“She’ll be fine, William.” Grania tried to bolster his spirits even though she was plagued by indecision herself. She didn’t know if Aine would be fine…“ Trust me, my father will think twice when faced with such a bitchy witch.”
He laughed. “You are right. This is what she’s lived for. Her career took precedence over everything else in her life. I don’t know why I worry about her…she’s one witch that knows how to take care of herself.”
“Amen to that,” Aurora said. “Your mother will be fine. But she might need your help, so get out there and do what I’d do. Do everything that I would do in fact, with my complete blessings.”
He nodded his head, pulling Grania toward the door. As the door swung open, Bonnie spoke. “The Queen and her family as well as The Prime Minister and the rest of the Cabinet have arrived. We can now go into lockdown mode.”
“May the Graces be with you, William and Grania. When you save England, you will save the world.”
In the next instant, they were out in the street. Grania looked back. The building was disappearing before their eyes.
“You won’t see them again, unless we figure out how to stop your father,” William said, giving her an encouraging look.
“The solution is simple, William. You will have to use the spell.”
“I don’t want to. Not now. I can’t!”
“You have to.”
“I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do, my dear wife. I won’t be a destroyer of a race. I can’t. I don’t have the stomach or heart for it anymore.”
Despair etched his face. Even though she was exasperated with him, her heart went out to him. She understand how he felt, she just couldn't condone it, not when so much hinged on him using that spell against her father's legions.
“You have no other choice! I won’t let you throw away all of your hard work. Listen carefully to me, husband. If my father is capable of killing hundreds of my kind at once, then, I’m telling you, he’s too far-gone! There is no hope of saving him now—we’ve lost him forever. I knew that a long time ago, and the events of today have only reaffirmed and crystallized that realization for me. I can't live in denial any longer. I won't.”
“If you’re that passionate about it, maybe I will use it if the need arises.”
“No, not maybe. You use it when you have to. Don’t think about me, or the others that it could hurt. My aunt and uncle knew the consequences of that spell and they still wanted you to finish it. Now, that you’ve finished it, I see no…”
“I never said I’d finished it.” He gave a look of supreme annoyance. His eyes flashed with ill humour.
“You didn’t have to. You’re about as telling as a crystal globe, at least to me.”
“We need to get off the street. Did you feel that second tremor? I feel as if I’ve had one too many at the local pub.”
“I did feel it. Either my father is still playing show and tell, or there’s a dragon walking toward us.”
“Tewkesbury is about a twenty minute drive from here.”
“If we fly, we could get there faster.”
He looked sharply at her. She shrugged her shoulders. “I know I’m the one that likes to drive, but the streets might be clogged with traffic, considering the mass chaos that’s going on as we speak. It’s a wonder it hasn’t migrated here yet.”
“In due time, I expect we only need to be patient.” He looked over at a trendy little silver sports car. It looked like a car a super spy would drive. And, since they were outside of the MI6 building, she wouldn't be surprised if a super spy did drive it.
“What are you doing?”
“I can make that contraption fly.”
“You wouldn’t. It would give your kind away.”
He gave her a pointed look. “Do you actually realize what you just said? Are you hearing yourself? I think that pink elephant already charged down the street.”
“Yeah, “she snorted. “I’m sorry I’m having a hard time dealing with this news. It’s rather surreal to me. I never thought it would go this far, but it has. Now, we have to do whatever we can in the way of damage control.”
“Damage control, if my hunch is right, it’s even too late for that.”
Screams of panic rent the air, followed by a sound they both recognized. “Make that damn car fly! I’ll take care of whatever is coming our way. Go!” Grania shouted, moving into battle mode.
He gave her one last fleeting glance. People ran toward her. She didn’t know what to do. Why had William’s people abandoned the humans? They were going to get pulverized out here.
“Get behind me!” she yelled her order, earning a few looks of disapproval, especially from the men. There were about twenty of them.
“What the bloody hell do you think you can do, miss? We’ve just been invaded by flipping dragons, and there are no Knights around to slay the ruddy things!” The man yelling the remark had a gaping wound in his side. He looked as white as a sheet, he needed medical attention, sooner rather than later.
“Just do it! Whatever is coming this way, I can stop it.” She pulled out her sword from its scabbard.
“Do you hear her, Hugh? She can stop it.” The man with the wound turned to his friend and chuckled, then grimaced with pain.
“Maybe she’s like that witch that tried helping us,” Hugh suggested hopefully.
“Tried?” Her stomach sank like a lead sinker.
“She got knocked out by a car. That was a wicked sight to be sure. I don’t know why she didn’t get crushed.”
“Knocked out? That would have killed her.”
“Not so.” A man that stood at about six feet four came striding into view, holding an unconscious witch in his arms. “She’s my fighting partner. I was going to stay and fight another round, but I couldn’t leave her in harm’s way. Our healers are doing what they can, but…”
“I understand. You just wanted her safe.” She smiled.
“Are you friend or foe?” Suddenly, the warrior warlock’s eyes started glowing. “I know what you are. I can smell it.” His eyes widened, he reached for his wand, when William shouted something. In the next instant, the man’s wand turned rubbery in his hand. “What the ruddy hell?”
“Just try using that sort of magic on my wife, and there will be fucking hell to pay!” William strode into view. “I’ve rigged the car. It’s ready to go.”
“William?” The warlock looked shocked.
“I should have known it was you, Leo. What the hell do you think you were doing? She’s on our side! Just like so many other dragon shifters are. I catch you pulling another fast one like that, and I will forget that I even know you! I will not hesitate to blow you from here to bloody kingdom come!”
“You have my deepest apologies, mate. I didn’t realize that she was who she was. I would never hurt a Lightfoot. Not in a million years. Now then, since we’ve cleared the air could we please move on? I’d appreciate it if you could possibly take the bloody jinx you put on my wand off? I rather need it.”
“Course,” William said. The wand straightened, and hardened before her eyes.
“What’s going on in Tewkesbury?” she asked. She watched as William moved over to the injured man and put a magical bandage on his side.
“I’ve never seen the likes of it before. Most of them are trying to make their way to London. Before we know it, the Capital will be streaming with hordes of the bloody buggers. Don’t worry though, we were giving as good as we got before Kayla was injured.”
“My family, I need to know what happened to them.” She felt the need to sit. Vertigo ripped at her being, nearly pulling her asunder.
“Your family must be somewhere safe.” William gave her a reassuring smile. Her stomach clenched. She could feel a sense of deep foreboding in the air.
“What’s this about your family?” Leo looked between them.
“The King and Queen of Dragonia,” William whispered.
“I heard someone say they were dead.
” Leo looked crestfallen. “I am sorry I hadn’t realized that they had any relations here on Earth.”
“Dead?” Hollowness invaded her heart. She swallowed past the thick lump emerging in her throat.
A bright light illuminated the space behind them. Sounds of a dragon’s battle cry came to them from ahead. It made the hairs on the nape of her neck prickle with dread. The dread was quickly replaced by a bloodlust the likes of which she’d never experienced before. If her family had been among the many that had been slain that day, she would bloody well avenge their deaths. The best way to do that was to kill as many of her father’s dragon shifters as she could manage.
“Hey, William! I don’t have all day. We should have the entire facility in lockdown mode, but I persuaded Bonnie to open it up when these humans wandered by. Aine said that there were bunkers created for the humans all over England. I don’t understand why this bunch didn’t get caught by one of our agents.” Aurora looked magnificent. Light glowed around her, as her magic literally haloed her in a protective cocoon.
“Aye, that’s right.” Leo nodded his head. “Unfortunately, they forgot to put one in this bloody area of town. Hats off to whoever decided on that. We can’t go back we have to go forward until we can find the next closest bunker.”
“How badly injured is she?” Aurora moved forward to lend her assistance.
“I think she’s coming round. Before the car hit her, she’d managed to put up a shield but then a tremor hit, and her concentration wavered…just enough for her to get her blinking lights knocked out.”
“I’ll take her with me,” Aurora offered. “The rest of the humans can come as well.”
The mortals clustered around Aurora. Something about her intrigued them greatly. It had to be the light she was throwing off. “It’s just the sort of affect I have on humans. I have no idea why.” She smiled at Grania. “Do you two still want to forge on ahead? It looks like everything has gone to the dogs out here.”
“To the dragon shifters more like,” Leo scoffed. “I’m staying out here to fight. You can take Kayla back with you.”
“No,” Kayla coughed, finally coming round. “I’m not going back with Aurora. I’m trained for this. I have to fight. There’s no other way.”
“You were knocked out…” Leo’s forehead creased. Grania recognized the way that Leo looked at Kayla. He was giving her the same irritated look that William gave her more frequently than she preferred.
“That’s happened to me plenty of times. I’m a walking disaster, remember, Leo?” He put her cautiously down on her wobbly feet. “Whoa. I’m good. Give me a few more seconds and I’ll be back in top form.” She gave Leo a soft sweet smile. Grania had to admire Kayla’s tenacity under great odds.
Grania stepped forward. Kayla’s eyes widened. “Oh, wands and wizards! You are her! I recognize you from our intelligence reports. I’m honoured to meet you.” She bowed her head to Grania in a show of respect.
“Obviously, Leo missed the memo, since he tried to kill her when he first laid eyes on her,” William said wryly, narrowing his eyes at Leo.
“How was I to know? She’s not wearing the royalist insignia. I thought she was one of Draco’s little hellions.”
“No,” Grania joked. “I’m just Draco’s little darling. Don’t worry about it, William. You stopped him in time.”
“You bet I did. I better not catch you pointing that thing at her again.”
“I don’t think we really have time to stand out here arguing. I’m getting the humans to safety,” Aurora sounded determined.
“Humans, who is she calling human like that? We all have names, you know!” The same loudmouth that had opened his gob before when Grania had told them to take cover behind her, had gone done it again. She would be relieved when Aurora finally got them out of her hair.
“What the hell is going on here? I’m just minding my own business walking toward my car when a lorry flies through the air and lands on top of it. Had it not been for some bloke wielding a wand, I would have been dead. Those dragons are dangerous! And then, there are the ones that aren’t dragons, but they aren’t humans either! What the bloody hell is going on? I want some answers!”
“We are at war,” William’s voice remained impassive.
“Well now, call me daft. I didn’t realize that! What I want to know is what the ruddy hell we are at war with!”
“Dragon shifters that want to take back this world.” This time she supplied the rude man with his answer.
The man’s eyes boggled out of his head. “Dragons, you mean?”
“No. Dragon shifters are all human. They only shape shift into a dragon form…” She started before Leo cut into her explanation.
“They are not really all human.” Leo’s contradiction made her want to slap him.
“They are human.” William looked over at Leo. The hard look he gave him quieted Leo. She didn’t have to be a telepath to realize that William held command over Leo.
“Aurora, you have to get the humans out of sight. She’s coming,” Grania said, the hair prickling on the back of her neck.
“She? That thing was a bloody she? How the hell do you tell the difference?” Leo’s eyes almost crossed.
She ignored Leo. “She’s brought company with her. Get them out of here, now!”
Just as Aurora disappeared with the group of humans, the ground shook again. William stood on her right side. Kayla moved to flank the other side.
“William, I might do something surprising. Please, I hope you won’t be revolted.”
“How could anything you do make me want to revile you?”
She didn’t have time to reply. They all braced themselves for the sight unfolding before them. The dragon shifter in front of them flying at a breakneck pace was all dragon—there was nothing left to remind them she had once been in human form. She was green with a black mane. Her wings were huge—Grania recognized her.
As many dragon shifters as there were in existence, especially those on her father’s side, why did she have to meet her right now, at this moment? Another dragon shifter flew beside her, except this dragon shifter hadn’t completed the shape shift from human form into dragon form. She wondered if William had ever seen a dragon shifter in this half transformed shape before.
“What is that?” William spoke in a hushed voice.
“It’s a dragon shifter in our half form.” She looked over at him. “Fairies have wings. Why can’t we?”
He gave her an uncertain gaze. “I’ve never seen…”
“How do you think we fly when we need to engage in combat with each other? Not all of us prefer fighting in our dragon skin. I know I don’t like to—it’s far too easy to give into the animalistic side of us. Our passions are riled, and we sometimes lose our head.”
“The royalists never fight in their full dragon form. At least, not from my minimal experience seeing them locked in combat with their own kind.” Leo nodded his head. “It’s magnificent and slightly disconcerting at the same time, isn’t it?”
He looked at Kayla to agree with him. “I think it’s a beautiful sight to behold. The good ones take my breath away. The bad ones…not so much.” She smiled grimly.
The dragon shifter in the dragon form opened her mouth. Fire spewed forth. “Oh, damn, here we go again. Good times.” She heard Leo’s sarcastic quip, but instead of giving him any attention, she transformed so she, too, would have a pair of dragon wings. As the fire came toward her, she altered its temperature so it turned to a sheet of ice. She stopped, suddenly sensing more of the enemy coming toward them.
“There’s more on their way! Get ready, everyone!” she shouted, hoping her message would be heard. She was now airborne. “Well, well, Desdemona, fancy meeting you here.” She looked at the black haired dragon shifter in front of her. Desdemona was in the same form as Grania was in, except Grania's wings were white and Desdemona's wings were black.
“You should be groveling for your father’s forgivenes
s. You have broken his heart,” Desdemona said snidely, smoke billowing out of her nostrils. Was she going to breathe fire at her in her human form?
“Dragon shit. I haven’t broken his heart. He knew I would go down this path, as soon as he strayed from the righteous path.”
“Righteous? Some would say you are speaking blasphemy. Our kind is taking back what originally belonged to us. You have already lost. It will only be a matter of time before all of the continents on Earth fall to our might.”
“I’m not listening to your twisted sense of propaganda anymore, Desdemona.”
“I guess I’ll have to regretfully tell your father that I was forced to slay you. Then, I will kill your little lover boy down there. The rumours circulating that you had found your mate made your father smile, but when he found out that your mate was a lowly wizard, it made him nearly weep. You have indeed shattered his heart.”
“My father isn’t the weeping sort of dragon shifter. As for his heart, I highly doubt he even knows how to unfreeze that anymore. He keeps all of those tears bottled up inside. That’s probably why he’s got such terrible anger management issues.”
They both had their swords drawn. “Did they tell you that your dear auntie and uncle are no more?” Desdemona laughed with glee. “Your father had a difficult time bringing himself to kill your aunt, but your uncle he killed with a relish I’ve never seen him possess before.”
“Stop it. You don’t have much time left to gloat. I’ll be shortening your rather long lifeline soon. Get ready to meet the fires of hell!”
“You don’t have it in your heart to kill me.”
“You can tell that to the other assassins I killed when they came for William. You are on the wrong side, Desdemona, and now, the evils of your past are coming to bite you right on the ass!”
“You are the greatest failure to ever grace our kind. You will have half-breeds as children. Your father is enraged that his bloodline will be muddied by that filth.”
Anger surged through her. She couldn’t listen to her any longer. Her patience was straining. Soon, it would buckle beneath the effort.
“You can’t fight me. We were once the best of friends,” Desdemona stated in a matter of fact tone.
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