Astrid

 

saw Tem’s shoulders stiffen.

Run. Go back.

But when Astrid turned she found the bead of a laser site of a rifle pointed at her chest. She gasped and Tem turned to look past her to see the same thing. With lightning quickness, he threw his good arm around her waist and fell forward through the doorway Tem stood at the moment before.  While Astrid rolled away, Tem slammed the panel shut and pulled a legal bookcase across it.

An amused rumble caught Astrid’s attention and as she got to her feet she got the surprise of her life. The Prime Minister sat at a large wood desk, smoking a cigar, looking very entertained. Tem swiftly got to his feet and put a protective arm around Astrid, glaring at the man.

“Tem, well, well,” the Prime Minister said with a predatory glint in his eye. “You’ve given us a good chase, but it is time we got you back to your cage.”

“Tem is innocent,” blurted Astrid.

“Well, of course he’s innocent, but that isn’t the point is it? Let’s see, you’re Astrid Davis, the matron that what? Helped him escape?”

“Don’t say a word Astrid.”

“Oh, please do speak. You have such a pretty voice, as well as, ahem, other attributes.”

Tem’s face turned red. “You keep your scaly claws off of her, you traitor.”

“What is this?” Prime Minister Abalon said as he rose from the desk. He stubbed his cigar in an ash tray. He sniffed like a dog would to catch a sent. “Have you mated with the human? Now, Tem, you know my mother won’t put up with that.”

“Mother?”

“Try to keep up, sweetheart,” leered Abalon.

“Rhea,” said Tem through gritted teeth, “is his mother.”

“And your cousin?” said Astrid.

“Oh, she is precious, Tem,” laughed Abalon. “Yes, we are cousins. But that hardly mattered to my mother. She made him her general anyway, a position that should have gone to me.”

“Well, you know your mother. She can’t stand the idea of someone trying to take her throne from her.”

“And what do you know of it?” said Abalon. “You weren’t even hatched yet.”

“Wait,” said Astrid. “Was he the dragon Lord that took a human mate and the dragons went to war over it?”

“Very good!” said Abalon. “You do go from zero to sixty in three seconds. My, aren’t you sporty?”

“Automobile references aside,” said Tem with annoyance, “what the hell are you doing here?”

“Here? In my own house? Oh, that’s right. You didn’t know that the government confiscated your property. But thanks for revealing that dragon hoard. I didn’t know it was there. I’ll make sure it receives a good home, along with that tasty bit of yours.” He smiled salaciously at Astrid.

“You will leave Astrid alone!” roared Tem. “She is my mate.”

“Ah, a mate bond? Too bad I don’t remember mine. Mother was quite good at erasing it.”

“So you betrayed her too,” snarled Tem, “by giving your mother permission to do that.”

“As you said,” said Abalon coldly. “Mother wasn’t going to allow me to take her throne. The prophecy warned her. Either I allowed her to erase the mate bond or go to my death. I chose to live.”

“Yes, after many good dragons died for your cause. You don’t deserve to lead the dragons.”

“I will,” said Abalon smugly. “Because I will cause the humans to rise up against our kind. It’s already begun. And thank you very much for raising panic in the country. The military is clamoring for the chance to root out and destroy the dragons here. By the time we are done, I will give mother a choice. Abdicate or face the extinction of our race.”

“You’re despicable,” snapped Astrid. “You’d use humans for your ambitions?”

“What else are humans for, dear? Now, come along. I have a nice cell for you.” Abalon stepped forward and grabbed Astrid’s arm.

“I told you,” growled Tem. “Keep your hands off her.” He rushed at Abalon, who backhanded Tem with such force that Tem flew across the room into a glass fronted bookcase. The glass shattered around Tem and he slumped to the floor groaning.

“Tem!” screamed Astrid.

“You really must try to forget him, dear,” said Abalon, tightening his grip on her arm to painful levels. “He will face the executioner in a few days’ time.”

Astrid twisted furiously in the Prime Minister’s arms, but he was too strong. He pulled her toward the door and flung it open. Relentlessly, he marched down the hall and into a great atrium. He pulled at the door.

“Stand down, stand down,” he called. “I have one of the prisoners.” He yanked Astrid through the door with him and Astrid saw a line of heavily armed soldiers pointing their guns at the house.

“Stand down,” he yelled again and the men lowered their weapons. An officer came forward to take Astrid, but before that could happen a great roar shook them all. Astrid twisted to see Tem holding on the doorway glowering at Abalon. With his blood streaked clothes, his hair in disarray, and the fierce look on his face, he was absolutely frightening. Then he launched forward and in mid-air shifted into his magnificent dragon form.

Tem landed on Abalon and raked his face with his talons, causing Abalon to cry out. But then Abalon also shifted too and became a silver dragon whose scales shone in the dull sun. The two great dragons writhed on the ground, doing battle, roaring and hissing. Each of their jaws snapped noisily as they tried to sink their cutting fangs into the other’s neck.

The soldiers stared in disbelief as the two dragons rolled on the grassy lawn in a mass of snarling reptile flesh. It was the most frightening thing Astrid had ever seen.

Abalon roared and broke away as blood streamed from his neck. He rolled, coming close to Astrid, then shifted. In one swift move, he jerked Astrid forward and held her against him.

“Surrender, Tem, or I’ll kill your mate!”

The soldiers raise their rifles and waited for an order to fire.

“Don’t!” screamed Astrid. “Save yourself!”

Tem roared with rage and flapped his wings, but the right one, though it moved, still wasn’t right.

“Wounded,” said Abalon in Astrid’s ear. Good.”

“Fire!” he yelled.

Just as that instant, a gray-green dragon dropped from the sky and landed in front of the line of soldiers. He laid a line of hot fire in front of them and the grass burned hot and fast, forcing them back.

“Calvin!” cried Astrid.

Calvin turned and regarded Astrid and Abalon. He shook his head and Astrid saw the anger in his eyes. His clawed feet shook the ground as he moved forward one step after another. Abalon clutched Astrid tighter, using her as a shield against the clearly enraged dragon. Calvin shot a line of fire above Abalon’s head and the smell of burnt hair filled Astrid’s nostrils. He shrieked and his grip loosened. Astrid turned and jammed her knee upward and the dragon howled and fell backwards.

Tem shifted to human again and advanced on Abalon with murder in his eye.

“Give it up, Abalon” said Tem. “All these men have seen you turn into a dragon. You’re finished as Prime Minister now.”

“Don’t think so,” said Abalon. Astrid, Tem and Calvin watched as Abalon strode through the fire raging on the ground and in the line of soldiers behind it. He ripped a grenade launcher from the surprised soldier holding it. Then he yanked at the man’s ammunition belt and tore away a couple of the grenades while the man protested. Abalon laughed and tossed the grenades in the air and shifted. He caught them in his dragon mouth as easily as if he was snapping up marshmallows in the air.

“What is he doing?” said Astrid.

Avalon laughed as his stomach rumbled. The soldiers stared in disbelief.

“Retreat, retreat,” an officer called and all the men scrambled to find safer ground. But Abalon opened his mouth and breathed molten orange death on the soldiers. Men screamed as they died and the ammunition in the soldiers’ ammo belts exploded in fitful pings. Abalon rose in the air with a great flap of his wings and poured more fire on the men and equipment ringing the house. Vehicles exploded into roaring flames igniting the shrubs and trees close to the house. More men cried out in their death throes and both Calvin and Tem roared their rage at this unspeakable act. But they were in the middle of an inferno. If they did not escape they would be casualties too.

Astrid ran toward Tem.

“We’ve got to go,” she said.

He nodded and gestured to Calvin. The elder dragon moved closer and extended his foreleg. Tem and Astrid climbed to his back and, with one final roar of disapproval, Calvin rose into the flame filled air and bore them away.