An instantly recognizable and bone-chilling sound echoed across the vast desert sand dunes. All the soldiers scrambled out of the water to grab their armor and draw their weapons in preparation of the fight they knew was coming. Jaycob stayed in the water, floating along on the surface. If death was coming for him, he wasn't going to run away. He lost his friend, so there was nothing left to live for. A shadow crossed the emptiness of the sand then flew across the oasis, followed by another and another of the same winged shapes.
Dragons.
Jaycob continued to ignore them until they landed nearby and he heard a deep familiar voice with a heavy accent.
"Jaycob Colif Tamerlayn-Sequarius of Destfort, you are needed back in the Ilyan camp."
Jaycob quickly dried himself off with a towel and dressed, unconcerned that anyone could see him. He met eyes with the purple dragon-winged Ka'taylin. "Good to see you alive and well, Xair."
"Yes, well, we can have more time for reunions once we arrive at camp. We need you there immediately."
"What for?" Jaycob asked. "I thought Jeremiah exiled me out here."
Xair ran his hand through his straight white hair. "Yeah, about that . . . Jeremiah is currently in chains and under guard by every available soldier in camp. There have been some developments."
"Developments? Don't tell me he did something else ridiculous."
"Queen Sela of Wolfekin has been found dead in his bed. Judging by the wounds and the blood splatters, he punched her to death. Once."
"He punched her one time and she died from it?" Jaycob asked.
"In the stomach. His fist went all the way through her. It was gruesome and beyond physical human strength. We stripped him and searched him, which is when we found the mark on his back. He has been marked by a demon of some kind that is making him behave strangely and do things that he normally wouldn't do or be capable of doing. We have an ally coming from their ship in the Onyx Sea to Ilyan as we speak who has some knowledge of these marks and the demons behind them."
Jaycob noticed the elven necromancer on a large black dragon and the red-haired incubus who was riding a very young-looking bronze-scaled dragon. "Why does Gavin get a dragon?"
"Gavin has always had Talix. Talix is Karix's younger brother."
"Brother?" Jaycob asked. "How does that even work? Dragons don't have families."
"The riders who mated with their fathers were brothers. So when the human brothers died and created the two of them, they were technically brothers. The age gap is explained by their Ka'taylin genetics. Talix-"
"Okay, okay. I get it. Dragons are so complicated. Anyway, Xair, why are you siding with Sulstair?"
"They have proven that they are trustworthy."
"How can you trust them?"
"You want to know?" Xair asked, crossing his arms and letting his leathery dragon wings flap in the air. "I remember something Dayxi told me one time. 'Sometimes a man's allegiance lies not with a king, but with the foolishly admirable notion that humanity is inherently good. We mock these men, calling them naive, gullible, or ignorant. But deep down, we are all cheering them on or praying they are right.' Sulstair and Gavin want to do what's right. I will support them in that endeavor no matter what."
A loud horn was sounded as all the dragons looked up from where they were bowing. The soldiers rushed into the crowd with their weapons at the ready. Sulstair pointed at the tops of the sand dunes on the other side of the oasis where a loud screeching came from a hoard of demons, armed with all manner of makeshift weapons and rusted armor. "We need to get these dragons in the air and get ready to fight."
"Can you ride one?" Xair asked.
Jaycob froze as he stared at the dragons then at the hoards of demons clambering over the sand dunes.
"Jaycob, can you ride one? You've done it before."
"I-I don't . . ."
Xair stepped in front of him and glared at him sternly. "We need you to be our leader. Pick out a dragon and ride him."
With a heart filled with trepidation and dread, Jaycob walked down the rows of various-colored dragons who were standing with their wings pinned against their sides and their heads lowered in respect. He continued until he stopped in front of an ancient yellow dragon with dim grey eyes. His horns were cracked and the tips had been broken off. His scales were worn down with age and some of them along his tail were chipped and covered in lines from blades that had dragged across them at one point. For some reason, this old dragon called to him.
"Have you found your mount?" Xair asked from where he was hovering in the sky.
"I'm good. Everyone else, get moving! I'll join you in the sky in a minute." Jaycob turned to the dragon and bowed to him. He petted the dragon's snout. "Hello. Grizre rivren."
"Nice to meet you too." The dragon growled slightly as he spoke to him in his deep yet calming voice. "I am Garenzen. It has been centuries since I've heard my language spoken to me. How does a human like you know Draconic?"
Jaycob slowly ran his hand down the weathered yellow scales on the dragon's neck. "I used to be a Dragon Knight."
"Used to be?" Garenzen asked. "Where is your dragon?"
"He turned on me and tried to kill me."
"Astrinalix?"
"Yes. How did you know?" Jaycob asked as he stepped up onto the dragon's claws then pulled himself up into the smooth place between the spines on the dragon's back.
"Everyone knows about Astrinalix and you, Jaycob. Do not worry. We look down on Astrinalix's actions and have condemned them."
Jaycob expertly applied pressure to the dragon's spine with his knees. "Are you ready?"
Garenzen let out a fierce roar as he spread out his brown wings. "Your knees feel good. You know how to give body commands like the riders of the old days, don't you? That's what that is."
"Aye. You will obey my commands, won't you?"
"Of course."
As Garenzen's massive wings sliced through the dry desert air, Jaycob stood on the dragon's back with his knees tightly clamped around the scales. It had been so long since he had had this kind of thrilling bond with a dragon, and for the first time in over one thousand years, he was enjoying it. All the hatred he had once felt for dragons left his mind completely as he felt Garenzen's chest expanding with every breath he took. They worked in perfect synchronization, even though they had just met. It was from the decades of training that Astrinalix had put Jaycob through in order to make him the perfect Dragon Knight. If there was one thing he was thankful for that he got from Astrin, it was that.
"Jaycob, I have a different kind of breath that most dragons are afraid of."
"What is it?" Jaycob asked.
"Time."
His breath escaped him momentarily. "Time?"
"I can slow down time."
"Livne! Breathe! Show me what you can do."
"As you command." Garenzen glided down towards the hoards of demons and otherworld creatures that were climbing all over the top of each other and screeching in their fury. The dragon opened his mouth and roared again. This time, a clear and purple-tinted mist shot out and drifted down towards the ground where it solidified into a barrier around the entire battlefield.
Jaycob shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet that dug into the sensitive place between the scales on the back of the dragon's front legs. He smiled when Garenzen let out a pleasured hiss and headed down to land on the ground near the barrier. Garenzen was so responsive. It must have been a long time since he had a competent rider. Jaycob watched in wonder as the demons slowly moved at a fraction of their normal pace. He hadn't seen anything like it.
The other dragons stopped and hovered in the air above the barrier, waiting for Garenzen's signal. With one ground-shaking roar, the barrier shattered. The dragons and the soldiers rushed inside, attacking the slowed demons and centaurs with a vengeful fury. The Vilyron infantrymen slashed and stabbed into demon after demon, spilling buckets of purple demonic blood over the thirsty sand.
"Your orders,
Jaycob?"
Jaycob grinned and slid his fingertips underneath the scales on the dragon's neck to rub Garenzen's very delicate skin below, eliciting a purring sound from him. "Unleash hell, Garenzen!"
"As you command." Garenzen dove through the misty remnants of the barrier and into the fray. His slick brown claws sliced through five demons at once, severing their bodies into two pieces. He trapped two screaming incubi between his jagged teeth and crushed them in one snap of his powerful jaws. Before the clawing demons could grab onto him, Garenzen swiped his tail behind him, sending a wave of demons, centaurs, and giant spiders backwards to the ground.
Jaycob continued to use his Draconic words and his body to direct the dragon's attacks as the soldiers did the same, learning to ride their dragons as they went. Roars and screams filled the air as the mage-glow began to dim into darkness. Eventually, the fighting died down as a pile of mangled and torn demonic creatures laid strewn about the brown sand dunes. Jaycob slumped down in the dip between Garenzen's spines as his exhaustion finally swept over him.
"Jaycob, are you all right?" Garenzen asked as he dug his claws into a dying demon. "Do you need some rest?"
"Aye. I've had a rough couple of days."
"Shall I take you back to Ilyan, then? We will let the soldiers finish up here with the other dragons. They will be on their way soon enough."
Jaycob wanted to stay and help finish off the stragglers, but he desperately needed some sleep and some relaxation before he keeled over. Sliding down between the dragon's scales and propping his feet up on Garenzen's back, he sighed and closed his eyes. "Good dragon Garenzen, take me home."
"As you command, my dear rider. As you command."
Chapter 13
Day 12: Evening
Vilyron Military Camp, Outer Ilyan, Central Vilyron
Various Infantry, Angelic, and Allied Forces
The flight back from the Cavinil Desert was long enough for Jaycob to get at least get a bit of much-needed sleep. Once Garenzen landed in the field, Jaycob slid off of the dragon's back and patted him gently on the neck. "Tirik Orrinro, Garenzen."
"You are quite welcome, Jaycob. Would you like me to stay around for a bit? Things seem kind of heated over there by the bonfire. I would hate to leave and something happen to you."
Jaycob put his keffiyeh back on his head, not to shade himself from the sun, but to keep Garenzen from seeing his anxiousness. He tried to hide from the dragon's eyes for fear that he would indeed see how much Jaycob needed him there. Being alone was never something Jaycob could come to terms with. It was the worst torture imaginable.
"Jaycob?"
He ignored the dragon as he watched the bodies moving around the bonfire in the pitch-black darkness. Jaylen was yelling at Jeremiah who was on his knees with chains binding his legs and arms. Brinx was weeping as Oviel was consoling her. Trevor was on a warpath of pacing, swinging his silver war hammer as he circled around Jeremiah. Leader was holding a tiny baby angel in his arms behind them all. The soldiers and angels still in the camp were gathered around where they were in various states of shock, resignation, and depression. Their weapons had been thrown to the ground as some of them stormed off into the night, despite threats from Jeremiah of being labeled as deserters and traitors.
"You're lonely, aren't you?" Garenzen asked, placing a giant claw gently on Jaycob's shoulder. "You should not be lonely. Do you know why? As much as you dislike these people, there is someone among them who needs you. Look over at that far tent. There's a man standing on top of it, but no one has noticed him yet. I do not know you very well, Jaycob Tamerlayn-Sequarius, but I do know that you should either alert these people to that man's presence or you should go embrace him."
"Embrace him? Why in Aldexa would I do that?"
"Because he's waiting here for you. Notice how he's searching, scanning the camp. We can't see his face which means he's hiding something. His shoulders are slumped, a sign that he's losing hope. If everyone else has been in the camp today or are already here, who else could he be looking for? He has no weapon, so he's not here for an assassination or an attack. He could be a spy, but even Wolfekin spies know how to stay hidden better than that."
He ran his fingers down the dragon's neck scales. "You read people well."
"When you're as old as I am, you learn things. Though, you're not exactly a hatchling yourself."
"You're right about that. Well, I suppose I could wave to him."
"Do what you will." Garenzen said, bowing his head. "I am at your command."
"Stay here. I'll go see what's going on."
"As you command, Jaycob."
Jaycob's hand slid down his side and into one of the pockets on his yellow checkered skirt as he walked into the tension-filled camp. His fingers tightened around one of his enchanted decks of bladed playing cards . . . just in case. Instead of being focused on the arguing that was going on by the bonfire, his eyes were looking up at the mysterious man in black who was perched on top of the tent. The man was balancing there on the top pole, using only the toe of his left foot to do so. Even the wind was not causing him to waiver. As he drew closer, Jaycob caught a glimpse of glowing orange from underneath the stranger's large hood. A demon. Jaycob drew his cards from his pocket then with one flick of his wrist, he sent the blue-backed cards flying through the air at the man.
The mysterious stranger's hand shot out from his cloak. He held up his hand where all the cards were held between his fingers. He caught them. He caught all of them. The demon's fangs glinted in the light from the fire as he grinned.
Jaycob backed away in silence, too stunned to call for help from the people who were nearby. No one had ever caught his cards that way. In a rush of panic, he retrieved another deck of cards and sent them flying. But the man stepped off of the tent and glided down to the ground where he landed on one knee and caught the cards again.
The demon stood and faced Jaycob. He was shuffling the decks of cards and chuckling. Eventually, the man put the cards into his pocket then held out his hands. "Got any more cards to throw at me?"
What was he supposed to say? "I . . . maybe."
"I'll just catch them. You know that. After all, I'm the one who made those for you. I know how they work, Jaycob." The demon pulled his hood down, revealing the pale skin, feathery black hair, and soft features. "Hey."
Jaycob could have died right there from the shock. He actually stumbled backwards as the realization swept over him. That was the voice he had been needing to hear for nearly forty years. "Dusty?"
The demon laughed and held out his arms. "More or less."
"How is this possible? You're dead."
"Yes. Yes, I am. But Purgatory is currently out of service, so my soul gets to wander around this place being that it's not trapped inside a golem. It's currently taking a significant amount of my energy to hold this physical form. Any longer, and I'll fade away, I guess. That's why I've been trying to find you. I need a golem body."
"Dusty . . ."
Dusty came up to Jaycob and embraced him. "It's still me, buddy. It's good to talk to you."
Jaycob ran his hands up the demon's warm back. "I don't want to put you back inside a golem."
"I know. Do you think I enjoy it? Hell no. I'd much rather stay like this so I can do things other than ride on your shoulder, but that's not a privilege I have. I need this. If I'm going to stay with you, I need a body."
There was another option, one that Dusty had every right to ask of him. "What if . . . what if you didn't stay with me?"
"Hmm?"
"What if I gave you what I owe you? I have to fulfill my part of the contract sometime."
Dusty pulled back and held Jaycob at arm's length. "Not today. Not ever. You still don't get it, do you? Jaycob, I need you. Not just your soul. Before we do anything else, there's something I need to tell you."
"Anything. I'm listening."
"I've never lied to you, but there are some things that I may not have been completely f
orthcoming with. I'm not just a reaper."
"You're a Nephilim."
Dusty's slanted orange eyes grew wider as he stared at Jaycob. "W-what? How did you know?"
"I've always known."
"And you're not afraid?" Dusty asked.
"You don't deserve to be a demon. I know it wasn't your fault. You talk in your sleep, bud. Like a lot. Now, let's go get you a new body. Then I have a bossy seraph to punch in the face."
* * *
"You constantly preach to us about maintaining appearances and to avoid anything that could jeopardize this war, but you go and kill the leader of an allied country during a romantic tryst? What is wrong with you?" Jaylen grabbed Jeremiah's tuft of blond hair and pulled his head up to look at him. "Answer me!"
Jeremiah simply stayed there on his knees by the bonfire without saying a word.
"You make me sick." Jaylen motioned for Leader who came over with Cael in his arms. "Lower the ishim so Jeremiah can see what he's done."
Leader held out the motionless baby angel. "He's dead."
Jeremiah's head snapped up at that. "No."
"Yes. You killed your adopted son!"
"I did no such thing." Tears gathered in the seraph's eyes. "You don't actually think I would do something so heartless. No. I know I killed Sela, and I already told you Finalis made me do that. But he didn't make me kill Cael."
"Finalis? Finalis! I am Finalis!" Jaylen shouted. He landed a punch to Jeremiah's face. "You would dare to blame this on me?"
"Not you, Jaylen. The evil thing living inside of you, pretending to be you. Finalis is not you. I heard his voice in my mind as clear as anything. I swear that thing is not you! You've been marked by a demon, Jaylen. Just like the mark on my back, you are controlled by it. Yours is hidden under that black X on your chest. Whether you know it or not, you've been doing strange things as well. Who knows how many people here have been marked and are being controlled by demons or Finalis? I bet you even know where Zeriel is, don't you? I bet Finalis made you kill him!"
Angel of Darkness Books 6-10 Page 63
