Touch of Flame

Malachi left Ravina, feeling pleased that she did worry about her safety. That he could do something about but if she was a danger to herself, it would be harder.

He asked Aaron and Joel to keep a close eye, and some of his trusted men, while he left to find Ravina’s sister. Ruskan, who was good at hunting down people had found a few places they could go and look. The problem was that it was among humans and they looked nothing like humans. They waited until it was a bit dark, and then dressed in large dark cloaks that covered them.

There was no way they could ask people without exposing themselves. When they went to the first place, Malachi just had to let the person panic when they saw but he silenced them with fear.

“I don’t know. I have seen no woman.” The tavern owner stuttered.

“She worked here,” Ruskan said. “A young white-haired woman. Think if you want to live.”

Malachi kept holding him by the collar as the man began to sweat. he seemed to contemplate screaming. “Don’t if you don’t want to turn to ashes,” Malachi warned.

“She… she didn’t work here. She just came here with some other men.”

Other men? He looked over at Ruskan.

“Were they travelers?” Ruskan asked.

“I think so. They had a different accent.”

Malachi released him and the man fell back. “It must be the last option then,” he said.

If she was with men, then she traveled with a crew. Malachi didn’t like to know that the last place they went to trade was Balkae, where the latest attacks were. He just hoped she was safe.

Leaving the man behind, they went to look further asking people on their way and causing them to almost have heart failure every time they exposed themselves. Someone told them the ship sailed off.

Ruskan and Malachi shifted to fly over the ocean. They spotted a few ships, causing havoc in two of them and finding nothing.

The third one was a surprise. They were spotted from far away and began to shoot fire at them. Precise aim and firearms he of new technology. Who were they?

Landing swiftly on the ship, he had to dodge a bullet and arrow before he was attacked by two men. They were swift, well-trained, running around him with a rope which he thought was silly for a moment before he realized it was sharp and cut his skin.

Half shifting to protect himself from the injury he cut the rope in half, still injuring himself in the process. While caught up in doing so, he was shot with something he recognized. Obsidian bullet.

The pain was just like he remembered. Fury burned through him and with a roar, he threw the men off the ship and raced through the distance before another bullet was shot. He grabbed the pistol in the man’s hand, destroying it on his own, before kicking him off the railing.

These people had invented weapons against dragons so he had to make sure not to be shot and paralyzed. He kicked through the door to get inside while Ruskan fought with other men on the deck.

His senses heightened, making him aware of who was where. He knew some were hiding, waiting to attack. He moved without making a sound, his predatory instinct coming alive. He approached them one by one, knocking them out without a sound until there was only one left.

Before he could get to him, he came out of his hiding, standing on the other side of the hall. He held a gun, aimed at him, his eyes sharp, his breathing calm, unlike the others.

“Things will end badly for you if I don’t miss and I never do,” he told him. “You can ask your friend.”

Ruskan?!

As worried as he was for his friend, Malachi kept his gaze fixed on the man in front of him.

“I assume you didn’t come here to kill us. Why are you here?” The man asked. “Who are you?”

“I am looking for a woman. White hair, blue eyes.”

For some odd reason, the man decided to fire and Malachi quickly jumped into the room on his left. He could hear the man’s footsteps as he ran away. Malachi got up ran from one room to another, not bothering to open doors, and just smashed through them until he caught up to the running in the hall beside.

He smashed through a door, being a few steps ahead and the man realized he was running into him too late. Trying to stop and pull his pistol, Malachi reached for him before it and pinned him to the wall when he was suddenly shot from behind.

The pain made his knees buckle. This was not obsidian. This was another kind of pain, ten times worse. It knocked the air from his lungs. Two strong hands grabbed him, non-human he noticed, pulled him back, and the other man shot him in turn.

Malachi fell back, his vision turning becoming clouded. But he could tell the man looming over him was a dragon.

A dragon?

These humans worked with dragons? He was confused, his vision darkening more and the man fading away but he heard a crashing sound and the growl of Ruskan. He was back.

Malachi forced himself to stay awake, the healing slowly helping him gain his vision back. He forced himself up despite the pain, ready to shift and end this before it was too late when the ship shook.

More dragons. It was bad. Dragons and deadly weapons all at once. This was not what he expected from traders. They broke in through the roof, large claws grabbed the man, and then they flew away. Malachi saw five of them, with the crew members riding on their backs.

He just watched confused for a moment, realizing they didn’t even care to fight him. They just came to save the humans. Why? Who were they?