Garax and Phara took up positions between them.
Tollo and Furiem stayed with him, the Ilthe bouncing next to the chains holding her in place.
The poor woman looked half dead already. Her once vibrant skin had gone completely white, nearly drained of blood from the spells effects. It had pulled tight across her cheeks and eyes, making her into not much more than a living skull. Her chest barely rose, each breath a laboring effort on her part.
She suddenly arched off the slab, her mouth open in a silent scream. Her eyes bulged, devoid of the flashing silver color he remembered from their time in the cave. She relaxed back against the metal, a long, wide gash splitting the paper thin skin on her chest. What little blood was left in her poured through the wound, soaking through the filthy white robe.
“What in the Nether Worlds?”
Golix’s mom chuckled as she strode casually across the roof. “Your friends are speeding up the process.”
She jerked off the slab a second time and another gash appeared, this one across her stomach.
He turned toward the battle as a third ship fell from the sky, bursting into flames as it slammed into the ground outside the shield. He whipped his gaze back to Lanni and made the connection when a third gash split down her inner arm.
He slammed a hand over the worst of the three, shouting at Furiem. “You must stop them! She is connected to the ships…”
***
Furiem understood and spun around, looking for a quick way to the ground.
Tollo solved it for him. Shape-shifting, the tiny ball of fluff elongated and four legs popped out of his new body, along with a small set of wings. He rubbed himself in Lanni’s blood, which Furiem found rather odd but understood when they passed through the shield a few minutes later.
You must tell them everything! Tollo purred.
“I will. Just get me there.”
The Ilthe dodged the rounds sailing through the air, darting through the flaming ships and equally injured Dragons and Chimera engaged in battle.
Landing on the hill above the troops, he jumped down. “Get back. You might be able to help.”
Tollo licked him and disappeared into the darkness. Too late, he realized he’d been dropped dead center between Draven’s forces and the advancing horde of Ogre’s, Griffon’s, Centaurs and Orc’s…
Steeling his courage with a breath, he began to run. And the only thought he had as his little legs tore up the ground…
By the Gods, If he survived this, he was going to ask The King for a raise!
Chapter Twenty-Four
Fighting magic with nothing more than a sword is never an easy thing.
But that’s exactly what he and Phara were about to face.
A burst of cold wind curled over the building’s roof, whipping through the manes and tails of the five Unicorns. The largest, the one that had spoken, turned and addressed one of the others, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“Get down there and tell my son to send the entire fleet.”
The minion whinnied and galloped toward the door.
“Phara,” he growled.
“I have it,” the Naiad hissed.
Slipping a dagger from her waist, she flung it after the departing beast. As with the Kobaloi in his kitchen, her aim was true and the blade sunk to the hilt in the animal’s hind leg.
The appendage buckled and it staggered, rearing up near the ledge. For a heartbeat it hung against the cities lights and the Dragon’s fire pummeling the barrier then with a terrified wail to mark its passing, tumbled from sight.
He smiled. “One down.”
She huffed out a snort, her breath a fog against the cold air. “It shall be your last.”
He laughed, swinging the broadsword that was easily as long as she was. “Keep thinking that beast.”
She stopped her advance and the tip of her horn glowed brightly. “Take them.”
***
Rygan knelt next to Lanni’s hand and worked at picking the locks on the cuffs holding her in place. A rain of pebbles showered over him and he looked up.
Phara was engaged with two of the Unicorns, alternating between dodging the magic blasts coming from their horns and their kicking black hooves.
She charged one the next time it came down, nimbly dodging under another burst and with a scary grin, she sunk her blade deep in its neck. Its companion screamed and charged, blue eyes glowing half with magic, half with madness for its fallen brethren.
“Phara!”
His warning was too late and she took the hit in the back, stumbling against the body still on the end of her sword. They both tumbled over and she tried to roll away before the beast could stomp her to death.
It was rearing up, to do just that, when Tollo returned in grand style.
The Ilthe landed on the roof, its bug-eyes taking in the scene with a quick sweep. Before he could blink, it transformed yet again and he was utterly fascinated and horrified with this form.
Gone was the fluff ball he’d grown to love.
In its place was a whirling buzz saw of spikes and teeth.
A growl the likes of which he’d never heard from one their kind, echoed into the night as it rolled across the roof and up the hind quarters of the one about to land on the Naiad. With flashing, gnawing teeth it tore across its flesh and ended up half buried in the creature’s neck.
The poor animal didn’t know what to do after that.
The animal bucked wildly, shaking its neck, hard and Phara took a glancing hit to the side of the head before heaving herself out of the way. It twisted and turned, screaming its distress to the remaining two.
They ignored him, focusing on the Ogre and it finally thudded to the roof.
Tollo emerged from the gaping wound he’d created, sniffed in disdain and gave a mighty shake to rid itself of the carnage. His bug eyes went to Garax, teeth in a prominent snarl and spikes vibrating.
But, Garax was doing fine and dispatched the smallest of the pair easily enough. It lifted up on its hind legs and he spun to a knee, the gleaming blade slicing the creature clean through the underbelly.
It let out a horrible, agonized wail and collapsed on its side, spilling its guts in a splash of blood and gore. Wiping a forearm across his face, he rose, facing Golix’s mom with a sneer.
“You were saying?”
Mother snorted out an angry black cloud, her eyes brightening dangerously with power. “I shall not be so easily defeated.”
Seeing his friends had the situation in hand, he went back to work on the cuffs. Tollo joined him, still all spikes and teeth and he tried not to shrink back, remembering this new creature was a friend.
Tollo’s bug eyes came up to his and he gently nudged Lanni’s hand into the air, whimpering out a soft trill.
He took the limb and held it aloft, unable to stop the shudder that coursed through him when his deadly little teeth bit clean through the short chain.
At least that solved one problem…
Moving quickly he did the same for Lanni’s other hand and legs, Tollo snapping the links at each point.
When she was free of the bonds, he grabbed her arm and started to pull her off the slab, but the Ilthe intervened. He straddled on the woman’s forearm, growling low and long.
“Move you deplorable little beast! We have to get her off this!”
Tollo shook his head, trilling and purring and grunting as he’d done before.
And as before, he couldn’t understand a word of it.
But Lanni did. Her head weakly turned his way, eyes fluttering open and her lips moved.
Scrambling toward her face, he bent close, barely able to catch the words above the growls, grunts and trills of Tollo and the growls, grunts and blasts of the fight going on behind him.
“What? What is it, Lanni?”
“Some…one…take…place…”
He jerked up, eyes wide. “Someone has to take your place?”
She gulped once, managed a jerking nod of her ch
in and let out a small breath. “Yes.”
Another gash appeared on her forehead, bleeding profusely and he looked up to see the entire fleet had passed through the shield and engaged with Draven’s forces.
Furiem obviously hadn’t been able to get to them yet, or he was dead, he had no way to know. He twisted a look over his shoulder at Garax. “Would you hurry up already? We have a situation here!”
The Ogre grunted, knocking mom’s stabbing horn aside. “So, do, I!” A bolt of lightning from sizzled across his upper arm and he added, “A little help, would, be, appreciated!”
Pushing off, he unsheathed his own blade and charged into the conflict.
Kicking up her back legs, she caught him in the chest at a full run and flipped him backwards, cracking several ribs. Landing hard, the air burst from his lungs in a whoosh. Gasping, he lifted up in time to see her propel herself forward with a bellow and slam horn first into Garax’s chest.
His oldest friend stood stock still, weapon in the air, ready to strike but she’d done it first. A moment of peace flowed over his face and he planted his feet wide, leaning back as the beast tried to pull her horn free. He rotated the long blade with a twisting whirl of blood-drenched metal and it sang against the air. He smiled widely and with a final swoosh, drove it straight through the mare’s neck from above with such force the tip sunk into the roof itself for several inches.
Lightening exploded from the wound, shooting out from her dying body in every direction.
Rolling, he threw himself over Lanni’s head, taking several hits in the back and legs. He could smell his own flesh burning but ignored it, turning to see Garax catching the brunt of the mare’s dissipating magic.
It lasted a good ten or fifteen wild thumps of his heart and then it was done.
Garax staggered a step, his flesh smoldering and dropped to his knees. Grabbing a handful of mane, he torn the head free with a sickening slurp as her body thumped to the roof. He lost his grip on the sword and pitched forward, holding himself up with shaking arms.
He struggled to his feet again and over to his friend.
Greenish blood pooled under him from the sucking chest wound.
“Garax…”
The Ogre waved him off. “I am fine.”
That was a flat out lie and they both knew it.
“What is wrong?” he gurgled softly.
He knelt and jerked a nod at Lanni. “She says someone must take her place.”
Garax grunted once, the sound choked and filled with blood. “Help me over there.”
Phara appeared, her eyes dazed and blood trickling down her face. “What?”
He jerked another nod at the woman they’d come to save. “He is going to take her place.”
The confusion cleared and her blue eyes went wide as she twisted a look at the Ogre. “What? You cannot. It will kill you!”
Garax’s chuckle was more of a gurgle. “I am, already, dead.” He drew in a shaky breath. “Now, help or leave.”
With tears in her eyes, she edged under his arm and between them, they half-dragged, half stumbled back to the slab. He had no idea what changing places would do, but he trusted the woman.
Tollo had shifted back to the fluff ball and bounced off the woman’s arm when he grabbed it.
“How do we do this?” he asked no one in particular.
Garax grunted again and maneuvered around on all fours until he was next to her. “When, I slide, in, slide her out.” Steadying himself on his hands and knees, he inched closer to the beam emanating from her chest. “Now!”
Tears clouded his vision.
With the last of his strength, Garax surged into the tether of energy.
He and Phara pulled at the same time, ripping the human woman out a scant heartbeat before the power of it slammed his old friend to the metal plate in her place.
Garax struggled to turn his head, the muscles in his neck bulging with the effort.
Phara let go of Lanni once she was clear and dove forward to clasp his hand.
Garax smiled. “It, only, tickles,” he whispered.
The Naiad let out a hiccupping cough, her voice crackling with tears. “Oh, good,” she quipped. “I thought it might be painful.”
He knelt there, cradling Lanni against his chest and watched the bits and pieces of his friends flesh begin to separate and flow up the pulsing shaft.
The Ogre’s eyes shifted to his and there was peace in his gaze. “Do, the, right, thing.”
He blinked to clear his vision and nodded. “I will.”
***
Golix switched views on the monitors in time to see his mother’s demise. Part of him wanted to be upset, it really did, but the truth of the matter was, he wasn’t.
She’d gone as he’d seen she would in the vision pools ages ago. Of course, he hadn’t known it would be an Ogre to take her out, but he had seen her death on this particular night.
It was probably the only reason he’d never stood up to her.
The drawback? He hadn’t been close enough to absorb any of her power.
Neither here nor there really. He had his own and that would be enough to finish what they’d started.
“Reinforce the shield,” he barked at the remaining five Unicorns.
The largest of them, the one Lanni had stabbed in the eye, shook his head. “Why should we take orders from you?”
He snapped a hoof against the floor, sparks shooting from it along with bolts of white-hot plasma. “Because I got you here moron. Now, do as I say or pay the price!”
The Herd shifted back a step.
That was better.
“Reinforce the shield,” he growled a second time.
“Yes Master.”
They spun on their hooves, heading for the roof and he turned back to see the half-breed with the human in his arms, the Naiad and whatever that little thing was, leap to his yacht again.
The very nerve! Thinking to take his ship!
Smacking one of the minions in the head with a hoof, he snarled. “Shoot it down.”
***
Draven landed next to the tent, blood oozing from several wounds about the time Furiem raced into camp, yelling at the top of his little lungs.
“Stop! You must stop!”
Terra, who had yet to meet the reporter, scooped him up and he winced as his advisor spilled his only secret.
“I’m sorry?”
Furiem gasped at the air. “You must stop, attacking, the ships. Your, sister, is, connected, to them. It is killing her!”
Terra’s eyes came up to his, narrowing slowly into a glare that did not bode well. “What!?!”
Over the next heartbeats, Furiem explained what Golix had done in the city. “You must stop,” he said again. “If you do not and she dies, the shield will never come down.”
Her mouth flopped open and closed several times. She dropped the ferret and bolted up the hill.
He followed and got there at the exact moment the pulsing dome went from the green-red it had been to a bright red, then a bluish hue before settling back into green-red. He turned a look down at Furiem. “What just happened?”
The ferret’s eyes were wide and a small hand covered his mouth. “I—I think she just died.”
Terra’s second bellow was loud enough for all to hear. “What!?!”
“M’Lady, we do not know for sure,” someone said, trying to console her.
He shifted down to her size, but it was too late.
His Kyleri let loose with a cracking, snapping, teeth rattling howl of torment and transformed into the massive, scale covered, Dragon she was always meant to be…
Chapter Twenty-Five
Running on pure instinct, Terra fired at the nearest ship as she headed for Bra’ka proper. The blue and silver ball smashed through the hull and a geyser erupted from within. Molten fire spilled over the decks and it twisted over on itself, heading for the ground.
With a roar, she blasted the next and the next and the next, taking
down each that stood between her and her sister.
Draven called her name a scant second before she slammed into the shield but she ignored him. The evidence that he’d lied to her was right there in his eyes as the ferret told all and she’d deal with him later.
She expected the barrier to resist her and was ready to pound on it until it fell or she created a hole big enough to squirm through. But, it didn’t and she slipped beyond it, recovering from that shock with a twist of her body.
Bending her wings, she caught a current and dove straight for the Tower.
The roof was empty and she hovered next to it, her bellow of rage shattering the windows for several floors.
“Golix!”
The door opened and five of the black bastards strode out, half-a-dozen Satyr’s right behind them.
“Bring it down!” One of them commanded.
Two of the minions raised hand-held spear guns, launching heavy steel bolts in her direction.
She dodged the first but the second ripped through the meaty flesh of her right wing. With a screech, she whipped her head around and bit through the line. It didn’t help. Four more lifted similar weapons and discharged them with soft pops.
One missed, one wrapped around her front foot, a third around her rear and the fourth pierced her left wing.
The beasts grabbed the attached lines and began reeling her in like a fish.
She flapped, hard, combating their efforts with buffeting blasts of air. She managed to knock several off their feet but more took their places, dragging her slowly but surely toward the rooftop.
The same instincts she’d trusted before now told her what to do and she did it. Folding the leathery pieces close, she dropped from the sky, laughing when the minions holding the tethers came right along with her.
Their screams rang in her ears as they plummeted over the side and she shook them off with a contorting roll only a hairs breadth from the ground. Roaring in victory, she beat her wings and lifted back into the air, doing her best to overlook the pain.
Four of the Unicorns stood at one end of the roof, their horn tips luminous in the shadows. They weren’t pointed at her though, they were looking the other way. She briefly wondered what they were up too, but the fifth was facing her and the more immediate threat.
To Save The Broken Heart: Dragons, Griffons and Centaurs, Oh My! (Dragons, Griffons, and Centaurs, Oh My!) Page 19
