Authors: Charity Bradford
The Magic Wakes (22 page)
“What are you talking about?” Talia fidgeted.
She could sense Landry weighing his concerns against his curiosity. He had felt the power, too; and the look in Jaron’s eyes hinted at knowledge. She had learned enough about Landry to know that he always had to know what his enemy knew.
“No time for a lesson, just stand here and take my hand. Now you take my other one. Now—” Closing the circle was like closing a circuit.
A jolt of energy shot through all three, expanding around them until they were surrounded. The buzz clenched their hands together, melding them into one. Talia whimpered at the pain shooting through her shoulder and arms. Jaron nudged time and space with his mind and they jumped to a new corridor. This one well lit. Talia barely registered the change before they jumped again. This time they stood outside, within sight of the forest.
One more jump and the safety of the trees embraced Talia moments before she collapsed.
Chapter 27
N
ysyk picked himself up from the ground confused and disoriented. He thought the people of Sendek had no weapons capable of hurting a Dragumon. Granted, he wasn’t hurt, just sore from slamming into the wall before hitting the ground. He rubbed the back of his hand and looked at his tracker.
All three mage signatures had convened several hundred yards ahead of him. He watched as his prey jumped twenty meters in a second.
They moved another twenty meters, and their energy signals blended in with the forest making it impossible to track.
Kansisi settled into his new quarters in the palace while his men continued to rid the city of the human pestilence. They swatted the pitiful army that had gathered out of the sky without any problems, clearing the way for the rest of his people to leave orbit.
His new room contained the treasures of the Signum and some Sendek weapons, gathered after his men slaughtered them in their own tunnels.
He ignored the guns and ran his fingers over the dragon armor. The touch so familiar, and yet without the dragon inside they were just scales. The fire and power were gone, leaving them cold. It struck him as sad. Where did the dragons go when they left this world? Did they find a place to live another life; did they simply cease to exist?
A knock at his door drew his attention. Shishali waltzed in, a scowl on her face.
“Is everyone on the ground?”
“Yes. You no longer want to wipe them out, do you?” Shishali stepped close.
“No, I don’t enjoy death the way you do. We’re home and they’re not strong enough to fight us.”
“If they remember the old ways they may cause problems. We need to kill enough of them to prevent that from happening.” Shishali sat on his lap, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“What do you suggest?” Kansisi smiled at her.
“We kill half and make the other half our slaves. They won’t have time to cause problems.”
“Tempting, but remember how we used our years of servitude. We may end up like our former masters.”
Shishali shook her head. “Never. We are smarter. We know what to watch for.”
Kansisi pulled Shishali close and rested his head against her shoulder. “Do you think we’ll find our answers here?”
Shishali sighed and gave the answer she knew he wanted. “Yes, and when we do, our people will cover the planet. What do you think it will feel like when we start to age again?”
“I don’t know, but it will be worth it to feel whole. I don’t even fear death anymore. It might be a welcome change after so much living.”
“I’m not ready for death,” Shishali said.
“You never will be.”
Nysyk gathered the Dragumon to fight another Royalist army on the western border of the city. Shishali barely restrained her excitement at the prospect of battle, but Kansisi refused to lead them.
“Come with us. Don’t you want to see these men fall?” Shishali asked.
“I didn’t return to Sendek for men but to regain what we lost. You go and enjoy yourself.” Kansisi waved her away.
“You’re no fun since we arrived. Don’t you want to kill just one of them with your bare hands? They’re the reason the dragons exiled us. We wandered through space for all of these centuries because they would not accept us. Come and tell them about the worlds we destroyed in their name.”
“We made some bad choices along the way, Shishali. These men are not responsible for any of those things.”
Shishali took a step back. What happened to her control over him? She reached out with her magic and found the connection, but Kansisi’s will had grown stronger since the last time she focused her power on him. Did she leave him alone too long, or did Sendek change him in ways she had not foreseen? She reached far into her memory trying to remember what his mind felt like before they left the planet.
He had always been kind to her, but managed to keep his distance and control until men murdered Elvin in front of him.
“These are the descendants of the men who killed Elvin. Don’t you want to avenge his death?” She sparked his anger, but it faded too quickly for her to fan.
“Elvin made his own choices. These men don’t know who he was. What will I accomplish by making them pay for his death?”
“You can satisfy your need for revenge.”
“I no longer feel that need. Too much time has passed.”
“For sheer enjoyment then—to remember the thrill of the hunt, the fear on their faces, the smell of blood on the ground!”
“I’ve seen enough death, but don’t worry, Shishali, I won’t deprive you of your fun.” Kansisi turned and walked down the street in the opposite direction from the gathering army.
Shishali shook her head in bewilderment. Perhaps it wouldn’t matter. She was home and her place as leader was already set in the minds of the Dragumon. She joined Nysyk’s handful of warriors.
“I hope you are not underestimating these people,” she told Nysyk.
“Shishali, this will be quick. I plan to disintegrate the first few hundred. That will include their leadership and cause the rest to turn and run. Easy.”
“I want to engage in some hand to hand. Will you allow me to chase a few as they flee?”
“If you wish.” Nysyk nodded at her.
Shishali smiled, took off her power pack, and set her plasma staff down. She enjoyed death best when it flowed from her hands.
The human army gathered in a field at the edge of the city, the mountains hazy in the distance behind them. Their navy and red uniforms blended into a mass of movement. It looked very much like the scene from Orek. The only differences were the colors and the absence of wizards standing beside the military.
Shishali marched alongside the other Dragumon as they picked targets and fired their weapons. The previously silent air burst into cries of fear and pain as men fell in flames. She watched Nysyk aim for the leadership, but most of the Dragumon didn’t care who they targeted.
Nysyk correctly called the timing of the battle. The men of Sendek didn’t get a chance to fire any of their weapons at the approaching Dragumon. Within five minutes, Shishali could taste their fear on the breeze, mingled with their burnt flesh. By the end of ten minutes, hundreds lay dead and the rest scattered. Shishali nodded to Nysyk and followed the retreating men.
Her bones knew the home of her birth. She fell into an easy sprint, savoring the feel of the earth falling away beneath her. The men of Sendek recoiled into the forest, and Shishali released a burst of speed. Inside the edge of the trees, she saw a small group of soldiers. She wanted to feel blood on her hands.
She used the cover of the trees to close the distance and then rushed them. She killed two of them with a quick twist of the neck. The sound of snapping bones sent a thrill through her. The other two men split up. Shishali followed the largest one.
The man glanced back several times until he realized he couldn’t outrun the demon following him. He fired shots at her. Most missed their mark, but a couple of them hit her. The blows stung, but her scales protected her from serious harm.
Shishali growled as one hit her square in the chest, knocking her to the ground. That one would leave a bruise. The man stopped and pulled out a long knife. She got to her feet and let him take a few swings at her, but when one of the swings swiped the side of her head, she snarled, “Enough play time!”
The whole side of her head throbbed from the strength of the strike. She dove under his next swing and twisted around so that her strong tail swiped his feet out from under him. Then she pounced, knocking the knife into the underbrush.
The man, although not as tall as Shishali, outweighed her by fifty pounds. He was a fighter. Every time Shishali thought she had him pinned, he used his weight to flip her over. Once he managed to free himself completely. His survival instincts helped, but fell short of Shishali’s predatory nature. She seized him as he scurried to his feet, throwing all her weight into his leg from the side. A satisfying crunch echoed with his cry as the man sank to the ground.
She rolled until she pinned him beneath her once more. The man’s eyes watered with pain, but he still struggled to fight. His large hands wrapped around her neck and squeezed. Shishali gripped him with her powerful legs and forced her arms up between his, breaking his grip on her throat. In the same smooth motion, she grabbed his wrists and twisted, breaking them.
The man’s eyes squeezed shut and his uneven breathing gave way to a low moan. Shishali wanted to see his life disappearing.
“Open your eyes and I will make all the pain go away.” She made her voice sound as soft and soothing as possible.
“Go back to the hell you came from!” He spat the words out of trembling lips.
Shishali wrapped her fingers loosely around his neck, and pushed her talon-like nails into his skin. Tiny pinpricks of blood appeared. She pushed deeper until she found the carotid artery and punctured it. Another finger found his windpipe and punctured it. As he bled out, he drowned in his own blood. Shishali held him there with the warm blood flowing over her hands as the air from his lungs bubbled through.
“Too bad for you, this is the hell I came from.”
Chapter 28
T
alia’s head throbbed and her right arm tingled from the shoulder down. Warmth radiated down on her, but starbursts danced behind her closed eyes. Hard earth lay beneath her. She opened her eyes and watched Landry. He leaned against a tree with his eyes closed, absent-mindedly running his fingers through her hair. Stubble shaded his face and dark circles lined his eyes.
A tickly coolness grew in her shoulder and moved down her arm until the numbness disappeared. Talia closed her eyes and concentrated on sharing the energy from the trees with Landry. She visualized the flow of energy, similar to the infrared satellite. She pushed and pulled energy between them until they reached a state of equilibrium.
Thank you.
Landry stood before her in their mind room.
He had not erected the wall and Talia watched as he split into two people. The second Landry was dressed in battle gear, straining to join his men, but he was chained to the first Landry who spoke to her,
I’ll protect you
.
Soldier Landry jerked and pulled. A third Landry stepped from between them and waved his fingers in the air. The wall sprung up and Talia found herself on the ground once more. “It’s really annoying how easily you can push me out.”
“It’s annoying how easily you slip in uninvited.” Landry’s fingers stopped their journey through her hair.
Talia sighed and sat up. “I see it’s day again. How long was I out?” She tried not to think of Joharadin or the battles raging there, but the odor of ash floated on the breeze. It reminded her of the tram wreck.
“All night and half of the day.”
Talia looked around the grove of trees. Jaron was nowhere in sight.
“What’s happening in the city? Have you learned anything from Jaron?” Other questions plagued her, but she feared the answers. Had she really survived her death, or only postponed it?
“We evacuated two-thirds of the population before the Dragumon struck. Our forces are not doing well and our most strategic colonel is missing. As for Jaron,” Landry shrugged, “he hasn’t said a word since we reached this clearing. Talia, I don’t trust him, but my gut tells me he knows things that will help us. I need to get back and help my men, but I can’t leave you alone with him.”
Landry stood up and helped Talia to her feet. “We need to get answers fast and then get you as far away from here as possible.”
He kept her hand and led her deeper into the woods. She resisted his pull until he stopped and turned back to her.
“Landry, I don’t . . . I wish you wouldn’t go back into the city, but I understand why you feel you have to. If you go back, I’m going with you.” She placed her hand on Landry’s lips before he could interrupt. “If Jaron knows how to stop these creatures, I want to help. I’ll never be able to hide somewhere knowing other people are suffering.”
Landry reached up with his free hand, held her hand to his lips, and kissed her fingertips before pulling them away from his face. “I know, but if I can stop them without putting you in danger, that’s what I’m going to do. Let’s find Jaron.”
Jaron sat on a stump a few yards farther into the woods. At the sound of their approach, he stood and walked down a barely noticeable path. He didn’t speak or turn to see if they followed.
Talia narrowed her eyes and cocked her head in Jaron’s direction. “Power issues?”
Landry clenched and unclenched his jaw. “Yeah, he thinks he has all of it. Come on.”
They followed Jaron to his spacecraft which was nothing like any of Sendek’s. Talia’s technical mind roamed over its surface. Sleek and low to the ground, it looked more like a steel egg than a spaceship. There were no windows, doors, or detectable rockets or magnetic thrusters to lift it off the ground.