The fire engulfed the vampire.
Rom's quick actions vaporized the evil creature with purifying heat. Unfortunately, the energy was too much and Lacy was tossed in the air. Boneless she hit the chairs and plopped to the floor.
In mid battle Pelton turned and ran for his limp girlfriend. "Bang" the Deatheater he had been facing jinxed him, but that would be that Deatheater's last action as Athena snapped his neck. Pelton crumpled to the ground next to Lacy. Near panicked frenzy, Rom dashed to bodily protect them both. Aurors everywhere were trying to finish off their opponents but could not since few knew that they were facing dragons.
Sensing weakness three Canadian Golds moved in on Rom and her two charges. Rom snarled in the universal dragon challenge. Fearlessly the golds continued to approach assured in numbers. This ended when Rom's legs and arms began to lengthen. Rom's oriental look disappeared as ridges split from the top of her head and her butt sprouted a tail. Taking a third of the room Rommel stood over her two friends with a look of a mother dragon with eggs. Rommel roared in challenge to all the occupants.
Stunned, the room fell silent. Slowly all fights ended, and as one all the combatants turned to watch the events in the center. All three golds took steps back wary of what would happen. The only warning they received was Rommel lifting her head high and slightly back. Only one was not able to get his shield up in time. He perished in flames. The next was thrown as Rommel's tail battered the helpless female gold crushing her against the wall. After shielding and jumping, the third had thought to survive, but he never landed from his jump before being snapped in half by Rommel's powerful jaws. "Hisssssssss" Rommel growled as steam escaped from her nostrils. Her baneful eyes slowly rotated around the room looking at everyone daring them to attack her.
As one, the remaining victims of the trap extended their arms in the air. Few of the dragons had any fight left and none were sure they could transform in time. As for the Deatheaters they knew when a bigger kid had entered the playground.
Until all the aurors and Voldemort's supporters left did Rom transform back to a human. She was joined by John and Athena all who helped Rom carry Pelton and Lacy to the stage. "I will take them back to the headquarters. Rom you need to confront the aurors with the council's terms. After your actions they will be a little miffed about the occurrences. "Rom said nothing as she walked out of the room with John at her side. Athena sighed and wondered if Rom had ever taken the life of a dragon before this time. For even though Rom could remember the experiences of her parents, nothing could prepare a dragon for such knowledge of taken the life of ones kind. Her experiences were still all too vivid for Athena's liking. Such actions still awoke Athena at night, specially the ones from the days of the dragon purges. When humans and dragons alike thirsted for the power of dieing dragons, she thought. Of all them though one or two dragons still had not been brought to justice and Athena swore they would. For ultimately that was why she came back...revenge.
Rom walked to the front of the building in a daze. Knowing he could not do much, John contented himself to slip his arm around her waist and help her into a robe. The aurors were on their way back with wands out when Rom and John approached them. "HOLD THERE! I don't know how you witless dragons learned to become Animorphamaguses, but be assured we can still subdue you," the lead auror stated with a gruff and pompous voice. John hearing this bodily stepped in front of Rom as a snarl escaped her mouth. All ten of the wizards raised their wands before them.
"ENOUGH! Expelleramus," stated a haggard but confident voice. With little effort the Irish voice tore all the wands from those present, including John's firm grasp. "Young lass for the daughter of two of the finest of ya race. Ya have none of their patience," a small man with congealed blood on his face stepped out of the nearby side room. "Let go, afer me lad...she can do no more harm while I'm har. An' for an auror, ya extremely stupid, lucky for ya I'm har or that lass wud av tarn ya to pieces. Gentlemen, far years I av helped dragons thrive amongst us. I av hoped for the day that humans wud av finally see the wisdom of the elder race." The wizards seemed ready to add more blood to the silly man's face but none dared attack while he held a wand. "To that end, I gave a lad the egg of comrades of mine. I av thought that maybe I wud bring about the beginning of such a happy time."
"Wisdom of the elder race? HA! Dragons are no smarter then carrion birds or centaurs. You call me stupid? If I was so then why did I pass the exams to become an auror so easily?" The front man stepped menacingly toward Shady (for both Rom and John had figured out who he must be). Shady looked at him with pity and laughed.
"Aye, ya did pass the exams by Bridget. If that be a standard for the exam than carrion birds might av a chance at become aurors." All the aurors had the good graces to blush. "If we av a chance to defeat Voldemort, we av to work together. Dragons will av to be patient an' humans less arrogant. Now...I am off to talk with Dumbledore...you might want to find a common link."
Athena decided long ago that Dionysius, a Greek Smoothback, had been right. Wine fixes everything. Though she thought the Irish more practical, whisky accomplished the same but much faster. One of the strange mysteries of life was that dragons had a less tolerance for alcohol then humans. Dionysius himself was always portrayed in mythology as merry-for good reason-only three glasses of wine made him tipsy. She would have loved to see him with whisky.
After returning from the fight, Athena had left Lacy and Pelton to others for healing and decided to wash the memory of how many she was forced to kill that day. Her human lover Odysseus use to think it ironic that a Mediterranean War dragon did not want to kill. Humans, she sighed they have little remorse to kill when needed only when not needed did they think death was bad. She was nearly through her first double-shot (and halfway to being tipsy) when a knock came floating from the door. Half-stumbling to the door, Athena grasped the door to support her as she welcomed the guest. Alex stood in the doorway supporting another dragon that looked savagely beaten both as humans of course. "Good lord get her upstairs!" Athena stepped aside as two other dragons rushed in taking the poor creature to get care. Even though Alex was in human form she was almost as white as her normal form. And she was very pregnant. From a human perspective she was about nine months along though in dragon time that would be the fifth year. "Alex please sit, you should not be traveling you are way too far along. Why did you not send Tyrdaelle instead or is his holiness too lazy?" Athena and Tyrdaelle had never been friends.
"He is dead," was the simple answer that had the same effect as the mouse that roared. "He flew with others to give the greater population of Sanctuary the chance to escape…the mountain is gone and we lost everything." Tears began to swell in her eyes. Athena firmly decided to take another shooter of whiskey. "We are again a race without a home." Athena now fully passed tipsy could do nothing more than just sit and nod as Alex continued the story. She remembered the sacrifices of her mate and best friends to give dragonkind the chance to rebuild on Sanctuary. Now they were back to Earth all because of Voldemort. Even though humans were quick to anger and had lost more in numbers in this latest war, no human could possibly imagine the hatred for Voldemort that passed between Alex and Athena. Over a hundred dead and two more complete species of dragons never to return.
"All the Crystal Dragons are dead?"
"No…right before aparating herself a bronze snuck down to make sure any Crystals were not left behind. She found four eggs that were still alive. Even though they look much like us and choose to follow us into exile, they were never able to keep one of their eggs alive on Sanctuary. That is why they flew that night thinking that their race would die eventually anyways. Stella gathered them in hopes that a volcano would allow for resurrection of the ancients. We have hidden them until we have discovered if any still remain on Earth." Athena sighed at this in relief at least they had a chance to live. None knew that Athena had been the one to convince the Crystals to leave in the first place. "I am hoping to go into hiding myself and stay out of this to keep my baby safe, but I figured you had the right to know. Also the gold I brought with me is the sentry that warned us. I decided to leave her with you because she lost her mate and species to give us the chance to leave. You are the only one I could think of that has been there. Please be kind to her she saved us." Alex left at this.
Again in life Athena felt the need for one of her mates to be there. Poor thing this Sentallia, she had no clue what was to come in life. Well while I am drinking, I might as well spread the wealth. Taking some glasses with her she went to the bed where the young gold laid. "May I sit with you?" The gold only looked up. "Will the rest of you give us the room alone, please" as the rest left Athena noticed that Lacy and Pelton were still unconscious. "Senta, do you know who I am."
Dilated eyes turned toward Athena and studied her. "I believe so. You were apart of the council, and you were one of the leaders that led us to Sanctuary. Your name is Athena of Greece." Surprised by this much knowledge, Athena asked if Senta knew of the fight. "My parents refused to talk about the escape. They were too traumatized by it. Though now having gone threw this I think that they were being petty. They did not lose everyone they loved and had lived with" anger and scorn dripped from her mouth. Athena knew that Senta was hoping not to recover. How could she blame her? Athena still wanted to die so that she would join her mates.
"Let me tell you a story," she settled herself next to the bed and began to pour two shooters of whiskey. "I was just a little older then you and had already had four mates. I loved humans and even acted as a god to them as my parents had. I helped build the Greek civilization. I even had human lovers. This changed when the Roman Empire fell. My brother, Ares or Mars, died in Rome at the hands of the Germans. I mourned him but did not fear." She longingly looked at the shooters, nope have to wait…damn. If she had known then what she knew now, dragonkind might have been spared. Well that was the past. "My own love for humans blinded me. Some of those Germans realized that they had gained new powers from the dragon's death. Hungrily they sought after some native green forest dragons in Germany and north Italy. Soon wizards of great strength began to appear. I sought to hold my kind from nipping this in the bud. I figured with the power these new wizards would learn wisdom. I was wrong. Soon my kind was under attack in our own homes. Athens itself my home had a mob form to kill me. I barely escaped but lost one mate to them. Angered I killed the wizard that had started the mob and burned a quarter of the city. Soon it spread, and Mongols slaughter several and in North Africa the first Dragon Knight appeared. Before this humans had rode dragons but never as this. Both dragon and rider wanted the power of the helpless dragons. Within three hundred years over a fourth of dragons were dead. What saved our kind was the short life span of the wizards. Though soon more and more appeared, and no city would protect dragons now. Some dragons began to burn hold villages down to punish humans for this torture. I went before the council with my two best friends to plead for us to leave. That night, two more of my mates died at the hands of two dragons that though without riders sought the power anyways. Alex discovered a new planet that night also and began plans for an evacuation. Unfortunately three nights later those two dragons appeared in the council chamber carrying the heads of my mates. Only Alex escaped. She told me what had happened. My species was now down to only a dozen members outside myself."
Lying back a moment, she recalled the faces of her lovers. Hermes's sleek form and cheerful attitude that made her and the others laugh constantly (he was the first to die). Romulus and Remus, twins, that consequently, lived together and also died together. Finally, the last to die…she could not bear to remember him, but she had to do this. "Our plan was simple. Since the gate to the new world would have to be on the ground so that mass numbers of us could leave quickly, we placed two flights in air to guard the gate and myself with my two best friends guarded the door itself on ground. Unfortunately we had been attacked by combined effort of several races. Seven Dragon Knights and over a hundred wyverns who hated us since the beginning of time attacked with wizards of foot. Bravely the last of my kind had volunteered to fight in the first flight. We were known for our blood thirst and fighting ability. My last mate, Orion, led them into the jaws of the horde. Not a single wyvern lived as the other flight joined in comprised of mostly the council guard that had survived their charges, but nor did half of our flights. In the end as I fought humans on ground I watched the last of my kind die. When it came time for us to leave I looked up to call the remains to leave but only Orion lived. Two Dragon Knights had died trying to fight him, but they had gravely injured him. I bellowed and began to rise to cover his retreat but I was grabbed and dragged to the door by my friends. In my haste to help I had missed him yell for me to leave. They had not. His last words were to me and his enemy 'For my kin, for my home, for my race, for my mate you shall never pass me alive.'" Tears by now were free-flowing down her tanned face. "He was wrong they eventually did pass him but not in time. I watched him die after taking another dragon with him. To sum up this story I am one of the only dragons that can understand perfectly what you are going through." Athena attempted to wipe her eyes with her shirt but only smeared them evenly across the face.
"We were never told that story. I did not know that your kind perished for my family. How have you lived this long? How do you go on?"
"I know that one day I will get my revenge. When I see my lovers faces I know that they died fighting the only way for our kind to die! In the end, I hope to go with as much honor as they. I remember the cheerful and the romantic times. I know that I will see them one day, but before I do I have to honor and revenge their deaths or I will never die with peace." Athena handed her a shooter glass and raised it. "To the honorable dead, those who died to save us and dragons in general. May we see you again and live eternally." Athena drank until she passed out as did Sentallia. Both thought of their mates until they left the conscious world.