Chapter 21
Blaze hurried up the stairs to her bedroom, then closed the door and leaned against it, panting. And not from exertion.
She was insane, leaving a thief alone in her artifact room, with her dragonfly display case open. He could dump it all into a sack and walk away.
But somehow, she knew he wouldn’t. He could have claimed the Dragonfly of Morocco was this magical Seal he was looking for, but he hadn’t. And he hadn’t been faking the devastation in his eyes when he realized the thing he’d been seeking wasn’t there.
This was really important to him. As important as protecting the idol was to her. And she could tell his fear of failing at his mission ate away at him, just as the fear of not being able to keep the idol out of Silas’s hands ate away at her.
Maybe even more. She wished, suddenly, that he would tell her what he needed. What he was. Confide in her.
She went over to her bedside table and picked up the music box. This couldn’t possibly be what he was looking for, but she found herself desperately hoping that it could be, even though it would kill her to give it up.
Because she knew what it was like, to give your life to a lost cause.
She went back downstairs. Zane was still in front of the display cabinet, touching first one dragonfly, then another. There was a small, faraway smile on his face, and she felt like she’d caught him in a private moment.
He looked up as she came in the room, and smiled at her. A real smile, his eyes holding hers, making her feel safe and shivery at the same time.
“Here’s the music box.” She went across and held it out to him. “Like I said, I’m sure it’s nothing.”
He took it and opened it up, the tinkling sound of the music filling the room, sounding fake and tinny after the music he’d called from the gold.
He held the box for a moment, his fingertips touching the dragonfly inside it, his eyes going unfocused as he felt its energy.
She found herself holding her breath, and then letting it out in disappointment as he shook his head slightly.
He looked up and smiled at her. “It’s not the Seal, but it’s not nothing. You love it. You’ve spent a lot of time holding it, and it makes you happy.”
He could tell that just by holding it? Suddenly, she found herself blinking back tears. “My mother gave it to me,” she said. “Right before… right before I left our coven. Before I took the idol from Silas and had to leave.”
Her voice got husky as she tried to keep it steady. “The idol destroyed them,” she said. “It killed my mother. Thinking about them usually makes me sad, so I try not to. But this…” she reached out and stroked the dragonfly, “somehow, the memories that come to me when I hold this are always happy ones.”
He nodded, then closed the box. “I’m sorry about your parents.”
She nodded briefly, and then took a deep breath, pushing all thoughts of the past away. Dwelling on it didn’t help. She’d learned that a long damn time ago.
“So are you going to tell me why this dragonfly you’re looking for is so important?” she asked instead. “Or is that not your secret to tell, either?”
That came out snarkier than she intended. She was still on edge from thinking about her parents, that was all. Why should she care if he confided in her?
He gazed at her, his eyes delving into her soul, and she felt a hint of the dragonflies’ song trembling in her belly. Zane handed her the music box, but he didn’t drop his hand. Instead, he brushed it over her cheek, very gently, like dragonfly wings.
She almost grasped his hand and held onto it. But she didn’t.
Then he said, “Once upon a time…”
Blaze shook her head. “I want the truth,” she said. “Not a fairy tale.”
He held her gaze. “It might as well be a fairy tale. You won’t believe it.”
It wasn’t just something to say. He really didn’t think she’d believe him.
But then, there were a lot of people who wouldn’t believe her story either. “Okay,” she said. “Bring it on. Does it have a wolf in it? I like wolves. And please don’t make the witch the bad guy. I’m so over that.”
He shook his head, but he was smiling now. “No bad witches,” he said. “No wolves, either, but it has dragons. Which are way cooler. And it has magic, and courage, and tragedy.”
“And happily ever after?” She suspected that would be a no, but it would be nice if somebody’s story had a happily ever after. Hers sure as hell wasn’t going to.
“Don’t know,” he said. “This might be one of those choose your own adventures.” He led her over to the couch that sat against one wall, where she gave her clients tea and bargained like hell for every piece she sold.
They sat down, and Blaze set the music box on the side table. When she turned around again, Zane took her hand and held it in both of his. The urge to pull it away fought with that now-familiar but still disturbing urge to curl up against him and bask in his warmth. Caught between desires, she did neither. She just sat there, fingers curved around his, and listened.
“Once up on a time,” he said, the dimple flashing in his cheek again, “all the worlds were ruled by the Elder Draken. They were ancient and strong, with magical powers beyond what you or I can imagine. The greatest and most fearsome of these were the First Ones, the Draken Lords, huge and terrifying, powerful and cruel and selfish. Their fiery breath could burn whole mountains to ash, and their wars carved great chasms in the land.”
It sounded like a typical creation myth, but there was a ring of truth in Zane’s voice. As far as he was concerned, this wasn’t myth. It was real. Blaze settled back on the couch, her hand still in Zane’s.
“As time went on, humans and shifters became more numerous and powerful, and they grew tired of living in terror of the Draken Lords. So they called together all the Draken and sorcerers and shifters with the strongest magic. They realized it was impossible for them to kill the Draken Lords, so they did the next best thing.
“They went to war on the Draken Lords, one after the other, and imprisoned them deep in the earth, caged with magic. The Draken Lords fought and raged, the earth heaving and cracking underneath them. Mountains rose up above them, mountains with their roots forever on fire.”
“Volcanoes,” Blaze breathed, caught up in the story. Then common sense reasserted itself. “You’re trying to tell me that volcanoes are actually imprisoned Draken Lords?”
Zane nodded. “Some are, anyway. With terrible magics that took hundreds of Draken and sorcerers and shifters, they subdued the Draken Lords in their tombs, lulling them into a deep sleep. Many of the allies died in the attempt, but in the end, the Draken Lords were all vanquished. The allies forged magical Seals of immense power to keep the Draken Lords from waking, and to keep their prisons locked. For if they ever wake up and break free, they will destroy humankind and shifters, and everything they’ve built.”
Blaze felt a shiver go down her spine. Still, it couldn’t be true. Could it? “But… volcanoes are studied and monitored by scientists all over the world. Wouldn’t they, umm, notice the giant dragons?”
“Do scientists notice all the other magic all around them? You’re a witch. You could walk down the street with a cloaking spell, and no one would see you.”
“Yeah, but dragons are…”
“Different?”
“I was going to say—big. Really, really big.”
“Yeah,” Zane said. “As it happens, the only way to create the powerful magic of the Draken Lords’ tombs was to position them at a nexus between this world and the Dragonlands, where all worlds began. They’re still there—the ones where the Seals haven’t been broken. Or stolen.” He wound his fingers through hers. “If the Seals are missing, the magic weakens and the Draken Lord eventually breaks free. Not a thing we want to have happen. They have to be found and put back.”
Whoa. “Are you trying to tell me you’re hunting for the Seals to a Draken Lord’s tomb?”
Zane nodded.
“That’s…”
“Unbelievable?” he asked. His tone was dry.
Well, he’d told her she wouldn’t believe it. But still… “Even if the story is true, who would be stupid enough to remove the Seals from something like that? And if he’s not sealed in, why hasn’t this Draken God woken up?”
Zane shook his head. “How the Seals were lost is a longer story, and Tyr tells it better than I do.” He shook his head, rolling his eyes a little. “Tyr loves to tell it, as a matter of fact. But they were taken from the tomb, centuries ago. The magic has been weakening ever since. And as for why he’s waking up now… we’re not sure. But all the signs show that he’s about to.” Zane paused. “In fact, Thorne calculates it’s going to happen in the next three months.”
Blaze gasped. “Are you telling me you have evidence that a major volcano is going to erupt in the next three months? Where?”
“No, I’m telling you a Draken Lord is going to erupt. A sentient creature who breathes fire that burns like jet fuel and eats humans for breakfast. And as to where…” He waved his hand in the general direction of Portland. “Here. Mount Hood.”
Here? Out of the lone peak that dominated the view of Portland, the long-dormant volcano of Mount Hood? But… scientists would register the volcanic activity, wouldn’t they? She blew her breath out shakily. “That can’t be possible. Wouldn’t the scientists watching the volcano see the activity, even if they can’t see the Draken?”
Zane shook his head. “They see some of it. Not all. But Thorne’s equipment is electronic and magical. It makes theirs look like Tinkertoys. Believe me, the threat is real.”
She stared at him. “You’re really serious.”
“I’m not just serious. I’m fucking terrified. If we can’t find the seals for Vyrkos’ tomb and seal him back in, he’ll blow that mountain to bits. Not only that, but he’ll be hungry and pissed off. And the approximately two million people in the Portland metro area will barely be enough to take the edge off.”
Blaze stared into space, trying to wrap her head around what she’d just heard. Zane was completely serious; she could hear it in his voice. He’d been right the first time—this was almost impossible to believe.
“Who else knows about this?”
“Just me and my brothers.”
Whoa. Here she was worrying about the idol, when everything within miles could potentially be wiped out. “But if there are these Draken Lords all over the world, why haven’t any broken out before?”
“They have,” Zane said. “Pompeii. Krakatoa. A few others.” He paused. “Mount St. Helen’s.”
The 1980 Mount St. Helen’s eruption was a Draken Lord? “Hold on,” she said. “This doesn’t make any sense. Only about fifty people were killed in that eruption. She winced as she said it. As if fifty lives were nothing. But compared to millions… “And Seattle is still standing. So… why weren’t more people killed? What happened to the Draken Lord? Because he’s not flying around, destroying the world.”
Zane said, “When the Draken made their agreement with the Shifter Council and left this world a thousand years ago, part of the deal was that they left Guardians behind. Powerful Draken to monitor the tombs and to make sure the Draken Lords didn’t escape—and if they did, to banish them out of this world while they were still weak from imprisonment, before they could destroy everything in their path. That’s what happened before, with the other Draken Lords. The Guardians won.” He took a deep breath. “But there aren’t any Guardians left now.”
“And what happened to them?” But she already knew the answer from his face.
“They’re all dead,” Zane said. “The last of them managed to contain the destruction at Mount St. Helen’s and banish the Draken Lord Zavrek from this realm of existence. And every single one of them gave their lives to make it happen.”
That was enough to make your blood run cold. “So you and your brothers just… took over?”
“Someone had to,” he said. “But we don’t have anything close to the power needed to banish a Draken Lord. That’s why we have to find the Seals, and put them back in the tomb. We have to keep Vyrkos from breaking free in the first place, or within three months everything from here to the coast is going to be destroyed.”