Enflamed (Book 2) (19 page)

“There are very few things Aidan
will not tolerate. Killing the guardians of this world for one’s personal gain
is one of them.”

Omari smirked. “I rather like
that sinister side of you, Aidan.”

Aidan bristled. “Aidan is not
sinister. Slayers have no honor, and Aidan will not stand for it.”

Kaijin kept quiet, so Omari
couldn’t switch to needling
him
.

The three of them walked the
rest of the way in silence.

The fiery voice spoke in
Kaijin’s mind.
“Soon.
Very soon.”

XVII

The air at the apex of the
mountain was dry enough to make Kaijin’s face itch, and the back of his neck
tickled as he felt the hairs stand on end. Still weak, he struggled to catch
his breath in the thin air.

The stench of ozone had
strengthened, making Kaijin feel queasy. He cupped his hand over his mouth and
nose to shield the odor, and glanced upward.

Everything was dwarfed by the
majestic beauty of a seemingly mythical creature come to life. The Dragon stood
taller than fifteen men and half as wide, looming over him and his companions. Her
body was streamlined, with powerful muscles visible in her upper torso and
legs, though a small paunch indicated that she had fed well earlier that night.

Lightning darted angrily from
her white, pupilless eyes and struck the dry brush around them, sending it up
in flames. The firelight illuminated the area, revealing the dazzling hues of
bronze, turquoise and emerald on her glistening scales. An aura of majesty
emanated from her as she focused her intense gaze on them.

“My child!
Where is my child?!” she bellowed, her voice echoing
off the cliffs. Her long tail violently whipped about.

Nester still stood before her,
pale and shaking, his excitement replaced by fear. Sigmund and Zarya knelt
before Kyniythyria, their heads lowered reverently. His expression stubborn and
defiant, Omari kept looking in Kyniythyria’s direction. Aidan stood beside
Kaijin, arms crossed, regarding everyone with annoyance in his silver eyes.

Kaijin unintentionally looked
into Kyniythyria’s eyes and became caught up in her gaze. Her intense stare
pierced him like ice. Kaijin tried to swallow the lump of fear rising in his
throat, but his mouth was too dry, the air too thin. He licked his lips several
times and considered speaking, but he thought better of it.

“Such
incompetence!
Such
carelessness!”
Kyniythyria’s voice shook the ground. Her whipping tail
stuck the side of the cave. Small rocks fell from the roof.

“Great Mistress,” Sigmund said
apologetically when Kyniythyria paused for breath. He kept his gaze lowered. “I
take full responsibility for this tragedy. I will not rest until your child is
found.”

Kyniythyria growled and dug
deep grooves into the rocky ground with her talons. “How could you allow this
to happen,
guardian?
” Her voice boomed like thunder. Lightning flashed
in her eyes.

Both Kaijin and Omari fell to
their knees. Kaijin couldn’t stop himself from trembling.
I knew it!
She’s
going to kill us all!
Glancing at Aidan, Kaijin noticed the giant still
stood stone-faced, seemingly unfazed by Kyniythyria’s rage.

Miele fluttered around
Kaijin’s head, projecting reassurance in his mind, easing his fear.

“We encountered slayers at the
base of the mountain, Mistress.” Sigmund maintained his composure even in the
face of the Dragon’s fury. “We dispatched them. However ...” He swallowed.

“However?”
Kyniythyria repeated ominously, fixing her gaze on
the guardian.

“I did not see any Dragon eggs
in their possession. Moreover, Evan and Sephiya were among the slain.” Sigmund
licked his lips bitterly.

Kyniythyria’s tail stopped its
violent swishing. The electric sparks ebbed from her eyes, revealing a set of
jade-colored orbs that were slitted like a cat’s. A deep growl rumbled in her
throat as she digested Sigmund’s words. “Their deaths are most unfortunate, but
they died doing their duty: duty to protect my child—a duty at which you all
failed
!”
She snarled, addressing the group at large. “You
will
find my child—dead
or alive—and bring justice to those responsible.”

“Honored Mistress ...” Zarya
spoke meekly, keeping her head bowed. “I beseech Your Greatness for any wisdom
that you may offer on where we should begin our search.”

Kyniythyria lifted her head
slightly and sniffed the air. She snorted. “The scent of my egg ends at the
base of the mountain. I cannot smell anything else but blood of lesser
creatures. From which direction did the intruders come?”

Nester slowly raised his hand.
It trembled more violently the higher it went.

She narrowed her eyes at the
brownie. “Speak quickly.”

He gulped. “Th
–
th
–
th’ south, m
–
methinks, Your
Majesty!
I w
–
was
scoutin’ th’ area when I saw them comin’ this way.”

“They were agents of the
Legion, Mistress,” Sigmund added.

Kyniythyria’s head swiveled
back to the guardian, her eyes becoming a maelstrom of electric sparks. “If
that is true, then it is imperative that my child be found
now
.”

Omari lifted his gaze.
“Now?
Tonight?
I beseech you,
Mistress. I need to rest first. Can we not start our search in the morning?”

Kyniythyria reared her head
high above the group, half-opening her mouth to reveal a set of dagger-like
fangs. “Omari Batsuyou, if you do not find my child this instant, I will make
sure you sleep and never awaken!”

Omari’s eyes widened and he
promptly lowered his head. “Y ... Yes, Mistress....”

“The Legion ...” Zarya muttered,
frowning. “One day, I would like to see them all eradicated.”

“That day can’t come soon
enough, it seems,” Sigmund said grimly. “But for now, we must deal with this
one step at a time. The Legion has a long history—centuries’ worth—of heinous
crimes and misdeeds against the Dragons. They believe the Dragons are a threat
to the world and want nothing more than to drive them to extinction. Most if
not all slayers are, in some way, associated with The Legion. That is why we
have been so vigilant in ensuring the safety of the Mistress and her home.”

“And you have done a
deplorable
job!” Kyniythyria roared. “My child is
gone
!”

Daring to look at the Dragon
once more, Kaijin was astounded to witness something that made his own inner
rage seem mild. Considering the circumstances, however, Kaijin understood the
reason for her anger. He recalled a bestiary book his master had made him read
as a child. Very few things made an Exodean Dragon quick to anger, as it was
believed that they were in direct connection with the goddess Celestra. To
provoke a Dragon was like mocking the goddess herself.

Miele conveyed reassurance and
calmness, allowing Kaijin to push aside some of his panic. He recalled waking
up in the dark, dank cave and hearing voices—voices that were not his
companions.

Kyniythyria gazed down at
Kaijin. “You look like you know something, boy.”

Kaijin glared and snapped,
“I’m
not
a—!” He quickly stopped himself, realizing whom he was
addressing. He clapped his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide.
She’ll kill
me, now.

His companions—even
Sigmund—gawked at him.

Kyniythyria hissed and then
addressed the others sharply, “The rest of you, leave. Do not return until
justice is served and my child is returned. Make haste!
Now!”
She gave a small jerk of her head toward the exit. Without hesitation or
another word, the group left Kaijin to his fate.

Kaijin stood, petrified by the
Dragon’s gaze.
So this is how I die.
He swallowed. His hands shook.
Ignis,
spare me—

Miele shrieked nervously.

Kaijin shook his head.
“No,
Miele. Go someplace safe. She will crush you. Go now!”

Miele hesitated, then
fluttered into the cave and hid herself in the shadows.

Kyniythyria snatched Kaijin up
in her claws. She carried him inside the cave and tossed him to the ground.
Kaijin grunted, dizzy, as he hit the cold, rocky floor.

The Dragon’s eyes flashed,
illuminating the entire cave as though a bolt of lightning had struck inside.
Kaijin shielded his eyes from the blinding light.

When he uncovered them, he
noticed a dim light lingered, casting eerie shadows that traced along
Kyniythyria’s scales. Her massive body nearly filled the entire mouth of the
cave, blocking the only means of escape. She lowered her body to the ground and
leaned her head closer to Kaijin, sniffing him.

Kaijin couldn’t stop shaking,
and the Dragon’s cool breath against his face only made it worse. The
sickeningly strong smell of ozone worsened his headache, and his stomach tied
in knots. Trying to calm himself, he breathed deeply, attempting to get air—real
air—into his lungs instead of her noxious scent. Slowly, he swallowed, willing
himself to speak. “G
—
Great Mistress ...” He whimpered, unable to finish.

Kyniythyria leaned back and
snorted another draft of ozone in his face. “You are different from the others.
Yes, very different.”

Kaijin coughed. His head
pounded. Her words sounded distant.

“Look at me,
boy
!” she
snapped.

Kaijin flinched. Anger
replaced the queasiness.

Kyniythyria seemed to notice
the change; she looked down her nose at him, her eyes narrowing and flickering
with electricity. “You have something to say? Then say it quickly before I
destroy you as a damnable slayer.”

Kaijin bit his tongue, holding
back his anger. He gathered his words carefully. “No, Mistress, I am not a
slayer. I swear it.”

Kyniythyria flicked her long
thin tongue at his face and gave him a mild static shock on his cheek. “No,
of
course
you’re not. Tell me who and what you are, then.”

Kaijin winced in pain from the
shock. “My name ... is Kaijin. Kaijin Sora, Great Mistress.”

“Yes, I know.”

Kaijin blinked.
Is she
toying with me? What does she wish to know?
“I, uh ... I am a mage, Great
Mistress.”

“I have known many mages in my
lifetime. You have yet to answer my second question.What are you?”

What does she want me to
say?
“I am a human.”

“Do not mock my intelligence.”
She glowered at him.

Kaijin chewed on his bottom
lip. His mind felt muddled.
What in the hells does she want from me?!

Kyniythyria snarled. The
annoyance returned to her voice. “Answer me,
boy
!”

Kaijin’s anger took over
again, and he met the Dragon’s gaze. “What am I? What
am
I? I am
not
a boy. I am a man!”

The Dragon didn’t eat him or
slash him to death for his outburst. Instead, she plucked him up off the ground
by the back of his robe.

Kaijin’s stomach sank as he
was hauled up higher and higher. His legs dangled helplessly in the empty air.
Gods,
what have I done to deserve this?

She scrutinized him. “You may
not be a boy, but you are a very foolish man.
One that needs
to be humbled.
Interesting.
I’ve had this same
conversation with Omari—that pompous fool. I put him in his place quickly, and
he’s behaving now.”

Kaijin gulped, and the heat of
the charm surged against the skin of his chest, echoing his pounding heart.

Kyniythyria meticulously
hooked the cord with the tip of a talon and plucked the charm from beneath his
robes. For a moment she gazed at the charm’s mesmerizing play of swirling
flames. Her eyes moved from the charm to Kaijin and back to the charm again.
“Why are you wearing a cleric’s holy symbol?”

Kaijin paused, confused by the
unexpected change in subject. He swallowed several times as he tried to gather
his thoughts. “I’ve ... I’ve had it since I was a boy, Great Mistress. I
encountered a drunken priest one night who was denouncing the gods, and he
threw away this necklace.”

“I see.” Kyniythyria raised
her nose at him. “I sense an extraplanar presence in you. You are obviously no
Ignan priest, and yet this symbol burns with life.” She paused.

Since the Dragon showed no
inclination to either drop or eat him, Kaijin’s fear eased into curiosity. “I
don’t understand, Great Mistress. Is something wrong?”

“No. Nothing is wrong.
Everything is just right.” She arched her neck and stared at him. “
I
know what you are now. You are a Firebrand.”

Kaijin blinked. “Excuse me,
Great Mistress?”

“How interesting it is to be
holding an instrument of the Firelord himself. There are many names for those
who are not inherently adept in the divine arts but can still be manipulated by
extraplanar beings: the Horsemen of Tydus, the Champions of Celestra. In the
case of Ignis ... well. You can understand where the name came from.”

Kaijin hung limply in her
hold, staring at her.
What’s a Firebrand?

“That is what makes you
different from the rest of your companions.” Kyniythyria set him back down on
the cave floor, more gently that time.