dragons breath 02 - dancing with flames (2 page)

A small number of dragons had a taste for human flesh and would prey upon people for food rather than animals, but they always targeted adults—more meat on their bones. This was a whole new angle for them to seek out children, and a rather unsettling one if it was true. Not that dragons snacking on anyone sat well with me, but I’d had to adjust to a lot of horrible things since their arrival. Death took on a whole new meaning when you faced it every day.

“You’re sure they’re after your children?” I asked, skeptical.

“Yes.” Keith nodded. “Heard about some other neighborhoods havin’ the same troubles, too. There’s been at least a few kids taken in the last week or so. We think the dragons can smell ‘em.”

I closed my eyes, mourning the lost children. There was no way they could have survived dragons taking them. All the beasts had to do was hold and carry them for a few moments before their skin would begin to get scorched. Dragon bodies were way too hot for humans to touch, which was why you did not want to be captured alive by them.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes again. I couldn’t let the dragon take any more children. I had planned to spend the day gathering food supplies. All the grocery stores had been picked clean, but there were a few gardens planted before the apocalypse that Conrad and I had found growing unattended. At least twice a week we went to pick any ripe vegetables to bring back to our neighborhood. We also had some fruit trees we checked on frequently. When you had almost thirty mouths to feed and winter approaching, you spent almost every spare moment looking for ways to survive for as long as possible.

“We’re going to need to take a look at your neighborhood,” I said, resolved to commit my day to this. It was for a good cause, and it would be worth it, but I had a feeling more and more people would be seeking me out now that they knew what I could do.

Relief filled the man’s eyes. “Oh, thank God. I’ll show you the way.”

***

“Is it me, or is it hot?” Conrad asked.

He crouched next to me where we took shelter under a pavilion. We’d set up a lure in the large open park next to Keith’s neighborhood with the hope of drawing the dragon away from people. I would need plenty of room to maneuver while fighting and Conrad would need a place to hide once it got started. Only one of us was impervious to fire.

“Yeah, too hot for late September.” I scrunched my nose. “This bait idea of yours better work. I can still smell it, and it’s at least two hundred feet away.”

Conrad had gotten the grand idea that the best method to draw the dragon to us was to put out the rotting carcass of a dead possum we’d found on the road. The rancid stench would overpower the hungry dragon’s senses and bring him toward the park. Their kind might prefer bigger meals, but they liked easy ones even better. We had hung the roadkill from a tree branch where flies now buzzed around it. I had developed a strong stomach, but I still tried to avoid looking at the poor animal too closely.

“I got a cousin who hunts alligators down in the Louisiana bayou—or at least he did,” Conrad paused. For a moment, the pain of not knowing what became of his family flashed into his brown eyes, but then he shook himself. “Anyway, he used to swear by this trick. I figure since dragons are sort of like reptiles, it might work.”

“Let’s hope so,” I said, wishing my sense of smell hadn’t become keener since I completed the rite of passage that all born slayers had to perform. Basically, it involved killing a dragon and eating its heart. And yes, it tasted like chicken.

“It’s coming. It’s coming!” Keith screamed from across the street. He stood on his porch and pointed toward the north where a green dragon approached low in the sky, soaring not more than fifty feet above the rooftops.

I gestured for him to take cover and lifted my crossbow. Conrad had already raised his. We’d been training on them for weeks with Aidan—a dragon shape-shifter who’d become my secret ally against the pure dragons—but this was the first time I’d actually put my new weapon to use in live combat.

Sweat beaded atop my forehead as I waited for the creature to come closer. Its body was about the size of a juvenile elephant, and it had wide, leathery-green wings that spanned at least twenty feet. The closer it flew, the faster my heart pumped and the more my instincts drove me to attack. I was a slayer and my sole purpose in life was to kill the fire-breathing beasts who threatened humans.

The dragon soared lower over Keith’s neighborhood, and I held my breath. Was it searching for the children? The wind shifted, and the creature’s head turned toward the park. It had caught the scent of our bait. I gripped my crossbow, holding it steady though every fiber of my being wanted to forget the plan and dash across the field. The dragon was coming. Just a few more seconds and it would be close enough. I didn’t have Aidan here to help this time. If I was going to pull this off, I had to make sure I had the advantage.

As soon as the dragon flew into the park, I let loose my zaphiriam bolt, made of a special black metal with red veins that could pierce dragon scales. It was also impervious to high heat and fire. The bolt clipped the edge of the creature’s left wing, not even slowing it down. The beast probably thought a bug hit it.

“Damn it all to hell.” I was
so
going to ask Aidan for a different range weapon.

No matter how much I practiced with the crossbow, it didn’t feel as natural to me as a sword. Aidan had mentioned that not everything would come easily, even as a slayer, and that some weaponry wouldn’t be a good fit for me at all. It was a matter of trying different things until I found the ones that worked.

Unfortunately, pistols and rifles weren’t an option since lead bullets hardly fazed dragons. We couldn’t replace them with zaphiriam because the metal was too hard to make effective ammunition. The accuracy wouldn’t be as high, and it would wear out the gun barrels too quickly. Aidan couldn’t manufacture bullets in his clan’s forges anyway since his skills were limited to blades, such as knives and swords. For everything else, he relied on the weapons makers at his fortress to craft what he needed, but dragon shape-shifters didn’t use firearms, so we were out of luck there.

There was no help for it now. The beast had landed next to the tree with the bait. This would be the next best chance to take it down while it was distracted with food. I dropped my weapon and leaped to my feet.

“Bailey, hold up,” Conrad hissed, aiming his own crossbow.

“Hurry!”

As the dragon chomped down on the hanging bait, Conrad let loose his bolt and nailed the beast in its belly. The creature let out a loud roar, dropping its food.

“Got that bastard!” Conrad grinned up at me. “Now that’s how it’s done.”

Of course, it would work just fine for him, dammit.

I patted him on the head. “Good job. Now, stay down.”

I took off running, pulling my sword from its scabbard as I sprinted across the park. The dragon’s red eyes zeroed in on me. It started thumping my way like an enraged bull with its wings half-open for balance and steam puffing from his nostrils. A normal person wouldn’t go near it. I, on the other hand, couldn’t have stopped myself from attacking the green dragon if I’d tried.

Every instinct called for its death. I craved it like a junkie who needed her next fix. My blood raced, strength poured through my muscles, and time almost stood still as I got closer. The dragon lifted one of its stubby forearms, ready to swipe me with its sharp talons. I put in a final burst of speed, slid across the ground, and sailed straight underneath it—narrowly missing the swipe of its claws. Holding my sword above me, I slashed into its chest with the jagged edge. The blade skimmed across the scales before digging deeper. It cut into tissue and caught on a rib. My body’s momentum jerked to a stop, and I twisted until I’d freed the weapon.

With a guttural cry, I stabbed upward. The sword slid into the dragon’s stomach and hot, dark-red blood splattered over me. The beast let out a deafening roar that would ring in my ears for years to come. It swung its body back and forth, dragging me across the grass. I held onto the hilt like a lifeline as the blade ripped through the creature’s gut.

The dragon’s movements steadily slowed as it bled out and lost strength. Above me, it shuddered and groaned. If I didn’t want to be crushed, I needed to get away fast.

At the last second, I yanked my sword out and began rolling away from the creature. It swiped at me with its talons, slashing across my right arm and igniting a searing burn. I scrambled onto my knees to get clear. I’d only made it a few feet away when the beast fell heavily to the ground and rolled onto its side. The dragon weakly angled its head up enough to let out a mournful cry, but it wasn’t as loud as the first.

I ignored the biting pain of my wounds and leaped to my feet. The beast was heaving now, struggling to lift itself back up. I couldn’t let that happen. The dragon had wounded me, and targeted innocent people. I narrowed my gaze on its swollen belly and lifted my sword with the tip pointed downward, aimed at the beast’s heart.

Just before I made the thrust, a flash of movement from the corner of my eye distracted me. Another dragon approached. Its wings beat furiously, and it sailed across the park at top speed. Before I could readjust the sword for a proper defense, the red beast crashed feet-first into my chest, knocking me to the ground.

Chapter 2

Aidan

A high-pitched roar broke the still air, loud enough for anyone in the area to catch it. Aidan winced at the female dragon’s wail for help. It wasn’t intended for him specifically, but he couldn’t miss the desperation in her call. She followed the roar with a telepathic plea for someone to save her, using an open method any dragon could hear.

Aidan stiffened as soon as he heard her give her name—Matrika. She was the leader’s daughter for the Shadowan
toriq
, or “clan” as humans called it, and she was beloved by her kinsmen. It came as a surprise to him that she’d come alone this close to the edge of Taugud territory, considering the tensions between his toriq and hers. A few responses came back to her, but those dragons were too far away. No matter how much they hurried, they wouldn’t reach her in time to save her. Aidan had every intention of ignoring the call, despite being in close proximity, but Matrika sent another telepathic plea saying she was being attacked by a slayer.

He knew of only one person that could be—Bailey.

Aidan launched into the air and flew hard toward the female dragon. Her cries were growing weaker by the second until he feared she’d be dead before he even got there. The slayer didn’t realize who she was battling, or the trouble it could cause her. Bailey would kill Matrika, not realizing three more of the female’s clansmen were on their way. She didn’t have the skills or experience to fight that many dragons at once. Even if Bailey left the scene quickly, they’d still track her back to her human neighborhood. She and all her friends would be dead before the sun set. It was one thing to slay a lowly dragon, but the upper hierarchy required more planning and precautions to succeed without retaliation.

He reached the park and found Bailey lifting her sword for the final strike. Unable to risk losing a moment, Aidan flew at full speed. With one final beat of his wings, he surged forward and pushed his feet into her chest, knocking her to the ground. Bailey let out a choked cry. His talons had punctured her skin, but it couldn’t be helped. This was the only way to stop her in time—the only way to save her from what she was about to do.

Aidan landed a few feet past the slayer and roared at Matrika to flee. The female dragon gave him a surprised but grateful look and struggled to her feet. Bailey scrambled back up, reaching for her sword. Aidan swung around and knocked his tail into her legs. She landed face-first, catching a mouthful of grass and dirt. He’d trained Bailey to watch for dragon tails, but she’d been too focused on Matrika to notice. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she must have known he wasn’t her true enemy and calculated him as a lesser threat.

The female dragon lifted into the air, flapping her wings ungracefully. She didn’t fly fast, and it was clear she was in pain, but at least she was getting away. Aidan felt mixed emotions as he watched her go. He wouldn’t have minded seeing the Shadowan clan’s princess die, but not at the price Bailey would have to pay. Aidan would do what he must to protect the slayer—even if she hated him for it.

Bailey dove toward him with her sword raised, screaming obscenities. She did not have control over her instincts, and as the only dragon now available to attack, she couldn’t help coming for him. Aidan sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the strike she aimed for his head. Then he leaped on top of her and pinned her to the ground. Bailey struggled against him. She managed to free one arm and punched him in the snout.

Pain tore through Aidan’s nose. It was a sensitive spot for dragons, and the slayer knew it. If he were to get through to her, he’d have to change to his human form. As Bailey continued to beat her fists on his face and chest, Aidan allowed his inner flames to flow outward and engulf him. The grass around them burned until nothing remained except dirt. The slayer herself wasn’t affected by fire, and she wore the black camrium attire he’d given her. It was impervious to flames as well.

He took one more blow to the head before his change was complete. Bailey’s struggles subsided as the fire died down and she could see his face. For most dragon slayers, even his human form wouldn’t stop them from attacking, but he had held her close for two days during her transformation process. Partially so that she would get used to his scent, and partially because he wanted to help her through the painful transition in any way he could. She’d completed her rite of passage with the ability to see him as an ally and not an enemy. It was only his dragon form she couldn’t tolerate yet, though he’d been working with her on that as well.