CHAPTER 74
“That’s great. It clarifies my suspicions. Do you have a name, civilian?” the Count said.
“Davenport. No, we met in the towers with the old ones. There was one man in a hooded robe. He did the talking. I heard him once, but it was whispers.”
“Was he old?”
“He didn’t move like he was old.”
“Interesting.” The Count shot a look at Gabe. “Very interesting. When in doubt, blame the old people. I believe your grandmother, Mabel, is in those towers, Gabe. Isn’t she? You met with her not too long ago, didn’t you?”
Gabe swallowed. How does he know that? A stream of energy flowed through Gabe. His eyes searched for Squawk. He felt something.
“You see, I know many things, but what I don’t know is who is behind this rebellion. That is what troubles me,” the Count continued. “I don’t believe the old ones are the masterminds behind this poorly timed rebellion either. No, I agree it is an insider.”
“It’s not a rebellion,” Davenport said. “It was meant to look like that, but it’s only a small group of us. It was an assassination attempt on you.”
“Me? Why would anyone want to harm me? I’m wonderful.” The Count eyed Davenport. “Can you think of anything distinct about this man? How tall? Did he smell, chew, limp, or something?”
Davenport looked over the Count’s shoulder at Clovis. “He was about his height and build.”
“Really?” The Count arched a brow at Clovis. Sweat built on the man’s forehead. “Davenport, would you recognize the man’s speech?”
“It was only whispers. I wasn’t part of the conversation but standing watch nearby. You shot the man who did the talking. Jeff.”
“I see.” The Count tilted his head and said to Clovis, “Would you mind whispering for me, Clovis?”
Clovis cleared his throat. Forcing a smile he said, “What would you like me to whisper, Count?”
“I would like you to whisper, ‘I want you to assassinate the Count.’”
“Okay.” Clovis whispered the exact words.
“Did that sound like him?” the Count asked Davenport.
The man shrugged. “I guess it could have been.”
“Yes,” the Count said. “It could have been.” He shot Clovis in the head. Blam! He followed up by shooting Davenport and the other traitor, killing them both. “Clovis’s eyes were a dead giveaway. He hid it well for such a long time, and I had my suspicions. I just needed a little confirmation. You see, if I died, Clovis was in line to take my position. He’d get all of the guns and glory.” He holstered his weapons. “What do you think about that, Gabe?”
Gabe replied coolly, “I’m not sure why you’re telling me all of this.” New energy flowed through his body. He tingled from head to toe. He looked at his palms. He felt like he could do anything.
“Because you are a pawn, but an important pawn. Your arrival set things in motion. Granted, I almost died, but it got me what I wanted. I found the conspirator, and we had a cleansing of the masses. The sad thing is that the Dragon Games came to an end without even a contest.” The Count held his chin and tapped his foot. “I suppose I could postpone them a few days. The blood-hungry crowds will come back, and the gamblers will want to earn their money. They can’t have a loss like this. That would cause full rebellion on both sides.”
“What are you going to do with me?” Gabe asked.
Surveying the mess, the Count said, “We’ll go back to business as usual.” Five Blue Guards entered from one of the other tunnels. They made their way to the cage and saluted. “Gunther, release these citizens. The Blue Guard will take them to a holding station so we can separate the sheep from the goats.”
Quickly, the guards moved all of the people out of the tunnel. Two women bowed to the Count as they shuffled by and thanked him. “Mercy! Mercy! Grand Count!”
“I just love compliments from impoverished people. It brings me delight because they know greatness when they see it. Gunther, let me have your whip. Gabe, remove your shirt.”
“I’m not doing that. I didn’t do anything.”
“You met with, Mabel, didn’t you? I don’t know how you got there, but I know you were. I have spies, of course, everywhere.” The Count took the whip from Gunther. He uncoiled it and gave it a snap. “Such a crude but effective device. Anyway, the old ones are as troublesome as ever. Given the amount of chaos, now would be a good time to be rid of them as well. They live in a very rickety building. I think a nice fire would bring them down. And Gabe, I’m going to let you see it happen after I whip you. Burn, building burn. Guards, take off his shirt ”
The two guards tore off Gabe’s shirt. They held him up by the arms, locking him upright.
The whip cracked over Gabe’s back. He cried out against the burning pain. “Gaaaaah!”
CHAPTER 75
“Don’t do that again,” Gabe said in a voice that sounded more a man’s than a boy’s to his own ears. Sweat dripped from his chin. “Ever!”
“Are you threatening me?” The Count gathered the whip, readying it for another strike. “I am the one with the whip, you know. And I hardly think that you are in any position… Gunther, what is it?”
Gunther’s eyes had gotten big. He pointed his finger behind the Count. The guards holding Gabe rotated him in the same direction. Gabe laughed, “Huh-huh.”
“What manner of madness is this?” the Count said.
Squawk emerged from the Dragon Den tunnel, leading a train of similar reptiles—the gamers’ dragons, one and all.
The Count passed the whip back to Gunther. He drew his guns. “Are you doing this, Gabe?”
“Maybe.” Gabe spoke with confidence. He hadn’t commanded Squawk to do anything, but he felt their powerful connection, and it made him stronger for some reason—as strong as a full-grown man or more.
The Count aimed the gun at Gabe. “I suggest that you stop this advance before I blow your brains out.”
“If you do that, they’ll kill you instantly,” Gabe said with a little smile. “I won’t have any control after that, but I have some sway now.”
Squawk sat on his backside like a dog. Behind him sat Hoss and Rex. Behind them, another row of three spread out, then four, and two back rows of five. They all sat in perfect formation.
The Count said to Gunther, “What do you know about this situation? Can you handle it?”
“Hemi will protect you, Count, as well as me. We can handle all of these dragons if need be.”
“You wouldn’t want to do that, would you?” Gabe said. “It would ruin the games.”
“The little wretch does make a point.” He holstered his gun. His eager eyes bounced between Gabe and the dragons. “Gabe, tell me, do you control them all?”
“I’m not telling you unless you tell me something first. It’s a simple question. That’s all I require.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Is Rann dead?”
“Who?”
“You know who. The girl whose ear you cut off.”
“Ah, yes,” the Count sighed. “She’s in one of Gunther’s cages. Did he lead you to believe otherwise?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, shame on you, Gunther, for deceiving our star gamer that way.” The Count watched the dragons. “It’s really fascinating, what’s happening here. Listen, Gabe, you and Rann can have whatever you want. You’ll both be Dominion. The power you command is such a gift. Now, I truly see what my dear sister Angela saw in you and that dragon. I admit I did not see it before. Perhaps, the whispers are true.”
“I want to see Rann.”
“Oh, fine, but only a peek.” With a nod from the Count, one of the guards released Gabe and started toward the den. The back row of dragons moved in a straight line that cut off the guard’s path. Their necks rattled.
The guard froze in his tracks. He cast a worried glance toward the Count. His hands were up.
“Gabe?” the Count said.
Conce
ntrating on the line of dragons, Gabe sent his thoughts to Squawk. The dragon made a chirping sound. The dragons fell back in the ranks. The guard took long strides to the den and vanished inside.
“Gabe, just take me up on my offer. Be part of the Dominion. They will treat you like a king,” the Count said. “Better yet, a Count.”
“I’ll settle for being Gabe. Besides, I see how you use and manipulate people. I don’t think I could do that.”
“But you bend these dragons to your will, do you not? It’s the same thing.”
“No, it isn’t. Squawk is my friend. I can’t really speak for the others, but he can.”
“Gabe, you do realize that I’m not going to just let you up and leave this place. It would be the death of me.”
Without warning, Hemi reared up on his hind legs and let out a roar. The dragon’s big paws lifted and came down hard. His eyes locked on Squawk. A battle of minds seemed to be going on between them.
Gunther grabbed his dragon’s harness. “Heel, Hemi, heel.” The dragon calmed down. “Count, I have an idea.”
“I don’t care.”
The guard appeared with Rann in the mouth of the tunnel. All of the dragons followed Squawk’s eyes on the girl. Some of her gold silks were torn, but her face filled with relief when she saw Gabe.
Gabe felt better. Rann was fine and somewhat safe at the moment. He visualized what needed to be done.
The Count sighed. “This impasse that we’ve found ourselves at is becoming boring, Gabe. Work with me and live. Work against me and die. That includes your dragon. Come on, Gabe. Make it easy. Make a deal.”
“What about Mabel and the old ones? I want them spared too.”
The Count held up his finger. “Absolutely! I’ll even set up a place so that Mabel can live with you. You can be family again. You and Rann can marry. I’ll marry you myself.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Gabe didn’t want anyone else to get hurt or die. He wanted peace. He hadn’t expected this day to be so catastrophic. He tried to be patient and learn. When the right time came, he’d find an exit for Squawk, Rann, and himself. He still needed more answers. All he had to do was play along. “No harm will come to me, Rann, Squawk, Mabel, or the old ones?”
“You have my word.” The Count offered his hand.
Gabe extended his.
CHAPTER 76
Squawk let out an earsplitting shriek. The blaring sound buckled everyone’s knees. Hands immediately went to ears. The guard holding Gabe fast lost his grip. He hit the ground, clutching his head and screaming. Squawk’s shrieking wail continued.
“SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
On his knees, the Count held up a finger. It was an odd pose, as if it was the last thing the man would do before death. With his free hand, he drew one of his guns. His arm trembled. He winced. His bold voice cut through the gut-twisting sound. “Shut up your dragon!” He aimed. “Now!”
Gabe forced his wobbling legs to move. He propelled himself at the Count, hitting the man with all of his weight. A gunshot cracked off. The shrieking ended. A great weight lifted from his body. Using his newfound strength, Gabe wrestled against the bigger man. He seized the Count’s wrist and banged it on the ground. The gun slipped from the Count’s grasp.
“Ah!” the Count said with great relief. “You can have the gun. I’m just glad that damned shrieking stopped. But you do need to get off of me.”
“No.” Gabe punched the Count in the face. The man’s eyes widened. He smiled with blood on his teeth.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Gabe. I don’t like being touched.” The Count reversed their positions in a move of a skilled wrestler. He put his arm across Gabe’s neck. “Now I have you.” Gabe wriggled against his captor. “My, you are as strong as a big varmint. Stop squirming, boy!”
Gabe grabbed ahold of the Count’s fingers. One by one, he peeled them away. The Count cursed. “How are you doing that?” Gabe forced the Count’s finger into his mouth and bit down hard.
“Aaaaaah!” The man’s back arched. He clutched his bitten hand. “You will die for this, Gabe!” He punched Gabe in the jaw. Gabe punched back. They exchanged punches, man against man.
The Count backed off. “What are you made of?” His eyes narrowed on Gabe’s. “Is that a gamma glow I see in your eyes?”
Gabe didn’t know what he was talking about. Gamma glow? The Count dipped his shoulder, and the quick kick snapped back Gabe’s head. He staggered back, regained his balance, and pounced at the Count’s legs. He missed.
The Count had bounced back to his feet. He drew his second gun and pointed it at Gabe. “I’ve had enough.” He squeezed the trigger.
Gabe flinched as the gun went off. His arm caught fire as the bullet ripped through the outer meat of his shoulder. “Argh!”
A blur of dragon leaped and latched itself on to the Count’s arm. Squawk drew blood…a lot of it.
“Get this lizard off of me!”
Squawk’s claws tore away the man’s clothing. His claws raked open the skin.
“Aaaah!”
Attacking in pairs, the other dragons latched onto the Count. They pinned the man’s wrists, arms, legs, and ankles. Jaws with razor-sharp teeth locked down. Fingers were snapped off in quick scissor-like chomps. “Gabe, please!”
Gabe looked away. His eyes landed on the Count’s gun. He reached for it. Out of nowhere, Gunther hopped onto it and kicked it away. Dragons latched onto the hairy man like leeches. One of them was Roscoe, a wingless dragon with yellow stripes down his back. Gunther crushed Roscoe’s neck, tore the dragon from his flesh, and flung her away.
“Boy, you don’t know when to quit, do you?” Gunther said. Behind him, Hemi battled the smaller dragons. The behemoth twin heads struck like snakes. Razor-sharp teeth found purchase against the smaller dragons and ripped them apart. The small dragons screeched and writhed. They climbed the big dragon and ripped into its neck. Their teeth and nails ripped at the big dragon’s eyes, straining to claw them out. “Count or no Count, it’s over.” He punched Gabe full in the chest.
Gabe’s body crashed into the cage bars. Gunther grabbed him by the neck and slung him into the cage. “You aren’t going anywhere, Gabe. I should kill you, but I won’t.” He shut the cage door and locked it. “It’s over, Gabe. It’s over! Now, call off those dragons before they all die.”
CHAPTER 77
Holding his bleeding shoulder and huffing through flaring nostrils, Gabe said, “No.”
“Have it your way then.” Gunther turned to the Count. The man was torn up but still kicking. One by one, Gunther grabbed the dragons by the sweet spot on their necks, ripped their jaws open, and cast them aside.
Somehow, the Count stood, with fire in his eyes and blood all over him. He found his gun, picked it up, and started shooting dragons. “I!” Bang! “Hate!” Bang! “Dragons!”
Gabe clung to the bars. “Noooo!” He searched for Squawk. He didn’t see the dragon anywhere until he looked up. Squawk and a few others had climbed to the top of the cage where they perched like birds.
The Count caught Gabe’s eyes and looked up. “Ah, there you are.” He took aim and fired. Click! He slammed the gun down on the ground. “What are you standing there for, Gunther! Go get them, you ape!”
Gunther’s eyes narrowed on the man. With two dragons still clinging to his back, he started to climb up the bars. Halfway up, Squawk leapt into the air with his wings spread out and flapping. The dragon soared through the air.
“Impossible! We clipped his wings!” The Count made his way toward the pistol that Gunther had kicked aside. His eyes never left Squawk. “It won’t matter. I can hit anything I aim at.” He picked up the gun.
Gabe watched everything transpire in slow motion. His fingers left the burning nag in his shoulder. The flesh had mended. Deep in his mind, he knew his connection to Squawk had something to do with it. The dragon’s wings healed, and so had Gabe’s. As the Count took aim at the dragon, Gabe yelled and thou
ght, “Dodge, Squawk!”
At the crack of gunfire, the dragon barrel-rolled in the air. Flapping and spinning, Squawk zoomed at the Count. He spit a geyser of flame at the shooting man. The Count jumped away. “Impossible!”
Hot, oily flames clung to the ground, making black smoke. Squawk wasn’t finished. He breathed out a stream of flame onto Hemi’s back. The fire spread over the monster’s scales and reared up on its hind legs with a thunderous roar.
“No!” Gunther screamed. He hopped down from the cage. The keys to the cage fell out of his clothing. He rushed after his burning beast, who rampaged all over the floor like a flaming hellcat.
Gabe reached through the bars, grabbing for keys that were a hair’s breadth from his fingers. All the while, the Count shot at Squawk. The dragon spun and twisted in the air but still kept his target in sight.
Gabe shoved his shoulder through the bars. “Ugh!” He couldn’t reach the keys.
From out of nowhere, Rann slunk up to the bars and squatted down. She picked up the keys. “Need a little help, Gabe?”
Blinking, he said, “Yup. Hurry!”
Rann opened the lock and flung the bars open. Gabe rushed outside. Squawk hung before the Count, filling his lungs with air. Fire jettisoned forth. The Count fired. The bullet tore through the flame and hit Squawk.
“Noooooooo!” Gabe screamed.
Smeared in his own fresh blood, the Count laughed. His gun hung low, and he moved at Gabe with a mocking, ragged gait. “I’m gonna need a lot of stitches, Gabe. I hate stitches. But all you’re going to need is a shallow grave.”
Gabe charged the Count.
Count Angus aimed right at him. “Good-bye, Gabe. We salute you.”
Covered in flames, the two-headed, two-tailed Hemi trampled the Count. The berserk dragon took his confusion out on the Count, stomping, biting, and tearing the Count to pieces.
Flight from the Dominion (The Gamma Earth Cycle Book 2) Page 23
