“Oh . . .” Clara whispered.
“. . . my . . . ” Henry continued.
” . . . God!” Sebastian finished.
In the middle of the paved lot, there were now two dragons. One was about twenty feet from nose to tail. The other was . . . bigger. Where Shamira had stood was a new dragon that was easily three times the size of its companion. But more impressive was the length of the beast was the sheer mass. Its legs and long neck were bigger than tree trunks, its claws dug trenches in the asphalt, and teeth poking out from the upper jaw were like swords. Its tail was long and powerful, but lacked the barbed spikes that the smaller dragon possessed. Smoke seemed to constantly seep from beneath its scales, and its eyes glowed white.
The smaller dragon raised its head, sniffing at the underside of the much larger dragon’s chin. Shadow Wing’s chin. Shamira’s chin. The two touched noses, then the smaller dragon lowered its head in a submissive gesture. Shamira was a much bigger, much more powerful dragon.
“Baby –” Clara started, then stopped as Shamira’s new, massive head swung her way while the smaller dragon hid under that long neck.
* Clara, I need you to look after the young one. *
“Augh!” Clara replied, somewhat ungraciously as the voice entered her head. “Telepathy?! What’s next, space travel?”
Shamira cocked her head and then looked up. * I think that may be pushing it. *
“Wait, you want me to look after a frigging dragon?!”
Shamira stared at the “little” dragon, who looked at Shamira, then at Clara, then back at Shamira. Finally, some kind of intent was communicated. Then the young beast slunk over to Clara who could not help but be a little nervous and . . . curled up at her feet. It kept a wary eye on the vampire, but it no longer seemed hostile.
i* “Who could I trust more than you? * From the scales on Shamira’s back, the smoke began to expand and flow until it formed two massive wings. Shamira secretly hoped that her first flight was not straight into the ground. While this form felt surprisingly natural thus far, flying was flying. There were reasons why it was easier to get a driver’s license than a pilot’s license. But the moment her feet left the ground —
‘Oh, I could get used to this!’ she thought as the ground became a memory and the sky welcomed her home. What had she been so afraid of? She managed to do a barrel role as she hurtled toward Lacroix’s house, forgetting for a moment the dire urgency of her quest.
She felt a great burning beginning deep in her breast, creeping forward slowly at first and then charged for her teeth. Flames burst from her mouth and raked their way across the remains of Lacroix’s expansive yard. She felt the burning grass and trees heat her belly as she flew over them. She felt the wards parting before her like a wall made of aluminum foil . . . more decorative than functional. Shamira barreled into the front door, causing the entire entryway of the house to creak and give way.
Several guards at the front were buried, but others were simply frozen in their tracks. This was not something they had expected in their wildest nightmares. She sniffed the air, sifting through the blood and the smoke and the dust to identify what she had come in here for. A guard finally tried raising a nasty-looking rifle at her, causing her to twist her head and bite the man in half.
‘I can’t believe I just did that,’ she thought. ‘Hmm . . . down that corridor –‘ Shamira started tearing and burning her way through the house, looking for her target. There was a metal set of doors where the scent was strong. She was getting ready to start ripping her way through when she felt a bolt of energy strike her from behind. There was not really room for her to turn around, but she did it anyway, thereby creating a brand new room out of several old hallways. Lacroix was standing there, his hands and eyes glowing. True, he was also standing behind a dozen or so minor vamps.
“You will obey me!” the far-too-pretty man screamed. Shamira could feel him attempting to exert his masterly influence on her. It kind of tickled. He blasted her again with energy, which simply cascaded off her scales. “You are impossible! I control the only dragon! No matter, for once I have brought you to heel –” he added, motioning for one of his guards who was holding something similar to the collar she had removed from the smaller dragon. “Do it!” Lacroix screamed.
At the end of the hall, Shamira noticed Jonas. Lacroix’s “security” chief was hiding in the back. Shamira’s reptilian mouth curled in what was apparently a fairly menacing glare, as the guard who had been approaching with the collar dropped it and started to run away. Lacroix shot another magic bolt at the man and grinned evilly as his one-time lackey burst into flame.
“See, you cannot possibly stand against my power!”
Shamira could barely believe this. She took a sniff, and could tell instantly that the man did not smell right. He was high on morning star. She had not even smelled the stuff before, but that had to be it. He actually thought that he had a shot. Shamira was not normally prone to arrogance, but dammit, she was a fucking dragon! To emphasize her point, she shot a swath of fire at her would-be captors. Lacroix threw up shields to protect himself and one of the guards dove for cover. The rest were nothing more than ash littering the floor of a collapsing palace.
“Jonas?!” Lacroix said, his arrogant voice cracking a bit. The vampire’s eyes were wide and bloodshot, and he looked over to call up his last line of defense.
Jonas was having none of it. He glanced at a stone circle that was set up in the nearby dining room which, thanks to Shamira’s wanderings, was much bigger than it used to be. “Sorry sir,” he snarled, “but it’s every vamp for himself.”
“Jonas, you can’t –” Lacroix started to scream, but his second-in-command muttered a trigger word and the standing stone circle began to glow. Lacroix snarled as well, then starting running towards what Shamira assumed was an emergency portal.
Shamira lumbered after him, destroying everything in her path. She wanted Jonas. Mission or not, she wanted her teeth to end his life. But even as she summoned up another blast of fire, Jonas was making it to the portal.
* Do you recognize me yet?! * Shamira thought outwardly with as much hatred as she could muster. Then she breathed. She had just enough time to see the fear and confusion in Jonas’s eyes before he dove through the portal, the energy shining brightly for a moment before vanishing.
Lacroix had been partially caught in the blast, and he was frantically trying to extinguish himself. Shamira placed one giant foot on his chest, pinning him in place.
“Let . . . let me go,” the smoldering vampire muttered.
* Lacroix, you have committed crimes against your people and sins against this world. That which you have done and allowed to BE done under your roof are unforgivable. * She sniffed him, smelling fear now. * Your life is forfeit. By the name and honor of Lord Shane Stapleton and the Tribunal, I pass judgment on you. The sentence is death. *
“You . . . work for Stapleton? Who the hell are you?!”
She knew that she was not supposed to discuss her identity with anyone, but she figured that this would not matter for long. * My friends call me Shamira. Shane calls me his child. You can call me Shadow Wing. * She waited for the notion to set in, but strangely rather than looking more afraid, he almost looked . . . relieved?
“Thank the Gods,” Lacroix said, letting his body relax. His eyes, just recently displaying madness, now just seemed tired. “He . . . he said it would help me gain power. He said it would fix everything. But it broke everything,” Lacroix whispered, staring at the portal where Jonas had fled. “It broke me.”
* You made your bed. It is time to lie in it. * She felt no more resistance. Lacroix had burned through the drug in his system. Despite everything that had happened because of this man’s weakness, Shamira took pity on him. She made his death quick, crushing him in an instant. Then she looked towards the inactive portal.
‘I will not be quite so kind with you,’ she thought.
———– ——
Outside . . .
———– ——
Clara had been involved in a staring contest with a young dragon for about thirty minutes when Shamira returned, swooping down into the cleared area and landing far more gracefully than Clara might have imagined. The smaller dragon instantly perked up, moving to Shamira and placing itself in a subservient position at the big dragon’s feet.
Shamira moved her enormous head over to Clara, who just grinned and stroked her scales.
“You’re still pretty damn gorgeous,” she said softly.
Shamira opened her mouth to reveal a number of dragon eggs, nestled in between her sharp teeth and tongue. * We need to take these somewhere safe, and we need to do it soon, * Shamira sent.
Clara waisted no time and started grabbing the eggs out of Shamira’s mouth. “You are the strangest girlfriend that I’ve ever had,” she said. “Hey, Lacroix –”
* — is no longer among the living, * Shamira said. *Jonas got away through some magical portal. *
“I’m sorry,” Clara said, pausing to pat Shamira’s nose. “We’ll get him. There are no safe ports for him anymore. He dealt in morning star, betrayed his lord, and defied the Tribunal. And quite frankly, no one is going to want to cross you now. You won’t be able to hide what you’ve become.” Clara’s eyes were still a bit wide. “You’re going to have to tell me what it’s like.”
* As soon as the eggs are safe, * Shamira replied.
Clara grinned. “I also couldn’t help but notice that you can walk again . . . feel your legs again.”
* I . . . I haven’t really had time to process that part yet. But yeah, I guess I can. *
“You know what that means, don’t you?” Clara wiggled her eyebrows.
The dragon Shamira rolled her eyes. * And you accuse ME of having a one-track mind. *
Clara kissed Shamira’s nose. “Tell me that you aren’t looking forward to getting back in the game,” she whispered naughtily. “Tell me you aren’t thinking about it right now.”
Shamira could not because as soon as Clara had planted that kiss, then playing the game was exactly what Shamira had begun thinking about.