Candide lay on the floor, breathing heavily. Every once in a while she’d cough or snort. Whatever Runa had done, had left her spent. Sid had never seen Candide so vulnerable. This was the moment of truth. Could Sid kill her when she was essentially defenseless?
She killed Runa. Aspen. Rowan, Skye, Val, and Hazel. She killed them all. Thousands of dragons and hundreds of thousands of humans. Of course he could kill her.
Aspen’s dying wish was for him to kill the witch. Runa had sacrificed herself for that same thing. This was his duty.
He lifted his head high. He needed to win this.
And he would.
He stalked up to Candide’s limp form. She inhaled. He was above her neck. One shot would end her once and for all.
Are you really going to kill me when I can’t defend myself? I thought you were better than that.
If I wait until you can defend yourself, you’ll kill me.
She blinked slowly at him. You never were dumb, Obsidian. Go on then, get it over with.
Sid rose his head high. One bite and this would all be over. She opened her eyes wide and watched him. He couldn’t quite understand that. If knew he was about to die, he’d close his eyes. But the witch watched.
His jaws slammed down, but before he connected with her flesh, she disappeared, and Sid’s jaws clamped together painfully.
She was gone.
Her voice entered his head. Ha ha ha ha. You didn’t think you were the only one with a trick up your sleeve. I can go invisible too.
He searched wildly around the cave. For a flash he saw her high above him. Then she was gone again. He took to the sky, with one thought in his head. Murder. He circled, looking in all directions. She appeared again, but only briefly. He stayed where he was. He was watching for patterns. Then maybe he could anticipate where she would go next.
She was circling below him. Every few seconds her form would appear and then disappear. He wouldn’t be able to kill her on the first shot, but he should be able to connect with her.
He waited for one more time around, and then he dove. He connected with her flank and dug his claws in deep. He tore at her flesh with his razor sharp teeth. For the first time all evening, her wounds were real. Blood was spurting everywhere.
She craned her neck, teeth snapping, but Sid dodged and attacked her other side.
The whole experience was surreal because she kept flickering in and out. He could feel her, but not always see her. She didn’t seem to be aware of when she was visible or when she was not.
She spun, rolling him underneath her. He tore at the soft flesh of her underbelly, and she roared. She rose up a few feet and grabbed at him with her enormous claws. He dodged, flying away.
Suddenly, his wings couldn’t move. His head froze in place. She dropped down in front of him, fully visible now.
There now. You didn’t think you’d actually win? Did you?
He growled but didn’t respond.
She ran her head along his neck and purred. You know, love, we can end this differently. You could join me.
Thoughts flew through his head. He was moments away from death. Damn her magic.
Then as suddenly as it began, he was free. He didn’t move, because Candide obviously still thought he was frozen. Seconds later, he was bound again. There was something wrong with her magic. If he waited for an opportune moment, he could take her off guard and kill her.
He needed to stall. Why would I do that? Sid asked.
She came around so they were face-to-face.
Because, Sid. I could teach you things. You could be more powerful than you’ve ever imagined. I’ve learned things about magic that no one else knows.
He was still paralyzed. He didn’t know how long he’d be able to stall her.
I doubt it. Everett knew about the magic. It’s all in his books, and we know where those are. You can’t teach me anything I don’t already know.
She narrowed her eyes, and Sid worried that maybe he’d gone too far.
That’s not true. I found the ultimate source of our magic. It’s how I managed to learn all the things we can do, instead of just the things Everett could do. He was a novice.
Oh yeah? What is the source of our magic, oh wise one?
It’s our fire. Everything about it is magical. The more we use it, the more power we have. It’s why we kill the humans with fire. It gives us strength. Not to mention that killing is easier that way.
That explained why her magic was acting funny. Runa had gone to the source of her magic and weakened it. Runa truly saved him. Her father would be proud.
So what do you say, love, join me? Candide had her face in his again, and the eagerness in her eyes was the most sincere thing he’d ever seen from her.
His wings freed. In an instant he rose his head above hers, clamped his jaws over her eyes, and gave a mighty shake. Her body lashed around and hit him in the side, but he didn’t let go. He tore again, and her body jerked to the other side. He whipped his head, and with a loud squelching sound, her head tore away from her body.
Her body fell, landing in the middle of the cave with a loud thump. She was dead. It was over.
The relief was incredible but disconcerting. He’d won, but he’d lost everything. He dropped her head. It rolled over and over as it fell and landed near her body.
The witch who wreaked havoc on Earth was dead. Sid stayed in the air for another moment. He didn’t know what to do next. He still had a fight to win with the humans. He didn’t know if he’d have the strength to fight that. Candide had taken all of his energy. But he couldn’t abandon his brothers out there. That would be cowardly. Perhaps he was the real coward spoken of in the prophecy.
He floated down to attend to his dead. The ones he loved.
He landed on the ground and turned into a human. He found Aspen’s twisted form, gathered her in his arms, and wept over her body. He clutched at her. Her body was warm and limp, but she was still his queen.
He laid her gently down on the ground and smoothed her hair. Her pale skin was so beautiful to him in that moment. He’d never see her laugh again. Never see those eyes flash when she had a crazy idea. He knelt down to give her one last kiss. He pressed his lips against hers, and a light breath cooled his lips.
He jerked back. Breath. He pressed two fingers against her neck. A faint pulse pushed against his touch. She was alive.
He whooped with joy and then took both of her hands in his. He felt for the magic of the woodlands, and it flowed from his hands into hers. It took only a moment. She flashed her eyes open and gasped. Sid let out another shout and pulled her into his arms. She clutched at his back.
“Are you okay?” Sid asked.
“I think so. Nothing hurts.”
Sid pulled away. “I thought you were dead. You fell a long way.”
“What about the others?” Aspen asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t checked yet.”
Aspen searched his eyes. “The witch?”
“Dead.”
Aspen gave him a crooked grin. “I told you to kill that bitch. Good job. Come, let’s go see if we can heal the others.”
Sid went to Skye, while Aspen ran for Rowan. Skye was still breathing as well. Sid healed her and moved on to Val and Hazel. Everyone had survived. Sid couldn’t quite believe it. After he healed Val, he walked over to the small form who had saved them all.
He gathered Runa’s body into his arms. There was no breath, no heartbeat.
Runa was truly dead.
A hole opened up in Sid’s chest that he wasn’t sure would ever close. Sweet, sweet Runa. Gone. No longer would she steal Rowan’s bacon or plow into doors. No longer would she bring a smile to his face just by being herself. He set her on the ground and glanced around at his companions. Tears flowed freely. No one said anything.
�
�She died a hero. If it weren’t for her, we’d all be dead.” Sid knew those words wouldn’t bring her back or make anyone feel any better, but he felt like it needed to be said.
He changed into a dragon and allowed his flames to create her stone. It was small, about the size of an ostrich egg, and was a rainbow of colors. It was probably the most beautiful gem he’d ever seen.
Rowan reached down, picked it up, and clutched onto her bright multi-colored stone. Sid wanted to give everyone time to grieve, but unfortunately they needed to get home and finish the war.
Can you help me with the royal dragons? Sid asked Skye. She nodded.
“I’ll help too,” said Val.
Sid waited for them to change into dragons, but nothing happened.
We don’t have that much time, Sid said, a little irritated that no one was moving.
Skye’s face was screwed up. “It’s not working.”
What’s not working?
“I can’t change into a dragon.”
“Yeah, neither can I,” Val said.
Sid thought for a second. This made no sense. How is this possible?
Skye bit her lip. “Did you turn yourself into a dragon or did Candide?”
She did.
“Maybe we can’t. Maybe her curse is permanent,” Skye said.
But she’s dead. Her magic should be gone as well, Sid said.
“Maybe this is bigger than that.”
Sid shook his head. This was too much. Skye gasped.
What? Sid asked.
“The prophecy. It said only one would live to reign. Val and I survived, but we’re no longer dragons. We can’t reign.”
Relief flooded through Sid. The prophecy had been so clear on the fact that only one of the kings would survive. He knew this war wasn’t over, and he had feared that two of them would still die in the upcoming battle with the humans. But this way, everyone lived.
Let me take care of the royal dragons, and we’ll get out of here. After this is all over, we’ll see if there is some way we can return you to your dragon forms.
Sid turned all four of the royal dragons into bright gold and silver jewels and reduced Candide and her lover to ashes.
Aspen climbed on his back. “Wouldn’t it be nice if everything was over now?”
Yeah. But we’ve got the humans to deal with. I feel like that might actually be harder than what we faced with Candide.
“Maybe. The humans don’t have magic though.”
True. That definitely makes this easier. But I don’t know how we are going to convince the president to spare our lives.
“So far we’ve figured everything out.”
Now scoot forward, we’ve got to fit everyone on top of me. Let’s go home and see if we can get another appointment with the president.
The royal, sea, and river dragons were all gathered in his yard when he arrived. Pearl was the first to greet him. You’re alive.
I am.
And the witch?
She’s dead! Sid projected the last thought to all the dragons. Flames were let out all over the field, and dragons leapt in excitement.
It’s over, Pearl said.
Not quite. We still have the humans.
Pearl snorted. Easy.
Freddie ran from the house toward him waving his hands in the air. When he got to Sid, he hunched over, catching his breath.
“The humans,” he said and took a few more deep breaths. “They’ve got an army heading straight for us.”
“Army?” Aspen asked, furrowing her brow.
Freddie handed her his phone. “Look.”
Aspen watched it with wide eyes. “Sid, you gotta see this.”
Sid turned into a human and took the phone from Aspen. A video played showing rows and rows of army trucks and tanks. The ticker on the bottom of the screen said, “Thousands of troops gather in Bozeman to take out the dragons.”
“Why are they coming in on the ground?” Sid asked.
“Because the planes don’t make it.”
“What makes them think their tanks will?”
Freddie shrugged. “I’m guessing they probably know this is a suicide mission. That maybe if they have big enough numbers, they can keep coming until all the dragons are dead.”
“What are we going to do?” Aspen asked.
“How far away are they?” Sid asked.
“Based on the video, I’d say an hour or two. They’ll move slowly,” Freddie said.
Skye cocked her head. “Do you think they are coming straight here, or do you think they’re heading to Yellowstone?”
“That’s a good question. If they go to Yellowstone first, that buys at least a half hour. More if they search the park before coming here. We need more information before we can act. Why don’t we go inside and see if we can find out exactly where they are going and what their plan is. I need to talk to Pearl and a few of my generals, and I’ll be there in a second,” Sid said.
Aspen squeezed his hand and walked to the house. Part of him didn’t want to let her out of his sight, not after he thought she was dead. This war was far from over, and he couldn’t let his heart get the best of him.
He turned into a dragon. Pearl, I have something I need to tell you.
He laid out the four gold and silver gems. Pearl stepped back. Obsidian, please don’t. I don’t want to know.
Raja fought bravely, but he died. His gem belongs to you.
She shook her head violently. No, he can’t be.
He is.
How? Who killed him? Her whole body shook, and she rustled her wings. Anger flashed in her eyes.
Sid would not tell her the truth. Dying because he was bewitched was an awful way to go. Pearl deserved to think better of him than that.
He died fighting the white witch.
Why was he even there?
They wanted to fight. I could not deny them that.
Tears streamed down her snout.
Pearl, go wherever you need to. Take care of your grief. We’ve got this here.
She shook her head and tears went flying. I will finish this. I will do whatever you need.
Thank you.
Sid’s generals approached him and bowed. How can we help you, Your Majesty?
The humans are coming, and they want to avenge their dead. We may need to fight. Organize the dragons, and I will give further orders after I gather more information.
They all bowed once again and flew off into the mass of dragons.
Sid changed into a human and trudged into his house. He was so very tired. He wanted to sleep.
He found Aspen and the others watching the TV in the theater room. “Do we know where they are going yet?”
“No. I don’t think we will until they arrive. If they think the dragons are all still in Yellowstone, they’ll head there first,” Freddie said. “But look at those trucks. The way the weapons are mounted. They’re meant to be fired into the air. Not on the ground.”
“What’s your point?”
“If you don’t fly, they can’t hurt you,” Freddie said.
Sid thought on this. He didn’t want to fight the humans. Not really. They were not his enemy. But would the humans allow the dragons to live?
Skye sank into the couch next to him. “What if we surrender? Will they kill us all?”
“I don’t know. But it’s not a bad idea.”
“What, surrendering?” Val asked. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard. They’ll slaughter us.”
Hazel put her hand on his. “You know, it’s actually a great idea. Most humans wouldn’t kill thousands of any creatures innocently standing in front of them.”
“That’s it.” Sid sat up. “The prophecy said all species would be involved. The animals all answer to me. We will call them and bri
ng them all here. They will stand with us. We will wave the white flag of surrender. If the humans attack, they will have to kill not only the dragons, but all the animals of Yellowstone. They’ll never do it.”
Everyone looked at him for a second, and a grin spread across Aspen’s face. “I think that is brilliant. I’m in.”
Sid glanced at Val.
“I can’t think of anything better. It’s either that or kill the army, and they’ll send another one,” Skye said.
Rowan nodded, and Hazel glared at Val. He let out a breath. “Okay. Let’s try it. But I think we need to have the dragons prepared to fight if we’re attacked.”
Sid didn’t need to be told twice. He bounded out of the room, and as soon as he hit the cold spring air, he whistled for his eagle.
The eagle bowed low. The dragons are about to be attacked. We need all the animals to stand with us. Put out the call. Any animal within two hours distance must come and help. They must come quickly. Go, Sid said.
The eagle bowed once again and took off. Almost instantly, ten additional eagles joined him, and then they all raced in different directions. Sid turned into a dragon and flew to the middle of the field. He floated in the air and laid his eyes upon the remaining dragons.
We have fought hard. We have defeated the witch. The canyon and arctic dragons are gone. So are the woodland and fire. We have much to mourn, but we have one more obstacle to overcome. The humans. They have lost far more than we have. They are angry. Looking for blood. We do not wish to fight them. We will surrender.
The dragons below him shuffled.
I know this may seem cowardly, but we do not wish to harm them or have them kill any more of us. We will stand before them, at their mercy, and ask for them to let us live.
It will be imperative that you do not take flight. The weapons they have should not hurt us on the ground. We will stand tall and face them. The animals will join us. Our hope is that the humans will not kill us and all the other animals in the area. Will you follow me?
As one, the dragons dropped to the earth in a bow, and Sid hoped he had not just sealed their deaths.
Sid gave his generals instructions on how to organize the dragons. They would be mixed together. All races. They would gather behind his front gate and weave around to the back of his house. Even if the troops were heading to Yellowstone, eventually they would figure out the dragons were here. His plan was to meet the trucks at the gates. The animals would be interspersed among them.
The Kings: The Dragon Kings Book 5 Page 16
