Chapter 6
Two Days Later
“Right this way. Don’t push or shove. We’ll get to everyone.” Mage Ratter motioned for a group of people to enter the shrine where the portal had been set up as the alternative. Their plan B turned into plan A once the intentions of the alien attackers were revealed and they began attacking the Drakonians. The kings ordered the massive evacuation to begin.
Blaze noticed a male knock an older female down as he tried to get past her.
“Watch it!” He shoved the male back and helped the female back to her feet. He helped her up the steps.
“Thank you, Blaze,” the female said, squeezing his hand before she headed inside.
The citizens of the Zocorian region had become his people over the past few years. It had taken a long time for them to open up and accept him. At first, they were suspicious of him, but he never complained and took on every challenge thrown his way. The people grew to love him and he loved them in return.
“Where will this take us?” another male asked of one mage standing nearby.
“To a safe place,” the mage reassured him.
“A safe place where?” the man demanded, but the crowd surging behind him forced him to keep moving.
He heard it before he saw it. The shiny ship coming from the south. It blended in well with the clouds but when the sunlight reflected off of its hull, he realized what it was.
“Incoming!” he yelled, leaving his post and running to a clearing to shift.
Ripping his clothes off and tossing them to the ground, he let his dragon come forth. Bones rippled as his entire body grew larger. Scales sprouted out, covering his skin and his face contorted to reveal an elongated snout. It took mere seconds to complete the transformation. He walked three large steps, jumped, and spread his wings, taking to the air.
His dragon thrummed with energy, ready to fight. The ship had a weapon that blasted energy at homes and made the structures collapse. He roared in fury when the weapon was turned on his people who were trying to seek shelter. One blast almost struck a child down.
Blaze flew toward the ship and breathed his fire. The metal of the ship was resistant to fire. Other dragon warriors joined him as more ships appeared from the sky. Drakonians also had battlecruisers, but there had never been a need for smaller ships like this. Their dragon forms could fly in any atmosphere they faced. However, this was the first time they had engaged with smaller ships.
His dragon dodged the rapid fire coming from the ship’s weapons. Growling in frustration, Blaze narrowed his eyes at the ship that now flew below him. He dove downward at full force and used his claws to rip open the top of the small ship.
The alien creature, wearing a flight suit and helmet, panicked and tried to reach for a weapon. This time, when his dragon roared his stream of fire, the alien had no defense. He released his claws and let the ship fall to the surface to crash.
Flying higher, he surveyed the battle and the devastation to the castle and all the buildings surrounding it. The volcanoes would likely erupt soon from damage the tectonic plates had sustained. Drakonia would not survive this deadly attack.
He made his way back to where the portal was. As he landed, he shifted back to his two-footed form. His clothes were toast but one of the other warriors, who was cradling a wounded arm across his chest, tossed him a robe. As he pulled it on, he noticed the injured lying on the ground. He knelt down to offer help.
An older male waved him off. “Too late for me. Help others.”
Blaze realized the older male might feel it would be dishonorable to lend aid, but when he checked the male’s wounds consisting of burns and deep cuts, he realized they would kill him if he didn’t shift soon. “Shift.”
“I can’t.” The old male shook his head.
“I’ll carry you to the portal. One of the healing mages should be able to do something for you.”
The older male tried to argue with him but Blaze lifted him up in his arms and made his way down the pathway. The dying dragons nearby sent out calls that brought tears to his eyes, but he pushed those feelings back to concentrate on helping the living.
A ship crashed close to them, making the ground shake. Fire engulfed almost every building, and he glanced up just as part of the castle wall came tumbling down in grey smoke. His home, his world was crashing down around him. There were no words to describe the devastation he felt inside.
The ground shook again and something that sounded like an explosion let him know one of the distant volcanoes was beginning to erupt. He rushed into the building where the portal was located. The lead mage stood before a closed portal. The look he gave Blaze was one of utter sadness.
“Why is the portal closed?” he asked, setting the older male down.
“I’m so sorry, Blaze. The king is dead. The queen closed the portal with her blood after she went through.”
He shook his head, not believing what he heard. That couldn’t be right. “How do you know?”
The mage touched the talisman he wore around his neck on a chain. “I know.”
