Origin (Scales 'n' Spells 1)

He saw the tall, six story main building first jutting into the sky, then the spread of the compound that branched off it. The grey stone looked stark against the green backdrop of the land around it. The Ordensburg had been turned into a historical site some years ago; no one should have been in it. Likely why the Jaeggi felt they could use it freely. But it was clearly occupied now, with multiple vehicles parked at one end of the parking lot and spotlights manning every possible vantage point. He saw people scrambling back and forth, no doubt getting to battle stations.

What was their game plan? Alric wished desperately for an answer. What did they want with his mage? Why attempt to take the mages to begin with? Why do it again when Cameron was clearly under the protection of the Burkhard clan?

And why did this whole thing feel like a giant trap with Cameron as the bait?

Alric chose to listen to his instincts—they hadn’t failed him yet—and bellowed out the order, “Come in from the sides! Surround the Ordensburg!”

His thunder of dragons obeyed, swirling around in a living stream of red scales and fury, swarming around the compound. The Jaeggi there hopped around, ducking in anticipation of an attack.

“Hoheit!” Ravi called down to him. “Where do you want us to land?”

“The top building, go th—” He cut himself off as he realized he saw one person in the compound that he knew. Knew intimately well, and was currently running for all he was worth.

Cameron.

How had he gotten free? He clearly had somehow, as several members of the Jaeggi Clan were frantically chasing after him, yelling and—shit, they had guns trained on him.

Alric felt terror as he never had before, punching him solidly in the chest. No, no, nonononono. “Ravi, release!”

Bless the wind dragon, he didn’t hesitate but immediately let go of Alric. The dragon king felt himself drop sharply to the ground—it was close, closer than was probably advisable to drop at this height—but he didn’t care. The possible damage to himself was inconsequential. Cameron wouldn’t survive a bullet to the back, and that was all that mattered.

He shifted as he fell, his dragon coming out through part necessity but mostly rage. How dare they think they could mess with a dragon’s mate? His mate? How dare they even attempt to harm Cameron as he watched? His dragon demanded vengeance, and Alric for once wasn’t inclined to try reason first. He let instinct rule him.

Alric landed hard enough that the cement under his claws cracked under the force of it. The impact jarred him down to his marrow, but he didn’t pause to acknowledge it. He whipped his good wing around, catching Cameron up in it and pulling him in sharply. Cameron gasped as he came in but didn’t struggle, just latched onto his neck and held on.

“Alric,” he said in relief. “You’ve got impeccable timing. I was just wondering what the fuck to do next. But we have to get out of here, now, there’s magic—”

The smell of magic, so sharp in his nostrils, was unmistakable. Alric believed him, as Cameron could see what he could only smell or sense. But there was no quick way for him to move both of them, not with only one working wing. He reared up on his back legs, Cameron still caught up in his front claws, and did something he’d never thought he’d even contemplate.

“RAVI! CATCH!”

“Shit, no!” Cameron denied, sounding both panicked and pissed. But he had no choice as Alric launched him straight into the sky, angled away so that he wasn’t caught in whatever magical spell had locked onto Alric. He flailed a little as he hit open air, still swearing viciously in what sounded like Korean.

Ravi swooped in smoothly and caught him, and that was all Alric had time to notice before that magic spell finished deploying. It lit up, a perfect circle surrounding him on all sides, as transparent as colored glass.

As solid as a steel wall.

Alric growled low in his throat, carefully not touching the sides. He recognized this spell all too well. It had been used often in the war, a way to contain the dragons and keep them grounded. Harmless in and of itself but it left Alric a sitting duck, and he couldn’t even bellow fire at them. It would bounce off the wall and ricochet on him. Fucking bastards. Alric had known landing in the courtyard would mean a trap, but he’d rather have himself trapped and Cameron breathing. That was a trade he’d make any day.

“Gunter!”

His head came up, and he watched as Ravi and Gunter made a flying pass by each other. Why was Cameron calling for Gunter? For that matter, how had Cameron gotten himself out of Jaeggi control to begin with? He hadn’t anything on him that would have enabled him to work magic, or had he? Had Alric’s power been enough, then?