Wrath of the Dragon 4, page 13
“Of course,” Flare said. “Cyra, we’re very happy to see you back. Your people need you.”
The fire angel smiled, but her amber eyes darted to the ground as she shuffled her feet.
“You can walk straight out,” the phoenix said. “The flames will not harm those who have been inside our roost with our blessing.”
“Really?” I asked. “That’s awesome. Good luck with the flying lessons, and take care.”
Flare lowered her long neck as she gave me a deep bow, and she gently picked the chick up by the scruff of the neck before she silently flew back to their roost.
“Okay,” I said as we started to walk down the tunnel. “Let’s go and visit these weapon makers.”
“Do you really think they’ll have something that could hurt the demonic overlords?” Brooke asked.
“Let’s hope so,” I sighed. “Especially since we’ve got two of the bastards to kill.”
That reminded me of the one who had left through the void, and I felt like a ticking clock was counting down in my mind. We had to save the Fire Lands and then move out to wherever the overlord had gone. There were so many people left in Dracoria who needed my help.
Cyra slipped a hand into mine as if she had noticed my racing thoughts, and I gave her a loving squeeze as I focused on the next steps.
The gentle flickering of the doorway came into view as we turned the last corner, and the warmth of the flames was soothing on my face. Then we stopped just before the cave entrance, and I studied the fire carefully.
“I do trust Flare,” I said. “But it does look just like a normal fire.”
“It really does,” Brooke said nervously. “Maybe we should just go back and ask them to turn it off. I’m a water angel, so all this fire is suuuuper not good for me if it just… touches me, you know?”
“It’s safe,” Cyra assured her. “Look.”
The fire angel confidently stepped right through the towering flames, and her slender body passed through as if she had just walked through mist.
“But you’re a fire angel,” Brooke huffed. “Of course, it doesn’t hurt you!”
“I’ll go next,” I said. “Come on. We’ve got to trust our allies.”
I took a deep breath and stuck the tip of my boot into the flame.
The fire flickered around the leather without burning it, and I just felt a pleasant warmth on my foot. So I took a full step through the doorway and came out the other side without a single ounce of pain or burning.
The hazy orange sky burned above us, and Cyra reached up to kiss my cheek.
“See?” she said. “Perfectly safe.”
Nisha stepped out next, and she flicked her inky hair as she glanced back at the flames.
“Amazing,” she murmured. “Phoenixes really have strong magic.”
Ruby followed through next with a confident stride, and then Brooke leapt through the fire with a startled yell. She tumbled into my arms with a gasp, and I chuckled as I soothingly patted her blonde head.
“Good work,” I murmured. “We’ve officially walked through fire, so we’re unstoppable now. Cyra, lead the way!”
“We’ll need to fly,” she said. “But we’ll be heading into a city with plenty of cover. Well, if there’s anything left of it.”
She spread her fiery wings, and I took a moment to make sure the howls of the Hellhound pack weren’t nearby. The air was stiller than I had ever heard it before, and it seemed like the destruction of the volcano had spread calmness even further over the land.
I focused on my fire dragon form as the angels got ready to fly, and the strong energy raced through my body as I changed. Fiery power crackled as my fingers became talons, and I shot up into the air as my huge wings sprouted out of my back. Then I spun around to stretch out my massive body, and Cyra gestured for us to follow her.
“It really is quiet,” Nisha said as we flew low to the ground. “I wonder how many animals have woken up from that curse.”
“Hopefully lots,” Brooke said. “Do you think the demons will try and fix the blockage?”
“Maybe,” I said. “But we don’t know how powerful that ice is. Maybe they won’t be able to. It will buy us some time at the very least.”
Cyra led us through the low hills that surrounded the phoenixes’ roost as a gentle wind rustled across my wings. I felt like the air was slightly cooler than the day before, and I wondered if the blocked volcano was the reason for the temperature change. Either that, or the tempers of the fire beings had cooled down enough to literally cool the whole region.
“Which city are we heading to?” Ruby asked as her silvery hair danced around her face.
“Woodbridge,” Cyra replied. “It was one of my favorite towns. There’s some really amazing buildings there… hopefully.”
A distant howl reminded us that danger was very much still lurking, and we flew in silence through the hillsides after that. I spotted a few wild animals as we went, but the sky was currently free of fighting beings. Then the low hills ended as we neared a river, and I was surprised to see it flowed with blueish water. It had a tint of pink from the rocks below, but it looked much more ordinary than what I would expect.
“No fire in the water,” I said. “I assumed it would be orange or something.”
“Animals still need water,” Cyra chuckled. “Well, some of them do. A lot of beings here only need it once a month or so, though.”
“It looks sooo nice and fresh,” Brooke sighed as we passed over the stream. “I miss swimming.”
“Maybe you can swim soon,” Nisha said. “If we go back to the Water Lands for your elite gift.”
“Yes!” Brooke gasped. “We’ll need to visit all of our homelands again once we’re done here!”
Cyra didn’t say anything, but I could’ve spotted her scowl from a mile off. I knew the idea of her gift being guarded by an evil Jinn was still weighing heavily on her mind. We were going to need to hunt for that fire-dwelling beast eventually, but we needed to prioritize our attacks.
Plus, I now knew for sure that my angels were capable of strengthening their powers even without their elite gifts, so we had to focus on defeating the overlords before anything else.
It blew my mind to think of what would be possible once my angels did become elite, though. Brooke’s powers had grown so much from just being bound to me, so what would she be capable of if she transcended to a higher status?
That got me wondering about Ruby. She was already a powerful angel, and if she were to bind herself to me, then she would surely be given even more abilities. But I tried not to go down that train of thought too much. She had no obligation to me, and I wouldn’t even bring it up unless she herself suggested it. So I tried not to let my eyes wander over her sculpted body as my imagination stubbornly drifted to that possibility.
“Almost there!” Cyra called as I snapped back to the present moment.
There was a huge wall up ahead that towered about thirty feet in the air. It was made of a brown stone, and there was a ring of fire that flickered along the top. A huge set of double doors faced us, but they were firmly closed to block the city from view.
“That’s quite a fortress,” I said.
“The flames are lit!” Cyra said excitedly. “That has to be done manually, so there must be someone still inside!”
“Should we fly right over?” I asked. “Maybe they’ll be less shocked if we knock on the door?”
“Possibly,” Cyra said as we slowed down. “But I reckon we’ve already been spotted.”
She pointed to a single turret that stuck up from behind the wall, and I could just make out a human-shaped figure standing behind the flames. It hurried down what I presumed was a staircase as a small horn rang out into the sky.
“A lookout,” Cyra said. “Let’s land. They can become kind of violent if they feel threatened.”
The angels dove down to the ground and landed elegantly as I focused on my human body. I touched down just as my talons shrank back into feet, and my eyeline became lower as all of my limbs retracted.
The doorway had already swung open as my body finally clicked back into place, and I found myself face to face with a group of huge men and women. They all had warm-toned skin, and each of them had golden armor draped over their chests. All of them were dark-haired with deep-colored eyes to match. Muscles stuck out everywhere from their arms as they wielded very large axes with bronze blades.
One of the men stepped forward, and his long beard had been neatly pleated together with golden twine. He towered a head above me with narrow eyes glaring right into mine.
“Hello…” I said slowly. “We don’t mean to intrude, but we’re looking for the weapon builders. I’m Ryan, and this is Cyra, Nisha, Brooke, and Ruby.”
“We know Cyra,” the man boomed as he looked at the fire angel.
He stared at her in stony silence for a moment, but then he suddenly lowered his weapon.
“You have returned,” he said. “With a dragon and more angels.”
“Yes,” Cyra said awkwardly. “Uh, is that okay?”
The group of huge people were expressionless as they stared at the fire angel, and I began to wonder if we were ever going to be let inside the city.
“A dragon,” the man said as he turned his attention back to me. “You are exactly what we have been waiting for. Enter!”
He spun around on his heels as the group strode back inside the gateway, and I felt a rush of relief as we were allowed in.
“Let’s go.” I grinned, and we followed the group past the towering wall.
The doorway shut right behind us, and I was amazed to see the city of Woodbridge seemed fully intact. Cyra had been right about the buildings, and there was some incredible architecture surrounding us. Each structure was made from different stones ranging from dark brown to blinding gold. Some were tiny cottages with red-tiled roofs, and others were three-story buildings with several chimneys poking out at odd angles. There were a few houses that were just single towers with doorways made of orange wood, too.
Several different streets wound around us, and the huge man led us down one of the widest ones.
“This is amazing,” Nisha hissed as she stared up at the towers. “It’s got so much character.”
“These people are huge.” Brooke nodded. “I can definitely see them helping us take down overlords!”
We only walked a short distance before the street opened up into a large oval shape that looked like a town square. There were no market stalls or fountains, but there were a few storefronts, along with a large tavern that sat right at the back.
It looked like a fully functioning city, and the massive people eyed us as they went about their business. Then the bearded man finally came to a halt as he turned to face us, and more and more people gathered around to observe the group of newcomers.
“So,” he boomed. “Ryan the dragon man has come to the Fire Lands.”
“Dragon God!” Brooke said excitedly. “Or Dragon King, if you’d like!”
She quieted herself down as the huge folk stared at her, and I reached out to give her hand a squeeze.
“We are the welders,” the man said slowly. “My name is Khar.”
“Good to meet you,” I said. “I hope we didn’t worry you by flying over to your city. This is the most intact place I’ve seen so far. You’ve protected it well.”
Khar stuck his chest out as he nodded, and there was a positive murmur amongst the other welders.
“Underlings tried to attack once,” one of the women said. “But we held them off and have not been bothered since.”
“I know they’ll return,” Khar grunted. “But we have spent every second building and planning for that eventuality. We will not go down without a fight.”
I grinned at the group of weapon building folk, and I felt like I had just discovered a treasure trove of warriors.
“Come,” Khar said. “We will eat inside the tavern. Questions can be answered from both of our sides.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Lead the way.”
The group began to disperse as we followed the huge man through the city center, and eyes lingered on us as folks began to stroll off down the streets. There was a sign above the tavern that told us it was called the ‘Burning Furnace,’ which seemed like a slightly aggressive name for what I hoped was an ordinary resting spot.
We stepped in through the heavy door, and I was welcomed by the sound of gentle chattering and a soft banjo melody. The room was large enough to accommodate its massive customers, and light spilled in through the oval windows. The chairs and tables were all slightly bigger than normal, and the bar at the far side was enormous. An older-looking man stood behind it cleaning mugs, but he was just as buff as the younger crowd around him.
Khar led us to a table in the corner, and he waved at the barman to get his attention.
The older man nodded wordlessly and hurried off through a back door to fetch something.
Then we took a seat around one of the circular tables, and I had plenty of room on either side of my legs in the large chair. The angels all sat around me, but Nisha’s dainty feet didn’t even touch the ground.
“This is cozy,” Brooke said as she shuffled her huge chair forward.
She was small enough that she looked like a doll some little girl would set up at a tea table, and I smirked as she bounced just enough to make her blonde ringlets bounce, too.
“It is an old establishment,” Khar agreed. “Good food. Strong ale. Our farmlands at the back of the city are small, but well kept.”
“You have a farm,” I said. “That’s great. I know supplies have been seriously fucked for a lot of other colonies.”
“We try to deliver food to others sometimes,” Khar said. “But we cannot help everyone. Especially those who were controlled by the curse. Yet it seems this part of the land has been freed from that.”
His dark eyes studied me curiously as the older barman appeared by our side with a tray full of steaming bowls. He placed them down before us, and my stomach rumbled as the scent of warm meat and spices wafted up to meet me.
Our packed food had held off my hunger, but it had been a while since I’d enjoyed an actual hot meal.
“Eat,” Khar said. “We can talk after.”
I gratefully grabbed a spoon and scooped stew into my mouth. The meat tasted like beef and fell apart on my tongue. It was warm, soothing, and quickly fueled my energy levels.
The angels didn’t need to eat, but they happily lapped up the tasty food anyway.
“This is delicious,” Ruby said. “Thank you for sharing it with us.”
Khar nodded as he quickly finished his meal, and the old barman brought us a jug of water.
“So,” I said as I sat back in my huge seat. “Are there any questions you need answered to put your mind at ease about us?”
“I am already at ease,” Khar replied. “You are the one who stopped the lava, according to the phoenixes. That means we are on the same side.”
“Good to know,” I said. “You mentioned you have been… waiting for me?”
“We speak with the other creatures,” Khar said. “The phoenixes told us something great had entered our land. I did not expect it to be a dragon. Those are creatures of the gods.”
“Ryan basically is a god,” Brooke said eagerly. “I mean, not officially or anything. Buuut he has saved three different lands from the reigns of demons and freed their peoples!”
“Three lands?” Khar asked quietly. “Is this true?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Water, Night, and Crystal. All demon-free. That’s why we’re here. I want to save the Fire Lands next. We’re just going to need some help with the whole overlord situation. Where they live, how to harm them.”
The huge man stroked his beard as he watched me, and a toothy grin spread over his wide face.
“We can help with that,” he said. “The overlords reside in the Deep Volcano, although there are only two of them left now.”
“Deep Volcano,” I said. “Great, where is that exactly?”
“Close by,” Cyra said eagerly. “It makes sense that they’d stay there. It’s huge inside, hence the name.”
“Is that where they all are?” Nisha asked. “We have seen barely any underlings since we got here.”
“I would expect so.” Khar nodded. “The tunnels are vast and deep. A whole species could reside down there in the burning dark.”
I felt a huge rush of adrenaline combined with relief now that we had a location. We wouldn’t need to aimlessly drift through the Fire Lands anymore to plan our attack. It was just the actual fighting that we would need to work out, and I had no delusions of how insanely hard that was going to be.
The welders clearly knew their territory well, too, and I wondered if they would be able to help with Cyra’s elite gift.
“There is something else we’re looking for,” I said. “Have your people ever come across a Fire Jinn?”
A few tables nearby fell silent at my words, and even Khar looked slightly uncomfortable as he downed a mug of water.
“We have,” he said quietly. “Centuries ago, one of our people met one. He never returned. That beast is said to live near the Deep Volcano, too.”
“It’s that close?” I asked as I leaned forward. “The Jinn lives near the overlords?”
“You must not go looking for that beast,” Khar said. “We have weapons that could help kill demons, but that vile being is another story.”
Cyra gently kicked me under the table as she scowled, but my mind was racing to know her elite gift could be close by. Maybe we wouldn’t have to wait long for her Elite transformation after all.
“How far away is the Deep Volcano from here?” I asked.
“You can see it from the watchtower,” Khar said. “I can show you the way, but I want to show you our workshop first. If you would like to see our weapons?”
“Yes!” I said. “That would be amazing.”
