Dragon conjurer 5, p.12
Dragon Conjurer 5, page 12
“Just us.” Nala smiled, and all the ladies walked up the jet’s ramp to load their samples into the cargo compartments.
“Alright, let’s get a move on, it’s past dark, and I’d like to get home before midnight.” Silva quirked an eyebrow at us as he rolled a huge steel cage down the ramp and over to the cubist monster in the net.
“Dop, Kit, come help Dylan and me load this thing up,” Phoenix called to his fellow Japanese cadets.
The muscular Japanese guy rolled his eyes at the shortened version of his name, but he still stepped up to help out and joined Phoenix and I in steadying the cage in place beneath the Sinsimito.
“Alright, Thor,” I said. “Let it go.”
Thor opened his talons, and the Sinsimito dropped with a heavy thud into the steel cage.
“Excellent,” Silva said. “Get it on board, boys.”
“Nick?” I called out. “Come on, man.”
“Time to go?” the blond guy popped out of a fern alarmingly close to me.
“Having fun?” I laughed.
“Yes, I am, thank you very much,” Nick chuckled, and he bounded up the ramp into the jet as Phoenix and Kitsune loaded the steel cage into the lower cargo hold.
“Buckle up, everyone,” Silva’s voice crackled through our headsets as we all found our seats. “We’ve got a few hours before we arrived back at AIMM, I’m your pilot, Captain Silva, thank you for flying with us, and as always, if you have any complaints, you can go fuck yourselves.”
“He is an odd man, your captain,” Ronin murmured from the seat beside me.
“Yeah, he’s pretty much entirely himself,” I chuckled.
“Have you flown all of your missions with him?” the freckled Japanese girl asked.
“Uh, yeah, I guess we have.” I nodded. “He’s been good to us, he’s pretty crass, but he’s a good guy and an excellent pilot.”
“That is good,” Ronin said softly, and her eyes glanced away from me briefly.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I am just curious about you, Dylan,” the stoic girl said. “I enjoyed working with your team today, and I missed seeing you with your dragons.”
“I missed seeing you with that astral armor,” I murmured as I eyed her tight black shirt. “You look pretty intimidating in the field.”
“Thank you.” Ronin smiled a little. “But tell me about you more. You are not like anyone else I have encountered before.”
“I’m just me, I guess.” I shrugged and grinned. “What do you want to know?”
“What is your family like?” Ronin asked with a curious shine in her copper-flecked eyes.
“Well, my parents weren’t really around, so I was raised by my mom’s folks.” I leaned back in my seat to get more comfortable. “I grew up on their farm in the Midwest. My granddad always had a thing for folklore and mythology, and I guess he kind of passed that on to me. We used to spend a lot of time reading about mythical creatures together, and my bedtime stories were about nixies and trolls instead of things like sleeping princesses and dashing knights in shining armor.”
“You must love them very much.” Ronin smiled tenderly at me and laid a gentle hand on my forearm.
“I do.” I nodded as a faint ripple of sadness washed through me. “They died a few years ago, but I think my granddad would have been really proud of me for the work I’m doing now.”
“I am sure he would,” the Japanese beauty agreed.
“He probably would have had a heart attack if he could have learned that all the myths and legends were real,” I chuckled. “He would have shat himself at the sight of Ky.”
“They sound like lovely people,” Ronin said. “My grandparents were very traditional, not much time for games or stories. My childhood was about learning to be a proper young lady, and how to fulfill my eventual duties as Dragon’s wife.”
“How is the egomaniac these days?” I smirked to lighten the crease of irritation that marred her forehead.
“Much the same.” Ronin rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat. “What did you do before you joined AIMM? If I recall correctly, you were in university?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I was in my third year at Berkeley, pursuing a pretty useless degree in anthropology.”
“Why is it useless?”
“Well, you can’t really do much with an anthropology degree,” I chuckled. “Basically, you have two options. Either you get a high enough level of education to teach the next generation of useless-degree pursuers, or you become what my granddad called a ‘perpetual student.’”
“A perpetual student,” Ronin repeated with a quizzical look on her face. “Is that what it sounds like?”
“Probably,” I laughed. “It just means you spend your entire life studying and accumulating as many advanced degrees as you can and rack up as much student loan debt as the US government will allow, which is an obscene amount. Though, some perpetual students do it because they’re rich enough that they can, and they have no desire to be functional members of society.”
“Which path had you planned to take?” Ronin asked as she stared up into my face with twinkling black eyes.
“I’d hoped to open Secret Door Number Three,” I admitted with a little embarrassment. “I wanted to write informative textbooks about the legends and myths I’d spent my life being fascinated by. I wanted to be able to share the stories and knowledge I’d accumulated with others who also enjoy the lore.”
“That sounds like it could be quite enjoyable.” The Japanese beauty smiled and reached up to pull her long glossy hair out of its tight ponytail. Then she sighed as she scratched her short fingernails across her scalp, and a look of pure satisfaction came over her sharp features.
My mouth went dry as I watched the freckled girl’s eyes close in pleasure, and her full lips parted slightly as she sighed again. I couldn’t help but remember the taste of her too-full upper lip as she’d pressed it against my mouth, or the feel of her narrow waist under my fingers. My heart sped up, and arousal pounded through my veins as I imagined what the rest of her sexy body would taste and feel like.
“What, uhhh… what were your life ambitions before your powers manifested, and you were brought to MAJK?” I managed to ask after a moment.
“If I am being honest with you…” Ronin frowned as she looked back at me. “I had no ambition other than to survive a life tied to Dragon.”
“I bet you’re pretty happy how things went, aren’t you?” I asked.
“I am.” Ronin nodded again. “While Dragon does have honor, and he comes from a good family, it was never my desire to be the good little child-bearing housewife that my family intended me to be.”
“I’m glad things went differently for you,” I said with sincerity.
“As am I,” the Japanese girl murmured. “And I am very glad that this path has led me here to you.”
I tried to stifle a yawn, but the glimmer of humor in Ronin’s dark eyes told me she saw right through me. “Sorry.”
“I am keeping you up,” the freckle-faced girl said. “Get some rest, we will have more time to talk.”
“Thanks,” I said with a slight blush.
I almost leaned forward to kiss her, but then I remembered her twin brother was just a few feet away, and I could suddenly feel his dark eyes on me. I turned to glance at him, but he just smirked at me and turned back to his conversation with Nala.
I sank lower in my seat and tried to get comfortable, but as my eyes fell shut, my brain spun with everything that had happened today. It felt like days ago that I’d woken naked and tangled up with Nala and Steffi. Then that troubling meeting with Dr. Hastings and the revelation about my DNA looking more and more monstrous with every dragon I summoned. I still had so many questions about what it meant for me and the rest of my team, and I wondered how I’d break the news to them all.
I shared so much with my teammates, and I always felt better when I was open with them, but this time, I didn’t really know how to proceed, and I just hoped I’d find a way of bringing it up that didn’t terrify my girlfriends.
I doubted they ever imagined their Dragon Conjuring lover would end up with monster DNA, but it was hard to predict how anything would go in life, let alone magical abilities.
My thoughts turned to Gladys, my grandma’s best friend who had died of cancer when I was about ten. I remembered my granddad gave me a book about cancer to help me, but it was a medical grade textbook, and I didn’t understand most of it. One thing I did remember was finding a single line that described cancer as being a mutation in the body’s cellular DNA. I didn’t think I had cancer, though. The mutations Dr. Hastings had shown me on my DNA sequences were so organized and precise. In every computerized image of cancerous cells I’d seen, they were a disorderly mess of globby blobs.
I shuddered at the memory of Gladys’ swift downhill decline and pushed the memories away.
Whatever this mutation in my genetic code was, I knew deep in my gut that it was beneficial to my life, and to the entire magical world. My developing connections with my dragons was proof enough of that.
Goldie, Beyblade, and Ky had all followed my unspoken orders nearly as fast as I’d been able to think of them.
Thor suddenly wriggled restlessly on my back, and a short jolt like the static electricity from a latex balloon rippled down my spine. My storm dragon hadn’t done very much in the battle lately on account of terrain. The swamp near New Orleans had been too damp and crowded, and with all the closed-in space of the jungle, the damp soil underfoot, and so many allies and the thick horde of the Chaneque, it had been too dangerous to use his lightning attacks.
I pondered a moment if he could hear my thoughts while he was in his tattoo as well as when my dragons were out of my body. He seemed to be wriggling in response to my thoughts about my other dragons just now, and while I usually only spoke out loud to my tattoos, I figured now was as good a time as any to test out that hypothesis.
I took a deep breath and focused my attention on the black dragon that twitched above the nerves in my spine.
Thor. I said his name clear in my mind and waited for a response.
The dark storm dragon ceased his wriggling, and I could almost see the look on his face as he peered up at me.
Can you hear me?
The mental picture of Thor nodded once at me, and I felt a small movement from the top part of my back, roughly where I knew his head to rest in tattoo form.
I bet you feel a little restless again, huh?
My mental picture of my dragon grumbled softly at me in confirmation.
I know, it’s not much fun when you can’t do very much to help.
A short burst of static puffed out of ethereal Thor’s nostrils in my mind’s eye.
Just remember, buddy, we all have our strengths, and some situations will be better suited to each of you. There will be battles and monsters that are going to be more your style, I promise.
The image of my black dragon behind my closed eyes let out a pleased rumble, and I knew he was glad I understood his frustrations.
Don’t forget, Thor, you destroyed the Hydra when none of us could. You saved all of us.
My mind’s eye Thor looked at me as if to say he was only around because I had the power to summon him in the first place, and I chuckled internally at the dragon’s smart-aleck expression.
You’re right, of course.
I could tell the midnight black dragon felt better because the zinging feeling down my spine dissipated as Thor quieted on my back, but the surprise of this discovery kept me a little wired for several more minutes.
I wanted to sprint to Dr. Hastings’ office and tell her all about the progress I’d already begun to make with my dragon connection, but for now, I just smiled behind my closed eyelids. I’d known my dragons were always a part of me, but feeling their presence so clearly, and being able to communicate with them in a private way, made me feel like a fucking dragon whisperer.
It made me feel almost like a dragon myself, and I finally managed to doze off as the suddenly calm energy of my loyal, scaly beasts seemed to swirl through my skin in all different shades and settled in my center.
Then Ronin’s hand on my shoulder woke me up.
“Dylan,” the Japanese beauty whispered. “We are back.”
“Come on, lazy bones,” Nick chuckled as he stifled a yawn. “Let’s give Burkhard the word and go up to our suite. I need food and sleep.”
“Sounds good to me.” Nala’s shoulders popped as she stretched her arms up overhead.
“Yeah, I’m pretty hungry,” Steffi said.
“We will join you for the mission debrief and then retire to our rooms for the night,” Kitsune said in his usual reserved tone.
“The jet lag is catching up with us,” Phoenix admitted as he covered an enormous yawn with one hand.
“I am very fatigued,” Wisp agreed.
Doppelganger grunted in agreement.
“Alright, let’s go see the man.” I nodded.
“I’ll oversee the unloading of your cargo,” Silva said as he pulled the lever to lower the jet’s ramp. “You kids get some sleep, you did a good job.”
“Thanks, Captain.” Elisabeth smiled softly and followed Steffi, Nala, and Ronin off the jet into the empty hangar. It looked like AIMM was having a quiet night so far, and the halls were silent and deserted as we made our way up to the headmaster’s office.
Nick tapped softly on the wooden door.
“Come in,” Burkhard’s deep voice called from inside.
It must have been past eleven by this point, but none of us were surprised to find the Kingpin look-alike seated at his desk behind a towering pile of manilla folders.
“Ah, allow me to offer my official welcome to AIMM,” Burkhard said to the Japanese cadets. “We’re very pleased to have you here with us.”
“Many thanks, Headmaster,” Ronin said with intense formality as she pressed her palms together in front of her and bent forward in a short bow.
“I’d offer you all a seat, but as you can see, I don’t have enough chairs.” Burkhard gestured at the five chairs in front of his desk with a shrug.
“I think we’re okay, but thanks,” I chuckled at the headmaster’s attempt at a joke. “We’d like to tell you about the mission and go have a good night’s sleep.”
“Very well.” The Kingpin look-alike nodded. “So, how did it go?”
“Fairly routine,” I said. “The Sinsimito was causing a lot of damage to the jungle, but its hide was way too thick for tranq darts, so Kitsune came up with a pretty genius plan to capture the beast alive.”
“Is that so?” Burkhard’s weary eyes glistened with interest as he turned to the narrow Japanese cadet. “Tell me about it.”
“He used his superspeed to weave a net of vines around the monster.” Steffi shot an impressed smile at Kit beside her.
“A net, huh?” Burkhard steepled his fingers in front of his face and nodded in contemplation. “Made of vines. That’s clever.”
“It was nothing,” the lean speedster waved away the praise. “My father is a fisherman, I spent my childhood weaving rope on his boat.”
“We would not have been able to capture the beast alive if not for your brilliant plan,” Ronin said.
“What about the Chaneque?” Headmaster Burkhard asked as he glanced around the group. “Did you encounter any of them?”
“We did,” Elisabeth said. “There were a few dozen of the little sprites. They were very angry at all the destruction the Sinsimito had caused to their jungle.”
“Annoying little ankle-biters,” Nala grumbled under her breath.
“They were more an irritation and complication to our primary mission than anything else,” I explained. “But Goldie blew them into Nick’s crosshairs, and he took them all down with his tranq gun.”
“Ah, very good,” Burkhard murmured. “We have a few of them to add to our collection, I take it?”
“Uh, no,” I hesitated. “We decided that disturbing their population would only agitate them more and bring further disruption and chaos to the local community, so we left them all in the jungle.”
“I see.” A frown creased his brow. “Samples, perhaps?”
“Oh, yes,” Nala promptly answered. “We got plenty of samples for you.”
“Pictures, too,” Elisabeth added.
“It just felt like the right thing to do,” Nick said with a slightly defensive tone. “They just want to protect nature, it didn’t seem right to capture them.”
“Very good, Mr. Walters.” The Kingpin look-alike nodded once more, and his face relaxed. “Anything else to report? No new dragons, I suppose?”
“No, sir,” I chuckled at his slightly eager expression. “That was about it.”
“Ah, very well.” The bald man offered us a pleasant smile and waved us off. “Well done, cadets. I’m relieved to hear the situation was handled without issue. This is precisely why we rely on your team so much, and I look forward to seeing how our Japanese liaisons perform with our resident Dragon Conjurer to lead them.”
“Yes, sir.” I grinned.
“Have a good night, all of you.” The headmaster gestured toward the door.
The Japanese cadets nodded politely, and Ronin offered another short bow before they filed out into the hallway.
My team and I followed a step behind them, and we strode down the hall toward the elevator together.
“We shall see you tomorrow,” Kitsune said when we reached the elevator.
“Sleep well,” Wisp added, and I thought maybe her reserved exterior had started to soften toward us a little.
“You coming?” Phoenix asked his twin sister as he stepped onto the crowded elevator with the other Japanese cadets.
“I will return to our room shortly, brother,” Ronin said.
“Okay, have fun,” Phoenix chuckled as the metal doors slid closed.
“I need all the food,” Nick grumbled while we waited for the elevator to return.
“I could use a little snack, too, honestly,” Nala agreed.
“I’m hungry, too,” Steffi said. “We didn’t have dinner.”
“And the beef jerky, dried fruit, and granola bars we had on the flight back is just not enough,” Nick groaned and rubbed a hand over his stomach. “Sooo hungry.”
