I fidgeted nervously as I walked next to the Prince yet again. I knew people were staring at us, but I tried to keep my eyes focused on my resplendently slippered feet.
Gael had been true to his words about finding me clothing appropriate for the court. It had only taken about an hour or so for a tall, willowy woman to arrive at his door, two men carrying a large case for her.
From there I was tugged into a three-hour tailoring session that ended up with me in a gorgeous, lavender gown with all sorts of jewel accents. It was long, flowing, and definitely meant for summer. Which made me wonder, how did they regulate the temperature here, so far below the sun? Glow stones provided light, but not heat, and as far as I knew, I didn’t notice any rivers of lava flowing through the place to give it warmth. Or giant air conditioners, for that matter.
I didn’t ask, though. There was a time and a place for everything, and this did not seem like one of them. Instead, I risked a cursory glance at my surroundings.
People were still staring, yes, but I was a bit disconcerted at how few there were. From what I had seen so far, the city could hold thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of their kind. And yet at best I had seen a couple dozen. I guess the Prince was very serious when he said extinction was on the brink. There weren’t enough of the scaled shifters to fill a football stadium, let alone the ancient structure their ancestors had provided for them.
What a terrible idea. An entire species with so much to offer the world, wiped out mercilessly. Seeing such loss, such emptiness up front almost made the breeding humans idea understandable.
Almost.
My train of thought was becoming entirely too depressing, so I went back to staring at my feet. I could worry about the injustices of the world later. I had to survive meeting the Queen first.
Much like everything else, the court was not what I expected.
Although I had read about it several times, in depth, there was nothing that could prepare me for seeing it in person.
It was an open-air meeting place, with several raised podiums for each member of the Court to stand on and present their stance on whatever issue was scheduled to be discussed. At the head of it was a massive throne, built of what looked like crystals and obsidian, winding throughout each other in breathtaking designs.
We were not the first to arrive, however. In the expansive center of the arrangement, where the stones of the floor swirled into a massive spiral, stood Myrik and two other dragons. They didn’t look like anyone I particularly remembered, so either they were side characters, or new people entirely caused by the ripple that had changed the world so much from what my Abuela had written.
I still needed to get to the bottom of that puzzle, I reminded myself. I couldn’t explain why, but I had a feeling that the discrepancies were intricately tied to how I was getting home.
“Greetings, Prince,” Myrik said, expression cordial. “I see you wasted no time in prettying up your latest rescue.”
Gael didn’t dignify him with a response, instead turning to the other men. “General Jayne, Daywell.” He bowed to each and I made note of who was who. Tall with a black beard, Jayne. Shorter with the scar down his chin, Daywell. It would serve me well to remember everything I could in this sacred circle.
“You have a human with you,” Jayne remarked cautiously, his tone not betraying how he felt either way. “Does this mean that you finally gave in to the new Breeding Decree?”
The Prince looked to Myrik, his brows furrowed. “Did you not tell them?”
He shrugged, looking as prim and satisfied as a cat. “I figured it was not my place to do so. You claimed her, so I leave that responsibility in your hands.”
“What’s all this sidebar talking about? Responsibility? Claiming?”
The Prince regained his collected composure and beamed at the two. “Worry not. I will be explaining everything as soon as the court is held.” He turned his attention back to the Advisor. “Thank you for your consideration,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Of course, Prince. Anything to make your life easier.”
I could tell that the white-haired man had plenty more to say, but instead he just tipped his head and strode over to what I guessed was his podium. Silent, he stepped up onto the marbled dais and gestured for me to stand beside him. Naturally, I complied, but I still kept my eyes trained on the floor.
I could feel their stares on me more than ever, and I had a feeling that the sensation would only magnify once the court was in session.
I don’t know how long we waited, but time trudged by more slowly than molasses. By the time the Queen finally arrived, my feet were hurting and my back was starting to get sore from the proper posture I had to maintain in my dress.
Granted, I forgot all of that as the last monarch of the dragons entered. She was a tall woman, taller than even the Prince, and her skin was the deepest, richest brown I had ever seen. Her hair was the same white as Gael’s, but her eyes were pitch black; an all-seeing onyx that nothing escaped.
Her dress looked like it was spun from gossamer itself, shimmering and reflecting the light in enchanting little rainbows. She was breathtaking. She was terrifying. She was everything one could need in a Queen of Dragons and more.
“My Champions,” she said, voice low and grave. Despite her ageless appearance, it was easy to hear eons of experience in her mellowed tones. “Two of you have requested us rally, and I have heard your plea. Why have you gathered us here?”
“Myrik and I were the ones who sent the hawks, Your Majesty.”
“You and Myrik?” She smiled slowly, revealing quite sharp teeth behind her perfect, ruby lips. “Since when do fire and water mix so readily?”
“For the good of the kingdom, Advisor Myrik and I gladly lay aside our differences. And we believe we discovered something—someone who could be the very thing we need to push the oncoming horde of humans.”
“And pray tell, my Prince, what might that be?”
“We believe we have found a seer, one who walks upon dreams and sees things she could not possibly know.”
The Queen’s expression was unreadable. “And is that the slip of a human child I see standing next to you?”
I wanted to object that I was no child, but to a centuries old immortal, I realized I might be just that.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I have seen it firsthand myself.”
“And where did this child come from?”
“I found her,” Myrik said. “In that foolish retribution strike we went on.”
“Oh, the one both you and the Prince rallied so hard against?”
“It was a waste of both time, and energy with a net loss. We gained nothing, and attacked humans who were willing to live in peace. It was foolhardy, and I assume you know as much. So when I found this woman, I knew I had to gain some positive out of the abysmal failure.”
The Queen laughed, her sharp teeth on full display. She truly was the epitome of elegant danger. “Such forthright speech. If I had not known you from birth, I might have your head for such callous speech to me.”
“We both know you would not. Ruling with fear has never been your legacy, and you know you need me to counter those who might be too weak in might to formulate their own opinions.” His gaze flicked not to the Prince, but to a few others on the opposite side of the court. “Of course, I name no names.”
One of the men on the other side snarled. “Now listen here, Advisor—”
But the Queen just held up her hand for silence and laughed again. “So, divisive, my young Champion. There is truth in your words, but you still must learn to parse them more appetizingly. Gael, does this ring true?”
The Prince nodded and continued. “Myrik and I both spoke with the woman after she woke, and she revealed to know both our names, and stations, and seemed completely unsurprised at our ability to shift. Not even the royals know that we can walk on two legs as they do.”
“Fascinating. A human seer has not been born in generations.” She raised a finger that was topped in a wickedly sharp looking nail. “Come closer, child. To the center. Let us see what our sons thought so important.”
I looked uncertainly up to the Prince, and he gestured for me to obey. I was scared as hell, but I certainly wasn’t about to show it. I may have been a powerless human, but that didn’t mean I had to act like one.
Tucking my insecurities down and pushing my chin up, I strode forward until I was in the center of the circle. I willed myself to keep my gaze level with the Queen’s until I reached my mark, then I curtsied as gracefully as I could.
“Your Majesty,” I said, tipping my head before straightening to attention.
“Hmmm, you do have such a strange smell to you, don’t you?” She leaned down from her throne, and I realized anew how large she was compared to my five foot five self. If she wanted, I was sure she could crush me in this form, let alone her dragon. “I feel as if I have known it before, long ago.” She sat back once more, pondering. “Almost a lifetime ago. What was it?”
I waited for her to find the answer, trying not to show my nerves, but in the end, she seemed to move on from her inquiry without an answer.
“A seer then?”
I was startled by the abrupt transition, but I remembered to answer without too long of an awkward pause. “Yes ma’am.”
“So then see for me then. Tell me something like you told my Champions. It’s been years since I have been pleasantly dazzled in such a way.”
My mind wheeled, trying to think of something. “Apologies, but it doesn’t really work that way, Your Majesty.”
She tilted her head to the side, one of her talons slowly tracing along her chin. “What do you mean, my child?”
Now it was time to start spouting the backstory I had been weaving while I had been stuck standing still for hours with the tailor. “The visions, they come in sleep, and I cannot control what I see. Often, they are too confusing, too jumbled to discern their meaning at first. I write them down, and as they return, again and again, only them am I able to decipher their true meaning.”
“I see. How…unfortunately vague.”
“But Your Ma—”
She held up her hand again, and the Prince cut himself off immediately. What I wouldn’t give for that kind of sway over a theater group. “Calm yourself child, I am not saying to throw her to the dogs. Just that we cannot assume judgement yet. Return her to the pens, and monitor these so-called dreams.”
“Perhaps I might suggest,” Myrik said slowly, respectfully. “That it might be easiest to monitor these premonitions and dreams in direct guardianship. The pens are so far from our center, there are too many influences and variables that could affect the results that you wish to test.”
The Queen said nothing for a moment, her cat-like eye lazily traveling between the Prince and the Advisor. “What has this woman stirred up in the two of you? So, set upon keeping her in your influence. Return her to the pens. That is my final word. Child, you may return to the side of the Prince.”
My stomach twisting, I curtsied and began to walk back.
“Now, since we are here, I wish to discuss the Vannin hatching grounds. Mana has been stationed there for far too long, and needs relief. I would prefer one of you volunteer, but I am not above forcing your hands.”
“Rearing children is a woman’s work. Mana has obviously done better there than any of us.”
“What are you, a human now? How bold of you to say as much in front of your own leader. Thank you for your pledge, Cyphus. I’m sure Mana will be most thankful that you volunteered to relieve her of duty.”
“I—but—”
Cyphus. That rang a bell. Why did that ring a bell?
Then it hit me like a strike of lightning, burning through my brain. It had been the mid-climax of the book. The royals had aligned themselves with an emerald dragon which had felt disrespected by the Queen. That malcontent grew into resentment, and he sold out his people for a horde of gold. I remember feeling distraught as I had read the graphic descriptions of eggs shattered, and younglings sprawled across the ground, never to move again.
“T-t-traitor!” I blurted in shock, that scene playing over and over again in my head.
“What?”
But I whirled to the Queen, forgetting everything about playing it safe and learning the game. “Do not send Cyphus to the hatching grounds! He will betray you to the humans and lead you to your final stand! Your children will die!”
If there was one way to grab someone’s attention, it was to tell them all of their children were about to die a horrible death.
“What did you say, wench?”
“Who do you think you are?”
“This is obviously a royal spy, sent to sow discontent and distrust! We must stand united.”
“Silence!” Once more the Court instantly fell quiet, and I stood still, the Queen staring me down like a bullseye. “Do you have anything to back up these claims, human child? If you are the seer you say you are, surely you must know how damning such a claim is. We do not take treachery lightly.”
“I-I know. It’s just, I-I-I, it’s hard t-to explain—”
“Stop, child. Breathe deeply.” I obeyed, trying to calm my racing heart. What had I done. What had I done? What kind of idiot spoke out against someone in the Court of Champions without any evidence?! They had no way of knowing if I was telling the truth or just making it up. “Collect yourself and try again when you are ready.”
It took me several more seconds, but I reached into myself and pulled the same calm I used before a performance. “In the hatching grounds, there’s a special set of eggs, one set away from the others. There’s three of teal, and one of gold. These are yours, correct? All of your children who never hatched, but you could not bear to destroy. Cyphus breaks these himself. The perfect revenge against the woman who thought herself greater than himself.”
“How…how could you possibly know that?”
I took another deep breath just in case. “As I said, Your Majesty, I cannot help the things I see. They are often not pleasant, and never in order. They’re just flashes. But when I know, I know. And I am telling you that Cyphus will betray you and your people. If he hasn’t already.”
“Blasphemous witch!” The man surged forward, and as he moved, his face began to elongate, rippling in emerald waves. His body buckled and cracked, stretching out as wings burst from his back. It was grotesque. It was terrifying. It was awe inspiring.
I screamed, and dodged backwards just as a pair of massive jaws snapped down on where I had been standing. I had been through a lot of rough patches in my life, but never in a situation where someone was trying to outright kill me, and an indescribable sort of adrenaline rushed through my body. I dashed towards the Prince while staring at my attacker, and the Court was erupting into chaos.
I didn’t have time to pay attention to what they were doing, however, I had an angry dragon to dodge. With every passing second, he grew more apex predator, and less human, until finally he was the massive, celadon creature set on my destruction.
His tail whipped towards me, much like Myrik’s had done when we had first met, and I dove to the side. But this dragon clearly knew my game, and it whirled, gnashing jaws coming straight towards me.
Except they never quite got to me.
A terrible roar split the air, and suddenly a glistening, golden wall was between me and my tormentor. I barely gathered my wits in time to jump to my feet and get some distance before the two tussling figures rolled over where I had just been.
Strong arms gripped me, and I was swung over a shoulder. Before I could quite figure out what was going on, I was flying through the air, only to be set gently down onto a ledge. I shook my head and looked up to see that Myrik was standing beside me, and we were high above the roiling battle on the court below.
“You certainly know how to cause a stir, don’t you?”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know. Deliberate manipulation requires a wherewithal that you do not possess. But I think you could.”
“Um, thank you, I think?”
“Gratitude is not necessary.”
Now that I was finally catching my breath, the full ramifications of the situation were beginning to sink in. I had revealed a spy in the ranks of the dragon, and set off a battle between two scaled giants, resulting in my almost death.
“Will the Prince be alright?”
“Attached to him so fast, have you?”
“Answer the question.”
“If you think a cantankerous bastard like Cyphus stands any chance against the Great Warrior Prince Gael, you have gravely underestimated him. I estimate that this will be over very soon.”
Now that I knew that my rescuer was safe, my mind turned to another question. “Why did you save me?”
“I didn’t go through all the trouble of acquiring you to have you be ripped apart by a bitter idiot with delusions of grandeur.”
“You didn’t acquire me,” I snapped. “I’m not an antique vase to add to some collection. I’m a living, breathing, sentient being. You kidnapped me.”
“Semantics,” he answered with a maddening shrug. “And I don’t feel the need to mince words with someone who is so poorly armed.”
I made several incredulous sounds. “W-what? I am not poorly armed!”
“Of course, you aren’t.” He looked down to the two still feuding beasts. “It’s going to take a bit for all of this to be cleaned up. It is best I get you away from all dragons at this point. It is impossible to know as of yet if Cyphus is alone in his treachery.”
“He was.”
Myrik raised an eyebrow but kept his face otherwise impassive. “I would prefer to confirm that with my own sources, but your observance is noted. I will return you to the breeding pens now. Keep your head low and try not to cause any more violent fights to the death.”
“I think I’ve reached my maximum on that for today.”
“Good.” He held his arms out and I just stared at him dolefully. I was actually slightly impressed at how long he maintained the pose before sighing in aggravation. “It is either in my arms or over my shoulder, but you are far too slow to travel by foot.”
“Fine. Whatever.” I stood and stomped over him, not caring if I looked somewhat petulant.
Like the cover of a harlequin novel, one arm supported my back and the other swept under my knees, and he pulled me up in a bridal carry. I hadn’t thought through how he was going to get down from the craggy ledge we were on so encumbered, but I was still startled when we took a running leap on the edge!
A scream punched its way out of my throat, but I managed to cut it off when we landed safely on the ground.
“How,” I gasped, completely breathless. “How did you do that?”
I could just feel that his smirk was superior, even if I couldn’t see his face. “I’m a dragon.” He must have heard the curses I muttered under my breath because he laughed lightly. “You need to stop thinking of things in your own human scope. You’ll find your transition here much smoother that way.”
“And what do you care about how smooth or not my transition is?”
He shrugged, which bounced me a bit in his hold. “As the one who brought you here, I am invested in how this plays out.”
“You ever heard the phrase, curiosity killed the cat?”
“No. A curious idiom.” He continued running and jumping, navigating the maze of streets that had taken the Prince and I an hour to peacefully navigate in just minutes. “Considering that curiosity is the only thing that leads to discovery and greater knowledge. Without curiosity, we never would have found this land. Or fire. Or much of anything, really.”
He had a point, but I didn’t want to admit to that, so I just crossed my arms and said nothing. If he thought anything of my silence, he didn’t remark upon it, and we didn’t speak until he was dropping me in the same place we had first met upon my arrival.
“Perhaps it would be better if you walked the rest of the way to the pens of your own volition,” he said, setting back onto my feet.
I pushed my wind-swept fair out of my face and gave him what I hoped was a stern expression. “You know those make you as bad as the royals, don’t you?”
Once more, his face was impassive as he answered me. “A Queen’s order is a Queen’s order, we must obey. And the Queen can only be a Queen as long as her subjects believe she has their best interests at heart, and this is what they believed was in their best interest.
After all, humans rape, burn and pillage with a tenacious sort of glee, and their numbers flourish. I can see the reasoning, even if it is particularly short sighted.”
“But if you know it’s wrong, how can you just stand there? You brought me here! You perpetuated their short-sighted reasoning!”
There was a mischievous sort of glint to his eyes as he began to shift into his greater form. “Perhaps I brought you here, because I sensed you might be an alternative to the barbaric solutions.”
I had a comeback, I swear I did, but by then he was already cloaked in scales and taking to the sky. I comforted myself instead by muttering a long list of curses against both him and whoever birthed him, before turning and walking to the pens I had escaped from just hours earlier.
Some of the captives were just beginning to wake up, while others sat huddled in a circle, burned, bruised and very frightened. I couldn’t blame them. As far as they knew, dragons were giant, winged creatures not capable of the workmanship needed to create the straw-filled pen that was holding them. Let alone trying to puzzle out where they were, why they were there and if they were about to be eaten.
It was a redhead who noticed my arrival first, and I did not recognize her. It made me wonder if other villages had been attacked, or if she was someone I had somehow overlooked on my stay in Leryk’s care. Her mouth dropped open and she stood, with a shaking finger pointed towards me.
Everyone else followed her wordless gesture, and once more I felt all eyes on me as I slid through the fence again. It was right about then that I realized I was still wearing the beautiful dress that the Prince had picked out for me. That was definitely going to make things even more confusing than they were already.
I held my hands up and slowly walked forward. “Hey there. Is anyone injured? Does anyone need urgent medical attention?” I didn’t know what I was going to do if they said yes. It wasn’t like I had gauze stuffed into my cleavage or anything beyond your basic Girl Scout first aid knowledge.
“Mercedes, is that you?”
I looked over to see one of the young shepherds that I had met in my first moments in this world. For the briefest of moments, I was confused as to why he was there, but I guessed maybe to make future humans after the current ones passed? Dragons lived for centuries, it would be wise to create a self-sufficient stock.
The thought made me shudder, and I banished it from my mind.
“Avros! Yes, it’s me.”
The group seemed to relax at the approval of one of their own, and the young man swept me up in a tight hug. “I thought I had seen my last moments. But if we have a lightning rider here, surely this cannot be the end.”
“Lightning rider?” another asked, and a murmur started to go through the crowd.
There were at least twenty humans, mostly women, in the pens. All of them were wearing the garb that had become familiar in my times in the village, as well as a gaunt look of terror on their faces. “You’re a lightning rider?”
Well, this is not how I had wanted this interaction to go, but I guessed there wasn’t a better way to win their trust.
“Yes. I am Mercedes, and I came to you in the storm. We are not in danger here, at least not directly, but I must explain. What I am about to tell you will probably sicken you. Maybe even enrage you. But you must remain calm. I am working on a plan towards all our freedom, but for now it involves a temporary peace.”
“What’s happening?” Avros asked, thick brows furrowed in concern.
I motioned for everyone to come in, then slowly lowered myself to sit among the hay. I figured it would be harder for someone to tackle me in a raw fury if we were all seated and talking like civilized folk.
“First, you must know that dragons are not entirely what you think they are. Yes, they are the great, winged beasts we see, but they are also shapeshifters.” A murmur of shock went through the group and I waited for the worst of it to settle. “They can take on a form not too dissimilar to our own. Although, the older the dragon, the less human their two-legged body is.”
I paused, steadying my breath and prepping my words. This was the big jump. “They are intelligent, sentient people, just like us. They want to live, and be happy, and have no lust for violence beyond defending their home and people.”
“If that’s true,” a middle aged woman with straw-gold hair murmured, “then what are we doing here?”
“Well, that’s the awful part. You see, our royalty has been so set on wiping out the last of the fey, that they have reduced the dragon’s numbers down beyond their hope of repopulation. It takes many years for an egg to hatch, and a youngling to grow to maturity. They can’t replace their forces as fast as we are depleting them.
“So, in their desperation, they hope to use us to, to…” I faltered, the words I had to say clinging to my tongue. “Bolster their numbers.”
The uproar I expected happened, but it wasn’t as loud or as violent as it had been in my head. Everyone was exclaiming some sort of horror, or vows for revenge, and I was pretty sure I heard several women start to cry, but there was no riot. No punching of me or anyone else, for that matter.
“Please,” Avros murmured, slipping his callused hand into mine. “Tell me that’s not true.”
“It’s a desperate law made by a desperate people. So, I am trying to get them to see the error of their ways, and stop this barbaric practice before anyone can be hurt.”
“But how? You’re a human like us. You were brought here to be bred like cattle, or spoils of war, just like we were.”
“And why are you wearing such fine clothes? Those are not from any village I have encountered.”
I held up my hands for the questions to stop, and after a few moments they complied. “I managed to win their trust, albeit a tiny modicum of it.”
“What? How?”
“I used information given to me by the lightning to convince them that I am a seer, touched by dreams and able to warn them of future slights. I hope to use this to our advantage and fully convince them what a terrible mistake they’re making.”
“And what would you have us do in the meantime?” a young girl asked. My heart broke as I looked at her. She couldn’t be older than eighteen, and had stunning, auburn hair that had broken loose from its braid in her capture. There was a crusted over scratch down her arm, and a good part of her dress was burned to ash. “We cannot just sit and wait for a solution to come. If they are so anxious to sire, they will divvy us up and put us to bed within a few sleeps.”
“That’s a very good point,” I admitted. “I think what we’re going to need here, is a sickness.”
“Sickness, what do you mean?”
“Well, if all of you are ill, they certainly won’t be anxious to get close to you. But it couldn’t be a serious illness, otherwise they could just decide to cull us all and start anew.”
“And how are we supposed to trick them? You said they were just as smart as us. Surely they won’t fall for just coughing and pretending our stomach has turned?”
“I…I think I have an idea.” I reached into my knapsack and pulled out my little pencil case that held a couple of permanent markers and pens. Holding my breath, I pulled out the green, orange and red ones. “Who’s up for a couple good, old-fashioned sores?”
“What are these?” Avros asked, as I uncapped one and pulled his arm into my lap.
“Think of them as a type of paint, but in a specific container. We lightning riders use them so the paint doesn’t dry while we travel through the, uh…clouds.”
He nodded, as if that made all the sense in the world, and I got to work. Now, I was not an artist by any means, but the small speckles and welts looked fairly realistic when combined with the dirt and hay that everyone was covered with. It took me several more hours, and the glow stones above began to fade into what had to be the artificial version of twilight.
I got to know the captives as I doodled on them, and that was probably a mistake, but I couldn’t help it. Each one of them had their own stories, their own legacies and families just as I did. Just because they didn’t get swept here by some weird portal in a lake didn’t mean they were somehow less important than my ‘destiny’, whatever the hell that was at this point. I mean, I felt like I was here to save the dragons and restore peace. But it was hard to want to be the savior of a people who were turning to impregnating others without consent as a survival strategy.
And then again, I was approaching it with my twenty-first century moralistic standpoint. A standpoint that might not be possible in these primitive, war-torn times. I mean, we were talking about the genocide of an entire people. That was definitely a big deal.
The answers to my quandary didn’t come, even as the twilight faded to almost pitch darkness. Exhaustion was apparent in all of us, so we set up little nests of hay where we all clustered together.
Under normal circumstances, I would have found the tight proximity uncomfortable. But considering the situation, it was quite easy to find solace in the contact. It was there, nestled between Avros and the young brunette woman, that I wondered what had happened to the Prince and Cyphus, as well as what the Queen would decide of my fate.
I could only hope that I had wedged in there solidly enough that they would let me into their circle of trust. I didn’t know quite exactly why I had been pulled here yet, but I was determined to save every human I could while I figured it out.
And who knew, maybe this was exactly why I was brought here.
It would take time to know if that was the case though, and time was about the last thing I had.
The last thing any of us had.