Flora and Zephyr stood, the eyes of the princes on them. Together, they explained how they had created the vaccine, all their failures, and their final success. They explained how Flora’s blood had been the missing link. And how she’d created the particle bomb as a weapon, but they’d found that it was also an effective means of distributing the vaccine.
"And that brings me to the reason why we have called you here for this meeting," Akash said. “We cannot distribute these bombs fast enough using human technology. Our ships have been buried below our houses, causing them to be structurally dependent upon them. If we move our ships, we lose our homes. But now that you have all awakened, we would ask you, one or all, if you would participate in distributing the vaccines across the planet. Help us protect humanity.”
There was active enthusiasm among the princes as Akash finished his speech.
"What say you?" Akash asked. “Who among you would volunteer his ship for this mission?”
One by one, the hands of each prince rose into the air until only one had not raised his hand in agreement. The Prince of the House of Tides stood with his arms crossed in the corner, his eyebrows knit, and his eyes dark. Everyone looked at him expectantly. With thirteen ships at the ready, it would be more than enough to distribute the bombs — but more ships meant they would get out there faster. The princes had agreed in everything since the plan to leave old Dragonia. Having one of them decline such a mission would set a new precedence among them. Finally, the Prince of Tides sighed heavily and stood up straight, addressing the assembled crowd.
"Yes, I will volunteer my ship for this mission. We must protect the humans and these Dragon Souls we've created. What could be more important?"
"Excellent," Akash said. “I raise a toast to all of you, brethren, friends, brothers. Welcome to the New World!" Akash raised his glass and was mirrored by all the others.
"Let us now enjoy our camaraderie," he said with a broad smile.
The princes gathered around the food trays and began to talk, joke, and laugh. Zephyr stood with Flora, continuing their quiet conversation.
“This turned out better than I’d hoped,” Flora said. “We should get the vaccines out in a matter of days now.”
"So you are the only one who hasn't found his mate yet?" asked Mortar, walking over and slapping Zephyr on the back with a heavy hand.
"I have not. But at this moment in time, I have other things to fill my attention.”
"Has anyone come up with a way of identifying mates? Can we look for these Dragon Souls using their genetics?”
"I have thought of it, and so has Cato of the House of Flames. We have access to all human databases and anyone's DNA who that has been stored. But such an undertaking would tax our systems beyond their capacity. We haven’t yet made it a priority.”
"It would make it quite a bit easier for the rest of us to find our mates," Mortar said. “It sounds like a valuable undertaking to me." He laughed heartily. "And I could imagine you would be motivated as well."
"It is a good idea for a project after we have inoculated humans and decided what we will do about disclosure.”
"I volunteer to be the first to try it," Mortar said with a wink. “My son needs a mother.”
"I'll look into it.” Zephyr took a slight sip of wine as the Prince of Tides walked past him. A scent hung on the air around him that was so sweet and enticing Zephyr's inner dragon lurched up inside him, growing as wild and desperate as he had on the beach during the storm. He spit out his wine with surprise. The Prince of Tides turned to him. Their eyes locked. Wine had sprayed on the prince’s shirt. Prince Current brushed at it with an annoyed growl, and Akash ran over with a napkin to blot away the stain.
"I have just the thing to get this out," Akash said, giving Zephyr a wide-eyed and excessively toothy grin.
"I apologize, Prince." Zephyr said. “Something caught me off guard.”
"Right this way," Akash said, leading Prince Current to the kitchen.
"What's wrong?" Flora asked.
"There was a scent on him. A sense that propelled my dragon into hysterics.”
"Is the Prince of Tides your mate?"
"No…"
Flora laughed at her own joke while Zephyr tried to figure out what was funny.
“Dragons have nothing against the practice. But I personally am not attracted to males. And if I were, I would not be attracted to the Prince of Tides. He is a disagreeable fellow.”
"What is it then?" Flora asked, containing her need to tease him like everyone else about his lack of a mate.
"It wasn't his scent. There is something clinging to him.”
"Do you think he’s been near your fated mate?" Flora asked, her eyes lighting up.
"My inner dragon is certainly behaving as if that is the case," Zephyr said, walking into a quiet corner with his lab partner.
"You should ask him where he's been since showering last.”
"That may be an odd question," Zephyr said.
"You should ask him if he made any stops on Earth before coming to the meeting."
"Yes, that might work. But he doesn't like me. I don’t think he would answer even a simple question.”
"Go tell him club soda will get wine out of his shirt. And then ask." Zephyr hesitated. "Well if you won't do it then I will."
Zephyr was going to stop her, but Flora was unstoppable. She gave him a sly look and hurried off after the Prince of Tides and Akash. He took another long sip of wine. When Flora returned a few moments later, she looked disappointed.
"He said he didn't stop anywhere before coming to the meeting. He's never even visited Earth.”
"What could this mean?" Zephyr asked.
"I don't know,” Flora said with a shrug. “Maybe you're just tired." She placed her hand on his shoulder. “You've been working too hard for too long.”
Zephyr's inner dragon whirled, charging and flapping its wings, diving and darting insistently from the back of his mind. With the most adamant of emotions, the voice of his beast rose up inside him, stating one single phrase. "It is her."
6
Maia could not stand to be locked in the room a moment longer. She paced the floor, trying to think of some way to escape. She had tried everything that she could think of to escape once she realized she was a prisoner. Those attempts had all proven futile, but this time it would be different. This time the prince had left the ship.
She looked at her daughter and sighed. In ancient times, before the dragons had developed the mental link implant, they had used telepathy to communicate over long distances. That skill had gone out of fashion, and over the millennia it had faded. But Maia knew that deep in the recesses of her mind remained the ability to reach out to those she cared about.
She had only tried it once before. Just days ago, when she’d felt her plight had become too great, she’d called out across the universe for her fated one to save her from this ocean of darkness. But he had not come. Maia had to come up with a new plan.
She would not sit idly by and watch an evil man raise her daughter while treating a Duchess like a prisoner. Maia’s belief in love was the very core of her being, and she would not give up on the possibility of finding her own. Even if she never found her fated one, at least she and her child would live free lives.
She hoped that someday her daughter would love and find a mate of her own. That was enough to give her hope. She sat on the bed as the projection of the Earth spun below. She closed her eyes and folded her hands in her lap. Digging deep into the recesses of her consciousness, she sank deeper and deeper into the black void of her mind. It would take every bit of concentration and will she had in her if she wanted this escape attempt to succeed.
She breathed steadily and evenly, sinking deeper and deeper into her trance. Her mind had shifted to a completely new level, and she was in a state close to dreaming. She searched for the energy of what she knew to be her brother. They had spent many hours chatting with each other over the mental
link, and she knew the flavor and taste of his mind. It helped guide her through this strange new experience.
At first, she thought it was all her imagination. But she had to have faith that it would work. She found the flavor of his consciousness through the vast ocean of her memory and called out to him in clear and precise emotional tones.
"Dear brother. Dear brother. I am still alive. Hear my words. I am here aboard the ship. You must find me. The fate of our House lies in the balance. Please, come find me. Follow the sound of my voice, dear brother, follow the sound of my voice.”
She felt the tiniest tingle of recognition. It was enough for her to continue on her path. Soon the sensation grew stronger and she felt the sense of deep surprise in her brother’s mind. She had to believe he was hearing her, and it wasn't just a figment of her desperate imagination. “Find me brother. Find me! I am locked in the nursery."
As she continued to beckon him, the sensation of his own emotions grew stronger and stronger until Maia was convinced her brother was coming. The moments stretched on and on, and Maia was beginning to lose faith. But she did not give up. She continued to call her brother. “Come, brother. Come find me. I am trapped in the nursery." She repeated her words over and over and over until she could no longer hold her focus. She opened her eyes and let out a deep sigh. Nothing had happened. He hadn't come.
A vibration buzzed in the doorway. Buzzing and buzzing louder and louder. Maia stood, picking up her daughter. She cupped the babe’s head in her hand, hoping against hope that whatever was behind that door was friend and not foe.
"Is it you?” she said to herself. “Is it you, my brother?"
The door to the outside wrenched open inch by inch. And Maia's heart whacked in her chest. She peered into the crack and saw the face she had longed to see for so many years. Her brother pried the door open enough to pass through and looked upon her with such great astonishment it made her weak in the knees. He stumbled toward her, his hand upon his brow. She rushed to him, holding Waverley in her arms. She stood before him, just within arm's reach.
"Can it be? Can it really be you?"
"It is me, dear brother, and you have found me! Now I can be free. Quickly, I must leave this place before he returns.” Her heart beat frantically and she could barely think straight over the pulsing throb in her veins.
“How can it be? The Prince told us all you were dead. He said you died of exhaustion from hatching the dragonkin.”
"It was a lie. I was weak, but I did not die. He took me as a prisoner, now threatens to keep me here forever if I refuse to mate with him. He says he will never let me see my daughter again and will force me to bear more of his children whether I like it or not.”
Her brother seemed stunned, rooted in place. Maia knew she had to move quickly. The Prince would not be gone long, and his fury would rip them all apart if returned to find them like this.
"We have to go!" She reached out to take his hand. He looked down at her hand, still not fully cognizant of what was before him.
"Brother!"
He snapped out of his fugue and looked up into her eyes. Nodding once, he took her hand and led her out of the nursery. They scurried down the hall and around the corner. At the end of the next hall, he opened an escape pod and helped her inside.
"Come brother," she said, reaching out to him.
"I can’t. This is a single person pod. There are more at the other end of the ship.”
"Hurry. I want you to come with me. I dare not think of what will happen if you do not come now.”
"You must go, my sister. Take this wrist device. You can contact me with it.”
Maia looked down at the device and nodded. Her brother pressed a button and the door to the escape pod closed. Within seconds, the pod launched. Waverley cried as the inertia slammed them against the back. Maia sucked a deep breath, holding her child to her chest.
"It's going to be all right, my love. Don't cry. Don't cry."
She held on tight as the pod flew into the atmosphere of Earth and into an unknown alien world. She wished that she had been prepared. She had nothing but the clothes on her back, a wrist device, and her precious Waverley. It would have to be enough for now.
Her pod landed. The door slid open with a rush and Maia climbed out onto the sand of a foreign shore. Winter rain pelted her face and the sea crashed against the coastline. She held her babe tight in her arms, and slipped the wrist device over her hand and disabled all tracking and monitoring signals. Gaining access to the database, she quickly searched for the nearest dragons. The House of Storms wasn't far.
She laid her babe on the soft chair of the escape pod and shifted into her tide dragon form. The aqua blue, undulating creature’s scales glimmered like the waves of the sea. She went into stealth mode and gently cupped her baby in her mouth. Resting the child against the back of her teeth, she wrapped her under her tongue. Dragon mothers had been carrying their young this way for millions and millions of years. It would be safe enough for the babe until she found someone to protect them from their captor.
She launched into the air, spreading her wings for the first time in so very long. The rain driving down on her scales felt like crystalline pricks of indefinable pleasure. She beat her wings, flying higher and higher, careful to keep her babe safe and protected in her mouth.
The elation of freedom filled her body and she wanted nothing more but to dive and twirl in the wind and rain. But she flew steadily on toward her target. The House of Storms was her only hope. If they refused to help her, she did not know what she would do. The prospect of seeing her sweet baby Tor filled her with so much joy, her dragon shed a tear.
"Just a little way farther," she said to herself.
She would protect her child, herself, and her race from the evil Prince. If ever she had a chance to find love, she would treasure it like all the gold, silver, and jewels in the universe. Love was the most precious thing that anyone could ever have.
Finally, the House of Storms came into view. She felt a sense of relief wash over her as her trepidation rose. She approached their shields and slipped through like any dragon would. She stood on their land, coming out of stealth. She set her baby on the wet grass and shifted, picking up the child and cradling her in her arms when back in human form. Her babe had been nestled and warm in her mouth. But now the cold rain pelted down on her. She cried. The rain soaked Maia’s hair, plastering it around her in long black tendrils. She stepped slowly toward the back door of the mansion. It opened and a woman stepped out. She looked quizzically at Maia and then slowly approached her.
"Are you lost?"
Perhaps the woman thought her human and would give her shelter out of pity.
"I am very cold, and my baby is soaking wet. Could we come inside?" Maia asked as she came within hearing range of the woman.
She could smell some dragon undertones in the woman’s scent. Maia looked into the woman's eyes and observed her straight posture. She held an umbrella and motioned for Maia to come underneath it.
"What happened. Was there an accident? Did you get lost? Is there someone I can call to come get you?”
"I'm very tired," Maia said, trying to avoid the explanation.
"Come inside. I'll get you both some dry clothes.”
The woman led Maia into a kitchen and instructed her to sit at the table while she found something for her to wear. A moment later, she let her in through a kitchen and into the hall, then up some stairs into a bedroom. She busily went about finding dry clothes for her and for the baby. She set them on the bed and told Maia to go ahead and change that while she fixed her some tea and a warm bottle for the baby.
"Thank you," Maia said, the chill slowly retreating.
"My name is JoJo. And I'm pleased to meet you."
“I am Maia. Thank you for your help.”
JoJo turned and left the room. Maia quickly dried and changed her daughter before slipping out of her soaking wet clothes. She put on the clean dry ones that JoJo pro
vided. It was a fuzzy pair of pink pants and a matching jacket. It felt heavenly against her skin. Maia let out a long sigh of contentment. JoJo had also given her a fuzzy pair of slippers for her feet. Maia picked up her daughter and carried her back down the stairs and through the house into the kitchen. JoJo was pouring steaming water into a floral pot. The scent of herbs and spices rose in the air.
"I made some chai. That should warm you up nicely. And a bottle is heating for the baby.”
"You've been so kind.”
"You can put the baby in the high chair if you would like to rest,” JoJo offered.
Maia agreed and slipped her daughter into the padded high-back chair. It was in a perfect reclining position, allowing her child to rest.
JoJo carried a tray with the pot of tea, cups, and a bottle for the baby over to the table. She poured Maia a cup and offered the bottle to the Waverley.
"I'm afraid all I have is cow’s milk. But at her age, it should be fine."
"Don't you have dragonkin formula?" Maia asked, her mind exhausted and numb. She had forgotten her pretense. JoJo looked up at her, eyes narrowing.
"Yes,” JoJo said. “Your daughter is a dragonkin?"
"It is a terribly long story, JoJo. And I fear I will not have the strength to tell it more than once. Would you be so kind as to call Prince Hanish?”
JoJo flicked her finger over her wrist device, sending a message to Hanish, and then quickly went to prepare a bottle of dragonkin formula.
"I'll get this started and then take you to the library, where we can speak in private,” JoJo said.
Maia picked up Waverley and followed JoJo to another room full of shelves lined with books. There was a comfortable leather chair and a baby swing beside it. She sat, holding her daughter close. She didn’t want to let her go.
"I'll just go get that bottle."
As JoJo walked out the door, Hanish walked in. Tall and strong, with fierce blue eyes and a dashing smile. Hanish and JoJo whispered to each other. His eyes fell on Maia and his mouth fell open from shock. Nodding, he walked across the room and sat in a chair facing her.
Zephyr: House of Storms: Dragon Guardians Book 8 Page 3
