Ravages Read online

  Ravages

  Dragon Reign

  Kit Bladegrave

  Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Asylum Excerpt

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Mortal Raised Excerpt

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Afterword

  Dedication

  Thank you to the readers!

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  Ravages

  Dragon shifter Kate and her allies, a demon and another dragon shifter are torn between the past and the present, their lives and the former lives of those who battled mortal enemies before them.

  Continually battling enemies and fighting rogue family members, they find themselves in a battle for more than just their lives. They fight for their own kind as well as humankind.

  Join Kate, Craig, and Forrest on their journey of adventures.

  1

  Kate

  Kate… what are you doing, Kate?

  I grunted at the noises rattling around in my mind, again, and rolled over on the cot. But the voices persisted, as they did every night since I locked Craig and Forrest away in the Burnt World.

  It was for their own good, that was what I told myself every time I closed my eyes, and the voices argued with me until the sun rose again.

  I was doing this to save them.

  Kate… fight this, you have to fight it! Stop this madness!

  “Shut up!”

  I screamed and flew out of my cot to splash water on my face.

  It was chilly from the cool night, and it gave me goosebumps up and down my arms, but the voices stopped immediately, and my shoulders sagged in relief.

  Today, I needed a clear head. There was much work to be done, and there was very little time to do it before the realms managed to rally a proper defense against me and the plagued army of Cassius and Allis. Well, my army more than theirs. Cassius told me as much time and again, reminding me what he had offered.

  As soon as we were finished conquering the world and showing them how true Darrahs were meant to rule, I would finally have what was meant to be mine. A throne, a chance to keep those I loved safe, forever. Nothing would ever happen to Craig and Forrest, not on my watch.

  I was not Celandine.

  I was not going to sacrifice them for anything. Certainly not for those who didn’t deserve to be saved.

  I saw them for what they were now, saw how traitorous they could become. Soon enough, it would be over, and one day, Craig and Forrest would understand why I did what I did. Why I had no choice except to take action and be what the Vindicar was truly meant to be.

  Celandine should never have stopped at destroying the orcs. It would have saved us all trouble in the future.

  This is not you, the voice grew stronger.

  I yelled, smashing my hands to my ears.

  You are not a killer of innocents! You know this! Fight it, Kate, fight it, and come back to us.

  “No! No, I’m not stopping, not now.”

  You are destroying everything you’re meant to be. This is not your destiny, Kate. You’re meant to save the realms!

  A knocking sounded loudly at my door, and the voices cut off again.

  “Katherine? It is time,” Cassius called out to me.

  I held my breath, waiting for the voices to rally once more like they usually did when he was around, but there was silence. Beautiful silence.

  “Katherine?”

  “Be right there,” I replied, and stared long and hard at my reflection one more time.

  My blue-green eyes were darker than normal, but I felt stronger, so much stronger now that I understood the truth of the past. So many lies brought us to this point, and I was going to finally set the record straight. Revenge, that’s what was important.

  I slipped into my leather breeches, knee-high black leather boots, blouse with the leather armor overtop. I strapped on my two leather gauntlets, and pulled my hair back in a thick braid, so it remained out of the way for today’s trip.

  I dropped the sheath cross-wise over my body and slid the Executioner into it at my back before I reached for my final weapon, my true weapon of power now.

  The shield of the Vindicar.

  This would lead us to victory. My hand trembled as I reached for it, picking up the heavy metal that fit so perfectly on my forearm.

  The moment I fitted it, the metal warmed my skin even through the leather armor, and the runes on my body glowed a brilliant, blue light.

  No, not blue… you’ve been infected, Kate. Look at yourself! Truly, look at yourself! Tell me what you see?

  I faltered as a wave of dizziness hit me.

  I blinked furiously, trying to stay upright, I swore I saw the runes shift to red… and when I lifted my gaze to the mirror, caught sight of a pair of black eyes staring back at me.

  But then the image was gone, and the dizziness passed.

  Screams sounded in my ears, screams from the past that Cassius had opened my eyes to, and I straightened, certain in what needed to be done. The voice echoed again, but this time much quieter and I ignored it as I strode toward my door.

  When I opened it, Cassius was there waiting for me, leaning casually against the far wall, ankles crossed, tossing a dagger end over end in his hand. He bowed his head slightly at the sight of me and waved his arm forward.

  “Are the troops ready for the siege?” I asked as we walked through the halls that were already in the process of being rebuilt.

  The army of plagued worked around the clock to build up the old foundations of the original Darrah fortress, and in only two days, the outer walls were halfway complete.

  I didn’t ask how Cassius managed to do so much in so little time. I didn’t care. We had the land back and already, I felt the surge of power flowing up through the ground and into the stones beneath my feet. So much strength.

  Cassius led the way through the recently dug out part of the fortress I’d originally fallen into, and we climbed up and out of it using the rope ladder.

  “There is something I wanted to show you, before we set out today,” he said, and pulled me to the side. “I believe it is time our home saw the light of day again, don’t you?”

  He stepped forward again, held his hands to the ground, and closed his eyes.

  A rumbling started from deep beneath us.

  The ground cracked and split, as bit by bit, the old fortress ruins burst through the surface, sending me stepping backward to better get my balance as my jaw dropped in awe to see such magic.

  Cassius didn’t even appear strained from the action as he moved his hands up and brought with them the old halls and corridors of the fortress. No more sleeping underground. Now, when we completed our conquest, we could return home, to his place, and the Darrahs would
have their home once again.

  As the final wall returned to the surface, cracked and losing stones as it settled and finally stopped, the ground ceased its complaints, and the plagued immediately set to work, swarming the structure to begin the hard job of restoring it, bit by bit.

  “Incredible,” I breathed, as Cassius returned to my side.

  “See what you can do when you know the truth?” he replied. “Come, we have plans to go over. In a few days’ time, Gregornath will be ours, Vindicar.”

  We left the ruins behind, and made way for the massive war tent set up where not too long ago, the entire dragon army had stood, thinking they could fight back against the might of this army.

  They’d retreated, choosing to fight another day. But now, they were holed up in their castle with no way out.

  Cassius and I saw to that. Our first day here, after the army retreated, Allis took half the soldiers and cut off any chance of escaping the dragon realm, closed any and all portals they could have access to.

  I mentioned being able to use other magic to escape, but Cassius had a way of blocking that, he told me, and I let it go.

  Now, everyone was trapped within the walls surrounding the dragon castle we were about to lay siege to.

  Beneath the tent, I rested my hands on the large, round table covered with a map of the surrounding area, including the immense walls outside the castle.

  “These won’t be easy to get over,” I mused, running my hand over them.

  “Who said anything about going over them?” Cassius nodded, and I joined him at the other end of the tent. “Those are our ticket in. A few hard hits, and with your power, we’ll be through the walls in minutes. That castle will fall today, Katherine, you have my word.”

  I grinned, thinking of those walls tumbling down just like the ones here had done so many years ago when the Darrahs had nearly been wiped out. “Payback, finally.”

  “And you will be there to lead us in the charge.”

  “Kadin,” I whispered fiercely, “he ordered the execution of my parents. I should’ve killed him the first time around, but I was prevented. This time… this time, I won’t be stopped. He’s mine, Cassius. Understand? Mine and no one else’s.”

  “If only Forrest had not stopped you,” he sighed. “Such a pity, you would already be able to waltz right in and take what’s yours.”

  I growled, remembering that scene, having Kadin in my claws, ready to kill him. And those two, they’d gotten in the way. But, they were confused, just like I was before I learned the truth.

  “They’ll come around, in time. Once both of their fathers are dead and I present them with their own provinces to rule.”

  Cassius’ lip twitched. “You cannot trust them. I have told you this too many times already.”

  “And I told you I’m not going to kill them,” I snarled, the runes on my body flaring in warning.

  He bowed his head, taking a step back.

  I narrowed my eyes in warning. “You are not to touch them, or I will be ripping your throat out along with our enemy’s.”

  The shield on my left arm suddenly grew heavy, and I moved back to the table, resting my arm on its surface.

  Voices whispered through my mind again, but I couldn’t hear them, not over the rushing of my blood and the pounding of my heart as I worked at getting control of my anger again. I didn’t need Cassius to tell me I was pushing my luck, letting my rage get the better of me. Too many emotions warred in my mind, and I wanted it all to stop. That one moment, as I’d watched the fire tell the true story of our downfall, everything had been perfectly clear. Everything.

  But the longer I spent near Cassius, the more my doubts rose until I couldn’t keep anything straight in my head anymore.

  Kate, you have to listen to us, please, I’m begging you. Don’t do something you’re only going to regret later…

  “Katherine? Is everything alright?” Cassius snapped, and I whipped my head around to glare at him. “You seem distracted.”

  “It’s nothing. Let’s get back to planning. I would like to get moving as soon as possible.”

  “Of course. As you can see, the easiest route would be to attack the main gate. However, their weakest point in the wall is here,” he said, pointing to where the wall butted against the mountain.

  “How does that make it weaker?” I asked, brow furrowing.

  “The walls are old. From what Allis and the scouts reported, the only ones that have been rebuilt in recent decades are toward the gate. If we attack the walls here, they will fall,” he said firmly, “and we will have our way in.”

  I bit my lip, thinking over the plan. “Once a small contingent is inside, we have them open the main gates, and the army overruns the castle,” I said quietly.

  Cassius beamed at me from across the table. “You may not be Celandine, but you certainly think like her. Commander all the way. You were made for this, Katherine, made to lead an army to victory.”

  I nodded, unsure of what else to say. “Then we’re settled.”

  “If we don’t stop, it’s a full day’s ride to reach the castle,” he informed me. “I’ll prepare our troops and you, Commander, I suggest you take a few moments and prepare your mind for what is to come.” He bowed his head again and left me alone in the tent.

  I removed the gauntlet from my arm and set it before me, staring at it intently.

  The shield was the weapon that would help us win this war, just as it was meant to.

  Lightly, I ran my fingers over it, and power sparked from it to my fingers, sending a jolt of warmth through my very core.

  But something was wrong, it felt… odd.

  Kate… you are not a killer… please, listen to me… you have to listen…

  “Get out of my head,” I whispered through gritted teeth.

  But the voices continued, and I hung my head, shutting my eyes to try and drown them out.

  That voice.

  I knew it so well, but I didn’t want to hear it, not right now.

  I needed a clear head, needed to be able to go into this fight and come out victorious. For my family. For my parents. No matter how much blood it took, I would right the wrongs done to my clan.

  As the voices continued to pester me, I growled and pulled the gauntlet back on, tilted my hand slightly, and watched the shield spring out in all its dark glory.

  The time for war had most certainly come.

  2

  Kate

  The sun was setting by the time the castle came into view, and Cassius threw up his hand to halt us.

  I half expected him to say we would make camp and start our attack at dawn, but he grinned, and I knew his thoughts were the same as mine.

  “Allis! Position the catapults if you please, quietly. We don’t need them knowing what we’re doing. As soon as it’s dark, move them in range and start the attack,” Cassius ordered.

  Allis bowed his head then shouted out the order behind him.

  “You, Commander, will remain by my side until the time comes.”

  I absently nodded, staring straight ahead at the castle, knowing who awaited me inside.

  Forrest’s father… a traitor to his own kin.

  I was anxious to begin, and when Cassius nudged his horse along to follow Allis and the catapults, I followed.

  The closer we came to the walls, the louder the warning bells rang in my ears until a headache bloomed on my forehead.

  I ground my teeth from the incessant noise, the screaming of the people huddled inside seeing our army on their doorstep. Men shouted orders, and I watched figures scurrying along the walls as others shifted and prepared for a fight.

  Dragons clung to the wall, digging into the stone with their claws as archers took up their stances between them.

  No matter, no dragon fire would save them this night.

  I wasn’t sure what I expected, since this was my first battle, but the amount of chaos happening around me made time slow down.

  That I had n
ot expected.

  Everyone moved, but me. I remained perfectly still, atop my horse beside Cassius, waiting. Just waiting.

  I hardly heard the commands he yelled, or the panicked yells from within the walls anymore. A thundering silence filled my ears and soon the only sound I heard was my heavy breathing, in and out. In and out.

  “It’s time,” Cassius’ voice suddenly broke through my trance. I turned to see him watching me expectantly. “Katherine.”

  “Yes, I’m ready,” I replied strongly and dismounted as he did the same.

  We stood back, and he raised his hand. Allis waited by the catapults and the second Cassius’ arm dropped, the plagued let loose.

  Screams joined the sounds of stone crashing against stone as the wall took its first round of hits. He’d been right; parts of the wall were already falling in on itself, and it’d only be a matter of time before it toppled completely, and we could rush in to secure the main gate.

  “Get down!”

  Cassius grabbed me and dragged me to the ground as fire shot over our heads followed by arrows landing on the ground nearby.

  The dragons and archers had moved to this side of the wall and were returning fire. Another blast took out two of the catapults, and several of the plagued went down, arrows jutting out of their chests and legs, though they didn’t stay down, not all of them.