Under Fire

She swept her leg under his, slamming him to the ground, raising her sword. There was no doubt she’d inflict pain with her blade. Her sword, Dragon Breath, was created from silver and forged with the fire of the eldest dragonic clan, Erelil. She nicked his medallion-yellow right horn. As his eyes flitted to sangria, she warded off any fire that’d come her way. Blood flowed and betrayal set in his eyes. Her clan, Diokus, Fire & Demon fighters wanted her to cut off his scaled tail that matched his eyes. They demanded she sent him up in a conflagration. His fire, that would twist, burning him from within, turning him to ashes. She hated that she knew how to kill him. But she could not, for they had many days over the last three months where she hadn’t learned he was an amalgam. Ice cream dates, playing in the water, kisses under the moonlight. All visions of a summer spent under the California sun until it lapsed into the night. She had not considered he was an outsider that she’d have to protect herself from. Not until his conversion. Once the Buser, dragonic clan appeared, she saw his true self as a hybrid. Red wings, medallion horns, and long white hair. Her heart clenched, and she took charge of a dangerous situation. Buser were a part of the dragonic clan that wanted to restore the barbarous constitution of human enslavement. 

No one could claim that Addie Logan didn’t pay attention to history. Dragons came after dinosaurs. People got eaten, enslaved, or mated as dragons evolved to bipedal creatures. Along with dragons, humans also developed and started thinking for themselves. As with everything that had to do with right and wrong, wars came naturally. Some humans thought they were safer with dragons as their overlords. Diokus, her clan did not share such cave dweller mentality. Yes, Addie Logan knew her history. It’s why she trained from ten-years-old, so she could survive. She was not a naïve child or teenaged girl with an unhealthy boy crush. Dragons equalled bad news. 

A woman of twenty knew what to do. The Buser leader that cruised the park with his five-person squad had no right to demolish her happiness. For that reason, she took satisfaction in watching him and the others go up in wildfires. 

Addie turned to him. She had to slay him. His expression of betrayal burned her without him seeking to fire at her. He rose and reached out for her.

“Surrender, Tervo, do not come back. Should I see you again, I must turn you to ashes.” It did not go unnoticed by Addie that Tervo meant kind. She didn’t understand how that could be the case. Dragons were killers and destroyers, all things good in the world. 

“Addie, we don’t have--“

She positioned her sword to cut him off and kept her head bowed. Addie would not succumb to eyes that peered through to her soul. She would not see the person who’d seized her heart and plucked it out of a world of fighting, loss, blood, and pain. So much pain. “Go, Tervo, I won’t repeat myself. I, Adaline Logan, banish you by the way of Diokus, Fire& Demon Fighters of California.” 

Addie couldn’t help herself when she looked up and saw the hurt in his eyes. They flashed from amber-brown to sangria when she backed away from him. Holding his palms down, the fire that came from within Tervo propelled him into the air. Like a rocket, he shot out. 

                        ***

Addie wasn’t happy. A year ago, she would have welcomed summer and her birthday. Ideas of spending days with friends and nights with her boyfriend swam around her head. The reality was harsh. No matter how many Dragon Breath cut down, Buser clan members kept coming. For everyone her blade set ablaze, five of her people got buried. Now, because of her actions that fateful night in late August, she’d have to get married. 

Married!

She was nowhere near ready. It might have been for three months, but she hadn’t gotten over her last boyfriend. Or should she call what she and Tervo had a fling? 

Addie sighed. 

Like everything else in her life for Diokus, she would deal.

Addie looked around the VIP room on the Santa Monica Pier with hints of an oceanic view. Her skin crawled with all the political hogwash that was going on. Everything looked posh and expensive. Too expensive for a clan of people who spent their time in 16ft bell tents out in the woods. White linen table cloth, golden silverware, and patterned plates. Addie hated everything about being in this restaurant. The view which did nothing but reminded her of memories best left forgotten. This new arrangement made her feel like cattle and regretful. Couldn’t her father have made this decision last year?

The woods were theirs. Now instead of fighting for their rights, her father wanted to settle. Strike a deal with Fridman, the Dragon Lord from the ancient dragonic clan, Kervot. 

“Sit up Adaline, put your daisy crown back on, don’t be rude. This engagement meeting is important to our people. Do you realise this is an honour? The Kervot are royalty among the demonic community.”

Addie blinked, at a loss of what to say to her mother. Corrain Logan wasn’t acting like herself. She was a warrior, not a regular human woman who took pleasure in wedding talk. Instead of arguing, Addie adopted the stupid flower crown atop her head. 

While she dug around in her purse to stop her allergies, she missed the arrival of the supposed royalty. She heard the pushed back chairs and whoosh of movement, meaning others had stood. She was about to continue to ignore everyone when she heard his voice. Addie’s head snapped up.

“Tervo?”

“Hello, lover.”

The adults looked between them in confusion. Not that Addie cared. Tervo was back. He going to be her husband. 

A sense of relief washed over her. Maybe this time they could get to know each other without bloodshed.