Night on Bald Mountain

night on bald mountain

S wooping through the air, I keep my eyes peeled for the guys on the ground. The damn dragon is dangerously out of control, and I can’t tell if this is going to swing our way. Kaspar is powerful—even more than I thought—but with our focus split between his opponent and the other fuckers down there, we can’t combine our strengths to help him.

“Look, dude, I get you hate me, but why the fuck did you get in a scrap with a fire drake ?” I yell as I pass the storm dragon’s auricle to dive around the next wave of fire.

~He says this isn’t his fault. ~

I blink when Liam speaks in my head, but the information is helpful. If Kaspar didn’t pick this fight, that makes the people on the ground part of an attack force rather than misguided friends. Assuming they were was a gamble, but I was hoping we hadn’t walked into a giant battle on the State U campus.

So much for that.

~I know it looks bad, but he says he came here to burn off his anger and the drake showed up with his friends soon after. That means they followed Kaspar. ~

I have little time to react to the Prince’s words before another stream of fire nearly crisps me for my distraction. “Goddamn it, this fucker is determined.”

A puff of steam comes out of Kaspar’s enormous nose, cloaking my path as I work to get behind the fiery lizard. It’s obviously not the first dragon I’ve fought, so I know what to do to weaken it; I just need the opportunity. If I can get out of his line of vision, I can get close enough to use one of the snakes. Des would love to poison the reptile who thinks it can attack my people without consequence.

The next loud roar catches my attention and I look down to see Lucas in bear form, absolutely wrecking his way through the shifters. Pride wells in my chest; he’s fierce as hell, despite his pampered teddy bear appearance. Magic blasts shoot through the air as I weave my way around the huge mythical, so I know Iggy is doing what I asked.

But where is Slade?

Suddenly, a soulful song fills the night sky and my eyes widen when it echoes off the rolling hills of the back pasture. It’s loud enough to fill the atmosphere and press into my skin, but it doesn’t affect me. I lick my lips, momentarily distracted by more proof that Slade is my mate. The only people who are not affected by sirens’ songs are their mates or those with enchanted objects to prevent the spell of their music from invading their brains.

The fire drake slows a bit, but doesn’t stop. That confirms the theory that it was sent after us even more than Kaspar’s words. It had to have some sort of spell to keep the damn song from completely freezing it—the shifters on the ground are paralyzed now and the guys are focusing on the magic users. The slowdown helps, allowing me to move behind the dragon’s head. Grinning, I work my way around it while dodging the various stray shots the mages get off until I’m able to glide up the drake’s back and land on its neck.

My entire body tingles as I dig my gargoyle claws into the armored scales for purchase. Both my hands and feet are holding tight while my wings are in position for maximum aerodynamics as the monster flings his body around mid-air. I have to do this or Kaspar will resort to a much bigger response that will possibly damage the entire fucking campus. He hasn’t called tornadoes or violent storms yet, but I know it’s coming.

“Des, you all have to help me. I don’t want to lose these men. For the first time in a long time, I’m almost happy,” I mutter. I know it seems crazy to talk to my snakes, but they understand me, especially Des. My claws dig in deeper, and I close my eyes as the gorgon side bursts free of the shackles I typically keep it locked into.

The stone on my body shimmers with scales that cover it, and my eyes ache as the yellow and blue mix together. My dual natures don’t always get along and when I allow them out simultaneously, it hurts as they fight for control. This time, however, they seem to be more in sync, because the burning fades and my hair stops whipping in the air when it shifts to all onyx colored snakes. I growl low, bending to put my face against the hot as hell hide of the drake and wing a prayer to the goddess into the universe.

“Morgana, don’t!”

The voice is panicked as it calls out to me, but I ignore it. I know the Prince is worried I could get burned to a cinder as I hold on to the heated scales, but he simply doesn’t know enough about my species. Gargoyles from different clutches are made of varied stones, and while my skin looks like it’s made of onyx—it’s not. It would take enormous heat, even for a dragon to even affect me that way. I’ve never met another of my kind, even a hybrid, whose outer armor is made of the same stone as mine. If people knew, they’d come for me, so both me and my parents have kept it a secret my entire life.

Magnus’ betrayal had to do with my secret and it’s why he had to die for his sins—not that I’ve told anyone that, even the Society at trial.

Gritting my fangs, I continue pressing against the dragon as my snakes tear at the scales to find a weak spot. They should get to one soon, and when they do, the poison they inject will put a stop to this fucking battle. I’ll let go and the damn thing will fall from the sky like a piano in a cartoon. I just need a little more…

“Morgana!”

Oh, no.

My eyes pop open and I stare blankly at Liam as he flutters close on his elaborate butterfly wings colored like the sky at the break of dawn. “No, Li, get out of here. You don’t have enough armor to—” The dragon senses my fear and bucks, trying to throw me off while I talk to the Prince as he darts around carefully. “Go back to help the others; I have this.”

At least, I think I do.

“Holy shit, Lady M,” he says as he looks at me. “Lucas is going to be pissed he didn’t get to see you like this. You’re like a Greek myth come to life.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, butterfly boy,” I grunt as I dig into the dragon harder as it bucks more. “I have to concentrate. Go help Kaspar get his shit under control if you need to be here.”

Liam looks unsure, but the frustration in my voice must convince him I mean it. He flutters off to go whisper to his own dragon.

Once he’s out of the way, I breathe a sigh of relief and concentrate again. I have to get under this damn hide so Des can infect the damn lizard. The only way this battle ends is if we take the biggest weapon out, and we won’t be able to keep it here in the back fields much longer. My claws dig harder and I let out a cry of anger, as it still doesn’t expose any skin to help.

Time is running out, and my options are limited. The only remaining option has never worked for me, but perhaps with my new friends, it could be different.

~I’m going to connect with your magic. ~

My mother insisted the gorgon part of me was pre-disposed to magic through the mythos of their creation, but none of her magic training ever took. Liam is a lot more powerful than a witch, especially as a Fae Prince. If I can borrow even a slice of his power, I should be able to rip one of these damn things off and do the deed.

~Everything I have is yours, mate. ~ Liam replies.

That response wigs me out a little, but I shake it off as I rack my brain for the right words to do this. I need to access his magic and channel it through my hands and my snakes. I don’t speak Gaelic, so hopefully, Latin will do. “ Mater cronum, da mihi aditum ad tuum filium. ? 1 ”

A spark flits through me and I almost let go in shock, but luckily, I keep my purchase. I swallow hard and recite the next line. “ Me vires mutuas ut feram hanc malam vincam. Defessa ab his qui nos nocent. ? 2 ”

Des hisses loudly and my limbs shake as magic flows through me. I’m old—much older than Iggy, Lucas, or Slade—and the amount of power I have is immense. But this… this is on a different level entirely. I have no clue if this is all of Liam’s magic or a fraction, but it’s intimidating as fuck. Shaking my head to clear it, I throw my head back and let out a mighty gargoyle roar before tearing into the dragon’s back like it’s made of paper. Scales go flying, revealing the tender skin I needed access to.

Now, we’re even, you fiery asshat.

As soon as the flesh is exposed, my snakes go for it, sinking their fangs in and making the monster scream in pain. The effects are almost instantaneous—I feel them under me as the poison works its way into the mythical’s bloodstream. When the scales below me harden into stone, I grin like a maniac and command my girls to release. I have to get off this stupid thing before it drops from the sky like the rock it’s becoming.

“Take cover!” I yell to the Prince and his electrified bodyguard. “Tell Lucas and the others to clear the field. He’s going down.”

I feel the shock run through my new mate, but I don’t have time to be smug. Instead, I let go of the slowly petrifying lizard and push off into the air. My wings catch a draft from the wind Kaspar is funneling through the field and I head towards the ground where we’d parked in a controlled dive. This damn beast is going to make a dragon-sized hole that will take forever to fucking fill, and the damage will cost a fortune.

There goes my damn budget.

By the time my feet hit the ground, I realize how ridiculous it is to worry about my Society assignment when it’s obvious that not only is someone framing one of my wealthiest students, but now a team of assassins attacked another wealthy student’s bodyguard. Either this is a war on rich supes, or there’s something very specific connecting them—like me.

“Son of a bitch,” I pant as I bend over and brace my hands on my knees. I hear the thumping of people running toward me and look up to make sure it’s my guys. The giant polar bear is followed by glowing men and a winged Fae Prince. I drop my head again as I try to make the world stop spinning. “Give me a minute.”

I feel their gazes on me as I let my system come down from channeling that much unfamiliar power, including pushing the gorgon back into her cage. It’s hard to control the bloodlust when she’s fully out, and I don’t want to hurt anyone by mistake. Soft footsteps approach and I’m surprised when a hand lies on my back between my wings to gently rub.

“You’re okay, Morgana. We’re okay. Even Kaspar is—” Before Slade can finish, the fire drake crashes to the ground with a mighty shake of the earth. I lose my balance, falling to my knees on the grass as everything around us vibrates with the impact. “Holy shit.”

I grimace as I look at the mess, rubbing a hand over my face. “We have to call for Guardians. They need to question everyone still breathing, including this dick who just made my week infinitely harder.”

All eyes whip to me, but it’s Iggy who finally asks, “The dragon is… alive?”

Sighing, I give them a tiny smile. “Yeah. Encased in stone, but not dead. Gorgon justice sucks pretty hard.”

Now they wonder what someone could do to warrant me killing them instead of enduring this—great.

1 ? Mother of crones, grant me access to your son.

2 ? Loan me your strength so I might defeat this evil beast. Protect our clutch from those who would harm us.