Nero didn’t hesitate or hear any more of what he had to say. He just shouted and leaped at him his arm drawn back. He brought it down hard over Daze’s head and a black oil rushed to his defense blowing him back. Nero snarled, the scales covering both his arms now, and his eyes bled to the draconic yellow.
Snarling and flashing his teeth he thrust with his other hand. The black oil came back to Daze’s rescue grabbing Nero’s arm and sending him spinning away. He caught himself, digging his claws into the roof and sliding to a halt. “You brainwashed me. You made me attack my wives. Made me almost attack my children! I going to kill you!”
Daze regarded him and nodded slowly, “I don’t doubt that you’re going to try.”
Nero growled deep and leaped at him again swinging with his claws. Daze’s oil didn’t come to his aid this time as he stepped around and dodged them. He stepped forward and kneed him in the stomach, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him into the ground. His amber eyes met Nero’s and something electric passed between them. Nero managed to raise his legs and kick him off.
Sliding backward Daze rubbed his chest lightly and coughed behind the mask. “I’m not sure if I’ve underestimated you or not.”
“Let’s find out,” Nero screamed and ran at him again.
His claws swiped like blurs of silver that Daze avoided narrowly each time. However, Nero grinded his teeth together and swung both claws at him. Daze stepped to the side but Nero turned to face him and unleashed a torrent of white flames that engulfed him entirely. The draconic mage stepped forward pumping more and more magic into it until it turned silver and was blown away.
Nero shook his head glowering at Daze. The oily substance of the clothes he was wearing seemed to be recoiling from the heat but then it seemed to heal and recover again. Daze stood up slowly brushing off a metal shoulder blade and faced Nero again.
“Is that really all you have to offer?”
“What the hell are you?”
Daze looked at him closely and once again there was that energy that Nero felt earlier. It made him pause, eyes narrowing even sharper. Daze walked toward Nero again and he tensed ready for retaliation but Daze stopped and looked at Nero’s family.
But then his eyes focused properly on his brother, “So you’re home Sehren. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you last. You haven’t aged a day.”
He turned back to look at Nero and Nero could feel the amusement with which he looked at him. “You really don’t know what I am do you?”
“You’re Sehren’s brother. On some insane quest to become a God.”
Daze met his eyes and nodded slowly, “Solaris hasn’t forgotten about me. Part of me appreciates that.”
Nero took this moment to really unleash his powers. The scales flowed down his face covering his nose and turning it pointed and sharper. He sniffed the air and his eyes widened. The scent on the air was familiar only because he had smelled it once before in his life.
“What are you? Really?” Nero asked coming forward and brandishing his claws.
Daze shook his head and spread his arms, “I told you I was here for what belongs to me.”
He darted at Nero the oil coming forward and surrounding his hands. It solidified into a metal claw covering his arm. Nero’s eyes widened at the speed and barely got his arms up in time to catch his claws. He snarled as the claws tore through his arms leaving deep gashes and streaking his scales in blood.
Backing off he lowered his arms but Daze was still on him. Nero stumbled backward, trying to avoid him but Daze was faster than him. Nero didn’t bother trying to block anymore and just moved as fast as he could getting his arms and legs out of the way. Daze scored a hit on his leg earning another roar of pain.
Nero squared his legs and stepped forward headbutting Daze. Nero grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him close opening his mouth and letting out a roar of flames. The silver flames burned into his face and chest and Nero kept going until his voice was hoarse and his eyes were blinded by the light.
Through the flames, Daze’s arm shot forward, coated silver, and grabbed him by the face. He whirled around and slammed him back into the ground. His armor was sizzling and even his face looked burned but he wasn’t slowing down. In response, Daze slashed back tearing open Nero’s shirt and chest, “The power of a dragon is indeed mighty.”
The substance that surrounded Daze leaped off his body and struck at Nero’s limbs piercing straight through his wrist and ankles. The oil spread to his joints and surrounding his limbs. He groaned as the oil entered his body and he felt a flashback. He felt himself go back to when he was taken the first time. Held aloft by the nil, body filled with the oil, and powerless.
He roared, fighting against it as best he could. He fought it off with every fiber of his being just like the first time but this time he knew what was happening. Knew what it was doing to him. He saw the flashes of what he did. Attacking the women, he loved. Breaking into the room of his own children and terrifying them. Not again.
Grinding his teeth together he growled widening his eyes. The scales flowed around his body covering him and going to the edges of his arms and legs. The oil tried to continue forward but it was being halted. Held at bay. Even Daze was surprised by this. “I really did underestimate you, didn’t I? No matter. I have you where I need you. And I have what I need.”
Stepping on Nero’s shoulder he forced him back down against the ground. His eyes glowed and he crouched shoving his hand forward. The claws pierced Nero’s chest but Nero didn’t feel any pain. He stared at the arm that was inside his chest and then into the eyes of the man it belonged to.
Daze stared at him and then grabbed hold of something. That something was solid and the moment he pulled Nero roared. The roar of the dragon inside of him bled away into the scream of a man in agony. His body writhed and twisted on the ground while pinned down. His eyes went wide as Daze continued to pull and he could hear the echoes in his mind.
He heard voices in his ears, voices that shouldn’t have been alive anymore. Ancient voices in languages that he could barely recognize as human. The words and shouts bled away into cries and roars. Creatures so ancient he only heard an echo of them remaining in the world now. He saw their scales, their claws, and wings flash across his eyes. He saw the flashes of magic, of swords and people. He saw them fight. He saw them laugh and war and cry and fail and succeed.
And then it was over.
His body fell back against the rooftop his eyes glazed over. His chest was on fire, a gaping hole inside of him barely able to breathe. But even through the daze, he could see him clearly. Daze stood over him holding the grip of a broken sword in his hands.
Nero knew the sword like it was another part of himself. A part of himself that had been there for years. But now it was like being able to see properly for the first time in years. Like a veil had been lifted off his eyes giving him clarity for just a moment. Then the pain came filling him with fire and he coughed, spitting blood
Daze looked down at him and turned the sword in the air. It was a heavy weapon, heavier than it looked. But it wasn’t the weight of the sword. It was the weight of the magic within it. He turned the weapon around and passed his own hand over it. The oil from his hand leaped from him and coated the edge, extending until it rebuilt the sword proper. It solidified creating a sharp edge.
But the oil couldn’t recreate what was lost. There were gaps looking for the gems that had been lost to battle long before now. Daze turned the sword slowly as he looked down at Nero, “You broke it in your battles but it is still a sturdy weapon. Of powerful design. It couldn’t stay destroyed forever.”
Swinging the sword back and forth and getting a feel for the weapon he glanced down at Nero again. He stepped forward and pointed the sword at Nero’s neck. “I can’t finish what was started so long ago but I can start anew.”
“Get away from him Daze!”
He turned quickly and watched as Sehren jumped forward bringing his staff down. Daze blocked with the sword and stumbled backward as Sehren pressed on. Sehren spun the staff around quickly and thrust his palm forward a blast of magic sending him away. Digging his sword into the roof he slid backward and cracked his neck back and forth.
“So you finally broke free brother.”
Sehren was huffing, his shoulders sagging as gold dust fell off him, “I didn’t think you’d also uncovered the secrets of time magic.”
“Apparently you taught yourself the same thing,” Daze nodded slowly. “We keep mirroring each other don’t we?”
“Except my plans for the future don’t involve the needless slaughter of people.”
“You chose the long way Solaris. I went for something faster.”
Sehren seemed to flinch at that, “I won’t let you hurt Nero or his family.”
“You think you can stop me?”
Readying his staff Sehren said, “I know that I can.”
Daze blurred toward him and Sehren caught the blade of the sword against his staff. Daze was quick swinging with just one hand and using the other for balance was he swung at his shoulders, arms, and legs. But the staff of Sehren was fast and his eyes faster. He blocked each and every blow moving his feet and directing the fight away from the frozen spellcasters.
Daze brought the sword up high and Sehren bent forward letting it go right over his head. Sehren’s eyes went wide as Daze’s hand came into view inches from his face. Sehren chanted a single word his eyes turning golden.
Golden light burst out of him and the pair of spellcasters froze for an instant and then moved backward. Doing their previous swings and steps in reverse until they were in the position of Daze’s first swing.
This time Sehren instead of blocking the attacks stepped aside, dodging them perfectly. He spun the staff between his hands and ducked low under a swing and brought his staff up to catch Daze’s claw. Daze’s eyes went wide and suddenly Sehren was kicking his heel into his face. Daze went sprawling back the mask on his face clanging against the ground.
Sehren readied his staff again but Daze stood and what Sehren saw made him pause. From the nose down Daze’s mouth was covered in black scales. They were as scarred as the rest of his face but moved in tandem as if it were natural. Daze wiped his scaled mouth and spat the oil onto the ground.
“You found the sands, didn’t you?”
“What have you done to yourself?” Sehren asked.
Daze touched his jaw and then looked at his brother, “You know just as well as I do that there are consequences to meddling with time. To offset this, I found the progenitor of the nil and used it to heal myself.”
“You merged with that demon?”
“You call it a merger. I call it conquering. But the results are the same. Its power is my power. Especially the regeneration.”
Sehren stomped forward shaking his head, “I once thought that we could meet at a table and be brothers again. But the brother I once knew is long gone now isn’t he?”
Daze lowered his sword and looked Sehren in the eye. “I’m not gone yet Solaris. And once I succeed maybe we will get to that again.”
He stepped back over the edge of the roof, the black oil covering his body, and then he vanished into the air. Sehren stared at where he’d gone then rushed over to Nero’s side. Sehren leaned over him and stared at his former student. His eyes were open and blank, his chest a bloody mess. But more importantly. At first it seemed it was just from the claw marks on his chest but he was still. There was more to this.
He started trying to figure out what was going on and jumped as an explosion of magic echoed above their heads. A giant silver dragon filled the sky, its wings twice the size of it. It floated in the air, breathing fire into the sky before flapping and disappearing.
“Whoa.” Light whispered.
“That was definitely Silver,” Alastor said warmly.
“Amazing work Nemo,” Lily laughed. “If a little corny.”
Lily and Dawn shared a smile but then looked at Sehren. They saw him leaning down and they saw Nero on his back not moving. Dawn’s eyes bled to a deep yellow and she stumbled forward. “No.”
“No,” Lily repeated and fought the stinging in her eyes as she turned. “Olivier, Light, Suzy keep the kids away!”
She took Dawn’s hand tightly and they helped one another as they ran to his side and silently hoped that tonight wasn’t the last time they saw their husband alive.
The Harlequin Library 