Aeva’s Challenge – VII

A tale of angels, demons and dragons…

They broke their fast quietly with one eye on the sky, but in the end it was full noon before a gleaming speck in the sky announced the return of the dragon. She landed quietly this time. No histrionics. No wild wind or storm clouds. Aeva knew this boded no good to anyone and she was glad of Adamo’s strength at her back.
“Aeva Darkstar. It seems your instinct was faultless. The desert draca do indeed have a mortal male in their nest…”
“But?”
“But they will not give him up.”
“Will they not?”
“No Invigilator. They will not. They say that he is theirs to do with as they choose. When he has done that for which they borrowed him they propose eating him.”
Aeva sighed. “Thereby provoking a mortal versus monster war. I wonder why they are intent on doing something so potentially disastrous.”
If it was possible for a dragon to look puzzled the golden female on the sand would have done so. When she had come to the end of her train of thought she looked at Aeva and shook her head slowly. “I had thought it just the usual contrariness of the draca. But now I am having more thoughts. I think there are questions to be answered.”
“There are, indeed.”
“I will return, anon.” The dragon threw herself into the sky.
Aeva turned to Adamo. “This is going to get dangerous.”
“It already got dangerous, my lady. Look.”
He turned Aeva to face the northern skyline where four hooded figures sat astride tall horses. Three of the mounts were as dark as the midnight sky. The fourth was as pale as milk and his rider carried a scythe across his back with its curved blade gleaming in the noonday heat.
“We need help, Adamo. And we need it quickly. But how…”
Adamo lifted her hand, and placed her marked palm against the diamond wings where they lay against her throat. Lucifer’s voice echoed crisply in her mind.
“Aeva Darkstar asks for help. The price may be high.” He began to laugh, but then something changed his mind. “Of your goodness lend me your eyes.”
Aeva felt herself put gently to one side as the dark lord took over her faculties. It was a strangely chastening experience to understand for a moment the breadth of intellect, and the sheer power took her breath away. Then he was gone and her mind was her own once more. She reacquainted herself with her eyes, to find Lucifer standing before her. He looked at her sombrely.
“Who called the horsemen?”
“I don’t entirely know. But I would guess that it was whoever is responsible for the draca thinking they can get away with eating the Messenger they borrowed.”
“Eating the Messenger? Do they not know who he is?”
“Either they don’t know, or they don’t care. I rather wish I knew which.”
Adamo spoke from behind her. “I think the queen dragon has gone to find out.”
Lucifer spoke quietly. “Even though we do need to know, knowledge alone may not be a great deal of help. We need a big stick.”
He threw back his head and howled into the heavens.
“That should fetch him.”
“Fetch whom?”
Lucifer laughed and put a finger to the side of his nose.
Aeva felt like slapping him, but decided not to push her luck, instead looked to the east. “Oh. Oh.”
It was as if her gaze drew Lucifer’s dark eyes. The dark lord put a huge hand on her head in an oddly protective gesture as the dunes to the east filled with silent dragons, who stood watching Aeva with their whirling multicoloured eyes.
While she was processing the implications of that, a portal opened and three figures stepped out onto the sand. Lord Draco, with his oddly lizard-like head poking out from the shifting swirling chaos of his cloak, Gabriel dressed from head to toe in white and with the desert sun reflecting in the iridescence of his wings, and Athena bearing the scales of her position as the judge of mortals in one large white hand. They came to where Lucifer stood with his hand on Aeva’s head.
“You called?” Gabriel spoke mildly enough, but the brazen trumpets were back in his voice.
“I called Draco because his children are misbehaving.”
“How so?”
“They have the missing Messenger, but they are not prepared to give him back. When he has done his duty as a fertile male they propose to eat him.”
Gabriel groaned and Athena slapped Lord Draco hard across his head.
“Explanation please.”
The god of half-monsters rubbed an oddly-jointed hand across the bony plates of his head. “I don’t have one right now. But I do have an idea who might know.” He rolled his lips back from his teeth and made a strange hissing noise. For a moment nothing happened, but then the wind picked up and the sand spun itself into whirling dervishes of heat and spite. Gabriel raised a hand, and the desert stilled. The dragon that landed was black, and sleek and beautiful. She was also visibly annoyed. As her feet touched the sand she stared about her pushing out a petulant lip, but before she could utter a word Lord Draco dropped his cloak and spoke a word of power. In the place of the beautiful dragon there stood a strangely-jointed biped with a dark, leathery skin and small crumpled wings.
Lucifer stepped in front of Aeva and stood with his arms folded.
The Guardian of all half-mortals hissed at his creature and she dropped to her knees.
Adamo bent his mouth to Aeva’s ear. “What is she?”
“Draca, in true form. But hush now.”
He subsided, but Aeva could almost taste his curiosity.
Lord Draco looked at the half-dragon, and when he spoke his voice was laden with contempt. “Well, my pretty. What have you been up to now?”
“Nothing, dear my lord.”
He hissed a polysyllabic at her and she seemed to become too small for her skin.
“It was just a joke. He said it would be fun to set the mortals and the monsters at each other’s throats. There will be plenty of carrion to feed on too.”
“Who said?”
The creature opened her mouth but no sound came. Lord Draco looked helplessly at his peers. “I think she will die before she can tell me who put her up to this. But if that is what it takes.”
Lucifer shook his head. “It won’t help. More to the point my lizardly chum, how much authority did you allow that one to usurp?”
Draco hung his head. “Rather a lot.”
“Meaning?” Athena sounded dangerously irritated.
“Meaning the nest has my sanction to take the mortal, and do with him as they will.”
Aeva hadn’t even known that angels could swear. When Gabriel calmed down he turned to Lucifer.
“What now, my brother?”
Lucifer shook his head. “That depends on the courage of one half-demon doesn’t it.
Aeva sighed. “A duel? To the death maybe?” Then she squared her shoulders. “It is my burden.”
She felt Adamo stiffen at her back. “You are not considering fighting a dragon. Tell me you are not.”
“No amore mio. I will be fighting the draca who borrowed the missing Messenger. In her true form.”
He relaxed fractionally. “That’s still not good. But at least it is not an automatic death sentence.”
Lucifer snorted. “I dislike being the puppet of a badly disciplined female and whoever is pulling her strings.”
Aeva chuckled. “As opposed to pulling strings yourself?”
“You are really much too intelligent for a half-mortal,” Lucifer sounded amused, indulgent and almost affectionate. He opened his mouth as if to say somewhat else but obviously thought better of it. He looked down at Aeva and his mouth twisted before he spoke in an entirely different voice. “If you are going to have to fight this draca, let us at least ensure it’s a fair fight.”

Aeva’s Challenge by Jane Jago will continue next week.