Author's Notes: The word 'Androktonians' was derived from the Greek word 'Androktones' which means 'killers of men'. Please don't flame me for what happens in this chapter! There are hints in the scene! I don't know, but I laughed writing it, but that's because I'm a bit sadistic. Er... Forget I wrote that.

Thanks to Menecarkawan for beta reading! You're awesome! And best of all, you haven't quit on me!

Song: 'Dogfight' by m.o.v.e (From Initial D, I think)


Ch. 15: The Sprouting Wings

Harry stopped with wide eyes as he saw the spectacle before him. There was a roaring and glowing blue dragon flying over the small female populated city. It was even bigger than the ice dragon they had fought. He could see that the dragon was the colour of Kroy's glowing eerie blue eyes. He hadn't expected to see a dragon that glowed, but that was the least of his worries. He dodged along with the females as the dragon spat fire at them. "This is truly a big problem," Harry stated, still startled by what he was seeing.

Luna was smiling and had dreamy eyes. "Isn't he beautiful?"

"I don't care whether he is cute or ugly, Luna. We have to stop him!" Harry exclaimed, wondering to himself how in the world they would accomplish stopping the creature when they had been almost defeated by a smaller dragon before.

The blue dragon surprised them by spitting water instead of fire at some of the city's women. Harry blinked at that and Dia, as if reading Harry's mind, quickly clarified: "It possesses all the elements."

"We have to cage him and somehow restrain his muzzle and nostrils. It's the only way," Harry spoke and just then, he felt his legs weakening and almost fell, but Dianeia held him. "I'm still drugged," he explained weakly.

"You also have a wine stench all over you, Harry. They mixed wine with drugs?" Harry nodded and Dia frowned. "That's bad. You cannot function like this!"

Harry felt mildly angered. He didn't want Dianeia to doubt his abilities. He wouldn't look weak, at least not in front of her or anybody for that fact. He straightened himself and raised his arms. He closed his eyes as he opened his palms and let the powerful magic flow through him: "Sanctus Ingens Claustrum!" From his palms came binds of holy magic that surrounded the angry dragon. Little by little, the binds started shaping themselves and growing. Meanwhile, Harry kept growing weaker as he manipulated the magical binds, gesturing with his power filled hands. The holy binds formed a giant cage of holy magic in midair, but a ghastly looking Harry, with extended arms, guided it downwards. The cage landed softly on the ground and he could feel many eyes on him, but he was drained. The women from that place looked fearful. Some of the women were frozen and fellow citizens were thawing them with weak fire magic.

Harry was trembling and turned to Dia, eyes looking disoriented: "The... Muzzle... Create... Bind..." With that he passed out and Dia caught him with protective arms. She glared at the fearful women as a warning for keeping their distance from Harry. She raised her rod and created binds around the dragon's mouth and a shield over the dragon's nostrils even though the dragon had stopped breathing elements. It seemed to be calming down under the influence of the holy magic that the cage constantly emitted in a pulsating beat.

Kharainne had awoken and joined the women outside, helping in the healing of burns and unfreezing other girls. She looked at the passed out Harry cradled in Dianeia's arms. "What happened?" Kharainne asked and the other women explained. The queen was astounded by what she learned and looked at Dianeia, Nemaisse, and Luna. "Who are you people? Who are you really? Who is he? I've never seen a man able to perform such powerful magic while drugged! And I certainly know that he is not an adult yet!"

"He is from the other world..." Dianeia replied softly. "He is our leader too..."

"I understand," Kharainne replied. "I apologize for what we have done against you and thank you for stopping that dragon. Where did the dragon come from? None of you seemed from the Draconian people..."

"One of us is a half-blood," Nemaisse answered.

They all stared at the cage and the dragon started to lose its giant shape, the strains on its mouth and nostrils falling to the ground. It kept getting smaller and smaller until it started to get a human form. Kroy dropped to his knees. He was completely naked and his hair was matted to his face because he was drenched in what seemed like sweat. He was trembling and gasping as he touched his face, and then he turned to see Nemaisse, Luna, and Dia. His features held an expression of horror and then he placed his hands over his eyes in an ashamed gesture. Two women came with clothes and passed them to Kroy through the cage's magical bars and he slowly dressed. The clothes were a cream coloured long sleeved tunic and light brown pants. They provided him with fur boots also. Nemaisse and Luna approached the cage and he spoke with a trembling voice: "I don't know how it happened... Why... Why can't I remember what triggered it?" He stared at the girls with wide eyes, full of fear.

"It's alright now," Nemaisse expressed with pitying eyes. "You are you again. It's over."

"Do you want us to free you?" Luna asked with a warm smile.

"I just feel so tired," Kroy muttered and dropped onto the ground inside the cage, in deep sleep.

XxXxX

Harry was placed on a bed in what seemed to be an Infirmary. His male companions were also there recovering from their drugged state and Kroy had been also transferred after Dianeia, Luna, Nemaisse, and queen Kharainne managed to vanish the powerful giant cage by joining their magic. The first to completely wake was Soshlan and he was broken and crying non-stop. Nemaisse and Luna went to his side to try and calm him, but he wouldn't stop crying. Dianeia would have also gone to the boy if she hadn't been watching over Harry, and sending killer glares to any woman who would stand three feet from Harry's resting comfort. Dia didn't trust those women at all, even if they had apologized about a thousand times by that point.

"I don't remember anything!" Soshlan exclaimed, sobbing. "I only remember seeing myself naked at some point and nothing else! What have they done to me?"

"It's alright, Soshlan. They already said they had no time to do anything to any of you because of Kroy," Nemaisse spoke tenderly while Luna massaged Soshlan's shoulders a little. The boy started to calm down, but kept hiccupping all the while. He entangled his hands on his golden hair, trying to stifle the headache that had begun with his recovery.

Janryu stirred and opened his eyes. He suddenly cringed and got an all fours on the bed scanning the bedroom. He was completely alert, but relaxed as soon as he saw his female companions there. "What happened? I won't leave any stranded kids in this place, right?" The vampire had been drugged too, but he had understood part of what had been happening all the while.

"No, you won't," Dianeia replied from Harry's bedside, wearing a very serious expression.

"Good," the vampire answered, feeling relaxed.

Neville woke up next and Luna went to his side and spoke to him in whispers. Neville kept nodding with saddened eyes. He still couldn't believe those women had originally planned to eat him.

After a few hours, Kroy woke before Harry. The citizens from that place confessed that as Kroy was the oldest he was the first to be stripped of his clothes, but he reacted badly to the removal of his garments. He had started thrashing and had easily ripped the ropes that bound him to a bed. After that, he had gone berserk and fifteen women had tried to restrain him and used magic against him. The magic backfired as Kroy went hysterical as he was being attacked. It was like his body wanted to defend itself on its own even if the mind wasn't completely aware of what was happening. One of the women used a whip and tied it around Kroy's neck thinking she would accomplish taming him, but it had the opposite effect. Kroy growled and started glowing. He tore the whip with a scaly and strengthened neck, and ran naked out of the bedroom and transformed outside. That had been when the chaos and the screams had started.

The women were now fearful of both Harry and Kroy. Harry's still powerful display under the influence of both wine and drugs had scared the wits out of them. Even if he was unconscious, they somehow feared that Harry could turn into a dragon or something worse if attacked.

Kharainne approached Dianeia and sat at Harry's other side. Dia looked immediately uncomfortable and wary, but the queen tried to calm her. "I won't try stealing him from you. Although I do wonder why you have bonded with him when you are both children..."

"I'm not..."

"Not a child? No, of course not," Kharainne stated with a bit of sarcasm. "In human years you are an adult, I know. But the same does not apply to your race, does it? How old are you really in comparison to a human of your age?"

"That is none of your concern," Dia replied angered.

"You are keeping secrets from him. You should tell him the truth."

"I'm twenty-two years old!" Dia justified.

Kharainne laughed and shook her head. "He will find out sooner or later. You can't even bear children of your own yet, child. You are less than a teenager."

"How do you know that?" Dianeia asked looking shocked. It was true that she couldn't have children, but she thought that to be an advantage in many ways. Even if in that sense she was not a complete woman that didn't mean she was a child either. Certainly not at her normal age.

"I have an ability to sense fertility and I know that you lack it. I cannot figure your race, but I know that you are not a common human. At what age will you be able to have children?"

"Stop this! I already told you it's none of your concern! Do you want to lower me in comparison to you just because I cannot bear any children yet? I'm not interested in bearing children either. It would only hinder me and my ability to help my companions. Don't you dare try to make yourself superior because you are not. I'm as much of a woman as you are." Dia tried to remain calm, but she was burning with hatred against that queen from the inside. The sooner they could leave, the better.

"I didn't want to offend you. It's strange to find a female that doesn't care about fertility, but I'll respect your way of thinking. You have a point when you express that being pregnant you wouldn't be able to help him." Kharainne pointed her hand at the still sleeping Harry.

Harry started to wake right after the small exchange between the two women and straightened as soon as he noticed Kharainne, but Dia placed calming hands on his shoulders. "It's alright. She won't attack you." Harry looked at Dia and breathed a sigh of relief. "How do you feel?"

"As if I crashed into a brick wall on my Firebolt. I have a horrible headache..."

Dia raised an eyebrow and then showed worry in her pink orbs. "Flying on a firebolt? I think you might still be a bit drugged."

Harry started to laugh, realizing what he had just said and why Dia was confused. "When I said Firebolt, I meant my flying broom in my world, not a firebolt in a literary sense."

"Okay, now I guess you are indeed sober," Dia laughed.

XxXxX

The stone walls that encased the small city of females were open for the travelers to leave in the morning. They decided against having breakfast, not trusting those women at all. Harry had suspected they wanted to at least get Neville in some way and he wouldn't allow it. After they had already left the odd city, Janryu spoke a question aloud: "What do they do with the old women and what do they do if they get male babies?"

Kroy hardened his glowing blue eyes. "I believe they send the old women away, scattering them through towns. Old women would only chase their male morsels away. About male babies, my only guess is that they eat them too."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Luna suddenly stated before placing her right arm against a tree with her forehead against said arm. She threw up bile, as there was nothing in their stomachs yet. Neville softly rubbed her back. "How can they kill their babies?" Luna asked with teary eyes.

"It's just a guess," Kroy tried to clarify what he had said. "Maybe they send them away somehow..."

Soshlan shook his head though. "They don't. What you said first is the truth. I had a bad feeling yesterday when we got to that place, but wasn't able to confirm my fears until later. I'm glad we were able to get out of there alive. That was a tribe of Androktonians. They kill men and eat them after using them for reproductive purposes. The man thinks he is in a paradise full of beautiful young women only to end up being devoured."

Neville was in deep thought and needed to ask the question that had risen in his mind to free himself of doubt or he would go mad: "Why did they want to eat me? I am not well built as they referred to me. Kroy and Janryu both have strong, better built bodies with actual muscles..."

"Because when they spoke about being nicely built they didn't mean muscles. They meant..." Soshlan went silent as if afraid of insulting Neville.

"You can say it..." Neville said, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't really very fat, but he knew perfectly well what Soshlan had been about to say. "They meant fat, right?" All of them laughed in a nervous way, including Neville himself. Still, the group's slight moment of peace ended abruptly when some gas started to surround them. "What is this?" Neville reacted.

Harry's eyes went wide and he yelled: "RUN!"

They all started running. Harry had somehow realized that it was sleeping gas, but he had no idea if the Androktonians were behind it. He had a feeling they weren't. This was someone else trying to get them, probably bandits who had dedicated themselves to capturing children.

They ran through the woods as fast as they possibly could. None of them stopped until they had reached a village that was very close. Panting, Harry looked at his companions, but was taken aback as he counted seven, including him, instead of eight. He counted again and said the names aloud: "Dia, Kroy, Neville, Luna, Janryu, and Soshlan." He gasped. "Where's Nemaisse?"

The others looked around and at their own faces. Kroy shook his head. "We've lost her. It seems that she never got here with us."

"We will go back," Harry said very sure of himself.

"Are you mad?" Kroy asked him, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We can't go back! She has probably been captured!"

"I won't leave anyone!" Harry exclaimed, shoving Kroy's hand away. He knew that in part, Kroy was right, but at the same time he felt guilty. Nemaisse had been in that kingdom of Franya and even if the kingdom had been attacked, he felt that the girl joining them had been entirely accidental. He couldn't leave her behind. "We won't go back, but we will ask in the village for possible places where there are bounty hunter caravans. We'll somehow rescue her."

"Can we eat first?" Janryu asked almost pathetically.

Harry nodded. As worried as he was about Nemaisse, he couldn't sacrifice the others by not letting them at least have breakfast. "We might be able to get something to eat in this village," he stated, not really feeling like eating.

They entered a small diner wearing cloaks over their heads. No one asked them any questions as they ordered some food and nourished themselves. Harry paid for the food they consumed and went to different people asking them questions. Most villagers avoided the travelers and fled as soon as they tried to approach them, but some listened and shook their heads at the questions. They weren't getting anywhere at that rate, but a ray of luck struck them. They saw the townspeople running everywhere and hiding in shops and houses, so they acted in the same way. A sensation of deja vu hit Harry as they ended up in trees, watching silently as a caravan entered the village. Soshlan gasped and Kroy, who was closest to the boy, covered the elven fairy's mouth. The caravan was composed of dirty looking bandits like the ones they had encountered before. They had a small group of children with metallic bands around their necks. The bands were attached to chains and the chains were attached to the enclosed carriage that was pulled by horses. Among the children was Nemaisse. The nymph kept looking around as if searching for her friends. She was the reason why Soshlan had gasped.

Harry remained calm as the bounty hunters entered different shops. They bought food and gave each child a small piece of stale bread. Harry felt disgusted by the sight and almost wanted to jump from the tree and go against those men, but tried to wait a little. The problem was Janryu didn't wait. He transformed into his black winged demon form and went against the caravan. Harry cursed before also jumping and the others followed.

Janryu shot beams at the bounty hunters and set two of them on fire, but one of the bounty hunters was a mage that quickly rescued his mates, and to make matters even worse, another of the wicked men was a vampire like Janryu. He transformed into a winged demon of a blazing red colour and started to duel Janryu in the air. Both shot beams at each other and used their claws and fangs when they entangled in physical fighting.

"This is not good at all," Kroy stated before going against one of the child hunters. The man, who Kroy knew wasn't human, removed a scythe from where it had been at his waist. He started dueling Kroy, who used his scales as a method for both attack and defense.

Soshlan quickly headed to free all the children, but was surprised by a chain that magically went against him and created a metallic band around his neck. He tried to use magic to remove it, but the band was designed to repel magic. It subdued the elven fairy, but not for long. Harry's sword cut the chain while Dianeia freed the rest of the children by performing cutting spells on all of the metallic binds.

Neville engaged himself in combat against another gun user. It was easy to see that even with less experience Neville was better and faster. In very little time, the chubby boy had managed to shoot both guns from the man's arms and the man fled, fearing that Neville's next shot would kill him.

Luna bound three human bounty hunters with invisible ropes, but the mage knocked her out with a powerful spell. Harry then went against the mage. Both used rays of light against each other, but Harry's was stronger. It swallowed the mage's attack, but the mage dodged.

A seemingly nice man opened an empty stable and called for Dianeia and Soshlan to bring the children there and so they did. They had to remove the children from the battle. The man closed the stable's door with the children inside, but the mage shot a huge flaming bolt at the wooden stable, igniting a great fire.

Harry was angered as he saw what the mage had done and performed a holy magic sphere and sent it against the mage. It crashed with the mage's head in such a fashion that when the light was gone it was obvious that the mage was headless. The body fell to the ground and melted.

Kroy used a final attack with his scales and killed the scythe wielding bounty hunter. The bounty hunter had been a werewolf. At the same time, Janryu gave a final blow to the red demon. It fell to the ground, regaining his human form. Janryu also regained his human form and set several daggers ablaze, and threw them at the enemy vampire, charring it.

Harry tried to use water magic along with everyone, right after waking Luna, but the stable's fire wouldn't leave. It was a magical fire and they didn't know how to put it out. A recently woken Luna summoned Undine as Dianeia, Soshlan, and the man tried to open the stable's door. The door wouldn't budge and Undine used her magical water waves, but the fire simply turned blue. The summon turned to Luna and shook her head. It was a strange fire that not even the water summon could defeat.

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?" asked Soshlan nervously, still trying to open the door.

Janryu created a powerful black sphere and yelled at Dia, Soshlan, and the man. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He shot the black sphere and it destroyed the door. He controlled it so that it wouldn't go inwards and attack the children, then he made it vanish with a movent of his right arm. The children came out running, including Nemaisse, but the stable was falling apart and two toddlers were still trapped inside.

"Kashia an Topher are still inside! They are only three and four years old!" A twelve-year-old girl informed them.

Harry was going to run into the stable, but Janryu stopped him. "I'll do it!" Janryu ran and jumped over the fallen debris to enter the stable. He got the babies and almost got to the entrance/exit when more debris fell in front of him. He had a child under each arm, but had to free them and place them under him protectively. Janryu smiled faintly and Harry saw a white light surrounding the vampire and the toddlers. Janryu closed his eyes, lowering his head, and got the children even more under him as the flaming ceiling fell on them.

Harry reacted immediately after seeing debris blocking the young vampire, wanting to get into the burning stable. He was restrained by Kroy as he saw the strange white light appear and the ceiling fall on his friend along with two very small children. His scream of anguish and despair couldn't be covered by the sound of the raging flames. "JANRYUUUUUUUUU! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Harry was wheezing as his deep sorrow triggered something in his body. Kroy had to free the boy as he was burned by the magical outburst. Harry's screams filled the air and the clothing on his back was ripped violently. Two great shiny white wings sprouted from him, dripping blood by the way in which they had ruptured through his skin. Both Dia and Kroy looked at each other. Dianeia knew it would happen sooner or later, as the mutation triggered by her kept taking its toll in the young man's body. She still wasn't sure if Harry would become like one of her kind or something slightly different. It was difficult to tell and she had never seen something like that before.

The-Boy-Who-Lived grabbed some soil in his fists and threw it away angrily. Yet again, he screamed, but there were no tears caused by both the physical pain from his ongoing changes nor from the hurt of losing one of his companions, along with two innocent lives that were never to learn about their world.


Okay... So... Should I hide now? Eep!

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