Dream of Darkness and Dominion

by Hilary Thompson

  Nik felt his skin flush at her assessment. “But I don’t want to take any part of you. Couldn’t we simply fly together?”

  Do you not wish to be Draken? Kinmare asked, his voice stern.

  Nik gulped. In trying to be respectful, he had been the opposite. “I will accept your help in whatever form you’re willing to give.” He bowed his head, and Kinmare’s mouth split open, revealing something close to a tooth-filled grin. “How does it work?” He’d seen Sy and Coren shift, but never the first time. Both of their stories had been filled with confusion and pain.

  Nik braced himself, hoping the pain would not trigger his darker memories or magic.

  Draken are the only MagiCreatures that can reverse the process of merging with a Weshen shifter, Kinmare explained. Your friends will have their creature forms forever, but you may not. Shuri is eager to fight, but she will live hundreds of your lifetimes. You are receiving a great honor, and you cannot expect her to tie her death to yours. Draken have not involved themselves with man’s troubles since before she was born.

  Nik cast his eyes down. “Of course. But I’m not sure I’ll ever feel worthy of such an honor.” He glanced at Shuri, who preened under his praise. “I’ve borne so much, been broken and healed crooked too many times.”

  No, Kinmare answered. Your fears are part of you, and though they make you feel weak, they are necessary to your survival. Remember how Shuri showed you her greatest fear, in the forest. She is stronger for facing it.

  Nik nodded.

  Shuri rose to a semi-standing position, balancing her dusky body on her hind legs. There is one other significant difference from your friends. Instead of taking my form from me - one body with two minds - we will do the opposite - two bodies with one mind. Your Mirror Magi blessed this union at the beginning of man’s time, and we will draw on their magic. When our minds merge, our bodies will mirror each other’s according to each moment’s need. If you need to be human, so will I appear human. If you need to be Draken, I, too, will be Draken. Our shifts and even our movements will be as one because of our connection.

  Nik gaped. Twin magic within a SelfShifting. It was crazy, and he was still very confused, but he loved it.

  “Two Draken!” They could do so much more in a battle if they were both in this magnificent form.

  Are you ready? I’m told this may be painful at first but not forever, she warned. But before Nik could ask another question, she closed her great black eyes, opened her mouth, and set him on fire.

  Nik screamed until his voice had burned away as well, until the blood boiled in his veins and his bones were nothing more than charred ash. Shuri shrieked along with him, his pain becoming her pain, although her form didn’t change at all, except to glow hotter and brighter than the noon sun.

  The fire only stopped when Nik was nothing more than a thought buoyed on the wind, free from the pain and worry of being alive. There was no darkness to fear, no memory of his torments. The tornado existed, and the eye inside the tornado, and something of his mind was there to see both. But nothing beyond that.

  It was when the eye opened that Nik realized he was still alive, and the worst was over.

  He looked down at his body, which was definitely not his body anymore.

  His belly distended toward the ground, and his legs and arms were no longer scrawny but filled with powerful muscle. His skin had sloughed away and shifted to brilliant scales, matching Shuri’s dusk coloring perfectly.

  And his wings! Oh, his glorious, leathery wings. Nik forgot every second of pain as he marveled at his new wings. He stretched them as wide as they would go, basking in the breeze that tickled their folds. He grinned in his mind, remembering how sensitive Coren’s wings had been.

  Now he understood. What he wouldn’t give to have Sy run his strong hands over the ridges of bone and taut skin of these gorgeous wings.

  Nik?

  Shuri’s voice in his head broke him out of his fantasy, and if he’d been human, he would have blushed.

  You remember we share a mind now, right? Laughter bubbled in his mind and in his chest as he joined the female’s teasing.

  Sorry, Nik answered, startling when he realized he’d just spoken into Shuri’s mind. It was so easy.

  You should be able to hear all my thoughts soon. Want to try flying?

  Wow, did he ever. Nik watched as Shuri used her powerful back legs to push away from the ground, flapping her wings once, twice, and catching a breeze effortlessly. His muscles ached to copy her, and he gave in to the pull of the magic. Once they were both in the air, she began to bank left, then right, rising higher and higher.

  It was nothing like riding on her back. He wasn’t sick or scared. He reveled in the pure joy of flight, and his Draken form mimicked her every move as though they were dancing in mid-air, performing a choreographed routine for a rapt audience.

  And they were, Nik realized, as they turned back toward the meadow. More Draken than he’d even imagined lived in the clearing had come to watch their leader’s daughter shift with a human. Their Draken faces were alive with interest, their eyes tracking his movements across the sky.

  Land, he thought, and Shuri was immediately beside him. There was no pushback of a separate mind. They moved together as smoothly as a pair of hands directed by a single thought.

  Claws sinking into the loamy earth, Nik landed at the same time as Shuri.

  How do we shift to human? he asked.

  Tired of being a Draken already? she teased.

  Nik shook his massive head, snuffing hot air from nostrils larger than his previous head. I want to know everything.

  Flame me, then.

  Nik startled, stepping one giant paw backward. He was about to say no, but Shuri just shook her head.

  It’s just the first time. After that, it’s supposed to be instinct, like how your body can go from a slow walk to a sprint in a matter of seconds.

  Nik looked at her doubtfully, but she nodded. Giving in, he opened his huge mouth, feeling his tongue loll over strangely sharp teeth. He drew in a breath and exhaled as fast as he could, squeezing his eyes shut.

  Nothing happened, except that Shuri dissolved into giggles in his mind.

  The fire is magic. Use your mind, she reminded him.

  Nik pushed away his embarrassment and imagined flame growing deep in his belly. As a shifter, he couldn’t manipulate the flames, but as a Draken, his will seemed to fan them into existence, then hotter and hotter.

  This time when he breathed out, orange and crimson fire shot into the clearing, and Shuri began to scream.

  The pain was immediately shared with Nik, and his Draken roared along with hers. But when his voice had burned away again, he found himself lying naked in the grass, his human skin tender against the soil and flowers.

  Across from him, a young woman sat up, her long hair draping across her shoulders to cover her nakedness. Like her scales, the hair was dark at its ends, near to her calves, lightening softly to beautiful, pale lavender at her scalp.

  “Shuri?” Nik asked, reaching for his pack and grabbing a pair of pants.

  She stumbled to her feet, her slim legs wobbling like a newborn colt. She peered down at her new body, pulling her hair away to examine the soft flesh. Nick tossed her a tunic, looking away, but she wasn’t a bit embarrassed. She turned in a circle, staring up at the massive creatures all around her. She giggled, and Kinmare shook his head at her in amusement.

  “I’m a man,” she said, her voice rusty at first, but then settling into a melodic tone.

  “Woman,” Nik corrected, unable to resist a grin. “You’re definitely a woman.” He was surprised she looked so different from him when their Draken forms were so similar.

  “We have a lot to learn,” Shuri said, answering his unspoken question as she shrugged and struggled her way into the tunic. It hung to her knees and well past her wrists.

  Nik found he still had plenty of his own magic left, and he set about shifting the sources of the t
unic and a pair of pants and boots into something more her size.

  “Can we carry clothing with us?” he asked.

  She nodded. “When your friends shift back from their creature forms, they aren’t naked, are they?”

  Nik shook his head. “They must hold the sources inside their larger creature forms. It should be easy enough.”

  Daughter. Weshen. Kinmare’s voice echoed in Nik’s mind, and they both looked up to the Draken leader. Time grows short. You can practice your new abilities as you travel, but if you are to aid anyone, you must leave tonight. Fly north over the mountains, then west over the woods of StarsHelm. Rest as you need. Build your strength before you get to SunMelt Lake. But do not stay long in any one place.

  Nik and Shuri nodded as one, and Nik noticed her movements had begun to mimic his in her human form as well. He closed his eyes and felt her inside his mind. Showing her the well of magic inside him, he slowly began to search for the remembered Draken form.

  His shifting pulled his muscles and bones into new shapes, lengthening and bulking, and he felt her body doing the same. The feeling was uncomfortable and odd, but there was no real pain this time. When he opened his eyes again, they were both Draken, identical in size and color.

  Well done, Kinmare said. Go now. You are our hope.

  Shuri leaned against her father briefly, pulling Nik to do the same, in a sort of Draken embrace. Nik felt the warmth of family in their bond, and he opened to it, basking in the Draken’s acceptance. He was part of their cote now, he realized. Part of their family, and part of their hope.

  Each spreading their wings at identical angles, Nik and Shuri shot into the air above the mountain peaks, rising vertically in the cold air until the Draken below were barely more than jewels in the grass below. They banked left at the same moment, turning north toward the border of Riata.

  COREN WAS NEARLY READY, but something kept stalling her fingers from picking up the blue leather armor.

  The armies had all been given a crash course in fighting witches, and as many of their weapons as possible had been outfitted with protective and enhancing talismans. Gernant had worked tirelessly, and for now, Coren had turned a blind eye to his methods.

  However he may have gathered his materials in the past, she knew at least he had no more access to Wesh or Weshen. The people she had released from the prisons were well on their way back to Weshen City, where she hoped Nik would be waiting to welcome them.

  Harben and Cusslen had devised several plans to fortify the palace, the city, and the surrounding farmland as best they knew how against any incoming Brujok attacks. The maze and forest were destroyed, but Coren was relieved that at least the newly-cleared land seemed free of magical traps.

  Dain and Noshaya had readied their armies and were boarding the boats for Rurok right now. Dain had prepared an elite unit of twenty to be ready to slip into the woods when she gave the signal. They were his best, and after having met them, she was confident they would give her an advantage over whatever Mara had concocted in southern Sulit.

  Even Jyesh had been oddly helpful. Coren suspected learning of Mara’s relation had actually diminished her in his mind because he had been played for a fool his whole life. As someone who thrived on the power of appearances and intimidation, the betrayal had wounded something vital in Jyesh’s loyalty to Mara.

  Coren was most grateful for how Jyesh had helped Sy learn to manage his curse. She wasn’t certain what spells her brother had unearthed, but Sy seemed confident he would be able to leave the palace to help in Sulit.

  Everything was going to plan.

  Yet, Coren still stood before her mirror, staring without seeing.

  She refused to admit her hesitation might be fear of the battle to come. She’d chosen this role of warrior Queen as a compromise to herself. She needed to protect these people.

  And she needed to rescue her family - Penna, Kosh, and Kashar.

  But when a knock sounded at her inner chamber door, relief washed over her. Only a few people were allowed past her guards without her prior permission, and she knew which one she hoped this was.

  She needed to see him one last time because she was never going to let him come to Sulit.

  She could only pray he’d still be willing to see her when she returned.

  “Come,” she called, stepping behind the sheer curtains of the bed, so she could watch him unseen for a moment.

  Her heart swelled when she saw Resh enter, his eyes searching the room for her. “Coren?”

  “Over here,” she said, reveling in the way his shoulders straightened at her voice, the smooth movement in his pivot and the strength in his stride as he crossed the room and pushed aside the lace to reach her. His eyes fastened on hers, and his smile was open and wide, promising nothing, but offering everything.

  “You’re still in your underthings,” he said, a smirk twisting his lips in a way that flipped her stomach.

  He hesitated a few feet from her, though, and she realized she hadn’t returned his smile. A heartbeat passed as she questioned herself. Was she doing the right thing?

  His smile faltered, slipping down to firm up his jaw again. “Are you okay?”

  His perception pierced her heart, and she pushed herself forward to stop the pain, stumbling into his chest. His arms wrapped her carefully.

  It wasn’t enough.

  She didn’t want to be treated carefully, as though she might break or snap and break him.

  Her fingers tightened on his thin shirt, and she tilted her head back, finding his eyes. She opened her lips then closed them, embarrassed to ask for what she wanted because she knew her other request might crumble something between them.

  But she him needed, now.

  His smile began to slip in from the side again, full of the wicked promises he’d made to her before. His grip on her back tightened and lowered, even as one hand slid up and around her neck, cupping the back of her head.

  “One day, you’ll be able to ask for this by name,” he whispered, leaning down just enough for their lips to meet. His tongue traced a smooth line across her lower lip before his teeth closed possessively over its rounded edge. All of her was pressed to all of him, and one of her hands slipped around to his back and up the loose fabric of his shirt. His skin was like silk beneath her fingers, and she drew her touch down his spine as he deepened the kiss.

  He backed her to the bed with a growl, and they tumbled backward into the soft mattress. He rolled them to their sides, staring into her eyes as his fingers stroked up and down her back.

  She was falling headfirst into a velvet valley of sensation and pleasure, but because of Resh’s tight grip, she felt no fear.

  His lips trailed down the column of her neck, coming to a sweet rest in the hollow of her throat.

  “You make me so weak,” he whispered into her skin. “And so strong, all at once.” His mouth pressed down, and the hand in her hair tugged her head back as he kissed farther down the tanned skin above her collar.

  Coren gave herself over to the moment for too long, but eventually, she knew she must burst this bubble of stopped time.

  Resh propped his head up on one hand, his fingertips tracing her cheek, pushing her hair from her face. She connected with his gaze, and she could tell hers was laced with guilt when one of his brows rose in question.

  “Please don’t get on the boat to Sulit,” she whispered, begging. “I know you can fight. But please... stay.”

  Resh pressed one more kiss to her trembling lips. “Coren...”

  “Please, Resh.” She was nearly choking on the sob threatening to ruin everything.

  “Stop your begging, little witch,” he said, a soft smile smoothing his face. “I will do whatever it is you need. If you need me by your side, I’ll be there. If you need me here to watch over Cusslen, I’ll be here. Magi, if you needed me to follow at a distance and shovel bodies into graves, I’d even do that. I don’t know how someone who knows so little of love could have taught m
e so much, but I’ve learned my lessons well.”

  Coren pulled his mouth back to hers, as much to stop the torrent of words as anything else. He was right - she knew nothing of love. But if he could learn, so could she. Her heart was happy. He would be safer here.

  But her mind was angry with her. Angry that she couldn’t figure out how to trust herself enough to give him what he needed. He’d just admitted he loved her, and she was too frightened to answer him.

  “I’ll wait for you Coren,” he whispered. Somehow, she knew he meant more than just the battle. “Remember - just because someone shares your blood, doesn’t mean they share your love.”

  “I won’t falter,” she said. She’d hesitated with Zorander because they were family. But Mara would not get the same privilege.

  “Now put on your armor, go save the world, and I’ll give you the rest of this when you get back.” He bent to kiss her once more, his hands roaming her entire body with frantic energy, building the heat between them high enough to melt away every doubt in her brain, and half the other thoughts.

  Chapter 29

  COREN THREW RESH A last promise to return before spreading her wings and jumping from the balcony of her tower room.

  She swooped across the palace grounds, past the gardens closed for the coming winter, beyond the hothouses of young vegetables and flowers, over the charred remains of the maze, and through the puffing chimneys of StarsHelm city.

  The docks sloped down before her, and four gleaming boats were lined up in the Conqueror’s Channel. There was minimal movement, and she guessed Dain and Noshaya had finished loading the boats with food, weapons, and medical supplies. The soldiers themselves had gathered into loose rank, strung along the edges of the channel.

  They were waiting for her, she realized.

  Of course, she knew she was supposed to address the men and women before battle. But she had no idea what to say to a group of soldiers to rally them for what could easily be their final fight.

  Circling the docks, she spotted her two Generals. The soldiers began to glance up, a wave of cheers rising from their throats. She landed in an easy crouch before them, just behind Dain. He flashed her a fierce grin and stepped aside.