Candescent (The Opalescent Collection Book 1) (18 page)

              His fingers traced the silver dragon in the palm of his hand and he lifted it to his lips and kissed it. My body burned, feeling my dragon’s rage. The fiery heat compelled me to reach for his neck and I searched for his Dragon’s Soul. When I was unsuccessful, I attempted to strangle him and he pushed me down into the snow. I knew that only meant one thing. Looking up at him, his hand pressed down on my shoulder. His other hand clutched my Dragon’s Soul.

“How could you have killed her? She saved you from those wolves that would have eaten you alive.”

“It was my decision.”

“What kind of creature are you?” I glared at him with disgust and he brought himself close so he was nose to nose with me.

“One without weaknesses,” he replied, straightened up, his hand still on my shoulder.

He looked down at the empty space in his hand, unable to see my Dragon’s Soul as it was only visible to me. He held it tightly and I knew he was going to break my chain. I looked up to the sky and screamed, screamed my dragon’s name as my last resort. He had to be close by now. Sebastian’s hand remained tight and he smiled.

“Cry for your dragon.
Cry for him
. He will not come.”

“Minx!” I screamed, knowing the air in my lungs was not enough. I screamed again and he did not come. “Where is he? What have you done with him?”

Sebastian only laughed in response as I grabbed his hand, my nails digging into his skin. One last time I called my dragon’s name and there was no response.

“Are you finished?”

I grabbed his hand tighter, tried to pry it open, tried to save my Dragon’s Soul. He was too strong, I even admitted it aloud.

“Spare my dragon. Spare my Minx,” I found myself saying. I had said these same words long ago when he was just a young dragon.

I felt the chain tugging against my neck and while he pulled it, I held the chain in my own hands and closed my eyes. I would not give up.

A roar filled my ears, a roar filled with strength and ultimate power. It was a roar so loud and so great that I had never heard before. My dragon descended, grabbed Sebastian, his talons sliced his hand and my chain was free. Minx pressed Sebastian’s body into the snow, preparing to destroy him.

“You never touch a Dragon’s Soul! You never go so far as to press your lips to my soul! That is for my Mistress! You are never to touch my Mistress as long as I am alive.”

He growled and summoned his strength to blow fire over the immortal when Sebastian’s army came out of the woods. They all held chains and aimed for Minx. He flew up out of reach and circled above.

Sebastian saw his chance and crawled to me, staying low to the ground so Minx couldn’t see him in the middle of his army. He made his way to me, grabbed my chain again before I realized it. He aimed to break it, but before he had a chance, Minx’s talon hit him, sending him flying over his army.

Minx landed in front of me, his wings fanned out, his neck arched to protect me. The army charged with chains in their hands and Minx turned, his tail sweeping them off their feet. The gargoyles ran to Minx’s side and braced themselves to fight as well.

“Minx, don’t fight them, just take me away from this place.”

“No Mistress. I must stay and fight. I cannot allow them to win.”

“They won’t win.”

“If we flee it would be giving them victory.”

“Don’t you disobey me Minx. Just take me out of here before either of us get hurt.”

“I cannot allow that pain to happen again. I am here to protect you Mistress. Your Dragon’s Soul will not be touched again. That man will not live to see another sunrise. I will not allow it.”

“Minx you get me out of here! Sebastian will suffer another day and you will be there to see it, I promise you!”

I was exhausted and to watch my dragon stand up to this huge army with chains was just too much for me. I couldn’t risk him getting hurt, especially with people around ready to tie him up. Since he was my only dragon he was my only way out of here, my only way out of this place. Minx would have no choice but to obey me.

“Minx listen to me!”

“But Mistress-,” he began.

“No Minx. Obey what I am asking you and stand down!”

“How can I walk away showing them mercy?” he protested. He roared, scanned the crowd for Sebastian and turned to me.

“Another day Minx!
Another day
.” I begged.

“No Mistress.”

“Minx the day you disobey me is the day you will die.” I pointed to the army. “Don’t you understand?”

Minx blinked hard, turned to the army and roared. He watched the army members flinch as he cautiously stepped back to where I was. The gargoyles scrambled onto his back while he looked at me.

“Then today is the day I die.”

“No!” I screamed, grabbed onto his wing and pulled myself up onto his back.

              I held onto my Dragon’s Soul, forcing him to obey me, forcing him to listen to me. “Fly!” I yelled. For once he did obey. He took flight, but he rose and circled above the army. He stalked from above as an owl would do to a mouse. I reached up, held onto his horns to get his attention. I pulled his head back, causing him to pay attention to me and he hovered.

“I told you to get me out of here Minx! Leave them!”

“Just as soon as I-,”

“No, just as soon as you do nothing! Leave them and you can fight them when it comes to war.”

“That’s not good enough! They will pay for what they did now. No Mistress of mine will be treated the way they treated you. I will not be merciful to
them
.”    

“No Minx, you will be merciful. You will leave them and help your Mistress. You will help your Mistress by keeping her out of this cold. You will help your Mistress by staying alive. Do you hear what I’m saying Minx?”      

              I let go of my dragon’s horns and he remained hovering. I could tell he had been thoughtful in his decision because he looked at me with his stunning blue eyes.

“I’m sorry Mistress, but I must disobey you, only once.”      

              Power surged in his wings, in his pulsing muscles to propel himself forward. He bent his head down to face Sebastian’s army. His body twisted into an aerial dive. His nosedive plunged his body down and I nearly fell off from the speed. He flew up just before he hit the treetops. I heard his roar, the hiss of smoke rose from his nostrils. Fire exploded from his throat and flared from his mouth.

              The fire instantly engulfed the trees and the wind only exasperated the flames. The wildfire grew worse as Minx contributed to it. He would let the trees burn. He would let our woods burn down.

“Minx, what have you done?”

“I burned the woods,” he yelled, sounding sad. His eyes rolled back to me and he raised his head.

“What has this solved?” I found myself yelling over the wind that his wings created. They forcefully pushed the air, became flexible, but were powerful.

“The fire will burn the woods,” he started, “and it will trap Sebastian’s army, leaving no escape. They have no dragons to fly them out. They are not fire-resistant either. They will burn down with our beautiful woods!”

With that, he blew more fire on the trees. He circled over them. His ring of fire would trap them, as he said.

“What if they make it out badly burned?”

“I will not allow that to be an option.”

He flew down, ridiculously close to the army to blow fire over the members. When his mouth opened, I heard him choke. He gasped. His head swiveled to look at his wing. A sword sliced through it. He looked down - where he headed. As he fell, I slipped off and landed before the army. Fire burned around us, causing us to move closer together.

Minx grabbed the sword from his wing and held it in his mouth. He swung it, attempting to keep the army at bay. I was sure Sebastian would be after me but I couldn’t see him. The fire continued to grow vicious, pressing the army closer. They were fearful, but they still held weapons. They could still capture us. They would make sure that we would suffer with them.

Minx saw their plotting expressions, their dangerous glances as they devised a silent plan. They swung their chains, cautiously keeping an eye on the rapidly growing fire. They immediately stopped panicking, their minds preoccupied with a plan to take us both down.

“Minx, let’s go!”

He turned to me, grabbed me in his claws. He looked around calculating if he had enough clearance to take off. His wings were a big issue. The wind they created would spread the fire and could put us in even more danger. Along with the crumbling trees and branches on fire, his wings would create a vacuum that would suck all of it toward us.

He stood on his hind legs, his wings out. He pushed off his legs and once in the air his wings created propulsion that ascended us away from the taunting flames.

“Get the dragon!” someone yelled.

Then we were still. He was hovering. My dragon’s body shook, but I couldn’t see what was happening since I was shielded in his arms. I realized they must have grabbed his tail once he was off the ground and I could tell they were attempting to get on his back.

He blew fire at them and screams filled my head. I felt the wind in my face. We were flying again. The chill of the winter air surrounded us as he rose higher, away from the fire. I watched our woods blaze and only knew the same would come of the Frozen Waterfalls if it continued to spread the way it was. I looked up at my dragon whose face was covered in soot; his chest was black from the smoke. When he breathed, I heard a muffled noise in his lungs. I knew that breathing fire took a lot out of him. When I couldn’t hear the sound in his lungs anymore I figured he would talk to me.

“Minx, where will we go?” I could only hope he knew where he was going, but where was it safe? Where was it abandoned? And what was left?

“I know where we’re going. Your father told me Pete’s instructions.”

That didn’t help me. I hoped this place had a bed and food. “Pete gave instructions but he couldn’t get me himself?”

“He couldn’t. When he found out you were missing, he got Jasper and went to Alfur. He met with the Allies. He knew you couldn’t face Sebastian alone. Your father was not surprised when I told him about the dragon slaughtering. He said that Pete would bring it up with the Allies since he was well aware of it too.”

“Where is my father and the rest of the family?”

“They went to a reserved place where we will eventually meet up with our Allies.”

“Why aren’t we going there then?”

“I am just following orders. Pete told your father who told me to go somewhere else. I don’t know why. I don’t question them.”

“So Pete isn’t back yet?”

“No, he will return with our Allies tonight. He will meet with you separately. I’m sure he wants to see you. Your father told me he was outraged when he found out you left. He was especially infuriated with your father because he knew and didn’t tell him right away.”

“That’s Pete for you,” I mumbled.

“He was also still suffering from a loss. Pete told your father about your stomach wound and how the healer couldn’t save your baby. Your father told this to me,” he stopped abruptly, now looking down at me. “Your father said Pete was very upset.”

“I know he was. He knows Prusaious was the cause of it.”

“If she was not destroyed in the fire he will see her during the war.”

“Do you really think there will be a war Minx?”

“Yes I do Mistress. Sebastian has done enough. He has already begun a war that we worked so hard to end many years ago. That concept alone makes it a war. Slaughtering dragons makes it a war. Fighting against the King makes it a war. And holding the Queen captive makes it a war.”

I was thoughtful, breathing in the crisp air that signaled snowfall. “The fortunetellers foresaw this winter to be a harsh one. Some even saw bloodstained snow. Even Taj’ and Pearl knew. They saved themselves while they had their chance. I realized this when I caught Taj’ sneaking out of the palace with his sons during the Ceremonial Party. I thought they were being selfish,” I shook my head, “but we wouldn’t have believed them.”

“What makes you say that Mistress?”

“When I reincarnated, I went to meet my Allies. It was only when Pete and I confirmed a Ceremony when I saw Taj’. Pearl was already gone. If you were to tell us any time before our Ceremony that there was to be a war, we would have thought you were insane. After all, we had just been with our Allies and everything was good. We returned home optimistic. Everyone was content, at least before Fitzray’s death.”

              Minx sighed deeply and cleared his throat. He flicked out his tongue to speak. “I wish we weren’t at war. I wish we took the future readings as a sign. Because of our neglect it is time to pay our price. We still have a chance to prevent it from turning into the three wars we all fought. We are in no position to be turning against the wolves just to throw away our alliance. We can’t become enemies again or we will have confrontation involving the mortals. We’re lucky the dragon slaughtering is being done by an immortal. He’s on neither side, which means the wolves will remain our allies.”