I woke up to a pat on the face. Opening my eyes I saw Georgie standing in front of me. “Are we going to leave?”
I blew out a breath causing his hair to blow up away from his face. He giggled and I nodded my big head.
“I’m going to wake up Fox,” I swung my head around and watched him run around to Fox’s sleeping body. He jumped on Fox, who was startled awake, but managed to catch him and began tickling him.
I nudged Fox after Georgie stopped giggling, “What?”
“She wants you to get up so she can shift,” Jace told him, walking up on us.
“Oh right! Sorry,” He said, getting off of my front leg. I stood on all fours, stretching my back like a cat and reaching my wings up in the air, before shifting.
Jace handed me my clothes, “Thanks, Jace.”
“So how are we doing this today?”
“Baskets for those who can’t shift, and I’ll be keeping hold of the prisoners. Sound good?”
“Yeah that sounds great. I don’t know how many people here can actually shift, though.”
“I also thought if we have too many people in baskets to carry their stuff, we could use Jax, Alanza, and Matt to pull sleds.”
Fox laughed, “I don’t know if Matt or Jax will go for that.”
“Probably not, but Alanza can probably convince Jax, who can convince Matt. Boom, problem solved,” Fox rolled his eyes at my reasoning, causing me to smile. “Will you make sure your guys are up and ready?”
“Yeah,” he said, giving me a small smile and a kiss on the forehead before leaving.
“Come on Little Dragon. Let’s go check on your aunt and uncle, and see if they need any help,” Jace said, picking up Georgie
“Do we know how many can shift?” I mind linked Ian.
“I’ll ask Mom,” Ian said. I created the sleds I thought would work, and soon Ian’s voice entered my head again, “Mom says only a handful of them can shift. Most haven’t learned or don’t remember how.”
I couldn’t stop the growl that came out, causing the few clan members that were in the center of town with me to freeze. “Sorry, guys. I keep thinking the atrocities will stop, but they just keep coming,” I told them and they nodded their heads before going back to what they were doing. “Can she link the ones who can, and have them meet me in the center of town?” I asked Ian through mind link. “Jace, can you ask Alanza, Jax, and Matt about the sleds please?” I linked him.
“Sure. I’ll let you know what they say,” he linked back.
Soon seven older dragons were standing before me, including Mona. They each introduced themselves: Astrid Ellis and her mate Michael Ellis, Malani Bishop, Oliver Bailey, Oscar Weaver, and Poppy Lake. “It’s nice to officially meet you guys. Let me tell you what I’m thinking for transport,” I explained my plan for the baskets and sleds.
“I’m worried the baskets will fall apart on our way there. You have weak spots here,” Poppy pointed to a spot, “Here,” she pointed to another spot, “and here. If you bend your vines and plants like this instead,” she bent more plants in and weaved them in a new way, “you’re less likely to have breaking.”
I nodded my head and walked over to one of the baskets with her, “So like this?” I asked, bending the plants the way I thought she did it.
“Almost. Weave them a little tighter and closer to the handle attachment,” she said.
I did as she instructed and she gave me a warm smile. She helped me fix the baskets and offered her opinion on the sleds. “Thank you for your help. Plants are still new to me, although Kachina is teaching me as quickly as she can and as quickly as my obligations allow.”
“You’re doing well Amaya,” she said, hugging me around my waist, “Kachina is a great teacher. I can also teach you once we return.”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze, “I would love that. Thank you.” I looked at the others, who had been watching the exchange quietly, “Okay what do you guys say we get linked again, officially?” I pulled out one of my knives and linked myself back with them, so I didn’t have to invade their minds again. Niamh purred and cooed with each bond that clicked into place, happy to have more clan members, “That’s much better. Now let’s shift and get headed home.”
“It’s been so long. I know I said I could, but I don’t know if I remember,” Malani said with a quiet sob.
I went to her immediately, wrapping my arms around her. Niamh reached out to comfort her dragon, and we stayed like that until she calmed down and was ready to separate. Our foreheads pressed together, “Just let your dragon come forward. She’ll do the rest.” We pulled completely apart and she gave me a small smile and a nod, “Who wants to go first?”
“I would be happy to,” Oscar said, “But you all might want to move, from what I remember Ekon is pretty big.”
I smiled back at him as we moved out of his way. He groaned through his shift, but soon his large sand dollar colored dragon, Ekon, stood before us. I walked over to him and he dipped his head into my waiting hands, “You’re stunning Ekon,” I linked him as I rested my forehead in the middle of his massive head.
“Thank you, my queen,” he linked back. I didn’t correct him because I felt his need to call me his queen, rather than him feeling he had to for fear of punishment.
I stepped back as he took flight and bent the clouds to conceal him as he flew into the sky. “Okay who’s next?”
Malani blew out a breath, “I would like to try.”
I gave her a reassuring smile, “Just let her come forward. She’ll do the rest.” She nodded before walking out into the clearing and triggering her shift. Her medium ebony dragon did the same thing Oscar’s dragon did, putting her head in my hands. “Beautiful,” I linked her.
“My name is Alyx, my queen. Thank you for giving Malani strength,” Alyx linked back.
“Always,” I linked her before stepping back so she could take flight. I went through the same routine with each of them, meeting each of their dragons.
Jax came walking up after Mona, the last of them to shift, took flight. “Fox and Jace mentioned something about sleds?”
“Yeah. Would you guys be willing to pull sleds of stuff, anything we can’t carry with us?” He nodded, “Great! People should be coming into the center of town soon, so we’ll know how much you guys will have to carry.”
People began filling into the town center, carrying all they owned or wanted to keep, and for some people my heart ached because the amount they had or wanted to keep was so small. Ian and Jace helped everyone and their things load up into the baskets or the sled. Once everything was ready we shifted and flew up to where the others were waiting. Ian and Jace picked up baskets of people as well as baskets of stuff, whereas the elders each carried two baskets each of stuff. When I came down for my baskets and the two prisoners, Fox was waiting for me. “Can I ride on your back?”
I nodded my head and settled down in the middle of the clearing. He easily climbed onto my back, so I flew up and came back down for my baskets and two prisoners.
We were halfway there when Jace linked me, “Do you hear that? What is that?”
I barely caught a whiff of what was making the sound, “It’s not good,” I linked back before opening the link up to Ian too, “Drop as close to the trees as you can. I’ll bend the plants up to catch the baskets.” I opened a link up to the elders flying with us, “drop your baskets in the trees, and shift. We’re up to date on our training. I can’t lose any of you.”
“Got it” and “Will do” rang in my head as they all responded and did as I instructed them to do just as our attackers came into view.
“What about Fox? You can’t fight with him on your back,” Jace asked.
“I know. I’m working on it,” I responded, dropping my baskets off too. I bent the trees up and around the hunter and Joseph. “I’ve got a bad idea but it’s the only one I see working.”
I shifted midair and twisted so my arms were around him. Bending the wind I made it so we basically floated, “What’s going on?”
“Wyverns. They’re deadly. Stay put and you should be fine,” I said, dropping him easily before he had the chance to say anything else. I shifted quickly back, “Jax, we’ve got wyverns in the sky. I dropped Fox into the forest. Can you keep him safe?”
“Will do Little Duck. Stay safe,” he linked back quickly.
The first one hit me hard, snapping at my neck, trying to get a good grip on me. I twisted us around, getting my jaws around its neck, and snapping it. I tried to hit some with my lightning, but it glanced off of them. I spotted the reason riding on the back of one of the wyverns, a sorceress. A wyvern landed on my back and tried to grab onto my wings, but before it could, I folded in my wings, sending us into a freefall. I spun us trying to throw it off of my back. Finally it was dislodged from my back and I was on it, snapping its neck.
“We have to take out that sorceress, if we have any chance of winning this,” I linked to Jace and Ian.
“I don’t think we’re going to have a chance at getting her. We can’t hit her with our magic, and she’s too well protected,” Jace linked back.
“I don’t think we’ll have much of a chance anyway, she’s my mate. I’m barely holding my dragon back as it is,” Ian linked us.
“Battle your way through and grab her. We need to get rid of her somehow.”
“It would be nice to know why they’re attacking us,” Jace remarked.
I watched as two made a dive for the tree holding Joseph. “I think we just got our answer.” I dove after them, landing on the closest one’s back, snapping its neck before it got the chance to attack. The second one watched its companion fall, abandoning its task of retrieving Joseph, it let out a screech, and made its play for me. We grappled for a few minutes until I gained the slightest upper hand, but before I could take the advantage, the wyvern sliced my wing. I started to fall through the trees. I managed to bend them out of the way and landed on my back not too far from Fox and the others.
The wyvern followed me down to the ground. I quickly rolled to my feet, ready to defend Fox and the others. The wyvern sniffed the air, and set its sights on Fox. Niamh let out a loud growl. As it made its charge toward Fox, I shot forward, grabbed it’s neck in my jaws and snapped its neck. I tested my sliced wing, finding it mostly healed, I took to the sky.
I surveyed the fight before me, Ian had grabbed her easily, given the wyverns were half his size, the wyverns in his way didn’t stand a chance. We were larger than them, but they had the numbers. Several of them made a dive for Joseph’s tree. I tried to use my lightning on them but the sorceress’ magic was still protecting them. I took out as many as I could. One slipped past me while I was tangled up with two others. I looked over at Jace and Ian who were tangled up with a couple of their own each.
I killed the two I was fighting, but as I made a dash for the wyvern who slipped past me, I was hit by three more wyverns. They all managed to keep Jace, Ian, and I occupied while Joseph got away. Once the wyvern carrying Joseph flew out of sight, the others stopped attacking and left as well; leaving the sorceress behind as they went. “Are you both okay?” I linked Jace and Ian.
“Yeah, just a bite or two for me,” Jace linked back.
“Same for me and this damn woman keeps hitting me with her magic. I guess because we’re mates it makes me immune to her magic?” Ian linked us.
“Possibly. Let’s set down and put irons on her,” he growled, “For everyone else’s safety.”
He was still growling, “Sorry Amaya, my dragon really hates that idea.”
“I understand, but we can’t have her shooting off magic at someone, least of all our people,” he nodded his head, but I watched his jaw set as he fought back another growl.
Once my feet were on the ground, I shifted. I located the extra irons in my bag and turned to Ian as he landed near me with his foot still wrapped firmly around his mate. “Let her go, Ian,” I said aloud. He gave a low growl before opening his foot, allowing her to roll out before my feet.
“Please, I don’t know anything. Please don’t put me in irons again,” she said in a small voice.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t risk my people. As soon as I’m sure you aren’t a threat to us, you’ll be out of them,” I told her. Ian growl-whined, laying down on his belly with his head on the ground directly behind her.
I clicked the irons on her as she held out her arms for me. “What’s that one’s problem?” She asked, pointing at Ian.
“Did you feel anything when he held you?”
“Maybe, but I think he was using his powers to knock me out by shocking me.”
“He wasn’t using his powers on you. If he was you would’ve felt it. You two are mates.”
“Sorcerers don’t have mates. There’s no reason to have them.”
“Humans don’t have mates either, yet my mate is human,” her brow furrowed deeply. I shrugged, “The goddess chooses, and she has her reasons.”
“Bu-but it’s just not possible. I don’t understand,” she pulled away from me slightly.
“Will you come back with us to our home in Virginia?” I asked her gently.
She glanced over at Ian, and her mouth opened slightly, before she turned back to me. “What’s his name?”
“Ian Black. Would you like him to shift?”
She started to shake her head, but changed her mind and nodded. Ian immediately shifted, “Please, I have to know your name.”
“Leandra. Leandra Kazan.”
“Leandra,” Ian said quietly, blowing out a breath. “Will you come back with us?”
“They have my sister. That’s the only reason I helped them attack you.” She looked between the two of us, “I can’t go anywhere until I have my sister back.”
Ian gave me a pleading look, causing me to sigh. “Once we get to our location we’ll help you get your sister back, but I have to put my people first.”
She nodded her head, “I understand.”
“You’re flying with me,” Ian growled, “She has irons on, Ian. Her flying with me means she is safe and you can’t be harmed by the iron. Tell Corvin to calm down.”
“And what would Niamh do if the situation was reversed? Tell me she wouldn’t do the same and then I’ll tell Corvin to calm his tits,” he said with hands on his hips.
“Don’t turn this around on me.”
“So you didn’t almost kill a girl in the bar before we left?”
I rolled my eyes, “I certainly did not,” I looked at Leandra, “I hate to tell you this, but you’ve been mated to a complete drama queen.”
She giggled while Ian looked completely offended, “If you guys are done down there, can we get a move on?” Jace linked Ian and me.
“Goddess, both of you need to calm your tits,” I linked him back. “Let’s get after it Ian. Is Corvin going to attack me for hanging on to his mate or do you have control of him?”
“I have control of him, almost definitely,” he said with a grimace.
“Ready?” She nodded, “Okay. I’ll shift, my mate will get on my back, then I’ll pick you up in my foot.”
Once I shifted and picked up Fox and Leandra, I flew for the trees where I dropped my baskets and the hunter. I thanked the goddess when we made it to Alanza’s clan without further incident.
Author: Kailan Counahan 