Dragon Frost (22 page)

A
snapping sound of wood from the left of me can be heard and I turn
my head to the sound only to be forced across the forest floor
attempting to keep the powerful jaws of the demon from swallowing
me whole. My hands bleed as I force open its mouth. I’ll have to
think of something and fast, I’m not as strong and I can feel my
muscles tiring. I’m forced against a tree and the demon rips its
teeth from me with a piercing growl and I duck as its jaws wrap
themselves around the bark of the tree. I slip under it and climb
over its large fury and sticky shoulder, its claws fight to rip my
off its neck while the other fights to free its teeth from the
tree.

I
straddle its neck until I can comfortable reach its head. Placing
my hands before it I close my eyes-images of a cave and women flood
my mind. Demons of different sizes and the smell of it are dry and
warm. The connection is lost and the demon frees its teeth, it
bucks under me and forces me from its back where I land hard on the
ground. My lungs are lightly winded and I crawl to my feet. Its
spiky mace like tail is sent towards me and I’m flown several feet
across a clearing and over the side of a frozen cliff before land
with a crack on a frozen ground. “That hurt . . . ” I manage after
some time.

The sound
of a screech fills my ears and I look up to see that the demon
leaped from the side of the cliff and landed on the icy floor with
me. The problem being it doesn’t appear as though it’s going to
keep firm forever as a crack is slip between us, from the demon—it
rises to me the area between my legs and I feel something shift
beneath me. 
This can’t be good.
 I think as I feel the ground slightly slip from me. I
roll to the side quickly and the ground gives way, revealing
deadly—cold—fast—flowing water—definitely not in favor.

I may be
stronger and tougher but that can still kill me I’m not exactly in
my full form. The thought of touching that freezing water didn’t
sit well with me as the demon’s claws embed themselves in the
frozen ground. It screams at me and I point my blade at it. “You
happy now ugly!” I snap and it runs towards me, I towards it. I
slide under its legs slicing inner parts of it, I only manage to
slice it lightly—it’s like a graze.

The sight of it
frustrates me.

The demon
stomps its feet, the cracks occurring under us more and more. I am
suddenly, knocked to the side again by its mace for a tail and I
slide along the ice before coming to a stop. The demon pins me down
with one of its front claws before it brings up another claw to
probably gut me. I place my forearms before me and my shield is
brought up. The shield shaped like a diamond with sharp corners
should we be in situations like this. I grasp the edges of my
shield while trying to avoid the demons desperate claws. Its teeth,
claws and nose seem to bash into my shield forcing my curled form
more and more against the ice which if I were a human would no
doubt kill me or do some serious spinal injury.

In a
break of its attacks—I shift my shield and force it against the
hand that pinned me down feeling its release I roll to the side and
squat before pouncing on the side of its neck where I swing myself
under it, effectively landing on the top of it. I pull out my blade
and plunge it into its neck. It screeches again and attempts to
pull my from my position with its large claws I use my shield on my
left to protect me from most of the impact before I lay on the neck
of the demon—it’s claws miss me, barely.

I
re-position my shield and bring up my blade again before plunging
it, this time, further into the demons neck. Blood is drawn and the
demon stands on its hind legs only momentarily before forcing its
front paws in front of it. The cracking of the ice continues more
so but this time under its paws where it begins to shatter apart
bits of ice is removed and the demon fights to keep itself afloat
while I hang on. Scanning the ground around it, I plunge my blade
further. It screeches and begins to sink. I pull my blade from it
and rise from its neck and turn around and run towards its tail
where it is locked on to the last bit of land. I jump and roll. The
land stable under my feet and the demon begins to sink into the icy
cold waters. Hearing cracking sounds turn behind me and see that
parts of the ice begin to shift and the ground disappearing along
the frozen waters. 
Not good!

I turn and
sprint.

The
rushing water seems to catch up to me, I try and push myself
harder
—
adrenaline
pulsates through my veins. I feel stronger and faster. I pick up my
speed. Seeing a large gap between the two lands of ice; one is
breaking up now and the other that seems to be sitting there
unaffected as if waiting for me to successfully land on it. I had
to pick up my speed some more, if I were going to make it, my
muscles ache as they are pushed harder than normal. I hear the wind
calling in my ears and the cold ever so more on my dry lips. I leap
with all I have and see the land coming to greet me before
something strikes me in the shoulder.

I turn to
the pain—I see a dagger—a throwing knife; pinned to my shoulder and
cloak. My momentum is interrupted and I fall into the icy cold
waters.

With a
splash, I enter the dark strong fluctuating current, my body feels
cold as it shifts and moves along something that scraps into my
back. The sun is there and I’m in contact with the thick ice
ground. I bang at it and nothing. My body begins to feel numb and I
don’t know how far I’m pulled down stream for but however long it
was—
I refuse
to die here
. I embed my
curved dagger into the ice—my lungs slowly begin to give in to the
icy cold waters—I don’t though. I forced the ice apart as my dagger
made its way to the surface of the ice. I push open the thick solid
ice blocks and throw myself on the edge. The current continues to
drag my body. The air is colder than it was before. No thanks to
the water. I rest on the ice and before I knew it I had lost
consciousness.

“
Kal!
Kal!” cried Trinity. Her voice is what pulled me from my reprieve.
The mud clung to my Idol skin. Why we had to go camping in our
weaker forms? Why we had to go camping in our deceptive forms? I
had no idea. “Kal!” Her voice continued to call to me and I snapped
open my eyes. I turn to the sound and could see Trinity’s red hair
hanging around her shoulders her hand is stretched out to mine. I
try to remember where I am or what had happened but nothing came.
All I know is I’m in mud and sinking fast. “Give me your hand!” she
demanded and I stretched my hand out to her. I couldn’t reach her
our finger tips only just brushed.

“
Go.
Trin. I can’t reach.” I said knowing there was no way out. I was
either going to die in the mud and suffocate to death or I was
going to be eaten by my demon child. I preferred to be suffocating
though. At least that way I could die with dignity.

“
You are
not leaving me!” she cried. “I’ll never forgive you if you give up
on me now! You’ll die a pathetic and unworthy death! Never
surrender!” I turned to her and saw firmness in her features. The
determination in her eyes told me that she wasn’t going to let me
die here and now. I take notice of the screams of other women—they
were close.

“
Get me
something.” I said and she scurried away before she returned with a
large stick. She handed it out, her body planted on the ground as
she handles the stick; my hands forced their way through the sticky
and gooey feeling of the mud all around me. I couldn’t stop it nor
did I like it. Why people on Earth had mud baths was beyond me?
Then again I’m sure their mud baths didn’t try to kill them. “I
almost . . . ” I trailed off and clasped the stick in my hand
before pulling my other hand up and wrapping it around the firmness
I was reluctant to have in this pit of death. “Pull!” I cried and
she pulled the stick under her arm. Shifting to her knees she
pulled harder and I can see the strain on her face but the
determination in her green eyes told me otherwise—she would bare
it—she would endure it for my sake. She wouldn’t want to die alone
and she wouldn’t want to die at the hands of the demons. Who
would?

By the
time I managed to be towed to the edge of the murky mud puddle. I
grasp the edge; the hard soil that I was sure wouldn’t dissolve. I
clawed my nails into the ground and locked my fingers around some
roots. Trinity pulled my lower body up as much as she could and by
the time I managed to make my way onto firm ground once more I laid
out panting at the intensity of how close I was to death. Yet no
matter how many times I was close to death none seem to compare to
that. Not even all those fights on Earth managed to cause my heart
to race the way it did and I knew than I wasn’t scared for me I was
scared to let Trinity down. I panted and by the time my breath
managed to return to normal I heard the sound of a shattering
twig.

My attention
snapped to the sound.

I woke to
the warmth, of the air around me, and the sound of something
crackling beside me—I couldn’t fathom at first what it was then, my
mind return. It was a fire and I was in a cave wrapped in fur
quilts. 
What on earth?
 I think as I move to sit up but didn’t as I felt my
body begin to shiver uncontrollably. I wrapped my body in the
quilts aiming to regain the bit of warmth that engulfed me feeling
something much warmer beside me I snuggle deeper into it. I rest my
head on the same firm warmth when my eyes snapped open. “Good
morning, gorgeous.” says a deep voice, brown tresses, fall in
curtains over his golden brown eyes as he watches me with humour.
His lips pull themselves into a taunting smile. I push myself
away.

“
Lifet?”
I ask, confused.

There is
something really wrong with this picture. I think.

I realise
suddenly, I’m lying in a pile of warm fur quilts with a naked
Assassin. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You filthy
perv!” I snap and wrap my fur quilts around my frozen black scales
which have slipped at some point to cover my breast, butt and
virginal area. Not that it didn’t bother me, the fact that I was
sharing the quilts with an Assassin—did!

“
Now,
before you get the wrong idea let me explain.” he says and I glare
at him. I know he couldn’t have raped me or played with my parts
because they were thick scales covering my bits but still I
couldn’t help but feel very angry with this man. He holds up his
hands gestures around the place. “I found you in the centre of the
Harland’s Mouth.” he says and I stop in my tracks, I would have
remembered if I were at a river. Than it hits
me—
I almost
drowned.

“
The
demon where is it!” I whisk my head around the cozy cave and find
nothing.

“
Relax,
it is dead. I saw to that.” he says and moves from the bed. I
realise than he isn’t exactly naked but in black underwear. I turn
my head away and scoot closer to the fire. I place my hands before
it feeling much warmer. “Also a little “thank you” will
do 
wonders
.” he
says after he’s pulled on his breeches before searching for his
socks and boots. I glance down at my shoulder the exposed skin am
covered with a cloth that has some herbs and leaves. I turn to him
and regard his form. 
Maybe he was telling the truth.

“
Why did
you save me?” I ask, slightly curious.

“
I swear
you asked that before.” he says as he pulls on his
clothes.

“
Why did
you save me?” I repeat and he stops what he’s doing.

“
I don’t
know but I have a feeling you’re not my enemy.” he says as he meets
my gaze then I cross my arms and quirked a brow at this urging him
to go on. “Let’s just say something seems fishy with my
Order, 
okay
.” I nod and
leave it at that. I stand and allow my scales to stretch from my
hips over my thighs to my feet and the opposite with my breasts
over my shoulders down my back until every part of me was covered.
My armour pulls itself from my scales layer after layer, followed
by my weapons and my cloak. After my uniform now covers my body I
glance around at the cave. I just realised, at that moment, what he
was doing—treating hypothermia. I suddenly, feel guilty for calling
him a “perv” when he just saved my life.

“
Thank
you.” I say and the air is filled with a hesitant silence. He stops
clipping a brown waist band around him and glances up at me. His
uniform is white with brown through it. I didn’t expect those
colours but he appears to have a coat cover his form. Brown one
side and white on the other. Knives, daggers and hidden blades
cover several parts of his body.

“
You’re
welcome.” he says after sometime. “You know I thought the Nefaliem
were supposed to be indestructible.”

“
We are
but were not invincible. There’s a big difference.” I say. “We have
two forms, Idol and Nefaliem. Our Idol form is that it’s a form
that can be changed from Zylarian to human, from human to Spartan
depending on what world we are inhabiting or visiting. That form is
usually what gives us both our cover on your worlds and the
vulnerability. Our Nefaliem forms have no vulnerability. We were
bred to fight. Depending on our genes’ expressions our appearance
like you alters as an identity.” He nods in understanding before
moving to the cave entrance where the door is he forces it open. I
glance around one last time. “Cozy place you got here.” I
observe.