Wrath of the Dragon 3, page 1
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Chapter 1
“This really does seem to go on forever,” Cyra sighed as she stared out at the rolling waves of lava.
“Good thing the view around me is so nice,” I said as I winked the best I could in my fire dragon form.
The fiery Throne angel rolled her eyes with a grin, and she spun around as her burgundy hair danced behind her.
The whole world seemed to be made of lava as we flew from the Water Lands to our next destination. Although the sky was a dull blue, the tumbling molten lava on the ground made the air shimmer with heat.
Out of our three options, we had chosen the Crystal Lands to journey to next. I had no idea what I was expecting to find there, but I knew it was going to be dangerous. My powerful wings soared along above the orange abyss, and I scanned the ground for any signs of lava monsters.
Even though I was still relatively new to my night dragon form, it already felt like something I had been capable of all my life. This world had thrown me in right at the deep end, but I was thriving despite the whiplash from the change in lifestyle.
My job with the Tucson Fire Department had finally come to an end when I suddenly woke up in Dracoria in the middle of an empty desert. I only had some foggy memories of dying in a fire back on Earth, and during that moment, I had fully accepted that I was taking my final breaths as the flames lapped at my feet. But that was what my job had been about. Saving people, no matter what the personal cost.
It turned out that wasn’t the end of the road for me, though. I had woken up in this new world full of fantastical creatures and magic, and it became clear pretty quickly that I was here for a reason.
Demon kings and queens trapped the remaining angels here, now that their gods weren’t around to help them, and it seemed that these evil entities could suck the power from the celestial beings to contain them. Dracoria itself had turned into a bleak world that was slowly having the magic smothered out of it, too, and beings everywhere were captive to the demons.
Luckily, Cyra had been the one to find me lying in the desert, and I was endlessly grateful that she had. She was a Throne angel to the fire god, and she had managed to remain uncaptured by the people and demons of the world. Her distrust of mortals had kept her from getting too close to any of them, but she had stayed behind to try and help her fellow angels.
Our friendship turned into a heated romance pretty quickly, and our first sexual encounter had resulted in her binding herself to me forever. But it turned out this meant I’d absorbed the strongest of her powers. Now, I had the ability to transform into a powerful, golden-scaled dragon, and I had taken to it like a magical duck to enchanted water.
I smirked and eyed the burgundy-haired angel who flew beside me now. She had ivory skin that was dotted with hundreds of golden freckles, and her amber eyes shone out from her sharp face like burning embers. A golden dress clung invitingly to her lean body, and she was a long-legged beauty with maroon wings that were flecked with gold just like her skin.
My stomach still did a flip every time I looked at her, and she shot me a heart-stopping smile when she caught me staring.
On my other side was Nisha. The night angel was a gothic beauty who’d quickly become part of our team after we freed her from the clutches of a demon king in the Night Lands, and she happily became my lover, too. After one steamy night, she’d bound herself to me, and I was given the power to transform into a night dragon.
I became stronger and stronger after that, and we went on to travel to the Water Lands. After a battle with the demonic king and queen of the land, I had managed to save Brooke, the water angel, and bring back the tumbling waterfalls that the water god had denied his people. We still weren’t sure how that had happened, but I was just thrilled to have helped the people who Brooke loved.
I felt like I had finally found my true calling in Dracoria.
Saving the trapped angels felt like my real purpose, and freeing the people of the lands from their nightmarish prisons brought me an overwhelming feeling of pride. The more demons I killed, the more people I helped, and we decided to continue as a trio with one mission: to save as many angels as we could and destroy the fucking demons.
I had been warned that the surrounding lands were going to be even more deadly than anything I had experienced so far, though. They were the first places the demons had arrived at, and that meant these lands had fallen hard.
But I didn’t feel any fear as we flew from the Water Lands now. With the three angels by my side, I felt capable of anything. I had two dragon forms, and a trio of celestial beings. There was no stopping us.
“We must be close,” Nisha said. “It feels like I’ve seen nothing but orange for days.”
The night angel’s silver eyes scanned the horizon, and her navy skin glowed from the reflection of the lava. Nisha had a petite figure that was flecked with silver, and her inky-blue hair fell around her soft face. Each feather in her wings had different tones of blue mixed in, and a shimmering, silver skirt and bralette danced around her toned body.
“I’m super bored of fire,” Brooke moaned. “No offense, Cyra. I know fire is your thing. It’s just been a billion years since we left the Water Lands.”
I chuckled as the water angel pouted, and I admired the newest addition to our group.
Brooke had turquoise skin with a tumbling mane of golden curls. Cerulean feathers covered her wingspan, and her body was athletically toned from all her years of swimming. A tight blue dress sparkled against her impressive cleavage, and her sapphire eyes were always wide and inviting.
“Tell me about the Crystal Lands,” I said. “It might take our minds off how long we’ve been flying over this heat.”
“The buildings there are so shiny!” Brooke said excitedly. “I mean, they were shiny. Who knows what it all looks like now. The demons have probably found a way to make it depressing and gross.”
“It was one of the most populated lands of Dracoria,” Nisha said. “People would travel there just to see the architecture and buy the famed jewelry. It really was stunning.”
“And Ruby would be an amazing addition to the team,” Brooke said. “Everyone’s heard stories about her.”
“Ruby,” I said. “I’m guessing that’s the Throne angel from the Crystal Lands?”
“That’s right,” Brooke said, and she lowered her voice like she was telling a secret. “She’s rumored to be an utterly elite angel, too. People always said she had some kind of special powers.”
“And some kind of special ego complex,” Cyra snorted.
“You’ve never met her!” Nisha smiled. “She might be lovely.”
“Nobody’s met her,” Cyra said. “Because she was always glued to her god’s side. I don’t even know if she ever left her own land. She probably started those rumors herself.”
Nisha shot her friend a raised eyebrow, and Cyra rolled her eyes.
“Fine,” the fire angel said. “I know she’s supposed to have this elite level of power, so I know she would be a good addition to the team. I can’t wait to meet the famous Ruby and her mystical greatness.”
I snorted at Cyra’s sarcasm, but then I noticed something strange on the horizon ahead. The lava abruptly stopped as if there was a huge wall that blocked it. But there was nothing in the space after it other than a blinding white space.
No trees, mountains, or water stretched out beyond the lava. There was only a blank world of nothingness, and I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things from the constant glow of the lava.
“What the hell is that?” I asked as we started to slow down. “There’s… nothing there.”
“Literally,” Brooke said. “That’s what traps the Crystal Lands. Just a big old load of nothing. It totally drives people crazy if they try to pass through it.”
“Oh, good,” Cyra said dryly.
“That sounds dangerous,” I said. “Will we be able to make it through?”
“If we stay together,” Nisha said. “Being able to fly is a huge advantage, and we just need to make sure we keep going forward. Getting overwhelmed by the expansive space and panicking is what gets people stuck.”
“That and the boredom,” Brooke said. “There aren’t even any books or anything. The god that designed this one was super mean.”
We slowly approached the border, and I looked down at the bizarrely clear-cut line where the lava stopped. The bubbling orange was contrasted with pure white, and it made my eyes sting to look into the vast nothingness.
It was definitely a good way to ensure nobody would ever try to leave. The idea of blindly stumbling through nothingness made my skin crawl, but I knew we had to go through. Our mission to save the Throne angels of the world was always going to be dangerous, and I knew we were capable of getting through it if we stuck together. We just had to keep focused.
“Come on, then,” I said determinedly. “Fly as close together as possible, and we’ll come out the other end. Right?”
“Are we sure this is worth it?” Cyra groaned. “Mayb
“You know the answer to that,” I said gently. “If this land was one of the first to be overrun with demons, then she probably needs our help more than anyone else.”
“I know,” Cyra grumbled. “Okay, fine. Let’s do this.”
“Here we go,” I breathed. “Stick beside me and make sure you don’t even slightly turn.”
I took a deep breath before I flew right over the border. The sound of bubbling lava vanished, and I was suddenly surrounded by an endless world of white. Everything was startlingly quiet, and it felt like I had just been plunged underwater. The only sound was the powerful flap of my wings, and I heard Cyra fly behind me first. It was hard to tell if there was a glow to the whiteness, or if my eyes were just adjusting to being submerged in the colorless world. I made sure to keep my head pointing the same way I had when I entered, and I waited to make sure my angels were with me.
“Let’s go,” I said, and I began to fly.
“This is so weird,” Brooke muttered as we went. “What a boring place to get lost in. Why did they pick white?”
“To make you feel nothing,” Cyra said.
“It would definitely drive you mad,” I said grimly. “The gods weren’t messing around when they crafted this punishment.”
It always shocked me when I learned new ways the gods had punished this world. The cruelty they were capable of seemed to know no bounds, and I understood why the people of Dracoria were so tense about celestial beings.
It was part of why I had to constantly keep on my guard about my angels these days. The demons weren’t the only ones who’d like to make them suffer.
We stayed quiet for a while as we focused on flying, and I put all my focus into making sure I didn’t turn even slightly. If we just kept going straight, then we would eventually find our way out. It was jarring to be somewhere that seemed to have no floor or sky. This really was a horrific trap to leave, and I wondered how many poor souls had become lost in the vast white hellscape just because they wanted to escape the demons of their lands.
After a while of flying, I felt my thoughts start to drift away as my brain became numb. I decided we needed to talk so we didn’t lose our minds before we even reached the other side.
“So is there one big city?” I asked. “Or will the Crystal Lands be all divided up like the Water Lands were?”
“A bit of both,” Nisha said. “There are several towns all split up by different gemstones, but there’s a big main city with a huge palace in the middle.”
“I wonder if any of the jewelry stores are still intact,” Brooke said. “I used to love looking at all the beautiful necklaces when I visited!”
“I’m guessing not,” I said. “But who knows, maybe the people there are doing better than we expect them to be.”
“Maybe,” Cyra said. “But I think we should prepare for that not to be the case. I don’t even know what kinds of demons are going to be in control here.”
“Let’s hope there isn’t a queen.” Brooke shuddered.
“We can handle it,” I said. “Whatever the hell is waiting for us on the other side of this, we’ll be ready.”
Even though I wanted to comfort the angels, I also truly believed my words. I had seen how brutally Cyra and Nisha could fight, and I had no doubt that Brooke’s toned arms could pack a punch just as well. I’d already bought a well-crafted dagger when I first arrived in the Night Lands that Nisha now gripped in her navy hand, and Cyra held onto the axe I’d been given by a grateful Water Lands resident. Now I just hoped we could find some kind of weapon for Brooke during our journey.
The Throne angels had their own powers, but it was always helpful to have a deadly blade ready to swing. Especially if we would be in close contact with hordes of demons.
I suddenly spotted a shimmering beacon in the distance, and it looked like we were finally nearing the end of the white nothingness. My eyes were grateful to have something to focus on, and I sped up toward the border.
“I see it!” Brooke called. “We’re nearly there!”
“Finally,” Nisha sighed. “That was enough bright light to last me a lifetime.”
Cyra slipped the axe from its holster and held it tightly as we soared toward the light. It was difficult to make out what we were looking at while the white land still surrounded us, but my powerful wings carried me quickly to the border. There was a blue sky up ahead, and beams of sunlight shone down from the clouds.
I felt like I had just taken a breath of fresh air as we soared out of the vast nothingness. Seeing the sky and ground again soothed my mind, but it took a second for my eyes to adjust properly.
Once my vision cleared, I could see that we hovered at the edge of a massive stretch of land, and the whole thing was filled with color. In the distance, there were areas built with different colored stones, it was clear right away why this beautiful area had been such a hotspot for visitors.
Dark greens, blinding oranges, and deep purples twisted up from the ground in spires and tall buildings, and right in the middle of the land, there was a spire that towered over all the rest. It was built from a rainbow of different colored gems, and it reflected the sunlight into beams of brightly-colored light. I figured that must be the central palace, but I didn’t have much time to take in the stunning view.
The outskirts of the Crystal Lands were lined with a tall, stone wall. Unlike the rest of the land, the wall was constructed with dull gray rocks. It was sloppily made, and all of the surface was bumpy and uneven. But the worst thing about it was the fact that there were demons scuttling all over it.
They looked different to any I had seen before, and my skin crawled as I took in their horrific forms.
Each of them had a green tinge to their skin, and their eyes glowed a haunting red. Long ears stuck out of their wonky heads, and their arms were gangly and bent. Jagged lumps of rock and dirty crystal protruded out of their necks and arms, and their hunched bodies were covered with rusting armor. A few of them held poorly made spears, but most of them seemed to be unarmed. Then one of the ugly bastards looked up, and it screeched as it pointed with a long finger.
I knew we were going to have to fight our way into the Crystal Lands, and the demons below began to screech and jump.
“Here we go,” I said grimly.
Before we could fly down any further, the demons began to shoot something from their hands. I dove to the side just in time to see a jagged shard of crystal fly past me, and the demons continued to snarl.
“They’ve got powers,” I yelled. “Watch their hands! I’ll get us past them.”
“Be careful, Ryan!” Cyra called.
I dove down in my sleek night dragon form, and I opened my jaws to attack. A black cloud of darkness shot out of my mouth onto the group of demons, and they spluttered and screamed as they were blinded. They continued to shoot out shards of crystal, but their aim was way off, and I took the chance to change into my fire dragon form.
My dark scales rippled as they slowly turned to gold, and I felt my body become thicker as glimmering wings replaced my jet-black ones. Heat encompassed me now as I felt heavier, but more powerful, and I could see the air wavering around me from how scorching hot my new scales were.
By the time the blinding cloud of darkness began to fade, a red-hot fire had built up in my throat. I shot a stream of orange flames down onto the demons, and they desperately tried to leap away from the attack.
A few of the ugly bastards managed to escape, but four of them were immediately engulfed in the inferno. Their green skin was licked with fire, and their flesh started to melt away from the bone. Then the filthy crystals on their necks crunched and crackled, and their long ears burned away into ash.
More and more demons began to race over from further along the wall, and their screeches echoed out over the brightly-colored land. I shot another stream of fire into the closest group, and several of them tumbled off the wall as they tried desperately to put out the fire that crawled over their skin.
“Go!” I yelled. “We need to get inside the city.”
The angels dove down in front of me, and I stayed behind a few feet to attack as we flew. Cyra and Nisha gripped their weapons as they soared over the burning demons, and they whacked the screeching beasts so they tumbled over the edge of the wall. Their crackling bodies fell to the ground below, and a few of them dropped off the other side and into the white nothingness beyond.
