To Protect and Serve Ch. 11

"Oh . . ." Clara whispered.

". . . my . . . " Henry continued.

" . . . God!" Sebastian finished.

In the middle of the paved lot, there were now two dragons. One was about twenty feet from nose to tail. The other was . . . bigger. Where Shamira had stood was a new dragon that was easily three times the size of its companion. But more impressive was the length of the beast was the sheer mass. Its legs and long neck were bigger than tree trunks, its claws dug trenches in the asphalt, and teeth poking out from the upper jaw were like swords. Its tail was long and powerful, but lacked the barbed spikes that the smaller dragon possessed. Smoke seemed to constantly seep from beneath its scales, and its eyes glowed white.

The smaller dragon raised its head, sniffing at the underside of the much larger dragon's chin. Shadow Wing's chin. Shamira's chin. The two touched noses, then the smaller dragon lowered its head in a submissive gesture. Shamira was a much bigger, much more powerful dragon.

"Baby --" Clara started, then stopped as Shamira's new, massive head swung her way while the smaller dragon hid under that long neck.

* Clara, I need you to look after the young one. *

"Augh!" Clara replied, somewhat ungraciously as the voice entered her head. "Telepathy?! What's next, space travel?"

Shamira cocked her head and then looked up. * I think that may be pushing it. *

"Wait, you want me to look after a frigging dragon?!"

Shamira stared at the "little" dragon, who looked at Shamira, then at Clara, then back at Shamira. Finally, some kind of intent was communicated. Then the young beast slunk over to Clara who could not help but be a little nervous and . . . curled up at her feet. It kept a wary eye on the vampire, but it no longer seemed hostile.

i* "Who could I trust more than you? * From the scales on Shamira's back, the smoke began to expand and flow until it formed two massive wings. Shamira secretly hoped that her first flight was not straight into the ground. While this form felt surprisingly natural thus far, flying was flying. There were reasons why it was easier to get a driver's license than a pilot's license. But the moment her feet left the ground --

'Oh, I could get used to this!' she thought as the ground became a memory and the sky welcomed her home. What had she been so afraid of? She managed to do a barrel role as she hurtled toward Lacroix's house, forgetting for a moment the dire urgency of her quest.

She felt a great burning beginning deep in her breast, creeping forward slowly at first and then charged for her teeth. Flames burst from her mouth and raked their way across the remains of Lacroix's expansive yard. She felt the burning grass and trees heat her belly as she flew over them. She felt the wards parting before her like a wall made of aluminum foil . . . more decorative than functional. Shamira barreled into the front door, causing the entire entryway of the house to creak and give way.

Several guards at the front were buried, but others were simply frozen in their tracks. This was not something they had expected in their wildest nightmares. She sniffed the air, sifting through the blood and the smoke and the dust to identify what she had come in here for. A guard finally tried raising a nasty-looking rifle at her, causing her to twist her head and bite the man in half.

'I can't believe I just did that,' she thought. 'Hmm . . . down that corridor --' Shamira started tearing and burning her way through the house, looking for her target. There was a metal set of doors where the scent was strong. She was getting ready to start ripping her way through when she felt a bolt of energy strike her from behind. There was not really room for her to turn around, but she did it anyway, thereby creating a brand new room out of several old hallways. Lacroix was standing there, his hands and eyes glowing. True, he was also standing behind a dozen or so minor vamps.

"You will obey me!" the far-too-pretty man screamed. Shamira could feel him attempting to exert his masterly influence on her. It kind of tickled. He blasted her again with energy, which simply cascaded off her scales. "You are impossible! I control the only dragon! No matter, for once I have brought you to heel --" he added, motioning for one of his guards who was holding something similar to the collar she had removed from the smaller dragon. "Do it!" Lacroix screamed.

At the end of the hall, Shamira noticed Jonas. Lacroix's "security" chief was hiding in the back. Shamira's reptilian mouth curled in what was apparently a fairly menacing glare, as the guard who had been approaching with the collar dropped it and started to run away. Lacroix shot another magic bolt at the man and grinned evilly as his one-time lackey burst into flame.

"See, you cannot possibly stand against my power!"

Shamira could barely believe this. She took a sniff, and could tell instantly that the man did not smell right. He was high on morning star. She had not even smelled the stuff before, but that had to be it. He actually thought that he had a shot. Shamira was not normally prone to arrogance, but dammit, she was a fucking dragon! To emphasize her point, she shot a swath of fire at her would-be captors. Lacroix threw up shields to protect himself and one of the guards dove for cover. The rest were nothing more than ash littering the floor of a collapsing palace.

"Jonas?!" Lacroix said, his arrogant voice cracking a bit. The vampire's eyes were wide and bloodshot, and he looked over to call up his last line of defense.

Jonas was having none of it. He glanced at a stone circle that was set up in the nearby dining room which, thanks to Shamira's wanderings, was much bigger than it used to be. "Sorry sir," he snarled, "but it's every vamp for himself."

"Jonas, you can't --" Lacroix started to scream, but his second-in-command muttered a trigger word and the standing stone circle began to glow. Lacroix snarled as well, then starting running towards what Shamira assumed was an emergency portal.

Shamira lumbered after him, destroying everything in her path. She wanted Jonas. Mission or not, she wanted her teeth to end his life. But even as she summoned up another blast of fire, Jonas was making it to the portal.

* Do you recognize me yet?! * Shamira thought outwardly with as much hatred as she could muster. Then she breathed. She had just enough time to see the fear and confusion in Jonas's eyes before he dove through the portal, the energy shining brightly for a moment before vanishing.

Lacroix had been partially caught in the blast, and he was frantically trying to extinguish himself. Shamira placed one giant foot on his chest, pinning him in place.

"Let . . . let me go," the smoldering vampire muttered.

* Lacroix, you have committed crimes against your people and sins against this world. That which you have done and allowed to BE done under your roof are unforgivable. * She sniffed him, smelling fear now. * Your life is forfeit. By the name and honor of Lord Shane Stapleton and the Tribunal, I pass judgment on you. The sentence is death. *

"You . . . work for Stapleton? Who the hell are you?!"

She knew that she was not supposed to discuss her identity with anyone, but she figured that this would not matter for long. * My friends call me Shamira. Shane calls me his child. You can call me Shadow Wing. * She waited for the notion to set in, but strangely rather than looking more afraid, he almost looked . . . relieved?

"Thank the Gods," Lacroix said, letting his body relax. His eyes, just recently displaying madness, now just seemed tired. "He . . . he said it would help me gain power. He said it would fix everything. But it broke everything," Lacroix whispered, staring at the portal where Jonas had fled. "It broke me."

* You made your bed. It is time to lie in it. * She felt no more resistance. Lacroix had burned through the drug in his system. Despite everything that had happened because of this man's weakness, Shamira took pity on him. She made his death quick, crushing him in an instant. Then she looked towards the inactive portal.

'I will not be quite so kind with you,' she thought.

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Outside . . .

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Clara had been involved in a staring contest with a young dragon for about thirty minutes when Shamira returned, swooping down into the cleared area and landing far more gracefully than Clara might have imagined. The smaller dragon instantly perked up, moving to Shamira and placing itself in a subservient position at the big dragon's feet.

Shamira moved her enormous head over to Clara, who just grinned and stroked her scales.

"You're still pretty damn gorgeous," she said softly.

Shamira opened her mouth to reveal a number of dragon eggs, nestled in between her sharp teeth and tongue. * We need to take these somewhere safe, and we need to do it soon, * Shamira sent.

Clara waisted no time and started grabbing the eggs out of Shamira's mouth. "You are the strangest girlfriend that I've ever had," she said. "Hey, Lacroix --"

* -- is no longer among the living, * Shamira said. *Jonas got away through some magical portal. *

"I'm sorry," Clara said, pausing to pat Shamira's nose. "We'll get him. There are no safe ports for him anymore. He dealt in morning star, betrayed his lord, and defied the Tribunal. And quite frankly, no one is going to want to cross you now. You won't be able to hide what you've become." Clara's eyes were still a bit wide. "You're going to have to tell me what it's like."

* As soon as the eggs are safe, * Shamira replied.

Clara grinned. "I also couldn't help but notice that you can walk again . . . feel your legs again."

* I . . . I haven't really had time to process that part yet. But yeah, I guess I can. *

"You know what that means, don't you?" Clara wiggled her eyebrows.

The dragon Shamira rolled her eyes. * And you accuse ME of having a one-track mind. *

Clara kissed Shamira's nose. "Tell me that you aren't looking forward to getting back in the game," she whispered naughtily. "Tell me you aren't thinking about it right now."

Shamira could not because as soon as Clara had planted that kiss, then playing the game was exactly what Shamira had begun thinking about.

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Shortly before dawn . . .

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Shamira sometimes wondered exactly how much money Shane either had personally or had access to, because overnight he had managed to acquire a one-hundred acre farm up near Ellijay, GA with the possibility of buying more of the surrounding area. There was an old hay barn on the property which was spacious enough to accommodate two dragons, a dozen intact eggs, and tons of guards. Apparently the Tribunal had already heard of the young dragon and the return of Shadow Wing, and their safety was top priority.

Shane was waiting at the farm when Shamira and the young dragon arrived. The smaller newcomer followed its larger counterpart's lead in just about every way to the point that it was creeping her out. She was glad that she temporarily had four feet, because the little one was constantly on the verge of tripping her up.

"He seems quite attached to you," Shane chuckled from a safe distance. He and the other guards and members of his house that had come with their boss had been told not to rile the young dragon, who was staring at them all with great suspicion while simultaneously hiding under Shamira's massive bulk. "The Tribunal is sending the world's foremost expert on the history of the Greater Dragons here. He should be able to help us figure out what to do with your charge here."

* Thank goodness, * Shamira thought. * I have absolutely no idea what to do with him. *

"Can you tell us anything about him?" the Representative asked, her eyes wide with wonder. It was hard to surprise someone going on a thousand years old, but this was new to her.

"Maybe you should start at the beginning," Shane said.

Shamira nodded, then had to turn around to see why the smaller dragon was pawing at her hindquarters. She connected directly with its mind as Shadow Wing had told her to do. Dragons had little need for a "language" of their own, as they were able to project thought, intention, and feeling directly to one another. She had been communicating with the younger dragon on the flight up and had gotten some ideas about what had happened, but the thoughts were jumbled and disoriented.

* The young one is hungry, * she thought. * We need to come up with a name for it at some point, but I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, and it has little understanding of those concepts.*

"There are cattle on the ranch. Do you think that would work?"

Shamira sent the image of a cow to the young dragon and while there was little recognition, there was a great deal of interest. So she nodded, then started looking around. Shadow Wing had imparted some instincts to her, but she was having trouble making sense of them. There was still some hay at one end of the barn, and she started pushing it into a circle . . . into a nest.

By the time she had finished the structure (which aesthetically made her cringe) they had gotten a cow isolated in a nearby field. So Shamira and her companion went hunting. Admittedly, "hunting" a cow was a bit of a misnomer. Shamira swooped in and broke its neck in one bite. The thought made her cringe briefly, remembering when her own spine was shattered. But dragons had to eat, and wanted to teach her young ally to hunt efficiently and, if possible, humanely. The dragon observed her shrewdly, then just stared at her. Shamira was confused.

"You need to watch more Animal Planet," Renata shouted. Her predator instincts were trying to deal with having a much bigger, much badder predator in such close proximity. "Lesser animals are supposed to wait until the alpha has had her fill."

* Wait, I have to eat raw cow? * Shamira's stomach growled, and the idea suddenly did not seem quite so unappealing. It smelled VERY good. She sniffed it again and started to nibble. Before she knew it, she'd eaten half a flank. 'Wait,' she thought to herself, 'Need to let him . . . her . . . it . . . eat.' She looked at the youngster, then nudged the carcass towards it while projected an image of the small dragon eating. It looked at the carcass hungrily, then at Shamira. Then the carcass. Then Shamira. Then it slowly extended its neck, keeping an eye on the big dragon. It took a bite, then another and another. Finally, any nervousness about pecking order was overcome by just being damn hungry.

After it had eaten its fill, Shamira walked it back to the barn and into the nest. It was exhausted but seemed to be too nervous to sleep. Shamira projected the notion of safety and that she would stay nearby. It then put the image of her human body merging into a dragon and then back again into its head. The young dragon seemed confused, but its ordeal combined with a long flight and a great deal of stress allowed it to slowly nod off. With the young dragon asleep, Shamira willed her body back into its bipedal state. Shane admired the currently-naked view, then handed her a robe. How he had thought to bring one with him was beyond Shamira.

"Might I say," he started, his voice full of warmth as he stared at her repaired body, "that it is good to see you up and about." He pulled her into a firm embrace and, just like that, the dam broke.

Silently, everyone from the house who was present and everyone that knew here moved forward in a large, amorphous, evolving embrace. A few drops of blood leaked from her eyes as an intense, relieving, overwhelming joy flowing into her. These were her friends and, when Clara pushed her way through and pressed her lips to Shamira's, the sometimes-dragon remembered how much more they could be. Finally the little love fest broke up enough that Shamira could sit down.

"Yeah," Shamira started, almost relieved to be using her normal voice. Telepathy was really for for her. "This is all kind of a bit much, isn't it?" She stood back up and started walking around. She never thought she would be able to do this again, so she was going to enjoying it for a while. No one seemed to mind, and most of them were actually smiling when they saw her upright.

"Start at the beginning," the Representative said firmly, though her mouth was quirked in a smile. And her eyes kept darting over to the slumbering dragon at the other end of the room.

"Okay, I'm assuming that everyone knows what happened up until the point that our guest arrived?" Shamira said, thumbing in the general direction of the dragon. "Well that was when Shadow Wing decided it was time to have a little chat."

"What I would have given to be a fly on the wall for THAT discussion," Shane said.

"It started off unpleasant," Shamira agreed. "I had a lot of issues but --" She paused, unsure of how much she wanted to share. "I'm okay. I don't think I'll hold a grudge against Shadow Wing for this."

Shane's mouth and eyes opened wide in mock shock. "Who are you and what have you done with Shamira?"

"Very funny."

"I'm just saying that if it were ME, you'd hold a grudge until --"

"Can I please get on with the debriefing?" Shamira smiled. She and Shane were going to be okay. "When I first heard about Shadow Wing and all that, I thought that maybe this conflict with Lacroix was the 'big thing' that was pulling the powers out of hiding. Then I thought it might be the magical races outing themselves to the public, but I think THIS is it," she continued, waving her hand at the sleeping dragon.

"He sensed that whatever Lacroix and his house were doing was going to work. The Greater Dragons were coming back and . . . and I guess that he regretted that they had left. Yeah, he was saving the human race by fighting in the Dragon Wars, but his kind was gone from the Earth. They're getting a second chance, I guess."

The Representative's eyes went to the eggs that were currently resting in another nest built by volunteers. "So those --"

"Are viable now," Shamira said. "Those ones may wind up hatching. I have no idea how Lacroix and Jonas did it, but he brought life back to them. I mean, there's only a dozen or so eggs remaining --"

"-- but it's a start," Shane finished. "And you shall lead them."

"Huh? I thought I just had to rescue them!" Shamira shivered. "I thought the Tribunal --"

"Who better to lead the Greater Dragons back to promise than the chosen one of the most powerful Greater Dragon to ever live? The last Moon Dragon chose you," Alessandra said. "We know he did not choose you lightly."

"But . . . but . . . I don't want to be a mom! I didn't really want to do that when I was alive!"

"Then don't be," Clara said, walking close to her agitated girlfriend and taking her hand. "Be a friend and a mentor and a source of inspiration. Those things you can do. Just ask anyone."

"But . . . I wanted to come home!"

"And you will," Shane said. "But this is more important right now. The fate of one of the great races is in your hands now."

'Yeah, great,' Shamira thought, looking at the enormous reptile snoring at the back of the room. 'No pressure.'

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The next evening . . .

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Shamira was glad that dragons apparently slept most of the day away, because the young one was far too exuberant when it was awake. It did not seem to have any problem obeying Shamira's commands while she was in human form, but she still morphed back into a dragon most of the time because telepathy was more efficient with the youngster. One thing she discovered . . . convincing her companion to bathe would not be a problem. They went out exploring the property under cover of darkness and found a large tank stocked with fish. The little dragon dove right in and seemed to be having the time of its life. Shamira joined in and admittedly had a lot of fun splashing around.