He bellowed in pain, and I ducked under his wild swing, running around the table.
The priest hissed as I neared, but I ran straight into him, tackling him right into the line of Descendants.
Focusing on my power, I managed to create a shield as I dove towards the table with Charlette on it. I braced as Radnak slammed his fists into it, but it held, barely. Each hit nearly sent me to my knees, but I wasn’t going to leave Charlette here. I tugged at the chains, tugging out the bolts that held them in place and freed both her hands as Radnak screamed orders.
“Get out of here,” Charlette whispered weakly. “You must. He will kill you.”
“And if I leave you, he’s going to kill you, too,” I pointed out, wincing as another blow shook the flimsy shield. “Can you walk?”
“I can try, but how do you plan on getting us out of this mess?”
The Blood Moon Priests were coming out of their chant one by one and closing in around the table.
Charlette threw an arm around my shoulders so I could hold her up, but my mind was a complete blank.
I had no plan, no escape.
We were going to die.
FOURTEEN
SLADE
I had to be hallucinating, but when Everest dropped the robe and attacked the priests like she hadn’t a care in the world for her safety, I knew it was really happening. I attempted to call out, but the blood magic was draining me too quickly, and when she moved onto the platform, I couldn’t see her anymore.
She was going to get herself killed and my last moments before I died would be to watch Radnak destroy her or turn her into one of those mindless Descendants behind him.
“Slade.”
I turned, confused to see two priests outside my cage until they threw their hoods back. “What are you doing here?” I managed to growl. “Are you three trying to kill yourselves?”
Amelie had her hand over the lock of the cage, and it glowed briefly before I heard a pop of metal and Jared pulled the cage door open. He undid the rope tying my hands, but the ritual was still progressing, and the magic made me too weak to hold myself upright.
Radnak was talking, and the pain slowly ebbed.
“What’s happening?”
Amelie peered around and shrugged. “Not sure, but Everest stopped them somehow. We have to hurry.” She moved to the next cage with Benji and did the same thing to the lock.
It popped open, and she pulled him out and away before moving down the line. Any second, I expected those priests to realize what was happening, but they were still trapped deep within the trance.
“Please tell me she has a plan,” I asked Jared, and his thinning lips had me cursing again.
“Hey, you’re lucky we came with her. She was planning on getting you alone.”
“Of course, she was.” Why couldn’t she just do as she was told? “And I’m assuming you have no idea what she’s planning to do to get us out of here?”
“No, and no one else is with us. They had to evacuate the Underground because of Fredwin.”
“That’s great.”
If we lived through this mess, I was going to strangle her. Whatever she was doing down there was keeping Radnak distracted, but it wouldn’t last for long. With each cage Amelie unlocked, another prisoner stumbled out, and I waved them all towards me.
I hugged Benji briefly before he moved on with the others, staying as low and to the shadows as they could. Any second now, this atrocious plan of Everest’s was going to come crashing down on our heads.
There were only a few cages left, but Radnak let out a fierce bellow.
I spun around in time to see Everest slam into the Blood Moon Priest near the table and I spotted the two knives protruding from Radnak’s arm.
She’d straight up stabbed him.
As she got up on the table with Charlette and formed a shield around the two of them, the world slammed to a screeching halt. She was surrounded by enemies with no way out. Though she was strong, she couldn’t take them all on and hope to escape.
The foyer was lined with guards and with Radnak’s yelling, they’d be on high alert as soon as we busted through that door. The priest at the camp thought he’d restrained me from shifting and he had, my one form, but not who I truly was because he hadn’t known about it or felt it.
If I did it here, Radnak would know. Everyone would know, and my time of hiding in the shadows would be gone, forever.
“Amelie, what potions have you got?” I asked, limping to her side.
“A few explosive ones, why?”
“You and Jared get these people, and you get them out of here. We’ll meet you past the gates. Just get to the woods. Hurry.”
“What about you?” she asked, digging through her bag and passing out small vials to the few others able to stand upright and fight if it came down to it. “Slade, you’re too weak.”
“No, no I’m not,” I whispered.
She stared at me confused.
I waved her on. “Just go.”
“I’m not leaving her behind,” Jared yelled, and I grimaced as Radnak slammed himself into that shield over and over.
Everest couldn’t keep it up much longer, and I wasn’t going to stand there arguing while our chance of escape dwindled.
I closed my eyes and reached down deep within me for the well of power I’d been forced to ignore for the better half of my life.
The walls placed around my power to keep me safe and hidden from the enemy cracked and I growled as magic unlike any I’d felt before flooded my veins, giving me strength.
When I opened my eyes again, they I knew glowed dark violet and blue. I could see it reflected in Jared’s astonished face.
“Go, now,” I growled and turned back around to face the platform.
Everest’s shield shattered and slowly fell, leaving her and Charlette vulnerable.
I stretched my arms wide as I stalked forward, stretching my neck as it began to elongate, and the shift took hold of my body. Every muscle and limb protested at first, but then it burst over me like a thunderstorm, and with a furious roar that shook the fortress to the very foundations, I spread my massive wings wide and glowered over the group gathered that was threatening the one person I cared for most in this life.
Everest’s jaw dropped, and I saw the recognition in her eyes as I opened my jaws and unleashed a fiery hell on the Blood Moon Priests and Radnak.
They scrambled to get out of the way, but I followed them, my shadow-filled black flames chasing them down and setting them alight.
Radnak would shift any second now and though I was strong, the ritual had drained me and using so much power so quickly would take its toll soon.
I moved to the platform once it was cleared and lowered my head.
Everest didn’t even hesitate, but helped Charlette up and then climbed up herself. They perched on my back, and I turned my sights to the ceiling overhead. My jaws yawned wide again, and I weakened the stones with my flames right before I used the brunt of my shoulders to burst through, using my massive wings to shield my passengers from flying debris.
Then we were out, and I spread my wings wide, stretching them as they hadn’t been stretched in years.
My dark violet and blue coloring was far different from that of normal Shadowguards, and I heard shouts of panic and confusion from below in the courtyard.
When I heard Radnak’s roar, I pumped my wings and dove off the top of the fortress, letting the wind catch me, I glided higher up until I disappeared into the clouds. They would give us enough cover to find a safe place to land, and I needed to, soon.
The sigil burnt into my arm throbbed and I shook my head, struggling to stay focused.
I felt Everest moving around on my back and then her hands pressed against my scales. I had no idea what she was doing, but her presence helped me concentrate long enough to get us passed the Fell Gates, and I circled lower until I spotted a large enough clearing to land in.
I took out several trees
with my wings, and my feet finally touched down.
Everest and Charlette slid off my back, and I tucked my wings into my back as I closed my eyes, feeling my body shrink back down to its normal size once more. I managed to stay upright for a few seconds before I saw the ground rushing towards my face.
Everest caught me with a curse, and we went down together in a heap.
“Slade?” She brushed my hair from my face, and I leaned into her touch. “Can you hear me?”
“Yeah, yeah, I can. I’ll be fine,” I promised, barely able to talk. “Charlette, is she alright?”
“I’ll survive,” she answered sharply. “You, on the other hand, you have a lot of explaining to do.”
I squinted one eye open to catch her staring at me with a mixture of anger and shock.
She was well over three hundred years old, and though her long white hair helped give her the appearance of a loving grandmother, she was anything but.
“I have nothing to talk about right now,” I muttered.
“The hell you don’t, young man.”
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” Everest asked. “I’ve seen you in dragon form before, and this looked completely different.”
“Because it was,” I replied simply.
“Okay, and do you care to elaborate at all or not?”
I shrugged, willing her to understand this was not the time to have this conversation. “We need to signal the others then get the hell out of here. Radnak will be coming for us.”
“Yes, he will and what do you think will happen when he catches us?” Charlette snarled. “He will have two souls to use then. Did you not think this through at all?”
“I was saving your ass,” I snarled, pushing myself to my feet. “And hers.”
“And because of your actions, he knows who you are now. He will never stop hunting for you.”
“Then I’ll kill him and end this.” I took one step—
Everest had to stop me from falling, holding me up the best she could with my arm around her shoulders.
“Later, I’ll kill him later,” I mumbled, fighting to catch my breath and clear my head of the dizziness.
“You’re going to tell me what’s happening here later,” she muttered, annoyed.
I managed a smile. I could tell she was ready to yell at me some more, but I needed to do something else first. I cupped her cheek and kissed her, not caring who saw. We’d both nearly died, again, and I needed to prove to myself that she was really here and alive and so was I.
“That is not going to save you from getting yelled at,” she said against my lips.
I kissed her again for good measure. “Nor you. What did I say about throwing yourself into danger?”
“I wasn’t going to let you die.”
Charlette’s huff clearly said she disagreed, but the three of us trudged through the trees, moving closer to the road.
I asked Everest if she thought she could manage a reverse tracking spell to help the others find us faster and she grimaced, but after propping me up against a tree, said she’d do her best.
Shaking out her hands, she took a few deep breaths, and I sensed her power grow before violet mist swirled around her fingertips. It spread out in a line through the trees, and I lost sight of it after a few feet.
“How did you manage to stay hidden for so long?” Charlette asked me quietly.
“With help from others and one family in particular,” I answered. “They found a way to conceal my true nature inside of me and passed me off as a refugee child. Which technically I was since my parents were murdered.”
“I knew something was wrong,” she hissed. “The Council had been acting strange for days. I’d heard rumors of Shadowguards trying to help others of our clans, but there was no proof.”
I glanced sideways at her. “Are you trying to tell me you trust me, or you don’t?”
“How could I not after what just happened?” She hung her head, and her anger was replaced by sadness. “When they came for me, I swore it had to be a dream. Black Diamonds were extinct, that’s what we all knew to be true and yet they broke into my home and kidnapped me.” She shook her head as she cursed the bastards. “Radnak. I did not know one dragon could be so evil at heart.”
And all she’d seen was that ritual. Did she know about the massacres or the slavery? Why the Shadowguards had been forced to fight alongside their captors for so long? Did she know of all the atrocities my people faced while all I’d been able to do was stand by and watch?
“The war it appears, did not end,” she whispered. “There is no more time to waste hiding. It is time you show the world who you are and take your rightful place beside us.”
“How can I do that when the Council denies the true enemy exists?”
“I will stand beside you. Together, we will find a way to make them see.”
I wanted to believe her, but my trust for other dragons was limited to my witnessing them follow through on their word. Everest was coming back towards us, and Charlette straightened.
“I think that should work, but we need a way out of here.”
“A portal is the only way.”
“Jared made one to get us to the outpost,” she told me. “He can make another and get us out of here, I hope.”
Charlette said she would keep an eye out, and moved away from us. Everest took up her place beside me, and I reached for her hand, needing to keep some form of contact with her.
“So many wounds.” Everest shook her head. “Amelie has all the healing salves. I’ll bind your injuries once she gets here.”
“Leave them for now. We’ll have time later,” I argued gently.
“How many other wounds are you hiding?”
I shrugged. “Enough.”
She turned her head to glance around us.
I spotted the bandaging under her shirt. “I should ask you the same. What happened?” I tugged the fabric aside and growled in anger. “Fredwin? This is where he stabbed you?”
“Could’ve been worse.”
“This is bad enough. I’m going to tear him apart,” I snarled, and she sighed. “What?”
“Nothing, but until you’re healed, keep the fighting to a minimum.” Her smile faltered, and her grip on my hand increased. “Slade, is there something you need to tell me?”
I ground my teeth as I shook my head.
“You sure? Because it seems you haven’t been completely honest with me.”
“I swear to you I will tell you everything, but can we get out of this dimension first? Please?”
At first, she didn’t answer, but then she nodded, and I sighed in relief until she poked me in the chest. “But you’re going to tell me everything.”
“Only if you swear to stop risking your damned life every five seconds.”
“I wouldn’t have to if you didn’t let yourself get captured,” she mumbled under her breath.
I growled as I wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her in for another kiss. Holding her was enough to keep me sane when all I wanted to do was fall apart and disappear.
“They’re here,” Charlette announced.
Everest broke away from me as Amelie followed by all the survivors from the cages appeared through the trees, with Jared bringing up the rear. They appeared a bit dirty, but otherwise were all in one piece.
Benji broke free of the woman holding his hand and launched himself at me. I caught him with a grunt of pain and let him cry. I was right there with him, but held my own tears back, for now.
“You said they would come and they did,” he said loudly. “We’re alive.”
“For now,” I said as I set him back on his feet. “Can you be strong for a bit longer? We have to find a way out of here.”
“And fast, they’re right behind us,” Amelie said, shooting a nervous glance over her shoulder.
“Jared, can you open a portal?”
He was staring at me intently, and when he looked ready to call me out, I narrowed
my eyes and subtly shook my head.
His eyes darted to Everest before he cleared his throat loudly. “Yeah, I can do a portal. We should move further off the road. And I need the location of a safe haven since the Underground was evacuated.”
“I’ll give you the place they would’ve gone to,” I promised and waved the group of people forward.
Several reached out and clasped my hand, kissing the back of it with bright smiles on their faces.
Everest noticed it each time, and I waited for her to pull me aside and demand answers, but instead, she ushered them on, not saying a word to me about it.
We ran through the trees as quickly as we could, with injured in tow.
Everest and I brought up the rear in case Radnak caught up with us. This dimension was the size of a large city, and we were going to run into a boundary at some point. When I sensed the magic from the main portal nearby, I pushed my way through the ranks and asked Charlette to protect the rear with Everest as I helped Jared with the portal.
“Were you ever going to tell us?” he asked quietly as he started to pull on his power.
“No, not unless I had no other option.”
“Who else knows?”
“Jenny and Preston, and Everest’s father, but no one else, and I’d hoped to keep it that way.”
The hair on the back of my neck prickled and I did a quick look around, pausing when I spotted Charlette talking intently to Everest.
“You ready to do this?” Jared asked.
Frowning, I gave him my full attention.
We stood at the base of a cliff face, and the flat surface of the stone would help steady the portal instead of opening one in the middle of nothing. I described the exact location to Jared, hoping it was the outpost up north Jenny would’ve taken everyone to. Slowly, red tendrils seeped from his hands and crawled up the rock face.
I left him to it and told the survivors to huddle together as close as they could. The second the portal opened, they would need to run through. Amelie helped organize them, and I finally reached Everest and Charlette.
“You should get up there, too,” I insisted, and Charlette gave me a strange grandmotherly look before she did as I asked.
Dragon Guard (Ever Witch Book 3) Page 14
