Dawn of the Dragons

by Sarah J. Stone

  And he knew one of the first things the Jurors would point out is that he did not have the time, could not devote the attention when his Tiro required daily care.

  The lives of many versus the lives of the few weighed heavily on his shoulders. He did not always believe in everything that Jurors dictated, or everything the Order said. But he did believe in doing only good with magic, in serving Nature and saving lives. He believed in a power higher than himself, and he believed that they were created to be the guardians of the galaxy.

  The time was now, he realized, to move on.

  “You will have my personal assurance,” Desmond said. “That any of the children who come with us will be taken care of, by me. I may not train them, but I will be their mentor, their go-to.”

  “That, I can live with,” Pedro said, holding out a hand. Desmond shook it, his stomach sinking.

  “I just have to talk to Sienna,” he said. “And then I will meet with those who you think would like to come.”

  Chapter 13

  Sienna had retreated to the top level of the factory, passed the offices and up into a tiny attic loft. It had a glassed in roof, and now that the storm had stopped, the sun was shining through. It was as close to nature as they could get on this frozen planet. Her tears were half dried as she titled her face toward the sun, her eyes closed.

  Even if her body didn't agree with Nature, her heart longed for it all the time. She felt at peace with the sunshine, the hope of growth and renewal.

  Desmond approached quietly, his heart thudding nearly out of his chest as he watched her for a moment. He knew this was the right thing to do, but already he could see the ramifications slammed in his face.

  He wished Mariah were here. She had a way with words. She could say anything without upsetting someone and always put a positive spin on things. Desmond would have thought that all the years of diplomacy and negotiation would come in handy for times like this, but he was at a loss.

  “Hi,” she said, hearing his footsteps. “I'm sorry. It just…”

  “It's all right,” he said quietly. “It's been a hard few days.”

  She smiled, wiping away a tear. “But it's not very witch-like.”

  “Sienna.” He sighed and looked around. There was a window ledge that was big enough and he gestured for them to both sit. She did without question, leaning against the cool glass. “There is something I've wanted to speak to you about.”

  “Mm?” she asked. She was relaxing, her tears drying, and that made it worse.

  He never thought he'd have to say the words that tumbled out of his mouth. He had sworn he'd never abandon a Tiro after Reynolds Sienna was his idea, his commitment.

  The best course of action was simply to tumble out the facts before his heart took over.

  “You and I both know that you will never pass the tests, as hard as you try and as gifted as you are,” he said quietly. “I have long perceived that you would never become a full working witch. Our paths are no longer linked, little one.”

  Silence filled the room. Her jaw unhinged.

  “I'm sorry?” she asked, hoping she had misunderstood.

  “You know this as truth,” he said at last. “And these last few days have shown us both that you have so much talent in other areas. I have to serve Nature, Sienna, and none of us can do that while we remain stagnant.”

  The tears welled up again.

  “Desmond—” she started. He took her hands but she pulled back. “No. You promised. You said…”

  “I know.” He sighed. “I know, and I have tried everything I could to make it work.”

  “Is this about the children downstairs? The new potential? The shiny new misfits that you can take?”

  “It is about them,” he said, surprising her. “And all the others, around the galaxy. You have a bright future ahead of you, and I can assist you in finding a place to benefit your skills. You have so many other talents, there are so many paths you can take. But, little one, being a witch is not one of them. Not if you want to live.”

  “You can't—” Her jaw quivered. “You can't leave me. You can't…”

  “I don't want to,” he said. “But we are doing a disservice to Nature itself if we keep up this charade. Magic is not about you, or I, or our feelings. It's about serving the galaxy.”

  “Am I not serving the galaxy?” she cried out with a sob.

  “You are,” he assured her. “And you have been the most wonderful gem of a Tiro, the strongest I know. You are serving and protecting, assisting in peace in this war-torn place. But not as a witch. And you have to accept that.”

  “You can take me off the drugs,” she bargained “You can—”

  “No,” he said. “I want you to live, Sienna. I want you to translate, to negotiate, to bring peace to the planets you visit. I want you to work beside royals and commoners alike. I want you to use the gift you were given to find the words others can't. I want you to thrive, to breathe. You said yourself you could do none of those things on magic. Isn't that right?”

  To his surprise, she nodded, tears slipping down her face. “Is Nathaniel part of this?”

  “No,” Desmond replied. “He is not.”

  “Does he know?”

  “He knows I was thinking of it.”

  “And will he leave me, too?”

  “I cannot speak for him, but it seems not,” Desmond answered. “You have every right to be angry with me, Sienna, or to seek...”

  She settled beside him in the window seat, her tears coming slower now as she took a deep breath. “I'm not angry,” she said, as she closed her eyes. “It's just my worst fear come true.”

  “Please understand, little one, it's not for your lack of effort or skill,” he said.

  “It's for the magic,” she replied. “For Nature.”

  “Yes,” he brushed some hair behind her shoulders. “It is.”

  She took a deep breath. “Will you take another Tiro?”

  “I don't know,” he answered. “I do not know if I have the energy, the capability anymore.”

  “Mariah would not like you to,” she pointed out.

  “No,” Desmond agreed. “She would not.”

  “Did she know?”

  “She did,” Desmond admitted. “This is not a decision I take lightly. I have wrestled with myself for ways around this for months. A few years, if I'm being honest.”

  “So, it wasn't just…this trip?”

  “No,” he assured her. “It has brought some things to light. The path Nathaniel wants you on is different than the one I am choosing, and that's all right. In a way, I knew it would always come to this. What the three of us did was beyond difficult. It was unprecedented, and we were bound to clash. But I think you are happier with him and his choices, yes?”

  “Don't ask me that,” she looked up at him. “Don't ask me to choose.”

  “I'm not asking you to choose,” Desmond assured her. “I'm simply removing myself from the equation because I feel it's best for all involved. I don't know that I'll take another Tiro, Sienna, because of my energy, my age.”

  She was silent for a long moment. “You don't think Nathaniel should be continuing with me, either.”

  “Nathaniel is no longer my Tiro, and so his choices are not mine to comment on,” Desmond said, but she pushed the issue.

  “But do you think he should stop?”

  Desmond sighed. “Yes,” he said. “I do. And I make no apologies about it, Sienna. However, the two of you have to make your own decisions from here on out.”

  She clenched her shaking hand into her fist and went pale. Desmond was afraid she would be sick again, but instead, she took a few steps back. “What do we do?” she asked. “Should I go back to the ship?”

  “We don't have to cease to speak to each other,” he said gently. “I'm doing what is best, Sienna, for both of us.”

  'What do we do?” she repeated.

  He sighed. “I would like to meet these children that Pedro is speaking o
f,” he answered. “To see if they would be willing to come with us. After that, we can gather the parts we need to return to the ship.”

  “I should call Nathaniel,” she said but he shook his head.

  “Sienna, we need to focus on the task at hand. If you call Nathaniel now, your emotions will flow.”

  “He is my Maestro now,” she pointed out, her lip quivering.

  “Fifteen minutes, Sienna,” he said. “I promise you, in fifteen minutes, we will have a decision”

  She took a deep shuddering breath, and then eventually nodded.

  “I'll leave you to take a moment,” Desmond said, heading down the stairs. He wanted to say something, to place a hand on her shoulder, but he knew she wasn't ready.

  He wished she could see that he wasn't doing this to harm her and he wasn't doing it because he felt it would be the easiest option.

  He was sure that only when she was free of the barriers magic put on her would she be able to grow.

  He wasn't sure Nathaniel would be able to handle it by himself, but he didn't want to place doubt into his former Tiro. If Nathaniel was sure that training her was going to be the best option, then Desmond knew that he must accept that. Even if he didn't believe it.

  Desmond felt like he had failed her. He had taken on a challenge much bigger than himself and he wasn't sure that he would ever succeed at anything again. But he had to try, for Nature's sake.

  Pedro was waiting for him back downstairs, a quizzical look on his face.

  “All is well?”

  “All is well,” Desmond answered, even though it was the opposite of well. “Please, your potentials”

  “Come this way.” Pedro ushered him through the floor, and Desmond followed, watching the mass amounts of magic shoot from tiny fingers. This was either going to be the moment that would define him or break him. Either way, he knew he had to step through the ring of fire to come out the other side.

  Chapter 14

  “What now?” Nathaniel was jerked awake by a crash. With the ship on standby, he couldn't do much except wait for Desmond and Sienna to return. The pirates were dead, outside the ship, and he was certain none of them were about to rise. The crash had rocketed the ship, his quick nap over, and he sat up, confused.

  The lights went out just as he blinked.

  The sun set at barely noon, the days short with the never-ending winter. It didn't bother him, he had been on planets with never ending sunlight and he had been on planets with never-ending nighttime, so he didn't need the natural light.

  Except, of course, if they were on a ship with no power. Then, he figured he might need some natural light.

  He used magic to whisk a light into his hands, making his way out of the sleep cabin and into the hallway. Not even the emergency lights were on, which told him the ship was completely dead.

  The ship rocked again and he recognized that noise.

  “Oh, Creator,” he swore as he sprinted down the hallway.

  “Hey, Nathaniel,” Jonah grabbed him, pulling him into an open doorway. Nathaniel swung around, nearly hitting him in the face before he realized.

  “Don't do that!” Nathaniel cried, trying to cover his own panic. To his credit, Jonah just smiled.

  “Hope your nap was nice. Seems those pirates have some friends, who are angry that they are dead. That's long-range fire coming at us, but I imagine it will be shor- range in a minute.”

  “Creator,” Nathaniel swore again, his mind racing. If the ship was functional, this would be no problem. But they didn't even have a shield, let alone guns. The exterior of the ship was strong, but it wouldn't hold for more than a few shots under short range fire. “Did you get a guess on how many? Not that it matters, because one ship is going to blow us off this frozen waste land.”

  “I think it's just one,” Jonah said. “Don't suppose your magic can help?”

  “Lift a whole ship?” Nathaniel asked. “Not likely. Not by myself. The only person who could do that…” he paused, realizing it wasn't possible. “My Tiro used to be able to do that. Obviously, not anymore.”

  “That's a shame,” Jonah seemed extremely good natured about the fact that they were going to die. “What's our plan, then?”

  “Where's Eliza?” Nathaniel asked. “There's an escape pod that we might be able to launch her out of before they get close enough. We could evacuate the ship, but that makes us easy targets in all of this.”

  “I'm here,” Eliza slid in and joined them in the darkness. Nathaniel slipped his hand into hers, trying to think clearly. “And if you think I'm running and leaving you here, you've lost your mind.”

  “Eliza, you have more to think about than me,” he said. “There's a whole planet, there's…”

  “We have a better chance of fighting together,” she said. “If I thought all hope was lost, Nathaniel, I would go, for my people and my planet. But it is not.”

  He squeezed her hand, frustrated with her stubbornness but also grateful for it.

  “There's maybe a chance I can get the com system up,” he said. “I can hail them and possibly negotiate. We can't compete with their guns though.”

  “What if we make them think we've evacuated?” she asked. “I've seen your magic create illusions before.”

  “Huh.” He hadn't thought of that. “I might be able to pull that off. The com system, though, may still have enough juice to run. If I contact them and tell them we are running…play frightened…maybe it will work.”

  “Or?” Jonah always liked a back-up plan, and Nathaniel was about to admit he was at a loss. He was a great warrior, yes, but this was out of his league.

  Nathaniel, Desmond's voice was suddenly in his head. Standby.

  Standby for what? Nathaniel responded. I'm in the middle of something. Don't come…

  Five minutes out, Desmond said. Open the hatch.

  Maestro, we're being attacked! Nathaniel cried in his brain. Do you have the parts? I need your magic and I need it now.

  All is achieved, Desmond answered. Nathaniel's eyes flew open in hope.

  “All right,” he said. “I have a plan. I'm going to divert any remaining power from the com link to the hatch.”

  “The hatch?” Eliza said, in surprise “Are you mad?”

  “Possibly, but my back-up needs to enter the building,” Nathaniel answered “Jonah, can you man the front? As soon as the hatch is open, I'll divert it back to the com system.”

  “On it,” Jonah said. “Your highness, if you please, pick a direction and stay safe.”

  “I'll pick a sunny planet,” Eliza grumbled as she stayed close to Nathaniel. “Stay safe as well, Jonah.”

  He winked at her, barely seen in the darkness and headed off. Nathaniel pulled her hand forward, toward the back hatch.

  “Just focus on the power diversion,” she assured him. “I'll cover you if anyone boards from the front.”

  “Are you armed?” he asked in surprise

  “Of course, I am,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “What do you take me for?”

  “Forgot that you were my battle Queen,” he said with a half-smile as he started working with the wiring panel. There was very little power left lingering anywhere. He had already put the heat on half of what it would be, making them all gather blankets and cloaks. He knew there was enough to open the hatch, but that was before they started taking on damage.

  In addition, with one hand, it probably wasn't the swiftest job he ever did.

  Nathaniel! Desmond's voice was urgent, and Nathaniel bit his lip.

  I'm trying, he said. Unless you've got enough magic to open the doors. And…are there other magical signatures with you? He shouldn't even be asking, because it didn't matter. The other signatures weren't hostile, but they were foreign.

  There are, Desmond answered. Can you do this?

  He was only halfway through the thought when the wiring finally managed to spark to life. Having Jonah at the front and Eliza watching his back was so helpful in a quick job, despit
e Desmond's distractions. He only had to focus on the task at hand, and he was surprised how quickly it came to him.

  The hatch opened and he stepped back as another shot from the front rocked the ship. The hatch slowly lowered, and he was grateful for the high roof of the front of the ship to block the oncoming fire.

  They had a small ship of their own, which Nathaniel noted the battery pack model and compatibility with their own. It was just a little four-person scooter, but there were parts they could scrap if needed.

  Desmond was already shoving two young children, a boy and a girl up the ramp. Sienna's hair was wild and half frozen, and she lurked behind Desmond, moving up the ramp after he did.

  Nathaniel did not need a bond to understand what had happened. Her eyes were dead and her nose running. She had been crying. He knew it well enough.

  He ignored the children boarding and opened his arms for his broken-hearted Tiro. This wasn't the time or the place, but he couldn't move forward without offering her reassurance.

  She fell into them, hiding her shaking hands.

  “I am here for you,” he assured her. “I am still here.”

  “Mm-hmm,” was all she could manage before he heard a screech from behind him. A laser shot had broken a window, and he turned around a split second too late.

  One of the children had moved behind him, directly in his line of protection. Had he been faster, he could have used his good hand to block at least some of the shot. But because Sienna had been with him, he didn't move quick enough to save a life.

  The child, the boy, fell to the floor, his eyes open and life less.

  “NO!” Sienna hurled herself out of Nathaniel's arms and forward, her palms open. It was instinct., her magic wanting to flow in her heart.

  But her body was damaged, blocked, and no resurrection magic would flow, even if she wanted it to, and even at the expense of her own life.

  “No, no, no, no.”