Before him stood the four dragonmaids, obedient to him and in awe and curiosity. Then the girls waited for the further command of Azrael, and he had already decided upon what to do.
"Alright, you girls go now," he said in his calm, commanding voice. "I'll find you when I need you."
The dragonmaids looked at each other, and the tallest one bowed her head slightly. There was no need for words to be spoken, for they just turned into shadow, their scales flickering once in the faint light, and vanished into the night.
Once more, the cavern lapsed into the strange silence that only the steady pulsing of the heart in his hand betrayed-and Azrael's quiet breathing.
And his eyes lit with purpose as he forced himself up and out of the cave. That was one mission accomplished, and then on to another. His captured comrades he thought of. Liabilities, he snorted at the memory. Not friends.
The system answered, dripping with amusement now.
[Good news, Mister Casanova.]
"And what may that be?" Azrael growled, vaulting over a snapped ledge, bruised from the last battle.
[Your called Holy Ones—the females who captured your friends—only have one weak spot. One individual magic can cut their power.]
"Come on," he said irritably. "Spit it out already,."
[The dragon heart! That's the secret. When they see it, their magic will disappear like smoke into the wind. You will be able to take them down without a hassle.]
Azrael's smile twisted even wider. "Interesting. That'll make things easier."
[Oh, and one more thing.]
"What?"
[Just don't get too teary-eyed when you save your 'friends']
"They're not my friends," Azrael growled.
[Right. My mistake. 'Liabilities.' How about that?]
"Much." He shifted his grip on the heart. "Let's just get this over with."
Night had fallen by the time Azrael reached the edge of the forest where his friends had been taken.
The moon cast its silver through the trees, shadows dancing upon the ground as he began to slip silently between the trees-an unseen phantom. His heart thundered with that of the dragon, every beat filled him anew with life.
Holy Ones guard inside the open space. In the moonlight, luminous bodies shone to their white flowing robes fluttering just like water. From their beauty radiated out but to Azrael-beautiful yet deadly ruthless lot.
Far from the conflagration wherein Adam was detained were secured five girls-they were held up with broad pieces of timber and were by then worn-out, their faces down. Azrael's eyes narrowed. Showtime.
He took another step forward, every footfall sure of the ground below, every inhalation measured. With each passing step closer to a Holy One near, the dragon's heart seemed to throb more strongly within the dragon. His veins spread it through him, and from his clenched fist, a glow faintly found its way to the outside.
She turned and her eyes made contact with the heart in his hand.
"No. It can't be!" she gasped, stumbling backward as if too hot to handle.
"Surprise," Azrael said, smiling.
She lifted her hands to cast her spell, but none worked. The glow encasing her sputtered and died. "Impossible!"
"Guess your magic has a weakness." With a lunge, he drove the heart into her chest. An explosion of energy threw her backward onto the ground, unconscious.
The others spun, eyes aglow with rage and terror. "The dragon heart!" one of them spat.
"Come and get it," Azrael sneered, a taunting grin spread across his face.
THEY CAME AS ONE, a blur of speed and fury. Azrael moved with calculated precision, dodging their strikes, using the dragon heart both as shield and weapon.
Every time they tried to use their powers, the presence of the heart would interfere with their magic, leaving them helpless against his constant barrage.
A Holy One swung her staff at his head, but he ducked and slammed his shoulder into her midsection, slamming her into a tree. Another reached out from behind with gleaming claws but spun and thrust the heart forward. She screamed as its energy washed over her, collapsing into a heap.
"Two down," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
The other two circled him warily, their confidence shaken. He could feel their fear like a palpable force.
"You're outmatched," he said. "Surrender now, and I might be generous."
One of them snarled. "We are the Holy Ones! You are nothing but a—
Azrael would not let her finish. Launching himself at her, his aglow fist full of the heart's power, he struck her and sent her flying backward. She was limp even before she had even hit the ground.
The last one retreated a few feet back, eyes wide with terror. "Stay back!"
He advanced, slow. "Your reign ends here."
He siphoned the last of her energy with his final heart of the dragon. She collapsed to the ground and the clearing was silent again.
Painfully, in juddering breaths he stumbled to the prisoners. A swing of his sword shattered the bindings of the prisoners.
Adam groaned, massaged his wrists, and stood up. "It took you long enough."
"Next time, don't get caught," Azrael said, nodding in their direction; the ropes that secured the girls came undone.
" Azrael," one of them whispered. "Thanks."
He whirled on them, his face cold and unyielding. "Don't thank me. You're liabilities."
Adam laughed. "Yeah, sure we are."
Finally free, Azrael cast a last glance at the defeated Holy Ones. "Let's move. We're not safe here."