A Gathering Storm

STORM

The dragons descended from the sky and gathered on the peak of the mountain. It was a glorious sight to behold.

It had been centuries since so many dragons had gathered together in one place.

But the reason for our gathering was not one of exaltations. There was a battle looming on the horizon like an approaching gale.

I surveyed the massive figures and was surprised by how many had heeded my call. Both the Dusk and Requiem hordes were present.

I knew the Dobrzyckas were having trouble finding other dragons, but there were more young dragons in their horde than I had expected.

Loch and Hael would be hard to convince. I knew they wouldn’t be happy to band together.

For all I knew, Dane and Aneurin were just as likely to reject this alliance. But if dragons were to survive, joining forces was necessary.

Maddie and a young woman I’d met centuries ago, Summer, made their way toward me.

“Maddie, Summer,” I said, welcoming them to the meeting.

Summer looked at Maddie cautiously.

“How do you know my name?”

“He knows a lot of mysterious shit,” Maddie said. “I find it helps to just go along with it.”

I laughed at her explanation.

“My name is Storm,” I replied. “This is my mate Silver. We’ve been waiting

a long time to see you again.”

Summer looked again at Maddie, who simply shook her head.

“He said the same shit to me,” she said.

Summer shook off the confusion.

“Dane and Aneurin want to make sure this isn’t some trick,” she said. “They’ve already tussled one too many times with the Dobrzyckas.”

“Tell them there is no need to worry,” I assured her. “Our time together is too important for petty fighting.”

Summer and Maddie both turned to their own hordes.

Upon realizing this wasn’t some trick, Dane and Aneurin changed into their human forms. One by one, their horde followed suit.

It took the Requiem horde a bit more time to let down their guard.

Silver looked at me with a smile on her face. My visions were starting to come true.

We needed to make sure it stayed that way.

“Thank you all for coming,” I said. “I know it is difficult to put aside your differences to assemble like this.”

“Cut the small talk,” Loch growled. “Why did you call us together?”

“Because the time to join hordes has never been more necessary than it is right now,” I replied.

The Dobrzyckas laughed.

Dane and Aneurin responded with angry glares.

“We’re not teaming up with these assholes,” Dane said.

“Oh, but you’re wrong,” I replied. “The signs are all around us. And more signals are showing up every day.”

“What signs are you talking about, old man?” spat Hael.

I felt a tinge of anger at his remarks but shook them away.

“For one, Freesia’s Rock is gushing blood,” I responded. “Enough blood to spill out of the chapel giving it shelter.”

My revelation wasn’t scoffed at. Both hordes remained quiet.

“Secondly, that metal dragon you fought,” I said, looking at Loch and Hael. “That could not have been possible without special means.”

“What special means?” Loch asked.

“Dragonstone,” I replied.

The Twin Leading Breeds looked at Maddie with utter contempt. She had been the one to give Xander the Dragonstone.

I had seen as much in my visions, but it was not entirely her fault. It was a necessary evil to jumpstart the war and bring the hordes together.

“That is not the problem, though,” I assured them. “Freesia’s curse seems to be getting stronger and shows no signs of weakening.”

“We’ve been stuck here our whole lives,” Hael said. “What do you expect us to do about it now?”

“Not just you,” I smirked. “All of us.”

The two hordes broke out into murmurs as they discussed the news.

I looked at Silver, and she nodded her approval. It was always good to have her by my side. She was the one who truly gave me hope for our future.

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently.

“Why should we join with another horde?” Loch asked. “We’ve been on our own for years. We’ve taken over Requiem City.”

“There are no benefits to joining a couple of drug-addled dragons,” added Hael.

Dane and Aneurin scoffed at the jab.

“We don’t want to join a couple of uptight pricks,” Dane shouted.

“You think you can take whatever you want,” Aneurin said. “There’s nothing I could respect about two megalomaniacs.”

“Even your mate wants to leave you,” Dane added.

Loch and Hael were set off by these words and started moving toward the other twins.

I rushed to put myself between them. Our world was indeed in danger if such trivial talk brought us down before we had even begun negotiations.

“You’re blinded by your hatred!” I yelled. “Requiem City is a trap. Freesia’s Curse has kept us here for centuries. As dragons, we’re meant to roam skies the world over.”

Loch and Hael looked at one another. The brothers knew I was right, even if they hated to admit it.

“I did almost lose Loch,” Hael admitted. “It’s in his blood to roam, and because he couldn’t, he nearly set the city on fire.”

I nodded my head without giving away my secret. It was because of me that Loch had gone crazy, but it had been necessary to test Maddie’s power.

It was better that Loch and Hael didn’t know the truth.

Dane and Aneurin nodded their heads in agreement.

“If it weren’t for these mountains, we’d have gone crazy ourselves,” Dane replied.

“We are meant to stretch our wings, to fly to the ends of this earth,” I said. “You may own this city. But if we don’t work together, we can never escape.”

“What do we do?” Aneurin asked.

“Join forces,” Silver said. “Or else die alone.”

The two sets of twins looked at her with ponderous faces. They knew we had no reason to lie. But that didn’t mean they would ultimately agree to our terms.

“Give us time to think,” Loch said.

“The decision must be made today,” I responded.

“We need time as well,” Dane said, “but we’ll give you an answer soon.”

I watched the twins return to their hordes and speak with their groups. It was no longer up to me now.

Silver grabbed my hand once more.

“They will see the light,” she said sweetly.

I hoped she was right.

MADDIE

While my mates discussed their decision among themselves, I gave them space. I headed toward Storm and Silver, who watched the two hordes with great interest.

~It’s now or never…~

Storm and Silver seemed deep in thought as I approached. They turned to offer me smiles.

I was once again mesmerized by the golden glow in Storm’s sun-like eyes.

“I would like to speak with you,” I said meekly.

“Very well,” Storm replied. “What is weighing on your mind?”

It was hard for me to find the proper words. He’d told me so much in our short meetings together.

“You once told me that I had a hand in ending the war,” I said.

“That is correct,” Storm responded.

“What is my purpose?” I asked. “Things have changed so much since we last spoke. I’m having trouble understanding anything that’s happening.”

Storm nodded in understanding.

“At first, everything seems unbelievable. Like an answer that is just beyond your mind’s grasp,” Storm said, confusing me even more.

“You’ve helped so much with our cause,” Silver added. “By showing Dane and Aneurin their real powers, we finally have enough dragons to take on Freesia’s Curse.”

“So, that’s it?” I said, dumbfounded. “I should just go back to my old life? What about the prophecy of me destroying it?”

Storm and Silver shared another look. In the space of their silence, I knew what they would tell me.

Zayda had surprised the holy hell out of me at the wedding. Her ability to sing Freesia’s Song showed me that I wasn't alone in having extraordinary gifts.

“Your friend has great magic as well,” Storm said. “Together, you were able to stop that small skirmish.”

~Skirmish?~

I thought about all the people who were injured. No one had died, but we had been damn lucky. Some would be in the hospital for a long time recovering.

“If that’s a skirmish, I would hate to see what the war’s like,” I said.

Storm and Silver both nodded.

“It is unclear how your powers fit into the future,” Storm said. “But the emergence of your friend—the Blood Mage—has raised more questions than answers.”

I wanted to press him for more information, but his attention was distracted.

Loch and Hael had ended their discussion and stood nearby. Dane and Aneurin were waiting as well.

“What is your answer?” Storm asked.

But did he really have to ask? Didn’t he already know the future?

“Against our better judgment,” Loch began, “we’ve agreed to join hordes. Only in the hope of ending this curse once and for all.”

“Agreed,” Aneurin said coldly.

“Very well,” Storm responded. “Then it truly has begun.”