Chapter 32: Chapter Thirty-One

The guys didn’t have that big of a head start on us, but we were still in a rush to catch up to them. “It’s midday now so if we cut through here,” Josie pointed to a strip of denser jungle on the map, “We should make it to them faster because they should be here,” she pointed to another spot, “now. We haven’t got much time to catch up to them before they get too deep into it so let’s hit it.”

We finished getting our gear on then melted into the jungle. I moved the plant life around us out of our way but still kept it around to add cover for us. “Gods remind me to take a storm dragon with me everywhere. The humidity back home kills me. This on the other hand is fantastic!” Alanza remarked on the three of us also keeping the humidity around us away from us because of the heat it brings.

Soon we scented the guys in a breeze so we knew they were close, but so was something, or someone else. We sped up and broke through the clearing just in time for the other someone’s to do the same. Alanza mind linked Jax that we would be entering the clearing but we would be completely covered to conceal our identities. The humans didn’t know where to point their weapons given there were two unidentified teams on the field now but Jax and Matt instantly pointed their weapons at the people who burst through the trees. As soon as Jax did this Fox looked at him and Jax nodded, that’s all Fox needed to point his weapon at the other people as well. The other three humans shifted uneasily but fed off the confidence Jax was exuding and reluctantly turned from us and to the other people. We drew our weapons and advanced forward, not saying anything, so that we stood a little in front of Jax’s team.

The other people didn’t quite smell like people. They smelled like death, storm dragons, and rogues. My blood ran cold. I holstered my gun and pulled my favorite weapons, modified dual Chinese broadswords. “Holy fuck it’s The Ghost,” someone whispered behind us.

I smirked under my mask. “Always with ‘The Ghost’ bullshit,” Ian’s voice sounded in my head and my smirk split into a smile.

So I had a theory, that in the last two years had been tried and tested, based on Avatar the Last Airbender when Toph learned to metal bend because there were tiny particles of earth in the metal, earth dragons could bend metal too. Kachina and I were the only two as of right now that could do it, and that knew about my theory other than Daniel; not even the team knew.

So when bullets started flying from the other side, I started bending, and thanking the goddess bending wasn’t actually a series of hand movements, it was just a thought and it happened. Everyone headed for cover while I walked to the other side, swords in hand. There weren’t many things in the world that could kill supers but something guaranteed to do the trick every time was to behead them or cut the body in such a way there was absolutely no coming back from it.

“Protect Jax and Fox,” I mind linked, making sure the others knew their orders.

“What about you?” Jace sent back.

“I’m fine. Jax and Fox are who I’m worried about,” I responded before I blocked him out and focused on bending and invading the minds of the dragons standing before me. I reached out and invaded their minds, “Lay down your arms.”

“Who are you?” One of them asked aloud.

I looked skyward, making it rain, my petrichor and slightly minty scent permeated the clearing, and I looked back to the people standing before me, “Your queen,” I responded through the mind link. The shooting had stopped from everyone, including the rogues, and while the dragons’ weapons were half raised now, the rogues had their weapons pointed only at me.

I made the rain stop, and a voice rang out from behind the mass, “You’re no queen dear niece. Just like your mother before you, you’re nothing.”

I pulled off my hood and face mask. The dragons before me murmured when they saw my face. “And you’re king uncle?” I mind linked Jace, willing him to stay in control of his dragon with his father showing himself, “Stay in control.”

Jace’s father, Joseph, made his way through his foot soldiers, his cannon fodder, “It is my rightful place.”

He smelled of death, his eyes jet black, it was clear he had sold pieces of himself, if not his whole self, to something evil. “You have no rightful place, uncle. You lost that when you murdered your own mate, parents, and my mother in the middle of the night, like the coward you are.”

Growls erupted from the rogues, but the loudest growl came from Joseph. “I challenge you for your title.”

I caught a whiff of mint in the air, then in my ear, the quietest voice, “Careful, my darling daughter, he has morphed into something unholy. He will not fight fair.”

“My title cannot be claimed by you or anyone else. It is a title appointed by the goddess to someone she sees as being worthy. However if you wish to be Princess of the Storm Dragons, by all means challenge me for my title,” I said with a smirk.

Many of the dragons in front of me began to murmur again upon hearing that my father was still alive. My uncle growled loudly again at my offer, “I will be King of the Dragons! I challenge you for your title of queen.”

I sighed and was about to go into the whole speech about my holdings as queen when Mom’s voice sounded faintly in my ear again, “Let him lose against you. He may challenge you so he can learn his place.”

My lips tipped just slightly into a frown, “The goddess has spoken. You may challenge me for my title.”

“Keep an eye on everyone not involved in the fight and protect Jax and Fox,” I mind linked Jace, Ian, and Josie.

“Are you sure about this cousin?” Jace asked through the link.

“Positive. The goddess will help if I need it.”

“You know the rules. No weapons of any kind, no shifting, and no using your powers,” I said with force behind my words. I saw him bow slightly under my dominance and Niamh tittered at his expense in my head.

I sheathed my swords, unbuttoned my guns and other weapons and dropped them with Josie. I watched as my uncle did the same, dropping his weapons at the feet of one of the rogues. “He still has a couple of iron knives biocoated with snapdragon oil. He’s hoping to catch you off guard,” Niamh’s voice rang in my head.

I tried not to smirk, “No matter what happens stay out of the fight,” I linked to Jace, Ian, and Josie.

“What do you mean? What are you expecting to happen?” Jace asked through the link.

“Don’t worry Jace. I’ll be fine. Just stay in control.”

Joseph and I squared off, sizing each other up, he moved first. I dodged all of his attempts and made none of my own, observing his movements and weaknesses. He tried to fake a throw and hit me with another, it again didn’t land, he growled deeply. He tried again, this time I struck back, and I didn’t let up until he was bloody and completely winded. He moved again to strike me. This time I hit him with enough force to take him down to the ground. He was slow to get up, but when he did he pulled one of his small iron knives and attacked me again. I allowed him a few hits and finally a stab with the knife in my shoulder. I yelled out in pain, playing it up a bit, “That knife is coated in oil, my dear niece, you’ll be dead soon enough.”

I laughed, pulling the knife out, “You know, that’s funny.”

He looked truly frightened of me as the wound closed almost instantly, “No! That’s not possible!”

I smirked, “Oh but it is, and since you changed the rules, Joseph Wardwell, I’m going to add a few new ones myself.”

Plants from all around us reached out for him. He tried to fight them off but he couldn’t. The plants pulled him against a tree wrapped tightly by the vines, “It’s not possible. H-how?”

I walked up to him and whispered, “The goddess.”

“ATTACK!” He shouted to his followers.

“No,” I said in a voice that brooked no argument, everyone froze where they stood. “Lay down your weapons.”

I bent a vine into Joseph’s mouth and watched as the majority of the dragons laid down their weapons. The rogues whined and showed their necks in submission but held onto their weapons. I walked back over to my weapons, just as I grabbed my swords a rogue stepped forward with a growl, “We’re rogues we submit to no one.”