Knights of Desire [Flights of Fancy 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (12 page)

Sergeant Kyle slapped the side of Dave's helmet. "Relax, Meyers. It's just like in the simulations."

Dave knew it most certainly
wasn't
just like in the simulations. In the combat simulators, you couldn't die. You could get a few bumps and bruises, but no one ever died in a simulation. Now, he sat with thirty other grunts, all with far more experience than he, as they dropped to the ground at some ridiculously high speed to rescue Sergeant Rawls.

The planet's atmosphere rushing past the hull screamed like a siren, and even with the artificial gravity, the ride was rough. Eight Gs of force pulled Dave against the harness. He hoped it was only his imagination that felt the heat radiating from the outer hull as it blazed at temperatures nearly four times that of the surface of a typical star.

The assault craft hit the ground hard, his form-fitting crash couch slamming down into the shock absorbers to dissipate the impact energy. But he had no time to marvel that the systems had kept him, and his comrades, alive. The big egress doors on three sides of the ship fell open to form ramps to the rocky ground and Kyle and Ells barked orders.

"Come on, you apes! Do you want to live forever?" Ells was the first man off the ship, his head and weapon swiveling around to survey the area for targets or threats.

The last Marine off the craft had to jump nearly a meter to the ground, because the ship was lifting off again. The pilots moved off to provide a sensor platform and to give close ground-support fire as needed. Dave was realistic enough to know they also prepared the little ship for evacuation of the dead and wounded. That was one thing that gave him an odd sense of reassurance. No one knew when the tradition started, but the Marines never left anyone behind.

Dave knew that, one way or another, he would go home.

* * * *

Clemmons had no idea where he was. He'd descended two long, shallow ramps, so he assumed he was on the fabled third level now, but he couldn't be sure. As he moved deeper into the cave, he'd seen fewer dragons, and that was actually a disadvantage, because he'd learned some important things higher up by listening to them talking and, in some cases, following them. Now he had no such help. The torches were also less frequent here in the deeper parts of the rocky web, so he had to rely on his hearing to detect approaching lizards.

He peeked around a corner, and he saw a pair of large dragons standing outside of a door. Stanchions held torches, lighting the area around the door much better than the rest of the cavern. The dragons were large, bigger than most Clemmons had seen in his career of fighting the lizards.

Clemmons ducked back around the corner and smiled. Other than to guard Shane, he could think of no other reason for the dragons to guard a room here in the deep confines of the cave, especially to use two dragons of that size as guards.

He needed a way to get rid of the guards, either killing them or just making them leave their post. Clemmons considered a number of plans but quickly dismissed them all, because they would take out only one of the guards, leaving the other to sound the alarm before attacking him.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a dragon from inside the room spoke to the guards. "Fetch Alicia."

Clemmons didn't know who this Alicia was, and he didn't care. What he did care about was that one of the guards nodded and moved off down the tunnel.

* * * *

Angered by Cedric's sidestep, Handley had struck out at an easier target. He'd caught Shane in the side of her head again, and stars in colors she never knew existed exploded in her vision. Shane's side ached, and her fingers found warm, red blood running from her left ear. Cedric, apparently unconcerned by Handley's anger, had sent one of the guards for Alicia to treat Shane's wounds.

Handley paced the room, his big feet stomping the stone as he walked. "Cedric, you test our patience!"

Cedric nodded. "I know that, Sire, but I am giving you the best counsel I am able. We must use caution."

"No! We must crush these humans, and then the men will follow them! Putting this creature on a pike for all to see will drive them away!"

As Shane watched, Cedric's demeanor changed. His ears folded back to rest flat against his skull, and his eyes narrowed. "I can't allow that. You'll bring down the wrath of these humans on all dragons."

As Handley wheeled on Cedric, Shane wasn't sure what she heard. From the corridor came a funny whishing sound, not at all unlike that she heard just before the dragon snatched her back in the forest. Following that was a soft thump.

She didn't have much time to consider the sounds, because Handley screamed and jumped at Cedric, intent on death, with his teeth and claws extended.

* * * *

Dave studied the scanner display to be sure he was right before calling for Sergeant Kyle and Captain Ells. He was still new enough to be worried about looking stupid. He was certain.

"Sergeant, Captain! Over here!"

Ells reached him first. "What have you got, Meyers?"

"Looks like residual radiation from a blaster, Sir." Dave held the scanner out to Ells. "This rubble is new and looks to have come from up there." He pointed high up on the cliff where fresh rock was exposed.

Kyle had joined them. "I think you're right. Good work, Private."

Ells nodded. "Well done. Sergeant, get some people over here to scan for life signs."

"Yes, Sir." Kyle turned to the team. "I want ten people watching that cave entrance and everyone else over here. If there's anything bigger than a flea alive in this pile, I want it found."

Ells started to turn to the rubble when his communicator chirped. "Ells here."

"Assault craft, Sir. We have a dragon flying in on heading two-four-niner, altitude four hundred meters, range two kilometers."

"Noted. Kill it."

"Copy that."

The ruby flash of a heavy laser stabbed out to the southwest from the ship, and Dave saw a small fireball falling to the ground.

"Nice shot. Ells out." The Captain closed his communicator. "Now, let's get moving."

* * * *

Clemmons was never any good throwing a dagger. Over the years, Landis had tried to teach him, but he could never quite get the skill down. A smile came to his face as he remembered Landis flicking the knife with a casual flip of the wrist and the blade plunging deep into a tree or wall. Landis could never understand why Clemmons couldn't do the same.

Reality hit him, and the smile faded. Clemmons had to use his dagger, and he would get only one chance. Dragons had a soft place on the side of their head, just behind the eye socket and a little below the ear. At that point, the dragon's brain was close to the skin, and only a thin layer of bone protected the vital organ from damage.

He turned the dagger over in his hand a few times, feeling the well-balanced weapon almost float in his grip. Clemmons held the blade near the tip and ran his thumb carefully over the sharp edge of the metal. It felt good in his hand, like it was a part of his body, an extension of his hand and arm.

A fast peek around the corner found the lone dragon with his back to the door, presenting a profile view to Clemmons, in the perfect position as a target. Clemmons had to step out, acquire his target, and throw the knife all before the dragon saw him. He wasn't that good, and he knew it.

Clemmons worked to calm himself, to stop the pounding of his heart and the shaking in his hands. The sweat running down his face and arms was a distraction he didn't need, but he didn't think he could stop that, either.

He jumped and looked around when Landis's voice spoke to him.
My love, you can do this because you must.

Clemmons realized the voice came not from the dark cave around him, but from inside his head. The soft sound of his life-partner spoke to him again.

You're Shane's only hope, and you must believe in yourself to save her. Just believe in yourself the way I have always believed in you.

Fearing attracting the dragon's attention, Clemmons silently nodded. Landis always believed in him and supported him, no matter what. It seemed death hadn't changed that. Clemmons took a deep breath, and his pulse slowed as his hands steadied.

He stepped into the passageway, squarely facing the dragon's profile. Clemmons's arm came up, his hand stopping near his ear, and the blade of the dagger glittered in the torchlight. Like he was outside of his own body, Clemmons saw the look of calm concentration on his face as his eyes and brain worked their magic. His hand came forward in a quick, smooth motion, and the dagger flew on its path toward the oblivious lizard.

The blade flickered as the knife moved silently through the air, tumbling end for end, and still the dragon didn't move. In an instant, the dagger reached its target, and just like when Landis would throw his knife at a tree, the dagger struck the lizard's temple blade-first and buried itself to the hilt in the dragon's skull.

The lizard didn't make a sound, but he slipped quietly to the floor of the cave.

* * * *

Dave worked in the rubble with the rest of the team. Other than bits and pieces of dragons crushed by falling rocks, they hadn't found too much so far. It looked like the creatures had Rawls pinned down, and she fired her blaster at the cliff face to bring down the rocks. While he wasn't an expert at ballistics, Dave figured she would have been under the rocks, too. So far, they hadn't detected any life signs, but his briefings had told Dave about the ore in the ground here that could block scans. They needed to move a lot of rock to be sure they didn't miss anything.

Corporal Degnan was working about three meters away when he paused, staring at his scanner. He called out, waving his arms at the Captain. "Life signs! Over here!"

The team converged and started moving the rocks, gently and one at a time. They lifted a large stone, and the eye of a dragon stared up at them. It blinked a few times in the bright afternoon sun. Ells sighed and swung his rifle around. He fired once, and the eye closed for the last time.

Dave stared at the carnage of dragon brain splattered on the rocks. He couldn't help himself, even though he knew better than to question an officer. "Captain, why kill them?"

"A couple of reasons, son. One is that, right now, these things are our enemy. You never leave an enemy able to hit back. Ever." He slipped his rifle back on his shoulder. "More important, it was suffering and dying. We couldn't save the creature—we just don't have the skill or time. I don't want to see anything, especially a soldier, suffer. Better to put it out of its misery. I'd hope my enemy..." Ells paused for a moment. "Or my troops—would do the same for me."

Dave watched the Captain's back as he walked away to help in the search. Maybe this wasn't the right career for him, but Dave knew being a warrior for more than half a century would have to change people. He'd come to understand that most grunts had a fatalistic streak, and he hadn't had time to develop that worldview yet.

He walked to an area near the base of the cliff where none of the others had worked yet and started to move rocks, checking his scanner as he went. Dave had moved maybe a dozen stones when his scanner beeped. He rolled another rock, and the sensor beeped again. "Life signs!"

The others joined him in moving debris, and Dave braced himself for another bout with gore. Two other grunts moved a boulder, and Dave saw a hand—a human hand.

* * * *

Clemmons heard no sounds from the room to indicate anything in there was amiss, but he had a time limit. The other guard would be back at any moment, and Clemmons needed to get in the room and be gone before that happened, hopefully with Shane in tow.

A sudden crash from inside the room forced his hand before he had a chance to develop a plan. There was one dragon was inside, but as far as he knew for sure, there could be a hundred. Landis's words echoed in his mind once again.

Just believe in yourself the way I have always believed in you.

"I do."

Clemmons grabbed the handle on the door and threw it open wide, rushing into the room with his sword at the ready.

Other than the room holding only two dragons instead of a hundred, the scene confronting Clemmons made little sense to him. He saw the two lizards fighting, claws and teeth snapping and slashing at each other. Their blood covered the floor in bright splashes, and their snarls filled the air as they slammed into the walls and furniture.

The presence of the furniture puzzled him for a moment. A table stood against one wall, and a chair designed for a man rested on the floor, overturned by the struggling dragons. Then he saw her.

Shane sat huddled in the corner of the room, her knees drawn up to her chest, and she watched the dragons carefully. She looked ready to move quickly if their huge bodies thrashed in her direction. He doubted it was fear that made her hunker down. There was no question in Clemmons's mind that Shane simply used good sense in being ready to get out from under a falling dragon before it crushed her.

Her face was bruised and bloody with fresh blood trailing from her ear. Her chest, always so shapely and attractive, looked bulky and padded with bandages that showed underneath the course shirt she wore. Clemmons noted Shane guarded her right side and leaned in that direction, like she protected her body from more pain.