By the Embers Dies the Fire

by Tymber Dalton

  Queen Lilith.

  She dressed and made her way through the house and grounds, already knowing which four would make the perfect choices, if they hadn’t somehow snuck off with a man and given him that which she needed. By that evening, she had her four lined up, all between the ages of nineteen and twenty-one, and sworn to secrecy with gold, ready at sundown to go with her.

  She had already excused their absence by telling her father she wanted to go on another hunt since she would soon be mating, and he had agreed without question to her taking four women with her as a hunting party.

  Her guess was that her easy acquiescence to his announcement of a mate had put him in a good mood and he was trying to keep her good mood intact in return.

  When they reached the portal late that night, she started stripping and turned to the others. “Do not mind his appearance.” She smiled. “You will soon find yourselves at the head of the table and servants no longer.” Once they were all prepared, she used the amulet he’d given her to open the portal.

  There he was. “Good. You returned with what I asked?”

  “Four willing to help birth a new race.”

  “Excellent. Step through, all of you.”

  They did, the portal closing behind them. He wasn’t alone, though. He had two others with him.

  “Wouldn’t do to have all of them sired by me,” he said, already reaching for the laces on his breeches. “They are my brothers. Once this batch is born we will have others contribute seed so the offspring can breed with each other and stay a strong and hardy race.”

  Lilith watched as the man who’d taken her picked two of the women for himself, and the other two each picked one. Pretty soon, three of the women were on their hands and knees, losing their maidenheads as the sounds of rutting filled the cave.

  The man had put the other one on her hands and knees next to the first, ready for him to plow as soon as he finished the first.

  “I love Earth women,” one of his brothers said as the woman writhed, squealing with pleasure on the end of his cock. “They are so tight and easy to breed. We don’t get them enough.”

  “This will change that,” the leader said as he grabbed the waist of the woman he was breeding and buried himself deeply one final time. “We’ll finally be able to cross whenever we want. These are special, not merely those damn weak humans.” He pulled out as the girl collapsed in a shaky, sated heap to the cave floor, his shaft already hardening as he stroked it and moved behind the second.

  Lilith watched, the heat in her belly churning, her own juices flowing as she remembered how the initial burst of pain had quickly turned to pleasure. Her hand drifted between her legs and found her clit.

  He looked at her, grinning. “You are already caught,” he said. “My brothers can have turns with you and sate that hunger you have. Do not pleasure yourself.”

  She forced herself to stop.

  Lilith didn’t know how long they were there, the three men finally unable to get it up to service them anymore. She’d actually been taken at least once by all three men, and twice by one of the brothers, by the time the five women stumbled through the portal and collapsed onto the grass.

  “I…I can feel something,” Sarwyn said, her hands on her belly. “It is like a fire within me.”

  “I know,” Lilith said as she smiled up at the sky. “It is amazing, is it not? The power growing within us?”

  They’d been instructed to return again in seven days. Just in case any of them had not taken, they would lay with them again.

  Lilith was actually hoping they’d lay with them regardless. This time, she’d cried out in pleasure as she’d felt her body filled, stretched, used time and again, their heat filling her with every thrust. She could look past their appearance and strong scent, she knew no dragon cock could ever compare now and wanted to make sure she enjoyed this as long as she could.

  Before her time as queen of a new race dawned and she had to focus on taking control of dragon lands.

  And wiping out the dragons.

  The being had asked the strange question of what passed for valuables in their land, and when she’d told him gold, he’d laughed and assured her he’d have that for her as well when they returned. More than enough for them to leave their lands, taking a midwife with them who could see them through and help them birth healthy new rulers, to build their encampment there near the portal. To keep it safe and secret.

  Even better, Lilith would be owned by no man. She would rule, and do the owning. Her nameless savior told her that once their offspring were born he would make sure that he would have her again, but would provide others to give a diversity to their offspring. But that to ensure their purity, the children could not be allowed to breed with humans or other shifters, only their own kind. To allow them to do otherwise would mean ruin. They would isolate themselves, growing in strength, taking over from the other races, wiping them out one by one. Also, they were to instruct their children to have a hatred for and to take out the Seers, to hunt and kill them whenever possible. That the Seers were no friends to their kind.

  A final rule—she herself was not allowed to lay with anyone but him or those of his choosing. The other four women had to agree not to lay with anyone unless they were already bred and caught, to which they’d agreed.

  Lilith considered that a small price to pay to rule the world.

  * * * *

  Boorman stretched out and grinned at his brothers after the Earth women had fled. “Did I not tell you?”

  “Our time of ascension is close at hand. Finally, a way to take out those damned Elders.” His youngest brother, Talgyne, scratched himself. “I say we go get Whyednar and Clarntin. That’s five. One for each of us and enough diversity to get them started. As they breed bitches, we can have others claim them and breed them. Before they know it, the Elders will no longer control the Earth realm.”

  Boorman fastened his breeches. “Gold. Easy enough to come by here. Stupid humans and their coin.”

  “I have plenty laying around I will contribute,” Talgyne said.

  Boorman looked to his other brother, Baulus. Younger than he and older than Talgyne. “What say you?”

  “Gold is nothing. Why do they fancy it?”

  “They are from Earth.”

  “Then let us get back to our camp. Time moves faster in that realm than here. It’ll be seven of their days soon enough.”

  They had, in fact, barely had time to return home, sleep, and get back to the cave that was their ancestral hunting camp before Boorman heard the dragon woman open the portal with the amulet he’d given her. Humans could cross at will between those two planes if they had a portal.

  Last time their own kind had tried to cross onto the Earthly plane, however, they’d immediately been met by four sword-wielding guardians, sent by the Elders, who told them if they ever crossed again they’d be parted from their heads. It was likely why most of the portals had been destroyed on Earth.

  Lucky for them that the guardians had missed at least one. One that led to their ancestral territory. He would teach his kin to build another elsewhere.

  The old stories told of the days when Earth had been an open hunting field for them, the women there easy to take and breed, willing to spread their legs for cock the likes of which they couldn’t get on Earth, before the Elders there had closed the portals to their realm and forbidden access.

  Assholes.

  As the naked women stood before them, it appeared the other four women had all caught as well, but that didn’t stop the three men from using them several times each, the women now eagerly spreading their legs for them.

  So predictable.

  Boorman knew they’d never get any work done if he allowed them to keep returning just to sate their carnal desires, so he told them to only open the portal again once they’d all birthed and were ready for another breeding, at one of their full moons. The men had already obligated themselves to assist one of their cousins on a raid and would
have to leave for a while.

  Meanwhile, they focused on not getting themselves stupidly killed.

  * * * *

  Boorman had completely forgotten about the pleasurable diversion of the Earth realm women by the time he returned from the battle. What was supposed to be an easy raid had turned into a bloodbath when those damned Elders’ guardians had arrived in a plane they had never been seen in before to render assistance to the denizens there.

  He alone of his brothers had escaped with his head intact. Out of a party of fifty, only five had survived.

  Especially now he wanted to fuck up the shit of the youngest guardian, that one who was the green-eyed favored son of the Elder in charge of the guardians. He’d committed the face to memory, and since they had long lives, he could seek his revenge.

  Which was why it meant this would be even more important now, to finish what he’d started with those silly dragon women, since both his brothers had perished and all that remained of their bloodline was now contained inside a few Earth-realm dragon women.

  He returned to the cave less than three full moon cycles of time on their plane and waited. Finally, when he received the call to open the portal, he was shocked to see an old crone standing there.

  “Who are you? Where are Lilith and the others?”

  The crone harshly laughed. “I am Lilith. As for the others, they are in their graves.”

  “What?”

  “I returned every full moon. Where were you?”

  “How long has it been?”

  “Nearly three hundred years, you bastard! You said I would be a queen! What did you do to me to age me so? I am a dragon shifter. I should barely look aged!”

  “What about the children?”

  “Oh, they are off doing whatever, calling me a silly old woman. My son, Ahriman, took control of them when he came of age. They ended up bringing in human and dragon women sometimes to breed after they had bred all they could with each other. Their numbers are over two hundred strong now, but only some of them can shift. And I am not—”

  “Where are they?”

  “They are clustered all around. What did you do to me?” she screamed.

  “What do you mean?”

  “They have all aged slowly. And they are fierce fighters, but they are shunned by everyone else. Because of the way they look shifted they were dubbed ‘cockatrice.’ They look like a chicken and a lizard when they are shifted. Thank goodness some of them can breathe fireballs. And they bear your stink. But me, look at me! You swore I would be a quee—”

  He closed the portal on her protestations.

  Dammit. Too much time had passed. With the portal opened, it allowed time to slow between the realms, but with it closed, it had sped by far too quickly.

  He realized he hadn’t gotten the amulet back from her. When he opened the portal again, she was already gone and it was daytime there instead of night.

  He closed it again. It could have been hours or days.

  Or years.

  Time flowed so differently from realm to realm, plane to plane.

  Damned Elders. He should have gotten more information from her about where his offspring were, instructed her to bring a few of them to him.

  Earth was a realm that should rightfully be theirs. They were stronger. They were harder. They were tougher. The spoils of war should rightfully be theirs.

  Elders and their guardians be damned, he would figure this out.

  And he would persevere.

  * * * *

  There once was a girl…

  Jadwiga nervously approached the village elders. She’d been out gathering wild berries when her younger brother, Talgan, tracked her down and told her she’d been summoned back.

  Three strangers, women wearing black capes with deep hoods that cloaked their features in dark shadows despite the sunny day, stood with the elders and some of the other villagers.

  Thomwyn, their Clan’s ancient leader and a direct descendent of Oddr, waved her forward. “Come here, my child.”

  Her brother took the basket from her, the one she’d had a death grip on, and nudged her forward toward the assembled people.

  Only seventeen years old, she’d never seen such a group together before. Power radiated from the three strangers, instilling fear in her.

  Nervously, she stepped forward. Jadwiga didn’t need an introduction. Instinctively, she knew there were only three women these strangers could be.

  The Triad.

  “This is her,” Thomwyn said. “Jadwiga, daughter of Callwyn.”

  “You’re sure?” the stranger in the middle asked.

  “Yes. I was at the birth of her and her brother, Talgan. When Callwyn died, we took them in to raise and protect them, as instructed. I have known them all their lives. Their father has not been back since—”

  “I am well acquainted with their father. He is who sent us.” The stranger who spoke stepped forward. She dropped her cowl, exposing her face. Jadwiga gasped, shocked. This woman was beautiful, gorgeous, with flaming red hair and blue eyes like the summer sky. For a long, silent moment she studied Jadwiga.

  “Time has come for you to take your next step forward in your future,” the stranger finally said. “You have been chosen for this.”

  Fear thrummed through her. “Chosen?”

  “You have a birthright. A calling. It is time for you to take your place. The time has come for us to begin the transition to move on and to select our replacements.”

  “I…I do not understand.”

  “Of course not. Nothing has been explained to you.” She held out her hand. “Come. We must go.”

  “But…my brother.”

  “You will get to visit with him, do not fear. He shall stay here. It is safest for him.”

  Thomwyn smiled and nodded at Jadwiga. “It is all right, my child. This is what I have seen and told you about.”

  He’d always told her someone important would come to her about an important quest.

  But…the Triad?

  She hugged her brother. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” He smiled down at her. He stood a few inches taller than Jadwiga even though he was three years younger. “Go fulfill your destiny, sister. Make our line proud.”

  Taking a long, nervous breath, she finally turned to the stranger and joined hands with her.

  It felt like the world shifted, changed, and then they were no longer in her village. They now stood in a home of some sort with stone walls.

  All three now bared their heads. The other two women were also beautiful, one with rich mahogany-colored hair and the other with tresses like honey.

  “I do wish he would learn to keep his breeches tied,” the blonde said as she studied Jadwiga. “Why is the Triad even necessary?”

  “I think that battle last week scared him,” the brunette said. “His precious young son proved himself in his first combat, but he wants to ensure they continue to have backup should more of those creatures breed and grow in numbers here on Earth.”

  The redhead, who now released Jadwiga’s hand, chuckled. “In this case, sisters, he did us a favor. Three perfect ones to take over from us against the Dark Ones, keeping them in line. An Earth-born threat requires an Earth-born answer. Unless you wish to be tied to these duties for eternity?”

  The brunette rolled her eyes as she turned and removed her cape, exposing a gorgeous green dress below it. “No, thank you. I already tire of this plane. Tired of it a long time ago. Had he been paying better attention to his duties, we would not be here now. Had he not let the Dark Ones from the other plane escape, or given mercy to those dragon whores, this would not be an issue.”

  “Fatherhood and his new soul mate have turned him even softer, I fear,” the blonde said, sounding quite disgusted.

  “I…I do not understand,” Jadwiga said. “Where are we? What am I supposed to do?”

  The redhead turned. “You and two others, sisters you do not yet ken, are to take our places. You
are the eldest and naturally strongest, so we need more time to prepare you for your role. One day, you three shall abdicate your roles to a new Triad, much in the way we are doing now. Hopefully by then the Great Wheel will have turned enough times that their role will be one of simply observing and occasionally stepping in to keep the balance between light and dark. For now, you must learn. Learn your role, learn your limits, and learn what it is the others do and their roles and limits. Balance.”

  “Learn what?” She felt near tears, not understanding. “What is this?”

  The redhead spoke. “Free will of the mortal-borns must be preserved. Unfortunately, there are still beings who have powers which can usurp that. Our mission—soon to be your mission—is to make sure the balance is maintained.”

  “How am I supposed to do that?”

  “It is your birthright, and your blood.”

  More fear shot through her. “My blood?”

  “Bloodline,” all three women said.

  “Your father,” the blonde said. She’d also shed her cape and hung it up. “Perhaps in allowing you this, he feels it is his way of atoning since he cannot give you the full rights and privileges afforded his legitimate offspring with his soul mate.”

  “But…my father is dead!”

  The three women looked at each other and laughed.

  * * * *

  A while later, but more then than now…

  The five of them stood around the young woman, who lay naked, bound, and gagged on the rough stone floor. The charmed silver collar around her neck prevented her from shifting and killing them. She stared up at them, fear and loathing burning in her amber eyes.

  It was rumored this chamber had been built countless ages ago by the early mothers of their line, led by Lilith. Concealing the stones that had marked a portal long silent and dark, until their five mothers had been called by the Dark One, the ancient sire of their line.

  Their own father.

  The stone bunker was well-hidden from prying eyes, allowing their father to talk to them, counsel them, guide them throughout their lives.