Blood And Fire

Chapter 78-Reunited?

     Gemini, help!  Nakira manages to reach out with her mind as her state of consciousness begins to slip with the loss of blood.

     The swirling indigo eyes of the great queen dragon see her rider and life partner being dragged from her.  Screeching in frustration, Gemini dare not flame the retreating vampire as she would undoubtedly scorch Nakira in the process.  Straining muscle fibers and forcing heart and wings to work beyond capacity, Gemini hurtles her creamy white body towards the thief in the night.

     Hold on Nakira!  Gemini screams out with her mind.  But it is no use.  Her rider has succumbed to the blood loss and is unaware in her stupor.

     Amazingly, with every ounce of effort she can muster, the queen reaches the phosphorous vapor that has seized her rider.  The evil mists speak, "Her I want.  You...not so much."

     With that, Vlad forms huge talons and swipes cleanly through the regal neck of the queen.  Her wings stop beating and the swirling blue eyes dim.  A final thought is sent to her rider.

     Nakira, I am sorry.

     Then a crimson line appears along the elegant dragon neck.  Blood starts to seep from the deadly wound.  The wedge-shaped head drops and tumbles in the night sky.  The headless neck bleeds freely as the body of the former queen sinks back to earth.

     The recollection of the loss of her life partner and former queen of Highland Den surfaces once again as Nakira's fury and hatred of vampires fuels her battle action.  Though relatively young in terms of the existence as a member of the Night Dead, Nakira's previous existence as a Dragon Lady and rider of a queen had imbued her with strengths beyond a normal woman.

     Dragon men and women, though still human, are rewarded with their life bond to Dragonkind.  They live longer and are stronger than a non-bonded human, both physically and mentally.

     Vlad was unwise to have turned a Dragonwoman and brought her into his Blood Family.  Ordinary humans that have been made into vampires remain bonded only to their creator.  However, Nakira has lived her undead life in constant strife.  On the one hand, the blood transformation from Vlad's bite is a very powerful and compelling factor.  On the other, being born first into Dragon Society is an equally powerful force that is polar opposite in its pull upon Nakira's being.  Instead of the loss of Gemini severing her allegiance to Dragonkind and removing her abilities inherit to being a Dragonrider; it has made Nakira into something beyond either Dragonlady or vampire.  In fact, her vendetta against Vlad for not only destroying the former queen dragon, but also for cursing Nakira's unborn son, has cemented the former Dragonwoman's resolve.

     Now, as Nakira is faced with overwhelming odds as Cossette's Blood Children and myriads of walking corpses continue their onslaught, the raven-haired vampiress battles on with new found fervor.  Her hatred of Vlad, as well as what he has transformed Nakira into, are now fused with new determination as the memory of the loss of her life partner causes the old unhealed wound to fester with the malignancy that cold fury can only provide.

     Her warrior movements are sublime in their coordinated finesse.  Nakira performs an intricate ballet of death as minion after minion of Cossette's creation loses either heart or head or both to the tormented Dragon lady/vampiress.  Likewise, Mortimus' link to Nakira is proving to add to the deadly dance as the black equine trots to the left as Nakira circles to the right. Their performance is so stunningly perfect that to observe the two vampiric creatures utterly destroy the comparatively uncoordinated adversaries is like being a front row spectator at the world's most well-choreographed dance review.  The liquid movements are both beautiful and brutal simultaneously.  It is as if the pair had been trained their entire lives for this moment.