Elven Chaos (Bathed in Dragon's Blood Book 2), page 1
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Small Job
Urgent Assistance
Armless Fun
No Skin in the Game
Broken Home
Breaking Bread
Fish and Chips
A Little Story
Time to Leave
Bad Start
Confusing Times
Dubious Decisions
Feel the Burn
A Resting Place
Aerial Acrobatics
Feeling Frisky
Mace to Meet You
Queen
Never Ending Games
Our Little Chat
Copyright © 2023 Al K. Line
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
SMALL JOB
"Do not," I warned, "eat any of these maniacs. I don't want you turning into an old hag and running around the house cackling."
Tali turned her head on thick, sinewy neck muscles and locked her always mesmerizing eyes on mine. "Looked like tasty treat," she hissed, glancing at the rundown shack and sniffing deeply. "Can have little taste?" she pleaded. "Need old lady bones to clean teeth. Is good for Tali."
"No, absolutely not. If you want to clean them, get a toothbrush. Do dragons even get plaque?" I mused.
"Tali's teeth always clean and sparkling." She opened her mouth, revealing pristine, razor-sharp weapons, the acrid scent of sulfur strong. It was an aroma I adored, just like I adored my dragon companion. Flames danced at the back of her throat, another indication Tali was keen to hunt.
A babbling, mad old crone sped from the house and ran, naked, into the woods, arms waving wildly. We let the filthy, wretched creature go; we'd catch up with her easily enough.
Tali's head snapped back around to me and I watched as tiny flecks of silver danced across the purple iris and deep red flickered for an instant in the orange sclera. A warning that her bloodlust was rising.
"But if you help me out, and promise not to feed on any of these disgusting abominations, I might have a treat for you when we get home."
"Is cheese? Cheddar?"
"No," I admitted, wishing it was. Why couldn't a guy get decent cheese nowadays? It was a crime, a perversion of our supposed "modern" world.
"Is what?"
"What?" I asked, losing my train of thought.
"What is?" Tali tried again, but now I was truly flummoxed.
"You need to practice your language," I admonished, changing tack and going over old ground. "When you ask a question, you should say, 'What is it?' not 'Is what?' Otherwise, things get confusing."
"Are confused? Is right way of speaking?" she asked, angling her beautiful, powerful head to the side. I got another hit of tangy sulfur as she snorted her amusement.
"Ah, you're messing with me," I laughed, then frowned when she didn't so much as bat an eyelid.
Nava sighed in pleasure as he lowered his leg from where he'd been peeing against a tree. "That's better," he grinned, the default setting for my painted dog companion of many years.
"Oh, good. I'm so happy for you," I grumbled. "Think we can actually get on with what we're here for now? You're the one who wanted to come, and all we've done is wait while you mark territory that isn't yours."
"I didn't want to miss out," he said as he padded over to us. "And besides, Charles said this was an emergency."
"It is. I could do without this so close to the elven chaos I'm sure will happen soon enough, but we can't let this small nest of insane Necros carry on like this. Everyone good?"
"Tali is good."
I studied Tali for a moment, then asked, "Do you know what I mean by that?"
"Is when behave well," she said proudly. "When do right thing. Tali do right thing at all times."
"So wrong," smirked Nava, shaking his head.
"I'll explain when we get home, Tali. For now, everyone just stick to the plan and this will be over soon enough."
"Famous last words," sniggered Nava, tail wagging.
I let the whispers I'd used to keep us from being heard fade away as Tali's impressive form materialized so others could see her. As we'd planned, Nava fed on the protective wards around the perimeter of this small nest's compound and began to change into something almost demonic. His wiry body became engorged with misshapen muscle, his head doubled, then tripled, in size, losing focus as it seemed to encompass the world as he once again bit into the impressive wards and devoured the magic.
He stumbled once, regained his footing, and snarled as he sprang from the cover of the trees and into the weed-infested clearing.
Tali thundered forward, her newly enlarged frame smashing spindly trees aside with a crack, then was airborne the moment she was clear.
I chased after them both, knowing I had scant minutes to get the prisoners out, assuming they were still alive, before it was game over when the sun began to rise.
The door to the ancient wooden house slammed open and an emaciated wizard wearing nothing but a filthy loin cloth, staff in hand, emerged. His eyes opened wide in shock as he spied me. Nava darted across my path, already chasing down the witch who'd run off earlier. The dark wizard lifted his staff, reflexes at odds with his appearance. The early morning, cool air hissed as he gathered his whispers then shot a blast of searing white energy right at my head.
Rather than ducking, I hefted Ziggy, my magical weapon of choice and even more of a constant companion than my two best friends, and let the broad wooden club absorb the energy and boost my own magic. Without missing a step, I surged forward and charged the shocked old man aside then continued into the hovel.
The smell, rather than the insane amount of clutter, caused me to grind to a halt, gagging. Flies buzzed around rotten food littering the floor, cat feces and worse was piled everywhere, and, most disgusting of all, several decomposing body parts hung from hooks above a shrine to some unholy creature these twisted fucks were enamored with.
More than enamored. They were followers of Malgog. His acolytes wallowed in their own filth, reveled in depravity and degradation of not only themselves but their victims. Hoarders, madmen, souls lost to dark magic and even darker practice, those that followed Malgog's path were the worst humanity had to offer.
Whispers began to creep insidiously into my head, so I spun and stormed back to the filth-encrusted man prone on his back by the door. As he redoubled his magical efforts and I felt the beginnings of their idol stir, reaching out to me from behind a weakening veil, I swung Ziggy, letting his form change into a sword, and ran though the man's eye, into his skull, and twisted. The body convulsed, then was still. With a grunt, I yanked Ziggy out and waded through the clutter, kicking aside broken furniture, avoiding the festering piles of rags, and holding back a threatening retch as a swarm of rats darted from the chest cavity of a half-rotten, headless male torso.
With sunrise almost upon us, I knew I had no time, and that Tali would play her part the moment I sent word, so I skidded through the foul living room, down a hallway with stained wallpaper hanging in strips, and into the room at the back of the house that I presumed they called a kitchen.
Two girls were shackled by chains hanging from the bowing, mold-covered ceiling. Neither could have been more than fifteen. Their torn clothes were filthy, bodies emaciated. They pleaded with desperate eyes and muffled cries from beneath their gags as I blasted into the room, scanning for the rest of the nest.
Two old, gray-haired women and one bald, beyond obese man were standing beside a sink overflowing with filthy water and a mountain of dishes and pans, greedily eating their breakfast with a faraway look in their eyes. They hadn't had a chance to even react as I'd stormed through the house so fast. The man clutched a dripping friend egg sandwich in fingers coated with yellow yolk, hand halfway to his mouth. His pale, bare torso was covered in tattoos of magical marks with numerous fresh incisions stitched together inexpertly. They offered their suffering gladly to the one they worshiped. Their stench was almost unbearable.
Ziggy flashed into a spear as I flung him at the man who dropped his meal and grabbed for his staff. Too late, the sleek metal pierced his hairy hide and found his heart. He choked on his half-chewed mouthful of food as he slumped to the tacky linoleum.
The witches were faster to react, and as I lunged for Ziggy, willing him to lengthen so I managed to grab hold and yank him free, they shot out their hands as whispers turned the cloying, humid room into a black pit.
My partial elven ancestry and Necro nature meant I saw better than most in the dark, but clearly not as well as these two as they worshiped a creature from the lightless places. Whispers whipped around my body, tightening their hold, my breathing already difficult. Ziggy sliced through the worst of it, breaking the witches' focus, then I was free.
Light returned, and I hacked roughly at the pair, knowing the time was almost upon us. In their enfeebled state, and certainly no warriors, they succumbed to my bloodlust easily enough. Once both were dispatched, I dashed over to the two girls and fumble
Outside, I guided them away as fast as I could, but their legs were unstable and both kept stumbling. As we rushed for the trees, I turned and felt for Tali's presence.
Do it now, I called to her. We're nearly out of time.
Tali will buuurn, she hissed as she appeared above the shack, resplendent as the first of the sun's rays glinted off her shimmering green scales. The immortal dragon belched a steady stream of tight flame at the roof as she swept by. Thankfully, the two girls were facing the other way, and then Tali was gone, her body invisible once more.
"What… what happened?" stammered the dark-skinned girl as tears streamed down her face.
"They were about to sacrifice you. They do it at true dawn. We only had a minute left," I explained, thinking it best to tell them the truth. I'd had enough of lies and deception lately, and couldn't bring myself to pretend this was anything but life-threatening.
"You saved us! You really did!" She collapsed into the weeds, dragging her shrieking friend with her.
"Thank you so much," the small brown-haired girl stammered, her words slipping because of her split tongue.
"My pleasure. And they won't be doing this to anyone else. Look." I helped them both to their feet and we turned to witness the roof of the shack collapse inward. The entire structure went up with a whoosh as something flammable caught, sending bits of wood and decades of hoarding flying in every direction.
We jumped back as the shockwave hit, then watched, mesmerized, as the nest burned.
"How could they do this to us?" the petite girl sobbed, hugging her friend tight. "They beat us and made fun of us and kept us in that disgusting kitchen without food for days. They've done it before you know? To others."
"I know. We heard about it, and as soon as we could, we came to get you. Your parents will be so relieved."
Nava stumbled over, face bloodied, but thankfully back to his regular size. The girls recoiled, gripping each other, and me, tight.
"It's a wild dog! It's going to eat us."
"He's my friend," I soothed. "Don't be afraid. Nava here is a very good boy, aren't you?" I said, winking, knowing he hated doggie talk. "Would you like to stroke him? He's got very nice fur. Look at the patches. It's wiry, but soft too."
"I've heard of painted dogs," said the brave, slightly older girl. "Saw them online. They're from Africa," she declared proudly, seemingly having forgotten about the trouble they'd just been in.
And to some degree they had. I let my gentle whispers shroud them in a bubble of dreamy calm, easing their elevated stress levels somewhat, but not taking away the memory from them. I would never do that. I'd had a memory taken, and the consequences had been dire. I remembered little of my parents because the whispers had stolen them from me.
"He's so cute," smiled the younger girl.
"Be a good boy and let the girls stroke you, Nava," I said, beaming.
"If I must," he grumbled, then eased forward and bowed his head.
Both girls reached out and stroked his back, then giggled as they played with his large, curved ears.
"You overdid it with the whispers," noted Nava as he moved away and shook himself out.
"I think you might be right. They shouldn't be this relaxed."
"What was that?" asked the dark girl.
"Oh, just talking to Nava."
"He sounds funny. His barks and whines make it seem like he's talking."
"I know. Funny, right?" I beamed at the two girls, then told them, "Let's get you home."
They nodded eagerly, then a darkness fell over them as my whispers faded away and the true extent of the horror they'd just endured came rushing back in.
"Oh my god, oh my god," blubbered one.
"They were going to kill us. Sacrifice us," screamed the other.
"Maybe you should have let the whispers take away the memory," said Nava, always wise.
I nodded to him, but I knew I was right not to mess with their heads. There was no knowing what else would be taken from them, and I didn't feel I had the right to interfere in their mental development.
But there was something I had to do.
Get them home.
"Here, both of you take a drink. Your lips are cracked and you can hardly speak properly. Just a few sips. You aren't used to it and it will make you sick otherwise."
They nodded mutely as I handed them a flask.
"So thirsty," gasped the brown-haired girl, then took a deep drink before handing it to the other. She took several tentative gulps, then passed the flask back to me.
"Better?" I asked with a smile, well aware I was a rather scary sight with Ziggy still clutched in my hand and blood splattered across my face and clothes.
"Much. Can we go home now?"
"Sure. Now look, I need to tell you both something. Don't be scared, but I put a little something in the water. It will help you relax. To sleep. When you wake up, I promise you will be home and this will seem like a bad dream. But I'm trusting you both to never describe me to anyone. I'm not the police. I work for a super-secret organization who help people who have been attacked by bad people like they were. You understand?"
"Course we do. We're Necro too. We get how this works. You gave us a potion so you can get us home without us knowing any more details. We aren't dumb."
"Great, that's great!" I sighed, beyond relieved. "Keep my name and Nava's out of this. Even to your parents. Explain what happened, but no descriptions, and certainly no names."
"We don't even know your name anyway."
I considered this briefly, then said, "I'm Kifo."
"Thank you, Kifo."
With a nod, I asked, "We good?"
"We're good," they both agreed, yawning. Then they collapsed, and would remain asleep long enough for the trip.
"Tali, you can come help now," I called.
My beautiful, impressive dragon materialized beside us, her scales reflecting orange hues from the burning building.
"Tali hid well," she said, proud as always of her abilities.
"You did. And thank you. Those foul people won't be causing any more problems. Nava, did you get the woman and the rest?" I asked.
"Of course. They're dead. But they tasted disgusting. What were these people?"
"Sick, twisted, and degenerate. They've been at this for years and years, but nobody has ever been able to track them down. Charles got some intel, apparently, and here we are. Who knows how many they have sacrificed to that thing they worshiped?"
"Too many."
"People are strange," said Tali, studying the sleeping girls.
"They sure are. These witches and wizards wallowed in everything that's wrong with humanity, but now they're gone. Let's get these two innocents home."
I loaded them both onto Tali's back as carefully as I could, no easy feat, then Nava hopped up reluctantly and I got myself comfortable.
Tali spread her wings and dashed through the clearing, then we were airborne. We circled the ruined compound once, just to be sure our work was done, then Tali drifted away. Smoke rose into the early dawn as we headed east to return the children to their families.
It was mere minutes before we arrived at a quiet farm many miles away, and landed with Tali cloaking her presence and therefore ours while we were in contact with her. I lay the girls on the ground as they began to stir, the potion I'd given them already wearing off. They were on their own now, and would recognize where they were, so our work was done.
With a grunt of satisfaction, we left, and made our way home.
The moment we arrived, Nava raced off to roll around in the grass to get the stench of the morning off. Adept at devouring wards and using other Necro's magic to his advantage, it always exhausted him, so I knew he'd want to be alone once satisfied he was clean.
I turned to Tali and put my hand to her lowered snout, marveling at her fine dragon features, lost in her mesmerizing eyes. Our bond deepened, a spiritual connection, and I felt the power between us.
Tali feels it too.
Are you reading my mind?
