Chapter 13
2112 Words
13
I raced down the hall and out onto the patio. The beach was a war zone. Soldiers in armor dragged their brethren from the water. Others still in flight shot arrows at the slingshot men. Invaders came over the small hill onto the beach. In front of them were small flocks of bleating sheep that they herded onto the docks. Xander stood chest-deep in the bay two dozen yards from the right side of the battle-line dock hauling the unconscious bodies of dragon warriors from the waters.
I jumped down the stairs and raced down the beach to the water where I splashed into the cool bay. A few stray arrows dropped into the water some five yards from me. I pushed through the water until I was chest deep. The boats rocked the bay with small waves.
I stuck my arms into the water and bit my lip. “I hope this does something. . .” Nothing happened. The waters remained calm. Some of the invaders glanced in my direction. I glared at the water. “We don’t have all day!”
The water around me gurgled. A long form burst from the surface and stretched twenty feet into the air. It was the same serpent from the pot, but this one was ten times as large. It reared its head and let loose a cry that echoed down the beach. Attackers and defenders pause and turned to see what was the commotion. Many mouths dropped open that day.
Half the men with slingshots turned and fired at my serpent. Their gunky balls hit the surface and dropped harmlessly into the water in front of me. The creature hissed and charged. At the last moment before it hit the dock it turned. A tail flew out of the water and knocked the men off the dock and into the water.
The horn sounded. “Aboard! Aboard!” Big-Skull called.
The men on the beach sounded their trumpets. Invaders crested the short hill behind the beach. Ahead of them were still the small flocks of sheep and the occasional cow. The men with the catapults let loose a thick volley that covered their companions as the animals were herded onto the dock and onto the ships. My victims swam to the boats and were helped aboard.
I turned my dragon toward the rear boats. Some of the catapults were turned toward me. They fired some of their heavy clods at me. The mud whistled through the air and splattered around me, covering me in bits of the slimy substance. I sloshed and pushed through the water in order to avoid the mucky projectiles. One of the balls grazed my forehead. I stumbled to one side as the world spun around me. My hands lost contact with the water as I clutched my head. The water dragon disappeared.
A whistling noise approached me. One of the balls arched down toward my head. I threw up my arms, shut my eyes and braced for impact.
A winged shadow flew in front of me. I felt strong arms wrap around me and use their body to push me away. I opened my eyes and watched as Xander was hit in the side by the glob of goop. His face scrunched up in pain. He slipped behind me and crashed landed in the water. I spun around and saw his wings shrivel into his back. The gunk was washed from his side, but he didn’t stir. His twisted face partially floated above the surface before he slowly sank into the water.
“Xander!” I shouted.
I lunged at him and looped my arms under his armpits. Even without his wings he was heavy, but the buoyancy of the water helped me pull him toward shore. Another loud, long horn sounded. I paused and looked out at the bay. The invader ships pushed away from the docks and unfurled their white sails. They sailed across the bay and out of the mouth.
No one followed them. There were few left of the dragon men who still had their wings, and all the others helped heft their comrades to the beaches.
“Miriam!” I returned my attention to the shores. Spiros stumbled through the waves toward me. Spiros reached me and slung one of Xander’s arms across his shoulders, lifting my burden. “Follow me.”
Spiros pulled Xander to the beach where he laid the dragon lord on the white sands. His face was hardly more colorful. I dropped to my knees beside Xander.
“Xander?” He didn’t reply. I shook his shoulders. His head lolled to one side. “Xander! Come on, Xander! Wake up! Please wake up!”
Spiros knelt beside me and gently pushed me to the side. “Let me see him.”
I scuttled out of the way and watched as Spiros set his hand on Xander’s chest over his heart. Spiros pursed his lips before he dropped his hand and looked to me. “Does your shoulder hurt?”
I blinked at him. “My-”
“Does your Mark hurt?” he rephrased.
I shook my head. “N-no, why?”
His tense expression relaxed. “Then we have nothing to fear. His heart is normal, and if you sense nothing than he is not in danger.”
I set my hand on my shoulder. I’d forgotten about the Mark Darda had bestowed on me that fateful first adventure.
Speaking of Darda. “Miriam!”
I looked up and watched Darda scuttle across the sands with Cayden catching and passing her. Cayden arrived at us and his eyes widened as he beheld Xander’s still figure. He whipped his head to Spiros. “Is he-?”
Spiros shook his head. “No. He was merely hit by the Dragon Bane.”
Cayden ran a hand through his hair. “Thank goodness.”
Stephanie knelt beside me and set her hands on my shoulders as she looked into my face. “Are you okay?”
I pursed my lips, but nodded. “Yeah. At least, I think so.”
“Was it you who made that water dragon?” she asked me.
I raised my hands and looked at the dripping, pruned fingers. “Yeah, but don’t ask me to tell you how I did it.”
“Your Mare Fae blood allowed you to control the waters, Miriam,” Darda reminded me.
“We should return to the house,” Spiros advised as he lifted Xander’s limp body into his arms.
Cayden glanced at the beach. Dozens of men were sprawled on the white sands. All were unconscious while their comrades attended to them. Lady Abha slipped among them dispensing dampened towels from a bowl that the men used to wipe away any remainder of the mud. “I will join you shortly. I must see to my men.”
Stephanie took a step toward him. “Let me go with you.”
He returned his attention to her and shook his head. “No. You must also return to the house.”
She furrowed her brow. “But I-”
He grasped her hands and smiled into her concerned eyes. “The danger is past, but I would rather you and our child returned to the house.”
Stephanie’s head drooped, but she nodded. Cayden pecked a light kiss on her forehead and hurried away. Our little group returned to the house where Darda and I followed Spiros upstairs to the bedroom I shared with Xander.
Spiros gently laid him on the bed and opened his shirt to inspect his side. There was a round red mark like a rash where the mud had hit him.
I looked up at Spiros’s tense face. “The Dragon Bane isn’t permanent, right?”
He set Xander’s shirt back down and shook his head. “So little is known of the substance, but all previous cases were cured by a fortnight of rest. However-” he turned his head and caught my eyes, “-none of the other affected were dragon lords.”
The color drained from my face. “What’s that mean?”
“The dragon lords are different from others of our kind in that they are closer to our dragon ancestors than any other line,” he explained. He glanced down at Xander and studied the lord’s quiet countenance. “The Bane attacks the dragon blood within us. For one who’s blood is closer to that of a dragon than our human forms, only time will tell us how the concoction will effect him.”
I grasped one of Xander’s hands in both of mine and studied Xander’s face with pursed lips. “Why’d you have to go and be a big hero?”
“My promise demanded it.” We all started back at the soft sound of Xander’s voice. His eyes fluttered open and he turned his head toward me to give me a weak smile as his hand gently squeezed mine. “I will not allow any more harm to come to you.”
Tears leapt into my eyes, but they weren’t from relief. I put my free hand on my hip and glared down at him. “That gunk doesn’t hurt me, remember? For all we know it could have killed you!”
His eyes flickered down his body. “But I remain alive, and there was a risk for you, as well.”
I blinked at him. “What risk?”
He studied my face with pursed lips. “You are hardly more human than I, and though the weapon is called Dragon Bane, we know not what its effects are on one with the lineage of a fae.”
My anger fled and my shoulders slumped. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “Why do you have to make sense so much?”
Xander smiled at me. “One of us must be sensible.”
My eyes narrowed. “You’re skating on pretty thin ice for a dragon who can’t fly for a while.”
Xander shifted atop the bed and winced. He held up his free hand and focused hard on the fingers. Nothing happened, and after a moment he dropped the hand back on the bed. “So it seems. Even my claws will not heed my command to show themselves.”
At that moment Cayden and Stephanie entered the room. Their tense faces were relieved by the sight of Xander’s wakefulness, and Cayden moved to stand on the other side of the bed as Spiros stepped away from the bed. “How do you feel?”
Xander smiled at his old friend. “As though a herd of hadab trampled me, but how are your men and your people?”
“They are all well thanks to your help.” Cayden looked to me and his eyes fell on my hands. “How did you come to create the sea serpent?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I just kind of stuck my hands in water and it popped out.”
“The longer you remain in our world, the greater your fae strength may become,” Spiros spoke up.
Cayden bowed his head to we three. “In any case, I am grateful for your assistance, and bring better news. My flagship has arrived. I mean to follow the raiders and confirm the source as being that of the island.”
I noticed Stephanie’s face paled a little. She set a hand on his arm and looked into his face. Her voice was small and quivering. “Must you?”
He looked to her and nodded. “I must. These raids must be stopped before someone is killed.”
Spiros arched an eyebrow. “No one was killed during this raid?”
Cayden shook his head. “No. By the grace of the gods, everyone was spared, but we cannot lean on their graces forever. I intend to find the source of the troubles and stop them .”
“And I will come with you,” Xander spoke up as he raised himself up on his shaky arms.
Spiros and Darda stepped forward while I grabbed his shoulders and stopped him from rising. “Like hell you are! You’re staying right here and recuperating!”
“She is correct, My Lord. You must not exert yourself during your infirmity,” Darda added.
Spiros stepped up to the foot of the bed and bowed his head. “If you will allow me, I will go in your place.”
“I have no need for a replacement,” Xander insisted as he pushed against my hands.
I pursed my lips and leaned my weight into a shove that pushed him back against the pillows. My success surprised us both as we stared in shock at each other. I pointed a finger at my chest. “Did I just beat you?”
“In your condition you are no match even for the strength of Miriam,” Spiros pointed out.
I whipped my head to him and narrowed my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means in a battle he would be killed,” Cayden spoke up.
“Then as the most senior warrior I will go with you to observe and advise,” Xander insisted.
I glared at him. “If you’re going, then so am I.”
He shook his head. “I cannot allow that. As a human-”
“That just beat your butt in a test of strength, I’m going with you,” I finished for him.
“Then I will go as well,” Spiros spoke up.
Cayden pursed his lips, but turned to Darda. “Will you at least remain with Stephanie and my child to protect them?”
She bowed her head. “It would be an honor.”
I grinned. “Then it’s settled. We leave tomorrow.”
- Writer
