Wrath of the Dragon Czar

by James E. Wisher

  A tremendous roar filled the air.

  Did a spell run out of control? He looked around and found everyone else doing the same.

  Anya trembled as she clung to him. “I know that sound. That’s what the monsters that attacked the Ministry in London sounded like.”

  He sensed movement a moment before Prime said, “Master, above us!”

  Conryu looked up to see a dragon covered in bronze scales circling overhead. Two more joined it while a fourth soared toward the dorm.

  One of the girls noticed the dragons and screamed. Like a match to oil, fear exploded through the students. Girls ran in every direction. It was chaos and he didn’t want to get caught up in it.

  “I told you!” Anya screamed. “I told you they’d come for me.”

  “Yes, you did.” Keeping his cool, Conryu focused on the earth at his feet and called to mind one of the defensive spells his earth magic teacher taught him. “Spirits of earth, strong and firm. A barrier form to prove your worth. Diamond Skin!”

  Invisible energy rose through his feet and surrounded his body. The spell would protect him from all but the most powerful physical attacks.

  “Let’s find Maria and Kelsie and get inside.”

  One of the dragons dove and breathed fire, setting the poetry club’s tent ablaze. Students came pouring out to join the mad dash.

  Keeping Anya behind him, Conryu made his way toward the cooking club’s tent. “Prime, keep an eye out for Kelsie and Maria.”

  A girl in red robes ran into Conryu, bounced off, and went sprawling to the ground. Thanks to his spell he didn’t even feel it.

  “Are you okay?” She ignored him, scrambled to her feet, and raced toward the school. “I guess so.”

  A dragon dove toward a clump of fleeing students. When the fire roared to life in its mouth Conryu raised his hand. “Break!”

  His spell doused the fire for a moment and the dragon pulled up, soaring back into the sky.

  “Master, to your right.”

  He spotted Kelsie an instant later. She crouched just inside the tent entrance like it would offer her some protection.

  Another roar from above drew his attention. Dean Blane and a handful of teachers were buzzing around the dragons, blasting them with spells. The attacks didn’t seem to do much good, but at least the monsters were distracted for the time being.

  Conryu pushed his way over to Kelsie. She clenched her eyes tight and her hands held the tent flap in an iron grip.

  He knelt beside her. “Hey, are you hurt?”

  Kelsie’s eyes popped open and she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Only his protective spell kept her from strangling him.

  “What are those things?” The question came out as a half sob.

  “Dragon manes,” Anya said. “The Empire sent them, I’m sure of it.”

  Conryu didn’t doubt it as they looked exactly like the monsters described in the report Mr. Kane let him read. Strange they didn’t seem especially interested in Anya. Perhaps they were too stupid to pick her out amongst the throng.

  “Have you seen Maria?” Conryu asked.

  Kelsie gave a visible shake as she pulled herself together. “No, but the alchemy club set up four tents down.”

  “Let’s go.”

  With Conryu once more in the lead they sprinted off. The crowd had thinned as more and more students fled the area. He spotted Maria waving people toward the school and the giant knot in his stomach untied. She was okay, thank goodness. Figured she’d keep her head too.

  “Maria!” She turned his way and her look of relief brought a smile to his face. “We need to get out of here.”

  “No kidding.”

  Aside from a few stragglers the area around the tents was clear of students. The four of them joined the rush toward the front steps. Conryu held Maria’s hand and Anya kept his arm in a death grip. Kelsie seemed to be managing okay on her own. Now that they were moving, her panic had subsided.

  Conryu pushed through the doors and into the entry area. Hundreds of girls milled around, seeming uncertain what to do next. Conryu wasn’t sure himself, but he doubted hanging around on the ground floor surrounded by glass was the best idea. They needed to get everyone downstairs. How was another matter altogether.

  “What now?” Anya asked.

  Conryu scanned the crowd. It didn’t take long to spot Crystal. He whistled and when she looked his way motioned her over.

  “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Crystal said. “What the hell are those things?”

  “Long story,” Conryu said. “Can you get everyone downstairs? You’re not safe here.”

  “I can try. They’re all scared half to death. So am I for that matter. I saw the dean and some of the teachers fighting.”

  “Me too. I’m sure they’ll have everything wrapped up in no time.” Conryu hated lying, but he didn’t want to frighten Crystal any more than she already was. “I’m afraid if one of them slams into the building everyone will get sprayed with glass.”

  “I hadn’t even considered that.” Crystal chewed her lip. “I’ll see what I can do. What about you?”

  “Those things might be after Anya. We’re going up to the dean’s office. That room’s warded six ways from Sunday. We’ll be okay.”

  Crystal nodded. “Good luck.”

  “You too.”

  Conryu led his companions through the press. Outside an especially loud roar sounded and the room shook. It felt like something big struck the ground nearby. He hoped that meant one of the monsters was down for the count.

  They ran up to the administrative area. The secretaries had all made themselves scarce. At the end of the hall the door to the dean’s office hung partway open.

  Thank god for small favors. If Dean Blane had locked it he would have needed to break it down and that would sort of defeat the point of hiding there.

  “Do you really think we’ll be safe in her office?” Anya asked.

  Conryu took a breath to say he had no idea when Maria cut in. “Of course we will. Dean Blane is crazy strong and her office will have plenty of protections in place.”

  He gave Maria’s hand a squeeze of thanks. They took a step toward the open door.

  The room shook and a dragon mane smashed through the wall, stopping between them and the office.

  It lashed out with a wing and sent everyone flying.

  Conryu tumbled and bounced, losing all sense of where the girls ended up.

  At least his spell protected him. He leapt back to his feet. The dragon mane roared and opened its mouth. Flames danced behind its teeth.

  Conryu raised his hand and focused all his anger. “Break!”

  A head-sized ball of dark magic slammed into the monster’s mouth, snuffed the flames, and staggered it.

  Having bought a moment’s respite, he scanned the area. Anya had landed behind him, farthest from the dragon mane. She was as safe as she could be under the current circumstances. Kelsie sat up in the middle of the hall, seeming no worse for the wear.

  His heart skipped a beat. Maria leaned against the wall, head slumped and not moving.

  Cold rage settled over him. “Shroud of all things ending. Cowl of nightmares born. Dark wrap that looks upon all things’ doom, Reaper’s Cloak!”

  The chill of the cloak settled over him and he pulled the cowl up over his head. Maria’s life force still burned in her chest. Thank goodness.

  He turned his attention to the recovering dragon mane. A bright blue flame burned in its breast, but not for long.

  Yarik gave the dragon manes a short headstart then followed. As he topped the hill, he found a scene of chaos. Girls in robes ran every which way, tents burned, and everyone was screaming. The dragons flew above the gathering. Every once in a while one of them dove and breathed fire, setting another tent ablaze.

  A dragon mane peeled off and slammed into the dorm. From the number of people milling around he doubted any of the students were inside – at least he hoped so. Whil
e Yarik needed to capture Anya to save his wife, he’d prefer to avoid any innocent people getting hurt.

  A black sphere shot up at a descending dragon and snuffed out its flame. Yarik tracked it back to its source and found a short-haired figure in black robes standing beside a blond in brown. He was too far away to be sure, but his gut said the blond was Anya. Over his years in the security service he’d learned to trust that feeling.

  Yarik followed the pair as they ran deeper into the chaos. They collected a girl in black then another in white. The little group was among the last to head for the school building. Yarik jogged along behind them. He silently cursed himself for not thinking to grab something he could use to simulate a robe. He shook his head and kept going. Hopefully the girls would be too upset to take any notice of him.

  He coughed as a cloud of smoke came his way. Ducking his head, Yarik pushed through the doors in time to see the students he’d been following run up a set of stairs. He circled the largest gathering of students and eased up behind them.

  He found a door swinging and peeked through the small window. The building shook as a dragon mane smashed its way into the building. Its wing slammed into the group, scattering them like tenpins.

  If the stupid beast killed Anya, he’d…well he probably wouldn’t do anything, but the czar would certainly have Yarik and his wife executed. He let out the breath he’d been holding when she climbed to her feet.

  The boy in black faced the dragon mane. In fact, everyone was looking at the giant dragon. He doubted he’d get a better chance than this. Yarik pulled his revolver, eased the door open, and came up behind Anya.

  He clamped his hand over her mouth and pressed the muzzle of his gun to her back. “Make a sound and you’re dead,” he whispered.

  She stiffened, but remained silent. The boy was chanting in one of the wizard’s unintelligible languages, totally focused on the dragon mane. The beast had done its job well.

  Yarik dragged Anya back out the door. When it shut he pushed her toward the steps. “Move.”

  She looked back at him and her eyes widened. “You! Why are you here? You let me go in Calais.”

  “A mistake. A moment of weakness. One I’m here to fix. Now move.”

  She looked more sad than afraid. Yarik hated her for the pity he saw in her eyes.

  He poked her with the muzzle of his gun. They trotted down the steps to the now-empty lobby. Outside wizards fought two of the dragon manes in the sky above the school.

  They ran through the burning tents toward the train platform. Hopefully Hedon and Victor had the conductor under control so they could leave at once. Any delay might prove fatal.

  “At last you choose to embrace my power,” the cold voice of the Reaper said.

  Conryu hated that voice, but right now he had a monster to deal with and minimal options. Maria was hurt and he needed to end this quickly.

  “Yes, damn you. How do I kill that thing?”

  “All creatures of draconic lineage have some resistance to magic, but nothing can resist death. I am Null, the Reaper, Ender of all Things. Call my name and imagine the beast’s life being snuffed out and it will be.”

  Such a simple thing. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Maria lying, unmoving, on the floor. The dragon mane roared and stared at her.

  Conryu’s eyes narrowed. It wouldn’t hurt her again, he refused to allow it.

  He raised his hand and focused on the blue flame burning in the dragon mane’s chest, imagining it vanishing. “Null take you!”

  A ghostly, skeletal hand stretched out from him and wrapped around the dragon mane’s soul. The creature’s deep roar turned to a pained squeal as the ghost hand closed.

  It thrashed and smashed several desks before going still, its life force annihilated. The monster’s scales turned gray and the light went out of its eyes.

  “See, boy, nothing to it. Why not go help your teachers? We can slay the remaining beasts in seconds. Then we can hunt down the Le Fay Society. You know they’ll be after you sooner or later.”

  The Reaper had a point. It would be simple enough to kill anyone that might threaten him or the people he cared about. Might even make the world a better place. He had this power whether he wanted it or not. Why not use it?

  “Conryu!”

  Kelsie’s shout dragged him out of his morbid musings. Cursing the Reaper and his evil power, he willed the spell to end.

  Never again.

  There was a moment’s delay and the Reaper said, “Never say never, boy. You will need me again.”

  Voice and cloak vanished together and light returned to the world. Kelsie knelt beside Maria. Her hands shook and waved around.

  “What happened to her?” Conryu joined them on the floor.

  “She hit her head.” Kelsie looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I don’t know how to help.”

  “I do.” He’d only had two lessons with St. Seraphim, but the first spell he memorized was one of powerful healing. “The gentle light of Heaven washes away all wounds, Touch of the Goddess.”

  Conryu’s hand glowed with golden light and he brushed it across Maria’s forehead. He willed the energy along with his love to sink into her and heal whatever injury she suffered.

  The glow expanded and enveloped Maria’s whole body. When it faded she groaned and sat up. “What happened?”

  Conryu grinned. “You got walloped by a dragon, but I think you’ll be okay.”

  “I know I will, thanks to you. What spell did you use?” Typical Maria, more interested in the spell than the actual healing.

  “Touch of the Goddess. Are you familiar with it?”

  She stared at him for a moment. “I’ve read about it, but it’s a master-level spell usable only by the most powerful light-magic-aligned wizards. How do you know it?”

  “St. Seraphim taught it to me Wednesday. Considering the trouble we always get into I figured knowing a healing spell would come in handy.” He reached down and brushed a stray hair off her forehead. “It certainly did today.”

  “Where’s Anya?” Kelsie asked.

  “Shit! She was right behind me.” Conryu gave Maria one last squeeze on the shoulder and got to his feet.

  Last time he saw her Anya had been standing by the door to the stairwell. Conryu shoved the door open and looked over the rail. No sign of her.

  She wouldn’t have gone off on her own, Anya was far too jittery for that. He ran across the hall and over to the hole. The dead dragon already stank like it had been rotting for a month.

  He squinted against the glare. A dragon mane swooped past him with a pair of wizards in pursuit.

  When his field of vision cleared, he spotted two figures running across the yard. He muttered the water spell Terra taught him and they seemed to leap towards him. One was a blond in a brown robe, definitely Anya. The second was a man in a sweat-stained suit. He had a pistol in his hand, which explained how he got Anya to go with him, but who was he and how did he get here?

  It didn’t matter. Conryu needed to stop him and save Anya.

  He snorted. Some bodyguard. He’d been at it barely a week and his charge already got kidnapped.

  He turned back to Maria and Kelsie. If another dragon mane attacked, there was no way the two of them could defeat it. Did he go after Anya or stay and protect Maria and Kelsie?

  Conryu wanted to shout. He needed to be in two places at once.

  “What’s going on?” Maria asked. Kelsie had helped her sit up.

  “Someone grabbed Anya.”

  “What are you standing here for? Go help her.”

  “What about you two? You’re not in any shape for a fight.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Maria said. “Get going.”

  He nodded. “Okay. Be careful. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Conryu returned to the hole and glanced over his shoulder. The girls were blocked by a wall, good. Before casting his flight spell he whispered, “Kai.”

  The girl in black faded into vie
w and took a knee. “Chosen. I saw everything, sensed his presence. You were in direct communion with the Reaper. I feel like a fool for ever doubting you.”

  He looked back again, but the girls hadn’t reacted to her low voice. “Thanks. I need you to watch over Maria and Kelsie. I’m trusting you with their safety. Don’t let me regret it.”

  She met his gaze, her eyes hard and determined. “My life for theirs, Chosen.”

  When Kai had disappeared again Conryu released his diamond skin and cast, “Father of winds, carry me into your domain. Air Rider.”

  Power swirled around him and he leapt out of the hole. Like a missile, Conryu streaked toward the fleeing kidnapper.

  By the time Conryu got up into the air he’d lost sight of Anya. He didn’t dare fly too fast for fear of missing something, so he glided along, scanning the ground as he flew in the direction he’d last seen them running. He hadn’t been more than a minute or two getting after them so they couldn’t have gotten far.

  “See anything, Prime?”

  “No, Master. Are you well? I felt the Reaper’s presence again back there.”

  “I’m fine. I didn’t want to use his power, but I was pressed for time.”

  “Null’s power is certainly the most efficient way to kill something.”

  He grimaced. Conryu had no desire for a more efficient way to kill.

  Half a minute later he spotted Anya and the stranger running toward the train platform. A second man was waiting, a big, bald bruiser that had to be seven feet tall. However big he was, Conryu doubted he’d last long against a wizard.

  With a thought he descended toward the platform. Anya spotted him and shouted, “Conryu!”

  So much for the element of surprise. The moment he touched the ground Conryu chanted, “Spirits of earth, strong and firm. A barrier form to prove your worth. Diamond Skin!”

  Power rose up and surrounded him and not a moment too soon as a bullet from the kidnapper’s revolver bounced off his thigh.