Dragon 4 Chapter 25

Sand blew up in the air around me as I exploded forward, a maelstrom of power and fury.

This time, Ikta didn't have the spider limbs she’d spent her life using, and she teetered as she tried to get her bearings.

She managed to bring up a purple shield to block my fist, but she stumbled backwards with the force.

I hammered the shield with a second hit, breaking it apart with sheer force.

I smiled, remembering what Larisa had said about dragons relying best on force. Now that her legs were no longer in the picture, she couldn’t match my fighting abilities.

I shifted my colors to bronze and blue before lightning crackled out of my throat.

The jagged cracks of lightning tore at her clothes as she tried to get away. Her legs locked up and she slid to a knee along the sand, huffing at me as she looked up, her hair a mess of tangles.

But she wasn’t giving up. Ikta threw me across the sand with a powerful blast of amethyst magic while she regained her footing.

She followed up by filling my vision with purple lances that raced across the beach, peppering me and keeping me from reengaging with her.

Unsteadily, she stood again and wreathed her fists in magic before she charged me.

Her magic held against my claws as dueled it out and she pressed me up against the stone face of the cliff.

I roared with anger, swiping away a fist, and my jaw opened, crackling with lightning.

But I saw my mates just over Ikta’s shoulder and paused.

That hesitation was all she needed as she clocked me and threw me against the stone. Her other fist hitting me in the gut. Her hit didn’t do much until the magic rolled off of it and tore off my scales and tearing into my flesh over one of my ribs.

I growled and pushed her back, reading for another use of my lightning. This time, I knew what she would do.

Predictably, she tried to use my mates, getting close to me and putting them at her back.

But I wasn’t a fool to fall for the same trick twice. “Contego.” I spat once she was close enough.

My barrier sprang up behind her, caging her in with me as I breathed lightning at point blank range.

Ikta convulsed as the lighting coursed through her, falling to the sand.

I was there just a moment later, pinning to the ground and threatening her with my claws. “You lose. Surrender now.”

She sputtered sand out of her mouth. “I surrender. My oaths will be kept.”

Fae didn’t lie, but I didn’t want to risk anything as I leapt back away from her. At least she would be bound by her oaths.

Ikta glared at me across the dueling beach as she stood.

She shifted slightly, the spider limbs disappearing from her back as she stood straighter. "I see." Her eyes shifted up to my mates on the cliff face. I wasn’t sure which part of the battle she was blaming them for, but it didn’t matter.

"Your oath stands." I reminded her.

"I am thinking of other things." She waved her hand, like she was shooing a fly away. "It would seem my attempt to tame you has failed because of them."

I said nothing to verify her claims. She’d already attempted to skin a love interest. I wasn’t sure where she drew the line in trying to mate with me, but clearly the line was not rational.

The last thing I needed was for her to come up with some warped way to ‘help me’. That was the trick with fae and words. Things could shift with perception.

"Are you leaving?" I asked, realizing that she never specified a time. Damn it.

I’d overlooked that. She could remain on the island.

Her stature wasn't combative, which had me even more on edge.

She was looking at me as if she was appreciating art in a museum. "I'm not sure yet. My power is greatly diminished. If I leave here without some strength behind me, the other two queens will come for me. Yet it seems my gamble to give up part of my power to tame you has failed." She continued eying me.

"Now that I understand how to combat your control over me, you will not win." I shifted my scales to black and copper, ready to fight again if needed. My nature had ground down the power she had left in me and nearly used to control me.

Her face shifted into a frown for a moment before it smoothed out. "Do not be so sure. I am not without my own tricks, but harming you doesn't fit my goals either. But you need me alive as well. If I die, no one will hold up my end of the bargain. My forces will continue to hound you and those on this island."

"Are you wanting to call this a stalemate?" I hazarded, trying to get her to the point.

She clapped her hands. "That would be wonderful."

"Too bad." I growled and took a step forward. Ice and glass crunching under my feet.

"I'll surrender with an equal guarantee that you will not attack me directly for two years." She quickly added.

I snorted, but stopped to give her words thought.

Our prior deal stated that she wouldn't attack me or my allies for a thousand years. Now she was looking for protection as well.

I had learned how to combat her magic, but I didn’t underestimate her. She still had years of magic practice on me, and I wasn’t about to risk the safety of everybody, on the bet that she had no more tricks to produce. I had been warned of royal fae being ruthless enough to set up death curses.

"Fine." I spat. "For two years, me and mine won't strike at you as long as you hold up your end of the bargain. If a single one of your forces so much as sneezes on my mates, the deal is gone."

She narrowed her eyes, but she seemed to give in. "Fine. Now let us off this island."

"Send your driders back where they came from. I'll ship you off on a dinghy to the middle of the ocean if I have to."

I pulled out a pair of jeans from my bracer. I’d been keeping it well stocked, given how often I seemed to need them.

Pants in hand, I shifted and slid them on while Ikta watched me with her amethyst eyes.

"If you do ever change your mind--" she gave me a sultry wink.

"I won't. Get rid of your driders and leave. Don't ever let me find you back on this island." I realized that we'd probably have to burn the jungle before we left. Otherwise, we’d never get rid of all the webs or feel sure that any remaining driders were gone.

She had snuck onto the island to summon the driders. If she had been able to teleport in from the outside, she wouldn’t have had to go to those lengths of sneaking in.

Ikta drew her leg through the sand, and a portal opened up before her. "We are leaving. Grab everyone." She called.

"Yes, Mother." The driders said in unison.

Whispers passed back through them and the spider women started filing out of the jungle.

"Come on. Let's go." I waved to my wives.

"My king." Polydora bowed at the edge of the cliff. "Allow me to carry you and your mates."

I shrugged. At least I wouldn't be taking off my jeans again. "Sure."

Polydora slipped off her dress and handed it to Trina before she stretched like a cat. But as she stretched, she elongated, growing many times in size rapidly before me and taking on rich bronze scales.

When she was finished, she was large, several times the size of a bus.

The ladies climbed onto her while she let her tail slide down the cliff face for me.

"What about me?" Ikta shouted. Looking put out that we were already leaving and moving onto our next tasks.

"Leave through that portal. I assume you can do that?" I grabbed Polydora's tail and lifted myself up before her tail curled and lifted me up the cliff.

Ikta crossed her arms, scowling at me as driders filed in through the portal after her.

It was already a miracle that I hadn’t torn her in two. But I was a leader, and that meant that I had to take the chance to protect my people. I’d heard of the famed trickery of the fae; I wasn’t interested in testing it before I knew more.

And should she misstep just once, I'd be there to end her. I doubted it would come to that. She’d be working against her own goals if she tried to reignite a fight between the dragons and herself.

Ikta wanted to grow the paranormals, which meant she needed me and the rest of the dragons. She would do what she could to keep dragons alive. It was what she might do to further our race that concerned me more than anything else.

We stared at each other all the way to Polydora, taking off.

I knew she'd leave once the driders were out. I also knew I'd see her again.

But for now, my people would be protected, and I would have time to prepare before facing off against her again. I needed serious help with my magic, but I had people who could teach me all around me.

For now, my focus shifted back to the conclave and restoring my kind.

I was the son of Bahamut and Tiamat. The secret was out, and there would be expectations. Ikta’s distraction had served to help me dodge that conversation, but it would come soon.

They would push for the restoration of the red dragons. And I hoped to still find answers around my family. While I was fairly certain the last incarnations must have come together, I still didn’t know why I’d been left to figure life out on my own.

I thought about the folder sitting in my hoard with a picture of Arthur and Mary Smith. They looked nothing like Tia and Bart. I wondered just who they were.

"What are you thinking?" Jadelyn asked as I joined everyone else further up on Polydora's back.

"Things, responsibilities and the future." I answered honestly, yet not wanting to get into my thoughts about my parents. "I’m somewhat disappointed that I couldn't tear Ikta apart."

Morgana grunted. "She probably has some sort of death curse. Fae have layers of tricks to secure their lives."

"I figured. Given everything she planned, I didn't want to risk it, not when a truce for a thousand years was the other option." I sat down on Polydora's back for the short trip.

We were already high over the webbed jungle. The barge was visible, and so were several large dragons standing guard around it on the beach.

A weight I didn't even realize I was carrying fell off my shoulders, seeing them all safely standing at the beach. Ikta had kept her word.

"We thank you for fighting for the dragons and not for yourself." Larisa said, scooting closer.

"It would be a real shame to lose my brother-in-law after just a day." Tyrande commented.

"We aren't married." Yev scoffed.

Scarlett laughed. "Oh, I'm pretty sure that scar on your collar is far more binding than any legal contract or gold ring. I can guarantee you are stuck with him now."

Yev blushed. "That's not what I meant."

"Mine." I growled playfully.

"No. You still owe me a date; you can use my sister as a chew toy later." Tyrnade interjected.

"Deal." I didn't even hesitate. "Tonight. I'm going to have to talk with the council when we get back."

Trina raised her hand. "Me too. I'd like a date."

"No." Scarlett was quick to shoot her down. "We need to talk with Zach first. Then we can discuss any of you proceeding forward."

I grunted, not wanting to disrupt Scarlett's authority. But they’d proven themselves enough in my eyes during our time together, making them stand out from the rest.

"Let me look at those cuts." Trina scooted closer to me and put her hand over my chest.

It would heal quickly on its own, but I wasn't about to stop her. And she seemed to enjoy being able to help.

Scarlett eyed Trina before looking back at me. "So it's over?" She changed the topic back to the problem of Ikta.

"I think so. She's going to leave with her driders. We are going to return to the conclave, and before we go, I'm setting the jungle on fire to make sure no one else is left inside the shielding. And if they are, they will be smoked out and have no vegetation or food to survive on for the next hundreds of years before we have another conclave."

She looked at me incredulously. "Literal scorched earth policy."

"Yup. I'm not leaving any room for error. Besides, the vegetation should grow back before our next conclave."

The others nodded in understanding.

Polydora dipped in the sky, and we descended down to the barge in a smooth swooping flight.

She was much better at flying than me. There was barely a bump when she landed, fanning her wings to slow us down to a near standstill landing.

"Wow. She's a lot better at flying than you." Jadelyn commented before covering her mouth when I glared at her. "I mean, you just started. For having only flown for less than a few months, you are pretty darn good."

"I have many years of practice, my king. Even a hundred years ago there were areas of the world we could fly freely within, the wind in our wings." Polydora commented, bowing her head as Brom approached in his dragon form.

"My boy, you flew openly here. Can I assume good news?"

I used Polydora's bowed head to slide off. Despite looking up at the huge dragon, I didn't feel intimidated. "Ikta has been banished from the island. She lost to me in a duel and was in the process of removing her forces from the island. My terms were that she leave and swear peace against dragons and their allies for a thousand years."

Brom's brow lifted in surprise. A comical expression filled his big dragon face. "Peace?"

"The risk I would have taken from trying to kill a Fae Queen was too great." I sighed. "We don't know what happened to the last Tiamat and Bahamut, but they haven't been in my life, despite being my parents. The burden of bringing back the numbers of the lost dragon clans falls on my shoulders. I made the decisions I did for the best interests of dragons."

Brom nodded. "Yes, I can see your logic. Is it safe to return to the tower?"

I looked at all the eager faces on the beach and the barge watching me. "Of course. But you can burn any part of the forest that has webs or is in your way. I'm going to scour the island with fire before we leave to be sure no one remains."

There were cheers up and down the beach as dragons jumped to work, grabbing food off the barge.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm starving." I chuckled, moving to the barge and waving for Polydora to follow me.

I quickly found a crew of elven women opening a shipping crate that had a refrigeration unit on the side.

"Ladies, please tell me there is meat in there."

"Oh, my king." They bowed in mimicry of dragon customs, but no scales appeared on their hands. "Yes, we have plenty of meat in here and other crates."

"Poly, take this one. We can share a snack before I run off and meet up with the conclave."

Polydora didn't hesitate, reaching forward with her jaws and gingerly picking up the shipping crate.

She was like a living crane, her size able to move the large containers. It was amazing as I thought about it.

The other dragons, still on her back, cheered as she turned and plopped the crate down on the sand for me.

"My king, will we reconvene the conclave?" Thuun approached me.

"Yes, but we have eaten little since the tower was attacked. Allow us to temper our hunger, or I'm afraid I'll be quite cranky during the conclave." I joked.

But Thuun took it with grave seriousness. "Yes, it would be best for you not to be hungry. I can feel the changes in you since I last saw you. My king, you are truly awe-inspiring." Thuun dipped into a low bow before hurrying off.

I strode over to where the girls were throwing open the crate and pulling meat out.

I watched Chloe come out of the box with a cow carcass and toss it up into the air for Polydora. Polydora caught it low and threw it even higher before snatching it out of the air and chewing a whole cow between her teeth.

"Pig." Larisa turned her nose up at Polydora's display. "My king. Would you like us to cook this, or would you like it raw?"

"I normally cook it. Let me get a fire going." Stepping just off the beach, I grabbed the first tree with my hands, shifting them into two gold claws. I ripped it out of the soil before doing the same to the second tree.

They weren't large, only a little taller than me and as thick around as my thigh. But I broke them into several pieces and tossed their leaves to the side before stacking them up.

"It might be best to give me some room." I chuckled.

Tyrande flashed an expression of realization and fear before pulling up her dress and hurrying along the sand, hiding behind her sister.

I did my best to control the spray as I sent a small jet of flame over the logs.

Their bark caught instantly, but I knew they likely needed to be dried.

I kept the flames going longer until the logs were half charred, burning with far less smoke. "That ought to do it. Now, let's get cooking."

Turning to Morgana, I beckoned her over. "You have some blood to drink."

"I do?" She asked coyly, sauntering over to me and falling into my arms.

Even as she tried to not look needy, her nostrils were flaring as she took in my scent, and I could see her eyes locked on my neck.

Lifting her up, I kissed her lips, enjoying her for a moment before I pushed her head into the crook of my neck.

She kissed my skin once, letting a little of her venom affect me, but she couldn't even keep the charade up for a second kiss before her fangs sank into my neck and she started drinking greedily.

Polydora shifted back, naked in her tan glory, as she bent down in front of me, placing rocks next to the fire. She stacked big slabs of meat on top of them while working with Larisa to set up a spit.

Scarlett sat down next to me. "If you drink him dry, he is going to need a healer."

Morgana came up for air and licked at my neck. "Sorry. The thirst had gotten pretty bad."

"Are you at your peak?" Honestly, I felt like I was on top of the world right now. Having made Ikta's power my own, had reinvigorated me.

She kissed at the puncture wounds, taking little sips before she pulled herself away. "I'm good. Your blood is..." She blinked several times and put her arms out, like she was trying to steady herself. "Is very potent."

"Okay, you are blood drunk. Let's get you away from your tasty mate until you settle." Scarlett grabbed Morgana and lifted her to her feet, walking away with her.

I hadn't noticed it before, but my mates had been watching out for each other in different ways since she joined the harem.

With Scarlett’s exit, the seat next to me became available.

Yev plopped down next to me, pulling her dress up, so it didn't bunch. She twirled her golden hair and blushed before she spoke. "I guess what we did was a little impulsive before. We haven't really talked about where we go from here."

"I think it’s pretty straightforward. You'll come back to Philly with me. When Morgana makes her enchantment that extends to Sentarshaden, then you can go back and forth. We can work through any additional details. All I know is that I want you around me as much as I can." Grabbing her hips, I pulled her to me. "Mine."

Yev cuddled up against me while the meat sizzled on the stones. "That sounds perfect. But what about the other dragons?"

"A question for later. Now, would you do me a favor and hand me that steak?" I pointed my chin at the one within her reach.

"Of course, my king." She bent over with a flourish. "Lean back and I'll feed you." Her hands shifted to claws as she tore a strip off the steak with her bare hands.

Watching her peel the meat off was hot, but it hadn’t escaped me that I was surrounded by many strong women. I looked around, appreciating them as I opened my mouth, accepting the tender piece of meat.