Ride the Wave

18

“Does that make you the darker version of me?” Reven asked, arching an eyebrow.

“I suppose.” Doran appraised Reven. “We both have a view of the world that’s more gray than black and white. We’re both willing to do whatever needs to be done, preferably from the shadows. We collect secrets to use as leverage. We guard our hearts and can come across as cold, but only to hide how much we feel. Am I right?”

Reven looked away sharply and didn’t answer.

I leaned forward, curious. “What makes you darker than him?”

Doran’s face turned serious. “I doubt Reven would have waited centuries to act when he believed something was wrong.”

Awkward silence fell over the room. “And Heldor?” I finally asked.

“Heldor is fiercely loyal to the Black Dragon and rarely leaves her side unless she commands it. Most of us have had other lovers over the years, but Heldor has never once strayed. He’s the strong and silent type, calm under pressure, and generally level-headed. But he has a low tolerance for nonsense, and he follows Nysa without question. He’ll do anything for her.”

“What about Isen?” Auric asked.

“Isen is smart, calculating, and likes to collect knowledge, although his motives are different from yours. For him, it’s all about power. In the old days, he was often the mediator of our group, and trust me there were many times when none of us got along. He prefers not to fight unless he must, although he has no problem murdering people in cold blood either. His favorite method is to suffocate anyone who disagrees with him.” Doran turned to Auric. “I can teach you how to do that, if you’d like.”

“No, thank you.” Auric’s face paled. “That sounds horrible.”

“Why hasn’t Isen done that to us?” Jasin asked.

“Suffocating someone with magic requires a lot of concentration, and it takes longer than you think to choke someone to death. He prefers to use it to make sure he gets his way—anyone watching is usually too terrified to disagree with him after that.”

“How do we defeat them?” Slade asked.

Doran let out a harsh laugh. “Right now? You can’t. They’re stronger than you, and they’ve been Dragons for centuries.”

Reven sneered. “What are we supposed to do? Wait a hundred years before trying to take them down?”

“No, because I’m going to train you.” My father leaned forward, the firelight dancing in his eyes. “I’ll teach you how to use your powers and how to work together. In our time, the previous Dragons mentored us before they stepped down. You’ve been at a disadvantage because you’ve had to figure everything out on your own.” He looked at each of us in turn. “With my help, you might actually stand a chance.”

13

Slade

I

n the morning, I woke early and took a walk through the abandoned farm, down a steep hill. When I was out of sight of the farmhouse, I shifted into my dragon form for the second time. The transformation was strange as my bones cracked, expanded, and changed. Wings formed on my back. My fingernails turned to talons. My teeth turned to fangs. And everything around me suddenly got a lot smaller.

Compared to the others, I was massive. In my human form I was broader than Kira’s other mates, but I hadn’t realized it would translate to this body as well.

I glanced behind me again to make sure no one had followed me, trying to get used to the way my long neck moved, almost like a snake’s. With the sun cresting the horizon, my scales turned to green fire, and I had to admit they were beautiful.

I took a deep breath and raised my wings. The fear of failing a second time nearly held me back, but I had to try this again. For Kira.

I beat my wings as fast as I could and managed to lift up onto my claws, but that was as far as I got. It was like the ground itself was holding me down, preventing me from flying. I let out a frustrated roar before becoming a human again.

I knelt and picked up a handful of dirt, then let it run through my fingers. Would I ever be able to fly, or would I be condemned to the ground forever?

“Heldor had difficulty flying at first, too,” Doran said, making me jump. He stood behind me, appearing out of nowhere like Reven did sometimes. Sneaky bastards. “It's not your fault. Your Earth magic makes it hard for you to fly. That connection with the ground is so strong you’ll have to learn to overcome and let go of it before you can lift off. I can help you.” He examined me. “It doesn't help you're such a large Dragon either, about the same size as Heldor when you shift. You'll need to build up your wing strength too.”

I scowled at him, but his words felt right, and I had to admit I did need help. I had no idea what I was doing, and I didn't have time to figure it out on my own. He'd lived for hundreds of years and had seen Heldor go through the same thing once. I gritted my teeth and said, “I'd appreciate your help.”

Doran chuckled. “I doubt that, but I'll give it to you anyway. There's no way you can defeat us if you can't fly.”

“You want us to defeat you?”

“Of course.” He said it casually, so casually I suspected he might be lying. Like Reven, he was hard to read, and secrets perpetually danced behind his eyes. Until recently, I wouldn’t have trusted either of them. Then Reven went and saved my life and nearly died in the process. And Doran… Well, he’d helped Kira escape and had protected her. I wasn’t ready to let down my guard completely with him, but I was willing to listen to his advice.

Doran waved a hand at me. “All right, turn back into a dragon.”

“You want to do this now?”