THE GUARDS STATIONED around the table moved first. Coop stayed behind and guided Becky, George, Sammy, Dean, Lucian and I to safety. The other four parted ways as our small group followed Coop closely.
As we passed through the halls my eyes caught on Cheng who was leading a group of first years to their dormitories.
Lucian tried his best to help with whatever had made the siren go off, but Coop wanted nothing of it. “Lucian if anything happens to you, your father will have my head. Now move your ass.”
We had no choice and all of us were shoved into our room. The door made a loud thud as it was slammed on our confused and frustrated expressions.
Lucian and George rushed over the window to see what the hell was going on as shouts from below and a faint orange light played on the edge of the window. The minute both of them touched the windows electricity zapped through them as if they had just touched a live wire. Lucian fell backwards and groaned on the floor, but George could handle the zap thanks to his abilities and moved over to Lucian. I dropped down at his side as George spoke to him.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He sat up straight but held his hand in between his legs, the pain reflected clearly on his face. “They put a protection charm over the windows.”
“They what? So we’re prisoners in our own room!” I yelled.
“All the rooms are like that. It’s something that happens whenever the academy is under attack. I’ve just never seen it for myself, until now.”
“That is just perfect,” I yelled beside him.
Becky dropped some ointment and bandages on the floor next to us. It was a miracle she had these since the school was filled with Swallow-Annexes, but then again, they could only heal humans. She must have gotten it for George in case he ever needed it.
I picked up his injured hand softly and gently put on some of the ointment. Lucian’s jaw muscles clenched as the hurt pulled at his face.
“Sorry,” I whispered as I wrapped his hand with a bandage.
“Thank you,” he gave me a quick kiss and I helped him to his feet.
We went over to the windows again but kept our distance. Lucian’s other hand pulled me closer so that I could see better.
My eyes grew in horror at the view of professors and guards fighting against a group of magic wielders in black cloaks. The scene was lit up by flames and a couple of fire bolts flew through the air. There was a Sun-Blast, two Fin-Tails and a Copper-Horn fighting to protect the academy. My throat became dry as my eyes lingered on Chef’s dragon form. The last time I’d seen one in action was the night my father died, and memories of that night flashed through my mind.
“This can’t be happening, it’s not real,” Becky said as panic griped her as she asked George to pinch her.
The two Fin-Tails fought against at least ten magic wielders alone. Their tails kept shooting out small spears, like a porcupine. I’d never even known they could do that. Professor Gregory was down there too and I could see how one of the Fin-Tails pulled him back just as a fire bolt flew past them.
A Swallow Annex and Night Villain flew past our window and descended onto the scene. Acid balls fell on some of the wielders in cloaks and screams filled the night as they ripped off their cloaks trying to put out the stung. Julia, I always knew she was a bad ass, I thought to myself. One of the black cloaks fell on the ground in a lifeless heap. The Swallow Annex stomped on another one and shredded his limps off with its mouth. Constance? Million off goose pimples made my skin crawl and turned my stomach. The Sun-Blast and Night Villain appeared to be teaming up and Mia’s name popped into my head. In one fluid motion they blew fire and acid onto another group. The men in black cloaks wielded an invisible wall and blocked the impact of the dragon’s abilities. The fire and acid didn’t even reach them.
“We should be down there,” Lucian roared. George seemed just as frustrated as his hands vibrated with anger.
“Just don’t shift in here, our room has already been in ruins once before,” Becky snapped at him.
The door opened again. Arianna and Tabitha entered as the guard escorting them closed and locked the room behind them.
Lucian ran over to the door and almost knocked Tabitha over. She looked at him in disgust but I could see fear laced the corners of her eyes and her body trembled slightly.
He beat hard on the door with his fist. “Seriously? We should be out there!”
“Lucian, calm down,” I begged him.
“There are more than enough professors down there, they don’t need our help.” Tabitha gave a nervous chuckle as she said the final word.
“Speak for yourself,” Becky bit back. “I’m not going to stay here.”
“What’s the plan?” Lucian was instantly in too.
“C’mon guys, there is no way out,” I said as I gestured to the windows that had just zapped our asses.
“George and I can handle the zap, Lucian. I don’t know how the rest of you will get out.”
“Becky you can’t just leave me here.”
“I’m sorry. We can’t just sit here either.” Becky gestured to her and George with a small swipe of her hand.
George was already on the ledge as he held out his hand for Becky. She hung on his back like a monkey with her arms around his neck. “You ready, Becks?”
“Go for it?”
He jumped through the window and transformed as they both passed through the magic barrier. Electricity sparked across their bodies but they both managed to escape.
“Becky, you need a weapon,” Lucian yelled through the open window.
“I’ve got my weapon right here,” she said as the palm of her hand released a ball of sparks.
“Lucian is right. We should be out there,” Dean said and I saw how his hands were starting to glow. Sammy held the one in between hers gingerly.
“Just calm down,” she said and Dean’s anxious expression started to dissipate.
Lucian began to pace up and down in the room, trying the door on a regular basis.
When it seemed like nothing wanted to budge and we were sure there were no guards behind the door, Lucian looked at me.
“Sorry, Sweetheart. But I can’t wait here any longer.”
“I’m coming with,” I said without thinking.
“Elena, it is dangerous. You saw how they blocked magic. This is the real deal. If you come with me, you’ll have to be able to take a life.”
I nodded. There was no way I was going to stay here while all my friends were fighting for their lives.
“Do you have your axes?”
I ran over to my bed and took both of them out of their wooden case.
“Don’t forget to put on your gloves too,” he yelled.
I quickly slipped them on and tied the Velcro pieces tight around my wrists. I wrapped my holster around my hip and put both of the axes in their sheaths.
“I don’t like this one bit, but there is no way I can say no to you.” Lucian looked at me and gave me a hard kiss. Our lips parted and he nodded at Dean and Sammy.
I buried my face in his chest as two fire bolts crashed against the door.
“You are all crazy,” Tabitha yelled.
Sammy said something to her as Lucian grabbed my arm, but it was so fast that I couldn’t hear.
Arianna, Dean and Sammy were right behind us. I guess Tabitha stayed as she would not be of much help anyway. Why Snow Dragons had all the brains but no courage beats me.
“I need to go pick up some armor.” Lucian ran up the other set of stairs as we reached the lobby.
“Just be safe,” I said and gave Sammy a quick hug before I followed Lucian up the stairs. I reached Lucian as he ran up the fifth set of stairs and at the seventh set of staircases we found an open space with an elevator.
So this place does have one.
It felt like it took us forever to reach the last floor and the elevator opened into a round landing with one door. The room had two beds with a huge sofa and a flat screen like the one Becky had back at home. It even had a small kitchen, something our room didn’t have. One of the beds was made while the other one was empty. I found Lucian in front of a huge cupboard. He threw a hammer, a sword and a couple of other gadgets on the floor.
He closed the door and pulled some sort of a contraption over his shoulders and shoved a small round pendant into my hand. “Just put this on, please.”
When he pushed the button his Samurai Three Thousand vest appeared. He helped me put it on and adjusted the straps so it would fit before he placed the weapons into the holster he’d put around his shoulders. He looked like Rambo as he stacked himself up with weapons. Two daggers went into his shoes.
One glance at his window was all the time we had to assess what was happening outside. It looked like War of the Worlds out there with fire and lightning flying through the air.
We walked back to the elevator without saying a word. His arms wrapped around my body and he held me tight for a couple of seconds. “Just stay close to me, and please don’t hesitate to strike, Elena.” Our lips met and when the ping of the elevator announced the seventh floor, we ran down the remaining stairs to the main entrance.
The fight had already reached the cafeteria. Wielders and dragons mixed in battle came as a shock and surprise.
One sent magic in our direction but the incantations leaving Lucian’s mouth blocked all of them. I gasped as Lucian pulled out his sword and stabbed a wielder through the chest. I wanted to scream that there was one behind him, but my voice was gone. The wielder behind Lucian grunted and I saw that somehow he had back tracked the sword out of the other wielder and into the one behind him. One of his gadgets flew past me and I ran forward the minute it struck a person to my left. Lucian grabbed me in his arms and we fell down to the ground, hard. A huge explosion shook our ears and pieces of limps and guts, mixed with rocks, landed everywhere. “Were those bombs?”
He nodded once. “You okay?” he spoke fast and got up. “You have to kill, Elena, or you will be killed. You hear me?” He lifted me to my feet with one pull.
“Okay!”
We ran toward the others.
He jumped into fighting mode and I forgot to look in front of me. I ducked just in time and heard a fire bolt explode against the ground behind me. The force made me fall over and I covered my head as ground and rocks fell around me.
“Elena! Get your ass moving.” I heard Lucian growl and I got up. One of my girls lay on the floor and I grabbed her by the shaft, throwing her in the direction of one of the black cloaked wielders that came charging my way. Before she reached him the other left my hand following close behind. I saw the first ax fly in the opposite direction of my throw as he had used magic to block the hit, but he didn’t have the time to deflect her twin.
He folded over as it hit him in the chest and landed a few paces from Lucian. Lucian drew his sword, stabbed him, and retrieved one of my girls.
An overwhelming emotion jolted through my chest as I took in the reality that I had just taken a life. It was mine or his, I reminded myself as I jumped back into the battle. I didn’t have the time to search for my other ax.
Lucian yelled a command. “Lift up your hand, Elena,” he roared and I did what he asked. I ducked as I heard something flying through the air past me.
When I looked at what it was I saw my other ax. I lifted up my hand again, but it was too late. To my surprise she back tracked and landed inside my palm.
My mind quickly went to the girls’ excitement that day when I had opened them for the first time. Now I knew what they meant about these being an Alex Rodes product.
Alex Rodes is a genius.
I really needed to get that command from Lucian when this was over.
More men in cloaks surrounded us. I threw my babies in every direction and each time Lucian yelled the command I lifted up my hand and they landed in them perfectly.
It didn’t matter how many bodies fell, it felt as if two took their place each time and I didn’t know if we were ever going to get out of this mess.
I didn’t know where Becky or Sammy was, not to mention if they were okay or lying dead somewhere. Lucian disappeared through the crowds too and I felt way in over my head. I didn’t throw my axes, as I needed them to defend myself and I didn’t know how to get them back so I was forced to rely on close combat.
Lucian’s instructions played through my mind as I ducked and dove while stabbing my axes into limps and body parts. I even got in a kick or two at a cloak figure that walked into my space. Blood spattered onto my clothes and face and I felt bad when Lucian’s shield got ripped as a knife damaged it. I had to admit, the Samurai Three Thousand really did its job.
Suddenly, one of the figures grabbed me from behind and his arms pressed around my neck and throat. I tried to get his arm away by hitting him with my ax but nothing happened. It was as if he was made of steel and my babies did absolutely nothing to his flesh.
An umph sound released from his throat and his grip around my neck loosened.
I kicked myself away from him and coughed as I fell down onto the hard ground. I looked at his back and saw an arrow stuck in his neck. My gaze followed the direction the arrow had come from and I saw Paul with a bow releasing arrows as fast as he could.
He raised another one in my direction and I didn’t even see the arrow flying. I only heard a body drop to the floor and saw the man lying inches away from me with an arrow inside his chest.
A pair of hands lifted me up. “You’ve got to move, Elena,” Cheng said. He was fighting in his human form.
I picked up my girls again and when I looked back to Paul’s direction he was gone.
My axes found the chests and heads of other figures as I jumped back into the fray. Most of them were men and they were amazing at wielding magic. If it hadn’t been for Cheng’s wielding abilities I would’ve had several bolts against my head.
Even though we fought as hard as we could, I couldn’t help thinking we were going to lose. There were too many.
Still, I got up and fought my way through a couple of men with cloaks.
A strong wind blew into my face and I covered my eyes. Everyone stopped as a flapping sound vibrated in my ear.
Fire came barreling down from the distance. It had a pink glow to it and I watched in horror as men in cloaks started to disintegrate. No matter what they did, it was like a disease spreading that turned the men into ashes. Tiny grey specks flew into the night making it look like a thousand fireflies fleeing the scene.
The smell of death lingered in the air and as I looked at the figure I saw him, the Rubicon.
He’d finally come back.
One of the figures yelled something in another language and they began vanishing into thin air. A couple of them stayed but they were no match against us. I lifted up my ax at the figure looming in front of me.
“Elena, stop!” Becky yelled and I dropped my ax. I grabbed her around the neck, blood covered her face.
“Is everyone okay?” My body started to tremble.
“George took a bad hit, but they are sorting him.” She said with worried lacing her tone as we started to run in the direction of the dome. “Where is Lucian?”
“I don’t know. I lost him. Was that Blake?” I had to know.
“Dickhead came back just in time,” she said.
We entered the Parthenon dome and plenty of student and teachers, some in robes, and other in normal clothes sat on the bleachers. All of them were covered in blood.
The ones who were badly injured lay on the floor and a couple of them were covered in blankets. My body froze and my eyes grew in horror as I imagined Lucian’s body lying beneath one of those blankets.
A pair of arms grabbed me from behind and I looked at Lucian who had blood and guts covering him. I made sure that he was okay by inspecting his head and it led to kissing him vigorously. I didn’t care if he tasted like blood.
A naked girl carrying a wounded boy entered the dome and Lucian went to help. Becky gave her a robe and she pulled it over her head.
We started to help as more wounded humans and dragons were dragged in and I felt bad for Constance, Julia and the couple of Swallow Annexes at the school who had to try and patch all of them up.
Master Longwei passed around a couple of bottles and those who weren’t badly injured began to drink from it. As I watched, their scrapes and wounds started to close up and heal before my eyes.
A couple of adults entered the dome to my right. The guy was big and had silver blond, short hair. The woman had light, golden brown hair. Constance looked relieved as she saw both of them and when their hands started to glow, I knew they were Swallow Annexes.
Tears glistened in my eyes as Julia covered a blanket over Finn, a boy from one of my classes. Becky just held me as tears rolled down her face too. “They are going to close Dragonia for sure, after this.”
“It’s not Dragonia’s fault Becky. It’s ours.”
She looked at me with a question in her eyes.
“Goran is not going to back off until we are dead.”
“Shhh, Elena. Don’t think like that.”
“It’s the truth. Have you seen Sammy?”
“She’s safe with Dean. Damn that boy is good. They make one hell of a team. Sammy tore plenty of guys into pieces not to mention frying their asses. I’ve never seen her so vicious.”
“Becky, it was either us or them.”
“I know. I’m just glad you are all right.”
We all looked at the entrance as Blake walked in with Paul right behind him. I forgot how magical Blake’s presence was. They fled because of him. Who knows what would’ve happened if he hadn’t show up today. I wished that I could’ve kissed him right then and there but I shook my head and the thought disappeared.
“They were Wyverns,” a guy yelled as he stormed in their direction. When he reached Paul, I knew he was going to hit him with a fist but Blake grabbed the front of his shirt, said something to the guy, and threw him away from him.
“Zaxaria means Rubicon in Wyvic, Blake,” one of the professors I hadn’t had class with shouted at him.
“You brought this on us,” shouted the guy Blake had just thrown off from his new position on the floor.
Sammy found us and I grabbed her. “Thank God, you are safe!”
“This is wrong,” she said in a panic as the group of teachers and students huddled around Paul and Blake. Both Becky and I just stared at her.
“Paul saved our lives a couple of times tonight,” Dean said quickly. “He is one hell of a dragon, Elena.”
“Wait, he fought in his dragon form too?”
He nodded.
“What do you mean, too?” Becky wanted to know and I told him how he saved my life with a couple of arrows.
“Enough!!!” Lucian yelled from the opposite direction. The entire dome fell silent, and watched Lucian walk over to Paul. My heart beat inside my chest with every step Lucian took. I couldn’t watch and knew that Lucian and Blake were going to end up fighting because of Paul.
Becky and Sammy gasped and I opened my eyes. Lucian’s hand reached out to Paul, but not in a fist. He was waiting for Paul to shake it. “He’s not one of them. He saved all of our lives, including mine a couple of times tonight. Anyone that can kill his own kind for the greater good deserves a chance.” Lucian’s face held no emotion. He was tired and probably relieved too.
Paul finally shook his hand carefully. I watched as the two of them spoke softly and saw how Blake slapped Paul on the back.
Paul gave him a lopsided smile.
I was frozen. I couldn’t explain the feeling that Lucian giving Paul a chance created in my soul.
When he reached me his arms wrapped around my body. “If you want him as your dragon, take him. His one amazing Wyvern, Elena, and I was wrong. I don’t admit that easily.”
“I love you.”
“I love you more.”
