"Everything that belongs to me does my bidding whether they like it or not," said The Demon with a nasty smile. "Before you go, I do have one more vision that I can share with you. It involves both your own future and your daughter's." He didn't take another step forward but instead held his fingertip out toward her. She wanted to feel the comfort and warmth of his touch again. She wanted to feel loved in the way that only he could. It both thrilled and terrified her.
"Will it help me to convince my people to team up with you?" The grin on his face faltered.
"In a way, yes, but it also will not." She jumped up the side of the gulley and ran over to climb up Loric, all while making a promise to herself that she wouldn't indulge in the vision.
"Then I will take a rain check. I only have time to focus on what will help us win." She didn't have to tell Loric to fly, she knew that he could feel her animosity. Loric spread his wings and shot into the sky. She was thankful for the bond, as she wasn't sure if she was strong enough to tell him to leave.
CHAPTER TWELVE
MORRIGAN was thankful to be back in Matt's arms.
"You could have been hurt."
"No, Loric wouldn't have let them."
"You're sure that they only wanted half of the world? Why wouldn't they want the whole globe to bow down to them and stew in their kettles?" This was where she belonged. Even if The Demon did have a way of making her feel more whole than she had ever felt in her life, she knew that Matt was right for her.
"They seemed to be happy to split it with us."
"Then maybe they're more democratic than we thought?” Matt snickered.
"What was even funnier was their arrogance. They promised to grant me safe passage back to the base. As if we would just let them walk right in."
"They couldn't have been serious."
"They were, and they couldn't understand why I didn't want to deliver their offer, but the part that gets to me was that they approached me in the first place."
"What do you think it means?"
"I think that it's more proof. They never would have come that close to me in the past. Their confidence is growing too quickly."
"You should definitely report it. It could mean more danger for the patrols."
"But I wasn't even supposed to be out there."
"It's not like they didn't know. There's nothing sneaky about a girl on the dragon leaving the base." He was right, but she had already tasted enough ridicule in the last 24 hours to last a lifetime. She could agree to tell about the encounter with the witches, but she couldn't tell anyone about her conversation with The Demon. She didn't know when it would be necessary to have that discussion, but she would first have to gain the commander's trust. Otherwise, she could end up in prison, or worse. For now, she wouldn't think about it. She kissed Matt for a distraction.
“Okay, I’ll file the report, but I’m getting out of here before another meeting is called to roast me.”
"I don't think it will be as bad as you think."
"Why? What's happened?"
"They sent out an investigation to the mountain where the witches had their council."
"And?"
"Besides the ground being all torn up, they found several char-broiled witches and something else that resembled a large, burnt snake."
"It was a basilisk."
It was barbecue.
"Well, they're ready to talk to you some more. They want to be ready in case there’s an attack coming." Morrigan took a deep breath, thankful that they were finally beginning to see things her way.
"When do they want to talk?"
"Tonight, but first they’re going to ask you to do an inspection of the companies."
"Me? Do an inspection?"
"Yes. Things are moving quickly and they've recognized that the military is a fraction of what they used to be. They need to understand the state of where things are."
"But why me?"
"Who else has seen half as much action as you in the last few years? They were treating you like a one-woman army when you were just a sophomore in college."
"Yes, but I'm just a girl."
A girl with a dragon.
"I hate to say this, but you're a girl with a huge responsibility to her people. Remember why we do this, why we've always done this. It's not just for ourselves. It's for the protection of the world. There's more to all of this than we can see ourselves." Morrigan sighed.
You’re getting the respect that you deserve.
She was fairly sure that she didn’t want it.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MORRIGAN WALKED up the steps to the front door of the Landborne battalion barracks and waited.
Do you want me to join you?
No. You can relax until we get to Airborne. Morrigan was stepping into some shoes that she expected were too big for her. She hoped that they wouldn't just laugh.
What are you waiting for?
I don't know. A push, I guess.
She had seen this done a hundred times. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open wide open. Every head inside the large entryway turned and glared at her. There was no going back now.
"Fall in!" she yelled. Several people jumped out of their chairs and began to form a line. Several others continued to stare at her, while the rest of the Landborne troops went back to their activities. They were playing cards, watching television, and standing around the pool table. They were just doing what troops did when there was nothing else to do, but that was about to change. The few troops that were standing in the short line were beginning to look at her out of the corner of their eyes.
I changed my mind. Can you help me wake up these troops?
A distinct roar could be heard from Spirit Park where Loric was resting. A silence came over the barracks as everyone paused and looked at each other. Everyone knew what the sound had come from.
"I said fall in!" Several more troops began to jump up and joined the others in the line, while the rest of the room stared at Morrigan. They looked insulted that a girl from another company would dare to tell them what to do in their barracks. Their expressions softened as the sound of flapping wings filled the air and Loric landed on the ground just outside. He hit the worn ground so hard that it made the entire building vibrate. Everyone jumped as the remaining troops scrambled to join the two lines. Now she had their attention.
Morrigan began to walk down the middle of the two long rows of troops.
"Is this a joke? They call you instruments of death?" She stared into the eyes of each troop as she passed them. Behind her, she could smell the familiar scent of smoke rising from Loric's nostrils. "I'm not even going to ask when the last time was that you had an inspection, because this is going to be different than any inspection you've had before."
"May I ask a question, ma'am?" asked a troop that she hadn't reached yet in the line.
"Ask away."
"Why are you here, giving an inspection?"
"I'm sure that's the question on everyone's mind. What is this Specialist from Airborne doing here? The real answer is because we're preparing for war." She knew that she was giving them more information than she was supposed to, but she needed them to take her seriously. They would find out soon anyway.
"We're always preparing for war, ma'am." She walked up and stared into the face of the troop. He stared back at her.
"When is the last time that you were in the field, outside of this base?" asked Morrigan.
"Sometime last year ma'am."
"I was there today. I'm there every day, and the rest of you sit around on your butts and prepare to embarrass us the day that we do battle." She could sense the tension rising to the ceiling. She began walking down the row again. "I'm sure you're not that as we speak, there's a battle on its way to the base. I'm here to see if you're ready and so far I'm not impressed. We're going to do some exercises and see if we can sharpen you up. See if you can become less of an embarrassment to the base. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am!
" responded the two lines of troops. This wouldn't be easy to maintain, but she had them for now.
You're doing great. I can always say hello to them again when they get lazy. Now hand them off and we can go to Seaborne.
"When I return, I want to see you working harder than you ever have before. Like your life depends on it." Loric added his own motivation with a second, deafening roar.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
She was beginning to feel like she could do this.
Of course you can. You're the Dragon Huntress."
Morrigan and Loric used the same approach at Seaborne camp and then at Airborne. Most of the troops at Airborne were more respectful just because of her history, but several of the female troops were smirking as she walked up and down the rows. Just because this was her own company didn't mean that she could cut them any slack. She would have to make an example.
"What is so funny? Huber? Watts? Gilbertson?"
"The whole situation is funny," said Private Huber.
"How so? We would all like to know."
"Isn't it convenient that you're the only one that has seen this army of demons?" Morrigan hadn't mentioned anything to them about the alliance between the demons and witches.
So somebody else has an ear open in the reports office?
"It is convenient that some of us get off of our butts every once in a while."
"Is that what you call it? You're a freak and everyone here knows it." Morrigan was shocked. She had known Emily Huber ever since they were in the University together. She walked up to Emily and stared her in the face.
Maybe she would like to play tickle the dragon?
"I don't think that anything we're talking about here is funny."
"But I do Dragon Huntress!" Emily raised her hands up in the air and the front door to the Airborne barracks slammed shut. The door was smashed in when Loric hit it with his tail. His nostrils were flaring and several of the troops stepped out of line to get away from her.
"It's too late for all of you! Your future has already been lain and you are all doomed!" Emily swayed her raised arms and the air in the room began to blow like the wind.
She's a spy for the witches, watch out.
Morrigan didn't have a weapon to use, but she didn't need one. She was a weapon. She walked over to the witch who still had her arms in the air and punched her right in the nose. The witch dropped her arms and bent over as she tried to stop the blood that was spraying out of her nose onto the floor. Morrigan shoved Emily to the floor as the air calmed down.
"Get her out of here. Take her to confinement," said Morrigan and two troops bent down to lift the witch to her feet. As they were dragging her toward the door, she began to scream again.
"You and the dragon, you will suffer before this is all over. You'll pray for death!" Morrigan ignored the comment. She couldn't allow things get to her riled up while everyone was watching her, but she was afraid that the witch was right. She remembered The Demon's offer to show her more of the future, and now wished that he had. One thing that the witches were certain to know now was how weak their military actually was.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MORRIGAN HAD NEVER seen so many people in the conference room. After the chairs had filled up, it had become a standing room for everyone with the slightest importance. Most of them hadn't seen any real combat action in several years, and they all wanted to hear what the girl with the dragon had to say. Morrigan stood up in the center of the room and waited for everyone to quiet down.
They're scared. They're looking for some reassurance.
Reassurance of what?
That they have a chance.
She hoped that she could offer it. She also hoped that she wouldn't end up behind bars.
Don't tell them about the deal with The Demon unless you have to. You won't do any good from jail.
She allowed a nervous smile to creep across her face.
"Thank you for coming. You've all had the chance to read the report. I think we all know that it points to war."
"You don’t waste time getting to the point. Do you think that war is unavoidable?" asked someone from the back of the room.
"Yes, I do. Unless we accept a truce from the witches that would split the planet between us and them, 50-50." Murmuring from the crowd was interrupted by Major Bennett.
"We haven't heard anything about this in a report.”
"It happened last night. I was too busy inspecting the companies to write up the report."
"You were supposed to be confined to the base. What were you doing that was so important?"
"I was talking to the University about preparing for war." Louder murmurs broke out this time. The Major lost his composure.
"Who do you think you are, taking classified information outside of the base?"
"We had already heard the rumors, Major," said a voice from the other side of the room as Professor Garmouth stepped forward. "She was simply making sure that we were as prepared as possible since we would probably be asked to support the base."
"We hadn't done an investigation yet, but the now it's clear. The witches are busy doing something, and it's never anything good." Professor Garmouth nodded to the Major and stepped back into the crowd. "What I want to know is what we need to do to prepare." Morrigan stepped forward again.
Don't hold back, they need to hear the worst of it.
"Troops. We need troops. Half of the barracks are empty because of the downsizing years ago, and now we need troops," she said.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" someone asked from the front of the crowd.
"What do you mean?"
"You and your dragon proved that we didn't need such a large military force. Plus you've taken every assignment handed to you. Really what we need is more of you."
"Or none at all. The witches have never allied with the demons before. Maybe it never would have come to this if they didn't feel cornered by a dragon," said someone else from the circle of chairs surrounding her. Were they somehow trying to blame her for the state of things?
Don't let them play games with you.
She was thankful again to have a dragon in her head.
"Stop your bickering! This isn't a time for blaming, it's war. If you want to blame me, fine, but what are you going to do after that?"
"What do you suggest?" asked Major Beckett.
"We need more troops."
"There’s always been a plan to create a draft if we needed to rebuild the numbers."
"Our current military is rusty, to say the least. It will take more than that."
"If I could recruit every Benandanti teenager out of puberty with a spirit animal, I would."
"Maybe you should." Several people in chairs stood up, but the Major motioned for them to calm down.
"Are you suggesting a draft for all Benandanti in high school, Sergeant Hunt?"
"It could help."
"We already know the locations of the families, it wouldn't be impossible," said someone else from the front of the crowd. The murmurs broke out again. They were making headway.
That could take weeks, and we may only have days.
Should I tell them about The Demon's offer?
I don't think so, but I think you need to talk with him about the terms of their help.
Loric was right. This was definitely a time when it would be easier to get forgiveness than permission. She had already gone the entire day without sleep, but she would have to make one last visit with The Demon before she could rest. Just the thought made her yearn for the connection to him again. She had promised herself that she wouldn't indulge in any further visions from The Demon, but she had never been good at keeping promises.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
AT THE RIGHT MOMENT Morrigan slipped out of the meeting room. She had done as much as she could to help set things into motion. Now she needed to make sure that the backup plan was going to work.
Are we leaving again?
Yes. We nee
d to know that we can count on The Demon for help.
He has a name, you know.
Yeah, a terrible one.
Can't we relax for just one night?
What if we're invaded tonight?
Loric didn't answer and she didn't expect one. She had almost reached the exit to Spirit Park when she heard an unexpected voice behind her.
"Going so soon?" She stopped mid-step, afraid to turn around. Loric didn’t have to guess who it was.
What is he thinking? Raise the alarm, now!
She spoke without turning to see The Demon.
"What are you doing here?"
"I had to know where the Benandanti stood, and I thought that this would be more fun than giving a call." She turned slowly around to see him with her own eyes. The Demon was standing at the end of the hall in one of their own uniforms. She hated to admit that he looked great in it. Seeing him in the light for the first time, his face was even more beautiful than she had remembered.
What are you waiting for? Hit the alarm!
"You know that you would be killed for being here."
"Yes, if the pets were allowed indoors, but they can't sense me from out there."
"How did you get in?"
"It's not hard when you have a direct route."
"You have one of your holes here on the base?"
"Of course we do. How else could we spy on you?" He flashed a dangerous smile. How long had there been demons on the inside of their base? She hadn't hit the nearby alarm button on the wall yet. Everything in the last couple of hours had made it obvious that they were so outnumbered, it would be better to just raise a white flag and surrender.Getting the help of the demons would be critical to winning a battle against the witches, whether that battle was now, or in the future against her daughter.
You’re sure that the vision of the future he shown me is real?
Yes.
Loric was keeping his voice in her head quiet, but his emotions were screaming at her. She had planned to find The Demon, but he had found her first. She wouldn’t waste any time.
Dragon Spirit: Cry of Revenge (Huntress High Book 1) Page 4
