Chapter 15 - The Flame and the Shield
"Clear the park! Get everyone into the stone shelters behind the arena!" Nathaniel shouted to Everett and the police officers.
"Nathaniel, he’s going to burn the valley!" Everett yelled over the rising chaos.
"He won't if I can reach him!"
Nathaniel didn't run away from the descending monster. He ran directly into the middle of the empty festival field, tearing off his heavy coat. Beneath his linen shirt, the mark of the broken circle and three flames burned with a light so intense it bled through the fabric like liquid gold.
Aurelius struck the ground fifty yards away, his massive claws ripping up turf and concrete. The dragon turned his blood-red eyes onto Nathaniel, letting out a deafening, psychotic screech. He raised his massive head, preparing to unleash a torrent of blue fire directly at the man who stood before him.
"Aurelius! Look at me!" Nathaniel roared, his voice amplified by the ancient magic in his blood.
The dragon hesitated for a split second, his massive head trembling as the high-frequency pulse tore through his brain. The blue fire flickered in his throat.
"I know it hurts!" Nathaniel shouted, stepping closer, his bare chest glowing bright through his torn shirt. "I know the sound is tearing you apart! Fight it, Aurelius! Remember the covenant!"
Nathaniel reached out his right hand, placing his bare palm directly onto the dragon's lower jaw, right where the scaled skin was hot enough to scorch wood.
The heat seared Nathaniel’s flesh, but he didn't pull back. Instead, the golden resonance from Nathaniel’s shoulder flowed through his arm and directly into the dragon's skull.
Aurelius let out a choked, desperate whimper. For a brief moment, the blood-red color in his golden eyes faded, replaced by a flash of lucid terror.
“The hill... the northern ridge...” the dragon's agonizing thoughts projected directly into Nathaniel’s mind. “Kill the metal heart... please...”
Nathaniel pulled his hand back, his palm red and blistered, but his eyes were hard as steel. He turned to Clara, who had rushed to the edge of the field with a high-powered rifle retrieved from a security vehicle.
"The device is on the northern ridge!" Nathaniel told her. "Sterling and Julian are running it from the old observation tower!"
"I'm coming with you," Clara said, her jaw set.
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"Everett!" Nathaniel shouted to his brother. "Keep the police back! Don't let anyone shoot at Aurelius! He’s holding on, but he won't last long!"
Everett nodded firmly, stepping in front of the police line with his hands raised. "Hold your fire! That's an order from the Chief Executive of House Wycliffe!"
