by J. D. Monroe
Now he was partnered with Rihz, a nervous hybrid, preparing to dive headfirst into a viper’s nest. Erevan Skyblaze and his hybrid partner, Natalie, had previously shut down a Chosen stronghold in North Carolina. Their experience had provided valuable tactical information for this incursion. Along with recovering old magic, the Chosen had also embraced modern technology; they’d learned to amplify the effects of the Elegy with speakers and microphones, making the weapon far more devastating by extending its effective range.
“Remember,” Sohan said. “Leave them alive if possible. Limit the fire. Keep as much intact as you can.”
Zeltira, the female wind dragon who’d scouted ahead, snorted in derision over the comms. “I can’t promise that.”
“You better fucking work it out,” Sohan said. “We need information more than a bunch of corpses.”
“We’ve got it,” Zeltira’s partner, Emmett, said in a mild voice.
With the return of their old enemy, Sohan had fallen back on old, effective strategies. Dragon-human hybrids were unaffected by the Elegy, and they were able to extend their protection to a full-blooded dragon through a mental connection. Back then, Velati and Sohan had flown into battle with hybrids on their backs, trusting their partners to shield them while they rained destruction onto their enemies.
“When Natalie’s in range of the building, it’s a go,” Sohan said. “Zaare en tahl Isinaa.” Stay in the Skymother’s sight. The old blessing was familiar, but chilling as the memories of war flooded back.
Trying to shake the sense of foreboding, Velati clapped Rihz on the shoulder. “You’ll be fine. Stay by me. I need your help, all right?”
Rihz nodded, dark eyes wide with fear. “Okay. I’ve got your back.” His shaking voice did not inspire confidence.
Darting quietly down the path, Erevan led the team toward the house. Natalie followed close behind him, while Velati and Rihz stayed back a few yards, always waiting for Erevan’s signal before proceeding. His heart pounded with anticipation, though he was laser-focused now. This was like old times, and it was surprising how normal it felt even after all these years.
It took them about five minutes to move close enough to the facility to begin the attack. Zeltira and Emmett were already there, crouched behind a fallen log, and the rest of the team quickly ducked into cover with them. While the others wore tactical gear, Zeltira wore a loose black robe tied at the waist, ready to transform.
At first glance, the large building appeared to be a mansion, like an island of metal and glass rising from the dark sea of trees. Large black speakers were mounted high on the walls, protected by glinting steel cages.
“Guess they learned from last time,” Erevan said quietly. “If it’s like the last one, there’ll be a basement. They kept their prisoners underground.”
“Makes sense,” Velati mused. “Are you ready?”
Erevan glanced at Natalie. His gaze softened, hinting at more than just a tactical partnership. “Are you ready?” he repeated.
She nodded. As she passed, she squeezed his hand, then joined Zeltira across the path. The dragon woman grasped her hand, and they faded from sight. The shimmering barrier around them caught the hint of light, then faded again. If he stared at where they’d just been standing, he could detect the faintest irregularity in the air, but he was overcome by the urge to look elsewhere. While he appreciated his own destructive capabilities, he often envied the stealthy nature of the wind dragons.
A few seconds later, a faint crystalline hum tickled his ears, preceding a burst of energy from the empty space just down the path. Electricity arced into the closest speaker. Smoke drifted out of the black box and faded into the air.
“That’s my girl,” Erevan said.
“Focus, Skyblaze,” Sohan said. Erevan pressed his lips together, though they still betrayed the hint of a smile. Suspicion confirmed.
As Zeltira and Natalie circled the house, Velati watched for movement, any sign that they’d been detected. Everything was still and quiet. Perhaps no one was home.
Right. Like he’d ever been that lucky.
“We’re headed to the last one,” Natalie said. “It’s still quiet over here.”
“Give us the sign when it’s done. We’ll make our move,” Erevan said.
There was a long silence, and Velati looked back at Rihz one last time. “You okay?”
The younger hybrid’s eyes were still wide, but he stood tall, shoulders thrown back. “I’m okay.”
Please don’t let this kid get us killed, Velati thought. He was powerful and experienced in battle, but the Elegy didn’t care how big and badass you were. Rihz would have to protect him, or he’d be vulnerable and useless.
“About to hit the last one,” Natalie said.
“Get it and come back to me,” Erevan said.
“It’s done. We’re on our way back.”
Footsteps crunched through leaves, growing closer and faster. The shimmering air parted to reveal Zeltira and Natalie running toward them. Natalie ran toward Erevan, while Zeltira peeled off her robe and dropped to her knees in the damp leaves. Blue light surrounded her as she shifted into dragon form. The smoky smell of Kadirai energy burst into the air, overwhelming the subtle scents of nature. His heart raced as he breathed the crackling smell into his lungs.
Where the pale-haired woman had once stood was a sapphire-scaled dragon with wickedly sharp spines radiating from her head like a spiked crown. Zeltira’s wings snapped out, and she gently bumped Emmett with her nose. Her partner grabbed one of the protruding spines on her neck and climbed onto her back. Within two strokes of her wings, the pair disappeared into a shimmering mirage.
“Go,” Erevan said. The four of them ran in single file toward the loading dock. Two beefy male guards flanked the side door, dressed in black tactical gear. One looked up, eyes going wide as he grabbed for the radio on his belt. Natalie was already aiming down her sight and shot him in center mass before he could call for help. He let out a groan as he slumped against the wall. Erevan jumped the last ten feet to slam the other guard into the wall, covering his mouth with one hand. While Erevan pinned the struggling guard, Velati shot him in the thigh.
“Anders, give report,” a brusque female voice said. The tinny voice came from the radio clipped to the guard’s belt.
Velati scrambled to grab the radio and raised it to his lips. “All clear.” There was a brief pause. Did they buy it?
“Keep moving,” Erevan said. He patted the man down, then pulled a key card from his belt. Velati mimicked the motion, finding a similar card on the man Natalie had put down.
He handed the card to Rihz. “Let’s go.”
Into the crucible.
Marlena Nightrunner knew she should be serious and stoic, but being on duty was exciting. Her colleague, Nikolaus, didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm. Clearly, he hadn’t spent years meditating and studying while everyone else got to work for the cause.
Brimming with energy, Marlena made a circuit of the Forest House. Nikolaus rolled his eyes when she called it that, saying it was “Lab B.” As if she didn’t know that. Prior to arriving, she’d studied the blueprints for hours and could get to any point in the house within thirty seconds. She also didn’t have to constantly check the rotating security codes like everyone else did. He mistook her excitement for stupidity, but that was his mistake, not hers.
Things were quiet, but tense here at the Forest House. They’d just lost Lab A to a blitz attack by the malevolent dragons living in nearby Asheville. In one deadly incursion, the dragons had destroyed years of hard work, killed nearly a dozen loyal initiates, and captured one of the highest-ranking members of the Chosen, Elder Dornan.
The fall of Lab A had shaken everyone. Operations had gone smoothly for so long that they simply weren’t prepared to deal with failure. There had been no word of Dornan, either. They only knew that he’d been captured, and she shuddered to think of what the dragons were doing to him. Master Sidran often warned them t
hat this war would be long and difficult. Some of their comrades would fall, but Vystus would see their sacrifice as worthy, and they would be rewarded. Still, no one wanted to face the reality that they could be the next to fall.
Since the attack, the Chosen had increased personnel assignments at all of their remaining facilities. The external speakers for the Elegy were fitted with strong metal cages to slow down attacking dragons. And each facility was now protected by one of the Aesdar in training, a powerful hybrid like Marlena. She couldn’t help thinking that if she’d been on duty at Lab A, Dornan would still be safe.
No. That was foolish pride. The glory belonged to Vystus, not to her. His divine power ensured that the Kadirai were no longer the top of the food chain.
She was.
Other than Nikolaus, Marlena was the only person assigned inside on the ground floor. Arianna DeRode and several of her assistants worked in the basement with the subjects. Two other guards slept upstairs after their twelve-hour shift.
While she was happy to be on duty, she was glad that she was keeping watch over the ground floor instead of being at Arianna’s side. Being downstairs was unsettling. Prior to leaving Haven, no one had told her what was actually housed in Lab B, just that it was a critical asset. When she arrived two weeks ago, she’d been horrified to see the comatose Kadirai strapped to steel tables in the basement. She’d called her trainer, Catrina Savas, immediately. Catrina assured her the Kadirai subjects were all criminals, and their purification pleased Vystus. The spilling of blood redeemed their evil as it was transformed into a force for good. Her explanation settled Marlena’s conscience enough that she could be in the house, but she still preferred being on duty upstairs to the eerie chorus of quiet breathing and overlapping heartbeats in the basement.
Making a circuit around the ground floor, Marlena checked each room in turn. She paused in the sunroom at the side of the house. Organized shelves of medical equipment filled the large tiled space. Double doors opened onto a patio that had been converted to a loading dock. But the two guards who were usually visible through the frosted glass weren’t there. Marlena’s heart skipped a beat, and she touched her wireless earpiece. “Anders. Give report.”
There was a moment of hesitation, then a gruff, “All clear.” The voice was faintly accented, but it wasn’t the rolling Southern drawl she expected.
That wasn’t Anders.
Shit. Her stomach twisted into a knot as she darted through the halls to find Nikolaus. He stood in the kitchen, snacking off a spread of sliced vegetables while he checked email on a tablet. “I think someone’s here,” she said quietly. His hand went to his ear, but she shook her head. “They’ve got the radio.”
His dark eyes narrowed into slits as he nodded. “I’ll get Arianna. You keep them busy. Switch to channel four.”
Marlena nodded and fiddled with the receiver. “Channel four active,” she said quietly.
“Got you,” Nikolaus replied as he crept silently down the hall. “On my way down.”
Adrenaline surged through Marlena’s veins as she found the remote for the Elegy in her pocket. Quiet and boring was optimal, but she couldn’t help being excited. Finally, she’d get to use all this pent-up energy, and maybe exact a little payback on the Kadirai for their interference in Asheville.
“This is Noemi. Channel four active,” a quiet female voice said. Nikolaus was picking up the rest of the personnel. Good.
A large silhouette shadowed the frosted glass. The doorknob creaked, almost deafening in her super-charged hearing. She drew a deep breath and held it, relishing the anticipation. She’d trained for nearly a decade for this.
The figure was over six feet tall. Definitely a dragon. A second figure was close behind, much smaller. Hard to tell.
Marlena squeezed the remote, but nothing happened. No sound from the external speakers. Expecting the large man to fall prone, she squeezed it again. Still nothing. Her heart kicked against her ribs as she released the useless device. If they went toe-to-toe, that was even better.
Heavy footsteps pounded across the ground floor, followed by rapid beeping as someone entered the code to open the hidden door to the basement. “On my way to Arianna,” Nikolaus said.
“One in sight,” the new arrival said. His amber eyes flared. Flame pooled in his outstretched hands.
She wanted to give him a snappy retort, but her trainer, Catrina, had literally beat that tendency out of her. The ornate red tattoos on her arms pulsed with heat. White flame peeled away from her skin and coalesced into a shimmering orb of energy that hurtled toward the intruder. The man’s body stiffened as the energy slammed into him and threw him into the wall.
“Get out,” she ordered as she met his wide-eyed gaze. There was a brief moment of resistance and surprise, but it gave way under her power. He scrambled backward, bowling over his companion as he retreated through the door.
Two more figures dashed inside. Before they could cross the midpoint of the room, she hurled another blast at them. The energy orb struck the shorter of the men square in the chest and wrapped around him like a sticky film, hurling him into the wall. His head snapped back, his mouth hanging open in a silent cry.
“The fuck…” the larger man said. He spared his partner only a passing glance before lunging at Marlena. She darted to the side, blocking his gun arm. A concussive puff preceded the tinkling of a glass dart on the tile.
Gritting her teeth, she squeezed his forearm and met his steely blue gaze. “Drop it,” she ordered. His mind was harder to grab, but she managed to dig in for a split second, like finding the tiniest handhold on a sheer rock wall. His grip on the gun loosened enough for her to knock it out of his hand. “Now—”
He grabbed her throat and hauled her clear off her feet. Strong fingers dug painfully into her jaw. “What are you?”
Most of his body was covered in dark clothing, but intricate tattoos snaked down the backs of his hands and up his neck, disappearing into a well-groomed beard. He had a handsome face. She decided to hit it as hard as she could.
Gripping his wrist to support her upper body, she hooked one leg over his shoulder for leverage and slammed her other foot into the side of his face. He shouted in pain and dropped her. She landed hard on the tiled floor and scrambled to her feet.
“Moving out!” Nikolaus called in her ear. “Keep them busy!” Down the hall, Nikolaus covered Arianna as they hurried toward the garage. Two more guards were on their heels.
By the time she looked back, the tattooed man was rushing her again, now armed with a gleaming spike of ice in either hand. His gaze drifted over her shoulder, and he yelled back to his companions. “Runners! I’m on it!”
Come through me first.
Wings of Frost releases in April.
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Dragons of Ascavar
Midnight Flight (prequel - free on website)
Wings of Stone (Book 1)
Wings of Exile (Book 2)
Wings of Thunder (Book 3)
Dragon’s Vow (novella)
&nb
sp; Wings of Frost (Book 4)
Dragon’s Desire (standalone)
Stolen Hoard (Scales and Flames Anthology)
Hell’s Belles
Dirty Laundry (prequel - free on website)
Sweet Cherry Pie (Book 1)
J.D. Monroe is a Georgia-based author with a love for all things paranormal, magical, and downright fantastical. She has not given up on the dream of riding a dragon someday. She has written a number of paranormal and fantasy novels for both young adults and adults, including the Dragons of Ascavar series.
