Excerpt - Book Five
January 18th 2012 11:32
Daemondra charged through the undergrowth. Her arms pumped in rythym to her feet thudding dully against the mouldy leaf litter. She loved running - exerting herself fully, like this - normally to run in this way would be enough to have her spirit soaring and that energy of hers throbbing for use.
Now she just felt an ache in her chest. A hot tear squeezed out from one of her hard eyelids. With a low growl that bared a few teeth she leapt forward and pushed herself to new speed.
He had to be there. He HAD to be there!
She was almost there. The crossing over the canal, usually so difficult, she barely remembered. She was in dragon territory now, in the lower quater, very close to the border of the human settlement. Not far to the cave, not far at all.
Their place.
With a final thrust that almost burst her chest she broke through the final broken dry edges of canopy and saw a glimpse of shining, pale green. Her breath escaped in a grateful sob, tears running free now.
"EMERALD!" She screamed.
She barely felt the thud as their bodies came together. All she could feel was his warmth, his arms. He ran a talon over her shoulder, so soft the touch. His claws were fully retracted.
"Emerald" She whispered, kissing the hard shell of his beak between his nostrils and kissing down to the crease of his lips. So soft there. No scales. He could feel every sensation.
"Dee Dee..." He breathed, ruffling her hair gently. "What's the matter?"
"You Fool!" She yelled pushing him away and glaring at him "The attack, it was so...disorganised. I didnt have time to warn you. I didnt know..." She held her sobs in now, when in front of him, letting her chest jolt as she refused to let the tears flow.
He smiled, as dragons smile. All in the eyes, with the slightest crinkling around the edges of his lips. His eyes were so beautiful, so deep and brown. He knew of course, he knew how much she loved him. Even though she was Daemondra, Conquerer of Nations, Poison's right hand, the one to dissolve the boundaries of Divisia, he knew her inside. She bowed her head, tears slipping out as he took her into his arms again, and pulled her close to his chest. So warm, for all that the Harpies called them cold lizards, they were really so warm. He wrapped his wings around her as well, and for some time she was lost in the sensations he wove, that feeling, that energy she gave off at times like this intoxicating him like fine wine would a human.
Afterwards, they lay together on the feather soft grass they had layed there, resting against each other. Every now and then, one would have an involuntary skin flick, and scale would rub on scale, tingling bodies with the pleasure not long past, and still ringing with.
She relaxed against him, tossing her long black hair. "How many did you lose today?" She asked softly. She felt him tense against her.
"Is that a tactical question, or do you really want to know?" He asked harshly. Now she stiffened.
"How can you lie with me then if -"
"Shh, Shh De Dee..." He took her hand and sighed. "The war isnt what it was." His hand tightened "Before, when it started....It was almost....Well, fun wasnt it?" He looked up into her eyes. She nodded. She knew exactly how he felt.
He dropped her hand and stretched back, pulling his wings up and rubbing his eyes. He let forth a huge sigh, knowing he doomed his kin with every breath.
"The army is gone." He said shortly.
"What? But we saw hundreds of you flying away"
He shook his head. "We made a tentative friend in the unicorns. It was an illusion. There was only me, RubyWing and BlueNerain flying away. Rubywing is very badly hurt. Poison will be happy to hear that, Im sure." That last was bitter.
Rubywing was Poison's father.
"I dont report everything you tell me you know" She said softly.
"But he knows! You say that but he knows! Always! And I dont trust you, I dont believe your damn lies and still I come..." He buried his head in his talons and cried. He was really so young. They both were. "And now all my kin are gone....Damn this war!"
She stroked his back softly. There was nothing she could say. It was she who single handedly dealt them a death blow. "You underestimate him" She whispered.
"What" He muttered, "Who?"
"Poison..." She breathed, aware that she was breaking trust, telling secrets, but unable to help herself. "He is now able to track all life forms all over Divisia....I used to believe that he didnt know I was still coming here, but I cant believe that any more. He knows. He must simply allow it."
Emerald looked up at her. "He cant be everywhere at once - he's not omnipotent! Even if he HAS the ability to know where all living things are, he cant track them all at once! No, he needs you, needs you roaming, transmitting, killing. Needs you to come here so he can rip the knowledge from your mind and slaughter us all!"
He raised his head on long coiled neck like he might strike, but she remained relaxed in the curve of his body. His claws werent even out. Even if they were, she was so much faster. He would be dead in an instant.
Except that he was the one she had not been able to kill. Her initial mission had been to seduce and kill the petty generals - a reversal of the old dragon female seducing a man legend in the human village. Rubywing and BlueNerian were alive because they had resisted her. Emerald was alive because she had fallen in love with him.
She had killed the others.
She jumped at the sudden sensation, his claw running down her cheek. She had drifted off into silence, and he tried to follow, as usual.
"How long until you leave for Alcordia?" He asked.
"I'm to ride out tomorrow morning." She looked furtively at the sky.
His dark eyes were hard. "They'll kill you"
"Thats just what you have been raised to believe. No body knows if -"
"Dont give me your goddamn war propaganda!" He screamed. "They CAME from us. WE put them where they are because we KNOW what they are! You cant go there," He gulped, "Dee....You cant....They'll eat you, Oh Lords of Divisia" He wept, his body shuddered, "They will! My beautiful, my lovely Daemondra....They wont care what you are, you look human, and they'll eat you alive...."
"Shhh My Love," She whispered, drawing her palm softly over his face, closing his eyes. He was traumatized from the battle. He was talking nonsense. How could he know anything about the White Serpents? He had never been there - no one had.
She put him into a tranquil sleep with ease. She didnt want him to be awake when she left anyway - he always begged her to run away with him, away from the war. But war was all she was.
She couldnt prevent a small smile of satisfaction. So, the dragons were destroyed? Work well done. She'd keep Emerald safe, so he could live in the new world with her.
After she won, of course.
Now she just felt an ache in her chest. A hot tear squeezed out from one of her hard eyelids. With a low growl that bared a few teeth she leapt forward and pushed herself to new speed.
He had to be there. He HAD to be there!
She was almost there. The crossing over the canal, usually so difficult, she barely remembered. She was in dragon territory now, in the lower quater, very close to the border of the human settlement. Not far to the cave, not far at all.
Their place.
With a final thrust that almost burst her chest she broke through the final broken dry edges of canopy and saw a glimpse of shining, pale green. Her breath escaped in a grateful sob, tears running free now.
"EMERALD!" She screamed.
She barely felt the thud as their bodies came together. All she could feel was his warmth, his arms. He ran a talon over her shoulder, so soft the touch. His claws were fully retracted.
"Emerald" She whispered, kissing the hard shell of his beak between his nostrils and kissing down to the crease of his lips. So soft there. No scales. He could feel every sensation.
"Dee Dee..." He breathed, ruffling her hair gently. "What's the matter?"
"You Fool!" She yelled pushing him away and glaring at him "The attack, it was so...disorganised. I didnt have time to warn you. I didnt know..." She held her sobs in now, when in front of him, letting her chest jolt as she refused to let the tears flow.
He smiled, as dragons smile. All in the eyes, with the slightest crinkling around the edges of his lips. His eyes were so beautiful, so deep and brown. He knew of course, he knew how much she loved him. Even though she was Daemondra, Conquerer of Nations, Poison's right hand, the one to dissolve the boundaries of Divisia, he knew her inside. She bowed her head, tears slipping out as he took her into his arms again, and pulled her close to his chest. So warm, for all that the Harpies called them cold lizards, they were really so warm. He wrapped his wings around her as well, and for some time she was lost in the sensations he wove, that feeling, that energy she gave off at times like this intoxicating him like fine wine would a human.
Afterwards, they lay together on the feather soft grass they had layed there, resting against each other. Every now and then, one would have an involuntary skin flick, and scale would rub on scale, tingling bodies with the pleasure not long past, and still ringing with.
She relaxed against him, tossing her long black hair. "How many did you lose today?" She asked softly. She felt him tense against her.
"Is that a tactical question, or do you really want to know?" He asked harshly. Now she stiffened.
"How can you lie with me then if -"
"Shh, Shh De Dee..." He took her hand and sighed. "The war isnt what it was." His hand tightened "Before, when it started....It was almost....Well, fun wasnt it?" He looked up into her eyes. She nodded. She knew exactly how he felt.
He dropped her hand and stretched back, pulling his wings up and rubbing his eyes. He let forth a huge sigh, knowing he doomed his kin with every breath.
"The army is gone." He said shortly.
"What? But we saw hundreds of you flying away"
He shook his head. "We made a tentative friend in the unicorns. It was an illusion. There was only me, RubyWing and BlueNerain flying away. Rubywing is very badly hurt. Poison will be happy to hear that, Im sure." That last was bitter.
Rubywing was Poison's father.
"I dont report everything you tell me you know" She said softly.
"But he knows! You say that but he knows! Always! And I dont trust you, I dont believe your damn lies and still I come..." He buried his head in his talons and cried. He was really so young. They both were. "And now all my kin are gone....Damn this war!"
She stroked his back softly. There was nothing she could say. It was she who single handedly dealt them a death blow. "You underestimate him" She whispered.
"What" He muttered, "Who?"
"Poison..." She breathed, aware that she was breaking trust, telling secrets, but unable to help herself. "He is now able to track all life forms all over Divisia....I used to believe that he didnt know I was still coming here, but I cant believe that any more. He knows. He must simply allow it."
Emerald looked up at her. "He cant be everywhere at once - he's not omnipotent! Even if he HAS the ability to know where all living things are, he cant track them all at once! No, he needs you, needs you roaming, transmitting, killing. Needs you to come here so he can rip the knowledge from your mind and slaughter us all!"
He raised his head on long coiled neck like he might strike, but she remained relaxed in the curve of his body. His claws werent even out. Even if they were, she was so much faster. He would be dead in an instant.
Except that he was the one she had not been able to kill. Her initial mission had been to seduce and kill the petty generals - a reversal of the old dragon female seducing a man legend in the human village. Rubywing and BlueNerian were alive because they had resisted her. Emerald was alive because she had fallen in love with him.
She had killed the others.
She jumped at the sudden sensation, his claw running down her cheek. She had drifted off into silence, and he tried to follow, as usual.
"How long until you leave for Alcordia?" He asked.
"I'm to ride out tomorrow morning." She looked furtively at the sky.
His dark eyes were hard. "They'll kill you"
"Thats just what you have been raised to believe. No body knows if -"
"Dont give me your goddamn war propaganda!" He screamed. "They CAME from us. WE put them where they are because we KNOW what they are! You cant go there," He gulped, "Dee....You cant....They'll eat you, Oh Lords of Divisia" He wept, his body shuddered, "They will! My beautiful, my lovely Daemondra....They wont care what you are, you look human, and they'll eat you alive...."
"Shhh My Love," She whispered, drawing her palm softly over his face, closing his eyes. He was traumatized from the battle. He was talking nonsense. How could he know anything about the White Serpents? He had never been there - no one had.
She put him into a tranquil sleep with ease. She didnt want him to be awake when she left anyway - he always begged her to run away with him, away from the war. But war was all she was.
She couldnt prevent a small smile of satisfaction. So, the dragons were destroyed? Work well done. She'd keep Emerald safe, so he could live in the new world with her.
After she won, of course.
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