Wings and flames

Chapter 26

Sam felt his body fight. A part of him wanted to sleep off and yet something powerful kept him awake. The adrenaline kicked in so quick his vision was extra sharp.

Sam had been curious about why Viri never changed Infront of him. He'd wanted to see her as a dragon but now, he was simply terrified.

Aeck had attacked Sam on sight. Sam had no idea why. He hadn't done anything to the creature. Whatever it was, it was clearly capable of killing Sam. Getting attacked by the Aeck was expected. Viri's reaction to it - not so much.

Viri changed too quick for the space around her to adjust to it. One minute she was cupped perfectly within Sam's wings and now she was out of it. The creature that stood in place of Viri was alien.

It was not much bigger than Sam himself but it was built different. It wasn't visible in the dark, Sam could see the black dragon skin close to his face. The legs. The creature was very similar to a dragon but all the features were sharper. The ears were high and defined. The wings could cut a man in half. They seemed to be made of steel. The talons at the end of the arms and legs could claw a heart out - no effort. The skin was smooth - no friction - there'd be no outrunning this one. The head was that of a dragon, strong jaw, high nose and the eyes...

Sam saw it tilt it's head slowly towards his direction. The eyes that stared at him did not belong to Viri. This was someone entirely different. Someone that would kill, had killed, millions. Sam saw the eyes take him in, his frightened face and trembling body and then the world stilled.

The dragon thing opened its mouth and from it came a eerie green light. Green fire? Green lightening? It was strong. The air reacted to it. Everything stilled. Everything within its range stilled and fell. The wide eyed shapeshifter was shaking and holding onto the ground for dear life. The Aeck, still invisible, was clearly terrified. It's amber eyes seemed to be in pain, they sunk lower to the ground. The pain Sam felt instantly wore off.

Viri stopped.

Sam was lying on his side. He saw the green light slowly disperse around them. He saw the slight shadow of the Aeck. It's head was bent down in submission. The shapeshifter was trying to calm his breathing. But Sam's eyes were fixed on Viri. Whatever his friend was, she definitely wasn't a dragon. As those strange eyes settled over him again, he felt himself slip into unconscious.

***

Sam was woken up by a stubborn day of sunlight. His eyes slowly adjusted to the light and he felt his hands slowly reach up to his face.

"Oh good, you're awake."

A strange male voice came from near the window. Sam was in a weird cave like space. It was oddly cozy. There were books, potted plants and decent furniture around him. The window was simply a big hole that faced some part of the ruins. It let enough sunlight in. On the windowsill, sat a remarkably beautiful man. Sam would be mortified had the dude not been a treat to the eyes. Dark hair that fell onto his eyes, his brown perfect eyes that complimented that oddly angular face. He didn't look much older than Sam.

"Um...who...are you? Where am I?"

"I'm asked to take care of you. You've been unconcious for a two days and a night. And you're inside the same cave."

Sam had a lot of thoughts at once. Is Viri okay? I've been out for two days? Where is Aeck? Is this some strange hospitality before his man drags me to Aeck and they all kill me? God he's so pretty it's distracting. Who asked him to take care of me?

"If you're wondering about your friend, she's been waiting for you to wake up. You've been bathed and taken care of ofcourse. Is there anything you need?" The strange boy was very polite.

"You took care of me? The Aeck asked you to take care of me? That seems like an odd thing to do after it tried to kill me."

The boy seemed uneasy at that. "Let's just say, there's been a quick change in the power dynamics down here. Are you hungry? Do you want to meet your friend?"

"Yes. To both of those questions. Also, are you the shapeshifter or someone else?"

"Someone else." The boy started towards the door. "Brunch will be arranged in an hour. Follow the scent, you'll find the table."

Sam was perplexed. The boy was strange. But then he was polite. This cave was strange. How many people worked for the Aeck? Was he a sadist who kept slaves to work for him? But there was one question that was more important than the others.

Where was Viri. And what was she.