by E. J. Krause
"Timothy has championed the cause to imprison you both here at the Stronghold," Gretchen said to her and Ben. Sasha scowled at the red dragon, while Timothy let out a polite chuckle. That humor didn't reach his eyes.
"To be fair," he said, "it's not as bad as it seems. Please don't judge us until you've heard us out. Listen to my compatriots. They'll explain."
"Besides, we're far in the minority of the Council, anyway," Sasha added, venom dripping in her voice.
"Indeed, so there's nothing to worry about," Timothy said. "We're more than happy to abide by the will of the majority of the Council." Though Andi could tell by their tone of voice and body language that they were anything but happy.
"You won't be staying for this session?" Gretchen asked.
"Alas, no. Sasha and I have a pressing matter we must deal with in the mortal realm. Jonas has said that there will be no vote, so our presence is not mandatory. We can catch up with everything in the meeting notes." He turned back to Andi and Ben. "It was a pleasure to meet you, and I'm sure we'll see plenty of each other in the future."
Everyone echoed the sentiment, and Timothy and Sasha went on their way.
"I didn't like either one of them. Ill-intentions bled off both," Ben said, when they were gone.
"Even I could feel that," Andi said, and both Mom and Dad agreed.
Gretchen opened her mouth to say something, but Reggie put a hand on her arm, and she stopped. Instead, she smiled and pointed them forward. "Jonas is waiting for us."
Chapter 13
Gretchen led them through another hallway towards Jonas's private chamber. Ben's head was an almost constant buzz of sensory overload from Andi, though he had to admit everything did look pretty cool. How did dragons get anything done here? Did they eventually get used to all of the shine and sparkles, or did they learn how to work through it? He'd ask Andi later, though he knew she'd roll her eyes and tell him to shut up.
He glanced over at Lee and Cassie and saw they were going through the same thing. Cassie looked both overjoyed and annoyed at the same time, while Lee, like Andi, practically floated down the hallway. Neither Gretchen nor Reggie seemed affected, which gave credence to his guess that dragons eventually got used to the glitter.
They arrived at a large iron door decorated from top to bottom in diamonds, rubies, and seemingly every other gem in existence. Gretchen stopped in front of it. How strange had it been to be devoted to her? He would have done anything for her, no matter how dangerous or stupid, and he didn't like that feeling one bit. The only one he should feel that way about was Andi, and with her it wasn't forced. How could anyone live like that, with no say in the matter? Good thing he'd been able to zap away the spell because he might have smashed his head against the wall to get it to stop. Once he'd figured out what was wrong, anyway.
The door swung open, and Gretchen waved them through. Jonas stood in the middle of the room, greeting them as they entered. He looked the same as his hologram, but without the glow and transparency.
"Welcome, my friends," Jonas said. "We're thrilled you can be here in the Stronghold, and I hope you find the hospitality to your liking."
Another dragon stood behind Jonas, one of about the same age as the leader of the Dragon Council. He looked familiar, his bushy brown beard peppered with gray contrasted with his bald head in a way that was unforgettable. So why was he forgetting? Andi recognized him, too, but couldn't place him, either.
"Leon, Cassandra!" the familiar dragon roared and gathered them both in his huge arms. That voice triggered the correct memory in Ben's brain, and he placed the dragon. He was the one who had found Cassie and Lee right after they'd lost their parents. He'd taken them to meet Rico so they could dispatch Derian. Andi's emotions screamed that she'd figured it out, too. She gave him a pointed look, and he nodded. They weren't supposed to know, and they should keep quiet.
When the dragon let go of Cassie and Lee, he turned to him and Andi and smiled. "So you are the two this trouble is all about, eh?" He had a deep Scottish accent. "The name's Angus." He ruffled Andi's hair, and though it annoyed her to no end, she did a great job of playing it cool so only Ben knew. "I haven't seen you since you were a wee-little lass, riding everywhere on your da's shoulders. Truth be told, your parents didn't want me hangin' about you, becoming a bad influence." He added the last part with a wink to Cassie, who rolled her eyes. He gave Ben a playful nudge with his elbow. "She said I drank too much to be around her precious daughter."
"Excuse me for not wanting to drag Andi to every tavern this side of the known world." She turned to Ben. "Do you know how many barrels of ale it takes to get a dragon tipsy, let alone drunk? I don't because Angus would drain any tavern dry before that happened, and then he'd start fights with anyone who gave him lip. And he wanted me to bring Andi along to those places?"
"You say all of that like you couldn't have protected her. Leon didn't have a problem with any of it. He knows dragon offspring are tough."
"Don't drag me into this, you old lizard. I suffered more than one night in the hayloft because I wouldn't tell you off."
Ben and Andi had been doing their best to keep their giggles quiet behind their hands, but when Jonas burst out laughing at this, they couldn't hold back. Angus and Lee followed suit, while Cassie rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but smile.
"Those were cold nights in the middle of winter, if I remember," she said, and the gales of laughter ramped up.
Once the laughs died down, Angus stared at Ben and Andi. "You two are about the same age as Leon and Cassandra when I first met them. Did they ever tell you about that?"
Lee muttered, "Here we go again," while Cassie sighed. Ben and Andi shook their heads, and technically they weren't lying. Rico had shown them the scene, not Andi's parents.
"I found 'em in a ditch on a rainy night trying to cook up a miniscule rabbit they'd managed to catch. Both looked like drowned puppies, and I had to drag 'em out by their ears. Teach 'em both what being a dragon and guard meant."
"Excuse us for mourning the loss of our parents," Cassie said. "It was a traumatic time. Plus we were still learning how to deal with being bound."
"Must you bring that up every time you see us?" Lee asked.
"At least it's not as bad as the time he told the story at the gathering in the Alps," Jonas said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
"How many of these dragon things did I miss?" Andi asked, annoyance now fighting with her good mood.
"Not many," Lee said. "That gathering took place before your time, and when we moved across the Atlantic, we stopped attending."
"And Angus stopped visiting altogether," Cassie said.
"What's 500 years to us? Besides, you wanted to keep your wee-lass out of the spotlight, and since I was an up-and-comer on the Council, I didn't want to shine any your way." He stopped and turned to Ben and Andi. "I know I shouldn't joke about the death of das and mums, but both me and me mate lost ours at young ages, so I feel I earned the right. Besides, if you can't laugh at tragedy, it's going to bring you down, and then where are you? Nowhere but in the dirt."
Ben nodded. It was crude advice, but he saw the wisdom in it. Andi did, too, and she squeezed his hand as they both smiled at Angus.
"Speaking of your beautiful mate, Angus," Cassie said, "where is Ingrid? And Abigail?" she added, looking at Jonas.
"They're off tending to important business somewhere," Jonas said.
"Or more likely taking a break from the two of us," Angus added.
"That's true," Jonas said, and everyone laughed.
"I think maybe it's time to get down to business," Angus said. "Not unpleasant, really, if you're looking at it the right way."
"No," Jonas agreed. "But you four can decide for yourselves when this is all said and done. I believe Gretchen already informed you that you are here to talk about the Demon of Dreams?" Ben glance around and saw she and Reggie had slipped out.
"Yes," Lee said. "And unofficially about Alexa
ndria and Benjamin being the stars of the coming prophecy."
"Correct. When Gretchen returns, she'll take you to meet the two factions, both of which are convinced their way is best for all involved."
"We won't be imprisoned," Ben said, a bit more forcefully than he meant to.
"Indeed you won't," Jonas said. "The Council has spoken on that, and we've decided to let the prophecy play out before we decide if we need to step in. But we'd like you to hear the opposing viewpoints. I think you'll find they don't mean the harm you might imagine."
Angus nodded. "I know I wouldn't mind being forced to live here. Ing might go nuts being cooped up with me all the time, though. She needs to occasionally get out and do things with her lady friends."
"Understandable," Cassie said with a wink.
"After you meet with everyone," Jonus continued, "we'll begin a session of the Council proper to talk about your upcoming quest. We're sure that there will be no problems. We've seen what all of you can do, and it's quite impressive. Especially you two." He nodded to Ben and Andi.
"And don't worry about the prophecy," Angus said. "With Leon and Cassandra by your side, there's no way you'll turn to the dark side, as a certain fictional character did in the movies a few years back."
Ben barked out a laugh, surprised and delighted this old dragon would reference Star Wars.
"Good," Andi said, "because if he goes, I have to, too. And I think Darth Andi sounds kind of silly."
The mirth in the room continued with that comment, and Ben had to hold onto Andi to keep from falling to the floor in a real-life bout of Rolling on the Floor, Laughing. Angus gave Andi a high-five for the comment, while Jonas tipped an imaginary cap her way. Lee hummed a bit of The Imperial March, which doubled their laughter. Ben hoped the meetings with the two factions, as well as the Dragon Council as a whole, were this much fun.
"While I tend to agree," Jonas said when they'd calmed down, "I must warn you not to be as flippant as Angus suggests. Prophecies are powerful works that build for thousands of years. This one has been around for more than two millennium. Be cautious is all I'm saying."
With that, Gretchen and Reggie walked back in. "The other groups are assembled. Are you done in here?"
"Yes, and a nice conversation it was," Jonas said. He rose from his chair. "I look forward to seeing you all again at the proper council meeting."
"I think I was dismissed, too," Angus said.
"I tried to be subtle about it," Jonas answered with a wink, bringing out a final round of laughter. Ben was glad this had knocked out the bad taste in his mouth from meeting Timothy and Sasha. Maybe the Dragon Council wasn't so bad. He guessed he was about to find out for sure.
Chapter 14
Ben felt more like a piece of meat than a person as the six dragons and their guards inspected him and Andi. He figured they'd be friendly since they didn't want to imprison them, but their stern faces were anything but. He got the distinct feeling neither Lee nor Cassie knew these council members well, if at all. It wasn't that they were being unfriendly, but they weren't going out of their way to be overly polite, either. Only one dragon smiled at them when they were introduced, but even her face turned serious when the talks started.
One of the dragons, a green according to the color of his eyes, droned on about their position. He — Marcel, if Ben remembered correctly from the introductions — said the same thing Gretchen and Jonas had already explained about the group's stance, but he wasn't nearly as interesting in his speech. He even angered Ben a bit because he inferred that he was sure Ben and Andi would turn evil at some point and the Council would have to step in to put them down. First off, there was just as good a chance they'd remain good. Better, even, as far as he was concerned since he wouldn't chance endangering Andi. Second, this Marcel guy seemed to be the mouthpiece for the group, but he had to imagine not everyone felt as strongly as him. All in all, Marcel made the rage bubble up in Ben, and he fought hard to suppress it. When he did, Andi noticed, and she rewarded him with a smile and squeeze of his hand. Lee and Cassie must have realized what was going on, too, because each gave him a stealthy pat on the back.
"Of course," Marcel said, "we're not going to let the two of you run around free. You will be under constant surveillance, though it will be unobtrusive."
"Haven't we already been under surveillance?" Ben asked. A new fury spun around inside of him, and he hoped he kept it out of his voice. Andi felt it and tensed next to him, but the Council members only smiled, the first show of emotions he noticed from most of them.
"We've kept tabs on you, yes," Marcel said, "but we do so with every dragon. We've had dealings with the demon known as Rico because of the situation with the Demon of Dreams, and he's kept us informed on much of your doings. He seems to have a fascination with you two. You must understand that the both of you are important figures not just to dragons, but potentially to all of the multiverse. For this reason, we'll now have an official watch on you."
So this group hadn't voted for physical imprisonment, but they wanted to collar him and Andi in a different way. Even though he both knew it had been happening and was coming, the way Marcel said it made Ben want to punch him square in the nose, or, better yet, push out with his power to smash him into the wall behind him. Instead, he swallowed this impulse and let his anger die out. Andi's emotions twinkled in happiness at this self-control.
"Any questions?" Marcel asked, and no one said anything. Though Ben had his feelings basically in check, he didn't trust himself to talk at the moment.
Gretchen and Angus led Ben, Andi, Cassie, and Lee out of the room. Once they were in the hallway and the door was closed behind them, Angus spoke.
"We apologize for the constant surveillance, but it's necessary to keep the vote in favor of freedom. If that hadn't been a condition, a couple of them may have been swayed to the imprisonment side."
"Let me guess," Andi said. "That Marcel guy would have been one of them." Ben smiled at her like-mindedness with him.
"Aye," Angus said. "But this compromise sold everyone in our camp."
"It will be unobtrusive, we promise," Gretchen added. "It might even be handy if unexpected trouble raises its head."
Ben shrugged, and everyone agreed it was fine for now. Gretchen and Angus led them towards the final group. Ben's stomach twisted in knots. If they got such a lousy reception from the group supposedly on their side, how would the group that wanted to throw him and Andi in prison greet them?
"Remember, they're not against you," Gretchen said, as they approached a large oak double-door amongst the marble hallway, a mirror image of the one that housed their supposed supporters. "They mean you no harm. You don't need to agree with them, but be civil and hear them out." Ben thought that the "be civil" comment had been directed his way, though by the way Angus and Cassie looked at Lee, he might be mistaken.
Angus and Gretchen pushed the doors open, and Ben found the room, like the door, to be a duplicate of the last one they were in. It was as if they'd stepped into a picturesque garden. All around the outskirts of the room were a variety of plants, some of which Ben had never seen before today. Instead of carpeting, grass covered the majority of the room's floor. Fancy artwork, from paintings, to carvings, to huge marble statues, rounded out the room's ambiance. And in the middle, lounging on comfortable chairs, were the three dragons and their mates. All six stood as Ben and his group entered.
"Ah, so here they are," one of the dragons, a tall, blonde — no, white — haired individual, said. Ben gasped when he saw his eyes. They were pure white except for a single pin-prick of black for each pupil. But then he saw movement and realized he had irises, but they blended in with the rest of his eye.
"He's a white dragon," Andi whispered. "They're rare. I've never even met one."
"This is Quinn," Gretchen said, indicating the white dragon.
"The pleasure is all mine," Quinn said. He shook everyone's hand. "Allow me to introduce my lovely mate, Hannah." Hannah
was quite the contrast to Quinn, with dark olive skin, black hair, and brown eyes. She smiled and also shook everyone's hands.
The other two dragons, one man and one woman, along with their mates, also stepped forward, friendly smiles on their faces, though Ben only knew that on the male dragon because of his eyes. His face was covered with the biggest, unruliest beard he'd ever seen. The beard fit his big and burly body perfectly. The girl dragon was the complete opposite. She was a wisp of a woman, seemingly not much older than Ben and Andi. She had dark blonde hair that ran all the way down her back, and deep blue eyes, almost as dark as Lee's.
"Meet Geoffrey and Vanessa," Gretchen said, indicating the two dragons. Lee and Cassie hugged Geoffrey and his mate, who was also big and burly, as old friends, and shook the hands of Vanessa and her mate, who looked like a muscle-bound jock, but had a pleasant smile. Unlike the prior group, he immediately liked all three dragons and their mates. Andi felt the same way. Listening to the reasons behind their want to imprison them both was going to prove interesting, indeed.
After one final round of introductions, where Ben and Andi learned Geoffrey's mate's name was Lydia, and all four of them learned Vanessa's mate's name was Byron, they got down to business. They hadn't been offered a seat in the other room, but each gladly accepted the opportunity to sit when offered here. Ben couldn't wait to see if the chairs were as comfortable as they looked, and he wasn't disappointed. He sank into the cushion, which felt like the world's most comfortable mattress, but it also supported him like he was sitting on a molded wooden chair. The pleasant burst from Andi proved she felt the same.
Quinn acted as the leader of this group and got the talks started.
"First off, I want to thank you all for not bursting in here looking to take our heads off. I'm sure the knowledge that we wanted to imprison Alexandria and Benjamin did not go over well when you heard it."