The Hunt for Freedom

Chapter Fifty Six

    Katalea stood, her heart in her eyes, looking at Dakari. Grandfather smiled when he recognized the look.

"Dakari, welcome to the family. You two found a hell of a time to find each other." He chuckled at the irony. "You will have time to develop your mate bond later. Now, we need to see to our injured."

Dakari only had eyes for Katalea. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. How had he missed it? He thought back to her school days and laughed at her early attempts at conjuring.

"Maybe later we can go get ice cream? Are triple scoops still your favorite?" He asked with a sly grin.

She blushed with the memory. "I have improved since you took your vacation this summer." She teased back.

Penny and Grandfather had started tending to those sitting stunned on the beach. The sand had darkened like the shadows in the late afternoon sun. Blood was everywhere, the smell of it stronger than the scent of the salty ocean breeze. They were battered and beaten, but they were alive.

A cry from Penny broke Katalea and Dakari out of the moment.

"Oh no, Maggie!" Penny sounded as if she were being strangled.

Hearing his sister's name, Dakari ran towards Penny. She had made her way towards the water, to a figure laying face down in the sand. The red hair was darkened with sand that had fused to her bloodied scalp. The tide was starting to come in and it licked more and more at her locks with each crashing wave. He turned her over to see the angry burns that marred her cheeks, her throat.

A small moan escaped his lips and he bent his head to her. Her lifeless body hung in his arms as another wave crashed in and wet them both as he rocked her.

"Help me move her to higher ground!" He cried out. How could one experience such happiness and sorrow in such a short time?

As they moved her, Katalea opened to her friend. "I feel a pulse. She's still with us!" Tears started to flow, "Pain, so much pain, Dakari, can you help her?"

He used what he could to ease the pain, he murmured some words in her ear and had her stirring. She immediately reached for her throat. Moaning in utter despair, her eyes flickered and then rolled back.

"I hope you can fix this" her voice was raspy, pain evident on her face. "It hurts like a b***h"

Dakari thought of the crystals still in his pocket. As the purple crystal left its pocketed surroundings it started to glow. The piercing purple practically jumped out of his hands to get to Maggie. It was as if it sought out wounds to heal.

Dakari set the crystal down gently and Maggie immediately stiffened.

"Or did!" she rubbed her throat now as the pain ebbed. "Woah, that was quick. Thanks."

"There are potions that will make your face as beautiful as ever," he soothed. "But remembering your early attempts with potions, I will do them."

She laughed and her body ached.

"I told you I have improved," Katalea teased back. With a flick of her wrist Maggie's burns disappeared without a trace. A smug smile on her lips didn't hide the tears in her eyes. Her friend was still amongst the living.

"While you're at it, can you tame this frizz?" She tried to control the wild mass of muddy curls.

"Now where is this mate of yours?" He asked, dropping into big brother mode.

She looked around the battlefield that was once their beach. Large holes pockmarked the ground, it looked like someone had used an assault rifle from the sky. "I don't see him. He had gone to help his alpha, Calvin. They were outnumbered and the dragons had scented their weakness."

Grandfather was looking around at the dismal shore where he and his Pride had spent many wonderful days. He saw Katalea getting ready to flick her wrist and fix it too.

"We will restore this with the sweat of our backs," He told her in a low voice. "Together." He gestured to all the fallen and those starting to shake themselves off and gain their feet. "It will mean more."

Katalea nodded, understanding Grandfather, and grateful for his wisdom. If everybody pitched in on the restoration, then everyone would begin to feel more at home.

Katalea looked to the sky. "I can't feel Essam anymore, it's as if he closed himself off.

"Most likely, he is licking his wounds.' Grandfather rubbed his head. " I have a feeling it's not over yet."

They turned as one when Maggie screamed. It bulleted out of the sky, black as soot, straight at Maggie, talons outstretched as if it meant to take her. It was smaller than the other dragons by far, but it's razor sharp scales and tail glinted in the moonlight.

Pivoting, Dakari threw himself between the dragon and his sister. He conjured a shelter, wooden, looking like it was made from the palm trees that bordered the beach. As they hunkered down out of the creature's reach, Katalea threw bolts of electricity at it. They reflected off its wings and the newly constructed shelter burst into flames, with Dakari and Maggie inside.

Katalea turned to Penny to help her get them out of their burning safe house, and saw that she had also been hit. She was not going to be able to fly in and get them.

Katalea saw an errant log, and pulled it up on the blaze. Long and narrow, it brought back memories of the balance beam all those years ago. Before it could ignite, she ran up it and catapulted herself into a front tuck off the end like a dismount. Instead of trying to stick the landing, she was trying to avoid flying embers as she fell through the make-shift roof. She landed with a thud, grabbed their hands and called the rain. She was so worn out she needed their power to bring the small downpour. Within seconds they were sitting inside a very muddy palm tree house with a broken roof.

The dragon, however, was not to be denied his piece of flesh. His flight was erratic, his wing singed, but he flew with talons outstretched, looking to shed blood. He flew to a group gathered a few yards down the beach that were already tending to their wounded.

While Katalea and Dakari were pushing apart his conjured shelter, the last dragon screeched it's horrible screech and sunk teeth and talon into Calvin's chest. It screeched in triumph as Calvin fell to the sand. Using the last of her energy, Katalea blasted everything she could at the flying demon. It exploded mid-air, its reign of terror complete.

They ran to help, Penny leading the charge. She dropped down beside Calvin, uselessly applying hands to his torn, lifeless body.

"No, no, nooooooo" she moaned. Calvin was a favorite of hers, so young, so promising. "Help him."

Katalea joined her, "Get me some towels, put pressure on this. Stop the bleeding!" Katalea barked the order. The others looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Seeing their reactions, she turned to Dakari, "You have to do something!" Tears threatened when she saw the resigned look on his face.

Like her, Dakari knelt by the body. He lowered his head, "It's too late, he's gone." He reached a hand to gently close the eyes that seemed to be searching for something.

"Then bring him back" she roared, fatigue overtaking her. "Use your crystals!"

"That's beyond me to do." Gently he reached out to touch her arm, but she yanked away. "Crystals can't overcome death."

He turned to face her, his heart in his eyes. "I can't change death, my love, no one can. It would go against the goddesses."

Weeping, Penny sat, cradling Calvin's head in her lap, stroking his blood-crusted hair. "Can we do nothing?"

"Even if we could go back in time, it wouldn't change." Dakari tried to explain. "No matter what we do, death is final, it's natural. We must respect the goddesses' wishes."

"That's BS," Jade stormed, "He's not supposed to be dead." Katalea went to Jade, tears on her cousin's cheeks. "He just found his mate last night, he had so much left ahead of him."

"I know we all risked our lives for this, but Calvin was one of the best. He would have been the first to ask you not to cry over him, but to celebrate him instead." The former alpha from his pack spoke now.

They all stood, heads bowed, and said their silent good-bye's.