Maxon (7 page)

Maxon

Thirty-seven hours… That's how long I've been waiting outside Charybdis. I drum my fingers on the arm of my lawn chair.

Something big is coming, I know it.

Tyberius fidgets in the chair next to mine. “The blue lights stopped hours ago.”

I don't bother looking at him because I already know what I'll see: An exhausted guy sitting beside me in the moonlight, his red-rimmed eyes looking at me like I'm nuts.

He's not totally wrong. I may really be losing it now.

“Did you hear me?” asks Ty.

“Yup. And I caught the twelve other times you said it, too.” I scrub my hand over my face. My eyes sting with the need for sleep. “I don't care about the reports. I've staked out more demons than you have teeth.” I point to Charybdis. “A new kind of battle is waiting in there, you can bank on it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I'm part demon. Goes with the job description.”

That's the short answer. The long answer is that I've spent years in demon battle training with the Furor. They taught me how to integrate and focus my wrath powers. Same goes for lust, as well as my tail. Mom has voices in her head; her powers are like separate people in her mind. Thanks to the Furor, my inner demons are all integrated. Because of that control, I get extra abilities. Long story short, I know when a battle is near.

The desert turns silent once more. I go back to staring at Charybdis, and Ty goes back to staring at me.

It's getting on my nerves.

“Something else on your mind?” I ask.

“It's like this.” Ty nervously twists another bead on his dreads. “Uther says we need to talk about it, man.”

“About what?”

“Armageddon.”

Time catches for a second, like the word ‘Armageddon' has some special power over the universe.
Aw, hell.
When it comes to me, maybe it does.

“Uther says?” I ask. “So, what? You're hiding behind him now?”

“Maybe I am. Doesn't make it any less true.”

I scan Ty carefully. This guy's my friend. All he wants to do is talk. Trouble is, Ty doesn't see the real deal on demon patrol. We only cross paths with the bastards for as long as it takes to slice and dice. Ty has no idea what a Class A job like Armageddon does in his spare time, especially with kids. That shit would blow his mind.

I can't do that to him.
“You don't know what you're asking.”

Ty exhales a long sigh and looks totally miserable. Now, I feel like an ass.

“Don't get me wrong,” I say. “I appreciate what you're trying to do.”

“Really?” asks Ty. “Then talk to me. Trust me a little.”

“It's not about trust, man.” I pat him on the shoulder. “Go back to the Pulpitum. Get some sleep.”

“No, I'll stay here. You say another demon's coming, I'll wait.”

At that moment, dark clouds roll over the sky, blotting out the moonlight. Before us, the sandy-brown earth of Charybdis turns black. My warrior sense snaps into focus.

This could be it.

I hop to my feet, hoping for a pre-battle adrenaline rush. Nothing happens. A wisp of gray smoke rises from the sand and flies off into the sky. It's weird looking, maybe even magical, but it's not a fight. My shoulders slump with disappointment.

Damn.

“Is this what you've been waiting for?” asks Ty.

“No, it's something else.”

A great roar sounds from underneath the sand. The heavy smell of charcoal fills the air, followed by a distinctive three-toned roar. You don't train with the Furor for years without knowing what that means.

Or rather,
who
that means.

“Chimera's coming,” I say. A faint kick of adrenaline pumps through my bloodstream. This isn't the battle I've been waiting for. Still, it's a fight against one of the most notorious Furor dragons ever. That's better than nothing.

Ty drops his deadlock and spins around to face me. “
The
Chimera?” He starts searching his pockets for his fireball charm, his features pinched with panic. “Can you take him?”

I bob my head from side to side, weighing the odds. “Maybe, but I won't try too hard.”

“Why not?”

“Tempest should kill him, not me.”

Long ago, Chimera was the Furor Emperor. His reign started out nice enough. Good laws, great parties, that kind of thing. Soon, Chimera turned out to be a badass sociopath, infamous liar, and self-proclaimed torture artist. Most of all, he was an all-out nightmare to his son Tempest, who's now the Furor emperor and my good friend. Bottom line? It's definitely Tempest's right to kill the old beast.

Bit by bit, a shadowy figure crawls out of the darkened sands. At first, it looks a withered man who's skeletal and tall in his torn black waistcoat and matching breeches.

“So that's Chimera.” Ty's eyes get big as saucers. He doesn't get to see many Class A demons outside of Charybdis.

“I need you to summon Emperor Tempest,” I say.

Ty shifts his weight from foot to foot, which is his favorite move when he's stalling. “What if I summon Tempest and he doesn't want to some here? Should I to bring the other guys back with me?”

Ty brings up a good point. Tempest is a moody son of a bitch. No one knows what he'll do or why. “Sure, grab the guys.”

Ty licks his lips. “Okay if I wait a little before I leave?”

I get what he's up to. Ty's dying to see Chimera for himself. Which is dangerous as hell.

Part of me knows I should order Ty to run anyway, but I don't. Why ruin his parade? He's not fighting Chimera, anyway.

“You get one minute,” I say. “After you see the real Chimera, you're out of here.”

“Thanks, M.” Ty squints at the odd figure. “That's not him
yet
?”

“Nope.”

Chimera raises his arms toward the darkened sky. Black dragon scales crawl over every inch of his body. His neck elongates from his shoulders, the vertebrae shifting and twisting like a snake's. At the same time, his face takes on the features of a lizard, with a wide, flat skull and long, lipless mouth.

Now, I should definitely feel some kind of serious battle kick. I mean, I studied Chimera for years in Furonium. This'll be a tough fight. Still, I don't get so much as a drop of adrenaline.

Damn, I am so far gone.

Ty stares at the monster, his mouth hanging open in awe. “So, that's Chimera.”

“Not yet.”

“Still?”

“Still.”

The old man hunches to one side. A second neck sprouts from his shoulder, the length ending in a hooded cobra-style head with long white fangs and bright red eyes. Chimera then leans back on his heels. A third neck sprouts from the center of his rib cage. This one is silver-scaled with an arched skull.

“Now, that's Chimera.”

Ty mumbles something that sounds like “humph.” More likely, it was a gasp of shock, which is how normal thrax react to a sight like this.

Chimera's three heads sniff the air wildly. He remains in hybrid form—part human and part dragon—so he has to really work at catching a scent.

“You two,” Chimera's heads hiss at us in unison. “You're thrax.”

My tail sways behind me. “Among other things.”

“Ah, you're a Furorling, little man.” The three heads smile directly at me. It's the sick grin you give a kitten before you stomp on their spine, if you're the kind of guy who enjoys that kind of thing. And Chimera's definitely that guy.

I turn to Ty. “Summon him,” I order. No need to name Tempest here. If Chimera thinks I'm an average Furorling, so much the better.

“You got it.” Ty takes off at a run. The Pulpitum isn't far, so Tempest should be here in a few minutes. That'll give me time to play.

Chimera limps closer, his three necks swaying with the movement. “Let me get a good look at you, Furorling.”

“Sure,” I say with a shrug. “Knock yourself out.”

I can't believe my luck. This guy's been stuck underground in Charybdis for way too long. A thrax toddler could pick up on this weak attempt at a sneak attack.

Chimera hobbles nearer and stops inches in front of me. His claw-like hands paw at my chest. The touch makes me want to puke.

“Now,” coos Chimera. “What's a Furorling like you doing in thrax body armor?” His heads lean in closer. “Could this be some kind of disguise?” His voices lower to a whisper. “Are we hiding, perhaps? In need of help?”

“Everyone could use a little help,” I say.

This is the point in any battle where I remind myself that I have rules. Demons are evil, sure. Not all of them are out of control, though. I don't attack until provoked. Hobbling up to someone and acting like an ass doesn't qualify as starting a fight. Knowing Chimera's reputation, it's only a matter of time before he crosses the line.

A gurgling sound percolates up Chimera's throats, and that's when Chimera crosses the line with a vengeance. All his necks hold sacks of deadly venom. One spews yellow acid. The other's a green-colored paralytic. The last one's an orange, slow-acting poison. The gurgling sound means that he's about to spit one or all of them right in my face. Anger heats my bloodstream.

No time to lose.

Quick as lightning, I move to strike. With my dragon-scale hand, I punch through Chimera's first throat, rip out the venom sack, and toss the small yellow organ to the ground. Meanwhile, my tail tears through the other neck, carving out the blue paralytic and tossing that one aside as well. Chimera can regrow them, but it takes time.

Chimera staggers around, pawing at his necks. The final silver-colored head locks on me, its poisonous venom sack pulsing.

“How dare you?” Chimera's third head asks.

“That was for Tempest,” I say. “He'll be paying us a visit soon.”

“How like my son to fall in league with a Furorling.” Chimera's irises flare demon-red with rage. “You're weak, half-blooded monstrosities, all of you. Only pure Furor have the right to live. I'll piss on your corpse.”

My brows rise slightly. “Creative, I'll give you that.”

Chimera lunges for me, his arms and heads flailing with effort. His long black tail looks lifeless as it drags behind him. Could be another sneak attack.

And sure enough, it is.

Chimera closes in, clawing at the torso of my body armor. I dodge his jabs while keeping my eye on his tail. It comes to life and makes a grab for my ankles, ready to pull my legs out from under me. Blood pumps faster through my veins as I make my counter-strike.

My dragon-scale hand grips the nose-holes of Chimera's silver head. A crunch sounds as my fingers and thumb snap through the soft tissue. Wielding the skull like a club, I swing it straight into the cobra-style head beside it. At the same time, my tail does another DIY surgery on the remaining venom sack. Once Chimera's fully de-venomed, I flip onto my back, tossing the hybrid dragon over my head. He tumbles backward, rights himself, and stares me down.

This time, there's no hopping around and wailing with fury. Chimera underestimated me before. He won't make that mistake again.

What happens next takes place in a heartbeat but to me, Chimera moves in slow motion as his body balloons in shape. His necks stretch out long as telephone poles. His limbs turn into massive, arched legs.

Seeing Chimera's full dragon form makes my chest tighten with worry. Normally, I'd have killed him in his hybrid state, but I didn't out of respect for Tempest. Now I have three dragon heads after me. Sure, they don't have venom anymore. That doesn't mean they aren't deadly.

Damn, Tempest better get here soon.

Raising my arms, I summon my greatest supernatural weapon—lightning. A huge bolt of white fire crackles down from the darkened clouds. Thunder booms through the quiet night air.

Chimera races toward me. My three bolts of lightning arc straight through his heads, stopping him in his tracks. Tiny whites lines of fire twist through his eye sockets and swirl around his long fangs. The cobra head crumples, unconscious. Meanwhile, the silver head combusts and falls over, dead. That thing's not regenerating, ever.

Two heads out of commission, one to go.

Unfortunately, the lizard head remains awake, alive, and beyond pissed. It turns to me, smoke curling from its nostrils. I know what this means. Attack by fire. Even with only one head on the offensive, I don't stand much of a chance to outrun it. Plus, my body armor can only hold out for so long under flames.

I summon another lightning bolt from the sky. This time, Chimera is ready and easily leaps out of the way. The bolt strikes right in the center of Charybdis instead of Chimera. An ear-piercing crack echoes through the air.

In some recess of my mind, I know this isn't right. I've studied Charybdis for years and I've never heard anything like this. That said, I've never struck it with lightning, either. I don't have time to wonder, though. There's a badass dragon coming after me.

Chimera rounds on me, opens his jaws wide, and unleashes a tidal wave of fire in my direction. My blood pumps so hard with terror and fury, I can hear it roaring in my ears. White-hot flames instantly encase my body. Hunching down, I summon fresh lightning and hope like hell that it'll knock out the last head, too.

Turns out, I didn't need to bother.

At that moment, huge golden shapes appear in the night sky.

Dragons.

This time, it's the Kathikon, the Emperor's personal guard. I exhale a relieved breath. Tempest will be with them, too. A low buzz of excitement zings through my nervous system. Finally, I'm feeling some decent battle rush.

I'm not the only one who spies the newcomers. Chimera glares at the sky, growls, and then shakes out his back. Huge black wings unfold from his spine, stretching out across the desert floor. They begin to beat in a regular rhythm, stirring up sand as Chimera's huge bulk rises into the sky. For a time, the dragons swirl and dive above me. Chimera hasn't lost any of his skill in the air. He evades Tempest and his Kathikon as they chase him across the stars.