A scream and a blast of glass jolted Ichi. Looking skyward, he watched one of the dragons balk to avoid a spray of glass.
“Andrew!” a woman cried out as one of the children tumbled off of the dragon's back.
Without hesitation, Ichi used his wind magic to create a current that would send the boy back up to his parents. Ichi tried to keep his balance on the condominium while trying to save the boy's life at the same time, but with each sway of the building, his focus wavered with it as he fought to stay upright. Sweat beaded down his forehead and his legs hurt as he tightened his muscles. The boy flew up to the dragon, weaving the entire way. Ichi grunted with relief when one of the wives grabbed the boy and helped him on to the dragon's back.
Ichi offered up a silent prayer of gratitude. It was time for him to transform and fly as well. A loud creak deafened him. He had just enough time to look up as a piece of the train from the biggest tower in the city came crashing toward him. There were only two options: jump or be crushed.
He leaped off of the building.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Mikko flew toward the hills. The country was full of large, rolling, green landscape east of Oceina City. She saw Lee standing on top of one hill not too far from the city itself. He was close enough to watch the destruction he was creating, but away from the majority of civilization. His arms were outstretched and his gaze remained on the city — even after she landed, almost like he hadn't even noticed her presence. When he smirked, however, she knew he was very aware of her being there.
“So glad you could join me,” he said.
Without hesitation, Mikko knocked him over with a swipe of her tail, hoping to break his concentration — or his neck. She'd never wanted to hurt anyone before in life until that moment.
He fell to the ground and laughed. “Come on, you're going to fight me as a beast?”
“I'm the Great Dragon, aren't I?” she sneered at him.
“True, and there is something majestic and beautiful about your dragon form. It's possibly even more amazing than your human body.” His smile never faded. “Speaking of dragons, I've many of your kin fleeing the city. Flying like glorious blue snakes through the sky. You want to know what I'm not seeing? Shiny white dragons.”
She barred her teeth, growling. “Perhaps I should just eat you.”
In the blink of an eye Lee lunged at her, transforming at the same time. Mikko had a smooth dragon form, beautiful and elegant, and majestic purple in color. She took on a shape that was similar to the Aero dragons but longer in the body like the Oceina. Lee's dragon form was grotesque. Sharp claws edged his wings. His teeth outgrew his jaw in a jagged mess that couldn't be contained inside of his mouth. His scales were hard and dull and a sharp shade of magenta. He truly was the opposite of everything she could possibly be.
Mikko blocked his attack by swinging her tail at him. It connected with his face and knocked him to the side. She charged at him, but he wasn't so easy to catch off guard a second time. Lee slashed at her with his claws — all of them, not just those on his feet. Her skin tore as he hooked into it and pulled a few claws worth of scales from her body. She howled and blasted him with fire. The fire itself didn't mar him, but the force sent him flying, creating some distance between them. Distance she needed if she was going to have any hope at surviving. Every few seconds she could buy for herself were precious.
All Mikko had to fight with were her natural survival instincts and no formal training. Lee, on the other hand, was born to be a killer and taught how to do it well, which gave him a strong advantage.
He hurled a magenta ball of flames at her. It struck her chest and stung her flesh. She summoned her water magic to cool the burn from his attack, leaving charred skin behind in its place. There wasn't much time to nurse her wounds. Lee's speed amazed her. Defending herself from his strikes would suck up all of her energy — which must have been his plan. He was waiting for her to roll over and quit.
Mikko conjured a shield of purple lightning to deflect his next magical assault. God, show me how to win this. I'm lost. Make me stronger because I can't do this one my own, she prayed.
She lifted up on her back legs as he lunged toward her once more. In doing so, she was able to slash at his face as he drew near. One of her claws dug into the scales around his snout just as he head-butted her hard in the chest. Tumbling backward, the wind knocked out of her lungs as the two rolled end over end over the hill. Lee landed on top of her, his front legs pinning her down as he glared at her. Blood gushed from his face, and she'd never seen such hatred inside of anyone before.
“There's no one here to help you anymore, you clueless, worthless woman. No knight in shining armor to conveniently get you out of this mess.” He roared and backhanded her with one of his massive front claws. Then he moved to strike her again.
Screaming in pain, Mikko lifted her own claws to try and deflect his blows, but his weight on top of her was too much to overcome. I can't. She hadn't even been aware she'd said the thought out loud.
“That's right, you can't. Can't win,” he sneered. He leaned forward, crushing her body with his own.
“Can't lose!” With all of her strength, she kicked Lee hard in the gut, taking advantage of their differing body shapes to get some good momentum. He fell off of her and adjusted his position so he could charge at her again.
The answer came to her like running full force into a brick wall. I'm not alone. The dragons are unified within me. Her magic had changed when she had bonded with Teo in her youth; it had changed again after she became one with Ichi. She had the power of all four dragon tribes inside of her.
Just as Lee leapt at her again, she brought up another shield, one created with all four of the elements. Instead of purple the shield became a blinding white. She got a great amount of pleasure at watching him bounce off of it like a doll. While he regained his bearings, she strengthened her shield and expanded its borders, using it to push Lee away from her and to take away his territory. The sizzling of his scales burning caused him to growl as her magic made contact with his skin. With some breathing room, Mikko's ability to think more clearly started to return.
“Time for you to go back to where you belong.” She growled and stomped her front feet on the ground.
The earth in front of her began to break apart, creating a large crevice. A red glow and smoke rose from out of the gap. Searing hot magma, or perhaps the fires of Hell itself, spewed toward the sky like a fountain. Lee would be getting what he'd earned.
The wind magic within her began to surge, so much so Mikko couldn't contain its power any longer. A great gust of wind rushed past her and hit Lee full force. He fell back into the abyss, laughing like the lunatic he was.
Mikko raised her front feet and the ground sealed itself with a low rumbling. If it weren't for the large divots in the ground from their fight, she would have had a hard time believing it had ever taken place. The pounding of her heart and the adrenaline pumping through her veins began to fade, leaving behind emotional and physical exhaustion.
She lowered her body to the ground, bowing her head to offer up a silent prayer of gratitude. Thank you, God. Please let this truly be the end. And then she wept: tears of joy, of heartbreak for Lee's lost soul, of overwhelming love for her God and of fear for her family — especially her husband. Please be alive. I can't have gone through all of this only to lose him.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Despite being exhausted, Mikko found enough strength within her to fly back to Oceina City. She transformed behind a large piece of broken concrete. Human again, she could survey the damage more effectively from the ground. Shattered glass was the most prevalent of destruction. Most of the buildings were fairly intact. A chunk of steel, pieces of dry wall, and other random debris were found sporadically as she wandered the streets aimlessly.
People were crying everywhere she went. The mildly injured helped the more severely wounded, and the dead were laid off to the side. Thankfully, t
here weren't as many innocent lives lost as she had originally thought. Things could have been so much worse.
Let everyone be okay, she prayed.
“Speaking of dragons, I've many of your kin escaping the city. Flying like glorious blue snakes through the sky. You want to know what I'm not seeing? Shiny white dragons.” Lee's words echoed in her mind. She shook her head, picking up speed as she made her way toward her grandma's home deeper in the city. He only said that to rattle me, make me emotional and vulnerable. Ichi is fine. I wish we had the ability to communicate with one another via telepathy. I thought that was supposed to be possible once we became one. Yet, I've never heard one of his thoughts and if he's heard any of mine he hasn't said a word about it. If she could hear his thoughts, even just one time, she would have some peace in her heart. At least she wouldn't have to wonder about her husband's safety. She didn't have a phone on her, or she'd have tried calling. Of course, that was assuming she'd be able to get through. The system was probably overwhelmed with calls.
Mikko could finally see the condominium. One of her uncles surveyed the damage in front of the building. He faced her when she drew near.
“You're okay,” he said and smiled. “I saw you fly off, but I wasn't sure where you'd gone off to.”
“I had to do some things,” she said softly. She didn't want to talk about her fight with Lee. In fact, if she could pretend the whole thing had never happened, that would be preferable. Eventually she would have to share all of the details, but that was not the most pressing of her concerns.
Her uncle walked over and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. “The rest of the family was able to get away. Most flew, but some ran and found sturdy shelter. For a while I thought the whole building was going to fall down. The earthquake didn't last for too long, thankfully. I think if it would have kept going, we'd have been in trouble. Odd that there aren't any aftershocks either.”
Because it wasn't created naturally. It was magical. She took in a deep breath, her body shaking less at the news that everyone escaped. “So everyone is okay? Ichi was able to get Grandma out?”
“Mom was placed on Thomas's back with the rest of his family. I didn't see Ichi board a dragon.” He averted his gaze.
Her brow furrowed. “What aren't you telling me?”
“The last thing I saw was one of Pax's sons falling from off of him. Ichi used his magic to save him. I looked away for five seconds and then saw Ichi falling off of the roof. That was the last anyone I've spoken with has seen him. I came back here to connect with the rest of the family who fled on the ground and to see if there was anything I could do to help.” He lifted his gaze to the building. “From an architectural standpoint, I think we can save home.”
“Forget about the condo for a moment. I know you're an architect and all, but… What do you mean, you saw him fall from the roof?” Panic rose in her chest, her heart pounding and her head growing dizzy. He's fine. He has to be.
Mikko didn't bother to wait for her uncle to reply. She ran past him to the side of the building and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Ichi! Where are you? Please answer!”
A quiet groan came from a nearby alleyway. Ichi lay on the ground, half dragon, half human. In a lot of ways he looked like a broken angel. Thick, leathery, dragon wings protruded from his back, and one of his arms had hooks growing from out of it. Splotches of scales could be found all over his skin. A large piece of concrete crushed his leg, pinning him in place. Mikko sprinted over the rubble around him and threw her arms around him.
“Gentle.” He winced. “Every inch of my body hurts.”
She relaxed her grip and brushed some of his hair away from his brow, which was covered in a mixture of sweat, dirt, and blood. “You look like you hurt.”
“I'm gonna live… once I get out… so don't worry about me.”
“I'm not worried. Your pain makes me sad, that's all.” She sniffled and he laughed, startling her. “What? What's so funny?”
He shook his head. “Do you think you can be my hero one more time and get this thing off of me? When I fell, I tried to transform. I finished but still ate the pavement, and I knocked a bunch of stuff down as I did. Being big, I didn't hurt myself as much as I would have if I had been small, so that's a plus, but it still killed. Fortunately for me I had enough energy to change back again. Then I got hit with that sucker.” He waved a hand at the concrete on top of him. “Didn't want to do too much after that. Tried to get it off myself, but it hurts a lot more than I can handle to transform. I know I should just bite the bullet and change back but…”
“I'm here now, and all you have to do is focus on resting.” She looked down the alley to make sure no one else was around to watch. There wouldn't be much room for her to change. If there was a way for her to only gain muscle, that would have been preferable. Mikko wasn't good at selective shifting, however. But I have magic.
She closed her eyes and focused on her wind magic, hoping she could make a force strong enough to lift the concrete off of him. It barely budged. She strained to increase the power of the wind. The magic was powerful but new. Controlling it didn't come as easily as the other elements inside of her. Ichi grunted and raised a hand. Wind blasted from his palm. He winced when the concrete started to grind and shift against the walls of the alley.
He squeezed his eyes shut. “I think I can move my leg out.”
“Let me.” Her concentration stayed on maintaining the wind while her body moved to his leg. She grabbed hold of it and pulled. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she listened to him scream in pain. Focus broken, the concrete fell back to the ground again with a loud crash.
She cradled his head in her arms. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do this to you.”
“Don't… apologize… for helping… me.” He breathed heavily. “Don't think less of me if I pass out, okay? I feel kind of sick.”
“Never. You're so brave,” she whispered then kissed his forehead. “I love you.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ichi played with Mikko's hair while she did her make-up. He was restless and tired of waiting in the small room where the two had been sequestered.
A week had passed since Lee went on his rampage. Life was slowly going back to normal. He and Mikko had left Oceina City for a neighboring town to rest. Not something either of them was happy with, but they had little choice in the matter. Ichi's leg was completely shattered. Surgery had been needed along with some heavy healing magic in order for him to even be able to walk again. The doctors put a cast on his leg that would remain there for six weeks. Ichi hated it, and he especially hated how he couldn't do much of anything.
Being stuck in a hotel room wasn't his idea of a good time. Naturally, when the Lady Oceina visited them, inviting the two of them to join her on a trip to the Dragon Council island, he was more than happy for the change of scenery. The island was a long journey. He wanted to shift and fly himself, but the doctors advised against it. Due to the nature of his injuries, any change could make things worse. Six weeks of not being able to feel the wind on his wings was going to be torture.
The Dragon Council Island was a special place where all of the dragon tribes met on a yearly basis to discuss politics. Equidistant from all four tribes, it was the only truly neutral location. Ichi had never been. From how bewildered Mikko looked when they had arrived, he doubted she had either. Her eyes were wide, taking in the sights of the tropical paradise. The only thing neither of them understood was why they were there in the first place.
As soon as they landed, they were escorted to the Oceina dragon housing complex and put into a room.
“Make yourselves look nice,” the Lady Oceina said, handing over a suitcase. “I'll be back in a little bit.”
An hour had passed and she hadn't returned. Ichi wanted to explore, of course, but Mikko insisted they stay and do as they were told. In the bag was a sundress for Mikko, some nice pants and a shirt for Ichi, and everything else they would need to “look
nice”.
“I know you're restless, but can you please stop messing up my hair?” Mikko glanced back at him.
He shrugged and stepped away. “You look fine.”
“She'll be back soon.”
“Soon would have been fifteen minutes. That usually constitutes a 'little bit'. I say we bust out!”
Mikko gave him “the look”, as his father always called it; a specific gaze that involved her looking up at him from under her eyelids and a rather sexy pout on her lips. Ichi knew it meant she wasn't pleased, but she was irresistible all the same.
A soft knock on the door snapped her gaze off of him. “Come in!”
The Lady Oceina opened the door. “I'm sorry. It took much longer for me to get back here than I had anticipated. We're ready for you as soon as you're done.”
Ichi hobbled over to the door. “I was born ready.”
The three of them walked out of the Oceina housing and outside into the warm, fresh air. He smiled as a breeze brushed against his skin. They took their time walking, enjoying the ambiance of the gardens representing the Oceina people. Each building for the different tribes had similar decoration. The Oceina had beautiful, dark blue lilies; the Inero, blood red roses; the Terran, vibrant tiger lilies and the Aero, elegant white orchids. Ichi had never seen so much diverse plant life in one area.
They made their way along the paths until they reached a large building. The Lady Oceina pointed at it.
“This is our destination.”
Slowly, they went up the stairs, through a long hallway, and into a massive auditorium. Bright lights shone down on them as they entered, distorting Ichi's view of everything around him. As the three of them walked toward the center of the room, thunderous applause sounded. Mikko gripped his arm tightly, moving closer.
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