Dragon Talons (Indigo Apocalypse Book I)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Woah Woah Woah, We're Doing Necrophilia Now?

CAMILLE:
    We hiked through the steep foothills before the great Spine, the battle still waging behind us. Joy stuck close to my side, her scarlet mask drawn over her face, hiding her expression, though, to be honest, I wouldn't have been able to see what it was. On my other side, Luna walked, her blue mask gone, allowing her hair, long and brown, to wave about her face in the wind. Leading our group, Kitana and Briella walked, their sense of smell guiding us better than any echo location could. "Follow your nose, to the disgusting despair that shows." I must've spoken aloud, because Luna asked, "Huh, what?" "Huh?" I answered. Joy laughed quietly. "What did you say?" Luna asked. "Luna don't you know me by now? I don't know, I never know what I say." "That's what she said." Joy commented. Luna sighed dramatically. Behind us, Leia asked, "Isn't that a fruit Loops commercial? Follow your nose, to the fruity taste that shows." "Yes." Sarah answered. "I use to love eating that every morning." She added after a moment. "That always made me think of throw up." Leia muttered. "How very appetizing." Joy said. I heard the sound of paws against grass, and opened my mouth to say something, but Kitana said, "Amala and Kamala."
    They flew over a rise and bounded for us. Amala shifted into her human form, and said, "Huntor and Sydney gave themselves up." "WHAT?" I shouted. I wasn't the only one. "Bullshit." Sarah snapped. "No." Joy and Luna said together. "It's true." Kamala said, as she shifted too. "The Ragni were waiting for them, right at the bottom of the mountain, but they went through, just opened a path and allowed them through." "What do we do?" I asked. "They can't wake her, they just can't, all that planning, everything we did—"Get a grip on yourself girl." Kamala snapped. "Do you think for one second Huntor and Sydney would truly wake her willingly. They were supposed to weaken themselves on the battle, supposed to weaken themselves further with fighting the spiders. Since they didn't, they're at full strength, they, want, the spiders, the queen, everyone to think they gave up, but we know different." I bared my teeth, feeling that wild fire in my blood. She snarled, "You wanna go child, you wanna face a real werewolf?" "Ok, both of you chill out." Sarah said, stepping forward. "Camille, she's right, Huntor wouldn't let them be taken so easily, remember the first time." The first time, when he sacrificed himself for us, even when we didn't know what, we, were. He'd gone with Amanda, gone with the Keepers to save us, and spread indigoism, to create the first Symbol and give us all the power to survive. "So, what do we do?" Leia asked gently. "Do we go up there? Face those spiders? No doubt that they are waiting for us." "It's probably what they expect." Briella said. "SO we give them what they don't expect." Sarah said. "Which is?" Amala asked. "We fly." She said simply.
    We all turned toward her. "In case you haven't noticed," Kamala said. "Not all of us can spread wings and fly." "No, but some of us can, and some of us can shift into dragons." I frowned, suddenly seeing where she was going. "We'll need Seeka and Theia." Sarah spun on her heel, and whistled. After a few minutes, I heard the sound of wings, and then they came in for a landing. "We need a flight team." Sarah said simply, then, she said to me, "You too, got enough power for a Molten dragon?" I bared my teeth, my, fangs. "Thought you'd never ask." I took a breath, and allowed my body to roil, to shift, to change into the beast, the ever changing being that filled my blood. In moments I was a huge red dragon, power surging through me. Sarah said, "Leia, you get on Seeka's back, Joy Luna, on Theia's." "And you?" Kamala asked. "I'm going to fly." "Hold up, what about us?" Briella asked. "You guys are going to get in for us, we're going to provide the distraction." "How?" Kamala asked. "By flying in, they'll be spotted, and we'll be able to slip pass them unnoticed." "For the most part." Sarah chirped. "If, and most likely when, all Hell breaks loose, Leia Joy Luna, I want you to drop and go with Camille in there." "Drop?" Joy asked. But Sarah ignored her and said, "Ok, let's rock."
Sure enough, as we flew in over the mountain, the spiders cried out in surprise and started shifting together. Luna and Joy Rained blasts of power down on them. Seeka swooped low, blasting with fire, causing them to panic and crawl over each other in a rush to try to escape the inferno. I flapped my wings and dove, raining fire over a line of spiders, torching them. I rose, a spider in each huge claw. I smashed them together, roaring in triumph as I smashed them together. I spun around and dove again, blasting a patch of shifting spiders trying to shoot webs up at us. I landed and thrashed about, smashing them flat. I rose into the air again and turned, blasting another section of spiders with hot flames. Sarah swooped in low, shredding them with her fans, then rising into the air. She waved a fan, and ice animals exploded into existence. Penguins, their wings and beaks sharpened to sword points, polar bears with dagger-like claws, and huge wolves. I looked down and saw them, Kitana, Briella, Amala Kamala, and Wenzi. The spiders paid them no attention, all their efforts on us, attacking us, or running from us. A bear tore into a spider, leaving it shrieking as it dissolved into dust. A spider flew through the air, screaming as it attacked a bear. The bear spun, throwing the thing away over a cliff. The spider screamed as it fell down the mountain face, tumbling over itself before smashing against the rocks below. A spider flew up, screaming as it flew for me. I spun, lashing out with my tail. It screamed as it was cut in half. "Nice one Camille." Joy shouted. I preened with pride.
I watched as Kitana moved around the perimeter of spiders, her body live and mobile. She ducked behind a rock, then sprinted over to another. Leia spun her shield into existence and thunder boiled overhead. Bright blue lightning flashed dowmward, connecting with her pink shield, and blasted a section of spiders to burned husks and desecrated bits. Leia screamed a battle cry and the sky opened up, clouds forming from nowhere, and rain pouring down in torrents. I looked down but couldn't spot the ground team. I blasted fire down, feeling the feral part of me taking over. Then, suddenly, the storm faded with a final blast of blue lightning. I turned in the air, and saw Leia falling, arms flying about. I saw Seeka's body against the rocks, spiders speeding toward her. She struggled to her feet, roaring in defiance. I blasted fire, but was too far away. Then, each spider froze in place, ice crackling over their bodies viciously. Then, Sarah, who flapped in place, holding Leia around the waist, screamed her rage, and they all exploded. I looked down to see Briella entering a cave in the mountain. Spiders surged forth, trying to get to Seeka as she thrashed around, trying to attack them all. "COME ON CAMILLE, WE HAVE TO HELP." She shouted. I saw Leia on Theia's back now, Joy and Luna blasting their power at the spiders. I dropped, and shifted into a fly, buzzing my way down, then into the cave mouth, turning back one time. Sarah was in front of Seeka, her hands on the dragon's flank, trying to heal her. Leia and the twins were on the ground, blasting the spiders away. The sun sank behind the tallest of the Spines, falling for it's final breath. Somehow, Sarah looked up, and saw me. Her thoughts entered my little mind across the battlefield. "Go, be their back up. We got this." They clearly, didn't, have it. More spiders came out in the oncoming darkness, shooting their silk up at the downed dragon and indigos who tried to protect her as Sarah healed her. I turned away, and, flew deeper into the cave mouth, and, toward death.
    It didn't take much to find Kitana and the others. Sixty feet in the cave, they walked silently. I was afraid those intensified ears would hear me, but it seemed not. I wrapped my indigoism around myself, making me as inconspicuous and invisible as possible. For a while there was nothing but the occasional scatter of a small rock, and the soft breathing of my companions. Kitana's and Briella's masks glowed softly in the darkness, Kitana's a soft purple, Briella's, a bronze. I wanted to shout, "WHY ARE WE JUST WALKING AROUND SO SEDATELY?" I know, how could I come up with such big vocabulary, such awesome SAT words. But I was a fly, so, of course, I couldn't talk. But then, I realized that we didn't need to know where we were going. That the scent of death was guiding them, and me, that the scent and sensation of death was leading us toward the Dark Queen. Finally, Kamala, who was in her human form, asked, "They invaded the human realm correct?" "Yes." Briella said with equal softness. "That's how we know where to go. They leave a scent, the scent of death and venom and terror." We rounded the umpteenth corner, and heard it. The sound of something wet and squishy being manipulated. "Jesus." Briella swore softly. The sound was faint, but still there. We hurried along, walking with deadly quiet, unless you were a fly, then you flew with deadly quiet. We rounded another corner and came into a cavern, a cavern with eight tunnels branching off. "Great," Briella whispered. "Eeny meeny miny moe?" But Kitana held up her hand, and pointed above. I looked up, and, nearly fell ffrom the hight of four feet. A spider was above us, currently extending silk from it's abdomen, it's back two legs working. "Why hello there." It said, she, said, her voice accented with Irish. With extreme, thick, Irish. "Guests for the Great One." Then it attacked, falling swiftly and screeching with glee. Kitana threw her sword and it cut off the horror's head. It burst into dust and left behind a band of silk.
    Kitana pointed to the left, and they moved into that tunnel. I followed, wondering again how they still hadn't noticed me, and, again, where was the trap? Why wasn't there more spiders about, why wasn't the so called, Snow Queen waiting for us, wherre was Amanda? Suddenly, we came to a huge pit, a pit that had no bottom, or at least, the bottom was far, far, far below. Across the pit, was a gigantic web, a web of glittering white and silver. On the web, was a squadron of spiders. I blamed the farouche and wild part of my mind for even thinking it. "Now this is more like it." Briella said, unsheathing her claws. But Kitana held her hand up, darkness coiling within it. The spiders charged. But Kitana just flicked her hand and a whip of darkness flew outward, snuffing the life from the creatures. Wenzi, who was quiet all this time, said, "Well fuck." Kitana shrugged. Then they all grabbed hands. Realizing what they were doing, I moved into the shadows with them. We appeared on the other side of the pit, and took a step forward. Insane harsh laughter echoed through the huge cavern, and a girl appeared, swinging down from a line like a demonic black Spider-Woman. I saw her feral green eyes, her pale skin, the dracon body, and realized who she was. But Kitana said a different name, "Amanda." "Hello Kitana, long time, no, see." Then she lashed out with frightening speed. But Kitana caught the fist aimed for her face. She twisted and flipped Amanda on her back. Amanda laughed, and said, "Oh you've gotten stronger since the last time. It'll be a pleasure to have your body." "It's too corny to say, over my dead body, because you'll take it literally." Amanda laughed. "Oh, I won't kill you, but they will." Two figures fell from the distant ceiling, two, human, figures, swinging down on web lines. "Jesus Christ." Briella swore. The two figures were humanoid, but they, they, they. "Meet Arachnid, and, Arachne, the only children of the Dark Queen. Gorgeous aren't they?" She asked. "On the contrary." Briella said, shaking her head. "Say hi guys." Amanda said giddily. "Hi guys." They said in unison, sounding like demonic bored dummies. "I could bore you with the story on how the Queen had them born, born to keep her legacy going. But I won't." Briella took a step back.
    "Yes." Amanda said. "They're under my control. A gift from the Dark Queen for bringing Huntor and Sydney here. I get to play with them before she wakes, have been. It's been so so glorious." "You're insane." Wenzi said. "Thank you." Amanda said cheerfully. "Now, the question is, will you come quietly? Personally, i hope you don't." Kitana stepped forward, "Quietly, wee know when we're outmatched." "Good good good. Let's go then Loves." Suddenly two lines of webs shot from both creatures, and attached to Amala and Kamala, who snarled and tried to shift back into their wolf forms. "In case you get any funny ideas." Amanda said cheerfully before gesturing and saying, "Take them to the tomb." The two jumped off the edge, and swung down, shooting lines as easily as, well, as Spider-Man. "We'll be taking the elevator down." She said, leading us away from the edge. She gestured to a circle in another smaller cavern, a circle with a ring of flaming candles. "All aboard." She chirped, and we all piled on to the circle. I hid by Kitana's ankle. Then, the circle began to fall, a somewhat quick drop that would've had my heart in my throat, if I weren't floating on silent discrete wings. Time went by, then, we were falling out of the ceiling, and both Kitana and Briella gasped. Wenzi's hands flickered with flames. The cavern was as huge as the Symbol's dinner hall, and had dozens, dozens of Ragni Di Morte, all of whom shifted and scuttled about excitedly. Hanging from the ceiling though, was the reason why they gasped. A spider of unnatural size hung, webs attached to each of it's legs, and wrapped around it's abdomen. The thing hung upside down and was as big as two city busses put together. It's pincers were as tall as I was, well, if I were in my human form. "Madre de dios." Briella said.
    "I know, beautiful isn't she?" The platform landed gently on a bit of open stones. They stepped off and the spiders rushed them. I flew off, trying to remain inconspicuous, a fly, among very, very, very large spiders. "Uh nope, these aren't dinner." Amanda said. "Unless they don't obey, then they are." The spiders rushed off just as quickly. I shifted into a smaller spider, my many legs flying over the stones. I looked up, and my pincers clicked in fear. Huntor and Sydney were wrapped like Christmas presents, their faces unmasked, their crowns still on their heads, glasses still there. Then, there was someone else, a few someone elses. "Hello Dargonue." Kitana said coldly. "Shadow." He said. "I'm glad we have an audience to see the fall of Huntor and his sorry excuse for a mate." Kitana snarled. More figures appeared. "The Snow Queen." Wenzi guessed. The woman bowed. "Yes yes yes, introductions." Amanda said. "Dargonue, the Snow Queen, Khione, Kimopoleia, the ancient Greek goddesses of Snow and sea storms." Amanda pointed each of them out. "Now, let's get this show on the road shall we?" Dargonue nodded, and said, "Bring the IndoDragons." Huntor and Sydney's bodies were yanked toward the circle and dumped there. Dargonue stared at his daughter, and said, "It's time that you finally did your deed." The Snow Queen said, "As you will do your's." Huntor and Sydney didn't move, didn't even seem to be breathing. Then, Dargonue said, "Unravel them." The two figures, Arachnid and Arachne, swung in, and shot two web lines at them, and began to unravel Huntor and Sydney, none too gently. When they were free, Dargonue and the Snow Queen stepped on to the circle, and Dargonue gestured. The candles exploded with fire and he stomped. Two huge pits opened. One filled with lava, and the other filled with ice cold water that churned about. The spiders shifted around nervously, obviously afraid of the lava. Amanda laughed and gestured, bringing the two figures toward her. Kitana, Briella, and Wenzi just stood there, obviously unable to fathom that it was happening, that right here, it was about to happen. Dargonue and the Queen, began, to, enchant.
    I scuttled to Kitana's boot, and she said, out of the corner of her mouth, "If there were ever a time for you to be a hero Camille, now, is, it." I went udderly still, and thought, "O dios mios. Camille, you idiot, you complete stupid idiot." Of course they hadn't acknowledged my existence, because it would've blown their cover. Of course they knew I was there. No matter how hard I had tried, Kitana was the master of hiding, with Briella not too far behind. Of course they knew, but they acted like they hadn't to keep me hidden. "Go." She whispered. I spun around and scuttled away, trying to come up with a plan. I looked at Amanda, and, suddenly, had the craziest, most destructive and with out a doubt, stupidest plan ever. I shifted into Amanda's old skin. My hair lengthened to my waist, skin glowed, eyes green. I stepped forward and said loudly, "Woah woah woah, what's going on here?" Mid chant, the two looked up, and spotted me. "Who are you?" The Queen asked as Dargonue said, "Amanda?" "What?" The person in question asked. "I asked a question." I said, bringing my old self into it. "What's going on here?" "We're trying to—"Are you really going to have a threesome, right there? Or is it a foursome?" I asked. That got everyone's attention. "What?" They asked together, comically. "Ohhh." I said, nodding. "Those two are dead, so, you're performing necrophilia, how unappetizing." "What?" The Queen asked, shocked. She stepped off the circle and toward me. "That is completely—"Something you'd do?" I asked. The lava churned dramatically, bubling with fury. "We need to finish the incantation, now." "Did you hear what this little succubus said though?" The Queen asked haughtily. "Yes, but—"I'm not taking that dragon dung laying down Dargonue. She just accused and insinuated—"Oh, so you were performing necrophilia huh?" I asked. The lava churned more profusely. The ice cold water lapped against the pit's walls. Huntor and Sydney still didn't move. Around us, the spider legion shifted and snapped their pincers, Amanda, the true one, finally got over her shock. "SHE'S AN IMPOSTER, KILL HER." Too late of course. Kitana lashed out with a whip of darkness, and spiders shrieked, then fell dead. Briella roared, and her body began to glow with power, a bronze light flowing over her like a halo. Then, she was a lioness, her bronze eyes glowing, her fangs extended, except she had four more fangs extending from her lower jaw. "Like a sabertooth tiger." I thought. Then she attacked. "Wenzi, get Huntor and Sydney." Kitana said, but they also moved. Huntor uncoiled to his feet and lashed out with his own whip of water. Sydney stomped her foot and the pit of lava widened and Dargonue yelled in anger and fear. Khione and Kimopoleia stepped forward, but Huntor waved a hand and water shot out, lashing at them and sending them both flying back. Sydney again stomped her foot, causing an earthquake. Then, she jumped, and landed, her legs extended in perfect sumo-squat position. Lava burst free, slamming into Dargonue and sending him sprawling back. "HUNTOR." I shouted. Amanda ran toward him, but Kitana stepped into her path out of a band of shadows. "Time to put you down you insane Bitch, for good." She turned to Huntor, "Both of you get out of here, we got this." She attacked Amanda. Sydney jumped again, and more lava spilled out.