by Sariah Skye
The dragons around me glanced at each other uncertainly. Several of them nodded praise and others just remained silent. But, I wasn’t using magic anymore, so their calmness I took as a positive sign that their anger was being effectively quelled.
“If you want to get things moving quicker, please address your local Court member of your region and pressure them into allowing healing,” my grandfather spoke up next. “So far, only a handful of them have agreed to undergo the procedure, and when we know the Queen is well enough again from her…taxing first few days as monarch, she will begin the process. It will be slow, but with your help and patience, we can get through it.”
A murmur rippled over the crowd and everyone seemed to be satisfied with my words.
I motioned to Maxxus and my grandfather. “Please, ask any questions you have. In turn. Excuse me for a moment, I’m going to contact someone and see what else can be done.” I sat back down on the throne and drew out my cell phone from one of my pockets.
“Is this really any time for a text message?” Kiarra kidded.
I clamped my fingers towards her in a hush motion, and proceeded to text Finnian while Maxxus and everyone else began addressing questions people had, one by one. I was just glad they were behaving, finally. The crowd outside in the corridors was still riled but I wasn’t going to worry about that right now.
I tapped a message into Finnian:
Can you get here ASAP? There is some…drama unfolding. Blizzard conditions in Anarach, everyone is pissed. Need a solution; could use your help.
I grumbled after a few moments when my phone remained silent. I was about to text Gabriel and Daniel too, when a loud pop sounded from nearby, well into the crowd. Several dragons gasped and stood aside as a portal opened up, and out stepped Finnian, followed by the brothers both.
“What took you so long?” I joked, as Finnian grinned and approached the throne, with Gabriel and Daniel in tow.
“What can I help you with, highness?” Finnian’s smile was impish as he bowed with a wide sweeping gesture on the floor before the dais. The questions in the room had stopped as everyone gave the humans—and near, once human—a wide berth.
“Criminy,” I said under my breath, with a roll of the eyes. Daniel chuckled, but Gabriel appeared horrified, looking about the room, full of dragons.
I pulled Kiarra aside and motioned for Finnian and company to follow me, to an empty corner of the throne room; near a table of untouched food. I motioned to a curious Maxxus for him to continue answering questions.
“What don’t you want everyone to hear?” Daniel asked.
I snorted. “Nothing. I’m just hungry as hell.” I dove into a platter of buttery croissants, tearing off an end and shoving it into my mouth with a grin.
“What about that morning sickness?” Gabriel questioned.
I shrugged. “Don’t feel it right now but that could change any moment, so watch out,” I said with a wink.
Finnian chuckled. “So, what is the issue?”
I explained to him quickly what was going on, elaborating on how we usually used our magic to help control the weather. Without that magic in place, the natural winter weather was beginning to take over. “It wasn’t such a big deal until today; I guess it’s an actual blizzard outside. We haven’t seen one of those in decades.”
Gabriel snorted. “They’re freaking out about a blizzard?” He chuckled.
I smacked him in the arm. He winced, and nursed the spot I hit with his free hand.
“Hey, we require a lot of food. Farming all year is essential. Anarach used to be known for its well-controlled weather system; other kingdoms aren’t as organized with it.” I shrugged. “I guess it’s silly, but a blizzard is quite unusual and pretty devastating. We can’t fly through a blizzard, and it cripples us more than we already are. I agree, something needs to be done. That’s why I was hoping you had an idea. Some…potion or portal or magic hoo-ha thingy that can help.”
Finnian smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Look no further than yourself, Queen.”
“Me?” I dropped the pastry in surprise. I quickly bent over to pick it up, before shoving it into my mouth. “Five second rule, right?”
Daniel gagged but Gabriel grinned.
“Yes, you. You quelled that storm outside the truckstop. You put out that fire in Castle Danger and saved those boys. You can do it,” Gabriel insisted.
Finnian pointed directly at him. “Yes, with your help, I think she can. It’s a big undertaking; this storm is over at least half the kingdom right now. Your—where is it? Green Knoll which is directly south, right?” He asked me, and I nodded. “Yes. Them and Ne’emire are getting pummeled. It’s a lot of magic to do at once, especially in your condition but with Gabe it should make it doable and easier.”
I hesitated to glance at the sorcerer. “Do you think we can?”
“Do you think we can?” he repeated.
I sighed. I threw my hands up in the air. “Might as well try.”
“Can’t be any worse off than you are now, right?” Daniel piped up, attempting to be encouraging.
I groaned. “Right.”
Finnian slapped the side of my arm. “Well. Eat up. The sooner the better. I’ll go see if I have any crystals or Esmé potions that will help.”
I gasped, suddenly realizing something horrible. “The refugees! How are they holding up?” I yanked my phone out again and began tapping a message to Kit.
Finnian placed a hand on my arm. “They’re fine. It’s a small enough area to where they can shield themselves with magic. There are small caves nearby where they can escape for cover if things get out of hand.”
“Do you think they could help with the storm?” Daniel questioned.
I shook my head. “No. They’ve been through enough. The storm can’t last forever, anyway. We’ll be fine. If we can take care of it ourselves, great. If not well…everyone will just have to deal.”
Gabriel sighed. “I’m going to need a parka, aren’t I?”
“And everything else, yes. Grab some for me, too,” I added begrudgingly.
“You really feel up to this? Maybe Evie should look over you first,” Gabriel suggested.
Finnian nodded, with his phone in front of him. “Already on it.”
I glanced reluctantly at Gabriel. “Well? Shall we get ready?”
“Might as well,” he said with a sigh.
“You all should eat up too. I don’t know why everyone is wasting all this food,” I said in amazement, shaking my head.
“Evie will meet us in the sitting room outside your chambers. I will summon her. Daniel, come with me and gather the winter things. Gabriel, go with Leorah and make sure she’s ready,” Finnian commanded.
We all nodded at one another, and parted our separate ways. I didn’t interrupt Maxxus while he was addressing the crowd; they were finally being positively responsive and I didn’t want to interrupt that—or get their hopes up. Because this might not work. At all.
Or it might make it worse.
Chapter 23
Once Evie examined me and gave me the “all-clear”, Gabriel and Daniel had produced all the winter gear they could find—which was quite a bit, considering dragons rarely needed it. I assumed Finnian must have “conjured” it from somewhere and I hoped it was magical, instead of illegal—I really had no idea where he came up with all his stuff. But, now wasn’t the time to ask.
When we were all bundled up with jackets, ski pants, boots, gloves, hats, scarves and snowshoes, Gabriel and I left the castle to venture out into the blizzard. Or, we started to when the arching doorway was blocked by a sudden wall of earth and rock.
Awkwardly, I swiveled around in my gaudy fluorescent pink winter gear (yes…of course pink. Gabriel had neon orange—Finnian claimed it was so we could see each other easier but I wasn’t entirely too sure about that…) to spy Maxxus, hand thrust outward, performing the magic that kept us blocked in.
I managed to set my hands on
my hips—sort of. But I felt much like that kid from A Christmas Story, who was so bundled up tightly, he couldn’t move his arms. I glared at him underneath the brim of the fuzzy pink hat (with a pink fuzzy ball on top. Of course). “What. Are. You. Doing?” I demanded.
“You’re not going out into that storm, Leo!” Maxxus’ voice boomed angrily.
Nearby, Daniel whistled under his breath. “Someone’s gonna get it…” he said in a sing-song tone.
I ignored him and continued to glare at my mate. “What are you going to do about it?”
Maxxus snorted, with a roll of his eyes. “Do I have to pick you up and carry you away? Because I will. It’s not safe out there!”
I scoffed. “It’s just snow and wind, Maxx. I’ll be fine! We’re just going to try to squelch the storm. I’ve squashed a tornado, remember! Before I even knew what I was doing!”
Gabriel’s feet shifted in his metal snowshoes nearby and he let out an awkward noise. “Well, to be fair, Leo…that was a magically produced storm.”
“Pfffft. So?” I retorted defiantly, my confidence starting to wane.
“This is a natural storm. Totally different. It’s going to take a lot more than the two of you to beat it,” Maxxus said, raising a brow and crossing his arms over his chest, as if daring me to defy him.
“What is nature but magic in natural form?” Finnian spoke up, with a poetic flourish. “I believe they will be fine as long as they’re together.”
“We will assist, at least in helping in their safety.” Prince Darzius entered the foyer of the palace, followed by his two delegates, Irelle and Rosis. “We are quite used to these conditions and if things get out of hand, we will escort them back to the palace.”
“No need,” Finnian said. “I’ll just port them,” he held up one of his Loremaster portal concoctions in a silver vial. “I have plenty of these.” He pat the leather satchel, hanging by a cross-bodied leather strap at his hip. “We’ll be fine.”
“Still, we can help block some of the wind and snow from them,” Rosis spoke up.
Maxxus growled lowly from the back of his throat. “Fine. But I am coming too.” With a motion, he lowered the earthen gate from the exit way. He pulled his thick green robes tighter around him, yanking the hood up over his head and giving me a defiant look.
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Let’s just go.” I started out the doorway, but in a flash, Maxxus was grabbing me by the arm—well, parka. I began to glare at him again but he just nodded towards the Northlandian dragons. Darzius led his small delegation out the exit, shifting immediately into their massive, hairy dragons.
“Shit,” Gabriel said from nearby, in awe.
I elbowed him and chuckled. “Right?”
Maxxus urged the sorcerer and I out next, followed by Finnian before he brought up the rear. Daniel opted to hang back, claiming the wind would ruin his hair. Really, he just didn’t want to go, and I didn’t blame him the second I stepped out into the blistering cold.
I was nearly toppled backwards into Maxxus by the strong gust of wind but Maxxus held me upright, Gabriel wrapped his arm through mine and we huddled together for warmth and reinforcement.
The outside world around us was a haze of white and wind; we could barely see Darzius ahead of us, even though they were only mere feet away.
I tried to shield the pelting snow against my eyes and face with my hand, but it was pointless; it just streaked across the sky and stabbed at me like thousands of tiny little knives on the wind.
“I’ve never seen anything like it!” Gabriel was breathless as he struggled to speak; the wind whisking away his breath and stealing his words.
I wanted to ask him about his time in Canada—which I knew could grow significantly colder than where I was living in Minnesota—but I could barely open my mouth to speak. Instead, I just gestured for us to “keep moving”.
“Quite a storm, isn’t it?” Finnian caught up to us, walking with little difficulty, looking completely unaffected in his normal street clothes. His hair barely blew around him, his porcelain skin wasn’t reddened by the cold and he didn’t appear to be shivering.
“How are you not affected by this shit?” I demanded.
Finnian grinned mischievously. “Loremaster privilege.”
“Asshole,” I muttered, and I could barely hear Gabriel next to me grunt in agreement.
“Where should we go?” Maxxus asked from behind us, as we wrestled with the howling wind, trying to pin us back towards the palace.
“An open field would probably be best. Problem is, I don’t think I can see one,” Gabriel replied, shouting.
“It’s about a hundred paces to the South.” Maxxus pointed over our shoulders to what I assumed was south. Gabriel nodded once and we continued to walk, thankful for the snowshoes we were wearing. Maxxus had shifted behind us—I couldn’t even hear him do so—but when I glanced over my shoulder briefly I noticed that he sunk into the snow as he walked nearly up to his knees. Even he, with his large stature struggled to maintain his footing in the storm. His wings remained pinned to his back, head bowed and eyes constricted.
“You guys don’t normally deal with snow? I thought you liked the cold!” Gabriel asked.
“We can’t control the temperature much, but we can keep systems like this at bay, mostly. We do allow snow, but not this early; it does help the fields rejuvenate after a long planting season,” I yelled back. “But we generally shift regions…one week Green Knoll will have snow, and everywhere else will be sunny, and next Morenden will have the snow. Depends upon the popular crop in the area,” I explained.
I watched from the corner of my eye as Gabriel smirked. “I have no idea what you just said.”
I moved to give him a little shove, but thought better of it. I didn’t want to have to dig a cute sorcerer out of the snow.
We reached the field—I think—and Finnian directed the four dragons in their forms to stand around us in a circle, with the Northlandians taking the brunt of the wind that was coming from the North. They managed to break the wind’s path somewhat, but still it wasn’t much.
Finnian stood in between Maxxus and Rosis, still looking strangely unaffected by the blizzard.
“I really wish I knew how he did that!” I said loudly to Gabriel, to be heard over the gale.
“Right?”
I felt a weight on my shoulder, and cold, smooth surface against the bareness of my cheek. “Be careful, darling, okay?” Maxxus said, in his deep dragon’s voice.
I nodded, snuggling against his scaly cheek before he stepped back, slowly.
“What do we do now?” I asked Gabriel, as he stood before me in his neon orange winter gear.
He pulled the scarf loose from his face but kept it tied around his neck. His brown eyes quickly scanned around us, taking in the scene. “I’m just trying to get a feel for where this is coming from. I really wish my phone had a weather app for this place!” he chuckled.
“That will be my next decree as Queen!” I replied, and we both laughed momentarily at our stupid jokes.
Gabriel gripped my thickly gloved hands in his, and even through the insulation of the fabric, I could feel my fingertips tingle upon being tethered to his magic. It was a strange sensation, but not unpleasant…familiar.
“Close your eyes, and try to sense where it is coming from. Listen to the wind, follow its path…hear where it’s going, where it’s coming from,” he instructed, his voice still loud over the raging wind.
A lock of hair escaped my hat and began blowing over my eyes. I struggled with my gloved hand to tame it under the brim unsuccessfully, when Gabriel ungloved his hand, and tucked it with a gentle finger over my right ear and tucking it in the back of the fluffy hat. “Better?”
I nodded with an appreciative smile. I could swear I almost heard Maxxus grunt in annoyance behind me, but I paid no attention.
Before putting his glove back on, Gabriel put his pointer finger to his lips and moistened the tip barely with his ton
gue. He held the wet side into the air and moved it around.
I shot him a bizarre look. “What are you doing?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Not sure; I just always see them doing this in movies and nature crap. Thought I’d try it.”
I rolled my eyes, scoffing.
He chuckled. “Okay, let’s both try it.” He removed his other glove and motioned for me to do the same. I did, and tucked them into my coat pockets. He held out his hands, palm side up and I placed mine in his and wrapped my fingers around his lightly.
I slowly closed my eyes and listened to the howling wind speak its story around us, trying to ignore the sensation of the tiny ice knives nipping at the exposed skin on my face.
The lock of hair that had escaped my hat before was free again, and I felt it dance across my face frantically. It tickled my nose and slapped against my cheeks before the wind shifted direction and pushed it behind me; it waved behind me like a flag.
The frosty air stung my flesh, causing a frozen shiver down my neck and spine that chilled me to the bone, down to my very marrow before it traveled to my magical center. My magic, awaiting its freedom inside threw up its invisible barrier and tingled inside, somewhat…almost as if combatting it with its mild heat.
I opened one eye just as Gabriel abruptly opened his.
“Do you feel it?” he asked, looking as surprised as I suddenly felt.
“Yes…but…” I ripped the fuzzy hat off, freeing my hair and tossing it at my feet. I caught his eye and he nodded, following suit until we’d taken off all our winter clothing, tossing them around us.
“Are you guys nuts?” Maxxus cried into the wind.