Dragon Talons (Indigo Apocalypse Book I)

Chapter Nineteen: Rock The Boat, Don't Tip It Over, Rock The Boat, OH SHIT

KITANA:
    I slid my headband over my head, sliding it in place to hook behind my ears. My backpack, the one Holly bought for me, purple, of course, doesn't anyone know that purple wasn't and will remain that way, my favorite color, sat waiting on my bed. I looked in the mirror, knowing that, in a few hours time, I'd be soaked in blod. "Not like the last war." I reminded myself. "These beings have had centuries of experience in battle and blood, won't hesitate to kill." I rubbed my arms, realizing I was apprehensive, actually apprehensive. "Most werewolves won't ever admit they were afraid, you came close though." I sighed. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Oh, a good bloodbath, why not invite one of the most powerful werewolves in existence." "Cocky Bitch." "Thank you." I turned to find Amala standing by my bed, examining a blue, sapphire blue, set of glasses. "For Huntor I'd gather?" "You gathered enough." I answered. "I'm surprised you haven't asked how I got here." "Honestly, after being with the indigo, becoming a partial werewolf, fighting in a war, then finding out another is on the way, I've figured to just go with it." She laughed. "My wolf, you've grown up. You're no longer the pup I fell in love with. Neither you nor your sister." I snorted. "Have your own pup I see." "Yes I do, and left her and my mate behind." "Again, strong, and yet afraid." "Of course, I'd be a fool not to be." Amala smiled, baring fangs. "Very wise." She lifted the glasses. "New accessories? What's next, exploding bracelets?" "Maybe." I said. "So why are you here?" Amala set the glasses back in the pack. "We'll say, I caught wind that there was going to be a major battle today, a battle that might start the next possible war, perhaps, an invasion of Earth. So, I decided to gather my forces and send them to the Symbol to help guard and prepare for said possible war, then get the word out to some interested parties." "Riddles riddles riddles." I sighed. She nodded, amusement sparking in her eyes. She opened her mouth, but someone burst in my room. "Kitana, we need, to do something about Joy." Luna raged. "I just caught her in bed with Camille, and do you know what Camille had the nerve to ask me?" "I don't really care that much—"She asked me if I wanted to join." She said. I hid my smile. Of course Camille said that. "I mean, seriously, can you believe it, oh, hey Amala." She added as an after thought. Amala waved politely. "I'll go find Huntor, should I take these to him?" She pointed ot the glasses. "No, I will." I said. Then to Luna, "Joy is at perfect liberty to bed whom ever she likes, if Camille had fun, good, if they become a couple, then it's really meh." Luna's face went red, as if the idea of her sister dating another girl was repugnant. "I'll remind you that Kendra and I are—"I know, but it's different for Joy. She's, she's always been a sex monster. She's not a whore, not like that, but, well, I just don't want her to break Camille's heart."
    "They'll be fine." I said. "Besides, we have a battle to deal with, relationships are the least of our worries." Luna shrugged, and walked out. I lifted the pack and slung it over a shoulder. The sun was rising steadily over the peninsula, the Talons all around us. Now I looked, I saw what Camille meant last night, everything was quiet, as if everything was dead. As if all the usual creatures here were frozen in fear, dead from just the presence of the spiders. I saw the others eating a huge breakfast at a table on one of the quarter decks. I walked up a staircase and toward them. "Huntor." I called. He rose, and I said, "I need you, Sarah Wenzi Sydney and Leia." They rose and met me by the stairs. "Shawn made you an early Christmas present." I said, handing out newer crowns like my own, and the glasses. Huntor raised an eyebrow, and before he could make a blind comment, I said, "These will help you change into the newer version of your indigo armor, and the glasses activate a mask that matches the armor. I demonstrated by setting the band over Huntor's forehead, hooking it behind his ears, then setting the glasses on his face, and hooking them into the slots in the headband. "They look no different than normal sunglasses, all be it a bit cooler." He said. "I thought you were blind." Sydney commented. Huntor just gave her his wolfish smile. "You can activate the entire armor by pressing your finger against the lens of the glasses, and you'll be in—" Huntor touched the left lens and in a flash of sapphire blue, was clad in his armor, a sapphire mask over his face. "Now that's what I'm talking about." He said, voice coming out deeper. "And it has voice box control, so no one can ever know who you truly are." I said. Huntor nodded appreciatively. "Shawn needs a pay raise." "Each of us have one, and Shawn had ones made for you guys, I grabbed them before i left." I handed them out and each of them tested them. Sarah's had a white mask that matched her armor, black for the base, just like the indigo, white for the armor plates. Everyone, except Sydney. Her's was black on obsidian black. SHe looked like a whip of darkness, just ready to vanish.
    They all returned to their skins, and walked away, all except Huntor, who grinned and handed me two long curved thick blades. "An early Christmas present." He said, then smiled. Amala appeared and Huntor said, "Ah, Amala, what a plesent surprise." "Ok." I muttered. "So, we aren't going to admit that Huntor found some way to let her know war was here, or where to come, interesting." "Where's Kamala?" He asked. "Oh, around here somewhere." Right on queue, Kamala came out of a doorway, swaggering over to Huntor. She sniffed him, and smiled at Sydney. "Congratulations." She said to her. Sydney raised her black eyebrows. "On your mating." Kamala clearified. Sydney gave her a small shy smile. Qudorzo came over, Quedesha in toe. "We sail in half an hour, so I hope everyone's ready for battle." "As ready as ever." Huntor said, waving a hand. Qudorzo nodded. I sat down and pulled a plate of food toward me. I tucked in, eating fast and smooth, not even knowing what I was eating, but just using the fuel. I drank deeply and pushed my plate away. "And I thought I ate fast." Sarah muttered. Leia said, "No, you just eat a lot." "Muerdeme." Sarah said. "Oh God." Camille complained. "Please let that not become a thing." "Too late." Sydney said quietly. We all laughed. She gave a tentative smile. Finally, Qudorzo ushered us up and I saw Quedesha lift Joy up, Pheequa doing the same to Luna. "Fight hard and well everyone." "Oh when we don't ask for a pep talk he gives one, but when we need one, he doesn't." Huntor smiled, and waved to Joy. She waved back, and they were off, sailing toward another ship sixty feet away. I moved over to the port side, Briella moving to the opposite side. They lifted the anchor, then, with a powerful wind, started sailing.
    As we did, Huntor moved toward the two girls, Camille and Sarah. I remembered something and hurried over. "You both ready for this?" "Yes." They said together. Huntor nodded. "Fight well, and fight smart." Dracons rowed the ship forward, and as they did, the two sat on the railing, an eighty foot drop separating them from the water. "Huntor, I forgot to mention, the glasses can see in all the colors of the rainbow, and there's an eighth color I can't identify." He nodded. "Thanks Kitana." As we rounded a bend in the peninsula, we saw them. The ships were waiting for us, waiting with warriors on deck, weapons aimed, ready for bloodshed. "Go." Huntor said as the dracons stopped rowing. They gave twin grins of savagery, then, backflipped off the railing. Dracons hurried to the rail, gaping at Huntor, who just smiled at them. Sarah and Camille fell gracefully, their hair whipping about them, well, Sarah's, Camilles just whipped about as it was done in a braid. Then, they sank into the water with barely a ripple. Below, I saw white and turquoise light flashing in the water. The Turquoise light began to grow, and the dracons all swore violently. Then a long, long, long shadow traced below our ship, and swam ahead. A huge dragon burst from the water, her sapphire-blue scales glowing in the sunlight. She roared her challenge, and dove back under the surface. I looked to see her fly behind our ranks. "You Huntor, are a god, a Dio Indaco of myths and legends." He gave Qudorzo a wolfish grin. He joined his mate at the main mast, and entered the doorway that lead up the ladder into the mast. I walked over to the port side, and eyed the army waiting across the demarcation line.
    "I always hate this part." Someone muttered on our ship, muttered as we waited, have been for nearly an hour. The fifty dracons on this ship were all in neat lines, shields ready, swords alined perfectly. I looked up to see Huntor and Sydney settle themselves in the mast. Apparently they needed a little action before facing off with the army together. The army across the way didn't move, just stared at us, waiting, waiting, waiting. "Jesus," Briella muttered from starboard. "Just attack already, some of us get bored." Dracons chuckled, shaking off their nerves. I made eye contact with Luna, who was determined, holding blue glowing swords. Joy, or Scarlet, was holding red swords, a mirror of her sister. Then, the first wave hit. Arrows and spears flew from the armada across the water. A blue shield flashed into existence, and the arrows burned away, but another wave was right on it's ass. The blue shield flashed again, then again, again, again, again. "Then it buckled, as if Luna's power was draining. Then, it failed. For a moment, nothing moved, no one spoke, no one even breathed. Then, across the line, the dracons, roared. "NOW." Qudorzo shouted. "ATTACK." Arrows from our side flew, as dracons rowed hard, winds from the elementals blasting into the sails. "Oh this will hurt." Someone said as the ships drew closer. Arrows felled dracons from both sides, but the real bloodbath was yet to come. The ships drew closer, fifty yards, thirty yards, twenty. Dracons readied themselves for the blood spilling to come. Above us, Huntor and Sydney stood fast, their hair whipping around them, making them look like black and blue gods. Ten yards, nine yards, eight yards. A dracon in front of me was shot down with an arrow, his brothers and sisters moved in to fill the gap, sending his body over the edge. Ten feet, eight feet, six feet, five, four. I heard their breathing, felt their hearts beating, felt the anticipation breeding. Three feet, two, one. When mere inches separated us from the first of the ships, their's, the one closest to me, tilted ot starboard, and I took the chance, lashing out with the new fans Huntor had made for me, "An early Christmas present." He had said.
    I looked down to see a sapphire shadow retreating behind our ranks. I lashed out with a whip of death, and dracons fell, lifeless, to the deck. I looked at Briella, who nodded. I lashed out with another whip, as she shot gold sparks into the ship's dracons on her side. I shot another measured whip into the boat, more dracons falling dead. "Sew panic," Huntor had said. "Sew panic into their men and women, then, at the crescendo, unleash yourselves." The boat rocked to the other side, an attack from below. Then, it began to sink. I saw the dracons turning, running to their main mast, as if a greater threat was there. "Good job Sarah." I thought. Above us, Huntor and Sydney still stood there, watching the battle unleash below. Another ship came forward, and I engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The warrior moved fast, but I was faster, and had different techniques. He fell off the edge of his ship, bleeding and screaming, wings slashed beyond use. Then, a hand, cold and familiar, pressed behind my nek, and I heard a roar and someone landed on our ship. He started slaughtering through the dracons, whom were caught by surprise. I saw Qudorzo by the bow leap into the air, but before he could get far, a huge wolf landed in front of the dracon male, and began ripping her claws into him. She snapped her jaws around his neck and twisted viciously, snapping his neck. Amala snarled as she moved to another dracon male.
She gave me a lopsided grin and leaped away. I spun back to take another dracon. This one though, he was taller, and the way he grinned at me, told me, "Oh shit, this one will be trouble." I bared my fangs, and he bared his. "A little pup bitch, in the middle of a dracon battle." I rolled my eyes. "Here we go, first off, do you see a tail?" I asked. He frowned. "A what—"Know what? Never mind." I flipped one of the daggers. He stared at it, and snarled, "That's not your's." "On the contrary," I said. "It is mine, my friend had it made for me." With that, I attacked, slashing for his throat. He ducked and twirled away, bringing one of his wings down. I backed up, avoiding the strike. He growled in amusement. "Well well well, looks like Qudorzo has a little trainee bitch to play with." I laughed. "Males." I snorted as I attacked. "You all think you're so high mighty, such big creatures, newsflash bastards, not every female wants your precious dick in them." He laughed loudly, openly. "That's all you females are good for, sex and breeding, if nothing else." I smiled crudely at him. "Trust me, I'm way stronger than you." He laughed. "How, how could you ever be stronger, how could you ever be beyond me?" We clashed, dagger verses sword. "Prove it." He snarled. I rolled my eyes. "Take a good look, know who I am? Know what this is?" He frowned, then, his eyes widened. "That's right." I said. "I'm the Uccisore, Della, Morte. The Slayer Of Death." With that, I lashed out with a whip of dark power and his life was snuffed out, just like blowing out a candle.
    I raised my daggers as another dracon came forward. A body fell from by my right, falling into the water below. I ducked and spun, slashing deep into the wings of the dracon female. She shrieked and threw herself at me, I shoved my dagger forward, sinking it deep into her stomach. She looked down, staring openmouthed at it, then fell into the water. Then, a horn blasted from across the demarcation line, and a humming bird flew in from the sky. Camille landed, soaked to the skin and wrapping her cloak around herself. "We have a problem." She said. "What you mean?" Briella said, her ghetto accent coming out as she slashed and spoke, gutting a dracon. "We doin fine." Camille shook her head. "I just came back from across the water, they aren't hitting us with everything." "And?" Briella asked ass Qudorzo bellowe, "ARCHERS." "And," Camille said, annoyed. "They have canons, really, really big canons." Then, there was the sound of a major explosion. A huge fireball the size of a car went flying toward Quedesha's ships. The ball slammed into their hull and the ship caught fire. "TAKE FLIGHT." Quedesha shouted. Then two more explosions, one aimed for their own ship, and, ours. "GO." I shouted as the impact sent us flying back. The dracons all took flight in unison, leaving us here. Amala snarled and leaped straight off the side, flying toward Luna's ship. Speak of the indigo, Luna was screaming, eyes going wide as Quedesha's ship slowly sank. Joy was running over the deck, trying to get someone's attention. Qudorzo swooped in, grabbing Briella and lifting her up. I looked up, Huntor and Sydney, were gone. Camille ran and jumped off the side, changing into the huge dragon. I wove shadows around myself, and ran off the edge. Shadow travel wasn't exactly the same anymore. The shadows didn't speak to me, didn't haunt me as they use too, as if they realized I was more powerful, of higher standards, deserved more respect. The world bent, time slowed, and color faded into grays, whites, and blacks of all shades. I ran down the side of the ship, able to do so because of the lack of reality in the world of shadows and death. I dove into the roiling water. Even here, reality was, nonexistent. I didn't have to worry about breathing or drowning, or any such things. The ship was halfway submerged, water pouring in, ripping at the ship gleefully. Bodies floated by, savages ripping into them, then swimming off when they sensed Camille among them. Then I saw a human figure falling in slow motion toward the water from high above.
    I surged upward, and jumped from the water. Joy fell, body curving and slowly she landed into my arms. As soon as she did, she gasped and her eyes stared at me in shock. "Hold on," I said. "This'll be disorienting." I ran as fast as I could and was on Luna's boat in three seconds. Sound, battle, screams, explosions, they all returned as we left the plain. Joy gagged over the side. "I forgotten how that felt." She said. I watched as another of our boats rocked, rocked, rocked, and was tipped over by another canon ball. "We played right into it." I muttered. "There is no way we can get passed them without Huntor and Sydney." Then, another explosion rocked the world, another ship rocked, then fell, tipping over into the water. The waters flowed red, dotted with bits of wood and bodies. Another explosion hit, ssending a boat bursting and breaking like an egg. "Holy freaking shit." Briella muttered. Then, an explosion hit, not from ahead, but above. I looked up, and saw Seeka and Theia charging in, leading a group of dracons who blasted with ice, wind, water, and fire. "FORWARD." Qudorzo bellowed to the remaining ships. They pressed forward, and I saw Camille rise from the water and snap her jaws down, ripping into the ship. She threw dracons into the air. "Where's Huntor and Sydney." Kamala asked, appearing from nowhere. "I don't know." I said.
A fireball shot into the sky. Seeka blasted it, her face fierce even from the distance. Another canon fire hit a ship approaching from behind us. Dracons took to the air and flew in perfect lines toward the armada. Then, a flash of white wings, and Sarah landed on the boat, her face unmasked, showing fear. "Kitana, we need you at the front lines." "What front lines?" I asked, gesturing to the now aerial army. Sarah pointed to the ships, nine still intact, while we had four left, including this one. "It's the Ragni Di Morte." She said. "They, they, they're coming, coming in legions over the mountains toward the water, coming fast." I looked above, toward the slowly darkening sky, a sky that would darken for a long time. I swore, then said, "Take me—" an explosion rocked our ship and Luna cried out as fire exploded, sending us all flying. Ice came out of nowhere, freezing the flames and holding the boat together. "FUCK." Sarah bellowed. Joy slid across the ice, fear evident in her body, her face still masked. Joy made a grab for Luna, and they went sliding off the port side, and into the water. "NO." Briella shouted. I saw Amala make a mad dash for the port side, and dive off the edge. I saw Qudorzo at the front of his now aerial army, all diving down, and killing, then rising to do it again. "I can't hold it together for long, we have to abandon ship, NOW." Ice crackled and the ship groaned, rocking ominously. "I never thought I'd ever hate that stupid summer camp sing along, rock the boat, don't tip it over." "Is this the time to be making sarcastic quipts like that?" Sarah asked Briella. Then her face filled with fear, "Wait, where's Leia? She was on Qudorzo's ship. Her and Wenzi." Fire blasted from above, causing us all to look up. Wenzi stood in a column of flames, her red hair waving about her face, red fans extended. She gestured with one, and a wing of fire lashed out, crashing down on an enemy ship, sending it up in flames. "OH SHIT." Briella shouted. Then the girl slid across ice and breaking boards, and over the side. "BRIELLA." Sarah shouted. She dove at me as the ship began to fall apart and I felt open air, then ice cold water. Then, ice cold air, and Sarah over me, breathing hard an deep, her white wings beating. "In out, in, out, in, out, breathe, flap, breathe, flap, breathe, flap, breathe, flap." She soared higher, higher, higher, until she dove smoothly for a grassy plain by the water's edge. She flew off as soon as she dropped me on the side. Together, we all watched the beginning of the end, saw Qudorzo's relentless attacks on the remaining ships. wenzi, who now stood along side us, Joy and Luna, Leia, Sarah, Camille, Briella, and myself. I saw Theia blast fire relentlessly against a canon, sending it up in flames, but the battle, was already over. The water roiled red, bodies from both sides floating by. Camille cried against Sarah, who patted her back. I sucked in a breath. "We're moving, now." "Where?" Leia asked, pointing to the water. "There's no where to go." "Yes there is." I stared at the mountain, the one Huntor had noted, the one he and Sydney were watching all this time. "We're going after Huntor and Sydney, to face the Dark Queen."