by Rinelle Grey
That was the tricky question, wasn’t it?
“I think we need to draw up an agreement detailing what each side expects, and sign it,” Barry started.
It was the expected response, the lawyerly response. A week ago, Brad would have nodded agreement and felt suitably safe.
Not anymore. He shook his head. “That’s not enough,” he said firmly. “I can see you signing the agreement, maybe even meaning it, but then as soon as something goes wrong, or you get scared, you’re going to do whatever you like anyway.”
“We wouldn’t do that,” the director-general started, but Brad waved a hand.
He needed something bigger than that. Some way to keep them accountable.
“What we need is accountability to the public,” Brad said. “Not some secret document that you’ll feel no need to hold to. We need to do this publicly. So that if you break your word to us, everyone knows about it.”
Everyone was staring at him. Even Ultrima. Was that a hint of respect in the lightning dragon’s eyes? Brad didn’t care. All that mattered to him was keeping Lyrian safe. And this was the best way he could think of to do that.
“Everything needs to be broadcast to the public as it happens,” Brad said firmly. “We can contact that reporter, what’s her name? Rita? And she can make sure everyone knows what’s happening.”
The director-general stared at Brad, his jaw dropping. “I’m not sure that the public is ready for this…” he stuttered.
Even Barry looked a little surprised. But a slow smile spread across his face, and he leaned back and watched to see what would happen.
“I am agreeable to this stipulation as well,” Ultrima said smoothly. “Although I insist we choose a different reporter. Rita has been working with the Rian clan, and I have doubts as to her loyalties.”
Brad stared at the Trima dragon. Rita? Working with the Rian clan? Sure, she’d helped them once or twice, but only because it suited her and helped her get what she wanted. She certainly had no loyalties to them.
But still, he couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy at Ultrima’s suggestion. What was he up to?
Not that he really cared who the reporter was, so long as they didn’t twist the truth, and right now, there was no need to twist anything to make this story exciting. The public would be hanging onto every word.
“The public has already seen evidence of dragons,” Brad said firmly. “There have been enough reports that they’re going to be curious as to what is going on. It makes more sense to keep this out in the open, for everyone’s benefit.”
“If we agree to this, you’ll take us to the clan and arrange a meeting with the leader for us?” The director-general’s face was resigned.
Brad hesitated. He was taking a big risk for the clan, and he wasn’t sure that they’d be happy about it, but he couldn’t see any other way. He heaved a sigh.
“As soon as we have someone recording, preferably live streaming, yes,” he agreed. “I’ll take you to the clan and find someone to talk to you.”
If they were still there. He glanced over at Barry, who gave a small nod. Brad wasn’t sure if that was agreement that he’d told them to move, or support for his decisions.
But if Rian clan had moved, Barry would be able to help him find them.
Wouldn’t he?
Chapter 11
Lyrian helped a young mother pack up her things, her heart still pounding in her chest. She was relieved that Sarian had agreed with them, that the wiser course of action right now was to retreat. To leave the lair and find a safe place to consolidate their position and decide on their next course of action. It was the safest option for all the dragons, and their human mates.
But Lyrian couldn’t help worrying that if the police couldn’t find them, then Brad couldn’t either. Why hadn’t she considered that before siding against Taurian. If she’d backed him up, they might be making their stand here, where Brad could find them.
No, she’d had to make the right decision for her clan, even if it did mean her mate wouldn’t be able to find her.
Lyrian fought back tears. After all she and Brad had been through in the last week to get to the point where they’d overcome their problems to decide to be together, it seemed the height of unfairness that now they would be separated for who knew how long.
She didn’t know what would happen now. If the humans were seriously searching for their clan, she didn’t know how long they would be safe even once they were in hiding. Maybe they’d have to move over and over again to keep ahead of the humans.
And there were some she didn’t want to avoid.
Would Brad wait for her? Would he search for her?
And what about the other humans who were living here with the dragons? Up until now, they’d been able to come and go between the human world and the dragon world, would they have to choose?
Lyrian couldn’t imagine having to choose between her family and her lifemate. She felt the constant pull from one to the other already, how much more it would tear her apart to have to choose?
She heaved a sigh.
Usually she thrived on chaos and change. She hated predictability and routine and found knowing what would happen tomorrow boring.
Right now, she’d give anything for a little certainty.
“Thank you for your help, Princess,” the woman said softly, clutching her baby to her chest, a bag of necessary supplies slung over her shoulder.
Lyrian forced a smile. “It was nothing.”
Karla was still looking after Anarian. She almost seemed resigned to the idea by now. And she’d insisted that Lyrian had more to do than she did right now. Still, Lyrian couldn’t wait until she could snuggle with her baby and stop worrying.
Whenever that would be.
She followed the woman out into the main room, and caught sight of Ostrian talking animatedly to Taurian, waving his arms around.
Lyrian frowned. What was the ornery old elder up to? He’d been suspiciously absent up until now. Probably meaning he was up to no good.
For a moment, she felt a flicker of hope that he might be trying to convince Taurian to remain here, not to return to the old lair to hide. But the hope died almost before it was born when she remembered that Ostrian had supported retreat from the beginning.
So what was he discussing so animatedly with Taurian now?
She strode across the room to find out.
“Don’t you see,” Ostrian said, his voice raised in excitement. “We have to find a way to make peace with these humans because they are essential to our survival.”
Lyrian did a double take. Was Ostrian… arguing for peace with humans?
She stared at him, intrigued. His face was earnest, as though he truly believed what he was saying. There was no sign of the deception that usually lurked under the surface.
As if that wasn’t strange enough, his hair and robes were rumpled, as though he’d slept in them, or…
A woman had her arm slipped through his and stood closer to Ostrian than anyone with any sense usually stood. It took Lyrian a few moments to place her. Her name was Mary, wasn’t it? And she was a human woman, aunt to one of the humans who had recently mated a dragon.
Was she responsible for Ostrian’s change of heart?
A hint of amusement tickled Lyrian’s heart. She’d thought someone needed to bring the grumpy old dragon into line, but apparently he just needed a little love, a little human love, to be won over to the cause.
But surely falling in love wouldn’t be enough to convince the elder that they needed the humans?
Lyrian listened as he continued to talk.
“I don’t know how I’ve missed it up until now,” Ostrian said earnestly, patting Mary’s hand. “Maybe I just wasn’t looking in the right places.” The two of them shared a knowing smile. “But it appears that our ancestor’s relationship with the humans was for more than just a bit of fun.”
“What do you mean?” Taurian asked sharply.
Ostri
an took a deep breath. “I’ve spent all night checking the records from before we left England, and there’s no way around it. I can’t find any record of a life dragon that doesn’t have a human ancestor somewhere. It appears that life dragons aren’t just another dragon group, they’re a dragon human group. Something special that happens when humans and dragons mate.”
Taurian stared at the elder, his eyes widening. Lyrian felt her own eyes widen too. More than a few nearby dragons stopped talking to listen.
“So you’re telling me,” Taurian said, a hint of amusement in his eyes, “that when you tried to convince me to mate with your granddaughter, you would have been decreasing our chances of producing a life dragon?”
Ostrian drew himself up and looked Taurian straight in the eye. “I didn’t know this at the time, or I would not have made that suggestion,” he said tightly. “I had the clan’s best interest at heart, even if my information was incorrect.”
Ostrian’s voice stumbled on the last words, and his shoulders slumped a little. Even Mary patting his arm didn’t seem to help his despondency.
“I understand if you wish to remove me from the elder’s council over this,” he said stiffly, “but please don’t ignore my advice because of that. This time I am sure of the information I’m giving you, and I have the numbers to prove it. We need to establish an ongoing relationship with the humans if we’re ever to have viable numbers of life dragons again. If I’d realised this earlier, then we might have defeated Ultrima long ago.”
There was a complete silence in the room at his pronouncement.
Everyone was staring at Ostrian.
His eyes didn’t leave Taurian. Waiting for his response.
Taurian looked a little stunned, as though he wasn’t quite sure what to say to that.
The idea was so unbelievable that it took some taking in.
But it did explain a lot of things. Lyrian had felt a strange attachment to the humans ever since she’d woken from the Mesmer. And an instant attraction to Brad. She’d thought that her fondness for the humans she’d met had been because she been stuck with them when she hadn’t been able to find her clan.
But maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe there was something that tied humans and dragons together. Maybe their future was intertwined.
Except right now, they were in the middle of fleeing from the humans. Of trying desperately to hide from them, just as they had centuries ago when they’d left England.
The feeling that something was wrong that had plagued her ever since Brad had left the lair suddenly came into sharp focus. With a clarity she hadn’t had since the war with Ultrima began, Lyrian knew what she had to do.
She stepped forwards and put a hand on Taurian’s arm. “Perhaps it is time to call the retreat off. Stay here and face up to the humans and try to find a way that we can share this land, without fighting.”
Ostrian looked at her, his face hopeful. “Yes,” he agreed. “We need to find a way to connect with the humans. That is what we must do.”
Taurian stared at her, his face registering shock and disbelief. And more than a little anger. “A few hours ago, you were urging me to abandon our lair and go into hiding. And now you’re just changing your mind? Because of this? You think because we tell the humans we need them, they’re suddenly going to be friendly towards us? I don’t want to hide anymore than the next dragon, I’ve made my feelings on that clear, but is this new information really enough to change what is right for the safety of our clan?”
Lyrian hesitated. She couldn’t say for certain. No one could. But somehow, this felt right.
The pain that had been constricting her heart ever since the decision to leave the lair had been made, eased. And not just because it meant Brad would be able to find them.
“We ran from the humans in England,” she said softly. “We found a continent away from them, where they wouldn’t bother us. But they followed us here. There is nowhere else to run. Nowhere we will ever truly be hidden from them. Our only option is to find a way to coexist here.”
Lyrian didn’t expect any opposition. After all, the dragon who usually objected to any proposal had been the one to suggest it.
She’d forgotten about her sister, who was still getting the hang of this world three hundred years in the future. Sarian’s frown was almost as annoyed as Taurian’s. “You were the one who urged this course of action, Lyrian. We can’t just flip back and forth on our decisions all the time. Maybe our future is with the humans, I don’t know yet. But right now, I think we need to leave here and find somewhere safe, where we can consider our options without the pressure to make a snap decision.”
Frustration welled up in Lyrian. If only she’d never suggested running. If only she’d let Taurian convince their sister that staying and fighting was the best option, that would at least be a little closer to finding a way to communicate with the humans.
She stared at her brother and sister in frustration, and at the other dragons crowding around looking lost. There had to be a way to fix this. A solution that was neither running away, nor fighting. She just knew it.
If only she could convince everyone.
Just as she searched her mind frantically, a voice bloomed in her mind. “Lyrian?”
Her heart skipped a beat. It was Brad. He was back. She hadn’t expected to hear from him so soon, but his voice filled her heart with joy.
“Brad? I’m so glad to hear from you.” Tears pricked at the back of her eyes.
“Wait until you hear what I have to say before you decide that.” Brad’s dragon voice was grim. “I hope this is okay, but I couldn’t exactly ask in advance. There are some humans here, and they want to speak to the leader of Rian clan to discuss dragon/human relations. I guess that’s you.”
He didn’t sound pleased about it.
Somehow, Lyrian suspected that Taurian and Sarian weren’t going to be too happy either. “Give me a minute to talk to the others,” she told Brad, then turned back to her brother and sister.
They were both frowning at her.
Lyrian took a deep breath. “Looks like we have to make a decision now. Brad is outside with some humans who wish to speak to us about the future between their people and ours. Are we willing to give this a chance, or are we going to run and hide?”
As she’d expected, Taurian bristled immediately at the suggestion. “I’m not afraid of humans,” he said flatly. “If they want to talk, I say we listen.”
Sarian, of course, was more cautious. “Who are these people? Are they a risk to us? Is it perhaps better that we get the clan, at least, to safety while we talk to them?”
“I don’t know have answers to any of those questions,” Lyrian admitted quietly. “But I do know that we’re going to have to stop running eventually. Why not now? The humans are extending a hand of friendship to us. This may not happen again.”
Sarian stared at her, her expression uncertain. In fact, she looked rather lost. Her sister usually had all the answers and knew exactly what to do. But right now, she was still floundering to figure out how things worked in this new world, and that made her uneasy.
She was relying heavily on Lyrian and Taurian to lead her. It was up to them to make sure their advice was sound, and not biased by any personal concerns.
Lyrian examined her thoughts, wondering if her need to see Brad was clouding her judgement. Making her choose an option that she would normally avoid. But no matter how she thought about it, this felt right. Her intuition told her so.
She would make the same choice, no matter whether Brad was involved or not.
“The rewards of opening a dialogue with the humans, of finding a way we can coexist in peace, outweigh the risks,” she said with certainty. “If we don’t take this chance, we’re going to regret it.”
Sarian stared at her for a few moments, searching her face. Then she looked at Taurian, who gave her a nod of agreement. Sarian turned back to Lyrian and gave a sigh. “It seems we have no choice. We will
talk to the humans and see what they want. But make sure everyone is ready, just in case things go wrong.”
Lyrian nodded, excitement welling up in her heart. This was going to work out, she just knew it. “We’ll be right down,” she told Brad.
She couldn’t wait to see him, even if a private reunion might have to wait.
“Wait, there’s more,” Brad added.
Lyrian’s heart skipped a beat. More? “What is it?”
“There are… reporters here too. This meeting is going to be streamed live around Australia, probably the world. I figured it was the only way to make sure the police and the politicians didn’t try to pull something over us.” Brad hesitated for a moment, then added, “I also think it can only help our cause if the public gets an image of you that isn’t terrifying. That they can see that you’re just like the rest of us, even if you are a dragon.”
“I think it’s perfect,” Lyrian said firmly. She wished she could give him a kiss over dragon speak, it was so perfect. She was going to be on display, but at least she knew it and could be prepared.
“What’s going on?” Sarian demanded, knowing by the look in Lyrian’s eyes that she was communicating in dragon voice again.
Lyrian took a deep breath. “Apparently we’re not just talking to the humans who are here. They’re using their technology to broadcast this meeting across the world. This is our chance to make an impression on humans, once and for all. I need your help to get ready.”
Chapter 12
It was surprisingly hard for Brad to stand still and not fidget or pace. But he was painfully aware of the politicians and police, not to mention the two reporters with video cameras, standing behind him.
“They’ll speak to us,” he told the others. He didn’t elaborate.
Surprisingly, the others didn’t press him for information. Just waited, scanning the trees, and the sky, and even the cliff.
Nothing seemed to be happening for a very long time. Brad was almost considering asking Lyrian if she was still coming. But he knew she would be. She had said she would. They just needed to be patient.
