Dragon Talons (Indigo Apocalypse Book I)

Chapter Seven: Huntor Is Either Audacious, Or Stupidly Dangerous

ZAVALA:
Draco laughed as we entered the rooms, shoving me playfully. I bared my fangs and said, "Go freeze your balls off." Then I turned to Huntor's room, scenting he was home. My stomach jumped violently, but I ignored it as I walked toward it. But the door opened, and Huntor came out, looking grave. Immediately, my good mood faded. "What's wrong Huntor?" Raveaque asked. Huntor just pointed to the living area. "Where's Seeka and Theia?" He asked. "They were right behind us." Draco said, passing Huntor. Huntor's face went into a worried look, and I saw his eye darken. I felt something deep inside, like a lifeline, pull taught, and I stumbled toward him. Raveaque's own face darkened. "What's—"What the flaming dracon's fang?" Draco called. Then I heard Seeka behind me, her and Theia. "What's wrong?" Huntor just gestured to the living area again. Silently, we all followed, Sarah popping out of nowhere, and folowing Huntor as if he was on a short leash. When we all were in, and he was plugging the walls, he asked Seeka, "The Ragni Di morte, why, when they showed themselves, were you three not surprised?" "Because we trained against them. We've had the occasional dealings with them over the decades, but we were trained to fight them and the Dark Queen shoud she rise again." "Rise, again." Huntor said slowly. "Rise, again."
Draco swore. "So, so it's true? They're still alive?" Seeka glanced at him. "Seeka," Huntor said, and her head snapped to his face. "What did your father tell you about them? The history of them." "Vello told you the truth, he told you our history, the spiders, everything." Huntor rose and started pacing, his face dark, and void. He turned back, came toward me, then to Sarah, then back to me, then paused in the middle of the room. "The Snow Queen didn't kill the Dark Queen. The Ragni Di Morte still are here, are in fact, active, viciously, and methodically destroying, as if they had someone telling them to. They've not only entered the Communal Plain, but have also entered the human world, planning to destroy it under her orders." "Fuck." Draco swore, which was the first time I ever heard him use a human term. Huntor nodded. "In a single word, yes." "So, what, the Queen, snow that is, just decides to lie through her fangs, and have her whole kingdom believe she's a god and destroyed the Dark Queen?" Draco paused, then added, "Wait, what about the fangs, the history says that she had the fangs of the Dark Queen as proof." Huntor nodded grimly, and, drew, "Holy freaking shit." Draco actually fell out of his chair, staring at what Huntor held. In his hands, were two Ragni daggers. "Straight from the source." He said.
Draco stared, stared, and, stared. My own mouth fell open, as, as, as, just, "Flaming dragon tails." Raveaque swore, his gentle calm voice breaking on the words. "Those, those are real, actual Ragni blades." The others were silent, and Huntor said, "The Queen lied, to you, to the court, to everyone. The Ragni Di Morte are still alive, still here, and the Dark Queen, is MIA." "What's—"Missing in action." Sarah said. Huntor nodded, then said, "Though I suspect I know exactly where, she is." "Which is?" Draco challenged. Huntor just shook his head. "I'm not saying yet, there's too much left unknown, too much left to chance. We need to know more. We know the Queen is lying. How many are along with her, how many know the truth, and what else she's hiding, we don't know. We need those answers, and more." He slid his blades back in. "I don't believe it." Draco said. "I just—" but hHuntor lifted a hand, as his iPhone rang out. He lifted it to his ear, and answered, "Huntor." "Huntor, it's Shadow." Huntor's face slid into a warrior's calm, a commander's face. "Shoot Shadow." "We just interrogated the men and women who attacked you and Seeka, and, the news isn't good." "Explain." Huntor commanded calmly. "There is an underground similar to the Keeper Organization, however it consists of civilians whom want us off the streets, placed into labs and have tests done on us. And, they're after the Ragni Di Morte, along with the dracon and practically all the indigo species."
Huntor listened to Kitana's words with a commander's face, cool, calm, and blank, nothing showed in his eye, on his face, just like stone. When she paused, he said, very calmly, "Get every indigo you can, as soon as you can. These people are dangerous, get the word out to Rosa Gardener, use the media like a weapon Shadow." "Wait, there's more. The Ragni aren't just here, but targeting spacific indigos, targeting humans as well. They don't just torture and kill them. They leave trails, trails that go cold in minutes or hours. We can't find them, but we are sure they're using the portals somehow, getting back to their own world, using them to wake the Dark Queen." Huntor nodded, and said with that calm, "Save everyone you can. Save first, ask questions later. Use the media, use everything you can, but saving the indigos and humans is a priority, it is paramount, imperative, the Dark Queen must not wake, if she does—"Understood." She answered. "We'll do our part here, stay alive, you, and your court." With that, she hung up. "Well if we didn't know she was still alive, we know now." Draco said. "It's not a joke." Raveaque chastised calmly. Draco whipped toward him. "Of course I know it's not brother. I'm fully fucking aware it isn't. All our lives we believed the Snow Queen killed the bitch. Not just us but all of the kingdom, all of us believed it, now to realize that's a lie, a cover up." Draco spat each word, ire full on his face, but under it, there was panic, a kind of panic I never saw on my brother's face before. Raveaque actually backed down, staring at Draco with simpathy. Huntor coolie slid his phone into his pocket. "Whatever the case may be, we now have to continue to act, we know the truth, we cannot unleash it yet." His face was filled with command, and Draco nodded. Huntor turned, walking toward the doors. "I will be fighting with Daqutos tonight, at sundown, he wants to put me in my place, wants me to hide from him, to be, human, we, will, not, let, him." Huntor outlined a plan, a plan that was dangerous, clever, and, certainly, would, get, us, all, killed.
    Zenvanescence knocked on the doors and said, "Milord, i is dinner time." Huntor nodded. "Thank you Zenvyyvu." She bowed low, and backed out. After taking a hot bath, where I dealt with some very, very, personal needs, I dressed and met up with Sarah, who brushed my hair, and laid it straight down my back. "Your hair is almost as long as mine." Sarah commented. "If you suggest I cut it, I will freeze your fingers off." Sarah laughed. "I was going to say that you should let it grow more. Mine goes to my ass, so." This was true, I wondered how, just, how, the girl could manage her hair, it did go straight to her butt, and had to be a pain, ha ha, in the ass, to brush. When she was done, she asked, "Wanna ponytail?" I shook my horned head, "No thank you." My hair flowed around me like a midnight curtain. Sarah grinned, and opened the doors with her telekinesis. "Well, let's go piss off some royals." We entered the antechamber to see Huntor and the others already there. "See Huntor, even dracon females take forever." Draco said. Seeka elbowed him. "I'll remind you, that it took you, twice as long as I to get out here." Draco just gave her a wicked grin. "I have to look pretty don't I?" Seeka just sighed and rolled her eyes.
    I eyed Huntor, but he just shrugged, and said, "Come on, let's go." When we entered the hall this time, there were no guards waiting by the dais, and, the queen sat, holding court in her throne. Zenvanescence bowed her way up the dais, Huntor following, gesturing to Raveaque and Draco. Without words, they stood on either side of the dais steps. Sarah, Wenzi, and I followed him to seats he pulled out with telekinesis. The queen watched him with a bored face, Daqutos eyed him with a feral grin. "Are you ready for sundown brother?" Huntor gave him the same feral smile, "Why yes, I am." Daqutos didn't miss a beat. "I don't think you unnderstand what a dracon is capable of." "Meh, I guess I'll find out." He threw a grin down to Theia, currently eating at another table. "Eh, Theia, do you count as a real dracon? Because I'm certain I've trained with you." "I do believe so." She replied sweetly, more emotion than I've ever seen from her moved in those gold eyes. Daqutos waved his taloned hand, "The molten dracons don't count, we have a different way of life, different training skills." "Right," Huntor said. "I guess that's why you never used the training grounds in the castle courtyard, or the training grounds in the castle." "Oops." I thought, as shock and surprise flashed, a blaze of emotion on Daqutos's face.
    "How have you come to this knowledge?" The purple eyed one said. "I have my ways." Huntor answered. "Which are?" She asked, baring her fangs. "My, ways." Huntor answered. "Tell me." She demanded. "No." Huntor said. "You will tell me human, you don't have any say here, you have no power, despite what you claim, you have nothing." Huntor just shrugged. "I guess we'll find out later won't we?" The girl, female, swore in our tongue, and rose from her seat. "Down Vi, now." Daqutos commanded. She lowered into her seat, eyes blazing with fury. "Well played, ruukos. You wield words like weapons." "Just another one of my more favorable talents, eneequi." He added. The female snarled, but kept eating. Veevuqui said, "Are you sure about this duel Huntor/ Dracon duels can take hours, and on rare occasions, days." "What's the longest duel?" Huntor asked. "Two weeks." Daqutos said savagely. "And the shortest?" Huntor asked. "Twelve hours." Veevuqui answered gently. Huntor gestured to Daqutos, "Let's have a little bet shall we?" Silence reigned over the table. "What kind of bet?" Daqutos asked softly. "How long do you think you'll last against me?" "How long?" Daqutos laughed. "I think I can last against you no matter what." Huntor nodded. "Ok, so, how about this then, if I kick your dracon ass in less than five minutes, then I have earned my place in this family, and castle." Silence greeted his words, his gamble. I looked to see even the others, even Huntor's court watching him warily.
    "And, if you don't?" Daqutos asked. "Then, you have the pleasure to whip me, in front of everyone." I gasped, Sarah launched herself out of her seat. Wenzi swore in Chinese. Raveaque and Draco both spun to stare at Huntor. Seeka and Theia were half out of their chairs. Daqutos's eyes glowed with inner light, with a kind of inner ferocity. "Huntor." Veevuqui warned. "You have a deal." Daqutos said, reaching to shake Huntor's hand. "You've gotta be out of your mind." Draco spat when we were alone in the living area. "Are you out of your flaming ever existing mind?" Huntor shook his head. "That wasn't the plan Huntor, that was nowhere near a part of the plan." Huntor didn't say anything though, and even Raveaque said, "Huntor, you can't possibly think you can take a dracon in less than five minutes." Huntor didn't say anything though, just stared out at the room, stared, and stared, and, stared. Seeka and Theia though, they kept quiet, just watching the scene play out. "I have my reasons." Huntor said. "Well freeze your reasons, freaking dragon talons Huntor, you've gotta be playing us. You cannot let him do this, you, cannot do this, you can't take a dracon and win in under five minutes. No one can."
    Huntor nodded, and said, very quietly, "That should do it." Draco's face was blank, "What?" But Huntor was waving his hand, and i felt a whoosh through the air. "Ohhh." Sarah said. Wenzi sighed skyward. "Ok, I'm missing something here." Draco said. Seeka smiled at him, but it was Theia who said, "It needed to be genuine." Huntor nodded. "Ok, what—"Draco," Huntor said gentle. "Didn't you notice that I didn't plug in the spy holes in the walls until now? That I let you ramble and go on and on, shouting at me? Wouldn't I have struck you down by now?" Draco sucked in a breath, as if he was going to fly off the handle again, but, his face blanked, then, "Oh, oh, ohhh, ohhh." Huntor grinned. "You wanted whoever was spying to report to Daqutos that your court didn't agree with your decision, that you didn't have a good handle on your court members. You wanted us to be overheard." "Well I feel stupid now." "And guilty." Theia noted. Draco sneered at her. Theia stepped forward. "Huntor trained with Vello, Seeka and myself. He can take on an army of dracons and survive, and that's without his powers. With his powers, he could destroy all of us and not even break a sweat. We each are powerful in our own way, but Huntor, Huntor is the Dio Indaco, a god in his own right." I shook my head, unable to fathom it. "It's true." Huntor said. "I'm a god in my own right. That's, perhaps, the one thing the snow queen didn't intend, that I'd be so powerful." "So, tonight, you're going to loll him into a state of complacency, then, at the right moment, you'll unleash the dragon?" Draco asked. Huntor said, "Indeed." "I don't know if you're just extremely audacious, or, stupidly dangerous." Huntor said. "Why can't I be both?" Raveaque sighed.
    "Huntor, are you sure?" I asked, unable to feel some kind of worry. Hours later, we stood in the royal hall, making our way down toward the Dragon Bowls, where the fights took place. Huntor gave me one of his wolfish smiles, the smiles that turned me on. "Don't worry Zeej, I'll live." I shook my head. "You know that's not what I meant." He just pecked my cheek, and said, "I have a plan." Then, we were ushered into a vast stadium called, haha, the Dragicium. "Their names for things aren't very original are they?" Sarah commented. Seeka just shook her head. The dragicium was huge, a huge enclosed building made completely from glass. The seating benches, the archways, the floorings, everything from turquoise glass. "They say that this place can hold up to ten thousand people. Guess they weren't lying." Theia said. Seeka shook her head. "Ours holds twice as much." "A lot of space for pit fighting." Huntor noted. Seeka shrugged. "That is all it is." Sarah commented. "No dracon has powers, that's luculent, no one here but us have real powers. So, all it really is is gambling, an excuse to make a quick buck, or coin." Theia nodded. "You plan to undermind it, don't you." Raveaque asked. Huntor nodded, saying, "Someone has to." Then, Zenvanescence ushered us up a flight of glass steps, and on to a platform that ringed an oval shaped pit, covered in snow that looked deep, very, very, deep, and had ice shards as tall as Huntor scattered everywhere. There was a railing made from marble, that enclosed the bowl, but other than that, if you fell, you were game. The pit, bowl, whatever, was twenty-four feet deep, a twenty-four drop on to snow. "You must come with me." Zenvanescence said. Huntor laid his hand on my shoulder, "Zavala and Sarah stay." She looked like she was about to get her head sliced off, but said, "Yes Milord." Huntor ignored her, and faced the pit.
    "Welcome all, welcome." A thin dracon was standing on a plateau overlooking the bowl. He held a kind of human mic to his mouth, and spoke into it. "A specially made fight, between Huntor, and Daqutos, both royals of the Snow Kingdom. The rules of the dracon duels are simple, no killing, or slaughtering, use of all skills and or powers is recommended. To win a round, simply either pin your opponent, or knock them out the ring. Three rounds in this game. We shall begin momentarily." Huntor just sat against the railing, and, closed his eye. "That's not good." Sarah noted. I stepped to her side. "What?" I whispered. She pointed to him. "Huntor, he has a plan alright. Look at his posture, his stance, his whole demeanor, he's ready to spill blood, but, he's planning something." Huntor gave Sarah a grin, but kept his eye closed, his face blank. I shivered, hoping I would never see that expression aimed at me. I looked up, to see Seeka and Theia sitting together, eyes on Huntor. Raveaque and Draco however, were eying the other side of the oval, where Daqutos stood, a flock of females all over him. He smiled and brushed them aside, as if he was burdened but accepted it. One ran her hand down his chest, and hovered over his belt. Another raked her lips over his shoulder. Then, I noticed the ornate armor he bore, or, more like pieces. He didn't wear a suit, not like the Indigo, but he just wore little pieces here and there. I looked back toward Huntor, he wore his usual dragon scale pants and shirt, but nothing else, but that crown. "I feel like I'm missing something." I said. But then, the dracon called, "Duelers, enter the bowl at this time." Huntor smiled, and sat on the railing, facing us, back to the pit. Daqutos jumped, landing on the railing, and opened his wings. The flock of females giggled and cooed over him, his wingspan, his body. Then, Daqutos jumped, sweeping up, and diving down. He landed in the bowl with an audible "boom" that shook the entire dragicium. The crowd cheered, and went silent as Huntor didn't move, as he just sat there. No one spoke, or even breathed, as he just sat, then, slowly, very, slowly, leaned back. So far that he was horizontal over the bowl. I gasped, expecting him to fall, but no, he sayed right there, hovering impossibly over the pit. Then, he threw the crowd his arms and a wide smile, baring his fangs, then, flipped, over, the, edge.
    I gasped, and ran to the railing, watching with horrified eyes as Huntor fell. I turned to see Seeka and Theia on the edge of their seats, Draco and Raveaque on their feet, looking like they would jump to save him. But Sarah, it was Sarah who was just shaking her head. She muttered, "I remember him doing that at the safe house." Huntor rolled slowly through the air, falling, falling, falling. Then, as fast as lightning, he stuck out his foot and froze, foot somehow glued to the wall. He grinned, up at us as the crowd cheered, rising and stomping their feet. Huntor back rolled off, fell another six feet before sticking out his hand, and again, miraculously attaching himself to the wall. Then, he jumped again, and landed in the snows, causing the snow to rise around him like mist. Daqutos just watched Huntor like a predator. Huntor threw his braids over a shoulder, and gave Daqutos a wolf's grin. "Round one, FIGHT." Daqutos ran at Huntor, flying faster than anything over the snow, jumping pits of ice water, and charging, talons extended, eyes feral. Huntor merely raised a hand, and touched the crown on his head. A flash of indigo power, and he was clad in his armor. Daqutos didn't even have time to slow as he reached Huntor, and Huntor spun, his forearm flying, and crashing into Daqutos's chest, sending him sprawling. Huntor finished his spin, planting his now booted feet. Daqutos rose, spitting snow. He charged again, and Huntor spun aside, and I saw his forearms glow, and over the crowd's cherring and jeering, heard the sharp sounds of exposing metal, and saw his blades flash as he exposed them from his forearms, like a fish's fins. Daqutos eyed the blades, and semed to disregard them. He ran for him again, and Huntor dove aside, bringing his booted feet up, and lashing out. Daqutos caught his foot though, and I gasped as he threw Huntor across the bowl.
    Huntor rolled, faster than Daqutos, and landed. Then a piece of ice was flying for Daqutos's face. Daqutos roared as it missed, slicing into his ear. Daqutos threw three ice shards as tall as me. Huntor dodged each one, grinning like a wolf. Huntor rolled and threw three ice shards. Daqutos dodged them, and lunged forward. Huntor leaped and collided with him. They moved, as fast as light, exchanging punches, kicks. Then, Daqutos was flying, wings extended, but an invisible force slammed into him, and sent him sprawling over the snow, and he laid there, panting, face red with rage. Huntor stood, and brushed off snow. A bell rang out, signaling the end of the match. Daqutos rose, and bared his fangs at Huntor. "ROUND TWO, FIGHT." Daqutos ran for him again, eyes blazing with hate. Huntor went with the move, sliding his foot behind Daqutos's, and sending them both flying. THey slid through the snow, and i saw Daqutos's fist slam into Huntor's arm. But Huntor rolled, sending Daqutos flying. Daqutos landed, and swung his wing down, Huntor grinned as he spun, raising his forearm. Daqutos roared in genuine agony as blood sprayed everywhere, stanning the snow red. Huntor moved, spinning faster than ever, and slicing gashes into his other wing. Then he lashed out, a hard kick to Daqutos's chest, sending his flying into an ice pool.
    Daqutos pulled himself out, eyes filled with hate and pain, and, the bell rang out. "Couldn't have been more than thirty seconds." Sarah said. "And Huntor hasn't even started yet." "What?" I asked. Sarah shook her head. "Huntor is only playing, playing with him, he hasn't hit his stride yet." I shook my head. Then gasped as the final bell rang and Daqutos roared, and shifted. A huge dragon stomped into the bowl, eyes filled with hate and rage. Huntor grinned up at him, and I heard him say, "It's about time." Then Daqutos was on him, talons swiping, maw open wide. Huntor coiled in and out of Daqutos's body, and I said, "He's being a dragon." Sarah nodded. "He's, he's, he's—"Fighting like a Molten dracon." Sarah said, waving to Seeka and Theia, who watched Huntor with a kind of savage feral pride. Daqutos flew across the forty foot bowl and slammed into the opposite wall. Daqutos roared as his body coiled and he raged toward Huntor. Huntor spun, and I saw water flash, a whip of water that slapped Daqutos across the face. Daqutos stumbled, and Huntor stepped in, spinning again and kicking his already injured wing. Daqutos screeched, and snapped for Huntor, but eh was already moving, rolling aside, and rising, then stomping his foot. Snow flew up, a blizzard of it, rising up, and making it near to impossible to see them. I heard ice grown, water surge. "Now he's having fun, now, he's fighting."
    The blizzard roiled, and I heard Daqutos screech in agony, then real, genuine, fear. I leaned closer, trying to see, hell, sense a flaming thing in the tumult of snow and ice. Then, the blizzard cleared, and there they were, Huntor regal, standing on an ice plateau, braids swaying in a phantom breeze, eye glowing with inner power. Daqutos, was, frozen. His whole body was frozen solid, everything but his head, his eyes now showing absolute fear and pain. Huntor flicked his wrist, and two ice shards flew from nowhere, and stabbed deep into Daqutos's eyes. He roared in pain, jerking his head away, but too late. Huntor nodded. The bell rang out, and Sarah muttered, "Three and a half." "What?" Wenzi asked. "They were in there for three and a half minutes." "You serious?" I asked, trust shocked. Sarah nodded. "And Huntor barely hit his stride from the looks of it." Huntor waved his hand as he turned and started to walk away. The ice that held Daqutos melted, and the ice in his eyes melted. Daqutos collapsed on the snow with a heavy thump. Dracons took to the air, flapping and diving for him. I tensed, but they threw themselves at Huntor's feet. Something tightened in my body, in my soul, making me stumble forward, again, again, again, again, again, until I realized he was pulling me, calling, to me. I flapped up, landing on the railing, and diving for him. He grinned at me, and I slammed into him, sending us flying through the air, before I caught the wind, and flew up.