Dragon's Roar - 7. Chapter 7

“Are being serious with me right now?” Bastion asked, falling into bed and pulling Sage down with him. “The little bird is going up against that,” Sage sighed moving until he felt Bastion’s chest against his back. Even he had a hard time believing such an event was going to occur. He had been right there with Levi when Sune popped in with the highly unusual request.

“Maybe there is a trick behind those silky feathers that we have yet to see,” Sage yelled as Bastion flipped them over until Sage was looking up at his lover with a smirk plastered across his face.

“How exactly would you know the silky-smooth texture of his wings,” Bastion growled, latching on to Sage’s neck eliciting a moan from his lover beneath him.

***  

“Your highness, you cannot do this,” Vincent shouted as he chased after Jin, stomping through the halls.

“The hell I can’t, where does Zephyr get off thinking he can just up and make that kind of declaration. I’ll make sure he can barely walk let alone fly when I get my claws on him.” Jin froze in place coming face to face with his mate, who was looking quite displeased.

“You will do nothing of the sort,” Levi pushed himself from the wall nudging his claw against the middle of his mate’s chest, “I will have no interference from you, Zephyr has every right to his request, yes, we are the ones in power, but we must lead by example and uphold what it means to be dragonborne.” Levi’s scowl faded into a smile, cupping Jin’s face in his hands. “If memory serves me there was an up-in-coming king who was just as eager to test his prowess to prove his might for all to see. I’m sure Zephyr is more than aware of what we are capable of but remember he was not there during the first battle against the darkness. He alone has something to prove not only to himself but to those who may look at him in contempt for the lack of involvement of his clan.”

“Keep your wits about you, I know better than anyone what you are capable of, but with so much moving in the dark when never know when they will finally choose to emerge.” Jin held his mate tight; Levi was usually the one to speak of bad omens, but there was just something nagging at the back of Jin’s mind that he couldn’t quite dispel.

“You are an utter fool; I hope you are aware of that,” Zephyr nearly jumped out of his skin as Vicky’s words traveled down his spine. He was never able to discern how she was so easily able to slip through the whispers of the wind and it was something that continued to bother him whenever she made an appearance.

“I have done nothing wrong; I should have no reason to fear retaliation from Levi’s shadow,” Vicky met the wind dragon's gaze, a questioning look behind her eyes. “Do not think me to be so unaware I would not recognize the king’s shadow. You are to Levi what Vincent is to Jin, although I would ascertain your methods are far more, efficient.” Zephyr smiled having felt he had finally gotten on over on Vicky as she turned to make her exit.

“You would do well to remember anything I deem a threat to the crown I will not hesitate in my duty,” Zephyr held stilled his body as the copper tail silently snaked its way around him an ominous feeling overtaking him as he eyed the serrated tail draw ever closer to his neck.

“Vicky, that will be quite enough. Levi will be quite displeased if anything were to happen to challenger before their time to meet.” At the sound of Sune’s voice, she effortlessly released the wind dragon and bowed before the master of the waves.

“My apologies sir, I will reflect upon my actions and be sure they do not cause undue stress upon my master, thank you for your mercy.” Casting one final look at Zephyr, she disappeared just as quickly as she had arrived.

“I can never quite get a read on that one, the copper twins are damn near unrecognizable as opposed to who they used to be,” Zephyr commented as he subconsciously rubbed his neck.

“They both almost lost their lives in that battle five years ago, Morgana was something not to be trifled with, Vincent took up the post left to him and Vicky was initiated into a clan some would think cease to exist. They have committed themselves wholeheartedly to the cause and the charges they protect are like family to them. Vicky would happily and without question give her life to see Levi remain unharmed and live on, but she knows it would cause Levi a great pain to lose her, she has honed her skills to the utmost perfection of her craft, I dare say she could be the most dangerous among us. Now it’s about time we made our way to the grand coliseum.”

“Grand coliseum why are we not just going to the hall of trials as per tradition,” Zephyr questioned as he hurried along beside Sune, who chuckled to himself.

“You are half correct, by tradition the hall of trials is where we do battle; however, you, my friend have challenged a King, this is a spectacle that will be observed and judged by all in attendance be they common citizens, the council, or the King upon the throne. All eyes will be on you this day, I hope you are prepared for that responsibility,” Sune smiled. “As much as I would like to stay, this is where I must bide you farewell, I have a duty to my King, and I must take my rightful place during this engagement.” Sune surprised Zephyr with a chaste kiss upon his snout. “At the very least make sure not to die, you could say Levi holds the power of the stars in the palms of his hands.”

****  

The crowd was abuzz with anticipation, the kingdom had all but come to a standstill as all those who were able sat amongst the halls of the grand coliseum, and those unable to leave their duties behind were able to view the proceedings through various enchantments. Silence washed over the crowd as a roar rained down from above, few had witnessed the King in all his glory following his confrontation with the red wyverns and were shocked by his large menacing appearance, but were also instilled with a confidence that few would dare challenge such a mighty ruler.

Jin landed upon his throne, having shifted midair to his humanoid form. “Show off, you just can’t let your mate be the star of the show just once,” Sune teased, as Vincent couldn’t help but break out into a hearty laugh.

“As mouthy as always, I need to find something to fill that noisy hole in your head, guppy,”

“I’m not sure Levi would sign off of that arrangement,” Sune smirked as Vincent turned away in a fit of hysterics. Jin blew smoke towards Vincent and slapped Sune’s rear with his tail before stepping up to his people.

“I will not bore you all with some long speech, I know why you have all come. Today we bear witness to my beloved mate's return to battle and eager new blood who may yet surprise us all,” Jin raised Caliburn above his head as radiant heat covered all those in attendance. “I expect there will be no shortage of fireworks, but be sure you are all under the King’s protection.” As jin was not a participant, he was able to channel his energies through Caliburn to protect those around him from any stray magic.

Zephyr steeled his resolve as he walked into the arena, the unexpected silence only served to put him more on edge. Levi had yet to make an appearance, there was little doubt in his mind that he would show, though he expected the dragon to be present before he. As he looked around and made eye contact with Sune, he realized too late he had already made his first mistake. He spread his wings moments before he went face first into the side of the arena. Levi was taking this fight seriously leaving Zephyr already one move behind.

Zephyr surrounded himself with a wall of wind as blades of water rained down from every angle, but once again he was one step behind, every blade of water that had bounced off his wind came down upon him again as shards of ice easily pierced his defenses. Zephyr jumped to his feet having still not laid eyes on his opponent, the speed at which this dragon could move was unnerving, but finding his resolve he calmed himself and attempted to read Levi’s movements in the wind. Having found his target, he extended his talons striking the area above him, only to be met with the clang of his talon against Levi’s spear. For the first time, Zephyr looked into the eyes of a dragon, like no other, there was none of the playful nature he had become accustomed to Sune but also none of the overwhelming force he felt from Jin.

Levi shifted his weight on his spear using his now free hand to grab Zephyr’s wrist and toss him aside, Zephyr righted himself in midair just before the wind was knocked out of him as Levi followed up his throw with a kick directly to his chest sending Zephyr crashing into a wall.

“I don’t think I've ever seen Levi like this, he is almost like a completely different dragon,” Sune whispered as they all watched Zephyr take blow after blow.

“He’s holding back.” The council as well as the dragons present all turned towards Jin at his words. “Reach out and you can feel it, he could have ended this in an instant, but there appears to be another motive to accepting this challenge. Zephyr is not the only one who may have had a reason to fight.”

Zephyr took a chance to catch his breath as Levi halted his onslaught. He could barely find an opening if not for the movements of the wind he would have been bested long ago, but he had his reasons to continue this fight and he needed to stand back up. Zephyr spread his wings and shot straight up into the air, hovering above, he conjured his bow for the first time in the presence of the kingdom blasted a flurry of arrows, and waited for Levi to begin dodging the incoming attack. Levi however subverted his expectations by cloaking himself with his wings and taking the full force of the attack.

****  

He’s strong, no it’s more than that. The subtle way he shifts his stance or takes the obvious plan of attack. Levi was controlling this fight by letting his opponent think these are all reactions to his actions. This wasn’t some novice; this was a dragon that had true battle experience and knew what it was like to fight for his life. This was not the same boy that left the human world behind, this was Levi in the role he was born to play. The more he watched the more his anger and hatred grew, he wanted nothing more than to make a mockery of the dragon. “You do not yet hold enough power to be a threat to the one you seek to destroy, though your growth is astounding it still does not come closer to the bringer.” The voice echoed in his mind, the bringer, he questioned.

Mordred under the cloak of his disguise could barely contain his concern, this plan was fool hearty and half baked, the dragon he watched with his own eyes was nothing like the boy they faced five years ago. He knew now his only goal was to survive, survive to make sure his true plan came to fruition.

“The time to drape this kingdom in darkness is upon us, the king is distracted and unfit for battle at the moment, our primary objective is expending his energy, this will be simple. My powers have grown far beyond that of our last encounter and this host vessel is much more fitting to unleash the full might of my power.” Morgana cackled.

Mordred shook his head but steeled himself for the task at hand. “You stay hidden boy, should remember you are our means of escape, we aim to weaken their forces and instill fear within the kingdom, we must be quick and efficient.