Dragon Legacy Page 13

  Fleur almost reached the outer cave. She looked towards her lover and her friend. This close, she could see their outlines, but not their facial expressions. They could use telepathy. She could transfer her message to Lukas or Zane. She must let them know her plan. She couldn't see Xavier. Maybe he realized they outnumbered him. She sighed. A heavy hand branded her back. Xavier pulled her against him. She bit back a scream of pain as her bruised ribs banged into his hard body. She must get away from him.

  “Keep positive. Don’t let him into your mind. It’s all an illusion. There’s nothing of him inside of you, Fleur. Push the negative emotion away.” The voice in her head sounded like hers, but the ideas came from Lukas. Emboldened, Fleur pushed at Xavier’s chest until he backed away in surprise. He still stood much too close, but at least she could breathe unhindered.

  “Let go of me, Xavier.”

  *

  Could Fleur's uncommunicative state be a ruse? Perhaps the demon snakes' hypnotic venom diminished sooner than expected. He must subdue her and quickly. If the dragon saw her resist him, he would fight for her. “You didn’t mind when I touched you earlier.”

  “I mistook you for Lukas. You looked like him.”

  If he couldn't control her, she must die. He hadn’t planned a quick death, but at least dead the dragon couldn't have her. Xavier grabbed Fleur, intent on physical domination. Images of the dragon egg and Zane flooded his mind. He lost his intent and pushed Fleur away from him. He heard his inhuman scream as the demon realized the wolf had found the dragon egg. His rants echoed around the cave. The image intensified. It panned outwards and showed the broken trees covered in a viscous liquid around Zane as he held the dragon egg against his bare chest. Xavier cursed his stupidity. He should have left with the egg when he found it, not indulged himself with ideas of revenge. The next powerful image showed a long, deep crack in the dragon egg's shell surrounded by a myriad of smaller cracks. It must be close to hatching. He wouldn't be the dragon's guardian now. Incoherent, the demon clawed at his insides. He screamed in fury.

  *

  Fleur forced her mind from the pain in her ribs. Xavier ranted as he exhibited signs of a seizure. He held his head and muttered, No! No! This can't be. His eyes rolled in his head, and he drooled. Fleur didn't know the cause, but took advantage of his lack of awareness. Now she could escape. She learned meditation in yoga classes at university, and she hoped those skills would help her send a telepathic message to Lukas. The cave was the antithesis of calm. Full of noise, Xavier screamed, bats screeched, and other unidentified creatures scurried in all direction as they sought sanctuary from the demon and his torment. Fleur blocked them from her mind as she edged away from Xavier towards the rock prison's front and freedom. She imagined Lukas. His image dominated her mind, not too hard since she imagined him countless times. Where should I go? She thought as she ran into the main cave. Come on, Lukas. Help me! Which way? She ran away from her rock prison as her desperate gaze searched for a path. She couldn't reach Lukas. Perhaps if she repeated her message like a mantra she could reach him. Come on, Lukas. Help me. Come on, Lukas. Help me. Come on, Lukas. Help me. Fleur soon built up a rhythm in time with her running. A solid cave wall loomed before her. Fleur screamed in frustration. Xavier must be behind her now. Come on, Lukas. Help me. Come on, Lukas. Help me.

  *

  “You’ve done it, Zane. He's confused and furious. Fleur, run, sweetheart. Escape.”

  The wolf growled in agreement and jumped from his vantage point. He waited for Lukas.

  “Let's destroy Xavier.” Lukas fought for control. The dragon roared and burned his human body with his zealous fire. “Don’t stop me this time.” Zane played the wise, silent wolf and trotted towards the rock prison.

  They reached the abandoned rock prison. Lukas swore. He searched for Fleur with his mind, but there was nothing. I must have missed something important, his subconscious insisted. Zane found both Fleur's and Xavier's scent near the rock room's open front. He tracked them into the main cave at a run with Lukas close behind. Lukas stopped; sure he heard Fleur's voice. He looked around him. He could feel her presence. She must be hiding. He couldn't find her. Confused, he focused his mind on her disembodied voice. He saw her image at the solid rock wall they passed through earlier. Xavier pursued Fleur. She must go through the wall or he would capture her. His mind screamed within Fleur's. Walk through the wall. Follow the light.

  *

  Lukas' voice echoed inside her head. It could it be Xavier. Walk through the wall. Really? Mindful of Xavier’s probable pursuit, she stood before the solid cave wall and pushed her foot tentatively against it. Her foot disappeared but without pain. Before her nerve deserted her, she tried an arm—same result. She took a deep breath and walked her entire body through. Made it. The path stretched before her. She headed towards the distant light and hoped it guided her to the cave's entrance.

  *

  Xavier slipped inexorably towards his demonic form with the knowledge that Zane must have hidden the dragon egg after he liberated from Xavier's hiding place... He must find Fleur. He could use her as leverage for the dragon egg. In her debilitated state, Lukas couldn't refuse. He reflected on Lukas' difficult choice: the fate of humanity or the life of his soul mate. The demon's power transfused his body. He could still have it all if he found Fleur.

  *

  The faint light from the rocks around the cave's entrance hurt her eyes after the darkness. When they acclimatized, she looked around. No sign of Lukas and Zane or Xavier. She looked for somewhere to hide. Outside tempted her. She decided against that in case Lukas and Zane couldn't find her. Piles of rocks covered the cave's entrance. She squeezed between two larger rocks hidden from the inner cave.

  A faint, pitiful cry broke the cave's eerie silence. Her compassion aroused. Fleur followed the sound. A rock stood proud from the wall. It moved when she touched it. She jumped back in alarm when she saw a miniature turquoise-scaled dragon emerge, straight from the pages of a fairy tale. The broken eggshell lay all around the distressed, mystical creature. Her sensitive nature overcame her fear. Tentatively she stroked the dragon's head. Hot air blew from the little dragon's nostrils as it turned towards her. She withdrew her hand and avoided the flames. How could this be real? Fleur knew she must protect this dragon from Xavier. The duty fell to her in Lukas' and Zane's absence.

  The dragon stretched its neck and rubbed its scaly head against her hand. Its golden eyes opened so like Lukas'. The dragon gazed at Fleur. Flames leapt from its open mouth. She didn't move her hand quick enough. The fire seared her. She inhaled and waited for the sting of pain. Her hand tingled, but not with the pain from a burn. Strange. A powerful vision cut through her thoughts. Xavier stood at the cave entrance. Her stomach filled with acid, which rushed through her esophagus and burned the back of her throat. Where could they hide?

  *

  Zane passed through the wall at breakneck speed, with Lukas on his tail. They saw Xavier illuminated with odd shafts of moonlight shining through the rock roof's cracks. He stepped onto the path. “Catch him, Zane.” Zane assessed the distance. He shook his head. Lukas sighed. They resumed their journey with heavy hearts. Fleur would face Xavier again, all alone.

  *

  Xavier couldn't believe he hadn’t caught up with Fleur before now. She must know the way. Perhaps Lukas helped her. Interesting. He didn't know she was telepathic. Yesterday, he judged her as a weak, vulnerable human woman. An error of judgement which he paid for now. At the cave’s entrance, he slowed. He didn't want her forewarned of his presence. Fleur stood with her back towards him. She whispered to something in front of her. He stopped and appreciated what the shards of broken eggshell meant. Fleur must be the first person the dragon saw when it hatched. Fleur would be the dragon's guardian and keeper of all its potential power. Did she know? Probably not. Lukas wouldn't share such a momentous secret, even with her. The egg was gone, the infant dragon’s powers unobtainable, unless... Fleur couldn't have spe
nt long with the baby dragon before he got there. If he killed her and the infant dragon saw him, it would forget her because it needed a living guardian. Risky, but his only chance. The woman deserved death. He'd suffered enough frustration at her hands: payback time.

  ∞

  Chapter Fifteen

  Xavier’s gaze burned into her back. Fleur's head hurt with all the questions she needed answers to. If he saw the baby dragon, could she save them both? Choices: pretend she hadn't seen him or turn around and confront him. She must protect the young dragon as best she could. Fleur gave the dragon one last stroke and hoped it would hide. She needed all her acting skills now as she faced her nemesis. "We meet again, Xavier. I never appreciated I was such a magnet for handsome men.”

  Xavier gaped at the feisty human woman standing across from him. A pity she must die. He almost regretted his decision. With her rediscovered spirit and the ingenious ways, she thwarted him. She would be an interesting companion for a while. Not his usual sort, true, but in such a long existence he needed variety. “You have escaped from me twice now, Fleur. I must finish what I started.”

  “How do you know it won’t be three times?”

  “I know, bella, because I will kill you. I had planned a more drawn-out, painful end for you, but in deference to your spirit, I will do it now.”

  Behind her confident mask, Fleur swallowed the bile in her mouth as Xavier’s words hit home. She feared death. She would lose Lukas forever and Xavier's depravity would corrupt the tiny dragon, unless she could delay the demon. When Lukas and Zane got here, she would have a chance of survival and Lukas and Zane could protect the dragon from the demon. “I won't surrender my life, Xavier. I have evaded you before. I can do it again.”

  The wolf and the dragon must be close since Fleur appeared unaffected by his threats. She believed Lukas would save her. He must act now. “You are brave for a human. I'm impressed. Your bravado won’t save you, though. You are too weak.” Xavier crossed the distance between them.

  Fleur stepped forward. Her actions went against every instinct for self-preservation, but she must save the infant dragon from Xavier. She must sacrifice her life for his. Fleur prayed it would delay the demon long enough.

  “I know what you hide, Fleur, something which isn't yours. I offer you your life for the infant dragon. Consider it. You can go free. You would see your lover the dragon lord again. Will you let one insignificant creature stand between you and your soul mate?”

  Fleur walked towards Xavier while he taunted her. Her steps faltered. Xavier knew about the dragon. Desperately she appealed to Xavier’s sense of vanity. “Let it go, Xavier, please. A powerful demon like you doesn't need such a tiny insignificant creature." The demon studied her face throughout her impassioned plea, but it remained unmoved. Her next statement brought a show of incredulity to his face. “Why don’t you have my life instead if it's me you torture and kill, Lukas will suffer if he cares for me like you believe. I don't want life at the expense of an innocent.” Xavier stopped in his tracks and slowly clapped his hands in a mockery of applause.

  “Brave, my dear, but I’m afraid you’re mistaken on both counts. The dragon feels far more for you than lust. I know; I’ve shared his emotions. Secondly, this infant dragon is infinitely more important to me than your life. If it recognises me as its guardian, my power will be infinite.”

  Fleur stared at the demon. He made it sound as if Lukas loved her, and she knew he didn't. She didn't understand about the baby dragon's powers. “One more question, Xavier."

  “As a final request of a dying soul.”

  “If you like,” Fleur said. Xavier nodded his head. “What's the guardian's importance?”

  “The infant dragon is the key to infinite powers. Until it reaches adulthood, these powers are under the guardian's control.”

  Fleur stared into Xavier’s obsidian eyes. "So how do you become the guardian?”

  “It is predetermined in an ancient prophecy. The guardian is the first individual the dragon looks upon with its golden eyes.”

  Fleur hid her astonishment. She could be the guardian. Her hand jumped against her side, as if it had a will of its own. She saw the strange, painless burn mark across the back of it. She hid her hand from Xavier. Come on, Lukas. “You are a little late, Xavier. The dragon looked at me.” Xavier convulsed. The demon snake within him raised its head. It pushed against his skin.

  “If you die, the infant dragon would turn to me. All its power would be mine.”

  “Oh, so my life is of no value.” Fleur hid her vulnerability.

  “Another human soul is always a pleasurable addition, but compared with the infant dragon, you are worthless.”

  Fleur saw stars as the powerful punch hit her face. Her brain careered around her head like a bumper car. Xavier's second punch floored her. Blood poured from her nose and mouth. Bells rang in her ears as the punch connected. Fleur lay injured and powerless. She couldn't help the baby dragon. Her eyes were full of tears of pain and frustration. The baby dragon would die her sacrifice pointless, if Lukas and Zane didn't appear soon.

  *

  Lukas and Zane appeared as Xavier’s second punch knocked Fleur across the ground. Zane growled and launched himself at Xavier. The demon avoided the wolf's full impact. Lukas ran towards the unconscious Fleur and cradled her in his arms. He ignored the blood, which covered his hands and clothes. The pain in his chest where his heart lay bleeding and dying absorbed him. “My beautiful, brave woman. I told you Fleur would be special. I wish I could have protected you.” Xavier and Zane battled at his side. Zane hit the demon's jaw and pushed him against the jagged rock entrance. Xavier howled in pain. A piece of rock pierced the tender skin of his side, but he still taunted Zane.

  “I hope you’re ready to meet your family, Zane.”

  Zane growled. The demon would understand him. The sounds translated as they flowed into Xavier’s head.

  “My family are dead, killed by evil, soul-destroying scum like you, demon.”

  “Not like me, Zane. Exactly like me. I attacked your family. I still remember how fulfilled their anguished screams made me.”

  Zane launched himself at Xavier and pinned him against the jagged rock. He threw his head back and plunged in for the kill. As his teeth sank into Xavier’s throat, Lukas cautioned him. “Don’t bite him, Zane, his flesh is poisonous.” Too late, Zane withdrew with a piece of Xavier’s neck flesh in his mouth. He spat it out in disgust, but the poison was already attacking his vital organs. He looked at Lukas, gaze filled with a poignant sadness. Zane fell onto the ground as he writhed in agony. Lukas jumped up. Fleur slumped across the ground without his support. He reached Zane's prone wolf body. Too late. The powerful, brief convulsions stopped. Zane lay dead. Lukas shook Zane's inert body. He couldn't rouse him.

  The dragon within him roared. For once, Lukas didn’t fight it. He embraced the fire within. The dragon moved into him. He stepped away from Zane’s body as he transformed into the dragon. Xavier changed into the demon snake. Lukas looked for the dragon egg. Shards of broken eggshell told their own story. Lukas scanned the cave for the dragon. Perhaps Xavier had it. A turquoise blur passed in front of his face and landed on Fleur. The infant dragon looked at Lukas with golden eyes, so like his own, solemn, respectful, and full of tears. Xavier's injuries would have been fatal in a human. They reduced the speed of his transformation into the demon snake, still time for the dragon to avenge Zane's death.

  Lukas lost consciousness for a few moments with the pain of his own transformation. He must stay alert for the little dragon's safety. He stroked the dragon and lifted it. The infant dragon blew small but white-hot flames at him. He wouldn't leave Fleur. The attachment was unexpected unless—of course. Fleur found the dragon. When it looked at her, she became its guardian. It would explain why she fought with Xavier, rather than escaping as she did before. Lukas touched her battered face. “You are a true warrior, sweetheart. Now you hold two dragons’ hearts forever.” An un
mistakeable slither alerted Lukas. He touched the little dragon one more time before he stumbled deeper into the cave. He lost consciousness. The huge dragon appeared and the walls between the cave entrance and the cave itself disintegrated.

  *

  The fierce, powerful, turquoise-scaled dragon fought the obsidian two-headed demon snake to protect the infant dragon and humanity. The bloody, brutal battle raged for hours of human time. The little dragon witnessed it all as its healing tears flowed onto Fleur’s face and body. The demon snake rose like a gargantuan cobra, the black lethal spines erect, and its magnesium eye sockets full of demonic light. The dragon stood its ground. The demon snake's poison would disable him and might prove fatal. Incensed the snake struck. Its noxious venom fell short of its intended target. It swung back as it gathered its strength for a counterattack.

  The dragon's powerful turquoise-scaled tail caught it midway between its two heads on its more vulnerable underside. The snake lay coiled and immobile. The dragon leapt forward and seared the snake with its white-hot flames. Large patches of burnt snake scales littered the cave's rocks. The strange exotic smell of burnt demon snakeskin lingered like a toxic chemical cloud. The demon snake launched a last desperate offensive. It attacked the dragon's legs and abdomen. The sharp teeth couldn't penetrate the hard turquoise scales, which covered the dragon's powerful body. The demon snake lay bloody and beaten across the cave's damp floor. The demon rose. Its survival instinct forced its escape from its damaged host. The speck of humanity left looked across at the infant dragon sitting on Fleur’s shoulder .Fleur’s inert body stirred. She sat up. Her inner beauty glowed when she saw the baby dragon. Her face and head were unmarked. Even her ribs had healed. She stroked the dragon, her face contented. The sliver of humanity within the demon snake recognized the powerful forces of good and fought against the demon that lost focus. The infant dragon would be a force for good forever.