Shade of Deception (Two)

Fourteen - SoD

Fourteen:

After we waited for support and supplies, we were finally easing down into the deep breach in the city. Grendel seemed perturbed by something, but she kept it to herself. Clarke was muttering curses and swearing off the role of that guy in every scary movie.

“Come on buttercup, suck it up! You’re with the toughest chicks this side of Kansas.”

I told him, and I popped him in the shoulder for good measure. He looked unamused, and Sky chimed in, “Actually, this side of the Milky Way would be more precise.”

I flagrantly showcased Sky as I was being lowered by the guards up top.

“See, we got this, like it would have to come from another galaxy!”

Clarke narrowed his eyes and murmured, “Yeah and thanks for jinxing it for me! Next thing I know, something is going to appear form another galaxy!”

He complained and I sighed and shook my head.

“Fine, be that way, but remember I am going to mess with all your beakers and mixtures and that crucible, oh yeah baby!”

I teased him, and Clarke gave me a baleful look and be began to let the burly Nix guards lower him down.

“That is the very textbook definition of dirty pool, Hannah! I’m not gonna forget this one!”

I smiled a triumphant smile of my meaningless victory.

“What are you, an elephant?”

I sassed back, referring to the ancient cartoon. Clarke’s eyes told me he did not find me nearly as amusing as I did. Whatever was bothering Grendel was worrying me, because an ageless and timeless magus did not become so dreary for no reason. However, I would have to move on, and hope for some answers later.

“You really don’t have any shame about them old cheesy jokes. You might as well go have you a kid because you tell mom jokes.”

Clarke said, and I snorted derisively and shook my head.

“What, make another one of me!?”

Clarke jokingly muttered, “On second thought…”

Grendel repelled down and kept moving, ignoring our bantering as she almost disappeared into the hole. Clarke and I decided it was best to shut up and follow the powerful magus. Our levity would have to wait till later.

***

As we reached the bottom of the chasm, the ground seemed to be almost hot and it felt glassy. Sky’s eyes were glowing, and I felt the reason why moments later. Expression energy rippled through the air like molten blasts of fire—dragon flames.

“Sky, is that…?”

I began to ask, and she was already fighting her own shift to her dragon form. Scales began to spread on her body.

“Yes, apex, one of the lost blood-line.”

I frowned and I felt my danger sense spike up.

“Why would an apex be living down here?! Why would it make a fiery tunnel up to Hidden City?!”

Sky grit her teeth and said, “I don’t understand what it is I am smelling. This is the same scent mother had stored in vacuum-sealed items belonging to my auntie. She made damn sure I recognized her scent, incase she somehow ever managed to cross the boarders.”

Kerry looked grey-white as if she were suddenly giving up the ghost and about to have her own out-of-body experience.

“How is that even possible?! M…M…my apex…”

Kerry stammered out as soon as she realized she had spoken so casually assertive to her dragoness future queen.

“I am not sure, but you and I will discover the truth of thirteen-hundred-years-ago very soon.”

Sky said, her voice becoming horse almost, as she was ready to transform into her fire-throwing alter-ego.

“Whatever has happened, Sorak is not herself. I can smell something tainting the blood, even from this distance.”

Grendel swore vividly, and her eyes began to glow with her own expressive energy building up.

“Send for the reinforcements Damien. If the Apex is correct, I fear we have literally just prowled into a dragon’s lair, one which is not cogent.”

The royal guard looked shocked, and he pulled free a hover board, which was like a skateboard, but it soared up with a low whine of some unidentifiable motor.

“Damn, I really need one of those!”

I murmured to myself, and Grendel smiled playfully.

“I’ll take you lot shopping if we survive this, my treat.”

Shrugging I said, “Sure, not about to look a gift dragon in its maw.”

That earned me a scornful look from Sky, but she was more focused on the long-lost relative ahead of us. Sorak was Senna’s sister, she was leader of the lost tribes, most of which ended up staying in Hidden. She was said to be extremely powerful, but she and Senna divided the territories, rather than kill one another, because their sisterly bonds ran deeper than any need to rule every single subject individually. Senna spoke seldom of her lost sibling; the pain was almost unbearable for her. The queen of the Nix had chosen division of her birthrights, rather than battle. That bespoke her love of her kin. One thing I did admire in Senna, her unwavering devotion to her bloodline. Part of me likes to think that my mom was similar, considering she locked herself in a crazy hospital, and refused to give up until I came to term safely. That level of maternal love follows a girl, even as lonely as she may feel now. It was also a portion of the reason I refused to give up or turn away from humans. My mother had no powers or expression of her own, yet she fought harder than most immortals would for one they had not yet met.

“There are times I am not sure how it is the Apex does not incinerate this damnable shade!”

Kerry murmured to a guard beside her, and he seemed to nod in agreement. Grendel looked at Sky and said, “Sisters don’t shed each other’s blood, do they, young apex?”

Skylar bristled at Grendel’s observant comment, and she gave her an ornery look.

“Family is a choice we all must make; you should understand that. You had two sons, if I am not mistaken?”

Grendel seemed to still greatly for a single moment, and she seemed sadder than seemed possible even for an immortal that drew oxygen.

“Aye, love long ago to the Endless War. Lost securing the beachhead which allowed your lot to find refuge little dragoness.”

Sky’s eyes widened at the implication.

“The Nix and the Apex line owe much then.”

She said, a weight seemed lifted between them, and something akin to respect passed from Grendel to Skylar.

“You are a lot like her, Sorak. Senna is fine, but I always preferred to deal with Sorak personally. You have the same sharp whit and you are unafraid to admit when you are wrong. She would have approved.”

Grendel said, and it did not elude me, they spoke of her as if she were already dead, not still breathing. Certainly not like she had a massive fiery nest under the largest pan-species city on the globe.

“Um, how about we keep this lighter, at least until we figure out what the hell is happening?”

I asked, and the guards mirrored my movements, as I braved to step through the massive cavernous opening to a rancid smelling den.

My eyes were drawn not to the dragon, but to the figure smaller, not completely apex, but the purple sloshes of blood running down its half-man-half-dragon bipedal form were telling of the injuries. Many tiny figures hid behind him, all Nix children, as the lizard-king figure wrestled the massive form, even larger than Skylar in her form. She was black with silver scales peppering her hide. Her eyes were like perfect emeralds, similar in some way to Senna.

“Roger!”

Skylar roared, and she burst from her fabric clothing items, and the massive fifteen-foot wings spread in the front of the den where we stood. She was aware enough to avoid sweeping her own friends off their feet.

The crazed dragoness turned her gaze from the smaller male figure who was quickly losing his fight. He had many s***h wounds along his scaly body. His scales were torn lose or missing completely in some segments.

“Release HIM!”

The roar of her primal might was unrivaled by anything the world of humans and magus had ever felt, as Skylark let lose every ounce of her expressive potential. For the first time even for me, I felt the almost limitless fury she hid deep inside, the untapped wells of might and molten rage suppressed in a care-free teen girl’s skin.

Before me, the predator flapped her wings and raised her hands as azure dragon flames began to flicker along her fingertips. The expressive potency of the flames even as sparks, felt many times that of the power she had unleashed on the leviathan. I knew Sky was sandbagging her true potential at home, but even I was blown away by how much.

“Dear god, did she eat her twin or something?!”

Grendel asked, the question was almost absurd, until I recalled the concept of twin absorption in humans.

“Don’t let her hear you say that!”

Kerry warned, and she phased to a bi-pedal dragon-like woman over six-feet-tall. She was not Roger’s seven-foot height, but they appeared equal in their level of power, and their degree of transformation. Kerry even had one working wing on the left side of her back. Her wingspan was only about five feet, but she was by far the most potent non-apex member I had ever met.

Her armor seemed to stretch as if by magic—or more accurately expression, as she phased to her full dragon-like form.

“I will distract her; you grab my brother!”

Skylark commanded in her thundering tone, and every Nix in the cave opening phased to their varying lizard-like forms. Most looked like reptile-men all had razor-sharp claws. None were nearly as transfixing as Skylark or even Kerry to some lesser extent.

“Sky leapt and her wings carried her forward. She unleashed an unbridled roar of fury and the dragon snapped her maw at Skylark.

I rushed forward to follow her into battle, but Grendel caught my arm. I spun and glared at her.

“Release me, now!”

She shook her head and said, “I’m afraid that is impossible. You cannot fight at her side right now. She is giving in to her inner dragon full force. She is as likely to attack you because you are primally registered as an enemy to her kind. Even you can succumb to injuries inflicted by an apex.”

Grendel told me, and I struggled against her iron-like grip. She was powerful, and unless I was willing to kill her, which I was sure I could, I just had to humor her. It was heart-sundering for me to see my little sister-like figure flying towards a crazed auntie who was almost twice her size physically speaking. Their powers were nearly even, which was odd, because Senna was far weaker than Skylark.

“How the hell is Sorak so f*****g powerful?!”

I demanded answer of Grendel, which upset the magus guards flanking us, and seemed to have little to no impact on Grendel herself.

“I cannot be certain yet, but it feels like some form of expressive powers have been focused into her. She feels wrong. Sorak was Senna’s equal in terms of might. Before now, I would have described them as the most frightening thing I had ever experienced, myself excluded of course.”

I clenched my fists and I sword to myself and I struggled against Grendel’s grip.

“Wait, you must be patient young shade. You are her greatest salvation, should this battle turn against her favor. Save all your mighty expression for the moment Skylark needs you the most!”

Grendel implored me with a morbidly dark tone. She seemed to expect this to be an eventuality.