Dragon Treasure by SJ Sanders
Chapter 29
Tania didn’t know how long she wandered alone in her nightmares, tentacles rising from a darkness her vision couldn’t penetrate to grab ahold of her. Every time she broke free, there were tentacles dragging at her, dragging her down into the abyss. They seemed endless, pulling at her, drowning her in her sorrow until a voice called to her, demanding her attention. Barked words followed, weaving a cooling balm of light. They pulled her back from the darkness until she was once again blinking up at a hazy light.
It filled her vision, pierced by two shadowy blobs. Tania’s brow furrowed as she shifted, a deep, cramping pain spearing through her. Gritting her teeth, she pushed through it until she was sitting. From there, she forced herself to stand. Her legs shook from the effort, but they held and gradually steadied. The gnawing pain attempted to rise to the fore again, but she bore it as she tilted her head back, squinting against the sunlight.
“Mistress Tania,” a voice called down again. The same voice that had pierced through her nightmares.
Raising a hand to shield her eyes, Tania peered up at the woman standing beside the hefting bulk of what could only be a mecha-beast.
The woman shifted, and Tania caught a glimpse of red curls escaping a modest bonnet.
“Dorienna?” she rasped.
The woman’s figure bounced and clasped her hands in relief.
“Oh, thank the gods! Don’t move. I have brought your cog mare and attached a rope to her harness. I’m going to drop it down to you. Tie it around your waist so we can pull you up!” the nun shouted down.
Tania peered up and watched as a rope dropped down, fluttering in the air and occasionally breaking off clods of dirt when it struck a wall until at last it dangled in front her. She smiled at the sight and ignored Dorienna’s well-intentioned but useless instructions. This wasn’t the first hole that Jasnee ever had to pull her out of. Not that she wasn’t grateful to the young woman. She was going to plant a kiss square on her face the moment she got free of the pit.
Blinking back grateful tears amid whispered oaths that she would at least attempt to keep, Tania grabbed ahold of the tail end and whipped it around her torso. Within minutes, she had it knotted securely around her waist and gave the excess length a sharp tug. As expected, Jasnee snorted at the signal, and without waiting for command from the nun, her heavy hooves clopped as she moved back from the edge of the hole.
Inch by inch, Tania was slowly dragged out, her eyes adjusting from the silver-ringed glow of the darkened hole to the bright daylight all around her. A pained hiss escaped her at the sudden shift, but it was nothing to the impact of her belly sliding over the edge of the hole. The hard grind of the crust of earth against the epicenter of her throbbing, clenching pain made her cry out. Breathing through her agony, she groaned and worked her legs over the sides as well.
She lay on the ground, panting in and out in time with the pain pulsing through her. Unable to stand it any longer, she fumbled until she managed to grab ahold of the rope. Sweat beading her brow, she hauled herself up until she was able to flop against the cool metal side of her mare. She patted Jasnee’s metal neck as she worked to catch her breath.
“Mistress Tania, are you okay?” Dorienna whispered as she eased to her side.
Tania nodded against Jasnee’s neck and cast an exhausted glance at the nun. Wetting her lips with her tongue, she strained her throat to speak.
“I’m not anyone’s mistress. Why are you here and where’s Drathnor?” she croaked.
The woman’s face fell, and she gave the monastery an uneasy look.
“In there,” she replied quietly. She shivered, hugging herself. “There’s something wrong with him. Very wrong. And Father Dephery is dead.” She shuddered and looked over, tears streaking her pale face. “Miss… Tania, I don’t think I want to be a dragon’s mate anymore. I came because...I had to. Your mate is crazed...killing everyone! The other women are in danger, and I left them,” she choked on a sob. “We have to save them. If anyone can stop Lord Drathnor, it is you.”
Reaching over, Tania brushed a curl away from the nun’s face to grip her chin firmly in her hand. She didn’t enjoy being so heavy handed, especially not when the other woman was clearly in shock, but there was no time to go about things gently.
“Dorienna, listen carefully. It’s not your fault. Getting help is exactly what you should do.” She winced at the tug of pain in her side. “I’m going to try and save everyone I can...including my mate. Do you know how to get to him?”
The nun went white as a sheet but nodded.
“Good. I need you to show me,” Tania rasped, gritting her teeth against another surge of pain from the bond.
“I’m scared.”
“I know. You did good coming to me. You don’t need to do anything further. You don’t have to go all the way. Just take me to where they’re keeping him, okay?”
“Okay,” Dorienna whispered. Her fingers clutched at the skirt of her habit as she drew back. Tilting her head to a faint path heading away from the monastery’s entrance, she whispered, “This way. We will need to go by foot. The entrance is narrow, and as large as the mare is, she will draw attention to us.”
Tania frowned, reluctant to be parted from Jasnee, but at least the cog mare should be safe enough. There would be little reason for anything to attack it. She tried not to think of the droid, but that situation was different—it had interfered and had tried to save her. Giving her mare one last pat, she followed after the nun.
Although pain racked her body, she found her strength trickling back the more she walked and the closer she came to the darkening monastery. The sun sinking low behind it, the face of the building was cast in darkness. Her eyes picked up the details, including the peculiar movements along the roof and tower.
Dorienna gave a nervous glance skyward as the wind shifted, and her pace slowed in awe as the shadow bulged and swelled. Tania rammed into her, pushing forward, and she sent the younger woman stumbling ahead of her. She could make out the shifts in the shadow, the familiar forms that haunted her night after night.
“Don’t stop! Don’t even look at it,” she ordered. “Keep moving!”
The swelling darkness rippled overhead, broken by a loud chittering and the concussive sound of numerous wings beating the air. The crawlers dove in a swarm, long legs grabbing, hooking into their clothing. Dorienna was lifted off of her feet, the young woman kicking helplessly as she attempted to jerk out of the thing’s clutches. Her panicked shriek mingled with the horrible din of the crawlers as they lifted her higher among them. More claws pulled at her—until suddenly they weren’t. Unlatching one throwing knife after another from her belt, Tania attacked with a ruthless efficiency, the tiny blades burrowing deep, drawing blood and high-pitched screams in their wake. In a confusion of wings and legs, they withdrew, and the nun dropped to the ground in front of her.
Dorienna stumbled, dropping forward to catch herself on a rock seconds before Tania swept up behind her. Her arm slipping around the white-clad torso, she hauled the young woman up beside her, bracing her as together they made a run for the side of the monastery. Dorienna’s head jerked toward their destination.
“There, the library. We will find the hidden entrance there,” she gasped out.
Tania nodded and increased her speed across the remaining distance of the grounds. Shadow broke free above of them, and unearthly snarls met her ears as whatever bounded down the sides of the monastery came tearing toward them. Dorienna, panting at her side, dug her fingernails into Tania’s arm as she pulled her to the left. Together, they ducked into a recess that even with her bespelled eyes Tania hadn’t been able to see.
Outside, she could hear a frustrated yowling snarl, followed by the frenzied scrape of claws. Pressing her hand against a hitch in her side, Tania let out a shaky breath and allowed the nun to pull her deeper. For a moment, she thought that they might be safe until the scraping got louder. Whatever it was, the creature was forcing itself into the stone recess. Lifting her hand, she grabbed the other woman’s wrist.
In her silvery vision, she saw Dorienna’s attention turn toward her.
“Hurry up,” she hissed. “We need to get inside unless you want to be a meal for whatever is tearing its way after us.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she choked back a little sob as she bobbed her head and wiggled quicker through the narrowing recess. When Tania slammed into her back, she cursed and the nun mumbled an apology, her fingers rapidly flicking through keys.
“O, blessed ones, they really have this thing hidden and locked!” She snapped her head around, the sounds or rock falling amid the screech of claws getting closer. Loose pebbles dropped into her hair, and she slapped at the nun’s arms. “Hurry, hurry!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Dorienna whispered in frantic voice. “I’m trying.” Metal clattered against the lock. “Shit! Wrong one. One moment—I almost have it. There!”
A loud click and the door shoved open as the nun burst through, dragging Tania after her. Together they scrambled, throwing their bodies against the door. A wild shriek pierced the air, large claws swiping, nearly knocking the door back open. Tania screamed as she pushed with all of her strength until the door slammed shut. Dorienna quickly threw the bolts and then both collapsed in front of it, drawing ragged breaths.
Tania rolled her head, her eyes meeting those of the nun.
“What the ever-loving fuck?” she panted. “Drathnor said that those creatures couldn’t manifest here without a ton of magic. What the hell happened in twenty-four hours?”
Dorienna shook her head, her lips pinching so tightly that the skin around them whitened. “I’m not sure, but Jerard… I thought he was our knight, here to protect us” She shivered. “It was all lies! He did something to the dragon… Everyone was screaming, and there was so much blood.” Her eyes squeezed shut. “I ran. I left them all behind but then the statues—the votary gifts of Tarachna—started to burst out of the stones. They came alive!” Her eyes snapped open, pupils dilated as they turned to Tania.
Tania blew out a long breath, reaching for her calm center, stabilizing herself in the center of the nightmarish storm whirling around her. Part of her wanted to scream, but the cool and collected part—the experienced part who was no stranger to terrors that could be found dredged up by mages and powerful creatures—stilled.
There was something important she should focus on. Drathnor had made it sound like even bringing one forward took considerable energy. It was unlikely that there was enough power generated in a single day to break them all free.
“Think. Did they all break open? Or just some?”
Red brows knotted thoughtfully, and the nun shook her head. “Just a few that I saw. The creature that presided over the entrance to the chapel—the weird snake-looking one—it broke free,” she mumbled. “I’ve been scared of it since it first appeared there, but I think it was attracted to the blood because it turned into the chapel.”
“Is that all?”
She shook her head. “No. I saw two others. The terrible canine monsters at the end of this corridor broke free. They jumped down from their ledge and came right at me, and I only just barely got the door shut in time.” She groaned. “Oh, gods, I can’t go in there. I can’t.”
Tania gripped the other woman’s arm firmly. “It’s okay. You’ve done enough.” She took a cursory look around the library, grateful to see none of the horrible golems had been placed in the library. Wall-to-wall books with reading tables squeezed between bookcases wherever they could fit, there was hardly an inconspicuous place for one. She patted the nun’s shoulder reassuringly.
“It doesn’t look like there was anything in here. You stay here, and lock the doors behind me when I leave. Don’t let anyone in until sunrise. There are a lot of windows, and these things don’t like the daylight. Just tell me where to go to find my mate.”
Dorienna’s lips trembled as she nodded, gratitude in her eyes. Her tongue flicked over her lips nervously. “The chapel. Against the far wall, there are three statues of the goddess. They have to be arranged right. I don’t know how because they don’t permit anyone to watch, but I read a clue once. One greets the dusk, the other greets the dawn, and the third watches the unknown beyond.”
“That’s not helpful,” Tania muttered, but she grasped her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. “Okay. I’m going to go get my mate. You’ll be okay.”
The nun nodded, stumbling to her feet after her as Tania rose and strode over to the door. On a stand on a table, a vial of glowing liquid caught her attention and she paused for a moment. The liquid magical agent for bespelling shimmered sapphire. She knew some glyphs that she could do to boost her energy and speed, things that she was going to desperately need, but she also knew that it was only useful if it had direct access to one’s blood. Witches favored using it during magical surgeries or in tattoos. She didn’t have time for that.
Drawing her knife, Tania unsnapped the leather sheath from her belt and bit down on it as her blade cut the first symbol and then the second into her forearm. These spells were temporary and when they faded would thankfully not leave scars in their passing, but getting them was still a bitch. Tears leaked from her eyes as her blood dripped down her arm. Dipping the knife in the fluid, she dripped it onto the wounds and hissed as the magic bonded and sealed, the burn eating deep and flooding her blood, leaving a ripple of power in its wake.
Meeting the eyes of the nun, she stoppered the bottle and strapped her knife back onto her belt.
“I’ll be back to get you.”
Dorienna’s eyes pulled away from the bottle, and she nodded.
Tania gave her one last reassuring smile as she ducked out of the room. The stench of blood and a taint of some indescribable filth filled her nose. She gasped, gagging on the putridness, but stumbled forward. The hell hounds were outside somehow, but at least that meant they weren’t in there with her.
As she stumbled down the dark hall, her silver eyes taking in everything, the low growl from the direction of the solarium made her blood freeze. Slowly, she turned. Slinking from the shadows, greenery falling from the massive bodies, the double guardian beasts stalked forward. The long insect sub-legs rattled and scraped against the walls and floors as they moved, the hooked tips flexing.
Her heart squeezed, crawling up her throat. That was how they got in. They broke through the fucking glass! With a curse, she spun away and broke into a run, relying on the magic flooding through her body as the creatures barked and broke off after her in pursuit. Sweat dripped into her eyes as she flew around the corner, where the half-open door of the baths gaped like a pit into the depths of the void.
Her skin shuddered, fear climbing through her but she made for the door, to that place of her nightmares. She swore never to return, but without thought she plunged within and dove into the dark waters.
Holding her breath, she watched from the inky waters as the creatures entered, their snouts wrinkling as they scented the air. They stalked toward the water, their heavy bodies plunging into it as they dropped their heads, whipping their muzzles in search of their prey.
Her eyes never leaving them, Tania eased along the far side of the pool, keeping her steps soundless as she rose from the bath. The creatures had wandered further into the water, their back to her as they splashed through the shallow pool, growling and snarling amongst themselves whenever they brushed against each other.
With painstaking slowness, she moved up the steps to the main platform, her eyes tracking them as they froze. One lifted its muzzle, its head turning toward her. Its lips pulled back from its terrible teeth.
Swallowing a cry, Tania sped forward, diving for the door. Her feet slipped as she slid around it. For a terrible moment, she couldn’t gain traction. She heard their roars and the splash of water, the thud of their paws on the stone. Finally, her foot planted firmly, and she pushed the old door shut with all of her strength. It latched into place seconds before the first body collided with it and rattled with the second, but it did not give. The door itself was reinforced.
Gasping for air, she gave the door a triumphant grin before racing through the corridor to the main hall.