Fledgling: Part 70

Greetings Readers!

Apologies for not updating yesterday. I was in the middle of applying for a new job and getting everything sorted for that.

Anyway, here is your update. I hope you all enjoy it.

Saita was overcome with the smell of death on the Wolven before her. He had managed to devour three corpses before she had managed to stop him and allow Red-Eye just enough time to get Kay out of the way. She didn’t know why she had bothered, but she couldn’t stand the idea of the old Fell Dragon falling after she had brought them all to this point.

Jackal snarled in her face, the stench of bile, blood, and something else just as vile wafted into her face. This wouldn’t be the first time she had had to face something like him. As queen, there had been many threats to her rule, and even after she stepped down, she supported her son and his son afterward.

Even when she and Bolx had moved to their cabin in the woods, there had been attacks. Attacks they had shut down quickly. There were more bodies buried around the cabin than crops most years. She wasn’t ashamed. This was a matter of survival, and she would do anything to allow her past self to make those same choices again.

“Shackle. Chain.” Muttered the creature as Saita’s energy claws sunk deeper into him.

The creature seemed impervious to pain and that was a problem, as it was leaning its face closer and closer to hers, its maw slowly opening. She was strong, but in her retirement, she had lost much of the strength she once had. She was giving her all to just keep his claws from reaching her.

Then the maw shot upwards in a spray of blood as Red-Eye rejoined the fray. With one claw he had knocked the head up and the other pulled Saita toward him as hind claws tried to kick at her.

“He doesn’t feel pain. Wounding him and hoping for him to collapse in time isn’t something you can hope for.” He muttered as Jackal scrabbled in the snow to get his footing.

“And there is no reasoning with him either. He really wants Kay.”

“No, he doesn’t. He wants what he thinks Kay should be. What she was at her height as a Fell Dragon. It’s not possible without the cage anymore, but he cannot accept that.”

“Is she going to live?”

Red-Eye didn’t answer as he went to all fours and started circling the creature.

“Why must you stop me, Red-Eye?” hissed Jackal as he got his feet under him. “You were at her side for centuries. You got to see the changeover. You would want a Dragon back in the cage.”

“The cage is gone. You’re free!”

“Free? Look at me! Look at those lying around! Does that look like freedom to you?’

Saita’s eyes flicked to the partially eaten corpse at her feet. Unlike Red-Eye who had a few parts of his body replaced with metal, the majority of this thing was covered. Even its muscle stands seemed to be made of metal.

“We need her to survive.”

“The cage no longer exists. It couldn’t be fixed with the damage that Kay did to it.” Said Saita.

Jackal scoffed.

“Quiet False Dragon, what do you know? Do you think there is a single cage?”

Saita’s insides turned to ice.

“There was only ever one cage.” Snapped Red-Eye.

“And who do you think built those cages?”

Red-Eye leapt at Jackal and the two of them slashed and kicked at each other, snarling and biting when the opportunity allowed.

Saita couldn’t see a way to help Red-Eye. The ball of fur and metal was too entwined and there was no way to separate the two of them. But her mind was whirling. Jackal was hinting that there was another cage, one that had been built by them, perhaps someone else.

She didn’t know Kay’s anatomy. If she still had the same system she had in the past, would putting her in the cage cause her to become what she once was. Would there be voices that would drive her to madness once more?

She couldn’t allow it. She was the Fell Dragon now, and she was free. She would never allow another to be caged. Even Kay. No one deserved that fate. Not again.

Sighting an opening, Saita jumped onto Jackal’s back. She brought up her shields as his claws went for her. While they slowed the claws down, they didn’t stop them completely. She wrapped her legs around Jackal’s massive neck. Then, gritting her teeth, she shoved her right arm lengthwise into his open mouth. The partial metal jaw snapped shut and while blood spurted, Saita was fully prepared for the pain.

She threw her weight back as Red-Eye tackled Jackal once more. She landed deeply in the snow, followed by a grunt as Jackal landed on top of her as Red-Eye drove him down. Saita pulled his head back with every bit of strength she had while wrapping her legs tighter. She had her eye closed and couldn’t see what Red-Eye was doing until she felt saliva on her legs followed by the pressure of his jaws close by.

His jaw locked in place while his other limbs kept Jackal’s limbs away from both him and Saita. For all his modifications, Jackal still needed to breathe and that was something that Saita had noticed. With no way to gather air and being overpowered by two fighters he hadn’t expected to be this ferocious, his life quickly faded.

“I’ll fix this.” Said Saita in his ear. “I’ll find a way to fix this.”

He didn’t understand. Why would she? She was nothing to the Wolven. He didn’t need her. He only needed his Mistress.

Jackal tried to look for where Kay could possibly be, but his head was locked in place and his vision was dimming. He only wanted to be reunited with his Mistress. Was that so much to ask for? That was the final thought he had as his brain sparked out of existence.

Saita and Red-Eye lay in that position, keeping Jackal’s corpse unmoving until it started to go stiff.

“I am too old for these fights.” Muttered Saita as Red-Eye lifted the corpse, after prying the jaw open.

“I’m older than you and I am fine.”

“Like hell you are. You have blood running down your side.”

Red-Eye looked toward the cabin with a look of concern on his face. Saita knew what he was thinking. He was going to have to face Bolx and Aidan after already being forgiven for what he had done.

Saita lay a hand on his blood-matted fur.

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this, my friend.”

“It’s going to be far worse for you.”

He licked at her arm.

Now, the fun begins!

For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, Book 6 here, Book 7 here, and Book 8 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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Part 69>>You are Here>>Part 71
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