Neko stood then on the opposite side of the table, and prepared herself to speak. Looking down at her hands she could see them tremble, memories of her encounter in the alley returning in vivid detail. Resolute, she locked her fingers together and looked at the faces around her; the eyes of those who relied upon her for guidance.
“Umbra is strong,” she began. “Incredibly so. As you know by now, he’s a half-breed. Part shifter, though he never seems to shift. And part—something else. When he hasn’t fed he takes on the appearance of a weak, pallid human. But when he’s taken down his victims, his power increases massively. The effects, I am told, last for several hours. His speed is extraordinary—I can’t emphasize that enough. The man moves like a bullet. And metal blades do little to stop him. However, the Guild has offered us some of their ancient weaponry to fight.”
With that, she gestured to a long, narrow table at the far end of the room. On its surface sat a massive arsenal of knives, swords, arrows, even a few short spears. Everything a Hunter could need. None, however, contained a trace of metal in their blades.
“Each weapon is forged from Dragon’s bone,” Lumen said, taking back the reins. “Taken from those who were killed on the fields of battle. Dragons’ bodies are never wasted—it’s our wish that our déors be put to good use, even after our deaths. Our bones are stronger than any metal when we’re in Dragon form, and little can shatter them. But more importantly, it’s the only material that can take down a Forsaken such as Umbra. Their bodies don’t survive piercing by Dragon’s bone—consider it a poison to their flesh.”
The Hunters’ heads swivelled towards the weapon table, and they eyed the loot with greedy eyes. Plenty for everyone, and even some Asian weaponry for Beatrix: throwing stars, a Katana sword and two piercing Sai blades: her favourite.
“At some point we will need to do some hunting,” said Neko. “To find where the Forsaken spend their days and nights. But my own task is to find the first of the Dragons’ Relics. As I understand it, Bertie has let you in on their significance. There are four that need finding, and with each Relic gathered, the Dragons will gain a little more power. So they are a priority.”
“These Relics. Where are they?” said Anaïs, a female Hunter whom Neko didn’t know very well. She was young, dark-haired and surly-faced. Always trying to look more formidable than she was. Never admitting weakness. The sort of woman Neko had been all her life, until she’d found Lumen and allowed her sharp edges to soften a little.
“The first is not too far off,” Neko said, “And that’s all I can tell you. It’s too dangerous, not to mention foolish, for me to say more. A man like Umbra would offer you millions of pounds for information, and you’d be an idiot not to accept the offer. Suffice it to say that I would urge you all to do what you do best: hunt the Lapsed. Hunt men like Umbra, locate any other Forsaken. The most helpful information I can offer is to tell you that when they’ve fed, their smell is sweet—alluring, in its way. Easily identified to those with strong noses. But be very, very careful. These are no mere Lapsed that you’re hunting.”
“We can help,” offered Aegis, looking around the table. “If you need noses, the Dragon shifters are useful. Not to mention the transport we can provide.”
“Thank you, Aegis,” Neko said. “I think I speak for the whole Syndicate when I say that we appreciate your offer.” Her eyes settled on Beatrix, whose lips were doing their best not to break into a smile at everything that was happening. Dragon shifters and Hunters, working together. Nothing was more exciting to the redhead. And to Neko, there was nothing quite like seeing a Hunter who thrived on the pursuit of enemies.
“And what about you, Neko love?” It was Bertie who spoke this time. Neko turned her way to listen. “You nearly got your head torn off the other day. Are you telling us that you’re heading back out there for more?”
“It seems that I’m destined to locate the Relic,” she replied, “so that’s my duty, along with everything the finding entails.”
“Well, I don’t like that one bit,” Bertie said again. “Not one bit. But if you should need me, I’ll be in my office at the tower, pulling an all-nighter tonight. There’s accounting to be done.”
“Well, you’ll just have to trust me, Bert,” Neko said, smiling, trying to lighten the mood. “I know better than anyone what I’m up against now. I know all too well that Umbra wants me dead. And I know what I need to do.”
“Humph. I should never have sent that bastard your way, had I known what he is.”
“None of us knew,” Lumen interrupted, his eyes fixed on Neko. Even before she turned his way she could read his sadness. Something was eating away at him; no doubt he could feel her hiding a little of the truth from him.
But she threw up a quick mental wall between them and shot a reassuring smile his way. It was to her to live up to her destiny, and she needed his support. Best for him to think that all was well, or else she’d never muster the courage to follow through.
“It’s all right, Bertie,” she said, turning to her friend. “Umbra wasn’t your fault. I took him on as a client, and the truth is that I should never have trusted him.”
Lumen spoke once again, addressing the Syndicate. It seemed that for the time being he was satisfied with his lover’s words. “You’re welcome to take weapons with you. Be ready for us to call on you to help in our hunt, and keep a vigilant eye out for the Lapsed. But the Forsaken are the true threat—remember that, and remember how dangerous they are. In the meantime, Neko and I will venture out first thing tomorrow in search of the first Relic.”
Neko averted her gaze, blocking her thoughts once again from his mind.
No, she thought. I’ll be long gone by then.
It was Minach, of all people, who stood then, addressing her as though to conclude the meeting. “Neko, you have our gratitude and our loyalty for your devotion to the cause of the Dragons. We will do what we can to assist you. But be careful.”
With the last words, ice laced through Neko’s spine. It was as though Minach somehow knew what was coming.
“I will,” she said. “I promise.”
The First Battle
The Dragons were to guide the Hunters back to the Syndicate tower on their backs after the meeting, and so when the time came, each Hunter found her Dragon shifter on the landing pad next to the water. Neko watched Trix’s eyes as she sought out Lyre’s beautiful form.
Already, the red-haired Hunter had developed a sort of loyalty to the silent man who had become her guide, and Neko smiled to see their budding bond. She wondered if there was any chance that they would end up together. Trix would be ideally suited to the role of Seeker of a Relic. But it was Lyre who would be the surprise. Somehow, it seemed more likely that Minach would hunt for a Relic than his brother. Which, of course, meant that he would have to find his partner.
Good luck to that woman, whoever she is, Neko thought. Though Minach could be relatively gentle, even polite, she’d never seen the smallest bit of warmth from him. It was hard to imagine a woman falling in love with him, regardless of how handsome and powerful he was.
When everyone had mounted, the Dragons took off one by one, their riders more at ease by far than they had been the first time around. Neko and Lumen watched them go before he shifted, and she slipped onto his back, her hands stroking his long silver neck, scales glimmering like a rippling pond.
The two of them would head back to their home under Hyde Park, where she would silently plot her next move. And she was dreading it; hiding secrets from him pained her. But it was all that she could do. He’d told her to trust her instincts, after all, and her instincts told her that she needed to make the next move on her own.
Lumen’s Dragon form soared into flight, his massive wings propelling them into the Heath’s long underwater tunnel before shooting out into daylight in pursuit of the other Dragons.
Neko smiled, looking at the series of winged déors in flight ahead of them. Never before had she seen so many ai
rborne Dragons at once, and the view was beautiful. Red, bronze and white creatures all flying in formation, seemingly lighter than air as they glided forward, the Hunters astride them. She was almost sad that the ride back into downtown London would take only a few minutes; it would have been nice to watch such a spectacle for hours on end.
But only seconds after she and Lumen had shot out of the tunnel, things began to go wrong.
Far ahead, one of the Dragon’s heads dipped down, and then another’s, as though they’d caught sight of something below that required their immediate attention. Neko’s eyes followed, and it didn’t take long for her keen eyes to see what had drawn their gaze.
Below them, among the scattered trees and ponds, figures lumbered about, neither animal nor human. Hundreds of them. The faces of many were directed upwards at the Dragons and their riders, searching for a way to access them.
“What is it?” Lumen asked silently.
“Lapsed,” she said. “A lot of them—under the others.”
His head dipped down, his eyes scanning the landscape below. Her senses had finally developed to the point where they were superior to his. She really had become the ultimate Hunter.
“So, they’ve tracked us to the Heath,” he said.
“Yes.” She agreed, though in her heart and mind she knew that it was her they’d tracked. She was their target, and she alone. Her presence there had put the Dragons—and their hiding spot—in jeopardy.
“What should we do?” she asked. High in the clouds they were safe, of course. But to leave the creatures to roam the grasslands of Hampstead Heath would be to risk the lives of any humans enjoying a peaceful stroll through the landscape.
Ahead, some of the Dragons were pausing, hovering in mid-air, while a few had turned back towards their leader, the same question on their minds.
Lyre and Minach flew back towards them, Trix and Anaïs on their backs. Neko knew that the two Hunters might not hear the conversation that was about to occur. But she would.
“We must take them down,” Minach was communicating silently. “Thin their numbers.”
“Agreed,” Lumen said. “It’s too dangerous to leave them down there. But mind the trees below—we can’t go destroying the place out of rage. Lyre, you’re quick. Head down and take any out that you know are Lapsed. Minach, circle back and come at them from behind. Land if you must, but be careful and watch over the Hunters. I’ll try and herd them to one location.”
“All right.” The voice was Lyre’s, and Neko realized that it was the first time she’d heard it, albeit inside her mind. Low, soft and smooth, like Lumen’s, a kindness inhabiting his words, just as it occupied his features.
“What’s happening?” Trix yelled to Neko over the sound of wind rushing to her ears.
“We’re heading down,” Neko replied. “We need to take the Lapsed out, and quickly. As many as possible.”
A broad grin spread over the redhead’s face. This, for her, was a dream come true; hundreds of targets in one location. “Great,” she chirped. “Let me at ‘em.”
“Anaïs, watch yourself,” Neko told the other Hunter. By all accounts she was skilled, but Neko had never seen her fight. “There’ll be a lot of them. Stay close to Minach.”
The other woman ground her jaw and nodded. Something told Neko that staying close to Minach wasn’t her first choice; it seemed that she wasn’t enjoying the sour-faced Dragon shifter as Trix was enjoying his brother. But she’d have to suck it up for the good of everyone.
“You ready?” Neko asked, encompassing all of them in the question.
The Hunters nodded, the Dragons giving their silent assent.
“Let’s go, then.”
Lumen thrust his head downward, his body shooting towards the sea of creatures below. Neko had seen him fly fast, but never had she been on his back when he’d been shooting like an arrow through space. She leaned in, clinging to him, a smile creeping across her face.
Their first meeting had been a result of her slaying a Lapsed in front of him. And now here they were together, about to do what they both did best. Hunting as a team. Supporting, working together. This was as it should be. No conflict, no struggle for power between woman and Dragon. They were equals in this moment.
But as with all good things, the perfect balance was about the come to an end.
“I’ll hit them fast and low, and take out any that I can. Stay on my back,” Lumen ordered, his Dragon’s voice rumbling through her head.
She shook her head. “No. Set me down. I can take them on foot.”
“I don’t want you anywhere near them, Neko.”
“Lumen. This is what I do. Let me at them, now.” Her inner voice was commanding, issuing a warning: don’t even start with me.
It was enough to get him to submit temporarily.
“Fine. But stay close.”
“I will,” was her reply. He could watch her back if he liked, but damn it, she was going to fulfill her duties as a Hunter. There was no way in hell that she would remain on his back while the other Syndicate members sliced away at the Lapsed on the ground.
The creatures below them had stopped moving entirely, their eyes turning up towards the silver Dragon as he shot like a giant, sleek dart towards them. The Lapsed still in human form stared through clouded eyes, as though cataracts had overtaken them, crippling their sight. Had Neko not known what they were, she might almost have felt sorry for them.
But they would turn in a moment into bright-eyed killing machines, bent on tearing the throats out of her colleagues and the Dragons alike. Of course, individually, these bastards had no chance against something the size of Lumen. Dragon scale was hard and strong, and as she’d discovered, their bones couldn’t be shattered by the bite of any normal creature. Still, twenty Lapsed could no doubt do some serious enough harm to one Dragon, if they managed to coordinate their efforts.
Those who hadn’t yet shifted did so when Lumen came near, into their wolf and cat forms, the odd one becoming something approaching a decrepit grizzly. No doubt they’d once been noble creatures, these, beautiful and strong, as shifters so often were. And now their souls were gone, their minds taken, controlled by an external force. Men such as Umbra dominating them.
When Lumen was close, he shot a long stream of stark white flame from his throat, searing everything in its path. In one stroke he managed to take out a dozen or so Lapsed, others leaping clumsily aside to avoid the scorching weapon.
As the Dragon’s feet hit the ground, Neko leapt off his back, drawing her new white blades. They were light in her hands, but solid, their strength and power flowing through her arms as she wielded them. An attachment to Lumen’s ancestral blood, giving her a new jolt. Another gift from her shifter mate.
Around her she could hear the Lapsed snuffling, feet dragging along the ground. Even the occasional ba-dum, ba-dum of a slow, virtually lifeless heart beat. Her dizzy spells were a thing of the past, but her ears, it seemed, had retained their superhuman capacity to hear everything around her with pinpoint accuracy.
Unfortunately, her sense of smell, also incredibly keen, was messing with her mind. The musty scent of decay surrounded her as she spun around, deciding which abomination to kill first.
As the Lapsed moved in towards him, Lumen backed up deliberately to draw them to a small clearing twenty or so feet away, where they’d be vulnerable to his fellow Dragons.
Easy targets for those who shot fire.
Neko moved towards the clearing herself, carefully stalking between the trees as she assessed the enemies’ numbers. On the way, she took down several of the rancid creatures, the Dragon bone making quick work of their flesh and tendons.
When a wolf leapt at her, she slashed a knife across its throat with blinding speed. Seconds later it crashed to the ground, disintegrating into dust. Then a large wildcat came at her from the side. A knife in its chest, and again, an explosion of ash and dust erased its existence from the earth.
Neko had simpl
y become too quick for them, her every sense so finely tuned that awkward creatures such as these stood no chance against her.
She was a human Dragon now—a warrior of the highest degree.
Damn good thing these bastards haven’t figured out that they should run away, she sent to Lumen, who was some distance off.
They wouldn’t, anyhow. Not under the command of a Controller. They’ll die mindlessly rather than exercise any will of their own.
Then pity for them.
As she neared the clearing, a snarling wolf lunged at her from the front, spots of bald, pink flesh decorating its head and sides as though its fur had been falling out in handfuls. Neko opened her arms as though to welcome it in an embrace, and when it took the chance and leapt she plunged both knives into its sides, killing it in mid air.
This was her element. The hunt was in her blood, what she’d been born to do. To protect and to kill. To save humans from the threats to which they were so oblivious. Thankless work, except for the quiet rewards—the knowledge that she was helping to protect London from the horrors that could so easily have rained down upon its population.
Lumen had herded the Lapsed almost to the clearing now. Occasionally he would snort out a quick blaze or swat an enormous talon at the creatures, taking out two or more at a time. But still they came. Hundreds, it seemed, still populated the park. So many former shifters, ruined. Wasted away to undead, soulless entities.
All under the command of an unseen Controller.
Dragon Hunter Box Set: A Dragon Shifter Serial Page 25
