Wrath of the Dragon 2, page 5
I let go of her hand and fought the urge to grab her as she splashed around slightly. She calmed herself down, though, and began to scoop the water carefully as she kicked.
“Yes!” I cheered. “You’re doing it!”
The fire angel swam slowly around the cove, and Nisha clapped and whistled for her friend.
The sirens laughed as they did underwater flips, and Cyra swam over to me with a huge smile on her face.
“I’m swimming!” she yelled as she came to a halt. “Ryan! I swam!”
Her whole face lit up as she kicked the water to stay afloat, and the water didn’t even stick to her hair. It was like she had a thin, impenetrable shield clinging to her body, and her feathers stayed as soft and dry as ever despite how submerged they’d gotten.
“Our work here is done.” I grinned. “Ready to get back on dry land?”
“In a minute,” Cyra said. “I just want to practice a bit more.”
We spent some time enjoying the warmth of the cove, and I got some practice on my backstroke. I watched the beautiful women swim around me and felt like the luckiest guy in the universe as they splashed each other. Then the three sirens started circling me more frequently, and I grinned as they traced their teasing fingers over my limbs each time they passed. They never said much, but their blue eyes seemed to hold mine like magnets as they hummed lightly and sent me more of their glittering smiles. I almost lost track of time while my angel friends and I basked in the sirens’ calming company, and I realized how at home I felt, even in the strange Water Lands I’d only just arrived at.
Cyra even tried fully submerging herself underwater as she held her breath, and Nisha clapped as the fire angel burst back up like a natural.
“Okay.” Cyra smiled. “I think I have become one with the water. Let’s get going.”
We swam back to the shore, and the cold air felt ten times more bitter as we stepped onto the sand. I pulled my boots back on and swung my cloak over my shoulders as the wind stung my neck.
“Thank you,” I said to the sirens as they joined us on the shore. “You’ve helped us so much.”
“You’re welcome,” Evie said as she wrung out her brown hair. “It’s nice to have good and handsome people to help. Just make sure you are careful on your journey. The amulet can only protect you from the water itself, not the things that live inside it.”
“Do you know your path?” Indra asked. “Which Shore are you going to?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I reckon we want to head west to the waterfalls. So we’ll just make our way there. Do you have any idea where the Demon King’s lair is?”
“We do not.” Evie shook her head. “But I beg of you to be careful. He is a fearsome creature.”
“And powerful,” Indra said.
“And deadly,” Marina shuddered. “If you follow the river, that will take you west to the waterfalls. Or where the waterfalls used to be.”
“We’ll be careful,” I said. “And I’ll make sure to follow the river. Is there anything I can do to thank you?”
“Just be safe.” Evie smiled and laid a soft hand on my arm. “But if you fight the Demon King, that is all the thanks we need. You are a brave man, Ryan.”
“We will help,” Indra said. “If you ever need us to. We can join the fight.”
“Yes,” Marina agreed. “We want the Water Lands that we used to know back. The king has poisoned more than just the water. He has created such hatred and fear.”
“Just call to us,” Evie said. “If you ever need us, we will hear you.”
The sirens smiled in a way that seemed to make their whole faces glow, and it felt good to have the powerful and gorgeous women on my side. Recruiting strong as hell beauties seemed to be a talent of mine, and I wasn’t complaining.
“Let’s get going, then,” I said. “Thanks again!”
I gave the sirens a wave as I turned to the rocky wall and spotted a small gap we could walk through to get to the land. The angels said their goodbyes as they followed after me, and we made our way to the exit.
I glanced back as I side-stepped through the rock, and the sirens had vanished back into the water as silently as they had arrived.
Then we shuffled out of the magic cove and stepped out into the Water Lands. I took a deep breath, and we began to make our way to our first Shore.
Chapter 4
The wind calmed down as we got further into the land, but the sky stayed gray and dull. The river that ran through the Water Lands was huge, and it was right by the cove, so it was easy to find. But unlike the cove, the water in the river was murky, and there was a layer of thick sludge on top of most of it.
“That doesn’t look very fresh,” Cyra said as she wrinkled her nose. “I hope nothing lives in that.”
“I’m sure something will,” I said. “Stay away from the edge. I know you can swim now, but there might be demons lurking in there.”
The land around us was relatively flat, and there were large fields that looked like they were growing various vegetables. A few small houses were scattered here and there, but our first Shore came into view quickly. It looked like a very small town, and there was a clump of stone houses that sat right by the river.
“I wonder who lives there,” Nisha said. “I doubt everyone will be as friendly as the sirens.”
“Me, too,” I said. “As long as we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves, we’ll be fine. There must be someone who knows where the king’s lair is.”
“Surely,” Cyra agreed. “Even if it’s just a rumor, someone will have heard something.”
There was a slight desperation in the angel’s voice, and I knew they both must be worried for their friend. We had managed to save Nisha, but who knew if this Demon King would be worse than the last. If there were different variations of demons, there were probably different kinds of kings, too.
As we got closer to the houses, I could hear the sound of voices nearby. It sounded like a large group of people, and I prepared myself for whatever the hell kind of creatures we were about to meet.
“Let’s stick to our old story,” I said. “I’m a Savior–”
“Who recharges using baths in tidal inlets,” Nisha quickly added. “That’s an essential difference you’ll have to remember here. Saviors from all the different lands would be expected to regain their strength from something rooted in their own realms.”
“Noted in case it comes up,” I said with a nod. “And you two can be my helpers.”
“Helpers,” Cyra snorted. “We’re the brains of this whole operation.”
“We can be fairies.” Nisha smiled. “There are so many different kinds of fairies, there’s no way to know what they all look like. Many of them have healing powers, too, so that’s why we’re with a Savior.”
“Fine, but it’s a serious demotion,” Cyra sighed. “We’re… fairies. We’re little fairies who flutter around and help people.”
“That’s the spirit,” I snorted. “Okay, let’s go and meet some more locals.”
As we reached the first Shore, I could see there was some kind of small market going on. We passed some stone houses and arrived in the middle of a crowded square. There were only seven stalls, and everyone in the area looked relatively human. Then I noticed that the creatures all had blue hair, and wings that were so transparent I hadn’t even noticed them at first.
“Sprites,” Nisha whispered. “Water sprites. I think we should be okay.”
I nodded as we stepped into the crowd and received curious glances as we went.
“Where should we go?” Cyra asked.
“Probably to a stall.” I shrugged. “We can start by asking the vendors if they know anything.”
As we approached one of the stalls, I realized that none of them were selling food. There were some with materials, some with wicker baskets, and some with little glass orbs. I stopped at one of the orb stands and nodded at the sprite man behind it. His blue hair was curly and wild, and his transparent wings glistened slightly as he moved. He wore plain, gray clothing and eyed us suspiciously as we stopped.
“You’re from another Shore,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
“Just passing through,” I said. “I’m a Savior, so we’re always on the move.”
“Oh.” He nodded. “I didn’t even know we had any Saviors left in the Water Lands, but I’m glad to see you’re holding your own.”
He seemed to relax a bit more and picked up one of the glass orbs to dust.
“What are these?” I asked as I studied the objects.
“Scare orbs,” the sprite replied. “They give off a piercing sound to beasts and birds that might try and get your crops.”
“I see.” I nodded. “So, they’re for farmers?”
“They’re for anyone.” The sprite shrugged. “It’s not just farmers trying to grow food anymore now that the fishing catches are drying up. I can’t remember the last time I ate fish.”
The blue-haired man sighed as he glanced over at the dirty river, and he picked up another orb to polish.
“Things are pretty bad,” I said. “Do you just not fish at all over here?”
“Nope,” the sprite replied. “There’s no point. There’s only a few fishermen left, and their catch is bought up in seconds! Last time I bought some fish off old Wilton he said he sells out in minutes. I’m surprised he gets anything at all with that bloody island running everything.”
“Island?” I asked. “What island?”
The sprite scowled as he studied my face, and he glanced at the two angels before he spoke.
“You don’t know about the island?” he asked. “Where the hell have you been?”
“We haven’t been around other people much recently,” I said quickly. “We’ve been out in the outskirts looking for anyone who might have run away and gotten hurt. So we’ve kind of missed all the news.”
“Right,” the sprite said suspiciously. “Well, I don’t have much good news for you, I’m afraid. The demons took over the huge island out at sea. Spread their nets all over, and they’re hoarding the fish supply.”
“That’s awful,” Nisha said. “So that’s why you can’t get any fish?”
“One of the reasons.” The sprite nodded. “They leak poison into the sea sometimes, too. Just so any fish that do escape are no good. Stupid, web-footed bastards.”
The sprite spat on the ground and scowled as he picked up his next orb to polish. My mind was racing at the thought of a demon-infested island. That could be where the king was holding Brooke.
I glanced at Cyra, and her golden eyes were wide as she nodded in subtle agreement.
“We’re actually looking for someone in particular,” I said. “We know someone who was taken by the Demon King. Do you have any idea where his lair is?”
“The king?” the sprite asked. “No idea, sorry. It’s hard for knowledge like that to go around when we don’t have any cities to head to. Just the Shores these days.”
“Oh,” Nisha said sadly. “You don’t have any clues at all?”
“Not me,” the sprite said. “But we’re right next to the sea. Maybe the Shores further inland will have some clue. He’s a big bastard, someone must have seen him.”
I put a hand on Nisha’s shoulder and gave her a quick squeeze. I hated seeing the night angel upset, and I was determined to find someone who had more information.
“We’ll head to the next Shore, then,” I said firmly. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem.” The sprite shrugged. “But be careful. I know you’ve got muscles, but I doubt they’ll be enough if you do come up against the king.”
I smiled at the stallholder and started to head through the crowd. I caught snippets of conversation as we walked, and everyone seemed to be talking about food. The sprites were clearly hungry, and it sounded like they were living off a small supply of crops.
“Poor sprites,” Nisha sighed. “They don’t seem like they have much food at all.”
“I should have brought more from the Night Lands,” I said. “It might be tricky to get something to eat here.”
We walked through the small marketplace and past the stone houses that surrounded it. As we came out on the other side, I saw a small field with various green, leafy plants growing out of the ground. I assumed they were some sort of vegetable, but it was hard to say exactly what kind. Scare orbs were placed carefully between the plants, and there was a sprite examining the crops.
We carried on walking along the river, and I noticed something moving under the sludgy surface. I recoiled as I saw it was the shape of a demon, and then I pushed the angels further inland as it passed. I was determined to keep a lower profile here than we had in the Night Lands, since hiding out along our journey would probably take up more of our time. We also didn’t have the constant cover of night to conceal ourselves here, and while my angels were keeping their wings hidden, they still stuck out as strikingly beautiful beings with luminous skin that didn’t match any of the water beings here.
“They really are everywhere,” I muttered once we passed the underwater demon.
I could see that the next Shore along was much bigger than the first one. The houses were all different shapes and sizes, and it looked like they were made from some kind of dark blue rock. There were groups of small humanoid creatures flying over the buildings, and it sounded like someone was playing music.
“Look,” Nisha said. “The river is clear here.”
I glanced at the water and was shocked to see a clear blue surface. There wasn’t a layer of grime on the top, and I could see right down into the depths.
“That’s weird,” I said. “How come the whole thing isn’t clean?”
“Maybe they have some kind of magic here,” Cyra said. “Let’s go and find out.”
As we approached the Shore, I saw that there was a tavern beside the houses, and the music was coming from inside.
“Let’s try in there,” I said. “It sounds like they’re having more fun than the sprites are.”
We made our way to the tavern, and I could see there was a grubby sign stuck to the blue stone.
“The Fisherman’s Rest,” I read. “Okay, let’s see what a Water Land bar has to offer.”
As I stepped inside, I was hit with the smell of warm food. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant smell, but it was nice to be out of the wind. The tavern was dingy, but everyone inside it seemed to be buzzing with excitement. The bar was made of dark wood, and the barmaid was a middle-aged woman with wild, ginger hair and a face full of makeup. She wore a green dress with a white apron over the top, and she clapped along as someone played a lute in the corner.
There were multiple different species in this Shore, and they all seemed to be mingling with each other. Several customers sat hunched on stools as they drank, but I noticed some smaller creatures with tiny cups of beer who sat on tables rather than seats. They were three feet tall with rainbow-colored wings on their backs, and they had pointed noses and seemed to be naked, although they didn’t really have any human-like parts. They were just little smooth people, like the dolls kids play with.
A bunch of humans were tapping their feet as another song began, and there was a creature that looked like the product of a human-crocodile relationship. He had a mostly human form, but his skin was covered in dark green scales. His eyes were yellow and reptilian, and he had a long tail sticking out of the back of his pants.
“At least there isn’t a beer shortage,” I said as I glanced around. “It smells like they’re cooking something, too.”
I walked over to the bar, and the woman gave me a bright smile as she leaned over.
“Hello, darling,” she said. “What a good-looking bunch you are!”
She gave Nisha a smile and grabbed three tankards from under the bar.
“Oh, we don’t need anything,” I said. “We were actually just passing through. Everyone here seems to be in good spirits.”
“Oh, yes, we are.” The barmaid grinned. “We’ve been blessed.”
She gave me a wink and clapped as the song finished.
“Blessed?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
The barmaid leaned closer toward me and gestured for the angels to crowd in, too.
“She helped us,” the woman whispered. “Have you seen the river? Clear enough to see right through! The boys were out first thing this morning. Caught enough fish to last us a week!”
“That’s amazing,” I said. “But who blessed it?”
“Her,” the barmaid whispered. “The water angel.”
“What?” Cyra spluttered. “That’s impossible.”
“No, it’s not.” The barmaid grinned. “She’s helping us in secret. Don’t know how she’s doing it, but she is. We heard rumors about the river a few Shores down being cleaned up, but I never dreamed she would be able to do it for us.”
I looked at Nisha and Cyra, and they both seemed shocked. They stared at the barmaid with wide eyes, and Cyra shook her head.
“But she’s been captured by demons,” the red-haired angel insisted. “They would notice if she was using her powers.”
“That’s why we’re so amazed.” The barmaid shrugged. “Bloody brave of her.”
The woman shot us another wink and then hurried over to the crocodile-man who had come up to the bar for a refill.
“That’s impossible,” Cyra said. “Brooke can’t be doing this.”
“They’re all so excited,” Nisha said as she stared at the crowd. “I haven’t seen people this happy about angels for a long time.”
“You’re right.” Cyra nodded. “They’re not planning on chasing her with pitchforks. Wow, I forgot everyone used to actually like us.”
Both angels stared at the buzzing crowd, and they seemed to be studying each person with suspicion. It was strange even for me to hear all this partying because of an angel, and I had only been in the world for a few days. Was everyone starting to worship angels again?
“It looks like people are coming around,” I said. “They really seem to appreciate what she’s doing for them.”
“It’s not her,” Cyra insisted as she crossed her arms. “Trust me, there’s no way she’s using her powers without being spotted.”
