Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God (57 page)

The young woman
laughed at him. "It's already too late! I have fulfilled the task given to me by the elder spirits, and shall be exalted above all others for delivering this child unto the dragon god!" She threw her head back and laughed. "I have defeated you, Dragon Lord, and your daughter now belongs to Draco!" She laughed another insane laugh of glee.

Leia took advantage of the
young woman's distraction and suddenly seized her arm, yanking the blade away from her neck. With a roar of fury, the child sank her teeth into the witch's arm, causing her to drop her dagger in surprise, then elbowed the surprised woman hard in the gut, causing her to double over, the breath whooshing from her lungs.

Damion watched in shocked amazement as his daughter snatched up the witch's dagger, then spun around with a snarl, driving the point of the blade directly into the woman's eye socket with a sickening crunch.

The witch stumbled back, her mouth open in surprised horror, then with a heavy sigh, she fell backwards into the pit of roaring flames.

Everything fell silent for several moments as they stared at the roaring flames, half expecting the witch to reemerge once more. After several long
moments, the young girl turned to stare down at her father.

"Leia!"
Damion started forward, eager to take his daughter into his arms, but he was suddenly struck with a force unlike anything he had ever felt before. He was flung across the plaza like a rag doll, and crashed down hard to the cold stone with a great clatter.

He slowly pushed himself up
to his knees, dazed by the raw power that had sent him bouncing. He looked back towards the fiery altar, and was horrified to see an enormous dragon, unlike any he had ever seen before, towering high over Leia, who looked as though she had suddenly fallen into a trance. The beast was twice the size of a scarlet dragon, with iridescent scales that shimmered hypnotically in the sun.

Its eyes glowed with an unearthly light as it stared down at
him, watching him with a curious detachment. "You really are an incredible specimen." It rumbled in a quiet voice that seemed to resonate throughout the highlands. "I would have never believed a mortal to be capable of the things you have achieved."

Damion slowly stumbled
to his feet and started towards his daughter, fighting desperately to ignore the waves of pure power emanating from the serpent deity that threatened to overwhelm his senses.

"And
still
you continue to fight." The dragon god sounded amused as it watched Damion struggle against the overpowering presence of the divine being. "All for the love of your child." The massive beast gently touched a huge talon against the comatose girl's neck, gathering a single drop of blood from the shallow cut left by the witch's dagger, then raised it up to fix it with two glowing eyes. "It's amazing what one will do for their children," Draco continued, his resounding voice taking on a sentimental tone. "even the gods. I have sacrificed much for my children, and will sacrifice even more if it means they will once again take their rightful place as the most dominate creatures in the world."

"You can't have my Leia!" Damion screamed in fury, still struggling step by step, to reach his daughter's side.

"I can." The dragon god told him sternly. "Your god commands your obedience."

"You are
not
my god!" The huge warrior roared in defiance.

"But I am, Dragonki
n." The immense serpent told him, staring down at him with an intense gaze. "You carry the blood of dragons in your veins, as does your daughter."

"You
cannot
take my daughter!" Damion roared again. "I will destroy this world before I let you take her from me!"

Draco bared
his teeth in fury. "You would defy me?" The overwhelming force that suddenly bore down on Damion drove him to his knees. "That is a position more suitable for a mortal when he is speaking with his god."

Damion's mind reeled
as he fought desperately to resist the overwhelming force that crushed down upon him. The power of the dragon god was nearly irresistible, and he found his resolve beginning to waiver.

"
With this child," The serpent god continued, still towering over Leia possessively. "a new age will be born, and this world shall once again belong to my children."

Damion raised his head and looked towards his daughter, who still appeared to be in a trance, and a
fiery rage erupted inside of him. Concentrating with every fiber of his being, he slowly drew in his magic, allowing it to gather and build until the magical force filled him with its power. With another roar of defiance, he drew the Dragon Sword from its sheath. Flames erupted along the length of the mystical blade, burning white hot with his fury, and slowly forced himself to his feet, his eyes locked on his daughter.

"What is this?" The dragon god seemed
genuinely surprised by Damion's ability to resist its power.

The huge warrior ignored the question. "You will
not
take my daughter!" He roared, taking a step forward.

The dragon god's eyes suddenly
narrowed, and the crushing weight seemed to double, but Damion continued to press forward step by step, his lips peeled by in a vicious snarl.

"You truly
are unlike any other mortal ever born!" Draco rumbled in amazed disbelief. He shook his head regretfully. "It's too bad you will have to die." The great beast drew itself up to its full height, preparing to strike the huge warrior down, but a new voice suddenly appeared from the very air around them, causing to dragon god to pause in surprise.

"What have you done, Draco?" The air above the plaza next to Damion began to waver strangely for a moment, then the
massive form of another dragon appeared, materializing out of thin air. "Do you not realize what you have done?"

This new dragon was just as large as the dragon god
, but its scales were the color of glistening gold, instead of the shifting iridescence of Draco's scales.

"You have broken the
accord!" The golden beast told the dragon god in a tone of extreme disapproval.

"The
accord?" Draco stared at the newcomer in confusion. "What..."

"You have
taken a direct hand against a mortal," The golden dragon gestured to Damion, who was paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. "You have broken the accord of the gods! How could you do this?"

Draco stared at the golden beast in confusion for another moment, then
his eyes suddenly widened in sudden realization, and he looked to Damion, who was still locked in place by some unseen power.

"The other gods are now
free to return, and the chaos that once threatened to destroy this world will surely return with them."

"Estheryal..." The dragon god started, his tone suddenly desperate, but
he was cut off by the Serpent Mother.

"You have brought this world to the brink of destruction, Draco," The golden dragon rumbled,
her quiet voice resounding throughout the highlands. "You have endangered them all, man, elf, dwarf, and dragon, in the blind pursuit of your designs."

Draco flinched at her harsh words. "But..."

"This ends now." Estheryal murmured, a note of finality in her voice. "I will not allow you to bring any more harm to this world. You have done enough damage with your single minded pursuit of glorifying our children." She reached out and gently scooped up the comatose child, then placed her before Damion. "Go now. Leave these mortals, and return to your place among the heavens."

Draco stared at the golden dragon for several long moments, his expression unreadable, then looked down at Damion, who was still locked in place, unable to move. "
It's seems that you have won this time, Dragonkin," He grumbled begrudgingly, a note of newfound respect in his voice. "I underestimated you and your resolve. I find myself feeling a small measure of pride, knowing that one of our children is capable of such monumental deeds. I have the feeling that we shall meet again." The dragon god's form suddenly wavered and vanished.

The
Serpent Mother sighed heavily, then slowly lowered her head and fixed her gaze upon Damion. "You have done well," She grumbled in a voice that was scarcely above a whisper, but which still resounded like an earthquake in his very soul. "You were able to frustrate him to the point that he forgot himself, taking a direct hand in the affairs of mortals, violating the accord between the gods, and allowing me to return and put a stop to his madness. You have saved your daughter, and quite possibly, mankind itself, but in doing so, you have set into motion something far worse. With the pact broken, the gods shall return. The destiny of all mortals has been irrevocably altered. The paths that fate had laid out for them is no longer visible to the gods, which means they shall return to guide their people, instead of merely watching from the heavens. This world shall never be the same, though I suspect this day was inevitable." She rose to her full height. "Know that I am pleased with you, my son," The air around her suddenly began to waver, then she vanished from sight. "and remember, I will be watching." Her voice trailed off into silence, but still reverberated through Damion's soul.

The huge warrior was
suddenly able to move, and it took him several seconds for him regain his senses. He looked around the deserted plaza, then down at Leia, who had snapped from her trance and now stood looking around in confusion. "Leia?"

The young whirled around in surprise, her fists clenched and ready to fight, then her jaw dropped open as she saw her father towering over her. "Daddy?" She reached out with one finger and touched him
as if she were afraid she might be dreaming. "Daddy!" She threw herself into him with a delighted squeal.

"My Leia!" He scooped her up into his arms and embraced her tightly.

They stood together in silence for several long moments, content in one another's embrace.

Leia finally pushed herself back, and fixed her father with a stern look. "What took you so long?"

"It doesn't matter." Damion laughed aloud, tears of happiness streaming from his eyes. "All that matters is that I'm here now, and you're safe."

"Leia!" Raven suddenly came charging into view, followed closely by Damarius and Sly, then
finally by then twins, all of whom looked exhausted. The young woman leapt from her saddle and rushed forward, tears streaming from her eyes. "My baby girl!" She took her daughter into her arms and embraced her tightly.

They all took several minutes to welcome the young girl back into their fold, and introduced the twin knights, who had watched the reunion with wistful expressions.

"So this is little Leia," Jacom smiled gently. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Your parents have traveled
all the way across the world to find you, little one," Jarom added, wearing an identical smile. "and never once gave up hope that they would find you."

"What happened to the witch?" Damarius asked curiously.

"She's dead." Damion told them with a shrug.