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Jkaran loosens his grip on Belle and Charlie and he looks at Kirmanda with a bloody grin on his face. Moving slow, I bend my knees and partially open my wings.
“I know that Tajss would never want something so unnatural,” I say.
“Unnatural?” Kirmanda scoffs. “There is so much you do not know. Which is unfortunate. You would be a powerful ally, but I cannot trust you. That much is clear.”
“I would never ally with you.”
“I know,” Kirmanda says, and there is a note of regret in his voice. “You are not ready for the deeper truths of the Order. Kill him.”
Before the last syllable leaves his mouth, I leap, spreading my wings and throwing my arms wide as I do. Jkaran and Zirthoan are taken by surprise but then so am I because we are no longer alone.
Two shapes emerge from the jungle, leaping towards the warriors as well. They toss the females aside who stumble in my direction. I drop to the ground and grab the three of them, stopping them from falling to the ground.
They disentangle themselves and move quickly past me to safety, leaving me free to deal with the two warriors and whatever else emerged from the jungle.
“Go to the tunnel,” I order, not having any other place to safely put them. Belle nods and leads them off.
Jkaran and Zirthoan are engaged with Angota and Rakstan. Seeing my outcast brethren, my hearts leap with excitement. The odds are now in our favor. Rather than unnecessarily join them, I turn my attention to Kirmanda.
End this. Now.
He is no longer standing on top of the cliff. Focusing, I hear movement through the jungle. He is escaping and that I cannot allow.
Crouching low I leap, using my wings to get extra lift. It is not high enough to land on the top but I manage to grab the edge and scramble over. Rising, I crouch and study the area but it is only a moment before I hear him and dash forward.
The path through the jungle is a rough trail, mostly overgrown. I leap and dodge around trees and growth, racing to catch the Eye before he can return to the compound. If he makes it there, he will have the might of the Order, whom he has established control over. Out here, in the jungle, there is only he and I.
And I will kill him.
Jkaran laid hands on Belle, my treasure, but Kirmanda ordered it. Jkaran is the body, but Kirmanda is the mind.
Kirmanda has corrupted the once holy Order. Corrupted the will of Tajss for his own gains, and though I do not understand his goals with this, it does not matter. If I stop him, I can try to save the Order. Return it to its former glory and purpose.
A thick mist rises from the ground making tracking by sight impossible, I am dependent on sound alone and that is a tricky thing in the jungle. Sounds are muffled by the undergrowth and redirected by the thick boles of the trees. What sounds like it is from the left may very well be on the right.
I slow and come to a halt when I realize I have lost the trail. I strain my ears for any sign, taste the air, and feel the jungle around me. The humid warmth of the heavy atmosphere is like a wet blanket that enfolds you in its embrace, but there is information there for those who know how to look for it. I close my eyes to lessen my dependency on sight and expand my awareness.
The scales between my wings itch and then I drop and do a shoulder roll. Kirmanda flies through where I just was as I come to a stop in a crouch. He lands a distance away, glaring.
“This ends now, Kirmanda,” I say.
“You have no idea,” he says. “This is bigger than you or me.”
Words are not for warriors. I rush forward and we grapple. Kirmanda is small for a Zmaj. We lock onto each other, trying to force one or another into submission. Small or not, Kirmanda has a wiry strength and is quick. He lets go with one hand and does a rapid series of punches to my gut. I bend back to lessen the impact but miss his tail.
It slams into the side of my head and stars fill my vision as I stagger to the side from the force. The salty tang of blood fills my mouth and I try shaking my head to clear it, but the pain is made worse by the motion.
“Kill you,” I roar, as the dragon and my bijass take over.
I cannot see clearly but I grab for him. He dances away, light on his feet. Rage burns hot and I fumble trying to catch him.
“Bahr,” he says. “Go. I do not need your females now. The experiments are working, and the other ones will be ready soon. You no longer matter.”
His words do not make sense. The red of the bijass pulses in time with my hearts and the only thing that matters is killing him to protect Belle. My treasure.
I try to grab the Eye again but he is too quick. He dodges to the left, but I am ready. I shift and grab him, one hand on his crotch and the other on his neck. I lift but something is wrong.
My hand slides over his crotch, catching on nothing.
