Ride the Wave

16

Brin tapped her nails against the glass while I chewed. “I think you should listen to Doran and ask him more questions. He obviously has a great deal of information, and he's probably your best bet for learning how to actually defeat the other Dragons, but keep your distance too. Even if everything he says is true, he's not innocent in all of this. He's part of the reason Nysa is in power and the world is in chaos.”

I nodded. “We need him to get to the Water Temple. I'll try to learn more on our journey.”

“And when the time comes to defeat the Dragons?”

I stared into my wine. “I'll do what I have to do, I suppose.”

Brin leaned forward and gave me a squeeze. “You're strong. You can do this.”

“Thanks. There are some days—okay, a lot of days lately—when it all seems overwhelming and impossible.” “Just take it day by day, step by step. Like crossing things off a list. Step one: get to the Water Temple and bond with that sexy assassin of yours.” She nudged me with her elbow. “At least you'll get some action from Reven finally.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. Trust Brin to find the bright side if it involved s*x. “I am looking forward to that part.”

“I don’t blame you. If I liked men, I’d be drooling over him too.”

“How are you and Leni doing, anyway?”

Her face lit up at the mention of her girlfriend. “We're good. Really good. From the moment we met I felt this spark, but sometimes that goes away quickly. The spark with Leni hasn't burnt out yet.” She leaned back and smiled, her face relaxed. “Now that I don't have marriage to Auric hanging over my head, I'm truly free to be who I want to be, and I can be with the person I want to be with.”

“I'm happy for you. I really like Leni.” I swirled my wine in my glass. “What are you going to do now? Do you want to come with us to the Water Temple?”

“I do, but I think I should stay here. The Resistance lost a lot of people at the Salt Creek Tower battle and Parin is gone. Leni and I can do some good here if we stay. For once, I feel like I've found somewhere I can be more than just a rich noble, attending parties and flirting with dignitaries. I can do some good here. Make a difference.” Her voice had turned serious and now she shook it off with a grin. “Besides, you don't really need me. You have your four muscular mates and the Azure Dragon too.”

“I always need you as my friend, but the Resistance is lucky to have your help.”

She sat up a bit. “I actually have a specific idea for something I wanted to run past you.”

My eyebrows shot up. “What is it?”

“Rumors are beginning to spread about you and your mates. I’d like to encourage them.”

“Why?”

“It gives people something to fight for, and it’ll spread hope. The world is ready for a change in leadership, and people have been oppressed for too long. New Dragons rising up to challenge the old ones? The Resistance would be overflowing with new recruits.”

I brushed crumbs off myself and the bed. “I see your point. Do whatever you think is best. We’re not hiding anymore, and you’re right that it’s time the world knows about us.”

“Exactly. Although we need to call you all something else. We can’t have two Crimson Dragons, and so forth. That’s just way too confusing for the general public.”

I hadn’t thought of that before, but Enva had mentioned she’d been called the White Dragon, so it seemed the names were changeable. “You can call us the ascendants. That’s what the priests and Gods say.”

“That works, but I think we need something more too.” She tapped her lips in thought. “What if we use gemstones? We can call Jasin the Ruby Dragon, for example. It’ll distance him from the Crimson Dragon’s reputation, which would be a good thing. Crimson makes one think of all the blood Sark has spilled. Rubies are regal, beautiful, and passionate. Then we can use emerald, citrine, and sapphire for the other men.”

“I like it, but not sure the men will. And what will they call me?”

“The White Dragon? It has a nice contrast to the Black Dragon.”

“No, that’s what my grandmother was called. How about the Silver Dragon?”

“Perfect.” She clinked her glass against mine. “Trust me. This is what I’m good at, and with the support of the people, you’ll have a much easier time rallying people to your cause, and maintaining order once you defeat the Dragons.”

“I hope it goes that smoothly.” Great, something else to worry about. I’d spent so much time trying to figure out how to defeat the Dragons I hadn’t stopped to consider what would happen if we won. All I knew was that I didn’t want to rule, not like my mother. I just wanted peace.

“It will all work out,” Brin reassured me. “Just promise me you'll come back after the Water temple and fill me in on everything.”

“I will. I'll probably need someone to talk to after dealing with my four mates plus my father.” I groaned at the thought. “I think this is going to be a long journey.”12

Kira

W

e left for the Water Realm in the morning, beginning a journey that would take many days and return me to the place where I’d grown up.