I kept close to the wall, moving from shadow to shadow, I was doing my best to see ahead of me and behind me at the same time. And I was beginning to question the wisdom of what I was doing altogether. That question was bitterly underscored when I turned a corner and found myself face to face with half a dozen of the Chokan.
“Damn.”
Chapter Nine
Ella
I made a mental note to remind myself to thank Jacob for the scent masking agent we used when hunting. It was dumb luck, running into the mysterious, fire-breathing man again. I'd come back down into the sewer to do a little more scouting. Ever since the night I'd cut down the two scales who'd almost gotten the drop on us, Jacob had given me a little more leash. He'd let me go out on a few missions – scouting and surveillance only, of course – on my own.
It wasn't much, but it was a start.
He would have killed me if he'd known I'd actually gone down into the sewer. He'd told me specifically, to stay topside and gather whatever intel I could. And we needed information about what the Scales were doing down there. The last time I'd been down there, I'd heard what sounded like a huge gathering of them in the sewer. The noise I'd heard before I'd engaged the mysterious man the last time had been unsettling. To say the least.
We needed information – how many were down there, what they were up to, and if I could swing it, what their plans were. It was dangerous and perhaps even foolish, but it was necessary.
I just wouldn't tell Jacob exactly where I'd gotten the information. What he didn't know wouldn't kill him. Although if I told him what I was doing, he just might kill me.
Once I'd gotten down into the sewer, it didn't take me long to find the cavern. The Scales had broken through the concrete wall that had sealed it in, creating a way in and out for them. It was the doorway down into their world – so, obviously, I had no choice but to drop down into the cavern to check it out.
I'd been poking around carefully for a little while, when I saw the mystery man dropping down in as well. I'd taken cover in the shadows and made myself as invisible as possible. It obviously worked, because he never even knew I was there.
Moving as quietly as I could, I followed the man down the tunnel, sticking to the deep pools of shadow the passageway afforded me. He was preoccupied and yet, tense and alert. It didn't take me long to realize that he was hunting. Like me.
Everything in me – all of my training and the lessons that had been scored into my brain – told me to kill him. That he was one of the creatures who threatened humanity. That he and those of his ilk were a plague on this world and it was my duty to strike him down. It would have been easy since he didn't even know I was there.
But something made me hesitate. Something made me want to watch the mystery man a little while longer, just to see what he was up to. My brain argued that I'd never get a better chance, that if he figured out I was there, I was going to have to fight him straight up. And given the speed and skill I'd seen from him already, it was a fight I had doubts I could win.
I didn't know what it was, but something about the man intrigued me. Instinct and training told me to be scared of him. But that little voice inside of me, the voice of curiosity, told me to wait and see what happened.
If everything went sideways, I was confident that I could outrun the guy.
I crouched down in a pocket of shadow as the man approached a cross tunnel – and froze. He backed up a few steps and took a ready position with his twin daggers. He'd obviously run into the Scales.
I watched as the first one came rushing out of the tunnel, arms extended, its stinger rearing back to strike. The man deflected the stinger with one of his blades and his foot lashed out, catching the scale in the gut and sending it staggering backward. Two more came rushing out of the tunnel at him and I watched in awe as the man spun, parried, and battled the Scales – all the while, knowing that his blades were useless.
The way the man fought made me really reconsider what I knew about him – or thought I knew. This didn't seem like some territory beef between rival monster clans. This wasn't just mindless creatures fighting one another for the sport of it or to settle some blood feud.
As I watched the man fight, something told me that I had more in common with him than I might have thought at first blush. He wasn't human, not by any stretch of the imagination. But he was a hunter – he tracked and killed the same things I did. I would have bet my life on it.
The sound of his blades ringing off the armor of the Scales’ bodies and tails echoed around the tunnel. The man was an artist with his blades and I watched with awe and admiration. I had no doubt that if he'd had bronze blades, the fight would have been over in a matter of moments and the six Scales who surrounded him would have been lying dead in pools of their own blood.
But he didn't have bronze blades and he was in real trouble. The Scales circled him, all of them making a high-pitched hissing noise. They knew that they had the upper hand on him and seemed to be toying with the man. I knew he could breathe fire, but I didn't think he'd be able to blowtorch all six of them before they collapsed on him.
As I sat there crouched down in the shadows, I realized that if I didn't do anything, he was as good as dead. The flip side of that was that if I waded into the fight – a fight that wasn't even mine – I could very well wind up dead at the hands of the Scales. Or worse, at the hands of the man I was contemplating wading in to save.
My heart thundered in my chest as I sat there in crippling indecision. The mystery man wasn't human. And I swore an oath to the Order to destroy non-human life that was a threat to the people of LA. Yet, something in my heart told me that the man I was watching wasn't a threat to humanity. Something told me that he was more like me. Like the Order. Something told me that he, like us, protected humanity.
I had no evidence to support the idea. No rational or logical reason for believing it. And yet – I did. I believed it down into my bones.
Not giving myself more time to think, I flew out of my hiding spot and loosed a pair of bronze throwing stars. They hit the mark – square in the back of the heads of the two Scales closest to me, sinking deep. The creatures roared in agony, but I was already in motion, my sword slicing in a deadly arc that took the head off the first one. I spun around, slicing again, the blade of my sword cutting deeply into the neck of the other. Blood spurted and sprayed as the creature fell to its knees clutching its wounded neck. I kicked it over onto its back, knowing it was only a matter of moments before the thing bled out.
I exchanged a look with the mystery man, who looked entirely surprised by my appearance. But he shook it off in a heartbeat – just in time to parry the stinger of one of the Scales who'd advanced on him. A pair turned my way and I imagined that I saw fear in their eyes.
The two creatures moved toward me, slowly and warily and I gave them a grim smile of satisfaction. It was hard to explain, but I loved the fight. As dangerous and potentially fatal as it was, there was just something about wading into a battle, blades swinging, and cutting down my enemies that sent a charge through me unlike anything I'd ever felt before. And it was a feeling that hadn't dimmed in the least over the years. I'd been fighting in the field since I was sixteen and had to have killed at least a hundred of LA's darkest creatures by that point, and the feeling of triumphing in a fight never got old. It never grew stale.
And as I lifted my blade, staring the Scales in the eyes, that feeling of excitement and that familiar, welcome frenetic energy coursed through me.
It was that wild, untamed glee with which I attacked my enemies that worried Jacob the most. He said I was out of control. Too emotional. And that one day, it was going to get me killed. What he didn't understand though, was I fed off that energy. It gave me a sharpened focus. Contrary to what Jacob thought, that energy didn't spin me out of control – it gave me even more control. It fueled me. Kept my fire lit and allowed me to see the entire field of battle around me with a keen sense I probably wouldn't have ordina
rily.
I knew my life was at stake in these fights, and despite what Jacob might think, I actually enjoyed life. A lot. I wasn't reckless or looking to get myself killed. I was looking to take down as many of these monsters as I could. And if I was being honest with myself, I was looking to avenge my parents.
I knew that battling these creatures wouldn't bring them back or fill the hole their murder had left in my soul, but knowing that I was helping prevent some other little girl out there from having to endure the pain of loss I felt even to that day, made it all worth it to me. It made me feel like I was making a difference in the world.
The two Scales advanced on me, their tails up, stingers pointed at my head. They both let out a hiss as they rushed in at me as one. I dropped and shoulder rolled past them, popping back onto my feet before they had a chance to turn around. With one quick, hard swing, I lopped the stinger off both of their tails. The creatures wailed in agony and turned toward me, baring their razor-sharp teeth.
In one smooth motion, I grabbed the dagger off my belt and hurled it at the nearest Scale. The bronze blade sunk deep into its throat. A wet, gurgling sound issued from its throat as it grasped the handle of the blade and pulled it out – sending a fountain of green blood spurting into the air. The creature dropped to its knees, clutching its throat, its blood pooling on the ground beneath it.
The second Scale, hurt, angry, and bleeding from the wound on its tail, rushed at me with a wild and reckless abandon. The creature was out of control in its rage – something I never was, despite what Jacob thought. I easily spun to the side and laughed as it rushed past, blind with hatred.
The Scale with the hole in its throat tried to get to its feet, but I was quick to snuff that out. I swung my blade in a murderous arc, grinning like a madman as I felt the bronze blade of my sword slice neatly through the creature's flesh. The head rolled off and hit the dirt floor of the tunnel with a wet, meaty thud.
Sensing the attack coming from behind, I spun around and held my sword straight out in front of me. The Scale, still blind with agony and fury, didn't have the time – or good sense – to react to the threat. It impaled itself on the point of my blade, the sword burying itself deep into the creature's chest. It squealed and writhed, so I drove the blade in even further. A moment later, I yanked it out and let the creature's lifeless body fall to the floor, watching with a grim satisfaction as a pool of blood spread out beneath it.
A blast of fire, hot and intense seemed to suck the air right out of the tunnel. The heat was so intense in such close quarters, I feared that my skin was going to start blistering. I looked over and watched as the two Scales the stranger had been battling with thrashed about, their bodies consumed by a fire hotter than anything I'd ever experienced before.
I watched, fascinated, as the two Scales dropped to the ground, the flames consuming their bodies. It took a couple of minutes, but the flames eventually went out on their own, leaving nothing more than a pile of ashes vaguely in the shape of a dead Scale.
The stranger looked at me and I felt my body tense almost reflexively. I tightened the grip on my sword and took up a defensive position. The man looked at me, sheathed his daggers, and held his hands up, trying to indicate that he wasn't a threat. I still stood warily, watching his every move.
“I'm not going to hurt you,” he said. “In fact, I suppose I need to thank you, I –”
“What are you?” I asked, my tone cold.
The man looked genuinely puzzled by my question. He cocked his head and then it seemed as if understanding dawned on him.
“Well, my name is Zarik and –”
“I asked what you were,” I hissed. “Not who.”
He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet as he looked at the ground. The man – Zarik – seemed to be having some sort of debate within himself. Judging by the look on his face, he was keeping a secret – a secret he wasn't quite sure I should be privy to.
My heart was beating hard and adrenaline was flowing freely through my veins. I knew that this man could absolutely cook me where I stood if he wanted to. There wouldn't even be a fight. But as I watched him, saw the internal struggle within himself, I got the feeling that there was something different about him. He wasn't human and I knew that I should consider him the enemy, but I felt myself inexplicably drawn to him. Compelled by him.
He was a handsome man, to be sure. He was probably six foot four, had broad shoulders, and a thick chest. He looked to be strong and incredibly fit. His dark blonde hair touched his shoulders and he had eyes the color of jade. He was a beautiful man, but that wasn't why I was so struck by him. There was just an aura of peace and calm about him. He didn't give off the sort of dark, evil energy the monsters I was used to dealing with did. I sensed that there was something good, something pure about him.
Since I was a child, I'd been taught and trained to believe that if it wasn't human, it was there to do us harm and needed to be killed. I'd lived my entire life governed by that philosophy. And yet, standing there, in front of a man who could turn me into a pile of ash with no effort at all, I wasn't afraid. I somehow knew he wouldn't hurt me anymore than he'd hurt himself. There was just something about the energy he gave off that seemed – good. Gentle.
But when he looked at me, a curtain seemed to come down over his eyes. “There are some things I unfortunately, cannot share with you,” he said. “I'm bound by oath to keep some secrets.”
“Dude,” I said. “You spit fire. You're obviously not human. I just want to know what you are.”
He frowned and looked at the ground. “Nevertheless,” he said. “Violating my oath would land me in a whole world of hurt. Not to mention the fact that it could put you in danger as well. And believe me, that is the absolute last thing I want.”
He spoke, but I could tell that part of him wanted to tell me, wanted to answer my questions – I could see it in his eyes. But ultimately, he gave himself over to his duty and to his oath – something I could relate to, and actually respect him for.
“May I have your name?” he asked.
I hesitated, unsure for a moment. I was a proud warrior – sometimes, too proud to hear Jacob tell it – and I did not want to show him fear. I didn't want him to think that I was intimidated by him.
“Ella.”
A gentle smile touched his lips. “Ella is a pretty name.”
“I should probably go.”
“May I ask you a question?”
He was so polite that it was a little disarming. I had to fight to remember that he was – technically speaking – the enemy. At the very least, he was a man who could vaporize me on the spot. The last thing I could afford was to let my guard down or grow complacent around him.
“What?” I asked.
“This may sound odd,” he said. “But you are a very talented fighter. I've seen very few humans who are your equal.”
I was careful to keep my expression neutral, but inside, I was beaming with delight at the praise. I couldn't help it. I cleared my throat and lifted my chin.
“Was there a question coming?” I asked coldly.
He smiled, as if he knew what was running through my head. And I had to admit – as much as I hated to – that when he smiled, he was even more handsome. The dark and brooding figure I saw earlier was attractive enough in its own right, but with a genuine smile on his face, the man was drop dead gorgeous.
“I've heard stories about a secret group,” he said. “Something called the Order of Midnight.”
I nearly gasped, but managed to hold my reaction inside. So far as I knew, nobody knew about us. We were a secret Order – well out of the public eye – and we went to extraordinary lengths to keep things that way. The fact that this man – a non-human man, no less – knew of our existence was beyond disturbing. And it sent a cold tendril of fear slithering up my spine.
“Secret group, huh?” I asked.
He nodded, his eyes boring into mine, the expression on his face one of knowing. “Yeah
,” he said. “A clandestine group of warriors. Rumor has it, they exist to fight off the monsters in the dark.”
I laughed and cringed inwardly, realizing how forced it sounded. “Sounds like a children's story.”
He shrugged. “Perhaps,” he said. “I just thought that given your – talents – that you might know something about them.”
“Yeah, sorry, I don't,” I replied.
There was an awkward moment of silence between us. I was obviously lying and he knew I was lying – and yet, he chose to let me continue the lie.
“Well then,” he said. “I suppose I should thank you. After all, you saved my life.”
“You're welcome,” I said. “And we should probably get out of here before more of those things show up. That little scene is going to draw some attention.”
We stared at each other a moment longer before he nodded and headed up the tunnel, back toward the main cavern.
“I owe you one, Ella,” he called over his shoulder.
I looked around at the bodies on the tunnel floor. “Actually, you owe me four.”
Chapter Ten
Zarik
“There's good news and there's bad news,” Quint said.
“Let's have the bad news first,” I replied.
We were sitting in his office at the restaurant the next day. He'd just returned from Chondelai and his meeting with the Keepers and had asked to see me. I sat in the chair across the desk from him, still feeling irritated by the fact that the girl – Ella – had to save me from the Chokan last night. I was prideful, and having to be rescued like that – it didn't sit well with me.
“The bad news is that the Keepers don't have much information on these Chokan,” he said. “And by that, I mean, they don't have any.”
“How can that be possible?”
Quint leaned back in his chair and took a drink from his bottle of water before speaking. “Because these creatures don't come from Chondelai.”
“But we've been cataloging the creatures native to this world for centuries,” I said. “How is it possible that we've never run across them before?”
No Such Thing as Dragons : Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 5) Page 19
