Draft of Dragons

by T S Paul

  “What did you do?” I asked her. “If they’re that dangerous, why give up your leverage?”

  Grams let out a breath and smiled at me. “Because you asked me.”

  Jerking upright in my chair, I stared at her. “I asked?”

  “Don’t be upset with me, child. You didn’t know what you were asking and what it might cost us as a whole. If the circumstances came again I would still do it,” she explained. “It was the tornado. In order to force them to assist the humans and paranormal enclaves I destroyed the things I held over them.”

  I was horrified. “You had to blackmail someone into saving millions of people? They would have just stood by and not helped at all?”

  She nodded. “Pretty much. And it was reverse blackmail. They did the job as asked. What I had against them might not have held much longer. Bethany’s play is coming. We have to be vigilant to catch it.”

  “Why did you have to protect me at all? I don’t understand this.” I was racking my brain to understand. How did I, as a child, threaten the Witches Council?

  “It’s complicated. Some parts involve your father and your aunt…” Pausing for a moment my grandmother closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. I recognized one of the calming rituals she’d taught me, and I gave her the time she needed. When her eyes opened again there was a different look there, one of hope. “We’ve discussed your father, you and I. He was one of the best influences your mother could have had. He was skilled in his Magick and possessed a level of control that is hard to acquire.”

  My entire being went topsy-turvy suddenly. “He had Magick? Grandmother, in every conversation we’ve had, you never said he was one of us. I always thought he was a norm.”

  She shook her head. “No. Child, you know the custom. We discussed this during Coven training. The only way that sort of union is allowed is if a Witch becomes pregnant by a human. This isn’t the movies; there are no squibs here. Children are taught early to avoid humans as sexual partners. When paranormals breed, some level of power is always transferred. Always. It can and has been diluted in some people, but they will have something, even if it’s only mind magic. Crossbreeds are usually sterile, but they carry traits of the parents. So if you and Chuck were to have children they might be shifters or have Magick or both. Understand?”

  “Chuck? Grandmother, he’s my best friend and team member, that’s it.” I could feel my face heating up as a blush climbed up my neck. “We’ve... there’s no… what made you think...just forget about it!”

  She chuckled at me. “You still blush so easily.”

  “Not funny! What about my dad?” I asked her.

  “Your father wasn’t a Witch, not really. His Magick came from a different source entirely. It wasn’t until he and your mother were married that he explained it to me. If we’d known...Child, our Coven is not evil. We, unlike many of the others, are very open and loving. We accept much that the others refuse. Ken, as he liked to be called, was on the run when he came here. That he chose to settle, to lay roots, is commendable. He was something beyond our understanding, and so very rare in this part of the world,” she explained.

  I threw up my hands. “Grams, you’re not making a lot of sense here. What was so unusual about my dad?”

  “He was a Kitsune, one of the Nogitsune,” she answered.

  I leaned back in my chair, shocked. “Fox spirit? You’re saying my father was a shifter of some kind?”

  My grandmother wiggled back and forth. “Sort of. The Kitsune aren’t exactly shifters. They are born as foxes, not humans. Your friend Catherine was born human first and only shifted after she reached a certain age. Her parents weren’t sure what she would become until she had her first shift. It doesn’t matter who or what the parents are. Her father did tell me she was a throwback, which is a one in a hundred thousand chance. Kitsune can only shift to the human form when they reach their majority, at age fifty. By human reckoning, Ken was an old man when he came to us.”

  “How old, do you know?” I asked her. This was all a bit of a shock to me. “Why, oh why, didn’t you tell me all of this after I confronted Camilla?”

  “Family secrets are family secrets. Parts of my past and those that came before me are hidden for reasons. If you had shown any, and I do mean any, traits of the Kitsune we would have spoken of this sooner. I have been watching. Your seemingly uncontrollable Magick and affinity for animals is related to the other side of your family.” She slumped into her chair. Looking at me sadly, she explained further. “I had my own reasons for hiding this from you as well. Losing both parents early hurt you. To be brought here, to the mansion, and under the protection of a couple of old women was hard enough on you. I didn’t want you running off in search of a…in search of those who might use you. I was protecting you. Bethany and her minions discovered your uniqueness and planned to capitalize upon it. Minerva and I are fairly sure that it was Camilla who informed them. How she knew is one of those unanswerable questions.”

  Raising my hand to my face, I rubbed my eyes for a moment. “I hate secrets. You know that, and kept this from me anyway.”

  “You and I had a similar conversation when you were about ten or so. Secrets make the world go around. When you run the Coven, you will learn about the secrets this house protects. Some things are better left unsaid. Ken’s family, your family, don’t follow the light. They ride the line dipping into the darkness at will or whenever it suits them. He explained them to me one night after I got a few bottles of Minerva’s blackberry wine into him. Chivalry Unleashed is what he called them. They are the Yakuza and are very, very dangerous,” she told me. “I told you at first we thought they’d killed him. It didn’t matter that he was family to them. He was an oath-breaker in their eyes.”

  I let out a breath. “This is like a perfect storm of trouble. Not only am I under suspicion for breaking some secret rule of the FBI, I now find that I’m an unlicensed fox shifter whose family are criminals.”

  “Not really a shifter…” Grandmother started to say.

  “Stop.” I pointed my finger at her.

  “Shutting up now.” Grandmother made a zipping motion over her lips.

  “How big of a threat is his family to me? The truth this time?” I asked her.

  “If they are able to lay hands upon you, they are a huge threat, it’s true. As things are right now, with you here and as part of law enforcement, you’re as safe as most humans. There are spells that I will teach you that will reveal hidden threats, but Verity’s bracelets can have the same effect if you allow it.” She pointed to my arms. The bracelets were something Agnes and I had discussed during training. There was much more to them than I’d ever imagined.

  “And all the training? Why now?” I asked again.

  “I suspect we’re about to be attacked. All of our seers believe it, at least,” Grams said, shocking me. Again.

  Chapter 13

  “Attacked by whom? We just finished with the Demons! Am I not allowed any rest at all?”

  “Not everything is about you, Agatha,” Grandmother chuckled. “I know it seems that way. The Gods set trials in front of us all the time. It’s our job to overcome them.”

  “I overcome them all the time. I’ve met them, remember? A person can’t walk two feet without tripping over some deity or the other,” I replied.

  Grams shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve met them too. They are a constant for powerful Witches. Most of them are quite inoffensive if you are polite to them. They just like to watch.”

  “Like creepy stalkers. I told you about the ravens that seemed to follow me everywhere last year, right?” I said. The Norse God and his little minions pestered me through two whole cases.

  “They do as they like. We cannot control them,” Grams responded.

  I shook my head. “No. That isn’t acceptable, and I’ll be telling them that the next time we meet. Who or what is coming at me this time?”

  “Owl sent a message through their Gate. The enemy of all h
as launched a massive attack against Otherworld. The Legion may not be able to hold them this time,” she explained to me.

  Holding up my hand I said, “Wait. The enemy? Is this the same enemy they are always fighting? The Dragons?”

  Grandmother nodded her response.

  “And if they get through the Legion? What happens then?” I asked her.

  Grandmother shifted in her chair and leaned forward to look me in the eye. “They will come through to Earth using the Garden’s Gate.”

  “Holy crap, Grams! We need to call the army or something!” I yelled.

  “And tell them what? That an ancient army of gigantic Dragons and assorted monsters is about to come through a cross-dimensional portal into a sentient garden in Maine? And that the only thing preventing it is an immortal Roman legion of damned troopers gleaned from history? Do you think the government, the one we both know hates Paranormals, is going to believe you?” Grandmother replied. “This is something we have to take care of ourselves.”

  “Are you crazy?” I shouted at her. “Who in town can tackle something like that?”

  “We’re Witches, dear. This sort of thing is our bread and butter. Besides, why else do you think we have a town militia?” Grandmother asked.

  I blinked a couple of times as her answer registered in my brain. “Those old guys that hunt rabbits in the Garden? That’s not an army, that’s a geezer hunting club. Some of those guys must be a hundred years old!”

  “No. The Rabbit Society is something else. Briarwood has had a town militia in place since the founding. Everyone of a certain age is a part of it. The Coven trains for it. If need be, we can close off the valley completely, allowing no harm to any of our people. And we have allies. There is a plan in place,” she said. “The Legion will hold as long as they can before either sheltering in place there or passing through to join us here. Our people will confront the attackers in the Garden. This is our task and our place to hold. I have always known it would come to this.”

  Gripping my temples, I centered myself. Flying off the handle at her wasn’t the best idea right now. “What happened last time?”

  “Excuse me, dear?” Grandmother asked.

  “You told me these Dragons once ruled here, that they were in control of most of the Earth at one point. What happened to them last time?” I asked.

  She smiled grimly at me. “The Gods intervened. If you ask Emesh, he will tell you of the war. I know we’ve discussed this. The Gods of light, led by Gilgamesh, took on Tiamat, the leader of the Dragons. She lost, and the creatures were banished from the Earth.”

  “So just like that they were gone? Poof! It couldn’t have been that simple,” I stated.

  “No. It took many, many years for their taint to leave. The monsters they created lingered, causing chaos and destruction. Some few Dragons remained as well. There is one in China even now,” Grams explained to me.

  “I don’t see any Gods here. How are we to overcome them here?” I asked.

  “…Tiamat lost to the Gods, but the current Dragon leader still holds the belief that she can be reborn. But only if the Dragons can take Earth for themselves once again. The Empire’s power, once so enormous, is but a shadow of itself today. We only have to prevent them access. Even now, the Legion is able to decimate the Dragons, to a point, and with humanity’s modern weaponry, we have the advantage of shock value. The Dragons ruled before what scientists call the Bronze Age; they have never seen the likes of what might greet them in this century. We just have to hold them at the gate…,” Grams stated sternly. “The Coven was promised aid.”

  “Then tell me what we have to do. My team, such that it is, will help.”

  “Of course you did.” Chuck tipped his chair backwards and started laughing. “You volunteered us to be shish-kabobs. How can we fight Dragons? Do we have a rocket launcher hidden beneath the bus?”

  “Mmph. Jack used to have a large crossbow in his van. Do you still have it lying around?” Anastasia remarked. “I’ve never seen a Dragon before, but I have dealt with their minions. My time in China isn’t to be discussed here, but I did run across some of the Dracaena once. Nasty creatures.”

  I gave her a sharp look. It was easy to forget that the beautiful brunette sitting here with us was older than every country on Earth. Ana had met and talked to history itself. “You’ll need to update us on what might come through, then. Get with Minerva. She keeps track of things better than Grandmother does around here.”

  Ana inclined her head. “I’ll do that. As I told Marcella, my creator’s city had little contact with the Draconic Empire. There were several small portals.” Ana held her hands out several feet apart, to make a square. “They traded rare and very hard-to-find materials for certain herbs and rare gems.”

  “Did they ever try to come through? Through the portals I mean?” Cat asked.

  “Not on my watch, but I’d heard of it happening in some of the other cities. You have to remember. Each city was ruled entirely by one of the Ancients. The Progenitor was long gone, in hiding by then. Only the Lords existed. If the Dragons made a deal with one...Who knows the workings of their minds. I thank Hecate almost every day that I met Agatha’s ancestor when I did. Without the spells Verity showed me, I would have been a slave forever,” Anastasia explained.

  “Agatha, did your grandmother tell you what to expect beyond just Dragons and monsters?” Chuck asked.

  There was a sudden flash of light, and Fergus appeared in the center of the coffee table. “Dragons! My people hate Dragons! They’re coming to eat me…”

  He trailed off and with another flash vanished from sight. There was a loud crash and the sound of Minerva cursing in the kitchen.

  “I better go stop her from changing him into a frog. I’ll be back.” I stood up and went to track down my errant child. He sure acted like one, at least.

  “Is it bad to want to back up the bus, wrap Agatha up in sticky tape, and hit the road? We could find a nice hidey hole up in Canada to ride this thing out,” Chuck said to the rest of the team.

  Cat laughed. “Why sticky tape? Bubble wrap or those big rolls of plastic kitchens use to wrap whole carts with might be better.”

  “Sounds like a good way to end up a squirrel to me,” Anastasia replied.

  “I just worry about her and us. I’m just a Pack member, here. If you or Agatha tells me to attack a flying Dragon naked with only a pizza for a weapon, I’m down with it. But I figure I’m allowed to worry some,” Chuck answered.

  Cat poked Chuck with the very sharp nail of her finger and said, “You are not just a Pack member. We are a team, and don’t you forget it. We’d at least give you two pizzas, anyway.”

  Chuck sighed, “And I appreciate it. You guys never seem to worry about stuff like this is all. Now I’m hungry for pizza.”

  There was a flash of light and Fergus yelled, “Pizza! I call dibs on pepperoni!”

  Chapter 14

  “We cannot hold for much longer. If you’d asked me how many troops the Dragons could field, I would’ve said far fewer than have attacked us. They must have been building this army for years,” Mack started to explain. “None of us saw this coming.”

  “Yes we did. We just chose to ignore it,” Owl stated. “It’s been what, three thousand or so years since they were last here, and less than five hundred since they tried a major push like this. When they broke out last time, though, they found a militarized Europe where every other human had a sword and armor. The knights as a whole simply loved hunting down confused Dragons and their brethren. Earth isn’t like that anymore. Stonehenge and the other primary Portals are locked down tighter than the crown jewels of England. The Demon incursion saw to that one. Still think the Demons weren’t working for the Dragons?”

  Mack held up his hands. “You got me on that one. If it was a diversion, though, they really screwed the pooch. Trying to punch through inside the United States really stirred the pot. All the world’s militaries are on alert now.”


  Owl flapped his massive wings and clicked his beak. The words he spoke were only a mimicry of actual speech. Bird beaks and tongues were physically unable to form the proper sounds of speech, so he put his words directly into people’s heads. “Not so much, according to my own intel. Only the Italians are on high alert. There is extra protection at Stonehenge and Tintagel site, but there always is, whether the humans know it or not. My sources tell me there was an attempt upon China’s Gate but their resident Dragon shut that down rather quickly.”

  Mack cocked his head. “I don’t get that one at all. He sits in the middle of the country for thousands of years, not moving when his people are banned from Earth, and does almost nothing. Now that they are trying to come back he shuts the door.”

  “That one is very sly. He all but runs China and most of the smaller countries around it. Using intermediaries, he controls more than ten billion humans. I doubt he wants to share all that power with his former comrades. All the other Gates are closed, destroyed, or hidden. Only California and Maine in the United States remain. After the nuclear explosion in California, I’m not sure that one even remains. It leads directly to Hel, regardless. The Demons might have something to say to the Dragons about going through there. Taking us out and using the Garden Gate is the only logical choice they have. If the Demons had made more of a splash, I still think they would’ve come at us like this. Charleston was a diversion, and a good one,” Owl replied. “How bad is the Legion?”

  “Bad,” Mack said, shaking his head. “They’ve lost two entire cohorts so far and have fallen back to the main wall. Our primary guns are down, and they’ve switched to the older ones. First cohort is even now loading muskets and making mini-balls. Legionnaires will be fighting with swords and shields in a matter of hours.”

  “Have the Legatus start withdrawing his men. We’ll open up the library shelters first. This is the storehouse of all knowledge. I won’t have it destroyed. It can be fortified to withstand what they will throw at it,” Owl explained.