Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series

by Elizabeth Briggs

  “Lucky for us that he found you,” Brin said. “But I'm surprised you left.”

  “It’s hard to explain, but as I grew older I began to feel like my place was somewhere else. And though I cared about Cadock a lot, I knew it was time to move on.” I shrugged. “Maybe the Gods were whispering in my ear that my destiny was with four other men.”

  Brin sighed. “I can't believe I slept through it all. I always miss the excitement.”

  I leaned back and gazed up at the cloudless blue sky. “Don’t worry, I have a feeling there's a lot more ahead of us. Starting with this Resistance base.”

  “You think we'll find trouble there?”

  “I hope not. I don't know much about them though, and Slade is worried.”

  “I know little about the Resistance beyond rumors and whispers. I can't imagine they'd be a problem though. After all, you want the same thing as them.” She patted my hand. “You have nothing to worry about. And if it does turn out to be a trap, I’ve got your back.”

  “I hope you're right.” I smiled at her. “I'm so grateful you came with us on this journey.”

  “I wouldn't miss it for anything. I only wish I could be of more help.” She shrugged. “When surrounded by people who can use magic and turn into dragons, it's hard to be useful.”

  “You help me keep my sanity, give me a break from my overbearing men, and let me vent to you about whatever is bothering me. That's more important than anything else.”

  She let out a delightful little laugh. “Yes, that is what friends are for, and I can see how you might need an escape sometimes. Very well then, what’s troubling you these days?”

  I bit my lip, then made myself ask, “You've had multiple lovers at one time before, haven't you?”

  “I have...” she said, her voice laced with interest.

  “How do you make sure you're giving each one enough attention?”

  “I had a very detailed calendar,” she said with a wink. “But truly, it's all about balance and being in tune with their needs and feelings. I'm sure you'll figure it out in time.”

  I wasn’t so sure about that. I glanced over at Slade, who was shaking his head at something Jasin was saying. “What do you do when one of them isn't happy with sharing you?”

  A frown graced her red lips as she followed my gaze. “Sadly, I'm not sure there is anything to be done. It usually ends up with one of you ending the arrangement.”

  I sighed. “In our case that isn't an option.”

  “Then I suppose you both need to find a way to ensure you're all happy. Communication and honesty is the best bet. If you love each other, you'll make it work.”

  If only it were so easy. Slade said he cared about me, yes, but love was another thing entirely.

  We rejoined the others and took off again on our dragon steeds, and soon the terrain became familiar. My excitement and anticipation grew with each farm and hill we went over, every one bringing us closer to Stoneham—and to Tash. Brin was a good friend, but I’d only recently met her and we came from completely opposite worlds. She’d grown up among the nobility and was practically a princess herself. Tash, on the other hand, had been like a sister to me for years. Her family had taken me in and given me a home and a job when I’d been desperate to settle down somewhere, and she’d mended my bruised soul with her kind smile and warm heart. She was the first person I’d told about being the Black Dragon, and I couldn't wait to catch up with her again soon. I wanted to know all about how she was doing after her father’s death, and learn how the inn was faring now that she was running it.

  As we approached Stoneham, I eagerly gazed across the forest where I used to hunt, until I saw something strange. Parts of the forest had turned black, the trees turned to cinder, the leaves now ash. It started with a few small patches, but then it spread as we grew closer to the village, until there was nothing left of the forest but death and decay.

  My hands gripped Auric's scales harder and I yelled, “Hurry!”

  Auric and Jasin pushed harder, their wings beating at the air, and the burnt remains of the forest gave way to a much worse scene. And no matter how fast we flew, it was already too late.

  All that remained of Stoneham were ruins. Homes and shops had become crumbled, blackened husks, and there was not a single living person in sight. The ground had split open right through the middle of the village, tearing apart the lives of everyone in it, and fire had finished them off.

  Emotion choked my throat as Auric landed and I jumped off his back. The heady smell of lingering smoke clogged my nose as I ran down the road, but it didn’t stop me from yelling out, “Tash? Launa? Anyone?”

  Brin called out my name, but I ignored it. The others hung back as they took in the destruction, but I had to get closer to be sure it was real. I stumbled through the ruins in a daze, calling out for the people I once knew. Charred wood scattered the ground, which had turned thick and black, similar to the area around the Fire Temple’s volcano where lava had once flowed. A few scattered bones poked through the black debris, but that was all I could find of the town’s inhabitants.

  A picture began to form in my mind of what had happened. Sark hadn’t been the only Dragon who’d done this—this time he’d had help. The Jade Dragon had torn apart the very ground under the town, causing many of the buildings to collapse before Sark had set fire to them. Lava had risen up out of the deep trench and spread to envelop much of the town, and Sark had made sure anything it didn’t touch was turned to cinders. There was nothing left.

  Had anyone made it out alive? Or had Sark chased them down and roasted them one by one? Was that what those patches of fire were in the forest? My stomach churned at the thought, and I swallowed down bile as I continued forward.

  At the edge of the village I found the rubble that had once been the inn—my home for the last few years. Some other buildings had partially survived, though they’d never be able to be salvaged, but not this one. It had been so thoroughly destroyed it was impossible to tell it had once been a two-story inn teeming with life. Now all that remained was a black crater in the earth.

  I moved forward anyway, my heart unwilling to accept what my eyes clearly saw or the acrid scent in my nose. My boot struck something hard in the ash, and I glanced down at it. Something white stood out from the debris. A bone.

  I bent down and touched the pale white surface, and revulsion instantly spread through me. I felt the lack of life within the bone keenly, and it made me want to yank my hand away. Death was the opposite of my spirit magic, and being so close to it tore at my soul. And worst of all, I could sense who this bone had once belonged to.

  “Tash!” I cried out, my throat burning. I sank to my knees, instantly coating them in thick black soot, as tears streamed down my face. She couldn’t be gone. None of this was real. It was a bad dream, a nightmare my mind had conjured up using memories of my parents’ deaths, when Sark had burned our home alive with them trapped inside. Except every one of my senses told me this was real, from the air I choked on, to the ash on my skin, to the bitter taste in my mouth. The bone in front of me was undeniable proof. I just didn’t want to believe it.

  The people in Stoneham were innocent. Tash was the kindest girl I’d ever known. And now they were gone. Forever.

  All because of me.

  7

  Reven

  I slid off of Jasin’s scaled back while Kira dashed through the ruined town. Slade started after her, but I stopped him with an arm across his chest. “Give her a moment.”

  He scowled, but reluctantly nodded as Kira slipped away. I keenly remembered coming home to a scene like this, and the shock and horror that came with it. There was nothing we could do for her until she had a few minutes to process what she was seeing. She’d lived through this before too and she was strong. She simply needed time.

  Jasin growled as he looked around. “How could they do this?”

  “This is what they do,” I said, willing my voice to be hard to keep it from wave
ring. “We’ve seen it before.”

  “Never on this scale,” Auric said, turning to face me. “Doesn’t it bother you?”

  I crossed my arms and ignored his question. Of course it bothered me, more than they knew, but I couldn’t show that side to them. If I let one crack break through my cool exterior, I’d fall apart completely. The memories would come rushing back and they would wear me down until I was nothing but a husk, like those buildings in front of us. I wasn’t going to let that happen, not when Kira might need me.

  “These poor people,” Brin said, clutching her hands to her chest. “They never stood a chance.”

  “Someone might have escaped,” Slade said.

  Jasin nodded, standing taller now that he’d found a purpose. “We should look for signs of survivors. Auric and I can scout the surrounding area from the sky, while the rest of you can search the town itself.”

  Fools. There were no survivors, that was obvious. They just needed something productive to focus on to make them feel less helpless at the sight of so much death and destruction. I knew what that was like, so I let them carry on without voicing what a waste of time it would be.

  Auric and Jasin took off into the air while Brin and Slade carefully examined some of the rubble. Once they were gone I picked my way through the debris, following Kira’s path to the end of the town. I spotted her kneeling in front of what was once the inn she’d worked at, and now was nothing more than ash and bone. I really should give her a few more minutes alone, but something tugged at me, urging me to join her. If anyone knew what she was going through, it was me.

  Kira didn’t stir when I approached, even when I rested a hand on her shoulder. She simply stared at the place that had once been her home, her arms hanging listless at her sides, her knees pressing into the blackened ground. Dirty tears stained her face, and I resisted the impulse to wipe them away.

  “The others are searching for survivors,” I said quietly.

  She finally looked up at me with haunted eyes. “But not you.”

  “We both know the Dragons wouldn’t leave anyone alive.” Unlike the others, Kira and I had seen this before. We’d both lost our families to the Crimson Dragon’s fire, and we knew how he worked. But her face crumpled in response to my words, and I wondered if she’d held onto some hope that her friend was still alive. I was a complete ass. “I’m sorry, Kira.”

  “This is my fault,” she whispered. “This wasn’t random. The people here weren’t part of the Resistance. They’re dead because of me.”

  “They’re dead because the Dragons are cruel, heartless bastards who think nothing of destroying lives.” Gods, how did I always end up as the one who comforted her? One of the other guys should be doing this. Even Slade would be better than me. I wracked my brain, trying to think of something I could say to make her feel better. “For all we know, the Dragons had problems with the town that had nothing to do with you.”

  She shook her head at my feeble attempt, and though we didn’t share a bond yet, the guilt and heartbreak were clear on her face. “I led them here by sending Tash that letter. The Dragons must have intercepted it and guessed we’d stop here while we traveled through the Earth Realm. They did this to leave us a message that this is the price of opposing the Dragons. They won’t simply destroy us—they’ll destroy everyone we love.”

  I couldn’t deny what she was saying since it was probably the truth, but if I let her sink into this kind of grief she might never come out of it. She blamed herself for what the Dragons had done, and that guilt would crush her spirit and make her want to give up entirely. I knew that all too well from experience.

  Kira was the next Black Dragon and we needed her to be strong. She had to keep fighting. She had to rise above this and move forward. We needed her—and so did the world.

  “And how are you going to respond?” I asked, making my tone hard.

  Her head snapped up. “What?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re the next Black Dragon, aren’t you? Are you going to sit back and do nothing? Are you going to let them do this again to another town? Another family? Maybe Auric’s, or Slade’s?”

  “No!” she cried, her hands clenching into fists.

  “Then what are you going to do about it?”

  She rose to her feet and wiped away the last of her tears. Resolve straightened her shoulders and made her stand taller. Determination tilted her chin up, and anger made her eyes turn to deadly slits. I watched the transformation take hold of her, turning her from victim to avenger in the space of seconds.

  When she spoke, her voice was like ice and I heard the steel behind it. “I’m going to stop them.”

  “Yes, you are.” I didn’t doubt it for a second.

  She stared into the ruins of her village one last time, before turning to me with an unforgiving look that made me wonder if I’d pushed her too far. “And then I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done.”

  8

  Kira

  We buried what bones we could find, until all of us were covered in soot and the day grew late. I decorated Tash’s grave with a few flowers Brin brought me and then stood over it for a long time, silently saying my goodbyes while the biting wind tore tears from my eyes. My mates stood behind me, giving me space, until it was time for us to go.

  As we left Stoneham, the only thing that held me together was the thought of vengeance and retribution. The Dragons had taken so much from me over the course of my life, but no longer. I’d been on the run for so long, hiding from my destiny, but now I was ready to fight back. I was going to destroy them—or die trying.

  We left the ruins of Stoneham behind and found another spot in the forest for us to camp for the night. A few of the others visited a nearby town for supplies and warmer clothes, but I didn’t join them. I wouldn’t put any more innocent people at risk with my presence.

  As we set up camp, the others kept trying to comfort me or ask how I was doing, but I told them to leave me alone. Nothing they said or did could make this any easier or bring Tash back. The only thing that would ease the unrelenting ache in my chest was the death of all five Dragons before they could hurt anyone else.

  I ate something—I had no idea what—and then visited the nearby river to clean myself off, although my movements were routine and my mind was barely there. The anger faded and I went completely numb for a while, until I remembered Tash again. The grief became so strong it made me double over. She was gone. I would never again see her smile, or hear her laugh, or eat her food. We’d never get to catch up on the last few months we’d been apart. The Dragons had taken her from me, and she was never coming back.

  I’d lost so many people in my life that it should have gotten easier to lose another, but it never did. I doubted it ever would. I let the pain wrap around me and turn back into anger, filling me with red hot clarity. I had no one left except the people with me now, but none of my mates’ families were safe while the Dragons were alive. We had no choice but to stop them.

  Jasin stepped between the trees as he approached the river. “Kira?”

  “Not now,” I said. “I’d like to be alone.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice even closer.

  “Just leave me be!” The words came out in a rush, and I immediately regretted my harsh tone. Jasin was only trying to help, but I couldn’t deal with him right now, or anyone else for that matter. A tangled mix of emotions threatened to choke me—overwhelming grief, fiery anger, and crushing guilt for being the cause of all of this mess—and I rushed to my tent to get away.

  But when I slipped inside, I found someone else waiting for me. An elderly woman with white hair, wrinkled skin, and eyes like steel. Enva. The strange woman who’d appeared to me ever since my twentieth birthday, when all of this had started. She always offered a few hints and tidbits of information, then vanished and left me with more questions than I’d had before.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. To say I wasn’t in the mood to
entertain her cryptic advice tonight was an understatement.

  “I sensed that you had questions.”

  I cast her a sharp glare. “I always have questions, but I’ve had a rough day. This isn’t a good time.”

  She studied me as I sat across from her. “Yes, I know. I’m sorry about your friend and your village. Being a Dragon can be a great burden sometimes.”

  “How would you know?” I snarled.

  She gave me a sad smile. “I was one too, once. Many years ago.”

  My annoyance at her presence instantly vanished. “You were?”

  “I suppose it’s time you learned the truth.” She folded her wrinkled hands in her lap. “Kira, I’m your grandmother.”

  I gaped at her. “My grandmother.”

  “Yes. Nysa, the Black Dragon, is my daughter.”

  “You mean…” I swallowed, trying to wrap my head around her words. “So it’s true. The Black Dragon really is my mother?”

  “She is.”

  I stared at the old woman before me, looking at her in a new light. My grandmother. A sense of rightness settled in my chest, and I knew it was true. “And you were the Black Dragon before her?”

  “I was, although I was known as the White Dragon.”

  I blinked. “I didn’t know we could be anything else.”

  She pursed her lips. “Yes, well, there’s a lot you don’t know. Much of that is Nysa’s fault. She had all of our family’s history destroyed, along with all information about previous Dragons. It’s a miracle she let people remember the Gods, but even she can’t wipe all traces of them from the world.”

  I had so many questions I didn’t know where to start. I wanted to know about her time as the White Dragon, and how it had led to Nysa becoming the Black Dragon and ruling for so long. But instead I found myself asking, “How are you here? Aren’t you over a thousand years old at this point?”