Chapter 40

CHAPTER FORTY

D ashing uphill, Jaxxon’s adrenaline pumped as he left the road and headed into the forest. Flying overhead, Kylo passed directions down the bond, telling Jaxxon and his group where to go next to avoid danger.

“ You should see a marking on the large boulder coming up on your right, ” said Kylo. Jaxxon turned right. “ You’re almost there, ” said his dragon excitedly.

“Fuck me!” Jaxxon’s eyes glazed over as he tapped into Kylo’s vision, looking at the markings his ancestors had left long ago. It had been a long time since he’d seen them. The Crelentian symbols could only be seen from far in the sky by dragon sight.

“We’re there!” he yelled to the group. The dragons swept down, landing on the sides of two large boulders. Combining their magic with their dragons, the shadow masters thrust their hands out. Their tattoos darkened as a rope of shadows linked around each boulder, sliding them apart.

Jaxxon and Zade went to the entrance, careful not to cross. Standing side by side, he nodded at Zade, who swallowed. Tattoos rippling, they extended their palms outward. Their shadows swept fast, moving over the two boulders like a mass of snakes looking for a meal in the crevices. Soon, their shadows spread to the top, searching and probing. Seeing the Crelentian symbols of the kings appear, they turned to their dragons.

“Now!” Zade shouted as Galan and Kylo blew fire on each symbol. They heard a series of pops as the traps sprung. Jaxxon shook his head. Whew! If we’d forgotten to deactivate the traps, none of us would be standing here now!

“Wow!” murmured the group as they walked through the opening, looking around when several more boulders shifted like dominos falling on a table in an elaborate feat of engineering.

“What is this place?” asked Tiara, stepping cautiously as she held onto Jaxxon’s arm.

“A Crelentian raiding sanctuary!” he yelled with his hands outstretched with pride, turning in a circle. “Hell yeah!” He thrust his fists into the air. Cheers echoed around him as his men did the same.

The dragons roared their excitement and flew inside. They circled like a rising tornado toward a tall obelisk with carvings of dragons that stood in the middle, and then they set the surrounding area on fire. But it was no ordinary fire. The flames of shadows glowed like embers of celestial magic. And from the ground rose a powerful mist, concealing the whole area.

Jaxxon and his men basked in the dragons’ magic. He looked at his arms, covered in rivulets of shadows, blazing liquid silver and black. Looking over at Tiara, she marveled at him.

“These legendary hideouts exist on every continent. The kings used them to store supplies between raids. And they were great for hiding from foes pissed their coffers were raided. These hideouts exist on other planets our fathers raided as well.” He walked around the clearing, heading into the large structure in the middle. Trees were all around, blocking a view of the structure from the sky.

“What makes them so ‘legendary?’” Maya rolled her eyes, entering the structure and immediately coughing from the dust.

Jaxxon and his men looked at each other, their smiles wide at memories of what went on in the sanctuaries. “Oh, wild times were held in these sanctuaries! Our fathers enjoyed fighting and raiding. And they loved celebrating their conquests.”

They laughed and joked as they walked ahead to check if the generators still worked. Turning on the lights, they checked the supplies. Many were old but, thankfully, still usable. Nothing was edible, but seeing where the kings rested boosted their spirits.

“So, is this like the all-boys club ? I take it the wives didn’t come here, given how much the men are now joking around.” Maya frowned, putting her hands on her hips.

“Yes, the women also came. I’m sure many Crelentian males were fathered in these sanctuaries!” said Hassan, slapping Jaxxon on the shoulder with a mischievous look.

Zade laughed. “Hassan is trying to say that the women also used these sanctuaries. They were places of relaxation, and well, let’s just say our women enjoyed the spoils of a successful raid.” He winked, his grin a mile wide.

One man walked over, offering to show Tiara, Maya, and the women around the place. They were eager for the tour. The main structure was made of several interconnecting rooms. It had three levels, with the upper floors containing bedrooms. Everyone quickly got settled. They secured the entrance, and the dragons gathered in the clearing.

Trying to distance themselves from the demon horde, Jaxxon’s group had been running on fumes. They knew the Vralgari could drop from the sky at any moment if they weren’t careful. Jaxxon felt they were being followed on the roads, and he knew entering certain towns wouldn’t have been safe.

They couldn’t trust even the nicest people. Some were forced to align themselves with their enemies to survive. They submitted to being fed upon so others could survive—the magic tax. So, Jaxxon and his group had moved from place to place.

Jaxxon was happy to find the raiding sanctuary in the heavily forested area. They were vigilant in fortifying the structure, doing everything they could to keep it obscured. The dragon mist certainly helped, but it wasn’t nearly as powerful as what they had at the Villagio fortress.

Jaxxon explored the compound with his men. Zade was standing at a group of framed pictures that were hanging on the wall. His shoulders lowered, and his body tensed. They gathered around him. On the wall were photos of boys with their fathers.

“Is that you?” asked Tiara, pointing at Jaxxon standing by a taller man who resembled him. He nodded. “You look just like your father.” She smiled up at Jaxxon before turning to Zade. “And you must look more like your mom?”

Zade nodded, flashing his pretty boy grin. “My mom was a beauty!”

“But the height he got from his dad!” said Jaxxon. “And the bad attitude!” Everyone laughed.

“I wish the kings could have seen us fight the horde!” said Zade, beating on his chest like a true warlord. “And setting Seafangs’s ship on fire!” The men roared with laughter.

“Long live Crelentia!” Jaxxon shouted. “Let’s drink!”

He’d found barrels of their favorite brand of alcohol in the cellar. Rolling one barrel into the clearing, he connected it to a hose and then filled the large pit with the liquor. His men began cheering, passing around cups. Even the dragons roared.

“What is that?” asked Tiara, eyeing the faintly glowing orange liquor.

“Zerak Elixir is a strong, crystalline spirit we distill from the zerak root. It has a sharp, warming sensation when you drink it.”

“Why is it glowing? Is that safe to drink?” asked Lori, her face scrunched.

Jaxxon laughed. “It’s infused with luminescent spices the Light Queens cultivated in the City of Spice. The men traveled the galaxy selling the Light Queens’ liquor at a premium. Trust me, it’s good!”

Hassan looked at Maya. “See, I told you our women knew how to party! ”

Jaxxon was the first to grab a cup. “Whew, it smells like it was just brewed.” Taking a swig, he nearly choked as it burned going down. It was highly potent and had a slightly peppery finish. Oh yeah! Perfect!

“Shalar’en!” Jaxxon shouted, raising his glass in the air after calling for a celebration. Everyone began cheering.

For the next several hours, he felt good. He was finally sitting down in a place that felt safe. A place filled with memories. He remembered going on raids with his father and their dragons. He laughed, remembering chasing after Kylo when they were youths. And now, to see Kylo fully grown, he couldn’t believe they were all still alive. He watched fondly as Kylo and Galan filled their bellies with the liquor.

He smiled, knowing they did okay growing up on their own. And so did the dragons. Celestial dragons were fast-growing when there were no elder dragons around. Their need for survival triggered their magic to escalate their growth. It was why Kylo and Galan grew so quickly from adolescent dragons to nearly fully grown after the Red Fae attacked. Without them, Jaxxon and his men would never have survived.

Walking, he heard the women laughing and wasn’t surprised to see Zade in the middle of their group. His hands were around Lori’s waist.

“This is how you stand when using your powers,” instructed Zade. “It creates balance and allows you to pivot quickly if an attack comes.”

“Always expect an attack,” said Jaxxon as he threw up a wall of shadows, stepped to the right behind Tiara, then grabbed and threw her over his shoulder. She never saw him coming and could only yelp, beating him on the back as she giggled. He chuckled. Sitting her down on her feet, he moved off to the side to watch Zade’s lessons.

Galan came over to see what the commotion was all about. Watching Zade attempt to give instructions to his students had him huffing. “These are my pupils!” Galan bellowed, his slit eyes narrowing at Zade as he swiveled his head to get a better look. He huffed, blowing puffs of smoke at each move Zade tried to show the women.

“Look,” said Zade with his arms raised. “Galan can show you how to use your magic. But I can show you how to fight!” He ran when Galan swung his tail, jumping over it and thrusting his shadows outward, solidifying them into twin circular battle-axes in a flash. As Galan thrust his tail back in his direction, Zade was already pivoting, using the same stance he’d just shown Lori to counterattack. The girls clapped at his performance.

“Now, you try,” he told Lori. She laughed when Galan knocked her right on her ass. But Zade quickly pulled her into his arms, spinning her out and telling her to try again.

Then it was Tiara’s turn. She made it over Galan’s tail but couldn’t create a sword of light with her magic. She walked off, telling the next woman to go ahead instead of trying again. Jaxxon could tell she was embarrassed about her depleted magic. It worried him too.

She was pushing herself too hard. He was proud of her, though he didn’t tell her. He watched her from the side. Her hands twitched as she tried to create light. She grimaced, shaking her head. She tried again, and nothing. Swearing, she looked around to see if anyone was watching.

Jaxxon feigned he was watching Zade’s lessons. But then he turned back to her, seeing her rub her hands on her jeans. She was murmuring to herself and rolling her shoulders. Finally, she seemed steadier, raising her eyes up to the sky as if saying a silent prayer.

And then...her magic lit. A small burst of light raged through her dragon scale tattoos like flowing electricity. Hues of iridescent gold and pink made her look like a Crelentian goddess. A Goddess of War! A feeling hit him in the gut, but he wasn’t sure what it was.

But there was one thing he knew. The smile on her face was sheer beauty.

Shaking his head, he turned back to Zade’s lessons, hating the fact the women had to learn to fight. Was this how it had begun for the Goddesses of War? Had they suspected danger was coming? He knew he would likely never have the answer. The past was behind him. The future was in front of him—on the faces of the brave men, women, and dragons trying to restore the dragon breeding grounds.

“Lori, when you aim...it needs to be to kill,” said Zade, his voice dark and commanding. Zade’s tone brought Jaxxon out of his thoughts. He saw him narrow his eyes at Lori, lifting her hands and showing her where to aim.

She tried to pull her hands away from him, shaking her head back and forth as she shivered. She finally whispered, “I’m...I’m a doctor. I don’t want to kill anyone.”

“We don’t have that luxury, shy one.” Zade’s gaze never left her, demanding she try again, but she refused to aim at a body part that could kill. Zade swore and towered over her, commanding her to do as instructed.

Lori darted backward, cowed by his tone. She looked at her friends for help. Stepping forward, Tiara glared at Zade as she whispered into Lori’s ear, sending her blushing profusely.

“What did she say?” demanded Zade, but Lori just kept blushing. Jaxxon chuckled as he looked at Zade, knowing Tiara had likely told her where she could aim to bring a man to his knees.

“Oh!” Zade glared at Lori as dark shadows enveloped him from the waist down like a shield. “If you try that move, you better run like hell. Because if you get caught—” His gaze darkened as he winked, sending the women stepping back.

“Perhaps I’ll take over this lesson before Zade shows you what Crelentian males do to their females when they mate!” said Galan, sending a burst of fire to Zade, who jumped back.

“Good idea!” Jaxxon called Zade away, knowing they had much work to do. And he knew the women had no idea what Zade might teach them if they toyed with him too much.

“It’s a damn shame we must teach them how to fight. The kings would frown on this.” Jaxxon shook his head. “If we could protect them, they wouldn’t need to use their magic to kill.”

“Maybe the old ways weren’t the best way.” Zade stopped walking, turning to him. “Besides, my mother could fight. And so could yours.” He harrumphed. “They just never had a reason to.”

Jaxxon thought back on it. While most of his memories were of his mother playing music in concerts, he recalled she practiced her magic in the early mornings. Every morning! But Crelentia hadn’t been in a war for ages. So, it was no wonder they weren’t prepared when it landed on their doorstep unprovoked.

He knew how the Shadow Kings and Light Queens lived for centuries. He knew of their love and their rules. Rules meant to protect the women they loved, not stifle them from being who they wanted. Yet, the Goddess of War rebelled against that protection.

The more he thought about it, the more he could see Tiara rebelling if he tried to restrict her. She was already rebelling from simple orders intended only to keep her safe. But was that why my people kept our women separated? Was it why they worshipped them in the City of Spice, only to realize when it was too late that separation didn’t guarantee their safety?

He didn’t know the answers. But he knew Tiara was a fighter. He saw how she fought to save Lakoda on the Sea of Cadence. Tiara’s magic was dangerous. She was keeping secrets, and she didn’t take orders well. Will she bring me heartache in the end? Will her desire to rise be my downfall?

Jaxxon looked back at the beautiful and brave Crelentian women learning to use their magic to fight. His dreams had warned him of this day. His shadow magic flowed within him in an endless current of power.

War is coming.

I'll cross galaxies and conquer the stars because their safety is worth every battle.

He looked at Zade, sharing a look. He knew Zade and the other men would do the same.

Later, as Tiara walked by, Jaxxon called her over to where he talked with Zade and Hassan. Kylo and Galan joined them, the ground vibrating as they walked. Pulling her to the side, out of earshot of the other men, he looked at her.

“Are you able to call forth the amulet’s magic? I want to see where we are,” he asked. She looked worried. “But only if you’re ready. We could check tomorrow if that’s better for you.” He felt bad asking her, but time was precious.

“No, um, my magic seems better now.” She looked down.

He lifted her chin. “You got this, Star Diva! And when you don’t, I do!”

A timid smile crossed her face, triggering a desire to hold her that he couldn’t resist. Leaning in, he kissed her.

“Okay! That was, ah, an energy burst!” Her bubbly laugh floated around them and she called forth the amulet’s power. The amulet glowed as a diamond inside spun faster and faster. The air shimmered around them as sparkles of light turned into a sphere. Suddenly, the sphere morphed into a map of Crelentia, holding steady in the air before them.

It still mesmerized him each time he saw the globe of his world appear. Ancient and unknown Crelentian symbols beckoned his powers to come forth. Wrapping shadows around the globe, he spun it on its axis. His men and the dragons took turns doing the same. But no matter what angle they viewed, their path to the first symbol on the map remained the same.

“There’s only one path to get to the symbol’s location.” Jaxxon looked at the resignation on the faces of his men and dragons. “Drak!”