by K L Rymer
Matthew drops me to my feet and shields me with his body, and now we both look up into the pale, frosted blue eyes of Diafol.
The Black Dragon.
My eyes nearly roll into the back of my skull when I see the umbrella. The dragon can’t even handle the rain, and he’s the personification of winter.
The wuss.
Diafol steps forth. “Tell me... how is my daughter, Gwyneira, doing? I hear her child is growing up quite beautifully. I’d love to meet her one day. After all, I am her grandfather.”
I’m judging by Matthew’s wide, gaping mouth that he had no idea.
His dragon is the daughter of the Black Dragon.
Chapter 12 – Matthew
Several weeks go by, and we still don’t attack.
At first, it was hard to let Bryn go back to my father, but as long as we play along with his game, then he will not win.
He’s trying to force us into war before we’re ready.
The babies are in their mid-teens now, so I guess they’re no longer babes in that regard, but it’s hard to view them as anything else.
Despite their alarming grown spurts the last few months, they’re still too young to fight. Too inexperienced.
Brynmawr and Gwyneira have been teaching them to fight. Buddy so far has got the hang of it, and Maximus, Shadow, and Elvira too, but Sparkles, Zelina, and Azure still have a long way to go.
Instead of giving in to my father, we act as if everything is rosy. I’m just a guy who’s visiting his girlfriend at her school after all. Nothing more.
Bryn and I stroll hand in hand down the high street as Diafol lurks several feet back.
I’d never even known the devil had had a name. He had just always been the Black Dragon.
I fucking hate his guts, but we do manage to kill time by running away from him, but the paled-eyed cunt always finds us.
I can’t believe Gwyneira had never told me that she was his daughter... We’ve known each other years, and she didn’t care to share such vital information.
Maybe she didn’t trust me, but I have an inkling that my father had always known. That sounds like something he would keep from me, his son, like everything else...
I study Diafol from the corner of my eye as he walks amongst humans. He really does stick out. There’s no way he could pass for a simple human man in that stupid suit.
People evade him, rather consciously or subconsciously, and I’m not surprised. He’s terrifying and his eyes... they tear holes into your soul.
And I always thought Gwyneira was an icy bitch. She has nothing on her dear papa.
I chuckle to myself and Bryn peers up. “Did one of the voices inside your head say something funny, Mattie?”
I scoff, rolling my eyes. There she goes with those inappropriate comments again. “No. I just realised... Gwyneira and I both have daddy issues... Fate or what, hey.”
She makes a disgusted face, looking less than inspired. ”Yeah, touching...”
Well, I thought it was rather funny, but I love these moments with Bryn the most. It’s almost like old times again when we dated back at the academy.
They were the best days of my life, and I will always treasure them.
I love Bryn, and I vow to save her.
Any one of these days... I will whisk her away, and get her out of my father’s clutches.
As you can imagine, Myrddin didn’t agree with me seeing Bryn. He said that I should stay well enough away if I truly cared about her, but how could I?
If we just stood idly back and waited, who knows when my father will get bored with her and kill her? So long as I am here with her now, then I’m showing him that I’m prepared to fight.
Just any day now...
“So, tell me more about the babies? They’re all talking now. I hate that I got to miss them growing up because of your stupid father.”
I grin. “I’m sure you will see them again soon enough, but most things haven’t changed. Max is still a smug asshole, and Buddy hardly talks. Though I do think Shadow Stalker secretly has the hots for Sparkle Hearts.”
Bryn gasps, whacking my shoulder. “No way!”
“I’m positive. He helps her out all the time, even though he hates her guts.”
She laughs. “I’m not surprised. They’re just like their riders after all in personality and looks. It’s almost unnerving.”
I shrug. “That’s fate, I guess. We all share some similarities with our dragons. You share a name with yours and I have daddy issues right along with mine. Plus, my magic is white and yours is red. Again, destiny...”
Bryn peers over her shoulder. “Does your dad have black magic by any chance?”
“No. His magical essence is white like mine. Why?”
She narrows her eyes. “So, he isn’t fated to ride Diafol like we’re all fated to ride our dragons. Interesting...”
Her big eyes find mine, and I lose myself in her forest-green.
It’s like I’m lost inside an overgrown forest, one covered in moss and tangled undergrowth. Although Bryn’s irises are more on the hazel side, sometimes they capture the light, and they come to life.
Just like when she saw snow for the first time...
She really is something.
I focus on the rest of her features. I take in her fair skin, heart-shaped face, and full bottom lip. Funny, for one so feisty and snarky, she really does have a sweet, innocent face. Think Mandy Moore or Britney Spears Circa 1999.
I push aside the strand of light, natural blonde hair so I can see her better, and I can tell she’s admiring my visage too. I would love to dip inside her head for just one day and see myself through her eyes.
I know I’m a handsome guy, but Bryn still looks at me in a way no one else has before...
And it makes my heart beat faster.
Carefully, I cup her cheeks in my hands, bringing her lips to mine, and her breath tickles my face. Slowly, I run my thumb along her bottom lip, and she releases a soft, shuddery sigh, making my dick hard.
Fuck... it always turned me on when she breathes like that.
“Mattie...”
That’s when I grip her chin, forcing her to look at me. Her big doe eyes lock with mine, and there I see my white, glowing orbs reflected back at me.
My magic’s burning through, and I’m not surprised.
I just felt the squeeze on my mother’s soul...
Father’s communicating with me again.
It seems I’m going to die...
We’re standing in the middle of a busy human street, but who cares. The love of my life is in danger.
I need to protect her.
“Bryn... get as many people away as you can.”
A wet sheen coats her eyes, and now she wiggles her lip. “W-why... what are you going to do?”
I smirk. “I’m going to kill this mother fucking son of a bitch.”
Bryn’s eyes expand. I lean closer, planting a gentle kiss on her lips, and then I push her away. “Go.”
“Wait! Mattie—”
She doesn’t get to finish her sentence as Diafol sends out a torrent of ice, blocking her path immediately, and the screams that follow are deafening.
It looks like winter has arrived early in Bangor...
Chapter 13 - Bryn
It’s chaos. Before I even had a chance to run, Diafol nearly froze me to death, and I have no choice but to fight now.
The bastard has us trapped inside a block of ice, but at least no one got hurt.
Though he did just expose his effin’ magic in front of a town of humans. The moron.
We’re supposed to keep our world secret from the muggles...
Screams continue to burst through the air, and I’m not surprised. Ice just doesn’t appear from nowhere, unless Elsa has come to town...
No. This is way more sinister. This is the Black Dragon, a creature borne from the coldest bowels of the north. He is the embodiment of winter.
Fuck... if we don’t do something to
stop him soon, innocent lives will die.
Diafol’s lips pull back with a sneer, and he no longer resembles a human. In fact, now he’s something between a dragon and a man, and the result is terrifying. Demonic.
He makes Damien and his father look like a pair of sweet cherubs right now.
Horns sprout from his forehead as he breathes a jet of blue ice, and my eyes bulge.
He can breathe ice. The creep...
His shining blue orbs find mine, and a chuckle reverberates from his deep chest. “Going somewhere...?”
I don’t move. If I do, he will shift into his true form, and Mattie and I will be toast.
Or ice. Since he breathes it after all.
And I always thought ice-breathing dragons were a myth since dragons traditionally produce heat, not the reverse.
Did he trade his fire for ice or something?
Matthew matches Diafol’s sneer, creating cracks of white lightning from him fingertips. They stretch toward the sky, and now a whirlwind of gray swirls through the atmosphere.
Rain starts to fall.
Shit. A storm...
“Bryn, go! Get as many people away as you can!”
He gestures his arm in the opposite direction. I don’t want to leave him alone. He’s outmatched, but I nod, sending a blast of red toward the ice wall that stands in my way. It melts.
Diafol’s not the only one with powers...
I run through the throngs. Many people stop to take pictures on their smartphones, but the majority, thankfully, have the sense to run from the sudden ice tower that stands in the middle of their town.
I guess that’s why it’s called “natural selection”. The idiots...
My years of working out pay off as I sprint through the crowd, pushing people out the way (without malicious intent, of course).
Matthew told me to get people away to safety, but there’s just too much noise. No one will be able to hear me through the chaos.
That’s when I bump into the familiar, redheaded form of Megan Maloney. At once, she grips my shoulders, getting right in my face, and now I can see the individual freckles of her pale visage.
“Bryn, what the fuck is going on?!”
Without even asking, I dip my hand into her pocket, and she pushes back. “Hey, get off!”
“Where is it?!”
“Where’s what?”
I gaze into her vivid blue eyes. “The pin? I need to get to Myrddin, now. Mattie is fighting that thing alone!”
Megan’s face turns five shades lighter. Something I never would have believed was possible, and now she searches her bra (Jesus), passing the pin over. “I had to keep it in the safest place possible...”
“It doesn’t matter,” I mutter, holding it up to the light. “You’re coming with me. Like hell I’d leave you here. It’s not safe anymore, Meg. Once you get to the oasis, ask Myrddin to fetch your family and Sophie’s too.”
Again, her visage becomes paler, and I hate to scare her, especially as she’s always so feisty and spirited, like me, but this is serious.
The human world is no longer safe.
A lightning bolt cracks the air in half, turning it white-hot, but then another wave of ice blocks the electrical current and my heart spikes.
Mattie...
No. I have to put my faith in him. Matthew is the most badass mother fucker I know. He’s got this.
I grab that speechless redhead on my right, and now I clear my throat, giving the pin instructions. Sure, we’re about to teleport right in the middle of Bangor, but this is a life and death situation.
Only the most powerful wizard alive can help us now.
“Take us to Myrddin Emrys!”
Just as we teleport away, I catch sight of Jonathan the perv gazing at me spellbound. He’s not the only human. Several people have just witnessed us disappearing into thin air, but as I said...
Life and death.
...
The pin took us straight to Myrddin... I hope.
Since the wizard charmed it himself, it has the ability to transcend space and time. So wherever he is, be it space or the magical land of Narnia, we’ll find him.
The moment we arrive, Megan doubles over on the lush green grass and spews up her guts.
I was just like her my first time.
I take it she hasn’t tried it yet (she hasn’t visited her dear old Nana back at Liverpool. A shame).
I search the beautiful landscape, taking note of the brilliant azure sky and the emerald hills. And not to forget those humming mountains too.
We’re in the spirit oasis.
But no one is in sight. It’s big after all, so they’re bound to be anywhere...
Megan’s still hurling up her breakfast. “What... the... fuck...”
There’s no time to wait. I yank the human up to her feet, dragging her through the spirit realm. “Myrddin! Brynmawr! Felicity... Anyone!”
“Seriously... what the fuck?! Are we in some RPG or something?”
An RPG? No!
This world does look a little surreal though, like something straight out of a virtual reality game. Everything is just too vibrant.
“No. It’s a spirit world...”
Megan wipes the sick from her lips. “Oh, like in Avatar the Last Airbender...”
My heart thrums. I see she’s got her sass back. “Exactly like the Last Airbender!”
The redhead shrugs. “Meh, what else is new? So... where is Aang?”
I shake my head. “We’re not looking for a little bald, airbending monk today, I’m afraid, Meg...”
Her eyes light up. “Let me guess... Merlin?”
“Exactly! It seems Mattie really did fill you in... Merlin! I mean—Myrddin! Where are you?!”
My voice echoes through the landscape. My best guess is that they’re all training somewhere.
That’s when a shrill whinny reaches my ears, and we both turn to the sound.
A glowing, hoofed animal gallops over the far hills, coming our way. Megan’s chin hangs loose when she sees the horn. “Is... is that?”
“Princess Sparkle Hooves!”
I embrace the unicorn when she stops before us, throwing my arms around her neck. “I missed you! Where’s Shankfoot?”
The unicorn nickers sweetly, closing her eyes in satisfaction as I pet her coat.
That’s when a cool wind blows through the air, wafting a cloud of cherry blossoms our way, and there appears Mr. Tanaka wearing his black kimono and samurai sword.
What a fun way of traveling...
He bows and Megan gasps when she gets a look at that handsome face. “Holy...”
“Bryn, it is good to see you are well,” he says.
I bow back. “You too, Mr. Tanaka. Can you please tell me where I can find Myrddin?”
The samurai casts his brown gaze over the far mountains. “He should be teaching the dragon fledglings in the valley. I take it by young Matthew’s absence that there is trouble in the human realm?”
“Yes. We must fight. The time is upon us...”
Mr. Tanaka bows again then steps gracefully toward the forest. “Leave it to me. I will help young Matthew until Myrddin arrives...”
He’s going to Myrddin’s portal. The one that should take him straight to the human world and a shiver goes up my spine.
A short, metal man in a suit of heavy armor waddles toward us next, catching up with Sparkle Hooves. He clutches his chest, huffing and puffing through the helm of his suit.
It’s Shankfoot.
“B-Bryn... what the bloody ‘ell are yer doin’ ‘ere? And who’s that?”
He points at Megan. The girl crosses her arms, offering him that sassy attitude.
“That’s Megan. She’s staying here for a while. Shankfoot... I need you to help Mattie and Mr. Tanaka in the human realm... It’s serious.”
The dwarf rolls his eyes then climbs up onto Princess Sparkle Hooves’ saddle. “It was only a matter of time... We’re doing this fer you lot, ya know, gir
l? So don’t give me that sassy attitude!”
Megan’s face crinkles. “What sassy attitude? This is just my regular face...”
She’s right; she always looks like that.
The dwarf’s black eyeballs couldn’t roll back any further at this point as he gallops onward. “Ride, Princess Sparkle Hooves!”
Now Megan and I watch as the angry dwarf rides away on that tiny unicorn, and she scoffs.
“Princess Sparkle Hooves...”
Next, the clouds part to reveal the beating wings of a ferocious, red dragon, and not even Megan can be blasé now. She yelps, jumping behind me as the beast descends toward the earth, but I only have a smile on my face.
It was only a matter of time until he sensed me.
When the dragon lands, sending a rumble through the earth, I run straight to his chest, clasping my arms around his shimmery, red scales. “Brynmawr!”
His growl reverberates through his chasm of a chest. “Long time no see, Bryn...”
I squeeze tighter, listening to his massive heart beating beneath his scales. “I missed you...”
“Bryn, what is the meaning of this?! How did you get here? Where is Matthew?”
Myrddin pops his head over Brynmawr’s back, and I clench my teeth. I see he’s been riding my dragon in my absence.
Also, a “hello” would be nice.
He slips down Brynmawr’s side in his starry blue suit, and his gaze falls on Megan.
“You... you brought a human in our midst?!”
“There’s no time to explain. Mattie is in trouble. Mr. Tanaka and Shankfoot have gone to help, but he’s fighting the Black Dragon. He... he revealed himself in front of the humans...”
Dark shadows settle over Myrddin’s face, and he looks a hundred years older. His beard grows whiter, his skin more wrinkled as he sets his sights on the human realm.
“So it has begun... Our reunion will have to commence later, Bryn. I must depart.”
He summons his staff out of nowhere and creates a new portal, and off he goes to save the day.
Megan’s still in a state of shock. That’s when Brynmawr leans down and nudges her playfully. “Fear not, little redheaded human... You are safe with us.”
I smirk. “Are you actually being civil to an Anglo-Saxon? You do know she’s English, right?”
