The Flames of Revenge: Ch 1

    The streets were darkening and a heaviness hung in the air like a stone. Diane looked out the dusty front window of the little crumbly bookstore she had been working at for the last three years and watched the world turn its back to the sun, stars barely glimmering over the brightness of the flickering street lamps.

A foreboding ran through her like a ghost. She had no idea who or what was causing it but she knew it wasn't good. With every painful tick of the antique clock sitting on the lonely shelf behind her, she grew more and more agitated, more and more anxious. She felt like she should be prepared for an attack of some sort but that was silly. Or was it?

There weren't many times where she actually felt vulnerable, even in her human form. After all, being a Dragon she couldn't think of anything that was higher on the food chain than her. She longed to Change though, just to relieve some of her anxiety but that would bring in more problems than it would solve even for the sake of comfort.

Using her Dragon senses she took stock of her surroundings. Everything was quiet and still, from the cracked and peeling ugly tan walls to the dirty ratted brown carpet and the uneven, chipped cheap plywood shelving. Nothing was out of place.

Still something certainly felt out of place. More like, just wrong. Diane was beginning to think that all the city living among Humans was making her paranoid.

Finally the ancient clock rang out a short melody for 6 o'clock indicating closing time. With a sigh of relief she began to do the usual closing time procedures: till, paperwork and making sure everything was neat and in order for the one little old man who came in every afternoon to read the paper and talk. It was of course an exaggeration but not that much. She often wondered why they stayed in buisness.

Once that was done, Diane called back to the storage room where one of her closest friends and co-worker, Robert was cleaning out and re-arranging.

“Hey, Robert, time to go home are you ready?”

A loud crash answered her.

“I'm O.K!” Robert called from the depth of the room. She shook her head and dispite her current feelings, couldn't help but smile. Robert had one of the kindest hearts she had ever met yet he was also the least graceful.

“Are you sure?” Diane tried to get a look in the room but her view of Robert was blocked by stacks of dented, dusty cardboard boxes and old moldy books.

“Yeah, um... you know what? You go on ahead... I have to do fix this stuff and achoo, ugh bless me, clean up... and stuff...”



Diane wisely backed away from the room to avoid the sneezy fate her co-worker was enduring, “Yeah you do that. In the mean time, I'm going to go get changed and then hit up The Tali later. You wanna meet up later there?”

“ACHOO! Sure.” He sniffed loudly and in a way that made Diane want to puke. 

Picking up her bag she put the store keys on the counter after reminding him to put up a sign in the window telling the customers they were going to be closed on Thanksgiving. Not that it would matter, in her opinion. With that done, she hurriedly left the store leaving the clanking of two oversized jingle bells in her wake.

Once outside, Diane felt even more oppressed. The feeling seemed to come from all over. I need a drink.  Diane made it as far as her car parked in the side lot when a hot pain lanced through her skull followed by many images that flowed through her head too fast and mixed to make any sense of. She doubled over in pain and tried and failed to keep her lunch inside her.

Suddenly, as soon as it happened, it stopped. Still on her knees in the parking lot and breathing heavy, she clutched her black work pants. Whatever it was, left her feeling dizzy, sick and drained. Five minutes later she managed to get into her car where she just sat back trying to get herself back together.

There was something familiar with that... mind attack? But she couldn't put her finger on it.  After a few more moments she finally started the car and made her way back to her upstairs apartment to change. Now she knew she really needed that drink.

The Talisman, or just The Tali as the locals called it, was one of the most popular hang out spots for all kinds since it had opened ten years ago. Both Human and Non-Humans found the style, entertainment and social life to their liking. Faerie Folk, like Diane's friend Lessa, who she always met here, made up the majority. There were a few other Dragons like herself and a sprinkling of what humans called Vampires and a pack of five Lycans that also haunted the premises.

         Diane wrinkled her nose in the direction of the Vampires, or as her kind called them “Leeches”. To them they were the parasites of the Otherworld. They hunted, removed as much blood as they could drink and leave a perfectly good meal go to waste. She was sure there were other creatures more appreciative of the free meal, however except for in desperate times, Dragons were not scavengers. Besides, the meat was tainted after they fed. Bleh.

Diane didn't have to wait long until Lessa showed up with two glasses filled with alcohol and a cigarette in her mouth. She was wearing a low cut tank top and jeans that were covered in paint of just about every color. Her hair was a fiery autumn red-orange with the coldest blue eyes Diane had ever seen on anyone. Lessa set the drinks down and took a seat next to her friend. “What’s up? You look like you just got hit by a bus.”

“I feel like I just got hit by a bus,” Diane sighed and drained the glass. She had a headache now, “But it wasn't anything nearly as exciting as that.”

“Oh? Do tell.” Abruptedly she turned to a really drunk guy who was trying to feel her up. Instead he got punched so hard he hit the wall five feet behind him and fell unconscious, “Get the hell off me you drunk fuck!” She turned back to Diane as if nothing happened, “ok, what were we talking about? Oh yeah buses or something. Go on, tell me what happened.” Lessa took a sip of her drink with an intent look on her face.

         Diane didn't even glance at the guy who was now moaning as he came around. You saw Lessa take out a guy twice her size in one hit once you saw them all. She raised her glass to the waitress for a refill and began telling her what happened glad that the bar was too loud for them to be overheard. 

When she finished Lessa was perplexed. “Huh. I wonder what that was about.” The drunk guy came back over anger flushing his already swollen face. Before he could do whatever he was plotting Lessa punched him again without even looking. This time he crumpled where he stood. Distastefully, Diane prodded his head with her foot.

“Well you said it felt kind of familiar what do YOU think it was?” Lessa asked.

“Um... well I know young Dragons talk with images before they can talk but... what would a hatchling be doing out of Oakenwood boundaries? Much less away from its mother?”

Lessa lit another cigarette, took a drag and said, “What if it was with its mother inside city bounds?”

“Impossible. Dragonets can't change. Even with guidance they couldn't hold the shape.”

“Glamour.”

Diane was skeptical. Glamour was what Fey used to blend in with humanity. Dragons could actually Change and while it was more real than Glamour, even the most experienced dragons could only hold the shape for three days before they needed a full twenty-four hour break.

They left the conversation there because at that moment Robert showed up smelling of must and sweat.  He had with him a glass of water because for whatever personal reason, he did not drink. His short wavey dirty blond hair was stuck in odd directions even though even at the table he was vainly trying to tame them.

“Hey Lessa, how's it going?” He gave her a friendly enough smile but they both knew he was terrified of her. She gave him no personal reason, like she did the drunk but he had seen what she did to guys who tried to force themselves on her and he didn't want to give her the wrong impression. Ever. She thought that was hilarious.

She returned the smile and put out her smoke, “Oh this and that. Not much. You?"

He mearly smiled and shrugged turning his attention to Diane. “Man, someone totally Yakked in the parkinglot, and because it was visible from the front enterance I had to clean it. Some people are just nasty.”

He shook his head totally oblivious to Diane burying her face in her drink. She politely coughed and asked, “Is that why you were late?” Ignoring Lessa trying not to laugh.

He surprised them both however when he said, “Actually no. You guys are never going to believe what I found in the alley when I was taking the trash out. Someone threw out their really exotic looking lizard thing.... or I think it’s a lizard. Pretty weird lookin', it had these tiny wings... you know like a dragon.” Both Lessa and Diane choked on their drinks. After they recovered they looked at each other, then back at Robert.

“Sorry Robert... It was the um... alcohol. Unusually strong tonight right, Lessa?”

“Yeah… unusually strong...”

Robert was pretty sure they were trying to not laugh at him but he ignored it and began telling them the story of how he found his "weird lizard". Apparently while he was taking the trash out he heard a small whimpering noise. Curious, in case it was an animal in need, (he was always doing that sort of stuff) he dug around some trash bags and found the broken body of what he thought was an exotic lizard. Carefully he wrapped it up and brought it home where it was laying in a box he took from work lined with towels in front of the kitchen furnace.

“That’s very interesting Robert, but... I'm afraid seeing is believing, and I know I wanna see this thing. How about you, Diane?”

Diane could only nod numbly and quickly drowned the rest of her drink. The alcohol, It has to be the alcohol.

Robert was only too happy to oblige. He grabbed his coat and led the way. He lived only three buildings away from the pub and soon they were inside his tiny upstairs apartment. Sure enough inside the kitchen was the little Dragonet. Breathing , but barely.

Diane gasped and ran over to it. “Oh, my little one what happened to you?” she whispered ignoring the other two in the room.

Gently, Diane stroked the small green scaled back and traced the transparent wings. She tried Mind speaking to the little female but she was locked up tight in her mind to block out the physical and emotional pain. It was then, when she stroked the tiny horn buds that she noticed the fang marks. “Leeches.” she spat with disgust standing up.

Lessa walked up to the box and touched the dying creature. “Diane, I don't know if I can save this one. She's pretty bad.” Among Lessa’s many talents she was also a healer. She looked up with concern to Diane who was now pacing the tiny kitchen.

“Do you know someone who can?” Diane's voice came out in a growl. “ Lessa, she cannot die, CANNOT die. There are too few....” Lessa waved her off.

“We can bring her to Fern. If she can't fix this little one no one can. But first I'll do what I can so we make sure she at least makes it to her.” Lessa bent over the broken creature and placed her hand over her back and poured as much healing energies as she dare. “There that should hold her for a bit, poor thing.”

Robert broke in confused, “Uh, could someone explain what is going on here? What the hell did you do to it and, what the fuck is a “Leech?”

Diane sighed. Her headache was getting worse. Lessa patted her shoulder and turned towards Robert, “O.K we are going to leave now.”

She motioned Diane to take the baby in the hall and wait for her. When Diane was out of site she placed a hand on his forehead and said, “Sorry, but we can't have you remembering any of this, puts you and everyone at risk.” A quick search through his memories- she always hated doing this, so invasive- and she removed all the ones involving the Dragonet.

Quickly, she removed her hand and deftly caught him as he slowly slid to the ground. With strength that belied her sized she carried him to his bed and laid him down. Quietly she turned to lights off and left the room to join her draconic friends.