Sins of A Red Dragon
Part Four: Retributions
Kyo circled around and gently landed. Home at last. The trip took longer than expected because when they arrived at the Dog Demon dens they found that InuTala was in labor.
Kyo looked around, tilting his head right then left. He neither saw nor heard any signs of the girls. "They must have gone to the hot springs."
He thought briefly of joining them but then realized Isabo would not likely appreciate it. So Kyo jumped to his favorite boulder, stretched out in the sun, and reflected on the day.
Shinjou insisted that Kyo stay when he saw that the Dragon was reluctant to leave the Dog Demon dens.
"Stay. I'll just portal home," Shinjou said to Kyo.
"Why didn't you do that in the first place?" Fahd asked. He was surprisingly cool despite his mate being in labor, but then they've had several children already.
"Because I love to fly!" Shinjou responded with a smile. With a wave of his hand and a brief incantation, he was gone.
"Kyo," Fahd said, placing his hand on the Dragon man's shoulder, "I've been thinking. You're soon to be a father and you'll probably be all that Jalala has when her time comes. Have you ever seen a birth?"
Kyo shook his head.
"Let me ask InuTala if she would mind you being part of the birth of our newest son. We were going to ask you to be his godfather anyway." Fahd said.
After receiving InuTala's permission, Kyo got to see his very first birth. It was both exciting and terrifying at the same time. He learned a lot, hopefully enough, but it didn't really put him at ease.
Back to present, Kyo yawned, his large teeth reflecting in the sun. He curled slightly, settled his wings, rested his head on his large feet and fell asleep.
Kyo woke with a start. He thought he heard Jalala crying. He couldn't hear anything now but that did not lessen his anxiety. It was too quiet. It was late and the sun was setting. He should have awoken when the girls returned. They chattered all the time. There was no way they could sneak past him and no way would they be this quiet. He called for them. His dragon voice vibrated the forest for miles, scaring every bird from its roost. No response came.
He transformed and jumped down from his boulder. He ran into their cave home and right back out, sword in hand. He ran as fast as his human body could go towards the hot springs. There, breathing hard, he found their clothes but not them. He walk around and found the prints. They were of men and hoofed animals. His heart grew cold with fear. He swore he would protect them and he failed!
"JALALA... ISABO...! he yelled.
"They're not here Dragon."
Kyo swung around, blade flashing, and stopped just before slicing into the Fox Demon's neck.
The demon hardly flinch.
"What do you know? Tell me quick or be dead!" Kyo snarled.
"They were taken by their own kind, back to the Ancient's castle."
"The kidnappers, are you sure they were Unicorns?" Kyo demanded.
The Fox Demon nodded his head. "Five of them, a Father and his four sons. The father is the leader of the Unicorns if I'm not mistaken. He was the one in charge. Are you going to attempt to get them back?"
"Of course!" Kyo said, lowering his sword and sheathing it. "Jalala is my mate! She carries our first child! She doesn't want to go back to them! Neither does her sister."
"Then allow me to assist you. I have a score to settle with them too. I can bring in the whole Fox clan if need be. They used and humiliated me. No one has that right," the Fox sneered.
"Can you assist me without killing?" Kyo asked.
"WHAT?? You want to show mercy after all that?"
"What is your name?" Kyo asked.
"Tekel," he responded.
Well, Tekel, as much as I would love to rip their heads off for what they have done, I can't. Unicorns were placed on these worlds as protectors by the Ancients. My mother served one of them and she also took on the mission of being a protector, a mission which she has passed on to me. That castle is in the middle of a human settlement and I can not risk any of them, nor can I risk the Unicorns who have nothing to do with this. There's an additional problem as well. The Unicorn leader is my mate's step-father and his sons, her brothers. Kalid may be going about things the wrong way but he thinks he's trying to save his people. If I kill him, he'll become a martyr and another will just rise up in his place. He needs to be dethroned not killed," Kyo explained.
"Hum, I never thought of that. We Fox Demons were also granted the ability to transform so we could protect." The demon paused to consider his words. "Very well. We will not kill, at least not this time."
"Then you are welcome to join me. I have two other Allies to contact. I will meet you in the valley of Otherworld below the cliff that overlooks the Western Lands of Demon World on the second dawn. Do you know the place?"
"I do! I will be there on the second dawn and we will crumble that Ancient's castle to the ground to find your mate and dethrone that bastard."
Kyo watched him leave. What had Kalid done to that demon to make him so vengeful? He bent to pick up the girls' clothes and saw two unusual seeds. He picked up one of the seeds and the clothes. He examined the seed and then gave the clothes a slight sniff. His mate's top was strong with the sent of flowers. Sleeping plants. A specialty of Fox Demons. He walked to the trodden ground and could smell the musky sweat of a Fox in heat. Then he trailed the scent to where a withered plant lay along with the smell of semen and ejaculate.
Tekel had been used. They must have caught him in heat and kept him prisoner until his heat drove him to desperate cooperation, By then it was too late to relieve himself naturally so he had to resort to this plant for relief. Kyo kicked it out of the ground with his foot. He had heard about it and how unpleasant it was from a childhood Fox Demon friend. Now he was glad that he had included the Fox. But he would have to watch him.
He took a short cut back to their valley, cutting through the brush with his sword. Once free from the trees, Kyo transformed. Holding on to the clothes in his talons, he flew to ledge that overlooked the village below. There he sat all night long bellowing out his sorrow and anger. Not one human or Unicorn slept.
Jalala sat under her window listening to him cry, crying herself, and holding her pregnant belly. She felt pain today for the first time and she was afraid. "Don't come now sweet one, not yet. Your daddy will save us; wait and see. Please don't come yet."
It wasn't until the first crack of dawn that the Dragon finally left. Kaltif watched him go. Kalfla joined him, pushing his red hair out of his eyes.
"Is he gone?" Kalfla asked.
"Yes, but he'll be back," Kaltif responded. "How are our sisters today?"
"Isabo is holding up pretty well but I'm worried about Jalala. She looks nearly full term now but she was hardly showing when we spotted her a month ago. It's not normal."
"She carries a dragon child, Kalfla, The whole pregnancy is not normal."
"It's more than just that. I spotted blood on the floor today. I asked her if she was alright and she said she was fine but she's pale, Kaltif. I think we did her great harm by bringing her here. She raised us; sacrificed her whole childhood for us. If anything happened to her, I don't think I could forgive myself." Kalfla said.
"I've talked to our brothers and we all feel that way. Go and fetch a healer for her. Tell Jalala what we have planned, it'll give her hope and strength. I'll see if I can find that Mage that Isabo fell in love with. It's time to do some groveling and make some plans to turn over a new leaf."
Kyo circled the Thunder Demon's home then landed lightly in the yard as a man.
"You know it takes lots of skill to transform while landing without falling on your face. I'm impressed, aren't you impressed, my dear?" the Thunder Demon asked his mate.
"Oh, yes, Very impressive. To what do we owe the honor?" she asked.
Kyo placed his sword over his shoulder and approached the two Thunder Demons.
"I have come to take you up on your offer several years ago," Kyo said.
"My offer? Aw yes. You are the Dragon that rescued me from the castle. I did offer my assistance to you, didn't I? I expected you to take me up on it immediately, not five years later. Revenge is better if acted upon a bit sooner, don't you think? By the way, how is that beautiful Unicorn you were with?" the Thunder Demon asked.
"She is the reason I'm here. She was kidnapped and now she's being held at the castle. I need your assistance in getting her back," Kyo said.
"But there she's among her own kind. Are you sure she didn't go willingly?" he asked.
"She is my mate and she's carrying our first child, a child we've been trying to conceive for five long years. There is no possible way she would leave me willingly."
"So, what do you need from me? You made me promise before not to kill humans, are you changing your mind?"
"No, I don't want you to kill anyone unless they threaten your life, I want you to help me crumble that castle to the ground and put the Unicorns back where they belong; in the fields. They were made to protect, not to rule! I also want to dethrone the current leader, Kalid."
"You're going to dethrone a leader but not kill him? Do you realize what kind of enemy you will be making? Protector Unicorns can kill Dragons, you know," the demon said.
"Yes, I know, but he is family and for my mate's and her sister's sake, I cannot take his life. I just hope I don't live to regret that decision," Kyo said.
"Well, I do owe you for helping me escape, so when do we do this?"
"Tomorrow at dawn. Meet me in the Otherworld valley below the cliff that overlooks the Western Lands. You'll see a force of Fox Demons there. By the way, I don't believe we ever exchanged names, I'm Kyo."
"Bankoten. You could have told me about the Fox Demons earlier," Bankoten grumbled.
"I wanted to see if you were a honorable demon," Kyo said with a crooked half smile. "See you at dawn." With that, Kyo transformed and flew away.
"Dragons." the demon said as his mate slipped closer. She leaned against his shoulder and slipped a hand down his back and into his pants. He turned and kissed her, accepting the invitation, Tomorrow was time enough for war.
Kyo returned to the castle. He didn't lie to the Thunder Demon. He really wanted to do some damage. He had Jalala at his side for five years. Not having her near was torture, especially now. If she wasn't pregnant he wouldn't be so worried. Jalala thought he didn't know about all the miscarriages but he knew. He wished many times that she would just go out of heat so they wouldn't have to worry anymore. He wanted a child but not if it meant sacrificing his mate. When this one took and seem to be thriving, he was happy but he was worried too. The baby was growing too fast. He made her rest more, refused to let her ride him, and catered to her every need. She hated the pampering but she remained healthy and strong. He was worried that she may have overworked on her sister's birthday but she seemed fine the next morning when they left, but that was before she was captured, carried away on unicornback and locked away from him.
Anger welled up in him and he flamed the ground. He didn't intend to but when he saw that the wind was blowing the flames away from the village, he vented his anger, burning every piece of unsettled land in the valley. The weeds were tall and dry. They went up like kindling, turning the sky red and black. The humans beseeched the Unicorn leader to do something to stop the terror but their words fell on deaf ears.
At the same moment, Jalala laid on the cot submitting to the embarrassing examination of the healing mage her brother brought for her. Kalfla stood in the corner blushing. He stood near her head facing away from the examination as much as possible. He knew it embarrassed her that he was in the room. It embarrassed him too, but it was the only way their father would let her be examined.
"Alright. We're done. Where are your clothes?" the mage asked.
Kalfla blushed as red as his hair, "Father wouldn't let us give her any."
"Ridiculous," he said. The mage removed his outer kimono, took the ragged blanket from her, and helped her put his kimono on. "Don't you worry about giving that back. I have plenty. There..." he said as he tied the sash between her breasts and her belly. He sat down beside her, "First let me tell you that you are full term and could have your baby at anytime."
"But it's only been a little over three months!" Jalala exclaimed.
Never the less, that's my findings. Now, tell me, how long have you been bleeding?"
Jalala at first stared at the floor then she raised her eyes to stare at her brother who had moved to stand near the door. "It started the day I got here."
"Almost two days ago." Kalfla clarified, then closed his eyes against her angry stare. "We brought her here by horseback."
"How fast?" the mage asked, looking at the young man.
"Top speed for at least a hour. But she was sitting in a sideways position. I held her in my lap the whole way," he said, looking desperately at the mage.
"She should never have been on horseback in the first place in this condition. I know this is your father's doing but he's put both Jalala and her baby at risk with such foolishness." Turning back to his patient, "Have you felt any pain or contractions?"
"Pain, yes. But sporadic, not contractions," Jalala said.
"I see." The mage rose from the cot. "Lay back for me, Jalala." She gave him a concerned look, "Don't worry, your examination is over. I just want to see if I can use my power to help you."
Jalala nodded and laid back. The mage placed his hands upon her belly and applied his power. She gasped as the pain eased away, more than just the sharp stabbing pain but the other pains too. The ones she had learned to live with since the pregnancy began.
The mage smiled down at her. "Better?" She nodded. "I suspect you had more pain than you realized. Your baby grew faster than your body could adjust to. This does not mean you are out of the woods yet, young lady. You are to stay in bed until the baby arrives or you will risk hemorrhaging and if that happens, you will die, Jalala. Even I will not be able to save you. Do you understand?"
"But I don't want to stay here. I want to go home, with my mate. I want to be with Kyo!" she cried.
"Kyo? The Dragon is your mate? That explains a lot." The mage looked toward Kalfla. "Is that why I was kept up all last night and the fields are burning this afternoon? Your father brought down this Dragon's wrath on us by stealing his mate and child?" Kalfla could only nod. "Then you and your brothers better do something to rectify it. That Dragon will stop at nothing to get her back. So far he hasn't hurt anyone. He's telling us that he wants to negotiate. I doubt he'll wait much longer for a reply."
Kyo felt more in control now. He had vented his boiling anger and could think clearly again. He circled and bellowed as he watched the humans and a few Unicorns flee for shelter. Where were all the Unicorns? Five years ago they were everywhere! Had that many left? Or did he have them all locked in that castle?
Kyo spotted Shinjou standing on a hill near his residence. The Dragon circled and landed gracefully near him. It amazed Shinjou that something so large could be so graceful.
"Doing a little venting were we?" Shinjou asked, looking at the burning valley.
"Do you blame me?" Kyo said.
"No. In fact I'm jealous. What's the plan? How do we get our women back?" Shinjou asked.
"Yes, I would like to know that too," said another voice.
Shinjou swung around, sword at the ready until he saw who it was.
"Dammit Fahd, don't do that! I almost sliced off your head!" Shinjou exclaimed.
Kyo transformed into his human form. Even though Fahd was a Unicorn and he was very vulnerable in human form, he still trusted his mate's uncle.
"Have you talked to any of your family yet?" Kyo asked.
"As a matter of fact, I have and they want to meet with you." Fahd said.
"Kalid said this?" Kyo asked, surprised.
"No, I did," said a young man with long snowy white hair as he stepped out from behind his uncle. "I'm Kaltif, eldest son of Kalid and brother to Jalala and Isabo."
"You were there, weren't you? You participated in the kidnapping!" Kyo accused as he took one step back and drew his sword.
"Yes, to my shame. I apologize to you and beg your forgiveness. I and my brothers want to help correct this wrong and set all our Unicorn herd free."
"Has your father finally come to his senses?" Shinjou asked.
"No," the young Unicorn said.
"Then, do you know what you are saying? What you and your brothers will be committing to?" Kyo asked.
"Yes. I didn't come by this decision lightly. Since my mother was killed by the Dragon, Dai, my father has hated Dragons. He has become obsessed with creating the ultimate Unicorn. When Jalala went to you, he snapped."
Kaltif sat on the ground and the rest followed. "I think Father was hoping to take Jalala himself in her Ritual, for in her he sees the strength he has been seeking. I didn't discover this until later, when he started grooming me to take over for him. What he doesn't realize, is that I'm my mother's son. In me she bestowed her morals and beliefs. I followed him for years but slowly I have been losing my faith in him. I finally lost the last of it when my chosen love came into heat. We asked for my father's blessing and he refused. He forced her to do the Ritual. We planned for this possibility and arranged where to meet but he must have gotten word of it and intercepted her. He raped her right in front of me. She's now held in that tower opposite of where Jalala is, expecting his child. So you see, I have someone to rescue too."
"How many devoted followers does your father have?" Kyo asked.
"About ten, all males" Kaltif said.
"To prevent this from reoccurring, you realize you'll have to take over leadership and banish them and your father from the herd. Are you prepared to do this?" Fahd asked.
"Yes. So what's the plan?" Kaltif asked
Kyo took the tip of his sheath and started marking on the ground between them. "Tomorrow at dawn I'm meeting up with the Fox Demon clan and an allied Thunder Demon..."
"Fox Demons?" Kaltif interjected. "I don't think it's a good idea to include them..."
"KALTIF!" Someone called as they hear galloping hoofs. They turned to see a Unicorn running towards them. Kyo and Shinjou drew their swords and started to rise, but Kaltif motioned them back down.
"Relax, it's my brother Kalfla. I'll go see what he wants." He rose and met his brother a little distance from the others.
"Can you hear what they're talking about?" Shinjou asked the others. Kyo and Fahd shook their heads.
"They're mindspeaking and shielding us out." Kyo said.
"Isn't that suspicious?" Shinjou asked.
"Only if he doesn't tell us what it's about when he returns." Fahd said.
They watched as Kaltif placed a hand on his brother's neck for a second as Kalfla bowed his head. Then the Unicorn pivoted and took off toward the valley. Kaltif jogged back to the others.
"We can't wait until tomorrow. I've sent Kalfla to gather our people and the humans in the village that are loyal to us."
"Why?" Shinjou and Kyo said in unison.
"There is no easy way to say this. Jalala has developed complications from her pregnancy and Isabo's heat has started. Father's not going to let Isabo run a Ritual. He's too afraid of losing her. He has ordered her to be brought to his quarters instead, tonight!"
"What! With his own daughter?" Fahd blanched.
"If he lays one perverted finger on her, I will kill him myself," Shinjou growled
Kyo said nothing, but his knuckles were turning white where he was gripping his sword.
"Kyo, the healer mage said Jalala would be alright as long as she stays in bed until the baby comes. He said it should be any time." Kaltif said as he attempted to consol the Dragon. Everyone could feel the temperature rising around them.
"Kyo..." Fahd said as he started to sweat and nearby grass started igniting. He didn't even know his friend had this frightening ability. He certainly was not in control of it.
Kyo's eyes where scarlet red as he flashed a cold look Fahd's way.
"Where is she?" Kyo asked Kaltif in a tone that sent shivers down everybody's spines.
Kaltif simply pointed to a barred window in the nearest castle tower. Then he watched the man run through the fire and transform.
"Wait Kyo! Don't be rash! We're not ready yet!" Kaltif called after him but to no avail.
Kyo took to the air and landed on the tower, clinging to it like a lizard. His huge eye peered through the window and saw Jalala lying on a cot reaching out and calling to him. He felt arrows pricking him but in dragon form they caused no harm. He looked down at the human guards and roared, smoke coming from his mouth and nostrils. He could have killed them instead of roaring at them and they knew it. Kaltif called them off. Kyo grabbed the bars in the window and in one swift strong pull, tore them out along with several stones. He let them fall to the ground and then transformed as he swung into the room. He ran to his mate and embraced her. Tears of joy poured down both her eyes and his. She grabbed his face and he kissed her passionately. Then they heard a jingling of keys outside the door.