CHAPTER 48
Mortimus's hooves thunder along a muddy road as the relentless rain continues its downpour. Neither Nakira nor her vampiric steed seems to mind the inclimate weather.
Another bolt of lightning lights up the stormy night sky. There, at a crossroads, Nakira can plainly read the sign that is momentarily illuminated in stark relief. The words are etched crudely into its wooden surface:
CITY OF
ALDIN
50 MILES
Without the stars to guide her, Nakira had only been guessing at where the constellation should be. Her gut had also helped to point her in this direction up until this moment.
But the flash of lightning occurring at exactly the moment she came across the sign sealed her decision. She would find her son, Nick, in the City of Aldin.
As Nakira and Mortimus pick up speed again, she starts to feel the rhythm of the horse's gallup. As the miles wear on, the monotony of the motion starts to lull Nakira into a dream.
She recalls a time long ago when riding a different animal – the feel of rhythmic movement and wind in her face. She holds the reins tight in her hands and feels the powerful muscles of the creature flex and relax repeatedly.
Looking down, Nakira views the sea far below. In this memory, the sun is setting and the pinks and reds in the clouds are beautiful. She sees the long, muscular, yet elegant neck she is straddling. The animal's hide is a pearly white. Its wings beat in time like a metronome.
The dragon speaks to her in her mind:
Look how pretty the sunset is, Nakira!
Nakira's young face beams in delight. Her response to Gemini is an outpouring of joyous emotions.
Another dragon soars up to their side. He is a majestic, black beast with golden eyes. His rider is a ruggedly handsome man with blonde hair and dark, brooding eyes.
Richard calls to his mate, "By the fires of Pyronius! Would you look at that sky, Nakira?"
Nakira giggles and all four stare admiringly as some purple starts to show in the clouds as the sun dips lower.
"Come, m'love. Let us go back and warm up in our bed," Richard calls above the wind.
Nakira regards Richard coyly and then replies, "Oh? Think you can get me hot?"
"Aye, Blossom. The way y' like it," Richard grins.
"Ok," Nakira says with a sly smile. "But first you have to catch us!"
Gemini dives suddenly and Richard's dragon, Xavier, is hot on their tail.
Nakira is rudely snapped back to the present by another flash of lightning followed immediately by a huge crash of thunder. The bolt strikes a tree on the next rise and ignites it in a blaze. Smoke billows off it as the rain attempts to suppress the work of the lightning.
As they crest the hill, Nakira can see the glow of a large city just beyond the next row of hills on the horizon.
She is almost at the City of Aldin.
YOU ARE READING
Blood And Fire
FantasyIn a world where vampires seek to enslave humans and use them as cattle for the slaughter, one force stands in the way of their conquest. Planet Draconos used to be ruled by dragons eons before human or vampire existed. Now commanded by the sun deit...
