Wrath of the dragon 5, p.5
Wrath of the Dragon 5, page 5
Then a piercing scream echoed in from the tunnel, and Fianna was on her feet in a split second. She soared along the tunnel and vanished around the corner before I could blink.
I jumped up with the other angels and tore along the stone ground as fast as my legs could carry me.
“What was that?” Brooke cried as she flew behind me. “It sounds far away!”
“It came from outside,” Ruby said. “Sounds like someone has met a demon.”
The scream carried on for a few more seconds before it abruptly went quiet, and I knew that was a bad sign.
Shit.
Fianna had been right about people going out into the jungle. I had to get to the person in trouble before one of those kangaroo fuckers could hurt them, and I hoped I wasn’t too late.
Everyone in the large cavern had gotten to their feet and grabbed their spears. The boulder had been rolled aside to allow passage to the outside as well.
“Get the children down to the river!” Fianna yelled. “Tigers! Guard them!”
The kids all raced downhill without argument, and the green cats prowled after them. It was testament to how much they trusted the huntress angel, and I couldn’t help but be impressed as I ran toward the tunnel that led outside.
The two men at the entrance looked at Fianna as we reached them, and they nodded at her before they ran out through the vines. I sprinted after them into the humid jungle and looked around for any signs of danger. The screaming had stopped, but the back of my neck prickled with an eerie sense of evil.
“It came from the banks,” the man with a scar said.
Fianna soared over the ground to lead the way, and I ran after her with my sword drawn. We zigzagged past vines that curled down slowly, and we leapt over roots that protruded from the ground as if they were designed to slow us down. Sweat poured down my neck from the heat of the jungle as we made our way down the hillside as silently as we could, until the sound of heavy footsteps rang out nearby.
The angels landed quietly as we crept toward a thick wall of bushes, and I gently pressed the leaves aside to see something huge standing beside the river.
It was a bear that looked like it was created in a fucking nightmare lab.
The beast towered at ten feet tall and stood on its hind legs. Brown fur stained with blood covered its huge body, and its back had a crooked hunch. Red eyes glared above its wide snout that had sharp fangs snapping and drooling saliva.
Then the monster sniffed the air and roared loudly as it swung around to look at us.
Chapter 4
I transformed into my fire dragon body before the bear had time to move. Fiery heat coursed through my limbs as golden scales appeared in place of skin. My huge wings broke branches around me as I shot forward into the clearing by the river, and as I opened my jaws, I came face to face with the huge Bear.
It roared so loudly that it shook the leaves around us.
Then a stream of golden fire erupted from my throat and collided with the monster’s face. The bear howled as flames consumed its head and torso, and it leapt into the river with an almighty splash.
Water shot into the air as the beast put out the flames with a loud sizzle.
It pushed itself upright again, but my fire had burned its fur badly. The bear’s eyes were nothing more than bubbling jelly, but it swung its lethal claws at me as I flew toward it again.
I slammed my huge body at the blinded bear, and I sent it tumbling back down into the water.
Then I dove down with my jaw wide open and sunk my teeth into the fucker’s skull. I felt bones shatter inside my mouth as I bit down with all my strength, and the bear fell limp as I slammed my jaw into its brain and killed it.
The whole fight took less than a minute.
I spat out the gross mixture of blood and skull shards as the clearing fell silent.
“Yes!” Brooke hissed excitedly as I landed on the bank. “Ryan! That was sooo amazing!”
“You bit it’s fucking head off!” Cyra grinned. “That’s what you get when you mess with the dragon god!”
I focused on my human form and felt the prickly heat of my scales melt away. My body shrank back down to normal size as the wings disappeared into my spine. The humidity of the jungle hit me as I wiped sweat from my brow.
My angels hurried forward to look at the mangled corpse of the bear, and Nisha laced her fingers into mine.
“That was enchanting,” the night angel whispered. “You moved so quickly!”
“It was the work of a true god.” Ruby smiled. “Ryan, you seem to get faster with your moves every time you fight.”
“Thanks.” I grinned.
I looked over my shoulder to see that Fianna was not even looking at the bear. Her hazel eyes were fixed on me as she curled her hands into fists.
“You killed it,” she snarled quietly. “Why would you do that?”
“Uh,” I said as I turned around. “Because it’s a violent piece of shit that was going to kill us? You can’t tell me that was one of your beloved jungle creatures?”
“That was my bear to kill!” Fianna snapped viciously. “You had no right! This is my job as the protector of the jungle. I’ve killed all the others who stalked the land, and I did not need your help.”
Her chestnut cheeks were flushed with anger, and the two men beside her exchanged confused glances.
“Fianna,” the one with a scar said. “This is huge news. We have a dragon god amongst us?”
“That doesn’t matter,” the huntress angel said sourly. “He clearly has no respect for the way this land works.”
“Respect?” I snorted. “I just saved your people from a demonic bear. Sure, this is your land, but you need help.”
“I do not!” Fianna snarled. “I knew I couldn’t trust you with the whole truth.”
She spun on her heel and marched back up the hill, and her two men followed her.
“Wait!” I said as I strode after her. “What does that mean? What haven’t you told me?”
The huntress angel didn’t speak as she led her men back toward the cave, and I tried to give her a moment to calm down. I got that she was angry I had killed the creatures she took pride in hunting, but I was pissed that she had kept back information on purpose.
Her pride was getting in the way of helping, and I needed her to understand that.
“She’s being ridiculous,” Ruby said under her breath. “I told you she would be difficult.”
“I agree,” I said. “This can only work if she tells us what she knows. We need to get her on our side.”
“You could throw her in the river,” Cyra muttered. “That might get her to talk.”
“Cyra!” Brooke giggled. “Don’t be mean!”
“She needs some time to adjust,” Nisha reasoned. “Her people have relied on her all this time. It might take a while for her to accept that Ryan is the one who will save us.”
“It’s not like I do it all alone,” I sighed. “Everyone needs to come together for this shit to work.”
We walked in silence up the rest of the hillside, and I wondered if Fianna would even let us back inside. She stormed through the vines without a word, but the two guards held the entrance open for us.
“Thanks,” I said as we stepped into the coolness of the cave. “It’s good to know we have such loyal fighters here. You both raced out to help without a thought.”
Fianna stormed down the tunnel, and I hung back to give her some space.
“You really are a god,” the man with a scar said quietly.
“A dragon shifter,” the shorter one breathed. “How can this be possible?”
“It’s a long story.” I smiled. “I’m not here to take over Fianna’s leadership. I’ve eliminated the demons in four other realms, and I only want to do the same here.”
“We will serve alongside you,” the shorter man said firmly. “I’ve dreamed of seeing a dragon all my life. The way you took down that bear was amazing.”
“I wouldn’t have believed it unless I saw it,” the scarred man said with a bewildered shake of his head. “We’ll tell everyone in the tribe about your power.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I doubt Fianna will be doing that, but it will be received well if it comes from you.”
“A god who cares,” the scarred man breathed in disbelief. “This feels like a dream.”
“You better believe it!” Brooke smiled. “Ryan is the strongest ruler Dracoria has ever seen! Not to mention the kindest, smartest, handsomest, and bravest.”
I stroked the water angel’s blonde curls as she looked at me adoringly.
“We should go and speak to Fianna,” I said. “If anyone can charm her, it’s my angels.”
“Don’t bet on it,” Ruby said. “But I suppose her love for her people must overpower her stubbornness eventually.”
“Cyra should talk to her,” Nisha said. “I always thought she was the most stubborn person I knew. Well, until now.”
The fire angel rolled her eyes, and we made our way into the sloped tunnel. I was riding a high from slaughtering the bear, but I knew earning Fianna’s trust might be just as hard of a battle.
And I definitely wanted her trust.
Not just to achieve our means in these lands, either.
I furrowed my brow as I realized there was a strange heat in my veins at the thought of the challenge before me. It wasn’t irritation or anger causing the heat, though. It was something more primal.
Something that seemed to awaken all the dragons within me at once.
I wanted this angel to be my follower. I wanted her fierce and piercing eyes to join the ranks of the loyal, winged women around me, and the more stubborn she was about it, the more I felt myself being drawn to her.
“Ryan, what’s wrong?” Brooke whispered loudly. “You look so scowly and determined.”
I swiftly snapped out of my brooding. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just… thinking.”
“Hmm…” Nisha glanced over at me with a raised eyebrow. “About what?”
“Nothing,” I said with a smirk that she seemed to find very amusing.
The boulder was still rolled aside to let us in as we reached the bottom of the slope, and Fianna was at the back of the cave amongst piles of weapons. She studied a spear carefully and ran a finger along the gray tip.
People gathered around her asking what had happened, but she wasn’t providing any answers. The tigers and kids were still down at the river, and there was a sense of unease in the cavern.
“Ryan killed the bear!” Brooke announced happily. “You can go and get those adorable children back up.”
The crowd turned from Fianna and started to gather around us instead. Curious faces crowded in as one woman headed down to collect the kids.
“That bear was close,” one older man said. “Did it track down our home?”
“It was going to,” I said. “But it’s not going to have the chance anymore, okay? You’re safe.”
Fianna snorted loudly and kept her back to me as she picked up a different spear to examine.
I fought the urge to smirk.
“How did you kill it?” a young woman asked. “With your sword?”
“With his dragon body,” Nisha said. “He bit the monster’s head into a million pieces.”
“You should ask the guards upstairs,” I said hastily. “They can give you a rundown in their own words.”
The group murmured amongst themselves before two women hurried away to the entrance. I didn’t want to stand there bragging when I was trying to win Fianna’s trust and cooperation. Sure, it was kind of cute how easily I got under her skin, but we were on a time crunch here. I needed to stay focused on our goal.
Not on this new heat in my veins.
The green tigers emerged with the children in tow, and the crowd dispersed to be reunited with the children.
“Let’s talk to her,” I said quietly. “Remember not to rile her up, okay? This isn’t going to work if she explodes with anger at every word we say.”
“Easier said than done,” Ruby sighed. “But we can try.”
We walked over to the back of the cave, and Fianna didn’t even look up from her spear. She tested the weight of the weapon in her hand before she leaned it against the cave wall.
“Listen,” I said gently. “I know this is your realm. These are your people, and I’m not trying to take that away from you. But if you love them, then you’ll need help saving them.”
“Of course I love them,” Fianna muttered. “But you just come in here claiming that your some dragon god—”
“I think we can all accept he’s proven that,” Cyra said, and she shrugged when I gave her a warning glance.
“I am a dragon god,” I said simply. “It’s taken a while for me to accept that, but it’s true. You don’t need to care about that. All you have to do is join in our fight. That’s the only way we can free the Jungle Lands.”
Fianna finally looked at me, and her face softened only slightly. Her frown became a slack look of uncertainty as she glanced between the angels.
“Ryan has done impossible things,” Nisha said. “We watched him kill a jinn that had been keeping Cyra’s Elite gift hidden in its lair. He’s killed more demons than I can count, and slain their rulers, and he’s helped people get their lives back.”
“A jinn?” Fianna asked, and there was genuine curiosity in her voice.
“Yup,” Brooke said and propped her hands on her hips. “It was seriously amazing. You should have seen the way he slaughtered that big ugly jerk.”
“He was offered wishes,” Ruby said in a more serious tone. “Ryan could have taken endless riches, immortality, anything he wanted. He chose to save the Fire Lands instead. Now, you may be from the Jungle Lands, but I know even you have heard the tales of the millions who have fallen to the lure of a jinn.”
The huntress sighed as she looked over at the tribe, and she folded her arms when she glanced back at me. I sensed that we were close to a breakthrough, and I steadily held her hazel gaze as a rush of satisfaction seeped through me.
“That is quite impressive,” she sighed. “I admit that takes strength, but I don’t understand how you can have a dragon form. Was it given to you by another god?”
“Not exactly,” I said. “We don’t need to get into those details right now.”
I was curious how she’d react to finding out I had slept with most of these angels to bind with them, but I chose to focus on our main objective instead of that burning curiosity for now.
Fianna studied me for a moment before she nodded slowly.
“I’ll talk honestly,” she finally said. “But if I think for a second that this is some kind of trick to gain power, then I’ll set the tigers on you.”
“Agreed.” I smiled. “No lies or tricks. We just have to talk and plan our next steps. I need your help, and I know you’re powerful enough to help us take these demons down for good.”
“Let’s go to the cabin,” Fianna muttered. “You’ll need these.”
She grabbed five spears and held them out to us, and I took the longest one.
“We have swords,” I said. “I think they’ll probably work just fine, but these are great weapons.”
“You need the spears,” Fianna said, and she marched past us without an explanation.
“What cabin?” Cyra muttered.
“I have no idea,” I sighed. “But we’re about to find out.”
We followed Fianna back out of the cavern and up to the cave doorway. The guards held the vines aside, and we passed through into the heat of the jungle.
“You just said being outside isn’t safe,” Cyra hissed. “What exactly are we doing?”
“We’ll be safe at the cabin,” Fianna said without expanding any further.
“No,” I said firmly, and my tone finally made the huntress turn around. “I’m not taking my angels out into this demon-infested jungle unless you have a good reason.”
The angel crossed her arms over her ample chest, but she wasn’t glaring this time.
“The cabin is safe,” Fianna said. “It’s near the lagoon, and it’s heavily guarded. There’s enough weapons inside to slaughter an army of demons, we can talk privately without worrying my people, and there’s beds for you to sleep in.”
Her tone was finally less laced with anger and defensiveness, and she almost seemed tired. I studied her for a moment and decided that she was finally telling us the full truth.
“Okay.” I nodded. “Lead the way.”
Fianna led us further around the hilltop and down the other side. There were much thicker trees here, and the bark had that purple tint to it that we’d seen near the lagoon before. I had a spear clutched in one hand, and the other rested on the hilt of my sword.
There were hundreds of questions circling my mind, but I knew we should get inside before making any unnecessary noise.
The huntress angel took us around a fallen tree that was covered in blue frogs, and we stepped out into a clearing with a decent-sized log cabin.
Six green-and-brown tigers sat silently around the building with their ears pricked up and alert. They purred as Fianna approached, but they didn’t leave their stations. There was something comforting about seeing the green tigers sitting outside so still and ready. It was obvious that the jungle animals loved Fianna as much as the people did.
The cabin itself was fairly plain with a black door and small windows. I could see the glistening lagoon a few feet away between the trees, and a nearby bird cawed loudly. It felt like the kind of whimsical getaway that would cost thousands of dollars back on Earth.
Fianna pushed the entrance open and gestured for us to follow. Inside was a world of vivid colors and live creatures. It somehow seemed far bigger on the inside than it should have been, too, and a scent of sweet fruit lingered in the air.
Plants that had long outgrown their pots twisted up to the ceiling, and their purple flowers were home to countless rainbow-colored bugs. A golden parrot with blue speckles slept on a perch above one of the windows, and a grouchy-looking creature was curled up in a pile of blankets on the floor. It was like a small monkey with a more pointed snout, and its pale pink fur was extremely fluffy. The creature had its long tail wrapped around its body as it watched us with a scrunched-up face and narrowed eyes.
