Veil of Stars
Page 3
“We’re forgetting the Celestial Wanderers and the Mountain Dreamers,” Talia said. “They’ll be on our side.”
The Luminous Warriors followed their father’s nature. Though all dragons were dangerous, the white, red, and shadow dragons were out to enslave the world with their father. The other two factions—the Celestial Warriors, the blue, silver and gold dragons—and the Mountain Dreamers, the green and black dragons—were friendly to humankind and inclined to fight their more treacherous kin.
“They may be, but to be honest, I don’t want to count on them. I can only trust the Dragonni so far,” Herne said. “They’ve said they’re on our side, but we have no idea if that situation will change. And while Ashera helped save both Raven and Ember, we can’t afford to be complacent.”
Ashera was a blue dragon who had fought off Pandora to help both Raven and me escape from the psychotic goddess’s clutches.
Raven took a shaky breath and said, “Though I know in my heart she’s on our side, Herne’s right. I’ve learned the hard way—you can’t ever place your trust fully in someone you don’t know from the inside out.”
I hated that we had to cast suspicion on someone who had helped save our lives, but I knew both Raven and Herne were right. We couldn’t afford to take a risk. We could trust Ashera as far as we could trust her, but in the end, until we saw her go up against her brethren, we would have to count her as an ally who might change her mind at any time.
My phone rang at that moment and I glanced at the caller ID.
“Speak of the devil,” I said. It was Ashera. I stepped away from the table so I could hear better. “Hello?”
“Ember, are you with Herne? I’d like for both of you to hear this.” Her voice sounded almost breathless, which surprised me.
I turned back to the table. “Ashera’s on the line and wants to talk to you, too, Herne.” I spoke into the phone again. “Everybody’s here, including Cernunnos and Morgana. I’m putting you on speaker.” I punched the speaker button and set the phone down on the table, turning the volume to high. “Go ahead, Ashera.”
She wasted no time. “A group of us are flying over late tonight. We’ll be there for the battle in the morning, and we’ll do our best to keep the Luminous Warriors from helping Typhon.”
“How many of you are coming?” Herne asked.
“At least twenty-five. I don’t know how many of Typhon’s brood will gather to support him, but the rest of our people are spreading out to prevent as much backlash as we can. I suggest that you contact your government and do your best to instill a curfew starting at midnight. I know it can’t be worldwide, and there are places that our kind have not yet settled in, but over the past months, hundreds of dragons have returned from the Forgotten Kingdom, and while there are many who are on our side, there are too many of the Luminous Warriors. Tomorrow will be a bloody day, I’m afraid.”
We all fell silent at that. In human form, the Dragonni were dangerous. In dragon form, they were deadly beyond reckoning.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I cannot express the depth of my sorrow at what Typhon is bringing to your world, and if I could change matters, I would. But I can help to boost your efforts.”
I glanced at Herne. She sounded sincere, her voice cracking.
Ashera continued. “We’ll be there by morning light, before the duel, and we’ll do what we can to help.”
“Thank you,” Herne said. “We can use all the help we can get.”
“Till dawn.” Ashera signed off.
“I know what you’ll say, but I trust her,” Talia said. Beside her, Angel nodded.
“I want to trust her,” Herne said. “But come morning, we’ll find out one way or another.” He tossed me one of the arrows. “Get used to the weight. Serafina will shoot these fine, but you’ll have to get used to cocking them. They’re tricky.”
I picked up one of the bolts, testing the weight in my hand. Once again, the energy rippled through the shaft, up my arm, and through my body. A thought crossed my mind. “How do they get the dragon scales to make this metal if dragons can’t die?”
“Very carefully,” a voice said, booming through the room.
At that moment, the door opened and Ginty walked in. I wondered how he’d managed to get into the office, given both the door and elevator were locked, but then I remembered—he worked on the astral at times, and his Waystation led out into a parallel universe where he kept safe those who sought Sanctuary.
We all turned as he approached the table. He inclined his head to us and gave Cernunnos and Morgana a stiff, but respectful bow. Herne moved forward to clasp Ginty’s hand and clap him on the back.
“Ginty, well met. Please, take a seat.” Herne moved to bring a tall stool to the table. Ginty climbed up on it, sitting at eye level with the rest of us. He was a short, burly man—well, dwarf—and as handsome as his manner.
“To answer your question, Ember,” Ginty said after we were all seated again, “select adventurers managed to steal cast-off dragon scales long ago, when they were still in the world. All it takes is a small amount from one scale melted down into some ilithiniam to infuse it into allentar. But those scales are rare and precious because, until now, the dragons had all left this world. One scale could be infused into a dozen weapons.”
“But there aren’t many artifacts around, are there?”
“Of allentar? No, they’re probably hidden in old tombs and broken-down castles. And when my people discovered that an arrow made from allentar could bring down a dragon out of the sky, we poured our energy into that. The great dwarven scrolls in the Hall of History back in our home realm tell of dragons raiding our holds. They knew we were wealthy beyond most others, so they targeted us. With the arrows, we had a fighting chance. And while no tale tells of killing a dragon, we wounded several so severely they began to think twice about targeting our lands.” Ginty shrugged and rested his elbows on the table. “So, tomorrow Echidna flies?”
Herne nodded. “Tomorrow at dawn. Warn your people. We have no clue of what will happen.”
“We’ll arm ourselves, but I doubt many will descend from the mountains to join the fray. In fact, I expect an exodus for the home world. The United Coalition has not been favorable to dwarves over the years.” Ginty let out a soft sigh and glanced at me. “Will you be joining the gods, or our side? You’re not yet a goddess, but neither are you fully in our camp.”
“We’re all on one side,” I said, and realized I meant every word.
Chapter Three
Herne broke the meeting shortly after. “Go home. Rest. Be back here by three a.m.” He paused, then said, “If you have unfinished business, take care of it. Who knows what the day after tomorrow will bring.”
As I started to leave, he motioned me over. Draping his arm around me, he kissed me. “Love, are you ready? If you want, I’ll send you to Annwn.”
I shook my head. “I can’t stay behind when we all have dreams of the future. Viktor’s getting married in a couple weeks. Angel has DJ. Talia has her own life. Raven and Kipa have a future. I won’t shirk my duty. Do you really think I could sleep at night if I hid?”
Herne nodded. “I expected you would say as much, and I’m proud of you.” He kissed me again, his lips cool against mine. “Well, love, what do you think? What will be the outcome of tomorrow?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t even dare to hope. Too much rides on this. Even if Echidna injures Typhon enough so that the gods can drive him back into stasis, what of the others? The Luminous Warriors? I’m afraid they’ll stick around to make life hell.”
“I truly don’t know, love, but whatever the case, we will face it together.” He squinted, his brow narrowing. “I wish we were already married.”
I knew that he really meant he wished I had gone through the Gadawnoin already. He was afraid I’d be killed. But I was still mortal and until I completed the ritual, there was nothing to be done about it. I couldn’t slink off and hide in a closet.
“I wish I could,” he whispered, holding me by my shoulders as I crossed my arms. “But Cernunnos…the others need me. We’re finalizing plans.”
“Go then, and be safe. I’ll see you back here at three.” As I slowly turned away, Angel waited for me. I joined her as Herne returned to his mother and father.
Angel and I drove home, barely speaking. Finally, I eased to a stop in front of our house. “If something happens to me, Mr. Rumblebutt will need a home,” I said.
Instead of glibly saying that everything would be all right, she said, “Of course. I’ll always keep a space for him, if it’s ever needed.” She bit her lip, then ducked her head. “I’m afraid, but to be honest, I’m more afraid of what happens after.”
“You think the world will survive this one?” I asked, gathering my things and locking the door as we headed toward the house. It wasn’t a throwaway question. Angel had the ability to predict a number of things from the future. She was an empath and part magic-born, and she had grown in power over the past couple of years.
She stopped in her tracks, spreading her legs as she craned her neck toward the sky, her eyes closed. After a moment, she slowly turned back to me. “You and I…we’ll survive, I think. But the world will never be the same. Win, lose, we’re at a massive crossroads. Regardless of the outcome, everything will be different. The world is stepping into the unknown, Ember.”
I slowly nodded. Often there was a riddle in her words, but this was clear. And it didn’t take a seer to know that she was right. The world would move as it did, and we were just along for the ride.
I called Ronnie Archwood, my pet sitter, and asked if she could come out tonight and stay the night in the guest room. I couldn’t tell her what we were facing, but I did tell her we had an important battle the next day, and that I couldn’t go into it worrying about Mr. Rumblebutt’s safety.
She arrived half an hour later, armed with snacks and books, and we settled her in the guest room. Angel joined me in the kitchen while Ronnie went back out to take care of a couple clients who were away for the evening.
“Why isn’t Raven staying with us?” I asked.
“She and Kipa wanted to stay in her house for the night.” Angel paused. “Do you think she’ll ever come back to live here for good?”
When Raven first left, she had been hesitant, both excited and yet afraid. Now, she seemed eager to get back to her studies. The fact that she was studying with one of the Force Majeure was hard to believe, even now, but she and Raj were quickly adapting to life in Kalevala, a fact that made me both relieved and sad.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so, to be honest.” I opened the fridge. “Last meal? Just in case.”
“What do we have?”
I eyed the fridge. “Leftover spaghetti. And we have a lasagna in the freezer you made a couple weeks ago in case we got busy.” I shifted several packages of hamburger out of the way and pulled out the Pyrex square pan. “I’ll put it in for forty minutes.”
“Better make it an hour, so it bubbles in the middle.” She took out lettuce and carrots and cherry tomatoes and radishes. “I’ll make a salad to go with it.”
While Mr. Rumblebutt wove his way around our legs, we went about the mundane business of making dinner, talking about anything and everything as we tried to ignore the fact that tomorrow morning, the dragons would rise and the world would change.
The alarm rang way too early. I had some sleeping powder from Ferosyn that didn’t leave me in an afterfog and both Angel and I had taken it, but still, two-thirty came early and the anxiety over what was going to happen weighed heavy on our hearts. Still tired, we dressed for battle. Meaning leather jackets, warm but not bulky jeans and tops, non-skid boots. I braided my hair back while Angel fixed hers in a bun.
“Angel…” I paused, turning to her as she made us breakfast sandwiches while I fixed her tea and my coffee.
“Don’t say it. We’re both coming through this.” She cut the sandwiches in half and handed me two, keeping one for herself. My metabolism was faster than hers due to my heritage and I ate twice as much as she did. I also made sure I bought twice as much of the groceries.
“Yeah, I know, but…what if…” I couldn’t help but think about what might happen if we were caught in the crossfire.
“Herne will never let you get hurt. He’d let the world blow up first.”
“No, he wouldn’t, and that’s the way I’d want it. I don’t want him to put me above the good of everyone else,” I said, realizing I meant it. “Remember Star Trek? ‘The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one.’ I believe that. When we can manage the good of all, so much the better, but if it was a choice between rescuing me, or saving a city…or a world…I’m never going to ask him to pick me.”
Angel nodded. “Yeah, I feel that way too. But damn it. You’re asking me to look at a potential future where you don’t exist. I didn’t drink that elixir just to spend a thousand years without my best friend.” She toyed with her sandwich. “What do you think will happen? What’s your best guess?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, to be honest. I have no clue on this one. If we can’t take Typhon down, then the world will become a far more dangerous place to live. Once the general populace witnesses the fight between Typhon and Echidna, who knows what will happen? Right now, the Luminous Warriors have been easing the populace into their corner, with their amusement park and appearing on talk shows and trying to pretend they want to become a part of society. Even those who generally spout off conspiracy theories seem snowed under by all the glamour and glitz. But that will all change after today.”
Several spokes-dragons had appeared on TV, including Gyell, a dragon who had a personal vendetta against us. He had done his best to kill us and we’d managed to escape, but now he had turned beefcake to horny women—he appeared on TV with his shirt off and a smoldering look in his eyes—and he was proving to be a popular guest, and a popular representation for the dragons. I wondered what they’d think when their dream lover turned out to be sizing them up for the stewpot.
“Say Echidna manages to drive Typhon into stasis,” Angel said. “Do you think the Luminous Warriors will be able to follow through even if Typhon is gone?”
I finished eating, my mind turning over everything I knew about the dragons. “What I think is that the dragons will forever change our lives, even without their father. And I wouldn’t put it past certain members of the government not to work with them secretly, to save their own skins. The lid’s come off Pandora’s box. It’s too late to close it up again.”
A vast future spread out in front of me, bleak and growing bleaker. I had no clue whether it would pan out, but the trouble was—I could imagine it. And if I could imagine it, it could happen. We had seen the world enslaved before, or parts of it, but world domination had to start somewhere, and each time it had threatened, the sacrifice had come in blood and bone. And we were once again approaching a pivotal time in history where there would be no going back.
“I guess we’ll have to wait.” Angel pointed to her watch. “Shall we go?”
Feeling the hours splintering, crumbling around my shoulders, I picked up my backpack. I tossed in some cookies, a few water bottles, and a bunch of protein bars and some candy bars. Angel did the same.
“I’m ready. Let’s go.” I stopped for a moment to give Mr. Rumblebutt an extra-long cuddle and a kiss on the nose. “Stay safe, my friend,” I whispered, kissing his nose as I hugged him. “I’ll come back for you.”
Ronnie, who was returning from tending to a few of her other clients, dashed up to the house as we were running out.
I turned to her. “If we don’t come back…”
&nb
sp; She nodded. “I’m not sure what you’re facing, but he’ll never be without a loving human.”
My heart racing, I closed my eyes for a moment, then—seeking a calmness that seemed a million miles away—I motioned to Angel and we headed to the car. Overhead, the sky was clear, glittering with the last glimmer of stars as clouds began to roll in.
We took both cars, just in case. As we headed toward the center of town, I turned on the music. Gary Numan’s “Now and Forever” echoed out of the speakers, and we glided through the night, the music a theme song to the battle waiting before us.
“Echidna is on the way. Unfortunately, given she called him out, it was his right to claim the battleground, and he demanded the air directly above the docks. The mayor has instituted a curfew—no citizens on the streets until it’s over, but you know people will break it,” Herne said. He was decked out in leather, his hair pulled back in a braid like mine. Everyone was there, including Kipa and Raven. Raven had brought her wand with her, which could take down a building.
“The Wand of Straha might be able to do some heavy damage to a dragon,” she said.
“Is everyone ready?” Herne asked.
We all nodded in silent unison.
Herne nodded. “Talia, you stay in the van. Monitor all channels and keep me informed of anything you think I should know.”
“Sure thing, boss.” Talia was wearing a leather catsuit, her silver hair bound back.
“If we’re all ready,” Herne said, “let’s get a move on. Cernunnos and Morgana will already be there, along with the group of gods who are supposed to create the stasis field when Echidna takes Typhon down. Technically, they aren’t supposed to intervene, but even if Typhon wins, they’ll attempt one last-ditch effort to bind him into stasis.”