Dragon Conjurer 6, page 8
“Of course,” Nick laughed as he hopped down from Beyblade’s back. “You know how I get shit done.”
“Yeah, we know,” Nala teased.
Nick stuck his tongue out at the petite girl and poked a finger at her ribs.
“Our mission was successful,” Bo confirmed. “We redirected the hikers down a different path and out of harm’s way.”
“It was nothing.” Binta smiled.
“There were eight people, and they were pretty determined to head straight for disaster when we first got there,” Nick said as he patted Ky’s neck. “I thought I was going to have to tranq them for a second. But then Binta had a pretty genius idea.”
“Oh, yeah?” Steffi asked.
“Yeah.” Nick nodded. “She threw up one of her illusions, just a little bit at a time.”
My ladies and I glanced at the tall MIA cadet.
“I find a full-frontal attack can sometimes lead a person to panic.” Binta shrugged.
“Right,” Nick went on. “So, she started to move the position of some trees enough to get the hikers to have to turn away from the peak and make their way back down the mountain instead.”
“I was worried they would notice our deception and become confused,” Bo added.
“But then my darling used his powers in a very sneaky way.” Binta grinned brightly at her boyfriend.
“He held onto their feet just enough to make moving harder work.” Nick smirked. “Like they were walking through mud or something, I guess, and then they started to get really tired.”
“That’s genius.” Steffi grinned at the telekinetic guy.
“You would’ve been so proud of us, dude,” Nick said to me. “We were super covert and everything. They never even saw us coming.”
“That’s great news,” I laughed and clapped my best friend on the back. “You guys did great.”
“I see you didn’t do so bad yourselves.” Nick waggled his eyebrows as he looked around at the greatly-altered landscape.
“We also ‘get shit done,’” Ronin teased.
“It looks like you have done a lot of the heavy lifting.” Bo grinned at Nala. “This is very impressive work.”
“Thanks.” Nala blushed under her chocolate complexion.
“Bo’s right, Nal,” I said. “You really killed it.”
“Literally,” Steffi laughed.
“That’s true,” I chuckled.
“Tell us about it,” Nick said.
“Well, after you guys left,” Steffi began. “Ky blasted the Slide-Rock Bolter with ice.”
“We thought it was dead at first,” Nala continued.
“But the beast began to break through the ice!” Ronin exclaimed.
Bo and Binta were completely enthralled by the story as my girls went on, but Nick just smirked with the same pride I felt glowing in my chest.
We were such an incredible team, and it felt so amazing to defeat everything the monster world had thrown at us so far.
And we were only getting stronger.
“Then Dylan summoned Thor so we could all get out of the way,” Steffi continued. “And Nala crashed down the entire mountain on top of the monster!”
“It was extraordinary.” Ronin gave an impressed nod.
“It wasn’t that big of a deal.” Nala waved her hand dismissively and smiled.
“No, it was a huge deal!” Steffi countered.
“At least a few hundred-thousand tons of a deal,” Elisabeth giggled.
“I mean, yeah, sure,” Nala laughed. “It’s the most rock I’ve ever moved before.”
“Stop selling yourself short, Shortie,” Nick teased as he leaned his arm on Nala’s dark curls.
“Thanks,” my earth-bender girl laughed and playfully shoved Nick.
“Speaking of your total badassery,” I said to Nala. “Do you think you have it in you to drop this thing’s corpse a little further into the ground? We don’t want anybody stumbling upon it by accident.”
“I think I’ve got a little more in me.” Nala smirked.
“Would you like a helping hand?” Bo offered gallantly.
“Sure, that’d be great. Thanks.” Nala nodded.
“Alright, everybody else out of the way,” I said and motioned for the rest of our team to move back. “Ronin, Nick, Binta, pick a dragon. El, it’s up to you how you want to fly.”
“I think I will go with this beauty.” Elisabeth walked over to Goldie and petted her affectionately under her chin.
“I will join you.” Ronin smiled and joined the French girl by my wind dragon.
Nick hopped up on Beyblade’s back without any hesitation.
“You know I gotta go with my boy,” the blond nymph said.
“I will go with Nick,” Binta decided. “I am curious about the way Beyblade flies.”
“Great.” I nodded as I climbed up onto Ky’s back. “Steffi, wanna come with me?”
“Sure, cutie,” my fairy-girl giggled.
Steffi fluttered over and landed behind me on my ice dragon’s back before she wrapped her arms tight around my waist.
“Bo, Nala!” I called out. “Why don’t you two hop up on Thor? I don’t want either of you to get caught up in any unstable ground.”
“That is a wise plan, my friend.” Bo nodded.
The tall guy approached my storm dragon slowly like he was introducing himself to a skittish stallion.
“Hello there,” Bo murmured softly. “I would like to be your friend. Is that okay?”
I watched Thor with curiosity as his proud face softened slightly at Bo’s respectful approach.
Nala stood slightly beside the telekinetic cadet and raised her eyebrows at me with impressed surprise.
“You are a glorious being,” Bo said to my storm dragon. “Might I have a ride?”
Thor blinked appreciatively and crouched down on his forearms.
Then Bo climbed up onto Thor’s back, and Nala climbed up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders to hold on.
“He likes you,” Nala mused.
“I like him, too,” Bo laughed.
“Alright everybody,” I called out. “Let’s clear out, and then we’ll call Mr. Zabdi for our ride outta here.”
“He will likely suggest we meet a little further down the mountain,” Bo said. “This is not good terrain for landing the helicopter.”
“And I probably won’t have enough energy left to make a landing platform and collapse it again.” Nala frowned slightly.
“Sounds good to me,” I said. “We’ll have Zabdi scout out a clear spot and meet him there.”
“Very good.” Bo grinned. “Now, let us entomb this beast.”
At that, my dragons took off from the ground. A few excited gasps escaped from the group as Ky and Goldie circled around the top of the mountain. Beyblade slipped away toward the south, and Thor hovered over the pile of boulders that covered the Slide-Rock Bolter’s smashed body.
“Whenever you’re ready!” I called out to Nala and Bo.
Bo smiled and nodded at Nala and rotated his upper body to raise his arms straight out in front of him.
Nala took a deep breath and matched the tall guy’s movement.
I watched in fascination as their eyebrows furrowed, and their jaws clenched with focused effort.
The ground slowly began to shake, and tiny rocks rattled as clouds of dirt and dust puffed up from the suddenly opening ground.
The pair broke open a fissure in the rock, and it reminded me of the final scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when that Nazi girl fell into the bottomless pit.
A crashing, screeching sound filled the air as the chasm opened wide, and the Slide-Rock Bolter’s corpse collapsed into the ground along with thousands of tons of stone and rock.
“Bye, bye,” Steffi said in a sing-song voice as the dust settled.
The ground looked oddly undisturbed, and even though it was clear that a landslide had happened here, Bo and Nala managed to make their efforts look natural.
“Well done, my friend!” Bo laughed and offered a hand out to Nala.
“Thanks for the help.” Nala smiled brightly and shook the MIA cadet’s hand.
“Great job, everyone,” I shouted to my team. “Another displaced monster taken care of and more lives saved. Now, let’s get outta here.”
“I will radio Mr. Zabdi,” Binta called from her spot beside Nick. Then she pulled the little radio from her belt. “Zabdi, we are ready for pick up.”
“We hear you loud and clear, Binta,” Zabdi’s voice crackled through the radio. “There is a level spot a short distance down the south side of the mountain. We will pick you up there.”
“Copy that,” Binta replied. “We will meet you there momentarily.”
I nodded at the light-bending girl and silently commanded my dragons to head in the direction Zabdi indicated.
Thor flew almost lazily over the peak, and then he zig-zagged down the mountain as Bo and Nala perched comfortably on his back.
Goldie soared elegantly and reminded me of an enormous swan the way she led with her long white neck, but Beyblade slithered a little more erratically, and I wondered whether it was my dragon or my best friend who was showing off.
I chuckled and shook my head at the pair.
Beyblade and Nick flew together almost as often as I flew with Ky, and they were becoming quite a cooperative team. My best friend had instinctually begun to pick up on my fire dragon’s body language and mannerisms. Nick was pretty easy to read, too, and I knew Beyblade had always been able to understand the somewhat fidgety nymph.
It made me smile to know they were forming their own bond of friendship with each other.
“Flying like this is so different,” Steffi murmured softly into my ear.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s incredible.” Steffi pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I can feel how powerful Ky is from the stroke of his wings through the air, and the stretch of his muscles.”
“He is pretty amazing.” I smiled.
“Plus, it’s nice to relax and enjoy the view,” Steffi giggled.
“That’s fair,” I laughed.
A moment later I spotted the clear area Zabdi had described and started to give the silent command to my dragons, but they were already angling themselves to land gently on the area.
I wondered if my connection with them would become so strong I wouldn’t even need to think the words anymore. Maybe my dragons would begin to hear and obey my thoughts before I could even form them into coherent words.
“I love flying with your dragons, Dylan,” Elisabeth giggled as she climbed down off of Goldie’s back.
“They’re so beautiful,” Ronin agreed as she hopped down to the ground.
Nick slid off Beyblade’s back and patted his neck as Binta joined him on the ground.
“This one seems to like to show off a little more,” Binta laughed as she patted Beyblade’s red scales.
“Yeah, he’s got a big personality.” Nick smirked.
“Just like someone else I know,” I teased as I hopped down from Ky’s back.
Steffi spread her wings out and fluttered gracefully to the ground, and Thor landed a moment after the rest of us.
“Dylan!” Bo’s voice sounded unusually strained.
I looked up quickly and saw that Bo had turned around to try and support her weight, and he held his hands firm around Nala’s arms as her eyelids fluttered slightly.
“I think she overdid it,” Bo said.
The tall guy scooped Nala up in her arms and hopped down to the ground with her, and I rushed over and laid a hand on Nala’s forehead.
My curly-haired girl’s face was clammy, and her color was pale under her coffee skin.
“Nala?” I asked softly.
“I’m okay,” Nala whispered faintly. “Just lightheaded.”
“She needs something to eat,” Nick said. “She overdid it, and her blood sugar is crashing.”
“Do we have any snacks?” Steffi asked as her hands fluttered nervously around the dark beauty’s face.
“‘Do we have any snacks’ she asks,” Nick scoffed, and he produced a granola bar, a packet of dried fruit, a cheese stick, and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup from his pockets. “Oh, ye of little faith.”
“Finally,” Steffi laughed. “Your bottomless pit of a stomach serves a purpose for the greater good.”
“I highly recommend the Reese’s,” Nick said with authority. “The peanut butter and sugar will get you back to normal fast. Plus, you know, yum.”
Nala nodded, and then my best friend began to unwrap the candy.
“Thanks, Nick,” Nala said with a shaky voice as she took a peanut butter cup from the blond nymph.
“Dylan, Mr. Zabdi is approaching.” Binta pointed up at the helicopter.
“Right, thanks,” I said.
I glanced once more at Nala as she chewed the sugary treat, and her color was already starting to return to normal.
“You okay?” I asked my earth-bending lover.
“Yeah.” Nala nodded. “Nick was right, I overdid it a little. I guess I didn’t have enough breakfast, and then I did too much during the mission.”
“We’ll get you a good meal when we get back.” I smiled at my girl as I gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. Then I turned around to my patiently-waiting dragons. “Come on, guys. Epistrophi. Fanhui.”
Ky and Beyblade disappeared in flashes of blue and red light, and their heat and chill rippled over my nerves as they curled up under my skin.
Goldie stretched her head down to look at Nala where she still sat on the ground.
“It’s okay, beautiful.” I patted my white-and-gold dragon comfortingly on her scaly neck. “Nala will be okay, I promise.”
Goldie turned to look at me and tilted her huge chin down at me before she stood up straight again beside Thor.
“Moduro, Komme Tilbake.” Goldie and Thor disappeared in flashes of white and indigo before they curled up under my skin with my other two dragons.
Then the heavy rush of wind from the chopper’s rotors blasted the branches of a few nearby trees, and I looked up at Mr. Zabdi and his copilot and waved them forward with my arm as I stepped back to clear the space. I crouched low and duck-walked back to my teammates as the helicopter slowly descended to land on the flat area.
“Feeling better?” I said to Nala.
My curly-haired girlfriend had moved to sit up straighter, and her color had returned to normal.
“Yeah.” Nala smiled and nodded at me. “Much better.”
“You had me worried,” Ronin said with a relieved smile.
“Me, too, girl,” Steffi said.
“I, too, was worried,” Elisabeth said, and her eyes shone slightly with unshed tears. “Do not do that to us.”
“I gotta say,” Nick chuckled and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “I didn’t like it, either.”
“I’m okay, guys,” Nala laughed a little. “I promise. I feel a lot better now. I’ve just never used my powers that much before.”
“You were hella impressive, though.” Nick smiled.
“You were not even present for her biggest move,” Ronin giggled. “I bet Nala could have brought down the entire mountain if she wanted to!”
“You’re probably right,” Steffi laughed.
“Guys, come on.” Nala blushed slightly.
“It’s about time someone else gets all the praise.” I smirked.
“Sheesh,” Nala sighed playfully. “Is this what it’s like?”
“Yes,” Steffi and I said in unison.
We all laughed as the helicopter’s skids landed on the earth several yards away from us.
“Let us go back.” Bo grinned. “We have all earned a good meal.”
“I’m totally down,” Nick laughed. “Pipsqueak here ate my secret PB stash!”
Nala blew a raspberry at the blond guy.
“Come on.” I stood up and held my hand out to Nala, and we walked together over to the chopper and loaded in.
“A very impressive mission, Mr. Cooper.” Zabdi nodded at me as we strapped into our seats and pulled our headsets on.
“Thanks.” I grinned.
“Is everybody ready to head back?” The female pilot’s voice crackled over the radio as she flicked a few switches.
“Yes, ma’am,” Binta replied. “Let us return.”
“Very good,” the middle-aged woman said. “We will be back soon. Sit back and relax.”
The flight back was pretty quiet as we all leaned heavily into our seats. Our fight against the Slide-Rock Bolter had been a pretty intense battle, and it seemed like we all just wanted to relax for a bit.
I thought back over the mission as the sound of the helicopter’s engines roared in my ears. There had been a few close calls today. I wondered if my team was getting a little too much ego, and maybe today was a good reminder that even we weren’t invincible. It was important to keep our guards up. We never knew exactly how a monster would react or behave.
The moment the Slide-Rock Bolter had launched half of its body high into the air proved that sometimes our expectations would be dead wrong. None of us anticipated the displaced slug monster would be able to move like that, after all, it didn’t have any limbs.
Regardless of the surprises the hideous beast had thrown at us, I was proud of my team for how they’d handled the situation.
A few minutes later the helicopter tilted slightly as we began to descend down to the tarmac. We all straightened up in our seats a little and shifted restlessly as we waited for the helicopter to land. Then the chopper jolted slightly when the skids touched down on the ground, and the roar in my ears died out as Mr. Zabdi and his copilot flipped switches and pushed buttons.
“Welcome back, everyone,” Mr. Zabdi said.
“Thank you.” Bo grinned.
We all unbuckled our restraints, removed our headsets, and stood from our seats.
“It’s good to be back,” Nick said. “I’m starving.”
“I’m really hungry, too,” Nala chuckled. “Is this what you feel like all the time?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Nick laughed.
“I am actually quite famished myself,” Ronin agreed.
“Lunch does sound great right now.” Elisabeth nodded.
“What will the dining hall have today, Bo?” I asked.
