Chapter 26: Chapter 26

SILVER

“You and I both know that won’t last,” Risen snaps at Storm. “You’ve avoided her in order to stop corrupting her with your ~real~ ways.

“When your happy period is over, you’ll start pushing her away again, and she’ll never understand you. Storm, start teaching her how to be a Silver Breed. The way you taught us.

“Keeping her from those lessons is depriving her of a proper education.”

“You mean you haven’t been teaching me how to be a Silver Breed?” I ask Storm. “I thought we had…you had…well…”

Storm still avoids my gaze as he glares at Risen.

“Take my advice.” Risen nods to Storm. “Take her home.”

“~What~?” Storm instantly snarls, but Risen raises her palm, and he strangely bites his tongue as if he desperately wants to try and listen for once.

“That lake has portals,” Risen whispers. “Take her home to the Tempest Lands. Teach her how to be a Silver Breed the way you taught us.”

“I’d love to see the Tempest Lands!” I raise my hand, very excited, as Storm slowly turns to me and narrows his eyes.

“No you wouldn’t, pipsqueak, you’d hate it. It’s bleak, dull, gray…and far, far too dangerous for the likes of you. You’ll probably break a talon and whimper and whine about it for the whole trip—”

“~Hey~!” Risen snarls at Storm. “See what I mean? Instead of stating how naive and stupid she is…teach her, ~teacher~. Teach her—take her home.”

“I’ve had enough of this ridiculous suggestion.” Storm points back to camp. “We have our home. Now, be on your way.”

“But Storm—” I try to stick up for Risen, but Storm turns to me with a fury that makes both my babies come to stand by my side, watching warily as Risen leaves.

“We have a lesson to teach our babes,” Storm snaps. “Tonight, they kill a Dragon Slayer.”

I purse my lips and shake my head in disbelief before stalking forward with Rawk and Zoraul, who stay by my side while Storm strides ahead.

“Unbelievable,” I whisper to both of them. “He’s a coward, sometimes—a Legend but a coward.”

~“Mother, safe,”~ Rawk answers for me.

~“Safe,”~ Zoraul confirms, but not without adding, ~“Meat?”~

“I’m sure you’ll both get your first fill of human meat soon enough,” I answer dryly while thinking about them tearing into Jordan Culling.

Storm completely disappears from view, while I slow my pace, wanting to avoid the celebrations tonight as I think about Risen’s words.

Home.

A home I never knew of and never thought of, because I assumed I’d never visit it.

The Tempest Lands.

And portals that could take us there directly.

Hmmm…

I stop my deep thinking when Rawk and Zoraul both cry out next to me, cawing in a panic.

I look around to spot the imminent danger—but there is none.

Because it’s not around us; instead it’s far ahead—from the camp.

The Lost Horde is completely set on fire.

I see a burst of flames high in the air, and I see Jordan Culling standing on top of a Gypsy Wagon, laughing like a maniac.

“Stay!” I yell at Rawk and Zoraul as they lunge forward, but they do not listen to me.

They stride ahead, their instincts telling them to help.

I run forward, and I only stop when I decide to mist instead.

I mist through the forest, and as I reach the edge of the camp, I solidify into my true Dragon form.

I instantly see all the bodies littering the ground and Dragons in their true forms by the lake, one by one lunging at Culling and getting thrown through the air by an invisible force.

I trot to the edge and watch carefully as I figure out how this happened.

The pole he was once chained to is snapped in half. Elena is gone too.

Well, I think she is gone—until I realize she is the one protecting Culling.

They have somehow made amends. An invisible Dragon fends off the Silver Breeds trying to attack Jordan.

I stay hidden, and I see soldiers flooding the camp and holding Gypsies captive—the ones who haven’t already been slaughtered.

Storm is nowhere to be seen.

All I can see are the soldiers in camouflage, rounding up prisoners.

“This is what’s going to happen!” Jordan Culling turns to the Dragons, the ones not detained but fighting still; a couple are on the edge of the lake after having been hit by poisoned arrows.

“The Gypsies will be punished for cooperating with Dragons…and all of you Dragons will die, except my beloved pet, of course. Ha ha ha!”

~“Storm?”~ I whisper to him, hoping he can hear me.

~“Stay out of sight; let us handle this,”~ Storm advises me while I watch from the edge.

~“Us? You’re all surrounded,”~ I answer back.

“No, we’re not,” Storm speaks behind me and I spin, my tail nearly knocking over the three Dragon Lords in human form behind my Dragon.

~“Dane! Aneurin!”~ I cry out in happiness when I see them standing with Storm.

Dane raises a finger to his lips and advises me to walk back the way I have just come.

~“We followed them here after a hint from an ally that they would strike your camp. Do us a favor while we help with Xander’s army,”~ Dane says to me.

~“Keep our princess company. She’s back a couple hundred feet, tied to a tree.”~

~“That sounds like Summer,”~ I answer and trot around them. ~“Oh…”~ I turn to look at my mate and my two old Dragon Lords from the Dusk Horde.

~“Try not to kill too many; you know Summer doesn’t like needless slaughter.”~

~“Only enough to have some bones left over to clean my teeth,”~ Aneurin answers me. ~“Stay safe, little Silver.”~

~“Funny,”~ I giggle at him, and I see Storm look increasingly jealous of my easygoing nature with my old friends.

~“Don’t fail either… Otherwise, Summer and I will have to save everyone. And I can’t guarantee you won’t be completely embarrassed when we succeed.”~

~“How on earth would two little girls win over a whole army?”~ Storm can’t help but ask in this moment of dire circumstance.

~“You obviously haven’t heard Princess Summer negotiate. Good luck, Storm… Remember to contact me if something goes wrong.”~

~“Don’t count on it; I will not risk you.”~

~“And I will not risk you or my babes if you fail.”~

~“Pipsqueak, just stay out of sight.”~ Storm is clearly exasperated, and I can also feel Dane’s and Aneurin’s corresponding amusement.

I can’t help but use Storm’s own words on him as I reply with sass one last time, ~“Don’t count on it… Oh, and be careful not to break a talon.”~