Dragon Frost (46 page)

The
Hanger Bay doors begin to close, they close fast but I’m sure we’ll
make it—just. We just slip through as the doors close but the
alarms still ring out. The ships board begins to blink. “There are
fifteen pursuit jets.” says Mizreth, my personal AI. “Whatever you
going to do, you better do it fast.”

“
You know
they’re going to fire . . . right?” questions Asashin but I know it
wasn’t him asking me whether I know, he was making a clear point.
We are now considered hostiles and a threat. I don’t blame them—if
we can take a ship from their Port from right under their nose that
just goes to show how tight the security is. I’ll need to inform my
grandma of that.

“
Isn’t
that the fun part?” I ask as I glance at him. He scowls at me and I
fight back a laugh that’s threatening to surface. If I laugh now, I
think the two of them will definitely believe me to be unfit for
battle. At that thought, I return my gaze back to the clouds and
focus. The pursuit jets begin to fire and we maneuver the Exelon
out of the way. They’ve ceased contact with us.

“
Our
name, our rights, are what introduce great courage and pride while
it inflicts both pain and suffering to those on the receiving end.”
My grandma’s voice rings through my ears, even now, while the sound
of exploding ricochets of air missiles and energy beams; I am still
being, lectured by that woman. I fight back a groan; I need to
focus on not killing anyone or harming him or her that is behind
the controls of those airliners. That will just give me something
else to be in trouble for. As much as I love my home; its people
both good and bad, there are just something’s I refuse to do, like
undertake fire on my fellow Nefaliem. Our numbers are already small
and I refuse to contribute to its declining population
toll.

“
Asashin.” I say, he does not answer but like the others, I
know he’s listening. “Do you have any idea on how we should go
about this?”

“
There.”
His head nods into the distant mountain passes, thick stalls, thin
crevices and winding sediment that has accumulated over the
millennium. That just might work . . .

I force
the controls down and the jet follows the order as we steeply dip
down and slip through the arch stones, rocky edges that scatter
along the ocean surface, the waves, crash, thunderously against the
dark grey rocks with sharp rigid edges. The jet flips on its side
and we slip through the ever twisting and turning stone wall, the
inside of the caverns is dark a lot darker than I expected and a
lot more dangerous. I’m sure I heard an explosion of several jets
before and feel somewhat guilty but try not dwell on it.

They may have
ejected just in time.

The
crevices were dark, unavoidably, we turn we slide and duck down
further into the dangerous obscurity that can only just be made out
by the light projected by my Exelon. Before we knew it we were home
free, a vortex hovers several hundred thousand kilometers above the
mountain ranges, in shades of deep green, green and navy blue. I
glance at Asashin—his face reads my very thoughts.

We both
questioned whether or not to trust it. Taking a leap of faith we
enter the cortex. These secondary forms of interdimensaionl
transportation, our minds didn’t fee or should I say require the
need to deeply focus through intense discipline, on where we want
to go, this is secondary and as such—that vortex is something we
didn’t call upon—instead someone else did it for us. So what lies
on the other side of this is exactly where we are required to go.
Well I can at least hope.

It maybe for
the better or worse.

The light
is bright, I automatically shield my eyes, my brain seems to be
behind point-five-seconds and we meet with a bright blue sky. The
day is bright and we soar through the air for a good ten minutes
before finding a secure place to land, in a large meadow, the
yellow wheat dances and sways as the exhaust of our engines begins
to slow. “Where do you think we are?” I ask Asashin.

“
I’m not
sure.” We glance at Mizreth hoping he would shed some light on our
situation.

He just
shrugs.

“
What
type of an AI are you?” I growl annoyed. Asashin sighs.

“
A
bio-mechanical one. That’s my area of expertise. Though the
atmospheric and pressure measurements indicate perfect results for
life. The coordinates here, correspond to quadrant 4b.”

“
Zylaria!” I rise from my seat, unstrapping myself in the
process, by a press of the central button over my chest and race
down the halls towards one of the corridors where a thin window
stretches along, revealing mountains upon mountains of lush forest
canopies, the birds in the distance flutter overhead of the ship
that Asashin has placed in Stealth Mode. Technology can be amazing
at times. I hear the ramp begin to extend and I rush down towards
the Hanger, Asashin stands waiting for me.

“
You
coming?” I nod and paced beside him as we step down the rap and
into the summer filled meadow. The air seems calm and refreshing,
the wind is silent and refuses to dance its lustrous dance—one
which will comfort any being under the harsh sun and intense heat.
If we are in Zylaria then . . . Asashin is immediately at my side,
“We should head back to Mykyra, retrace his steps and . . .
”

“
Find
where he might be held.” I finish. We glance at each other and exit
the ship. I place my hand upon my PCP and immediately the ship’s
control system is switched to Hibernation. So if the need be we can
return to the ship and take off. We regard each other, a silent
agreement passing between us, we enter the darkness of the
foreboding forest.

“
How do
you even know there’s a town here?” questions Mizreth. His voice
rings through our headsets and I fight the urge to smack my helmet
to get it to shut up but I know that it won’t affect the talkative
AI only me.

“
I’ve
been here before.” I say as I push aside branches in our way,
acorns and other large seeds fallen from branches high
up.

I tried
again and again but nothing occurred, no matter how many times I
attempted to wrap my mind around it. Nothing give me the answer I
seek and nothing gave me the chance or the choice to try and
understand this unexpected confrontation. I glower. “So . . . I was
right they would take the bait.” came the voice from the shadows of
the forests’ dense canopy.

Asashin stands
on guard, sword drawn and eyes vigilant.

“
If you
know what we are, you must be one tough bastard to purposely
stumble upon us let along threaten us.” spoke Asashin. The wind
picks up around us and alas, Mizreth is silent. Though the air is
oddly thick, my scales begin to rise and my body tells me to run. I
glance at Asashin, he too has the same expression on his
face.

“
Tough I
am. 
Bastard
.
I’m 
not
. I was not
born out of wed-lock you would know.” came the voice once more,
something is off about this person, which, I can barely see but
only just identify as a man of intimidating yet elegant stature. If
his features complement his physique he just may appear as a
runaway magazine model.

“
As if my
parents would consider shaming their stature.” His voice is elegant
and somewhat snobby. There is something about it, it’s like I’ve
heard it somewhere. “What Rails? Not even a hello?” Rails? Rails!
Eugene!

“
Lord
Vilanté.” declares Mizreth.

“
I see
Rails still has that useless AI around.”

“
Hey!”
wails Mizreth.

“
No one
calls him useless but me!” I yell. He steps out into the shadows
and his lips are pulled into an arrogant smirk that I won’t
hesitate to knock off.

That
smirk quickly transforms into a grimace. “I see that’s only fitting
but ironic.” He brushes his silver hair aside that falls down to
his waist equal in length as Asashin and the many other aristocrats
their hair a power meter, representing their strength and over all
power duration. “It takes someone useless person to identify the
consistent trait.”

“
Wh . . .
Hey!” I growl and storm toward him, unafraid of what the outcome
would or could be for that matter. This man before me by nature
should be bowing down to me and begging for his life—cowering in
fear—by nature beings submit to those powerful. However, since I
didn’t grow up this way . . . since I didn’t grow up, in a world
where people of lower power levels bow down to those with higher
ones. Instead, I grew up on Earth a place that desired for equality
. . . a world that desired for the better and brighter future those
before them had fought for. He gives me a passive look. “You can’t
just come here and act like you own the place . . . there’s nothing
to own!” I snap and he raises a silver brow.

“
Look
around you. If I wanted this, all I have to do is boarder my lands,
anyone that steps on it pays or dies. And you thought . . . there’s
nothing to own.” His smug and I growl. I knew he would say that but
in this case, I’m not in the mood to get submerged into a debate
that will last for the next Earth year. I often measure my time in
that of Earth years, strangely enough it’s normal for me but odd
and strange for everyone else. Is the desire for money and power
the only thing that every species requires? The only reason why
we’re alive is pure accident. Is by pure deception, an act which
encased the demon queens their prison.

“
You know
. . . animals normally submit to their Alphas. To those they know
are of power and control.” I hiss, deadly. My eyes glaze back into
his—I refuse to give him the pleasure of seeing me waver—he steps
in closer to me and stares down at me with an impenetrable gaze.
The air feels thick and I can tell everyone is on edge.

“
I’ll
submit, to that I know are worthy.” he declares before bending down
and whispering in my ear, his lips don’t touch my skin but I can
feel his breath—as cold as the winter ice—something deadly and
sinister, closer than I ever thought possible. “You are nowhere
near the Alphas, Omega. Aren’t I right, Rails?” he taunts and I
glare. He steps back and glances over his shoulder at
Fredric.

“
What are
you doing here?” I demand. He stiffens and answers.

“
Accompanying my lord, Princess.” he adds quickly, with a
hand over his heart and his head bent down as a slight bow. A form
of respect that Eugene refuses to show.

“
At
least, you know your class,” I say a bit smug—my eyes still
penetrating that of Eugene.

“
He . . .
my lady, is a doormat—he’ll do anything that I tell him—as long as
it gets him higher than the lowest of the low . . . ” he says as he
glances at me. My hands move on their own and I don’t try to stop
them as they edge towards my Tai Sticks on my thighs—weapons that
are two short metal staffs before they extend into two double
blades as of course will be very effective at this range. After
all, the air is too thick with vengeance—too thick with
anger—betrayal—pride and honor all rolled into one.

Asashin’s
voice breaks through, I hesitate at that moment. If I fight him,
here, Asashin won’t hesitate to defend me even if Eugene is out of
his league—even if he goes up against a number of heavily armed men
on his own, he’ll fight to protect me. “You were the one
responsible.” It isn’t a question—it is the declaration—the drawn
conclusion that Asashin and I have concluded, with the same page of
evidence. The portal. The portal/vortex that we didn’t
conjure.

Our
portals were our primary form of transportation before our people
had learned there was more to the earth, trees and air around us
but everything in between. “Yes. I am. As much fun as it was
watching you two cause trouble. I figured to give you two a
different setting.”

A cloud
crack occurred once more, I turn over my shoulder—a tree begins to
descend on me. Something firm hits me hard on the back of the head
and down I fall. Pain radiates through my body and I can’t find
anything that has caused this, can’t seem to stop the agonising
scream that rips from my lips. Worst of all I can’t move, I’m in
extreme pain and the only thing I hear is. “Kal!
Kal!” 
Cling! Clang! Zing! 
The sound of clashing steel erupts through my ears
it’s as quick as it came. “Kal! Hang on!” that voice, that’s
Asashin’s voice. I would know it anywhere. Darkness engulfs me and
I’m stuck down on the ground helpless and in the dark. The sound of
quick lodging of steel. Asashin’s firing his crossbow. I know that
should all too well.

With
another crash, more buildings collapsed . . . how it managed to
come to this is unknown. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop
fighting regardless of the fear coursing through my veins. I’m not
frozen with fear but literally frozen, held in place, by the power
of the aristocratic vampire. “My . . . my . . . is this all it
takes to wipe out a Nindo. If so . . . I would have done it a long
time ago.” he muses.

He raises
his hand to deliver the final—deadly blow. I force my eyes to watch
as my teeth clench together in anger. Immediately a shield lands in
front of me, it’s lodged into the ground.

“
Don’t
touch her!” snaps the voice—Dante. He’s here and he’s fighting the
vampire. He’s the one that betrayed us. Than in the distance there
stands a Nefaliem. I can sense it. His blood radiates off in waves,
so distant and so completely free of suppression.