Prince of Fire | Dragonfire Book One

Capitolo Quattordici

The dragon Lux used a series of baits and traps to lure the undead Nosferatu to their untimely doom.

~ The Draconic Book of Songs

Chapter Fourteen

As soon as the group had landed at the base, Dante had managed to slither his way out of any post-mission meeting and he quickly returned to Finn's house. Events were occurring out of his preferred order and he needed to know how that sequence would slip into the future. According to Finn, Dracula would get the Chalice, but the how and when were still unknown.

Anya was sitting outside when he arrived at the house. The expression on her face was unusually weary, suggesting that she had been too concerned and worried recently. In fact, a frown interrupted her face as she observed his current appearance, which included his torn shirt and dusty ash pants.

She quickly rose to her feet after seeing his sorry state. "Dante, what happened?" Anya asked. Her eyebrows furrowed deeper in concern.

Dante shrugged off her worry with a flippant wave. "I'm fine. It looks worse than it is. But I did see Dracula yesterday," he answered, strolling past her and into the house. He heard the soft padding of her feet follow him in before the the door creaked behind them.

"Did you talk to him?" Anya asked. Her intonation was curious but hesitant as she was eager to know the circumstances.

Dante let out a humorless chuckle. "There was no talking involved. Only fire breathing from his end and burnt clothes and equipment from our end," he understated the situation as he looked around for Finn, again.

"Our end?" Anya emphasized. "You mean the hunters, right?"

Dante inhaled in annoyance at her tone. "Yes. You know what I mean. Don't worry. I haven't forgotten what they are," he defended himself from the somewhat abrasive remark. Dante hadn't seen Finn yet but he figured he should come up with a proposal before asking him if the plan would work. Or maybe Finn would simply tell him that the future was set and whatever his plan was wouldn't affect the outcome. "Now, I'll need to come up with a plan and discuss with Finn, and you, of course. But first, I should clean myself up."

Anya sighed and stopped following him to allow him to have privacy as he went upstairs and into his room. After closing the bedroom door behind him, Dante stripped off his ruined clothes and stepped into the shower in the connected bathroom. He quickly rinsed the dirt off his skin and concocted a plan before drying himself and grabbing a new set of clothes to don.

His hair was still damp when he left his room and found Finn standing right in front of him. Dante felt a part of himself jolt in surprise, but his outward composure was trained enough to not show his reaction. Finn's amber eyes greeted him, indicating that he was lucidly present.

"You're back," Finn stated the obvious before delving right into business. "Tell me your plan."

Dante's eyebrows involuntarily arched. "I thought you would've known already," he remarked casually. "Nevertheless, I plan to coerce Evelyn into releasing the Chalice into my possession. Once I have the Chalice, I will draw Dracula out by using it as a semblance of an exchange. But essentially, it is bait. You and Anya can help me ambush him, to ensure that he will be captured. Last time, I had the misfortune of the hunters intervening, so if they happen to do so again, you two could distract them."

Dante promptly closed his mouth and watched Finn silently analyze his plan. Finn's eyes maintained its clear Draconic hues, but they resonated with previously foreseen knowledge, as seen by his ostensibly blank stare. A frown swept onto Finn's face.