Kingdoms of Ohm: The Lonely Dragon #1 ✓

Burn

It was surprising to stumble upon both vampires and werewolves standing proud in the clearing of Jorryn.

    Frankly, I was more impressed that they weren't fighting each other. I guess I had Luna to thank for that. Although Lykaios didn't seem too happy to find his clearing filled with vampires, he didn't question it. And neither did I.

    Set for battle, every vampire in the region was coated in the finest armor available, claws at the ready and fangs parting ways like the petals of a magical seaflower. The werewolves positioned from behind, unarmored but ready nonetheless. Even Vulkar stood alongside them, his proud wings spread outward to emit his extraordinary size, and a single lit torch holding steady in his right claw.

    But only after me and Lykaios stepped free from the forests of Jorryn did the entire province gasp with relief, and settle. King Vulkar set his flaming stick to the ground and hopped over to me, all three eyes bulging outward with shock.

    "You are alive!"

    I couldn't help it but rumble in amusement.

"I... had help," I forced out, my tail swinging back and forth once I set my eyes on Lykaios. "But 'help' will not accept my thanks."

"Rrr..." Lykaios growled from behind. I staggered toward Vulkar, ignoring the pain in my stomach to question his flaming stick.

"Fire?"

"It is what kills demons," cooed the vampire with a grin. "Although I am allergic to its fallout. It will keep us alive tonight."

"Had my hearthstone been untouched... I would've ended this fight long ago," I growled softly. "And I- ah!"

"Vaanku?"

I tightened my jaws, a claw rushing to a burning pain on the side of my chest. Drawing the claw back to my eyes, my heart sank when the bright red glow of blood glistened over my fingertips.

"I..."

My insides suddenly burned up like a liquid fire to a tree. Even the world began to blur, flashes of unfamiliar colors began to put everything out of focus. I tried to speak. To warn them of what may come. But try as I might, I couldn't garner enough strength to fight my failing body. Weakness found me far too quick, and, without warning, both arms and legs sharply folded in on themselves and dropped me like a rock.

I collapsed onto my stomach with a ground-shaking thud. The impact caught the attention of the whole forest, even Luna, who sprinted from the back wave of werewolves to the forefront of the line.

"Vaanku?!"

"What happened?!"

The voices around me began to distort. But I could hear them, well enough to understand what was happening.

"Is he okay?"

Vulkar rounded my blue body to the injured bite wound and sniffed the blood. After one experimental lick, the vampire reared back, sampling the taste, and growled.

"Not good."

"What's not good?"

"Bleeding from the inside," answered the vampire to the female. "It's bad."

Luna's breath hitched. "H-How bad is bad?"

"The shadow," Lykaios muttered over them. "It... bit into his side. It probably pulled a pound off him."

"Much more than that," Vulkar hissed back. "It is far too deep to mend." He sniffed it again and growled aloud. "He already lost too much. We need to close it, or it will turn fatal before sunrise."