Dragon Spirit: Cry of Revenge (Huntress High Book 1)

by Cory Reynolds

  Have you become more like a dragon?

  Sometimes I definitely feel like a monster.

  The job can do that to a person. It’s a good thing that I’m already a monster.

  The door opened and Morrigan stood up at attention as Matt entered with someone she had never seen before.

  "At ease, I'm Major Bennett." She had met many military leaders in this way. Everyone wanted to meet the legendary recruit. Even more, they wanted to see the mythical dragon.

  He's just as stiff as the last Major. You'll be fine.

  Is stiff a good thing?

  It's the relaxed ones that you should worry about. They actually have a backbone.

  Many of the higher ranking leaders had gained their position by the number of years they had served, not by their leadership, and many had 'protezionespirituale,' or spirit animals with no real fighting ability. Mice and sparrows were common. How were you supposed to develop a backbone when you fought alongside a mouse?

  Remember, it's the size of the fight in the animal.

  She ignored his reminder and instead wondered why Matt looked so nervous.

  "I read your report, and I'm confused. You let a high-level demon go because it told you about an alliance between the demons and the witches?" asked the Major.

  "Yes, sir."

  "Why didn't you just kill him? It sounds like you had the chance to, right?"

  “Yes, sir."

  "But instead, you gave him a chance to trick you."

  "No, sir.”

  “What do you mean? You know that a demon of his status has only one directive."

  "Yes sir, death."

  "But instead you let him go after sharing a conversation about this alliance that we’ve heard nothing about anywhere else."

  "Yes, sir." She hadn’t realized that she was in such hot water.

  "I also read that this wasn’t the first time that he wiggled out of your grasp."

  “Correct, sir.”

  “It’s not adding up." The major stepped closer, breaking the formality as he spoke quietly. "I know that you’re still new and that you have a tendency to try and capture instead of kill. Just make sure that you don’t get in the habit of letting them go. Make better decisions. Understand?" Morrigan nodded. He was trying to help her relax, but the problem was that every high-ranking leader did the exact same thing. Everyone wanted to be friends the dragon huntress. He stepped back and stiffened his posture again.

  "I expect that you won’t make the same mistake twice. This alliance in your report will be investigated."

  "Yes, sir," she said with a formal salute. The major turned and walked out of her office, leaving Matt behind. He had been standing alongside the Major the entire time. He relaxed and gave Morrigan a hug as soon as the door closed behind the Major.

  "Did you seriously let that demon go on purpose?"

  "Yes, I did."

  “Why? You didn’t really believe a demon's nonsense about an alliance between the witches and the demons, did you?"

  Take it easy on him. He doesn't know the whole story.

  "Well, I don’t know how to explain it, but I believed him enough to let him go." Matt rolled his eyes and she felt a wave of frustration beginning to rise.

  “Morrigan, you’ve been dealing with demons for years. If anyone knows how tricky they can be, it's you."

  "Yes, but I think this is different. An investigation should reveal whatever is going on."

  "There won’t be an investigation."

  “What do you mean? The Major just said that it would be investigated."

  "He's supposed to say that, but they're not taking you seriously. The witches and the demons have been quarreling with each other for as long as anyone can remember. There hasn’t been any kind of alliance between them in the books, and nobody is willing to believe that it could happen."

  Her worry was replaced with feelings of frustration. It was a minor miracle that the Benandanti were still alive. Several governments, including the early United States, had nearly gone to war with them many times. Each time her people had been found more useful alive then dead and had been shown a blind eye for over a century now, but all that could change if she couldn't convince anyone to believe her.

  "What about you?"

  "You know that I'll believe you, but do you really want me to? If you're serious about this, I know that you won't let it go."

  "Yes, I'm very serious about this." Matt sighed.

  "Okay, then what do you want to do about it?"

  "We have to do some investigating."

  "How is that going to work?"

  "I can send Loric."

  Send the inconspicuous dragon. Sounds like fun.

  "You don't think that they will notice when a twenty-foot dragon goes missing?"

  "They don't try to stop him when he leaves, they know that he has a big appetite."

  "Fine, but you're going to freak out when you hear about the report that came in yesterday while you were having lunch with the demon."

  "What was in the report?"

  “There's a huge witch convention happening tonight."

  "There is? It's confirmed?"

  "No, it's not confirmed, but somebody got their rabbit close enough to overhear a conversation between two witches about a meeting tonight in the mountains. That has to be a convention, and a big one if they need to hide it like that."

  "It's been a long time since one of those happened right?"

  "You know exactly how long it's been. You snuck into the last one years ago."

  "I need to do it again."

  "No you don't. You almost didn't make it out the last time."

  You wouldn't have if I hadn't torched several of the witches.

  "Seriously, I can do this. I can sneak out tonight with Loric, and he can drop me off a safe distance away."

  "I could do it. Gregors has snuck into more tight spots then I could count."

  "Yes, but if a rat is seen, they will kill it. If they see me, they won't think anything of it."

  "That's what you hope. Isn't that what you said last time?"

  "Last time it was a couple dozen witches. If this is really as big as the report said, then they won't think twice about another unfamiliar witch." Matt gave her another hug.

  "Please be careful. I'm always afraid that one of these days Loric is going to come back without you."

  I won’t let that happen.

  She was happy that Loric was supporting her on this. Now she just needed to pull it off without getting killed.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  LORIC HAD DROPPED Morrigan off on a tall cliff partway up the mountain in Colorado. The rainstorm that was raging wasn't unusual. A summer mountain storm could appear and disappear in an hour. But she suspected that this storm was getting a helping hand from some of the witches at the conference. She ran as quickly as she could, carrying her prop broom so that she would blend in perfectly. She hoped that this was worth all the trouble.

  I'm waiting down in a ravine. Just give me the word when I should come and get you out of this rain.

  She looked up and could see some of the clouds swirling in the sky. If she was right, it marked the spot where the witches were meeting. When she reached a large clearing in the middle of the mountain forest, she was amazed by what she saw.

  Hundreds of witches were standing in a large circle that appeared to be protected from the rain by a large, glassy dome. As several more witches arrived by broom, she followed them to the edge of the dome and realized that it wasn't glass at all as she walked right through into the dry clearing. Looking around, she could see that there were witches all around the perimeter with their arms up, creating a magical barrier against the rain. Several more were moving their arms in a swirling motion. They must have been responsible for the intensity of the storm. She knew that witches couldn't create a storm like this out of nothing, but they could encourage and control it if the makings of a storm were already there.

  She made her
way slowly toward the center of the large group where a witch was talking with a voice that seemed louder than what should have been possible. Another witch trick. The Benandanti didn't claim to know everything about the witches since they had never been a big threat to her people. Maybe that would change, but for now, she was just amazed by the display. Manipulating the forces of nature didn't have to be a bad thing, but it always became something bad when the witches were involved.

  What would happen if I just came and killed them all right now?

  Morrigan didn't know how to answer that question. Would that prevent the war that she had seen through The Demon’s touch? Or instead, cause it to begin? She tried to pay attention to the witch in the center.

  "We've been planning this for several years, but only in the last few months have we gained the traction that we needed. For hundreds of years, we've been waiting for something that would help us to take back this world from our enemies. They never should have ruled over us, but now we can restore everything back into our favor."

  "How do you know they can be trusted?" yelled a witch.

  "It's simple. We both want the same thing. The Benandanti destroyed!" A loud chorus of cheers came from the crowd of witches. She knew that the witch covens differentiated themselves by wearing robes of different colors. As she looked around the circle, she didn't see a single color repeated. She looked at her own robe and hoped that nobody was wearing the same shade of burgundy.

  There must be a representative from every major coven in the world.

  And the minor ones also. This could be the largest meeting of witches in history.

  Let me come and join the party.

  That could be a very bad idea. They had dealt with witches in the past, and several of them together could be crafty, but this was hundreds. Loric didn't argue the point.

  "Proof! We want proof!" said another witch in the crowd after the cheering had subsided.

  "Proof?" said a witch that stepped out into the center. She had bright white hair and a white eye that looked blind.

  Or enlightened if she's a seer.

  She raised her arms, and silence swept over the noisy crowd. The witches were usually a rowdy group, and this one carried an authority that Morrigan had never seen before.

  "I'm happy to show you why we brought you to this mountain. Are you ready for the proof?" asked the witch with the white hair.

  "Yes! Yes!" responded the crowd.

  "Witness your proof, and soon the fall of the Benandanti!" Morrigan saw nothing at first, but then the small clearing at the center of the witches began to widen, forcing everyone to spread out. Loud shouts and gasps came from those close to the center. She had probably already stayed too long, but she had to know what was happening. Morrigan rushed forward to see what was happening, and then stopped as she saw demons among the witches. They must have been coming through a hole in the ground. They were all in their leathery, native form, and there were already several different colored demons standing in formation in the center of the ring. Every few seconds another demon joined the group in the center.

  I'm heading to the cliff.

  Good idea. Morrigan began to back up slowly, and then quickly as more and more demons joined the group in the center of the clearing. She had to get out of here quick and warn her people. They would have to rush preparations for this new threat if it wasn't already too late. She stopped in her tracks when she backed into something solid. She turned to apologize, but she hadn't run into a witch. She stood inches from a dark orange demon blocking her path.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  MORRIGAN WAS LED to the center of the circle of witches. They all stared at her as she approached. Some were smiling, but many of them hissed at her as she walked past. One grabbed her prop broom and threw it to the ground. Loric couldn't get there fast enough, but flying into a hornet's nest could get them both trapped.

  I will be there in a minute!

  Maybe you should go and tell the others.

  Not without you. Don't lose confidence.

  "We found this on her," said one of the witches as Morrigan's silver-laced dagger was handed to the witch with the white hair. She took it and smiled as several other witches flocked around her.

  "Thought you could fool us?"

  "I did fool you."

  "But you didn't fool the demons. They knew right away that there was an imposter."

  "Hand her over to them!" said someone in the crowd. Several more cheered at the idea. She looked at the increasing group of demons and saw dozens of pairs of eyes staring at her like she was a piece of seasoned meat. Rarely did she see a demon in their natural form, as they wanted to blend in with the rest of the human world. These demons were scary and they were proud of it. As if a dinner bell had been sounded, the demons began to come even faster out of the small hole in the ground. Two at a time, and then four at a time. Soon there would be hundreds of them stretching into the surrounding forest. The witch with the white hair raised her hands again, silencing the crowd.

  "We will hand her over to the demons as a taste of things to come, but first let's make sure that she remembers us. Bring the mistress!" A loud cheer broke out from the crowd and the witches spread out again, leaving Morrigan in the middle.

  What is the mistress?

  Morrigan didn't know what was happening until two witches came forward with the largest snake that she had ever seen. It had a blindfold tied over its eyes, and she realized that it was a basilisk. A young one, if the stories she had heard about them were true. As they removed the blindfold she spun to face the other way. She didn't want to be frozen by the serpent's gaze.

  The mob of witches surrounding her began jeering and spitting. She couldn't turn around, but she couldn't go forward either. She hoped that Loric was almost there, she was out of time.

  Move!

  Morrigan jumped out of the way as Loric dropped out of the sky and landed on the ground between Morrigan and the basilisk. She couldn't see what happened next, but she felt the warmth of the flames that would have engulfed the snake and anything else close by. Loric stooped down for Morrigan to climb onto his back but felt a tug on her robe. She looked to see a witch. She let the robe get pulled from her as she continued to climb into the saddle system on Loric's back. She was almost in place as a downpour of water began to fall on her. The witches holding back the rain had lost their concentration.

  Go!

  Loric leaped into the air and carried her into the storm. Higher they went until they were above the clouds and the storm was below them.

  I'm sorry that I let that happen.

  It was necessary.

  You were almost lost to that serpent. That's the closest that we've ever been to the end.

  You would have been fine.

  I would not have been fine.

  I thought you told me that dragons didn't die when their spirit companion was killed.

  You're right. We're just mortally wounded.

  You mean mentally wounded?

  Let's just say that it's not pleasant. A dragon will still carry the loss with them for the rest of their long lives. Even when their companion is replaced.

  Your companion can be replaced?

  Yes, eventually. But it's complicated. It has to be someone of the previous companions blood.

  You mean like a relative?

  Yes, it would have to be your own child.

  Raising a family with Matt seemed impossible at the moment, but things could change. He had been pushing to make their relationship known to others. Maybe now was the time?

  That's not the complication that I was talking about.

  How else was it complicated?

  I think we should save that conversation for another time.

  How many companions have you lost in the past?

  Dozens.

  Why didn't you ever tell me?

  I didn't want to worry you.

  Now she had another reason to make sure that she had a daughter. She already owed
a life debt to Loric a hundred times over. She wouldn't live forever, and the spirit bond could only be passed to someone of the same blood. Her future daughter.

  CHAPTER SIX

  MORRIGAN STOOD AMONG the other military leaders in the packed meeting room. There wasn't a single face around her that didn't look outraged.

  "It's impossible!"

  "How could you?"

  "Where's your proof?" She couldn't take a chance of talking about it over the phone, so she had called the emergency meeting as soon as she arrived back at the base. Everyone available had come, but now several of them were walking out with angry looks.

  "I don't have any proof. I didn't have time to take a picture."

  "Where is this mountain?"

  "And how did you hear about it?" Questions were getting fired at her as fast as the superiors could get a word in. She couldn't blame them. She wouldn't have known about the meeting if Matt hadn't told her, and he had only known because of his position in the office. She couldn't reveal that he was involved, or he could be thrown into prison.

  Keep your cool. You were expecting this. Just remember to not mention the White Witch.

  "Isn't it more important to prepare for this new threat?" she asked.

  "Bah, it couldn't happen in a million years." She couldn't believe that they still didn't take her seriously. Several more were getting up to leave.

  "Why would I make this up?"

  "Are you sure that you couldn't have misunderstood whatever it is that you think you saw?"

  Okay, now it's time to get angry.

  Morrigan didn't need prodding, she was already angry.

  "You say impossible, but I saw it with my own eyes. I was almost killed while trying to escape."

  "You never should have done this on your own in the first place. You should have been killed if you really were caught at a witches council."

  "Yes, but I'm standing here, telling you that war is coming!" A commanding officer named Stevens approached her.

  "Morrigan, you completely neutralized the witches all by yourself while in college and they were barely a threat then. Now you're trying to tell us that they've been scheming with the demons in preparation for a war? Are you surprised that nobody wants to take you seriously?"