“Understood,” I said. He lingered. My line advanced. I took a few steps. He lingered. “What?” I asked.
“You’re Deathwalker, the demon lord. The one they call the Red Moon Demon.”
“Yeah.”
He dug in his robes, searching.
I tensed, a heartbeat away from summoning a gun.
He pulled a small spiral-bound notebook out of hiding and flipped it open. “Can I have an autograph? Make it out to ‘Nuroggi, my best bud.’”
I stared. “Autograph?” That’s a first. I found a pen and gave him what he wanted, only to find myself surrounded by others of his kind. They held up scraps of paper, napkins, waving pens. “Okay, what’s this all about?”
“You protected the city!” one of them said.
“And the portals,” another added.
Several more said, “And saved our jobs!”
“You’re our hero.” That one had a female voice. She dropped her voice to a stage whisper. “I want your baby.”
Yeah, right. A free ride on my wallet as I pay child support out the ass. Not happening.
I signed quickly, misspelling my name on purpose as Cain Dethwalker. Clutching their autographs, they hurried back to work. The woman lingered, hope flashing in her liquid-crystal eyes of green tourmaline.
I smiled regretfully. “Sorry, I’m in a committed relationship…” With my own best interest.
She sighed and trudged off.
I hurried and caught up with my line. The guy right in front of me passed the confessional’s door. A blue-green shimmer surrounded him. He snapped out of view, leaving the booth empty. My turn. I stepped in and my skin chilled and went tingly. My vision clouded with cool, blue-green light, and my next step was a reality away. Colored light bled off my skin as I looked around at a park-like area surrounded by a monolithic metropolis of gray stone, steel beams, and topaz glass. The architecture was steam-punk medieval with hints of sci-fi. Most notable of all, no hard, sharp corners. The buildings were safe for dragons to slither over and around them.
A buffer zone of forest ringed the park I was in. Garden plots and paths crowded in.
Close by, quartz-lined flower beds held reddish brown grass and swaying, sapphire stalks crowned with golden blooms. There were benches in the area for humanoids and great crumpled, folded beams of steel to serve as rests for dragons in their natural form. These iron tangles could have been stolen from a modern art museum. One of them across the park actually did have a dragon coiled around it. He seemed to be rather old, scales faded and worn, dozing, soaking up rays from an over-sized ruby sun that dominated a fifth of the golden sky.
I turned and saw that I’d just emerged from a golden statue of a dragon, its head dropped so
I was staring past fangs, down a hungry, jeweled maw. Something about the shape of the head made me think this was a female. I wondered if my long-missing mother looked like this, or was still passing somewhere for human.
A throat cleared.
I turned and found the escort I’d anticipated. A woman with high, firm breasts and flaring hips filled out a turquoise uniform with gold buttons. Her pants were striped with black. A cute little hat perched on her head, the kind of hat a stewardess might wear. The holstered gun on her belt—and the razor-sharp, black-iron claws she wore on her left hand—indicated she was no stewardess. Behind her were two burley males in the same uniform.
“Name and species,” the woman asked.
“Caine Deathwalker, dragon-born.”
She looked me over with scathing violet eyes that matched her hair. “You’re a dragon? Wait, Deathwalker. I’ve heard that named.” She took out an e-tablet. Apparently, the whole city was wired for WIFI. She made a small Hmmmm sound. Her eyes widened. “Royal Clan.” Her eyes narrowed. “In disfavor; no permission to be on the dragon world.” She put her tablet away, letting it dangle on a clip from the back of her belt.
While this was going on, my inner dragon stirred, his happiness washing over me, mellowing my mood. He used my senses to absorb our surroundings. It’s so beautiful.
His electric fire jazzed along my nerves. I felt heat in my back, my shoulder blades softening like wax, melting, reforming. I took off my coat and then my shirt, not wanting them damaged by the change I felt setting in.
The woman asked, “What are you…” She fell silent, her gaze raking my dragon-blood tattoos. Her face paled as she realized the forces I could unleash without ever turning fully to dragon. I also noticed she and the men were no longer looking me in the face. That probably meant that my right eye had gone golden dragon, pulsing with imperial magic. My right eye would should my father’s heritage, glowing inferno red. My back hurt with an orgy of growth, cells multiplying exponentially, new muscles forming. Bone spurs thrust from my back, the ribs of dragon wings. Leathery membranes sheathed them and filled in between. Fresh blood dripped down my along with other fluids I couldn’t identify by smell. My family was the golden dragon clan. That meant my wings were bright yellow. As they dried, I fanned them languidly.
That out of the way, I noticed a severe tension in my escort. What did they think? I’d come all this way just kill them?
“That looked … painful,” the woman said.
“It was.” Not that I’d let that show in my face or body. She was projecting. Full-blood dragons change without pain and fuss. I wasn’t that lucky. I think my change pried a little sympathy out of her; she still didn’t look me in the eyes, but her face softened a little. I didn’t think my welcome party was going to try and shove me back into the portal.
“Business?” she asked.
“Family business. I’m expected,” I lied.
Her tablet was back in her hands. She tapped its face. “I’m approving you for a one-day pass. Be gone by this time tomorrow.”
I nodded. “Understood.”
They backed away, and when they felt comfortable turning their vulnerable backs to me, they did. I let them get a good distance away before folding my shirt and coat over my arm and starting toward the city. Having planned this mission, I knew where I was going, the Red Clan section of the city, one of their schools. Julia would be in class and definitely not expecting me. She would be happy to see me though. Just because her “uncle” Red was being a douche bag, refusing to see and talk with me, didn’t mean she loved me less. I was the one who’d avenged her murdered mother, who’d taken her off the street when orphaned, finding her a home with
Red.
You defile yourself, you purify yourself. You offend a friend, you say you’re sorry.
I was sure she’d understand being used as a pawn to teach Red a much needed lesson. Really, I didn’t know why he was mad at me, unless it let him not face having turned coward on the battlefield, abandoning me in my struggle with the Blue Star Priestess. Aggie, Red’s wife, was going to be mightily wroth with me. I just hoped she’d be madder at Red, and would twist his arm so he’d do the right thing. I really wanted to trust the guy doing my tats, and I didn’t want to have to break in a new artist.
Musing and ambling along, I eventually came to the address I wanted. The building looked like a three-story factory on the outside, red stone, concrete pillars, and a lot of glass windows. Numerous people passed me, many with lingering glances as they scented more than dragon in me. They were of many clans, wings of countless rainbow shades on their human bodies. Those fully changed into dragon kept to the upper levels of the city with its sky roads, or winged across the tawny-gold sky.
I went in. Despite the rough look of the building, the inside was clean and lacking in machinery. Instead, the great vaulting spaces were devoted to mentoring. Red Dragon Clan children were sitting in groups, being lectured, or working one on one with instructors on shape-shifting and flame attacks. I left my shirt and coat on an iron bench by the door and went up to a desk where several oversized men stood in red leather longcoats and black boots. One of the men had red eyes and copper hair. The other was bald and wore rectangular sunglass
es, red lenses on a black metal frame.
They looked me over as I closed in, especially eyeing the golden wings. As I stopped, big iron rivets in the oak floor boards near my feet pulled in little yellow jags of electrical fire, helping to ground me. There were soft crackles and a smell of ozone around me since I’d come to this world. It was starting to feel normal.
Copper Hair just stared like a trained attack dog, waiting for a call to lunch. Sunglasses said, “What do you want?”
“Not to have to kill anyone. I’m Caine Deathwalker, the Red Moon Demon, and I’m here for my daughter, Julie. Sweet little thing, thirteen years old, green eyes, short black hair, usually found carrying a stuffed green dragon that I gave her. I’d introduced myself with a having red in it, not gold. I hoped, subconsciously, that might influence them just a little.
The two men exchanged a fast glance. Copper Hair said, “Julianna, that’s Red’s kid.”
I explained, “He’s a foster father, like I am. The girl’s mother died in my arms. I found Julie the best home I could. I couldn’t very well take her to the Golden Dragon Clan. They’re just now acknowledging me.” I pointed to the tats on my torso. “Hey, Red does good work, doesn’t he? Best ink man I know. That’s why I brought the kid to him.”
Shades nodded. “Yeah, gotta come to the Red Clan for quality people and expertise. I got some ink from him myself. I recognize the style on you. From the amount of ink on you, I’d say you’re his best customer.”
“Sure,” I smiled. “He and I go way back. We’ve fought battles together. I’m not here to bother anyone, it’s just been a long time since the girl’s got to do anything but school, or work at Red’s. I thought I’d treat her to night out in the human world.”
Copper Hair pursed his lips eyes staring off into the distance. “I haven’t been there since the fifteenth century. Villagers still handing over virgins to passing dragons?”
I sighed with regret. “Hard to find a virgin anywhere anymore.”
Shades said, “You realize we need more than your say so, right?”
“Just ask the girl who I am,” I said. Not that it can be that easy.
Copper Hair shook his head no. “We’ll call her teacher over. She’ll clear you, then you guys can go run amok on earth.”
“Have her bring Julia. You can see that what I said was true. That way we’re only interrupting the class once.”
Shades nodded at the reasoning I’d given him. “Stay here. I’ll be back in two shakes of a dragon’s tail.”
I waited, knowing that this was going to come down to a snatch. Julie would come willingly. The teacher wasn’t going to let her, not without clearing it with a parental figure. It was going to cost me a lot of strength and magic. I fed a trickle of raw magic to my Dragon Roar tattoo, awakening it, and prepared myself to hypnotically compel these dragons to do what I wanted. That would be the easy part. Then I’d have maybe two minutes to get Julia to a portal, and off-world. Any longer than that, and dragons would be all over me like a plague.
Going to have to do some powerful talking, then some serious flying.
Fast footsteps ran my way, followed by slower ones. I turned and Julia flung herself into the air, into my arms, planting a kiss on my cheek. I could tell Julia’s reaction had mollified the security. They were buy my story now. I let Julia slid down to the floor. She stayed close, hugging my side, legs sheathed in black tights, her body clothed in a frilly pink dress and white blouse.
“You didn’t forget that today was the day for your outing, did you?”
Anxious for a day away from the usual grind, she played along, “Oh, I did. I even left the note home I was supposed to give to my teacher.” She looked to look back at the woman in the tangerine robes. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”
I turned toward the teacher and let magical power coat my words. “Well, no harm, right? We’ll just go so you can get back to work.”
“I’m not sure…” Her brow furrowed. Trickles of sweat rolled down the side of her face. Her right hand—held in her left—closed in a fist, as a buried core of strength in her flailed against my influence. She was naturally resistant. Enspelling dragons required a lot more power than for ordinary humans.
I poured even more raw magic into my tattoo so it blazed on my skin almost burning the air.
I murmured a suggestion. “You see everything is in hand. It’s time to send the bastard gold on his way. Really, what’s he doing among properly bred red dragons anyway? Do we want other student’s exposed to his barbarian ways?”
The teacher pointed her nose into the air, sniffing delicately. “Oh, just be off. We’ve more important things to do than cater to your needs.”
I nodded, speaking louder, “You’re perfectly right. We’ll just go now.” Arm in arm, I walked Julia out of the school, all too aware the doomsday clock was running down. Word would be out soon to stop me at all costs.
TEN
“I make crash and burn look good!”
—Caine Deathwalker
We stood outside of the school, around a corner where we’d not be spotted at once. I turned my back to Julia. “Get on. We’re flying out of here.”
She didn’t question me, but climbed on at once, her thin arms cinching around my neck, her legs going around my waist.
“Not too tight,” I rasped. “I like to breathe.”
She loosened her arms’ stronghold a little. “Better?”
I grunted, leaping into the air, dragon wings beating furiously. The climb was killing me. Take off required pure power. Until a proper altitude was achieved, I’d be bleeding strength already depleted by the magic I’d used. No help for it, but to muscle through and hope I don’t collapse too soon.
As we curved up around a tower, fleeing its shadow, I felt for a thermal updraft in the air. My color values shifted; the dragon world became a slightly blurry mix of reds and yellows. My inner dragon said, Look for columns of gold. Those will be thermals.
I avoided the parks and greenery below, figuring my chances were better over the stone and steel part of the city that had been basking in sunlight. Julia’s weight on my back, and her tightening grip across my throat hampered. Sweat dripped into my eyes. Fortunately, with the recent change, I seemed to have developed secondary, transparent eyelids to shield my eyes.
My lungs worked like billows. My heart hammered. Fresh pain assaulted me as my inner dragon tweaked my biology, fueling the growth of extra muscle and tendon, bulking up my back and wings. My feet hurt. What the hell! My shoes and socks ripped off, falling away. I wiggled my—Giant clawed feet?
In case we have to fight in close quarters, my dragon told me. We can’t use our lightning breath while carrying Julia. She could catch a backwash and get fried. I’d feel bad about that.
And I wouldn’t?
My dragon didn’t answer.
When I couldn’t climb another foot, and faced falling back, I found a thermal. I leveled out in it, noting that my wings were larger now, more size-appropriate. The first hurdle was past, but the knife of hunger was cutting up my stomach from the inside. The changes, the riotous cellular growth, had a cost. I needed to eat to fend off starvation.
I also needed to watch where I was flying.
I banked sharply to avoid an oncoming horde; Mommy Purple Dragon and a little flock of dragonets. They zigged. I zagged. One of the baby dragons passed a few feet away, it eyes bugging out as it looked Julia and me over, possibly considering a snack. I met its stare, letting it see the death in my eyes should it dare slow me down. Sometimes, words just aren’t needed. It flinched back and hurriedly got closer to momma. She swung her head to give me a glare, like it was her right of way after all. She flicked her tail in passing, nearly crushing my skull with a close swipe.
The dragon in me took offensive. I found my head turning her way, my mouth opening for a shot of electrical fire.
Julia’s aboard, remember? Is the time and place to start anything, now that the hunt is probably in ful
l swing for us?
Alright, but next time I see her…
Fine, next time you see her. We’d just better be in full dragon form. I closed my mouth so I wouldn’t swallow a bug. We were under a stream of dragons now that were content to ignore us. I scanned the ground, aware that Julia had sat up to ride me like a horse, her fingers clutching at the base of my wings. Taking note of a few landmarks memorized earlier, I adjust my course, falling in a shallow dive. I had a lock on the park I’d come in through. The Dragon statue with the open maw lined up just right. I aimed myself to fly straight down its throat, shifting my vision back to normal color mode.
Reading my body language, Julia lay flat between my wings, snuggling against me, her hands shifting to my shoulders. I was a little amazed that none of this had freaked her out. Riding a half-phased hybrid across the sky couldn’t be common place in her experience. Either her dragon instincts were telling her this was normal, being up here, or she really trusted me.
Both, my inner dragon said. You were there to care for her when she lost her mom. She imprinted on you. It doesn’t matter that you’ve been letting Red raise her. She will always think of us as her rightful father.
Me? A father?
My inner dragon smirked. Yeah, scary, huh?
Don’t be a wise-ass, I told myself.
I had no more time for introspection. I was on final approach, possibly in more ways than one. The official dragons I met when in human form, wearing the turquoise uniforms with gold buttons, were waiting near the portal statue. And they’d brought along a couple full-sized dragons for backup. One was a Green. The other Black. These two stood with wings spread like a pair of goalies guarding the same net.
Clearly, they expected this to stop me.
Julia called out, “Caine, they don’t want us to go.”
I yelled back over the wind roar. “Not their call. Hang on tight.”
I kept a course straight for the portal, increasing speed, sharpening my downward glide.
Demon Lord 5: Silver Crown King Page 8
