The Skolex twisted, sensing a target with more fight in it. Benedict stood on the wall just as the great beast thrust forward. Benedict raised his hands, freezing the monster in place. It roared against him, and cuts and welts erupted over Benedict’s body as he struggled to hold it in place. With a yell he made a twisting motion with his hand, and a loud crack pierced the air. Blood dripped down Benedict’s nose as the Skolex fell, paralyzed. He wiped his hand across his face and waved to the crowd. Blood from various lacerations ran down his skin in tiny rivulets.
“Finish it.”
Paralyzed as it was, the drakens didn’t hesitate to swarm the Skolex, clawing and slashing at it with swords and blades until it looked like a giant pin cushion. I looked away; my eyes glued on Benedict. He beat his powerful wings, propelling his body into the air and gliding back to the balcony. He slumped heavily against the wall, then glared at me as if it were my fault he’d had to fight a monster.
“You act like that was hard.” I joked lightly, though more to relax the lingering tension than to make him angry. He was usually quick with his retorts, but he only managed to give me a rude hand gesture.
I didn’t look back at the pit; I could hear the other drakens screaming their victory, so I certainly didn’t need to see it. It was so stupid, so infantile. They wouldn’t be anywhere near it without Benedict, would they? This had to be the black magick he spoke of; magick that took from you.
I approached him cautiously, but he had nothing to say as I helped haul him up. His blood was dark, and I caught shimmers of deep indigo as it caught the torchlight.
“Will you escort me back to my chambers? No one won today.”
I made it about me because I knew he would refuse on his account. With merely a grunt he thrust his arm out, though he leaned heavily on me as he limped down the passage. Benedict ducked awkwardly against the small ceiling and narrow walls. I wondered with growing horror if drakens were claustrophobic, and how horrible it would be to be trapped under a mountain when your species was used to the open air.
Benedict’s arm shot out and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me in tight against him. I didn’t even have time to yelp before the world dissolved in shadows and darkness, and I breathed in the smell of blood and ashes on him. He was massive, his muscles hard and unyielding. A moment later the light returned, and I could finally exhale. His grip loosened as my sitting room greeted us, already laid with light sandwiches and tea. Was there ever a time food wasn’t laid out? It seemed wasteful. I pushed his arms away, spinning around.
“There. Safely delivered.” He swayed slightly on his feet, and I shot him a look.
“Was that a draken thing?” I asked, wondering if all drakens could disappear into the shadows, reappearing at will. Benedict and D’Arcy both had the ability.
“King thing, bloodline thing,” he muttered. I rolled my eyes.
“Sit down before you fall down.” I pushed him towards a chair, and he fell into it. I frowned, as the various cuts and lines in his scales had yet to heal over.
“Is this an example of the...black magic? You took from yourself to defeat the Skolex?”
He nodded, not bothering to open his eyes as he rested. As my eyes ran over his wounds, I wondered why he didn’t just shift back to his draken form.
“It hurts less as a human.” I jerked, eyes narrowing.
“That doesn’t explain why you won’t heal.”
“What else do you want to know about?” It wasn’t a very subtle change of subject, but he rarely indulged me like this. I sighed and thought more about the different creatures.
“I assume the demons are white magick, based on what you said earlier. Their biggest allies are the vampyres, which makes sense since their entire existence is dependent on drinking the blood of humans. If that isn’t taking from others, I don’t know what is.”
Benedict gave me the slightest of nods. “And the black species?”
I thought about it. “The lykos transform...it’s a power that only affects them, and it sounds painful to change. They don’t need to attack humans to survive as a species. They just choose to. Or at least, some of them do.”
I moved to sit on the armrest of his chair, ignoring the twitch of his body. He stood shakily and moved to the door, the one that connected to his own quarters.
“Will you heal yourself?” I asked.
“Are you volunteering?” Considering I had no idea how I could help him, it seemed unwise to agree to anything.
“Hardly. I just find it interesting you’re not healing from this wound like you did other wounds.”
He leveled a glare, then stood. “I didn’t realize you cared, siren.”
He disappeared down the hall that connected our rooms. I headed into the warm oasis that was my bathroom, looking forward to taking my time exploring the bath. I had hauled up water for Crullfed more times than I could count, and even some of the birthers were allowed right before the birth. Everyone said it was calming, so I might as well see what the fuss was about.
I dipped my fingers into the water, which continued to bubble up gently from the center. It was as warm as it was the previous night.
