Hail Conquering the Heroes Fic
Title: Hail Conquering the Heroes
Chapter: 4/?
Rating: M
Story Warnings: M/M, F/M, Violence
Relationships: Harry Dresden/John Marcone, Bob Luccio/Hendricks
Characters: Harry Dresden, John Marcone, Bob Luccio, Nathan Hendricks, Jared Kincaid, Ebenezer McCoy, Thomas Raith, Justine Raith, Merlin, Ancient Mai, Karen Murphy, OC’s
Summary: The White Council has ruled over the magical population for centuries. The time has come for their reign to end.
Part of my Dresden AU Series.
This story comes after Overcome and won’t make a lot of sense if you haven’t read it.
(For some reason I was having trouble with tenses this chapter please forgive me.)
Fire roars into existence. Its light blazing an orangey blue as it blazes through the room, eating everything in its path.
Harry has barely managed to regain his footing when he has to scramble away from a vicious whip of electricity that buzzes imperviously through the flames. The swift dive brings him nearly nose to nose with a hooded man that is currently trussed in front of the frantic Council.
Harry only has a moment to see the quick sharp gasps that are dampening the black cloth as the prisoner struggles for air through the thick material before he has to spin away.
Marcone’s men have wasted no time in taking advantage of Harry’s spectacular distraction and are efficiently trying to take as many headshots as they can.
The remainder of the gray cloaked wardens that have survived the slaughter that Harry wrought that day at the hospital lack the first groups ferocity and quick reflexes.
They drop like flies.
The Council is a more difficult proposition. They huddle behind the meager protection of the tall table and fling curses as quickly as they can manage. Most of the spells encounter the protection of the rune covered body armor but a few of Marcone’s men fell under the onslaught and don’t get back up.
Bob bounds past Harry, his short legs a rapid blur and the blade that he swings with deadly accuracy at the electrical whip that the Merlin is currently controlling. The magical metal tore through the electricity and the broken spell whiplashes back towards its creator.
All Arthur does is flick the shattered remnants away with an easy wave of his hand before he flings something into the air.
Harry doesn’t even stop to think and swings hard with his staff, turning it into an impromptu bat, swiping the object and hitting it back behind the tall table.
The magical grenade hits the ground with a quiet tinkle before it blows apart spectacularly.
Mai and the Merlin manage to dive over the false protection of the table. The explosion brings three of the remaining men to the floor in pieces.
Four left.
Marcone charges towards Langtry, not giving the older man a chance to regain his footing. The stock of the rifle goes down with a sharp crack as it connects with the Merlin’s temple. The most powerful wizard in the world falls to the ground, unconscious, without a sound.
Marcone doesn’t even break his stride as he spins on his heels, and bringing the rifle up to his shoulder, quickly pulls the trigger twice bringing both remaining members of the Council down, this time more permanently.
Mai pulls herself free of the tumble that she had been forced to make and regains her feet briefly only to be slammed backwards into the table when Harry releases the kinetic energy in three of the five rings on his right hand.
Snarling Mai tries to return fire, but before she can draw breath to spit out whatever spell she was contemplating Marcone fires again, the bullet hits her in the face and leaves a small crater where one of her eyes used to be.
She doesn’t drop.
Mai doesn’t hesitate for an instant as she dives towards Harry her snarling mouths, rippling back further and further, petite limits disappearing into a snarling cavern of a muzzle as she rips free of her human skin.
The raging dragon’s throat rumbles and Harry can feel his eyes widen in fear as she rears back exposing her serpentine neck for a single stilled moment. Mai thrusts her face forward mouth a gaping maw that has the low glow of flame starting to unfurl in the back of her throat. Harry tries to scramble out of the way but time seems to slow, his gasping inhales are the only thing that breaks through the sudden silence.
Before Harry can brace himself for the pain to come Kincaid drops from the ceiling, the pommel of his sword coming down hard enough to force her head to the floor with a sickening crack as he uses the floor to forcefully snap Mai’s mouth closed before any flames can escape.
Mai forces herself to swallow the flames with an undignified snort before she manages to regain her feet.
Blackened scales are draped across her body like so many dead coals,the only place her skin gleams is where blood runs down from her eye socket and from her mouth, although she is corded with muscle she is not the dragon of fantasy. Wingless and no larger than a slender deer Mai’s form is far more suited to close combat.
Her remaining golden eye sparking with further fury at being forestalled, Mai growls wetly. Withdrawing bloodied lips reveal a single missing fang. The tooth lays on the marble floor at her feet.
Kincaid lands in a deep crouch and he pulls his clenched fist back to pummel her again when Mai lashes out with a clawed bony hand and knocks the Hellhound backwards over the cowering victim that the Council had arrested.
The boy tumbled sideways as Kincaid fell with a curse, the only sound he makes is a muffled gasp as all of the air is knocked out of his lungs. His hands are tied behind his back and though he scrambles blindly to get out of the way, Kincaid puts both of his boots to the young man’s side and slides him away from the center of the action with one great heave.
Hendrick’s reaches out to the skidding man and tosses him over towards the small group of soldiers that were protecting their fallen comrades.
He and Bob circle the room around the last conscious member of the Council. Bob snags the Merlin’s leather boots and drags him towards in unoccupied corner so that he can keep the old wizard unconscious.
Marcone had given both Bob and Nathan specific orders about the elderly man. He wasn’t supposed to die, not yet at least.
Mai’s howling exhalation was unstoppable this time and Harry could feel the hellish heat coming from the spout of flame that she blew in his direction.
Marcone dove for him and driving into his knees brought them both down to the floor trying to twist away from the sparks that were raining down on them.
Mai’s flame disappears and she lunges forward to pounce on the two supine men. Dresden can feel Marcone’s arm tense repeatedly as he pulls the trigger on the rifle again and again.
Each shot hits its mark and is shrugged off like rice on a wedding day. Mai shies away from the bullets letting the dark hide of her shoulders take the blow rather than any of her tender orifices.
Kincaid bounds forward again and Mai is forced to turn away from the two men in order to protect her hindquarters from the whistling blow that the Hellhound nearly lands.
Marcone and Dresden both regain their feet and separate so that Mai has three different moving targets all of them trying to pull her down.
Marcone keeps taking shots, aiming for her bobbing and weaving head. A shriek of pain lets him know that he’s made another hit. Mai’s head snakes towards him only for Kincaid to land a blow to her right hamstring; the magical blade bites through seemingly impenetrable flesh and lames her.
Left with three useable legs Mai desperately backs up, if she can launch herself off of a wall she might be able to reach the rafters of the large room.
Spinning away from her tormentors Mai makes a doomed leap towards a wall hung tapestry, Kincaid shoulders her away from her escape route and she turns and comes face to face with Harry Dresden’s black eyes.
He raises his clenched fist and Mai’s remaining eye widens as she sees the bloodied fang that he has in his grip. That single eye goes glazed and milky as Harry drives the point of the fang down between her eyes in as hard a blow as he can muster.
The sharpened point goes through brain and muscle with the same wretched ease and Harry pulls out the wickedly curved fang with a single easy jerk.
Ancient Mai’s body has lost all of its grace as she tumbles dead to the marble floor with her scales creating a metallic susurration that slid through the surrounding men’s bones with the force of a shovel hitting metal.
When the sound finally quit rattling through their bones a dead silence came over the room, broken only by their panting breaths.
Marcone studied the wreckage of the once gaudily decorated room.
The fine table lay on its side, wine spreading across the sprawling remains of the white table runner, it’s scent lending a fruity aroma to the rising smell of copper.
Five of the seven Council members bodies lay behind the table. Their blood had sprayed across the room in arterial spurts that had left many of the ancient wall hangings dripping crimson.
Stepping towards his men, Marcone looked at the small huddle of bodies that his soldiers were grouped around. Hendricks was waiting patiently for him, arms still cradling his rifle in the ready position.
“How many.” Although his voice was quiet, it seemed to echo through the broken silence
“Two, sir. A couple of minor injuries otherwise.”
“Get them out of here. Make sure their families are provided for. Any injuries can be taken to the usual doctors.”
“And him?” Hendricks gestured towards the still bound and masked man.
Harry strode over.
“Leave him. I’ll deal with him in a minute. Bob, what do you think you’re doing?”
Bob looked over his shoulder, and over the Merlin’s shoulders. His slim frame was carrying the elderly man in a fireman’s carry with ease.
“Marcone’s got an idea for this one. You’ll enjoy it I promise.”
“Fine. Keep him unconscious.”
Bob smiled as he shrugged the heavy weight off of his shoulders and let the Merlin fall to the floor with a heavy thud.
“Can do Boss.”
Marcone gently lead his younger lover away from everything as the soldiers quietly began to fling the Council into a neat pile.
“We’re not done you know.” The taller man swiped both of his hands down the length of his pants leaving behind a trail of too red blood.
“I know, Harry. We may never be done. The Council’s lackeys aren’t going to keep coming. I wouldn’t be surprised if a new Council was elected in the future. But for now we have removed their threat.”
If Harry’s sigh was slightly shaky, Marcone refused to comment on it.
“We’ll need to gather up Mai’s body. There’s quite a few potions that need bits and bobs from dragons. All of them useful.”
Marcone let one of his eyebrows raise.
“I believe the sight of a dragon, even a dead one, might cause the locals some alarm.”
Kincaid wandered up to them easily, his t-shirt had three long tears in it across his chest where Mai’s claws had easily sliced through the fabric. The only other sign that she had connected were the slight red lines that were rising up on the Hellhounds skin.
“I can help with that. I know my way around a couple of sewers that’ll get to that safehouse you mentioned before.”
“And in return?”
Kincaid grinned sunnily.
“In return, I’ll need a couple of those teeth. Nothing better for making bone knives then Dragon’s teeth.”
“Deal.”
After the bodies were set alight the room emptied of people very quickly. The smoke and the scent of burning flesh the least of their worries. The wards were beginning to fall and Marcone wasn’t willing to trust in the incompetence of the entire Saint Louis Police Department.
Bob let Langtry’s feet fall to the ground with a heavy thump. Then he kicked off both of his sopping wet shoes with a tired sigh. He might have enjoyed his current possession of a body but damned if he didn’t miss having a man’s bulk at times.
The scent of the sewers still clung to his clothing. Lifting up his tank top, Bob wiped away the spatters of mud and rivulets of water that had covered his face.
“Damn it. Kincaid needs to reconsider what he thinks a safe sewer constitutes.”
Hendricks smiled slow and bright as he let go of the elderly wizards shoulders.
“If you hadn’t spooked at that mouse you wouldn’t have fallen in the muck.”
“Fuck you! Mice are small and cute. This was...Blech!” Bob spread his hands apart in a (probably) fabricated estimate of the creatures size before he raised them above his head and waved away Nathan’s laughter.
Bob pulled a small syringe from his back pocket and stuck it without hesitation into Langtry’s neck.
“There, that should knock him out cold for a good 12 hours, more than enough time for us to drive back to Chicago.”
“Do you know why Dresden wants us to take him back, it’d be easier to just deal with him here.”
“Dresden’s got a reinforced circle that can keep lesser demons contained, even an inordinately strong wizard shouldn’t be able to escape from it. He wants to keep him there, while he dreams up the perfect punishment.”
Nathan shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around the idea.
“I’ve never been a big proponent for torture, and I’m not going to start now.”
“Don’t worry Love.” Bob patted the taller red head’s cheek gently. “I doubt Harry will require any assistance beyond carrying the man into his basement.”