It was just another reason to want to fight them, to kill them, to destroy them. But then she remembered the cool, egoless space that the dryad had shown her, and she stepped back from her anger, knowing that it was exactly what the Anu wanted.
Chapter 35
Cassie, Rafe, Circe, and Xavier, along with the witches and dragon shifters, created a schedule of shifts to be on the outlook for Anu drones. Cassie needed rest. Her usually agreeable, free-spirited personality had turned dark and reactive from her sleep deprivation. As Circe and her group followed Rafe to survey the compound, Cassie went up to her room to sleep.
Circe hated the idea of her friend being so overwhelmed. Cassie was one of the strongest people she had ever met. At eighteen years old, the girl had taken on a tremendous responsibility with the power that had been bestowed on her by the Council of the Seventh House. She fought and triumphed. When she fought and failed, it only made her try harder. In many ways, Circe wished that she had even a fraction of Cassie’s spirit. But at least now she and her coven and the dragon shifters could help Cassie––the Chosen of the Seventh House.
Rafe led them through the tents and the mobile homes along the gravel-paved street that ran down the center of the compound. Rafe pointed out new construction and improvements that they'd made while Xavier had been gone. Xavier only nodded in approval, but Circe could feel an underlying sense of jealousy toward Rafe that he had been able to improve upon Xavier’s compound in such a short amount of time—not that Xavier would begrudge the improvements. Circe could sense that anything that would make the life of his people better was fine by him.
When they got to the end of the compound, where the main road stretched out in either direction, they started back, circling along the other side where outbuildings stood. They passed by Emilia’s workshop. The nerdy wolf shifter stepped out the door with the cynical wolf shifter, Clark, right as they passed. Both were highly skilled with engineering and gadgets, something Rafe had a great deal of mastery with as well. It was no wonder, with Rafe’s expertise, that he was able to make improvements on the compound so quickly.
Circe saw Brigid, the compound’s resident witch, stride toward her girlfriend, Emilia. Brigid stopped in her tracks seeing the other two witches in the group of dragon shifters. She eyed them up and down, frowning and crossing her arms.
“Hello, Brigid,” said Circe, acknowledging the girl. The last time Circe had seen Brigid, she’d advised her to gain control of her emotions so that she could have greater control of her magic. Now that the coven would be living at the San Diego compound, perhaps they could help the girl grow her skills.
“Is that you, Circe? You sure don’t look like a witch anymore.” The way Brigid spoke made it sound like an insult. But it didn’t really matter to Circe if she looked like a mutant witch or not. She was now a dragon rider––the only one in existence. But she would always be a witch at heart.
“This is my coven, Hecate and Vesta, two extremely powerful witches. We’re all going to be living here now. We should work together.” Circe raised her eyebrows and stared down at Brigid, who only pursed her lips and stared back, her black eyes gleaming with rebellion.
“Whatever. I have a lot of work helping Emelia in her shop. She and Clark and Rafe have made breakthroughs that would blow your mind. That girl, Magdalena, who helped Cassie free the kids from the dome, is even better in the Program than Cassie ever was.”
Emilia eyed the dragon shifters while Clark grimaced. “Let’s not bore them with technical information, Brigid,” said Emilia, pulling her girlfriend back into the shop.
“I’m glad you’re not dead,” said Clark to Circe before Emilia closed the door. For Clark, that might as well have been a proposal of marriage. She’d never heard that boy say a single nice thing to a single person, except maybe Rafe.
They continued past the outbuildings toward the back pasture, where the livestock were raised. On the other side were the gardens and hayfields. In the three years they had lived on the compound, Xavier had worked hard to create an irrigation system that would water all of the crops in the San Diego heat. That work had paid off. The crops grew in abundance. Circe could see bright-orange pumpkins dotting the dark soil in the garden.
In the distance, where the pasture met a dry pine forest, Circe could see motion between the branches. Something about the movement seemed deadly familiar. A scream sounded behind them. Before they were aware of what was happening, it was too late.
Zombies broke through the tree line as a scream sounded from behind them. The horde flowed in from all directions. They lumbered down the road and through the forest into the farm. The dragons instantly shifted, tearing their clothes from their bodies as they expanded in size.
As the dragons shot overhead, the zombies swarmed the rows of tents where the majority of the people lived. A single bite from a zombie was almost always fatal. The witches could heal them, but not so many. They would not be fast enough to save them all.
The people ran from the oncoming zombies, but there was nowhere to go. The undead horde filed in from the back side of the farm, limping and crawling around the mobile homes. The dragons sent down their first jets of elemental attack. The zombies on the outer edges of the rush were burnt instantly in the explosions.
Circe looked up at the dragons, watching them maneuver in the sky. If they attempted to blast the zombies closing in on the residents, they would burn down the farm and most likely kill the people too. Rafe drew the long sword from his hip and ran into the fray, slashing at the undead and decapitating them in a macabre dance.
He beat his way through the mob until he was able to secure a line of retreat for a group of shifters, who quickly ran toward Circe and the other witches. Hecate and Vesta used their grab spell to hurl zombie bodies back from the people trapped between the tents and the mobile homes.
There were far too many of them. Someone screamed to get Cassie, and Circe ran up the stairs to the farmhouse. She charged up to the second floor, calling Cassie’s name. Some of the shifters knew how to use martial arts and swords to defeat zombies, but no one had magic like Cassie.
She burst through the first door at the top of the stairs and found Cassie passed out in bed, snoring softly into her pillow.
“Cassie, hurry!”
Cassie shot up from bed, her dark-blond hair falling around her shoulders in waves. She looked up, red eyed, and gave Circe an irritated look. “What?” she whined.
“Zombies,” was all Circe said before Cassie jumped out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and put her weapons on her body. They made it down to the yard in ten seconds. The dragons had burned down the tents trying to kill the zombies, which allowed the people to escape in that direction. The people had run to the other side of the compound, but the zombies continued to pursue them.
“Ah, shit,” said Cassie. “I was finally getting some sleep.”
Circe stood, feeling completely impotent. Xavier had flown off without her, and she wondered if she would be the odd woman out now that he’d healed his fellow dragons. Hecate and Vesta continued to throw individual zombies against the trunks of trees, breaking their backs and slowing them down. Then they began twisting their heads off, causing them to die instantly.
Circe couldn’t even do that now that she had no grab spell. Instead, she focused on sending her healing energy into Cassie. As soon as a wave of Circe’s power flowed into Cassie, Cassie turned around and looked at Circe with wide eyes.
“Thanks,” she said before walking toward the horde.
Cassie pointed her finger at the zombies, shooting a bolt of energy into each one as she walked by, holding her sword down by her side. The bolt of energy she unleashed exploded the zombie instantly. She only killed one at a time, but it looked like she was just opening a path to the center of the horde.
Cassie sheathed her sword and raised both her hands. Circe could see her taking a deep breath. As she let out the breath, she unleashed a quake of energy so vast, the entire zo
mbie army was blown backward. The people still trapped by the horde escaped as the dragons blew another burst of flame over the remaining zombies.
The dragons flew above, patrolling the farm for any lingering undead, while Circe stared at the remains of the farm. Dozens of people had been bitten or scratched by the zombies. All the tents and several of the mobile homes had been destroyed. Everyone was in a panic as the aftermath of the attack turned into the chaos of uncertainty.
People clung to each other. The sound of sobbing and angry yells filled the air over the sound of the raging fires that still burned the compound’s buildings. Half the farmhouse had been charred, but it still stood. There would be nowhere for these people to sleep tonight except on the ground.
Chapter 36
Circe ran to the wounded, giving each person her full strength and attention. She, Vesta, and Hecate worked tirelessly into the night, healing everyone who had been infected by the zombies. Several died of their wounds, beyond healing.
When everyone had been attended to, Circe sat where she had landed, on the charred dirt in the dark. A bonfire burned at the center of the compound. It cast her in dark shadows and flickering red light. A tear ran down her face. This was not what she imagined San Diego would be like.
Xavier approached and sat down beside her on the ground.
“You left me today,” she said, staring at him.
“I had to move fast,” he said, not meeting her eyes.
“Is this how it’s going to be from now on? Now that you have other dragons on your side? Have I lost my usefulness?”
“Circe. Don’t say things like that. It was just a quick tactical move. I’m sorry. I should have waited for you to get on my back. I didn’t mean to leave you behind.”
“When have I heard that before?”
He heaved a big sigh and looked away. Circe felt him wanting to get up and leave, but their mental connection meant he could sense her feelings and read her thoughts when they were tuned to each other. He wouldn’t be able to walk away knowing how she felt.
“I’m sorry. I really am. It won’t happen again. I could have used you up there. I felt my power was weaker without you. My acid fire barely works. And I probably could have been more delicate with my flame if we had been working together. Now look at this place. It’s a tragedy. How many died today?”
“Fifteen souls lost. Add them to the billions who have already died.” She felt a wave of depression coming on. Circe was usually so strong, so level headed, but hopelessness was beginning to creep up her body and fester in her brain. She looked away. Xavier cupped her chin in his hand, pulling her face toward him. The firelight flickered on his face as he gazed into her eyes. She tried to look away, but he held her still.
“Don’t fall apart on me now, dragon rider,” he said, leaning in to kiss her. His lips brushed over her mouth, sending a tingle of sensation down her arms. Warmth rose in her stomach, and the cloud of doubt slowly lifted from her mind.
“What now?” she asked. In the firelight, she could see groups of people picking up their few belongings and trudging down the road, away from the compound. “People are leaving. Cassie is exhausted. Who knows when the zombies will come back again?”
“First things first. I have to convince these people not to leave. With the other dragons and Rafe here, we can rebuild.”
“Do you think that’s such a good idea? Maybe we should move everyone.”
“No. I built this place. I’ll defend it. We’ve withstood plenty of zombie attacks over the years. Nothing like this one, but we’ve seen our share. We’ve eradicated the zombies before, and we’ll do it again. I just need to regain the people’s trust.”
Xavier stood and strode to the farmhouse porch that overlooked the compound. Circe watched the shadows play over his face as he drew himself up and began to speak.
“Listen. Everyone. Wait and hear me out. I know I’ve been gone. I left you with a new leader. You’ve been scared about the hybrid babies coming. I understand. I wish I'd had a choice about leaving you, but I didn’t. I’ve brought four other dragons back with me, and I will gather more. Dragons can defeat the Anu, and we can defeat the zombies. We will rebuild. With all of us working together, we can have new shelters set up in no time.”
The crowd gathered around the porch, and those who had been wandering away stopped and turned around. Xavier had a magnetic charisma that had served him well as a rock star and even better as the leader of a compound of mutants.
“Circe and I have gained power that enables us to heal dragons and humans alike. You saw the wonders she performed today. We still have our crops, and we still have each other. We will deal with any issues with the babies as they come up, but I’ve been assured that the children seem completely human. I ask that you treat the babies and their mothers as you would any other mother and child. Tonight, we will break out the stores of meat in the basement and have a barbecue. In the morning, the dragons and I will search for the source of the zombie infestation. We will root it out, just as we have before, and we will destroy them. Then we will fly in houses for every man, woman, and child who remains in the compound.”
Mumbles turned into clapping and muffled cheers as Xavier finished his speech. He climbed down the stairs to join Circe where she sat on the ground. She looked up at him, impressed with this public speaking. He hadn’t shown this side of himself while they were alone in the forest or on the road. She liked it.
Dina, the housemaid, had some other shifters help her open the freezers in the basement to bring out big packages of steaks and pork chops. They quickly thawed the food in a vat of warm barbecue sauce and began to cook it on a huge cast-iron grill over a smoldering fire. The smell of grilling meat filled the air, and the mood of the crowd changed. After they’d eaten and cavorted, people slept in every corner they could find around the compound.
In the morning, they found that only a handful of people had left. Circe and Xavier met with Rafe and Cassie to discuss housing. It was decided that they would bring in additional mobile homes.
The dragons would fly into San Diego to search for mobile homes. Two dragons could carry a double-wide trailer together. If they found a mobile-home park, they could bring over several homes just today.
Xavier shifted in the front yard as the rest of the compound continued to clean up from the catastrophe of the day before. Circe attached the harness to Xavier’s back. She’d wanted to talk to Cassie privately before she went out, but Cassie had gone back to bed. After the dragons left, she would have to get back up to defend the compound.
She climbed onto Xavier’s back, and they lifted off the ground. The other dragons joined them in the air, and they made their way into the outskirts of the city. They didn’t find anything in the suburban district they were in, so they headed south.
As the dragons passed over downtown San Diego, Circe looked down in shock. Three zombie masters converged at the center of town, leading hordes of zombies, many thousands strong. Her heart nearly leapt into her throat when she saw them. She could feel Xavier growling underneath her. She spoke to him through their mental connection, asking what he wanted to do.
The last two times they’d confronted one of these zombie masters, they had failed to bring it down. After last night’s attack, Circe was sure the zombie masters were focused on the compound. The Anu were trying any way they could to get the hybrid babies back or at least teach the meddling mutants a lesson not to mess with the Anu.
The compound would never withstand an attack of five thousand zombies. Even the dragons could not protect them from that kind of horde. Circe’s mind bubbled with panic, but Xavier whispered to her through their connection. He wanted to try something different, something they hadn’t tried before.
She saw his plan in her mind, and suddenly it all made sense. He made some growling sounds to the other dragons, and they all angled their course directly toward the zombie masters. When they were within a hundred yards, they bellowed out their individual
elemental attacks, letting them converge. As the explosive ball of oil fire fell over the first zombie master, the being ignited.
Circe could feel Xavier’s elation. But he had no time to celebrate. There were two more to bring down and a horde of five thousand zombies to kill. The dragons swooped back around and directed their attack at the second zombie master. The elements converged together, creating a limited living bomb that flew toward the second zombie master. The being thrust his arms up in front of its face as if to protect itself. But it was futile. The flames engulfed the being, incinerating it instantly. It screamed a horrifying wail that echoed across the city.
The third zombie master charged toward the dragons, batting at them in the air, but its long, skinny limbs were no match for the two-ton dragons. The dragons circled the being, all five blowing their attacks at the same time. The third zombie master’s fate was like the first two. Circe felt a vicious glee rise in her chest. The mental link she felt with Xavier pulsated between them with shock and awe that it had been so easy all along.
With the zombie masters burning on the ground, the zombie horde stopped in confusion. They milled about, groaning. The sound of their moaning culminated five thousand strong with a dull echo bouncing off the burned-out buildings of the city. The dragons flew over the mass, low to the ground, blowing their elemental attacks over the horde. The fire swept through the crowd. The sickening moans and screams that rose from the bodies of the undead chilled Circe’s heart. She ducked her face into Xavier’s scales, for the first time wondering if there were any way that they could have possibly healed the undead. But there was no indication that they could ever come back, and as long as they roamed the earth, the humans and mutants that carried on with civilization would never be safe.
After they burned the last zombie, and not a single one was left standing, the dragons continued on to the south side of the city to look for a mobile-home park. They finally found several sprawled out among the low-income neighborhoods. After detaching the buildings from their foundations, the five dragons carried two mobile homes back to the compound. When the people below saw them arrive, they spread out away from the central yard. The dragons set the mobile homes gently down on the ground. They would eventually need better foundations, but for now, they would at least provide people with a place to sleep.