharp ice spears in each hand. Behind him was the faint scent of gunpowder as Rihz drew a gun.

  If not for the red banners of the Chosen, the temple could have been any temple to the Skymother. A simple dragon statute stood in the foyer, with outstretched wings over a small altar. White candles and flowers were strewn across the altar.

  He raised his hand in a stop gesture. Two heartbeats in the next room. The air smelled of dragon and human. He tapped Rihz and held up two fingers, then pointed inside. Rihz nodded, tucking himself behind Velati.

  The open space beyond was mostly empty, though the air was charged with energy and scents of dozens of living creatures. Stone pews lined either side of the central aisle, which sloped gently downward toward a raised dais. Two people stood on the dais, not looking back at him. A red-haired woman fiddled with black cables, while a dark-haired male surveyed a doorway at the back of the dais.

  Without speaking, Velati hurled an ice spear at the man. The spear slammed into his back but didn’t pierce. In a chorus of shouts, the pair split, ducking behind one of the long stone tables spaced evenly across the dais. Taking advantage of their distraction, Velati let the icy energy in him explode back into his dragon form. Rihz leaped onto his back, and Velati pounced at the dais.

  The woman threw up her hands, and a shimmering dome spread around them, containing a twenty-foot area. Velati’s claws slid off it harmlessly, and he roared. The woman staggered as he raked razor-sharp talons against it. The barrier shuddered, weakening against his might.

  Inside, the man jammed a cable into a small black box, then flicked a switch. Suddenly, the stone sanctuary filled with the stomach-churning sound of the Elegy, a chime that rang without end, echoing down into his guts. His wing joints stiffened. Rihz dug his hands into the hard edge of a scale. His warm energy spread over Velati. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m here, it’s fine. I’ve got your back.”

  Velati growled, then channeled his fear into a deafening roar. Drawing on his own power, he slammed his claws into the dome and shattered it in a burst of white light. The woman’s eyes flared white, and she fell flat on her back screaming. Her power lashed back at him, but the pain was a mere blip on the radar.

  The man grabbed her under the arms and dragged her back. He reached for a plastic crate under one of the tables and picked up a small silver globe. As the man brought it to his lips, the engraved surface lit up with a faint glow. Then he lobbed it at Velati.

  Panic lanced through him as he instinctively raised his leg to bat it away. The sphere exploded on impact. Molten metal trickled over his scales like candle wax, finding the soft flesh beneath the armored plates. He snarled in pain. “It’s okay,” Rihz said, hitting him with another wave of his shielding energy. “Oh shit!”

  The man lobbed a second globe at him. Velati leaped to the side to dodge it, blasting the man with cold air. With a shuddering gasp, he fell back, and Velati braced for impact. But this one wasn’t aimed for him. Rihz let out a blood-curdling cry. His weight suddenly shifted, and he slid off Velati’s back with a groan. As he broke contact, the madness of the Elegy overtook Velati. His joints buckled as the awful sound filled his head, tearing him in two. The dragon roared, a primal terror overtaking him as his body failed.

  A shaking hand planted against his side, joined by a heavy impact as Rihz slumped against him. In the roaring chaos, a clear voice rang out. I’ve got you, the soothing male voice said. It’ll be okay. Through the panic, that tiny thread of calm was enough to grab on to. The noise of the Elegy faded, and a warm grasp pulled Velati back into himself. Without breaking contact with Rihz, Velati eyed the control box, then sent a spear of ice through it. The sound cut off abruptly, and he let out a groan of relief. The woman who’d created the shield still lay on the stone, clutching her head.

  Velati released his dragon form. When he opened his eyes, he got his first look at Rihz and nearly cried out himself. The younger man’s chest was covered in liquid metal. A swath of his neck and jaw were coated in it, with angry, blistered flesh around it. His eyes were creased, his face set in a grimace. “Sweet mother,” Velati murmured. He took one shaky step and stumbled. “Are you okay?”

  “Been better,” Rihz admitted. He tentatively touched the side of his throat. “What was that?” His eyes flitted down. “You got it too.”

  Velati lifted his arm. His forearm was bristling with bits of metal shrapnel. He grimaced and pulled one of them out. As he shifted, he felt the prickling shift of more of the shards buried in his back. “I’m okay.”

  “Just give me a second,” Rihz said. He leaned against the nearest pew, his breath hitching.

  Velati bent over the hybrid woman, then reached down to grab her by the hair. She yelped, batting at his arm. Any gentleness he might have spared for a pretty woman was gone. “Where is Sidran?”

  “He’s already on his way,” she said, giving him a determined look. “You can kill me. More will—”

  “Fine by me,” he said. He twisted her head around, snapping her neck. No more speeches from these people. The man who’d nailed them with the silver grenades was dead, his lips and nose bristling with ice crystals. He turned back to Rihz, who had slumped to the floor. No, no, not again. Lunging toward him, Velati knelt and grabbed his wrist, feeling for a pulse. It was thin. Rihz’s golden skin was ghostly pale. He murmured, “I just need…need a second.”

  “You’re going into shock,” Velati said. Fuck.<
br />
  “No. I’m fine. I’ve got your back,” Rihz said. He tried to stand, but his legs buckled. “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t have to be sorry,” Velati said. He grabbed the radio from Rihz’s belt. “Rimewing here. We’re in the temple. Rihz is hurt. I need someone here.”

  “Sending someone your way,” Rosak said.

  “We’re on it,” a female voice said. “Natalie and Erevan heading in. Two minutes.”

  “They’re coming,” Velati said.

  Rihz grasped his wrist. “Go in. Make sure they don’t get out through the Gate.”

  Velati hesitated. “If we wait…”

  There was silence. “Rimewing, go,” Rosak said. “Do what you have to. Stop their leadership if you can. I trust your judgment.”

  Rihz’s hand shook as he brought the gun up. He gave Velati a grim nod. “I’ll be okay. Shut it down.”

  If there was another Elegy down there, he was fucked. But he had to stop them. He had to find her.

  Velati summoned blades of ice once more, trying to calm his mind and focus on the sharp cold against his skin. Two doorways flanked the back wall of the temple. He veered right, finding a narrow hallway lined with glowing sconces. Somewhere below him was a noisy buzz of shouting voices, and the distinct, warbling hum of an active Gate.

  His heart raced. This was like when he’d gone back for Sohan and Dyadra. He knew he was diving into the viper’s nest. At least this time, he knew Dyadra was up there tearing everything to shreds, and Sohan…well, he wasn’t in danger anymore. His throat clenched at the thought of his fallen brother, and he tightened his grip on the biting cold of the ice.

  The primitive stone structure of the temple gave way to a more industrial hallway, lit harshly by fluorescent bulbs. The descending hallway dead-ended in a large chamber with several doors to offices and storage rooms, with the large double doors of a freight elevator on the far wall. He ignored the other doors and headed for the one marked Stairs.

  Velati kicked open the door to the stairs and hurried down, leaping down a flight at a time. When he reached the bottom of four flights, he was buffeted with the smell of blood magic, so thick he could taste it like a film on his tongue.

  This is it.

  He emerged into a massive chamber. The walls of the cavern were rough-hewn stone, with blazing work lights on yellow metal frames standing all around. Dozens of people bustled around the space, loading crates onto large flatbed carts and lining them up. On the far end of the cavern was the Gate, an archway of black stone. The familiar sight made him angry; they should never have gained control of such a wonder.

  A man in a tailored suit stood in front of the Gate, supervising the proceedings. And not far from him, still making their way across the room, he saw Marlena following an older woman. She wore a loose white dress, and her shoulders were slumped in defeat. His heart swelled at the sight of her.

  It took all of his strength not to call for her. No one had noticed him yet. He surveyed the room. At least half of the people inside were armed. There were no speakers in sight. If there was an Elegy, he didn’t see it. Time to take the risk.

  Time to get her back.

  Holding back his rage, he transformed as quietly as he could, snapping out his wings as he stepped clear of the door. The cavern erupted in a cacophony of shouts. As people rushed for him, he batted them away, making a deadly swing of his tail to send several of them flying. Shards of ice rained down. Bodies fell, shuddering and bleeding. Shots rang out, pinging off his armored hide.

  He ran for the Gate, half jumping and half flying. A dark-haired man stepped in front of the man in the suit and spread his arms wide. A shimmering dome appeared around them. Velati’s breath was a blinding cloud of ice, but it blew over the dome harmlessly and left a white layer of frost on the stone around them. How many fucking air hybrids did this man have?

  “Mindless beast,” the man in the suit spat. He knew that voice. It was the one that had threatened Skyward Rest. This had to be the infamous Sidran. “Destroy him and get the rest of it through!”

  Velati scraped at the dome, but it was resistant. The man inside staggered, but his eyes were gleaming with bright blue flame. Marks on the backs of his hands glowed, and suddenly runes danced across the surface of the dome. Behind them, a pair of large men were struggling to move a crate into place in front of the Gate. Velati ignored the dome and focused a freezing blast on the stone archway. A thick layer of ice formed a solid barrier in the opening. He covered it once more, staggering with the effort of it. The gleaming portal was barely visible through a foot-thick shield of ice.

  “You clever beast,” Sidran murmured. He smiled, looking more impressed than upset as he drew a gun and fired. Velati took several steps back, twisting his body to take the impact with the hard scales of his side. The bullets slammed into his side, but where he expected only a tiny sting, there was a surprising pain with each one, and the feeling of something biting into his veins like poison.

  “Velati,” a familiar voice called. He turned to see Marlena approaching him, running to him with arms outstretched. A warm thrill ran through him, cutting through the chaos.

  Another cluster of searing heat exploded against his side. The woman behind Marlena held another silver globe to her lips, breathing onto it. And Marlena’s face wasn’t smiling. Her beautiful features were contorted into a grimace, her eyes blindingly bright.

  “Look at me,” she commanded. Her voice drove everything else out of his head. It was no longer a tempting hint, or even the irresistible compulsion that forced him to let her go. This was a tidal wave that crashed over him and obliterated any resistance it found.

  “Marlena,” he growled, unable to look away.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “I wish you hadn’t come.” An orb of blinding light coalesced between her hands.

  “Don’t,” he roared.

  The orb blasted into him and enveloped him in white-hot flame. He had enough presence of mind to close his eyes as the force of it threw him in the air and slammed him down hard. The pain of impact passed quickly, but the fire clung to him, digging burning fingers under his scales and prying him apart.

  His form began to give way.

  Horror rocked Marlena as she watched Velati fall, those beautiful wings contracting and convulsing. She’d been overjoyed and horrified at the same time to see him burst through the door. Catrina had lied. This was even worse than the lie. This time it would not only be her fault, but it would be her hand that struck him down. Catrina’s command reverberated in her head, and she couldn’t stop herself. Kill him.

  The marks on her skin were aflame, sending searing pain through her body. There was too much power boiling inside of her, like a human pressure cooker. Releasing it into Velati had eased the tension, like opening a pressure valve.

  The silvery-blue dragon rose with a painful shudder. Molten silver glinted against the rougher metallic scales. He roared at her, and she felt the telltale rush of cold wind around her as he drew his breath.

  She put up her hand as one foot rose to take a step toward her. “Stop,” she commanded.

  His eyes flared brighter. His resistance was inconsequential, like a cool breeze against a rock wall. Another silver globe slammed into his side, splattering his wing with molten metal. The roar this time was one of agony, an animalistic cry that cut into her.

  “Please,” she murmured, looking back at Catrina. The older woman wore a nasty smile. She held another of those globes, caressing it with her thumb. “Please don’t make me do this.”

  “Leave him,” Sidran ordered. “Break through this.” Velati had covered the archway in a translucent sheet of ice. Sidran’s bodyguard reeled from the effort of maintaining the protective shield against Velati’s onslaught.

  “Leave the dragon,” Catrina repeated. “Break the ice.” The gem on her collar pulsed bright. Excruciating pain pulsed behind Marlena’s eyes in response.

  Velati was pro
ne, back arching as he tried to get up. Melted metal clung to the thick joint of his wing, gleaming in the light. His voice trailed into an unintelligible groan. His eyes were still expressive, even in the huge reptilian form. They were wide and filled with confusion.

  “She’s commanding me,” Marlena said. “I’m sorry.”

  Sidran grabbed the back of her neck, hard enough to jolt her as he spoke into her ear. “Break this. We have to get through before the Kadirai destroy everything we’ve built.”

  Part of her needed to obey, even though she knew it was being forced on her. But her true self was screaming in defiance, pounding useless fists against her skull to snap out of it.

  Break the ice. Catrina’s voice echoed in her brain. She put her hands on the ice and sent a wave of energy into it. The hard layer cracked under her touch, and she wedged her power further into it. Light poured through the spider-webbing fracture and exploded outward, sending a spray of ice crystals in all directions. Chunks of ice still clung to the stone, but the portal was open again. The raw power of the Gate rolled over her in a sickening wave. It was a hundred times worse than when she’d traveled to Ascavar with Velati. Her body felt like it was pulling apart, her joints separating and bones shaking.

  “Good girl,” Sidran said. “Didn’t I tell you obedience would be so much easier?”

  “I hate you,” she said. “I hope he kills you.” Sidran just chuckled, turning his back to her. She narrowed her eyes. She had a command to protect Catrina. Not him. She slung one arm around his neck, choking him as she dug under his collar for the amulet. The older man tried to buck her off, but she got her hand under the chain and broke it. Sidran managed to grab her leg, like he was going to throw her off, but she slapped one hand to his throat and released a burst of searing flame. Sidran bellowed in pain. “Now, you’re going to listen. Turn around and—”

  “Stop!” Catrina screamed.

  The command slammed into Marlena, like a needle into her eardrum. Her limbs went limp, and she released Sidran. His dark eyes were murderous as he turned to glare down at her. Pressing one hand to the blistered handprint on his neck, he shook his head. “I’m starting to think you’re not worth the trouble.”