Dragon (A Histories of Purga Novel)

Dr. Liza Taren hid herself among an artfully plotted copse of trees off to the left of the landing where Wilhelm’s retinue was setting up. Thousands of black-clad soldiers were marching, their footsteps a loud thunder that seemed to hammer on her nerves and fray them even worse. Her hands visibly shook and her eyelids fluttered closed and then open, closed and then open. She licked her lips.

She hoped everything went according to plan.

She hoped it would all end.

She watched what was going on with a mixture of guilt and anger. She saw Wilhelm come out of the Citadel, his long strides carrying him along with casual speed and grace. Stomping along behind him, like an obedient dog, was her Behemoth. His head hung down, his chin on the lumpy, over-developed muscles of his chest. His ragged hair hung in clumps and soggy-looking strands across his equally misshapen face. The wicked-looking weapon that replaced the lower portion of his right arm shone brilliantly in the harsh lighting from the sun.

She watched them both come down the steps to the lower landing, walking right past a giant wood pile with a pole sticking straight up from its center. It was easy for Liza to realize where this was going. They were planning on burning someone to death. Shudders racked her body at the thought of her people being capable of such savagery.

The Behemoth joined the small crowd that was clustered near the stairs leading down to the street. She recognized several of the men and women there, including Lord Guilder himself, his bright yellow shirt billowing in the breeze and his teal silk pants ballooning comically. Justice Rina Idner was standing there as well, her iron grey hair cut short. There was a stern look on her face and she stood stock still. Her arms were locked behind her back. Also in attendance were Oliver Topan, a highly respected attorney, Harmony Vector the actress, Duke Ika Kensington and his wife, Earl Jin Weign with his daughter, Kela, and son, Psid, and three others she didn’t recognize.

Everyone there, even the soldiers, looked blank somehow. Their facial expressions were still there, but there was something missing in their eyes. The only ones that weren’t like that were Lord Guilder and a bald man that she thought looked familar but couldn’t put a name to his face. Both of them still looked normal.

Liza found it curious but didn’t pay much attention to it. She was here to do something she should’ve done ten months ago. So she turned her attention away from everyone else and watched Wilhelm closely. He was gesturing wildly, his odd mechanical voice coming out loudly through the speaker system that was set up specifically for this event.

A couple of minutes went by with Wilhelm still talking before he finally quit and stepped aside. Coming down the steps, her head held high, was one of the most beautiful girls she’d ever seen. Her long, dark hair trailed down her back, and her youthful face was flawless. A strip of artistically crafted silver ran down the part in her hair with a blue sapphire dangling from its end and resting on her forehead. Dark red lips were held in a tight line and Liza could see the muscles in her jaw flex as she clenched and unclenched her teeth. But she never looked at anyone. She kept her head high and her eyes focused into the distance, letting them go blank. There was a stern look to her face, yet it was soft as well.

Liza took in a sharp breath, confused.

The girl was a Terraquois.

“What is this?” she asked herself, her voice a breathless whisper.

It became evident what was going on a couple of seconds later, however, as Wilhelm made daring claims into a camera and singled out Prince Rone. The Terra girl and the Prince were apparently quite close. When the accusations were made, there were sounds of surprise and shock from the people gathered, then yells of outrage and anger. Then Wilhelm was calling the Prince out. Mocking him. Telling him that if he allowed the woman to die, to be burnt alive, then he would win back the loyalty of his people.

Liza couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl, despite the fact that she held a natural aversion to Terras. Yet, she was enamored of her anyway. She watched the girl. She looked regal and proud.

However, after Wilhelm finished his little speech, the girl became more animated. She looked at the man, her eyes spitting rage and then she looked squarely at the camera.

“Rone!” she yelled. “Stay away! Don’t come here and give this man what he wants!”

Wilhelm whirled around and pointed a finger at the girl.

“Heresy!” he cried. “Do you see what this abomination is trying to do? She is trying to tear our people apart. She is trying to make us weak so that her people can attack us!”

More cries of outrage. More shouts and yells.

Liza cringed at the sound.

The attack on Prince Rone was quite masterful, actually. Wilhelm was using the always looming threat of a Terraquois attack to further strengthen his position. She could all but see him twisting every last mind and bending them to his will. She could almost feel his twisted fingers trying to knead her own mind with clever words and had to suppress another shudder. It was eerie.

There was definitely something wrong with the man, other than the obvious. She wondered what really happened to him and how he had survived it. By all rights, judging by the wounds he sported, he should be dead. If not from the burns themselves then surely by infection and yet here he was. Here he was leading an army against their own people. Here he was killing and murdering anyone that got in his way.

Liza shook her head, trying to clear away the stray thoughts and focus on the task at hand. She couldn’t let him continue. She had to stop him, even if….if….she shook her head again, rougher this time.

No.

She wouldn’t think about the consequences. She couldn’t allow that. Letting emotions rule her was what manipulated her into creating a monster deadlier than any that has been alive in all their recorded history.

Her mind replayed the video from the assault on the refugee camp. There was no way anyone had survived it and she cried as she remembered the people that were slaughtered by the Behemoth. By her monster. She still saw the men that died fighting. She saw the women that died protecting their kids. She saw the children dying with screams of terror coming out of their little throats.

She pictured her own daughters and had to bite her tongue to keep from crying out loud.

She took a deep, calming breath and banished the faces of her kids out of her mind. She had to be strong now. She couldn’t let her emotions get in her way. If that happened, then no one would be able to stop Wilhelm.

It was up to her.

She waited for the perfect moment and it came not two minutes later. Wilhelm had been walking steadily across the landing, back and forth, and speaking effortlessly into the microphone. But now he stopped, and he stopped within two or three feet of the Behemoth.

Liza put the tiny microphone that she held between her right forefinger and thumb up to her mouth.

“Free,” she whispered.

The effect was nearly instantaneous.

She saw the Behemoth shake its massive, shaggy head. Its dark hair was flung every which way. Several of the honored traitors (Lord Guilder included) seemed to know something was wrong and got out of the way immediately. Justice Idner and Duke Kensington, however, weren’t so lucky. The Behemoth let out a mighty roar and then lunged forward with its right elbow out in front and across its chest. The sword on its weapon arm speared the Duke through the back and out through his chest. Screams and panic suddenly filled the air.

Justice Idner, however, was still calm. She ducked one of the Behemoth’s powerful, but clumsy, blows while quickly scanning her blueprints. She found what she needed an instant later and created a blaster that engulfed her right hand. She pointed the weapon at the Behemoth and fired. A brilliant flash of red erupted from the gun but the monster charged through it like it was nothing but a gust of wind. Its left hand flashed out and seized the Justice’s head, covering it completely. Liza could hear the woman crying out, screaming in pain, and then it was cut off as the Behemoth’s hand clenched into a fist. Blood pattered to the floor, out through the gaps in its fingers. It let go of the dead woman and her body dropped to the ground. Her head was a ruined and bloody pulp.

A platoon of soldiers, about forty strong, rushed up the stairs to fight the deadly creature as it finished killing Justice Idner. It turned on them with its blaster pointed at the charging group. She could see the big weapon’s barrel glowing a brilliant white and then there was a flash followed by a low coughing whoop!

When the light dazzle left her vision, she looked to where the soldiers had been.

There was nothing left of them but a pile of ash and charred clothes.

Other soldiers were coming up the stairs but they halted abruptly when they saw their comrades disintegrated right in front of them. Instead, they started taking shots at the Behemoth from street level whenever it came into view. Most of the shots were wide, but the ones that hit their mark had no effect on the beast at all. They washed into it and then around it, as if the monster was a rock and the blaster fire was a river.

The Behemoth growled but turned its back on them, stalking over to Wilhelm instead. It came up to the man with its blaster pointed at him.

Liza expected Wilhelm to cower in fear, but he didn’t. He stood calmly, an ugly little smile on his face. She could see her monster’s body shaking slightly, as if it were fighting with itself. She looked back at Wilhelm to see what was going on and found him in the same position, still staring at the Behemoth. She thought she might’ve seen him muttering words beneath his breath. Then he did the weirdest thing of all, he reached out a hand and touched the Behemoth’s forearm.

The monster jerked as if it had been electrocuted and took another shaky step forward. Wilhelm never moved an inch and kept his hand on the monster’s forearm.

After several minutes with the Behemoth still seeming to fight against itself, the monster shouted out his anger and rage and then jumped, sailing through the air. It landed amidst the soldiers in the street and plowed through them.

Liza could see men and women flying through the air as her heart sank.

How can that be? she asked herself. How did he stop the Behemoth by just a touch?

She didn’t know, but she sunk to the ground, her back to the trunk of one of the trees, and wept as hope died within her.

He was too strong. He was too evil.

Her people. Her family.

They were all doomed.