To Save The Broken Heart: Dragons, Griffons and Centaurs, Oh My! (Dragons, Griffons, and Centaurs, Oh My!)
Page 20
Digging her sharp talons into the building with a rending crunch, she snaked her long neck over the ledge and scooped the mongrel into her maw.
He shrieked in surprise but it wasn’t long-lived as she chomped down. Bones crunched, muscles tore and his black blood squirted out the sides of her mouth. Spitting him free, her call for the one that had started this mess reverberated over the nearby Skyscraper’s, shattering more windows.
“Golix!!!”
The door opened again and he strode out, rolling his glowing red eyes. “Must I do everything?”
She snarled and drew in a deep breath, sending a wave of blue and silver across the structure.
His horn sparked and a curved wall of magic appeared between them, parting the rolling flames. He chuckled as it finished and returned fire.
The crack of lightning tore through her shoulder and she lost her grip. Hanging by three, she snaked her neck around, but snapped down on empty air as he danced back.
“Tisk, tisk,” he taunted. “You know, we could have been such good friends.”
Even though she was much smaller than Draven in this form, she was too big to completely fit on the roof. Still, she clawed the rest of the way up, perching on the edge. “Friends? You tried to kill me you rotten mule!”
He threw back his head and laughed. “True. I did. But only in the beginning.”
She snarled. “The beginning? What else is there?”
Before he could answer, her fire had recharged and she let go with a swath of molten heat.
Another wall of magic protected him and the others. She growled, edging her way around to the side before the fire ran out. Digging her rear claws into a lower floor, she used them for balance and swung out with the front, catching him off-guard as he seemed to be focused on keeping the barrier active.
His legs swept out from under him and he howled in surprise. “You bitch!”
“Damn right,” she countered, smiling widely.
Slamming her large paw down on top of him, she opened her mouth to finish him off, but he wasn’t out of tricks yet.
The tip of his horn brightened and another bolt of lightning struck the roof of her mouth. The pain was horrendous and she jerked back with a yowl. Lifting her paw, she scratched at her maw, licking at the heat to squelch the burn.
Golix was on his feet again. Cackling, he blasted her a second time and a third before she could recover. “You should have cooperated with me. We would have ruled it all!”
Her rear feet slipped and she tightened down, burrowing her talons deeper in the metal and concrete. “Never. You will never rule anything!”
She was going to fall, she knew it. She could hear the flooring giving way under her weight. But she wouldn’t go without taking the ugly pussbucket with her, by the Gods! Drawing in another lungful of air, she waited until his horn was its brightest and let go with the hottest inferno yet.
The liquefied heat molded over his head and he reared up, a shrill bay of pain emanating from his throat. The supports gave and she tumbled backwards, but not before the stench of his burning flesh reached her nostrils.
Flapping weakly, she managed to get enough air under her wings to lift back to the crumbling roof for one last shot at him. She didn’t have much left, that was for sure, but she might be able to get off one more good blast.
She was too late though. By the time she was high enough to see over the edge, whatever the rest of the Herd had been doing was complete.
A portal hovered at the far edge of the roof and with maniacal laughter floating on the air, he galloped for it. The others turned her way, defending his departure with magical assaults.
Lightning and white hot plasma punched into her breastplate, flinging her into the structure across the street. She crashed through the floors, out the other side and bounced off another before regaining control.
Pushing off, she weakly flew back to the Tower. As she arrived, there was just enough juice left in the opening for her to recognize the brightly lit skyline on the other side...
***
“What happened?”
Terra waved off the Harpy tending to her wounds, staggering to her feet. “I lost.” She cut a hard look at Draven. “Did you find Lanni?”
His face pinched. “No,” he admitted. “I have the troops scouring the wrecked ships though,” he added, a hopeful note to his voice.
“How bad is it?”
He sighed and ran a hand through his blood soaked hair. He looked and smelled as bad as she probably looked and smelled and her heart clutched in agony. But she was still mad about his lie, even though part of her understood his reasons for doing it.
“Bad,” he finally said. “We lost most of the troops and two of the three Rails.”
She gulped, swatting at the Harpy, who tried to continue working. “And them?”
He reached around the poor doctor, stroking her cheek. “Sixteen of their ships are down. The rest have retreated back inside the barrier.”
She wasn’t about to let him off the hook with a simple touch and turned away, seeking out Haydn. “Anything on your end?”
The Orc ran a hand down her face, smearing the dirt and gore from the battle. “No. I tried my contacts in the city, but they have not responded.”
She nodded and sank onto a crate someone slipped under her.
The Harpy followed, shaking her feather covered head while she worked.
“We should retreat,” Draven said softly. “For now. Until we know more.”
She hissed, glaring at the doctor for the pain she inadvertently caused before replying. “No. Not until we find Lanni.”
Her love shifted closer, his voice pained. “Kyleri, we may not find her. Ever.”
She reached up and dug a hand into his forearm. “We have to try!”
He squatted, taking her hand in his. “We cannot. We must go. Golix still controls the city, his army far outnumbers us and from my sources, more are on the way.”
She tightened her fingers around his. “No, he does not. He’s gone.”
The Dragon King blinked at her, confusion lightening the orange of his eyes to a burnished red. “What?”
Tears pooled in hers and she gulped hard. “He opened a portal and escaped.”
Arin’s voice vibrated over everything. “What!?”
She looked up, knowing how the Chimera felt about the Unicorn and sighed. “He escaped,” she said again. “To my world…”
***
Golix exited the portal, grinning despite the searing pain in his face. The bitch had gotten in one good shot, he had to give her that.
A sharp gasp echoed across the chamber he arrived in and a female’s worried words rolled over him. “You are injured! Let me tend to you.”
She was such a winey little thing, but he needed her. For now. With a soft nicker, he collapsed one leg and rolled onto his side.
She fell to her knees and checked over his face. “You poor thing,” she all but whimpered, stroking his neck. “I’ll be right back…”
The second she was gone, he got to his feet and strode calmly to the end of the cavern. From this vantage point, he could see the lights of Denver, Colorado glittering against the darkness of the valley below.
It had all gone according to the Prophecy and he was standing exactly where he was supposed to be.
How many times had he had this exact dream over the rotations?
Too many.
And now it was a reality.
Of course, he hadn’t foreseen the loss of an eye, but he would make do. He’d spent far too long guiding his world to this exact moment that he wasn’t about to be undone just because he could only see out of one eye.
He snorted, burying the pain to the back part of his mind and turned from the entrance. Making his way back to the supplies he’d been ferrying to this world for ages, he lifted the flap of one of the bags with a hoof.
Rooting through the contents and carefully clasped a small flash drive between his teeth. It con
tained everything he needed to take over this world, just as he’d done in Bra’ka. Slipping it free, he laid it on a nearby rock and checked it over. Satisfied it had remained undamaged, he sighed and tucked it away again.
Pulling out the communication stone he’d brought along, he set it up in the exact spot he’d determined was thin enough to communicate. Pressing the right combination, the stone activated and while spotty, the signal pierced the small sliver that separated this world from the other.
***
Tyleios stretched back in the throne chair, stroking the arms. Everything had gone just as the Master said it would. He’d arrived on the roof just in time to see him jump through the portal and now he waited.
He’d been promised the city and it had been delivered, even if it was in rough shape. He could and would rebuild.
The stone on the arm of the chair crackled and he jumped, nearly dropping it in his haste to activate it.
Golix’s image spiraled into view, fizzed once then solidified. “Did it work?”
He nodded, smiling happily. “It did Master. Draven has retreated.”
“And the woman?”
“She was with him.”
“What about her sister?”
He gulped, hating to impart bad news, but lying would only make it worse. “She was last seen on your ship with the Half-Breed and the Naiad. It went down somewhere inside the shield.”
Golix’s image snorted. “Find her. Keep her hidden. Where are my brothers?”
Tyleios turned the stone’s image toward the surviving members of the Herd forming a semi-circle at the base of the throne.
As one they bent to a knee, heads down, horns nearly touching the floor.
“See that the shield remains active while I establish our base here.” The picture fuzzed out then came back again. “Once I do, you will all be able to cross over.”
“Yes Master,” they intoned.
He spun the stone back his way. “And me, Master? What would you have me do?”
Golix smiled, evil intent flashing through his good eye. “Do as you please with the city, Tyleios. Enjoy the spoils of War. You have earned it.”
The End
For Now…
About Margaret Taylor
Margaret Taylor currently lives in San Antonio, TX and is scratching post for her five cats. She is an avid writer, a novice photographer and enjoys all things Paranormal, Fantasy and Science Fiction! Just ask her, she'll tell you!
Her list of books include:
A First Love Never Dies - Book 1 of The Spi-Corp Series (Sci-Fi Romance)
Saving His Love – Book 2 of The Spi-Corp Series (Sci-Fi Romance)
To Light The Dragon’s Fire – Book 1 of the Dragons, Griffons and Centaurs, Oh My! Series (Fantasy Romance)
Wolf's Paradox - Book 1 of The Layren Series (Paranormal Romance)
I Saw Momma Shoot Santa Claus – Book 1 of The Legacy Series (Paranormal Romance)
All In The Name Of Love (Contemporary Romantic Suspense)
Love's Prophecy (Paranormal Romance)
The Seer – Book 1 of The Shadowcon Series (Urban Fantasy)
Love On The Edge – Nine Shades of Suspense (Multi-Author Box Set, Romantic Suspense)
With a little something for everyone, if you visit her blog and ask nicely, she might be persuaded to post some tasty excerpts from many of her other projects! *Bring Cookies as payment please!*
If you’ve enjoyed this or any of Margaret other works, please, leave a review. The greatest compliment Authors can receive is hearing from the fans.
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