Page 87 of Dragon Eternal (Dragon Kings 4)
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
There was no room to shift. Shaw could do it, but he’d possibly send the citadel crashing down around everyone, including Nia. He couldn’t take that chance. So, he battled the men and women who swarmed him.
They wore formfitting, sleeveless tunics showing armbands. He’d seen the likes of which with one other—Jeyra. As Shaw used his body to defend himself, he realized that these people were from Orgate. The very city that had trapped two dragons and tortured them for years. They hadn’t taken kindly to Jeyra’s betrayal, or news of her choosing a Dragon King over them.
Shaw kept calling to Merrill and Cullen, but no one answered. And his sword wouldn’t appear either. He’d felt an oppressive presence when he came into the room, but it’d never entered his mind that something would hinder his magic.
He knew his power, an innate ability like shifting, wouldn’t be affected. But there were at least two dozen warriors. Despite his skill and speed, some of their weapons managed to connect, drawing blood. It infuriated him. He could end them in a split second if he wanted. Didn’t they realize who they fought? Shaw used his power of illusion to appear in several places in the room.
The warriors didn’t know who to fight. They each went after one of him, and Shaw spun around and slammed his elbow into the face of a redhaired warrior near him. Blood spurted from the warrior’s nose as bone cracked. Shaw then dropped to one knee and grabbed another warrior’s leg, yanking. The man landed hard on his back. Shaw rolled atop him and grabbed the man’s hand that held the sword. After wrestling it from him, Shaw was back on his feet.
He lost count of the number of warriors he killed. Though he did catch sight of the woman who had been with him when he first entered. Daelya hunkered in a corner, her eyes glued to him—the real him, not one of his illusions. She must be the one who’d told the Divine who he was. But Daelya had warned him. Why? That would be something he’d find out later. Right now, he had to stop this fight.
Just as he started to turn, Shaw saw a finely dressed, blond-haired woman and a bearded man in the same attire of the warriors watching him. They both stood outside of the battle, seemingly unconcerned for their safety. That sent warning bells off in his head.
A blade sliced across his back. Shaw felt every inch of it. He arched in pain and spun around. That’s when he caught sight of the balcony. He grabbed hold of the warrior he was fighting and shoved him through the open doors, over fallen bodies and out into the open. Shaw peeled back his lips and sank his blade into the man’s chest before turning around, ready to shift and put an end to all of this.
The explosion came from inside the room. The shockwave sent him tumbling backward, debris cutting and biting into his flesh as it flew into him. He slammed into something hard, and then there was nothing but air. Shaw heard screaming. On instinct, he reached out his hand and grasped hold of something. He blinked until his eyes came into focus and found himself dangling from the mountain face below the balcony.
Shaw was about to pull himself up when he felt something. It was unlike anything he had felt before. He wasn’t even sure what it was. A person? An animal? Something else? But it was there. Though it made no sense, he felt as if it were trying to communicate with him. Shaw wanted to release his hold and fly to find Nia, but something compelled him to stay.
And he feared that something was the same thing he felt.
Besides, there were things he needed to learn. Who was the woman who’d told him to run? Who was the couple watching the battle? How the hell had the Orgate warriors come to Stonemore and the citadel? Not to mention, he still wanted to find the Divine.
Shaw used his strength to flip up and over the balcony to land on his feet. His illusions were gone. A few Orgate warriors rolled on the floor, wounded, but none looked as though they would get up and attack. Which was too bad because he was in the mood for a fight now.
He stepped over bodies, searching for Daelya. He found her inside near the corner where he’d last spotted her lying on her side. Shaw hurried to her and pulled away the bodies that had ended up on top of her. He checked her pulse. It was faint but steady. He scanned the room to find the couple. He found the woman lying unconscious, but the man was gone.
Shaw started to the blonde when he noticed the door in front of him. It was the same one that had garnered his attention when he first walked into the room. His feet moved of their own accord toward it. Even when he knew he should turn away and find Nia, he remained. His hand rested on the handle, ready to open it.
“Don’t.”
He snapped his head to the side to find Daelya. A thick stream of blood ran from a head wound, then down her cheek and onto her clothes. “What’s inside?”
“The reason you were brought here.”
Shaw frowned. “The Divine, then?”
Daelya shook her head. “Something much worse.”
Questions formed at the same time his hand turned the handle of its own accord. Daelya’s eyes widened, her mouth opening on a scream. Shaw couldn’t stop himself as the door cracked open. He turned his head to look inside when Daelya shoved him aside. Shaw sprawled on his back, watching helplessly as she was sucked into the room, the door slamming shut behind her.
A war cry split the air behind him. Shaw tore his eyes from the door to find a warrior with a long, light brown beard laced with gray coming at him with a double-edged war axe. Shaw called to his sword. This time, it appeared. The pommel filled his hand instantly. He brought the weapon up in time to stop the attack.
“You’ll pay for what you’ve done!” the warrior bellowed.
Shaw shoved him away and jumped to his feet. “Pay for what?”
