Page 6 of Drakhana's Secret
They hesitate at the veiled threat in my words. But Branson comes closer and says, “I don’t think that’s the best tactic, boss.”
“I’m trying to get us out of this,” I hiss back. To the rest of the dragons, I say, “Just go home, gentlemen. Let’s call this a night.”
“Or what?” the dimwit has the gall to ask.
I bring my gaze to the heavens. “Branson, I don’t think we’re getting out of this without a fight.”
“We have your back, sir,” my other earth dragon friends say.
Sighing, I say, “You three take the fire dragons and we three will take the ice.”
We all share a nod. It seems that’s the cue everyone is waiting for. The fire and ice charge us. We lift up our fists with brass knuckles on them.
Punches start flying as soon as the groups clash together. I jump and bring down my fist on the jaw of the dumb brute from the ice clan. He stumbles back and shakes his head.
Branson, on the other hand, is taking on two dragons at once. I leave him be, knowing that I should be more worried about the ice dragons fighting him. Before the brute can recover, I deal him an uppercut to the chin.
It sends him flying backward. When he lands, he loses consciousness immediately.
Grinning, I face another ice dragon. When I lift my fists, he must have seen the intent in my eyes because he turns and runs, leaving his friends to fend for themselves. The coward. I spit on the ground.
Soon, both groups realize that they are up against trained warriors and not just regular dragons off the street. Ice retreats, picking up their unconscious friend. Fire takes a little longer since they are more stubborn than their cold counterparts.
It takes Branson breaking the arm of their leader to get them to back down. They turn and run like the pests that they are. I almost laugh, but that would be disrespectful to my friends who fought hard.
I take inventory and besides a few bruise cheeks and black eyes, none of us are any worse for wear. This is the last straw. Both fire and ice are getting too bold for their own good, and in my city no less.
“Branson,” I say, looking toward the direction where the fire clan ran off to.
“Sir?” he asks, standing by my side.
“It’s time to kick out the riff raff. Marshal everyone. I want all ice and fire dragons out of the city by dawn.”
“Are you sure about that, sir?” Branson asks because he feels that he has to.
I’m drawing a line in the sand. It’s the only way to keep the city and out businesses safe. We can’t keep playing babysitters for these bastards.
“Both clans have lost the right to trade with us,” I say, my voice as cold as a frozen tundra. “I don’t want to see a trace of them in my city. Am I making myself clear?”
Branson nods. He takes out his phone and begins making calls. The other dragons with us go and do what I asked. They don’t need any more of an invitation than that.
Triumph at this win fills my chest. The elders don’t know what they are talking about. The earth dragons are as much in this fight as any one of the clans. We need to protect our own interests. Gone are the days of hanging back and watching from the sidelines.
We need to assert our dominance. The only reason why fire and ice felt comfortable confronting each other in my city is because we tolerated their shenanigans. Well, not any more.
Come morning, San Francisco will be closed to all fire and ice clan members. No one will be allowed to set foot into the city that isn’t a n earth dragon. The more I think about my decision the better I feel about it.
I should have done this a long time ago. Fire has Las Vegas. Ice has LA. We have San Francisco. The lines have been drawn a long time ago. It’s just now that I’m enforcing that border.
Leaving Branson to do his job, I turn on my heel and head home. I stuff my hands in my pockets and whistle as I go. This night just got better.
Five
Sapphire
Mornings are the most relaxing part of my day. I love waking up right as the sun is rising. I wash my face and braid my hair. Then I put on my favorite dress for the day.
Before breakfast, I usually go to the river to get some water. We also have a well but the line there is usually long in the morning. I like a good walk through the woods anyway and I just need a bucket or two of water.
