Only For Her Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 6)(10)

“Join hands and repeat after me. We seek the traitor, blood of our blood. Once brother, now enemy. Show us his location, show us his face.”

Over and over they repeated Kyra’s words until the mirror flashed blue and then red, then back to blue in an endless loop. The witch’s brow furrowed as she watched the staccato pattern. Several tense seconds passed. The lights sped to a blur then stopped on a dime, as if a switch had been flipped. There one minute, gone the next.

Kyra murmured in Latin. Nothing happened. Shaking her head, she muttered, “Well, shit!”

“What is it? Is the dick here?” Aaron asked, working hard to contain his frustration. His dragon was chuffing and blowing smoke, demanding he take action.

“I don’t know…” Her words trailed off as she continued to study the mirror.

Kyra spoke, barely above a whisper. “There’s something…but…it’s different.” She took a deep breath, and then said with more confidence, “There’s dragon magic and black magic, but it feels different than Andrew. There’s nothing really evil about it. Even the black magic is just kind of blah…almost worn out. It’s really weird.”

Dropping to her knees, Kyra dug through her large duffle. She pulled out several different colored pouches, another brass bowl, and a small silver knife. “I’m going to have to do a little blood magic. It’s not black, I promise, but it’s the only way I know short of running back to the lair and looking up a new spell to figure out what it is that I’m seeing…or not seeing. I’m sure you can hear what’s going on outside our little bubble, and to say it’s nothing is a huge understatement. They’re just spinning their wheels. Best guess…Andrew has laid false trails. Worst guess…there are traps. Can one of you send that along to the troops? My brain’s a little busy right now.” She chuckled and Aaron once again had to admire her gumption.

“Kyra says to look beyond your senses. Look for magic, might be dragon or black or even earthen. Whatever it is, it’s magical and she can’t get a lock on it. And whatever our little witch can’t see can’t be good. Also, watch for traps. The little bastard loves to fuck with us.” Aaron sent it through mindspeak to all the dragons and heard Devon passing it on to the panthers.

Between wanting his little brother under lock and key, his dragon pawing at his insides like they were a scratching post, and Kyra not knowing what the hell they were up against, Aaron was about to lose his mind. Any other time he would’ve been pacing and ranting, but they were trapped in a magic bubble that seriously limited the space he had to work through his frustrations.

Talk about having your thumb up your ass!

He listened to the Guardsmen searching the mountainside, felt their anger and irritation at once again turning up empty-handed. Every lead was a dead end. Every scent trail led nowhere. The dragons shared no mind-to-mind communication with Max and his Pride, but their anger at Andrew’s games was filling the air around the mountain as well.

The fact that his dickhead little brother had spent so much time laying false trails proved to Aaron that Andrew had been on that mountainside and was continuing to protect it. The little bastard was doing everything possible to hide in plain sight.

I have to do something besides stand here and watch Kyra play witch.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Aidan and Rian turned in his direction, nodding their heads. Rian was the first to speak. “Kyra will be safe inside the circle. Royce agrees. Let’s get the hell outta here.”

As one unit, the Guardsmen moved from the protection of their mini circle into the massive shielding spell. Their enhanced hearing told them the location of everyone systematically searching the mountainside. They chose the trails to the east.

Rian took the lead, giving military hand signals as they combed the terrain. The Guardsmen combined their enhanced senses and connection to the traitor, building the strongest tracking net Aaron had ever seen. As they moved across the mountain there were spikes in recognition, but with their collective powers it was easy to spot what was old, new, and fake. Unfortunately, everything new was a trick. Fortunately, it was mostly dragon mixed with earthen magic and only a touch of black magic. Apparently, the loss of his wizards had cut off Andrew’s supply of the dirty shit which should make catching the traitor a hell of a lot easier.

“Feel that?” Rian asked, his fist in the air, stopping their forward motion.

Aaron changed his focus and felt Aidan follow suit. There was a disturbance outside the magic shield. The mountain filled the air with hate, anger, and determination. It grew in intensity as the pounding of footsteps shook the earth.

Royce spoke from high above, “Hunters. Looks like an entire pack converging from three sides. Three sets of thirty and they know we’re here.”

“Wanna blow the cover and take ‘em on, Commander, or stay hidden and leave. It’s your call,” Rian called to Rayne.

There was a moment of silence while Aaron imagined Rayne contemplating their next move, the rest of the dragons awaiting his answer.

“Max and the panthers are good with whatever you decide,” Devon interjected.

“Kyra, can you feel the hunters?” Rayne questioned.

“Yep, sure can. It’ll be less than half a mile until they reach the outer border of our spell.”

“Hold out until they are within twenty-five feet. If possible, let them in, and then close the door behind them. We’ll handle the rest.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Kyra answered.

Aaron heard several snorts from his brethren and couldn’t stop his smile. The tension level within their shield lowered. Kyra was a great witch and a huge smart-ass.

Perfect combination.

Ignoring the laughter, Rayne continued, “The rest of you split up and get ready. We need to take the hunters out as quickly as possible. Royce, Rory, and Lennox, be ready to bring the fire if needed. You’ll also need to burn the bodies.”

“We’re ready,” the Guardsmen in dragon form answered in unison.



Their minute long wait seemed to last for hours. No one said a word. Aaron was sure everyone held their breath. The sound of Kyra’s voice brought them all to attention. “One…Two…Three…and it’s up.”

“Ready. They’ll be here in five…four…three…two…and NOW!” Rory shouted the command.

“Let me know when to close the door,” Kyra yelled over the sounds of Guardsmen engaging in battle.

The clanging of swords echoed through their enclosure. The whish of the hunter’s arrows as they missed their targets, along with the sounds of battle, joined the skirmish. Out of the corner his eye, Aaron saw the giant cats getting into position just as a broadsword narrowly missed his head. The hunters fighting tactics were evolving; they added swords to their repertoire.

Hell yeah! Now for some fun.

Narrowing his focus to only the black hooded figure before him, Aaron steadied his stance and loosened his grip on the leather handle of his katana. Fear flashed in the eyes of his opponent. He noted the slight shiver that shook his enemy’s body and had to grin.

Scared, huh? Good for you, but it won’t save your ass tonight.

Desperation and fear leaked from every pore as the hunter lunged forward, swinging his blade at Aaron’s neck. The Guardsman lifted his left hand, effectively blocking the strike with his forearm while slashing his opponent’s neck in one swift motion. Blood spurted from the hunter’s neck as he fell to the ground.

Unable to care, Aaron prepared for the next. They came one right after the other, all unprepared for a fight with the century-old Guardsmen. He hated the loss of life, but they had attacked and he had to defend. They were brainwashed fanatics and therefore, unable to be reformed.

The black figures were running in all directions. Some fought, most sought cover. Whatever battle plans they’d come into the fight with had once again been blown to hell by the dragons.

Still the fight continued. Hunters’ screams bounced off the walls of their magical containment. Bodies dropped. Blood soaked the ground as dead hunters littered the ground.

Aaron made his way up the mountain, exterminating all threats that came his way. He had no idea how long they fought, only the sound of Royce’s voice in his head slowed his siege.

“Less than a dozen remain on the ground and they’re pounding against the containment to be let out. I count ten on the mountain, all in Aaron and Aidan’s vicinity.”

Glancing to the side, Aaron saw his twin fighting two hunters at once. His style was finesse where Aaron’s was brute force. They truly were mirror images of each other. His musings were cut short when the battle cry of one fearless, or stupid, hunter cut through the air. The hunter’s blade made contact with Aaron’s upper arm, leaving a bloody trail in its wake.

Ignoring the fire that tore through his arm, Aaron countered with an upswing, barely missing his enemy, who spun before thrusting forward. His bravado was his undoing. A slight misstep caused the hunter to lean to his left; Aaron capitalized on the other’s misfortune and swung with purpose. His blade cut through his opponent’s midsection like it was no more than hot butter. A barely audible groan were the hunter’s only dying words as he crumpled to the ground in a heap of blood and entrails.