Taken from Signs of Reason... unedited. Taken from Chapter Twelve.
“Two young boar and they
weigh more than you think.” Kyler dumped the carcasses beside the fire. Ildikó
roared, impatient for food. “Take what we need from the smaller beast.” He
straightened and hefted one beast onto his shoulder before continuing deeper
into the cave.
“She’s been restless all
day.” Tamzyn spoke inside his head, while she butchered the second carcass.
“Her wound has closed. I think she’s ready to leave.”
Kyler didn’t answer as he
greeted Ildikó.
“Do you want to leave?” He
tossed the boar to the dragon and watched her catch it between formidable jaws.
“How do you feel?” He sent the query, trying to replicate the thought
formula Tamzyn taught him. Ildikó turned her head until her black eye could
watch him. “You heard me?” A rush of excitement sent shivers down
Kyler’s spine. “I think she heard me!” he called aloud.
Ildikó sent him a projected
image. Strong and clear, it brought goose bumps to Kyler’s skin. In the vision,
a blue sky hosted a magnificent black tipped sky daemon. With broad wingspan
and heavy bone structure, a bronze colored male flew across familiar landscape.
The creature rose, dived, inverted and baulked. Each maneuver, more complex
than the last, seemed designed to defy gravity. Kyler swallowed. He shared a
wave of emotion as Ildikó snorted and her neck frills stood erect. Iridescent
scales gleamed and her readiness to accept a male dragon’s attention needed no
explaining.
“Your wound has healed,
Ildikó.” Kyler stood his ground as the dragon stretched her head toward his
chest and exhaled. He smelt the acrid odor of the boar’s entrails on her
breath. One hand lifted to touch the fine scales protecting her snout. “He’s
coming for you. Handsome and strong, he’ll make a good mate.”
Flowering Wyldwood filled
the air with pollen. The incessant chatter of cicadas and crickets muffled the
sound of buffeting wings. A daemon’s cry whispered through the cavern. Ildikó
surged toward the entrance, her nostrils flared, her head lifted as she tested
every scent. Kyler followed her to the entrance, keeping between the dragon and
Tamzyn.
Shadows marred the deep
magenta sunset as the bronze drake descended and dropped a carcass. Recognizing
the dragon’s gruesome gift as a human corpse, Kyler flinched. Ildikó preened
and extended her wings. Iridescent scales shone in the last rays of sunlight.
Despite the bleeding corpse, Kyler’s heart swelled with pride, his pulse raced
and he struggled to stand motionless as the dragon shared her impatience.
As darkness fell a second
shadow shot toward the cavern entrance. Before the first drake landed, a
challenge rang across the valley.
Ildikó bated. Her head
snaked forward to hiss approval of the bronze male’s gift. Leathery wings
buffeted the air in the cave and blew Tamzyn’s fire into disarray.
Kyler dared not take his eyes
from Ildikó until the second shadow materialized into an angry black daemon.
This creature carried the bulk of a small horse between taloned claws. With a
roar, the black drake tossed the horse toward the cave mouth and turned to face
the bronze male.
Stifling odors filled the
cave when both male daemons bellowed defiance. Smoke and flame licked from
savage snouts and fangs, a hand-span long, glinted red in the fading light. The
ground beneath Kyler’s feet shook as the creatures landed. Dust billowed where
they scored the dirt with talons and barbed tails thrashed. Their deafening
roars dislodged pebbles. Debris began to fall from the ceiling as
reverberations bounced around the cavern.
“Kyler, come away.” Tamzyn
shouted, as he remained stationary watching with Ildikó, sharing her
excitement. “Please, come away.”
Kyler lifted a hand,
ignoring her plea while the two sky daemons closed in combat. They lifted into
the air, and pummeled peace from the valley. Teeth and talon, tail and wing
tips all became weapons as each creature tried to gain ascendency.
Ildikó whistled and her
neck frills fanned. Her tail swished but her eyes didn’t blink. Kyler moved
closer to the entrance. An overhang blocked his vision of the battle, so he
edged clear of the cavern’s maw. Open mouthed and breathless he watched as
black talons tore through bronze wings.
The bronze drake baulked,
the muscles of his neck ballooned for a heartbeat before he blasted the sky
with flame.
Kyler’s heart skipped a
beat.
When the black daemon
responded in kind, orange flame illuminated the clearing. Sparks and balls of
fire ignited shrubs and clumps of dry grass.
Crickets, cicadas and the forest dwelling creatures fell silent as the
dragons fought for Ildikó’s attention.
“Kyler?”
He turned. Tamzyn’s fear
jarred his senses. Ildikó swung her head as Kyler peered into the deep shadows
of the cave. The female dragon tasted Tamzyn's fear and Kyler sensed her
interest in the battle waned when instinct drove her to seek frightened prey.
“No Ildikó!” Boots slipped
in loose dirt as Kyler scrambled to distract the daemon. The air shook with a
deafening roar. Kyler tried to spin magic, to protect Tamzyn. He needed time to
focus.
Flames enveloped him.
Burning air scorched his lungs. Kyler’s shirt smoldered. The smell of charred
hair tasted rank. As the roar that bludgeoned his hearing faded, Tamzyn’s
scream tore through the fracas. Smoke choked Kyler and blocked his view of the
female sky daemon.
“No!” In desperation, he
gathered all the power he could muster in a heartbeat and tried to command
Ildikó. “Leave the girl, leave her alone!”
Inside his head, Ildikó
forced him to share an image. Through smoke and beyond scattered coals, Tamzyn
cowered behind a broken stalagmite. A sullen query formed without words. Why
waste flesh?
Kyler struggled forward.
From the corner of his eye he saw the black sky daemon crash into the cliff
face and slink away on damaged wings. The bronze lifted into the air, flames
and smoke followed him while he trumpeted his victory into the night.
“Ildikó…” Words would not
placate the daemon. The dragon cocked her head and folded her wings. Black eyes
glinted as her gaze followed Kyler’s move into shadow. He tried again to send
her an image. This time he shared a memory of Tamzyn, embraced in his arms, and
added to his sending a hint of the impatience and lust the dragon shared with
him.
Ildikó lifted her head and
snorted. With an excited squeal, she backed away from Tamzyn and turned her
attention to her suitor’s bloody offerings. She shrieked with delight and tore
the human carcass to pieces. Blood dripped from gnashing fangs while she fed on
the victor’s gift and left the horse untouched. Once the feasting ended Ildikó
stretched her wings and tucked them beside her body. Neck frills flared when she
moved to greet the bronze drake.
Kyler sank to his knees,
only now aware of blistered flesh and smoldering clothes. He lifted his head to
watch Ildikó silhouetted for a moment in the cave entrance. Spot fires died as
the victorious dragon came to collect his prize.
