Dragon Feared

by Kit Bladegrave

  When she shifted from his ribs to the wounds at his shoulder from the bite, he snarled and thrashed harder. His mouth fell open on a roar, but then Amelie sank back on her heels, breathing heavily, and Slade’s body sank to the couch.

  “There… that should… that should work. The wounds were more extensive than I thought.”

  Professor Fredwin helped her to an armchair as I took her place beside Slade, willing him to open his eyes.

  I lifted his shirt and watched as her magic continued to swirl around the wounds as they closed, leaving nothing but scratches behind.

  “Can someone please explain why a wounded dragon is on your couch?” Jared asked sharply. “Everest? What the hell is going on here?”

  I didn’t turn around and refused to say anything except, “I’m returning a favor.”

  “To who?”

  “Jared, I think it’d be best if you sit down for a moment,” Professor Fredwin suggested sternly. “We will get answers soon enough, but for the moment, this young man needs time to heal.”

  Silently, I thanked Professor Fredwin, keeping my gaze on Slade. He had to open his eyes.

  “It’s my turn to save your life,” I whispered, not caring who heard. “You can’t die on me, not yet, alright? You owe me.”

  A tear slipped from my eye, and I wiped it away before it could fall. I sniffed hard and worried about getting him back to Tank and Davis, if they were even still alive. I had no way to contact them, and I wasn’t sure if Slade had his cell on him still or not.

  “Everest?”

  I sat up straighter.

  Slade had spoken.

  I nodded. “Right here, you’re safe. Can you hear me?”

  He nodded slowly, wincing as he tried to move. “Where… Tank… the others?”

  “I don’t know,” I said softly. “Tank told us to run, so we ran. I had to get you out of there before they killed you.”

  The others were muttering confused behind me, but the second Slade opened his eyes, a furious growl erupted behind me, and I turned to see Jared stalking towards us, his eyes flaring with anger.

  “Shadowguard,” he snapped, and I stood to stop him before he could get to Slade. “Move, now!”

  “Not going to happen, so back off,” I warned, purple mist pooling in the palms of my hands. “You won’t hurt him unless you want to hurt me, too.” He took another step closer, and I glared at him. “Back off.”

  His hands curled into fists at his sides as he glowered at me, nothing of the nice Jared on his face. “You’re harboring a Shadowguard? Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

  “Do you?” I yelled back. “You’re reacting towards him because of what happened to your sister. This dragon has saved my ass three times, Jared, three times! Why would he do that if all he wanted was to kill us all?”

  He looked ready to shift when I heard a grunt from behind me, and then Slade was standing at my side, resting a hand on my shoulder. “It’s alright, Everest, I can handle him.”

  “You’re wounded, sit back down,” I ordered.

  His lips lifted in a smirk and those blue eyes told me he was better than he looked. He wasn’t about to back down, not now.

  I dropped my arms, but watched Jared closely.

  “He’s an enemy of the clans,” Jared growled. “He needs to be taken to the Hunters.”

  “Your Hunters who kill innocents?” Slade barked a laugh, and I could’ve smacked him for provoking Jared more.

  “We do not kill innocents!”

  “So, every Shadowguard you catch and execute has committed a crime? You know nothing of this world, Jared Winchester, nothing at all.”

  I flinched. How did Slade know his name?

  It threw Jared off too, and he stepped back. “What did you say to me?”

  “I know exactly who you are,” Slade pushed on, taking a step towards him. “You and your sister.”

  I had a split second to imagine what was going to happen before Jared threw himself across the room.

  Fourteen

  Slade

  I was tired of hiding in the shadows. The words poured out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I watched almost in slow-motion as the Hollow Well charged across the room.

  He was too lost in a rage to know what he was doing. I shoved Everest to the side before he hurt her trying to get to me and braced for his hit.

  We slammed back into the couch, tipping it over, but I managed to get out from his grasp and spin around, landing a kick to his face.

  I might be wounded, but this dragon had no idea what it meant to be in a real fight, not yet. To fight to survive.

  He was out of his league, but if this was what he wanted to do, I’d wear him down.

  Everest yelled at us to stop, but Jared was past listening to her.

  “Why did you mention my sister, you bastard?” he bellowed as he came at me again.

  I ducked under his first punch, and landed two of my own to his sides, forcing him backward again. “Ariel? I knew about her, I know about all the young who have been killed!”

  “Course you do because your kind killed them!”

  He drove his shoulder into my chest, and I grunted before I slipped around him and threw him into the wall. His head thudded hard against it, but he just shook it out and bared his teeth at me. At least this apartment was too small for him to shift. Not sure my body could handle that right now.

  “Because we protect them!” I bellowed and clocked him in the face. “We try to save those the Black Diamonds target, and your sister… she was under our protection.”

  “Some protection,” Jared threw back at him viciously. “She was killed!”

  “So was my sister. Trying to save yours!”

  My words echoed around me, chest heaving, as a heavy silence fell over the room.

  Jared’s eyes narrowed, but he backed away a few more steps. “What did you say?”

  “Slade?” Everest whispered behind me.

  I hung my head.

  All the pain from the last few years of my life reared its ugly head until I could barely see straight let alone keep breathing.

  I clutched at my chest and sagged against the nearest wall, my recent wounds throbbing. “My sister was part of the Light Guard, and Ariel Winchester was her charge, just like Everest is mine,” I told them quietly, hating to relive that night. “The night Ariel was killed, my sister… Victoria… she was ambushed by the enemy.”

  “By Shadowguards?” Jared asked, not sounding so sure of himself anymore.

  “No, by Black Diamonds. They took her and they… they tortured her for answers about the Light Guard, about the others in our charge.” I fought back against the lump in my throat. “She said nothing, and then was executed.”

  “You saw it, didn’t you,” Everest said.

  I bobbed my head once.

  “Slade, I’m so sorry.” Her hand found mine and squeezed.

  Her touch was warm and gave me strength as I faced down the others in the room.

  “She is not the only one we’ve lost trying to keep your people safe, and she won’t be the last.”

  Jared planted his hands on his hips, shaking his head. “You’re telling me the Black Diamonds are what? Back from the dead? They were extinct. We made sure of it!”

  “No, you made sure they were gone from sight,” I argued. “You never fully eradicated them and because of it, my people are now enslaved. For centuries, we’ve been fighting a war that never ended, keeping the next generations of magic users safe. Keeping Descendants, safe,” I added, as I glanced to Everest. “I should’ve known that’s what you were before those dragons even attacked you on campus.”

  She cringed. “Yeah well, still getting used to that idea myself.”

  “Wait, you’re not believing all of this are you?” Jared laughed harshly, but I kept a blank face. “This is ridiculous! He’s just trying to save himself!”

  “Then why did he show up three times to save my life?” Everest told hi
m. “I’ve seen the Black Diamonds, they’re the ones that keep trying to kidnap me. And the Shadowguards? They’re helping us, protecting us! And,” she added, stepping between me and Jared, “if he was such a bad guy, why is it the gargoyles did nothing to stop me from bringing him here?”

  The other man, I think they called him Professor Fredwin, perked up at her words. “That is quite true, they did not.”

  “So?” Jared snapped. “That means nothing. His kind are the reason so many of ours are dead!”

  “And vice versa,” I said. “We could do this all day, Jared, but our petty fighting isn’t what you should be worried about. The Black Diamonds never went away. In fact, they’ve grown stronger because the only ones fighting them are the Light Guard, those of us who have escaped their hold.” I gently pushed Everest to the side, so I could face him down. “And they’re not the only ones who are back. The Blood Moon Priests, they’re here, in the city.”

  Professor Fredwin cursed, but no one else seemed to understand how terrible this situation was about to get. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes, I wouldn’t say it otherwise.”

  “Who are they?” Everest asked. “I’m assuming bad?”

  Professor Fredwin and I nodded.

  “How bad?”

  I squeezed her hand back as I said, “Apocalyptic bad if we don’t stop them.”

  “And can you? Stop them I mean,” Professor Fredwin asked urgently.

  “With our numbers? I doubt it. The Black Diamonds are attacking our outposts, and we’ve lost… we’ve lost many of our soldiers.”

  Zara. Only a few weeks had passed, and it still killed me to think of losing her, but at the same time, part of me felt the same type of connection to Everest. As if her death pushed me to where I needed to be, here to keep Everest safe, a woman who was just as fearless as Zara was.

  I ground my teeth. “You’re not the only ones who have lost loved ones.”

  Everest smiled at me softly. “I’ll fight with you.”

  “No!” Jared reached out to grab her arm, but I tugged her behind me, growling in warning.

  “Hands off, Hollow Well,” I warned. “She is my charge, and I am not about to let her out of my sight, not now.”

  “He’s poisoned your mind! Everest, please, you have to see how insane this is!”

  “Then why don’t we prove it?” the girl asked. “I can do a truth spell.”

  “Amelie, no,” Everest said.

  I nodded in agreement.

  Everest stared at me. “Seriously? You shouldn’t have to do that!”

  “No, but if that’s what it takes then fine.” I took her hands and faced her. “Listen, our numbers are dwindling, and we’re losing this war. There’s no more time to wait for the others to know the truth of what’s happening out there. We need more men, or the Black Diamonds are going to attack, and no one will be able to stop them from wiping out the children.”

  “The children?” Professor Fredwin muttered angrily “What do you mean?”

  I said nothing, and he cursed more, pacing away from us all. The Black Diamonds were willing to kill as many children as it took to stop the other clans from having the aid of witches and warlocks for the next phase of the war. We had no idea when they were going to do it, but if they were willing to risk exposure, they were getting desperate and sooner or later, the attack would come.

  “Do it,” I urged Everest’s friend Amelie.

  She nodded anxiously, reaching into a small pouch at her hip.

  She poured a handful of orange powder into her palm, and I braced myself for the spell to hit; I never was a fan of magic, not after it had been used to torture me for years before I was taken away from my captors.

  Before she could do it, Jared lunged for her hand, grabbed the powder, and turned a suddenly deadly glare my direction.

  “Loqui verum, seu moriar,” he shouted and flung the powder onto me.

  The spell knocked Jared onto his knees as a red hue erupted from his fingertips.

  The force of it threw me against the wall, and my body erupted in tremors as Everest struggled to keep me upright.

  “What the hell was that?” Everest yelled furiously. “You said you can’t do magic!”

  “Jared,” Professor Fredwin yanked him back away from me. “That spell is illegal. How do you even know it?”

  He didn’t answer, and all I could do was grit my teeth as the shaking grew worse.

  Pain ricocheted around my head as Jared flung himself around Professor Fredwin and got right in my face even as Everest warned him to move.

  “Is any of what you said actually true? Are you truly part of the Light Guard?”

  “You filthy half-breed,” I snarled, attempting to gain control of my convulsions. “Yes, it’s all true! All of it! The Black Diamonds exist, and they are coming for you, all of you!”

  Jared staggered back as if he’d been slapped and the remnants of the powerful spell faded away.

  I sagged into Everest’s waiting arms, and struggled to catch my breath, glowering at him.

  “You want to know more?” I spat, my rage too much to hold back now. “I was born a slave to one of the twelve families. I was tortured every day of my life until the Light Guard got me and some others out. I have fought claw and tooth to survive! To protect your kind!” I steadied myself and pushed out of Everest’s arms to face him down, toe to toe. “The Shadowguard are not your enemy. Not any more, so you can either help me find a way to convince the rest of your kind, or you can get the hell out of my way while I keep trying to defend them.”

  He lowered his gaze and moved away, ashamed of his actions.

  Good. He should be.

  I understood his pain far better than he could ever know. But in truth, he knew nothing of the agony I suffered.

  “Jared, since when can you perform spells?” Amelie asked to break the tension.

  Jared shifted uncomfortably on his feet, and I realized now why he was not on our list of charges. “You hid it, didn’t you,” I stated.

  “I did, I had to,” he admitted quietly. “My abilities showed after Ariel had been killed, and my parents… they were scared for me, so I was forced to hide my power from everyone.”

  “They were right to do so,” I agreed. “You would’ve been on their target list, with so many other hybrids.”

  I paced around the apartment, mulling over my moves. I needed to try and get a hold of Tank and Davis, but I knew by now they would’ve cleared the warehouse, possibly the city, and fallen back to our nearest outpost.

  I reached into my pocket for my cell to find it still working, but my fingers froze over the screen. If I called into Preston, I knew exactly what my orders would be. But this hiding, it had to stop.

  I’d be risking my life, but what choice did we have? Our numbers were low, the Black Diamonds were moving up their attacks, and there were Blood Moon Priests in the area.

  “The Council,” I said as I faced them all again. “I need to speak with them. Now.”

  “You’re joking, right?” Jared asked.

  “The Council? You mean the ones who created the Hunters in the first place to kill your kind?” Everest shook her head violently. “No, not going to happen. They’ll kill you on sight!”

  “Maybe, but if the enemy is willing to attack this close to the campus, and on the campus, we’re out of time,” I insisted. “I need to make one phone call, and then we need to go. The sooner, the better.”

  Professor Fredwin nodded firmly. “Right then, you four stay here. Do not open this door until I get back.”

  “Where are you going?” Everest asked as he reached the door.

  “To get the one person who can help us, hopefully. Let’s just hope she’s a bit more open-minded than she’s been in the past.” Then he was gone.

  I was still holding Everest’s hand and wasn’t about to let it go, not yet. For some reason, she was the only thing I felt keeping me grounded, as everything else, all our well-laid plans, fell
apart.

  “Slade? You feeling okay?” she asked quietly.

  “Yeah, yeah I’ve had much worse.”

  “That’s not what I want to hear,” she murmured.

  “Listen, I know I promised you more answers, but right now…”

  She was already shaking her head. “I know enough for right now. Let’s get you to the Council, and we’ll go from there. I have a feeling I’ll be learning everything soon enough.”

  “You are a very strong person, and brave. I hope you know that. Can’t believe you got me all the way here.”

  “I just wish I knew if the others made it out.”

  “I’m actually going to call them now.” I reluctantly released her hand and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Jared’s eyes followed me the entire time, but he didn’t stop me or try to follow, so I let it go.

  I called Tank first, but there was no answer, so I tried Davis next.

  “Slade?”

  “Hey, man, where the hell are you guys?” I asked, thankful he answered.

  “We fell back to Morg’s place. Tank’s pretty banged up, but we’re alive and those other three, well, they’re dead, but more are on the way. Where are you? And Everest, is she alright?” he rambled.

  “She got me to safety, don’t worry, but I need you to contact Preston for me and see who’s in the area,” I told him as I peered back into the living room to see the three huddled close together, talking.

  Everest seemed ready to throttle Jared, but then rolled her eyes and stalked away.

  “What’s going on?”

  I sucked in a deep breath and said, “I’m going to speak to the Council.”

  “What!” he yelled so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “Are you insane? They’ll kill you on sight!”

  “I’m hoping with a Descendant by my side, they might let me live long enough to catch them up on what’s really going on here. But just in case, I needed you to know… and there’s a chance they’ll know where I’m going.”

  “You think they’re going to attack the Council? They can’t reach them.”