Dragon Protectors

by Kristin D. Van Risseghem

  “We won’t hold out very long against twenty skilled fighters,” I say. “Since everyone knows what I am, I might as well fight in dragon form.”

  Manny squeezes my shoulder to let me know he agrees.

  Drawing on the magic that’s already in the air, my body quickly shifts back into the multi-colored dragon as my protectors step aside and allow me to change. The transformation isn’t as fast as it was earlier. I’ve lost a lot of blood and energy. All the slayers shuffle back as I land on my front feet. I know a magical protective barrier surrounds us, and I let out an earth shattering battle cry.

  Allister waves everyone forward to charge. The others follow his lead.

  This is it. This is our final stand.

  Let it be known I’m here and will fight for my pride.

  Wait. That’s it.

  I unlock the wall that I’ve constructed in my mind blocking out all of the dragons in my pride. They can help me. Us.

  “This is Brooklyn Bryer, your Pride Leader, and I call on you now. I’m on the ground with five other New York dragons and we’re outnumbered, but we will fight against the slayers. Defend me. Defend your Pride. Defend your brothers. Come to Hancock Park and be the dragons you are.”

  My mind tingles, as my Pride answers.

  “I’ll come.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Everyone is locked into a fight. Actually, we all are battling against two, if not, three people. Unlike the tactic I used in the subway tunnels, I don’t hold back. Fire blasts from me at the few fighters before me. Trees burn and grass smokes, clouding the area. My massive tail sweeps back, knocking over a few unsuspecting slayers.

  “To your left,” I tell Staten. He leaps to his right, missing the line of fire I send his way.

  “Thanks!” he says.

  Turning my attention to McQueen and his opponents, I say, “Duck right now.” He does, immediately throwing himself to the ground. Where his head was minutes ago, my claw slashes the open air, swiping at four slayers.

  We continue using our mental bonds until I hear the dragons’ cries from above. They made it. Slayers look to the sky as dozens of colored dragons descend into the area. My boys and I don’t even glance their way; we can feel their presence.

  A volley of arrows sails into the sky as the dragons dodge them as best they can. Some stick, but it doesn’t stop or slow them from landing. We continue to fight as more magic is poured into the area, creating a larger barrier. With this many dragons in the park, the buildings around us are going to be leveled.

  Now, this is the war we are meant to fight.

  The slayers, led by Allister, continue to drive us back. The adults are precise with their strikes from years of practice. The younger ones still hold their positions. In groups of threes and fours, they gang up on the dragons. Multiple weapons with arrows are brought forth, something very similar to the ones from my dreams.

  Allister sashays to the side, pulling something from his leather vest. It looks like some kind of device. It’s too quick for me to get a good glimpse of it before it’s placed back into his pocket.

  My attention is brought back to the slayers before me. I can’t get trapped with them. Harpoons and javelins fly all around us. And then a barrage of arrows slam into my wings, side, and tail.

  I’m fighting the ropes off. Using the fire building in my throat, I roar, letting everything around me burn. My body thrashes around, but I’m still weak from the titanium bullets from earlier. I can’t shake off some of the lines falling across my back. The adult slayers make quick work, and I find myself caught. A snarl escapes from my lips.

  “I’m stuck,” I call out to anyone who can hear me. No one answers; they’re all too busy battling against their own slayer and not getting caught.

  Then I hear whirring sounds from the sky. Blinking dots come closer. Are those ...? Boroughs! The drones. That must be what Allister was doing with that doohickey thing in his pocket.

  Lasers scan the area and find their marks. Deadly tipped arrows rain accurately, lodging into the bodies of the dragons. The slayers just turned the tide of the battle, and it’s not good for us.

  The ground shakes from the large animals falling from the sky. The slayers make quick work and capture them as they land. I watch as more of my Pride are dragged and tethered under titanium nets and ropes.

  I twist and turn and still can’t untangle myself from the precarious situation. And then I don’t have to. A black form slinks its way toward me. Someone is army crawling on the ground. Then I see a finger sliding up to his mouth.

  “I’m here, Brooklyn,” Bronx says. “Sorry it took me so long. I just needed a bit of time to recuperate and gain strength.”

  “Oh, Bronx. I don’t care. I could just kiss you right now.”

  “Save that for later. I think I owe you much more than a few kisses. Here, hold still, while I cut the lines. It’s not looking good for us, Sweetheart.”

  “I know. What are we going to do?”

  “We need to take those drones down and those specialized weapons. We don’t stand a chance against them all. And I don’t think we’ll be able to stay in human form for much longer.” He looks to where his brothers are still trying to fight.

  It’s not good for them as I follow his line of vision. Staten’s magic is almost depleted. McQueen and Manny are still favoring their legs that were injured from our first fight below ground. And Declan? He’s barely standing and trying to protect Noelle, who seems to be holding her own.

  “Hey, our prisoners!” a staff person yells.

  “Hurry, Bronx!” I say. “Staten, Manny, McQueen. You guys will be able to withstand blows and fight back better in your dragon bodies. Each of you must decide for yourself if you want to reveal yourselves in front of the Slayers Council. I will support whatever you decide.”

  “I’ll be able to protect you better in my dragon form, so I’m doing it.” Bronx continues cutting the ropes as he talks with his brothers. “Guys, I’m over getting Brooklyn out of a jam. I’m going to shift into my dragon form, and we’re going to try and take out the drones.”

  “We’re shifting, too,” the boys say as one.

  A few more seconds later, the last of the lines are cut and I’m free. Then I’m staring at an olive-green dragon breathing fire toward the slayers. Bronx’s shift was lightning fast. We take to the sky. The screams and the pointing from the fighters don’t go unheard with my enhanced hearing. I look back to the ground as three more green dragons fly toward us. Flames spews from their mouths, destroying everything in their path to get to us.

  We fly in a formation; I take the lead. Staten and Bronx flank my sides. I quickly glance down at the ground to make sure that Noelle is still okay. Declan is near her, both kicking some major ass. Sean must have really drilled fighting skills, more so than York does.

  The drones are ahead of us, blinking their locations as if they are beacons telling me exactly where they are. Now, we just need to figure how to take them out of the sky.

  “Any ideas?” I ask.

  “Dragon fire!” Staten says.

  “Worth a try,” Bronx says. “Let’s circle around spread out a bit, so we’re not flying so close and being one gigantic target in the sky.”

  We each hone in on a drone and blast if with flame. They fly backwards and out of the line of fire. They’re quick and nimble, and our tactic isn’t working.

  “We’re going to have to leave them and get to the ground and help where we can. Dragon fire does nothing against their titanium exteriors.”

  They nod, and we swoop toward the ground, taking out as many slayers as possible. Something in the corner of my eye catches my attention. The manhole cover we came out of is moving. York students rise out of it, led by Madi. Her telltale, curly red hair blows in the wind.

  Brian runs toward her. I hope he’s convincing them to be on our side. A few more dragons go down by the time we land. With all five us, the grou
nd shakes from our body weight.

  We don’t have time to think about them; we have adult slayers descending upon us. The drones hover, scanning for the dragons, so their arrows can release.

  Chaos ensues as students now flood the park, taking their weapons against the adults. Yes! We still need to do something about the drones, though.

  Allister.

  He’s the key.

  I really don’t want to kill anyone, but Allister must be removed from his position at the school, as head of the Council, and the leader here in this battle. Plus, we need that controller from in his pocket to deactivate all the drones.

  Being in dragon form, I won’t be able to get close enough to him. For an older guy, his moves are lithe. I need to be the same. My skills are severely lacking if I go up against him alone. There’s no way I’d be able to overcome him.

  I land and shift my body back to human. I have no other alternative. As a dragon, I don’t have any fingers and I need that device.

  “What are you doing?” Manny asks.

  “I need to stop Allister. He has a remote in his pocket that I think controls the drones. I’m too big as a dragon, so we’re going to have to fight him one on one.”

  “You will do no such thing,” Bronx says. “That’s what we’re here for.” His body changes into his human form as he lands next to me. “Besides, he and I have a score to settle.”

  “The rest of you guys, help out where you can. And be careful.”

  My protectors glide and swoop and dart between the fighting. It’s difficult to see if we’re winning or not because there are so many people in the small area. Many of whom, I don’t know. But what I can assume is all of the adults in the area are not on the dragons’ side.

  I spot Allister in the far corner, opposite where Bronx and I landed. “Let’s go,” I tell him as we make our way through the park, battling slayers as we pass. We try not to linger too long as the head of York Academy is our primary target. “Are you okay to do this? I mean, I’m grateful and all, but you’ve been tortured for days and—”

  “I’m strong enough for this. My wounds are healing. Any magic I can spare I’m using to fix myself.”

  We stop and help Chris, who is locked against a pair of slayers. Now with three against two, it’s easy to take them down.

  “Hey Brooklyn, not sure if you saw Madi or not, but she cleared out the tunnels and brought everyone with her,” Chris says once our fight is done. “I managed to tell her the shortened version, and most of us are with you. We don’t have the same expertise as the adults, but there are more of us than them. We are holding our own, but I don’t think we’ll last much longer if something doesn’t change. And soon.”

  “Already on it. We were on our way to Allister to stop the drones, but saw that you needed help. We could use some more cover if you can provide it.”

  “Sure thing.”

  I scan the park and notice that many bodies litter the ground. Maybe only a dozen dragons are standing. Many of my Pride are caught under nets. More are still being targeted from the sky by the drones. Chris is right. We won’t last another five minutes.

  “Hurry!” I yell.

  Chris and Bronx part the sea of bodies and slayers for me. We stop only when necessary to assist a fellow fighter. Then I’m standing in front of Allister.

  “It’s over,” I say. “I don’t want to kill you, but I will if I have to.”

  “Oh, it’s not finished yet,” Allister says. “If you look, you don’t have hardly anyone left. In a few more minutes, you’ll be overrun, and then we’ll rid the world of your kind.”

  “You don’t have to kill him, Brooklyn,” Bronx says. “I’ll do it for you.” Addressing Allister, he says, “You and I have some unfinished business. You kidnapped me, tortured me, left me starving, all for what? You thought I’d turn Brooklyn over to you? Our bond goes deeper than what your puny mind can fathom.” Bronx swings a fist in Allister’s direction.

  He easily ducks. “You won’t win this.” Allister’s body shimmers as he calls his magic. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s bright yellow, more potent than he let on during the Council meeting the other week. Bronx doesn’t stand a chance against that.

  “Staten!” I scream through our bond. “I need to draw on your magic.”

  “Take what you need, but I don’t have much left.”

  “It’ll have to be enough.”

  Tapping into what little Staten has, as well as anything I can siphon from my other boys, I pull it deep inside of myself. I gather the full strength of my own green flames. I hold Bronx back. Then I unleash my power against Allister.

  His magic bashes against mine, a battle of wills.

  Then I take a tiny piece of magic from my other Pride members and harness it, sending it through to beat Allister back. He’s more experienced, but I have will and determination on my side.

  Allister’s hands thrust toward me, and I fall on my butt. The force of it knocks my magic from my grasp. Bronx and Chris are right next to me, ready to defend me with daggers and swords. Allister draws something from his inner pocket. I think it’s the drone controller, but this is shiny, not black.

  The barrel of a gun is pointed at me. Allister swishes his hand with his magic still in full force and blasts both Chris and Bronx to the side. He cocks the safety off. I scuttle backwards and bump against something. I’m trapped.

  I grab my flames again.

  This is it. We’ve lost. My Pride will carry on without me. How many dragons has he captured and plans to do experiments on? Boroughs, I can’t let that happen.

  Using the last of my magic, I send it rocketing out of me, blasting everything in its path. Like a bubble bursting, it smashes and levels the trees, people, and blows away the discarded weapons that dot the ground. But Allister is still standing, gun aimed at my chest. He casually brushed my magic away from him as it soared passed his body.

  I’ve failed.

  “I’m sorry, guys.” I let that pass through the bond to my four protectors and Declan.

  “BROOKLYN!” they all scream, including my second.

  The gun goes off. The world slows down. I see the titanium bullet coming at me. From my left, I see Bronx flinging his body toward me. He’s not going to make it.

  The silver speck is nearing my heart.

  Closer. Closer.

  The tip breaks through the layer of my shirt.

  I cringe, but the ground presses against my back leaving me no other place to go.

  Then, suddenly, the bullet changes direction.

  It leaves a red trail of blood across my chest.

  I look where the burst of magic came from.

  Noelle stands with her hands outward.

  What? She doesn’t have any magic. How is that possible?

  Then Allister’s body crashes toward mine, a red spot blooming on his chest. His hand goes to stop the bleeding, but his head hangs low as his knees buckle.

  He lies in a pool of his own blood—dead.

  “NOELLE?” I ASK. THE world rights itself back to normal speed. “How?”

  She looks at her hands as if they belong to someone else. “I don’t know.”

  “We’ll figure that out later. Right now, grab the remote from Allister’s pocket.”

  She doesn’t move, still staring at her upturned palms.

  “I’ve got it,” Bronx says. He kneels next to the body and flips it over. Open eyes gaze at the sky. “Got it.” He fiddles with the switches, and we all look at the drones. They are still flying about, but after a few moments, they stop and drop to the ground.

  “What happened?” Staten asks as he steps to us. The rest of the boys are shifting mid-land and hover over me. “Are you hurt?”

  McQueen helps me sit up. “No, I’m fine. I don’t know what happened,” I say. “One minute I’m looking at the barrel and a bullet coming right for me, and the next minute, the bullet is moving in another direction.”

  “Did it hit you?” Manny ask
s, bringing me in for a hug as his hands roam over my back and head. I realize he’s checking for injuries.

  “I don’t think so. I can’t say for sure.”

  We hear footsteps approach as we tense, ready for battle once again. Just because Allister is dead, doesn’t mean the fighting will cease.

  “It’s over,” a voice says. I stand so I can get a better look at who’s speaking. “You’re safe now, and we won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Dad?” I ask. “Why are you ... how did ...?”

  He grabs my shoulders hugs me. “We’ve been keeping tabs on Allister ever since you left the school. As you know, he tried kicking us and John off the Council, but we have many friends, and they’d tell us when the meetings were.”

  I step out from under his arm. “Is Mom here, too?”

  I watch him look at his hand, empty his gun’s chamber, and toss the weapon onto the ground. “Yes, she’s around here someplace. John and Kennedy are probably with her.”

  “John and who?”

  “Mrs. Mercer.”

  “How?”

  “When Allister disappeared from the school, Kennedy followed him into the lower tunnels. She found the dragon and released him, by the way. He’s safe for now, a bit bruised, but otherwise okay. And then when Allister went topside, she phoned me, and I let the others know where to meet up. We arrived here just as your Pride of dragons landed.”

  “Honey?” I turn my head at the sound of my name. “Are you okay?”

  “Mom?” I run to into her open arms.

  “Oh, thank God you’re safe. I thought ... I saw Allister with the gun and couldn’t get to you in time.”

  “I’m okay now.” We walk back to our group. All the fighting has stopped.

  John and Kennedy are corralling the few remaining adults who are still standing. They’re gathering weapons and tossing them into a pile.

  Brian and Madi are releasing the dragons caught under the nets. Chris is holding his head, resting on a bench. But then he slowly rises and helps his classmates free my Pride.