Dragon Storm Read online

  Dedication

  The idea for this book came from a real-life experience of driving through a severe thunderstorm. The sky was green. Lightning was crashing all around my car. Hail and ferocious rain scared me and every crack of thunder felt like it was directly overhead.

  The sky was so frightening, I expected a tornado to begin spinning above my car at any moment. When I finally drove out of the worst of it, my imagination took flight. If ever a portal between dimensions was going to open, that would have been the day.

  I explain all this because, as usual, my companion on this amazing adventure was my Mom. Nothing scared her. She found the storm fascinating and helped me see the magic of it.

  So this book is dedicated to my late Mom. We won’t have any more adventures together for a while, but the lifetime of love, compassion and passion for living every moment to the fullest are lessons I will carry with me all my days. Thanks, Mom. I miss you.

  Chapter One

  It was early morning when a near-breathless messenger arrived from one of the southern cities. He rushed into the throne room, falling to one knee before King Roland.

  “My liege.” The man breathed hard, as if he’d run all the way from Tipolir to Castleton. “News from the south. A flight of gryphons with mounted warriors heads this way at a slow pace. They can’t be more than a few hours behind me.”

  “From whom did this news pass?” Roland demanded, already on his feet.

  “The news started with a messenger from Tipolir, thence to Bayern, Hallowet, Sewell and on. I saw them myself, my liege. They overtook me on the road and shadowed me for a time but let me pass unmolested.”

  “How many would you say?” Nico helped the man to his feet, handing him a glass of water since the poor fellow looked worn out from the hard ride.

  “A dozen that I saw. The reports stated twice that many, but I only saw six gryphons—each with a mounted rider, though the riders blended so well with the gryphons’ golden plumage they were hard to make out. My liege, I never thought to see the like.”

  “Thank you for making haste to give us this news.” Roland signaled to his brother, Nico. The man known as the Prince of Spies led the messenger from the room, passing him a few gold coins for his trouble. Nico never skimped on paying for good service. It was one of the things that made him such an able spymaster.

  Roland turned to the knights, Drake and Mace, who stood nearby. Drake, former troubadour and spy, known as Drake of the Five Lands, had dealt with gryphons before. His new fighting partner, Mace, had also seen gryphons when the two had flown to Gryphon Isle to save Prince Wil from kidnappers.

  “I think it’s safe to bet these could be some of Gryffid’s folk,” Drake said thoughtfully.

  “My brother Wil is flying to the south of the city,” Roland informed his advisors. “I’ve asked him to wait, but I doubt that will hold him.” Roland stalked toward the door. “If your partners are near, mount up and fly with me. I’m going to meet them.”

  Drake, Mace and several others of the king’s advisors were hot on his heels. The knights raced for the ledges where their dragons waited, ready to fly. Roland, Nico and a few of the other princes shifted form and took to wing as black dragons—as only those of royal blood could do—and the large contingent headed south to meet the wizard’s emissaries.

  The flight of gryphons was easy enough to spot. They were not trying to conceal their path.

  There were six gryphons in all, each more magnificent than the next. Two were smaller than the others. Perhaps they were juveniles, Connor thought as the two groups met up with each other in mid-air.

  The dragons circled and followed the gryphons downward to land on a rocky mountainside. A small flat area allowed them room to gather and parlay. The black dragons took point, as was their right, and the others followed their lead.

  Prince Wil landed first, joining the gryphons and showing little fear of them. The others followed but remained wary. Roland came first after Wil, Nico behind him. As the two eldest, their roles were clear. Connor hung back with his twin, Darius, and his other brothers, to watch and guard. He was within easy hearing distance and was curious to see what would transpire.

  “Shanya?” Connor watched intently as Wil shifted form from black dragon to human and strode forward to meet a girl who had dismounted from atop one of the gryphons. She looked about Wil’s age, eighteen or nineteen at most, but one could never be certain with these magical fair folk.

  “It is good to see you, Wil.” The girl stepped forward to meet him, her hands outstretched in welcome and a gentle smile on her pretty face.

  The young prince gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek in greeting. “Why have you come? I’ve only been gone a few days.”

  “It may feel that way to you, but time still works differently on the island. To us, it is as if you have been gone a month or more. We’re not sure why time sped up, when it has always passed more slowly on Gryphon Isle. Gryffid assures us the effect is only temporary. He is setting things to rights, compensating so that time will run normally between here and there.”

  The black dragons were arranged around the pair in a semicircle. The other half of the circle was made up of gryphons and their fair folk riders. Behind the black dragons, another semicircle of knights and more colorful dragons stood ready, watching for any hint of danger. A few pairs kept to the air, on patrol for any danger from above.

  Roland and Nico shifted form and came up behind Wil and the girl.

  “Who’s your friend, Wil?” Roland asked, his tone friendly and curious. He was playing it cool, which is something Connor wasn’t sure he could’ve done in the same situation. There was a reason Roland was king. He was more even-tempered than the rest of them—especially since he’d gotten married.

  “Rol, this is Shanya. She’s the youngest daughter of the Captains of the Guard of Gryphon Isle.”

  Shanya bowed low to the king of Draconia. “I come with gifts for two of your brothers.”

  Roland seemed intrigued as he and Nico shared an appraising glance. “Which two and why?”

  The girl’s forehead wrinkled. “One of the sets of twins. It is they I saw in my vision. Two identical black dragons. Two identical princes. I came to deliver the amulets in person because I couldn’t tell which set of twins without seeing them.”

  Wil stepped in. “Shanya has the gift of prophecy.”

  “Sorry.” She smiled at Wil. “King Roland, I apologize. I foresaw two of your brothers undertake a perilous journey. The Wizard Gryffid sent me here with gifts that will help protect them on their quest.”

  “What gifts?” Roland looked skeptical.

  Shanya stepped toward the gryphons and gestured. The two smaller, adolescent creatures stepped forward to stand before the king. Each wore an intricate plate of armor suspended by a delicate chain that ran around their necks and under their forelegs. Shanya turned to each gryphon and removed the chains, catching the ornate ornaments in her hands. As they fell off the magical beasts, they transformed from large breastplates and harness into glittering necklaces. She held one in each hand.

  “These will protect the dragon’s heart in flight and help find the man’s heart. That’s what Gryffid said when he gave them to me. The first part is obvious. The armor will help protect the dragon’s breast. The second part…” She trailed off. Stepping forward, she faced the king squarely. “There is a woman. Your brothers will journey to her realm and must convince her to come back here with them. She is vital to your struggle. That is all I know at this time.”

  Roland’s raised eyebrow would have tested the mettle of a proven warrior. The girl didn’t flinch. She was made of stronger stuff than that, and Connor had to admire her strength of spirit.

  “Will you ask your brother
s to change so that I may see their faces,” she dared ask. “I will recognize the men I saw in my vision so I know to whom these gifts belong.”

  “What do you think?” Roland sent the question silently to the black dragons gathered on the rocky outcrop.

  “It could be a trap,” Nico observed.

  “It could also be exactly what it appears. I’ve known Shanya for years, and she definitely has the gift of foresight. She has saved lives with her abilities, and I’ve never known her to do anything dishonest or deceitful. Just look at her,” Wil invited. “She wouldn’t harm a fly.”

  “Looks can often be deceiving, young Wil,” Nico countered. “You said yourself she is the daughter of warriors. Who knows of what she is capable?”

  “Her parents have never tried to train her beyond basic self-defense. It’s more than obvious to anyone who knows her that she may be born of warrior stock, but the inclination toward soldiering passed her by completely. She is a gentle soul, meant for magic and nurturing, if anything. She spends most of her days with the healers or reading in Gryffid’s library.”

  “What say the twins?” Roland asked. “Since it is their fates we may be deciding here.”

  “I’m inclined to trust Wil’s judgment on this,” Darius said confidently. Of course, of the two of them, he was always the brashest. “Wil knows her. And regardless that he was gone so long and has returned to us a man grown, he’s still our brother and his opinion deserves due consideration.”

  Connor could easily see Wil’s gratitude for the vote of confidence but did not remark upon it. It was still hard to get used to having him back and so much older.

  “All right.” It sounded like Roland had made a decision. “How about if one of each set of twins shifts, plus the remaining brothers. If she really did see one of you in a vision, she ought to be able to recognize you without your mirror image standing right beside you.”

  Nico grinned at his older brother. “You’ve gotten more devious since you married. I like it.”

  Connor sought out his twin on the private communication path they alone shared. “Who shifts and who stays scaly?”

  “Doesn’t matter to me.”

  “All right, I’ll do it.”

  Just that easily, Connor was elected to shift to human form. He performed the change easily as his other brothers did the same. Two remained in dragon form because there were two sets of twins.

  The girl looked at each of the princes, her forehead wrinkling again as she studied each man. Roland and Nico were in the lead, backed by Hugh, bigger than all the rest, a warrior through and through. Collin and Trey were the older set of twins, and Jon brought up the rear, youngest now that Wil had aged so abruptly. Connor and Darius were the younger set of twins, though they were older than Jon and had been full-fledged warriors for several years.

  When her attention turned to Connor, her expression changed. He saw the recognition in her eyes as their gazes met and held. She walked up to him and held out one of the necklaces.

  “This is for you.” Her voice was low and musical. “Where is your twin?”

  “That clinches it. She did see them.” Wil’s tone was telling as he communicated privately with his brothers. He clearly wasn’t happy to have his friend doubted.

  Darius shifted form and moved to Connor’s side. He grinned at the girl like a fool. Of the two of them, he’d always been the flirt.

  “Forgive us, Lady. We wanted to be certain you really did recognize us from a vision.”

  “Of course.” Shanya bowed her head for a moment, and Connor saw her blush. “I know all of this is strange. Even my parents aren’t quite used to my abilities.” She lifted the other necklace in her hands. “This is for you.”

  “Thank you, milady.” Darius took the necklace and winked at the girl. Before Connor could object, he’d slipped the glittering chain over his head. The fool.

  Connor held his own necklace in one hand, unwilling to leap in headfirst until he’d had some time to study the object. For all they knew, it could be some kind of trap—some magical talisman sent to harm them, not help. Connor was more cautious. He would study the thing before he put it on.

  “How does it feel, Dar?” Roland asked in the privacy of the brothers’ minds.

  “Sort of tingly, but not malevolent. I think it’s all right.”

  “All the same, I’ll keep mine in my pocket for now,” Connor put in. “Until we know more.”

  Roland merely nodded and turned back to their guests. It looked like Shanya was the spokesman for the group, though the warriors who had accompanied her watched all.

  Shanya smiled with what looked like relief and turned back to Roland.

  “Thank you, sire, for allowing me to complete my task.”

  “Then that is all you came for?” Roland asked.

  “Not all, no, sire.” The pretty girl blushed. “Our mission was twofold. I completed my part, now it is time for my friends to speak.” She backed away, leaving the two young gryphons facing the king.

  “I am Neril and thiss iss my mate, Sscalar. We are the youngesst mated pair on Gryphon Issle.” The male gryphon began to speak aloud, his beak making a hash of any word with an S in it, but he was still understandable. “Asss ssuch, our choice of nessting ssitess iss not ideal. Gryffid would like to have emisssariess in your land, and we would like a good, ssolid nesst in which to bring up our firsst clutch, which iss not far off. Therefore, we assk your permisssion to nesst in your land.”

  Roland seemed surprised. Connor knew there was already a pair of mated gryphons living in Draconia. It was a very recent development. He wasn’t sure what Roland would think about more of the creatures wanting to make a home here. They were highly magical beasts and unlike dragons, they had few links to humankind. They were wilder and less forgiving of human trespass, even though they could communicate aloud, which dragons could not.

  “In recent days, another mated pair has come from a far off land to seek their nest here,” Roland said formally. “Draconia is for dragons. However, we welcome any being who stands on the side of good over evil and will help us protect the dragons, humans and other inhabitants of our realm. If you can promise to do that, you are welcome.”

  “Asss my mate ssaid, we are a young pair, not even fully grown, but we know our own mindss,” the female, Scalar said. “We mated early even among our own kind. We know what iss right and what iss wrong. We are meant to be together, and our children are meant to live among dragonss. Sshanya hass foresseen it.”

  All eyes turned back to the fair girl who looked uncomfortable once more.

  “Is this true?” Roland asked her gently.

  Shanya nodded. “I see their babies flying side by side with dragons. Black dragons. They live together. They fight together. They are allies and friends.” Silence greeted her words while everyone took them in. “Please, sire, it is the only way they can be happy. Truth be told, their parents are not thrilled with such a young match, but Gryffid intervened. Scalar is pregnant. Her babies will come soon. Gryffid convinced the adult gryphons to leave them be, yet they will have no help and no comfort on Gryphon Isle.”

  “They may not have much help here either, I’m forced to say.” Roland turned to address the young gryphon pair. “Our people are not used to gryphons, and we know not how to deal with them. If you stay, it will require patience on all parts. I know gryphons can be violent with humans who do not show proper respect. My people could unintentionally offend. I would not have them hurt for mere ignorance. I would expect a certain amount of forbearance on your part.” He eyed the gryphons with that older-brother look Connor knew well.

  “Asss you wissh, my liege.” Neril bowed his head in a sign of respect. “We have had much missundersstanding and intolerance in our livess already. I would ssay we are more undersstanding and tolerant asss a ressult. We do not take offensse asss eassily asss ssome of our brethren.” The young male threw a haughty look over his feathered shoulder at one of the gryphons in their escort
who stood back from the others. Their coloring was similar enough that young Neril could be the older one’s son.

  “I bet the dour elder male over there is Neril’s papa, come to make sure his son is all right. I get the impression he disapproves of the young lovers and their rash actions,” Connor pointed out privately among the dragons.

  “You have a good eye, Con,” Nico answered back after a minute. “I think you’re right. Looks like both sets of parents escorted the misbehaving youngsters here.”

  Connor looked at the other gryphons and realized Nico was right. The four full-grown gryphons had similar features and coloring to the two youngsters.

  “What say your sires and dams?” Roland asked aloud of the gryphons. “I wish no ill will between my land and Gryphon Isle. Neither do I want to see these young ones mistreated in either place. I will take them in if it will cause no political upheaval among our peoples.”

  An older female stood forward and nodded to Roland. “We’ve held Council on thiss problem sseveral timess already. The gryphonss of Gryphon Issle wissh thesse two no ill will, but neither are we happy at ssuch a young pairing. They sshould have waited for Council approval before mating. The Council iss not happy with them, but what’ss done iss done. Gryffid also sspoke on their behalf and that holdss great weight with all gryphonss. Sso, King Roland, you would actually be ssolving a thorny problem for uss by allowing them to live here.”

  “Then it is settled.” Roland nodded, his decision made. “Welcome to Draconia, Neril and Scalar. I would prefer you to speak with the other pair of gryphons who recently made their home here so that you all may coexist in harmony. Is that agreeable?”

  “Mosst agreeable, your majessty. Thank you,” Neril answered eagerly. It was clear he was happy with the result. He moved back to stand next to his mate, rubbing his beak lovingly over her neck feathers in a clear sign of happiness. A little trill sounded from her throat as well, though she did not speak.

  Connor found the creatures fascinating. They were as big as most dragons but very different. It would be interesting having them around.