Summer's Dragon

by Lisa Daniels

  “This is what he wants. This is exactly what he wants. Hisa! You have to stop!”

  Summer charged forward. She saw Calixto sweep in and cover Hisa in fire. Shaking his head, Hisa turned and took a breath. As he did, another dragon appeared from the ground beneath him. The ground buckled and Hisa stumbled, trying to stay on his feet. With a final roar, he began to beat his wings, sending Annora and Elian flying backwards. Elian quickly recovered, but Summer saw Annora crumple as she struck a tree. Bree’s voice was amplified as she saw what happened. Her hands were raised, a spell forming in the space between them. Summer’s eyes turned to Hisa. The rock dragon was throwing rocks up at him, then suddenly stopped. A small figure with a tail appeared on Hisa’s neck, a small metal object gleaming in its hands.

  Feeling the same shout forming in her gut, Summer charged forward, willing it to break forth. As it sprang to her throat, she felt her body begin to shift. Instead of a shout, a fierce roar emerged from her throat followed by a blast of light.

  Chapter 9

  In the Depths of the Storm’s Wrath

  Summer’s attention was so focused on Hisa that she did not notice the way all heads turned toward her. The small creature had stopped and her eyes opened wide. The spell in Bree’s hand disappeared as she turned to look at the new dragon joining the fray.

  Feeling her wings beating furiously, Summer lifted off the ground. As she passed the rock dragon, she slammed her weight into him, causing him to topple over into the gaping hole he had created. She roared straight at the creature sitting astride Hisa’s neck. The creature scrambled to the other side. Losing her footing, she began to fall. Hisa’s jaws snapped out and grabbed her. Swooping away from the field, the rock dragon roared and tried to get out of the pit.

  Hisa circled back around and spat the woman out on the rock dragon’s back. His eyes turned to look at Summer, and she could tell he was smiling. He veered off in the direction they had originally been heading. Understanding his meaning, Summer followed him without looking back.

  Phelan looked around the room, the corpses of several enemies smoldering where they first entered the room. It was too few. That meant they were gathering and preparing a larger assault. Shifting into his human form, he dashed through the corridor and into the room where Heath was.

  “Don’t breathe! Don't breathe!” He held his hands up as the dragon inhaled.

  Quickly shifting, Heath moved forward. “This is much easier than I expected.”

  “They are assembling somewhere. I think we need to get them out of here.”

  Heath nodded. “I understand. It’s time to admit that the contingent plan was worth the effort.”

  Phelan couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not going to be easy with a newborn.”

  “That’s alright. How do you think they are doing?”

  Phelan just shrugged. “Hopefully it isn’t going so roughly for them. Come on, we’ve got a lot to do.”

  Heath followed him into the chamber. He nearly bumped into Phelan as the first one stopped. “What’s wrong?”

  Without a word Phelan shifted and dove down into a large pit in the floor where Taja and the baby should have been. “Oh, that’s sneaky.” Heath shifted and followed Phelan into the pit.

  Hisa flew over to Summer and gently nudged her. She turned to look at him, then saw him gesturing to the ground below them. She nodded and followed.

  No sooner had they landed than the voices started in her head.

  Suddenly a clapping sound caught her attention. “Very clever. Very, very clever. I had so hoped that you would not remember that about yourself. You were easily the biggest pain in my immortal ass, and I was so glad when you died.”

  Hisa immediately stepped between them. Summer tried to talk to him, but all that came out of her mouth were roars. Frowning, she tried again.

  “You can’t.” Hisa’s voice was clear, although considerably lower than usual. “But I can.”

  He stepped forward, but immediately he began to shrink.

  The lesser god stepped into the light, a cruel smile on his face. “Where do you think that your power came from?”

  “Not from you.” Hisa’s voice was not changed as his body continued to shrink.

  “Then how do you explain what is happening to you now?”

  “I just expended a lot of energy fighting some pretty powerful dragons. My strength isn’t at full force now.” He turned his head. “Summer, get out of here.”

  She shook her head.

  “You cannot stay, or he will use you against me. Please go.”

  She looked up, then back at Hisa. His expression was tender despite it being the face of a dragon.

  Quickly she lifted off and flew away from the pair.

  Hisa watched as the lesser god strode towards him. “It doesn’t matter if she stays here or goes back to your former friends. They will kill her while I find a way to turn you.”

  Hisa flicked his tongue out of his mouth. “I think you are underestimating her just like you did last time.”

  “Oh, you mean the time when you killed her?”

  Hisa laughed as he sauntered forward. He was not as big as he had been, but he was still much larger than the lesser god, although he knew that didn’t mean anything, not when his adversary was a god on any scale.

  Hisa began to walk around the god. “So, you were the source of all the disturbances that have been plaguing the world. What a petty, vindictive god. It is no wonder you are one of the lesser ones.”

  The god’s eyes flinched. “I am still a god, which is so much more than you.”

  “It means that you can never truly die, but we both know that there are worse things than death. I just lived through 500 years of worse things than death. You tore my heart out, and you bring her back just because you thought you could use me.” The sneer on his face was obvious as he walked around the god. “Of course, you realize that the only reason you were able to call her back was because she waited for it. Though her memories didn’t hold, her purpose did.”

  “Yes, very touching. She comes back from the dead and immediately looks for you. It must be true love.”

  “So gods can recognize it. Wasn’t sure since the only thing most of you inspire is fear. It’s hardly a screaming endorsement for you, you know.”

  The god’s face flinched again. “And yet it is so much more than you will ever know.”

  “Guess you will never know because with your personality, there is no way that anyone is going to love you willingly.” Hisa didn’t wait for the response. “Anyway, it appears we are at an impasse.”

  “You are underestimating me. As soon as you were soundly thrashed by your former friends you headed to the one spot where I knew you would. Did you think I didn’t prepare for this?”

  “Oh, I have no doubt that you thought you planned for this, but several things you overlooked.”

  The god scoffed, “I don’t overlook anything.”

  “You did. Let me know when you spot the real problem.”

  There was a rumbling sound from Hisa’s abdomen. Chesed scoffed again, “I am impervious to your darkness.”

  Hisa blasted the darkness into the sky, pointing almost directly up. Chesed began to laugh. “That’s it? A little display of darkness in the middle of the day? Clearly someone has far too high an opinion of himself.”

  Hisa looked down at the god, now only a few feet away from him. The dragon’s neck struck out and snatched the god from the ground. He swung him around, grinding his teeth. The god’s laughter bounced around his mouth, but it became increasingly fainter the longer Hisa held him in his jaws.

  A shocking sensation went through the dragon’s body. Hisa smiled as he spat Chesed onto the ground. He looked like a rag doll flying through the air, and for a second Chesed’s face showed shock and fear. He bounced on the ground, then struck it again. Pushing himself up, he spat a little blue blood form his mouth. “Nice try, but now it’s my turn.”

  Chapter 10

>   The Fallout

  Heath followed the fire dragon deeper into the pit. He was wondering how far down it went when they finally encountered the bottom. Phelan shifted, whispering, “They were planning this the whole time. The army was a distraction, this was the plan. This way.”

  Heath didn’t bother to shift as he jumped over Phelan. Charging into the opening, he was furious that someone had taken Kerensa from him. His steps were surprisingly light and he resisted the urge to roar. When he plowed into a large cavern, all heads turned. Immediately his eyes fell on a small group at the front of the cavern around an altar. Without hesitation, he released a large breath, freezing everyone on the main floor.

  The priest at the altar watched for a moment, then returned to the ritual he had started. There was now a much faster pace to his words.

  Heath felt something run between his front legs and his eyes met a fire dragon flying forward. “Be careful! They are up there.” His voice rang clearly around the cavern. Phelan shook his head for a second, then his eyes trained on the priest holding his baby at the altar, a knife held high. Planning to slam into him, Phelan pulled in his wings and shot through the air like a bullet.

  His eyes widened as Taja appeared at the priest’s elbow. She was trying to grab the baby from his hands. To his horror, Phelan watched as the priest began to plunge the knife downwards. Realizing she wouldn't succeed in getting the baby, Taja threw her body in front of the dagger. Phelan felt his stomach plummet as the knife moved in what he saw as slow motion. Kerensa was struggling behind them, her mouth bound, and she was clearly trying to scream. Taja’s arms wrapped around the baby as the dagger plunged into her back.

  Phelan let out a roar and slammed into the priest as Taja and the baby fell to the ground. She turned her body just enough to cushion the blow, but already other priests were beginning to swarm around her and the child. Jumping over her, Phelan’s jaws snapped around several priests. Now that the women and the child were clear, he released a blast of fire that scorched the wall on the far side of the altar.

  Heath dashed up to the front of the altar and ripped off the ropes binding Kerensa. When she was freed, he turned and lifted Taja and the baby from the floor. The infant was wailing. Kerensa gently pulled it out of Taja’s hands. “It’s okay. He’s okay now.”

  Taja looked up and smiled at the couple. Phelan appeared in front of her. “Give her to me.” He took Taja from Heath. Without waiting for a response, he shifted and tore out of the cave with Taja on his back. Heath shifted and offered his back to Kerensa. Gingerly, she climbed up on his back with the child. He gently lifted off of the floor and followed Phelan. Once they were gone, the only sounds left in the caverns were the sound of crackling as ice and fire fought for domination of the wreckage.

  Hisa braced himself for the blast, but it still wasn’t enough. As the god sent shock waves from his hands, they pounded into Hisa relentlessly. Hisa roared, his voice cracking under the strain.

  When the god finally stopped, there was a smug look on his face. “That’s just the beginning. And as I break you, I will remind you that you sent off your Summer to die by the hands of your friends. So what are you fighting for? A world that rejects you for your darkness? Friends who turn on you because you don’t want them to kill your love? When the cards are down, I am the last place you have to turn.” He held his arms out as if to say that the choice was obvious.

  “It isn’t nearly that easy, as you would have realized had you more thoroughly reviewed your plans.”

  The god spat at the insult, “At least I had plans. All you did was run.”

  The dragon shrugged his shoulders, then suddenly he began to shift. The transition was much faster. Within seconds, Hisa stood in front of the lesser god.

  Chesed laughed, “So now you give up. I forgive you. Now change back because you are no good to me in this form.”

  Hisa stretched his arms up. “Oh gods, but I love this form. I mean, the dragon shape is nice, but you just need so much space. Now like this, I can do all kinds of things.” His hand struck out and yanked the lesser god off of his feet. Hisa slammed him into the ground. Placing his knee on Chesed’s face, he leaned down. “You also seem to have forgotten that you have given me 500 years to plan. Summer was an unexpected surprise, but now that she is gone, I have so many plans for you.”

  The god tried to throw him off, but found that he could not move under the pressure. Trying to generate his magic, Chesed found that even that failed him in the current pose. His mind travelled over the last few hundred years. In that time Hisa had joined the military of more than 50 countries, often without any of his friends knowing. Chesed had been pleased to see the shifter learning to fight, building his strength. Now, that appeared to be a mistake.

  “As soon as I get out of this, I'm going to make you pay. All of those you care about will die, slowly, painfully. You won’t even–”

  “Really, Hisa, you could have told me yourself earlier and saved us all the fighting. Annora is still out.”

  Chesed moved his head just enough to see Cyprian walking toward them. Seeing his opportunity, the lesser god said, “This doesn’t change the fact that Summer must die to restore the balance.”

  A red-haired woman burst in front of his vision. A fist flashed out and blue blood spurted all over his face. “And that is where your argument falls apart. Do you have any idea what you did to my friend?”

  A serious-looking man stepped forward and pulled her back. “Bree, you have to get in line. There are people who have a much greater cause to lash out. Annora will be fine. Anani will be fine once Ash finishes drawing out the darkness.”

  Bree relaxed and took a deep breath. Her eyes flashed as she looked at Hisa. “Don't think that I will forget your role in this either.”

  Hisa flashed a smile at her. “I would expect nothing less from a sorceress.”

  Bree moved forward. Calixto grabbed her again. “Get a hold of yourself. He is the only thing standing between us and an angry god.”

  Cyprian stepped forward and looked down on the god, his expression fiercer than anything Chesed had seen on a god. “You have done enough damage to those I care about. We may not be able to kill you, but some people learn to regret longevity.” He brought his boot down on the lesser god’s head.

  Chesed recoiled as much as possible from the blow. “Just you wait! I am about to gain more strength than you can imagine.”

  Hisa leaned over him, “Are you referring to the infant that was safely relocated to a castle just as you were closing in on it? At what point did you think that was a coincidence?”

  Ready to start cursing the growing crowd around him, the lesser god felt something connect with the back of his head and he blacked out.

  Hisa turned to his left. Anani looked down at him. “Hey Hisa.” Without any further warning, Anani punched him in the face.

  Chapter 11

  Lost Time

  When Hisa woke, the room was so quiet that he felt for shackles before taking in his settings.

  “Oh, thank the gods, you are awake.” He looked over at a woman whom he couldn’t remember.

  “Sorry, darling, but I am in no state to provide any kind of pleasure.”

  The woman laughed as she looked down at him. “I'm fine with that. Ash wouldn’t be pleased if I went sleeping with one of his friends.”

  Hisa tried to sit up, but the pain in his head convinced him to settle back down. “Oh, remind me not to let Anani sneak up on me again. The bastard.”

  “You did almost kill him.”

  “And he was willing to kill Summer. Tell me how Ash would react if I tried to kill you.”

  “Easy, he would try to destroy you.”

  “There you go. And I’ve known Summer longer than you guys have been alive. Combined. Imagine what that would have been like.”

  “Hey, I agree with you. I told them not to provoke you, but Cyprian and Anani just fed off of each other. I will have to remind them of it every time they say
anything about a red’s temper.”

  Hisa bolted up, ignoring the pain in his head. “Where’s Summer?”

  The woman turned and spoke over her shoulder, “You are right. He’s not the fastest on the uptake, but I think that can play in your favor.”

  Summer stepped forward. “Thank you, Ailey. I appreciate everything.”

  Hisa sank back onto the bed. “Thank the… me for you being safe.” Both of the women turned to look at him. “Hey, I’m not thanking any more gods after that.”

  Ailey laughed as she stood up. “Well, at least I won’t need to worry about him.”

  As she reached the door, Hisa called out, “Ailey.”

  She turned to look at him.

  He smiled, “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”

  “You can’t believe Ash. He is far too profuse with his praise.”

  Hisa shook his head, “I was at the last battle of the Cremera War, too.”

  “Oh,” her face flushed, “well, that was my early work.”

  “Then I am inclined to believe every word that Ash says about you.” A weight on the edge of his bed arrested his attention. As his eyes slid over to Summer, Ailey smiled and closed the door.

  Several days later, the atmosphere around the castle was much more somber. Taja had died in Phelan’s arms. As the participants returned to the castle, the news changed the atmosphere. No longer interested in celebrating, everyone took the time to express their condolences. No one was as remorseful as Elian, who took the death of his friend’s lover to heart. Repeatedly apologizing to Phelan did little to alleviate the pain either of them felt. At the end of the week, Phelan had announced that he needed to leave for a while. A few people pointed out that he was now the sole parent of the child, but he waved them off, saying that he would be back within a week. When the castle woke the next morning, Phelan was gone.

  Elian was walking with Cyprian in the courtyard, neither saying much. At one point, Cyprian mentioned that usually Hisa was used to helping in these situations, but considering the association Phelan had with Hisa as the one who appeared at the end of Taja’s life, it didn’t seem like a suitable solution. Just as the conversation died again, Leonides approached them. Cyprian tilted his head as the man approached. “Why not send Leo?”