Page 45 of The Dragon Shifters' Enemy
The Behemoth’s heads were each sending out a different deadly bolt towards the eight Dragons that flew around it.Startling neon blue electricity.Brilliant purple plasma.Scorching golden rays of the sun.Orange exploding projectiles.The dull and deadly gray of petrification.The scouring power of sand.And, finally, crystalline clear ice.
That last one’s you, Iolaire, isn’t it?
The White Dragon Spirit hooted softly and buried its head beneath one of Raziel’s wings.Caden peered closer and yes, he could see Iolaire’s familiar head amongst the eight others.
The biggest head--the one in the middle--had not yet released anything from its gigantic maw. It was simply watching all of the Dragons fly around it as if it were completely unconcerned.There was an arrogance to its slightly narrowed eyes and the burnished coppery head that had Caden’s jaw clenching.
“It’s letting all the other Dragon Spirits fight their kind!”Caden hissed.
“Yes,” Valerius agreed.
The Black Dragon King appeared transfixed by the battle.Caden guessed that he was memorizing everything they were seeing, analyzing the Behemoth’s moves so that when it came time to fight the Hydra, he would have an edge.
“I bet that there are mates for each one of the other Dragon Shifters in there,” Caden muttered.
Valerius’ eyes flickered to Caden.“You think…”
“Look at the Behemoth’s face.It isenjoyingthis.Pitting the Dragon Spirits against one another.Raziel and Iolaire arefighting.”
Caden pointed as a spear of ice exited Iolaire’s mouth and rocketed through the air towards Raziel.They all grimaced as it struck Raziel’s right wing.Raziel tossed its head back and roared in agony.Iolaire and Raziel nuzzled now even as the battle continued in the blackness of Raziel’s chest.
Caden saw the Green Dragon--Mephous--just as bold as brass as his human counterpart, streak towards the Behemoth.Raziel let out a low barking command, which Caden knew meant, “Get the Hell back here, Mephous!” But Mephous did not listen.
And for its arrogance, Mephous got hit with sand in the face, blinding it, then a golden sun ray hit the Green Dragon dead center in the chest and sent it toppling end-over-end until it crashed into the ground.All the Behemoth’s heads lifted up and let out a roar of triumph as Mephous lay there, smoking and unmoving, on the ground.
Caden found himself gripping Valerius’ right hand. The Black Dragon King laced their fingers together.A brief glance at Valerius’ face showed that he was clenching his jaw so tightly that Caden feared he might crack some of his teeth from the sheer pressure!
“Mephous made it.We know that!”Caden cried, wondering who he was trying to convince. “The damned Green Dragon is right now in High Reach.It’s fine.”
But in this battle, Mephous wasnotfine.
It was then, while the Behemoth was crowing, that the Red Dragon made its move.Xipil, like Mei, didn’t waste an opportunity.Xipil’s jaws opened and magma dripped between its teeth as the Red Dragon flew in low to the ground.The Behemoth’s main head snapped around, but not in time.Xipil had let out a gout of magma that showered the Hydra’s back and melted the ground beneath its massive feet. The Behemoth started to sink.
The glittering head that let out the sun ray that had taken out Mephous was already preparing to let out another burst at Xipil.The Red Dragon was banking, but it would be too close and would receive the full blast as had Mephous.But just then Eldoron dove in and sent a stream of hot metal directly into the sun-breather’s mouth, sealing its jaws shut as it hardened.Eldoron and Xipil were able to escape, unharmed before the sun-ray Dragon managed to crack its jaws open once more.
The Behemoth let out a low, murderous cry as it flapped its massive wings to drag its heavy body from the magma.Its flesh smoked, but it was healing as fast as it was being harmed.Caden frowned as he realized that the Dragons’ powers were certainly annoying the Behemoth and causing it pain and anger, but they didn’t appear to be harming itenough.
“All they are doing is wearing themselves out,” Valerius muttered.“They cannot win this way.”
At that moment, Scylla released a gout of powerful water.Lana added her gift and the waterincreased, becoming a wave, and then a torrent before pouring over the Behemoth as scalding steam.For a moment, none of the Behemoth’s heads could be seen in the mist.Caden tightened his hand around Valerius’ as he searched for Iolaire.
Iolaire is fine! It’s with me!
But still, like with Mephous, he felt an agony of suspense as if watching friends die.
They’re not dead!None of them are dead, including the Behemoth, and that’s the problem.
He glanced up at Raziel and Iolaire.Iolaire’s head was tucked beneath Raziel’s chin.It was clear that though Raziel was showing them what had happened, neither it nor Iolaire cared to watch it themselves. Caden knew that he and Valerius had to see.So his gaze slid down to Raziel’s chest where the battle kept playing like a movie.
The scalding mist slowly cleared.The Behemoth was maddened.Its heads were snapping at the air, whipping back and forth, and twisting around as they sought unseen enemies.Zephyra suddenly rose up behind them.Elegant and deadly and seemingly unconcerned for its safety.
All eyes fixed upon Zephyra.Those eyes suddenly went blank and the Behemoth’s heads--except for the middle one--stilled as Zephyra continued to meet their gazes evenly.
“Mesmerism,” Valerius murmured, identifying the power being used by Jahara’s Dragon Spirit.
“That’s--that’s good,” Caden murmured.
Maybethiswas how they had broken the Behemoth’s spell on the other Dragon Spirits. Caden leaned forward as if that would physically get him closer to the action.The Behemoth though was not giving up without a fight.It bit and jostled the heads around it until they were all blinking and shaking themselves.But Zephyra was not done either.It brought its whiplike tail with a barb at the end and thrust it into the neck of the main, middle head.
