Dragon 7 Chapter 28 (Patreon)

I winced as Norton stabbed me again, drawing another thin line of blood from me.

We’d been at the stonehenge for at least a half an hour. I was beginning to wonder if anybody was going to show when Summer came over the hill, her hair dancing in the wind like a green field, while her dress splayed out to the side.

Summer’s face was set in a soft determination, maintaining her regal bearing and her power poured outward. She was beautiful and powerful.

“Mother.” Aurora shouted, standing in the middle of the stonehenge, atop a circular stone. “You’ve come.” It seemed like a cheap attempt to have control of the situation by standing on the stone.

Aurora really was a pale imitation of Summer.

Summer only sighed. “You knew I would.” Her face was set with firm purpose, but when her eyes met mine, I saw her inner struggle. Her daughter was putting an impossible choice in front of her. “Ah. Dragonbane.” Something clicked in Summer’s expression. “I see. So you plan to force me into a duel to the death here? Are you sure that is wise, my daughter?”

As expected of her, she saw through everything at a glance.

Aurora’s expression dropped from gloating into plain annoyance. “Mother, you do not know me as well as you think you do.” She failed to sound like anything but a petulant child.

“I carried you in my womb. I raised you and I nurtured you into the woman you are today. Trust me, Aurora, I knew all that matters most.” Summer came up to the edge of the stonehenge and started to walk towards me.

“Stop it. Norton, kill the dragon king if she takes another step.” Aurora demanded.

Summer paused mid step and withdrew her foot, turning back to her daughter and giving her the same look a mother gives a naughty child. “Oh how endless war has warped you, my daughter.” She turned away, clearly not feeling the need to give Aurora the attention or consideration she was craving. “I want these wars to end. I’ve seen what they do to our people. We are constantly at war. When our soldiers come home, it never leaves them. We have become an angry people, always looking for the next victory. Some small measure to win, to feel superior. It’s nothing but a charlatan’s salve for the real problem.”

“The wars are part of who we are.” Aurora insisted. “To take them away would be to weaken the fae. We are sharpened blades precisely because of the wars.”

Summer stepped under one of the arches of the henge and into the center. “I doubt I can change your mind. If you wish to fight, so be it.”

“I will give you the dragon king if you win.” Aurora stuck her chin out. “Neither of us leaves the henge without the other dead.”

“You have put me in a tight spot.” Summer admitted.

Aurora sneered. “Because you won’t kill me mother; I know that. You are too soft for a fae queen, and I will prove that.”

“By bringing me to a henge without an army on either side? When I became queen, it wasn’t because I tricked my mother. It was because the entire Summer Fae stood behind me. But I understand the choice. If you had brought the nobles and the generals here, they would have stabbed you through this henge.” Summer glanced once more over to the side where I was trussed up like a chicken, eying Norton who was holding the spear, ready to stab me again.

She worked to school her emotions, but I could see the mix of anger and despair in her eyes. There was no easy way out of this, unless her daughter stood down.

Which was growing increasingly unlikely by the moment.

“It matters not.” Aurora shouted, sounding more like a spoiled teenager than a queen. “We are here, and we will settle it with the rules that have been set around the stonehenges.”

I coughed as I tried to shout, barely managing to get my words out. “What are the rules? For those of us that don’t know?” I descended into a coughing fit, but they’d heard my question.

“Henges are sites of champion duels.” Summer stated loudly enough for me to hear. “Armies would gather on each side. Their champions would step forward to fight and settle a matter between armies with a single life. They also are where nobles settled their disputes, each noble bringing their people to surround the henge. That means those at the edge of the henge can participate. They can stab someone who gets too close or toss them a weapon if theirs has been lost.”

I coughed. “Or hold a piece of iron?” Looking over at Norton, I noticed he had a series of long iron spikes set to the side.

Summer frowned and followed my line of sight. “We don’t normally include non-fae in these.” She clicked her tongue. “Unfortunately, it is a tradition steeped in a particular lack of rules.” She didn’t really seem that concerned.

“So, mother, do you agree to a duel to the death? If you do not, the dragon king will die.” Aurora gloated from atop the stone circle in the center.

“I will.” Summer sighed. Lifting her dress off the ground, she gracefully moved around one of the arches of the henge. “You will release the dragon king into my care should you admit defeat.”

“I challenge you to a duel to the death. Neither of us can leave this henge until the other is dead.” Aurora drew a saber and pointed it at her mother.

“So be it.” Summer reached into her dress.

Aurora closed the distance a heartbeat later, thrusting her sword towards her mother’s heart.

Summer flicked her daughter's blade aside as she pulled her own saber from her dress. “Do not mistake my kindness for weakness, daughter. My kindness is because I have the strength to no longer feel the need to defend myself so desperately.”

The two of them fought in a graceful dance that was mesmerizing to watch. They were both skilled fighters, trained in true combat through the war with Winter. Their styles were similar, making them able to anticipate each others’ next move.

But Summer was the true queen and at the height of her power. The next parry ended with Summer sending her daughter's blade flying. But instead of taking the moment to push forward, Summer stepped back, waiting for her daughter to attack once more.

Aurora sent a wave of fire at her mother, using it as a shield as she rolled to the side and snatched back up her saber.

A simple cut from the fae queen parted the fire, and Summer waited once more, her head held high.

“This’ll take some time. Aurora won’t be able to kill her mother, and Summer is just going to try and wear her down until she admits defeat.” I told Norton, hanging from my chains.

“Shut up.” He pricked me with the spear again.

Thankfully, Norton wasn’t smart enough to leave the spear touching my skin. What little mana I generated I was sending straight to healing my torn calf.

The wound was still raw, but the bleeding had stopped.

Norton pulled the spear away and put it on a rock, but each time he leaned it up against the rock, it fell down in my direction.

After the third try he rolled his eyes and stepped away, pulling out a magazine and loading it into his gun.

“Iron bullets?” I guessed, revulsion filling me at the duo’s dirty play.

He smirked. “Yes. I know you won’t be alive to see it. But, when the paranormal are removed from Earth, it’ll fix everything.”

I laughed. “I lived a human life before college, so I can say with certainty that humans do just fine fucking up their lives on their own. Honestly, you’d be surprised at the amount of work the paranormal world goes through to try to keep you all from destroying each other.”

In the background magic wasn’t just idle in the hands of the paranormal. The sirens had been cleaning water ways for years. In multiple wars it was werewolves that took important positions in the military and ended things swiftly.

We all shared this world and paranormals were doing their part of it too. We just also killed a lot more readily.

Aurora attacked again, Summer easily deflecting the hits and sending up sparks that caught my attention.

I eyed Norton, curious if I could turn him. “I don’t understand why you trust Aurora. Even if you manage to kill me and earth continues to lose mana, it’ll happen at a slow rate. What is it you think vampires feed on?”

He frowned at me, but I had his attention. He hadn’t stepped in to interfere with the duel yet. “What do you mean? Of course vampires feed on blood.”

“No.” I laughed. “They feed on the latent mana in blood. Humans can use magic. There is a whole secret organization of them that calls themselves ‘The Order of the Magi’. Think about it. The first symptom that mana is shrinking will be vampires having to increase how many people they need to feed on to get enough mana.” I was stretching it out, trying to find ways to keep him focused on me and not on shooting Summer.

Norton snorted. “Then I’ll take them out too. I’ll expose them if I have to, and then the whole world will hunt them.”

“Yeah, humans tried that once.” I sighed. “Big war across Europe. The celestial plane, angels, used the church to start a war. Lots of humans went to fight the paranormal. Vampires and werewolves played a big part during that war. They killed lots of humans. Of course, the angels were just using the humans as fodder because each angel’s life is precious. Actually, their plane is on the verge of collapse, but that’s a whole different story. The point is, I can already tell you how this ends. You’re being used. You’re Aurora’s fodder. Just think about what happened to Lopez.”

I could tell I had Norton’s attention. I just need to bring it home and really sucker punch his moral compass and make him stop.

“You recruited Carl and Lopez, didn’t you? And look at them now. Did she even seem to care? Did she make any effort to keep them safe? No. Any means to her gaining power and killing her mother was worth it to her. She has no loyalty to you. You are just another pawn that will die when all of this is done.”

I held my breath, feeling pretty good about my speech but not sure how the whackjob’s thoughts would go.

Norton turned and shot me in the leg. “Shut up. My Aurora wouldn’t do that.” The cracked skin around his eyes continued to puff out gray smoke, reminding me that there were other magical properties keeping my words from truly reaching him. He turned and walked off.

I channeled what little mana I had into repairing the bullet hole he’d just created.

Dragonbane hopped towards me.

“Oh, not you too.” I glared at the weapon and used a little more of my dragon mana.

It hopped again, sliding a few inches.

I narrowed my eyes at the spear. Apparently I had to keep my dragon side less active.

I watched it, more nervous about it than Norton.

Licking my lips, I focused on what was happening in the stonehenge again.

Norton squared up by one of the stones. Based on his stance, he was preparing to shoot Summer the next opening that he got. Such a coward's way out. Aurora knew she couldn’t defeat her mother and had almost zero support.

I couldn’t use my dragon magic without essentially begging the spear to stab me, but I still had fae magic.

Concentrating, I bid my time, waiting for when Norton was about to shoot.

The two summer fae broke from their fight, and Norton sighted down his gun.

Just when I thought he was going to shoot, I snapped a portal open in front of him. I had the portal open right next to Aurora.

Norton fired in a quick burst of three bullets. All three went straight through the portal and to Aurora.

Both women rolled to the ground at the first sound of gunfire. Unfortunately, my portal was off. I’d come close, but Aurora hadn’t gotten hit.

“Norton, watch where you are aiming!” Aurora shouted.

“It wasn’t me. The dragon king made a portal again.” Norton cursed and turned back to me, shooting at me and missing. The bullets sent sparks off the rock I was chained to.

“Hey, we are allowed to help, aren’t we?” I shouted at him.

Aurora screamed. “Stab him until he’s unconscious!”

“If he bleeds out, you’ll break your promise, dear daughter. I don’t doubt you are eager to win, but we both knew this would not be quick.” Summer taunted her daughter.

Aurora was frustrated and sent waves of heat off of her that baked and shriveled the grass around the stonehenge.

Summer stood proud, a single strip of green grass safely tucked behind her.

“Shoot her!” Aurora demanded.

I made a portal, a large one as he turned. When he pivoted, I tried to close it over his arms. But he jerked, faster than I could track.

We both stared at his gun, which had the front cut off with smooth precision. But his arms were still intact.

I clicked my tongue. Damn. I really had to work on my aim.

Norton let out a frustrated scream and turned to me, rushing in my direction.

I popped open another portal, but I had to move quickly, my brain only thinking to make it exit on the other side of the henge.

It bought me a little time as Norton fell out on the other side and looked around confused.

I glanced down at the spear, frowning as I tried to imagine a portal opening around half of it. But each time I tried, the magic fizzled. Open air seemed to work much better. Or in a natural gateway.

What I really needed was another set of hands. I tried to think of a way to summon help. But the yacht was a moving target, and I wasn’t exactly sure where it was in the river. That seemed like an easy way to fuck something or somebody up.

The manor was my best shot. I hoped somebody was back home.

I concentrated on my office, snapping open a portal large enough for someone to come through.

Nyske was staring back at me, her eyes wide as she took in my current state. “My king!”

“Nyske, get help.” I shouted.

I expected her to run out of the room to do just that, but she jumped through the portal instead. “Everyone is out following Pixie, looking for you.”

It made sense they’d followed the enchantment, but it would have been helpful to have a few more of them around.

The spear jumped at us and Nyske jumped back just as Norton caught up to us.

I barely got out a warning cry before he’d hit Nyske hard enough I thought the nymph might not make it.

But she weathered the blow with a lot more durability than I had expected

Norton swung for me and I snapped a portal into place, his fist going right through and hitting himself in the face.

The hit launched him sideways and ripped his arm out of the portal before I could sever it.

I was beginning to understand why Ikta liked her portals so much.

They were fun as shit.

“Nyske, chains.” I called out to her.

Nyske came running straight for me. She jumped and planted her feet on the chain, pinning it to the stone and pulled. I almost rolled my eyes at the idea she was strong enough to just rip them off. But the iron chains groaned, and the welding on them broke under her strength. I raised my eyebrows as my wrists were close to being freed, I just needed to finish breaking that link.

I turned too late as Norton attacked Nyske once more, pulling her away as they went down on the ground, wrestling.

Nyske got him with a hook that sent him reeling. I smiled. Nyske was a lot stronger than she looked.

The spear hopped on the ground again, but now it was shifting towards Nyske and Norton’s fight.

I paused. The spear was supposed to be attracted to dragons, which raised far more questions in my mind.

It was about time Nyske showed me the memories stored in the damn crystal.

I pulled on the chains and lifted my good foot up to where the chains sank into the stone, letting my dragon out. Norton hadn’t been able to stab me recently.

With a roar that rumbled my chest, I pulled.

The links snapped and I fell from the stone, hitting the ground and remembering the spear a moment later. I rolled away as it tried to stab me again.

“Norton!” Aurora shouted from the henge as she noticed the chaos outside. “Kill her and then chain him back up.”

“Trying.” Norton rolled out of the tussle with Nyske and kicked her hard enough to send her rolling.

I dropped a shoulder and hit Norton in a tackle that would have made Kelly’s pack proud. Keeping my feet under me, I ran with Norton for a few more steps before slamming him down to the ground, putting my full body weight on top of him.

My dragon was still just a thin thing lingering at the edge of my awareness, but I had enough strength to knock him around. I hammered him with blows.

Norton covered his face with his arms. Smoke started to pour around his guard, and his body was reinforced once more by his connection to Iapetus.

He shoved me off of him, and I stumbled back until Nyske caught me.

Norton dove to the side, racing for the spear. He managed to snag it and twirl towards me before I reached him.

He stabbed at me, but the spear bent away from me, towards Nyske.

We shared the briefest of looks, and I made sure she knew that I noticed, before I grabbed the spear and tried to call on my dragon. Two horns curled out from my forehead and scales dotted my skin before my head came crashing into Norton’s.

There was a concussive thud as the curl of my horns met Norton’s skull and sent him reeling backward.

I put my hands on the spear and pulled it back from Nyske before opening a portal and thrusting the spear through. The other end of the portal was only a few yards away, but it was enough.

The grin on my face was impossibly wide as I snapped the portal closed.

My grin lasted long enough for me to register the full effects of what was about to happen. The spear crackled with magic, the portal and it struggling for a moment.

“Run.” I turned and grabbed Nyske’s hand. She grabbed onto my shoulder before the spear snapped, and the light from the explosion was so bright that I couldn’t see anything else.