Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“ L et’s go! Now!” Jaxxon yelled, jumping from the ship as the men handed the girls to him and the others. He couldn’t see Kylo but knew the dragons circled high above the atmosphere, watching for any Vralgari ships. So far, there were no signs they were followed.

“Whoa!” said the sentries as they saw Jaxxon and the others hurry past, carrying women in their arms. “I’ll explain later,” said Jaxxon. But the sentries ran to Zade, who Jaxxon was sure was giving them a quick, charming story.

Fearing his wrath, the sentries sprinted forward, sending a burst of shadow magic into the mountainside as a control panel uncloaked. Tapping a few buttons, the sentries opened the door to the tunnels leading into their fortress.

Jaxxon had already radioed ahead, putting the fortress on high alert before landing. More sentries were inside the tunnels, and others were hidden within the mountain range where they lived. He knew their shadow magic was primed and ready to defend against an attack.

Tiara mumbled, stirring lightly as she went in and out of consciousness. Nearly running, Jaxxon carried her in his arms as the tunnels branched in different directions. Zade and the others ran by his side, carrying more women and young girls. Some were more alert than others. They stopped several times when a few women threw up.

Tiara felt light in his arms as she snuggled into him. He held her close. Despite the heat, she shivered several times. Her face was pale, and hair plastered to her face as if she’d had a temperature at some point.

“They’re having a tough time, Jaxx! These girls don’t look so good,” yelled Zade.

“They’re adjusting to their first space travel. Not to mention everything they just lost.” The drastic maneuvers they’d taken to evade pursuit and capture in space had even Jaxxon’s well-trained men barfing along the tunnel.

“I just hope the maneuvers worked and the Vralgari aren’t on our asses,” yelled Zade.

“Only time will tell if they were successful or not. But we have to assume the worst.” Jaxxon continued moving as fast as he could.

Even as she slept, Tiara clung to him as if sensing they weren’t out of danger.

As they entered a vast chamber, Jaxxon delicately handed Tiara to his comrade. “Be gentle with her!” he growled. “Get all the women to the conference center. Hurry!” He barked more orders to his men, praying they had set up for their first ever guests.

“Warlord Jaxx, we’ll go make sure the women have everything they need,” said a few men who hadn’t been on the voyage with them. Their curious stares didn’t go unnoticed. Jaxxon didn’t blame them. But there was no time for introductions.

“Get your asses to your stations. NOW!” he growled. “We have to secure the facility and prepare for imminent attack!” Though he prayed that it wouldn’t come to that.

He sprinted into the next tunnel with Zade and others on his heels. Bolting up four flights of stairs, he ran through another tunnel until he entered a vast chamber with higher security protocols. Shadows concealed the entire chamber, creating the illusion of entering a void. Most men would have halted, but not Jaxxon and his men. Thrusting his hands forward, the shadows dissipated, revealing a set of ominous doors. A full biometric scan was required to open the sealed doors that took them into an elevator to their security command center.

Nearly out of breath, he rushed onto the command deck, sitting in the captain’s chair and keying in his code. Jaxxon pulled up the satellite images and monitored the airspace around Crelentia. He swiveled in his chair, looking at every monitor. “Drak! These images aren’t worth shit!”

The planet was massive, and they had only a few satellites. And of those that worked, they provided only a limited snapshot of footage with a considerable time delay. It was all they had, and they would make do.

“There!” shouted Zade, sitting on a robotic chair as he swiveled around a circular console controlling their satellites. He pointed to the satellite, showing what was happening in the atmosphere over their hidden compound. “So far, no signs of those bastards.”

Jaxxon still didn’t rest. He knew the dragons, concealed in their shadows, would alert them if the Vralgari appeared. But he hated leaving them exposed. Too much was at stake. His plan to thwart Prince Aeralis’s search and retrieval of the magical object had become so much more. But Jaxxon was used to chaos. Drak! Chaos is a shadow master’s dark playground! But with the arrival of Crelentian women, the rules of the game have changed.

He sat back, watching the monitors until his eyes hurt. Crelentia had once been a lush world of immense power when Jaxxon’s and Zade’s fathers had ruled together as Shadow Kings of the South and North, respectively. Jaxxon and Zade would have assumed those roles had the Vralgari not attacked and nearly destroyed their world.

Now, as his men ran in and out of the command center, calling him and Zade by their titles, it reminded him that warlord was the best title afforded to a people who’d lost their power and their legacy. Yet, he was proud of their accomplishments given the defeat of his people when he was merely a boy forced to survive on his own.

Warlord Jaxxon Hammer and Warlord Zade Axelrod were two names his men revered, knowing they fought to protect them from the dangers that lurked around every corner. But it was also names that others feared since the two men led deadly raids to gather supplies to sustain their men. And Jaxxon knew he and Zade would continue to protect the last of the Crelentians, their Celestial dragons, and now, the women.

“So, what are you thinking?” asked Zade, getting up and going to the war table. Maps of Crelentia were laid out, along with backup plans if they needed to make a quick escape.

Jaxxon went to the table, calling some of his best strategists over. “The Villagio fortress is our best stronghold. It’s well-hidden and difficult to enter.” He looked up, his jaw set. “Though not impossible.” It was the only safe place Jaxxon found as a boy, gripped with fear and in command at only age ten.

“I have men stationed at these points,” noted one of their strategists as he pointed to places on the perimeter of the Villagio Mystic Mountains where their fortress was located.

“Good going. We’re in the heart of the mountains. Our fathers considered this legendary fortress impenetrable, so they told us to travel here the day the Vralgari attacked. This fortress is surrounded by magical mists, spelled when the eldest dragons died to protect us from the Vralgari’s hunger. And so far, the Vralgari haven’t discovered us.” Jaxxon rubbed his chin. “I hope we haven’t brought those vicious Red Fae home for dinner!”

“Look, let’s think positively. There’s no sign they followed us. Or even know that we’re the ones who thwarted their efforts on Mineva. Our ship was cloaked,” Zade said while everyone nodded. “The Vralgari were chasing ghosts!” Zade wiggled his fingers in the air, casting shadows that quickly evaporated into nothing.

Jaxxon chuckled. Zade was always good for a laugh and knew how to calm the men. The men who hadn’t accompanied them to Mineva were rattled by their hasty arrival, with unknown women and word that the Vralgari might be close behind. Jaxxon left it to Zade to steel their nerves. Zade took the men to the side, joking and telling them stories.

Jaxxon stayed by the war table. He would worry for them all.

He walked around the war table, looking at the fortress layout. Part of the compound was an old castle that Jaxxon and Zade had found their way to as youths and hid until now. It was where the boys raised themselves, learning to become men by only the memories of what they’d learned from their parents before the fateful day of their demise.

Jaxxon had only been ten years old at the time, just shy of eleven. So had Zade and some of the others. But many were even younger than that, babies who Jaxxon and Zade raised as best they could in this filthy compound that their people hadn’t used for many years before the war had happened. Yet, we made this into a home.

The Villagio Mystic Mountains were in the south of Crelentia and hard to reach. The Vralgari attack happened in the middle of their world, where the Shadow Kings of the North and South met for a semiannual celebration. Zade was from the north of Crelentia, which they hadn’t seen since their youth.

An hour passed as Jaxxon sat at the helm, monitoring the satellites and staying in close communication with Kylo. The dragons were their first line of defense. As Celestial dragons, they were ruthless and cunning. They stayed concealed in their shadows, ready to launch and attack their enemies at a moment’s notice. Dragon riders monitored the entrances to the fortress, and when needed, like today, they monitored the air space above the mountains.

There weren’t enough of them to cover the entire area though. That’s what worried Jaxxon. But with the few working satellites, he hoped they would have sufficient notice of a Vralgari attack to evacuate safely.

Zade reinforced their sentries, making sure they had a good rotation. He was proud of how his men were handling the situation. They were vigilant and on guard.

“Warlord Jaxxon and Warlord Zade, the women are still resting,” said one of the younger teens, who’d been running back and forth delivering messages.

Jaxxon nodded, dismissing the boy.

“I’m not surprised,” said Zade. “They probably won’t wake up until tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I remember my first space voyage. It took several days to get my feet under me when we touched solid ground again.” He chuckled, remembering he and Zade had taken their first voyage together.

“I’ll go check on the men again,” said Zade, going to make his rounds while Jaxxon continued monitoring.

He’d barely slept since the fighting had begun and got very little rest during the days it took them to travel from Mineva to Crelentia. He could feel the fatigue creeping in, but his adrenaline and desire to survive kept him going. But it also put him in a really foul mood.

The day went by in a blur of activity. The men who hadn’t accompanied them to Mineva were demanding information. They all wanted to know who the women were and wanted details about what had happened on the Mineva mining colony.

Jaxxon was tired and cranky and wanted to focus on monitoring their safety. He was too old for story time, though his men were acting like fucking brutes demanding details. Drak! It was time to lay down the law.

Jaxxon called all non-essential personnel to the command deck. He kept the coms open so those on security detail could hear the briefing. He gave them a quick summary of what happened, keeping it short and snappy. “Now get back to work!” he growled when he finished. The men started yelling.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Zade interrupted, throwing a sidelong glance at Jaxxon. “Jaxx meant to tell you that these Crelentian females are hot! They’re so sexy that the universe sent them to us by special delivery!”

The men started laughing and asked when they could meet them.

Shaking his head, Jaxxon began going over the rules. Once again, Zade interrupted, hunching his shoulders when Jaxxon growled .

“What Jaxx is trying to say, men, is don’t crowd the females. We don’t want to scare them off with a bunch of hardened shadow raiders staring at them all day and night!” Zade laughed.

The place roared as the men clapped their hands. Their voices rose as they cheered and shouted. Some fell to their knees in prayer that they’d been blessed with finding Crelentian females.

Jaxxon crossed his arms over his chest, letting them have their moment. They deserved it. Hell, even he deserved it. But he didn’t enjoy coming so close to Prince Aeralis and the demon horde. They had taken more risks in the last week than in the years since surviving the culling.

The men debated what they needed to do to make the women feel like royalty.

“We’ll build beautiful homes for them,” one man shouted.

“And just where the fuck are you going to build them?” said Jaxxon from the helm, bending over a railing and looking at the men gathered below. No one had an answer, but he was sure they’d come up with something ridiculous.

“The compound is the only safe place. And last I checked, it didn’t come with room service.”

The men glared at Jaxxon, some saying they’d happily learn to cook for the women.

“We don’t cook for women!” a few older men his age responded, getting a quick nod from him and Zade.

“But we can dance for them,” shouted Zade, swiveling his hips as the men laughed. Undoubtedly, everyone believed Zade’s dance was why the women agreed to come to Crelentia.

When Jaxxon glared, Zade only threw up his hands. “I told them you helped too. I mean, you did see them first.” The men clapped, but Zade added, “And when you were mean to them, I convinced them you weren’t so bad.”

They gave Jaxxon a hard time as they roasted him. He couldn’t remember the last time the fortress was filled with so much danger and excitement on the same day .

“Look, I need everyone to stay vigilant.” Jaxxon stretched, his body still recovering from the fight and the long flight.

“Just because the Vralgari haven’t shown their pointy ears doesn’t mean they don’t know we were on the Mineva mining colony trying to stop their power grab.”

This riled the men up, who shouted with fierce conviction they’d give their lives to save the women and each other. They stomped, puffed out their chests, and banged their fists on the walls. It sounded like a stampede of animals running from dragons flying overhead.

“I’m all for giving our guests everything we can offer. We can fix up the castle area and the rest of the compound. But let’s face it, this place is a dump! The best we can offer them is security.”

The men looked solemn, and even Zade’s smile was long gone. Jaxxon didn’t want to rain on Zade’s parade or anyone else’s. But he dealt with facts and circumstances. All their lives were on his shoulders. Zade’s too, though he had a different way of coping with stress.

“I need everybody to take their stations. We could be at war any minute now. It only takes one slipup to end all our lives. Our safety is paramount.”

“When can we see the women?” Hassan shouted.

Jaxxon’s jaw twitched as he clenched the railing. Hassan and his group constantly challenged him and his rule. Jaxxon was ready for a fight, and today was not the day to start any shit. He wouldn’t tolerate it.

“Or do you plan to keep them for yourself?” Hassan shouted. His tone was full of promised violence. Some of Hassan’s friends folded their arms across their chests, eyeing Jaxxon with the same disrespect.

Jaxxon growled, cracking his knuckles as he walked down the stairs toward Hassan. The other men fell back, forming a ring in the middle of the area—a fighting pit.

“Wait!” Zade called out, grabbing Jaxxon by the shoulder to halt his descent. “No one’s getting married. The women just got here!”

Zade’s tattoos shimmered as his shadows flowed outward. His shadows slammed into the wall, creating a loud sound that left no room for argument that he was ready to explode. “We’re already acting like goddamn brutes!”

Hassan nodded once, de-escalating the tension fueled by desires that had never seemed possible until now. Crelentian males could only mate with Crelentian females. Their shadow magic when combined with the women’s light magic was a delicate balance. Their love would allow the Crelentians to rise from the ashes and become strong again.

“I can assure you that everyone will get to meet the women,” said Zade. The men laughed, claiming Zade probably already had the women eating out of his hand. And they loved suggesting Jaxxon’s conduct had assured he wouldn’t get laid.

Drak, I wasn’t that bad! Jaxxon returned to the top of the stairs, leaning over the railing again to address all the men. He let the men have fun before turning back to the dangers ahead.

“All right, we’ve talked enough. The Vralgari could attack while you’re here planning draking weddings! We must maintain our security protocols at high alert.” The men nodded as Jaxxon continued, “Having these women here will not change our routine. Now, get back to your stations. Those are your orders.”

Their men were eager to meet the women, but did as commanded and strode from the room. Their senior leaders stayed behind, gathering around the war table.

“Zade, we must keep the women indoors until we can ensure their safety—” Jaxxon hesitated before continuing, “And we shouldn’t mention the dragons. They’ll have enough things to get used to in our world. We don’t need our wild dragons scaring them.” Jaxxon recalled how Kylo acted strangely when they first spotted Tiara, almost as if he were tracking prey.

Zade agreed with the plan but remained uncertain as he looked at the men and then back at Jaxxon. “Pretty things will make them happy. It kept our moms happy. ”

“These women aren’t the daughters of our mothers. Their descendants of the Goddesses of War!”

“Let’s not judge them before we get to know them. Give them a chance, Jaxx.”

“Drak! I don’t have time for any men to run around neglecting their duties and finding pretty things for the women. The moment we let our defenses down, we’ll be food for the Vralgari!” He turned his back, stomping back to look at the satellite feed. Still nothing. But he still couldn’t relax.

The senior leaders agreed with Jaxxon. They had to prepare for the worst and couldn’t let their guard down.

“Prince Aeralis has always known we’re alive on Crelentia. Yet, he’s never had a reason to come and put us out of our misery,” said one man. “If those girls have the magical object he’s searching for, we may have given him a reason to come find us.”

Zade sighed. “You’re right. The girls weren’t telling the truth when Jaxx asked them.” He smiled—the smile most people weren’t accustomed to seeing. It was one of pure cunning. Most expected Jaxxon to be mean and harsh. But when you pissed off Zade, you saw a side you couldn’t have imagined. A side that even Jaxxon didn’t want to take on.

“Tiara’s wearing an amulet with ancient Crelentian symbols. Jaxx and I are certain it’s likely what the Vralgari are after. But we don’t know why,” Zade said.

“Ancient dragon magic created the mists that protect these mountains. The Vralgari can’t see inside these mists, so they likely can’t detect the use of any magical objects inside either.”

Jaxxon nodded. Zade’s logic made sense.

“I’ll find out exactly what type of magic these women have. And what’s so important about the amulet. Leave it to me.” Zade smirked.

“These women are smarter than you think, Zade. Don’t think your pretty boy face will get them talking. Their ancestors were charged with war crimes! I don’t think the amulet is a danger to us. But I seriously doubt the women plan to take orders. ”

Zade’s smirk was gone as he stood there.

Jaxxon walked around, turning once again to face Zade. “Until the women learn that what I say around here is law, you need to keep a watch on them.”

“I’ll make sure they don’t cause any trouble.” Zade glared.

Jaxxon glared back. “You worry about keeping them happy. I’ll worry about keeping them alive!”