Dragon Falls (Indigo Apocalypse Book III)

Chapter Three: Well Well Well, Looks Like Audrey Knows Something Huntor Doesn't

ZAVALA:
I pressed my lips against Audrey's. She wrapped her arms around me and ran her nails over my lackadaisical wings. I moaned, shoving my tongue into her mouth as my hands grasped her butt. Kneecora watched us with adoration in her eyes. When I pulled away, she said sweetly, "You both are very attractive together." I smiled at her over Audrey's head. "Thank you." I said. Together, the three of us walked deeper into camp. Audrey's hand slid over a wing as it trailed lackadaisically over the ground. I moaned and brushed her hand aside. "Enough you." Audrey giggled, and the sound was like the clearest Snow Kingdom water from the falls breathing through my blood. "But I missed you." She purred. "Yeah yeah yeah." Since the Dark Queen ran away, as Huntor put it, it left me the time I needed to not only make love with Audrey the way I wanted, but actually cement the mating bond between us. Now neither of us could really be in the same vicinity without primal lust taking over. Well, Audrey couldn't, but i was still learning. Kneecora smiled, continued to smile at us. "It's precious, the way you both interact. "Why thank you." Audrey said, leaning into my side. I smiled adoringly as a telekinetic hand trailed down my shoulder and over my left breast, putting just a little pressure on my left nipple, before fading away.
    The camp was like a huge complex, labyrinthine organism. Every part doing and responsible for something. Males trained in the skies, or on the ground. Worked with their wings to make them stronger, or worked with fans. Females did the same, in groups with males, or separately. A huge tree of a male, with wings as wide as cave maws, and just as dark red, stretched his wings along with his legs before taking flight. His wings beat like heavy drums, rolling with power as he flew. We arrowed into the Indigo camp at it's center. I saw Joy and Luna arguing over something, most likely small. Lucy and Kupoa hung upside down as they carried a conversation with two of the Molten dracons. Briella and Lorna were with Arachne, Briella talking, Lorna sitting there as Arachne answered, guzzling down a bottle of water. We followed Huntor's path into the command tent, and froze. The stand off between Sydney and Reina was luculent, as was just the power Sydney's green eyes sliced through Reina's, like a butcher smoothly dicing up a slaughtered cow.
"Well shit." Audrey said, uncoiling from my side. Reina shot her fist out, clocking Sydney right in her jaw. Sydney's head jerked backward, and for a moment, I wanted to cry out, in both surprise and anger. But Sydney went with the blow, and spun around, her elbow hitting Reina's own jaw. Reina went flying out of the head chair, Huntor's chair, and hit a pole. She rose to her feet and shoved her hands toward the ground, and outward, toward Sydney. I saw the floor of the tent ripple and knew what was about to happen. But instead of falling through the floor and into the wet liquified soil Reina created. Sydney shoved her hands toward the ground, and mirrored Reina's move perfectly, resealing the ground. Then I remembered that Sydney was the most powerful out of the two, that her power over lava and the earth was more than Reina's would ever be. "Guys." Sarah said. But Reina was nowhere near done. She stomped her foot and the ground quaked. I flared my wings, trying to keep my balance. Audrey fell but caught her fall with her telekinesis. Kneecora rocked a little but sttayed on her feet. Sarah fell flat on her ass and grumbled as she rose. "Reina." Warned Huntor, his voice like ice.
She threw him a venomous look and snarled, "What Love? What could you possibly want to say that would make me stop hmm?" "Jesus." Murmured Sarah. "We don't have the time for this drama." "We'll just have to make time." Reina flew toward Sydney, fists raised. Sydney gaged Reina, and rose on one leg and delivered a vicious kick to her neck. As Reina went flying again, Sydney threw her palms toward her, and Reina sank into the ground up to her shoulders. She looked at Huntor, as if just realizing her mate was right there. He shrugged and said, "Your call, Love." Sydney approached Reina, her green eyes cold and void, completely empty of feeling. For the real, first real time, I shuttered. This wasn't the Sydney I knew to be a gentle sweet kind soul. A broken creature. She was a goddess, powerful beyond indigo imagination. She could kill Reina, level this entire camp, this entire country, the whole Kingdom. She could destroy everything and turn it into a wasteland filled with volcanic pits and take it South, destroying everything. Reina wasn't facing a rival, not since Sydney's rebirth, no, Reina was facing a goddess, and hasn't come to terms with it. Hasn't realized it. "This has to end, now." Reina met those frozen eyes, and something like fear, something akin to fear eddied in her own eyes. "I'm not just a girl anymore. I'm not just your sister anymore. I'm a goddess now. I'm a dragon goddess, a, sun dragon goddess. Do you get that, understand that? I can not only kill you, or take this entire kingdom and level it, but I can level the whole of the continent. Do you understand that?"
Fear coiled around Reina's face as she nodded. "Now, my mate didn't bring all of us because he wants to throw a little show with you and I fighting every single moment. No, he brought us all together, because it's going to take everyone to fight, take everyone to destroy what the Dark Queen is definitely going to rebuild. She isn't hiding, she's going to come back, and we must take action. Find allies through this continent, and destroy her once and for all." Reina didn't speak, so Sydney continued. "So, the question is, are you going to be able to table this ferocity between us, or not. Because we'll need you as well as Joy or Lucy to win this." Reina looked like she was struggling to swallow a major dragon talon, but, "Yes." She choked out. "Good." Sydney purred. She turned and lifted her right hand almost absently. Reina shot out the ground with an indignant thunk. "Well then, glad that's settled." Huntor gestured to seats. "We'll wait for the others to arrive, if Veevuqui doesn't come through, which I'm sure she will, we need to make a plan." "Would you like me to gather the rest?" Asked Kneecora. "No thank you, they are on their way." Replied Huntor.
    Leia was the first to enter, and she eyed Sydney and Reina, like she knew what went down between them. I approached my friend and took the seat slightly behind him and to his right. When Theia entered, she took the one to his left. Sydney sat to his immediate right, while Brooklyn, the Oracle, sat to his immediate left. Even with all the seats at the Leader's table full, still more indigo came in. Lucy, Kupoa, Lorna Jeffry, Arachne Holly, even Seeka and Vello from the Molten Kingdom entered. Kneecora stood directly behind Huntor, and from what I saw, she was apprehensive of the new position. Though there was nothing but torrid love as she looked down at her son, at the thing she created as a weapon, but one that she had no idea would change her, along with the indigo world. Finally, when everyone was seated and quiet reigned, Huntor spoke. "Today, we met with the Snow Kingdom's royal family. They've yet to choose a Queen or King, and are a council as of late." Eyes tracked to Kneecora and away. Though no one stated the obvious. That the former Queen was standing among us. "Regardless, we have a huge mission on our shoulders." He paused, letting the moment hang before saying. "We have a great enemy to fight, a Dark Queen who is as of now, regrouping and gathering her forces." "What happened there?" Joy asked. "I thought you were going to sail to end her." "Maybe if you'd shut up." Luna snapped. "He'd tell us." Joy opened her mouth, then closed it. "Indeed, the ideal plan was to end her during the battle on the ocean in the Triangle, but if we couldn't, there were a few contingencies."
    He gestured to Sarah and Leia. Leia here entered the Snow Kingdom weeks ago, a feet that was supposed to be impossible, for an indigo." The quietude in the tent was palpable now. "There are several symbols, protective and defensive, patrols, and watchtowers that make it so. However, Leia here did the impossible, and entered the Snow Kingdom, entered the very heart of the Kingdom." Leia bowed her head. "Well, I technically had some help." "But you managed it." Huntor insisted. "We've deemed that yes, for normal indigo this feet is impossible, however, for gods, indigo-gods, this is practically easy." Huntor sat forward. "During the battle, Leia and Sarah knew to combine their power if it were to not fall in our favor, and sink both the Drakous and the Dark Queen's ship, separate her from the torrid influence of her forces, and bring them here, right in the peninsula near where she first rose. Thereby leaving the Rogue Armada to end her forces on the ocean." "Still pissed you called it that and never let me sail with you." Commented Briella sulkily. Camille leaned over and patted her hand. "It's ok, he never let's me go on the real dangerous missions." "I do recall you were there when we fought Dargonue and the former Snow Queen." Kitana said coolie. Kneecora flinched ever so slightly and breathed deeply. Something she'd have to get use to. Huntor however, ignored Camille's comment.
    "This gives us time, a few months at most. With that time, we not only need to gather a bigger force, but take the battle to her." Huntor waved his hand, and traced it over the wood of the great table. It was, as I watched, the same kind of absent concentration he'd give a stroke down my wings, or between my breasts. I was mildly shocked to not sense a thing, not feel any rising lust, or burning heat. Nothing but love for a brother. On the table, a map appeared, a map of the indigo continent. Now everyone leaned forward, entranced. "We have a lot of ground to cover, and through the few weeks we've been in Snow Kingdom territory, I, Sydney, and the rest of the leaders have familiarized ourselves with the continent and every territory, country, and minor kingdom within it." He traced his finger from the edge of Snow Kingdom land and toward a great river. "This marks the end of Snow Kingdom territory, approximately a hundred and five miles from the gates behind the castle. This is truly nothing but barren land with boulders and maybe a few trees dotted here and there. It was first deemed that there was nothing here, however, there is, under it." He threw Kneecora a smile. "The awesome Kneecora, has an underground kingdom here, one for times of war, where the entire Kingdom can be evacuated and survive for four years." "Well shit." Commented Audrey. The remark was repeated around the tent.
    "After this," Continued Huntor. "There is one of the twenty-four great rivers that weave through the continent. Each of these rivers are fed by the great Dragon Breath Falls, and this one, spacifically, not only immures this next territory, but feeds it in more ways than one. The territory is named Dodona. This—"Wait, say what?" Audrey asked. She leaned forward, her beautiful sightless eyes hard as she faced Huntor fully. "Dodona." Said Huntor. "Home of the Dodonians." "Huntor, we know that name." Said Audrey. Huntor raised his eyebrows. "Do we now?" Audrey was thinking fast, and as she did, she leaned back and laughed. "Well fuck me, I know something you don't." Huntor grinned despite the annoyance that lashed through his eye. "If that's the case, why don't you share it with us all huh?" "Always gotta kill my fun." Audrey said, then. "Ok, Dodona is from Greece, supposed to be the most archaic Oracle in their history." "In English." Muttered Joy. "Fine," Said Audrey in a sigh. "It's basically their oldest Oracle, a place in Epirus Greece. Dodona was first founded in the second millennium and fell when Christianity rose in Roman times. Dodona was a grove, a grove where priests and priestesses could interpret prophecies by listening to the branches, the sway of the leaves in the breeze, the creak of the branches, the sigh of the grasses, and these gave them their prophecies." I wasn't sure why, but I looked toward Brooklyn, and saw that the girl's face was pale as snow, pun not intended. "The goddess who presided over Dodona was at first Reia, andor Gaia, but more recent accounts of Homer or archaic, meaning old, say it was the goddess Dione." At the name Dione, Brooklyn gasped.
    "Well well Dolphin, look at you researching information, and how I wonder, did you figure out who Homer was?" "Well." Audrey sat back, obviously taken aback by his attention and fascination. "I figured Percy Jackson wasn't just all what we could learn from. So, I researched the Odyssey, and Iliad, and found Homer, and it kinda just moved from there." "Interesting. Especially since I never considered Homer's Odyssey or Iliad. You do me proud Dolphin." "Not a dolphin." She said without heat. "Well then, with that info, I can add that Dodona is a rainforest of sorts. A rainforest that covers a flat plain then wraps around a mountain. This country, is ruled by a woman by the name of, surprise surprise, Dione." Brooklyn's face was dead white and she was breathing heavily. Yet I wondered if anyone noticed. "This country will be, interesting, however, we must find this Dione, and ask for her assistance in this war. The likelihood of that is high, with, these." Huntor pulled a bundle of Ragni Di Morte silk from a pocket, considerably smaller than the bundle he showed Veevuqui. "Ragni silk is akin to gold in ancient times in this world. Since it's not only priceless but damned near impossible to get a hold of." We trade the silk that we've acquired, from Mee, Zavala, Seeka Theia and Vello, Kitana Diana, and the rest of us who have faced these spiders and acquired both silk and daggers. With all of these, we should be able to pay for a million armies. Is that a fair guess Vello?" Vello nodded, then said, "Many of these countries have only heard of rumors of the Ragni, and all, if not most, have never even seen Ragni silk before. It is a rarity, almost near a myth. Due to this, many if not all of these countries would agree to hand over their own organs if it means they get a sliver of silk." He paused, eying the assembled indigo.
    "Ragni daggers however, are a myth among these places." "How is that?" Asked Luna. "As I've said, these countries have only heard of Ragni Di Morte, have only heard rumors of the Dark Queen. Ragni daggers, knives that have an endless supply of the most potent, the most deadlies venom in the world. Well now, that's more mythology than truth." "He's right." I said. Everyone's attention turned to me. "When Huntor first told me of Ragni Di Morte, I scoffed, I told him they were nothing but myths and legends to the dracons of the Snow Kingdom." "The stories were committed to be such." Kneecora added. "No one but the Molten Lord and I were to know the truth, the real truth of the Ragni Di Morte and their Queen." "Well ain't that gonna make this fun." Briella noted as she sat back. "We won't just be convincing these countries and kingdoms to join a war, an apocalyptic war, but that their worst nightmares are real, that those myths and legends are real." Huntor said. "But first thing's first. We continue to meet with Veevuqui and the rest, we debate and argue until we get a verdict. Then, wee fly to Dodona." "Then," commented Audrey. "We repeat the exact same thing." "More or less." Said Huntor.
"Well this is gonna be a fun trip." We were in our tent, and Audrey was stripping out of her clothes. "More or less." I answered, repeating Huntor's words. "Yeah, did you see Brooklyn's face? When I said Dodona, then Dione?" "Yeah." I said. "She knows something, knows something about Dione, Dodona." "Well, Brooklyn is an Oracle, the, Oracle, the Oracle of Delphi. So, she of all of us would know something or other about another oracle." "But as far as we know, Dodona isn't an oracle, much less the archaic oracle you mentioned." "Yeah but still, they're connected in someway. Brooklyn's reaction was too genuine to be otherwise." "Maybe," I sighed. "What else can you say about Dodona, from Epirus Greece." "Well, as I stated, it's in Epirus, in Northwestern Greece, rose two millennia ago and fell in the rise of Christianity—"Which is something I don't know of." "A religion." She answered absently. Dodona was an important oracle in archaic Greece. When it first rose, only the northern tribes really worshiped it, after centuries though, it became more prudent to the southern tribes too. It's agelessness was perhaps what made it so important. It was a grove, a large one that was set away from the city, which was also called Dodona. People could go there to deliver their personal questions or problems to Zeus through the trees and receive answers from those. Priests that lived there didn't live in buildings, they lived off Dodona's land, and laid sleeping on the ground with feet that were unwashed." "You had to give that last little tidbit." She noded absently. "From what Huntor stated, the Dodona we're going to is nowhere near akin to the Dodona in Epirus Greece." "Still useful to know." I murmured.
I sat on the bed in the center of the tent and started stripping myself. Audrey turned, facing the wall of the tent, her thinking pose. "Yet Brooklyn's reaction was too genuine. She does know something about Dodona, perhaps about their ruler Dione, or the Dodonians." "Have you ever seen Dodona?" Asked Audrey. "No, I've never left the kingdom." I answered. "Sadness." Murmured Audrey. I rose from the bed, naked, and crossed the floor toward her. "We should leave it to Huntor." I said. "Oh, is that so?" "Yeah, he should be the one to talk to her, to reassure if needed." "How, kind of you." Audrey noted. "Well, he is heading this army isn't he? Wouldn't wanna create some social, or hierarchy faux-pas." "Well well, look at my Zavala, faux-pas, so formal. I like it." Audrey spun and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Show me just how archaic you can be Zeej." Moaning, I took her mouth and bit on her bottom lip. She opened for me and I squeezed her breasts first, then slid my fingers between her thighs, enjoying the silkiness of her. She bucked hard, a small orgasm leaping through her. Moaning along side her, I spun us both, and we tumbled to the bed.