Dragon Emperor 17: From Human to Dragon to God, page 22
Then I had an idea.
If they weren’t in Hatra, they had to have found somewhere safe to hide out. And I knew the one place that kept my dragon mate safe for years before I’d arrived in this world.
I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I needed to try. I shifted into my dragon form, and Aeron watched me with an arched eyebrow. Then I nodded to him and took off into the sky. As I flew higher and higher, I was aware the God of Punishment somehow managed to float along beside me, but I didn’t question it.
I needed to know about my family.
When I reached the Crimson Canyons, my wings faltered, and my mouth went dry as I saw the sand below me. The cave where Valerra spent hundreds of years protecting her sister’s egg had collapsed. Boulders laid in front of the mouth of the cave and had tumbled down the side of the canyon. I couldn’t see or hear any movement from inside, but I flew closer to make sure.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re inside,” Aeron pointed out as we hovered in front of the blocked entrance.
“Why wouldn’t it matter?” I demanded. “If they’re in there, I’ll know they’re alive and safe.”
“The Demon King has told you what he’d do to your family a dozen times,” the god murmured. “Do you think he wouldn’t follow through with it if he has escaped the Breach?”
I slowly lowered to the ground with the sudden urge to vomit as Aeron’s words hit me like a punch to the gut.
He was right.
The Demon King obviously hated me, and I had no doubt he would make sure I regretted turning down his offers and promising his demise. In this future, there was no chance my family was safe and happy somewhere.
And there was no way I’d let that happen.
“Okay,” I finally said. “What makes this future happen? I have to stop it.”
“This is the future where you decided to fight the Demon King today,” Aeron said.
My heart stopped for a few seconds.
“Today,” I exhaled. “I wanted to go fight him when I woke up.”
“Yes,” Aeron agreed. “You did. And this would be the result of that fight. You see, when you decide to take the fight to the Breach, some of your people go with you. Those who go are lucky to suffer the same fate as you-- death in battle. The others are left here to be captured by the demons and hellbeasts.”
“They all die.” I could feel my chest tighten at the thought. “What about Rodion? Why is the palace destroyed?”
“He leaves to help you,” the god continued. “In doing so, he weakens his hold on the seal, and all the Underworld breaks loose. He only survives the fallout because of his magic, but he is unable to save you or anyone else. I don’t think he’ll allow his life to continue much longer. He’d rather die on his own terms than at the hands of the Demon King.”
Everything was so clear to me now.
I’d been stubborn to believe I was ready to fight something even the gods didn’t understand yet, and I had to take the time to do things the right way. If I didn’t, everyone I loved would deal with the consequences of my decision, and it was selfish of me to think they wouldn’t.
I looked down at my large talons and midnight-black scales. All the power I held wouldn’t be enough to defeat an ancient evil with unknown amounts of power and knowledge. I still had plenty to learn, and I needed to take the time to do it.
I shifted back into my human form with a sigh. I was still powerful in this smaller version, but it made no difference when it came to the Demon King. I had to have the power of the Noble Swords. My entire world depended on it.
“You’ve made your point, Ghost of Christmas Future,” I sighed. “We can go home now.”
“It isn’t just you who fights this war, Lord Evan,” Aeron reminded me in a gentle voice. “You have your family, the gods, and the people of Inati on your side, which means they will also be the ones who take on the pain and suffering if you do not succeed.”
“And I won’t succeed if I go today,” I murmured. “I understand now.”
“There won’t be any more lessons, young dragon,” he said firmly. “You must remember this one.”
“I couldn’t forget it if I tried,” I replied with a grimace. “Can we get out of here, please?”
The God of Punishment nodded before he grasped my arm, and as we spun through the webs of time and space, I closed my eyes until my feet hit the cool stone floor of my bedroom. Then I sat back onto the bed and put my face in my hands.
“I’ll leave you to your thoughts,” Aeron said.
Before I could reply, there was a gust of wind, and he was gone.
I didn’t particularly want to be alone with my thoughts, and I was grateful to see Miraya had already woken Skye and Alyona.
“My love, are you alright?” the princess asked as she crawled across the bed to sit next to me.
“Yeah,” I nearly whispered before I turned around and hugged her.
Skye and Miraya scooted closer, and I wrapped my arms around all three of them and held back tears. The thought of losing even one of my women wrenched at my soul, and I knew I’d do whatever it took to keep them all safe, even if that meant setting my pride to the side for a while.
“Where did he take you?” Miraya asked after a moment.
“The future where I fought the Demon King without bonding with all the swords,” I answered. “It was… terrible.”
“I’m so sorry,” Alyona said and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “He believes you aren’t ready for the battle?”
“He knows I’m not,” I replied as I shook my head. “I’ll never do that to my family or my people. I have to listen to the gods for now. It’s the only way to make sure we win.”
“What was it like?” Skye wondered.
“I don’t even want to repeat it,” I muttered. “Just know that he made it clear where I need to focus my efforts, and it’s not on a battle with the Demon King today.”
My lovers looked at each other, but they didn’t ask for more, and I was glad they didn’t. I didn’t want to talk about the things I’d seen or the fates they would have suffered if Aeron hadn’t intervened.
“I’m surprised he’s pushing you so hard,” my wife mused.
“Why?” I asked.
“The God of Punishment is not known for his patience or concern,” she explained. “It’s been written for ages how he happily brings punishment to those who have done wrong, but he’s tried very hard to keep you away from the wrong decisions.”
“If you’d seen the future he took me to, I think you’d understand,” I said with a frown. “Surely, even a god who doles out punishment wouldn’t wish that world on anyone.”
“Then you must take his knowledge with grace and appreciation,” she determined. “He believes you can prevent it, and he’s going against everything he’s known for to teach you. It is a rare gift from a god.”
“I won’t let him down,” I vowed. “Or any of you. I can’t stop this mission, and I won’t until I’m ready to fight the Demon King. When I’m strong enough, I’ll rip him to shreds and feast on his bones. Then I’ll burn what’s left and make the Underworld demons regret the day they were created.”
The three women stared at me as my dragon instincts were laid bare, but I didn’t mind. I knew I’d follow through with it when the time was right.
“I think for now, we should feast on some breakfast,” Skye said with a half-smile.
“Good idea,” I agreed.
We all got dressed, and I could hear voices and laughter in the hall as we headed for the door. I opened the door to see Nike, Aine, Juniper, and the rest of my lovers had already started downstairs for breakfast. Then I caught a glimpse of a golden tail swaying around the corner, and we hurried to catch up with the others.
“Do you feel better this morning, my lord?” Valerra asked as she slowed down to meet me.
“Mostly,” I hedged. “I know I’m not going to fight the Demon King today, so don’t worry about that.”
“Good.” My dragon mate dipped her head and continued down the stairs. “I mostly like having you around.”
The rest of my lovers giggled as we rounded the bottom of the stairs and turned down the corridor to the dining hall. As soon as we walked into the room, the smell of roasted meat and eggs filled my nose, and I sighed with appreciation for Hatra’s first-rate chef.
Forsythe seemed to always have food ready when we needed it, and I definitely needed it after last night and this morning’s events. Even though Aeron said he’d leave me with my thoughts, I didn’t have much to think about anymore. I knew what I had to do, and I wouldn’t try to change our plans again.
So, I’d eat instead.
Ruslan, Julia, and Emma were already seated at the table, and their muted conversation came to a grinding halt as we made our way to our chairs and sat down.
“Good morning,” my father greeted me after a moment. “Did you sleep well?”
“Not great,” I admitted as I ran my fingers through my hair. “But I’m thinking a lot more clearly now. We just need to find the next Noble of the Sword.”
“Excuse me, my lord.” We all turned to see Callan in the doorway. “I’m so sorry to intrude on your breakfast. I can come back.”
“Nonsense, brother,” I insisted and motioned toward an empty chair. “Join us. You’re always welcome here.”
“Thank you, Lord Evan,” the dragon said with a slight blush before he sat down. “I’m grateful for all the kindness you and your people have shown me. I have a job now.”
“Do you?” I chuckled. “What is your job?”
“I’m working for Arthur at the bakery,” Callan answered and looked down at his plate. “I’ve always wanted to do something with myself, but I was never really the raid villages and pillage gold kind of dragon, so I find the bakery very fulfilling.”
“That’s the guy who made that chocolate cake, right?” I asked Ruslan.
“Yes, Arthur and his family have been here for a few months now,” my father confirmed. “He has provided many sweets for our people.”
“Nice,” I said with a grin. “I’m glad you’re fitting in so well, Callan. I hope to find more of our kind soon.”
“Do you think they’ll answer your message, my lord?” Alyona asked.
“I hope so,” I replied. “If Callan didn’t know Olivier was dead, then maybe more dragons don’t know and have stayed in hiding. Even if they just come here to tell us they’re alive and run away, I’d be happy knowing there were more of us. Not that I had a problem with repopulating the dragon species on our own.”
I shot a mischievous look at Valerra, who blushed and stuck out her tongue.
“My lord, I do have one other question,” Callan said in a quiet voice.
“What’s up?” I looked at him and cocked my head to the side.
“I was wondering what you’ve discovered about the sorcerer assassin and his employer,” he nearly whispered.
I’d been planning to interrogate Dolion once we got him on the airship, but we’d left for Copacia the next day, and I hadn’t even thought about it again since. Knowing the assassin had been aiming for Callan, I could understand why my fellow dragon wanted answers, and I intended to get them for him.
“Now that we’re back, I’ll find out everything we need to know,” I promised. “Do you want to come along?”
“If that’s okay with you,” he said and furrowed his brow. “I need to know who sent him after me since I know the Sage is dead. I have a lot of questions for him.”
“Then we’ll go together.” I dipped my head and then gestured toward my plate. “But first, let’s fill our bellies. Sound good?”
“Much better than the fish I’ve been eating for months,” the green dragon chuckled.
We resumed breakfast, though the table conversation had died down to a few murmurs here and there. Thinking about Dolion and the impending conversation we were about to have seemed to have left most of us to our own thoughts until my aunt broke the silence.
“Do you, ah, want all of us to go, um, to see this guy?” she asked.
“No,” I said with a smile. “Callan and I will go. The rest of you can stay here and figure out the next stop on our mission.”
“Okay,” Emma breathed with relief. “I like that plan.”
“We can get the map with the Noble Sword locations from the memory spell,” Alyona said as she took Emma’s hand. “No need for us to deal with the assassin.”
Emma squeezed my wife’s hand and smiled at her. The rest of us returned to our plates until they were empty, and then I looked at Callan.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
“Um.” The green dragon gulped. “Yeah, I think so.”
“He can’t hurt you now,” I assured him. “He’s in a cell, and we have his staff, so no more magic.”
“Right,” he replied, though he didn’t seem fully convinced.
I started to insist, but I held off. If Callan was already worried, it didn’t matter what I told him. Either way, it was important for him to face his fear of Dolion, so I decided it would be better to make sure we had what we needed to get through to the assassin.
“Miraya, would you mind joining us?” I asked the spirit.
“Of course, my lord,” she agreed.
In the blink of an eye, the sword spirit appeared in my spiritual sea, and we were off to the airship.
Callan didn’t talk on our way across the city, but I noticed he’d made a few friends since his arrival, and he waved or smiled at them as we walked together. The green dragon had already begun to fit in here, and I hoped there were many more of our kind who would do the same.
Is he alright? Miraya asked in a worried tone.
Yeah, he’s just nervous, I replied. We’re going to talk to the guy who nearly killed him. It isn’t easy for a guy who doesn’t have people trying to kill him every day.
True, she murmured.
When we reached the ramp to the airship, Callan took a deep breath before he followed me onto the wooden planks and into the floating boat. We were greeted at the entrance by two Blue Tree Guild soldiers, who looked at Callan with questioning eyes but didn’t doubt me.
They allowed us through, and I started to try to find my way to the cells when Pyotr rounded a corner and strode toward us with his arms open wide.
“Lord Evan, what a pleasant surprise,” the elder wolf Demi-Human said. “I wondered if you’d be back to visit your prisoner.”
“We have a few questions for him,” I confirmed.
“Alright, I’ll let my men know,” he replied. “Thank you for bringing Onaro back safely. He’s still struggling with his memory, but his health is great.”
The snake Demi-Human was healed from the sleeping curse, but he hadn’t been able to remember what or who had cursed him before we found him in the jungle.
“His memory still hasn’t returned?” I gnawed on my bottom lip in thought for a moment. “Let’s go see him first, then we’ll go to the cells.”
Callan seemed a little relieved by the change in plans, and he traipsed along behind Pyotr and me as we headed for the infirmary.
I was glad we’d run into Laika’s grandfather before we tried to find anything on our own, since we weaved through many halls and passageways until we reached the medical wing.
Sirona, the medic, sat at the desk near the wall and stopped scribbling notes when she heard us walk in.
“Lord Evan!” she gasped. “I didn’t know you were coming!”
“It’s alright,” I chuckled. “I just wanted to check on our patient. How’s Onaro doing?”
“He woke up about twenty minutes ago,” the rabbit Demi-Human replied as she gestured to the door behind her. “He’s in the shower, but he should be out any minute.”
“Nothing on his memory yet?” I frowned.
“No,” she said, and her ears flopped back and forth as she shook her head. “It’s the strangest thing. I’ve used every memory, healing, and non-magical remedy I can find, but he says it’s a total blank.”
“Can’t you heal him?” Callan asked me with a confused look on his face.
“Well, I tried,” I explained and pursed my lips. “It didn’t work.”
You tried to heal them before you gained another power, Miraya reminded me. Between the regeneration and the Sword of the Land’s ability, it might be possible now.
The sword spirit had a point. Maybe I wasn’t ready to bring a fight to the Demon King just yet, but I could be ready to do something else I hadn’t been ready for yet, either.
“Okay, I’ll try again,” I said aloud.
“Try what again?” Onaro asked as he walked into the infirmary.
The snake Demi-Human looked considerably healthier, and his yellow eyes were bright with curiosity as he cocked his head to the side.
“Healing your memory,” I answered. “Are you okay with that?”
“Of course, my lord,” he replied with a hurried nod. “I want to know what happened to me more than anything.”
“Alright, just sit down, and I’ll give it a shot.” I pointed to the hospital bed.
Onaro plopped down on the bed and put his hands in his lap, and he practically vibrated with excitement as he waited for me to begin.
I took a deep breath as I walked over to the bed and put my hands on his shoulders. Something told me I needed the physical contact to fully heal his memory, even though I’d never had to have it before.
I closed my eyes and called on my healing power. It was the most natural ability I had, but I held it in my chest for a moment as I summoned the other magic I’d gained. Sparks and surges of energy rolled under the surface of my skin as I gripped Onaro’s shoulders.
Then I released them.
It was like an entire storm raged out of my body and plunged into the snake Demi-Human’s torso. His body shook as though he’d been hit with lightning, and his eyes rolled back in his head while my power coursed through his veins.
“Oh, my gods,” Pyotr whispered.
I gritted my teeth and pushed my healing power through Onaro until I sensed a wall. My energy surged against it like a wave crashing into a dam, and I squeezed Onaro’s shoulders tighter as I pushed harder and harder against the wall. Something told me his memory waited on the other side, and I would stop at nothing to break through.
