by K L Rymer
Felicity is the first to respond. “Damien! You’re filthy!”
“I’m only filthy for you, Tinkerbell...” he purrs.
The pixie harrumphs, covering the dragon’s ears on her lap. “Shh, not around the baby!”
The demon stops before the fire, the light reflecting in his crazed eyes. That’s when I notice the bulge beneath his black trench coat.
He wears that secretive smile again, and I’m dripping with curiosity now. What the hell has he got beneath his coat?
He’s breathing too fast, it’s unnatural, and I can’t stand it anymore.
Zahara is the first to snap. “For goodness sake, Damien, just tell us what’s wrong. You’re driving us insane!”
Damien rotates his eyes toward the Unseelie. “I was just about to get to that, Zee...”
She snarls at the nickname, swallowing her beer.
The demon’s red eyes find Felicity, and that sneer grows over his face. “So, how d’ya feel about raising two dragons together?”
The pixie’s blue eyes shimmer in the firelight. “W-what? But we only have one baby dragon...”
Damien’s grin stretches, and now he tucks his hand into his coat, producing a misshapen, black rock. It’s covered in a strange gloss and shines like oil.
It can’t be... Another dragon egg?
I peer to Brynmawr to make sure, and he nods in affirmation.
So it’s true.
“You’ll never guess what I found? Well, I had to dig fifty feet or so into the earth first, but it was worth it in the end. This little guy was calling for me after all. I couldn’t ignore him.”
Felicity jumps up, startling poor Sparkle Hearts. “A brother for Sparkle Hearts!”
Damien’s creepy smirk turns genuine at last, and now he yanks his pixie closer, planting a muddy kiss on her mouth.
She squirms, pushing him away. “Ew, Damien, you’re dirty!”
“We’ll be one big happy family together...” he coos, covering her in more filthy kisses.
My eyes fall to that glossy black rock again, and my heart races now.
Another baby dragon.
Just maybe we can assemble this army quicker than we thought.
Chapter 10 - Bryn
We go through the same process, and so the following night we gather around the campfire as Damien holds his black egg above the flames.
He has not let it go once. I don’t think he caught a wink of sleep in case any of the others tried stealing his prize from him. He was particularly suspicious of Thomas, and at one point I thought we were going to have a demon vs shifter showdown.
Zahara put all her bets on Thomas.
Damien breathes the flames in, letting them back out with a plume of smoke. “Soon... we will meet, my son,” the demon whispers ominously, his expression somber and serious.
Felicity bounces up and down, cradling Sparkle Hearts in her arms. The pink dragon sucks on her tail. “This is so exciting! Another baby! I can’t wait to meet him.”
Damien shuts his eyes. “You’re totally messing up my dark vibe, Tinkerbell. Just keep your happy little noises to yourself.”
“Ooh, have you given him a name yet?” she continues, completely oblivious to that glower he gives her.
I roll my eyes. They really are so different. Yin and Yang at it once again. Or Pepsi and Coke as I prefer...
The demon sucks air through his teeth. “Well, it’s definitely not going to be Rainbow Hearts. That’s for sure.”
“How about Shitface?” Zahara chimes in.
We all look at her, aghast. The Unseelie shrugs. “What? It’s a good name.”
Nora’s arm shoots up. “Ooh, ooh, how about Romeo!”
“No, Radcliffe is a stronger, more intelligent name...” Thomas interjects.
“I like Buddy...” Jack utters, and my eyes snap open.
Wow... he talked...
Damien roars at the stars. “Everyone, shut up! It’s Shadow Stalker.”
We fall silent. I groan inwardly.
Why does everyone insist on these lame double-barrel names? Just pick an old Welsh name, okay, and boom. Epic dragon name.
These poor dragons will have to live with these awful names after all. It’s child cruelty.
I already feel for Zahara’s poor dragon...
Brynmawr leans his long neck down, sniffing Damien’s dragon egg. “It is time, Damien...”
The demon takes a deep breath then drops the egg onto the flames. We all step back this time, knowing what to expect.
Yet Shadow Stalker doesn’t emit pink fireworks. No, he releases a ghostly black smoke as it curls toward the clouds, and then there comes a loud crack.
I get the faint scent of sulfur next.
Then a pop, and soon a pair of glowing red eyes stares back at us through the flames. A small, haunting wail comes from the pit as a shadowy figure emerges at last, stretching its bat wings.
A chill runs up my spine.
It’s like we’ve summoned a demon.
Damien hunches, clawing his hands. “Yes... rise, my son. Rise forth from the flames!”
“Yes, come to Mummy and Daddy, Shadow!” Felicity cries.
The demon exhales, dropping his shoulders. “Seriously, Tinkerbell...”
The pixie giggles sweetly. “Oops, sorry... but look at how excited Sparkle Hearts is to meet her new brother.”
She’s not wrong. The baby dragon squirms in Felicity’s grip as she’s eager to get to that creepy hatchling, and soon she wriggles free, bounding toward the fire.
Shadow Stalker crawls out from the flames, and my skin turns cold. He has a long, serpentine body with oil-colored scales, and his eyes are blood red with merciless black dots for pupils.
In fact, he’s a wyvern. He has four appendages instead of six as he spreads his front legs again, letting us all see his impressive wings as he hisses his tongue like a snake.
Unfortunately, Sparkle Hearts ruins his whole dramatic entrance as she tackles him to the floor, and now she licks his face all over.
Shadow Stalker growls, pushing her away as he snaps his teeth. But the adorable pink dragon is oblivious.
They really are like their parents...
Damien leans down, letting Shadow Stalker perch on his arm like a creepy black parrot, and the newly hatched wyvern snarls and hisses at us all.
Even Brynmawr and Gwyneira look taken aback.
My dragon shifts his eyes. “Well, he certainly is something...”
“Y-yes... charming indeed...” Gwyneira lies through her sharp teeth.
I suppress a snort. I can see they’re not so excited at the prospect of adopting this baby. He’s like a hellspawn.
Despite Shadow Stalker’s sheer hostility, Sparkle Hearts still loves him as she desperately tries to get to her new brother, but Felicity holds her back.
Well, at least we can be confident of one thing.
Shadow Stalker will be epic on the battlefield when he comes into full size.
How fucking terrifying indeed.
As if a small version of him wasn’t bad enough.
Chapter 11 - Matthew
I return to the road at last.
My first destination—the human world.
Bryn always used to talk about her friends at the human university she attended, and one name always came up—Megan.
I remember her vividly. She was the loud redhead with the strong accent from Halloween way back in first year. She’d snogged Jack Small and couldn’t even stand up straight if I recall. Bryn’s other friend was more reserved. I just don’t remember her name, but she was the one who knocked the bust of Myrddin off the shelf.
Bryn seemed to be the closest to the redhead anyway, so I teleport to the home address that I found for the girl in the university’s records.
I materialise in a cluster of trees in a public park close to the girl’s address, and already it’s noon.
A few people are already out, namely a few dog walkers and children. I highly do
ubt they will take much notice of me in my armour and chainmail.
I really should have dressed for the part. I guess it’s true what they say about us magic folk; we really don’t know how to blend in with the muggles...
It’s about time I crawled out of these woods. There’s questionable rubbish everywhere, such as used condoms and old cans of ale, and I move out at once.
I emerge onto the walkway just as a bunch of teenage boys appear on bikes, and they truly do embrace the hooligan stereotype. One is smoking weed and another laughs at my attire.
He only shuts up when I shoot him a death glare, my white eyes aglow. They may be rough around the edges but they’re still just little boys. Nothing I can’t handle.
I stroll through the park, avoiding eye contact with other passers-by. A young couple with a small bulldog stop and stare next, and I clench my jaw.
Humans really are gullible. You’d think they’d never seen an overpowered mage in shining armour before though I don’t miss the lustful expression on the girl’s face as she checks me out. Her boyfriend watches her pissed.
This is what true power looks like after all.
If only they knew there was more to their small world than their condom-filled parks, then they’d be in for a shock.
No wonder Bryn wanted to escape this humdrum life. Texas is a long way from Liverpool, but humans are all the same in the end.
I pass an aging alcoholic sleeping on a bench. He opens his eyes, offering me a small salute as I near the gate.
“Aye, aye, Captain!”
I roll my eyes, and now I find my way onto a cement street. It’s not a bad area. The houses aren’t much to look at, but they’re homely enough.
I get more stares and someone honks their car horn, but I keep my eyes forward.
Her house is in sight at last. Unfortunately, there’s a gaggle of teenage girls playing loud music on their phones outside.
Judging by the bright red hair of the ringleader, she can only be the sister of Megan.
I stop outside the gate, and now all the girls look up. They burst into laughter, hiding their faces or covering their eyes, but I keep my gaze on the redhead.
“I am looking for a Megan Maloney.”
She wipes her tears. “You all right there, Lancelot?”
They squeal with laughter again, and I grind my teeth. Seems someone’s up to scratch on their Arthurian legends, although she doesn’t’ look the type judging by her contoured mask.
All the girls have the same makeup. It’s sickly
They actually think this look is attractive? Even Angelina didn’t wear that much shit on her face. Not that she needed to.
I step forward, and the girls cry out in alarm. A few step back. The redhead stays put, folding her arms in front of her chest.
She really won’t take my shit, and I have to hand it to her. She’s a true testament to her hair colour.
Redheads really are fiery.
I stare into her vivid blue eyes and I see no fear. I doubt she’d even care if I started shooting lightning from my fingertips. “I am looking for Megan Maloney. Am I at the right address?”
She hikes an eyebrow that’s way too dark for her fair skin. “I will if you let me see what’s under that armour.”
Her friends burst into a fit of squeaky giggles again.
I guesstimate her age then as I look her up and down. No older than fourteen.
For crying out loud...
The young redhead smirks then turns towards the house, opening the door as she shrieks in that coarse accent, “Megan, yer knight in shinin’ armour’s finally ‘ere!”
“What?”
I hear that familiar voice as someone tumbles down the stairs, and then Megan appears. Her blue eyes expand when they land on me, and now she yanks a white earpiece from her ear. “What the... Who are you?”
Her accent isn’t as strong as her sister’s, but she still has that fiery sass.
This girl’s just going to be as stubborn as her fourteen-year-old perv of a sister.
I peer into her round, freckled face, taking note of her lack of makeup. She’s a far cry from her little sister and her friends.
I’ll admit, she’s not bad looking for a human. She’s even quite hot and definitely knows how to use that tongue if her kiss with Jack Small is anything to go by.
“Are you Megan Maloney?” I ask.
Megan tightens her lips, suppressing a snort. “You’ve found her... What can I do for you, Ser Jamie Lannister of Casterly Rock?”
The other girls don’t laugh at the reference. I doubt they watch Game of Thrones. (They probably watch reality shows about famous, talentless humans.)
This girl’s supposed to be friends with Bryn after all. I’d imagine she’s familiar with a little bit of fandom culture.
I suck a deep breath. “I need you to tell me where Bryn is.”
Megan’s eyes light up as she steps closer, gripping the gate with fair fingers. Her knuckles whiten. “What... Bryn? Is she okay? Did... did something happen to her?”
I deflate a little as her worried tone answers my question. She has no idea where she is.
Dammit.
Megan watches me carefully now. “Hold on... I know you. Weren’t you at that secret party Bryn took us to once? The one with that big bloke Jack? You were standing with that tall blonde if I recall, wearing that exact armour. You...”
The girl’s brows furrow as she tries to resist Myrddin’s memory spell. Although she may not remember the magic that went on per se, she still remembers the general hostility and the vibe of that party.
Shit. How could I forget? The last time she saw me, I sent a wave of white energy at her American friend.
Megan’s jaw tightens as she glares at me. “Chloe... get inside the house, now. Tell the others to go home.”
Chloe protests. “What? No!”
“I said, get in!” Megan yells, fixing her sister with a warning glare.
Chloe growls and stomps into the house, shouting “Bye” rudely to her friends over her shoulder. The other girls vanish, stealing us glances as they head up the street.
Megan keeps those burning blues on me. “I’m not completely stupid, you know. I saw a little more than I let on that night. I never told Bryn though... I always just liked to humour her, pretending as if I had no idea what was going on, but I know that her ‘secret drama club’ is something else. Look at how ridiculously hot you are for starters. Really, really unnatural. Jack was the same too, and the others...”
I watch the girl flabbergasted. I guess not all humans are so stupid then. This one really is a smart cookie. So much so that not even the most powerful wizard of all time can surpass her.
She laughs. “I bet that’s the last thing you expected a muggle to say, right?”
I shake my head, squeezing the bridge of my nose. “So, you don’t know where Bryn is?”
“Not a clue, sorry.”
I gaze up again, glancing over her red, bushy curls. I have a newfound respect for this girl. She knew all along what Bryn was up to, yet she never cared to share.
I bow my head in respect as Megan stifles another snort.
“Very well,” I say. “I am sorry to have troubled you, Miss Maloney. You have a good day now.”
I turn on my heels and march up the street to go back to the park, and I can feel the girl’s eyes boring into my armoured back.
“Nice ghost dog, by the way!” she shouts.
I freeze, whirling around to spot Gelert panting beside me. He barks when I meet his brown eyes, wagging his tail.
Quickly, I peer back up at the door of the house, but Megan has already disappeared inside. My head spins a little.
She can see ghosts.
Well that explains everything.
Chapter 12 - Bryn
Sparkle Hearts and Shadow Stalker do not get along. Period. And it truly is a one-sided relationship.
The creepy wyvern wants nothing to do with the sparkly, pink dragon
as she follows him around, trying desperately to play with him. He hisses and claws at her, and Felicity and Damien have to keep splitting them up.
It’s caused somewhat of a rift between the two, and they constantly blame each other for their dragons’ behavior.
“Damien! Tell Shadow to stop being so mean to poor Sparkle Hearts. She only wants to play!”
“Yeah, well, you tell Sparkle Hearts to take a hint. He’s not interested at all!”
A shame. Their dragons were supposed to bring them closer, but it has only broken them apart.
It’s like first year all over again and then the first half of second year. Damien and Felicity can never just get along for long enough.
It’s tiring.
Brynmawr and Gwyneira are of little help. They may act smitten around the babies, but truth be told they have no idea how to raise two unruly hatchlings. They’re at a loss, so they just leave it to poor Damien and Felicity.
Gwyneira could really do with the training too. Her heavenly glow is getting brighter by the day, and her belly more prominent.
I won’t say any more on the matter though. I’ll just keep it to myself.
I can’t help but wonder where Myrddin is. We could really do with his expertise but he’s still a no show, and I truly do hope he is still alive.
We have left Snowdonia at last and have gone to our next destination— Greece.
I’m traveling illegally now as I wish I could take my passport, but I left it at the academy with all my other things.
It’s okay though. We are traveling through the magical teleportation system. Myrddin gave my pin a special code that would allow me to travel the network, so I’m not doing anything illegal by supernatural standards.
Our only problem is if the Humphreys find us. You can track who comes and goes via the network as it leaves somewhat of a magical imprint. It’s the supernatural government that can access the database after all.
But no angry government officials have come looking for us yet.
We’re safe, for now...
