Before anyone reads on, I just need to let you know that this chapter isn't finished. I had promised to post it today and didn't want to go back on my word. I didn't finish it because I have lost my cat, and though it might seem like something trivial, it has me completely heartbroken. I'll try to finish it next weekend and once again I am truly sorry, but I just can't function right now.
*
After a while, Eriel and Natanael went down into their cabin to put some pants and boots on. Remien Fyre tapped his foot impatiently on the floor of the helm, a frown growing on his countenance as each second ticked by.
He puffed out an aggravated breath. "Exactly how long is it to Megdoluc?"
Seth cleared his throat. "At the speed we're moving? About two day cycles."
Remi shot up from his seat with a roar, the green of his eyes filling up the white as his irises expanded. "No," he snarled, his voice savage.
"Calm," was all Devon said.
The red weredragon spun to glare at his commander, his chest heaving part in rage-part in panic. "I need to feed Row. The babies drain her blood."
Ashriel winced. "Blood?"
Remi ran a hand through his unruly of hair. "They're blood dragons." He swung around frowning at Ashriel. "Like me. They nurse from her breasts, but they're ravenous little devils." He turned to Devon, this time with a pleading look in his eyes. "Rowie needs to feed from me. They'll drain her and make her...her blood lust will re-awaken."
Devon frowned, his finger tapping his lips. "Seth, can you keep this flying bucket of bolts together?"
Seth arched a brow. "Planning on speeding things up a bit?"
Devon nodded, his glowing gaze bright.
Ashriel snorted. "But won't that help the Master Guardians after your dragon home in on your power signature?"
"They're already following us," Devon replied, his voice sounding as if he were daydreaming, eyes unfocused. Remi got the same strange look before snapping out of it to growl viciously.
Ashriel looked out through the glass shield of the starcruiser, even though he knew he'd never see the ships that followed them. A shiver went up his spine as the presence of power skittered around him.
"They won't attack. They want the others. They want all of us," Seth said.
"Devon took a deep breath, his eyes closing momentarily. "They know we know."
Ashriel raised one brow, his eyes going over each of their faces. He heard the whispers in his mind. They were communicating to each other telepathically.
Devon suddenly stood and stood next to Seth. Remi came up on the other side of Devon.
Curiosity assailed Ashriel as he watched Devon take both Seth and Remi hands in his.
A wash of power rolled over Ashriel, making him suck in his breath. He felt sick at once and blinked in confusion when the view outside the glass distorted. The vacuum of space and all its uncountable stars turned into a soup of distortion. It was a horrifying sight and Ashriel had to close his eyes to block it out. His body felt strange, as if his very physical being was disintegrating, turning into...unstable matter.
"Stop," he finally shouted, his voice echoing in the terrible silence surrounding them.
Hands cupped his face and he opened his eyes to behold the fiery visage of Devon. Once again, the Alpha Angels' commander glowed like an ethereal being, the light blinding and to Ashriel's shock, so did Seth and Remi.
The light was too bright and he had to close his eyes, fearing he'd go blind otherwise.
Devon's hands caressed his face. "It'll be alright, Ash."
"Shit," Remi shouted, "We're headed for the funnel."
Ashriel's eyes snapped wide open. He only knew of one funnel on Megdoluc, and it led to the gates of Hell.
They hit hard. The ice cracked and the black waters of the abyss swallowed the starcruiser whole. Still, Ashriel felt the craft hurtling forward at incredible speed.
The three Alpha Angels were no longer glowing. Everything was now dark around him. He tried in vain to see where they were headed, but it was hard.
"They're trying to follow," Devon said and then cursed. "Tenacious bastards. They'll kill themselves."
"Are we still descending?" Ashriel gasped, his heart hammering loudly. "You're taking us straight down to the gates."
"Fear not, Ashriel," Devon murmured.
Light began to glow ahead, and Ashriel began to feel disorientated again. Gripping the armrests of his chair, he clenched his teeth and groaned, feeling as if they were shooting straight up, but that was impossible. They had been descending—hadn't they?
The starcruiser's nose broke the thick layer of ice, shattering it like glass. Through the glass shields of the helm, the skies of Megdoluc boiled with reddish-black clouds. Not far from where they'd broken through the surface, a mega volcano blew a column of fire into the stratosphere. Devils flew by the thousands in the sky, making Ashriel's feathers ruffle in agitation. His hand itched to feel his sword and he stared at the unclean creatures the way a predator watches prey.
The starcruiser wobbled unsteadily in the air as the winds buffeted and batted it, tossing it around like a little leaf caught in a storm.
Seth dipped the craft and headed straight toward a cliff face. Ashriel squeezed the arm rests of his chair in a death grip as they struck the ground and bounced a few times before coming to a halt in a pool of water at the base of a water fall.
"Hell, Seth," Ashriel cursed. "You are the worst pilot I have ever had the displeasure of flying with."
"Thank you," Seth replied rising from his seat. "Hurry. Let's go."
Again, Ashriel felt confused. They'd crash landed on the surface of Megdoluc. The winds outside, aside from being one hundred percent poison, were raging so hard, he was surprised it wasn't lifting the craft again.
Regardless, he followed the others down the ramps to slosh into the icy water of a pool. He watched Seth and Remi run into the waterfall, followed by Natanael and Eriel. Devon turned and held his hand out.
"Come-on, Ash. I need to close this portal quickly."
Devon gripped his arm, and Ashriel gasped when he was propelled through the water. The sensation of falling had him beating his wings. Still his hands and knees hit a pale grey floor hard enough for him to wince.
He stared in bewilderment at his wet reflection in the shine of the floor. His hair dripped making an ever-growing puddle around him. Looking up, he blinked in astonishment at the tall glass walls with a view of a setting sun over an ocean. Beams of metal ran up at least three stories. Behind him was a fireplace with a high mantle. A mirror reflected the opposite side of the large room, showing three floors of balconies. Everything was white, metal and glass. They were in Davariel and Luciel's old mansion.
Devon's booted legs blocked his view as he bent to offer Ashriel a hand up.
"What the hell just happened?" Ashriel asked, feeling like his head was still spinning.
"We ditched our tails."
Ashriel only blinked at him. They'd managed to evade the Master Guardians intent on capturing them, but what about all the reapers on Alpha 7... and Anniel?
He turned when he heard a woman exclaiming in joy and turned to watch Rowie Enoray run into Remi's arms.
A few reapers appeared on the higher balconies, along with others he did not recognize.
"What's going on here?" Ashriel asked.
"Some of them were here when we arrived. Families from when my father and mother resided here. I didn't have the heart to turn them out. This is the only home they've known."
Ashriel turned back to Devon. These people were the descendants of Davariel's followers. They were still waiting for him to return.
He swallowed and turned to see the red-haired weredragon falling to his knees as his mate wrapped her arms and legs around him. Her face was buried in his neck, her fangs deep in his throat. Even from twenty paces away, Ashriel heard her deep gulps as she drank her lover's blood. Remi's half-dragon's wings popped through the flesh of his back and he growled in pleasure as his mate fed from him.
"Come with me," Devon said walking toward a stairwell at the other side of the cavernous chamber.
The sun cast a reddish golden glow through the glass walls. The large mansion had barely any furniture. As Devon and he passed various rooms, some held bare mattresses on the floors and a few trunks.
"Where are we going?" Ashriel asked.
"You'll see," Devon answered.
They entered a room at the end of a long glass corridor. A large bed was set up in the very center of the room where Devon's golden weredragon and his very pregnant mate lay.
The girl was propped on big pillows and Zachariel massaged one of her legs.
He looked over his shoulder as Ashriel and Devon made their way across the room.
"This was their room."
Ashriel did not need to ask whom Devon meant. The sweet scent of Davariel's essence still lingered in the air...even after over three hundred years.
On the other side of the room was a glass partition that led to a grand bathroom. More ceiling to glass walls showed the beauty of the beach below. The sinks were along one solid wall, but there were no mirrors. The counters were made of white stone and the floors were still the same pale shade of grey as the rest of the house. In the very center of the bathroom was a black-bottomed pool, filled with steaming water.
Ashriel watched Devon circle the pool once, whispering low.
Ashriel narrowed his eyes and looked down. Through the wavering water an image began to form. He could see what looked like a ceiling with softly glowing recessed lighting.
"Go in, but head first. Hold your breath for a few seconds until the air feels dry." Devon touched his arm as Ashriel frowned at him. "Don't look to the sides."
Ashriel pulled his shoulders back. Devon treated him as if he'd never traversed portals before.
Ashriel crouched and drew closer to the pool. Placing his hands on the edge, he closed his eyes and let himself tip forward. The water was warm and wrapped around his body like a lover's embrace. The sense of disorientation was momentary, and all too soon he found himself floundering out of a pool of water in his old quarters in Alpha 7.
Dragging himself out of the smaller bathroom, he walked soaking wet through the hygiene room and stepped into his hygiene unit. Blue rays engulfed him immediately, leaving his skin and wings dry and fresh.
