Dragon Falls (Indigo Apocalypse Book III)

Chapter Fifteen: I Get Another Front Row Seat To A Light Show

SYDNEY:
    "It's darkest before the dawn." Murmured Brooklyn. She turned to Huntor, her eyes alight with realization. Then, "It's time to get started though." Callianna started screaming, endless, endless, endless screaming. Phoenix snarled, snarled, then roared. I looked at my mate, and he nodded. "You know the plan." Was all he said to Brooklyn as daylight began to coalesce in the bond between us. She nodded. "End this Huntor." My mate grabbed my hand, and daylight struck, lashing up from us and outward as we were zapped and ran into the clearing. As daylight lashed again, I had a millisecond to take in my surroundings. Callianna, bound with roots around her body to the ground. Phoenix bound as well, hanging upright between treees. Dryads all around the clearing, spears trained on Phoenix. Dione standing several feet away from Callianna. As the daylight lashed, everyone yelped. Dryads shielded their eyes, Dione lowered her head, one hand going to her face. Phoenix and Callianna both screamed. I flung out a hand and zapped Dione in the chest. She went flying back and slammed into a tree. As the dryads lowered their hands and raised their weapons, I stomped the ground and the world shuttered, and opened.
    The ground groaned as it opened, separating me, Callianna, and Dione from the rest of her forces, my mate, and Phoenix. Dryads charged the gaping maw, and jumped. Lava spewed into existence, and they screamed as they misjudged the jump and fell into it's embrace. Daylight churned in my blood and I zapped Dione again with it. She dodged and the tree behind her was vaporized. A dryad screamed and melted into green mist. "Seriously?" Asked Huntor. "You all are that vulnerable?" He ducked a flying spear and zapped a tree. A dryad vaporized into green mist. "How sadning." He ducked and stomped the ground, quaking it. "GET ME OUT OF THIS." Bellowed Phoenix, struggling against his bonds. I faced Dione and zapped her with another bolt of pure daylight. She dodged again and the tree by callianna was vaporized. Several roots disintegrated and the girl struggled to free herself. "HOLD ON." Bellowed Phoenix as Huntor zapped another tree. Huntor jumped and swung his sword through a branch. Phoenix dropped and rolled, tugging his other arm free. "NO." Bellowed Dione. She thrust out her hand and roots slapped the dirt as they roiled for Phoenix's legs. He jumped and hopped his way toward Huntor's side.
    I zapped Dione again and his her in the shoulder. She bellowed in agony and stumbled. I spun and swung my fist into her jaw. Dione cried out in genuine agony as blood, tinted blue, poured from her nose. "YOU BITCH." She snarled and swung her own fist. I ducked the strike and kneed her between the legs. She gasped and her face paled slightly. "Not fun is it?" I asked. I threw out my hand and another bolt of daylight zapped for her. She dodged, but this time, I wanted her to. The bot hit another tree, and the tree vaporized. The roots around Callianna disintegrated. She got to her feet and leapt for Dione's unprotected back. Dione swung back to clip Callianna with an elbow. I dove, tackling her to the ground. I lashed my elbow into Dione's face. More blood sprayed. She threw me off and gott to her feet. She raised her arms, and roots ripped the ground and undulated as they lashed out for Callianna and me. I stomped and more lava roiled toward the surface. Roots melted as lava surged around me. Dryads began to vaporize into mist as their trees were disintegrated by the lava. Dione yelled in fury.
    I dove again, flipping over the pools Dione raised her arms and roots ripped the ground, surging for me. I flung up an arm, and lava churned as it spooled out the earth, gugling in a bubbly mass as it disintegrated the roots. Dione snarled. She swept out her arm and more roots slashed out the dirt. I dodged, lava spewing in my wake. "IT SEEMS WE'RE AT AN IMPASS." She shouted. "With natural elements sure, but with godly powers." I curled my palms and shot a blast of daylight at Dione. "We're not." I said as she flew backward. "I'M A GODDESS YOU BITCHING CUR." Dione shouted as she gained her feet. She stomped and roots grew from the ground, slashing upward like knives, growing continuously as they ripped open the guts of the world. "I'M AN ANCIENT GREEK DEITY, AN ANCIENT GODDESS, EVEN OLDER THAN KHIONE AND KIMOPOLEIA." Roots whipped toward me, but I swelled the lava and they disintegrated. But more and more slashed out the dirt and toward me. I spun and lashed out with a fist. Lava followed and swept for Dione. She dodged and kicked the ground. A tree groaned as it bent and lashed out, it's trunk slamming full on broadside against my side. I screamed as I went tumbling through the air. Another tree groaned as it swung it's body and broadsided me.
    I rolled and the tree slashed the ground. Another tree T-boned me and I went flying over the ground. My concentration wavered and the lava began to recede. I rolled into a pit and tried to catch my breath. Roots tunneled out and lashed around my ankles and waist. "YOU THINK YOU CAN ABSCON FROM ME?" Bellowed Dione. "YOU THINK YOUR DELETERIOUS ACTS WILL SAVE YOU GIRL? I'M A GODDESS< A GREEK DEITY. THERE IS NO HIDING FROM ME YOU CUR." "Sure like to hear yourself talk." I muttered as I fought the roots. I lashed out with a zap of daylight and the roots disintegrated. Dione snarled in rage. I rose unsteadily and stomped the ground. Lava resurfaced, and more pits opened like yawning maws. Huntor zapped another three trees, and more dryads vaporized. Dione snarled and more roots slashed out the ground. I thrusted up my arms and lava spewed around me in a great ring. I switched on instinct and obsidian stones replaced lava. I swept out my arms and obsidian was left behind as lava hardened instantly. I stomped and two swords caved from the rock. I ran and slashed Dione's face. She ducked the blow and delivered a kick to my side. I backpedaled but lashed out with a sweeping strike for her legs. Dione jumped and returned with waving her arm. A tree groaned as it broadsided me. "A GODDESS TOO AFRAID TO TAKE ME ON?" I bellowed as another tree broadsided me. Diving to one side, I threw one sword. Dione screamed as the blade sliced through her shoulder as it passed. I slammed my foot again and another sword flew from the ground. I caught it in my left hand and, using two swords, I lashed out for Dione. Two roots grew from the ground and detached. Dione grabbed them and ran toward me.
    Dione stumbled, then fell, sliding spectacularly across the desolate ground. Callianna stood behind her, holding a golden fleece. "Talk about an Ancient Greek deity." Callianna spat at Dione. The trees all around us started loosing their luster. Dryads stumbled, luculently succumbing to the sudden, literal shift in power. Callianna swept the fleece over her shoulders and around her body. The fleece glowed, glowed a beatific deep gold. She threw up her arms and admitted a shriek of power and pleasure. As we had planned. Dione rose unsteadily, her eyes hardening into ice. "No." Snarled Dione. "Like all ancient gods." I said. "You all have no conscience, and no one to tell you when you're being played like a damn cello. Probably don't even know what a cello is." Dione bellowed in rage and ran toward me, but again was thrown to the ground. This time, Phoenix had charged her and tackled her. He slammed his fists into her face, and ripped his shadow fleece off her shoulders. "Barbaric." Commented Huntor. Dione kicked Phoenix off of her and crawled away, terror lashing across her face as she realized her dryads were all slaughtered. Could you call it slaughtered when they were plants? "This is so not over boy god, do you think you've won? Do you believe you've won, that you have? That I can't fix this?" "Sure," sai Huntor. "I believe we've won, I believe you can't fix this." "Well, YOU'RE WRONG." Dione shouted, and she threw up her arms, a tree groaned as it swung in to broadside Callianna. She expertly dodged and I turned to grab her as she stumbled slightly, but Dione moved, running and diving through a tree, and vanishing.
Callianna steadied herself as the grove went still. I turned to my mate. "Brooklyn—"She's already aware." Said Huntor. The ground trembled, and through the trees, a brilliant green light lashed and undulated like mist. "Andd I'm guessing that's Dodona's answer to Brooklyn." "The Oracle of Delphi." Whispered Callianna reverently. "The most powerful Oracle in history." Added Phoenix. "We should get over there." I said. "There is no telling what kind of help she may need." Huntor eyed the green mist still undulating from the trees. "Perhaps." He answered. "But I don't think so. Dione never had any sort of control on the grove, on either of the fleece, and now that they've been returned to their proper owners, they're fully powered. Now that Brooklyn has returned to the grove, I don't think Dione is going to be able to get in, not without Brooklyn's personal permission." "Then, what do you suggest?" Phoenix asked. "We return to the battle." Said my mate, unsheathing his blade. "I feel as if we'll need daylight, badly." "What are you thinking?" Asked Phoenix. "That army." Said Huntor. "Dione hinted that there was a great force, so did you and Callianna." "There is." She said. "Dryads and—"Yes." Said Huntor. "Dryads certainly, but none we've seen." They stared at him confusedly.
I tried to march along my mate's train of thought. "There's an entire field of huge ass carnivorous plants." Sighing, he waved a hand. "There are dryads in that field, dryads that don't require water at all to survive." "But actual meat." Said Phoenix, his eyes glittering. In response, his fleece pulsed with darkness, and a set fo great ebony wings rose behind him. "We need to get back to the battle, right now." I said, grasping Callianna's hand. Huntor grabbed Phoenix's, and we linked fingers. Daylight spooled in the inferno, and spread, growing, growing, growing, until, "BOOM." Great daylight lashed downward on us and spread, shooting us as we flew through the trees. We lashed into existence in the middle of the battle, and Phoenix raised his arms. Ebony birds swirled into existence, their beaks open in silent screams as they swooped on to the dryad army.