I entered the Council Chamber, but it was a wreck of what I remembered creating. Giant shards of ice had impaled the floor, cracks of sunlight visible high above us in the broken ceiling. The snow and ice crunched below my claws. My brother, in human form, stood in front of one of the Council vaults. His black and purple aura circled around him like a heavy smoke. He rose and turned at my entrance.

"Ah, brother. I half hoped you would find me. And as I told you, you are too late." He gestured to the blocks he'd been arranging in front of the Council member's vault and lifted a different, smaller box in his hand. "One push of this button, and it all goes boom."

Explosives. He's talking about explosives, Ryeth. They'll blow up the whole place if he's got enough. Show me what you're seeing.  I showed Simon the boxes arranged in front of every closed vault, and the stockpile placed in the middle of the room. After a few moments, Simon said, Kurt says that's enough to take down Mt. Rushmore. Keep him talking. You've got to get that detonator out of his hand.

I didn’t know the mountain Simon referenced, but anything strong enough to take down a mountain was dangerous.

You're alone, brother, I said. Did your flunkies and sycophants reject you this time? You, more than most, are the reason we built this place.

Sinsaya prowled toward me, the same smile that had twisted Connor's face sliding more comfortably across his own features. "It's time for a new age, Ryeth. The king is dead, long live the king."

There are no kings here. 

"No... perhaps you're right. But I will be king. That is part of the new age."

The pack lingered tensely behind me, out of sight in the hallway. How was I going to get Sinsaya to release the detonator? A new age, with you as the only Ancient remaining?

"Something like that. I intend to rebuild dragonkind, Ryeth. I will create a dynasty of dragons who embody what we once were. Not the soft willed weaklings you encouraged us to become."

And so you are going to kill all those who might disagree with you? What about all of the other creatures you will wipe from the earth if you do this?

"How is that so different from what you have done?" Sinsaya snapped, smoke trickling from his mouth. "What is the difference between death and this frozen wasteland? You and your precious Council sentenced us to a living death, a fate far more cruel than I intend. You have imprisoned them. I will free them."

You will murder them.

"Tell me, Ryeth. Did you lie awake at all in your frozen cell? Your mind half-free, but your body immobile? I did. For hundreds of years. And it drove me nearly mad."

I know your pain, Sinsaya. That doesn't excuse—

"I AM NOT FINISHED," Sinsaya bellowed, his eyes glowing yellow, half shifted, and his fingers curving into claws. Claws that would not have the dexterity to press the button if I pushed him just a little further. "You've always been so conceited brother, thinking you had the right to be heard over anyone else."

Perhaps that is because my words are not filled with hate and malice. I have tried to guide you, to encourage you to a milder path.

"I cannot wait until I don't have to listen to your smug condescension any longer, Ryeth. Do you know how wonderful it's been to not have to listen to your whining these past years? Glorious. My children will be raised proud and strong. But I will be the strongest."

And just how do you plan on creating these children? I assume you mean dragons—you cast your shifter children to the side like garbage. I can't imagine you care much for them.

"Of course dragons. And I will sire as many children as I need to bring my true children into this world."

It doesn't matter how many children you sire, Sinsaya. You will never create a dragon unless you consent to bearing young yourself, like I have. It may not have been intentional, but I would gladly bear Simon more children in the future if he wanted.

"What? You? As if my opinion of you couldn't sink any lower. But of course you would stoop so low."

Of course I would bear the responsibility that is mine, brother. It was working; his fingers had lengthened and curved around the box in his hand. Now was the time to strike.

"Responsi—"

I lashed my tail out like a whip, knocking the box from his hand. 

Now, Simon! I yelled as my brother realized what I had done and shifted to protect himself.

I needed to protect the pack while they released the Council. I dove at my brother before he finished, closing my eye against the explosion of black, glittering dragon dust.

Fucking glitter, I heard Simon complain.

Sinsaya leapt into the air. The chamber barely had room for one dragon in flight, let alone two, but I followed, using every fighting skill I remembered in a body that was no longer used to fighting.

Before, I could have easily bested Sinsaya, but my body was newly awakened and out of practice. How long had he been awake? Long enough to have fathered adult children. Long enough to have built his muscle and reflexes so that I struggled to defend myself. 

We've got a unicorn and a giant snake thing, Simon said, distracting me. But they're not waking up.

Had the spell failed? I had to trust it hadn't. Free the others. It may take them a moment to revive. There should be six more remaining.

There's only three. Make that three emblems broken, two remaining.

Only five? There had been nine Council members. That meant three others were unaccounted for. 

I didn't have time to think on it. Sinsaya was capturing all of my attention. 

Okay, all emblems broken, and no signs of movement.

Nothing? In my distraction, Sinsaya targeted one of my missing scales and dove his tail spike into my weak point. I screamed and doubled my efforts against him. I didn't think I could last much longer. I needed the support of the Council, but if the Council would not waken, whether I survived this fight with my brother or not, we were all doomed. Sinsaya targeted another one of my missing scales and I jerked away from him, clipping my wing on a giant icicle and nearly crashing to the ground. Sinsaya was on me in a moment, and before I could gain equilibrium, his feet slammed into me, pinning me to the ground. His teeth savaged my neck, and though I struggled, I couldn't gain any purchase to overthrow him.

For the second time, I was dying, and I didn't think Simon would be able to get me out of this one.