Chapter 9
Summer’s attention was so focused on Hisa that she did not notice the way all heads turned toward her. The small creature had stopped and her eyes opened wide. The spell in Bree’s hand disappeared as she turned to look at the new dragon joining the fray.
Feeling her wings beating furiously, Summer lifted off the ground. As she passed the rock dragon, she slammed her weight into him, causing him to topple over into the gaping hole he had created. She roared straight at the creature sitting astride Hisa’s neck. The creature scrambled to the other side. Losing her footing, she began to fall. Hisa’s jaws snapped out and grabbed her. Swooping away from the field, the rock dragon roared and tried to get out of the pit.
Hisa circled back around and spat the woman out on the rock dragon’s back. His eyes turned to look at Summer, and she could tell he was smiling. He veered off in the direction they had originally been heading. Understanding his meaning, Summer followed him without looking back.
Phelan looked around the room, the corpses of several enemies smoldering where they first entered the room. It was too few. That meant they were gathering and preparing a larger assault. Shifting into his human form, he dashed through the corridor and into the room where Heath was.
“Don’t breathe! Don't breathe!” He held his hands up as the dragon inhaled.
Quickly shifting, Heath moved forward. “This is much easier than I expected.”
“They are assembling somewhere. I think we need to get them out of here.”
Heath nodded. “I understand. It’s time to admit that the contingent plan was worth the effort.”
Phelan couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not going to be easy with a newborn.”
“That’s alright. How do you think they are doing?”
Phelan just shrugged. “Hopefully it isn’t going so roughly for them. Come on, we’ve got a lot to do.”
Heath followed him into the chamber. He nearly bumped into Phelan as the first one stopped. “What’s wrong?”
Without a word Phelan shifted and dove down into a large pit in the floor where Taja and the baby should have been. “Oh, that’s sneaky.” Heath shifted and followed Phelan into the pit.
Hisa flew over to Summer and gently nudged her. She turned to look at him, then saw him gesturing to the ground below them. She nodded and followed.
No sooner had they landed than the voices started in her head.
Suddenly a clapping sound caught her attention. “Very clever. Very, very clever. I had so hoped that you would not remember that about yourself. You were easily the biggest pain in my immortal ass, and I was so glad when you died.”
Hisa immediately stepped between them. Summer tried to talk to him, but all that came out of her mouth were roars. Frowning, she tried again.
“You can’t.” Hisa’s voice was clear, although considerably lower than usual. “But I can.”
He stepped forward, but immediately he began to shrink.
The lesser god stepped into the light, a cruel smile on his face. “Where do you think that your power came from?”
“Not from you.” Hisa’s voice was not changed as his body continued to shrink.
“Then how do you explain what is happening to you now?”
“I just expended a lot of energy fighting some pretty powerful dragons. My strength isn’t at full force now.” He turned his head. “Summer, get out of here.”
She shook her head.
“You cannot stay, or he will use you against me. Please go.”
She looked up, then back at Hisa. His expression was tender despite it being the face of a dragon.
Quickly she lifted off and flew away from the pair.
Hisa watched as the lesser god strode towards him. “It doesn’t matter if she stays here or goes back to your former friends. They will kill her while I find a way to turn you.”
Hisa flicked his tongue out of his mouth. “I think you are underestimating her just like you did last time.”
“Oh, you mean the time when you killed her?”
Hisa laughed as he sauntered forward. He was not as big as he had been, but he was still much larger than the lesser god, although he knew that didn’t mean anything, not when his adversary was a god on any scale.
Hisa began to walk around the god. “So, you were the source of all the disturbances that have been plaguing the world. What a petty, vindictive god. It is no wonder you are one of the lesser ones.”
The god’s eyes flinched. “I am still a god, which is so much more than you.”
“It means that you can never truly die, but we both know that there are worse things than death. I just lived through 500 years of worse things than death. You tore my heart out, and you bring her back just because you thought you could use me.” The sneer on his face was obvious as he walked around the god. “Of course, you realize that the only reason you were able to call her back was because she waited for it. Though her memories didn’t hold, her purpose did.”
“Yes, very touching. She comes back from the dead and immediately looks for you. It must be true love.”
“So gods can recognize it. Wasn’t sure since the only thing most of you inspire is fear. It’s hardly a screaming endorsement for you, you know.”
The god’s face flinched again. “And yet it is so much more than you will ever know.”
“Guess you will never know because with your personality, there is no way that anyone is going to love you willingly.” Hisa didn’t wait for the response. “Anyway, it appears we are at an impasse.”
“You are underestimating me. As soon as you were soundly thrashed by your former friends you headed to the one spot where I knew you would. Did you think I didn’t prepare for this?”
“Oh, I have no doubt that you thought you planned for this, but several things you overlooked.”
The god scoffed, “I don’t overlook anything.”
“You did. Let me know when you spot the real problem.”
There was a rumbling sound from Hisa’s abdomen. Chesed scoffed again, “I am impervious to your darkness.”
Hisa blasted the darkness into the sky, pointing almost directly up. Chesed began to laugh. “That’s it? A little display of darkness in the middle of the day? Clearly someone has far too high an opinion of himself.”
Hisa looked down at the god, now only a few feet away from him. The dragon’s neck struck out and snatched the god from the ground. He swung him around, grinding his teeth. The god’s laughter bounced around his mouth, but it became increasingly fainter the longer Hisa held him in his jaws.
A shocking sensation went through the dragon’s body. Hisa smiled as he spat Chesed onto the ground. He looked like a rag doll flying through the air, and for a second Chesed’s face showed shock and fear. He bounced on the ground, then struck it again. Pushing himself up, he spat a little blue blood form his mouth. “Nice try, but now it’s my turn.”