by ML Guida
It sounded too easy. And nothing with Zuto was ever easy. William hated being treated like a pet dog. He wanted to grab Mariah’s hand, walk away, and tell Zuto to fetch the damn soul catcher himself. But Hannah would remain in a trance and would be taken to Coaybay. Kane and the crew would face another bloody death. His options gone, he stripped out of his clothes and reluctantly gave into the demon’s command. “Dragon, come forth.”
He transformed into the dragon and breathed out fire, singeing the edge of Zuto’s white loin cloth.
Zuto raised his eyebrow. The fire diminished, and the cloth was restored to its regular white luster. “Do it again, and you’ll regret the day you were born,” the demon warned.
The air swirled around, wind wailed, and grit lifted into the air, flying into their eyes. William blocked Mariah from the stinging sand that scratched against his dragon’s scales. Hannah, unmoving, remained on her knees, oblivious to the dust and bits of dirt and shells slashing her skin and face. Lord, was she a living corpse?
“Fly into it,” Zuto yelled.
William shook his head. How could Mariah hang onto him? She’d be killed.
“Now,” Zuto ordered. His hands shook. “I can’t keep it open much longer.”
Mariah jumped onto William’s back and clung to his neck.
Zuto kicked sand at William. “Now, you idiot dragon.”
William growled and breathed fire onto Zuto before he jumped into the swirling sand.
Zuto’s muffled curse brought a smile to William’s lips. His triumph died as he burst through the sand storm and flew into a red sky. Below them, volcanoes erupted and black smoke filled the air with noxious fumes. He choked on sulfur, and his eyes burned.
Coaybay.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
William flew them through a thick black fog. Or were they clouds? He inhaled and choked on putrid fumes. The heat was suffocating. Sweat and tears blurred his vision, and he gasped for breath. The stench of sulfur and coal turned his stomach. Clean air. He needed clean air. How could anything live here?
He glanced over his shoulder. Mariah wiped her sleeve on her forehead and smeared sweat. Her legs clutched him tight, and he wanted to reassure her that he wouldn’t let her fall.
He swept down lower, and the wet fog faded. A jagged, rocky mountain loomed over the landscape, and his heart stilled. Zuto had said Maketabori’s altar was on the tallest mountain. Was that it?
Huge black birds of prey soared toward them, their wingspan as long as the Phoenix. They stretched out their long talons and screamed. Terror surged through William’s veins, and his thumping heart threatened to jump out of his chest. The anguished shrieks sounded much like the final cries of men dying on a battlefield.
“William, those things can see us!”
Bloody hell! What an eejit he was. He should have used his power to cloak them. Tingles swept over him, and he turned his head to ensure that Mariah disappeared and was grateful he only saw blue sky. Relief rushed through him at feeling Mariah’s legs pressed against his ribs and her arms around his neck. But the birds did not veer off. Shite. They could still see them.
How could he fight them with Mariah on his back? Damn Zuto. Any minute, those monsters would rip Mariah off his back, and with two, he’d be powerless to stop them.
“William,” Mariah said, her voice shaking. “You have to trust Zuto. Control the elements, or we are dead.”
The vultures closed the distance between them, their foul breath hissing in William’s ears. Astride his back, Mariah trembled and clutched him tighter. “Do something now!”
The birds shrieked again, their cries promising pain.
William glanced behind them and the birds talons were inches from his tail.
“William!” Mariah shouted. “They are right behind us.”
He hissed and dove lower, but the demon vultures changed their path. The birds shrieked and fear stabbed his thumping heart. They were bigger than what William had first thought, bigger than him. They were ugly. Featherless heads. Foul red eyes. Round sharp beaks. It would be a deadly fight. How could he keep Mariah safe?
“Drakon! Do I have the power to call upon the elements?”
Drakon puffed out his scaled chest, and smugness flickered in his large gold eyes. “Aye, you do.”
“Then tell me how, damn it, before we’re ripped to pieces.”
Drakon shook his large head. “You’ll not be able to wield the elements with fear flowing through your veins.”
“We’re in Coaybay and giant birds are pursuing us and you want me to remain calm?”
The dragon gnashed his teeth, and his gold eyes changed to a burning red. “Do you want to die?”
William cursed and glanced over his shoulder. One of the birds snapped at his tail, and he jerked it away just in time. He dove back into a black cloud and gagged on the fumes, escaping the predators. Mariah coughed. Bloody hell! How the devil could he remain calm?
Annoyance flared in Drakon’s eyes.“Close your eyes, buffoon.”
“I won’t be able to see.”
“Fine. Don’t.” Drakon said. He actually turned around and flattened his wings against his back as if he were pouting. “Those birds will feast upon you and Mariah for hours.”
“I could burn them.”
Drakon snorted. “Fire won’t hurt them. They are Maketabori’s pets. Immune to fire.”
“Pets?”
Drakon peered over his shoulder. “Close your eyes, damn it”.
William pushed back his doubt and obeyed. Air swept over him.
Drakon slowly faced William. Hope rang in his guttural voice. “Think of air, not fire. Inhale deeply. We’re going to try to control the wind. Turn around and fight.”
“This is foolish. I can only blow fire.”
Drakon stared at William. Desperation flickered in his eyes and clung to his voice. “You’re an elemental being and can exhale wind or fire.”
“You are going to get Mariah killed.”
“Do it now.” Drakon lowered his voice to a tiny plea.
William hissed but turned around and faced the flying monsters, hoping to God he wasn’t opting for the worst choice of his life.
“Exhale.”
A shriek chilled his blood.
William did as Drakon said, but only exhaled a puff of air.
“William—” Mariah’s voice faded. She trembled and oozed with fear.
“Concentrate. Think of an angry squall on the open sea. Believe in it. Now. Exhale.”
He sped away from the vultures, trying to think. He thought of the last thunderstorm on the ocean and how the wind had howled and whipped the Phoenix’s sails. The ship had rocked violently. Water splashed onto the deck, and men grappled with lines to keep from being swept out to sea. He whirled around, took a deep breath, and blew.
He could see the pupils in the vultures’ eyes and smelled their foul breath. He blew harder and harder, hoping the smoke and gust of wind bursting through his lips would be enough to slow them down. His lungs burned.
Thankfully, the wretched birds lessened their pace, and their direction seemed to deviate. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he inhaled and exhaled again, determined to keep Mariah safe.
The birds squawked and beat their wings. To his surprise, they started to spiral toward the fiery volcanoes below as if they did not have the strength to fly. He blew one last time, and the vultures’ wings collapsed. They dropped toward the ground like plunging rocks.
“Go now. Before they gather their strength. Make your way to the altar on the peak of the mountain.”
William took a deep breath and flapped his wings. Wind whistled around the rocky mountain, slowing his pace.
“You can do this, William,” Mariah urged. “You can do this.”
He gritted his teeth, pulled on all the strength he had left, and flew toward the pinnacle of the mountain. Black clouds gathered overhead, and a loud crash of thunder shook him. Rain pelted them like stinging bees.
/> Mariah clutched his neck. “William, I fear Coaybay can sense our magic. We must hurry.”
He drew on his dragon power, trying to bring forth enough energy to fly through the wind and rain. His muscles ached, and they inched upward as if something was pushing down upon them besides the elements. Soon, he’d fall and spiral toward burping volcanoes like the bloody vultures.
“Maybe I can help.” She tapped the top of his head. “Mother Isis, we have need of you.”
Warmth spread through William, and strength surged through him. The clouds rumbled and swirled overhead. Lightning flashed and hit the mountain wall, blackening the side. A slab of rock cracked and slid down the cliff, crashing and shattering into bits. Another bolt of lightning slammed into a small ledge right as William flew past. The ledge shattered, and rock blasted into the air, pelting him and Mariah with pebbles.
“Maybe I should not have done that,” she said. “I fear my white magic has alerted Maketabori to our presence. William, those things. They are coming back.”
Below them, the vultures screeched and sped toward them.
“Blend into the mountain. Look at the mountain. Think of those colors, shapes and textures.”
William wasn’t sure he could do it. The air grew hot and thin, and weariness beat upon him. Freezing rain reduced his dragon speed to that of a fluttering moth, and the crest of the mountain grew farther and farther away.
“Do it now. Be one with the mountain.”
William glanced at the rocky wall of browns, grays, and whites. He had no idea how to become one with a mountain without crashing into it. His muscles ached, and cold bit through him. But he had to try.
Power surged through him. He peered over his shoulder and blinked. If he hadn’t felt Mariah’s thighs pressing into his flanks and her arms wrapped around his neck, he would have thought she had fallen off, and he carried the mountain instead.
“It worked!”
Drakon snorted. “Did you think I would lie?”
Wind whipped around them, and the higher he flew, the hotter the air became. The rocky cliff became smooth, and even if he’d wanted to, there was no place to land. He had no choice but to fly to the summit or retreat and admit failure.
William forced his wings to fly faster, and he soared higher and higher until they reached the crescendo of the rocky mountain, where he crumpled onto the ground, gasping, too tired to move.
Mariah slid off his back. “William.” Fear emitted from her tiny voice.
He lifted his head and cursed their rotten luck.
They were not alone. A vulture perched on the back of a white marble chair between two white obelisks. The vulture was even larger up close. Its talons were longer and sharper than William’s. The bird cocked its head, feathers ruffling over its body, and flapped its wings. Foul air rushed over him, and nausea bubbled in his gut. How the hell had he blown the thing away from them before? He was too exhausted to remember.
Drakon paced back and forth in William’s mind. “It does not possess magic.”
Alabaster steps led down from the throne to a white marble altar. Nothing adorned it. There were no drawers or panels, and William had no idea where the damn soul chaser stone was. Was it inside the altar? How the hell could they get to it with the vulture standing guard?
Lightning hit the chair, and the bird flew off, cawing.
A man flashed onto the chair. He was a giant, and like Zuto, he only wore a loin cloth. He didn’t look like the devil. There were no horns protruding out of his head. He didn’t have a tail nor did he carry a pitch fork. His skin was tan as if he’d been out basking in the sun. Two gold armlets wrapped around his muscular arms. He looked like a man. But William could feel the power emitting from this demon.
The man turned his head, and his long black hair fell across his shoulders and shimmered. “I don’t see you. But I know you’re here. Show yourself.”
There was no mistake ’twas the god himself, Maketabori.
William tried to get off the hard ground. Mariah slid next to him, her body trembling. He had to protect her, but did he possess the power to defeat a god?
Drakon rolled his eyes. “No, you don’t.”
Maketabori stood and walked around the altar. He stopped and sniffed the air. Behind him, the bird landed back on the chair, and its massive wings moved the air around. William nudged Mariah. He prayed his power continued to blend them into their surroundings of a flat brown ground, white marble altar, and red sky.
The bird cawed and twisted its head back and forth. “You smell them, don’t you?” Maketabori asked. He leaned on the altar. “’Tis strong. I’ll find you. You can’t escape.” He waved his hand. An imp appeared. Not muscular like Zuto, built more like a young fat child with his round belly and thick squat legs. “My lord?”
“We have intruders,” Maketabori said. He returned to his seat and drummed his fingers on the chair’s marble arm.
“Here? Who would dare invade us?”
“I don’t know. White magic has stained the Underworld. Send out the guard. I want every inch of the Underworld searched. Someone had to have opened a portal.”
“We have a traitor?”
“Aye, we do. Zuto or Natasa. I want to know which one.” He flicked his hand. “Go. Find them.”
“Yes, my Lord,” the imp said. He bowed and disappeared.
Mariah scooted close to William, and her trembling hand lay on his back. He hated being so tired, terrified his powers would fail. How the hell were they going to accomplish anything? Damn Zuto. He had lied. Said Maketabori would not be able to detect their magic if they were blended.
“Do something before he finds you.”
Drakon was actually trembling. William could feel his fear. If Drakon was afraid, then William should be taking Mariah and hiding her some place in this cursed land. If there was a safe place. “You just said I wasn’t stronger than him.”
“You’re impossible,” Drakon hissed.“True you can’t defeat him, but you’re not going to battle him. Only steal from him.” He scanned the altar and lowered his voice as if he were afraid Maketabori could hear. “Use the fog, you idiot. It will give you the time to call forth the soul catcher and leave the pearl.”
William wanted to wring Drakon’s neck. “He’s the God of the Underworld. Why the hell would my powers work on him?”
“Because he’s looking for white magic. Not dragon magic. Ours is neither good nor evil.” He pointed his wing. “Get to the altar. Now.”
William forced his wobbly legs to move. He and Mariah climbed the stairs to the altar. This was foolish. The bird screeched, and William stopped. Mariah dug her nails into his back.
Maketabori stilled and scanned the altar. William held his breath, waiting to be caught. He didn’t know if he possessed the strength to snatch Mariah up and fly out of here if they were.
Mariah removed her hand and rustled next to him. The sound was like a cannon firing against the silence. Soft mumbling froze his heart. She was casting a spell. Maketabori stood and headed their way, his face intense, eyes narrowed. Had he heard her speaking or was it the magic?
“I can hear you,” Maketabori said, his voice cold and promising of death.
William froze.
The god was nearly upon them.
“Use the fog, now.”
Before William exhaled, a cry called behind him. A white eagle soared through the sky with a woman riding on its back. Maketabori and the bird rushed past him and dove off the cliff.
“Hurry,” Mariah said. “We must get to the altar, oui? My spell will not last long. The God will soon discover that it is an illusion and nothing more.”
William rushed toward the white marble altar with Mariah close to his side. Where the hell was this soul catcher?
“Ciba,” Mariah said.
The top of the altar slid open, and a smooth, black stone appeared. It flew out of the compartment as if by itself. Mariah must have seized it. “I’ve got it,” she said. A white pearl
appeared in its place. “Where is the portal? Zuto said it would open once we took the soul catcher.”
A loud rumble shook the mountain, and they stumbled.
Maketabori and the bird soared toward them. “Kill them!” Maketabori roared, his hair flying in his face, eyes blazing red, arms stretched out. Anger reverberated from the god. His fingers elongated into talons, able to shred them into tiny pieces with one swipe.
Mariah climbed onto William’s back, and he soared into the red sky. Damn Zuto! Why the hell had he trusted the bastard?
“Reveal,” Maketabori cried.
Sharp tingles swept over William, stabbing his skin. Mariah kicked her heals into his side and cried out.
Shite! Maketabori was hurting her by forcing her to materialize.
Drakon hissed.
“I see you, dragon,” Maketabori yelled. “You’ll never leave Coaybay alive.”
“The fog. Now.”
Without hesitation, William exhaled. The black fog clouded and swirled around Maketabori and the cawing pet. Whichever way they flew, the cloud continued to envelope them. The dragon fog would not hold them long. Where was the bloody portal?
“Damn you, dragon! I’ll find you I swear,” Maketabori called from inside the cloud.
Hot air whipped around them stronger and faster. Mariah hung on tight. “William, the portal,” she cried.
He aimed for the twirling black hole and prayed it would take them back to Zuto’s blasted island. Lightning crashed and thundered roared all around them.
“Seize them,” Maketabori commanded. His voice rang louder than the thunder.
“Mon Dieu,” Mariah cried.
Something sticky and wet lashed William’s tail, and he hissed at the pain. He flew into the portal with Mariah screaming in horror.
He spun out of control, and the fiery sky of Coaybay disappeared. Zuto’s island circled around and around in front of him. He crashed onto the beach. Mariah released his neck and cried out. Sand and shells stabbed his body upon impact, and his tail stung. “Mariah,” he whispered.
“Spiders,” Mariah gasped. She crawled toward him, clutching the bag. “Maketabori sent giant black spiders after us. They were spraying their webs at us.”
