CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CYLO HYDROS
The most unbelievable thing had happened. Melody had given me the greatest gift. She had told me that she carried my offspring. It was the best thing that I could ever hear. But now as we flew over the chaos of fighting on Kelon, I suddenly wished that I did not know that she was pregnant. Now I had to fight for my love and my unborn child and protect them at all costs. There was a group out to get her, my child, and myself because they did not believe in our ways. Now I would be the only thing standing in the way of her getting hurt. I had to do this. I had to crush the opposition, and accept whatever cost came with it.
“There, that is Kila. See, no one is fighting on or above it. It is a secret island only my friends and I know about,” I said.
“I see it,” she said looking down. I landed the ship and opened the door.
“Cylo!” Baca shouted as he came toward me.
“Baca, what the hell is going on?” I asked.
“Where have you been? We thought you were dead,” he said.
“I went on a stealth mission to Earth,” I said, gesturing to Melody. Baca bowed before her. She was now royalty, and he understood that.
“Jix?” I asked.
“He is in the brush. He is organizing,” Baca said.
“Organizing?” I asked.
“Every single hybrid is here,” Baca said.
“What? Why? What is going on?” I asked.
“It started last night, and it has raged on until this evening. Last night the opposition took to the streets of the village, led by Veiras. They began to kill any hybrid they came across. They killed three before we realized what was going on. Then there was chaos. We all fled. Jix and I brought them here since we are the only ones that use this place,” Baca said.
“Good thinking,” I said.
“Cylo, what is going on? I’m scared,” Melody said.
“It is okay; we will keep you safe. Baca, she is carrying my child. I must protect her at all cost. I must keep her here in a safe place,” I said.
“The caves?” Baca said.
“Yes, perfect. Come, lead me to Jix,” I said.
We walked into a clearing in the forest in the middle of the island. All the hybrids were there. They saw me and stood. I moved to a rock and flew up to stand on it. “My hybrids! I am your prince. What is happening to our kind is wrong. We must get out there and fight. We have to fight!” I shouted.
They cheered. Then I continued. “Your king is not on the side of the opposition. We stand with the king! We have the king’s warriors at our side. We must join them in this fight! Who is with me?!” I shouted.
They roared. I flew down from the rock and hugged and kissed Melody. “I will return. I promise,” I said.
“But what if you don’t? I’m so scared. This is not good,” she said.
“Come this way,” I said as I led her to the entrance of a cave in the rock that we used often. I blew fire onto the small pile of wood. “Keep that fire going, but do not build it too high. It should be out of sight being inside the cave here.”
“Where are you going? You cannot leave me here,” she said.
“I have to. I have to go fight. I have to go help my father. I have to crush this opposition before they win. Then there will be nowhere for us, and they would have taken my father’s kingdom. It is a kingdom that will one day belong to our child,” I said as I put my hand on her belly.
“Come back to me,” she said.
“I will. I promise,” I said as I kissed her lips and sat her down on the rock inside the cave. I moved back outside to the group of hybrids.
“Follow me!” I shouted. We took flight and flew toward the village, but before we were close, I dove into the water. The hybrids followed. We used the dark waters of the night to hide us as we approached the village. There was a fight going on. It was my father’s army against the elder dragons, the opposition.
I burst from the water, and we took the left side of the opposition as my father’s army took them from the front. Now we were assaulting on two sides, and it confused and divided the dragons. I fought a large yellow dragon. I did not know who this dragon was, but it was a young dragon. I punched it in the face with my fist, and it flew onto its back. I grabbed a spear from another warrior and drove it into the dragon’s belly. It died instantly. I flew up to my father’s palace. I found him on the turrets of the palace giving orders.
“Release the fires now!” my father ordered to a warrior.
“Father, what is going on here?” I asked.
“Cylo! You have returned! My son!” he said with a warm hug.
“Is it as I said? Baca said the opposition began killing hybrids last night at random,” I said.
“Yes, that is what has happened. You were right in your suspicions, my son. You make a better king than I. If I had heeded your warning, then we would have crushed them when they were idle on Cuama Reef. Not now that they are invading,” he said.
“Do not worry, father; we will crush them. We just took out the lot on the left of the village. I have a hundred hybrids fighting there. Where is Greia? Which forces does he command in the fight? We should put more ships in the air and use artillery,” I said.
My father was quiet. A look of sadness came over his face. “I am sorry to tell you this son. Veiras is not the leader of the opposition after all. He is part of it, but he is not the leader. I am sorry to tell you that the leader of the opposition is your brother,” he said.
“What? That is not possible. I know that we have had our differences, but Greia would not want all the hybrids to die. I am a hybrid, and he does not want me dead,” I said in shock.
“I know it hurts. It hurts me too. But he has deceived us all. He confirmed it himself when he showed up with the opposition army and began to fight against my warriors. He leads the opposition’s warriors. He has removed himself from our loyalty. He means to take the throne before I have passed. He means to rule under the opposition party and put things back the way they were before humans,” my father said.
“Those are his words?” I asked.
“Yes, those are his words,” my father said. As soon as he said it, I was in a rage. I burst into flight.
“Son! Don’t!” my father shouted at me. He knew that I was filled with rage and reckless.
“Greia! Greia!” I shouted over and over again as I flew in and out of the battle searching for him.
“I am here, you traitor! Come and get me!” I shouted.
Bam! I was hit hard. It knocked me unconscious for a second, and I found myself sinking into the ocean. I came too and swam for the surface. I burst through the water and into the air. There I found the green dragon flying in circles over where I had landed.
“You coward! Face me!” I shouted to him. The green dragon turned and charged for me. My brother was stronger than I was. He was a fierce dragon and skilled in combat. He was furious, and he wanted me dead. All I could do was use that hate he had for me against him.
I flew fast and hard, straight up into the night sky. I was always faster than he was. I was lighter. He was a heavy, cumbersome beast. I used this to my advantage. I saw a ship coming in fast. I flew right in front of it but moved out of the way quickly. My brother, however, did not. The ship clipped his wing. He tumbled down, spiraling down toward the water. He landed with a hard crash and began to sink. I swam straight toward him, diving at a high speed. I could no longer see him. I did not know if he flew off or swam away. I got closer to the surface.
Whoosh! He shot up from the surface and rammed into me. I fell onto the sand. We rolled across the sand together. Then he shifted into his male form. He stood up and faced me. His face was red with anger.
“Why are you doing this, brother? This is not you,” I said.
“Yes, this is. This is me! This has always been me. I have wanted your death and the death of your kind since you were born” he said.
“Why? I am your brother. We are blood,” I said. I looked around and realized that we had fallen on the island of Kila. Shit. Melody was there, and if she came out of hiding, then Greia would kill her for sure. Knowing this fact made it hard for me to focus. But for the moment I was facing my brother, the male Draqua, and not my brother the dragon.
“No, you are not my brother. You should have never been born. Now I am going to do that for you. I am going to take away your life, and then I am going to take the life of all the hybrids on Kelon, and all the human females.”
“No, you will not!” I shouted as I charged him. He shouted back and soon we were punching each other. Bam! I hit him in the belly. Boom! He hit me across the jaw. We wrestled across the sand. Whoosh! He shifted back to dragon. His tail knocked me off my feet. But I recovered quickly and flew straight into the air. I wanted to get him away from Melody as soon as I could.
“Come and get me, brother!” I shouted at him. He followed fast and without thought. I did not mean for it to happen this time, but it did. I flew hard and fast straight up with one purpose: get him away from Kila and from Melody. But as I did so, Greia did not see the ship that I narrowly dodged. Boom! It hit him straight in the chest. Greia went tumbling down once more. He was unconscious as he fell. He landed on the sand on Kila with a loud crash. He did not get up. He shifted back into male Draqua form, which is what happens when a dragon dies. I knew then that he was gone. I flew down and stood next to him. Baca came to my side.
“This is it. This is what I saw,” he said. “I am sorry Cylo.”
“I am sorry too. I loved him. He was my brother,” I said.
“Cylo! Baca! We have won! We have crushed the opposition. The remaining forces just surrendered the rest are too wounded to do anything but lie in the sand!” Jix said.
I smiled, but I did not feel like this was a victory. It was just one big mess. It was awful.”
“Cylo!” Melody shouted as she ran toward me.
“Did not I tell you to stay put until I came for you?” I said holding her close to me.
“I couldn’t wait. I had to hold you,” she said. I kissed her. Baca looked at her and went silent. Then he said, “You are going to have a very strong son.”
Both my eyes and Melody’s eyes went wide. Then we laughed.
“How did he?” she asked.
“I will tell you another time. Come, let’s get you home, both of you,” I said as I scooped her into my arms. I flew into the air and straight home. There was a lot of damage and carnage on the beaches below, but the palace was unharmed. I knew that was my brother’s doing. Since he planned to take the throne, he would order the opposition to leave the palace alone. I flew into my father’s chambers. He was sitting with his head in his hands on the bench.
“Father,” I said.
“Cylo! My son! I thought I lost both of my sons to this madness!” he shouted as he jumped up.
“No. I am alive,” I said as I put Melody down on one of the benches. My father nodded a hello to her.
“I am glad that you found your love,” he said.
“Father… Greia…” I said. “He came after me. He tried to kill me. He confessed to me that it was always his plan.”
“Where is he now?” he asked.
“There was an accident. A ship hit him while he was chasing me. He is lying on the beach of Kila,” I said.
“I see,” he said sadly.
“I am sorry for your loss. Both of you,” Melody said.
My father walked over to her and put her hand in his. “Welcome back to Kelon, Melody. I am glad that you have returned. My son has not been the same in your absence. We need a big, strong family now more than ever,” he said.
“Then I have good news,” she said. She looked at me. I nodded to her. I figured my father could use the good news after such a shit show that was my brother and this unnecessary war of his.
“I carry Cylon’s offspring,” she said.
“Is this so?!” my father said excitedly.
“Yes, it is true,” I said.
“That is great, hopeful news. I am happy to hear it. It will make us stronger, not just our family, but the entire village as we heal from this. Now I will go see to what is to be done,” he said.
“I will join you, father,” I said as I kissed Melody. “You are safe here,” I said. Then I moved with my father to see to the business of rebuilding after the war.