Dragon Conjurer 8, page 4
“Yeah, he’s really chilled out a lot in the last few weeks.” Nick nodded, and he picked up the TV remote to start flipping through channels in search of something to watch.
“That’s good,” Steffi said. “He said he got here last spring, so he hasn’t been here all that much longer than you, Dyl. Maybe he’s just finally getting into a good groove here.”
“That is a good point,” Elisabeth said. “It took me a while to settle into a state of comfort at AMIE and with my powers.”
“Indeed, and if he does not have many opportunities to use his powers on missions,” Ronin pointed out, “that could have a strong impact on his self-esteem and sense of self-worth.”
“Definitely,” Nala agreed. “I would feel like shit if I didn’t think I was pulling my weight on missions.”
A general murmur of agreement rippled through the group, and it was followed by a subtle rumble from a few stomachs. I stood from my seat and collected the long-empty mugs from our coffee table, and then I carried them into the kitchen.
“Anybody else hungry?” I asked.
“Do you even have to ask?” Nick called over his shoulder.
“I was more asking the girls,” I chuckled. “I know you’re always up for food.”
“I could eat,” Nala said. “Those eggs earlier were good, but I’m definitely hungry again.”
“What sounds good to everybody?” I asked.
A few ideas were thrown out, and after a bit of debate, we decided on steak fajitas with a side of roasted potatoes. Elisabeth, in her adorable unicorn onesie, came into the kitchen to help to prepare dinner for us all. I was grateful we’d selected a fairly easy meal to prepare and cook, and after a short while, we settled in around the table to chow down.
“This is really good,” Ronin hummed with delight as she ate her dinner.
“Entirely delicious,” Nala agreed.
“Good, I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” I said, and then I turned to Elisabeth. “Thanks for helping.”
“You are very welcome.” My French girlfriend smiled. “I enjoy cooking, and I enjoy cooking with you even more.”
We finished our dinner, and I could see the very early mission was really getting to everyone. Even I was feeling the exhaustion encroaching on my mood, and a moment after I had the thought, an intense yawn took hold of my face.
“I don’t know about you guys,” I said, and I leaned back in my chair. “But I’m going to sleep like a fucking rock tonight.”
“Ugh, yes, please.” Steffi covered a yawn with the back of her hand.
“I’m totally worn out,” Nala agreed. “Cold weather like that always exhausts me.”
“There is something very tiring about maintaining body temperature in below-freezing climates.” Elisabeth nodded softly.
“I believe I will sleep in my room this evening,” Ronin said after a big yawn.
My Japanese girlfriend had been staying in the rooms she had shared with her twin brother and the other MAJK cadets whenever she didn’t end up sharing my bed for the night. The dorm room across the hall was empty aside from herself, and it was pretty convenient to have access to the additional space. My ladies and I had put the common room to good use more than once since Phoenix and the others had left two weeks ago.
“Okay, babe,” I said.
“Have sweet dreams, sweetie,” Ronin said softly, and she leaned down to kiss me before she disappeared into the hall.
“Sleep, I need sleep,” Nala mumbled, and she stood up from her seat and pretended to move like a zombie around to my chair. “Good night.”
“Good night,” I murmured, and I kissed my curly-haired girl’s soft lips. “Sleep well.”
Nala smiled sweetly at me, and then she walked into her room and closed the door. Steffi and Elisabeth stood from their seats and kissed me before they quietly followed suit and disappeared into their rooms.
“You’re spending the night, right, baby?” Nick whispered softly to Zahra beside him.
“Of course.” The exotic beauty smiled. “I think I’ve slept in my room like… once since I transferred to AIMM.”
“You’re always welcome here, Z,” I said and grimaced a little. Even though Zahra had encouraged me to use her initial as a nickname, it still felt weird on my tongue.
“Thanks, Dylan.” Zahra sent me a friendly smile.
“Night, guys,” I said, and then I shuffled into my room.
I closed the door behind me, and only then did I realize I was still wearing my flannel-lined cargo pants and black sweatshirt from the mission this morning. I stripped the slightly muddy clothes off and dropped them down the laundry chute, and then I pulled on a fresh t-shirt and pair of cotton pajama bottoms and crawled between my blankets.
I hadn’t realized how exhausted I was until I laid my head down on my pillow, and my entire body relaxed heavily into my mattress. I hoped I could finally get a really good and restful night, and I was asleep almost immediately.
But my sleeping mind was tormented by horrific images of being swallowed up by darkness.
I dreamed that I was the lone figure facing off against the Master Stoor Worm, and when I tried to summon my dragons, no words came from my throat. It was like my vocal cords had been cut clean through, and I couldn’t make a single sound. I looked down at my body and found my skin bare and free of any markings of my dragons, and that’s when panic started to rise in my chest.
I was utterly alone in the foggy expanse of the Master Stoor Worm’s lair, and it was like I was a mouse at the complete mercy of a bored house cat. The enormous worm roared down at me, and then it reared back and laughed maniacally. Then the gigantic beast lurched forward and snatched me with its five-foot-long fangs, and the huge snake monster flipped me up in the air like a ragdoll.
I tried to open my mouth to scream, but my lips were fused shut, and I couldn’t have even fit a sliver of thread between my lips. I tumbled, mute and terrified, into the darkness of the Master Stoor Worm’s hugely gaping maw. I fell through the darkness for what felt like hours, and when I finally landed, it was on a hard slab of rocky mountainside. The impact knocked all of the wind from my lungs, and the forceful push of air finally broke the seal on my lips.
I struggled back to my feet to the bone-chilling laughter of something behind me. I heard voices amidst the laughter, and even though the words were entirely unintelligible, I could still feel the energy behind them. The voices were going to kill me, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.
I turned around slowly, and the three-headed shadow of Azhi Dahaka loomed a hundred and fifty feet above my head. The enormous dragon beast’s three heads darted straight toward me with their mouths wide open.
Then I shot straight up in bed, and my heart was pounding like I’d just run the race of a lifetime. Anxious sweat poured down my face, and my blankets were a knotted mess around my legs.
“Fuck,” I growled after I realized that it had all been a horrendous nightmare.
Chapter 3
A sizzle of electricity raced over my skin like I’d spent most of the night chewing on nine-volt batteries wrapped in aluminum foil. Ky, Goldie, and Beyblade were wriggling restlessly on my arms and chest, and Griff shuddered slightly under the skin of my thigh. Even Zofia, the calmest of all my dragons, felt agitated this morning as she twitched on my other thigh.
I glanced at the clock on my bedside table and groaned loudly. It was way too early for this shit, but I knew there was no way I was going to be able to get any more sleep. My dragons were all wound up from the nightmares, and Ky and Goldie hadn’t gotten any exercise on our mission yesterday.
I heaved a frustrated sigh and yanked my tangled blankets away from my legs. Then I tugged on a pair of worn-out jeans and a long-sleeve shirt and jammed my feet into socks and boots before I trudged out into the common room.
Nobody else was awake yet, and I could see through our picture window that the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. I moved like a half-dead zombie over to the cabinet, grabbed a Belvita breakfast cookie, and shoved it into my pocket. I snatched my hoodie off the coat rack by the door, and then I quietly left the suite and took the elevator down to the ground floor.
A slight shiver took hold of my body as I stepped out into the crisp morning air, and I was glad I’d had the forethought to grab my hoodie before I left. I tugged the thick cotton over my head and wrapped my arms around myself as I walked around the building to the open grounds.
“Exokyzo, Sokisaseru,” I said, and my ice and wind dragons appeared on the frosted grass in bright flashes of blue and gold light.
Ky looked down at me, and there was concern clear in his sapphire eyes.
“I’m okay, buddy,” I said comfortingly, and I reached up to pat his scaly blue chest. “Just more nightmares.”
Ky narrowed his eyes at me with a touch of disbelief, and he snorted before he trotted off a short distance.
Goldie lingered nearby, and I could tell this was a mix of waiting for her mate and surveying my current state.
“Trylle frem,” I said with a wry smile, and Thor burst forth in a bright flash of indigo light. “There you go, Goldie.”
Goldie trotted right over to my storm dragon and nuzzled her head against him, and then she gave me another long look before she wandered off. Thor’s bright eyes flicked to me for a second as well, and I waved him off after his girl. That was all the encouragement Thor needed, and he followed my pearlescent dragon like a lovesick puppy.
It warmed my heart that they had formed such a strong bond with one another, and I chuckled lightly at the pair.
“Bianxifa, Sárkány,” I said, and Beyblade and Zofia appeared in a fwoomping flash of orange light.
Zofia’s bright red eyes lingered on me for several long seconds, and I could feel the calming effect of her mind touch gently against mine. The worries that had set up residence in my nerves eased slightly, and I took a deep breath.
“Thanks, Zo,” I said softly, and I reached up to pat her gloomy-purple scales. “Go hunt and have some fun.”
Zofia’s shoulders relaxed a bit, and she and my fire dragon darted off together to join in the romping play of my other dragons.
“Dewch yma,” I said, and Griff appeared suddenly and silently beside me. I laughed and shook my head at the muted-orange dragon. “Dude.”
Griff tilted his head sharply to the side like a curious dog and pawed at the ground a few times.
“Go play,” I encouraged my fox-eared dragon.
Griff stuck his huge butt up in the air and waggled it slightly before he turned quickly and darted off to join the dragon party.
I shook my head, and the memory of introducing my newest dragon to the others popped into my mind.
A couple weeks ago, I’d summoned all of my dragons except for Griff, and I’d asked them to hang around for a minute. Goldie, Zofia, and Ky had settled into comfortable positions to patiently wait for whatever it was that I’d wanted. Beyblade pouted a bit, but he sat down beside Zofia without much trouble. Thor had stood off to the side a bit, and I’d suspected he had a gut instinct of what was happening.
My storm dragon seemed to have a natural intuition about all the other dragons he’d ever come in contact with. It had been Thor that had first noticed Lia’s dragons when we bumped into them unexpectedly in Egypt, and he’d known what language I should use to summon Zofia for the first time.
I’d silently reassured Thor that everything was okay, and I’d sent him a brief mental image of himself and Goldie trotting through the open fields together to let him know nothing could interrupt his bond with my wind dragon. He’d seemed to relax a bit after that.
“Dewch yma,” I’d finally said, and I hadn’t been surprised at all this time when nothing happened, but I’d felt Griff slither away from my thigh, so I’d known he was here somewhere. I’d turned to gaze at the rainbow of huge dragon eyes that had stared down at me. “I summoned a new dragon.”
Goldie and Zofia had seemed politely curious about the fact, and their big heads had turned slightly from one side to the other as they’d searched for the newcomer. Beyblade nudged incrementally closer to Zofia, and Thor fought back a frown as he side-stepped closer to Goldie. Ky’s reaction had been the most curious about the new dragon, and he’d eagerly gazed around for a few seconds before he turned back to look at me with narrowed eyes.
“Griff is a trickster,” Steffi had giggled, and she reached up to pat Ky’s scaly blue chest.
“Come and say hi, Griff!” I’d called out, and a split second later, my muted-orange dragon blinked into visibility a short distance behind my other dragons.
Ky had been the first to walk over and greet the newcomer. His nostrils flared after a bit of sniffing, and the excitement in his body drained out to be replaced with an air of comfortable acceptance. I couldn’t help but wonder if Ky had been hoping for a female dragon for himself, and I’d almost wished I could have more control over the dragons that I conjured.
My ice dragon had taken a moment to appraise my fox-eared dragon, and then he’d turned back to look at the others. Ky had given a nod of approval and stepped back to allow the rest to come to inspect the new stealth dragon for themselves.
Thor and Goldie had walked up together, and after a moment, they’d given their silent approval as well, and then they’d trotted off together.
Griff had gazed after them with his head tilted to the side, and he’d looked like a puppy whose person had just locked his ball up in a cabinet.
I’d chuckled lightly and watched as Zofia walked around Griff once, and the pair gazed at each other. It had felt like they could tell they were different from my other dragons, that they’d acknowledged that their powers weren’t based on elemental magic.
Beyblade had waited patiently for his mate’s approval, and when Zo looked back at him and blinked sagely, my fire dragon danced forward to inspect the muted-orange dragon for himself.
Beyblade and Griff had bounced around each other in a playful circle for a moment, and it reminded me of the way Nick and Phoenix joked with each other. I’d had a feeling that I had a new kind of dragon relationship on my hands, and I’d laughed at the idea of a dragon bromance.
“Awww, they’re friends!” Steffi had giggled.
“That’s so cute!” Nala agreed with a wide grin.
The memory of the introduction left a soothing touch of warmth in my heart as I watched my dragons playing together in the open acreage of the Academy grounds. The chill of the nightmares faded only slightly, but the friendship and companionship between my dragons were like a balm on my ravaged nerves.
Then I tuned in to Goldie’s ears for a moment, and I recognized the distinctive prowling sounds of my dragons hunting. There was a low grinding noise a short distance in front of my wind dragon and the rustle of hooves through the fallen leaves, and I guessed they’d found a small group of deer.
It had become like second nature to me to listen in through Goldie’s ears lately, and I tuned out of her hearing like switching stations on an FM radio. The connection was wildly useful during missions, and I’d grown accustomed to keeping track of my teammates during battles via Goldie’s ears.
During the missions when I didn’t summon my wind dragon, I found myself occasionally searching for the extra set of ears. I didn’t want to become overly reliant on the extra sense, so I’d been working on managing without it during the last two missions. I knew Goldie was a little bit peeved at not being able to join in the fray, but it was important to me that I not use these connections like a crutch. The connections with my dragons were extensions of my magical abilities, but I couldn’t afford to become complacent.
This was especially important ever since I’d tapped into Thor’s zapping currents against the Viboron. I needed to gain full control over the connections with my dragons, especially the taser-like effect of Thor’s electricity. It would be devastating to fall into a rhythm of complacency with that particular connection, or to just assume it would be there whenever I wanted it, and then have it fail on me.
This was why I’d been working on connecting with that indigo web of energy from my storm dragon more and more. I’d managed to strengthen it to the point where I could readily build up a small spark like static electricity that a latex balloon might give off, but I still couldn’t seem to harness a stronger, and more weaponized current at will. Twice since our mission against the Curupira, Viboron, and Draugr I’d managed to affect enemies with the taser-like touch of my storm dragon, but it had felt like a gut reaction rather than an intentional attack.
Now, I focused my mind and steadied my breathing, and I tuned into the web of indigo energy on my back as I stepped closer to a shady patch of grass that was still heavily coated in frost. I leaned down and directed the gentle surge of electricity across my shoulder, down my arm, and out of my fingertips.
Then I hovered my fingers over the frosted grass, and a thin layer of ice melted. I knew the current wasn’t more than the kind of shock I would have gotten off a metal doorknob after scrubbing my socked feet all over a thick wool carpet.
I took another deep breath and focused on building up the energy in my back the way water pressure builds up in a hose when it’s pinched shut. Then I forced the energy higher, and when it felt like it was about to break and fizzle into nothing, I directed it down my arm and out.
I was pleased to see a tiny arc of electricity jump from my fingertips down into the ground below, but I had no way to know how intense the current was. I frowned and stood back up, and I wondered if there was a simple way to measure a current like that.
For now, I pushed those thoughts aside and turned my focus to Beyblade instead. After the time we’d seen Bruce and Wisp walking and holding hands, I hadn’t had any more connections with my fire dragon’s temper, but I had started to get a better feel for my red dragon’s moods.
Beyblade had a hot personality, his moods shifted rapidly, and he was quick to get irritated and quick to move on. I focused on the waves of my fire dragon’s mood, and I found he was enjoying the companionship of my newest dragon. There was a touch of possessiveness under his excited friendliness, but I got the feeling that as long as Griff didn’t try to make any moves on Beyblade’s territory, there wouldn’t be any issues.
