Authors: A McKay
“Run now, they will be coming,” Zach mouthed to Slade when he caught sight of them in the window. I nodded and stared for a moment longer. “I will be okay, get the fuck out of here.” Zach mouthed it again; the others pay attention to Gargan. Anger, adrenaline rushed through Slade’s body, he needed to go help him, and he needed to free them.
Before he left the window with Phoenix, he heard a deep voice again, this one being the captain he supposed. Slade looked deep into Phoenix’s eye, for the first time and saw fear in her eyes, as she was staring at the village. He started to walk away from the window until he heard Gabrielle’s laugh. He went back to the window the group was letting her up, Zach looked at her for a while. It was all Slade’s fault; he had to help the girl. He had to be the hero. He was set up the whole fucking time.
Zach looked back to Gargan, his face was becoming red, “Yes, sheriff she is the one in charge of the group,” Gargan said.
“What? Why?” he asked Gargan, and then looked to Gabrielle.
“Don’t worry, you will live a little bit longer than Mr. grumpy dragon there, I will get my pleasure from you first.” Zach spat at her, hitting her in the face. She wiped it off; she licked it off her fingers.
“You bitch,” Zach, said, trying to fight, he kicked at the guard that was near him, but the other guards moved in, and in a fast motion, he was punched in the face with the handle of sword, and went limp to the ground.
“Put him in the wagon; make sure he is tied up.” They picked up his limp body up, but something on her face made Phoenix, and Slade stare at the scene longer. His gut told him to hold Phoenix, but he didn’t know why until Gabrielle, grabbed a great sword from a soldier who wore a mask of a demon. “There is the queen and guardian yet, find them, kill the dragon, and bring me the guardian!”
“No, don’t,” Slade knew what was coming, Phoenix started to shake.
Gargan stared at them as he kneed high, and with a fast motion from Gabrielle, his head was separated from his body. A deep rumble erupted from Phoenix, which surrounded the entire town. Before he could hold her back, she was changing to her true form, the building collapsing outward making Slade fly out with the building where he crashed to the ground. Before the building cleared from dust and debris, a light shined and in a thundering crash, it closed.
The machete was out, and Phoenix charging off in every direction but no one was near, she blew fire at everything in sight but nothing moved. Buildings just engulfed into flames. Slade walked to Gargan’s dead body. He felt the fire blowing in every direction and heard the dragon’s cry from above. She took to the air trying to see the soldiers. Another cry echoed through the land, Slade looked up to see the dragon flying in circles, fire blowing in every direction; the town singed, no one escaped the inns in time. Slade walked away from Gargan’s body to grab some cloth to wrap his corpse, but the dragon flew down and with a cry, again fire blew hotter than anything he had ever known before.
He knew somehow, that this was the way of the dragons. Slade watched as the warrior’s body became ashes and then the ashes even burned, and all that remained was the shadow that didn’t burn away. Slade could feel her pain with the fire she blew as he walked to her, he put his hand on her leg, the only thing he could reach, and rubbed her leg. The heat from her flames instantly burning his skin, but he knew he needed to be there for her.
The fire started to die, with each stroke, until the flames disappeared. Soon his hands felt the warmth of the fire blast and Phoenix stood in her human form, without clothes, and she knelt by the shadow. Tears poured from her eyes, and sizzled on the ground, the village didn’t remain, and everything was burned to the ground by her fire. Slade was still by her, and rubbed her back offering his presence, the only thing he could offer.
He felt betrayed by Gabrielle, Slade felt the absolute hatred that now they shared for her. Slade felt a lump in his throat form as he thought that his brother was next. He knew they needed to mourn for the almighty barbarian named Gargan, but right now, they needed to find the gate, find Zach, and then they would cry for Phoenix’s brother.
“We need to find out where they’re going,” Slade said trying to get Phoenix out of her trance, and she glared at him for a second, her eyes red from tears. It was the second time he saw her look vulnerable. It made her look human. At that moment, he didn’t care anymore that she was dragon. Slade didn’t care about himself. All he cared about was her needs. He wanted to take her and protect her under his arms; he didn’t want to see her this way.
“We will never be able to follow them,” she said, as he felt a heat flash from behind. He stared at the eyes of a dragon behind him, golden scales shimmering in the sun light.
Without asking, he grabbed the cloth that was intended for Gargan. Now it would serve as Phoenix’s new dress, and he climbed up the dragon’s tail until he reached where her neck met her body. With her wings, she flapped and dust flew in every direction. They rose above the village. She didn’t waste any time as she shot straight up where he could feel his stomach drop to his legs. They flew as fast as they could, he knew she didn’t know where to go, but they flew faster anyway. Slade knew deep inside that when they found the gate, they would find the bitch, find Zach, and find an army waiting for them.
“Over there,” Slade said touching her neck and then pointing to the mountain. She nodded her mammoth size head as they glided effortlessly towards a cave. Maybe Slade was more dragonish than he thought; he was the one that found the cave. He shook his head clear of that thought; he wasn’t even close to being a dragon. He was just a large man with the right training.
His mind raced through all of the things they went though and realized this was a trap from the start. The reason the agents didn’t shoot at them right away, but just attacked. They didn’t want to harm their queen. They didn’t chase them down the river. They didn’t find them though either in the secret kingdom but now cause of him they would.
They drew close to a ledge of a cave at the mountain. He slid off the back of the dragon and stood there staring at her. She went inside the cave her big body being able to enter it with ease. He tried to follow but her tail pushed him away. She must have been going to change into a human form. “Throw me my dress,” she said in a voice more cold than ever before. Both brothers lost, one still having a chance the other in peace.
“You know I saw you naked several times now.” Her naked flesh flashed in his mind on the many times he saw her beautiful body, even her dragon form had him thinking of one thing. The one thing he couldn’t do especially now. Not with both of them being emotional drained, and emotionally lost.
“I never did get to kill you did I?” She said from the cave with sincerity in her voice. He thought about it for a second and then threw it in. Rumbling started to come from the sky, a storm approached.
“I don’t,” Slade stopped when she came out with a white dress on and she had her hands on her waist. The dress curved around her in a seductive way. The dress changed her from being legendary to a goddess in Slade’s mind.
“What, the storm, I know, the cave is just a shallow hole in the side of the hill. I think we can stay here, but we need lumber.” She waited as Slade regained control of his tongue that he was sure hanging out like a dog. She looked around and then saw the forest below them about a half mile away he figured.
“You know you could have grabbed the trees before we came up here.” Slade finally able to speak from seeing how the white revealed the tan of her skin, not quite see through.
“And if there were people down there, especially dragon hunters, we would be sitting ducks. Why do you think I flew so high in the air?”
Slade wanted to tell her that she was wrong, but he couldn’t, seeing how this land was covered with agents, she was probably right. He started to walk down the trail. He heard her footsteps behind him, but he didn’t wait for her. He noticed a flash in the distance and picked his pace up to a jog. She followed him keeping up not saying a thing, her bare feet making twigs crack and soon she passed him.
This made him feel like she was over powering him, something he was sick of. First, it was his father, yes, he might have appreciated it, but he had no control then. Then he was a spotter for Zach in the army and that was definitely no control. Then he lost control when he joined the agency. Then when he finally tried to take control of his life the dragon or the demon were playing games with him. He had enough; he was going to take control now.
He noticed that he could make up distance by a quick little jump off the side of a cliff. He quickly turned started to head over to it figuring it was short jump, and that he was the one in charge now.
“Slade, don’t” she said his feet catching a vine and him taking a nose dive, and sliding down the side of the mountain, tumbling, the world spinning uncontrollably. Little stones embedded into his skin as he hit several jagged and hard land that started to make him bounce.
“This is…” He started to yell back to Phoenix, “your….” he took a rather high bounce again, this time when he landed, he stopped and could feel the cuts the scrapes, and several disconnected joints.
“Slade, don’t go down the side of the cliff, the rocks are slick.” Phoenix finished with a sigh walking to where Slade laid not worried about his safety. It had to be a dragon thing Slade thought realizing he was still alive.
“Fault…” Slade said grabbing her hand she put out too help him up. His left arm didn’t want to move. It just sort of laid there minding its own business. “Phoenix could you,” He eyed his arm and she nodded.
“On three,” she said grabbing his arm making him wince. Without hearing the numbers, she slammed his arm back in socket.
“What the hell,” he moved his arm back and forth. “This is going to hurt tonight,” he said seeing scrapes knowing that some gashes were going to burn together. Just the matter when it was going to do it. “That was not three.” He said as he continued in a slower pace to the trees.
“I counted to three in my head.” She said continuing to the trees taking the lead.
Slade grabbed his kukri from his belt and followed her, she pointed to a limb, and he chopped it off not feeling his wounds searing together yet. They did it for several more times before she stopped pointing. “That should be about enough.” He said finishing the chopping of one branch. His shoulder started to get tight, the skin was warming up, and he knew it would only be a short amount time before his skin melted and seared together. The wounds that didn’t heal on their own were heating up to burn together.
On their way back this time however he let her lead the way to the cave. He could feel his bones now joining his skin, the burning starting to get his eyes to water. He wasn’t though about to show the dragon his weakness, his body would have to learn to accept his knew healing process.
As he hit the cave, he tossed the lumber over and buckled to the ground.
“Now what,” Phoenix said, and before he looked up from the blurred surrounding she was at his side looking at him for more injuries.
“Sorry” he mustered out, cringing as intense heat shot up through his back “must have cracked the back too.”
“You’re hot, like my kind of heat.” She said feeling his back feeling the fire that burned at his skin and melted his bones together. She then pushed down and he could feel the warm bone now shift in his back. “Slade, it is like your body is.
“It is burning together;” he cried out, “why couldn’t they learn what stitching was back then?”
She looked at Slade in confusion, “So this happened before?”
“Sort of,” Slade shifted his back, “Zach was shot, and I saw his skin burn back together,” a throb came to his back then died. “That’s better,” he wiggled his back and shoulders. “I guess it could have been worse.” Phoenix was loading the lumber into the cave, and just as she got the last bit in the skies let loose. A bolt of lightning struck in front of the cave and thunder soon joined the show.
She however didn’t make it in time, and the rain soaked her clothes. The thin sheet revealed a want that Slade now was begging for. He couldn’t though he was healing, their brothers in danger.
She put some of the sticks in the middle and soon they cracked with flames coming from Phoenix’s hand. The dried timber soon caught on flames and warmed the small cave.
“So what was it like?” Phoenix asked him looking at him to continue on with the past subject avoiding her clothes that her natural body heat would dry. Slade didn’t want her to know, it showed weakness, a weakness that could get him injured more.
Slade moaned a little, as she stared at him; he felt a guilt that never hit him before. He just saw her in the most painful emotional moment of her life and he was worried about showing her his weakness. “It was like a hot sword burning the wounds together.” Phoenix didn’t look surprised she just nodded.
“The more common way to heal wounds back in the ancient ones time, but they still did some stitching.” Then she looked at his arm, and noticed that a part of his arm’s skin had a ridge on it where the skin seared together. “They often were healed over and looked like that.” She then followed the scar, crawled over, and looked at the scar from behind on his arm.
“Is that a fang mark,” She asked slowly touching the mark that she only saw a little part of it. She started to remove his tunic and cloak that hid it from sight. If the heat of her hands touching him didn’t make him react, the pulling of his shirt off sure didn’t make it better. He could hear her breathing change as she noticed all the scars on his back, he could tell she was studying each one as she traced her finger over one and then another. “What is this one from?”