The Dragonslayer (The 13th Floor)

by Christine Rains

  Even with the coin in his hand, he didn’t feel cursed at all in that moment.

  CHAPTER 11

  Xan leaned on the wall just inside the door that led to the roof of the building that surrounded the city’s center. Too close to the Governor for his liking, but the way the center was set up, he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. He hoped with the removal of the curse, his luck would change and there’d be enough chaos so he could slip away after he did his duty.

  Lois had been furious he wouldn’t bring her with him. He tried to reason with her, and when that didn’t work, he locked her in the bedroom. The lock could easily be picked, but he patted the wall next to the door and asked silently the door not open for her.

  To whom or what he was asking, he didn’t know. He only wanted Lois to be safe.

  The Governor had chosen Carmine’s heart to give his speech. The circle was blackened from fire and the beautiful fountain was rubble. Water no longer bubbled up from the pipe, but the eternal flame had been snuffed out. Xan hoped that was a sign of the old dragon’s life coming to an end.

  His rifle was loaded and ready. The safety off. He needed only to crawl out onto the roof and peek over. One shot was all he needed. One perfect shot.

  Xan had killed fifteen dragons in his life. Not one of them had known who fired the shot. This time, his prey knew his face, and Whittaker knew it was coming soon. Xan only hoped that by taking this chance, he was doing it sooner than the Governor expected.

  A few brief wails of a siren and the sound of vehicles entered the city’s circle. The media and Whittaker’s most fervent supporters cheered. Xan didn’t need to see below to know what was happening. He could picture the slow progression of the cars in his mind and where they stopped. The makeshift stage was already set up.

  He’d be shooting from the left side. Head on or behind would be too obvious. A side shot would throw people off. No one would be looking in Xan’s direction to see where it came from. It would give him a better chance to get away afterward.

  His mind wandered back to Lois again. She’d been so relieved to have the curse removed. Xan performed a simple blessing with a sprinkling of holy water. The coins were doused and rubbed with it.

  Lois had wet her hands and swiped them over her face and through her hair. She’d smiled at him, claiming they couldn’t be too careful. Drops clung to her cheeks and eyelashes like miniature gems. A bejeweled princess he would make sure didn’t need rescuing.

  Xan was still picturing her gorgeous eyes and the way her clothes clung to her curvy body after being soaked in Mammoth Cave when he heard Carmine’s mayor address the crowd. He gave his own heartfelt speech before introducing the Governor. The mayor sounded exhausted on every level and nearly in tears by the time he handed off the mic to Whittaker.

  There was an extended applause. If the poor folks only knew they were cheering for the monster that had brought this misery upon them.

  His plan was to wait through most of the speech. Let the audience become focused on the Governor. Xan wasn’t going to kid himself that the old dragon would let down his guard at any point, but the police and military members present would likely be expecting something right away rather than near the end.

  The Governor was gracious and expressed his sorrow for the people of Carmine. “We must band together, stay strong, and rebuild this city. Carmine was founded on a dream and built by hard-working citizens. It was God’s will to remind us, all of us, to cherish what we have. With His love and that of our fellow man, Carmine will shine like a beautiful dream again.”

  His words sounded heartfelt, but Xan knew them to be hollow.

  Silently, Xan eased open the door and crawled to the ledge with rifle in hand. He kept low, barely breathing, and heartbeat steady. No clue there was anything coming if the old dragon could pick out one individual in many.

  It was then that Whittaker’s speech was interrupted. But not by Xan.

  “Governor!” Lois’ powerful voice didn’t have to strain to be heard above the speakers. “Governor Whittaker, did you hear that your colleague’s daughter Alyssa Forrest has been found?”

  No. What was she doing? How did she get out of the apartment? She couldn’t be here. He needed Lois to be somewhere safe.

  “I hadn’t heard.” The Governor replied in a flat tone. His voice then rose to one more hopeful. “Thank you for passing along the good news. In dark times like this, we must rely on God and take joy in the victory of a child returned to her loving family.”

  “Governor,” Lois shouted again. “The girl has claimed you were holding her prisoner.”

  The crowd erupted in gasps and murmurs.

  “What do you have to say to this? Was there political motivation behind the kidnapping? Is this how you gain support from your colleagues? Or is there something more sinister behind it?”

  Xan brought a hand to his head and rubbed his temples. He shook. Fear and anger roiled through him. The only thing that kept him silent and in control was the fact the dragon couldn’t do anything in public.

  Lois had just marked herself as the next person to go mysteriously missing, though.

  More rumbling from the audience and other reporters called out questions. Lois didn’t stop. She kept yelling out her accusations.

  “I have here a list of several missing young women over the past decade. All with similar traits and backgrounds to Alyssa Forrest. The pattern is easy to see. The same sort of pattern made by a serial killer!”

  The crowd exploded. Whittaker called for order, asking everyone to calm down, but no one was listening to him anymore. Whether the accusation proved true or not, Lois had just ruined his career. Now the old dragon had lost his lair and his path to power.

  Xan put his eye to the scope and moved into position to shoot. Most of the police and military were busy trying to keep order in the crowd. Lois was caught in the middle of the throng of people. The blouse she wore was a stunning deep blue helping her stand out, and over it, hanging open and nearly engulfing her body, was one of his long black coats. Xan felt a bit of relief that she was safer within the crowd than out where she’d be easier to grab.

  He focused on Whittaker. Two of his bodyguards were in front of him, shielding him from the rioting crowd and trying to encourage him to leave the stage. The Governor’s furious gaze was locked on Lois. He stood unmoving, hands clenched, and color in his face.

  No one protected Whittaker on the side. Xan had a clean shot.

  Several screams came from the crowd, and Xan directed his sight to it. Some people were trying to push forward, hollering at the Governor. Others were trying to run away, but found themselves squished in by the cops and soldiers surrounding them. A few people were so desperate to get away they attacked the armed peace keepers. The tasers used weren’t quite so peaceful and only incited more chaos.

  Xan finally spied Lois in the crowd. She was still trapped in the middle, but she was still standing. A man pushed her from one side, and she elbowed him in the chest. His head was lost in the mass, but Lois still held hers high.

  Though he was still concerned for her, Xan felt a surge of pride that she could hold her own. He never wanted to put her in danger, but she’d created a situation where he could make his kill and escape into the melee. Later he would make his apologies and ask her out to dinner. Celebrate her bravery and lavish his gratitude upon her. Perhaps another kiss or two, or a whole night of kisses.

  When he turned his scope back to the Governor, Whittaker was looking directly at him. Xan cursed and fired, but it was too late. Whittaker dodged to one side, and within a blink of an eye, he was spreading his wings with a deafening roar.

  The screams below grew in volume. The dragon had revealed himself. Not just in front of a small group, but television cameras recording live feeds and phones that could take pictures and post instantly to the Internet. The shock of the world knowing that dragons still do exist was just as frightening as what Whittaker would do without the constrain
ts of secrecy.

  Whittaker spun and breathed a spiral of fire into the crowd. The heat and force of it shook even the building Xan perched upon. A black cloud of smoke sat over the city’s heart. Even as it slowly rose, the stench of burning flesh hit Xan first.

  Xan’s heart lurched. He couldn’t catch his breath. The dragon had burned dozens of people.

  He had killed Lois.

  All the wounds combined in his life had never hurt like this. Even his father’s death had not made Xan feel like he was losing control of both body and mind.

  Stomach rolling, he fired and missed. Shooting again, Xan might’ve grazed the great wing. He couldn’t see past the burning tears in his eyes.

  The dragon swept his tail through the crowd. Police and military alike turned their weapons onto Whittaker, but they had little effect. One brave soul even tried to tase the beast, but was smashed with a swipe of his leg.

  Whittaker lifted off the ground. The rush of air knocked over anyone near him who was still standing. Another roar broke windows and drowned out the screams. Sirens sounded, but they seemed far away rather than just down the block.

  Xan stood. No need to hide his presence from anyone anymore. Death filled the sky above him. It was at once magnificent and terrifying.

  The dragon sent a mouthful of flames upwards. Xan could feel the heat even though he was below. All his years as a dragonslayer, he never thought a dragon would kill him. Especially not a dragon in his natural form.

  Xan had destroyed the dragon’s lair and rescued a maiden from him. The hoard was lost and Lois has ruined Whittaker’s career. The dragon had nothing to lose.

  And in one breath, Whittaker had taken the one treasure in Xan’s life. Xan hadn’t even known just how much Lois had meant to him until he no longer had her. He wasn’t worthy of such a brave beauty. A warrior woman.

  He’d missed, and he not only failed himself, but failed her. The latter cut him to his very core.

  If Whittaker was going to kill him, Xan was going to take him to Hell with him.

  Xan lifted his rifle and fired again and again. At the same time, Whittaker turned his fire downward. It didn’t quite reach Xan, but his skin was reddened, feeling so close to being blistered.

  If any of the bullets made it through, they didn’t hurt the dragon. His wings still flapped and slowed as he descended upon the top of the building.

  Running to the other side of the roof, Xan didn’t take his eyes from the monster. He wished he had his family’s lance. To die as his ancestors did would be grand, but there would be no noble death for him. His lady had been killed because he hadn’t acted swiftly and surely enough.

  His fingers found the release and dropped the empty magazine from his rifle. Snatching a new one, he slammed it into place. Xan couldn’t hear it click as the dragon landed. He ran behind the small brick roof bulkhead. Flames rolled along either side of it.

  A noise came from the dragon. Something like a laugh.

  Could Xan peek out with his rifle and get a lucky shot before he was burned? He didn’t think so.

  He ran a hand along his belt. Silver knives and a smaller handgun. No good. The incendiary grenade he’d already used at the Governor’s manor. That left only a flashbang. It was something he’d use on dragonkin, but he had no clue how much of an effect it would have on an old and powerful dragon.

  The bulkhead crumbled as Whittaker drove his tail through it, and Xan rolled out of the way to the farthest corner. A roar of victory threatened to topple him over the edge. His insides felt as if they’d liquefied. He could barely move.

  Xan fumbled with the flashbang. Not able to get it off his belt at first. He clutched the grenade, trying to lift his arm to throw.

  Lois hadn’t faltered when she accused the Governor of being a serial killer. She’d yelled it out loud and clear. Even knowing what Whittaker was, she still did it.

  Her strength was Xan’s strength. For a fighter braver than he.

  He tossed the flashbang and it lobed up, landing without a noise as it skittered under the dragon’s rear-end. Whittaker made that sound again. Gravel raked over fire back and forth. A dragon’s laugh.

  Xan gazed into the monster’s maw. Rows of jagged teeth like a shark’s and a black tiny serpent’s tongue were to be the last things he saw. Closing his eyes, he pictured Lois flushed and breathing heavily after she kissed him before she did her drunk act. Full of life and amazingly beautiful.

  A bang rolled like thunder, not at all muffled by the dragon’s behind. Even with closed eyes, a bright flash made Xan’s world momentarily white. Whittaker yowled and something slammed on the roof in front of Xan. The hot and filthy breath surprised him even more than the delayed explosion.

  His ears were ringing. Perhaps there were more roars or sirens, but Xan couldn’t tell. He didn’t need his sense of hearing. Opening his eyes, things were bright and fuzzy, but he knew what had happened and wouldn’t lose this opportunity. Not this time.

  Streaking forward, Xan thrust the muzzle of his rifle into the dragon’s eye. Whittaker’s head lifted as Xan pulled the trigger. The dragon whacked Xan against the ledge. Another round fired and then a third.

  Whittaker flung his head back, and Xan lost his grip. He teetered backward and flailed, snagging the crumbling ledge.

  The dragon’s head thumped onto the roof. His whole body twitched. It sagged and then deflated a little as one of the world’s oldest creatures died.

  The impact of his head caused the mortar to loosen further. Xan frantically tried to grab something, anything, to keep from falling. As his hands met with nothing, an odd sense of peace went through him. Death had never frightened him. He would be reunited with his father, and maybe, if God blessed him, the angel that was Lois would be waiting for him.

  Something seized his left wrist and yanked him back onto the roof. He flopped forward landing on the person who had saved him. Female. Tall. Wearing a familiar jacket.

  Blinking, he tried to focus. Lois.

  Did he die already?

  Lois was saying something, but he couldn’t hear her. The flashbang’s blast still echoed in his ears. He couldn’t be dead then. Xan was alive. More importantly, Lois was alive.

  She pushed him to one side and rambled on. Standing up, she turned to the dead dragon and said something very emphatically to it. Lois reached into her pocket and took out a coin. The once cursed coin. She threw it at Whittaker and yelled something else.

  Xan rose onto shaky legs. He rubbed his ears, popping them a few times. Distantly, he heard sirens and the noise of people below.

  “Lois.”

  She whipped around at the sound of her name. The fury turned soft, and she smiled the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. Lois said something, but the words were lost to him.

  “Lois,” he said again and grabbed her by the arms. His voice popped his ears again. “You’re alive.”

  “Of course I’m alive.” The words were muffled, but Xan could hear her.

  He pulled her against him, wrapping her in his arms. Every part of him hurt, but it didn’t matter. Lois was alive. Her hair was singed under his chin, but she didn’t squeal with pain as he held her. She was alive and in better shape than he was. Luck was on his side today.

  Lois eased back a bit after a minute and glanced at the dragon. “You killed him. I ran up here to save you, and you’d already killed him. God, he’s big. Ugly too. What are we going to do with him? The world’s going to know now. There’s no hiding a body this huge. I’m surprised the building is holding up under his weight. It took me forever to climb those fucking stairs—”

  Cupping her chin, Xan turned her face back to his and kissed her. He intended it to be tender, but the joy surging through him made it much more enthusiastic than soft. Lois moaned against his mouth and melted against him.

  When the kiss finally ended, they both stood breathless and gazing into one another’s eyes.

  “What now?” Her voice was husky.

  �
��We’re going to go to my place, shower and patch up, and then sleep.”

  “How anti-climatic.” But she smiled as she said it.

  “Then tomorrow, I’m taking you out to dinner. Anywhere you want.” Xan stroked the ash-spotted side of her face.

  “Anywhere? Now that sounds more interesting.” Lois ran her hands along his forearms and took his hands. “A date with a dragonslayer. I like it. Especially one I know looks scrumptious without a shirt.” She pursed her lips. “Do you think your neighbor will lend me a pair of shoes? Meira has to have hundreds of them.”

  It was his turn to grin. “You can ask her.”

  Lois looked again to the dead dragon and her expression grew more serious. “Really, what are we going to do about him?”

  “Nothing.” Xan couldn’t believe he was saying it himself. It was time his life had something more than duty. “Leave him and whatever will come of this is whatever it will be. I’ve done what I can, more than what I thought I could. Besides,” he said as he directed her to the gaping bulkhead, “I have a date I refuse to miss.”

  EPILOGUE

  “They’re getting bolder.” Scanning through articles online, Lois clicked the mouse again. Huff ran over her feet and chased a paper ball under the coffee table.

  Xan started to reach for the ball to toss it in the trash and stopped himself, letting the ferret have her fun. “The Governor’s death has riled them. Usually one dragon doesn’t know when another dies. I’m not certain what they’d do. There’s nothing in my father’s notes about it, nor in any of my other papers.”

  “Well, keep looking. The world is screwed if they ever band together. Thankfully they can’t stand one another as much as we can’t stand them.” She sighed and set her laptop on the table. “Two months. It’s it’s like the world has never seen a dragon. I still don’t get how they managed to cover it up with all the video and pictures and witnesses. How is that even possible? Didn’t I write those articles warning everyone? Now it’s like they were never published.”