Wrath of the Dragon 2, page 9
We stood back and watched as the ivy was burned to a crisp, and it left clouds of smoke behind as the exit filled up with fallen stones.
The ground shook slightly as the debris tumbled down with a loud series of thuds, and I put my arms over the angels to get them to take a step back. Dust flew everywhere as the final stones fell, but the rocks had filled up most of the exit, and it was enough to stop any demons from being able to crawl through.
“Nice.” I grinned. “Okay, let’s go find our favorite, cheery fisherman.”
We walked carefully over the rocks of the cove and climbed onto the spot where the boat was docked. Wilton had his nets over the side, and when he turned around, he was smiling so wide that I barely recognized him.
“You bloody did it!” he whooped as he waved his arms. “The fish! My net’s bulging already!”
“I’m glad we could help,” I chuckled as I helped the angels climb on board. “I think we’ve dealt with the net problem for good. I’m sure the demons might figure something else out, but for now, the fish are back!”
“I could kiss you,” Wilton laughed. “I won’t. But I could.”
“I’ll do it for you.” Cyra smiled, and she planted her lips on my cheek.
“They’re still everywhere, of course,” Wilton said. “The sea is full of the bastards, but I can already tell this is a drastic improvement. Oh, I am going to make a fortune when I get back to harbor!”
The old man chuckled to himself as he turned back to his net, and the angels grinned at me. It was good to see the old guy so happy, and I felt pride swell in my chest knowing that we had helped him.
“Princess is going to get a fancy dinner tonight!” Wilton said happily. “Let’s get this haul up. Come and help me, lad! Let’s put those muscles to good use.”
I hurried over to the old man and grabbed part of the soaked net. We grunted as we pulled, and I wasn’t sure how he would have managed to lift it alone.
“Fuck, this is heavy,” I said as we pulled. “This surely can’t just be fish?”
I prepared myself for some horrific mutant octopus to appear, but with one last heave, we lifted up a net full of fish.
There were countless numbers of huge green fish, skinny gray ones, and some that had a rainbow tint to their scales. They flopped around uselessly, and Wilton cheered.
“I can’t believe this,” he sighed. “This is the biggest haul I’ve had since those horned bastards arrived. It’s like the old times!”
Then he hurried over to the steering wheel, and the boat quickly began to move.
Cyra wrinkled her nose at the smell, and Nisha crouched down to look at the fish.
“There’s so many,” the night angel said. “The people are going to have their food supply back because of you, Ryan.”
She smiled at me as she straightened up, and it felt like her silver eyes were staring right into my soul.
“He is pretty great.” Cyra idly tousled her hair. “But don’t tell him that too much. We can’t let his dragon powers go to his head.”
The fire angel smirked as she leaned over the edge of the boat, and Nisha went to join her.
“By the way,” Wilton called. “I’m grateful for what you’ve done, but you weren’t exactly subtle. You need to be careful!”
“Really?” I asked. “We made sure to stay hidden during the fight. I didn’t go above the cliff walls.”
“You didn’t need to,” Wilton snorted. “I take it you were using fire during the fight?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Well, fire makes smoke,” the captain said. “And the smoke was billowing up in the air.”
“Ah.” I frowned. “Yeah, sorry, there isn’t much I can do about that.”
“Just be careful,” Wilton warned. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, lad. Or the ladies.”
“He has a point,” Cyra sighed. “Maybe one day you’ll have another dragon form that’s more subtle.”
A coy smile flickered on her lips as she stared out at the sea, and Nisha played with her inky-blue hair, but I didn’t miss the smirk she was wearing.
Which made me wonder what would happen if I ever did get other dragon powers. How would night powers manifest in a dragon? Of course, that was entirely up to Nisha, and I didn’t want to get ahead of myself.
“That’s weird,” Nisha muttered, and I snapped out of my thoughts.
“What?” I asked as I walked over to the angels.
“I can’t see any demons,” she replied. “Can you?”
I looked over the edge of the boat, and the only shadows that passed below were fish. There wasn’t a webbed foot in sight, and I spun around as I heard Wilton gasp.
“What the fucking fuck is going on?” he cried, and we all looked over to the distant shore.
The beach of the mainland was now crawling with demons. They were tearing out of the sea by the dozens and storming the Water Lands.
My throat had a knot in it as I looked across the water. It looked like a full-on demon war had begun.
Chapter 7
As Wilton brought us closer to land, more and more demons emerged from the sea. But the strangest thing about their sudden arrival was that they didn’t seem to be charging at any of the small huts or boats around. It was like they were just fleeing rather than staging an attack.
“They’re running away,” I realized. “I think they’re trying to escape from the danger they know was out on the island.”
“Why are they leaving the sea?” Cyra asked as she folded her arms. “Surely that’s the safest place for them if they’re scared.”
“I think they want protection,” I said slowly. “And their best chance at being protected would be staying near their king.”
“Oh, shit,” Cyra gasped. “You think that’s where they’re going?”
“It would make sense,” I said. “They’re all going in the same direction, and they don’t look like they’re spreading out to attack.”
“They’re heading out west,” Wilton grunted. “Toward the falls.”
“Then that’s where we’re going,” I said. “No turning back this time.”
The angels nodded, and the stream of demons eventually died down as we neared the harbor. They scampered off into the distance and vanished into the Water Lands. The rocking of the boat became gentler as we sailed further in, and the light spray of the water felt refreshing on my face.
Wilton hummed to himself as he pulled into the dock and leapt out like a man twenty years younger.
“Do you need any help with the fish?” I asked, although I had no idea what help that would be.
“No need, lad,” the captain grunted. “There’s a young boy who helps with the heavy stuff, I’ll call him in.”
I climbed off the boat and looked over at the demon-free surface of the waves. There must have been hundreds of them that had left the sea, and that would mean even more freedom for people to fish.
But what would it mean for the beings of the Shores?
“I’m going to drop this off and get straight back out there,” Wilton said. “I hope you know how much you’ve helped. But like I said, you need to be careful. It’s not just demons to watch out for in these lands.”
“Thanks,” I said. “We’ll take that advice. I hope your fish sell for a good price.”
“Oh, they will,” the captain chuckled. “Don’t you worry about that, lad. Now, off with you! Go and save the world or whatever it is your plans are.”
I grinned as I gave the salty old man a wave, and we started to head away from the dock. A curly-haired boy suddenly emerged from a nearby hut and raced over to Wilton as fast as his little legs would carry him.
“Should we just follow the river again?” Cyra asked as we left the beach behind us.
“Yeah,” I said. “If it’s the easiest way to navigate, then let’s stick close to it. Let’s see how far we can get before the sun goes down.”
We walked alongside the murky river, and I didn’t spot any signs of lurking demons as we went.
“Do you think they’ve all run off?” Cyra asked as she followed my gaze into the sludge. “Surely there must be some still hidden around the lands.”
“I imagine it depends,” I said. “I don’t exactly know how good their communication skills are. If the news of the island attack has traveled, then most of them have probably fled. But I’m going to assume there are still enough left to be cautious about.”
“I hope we get there before the king does anything,” Nisha said. “He might try to attack one of the Shores if he finds out about the island.”
“We’re going to stop him,” I said firmly. “Just like we did to that ugly fucker in the Night Lands. He’s going down, and I’ll get to meet my third angel very soon.”
“Lucky man,” Cyra said. “Not many mortals get to spend time with even one gorgeous angel. You’re getting yourself a whole crew!”
“What can I say?” I chuckled. “I just seem to attract them.”
“Hmm,” Cyra snorted. “I’m pretty sure I was the one scoping out the desert when you just showed up nearby.”
“Details,” I said with a wave of my hand.
The sun was still out as we made our way down the riverbank, and the rush of the battle filled me with energy. We passed by the Sprite Shore, and it looked like they had gotten wind of the fish supply. A group of eager sprites hurried past us with empty baskets as they headed to the harbor, and the stallholder I had spoken to even gave me a wave as he passed.
Further down the river, I expected to see the water clear up like it had been earlier but it seemed that the charm had worn off. A thin layer of sludge had begun to form over the surface, and when the Shore we had stayed in came into view, only two fishermen were left at the river.
“It looks like the blessing has worn off,” Nisha said. “We should let them know about the sea.”
“They must have seen the demons run by,” I said. “I’m surprised anyone’s out fishing at all.”
As we got closer to the fishermen, I could hear their disgruntled tones as they spoke to each other.
“Came out of nowhere!” the older man spat.
“Nearly knocked me clean into the river,” the other said.
They turned to face us as we got closer, and there was a small bucket with a single, gray fish inside. Both of their faces were scrunched up and weather-beaten, and their scowls told me the fishing was not going well.
“Hi,” I said. “How’s the river fish supply?”
“Crap,” the older man grumbled. “The blessing has worn off, the water’s getting all murky again.”
“Did you see the demons go past?” Cyra asked, and the two men nodded.
“We were out here when they came,” the younger one said. “We didn’t even have time to run for cover inside. It was bloody strange, though, they raced right past like they didn’t even care about us.”
“Nearly trampled us to death, too,” the older guy spat.
I felt slightly smug that I had caused that level of fear in the demons, and my fingertips still tingled with power.
“We have some good news,” I said. “Their outpost at the island has been destroyed, and we think that’s why the demons are fleeing from the sea.”
The two men scowled at me in silence for a moment, but then the younger one broke out into a toothy grin.
“The island’s been freed?” he asked. “Are you sure?”
“Very sure.” I nodded. “The nets have been cut down and--”
“The fish are back!” the young man yelled as he jumped to his feet. “Can we fish in the sea again?”
“Yup.” I grinned. “Captain Wilton’s already got a full haul in his net that he’s going to be selling, so you might want to spread the word.”
The two men fumbled around reeling in their rods and quickly packed up their supplies.
“Thank you!” the younger one called as they hurried off toward the tavern. “We’ll let everyone know! Was it her?”
I knew he meant the water angel, and I didn’t have a better explanation for him, so I just shrugged.
“Maybe,” I said, and the two men grinned as they vanished into the tavern.
I heard an eruption of excited cries as we strolled past the Shore, and then the hurried footsteps as people ran to the harbor. It felt good to know some people were going to have a proper meal for the first time in ages.
“How many Shores should we tell?” Nisha asked as we carried on down the river. “The further inland we get, the further away they are from the fish supply.”
“Maybe one more,” I suggested. “Any further than that, and they probably get their fish supply from somewhere else. Although I doubt there’s anywhere else that still has clean enough water. I’m sure the demons have done their best to ruin every possible source.”
“That is their style,” Cyra said. “It was so satisfying to see you fry so many of them.”
“Your dragon form is amazing.” Nisha smiled. “So powerful.”
Her silver eyes glowed as she looked at me, and her gaze flickered down to my chest like a hungry wolf.
“It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” I said with a grin, but then I shot Cyra a glance. “Well, second best.”
The fire angel flicked her burgundy hair, and the sun illuminated her golden freckles as she smirked with pride.
We kept walking over the grassy bank, and the river stayed relatively straight as it led us west. A few blue frogs sat on purple lily pads, and we passed a couple of Puddle Pixies that were resting on the riverbank.
They gave us a small wave and dipped their toes in the grimy water.
The sky stayed bright blue, and the gentle wind had died down the further away we got from the sea. In the distance, the land became less flat, and there seemed to be some hilled areas further west. I couldn’t see the area where the waterfalls had been yet, and I figured I wouldn’t be able to until we crossed the far hills.
“How does the amulet feel?” I asked Cyra as we walked. “Was being on the boat less scary than it normally would have been?”
“A bit.” She nodded. “I still have to keep reminding myself that I have it on, though. It still feels odd to be so close to water all the time.”
“It’s barely water right now,” I said as I glanced into the river. “I swear the river is just getting filthier the more we walk.”
“I think you’re right,” Nisha said as she wrinkled her nose. “It smells worse, too.”
We passed several more Shores as we followed the river, and none of them were as lively as the tavern had been. One of the Shores seemed to be home to little gnome-like creatures with blue beards. They waddled around grumbling to each other and shot us scathing looks as we passed by.
Another Shore seemed to be for mixed species, and I couldn’t help staring when I spotted a creature with the face of a fish and the legs of a man.
Cyra nudged me with a giggle, and we had to hurry along so I could burst out laughing.
“What was that?” I hissed as we left the Shore behind.
“I honestly don’t know,” Cyra snorted. “I haven’t spent much time near the Water Lands. Nisha?”
“Something unfortunate.” The night angel shrugged.
“Have you been here much?” I asked. “I know you and Cyra saw each other all the time. Was it the same with Brooke?”
“Not really,” Nisha said. “We always got on so well when we did see each other, but it didn’t happen as often. Not for any reason other than the water. Cyra was usually with me when we visited other lands, and she wasn’t safe here.”
“That makes sense,” I said. “So just the occasional visit?”
“Exactly,” Nisha said. “I would come on my own sometimes, but we never went very far into the island. Sometimes we would just fly above the land that joined Water and Night together. I enjoyed those times.”
The night angel smiled to herself, and I could tell she was reliving a happy memory.
Most of the Shores were far enough away from the river that we didn’t have to pass straight through them. It meant we got a good look without having to answer too many questions, and it still amazed me how many different creatures lived in Dracoria.
I had only been in two of the lands, and had seen hundreds of mind-blowing animals, but I made sure not to let my guard down as we walked. Like Wilton said, there were other creatures besides demons to worry about. I assumed people wouldn’t build Shores next to any known dangerous spots, so I was wary when we crossed a stretch of land without any houses in sight.
We walked for hours, and the sky started to turn a dusty blue as we trekked past yet another Shore. This one seemed particularly large, and I could see a small lake on the other side of it.
The houses were all completely different shapes and sizes, but they were all made of the same gray stone. I could hear the bustle of chatter coming from the Shore, and I stopped as I looked over at the houses.
“Ryan?” Cyra asked. “Do you want to go in?”
“I’m just thinking this might be a good stopping point,” I said. “It’s going to be dark soon.”
The land ahead started to get bumpier, and I didn’t think tackling the hills would be a good idea in the dark. Besides, I was getting hungry again.
“Yeah.” Cyra nodded. “Let’s stop here. Hopefully they’ve got an inn or something.”
We started to walk over to the mismatched houses and found there was a little paved street to lead us through the buildings. I followed the gray path around a corner and found there was a tiny town center in this Shore. It had two storefronts, one for food, and the other seemed to stock miscellaneous items. There were flowers, pots, baskets, and clothes in the window, but both stores were closed.
There was a small fountain in the middle of the square, and a group of teenagers were crowded around it. They yelled and laughed as they gave each other piggyback rides, and for a second it felt like being back on Earth. The difference was that some of the kids had green-tinted skin, and one of them had horns.
There was another building that was clearly open for business, and it looked like we had struck gold. The sign outside advertised rooms for the night along with drinks, and it seemed like we had found a bed and breakfast joint.
