by Audrey Faye
The head of every single dragon in the water snapped up and they started swimming with alacrity. Lily stared, not at all sure how they’d even heard her over all the noise. Then she felt Oceana’s gently chiding amusement. She looked over at the wet blue-green head, who was currently offering up vivid and helpful suggestions on how to swim.
The more water-challenged dragons bellowed their gratitude.
Realization slammed into Lily’s heart. Everyone in the water could hear her dragon—and from the impressed gratitude flying her way, they were glad.
“Keep them moving.” Irin popped up beside them and scratched Oceana’s chin. “You’re in charge of the idiots, little missy. The smart ones will get out of the way themselves.”
Lily laughed as another dragon-sized wave swamped them. This wasn’t a swim for the faint of heart. Not that there seemed to be very many of those left. Elves were piling into the water now too, along with a steady rain of dragon cannonballs—and only a couple of the dragons had hastily beat it to shore and gotten back out. Lotus had started a game of tag farther out in the bay, and a number of kin had found their dragons and clambered onto their backs.
When the water finally stopped churning over her head with every other breath, and Oceana only had a couple of dragons who still needed her special brand of mind-to-mind swimming lessons, Lily chanced a look around. Not all of the dragons were in the water. There were still several dozen watchers up on the cliffs, and Afran’s great bulk stood on the beach, making no move to get any closer.
::The young and foolish have all gone in.:: Kis, wallowing in the shallows, sounded pleased enough. ::The rest may yet find a more sedate way to enter.::
It didn’t matter. It was enough. Lily looked at her dragon, skimming happily through the water, touching noses with some, daring a small splash at a few others. Beaming happiness in every direction possible. Lily sent Kis a wordless, heartfelt response, one she hoped he could read from this far away. Entirely inadequate thanks for the miracle he had wrought.
One small dragon who belonged.
::He did well.:: Elhen, suddenly swimming at Lily’s side, sounded pleased—and very regal. She looked over at the queen-to-be, floating belly-up on Lily’s other side. ::As did you. The old man and I sometimes forget to play. That was very well done.::
Fendellen rolled over and tucked in her chin, looking almost self-conscious. Which lasted just long enough for her to lift her tail and send a wave of water straight at Kis. He roared fire at her that was little more than steam and dove under the water, which was a trick very few of the other dragons had found the courage to try yet.
Fendellen had almost made it into the air when she screeched like a young dragonet and suddenly disappeared.
Lily tried not to swallow water as she laughed—and then she felt hands on her ankles, tugging her down into the deep. She twisted her body around to escape and came up, blowing water out her nose and ready to retaliate, expecting one of her friends.
Irin grinned at her. “I grew up near the water elves. You’re not the only one who can swim like a fish, missy.”
She never would have guessed that in a million years. “Then why don’t you ever come to my pool? Or the river?”
The weapons master looked over at his dragon. “Never wanted to leave him.” Irin shook his head as Kis roared more steam and pushed a delighted Oceana under with his tail. “I never figured him for a swimmer.”
No one would have—but in the water, Kis’s injuries no longer hampered him. “He’s having fun.”
“He is.” Irin sounded proud. “He knew this mattered. He takes the survival of dragonkind very seriously.”
Lily gulped, the fun of the day flattening under its true weight. Kis had done this because she and Oceana were marked. Chosen. “I still don’t have any idea how we might help with that.”
Irin cupped water between his hands and an impressive spout of water shot skyward. “Maybe you’ve already begun.”
Lily looked around the bay full of dragons and elves as silly as she’d ever seen them and felt the giggle rising up her throat. “You think we save the dragons of old by having an enormous water fight?”
Irin snorted as Oceana sluiced water over his head and darted away. “I don’t know, missy. But I do know that sometimes the doing of hard things is best accomplished by deepening the bonds of friendship and joy first.”
Those were strange words from a man who usually applied a sword to the doing of hard things—but the evidence in the water behind him was unmistakable. Lily gasped as a translucent white tail splashed Kis, and Elhen met a golden-eyed glare with regal innocence.
Which didn’t fool Kis at all. Lily giggled madly as the big yellow dragon thoroughly doused his queen. “He’s having so much fun.”
“We should join him.” Irin squeezed her shoulder and then let go. “First lesson of a warrior. Get food, sleep, and enjoyment while you can. It may not last.”
That made her stomach churn. “I don’t really know how to do that.” To be happy and carry the heaviness all at the same time.
Irin chuckled and ducked as a huge golden tail swung by. “I don’t think you’re going to get much choice.”
Lily spluttered as a great wave of water swooshed over her head and a chittering, gleeful dragon scampered over her shoulder chasing it. She laughed at Oceana’s retreating back end. “I’m not a rock, you terrible creature.”
Laughing black eyes turned to give her a look and sent a picture of a moss-covered rock with elf ears.
Judging from the amused dragon snorts all over the bay, she wasn’t the only one who had seen it. Lily caught a glimpse of Kellen coming up for air and then dipping back down like an otter, swimming just under the surface. Headed straight for Kis’s head.
She grinned and sent a quick thought to Oceana. Three could play this game.
Chapter 18
Lovissa found a small burst of speed and got herself in front of the frantic scout who had come to fetch her. ::Go. I will speak with him.::
The scout, a battle-hardened veteran not prone to panic, cast her a final distressed glance and angled off sharply. Smart enough to obey his queen. Wise enough to be deeply worried about the dragon on the beach below.
The one who had stood at the water’s edge for four days without moving.
Lovissa angled her wings, already complaining about the short, hard flight, and aimed at the sand beside the warrior who had sent a message comprised of a single word.
Come.
She kept her irritation under control. Baraken was a warrior used to giving orders, but even he knew better than to give them to his queen. The circumstances must be dire. She landed hard, spraying sand at water, cliff, and dragon alike. No matter. There were no points for beauty in battle—only survival.
She looked at her fiercest warrior, half a dragon length back from the water and watching it like it would consume all of dragonkind at any moment. Watching and quivering. ::You sent a message. I have come.::
His rumble spoke of a fierce and primal energy, barely constrained. ::I saw them. The ones of the future. The dragons you have seen in your dreams. Swimming in the sea.::
Lovissa’s heart nearly stopped. She had spent some of the quiet days of winter sharing portions of her dreams with those of wise minds and strong hearts. ::How do you know this?::
This time, his rumble nearly seared her. ::I saw the old warrior with the wounded wing.:: Baraken’s voice was tinged with pride. ::He is of my line.::
Ice and hope collided in Lovissa’s breath. ::You can speak to him?::
::I do not know. I only watched.:: A great shudder rolled over Baraken’s scales. ::I put a claw into the water, and I saw.::
This was more than even a queen could understand.
Baraken steadied himself. A warrior giving a report. ::There is another. Very small. I believe the small blue-green one makes the seeing possible. She has much power. When she left the water, I could no longer see.::
She ha
d not yet spoken to him of her newest visions. Pride billowed in Lovissa’s chest. He was her finest warrior for a reason—his eyes missed nothing. ::She is the second of the five chosen of the Dragon Star.::
Baraken inclined his head.
Her finest warrior had touched his mind to one of the five who would save dragonkind, but that would not leave him shaking like a newly hatched dragonet left out in the cold. ::There was more.::
This time, he turned his head from the waters and blasted her with the fire in his dark green eyes. ::I saw the elves. Many of them. One belongs to the old warrior. Another to the small blue-green one.:: His voice flamed with rage. ::They share a kindred bond. With elves. They have betrayed us.::
Now she understood his fury, and her folly. She had not spoken of the elves in her dreams. Had believed she had time yet before she weakened her warriors in this way. ::Yes. The prophecy speaks thus. There will be five who save us. Five pairs. A dragon and an elf in each pair.::
Something new swam into his eyes. ::You did not tell me.::
Ashes coated her throat. ::We must not rely on the five alone to save us. We must also work to save ourselves.::
He rumbled, his gaze back out over the water. ::We must fight.::
Yes. Fight the ones who would one day save them. She did not understand it any better than he did, but she was queen, and she must think like one. ::Today, we fight. When the time is right, perhaps we will do something different.::
Baraken’s fire blasted out over the water, enough to make her eyes itch. ::Perhaps they are not our saviors. Perhaps they are a story planted by our enemies to make us weak. The false tale of the five who will rise up and destroy us.::
::It is not a false tale.::
His roar spoke of a warrior frayed and dangerous. ::The elves have magic. It would be just like their sneaking cowardice to plant such visions.::
Lovissa honored his fire, his rage at those who had stolen far too many of their kindred. Then she waited as he calmed. He must hear the truth. ::The ashes spoke to me of the five. All our queens, speaking as one voice.::
A long silence, Baraken staring out into the water. ::They spoke of the elves?::
She did not let her relief show. ::Yes. They showed me the five. And the elves they name as kin.::
He blew another stream of fire, but this one was not nearly as fierce. ::The peach-pink dragon with the name of a flower, she has an elf?::
Lovissa had shared her midwinter dream of the teenage dragon’s flying prowess. She had not shared of the elf riding on her back. ::Yes. She carries an elf into the skies with her.::
Baraken’s short roar was as much surprise as horror.
Lovissa stood firm. He must not see how much she wavered inside. Only a queen could hope to lead her dragons into such a terrible new truth, and she would not succeed without her strongest warrior at her side.
One who never failed to give her sage advice. She joined him in staring at the waters, ready to guard against whatever came from the deep. ::We will need to tell the others one day.::
He was silent for so long, she thought he might not answer. ::You are right to keep this hidden. It will weaken them.::
It had already weakened him. She leaned her shoulder gently into his. ::Come. We will go have some food.:: The first steps of healing were simple ones. She could put his wings and claws on the right path.
::No.:: His voice was distant, heading out over the water. ::I will wait here.::
That way lay madness. ::You will not.::
::I will.:: Baraken took a single step forward, right to the edge of the cold sea. ::It is my kin who called the challenge. I will wait. And when it is time, I will touch the water again.::
Lovissa watched, filled with foreboding, as another shudder shivered over his scales. This would not heal her warrior. It might well break him.
Which meant she had only one choice. She wished fiercely for the warmth and comfort of cave and bed and those who would run to do her bidding, and then wrapped her tail around her legs in the sand. ::Then I will wait with you.::
Baraken’s rumble cut off mid-breath.
Lovissa let the thought that had surprised him fully form.
::Perhaps it is right that you stay.:: He paused, clearly torn. ::There was a queen standing behind the golden warrior who comes from my line. His queen. She is old, even older than you.::
She snorted. He didn’t have to make age sound quite so much like a curse.
His head swayed side to side, still trying to deny. ::She does not have an elf.::
Cold air hissed into Lovissa’s chest. She had somehow never considered that a queen might have to share her power with a puny and dangerous enemy. ::No elf will ever rule dragonkind.::
Baraken’s rumble was full of deep relief that she was finally speaking sense. ::Perhaps they let only the weak and the foolish join with elves.::
She would not support false stories, even those she fiercely wanted to believe. ::The old warrior of your line has an elf. He is not weak. And the Dragon Star would not choose the weak to save us.::
::It chose a dragon who was scared to fly.:: Baraken’s wry tones carried hints of his normal self. ::And one who swims around in water like a fish.::
Sometimes it fell to queens to believe what they could not explain. ::The first flies as well as any dragon in the Veld now.:: Lovissa swallowed and spoke some of the words she had kept hidden through the long, dark winter. ::It was the elf on her back who first got her into the air.:: The memory of the two of them leaping off the cliffs was one that revisited her frequently while she slept.
Baraken snorted his surprise.
She had been less surprised. For puny creatures, the elves had always been unexpectedly brave. They died in large numbers because of it.
Her stomach churned. She breathed out slowly and let the warrior beside her see some of her distaste. ::You saw dragons. In the water. Swimming. With elves.::
His look of disgust matched hers. ::Yes. It is not the future I would have wished for.::
It wasn’t—except in one respect.
Dragons lived.
Chapter 19
Slowly, the dragons in the water were calming. Swimming in. Eyeing their queen, who stood on the shore, water up to her belly, calling her dragons in with nothing but silence.
Lily swam in far enough to feel sand under her feet and stood, waiting. She felt Oceana’s tail wrap around her.
Elhen held the silence several heartbeats more. ::We achieved a victory today. We did it for the newest dragon in our midst. We did it to feel our own bravery, and to own our own fear. We did it because one day we will act to save the dragons who came before us, and when that day comes, we will not be weak.::
The dragons rumbled, this time with pride, and contentment.
The sounds of a battle fought and won.
Lily stroked her dragon’s chin, thoroughly happy and exhausted. The very best day of her life, coming to an end.
Elhen turned to Kis. ::You called us to the water. What say you, old and brave warrior?::
Kis, who had been playing like the silliest of dragonets all afternoon, looked just as regal as his queen. ::I say the battle is not yet over.:: He paused and looked out over all the dragons, wet and gleaming in the late sun. ::But I say it is well begun.::
Fendellen blew a stream of water high into the air, and those around her who hadn’t yet mastered the trick blew fire. Lily giggled as fire and water met and hissed into a fog of steam—and the dragons who had blown them somehow veered off into teams and rallied for one more fight.
Apparently, the day wasn’t ending just yet.
-o0o-
The warrior beside Lovissa snapped to attention, his eyes drilling into the water. She waited patiently. This had happened before. Always, he had decided it was not yet time.
He stilled into the hard readiness of a warrior in the moments before a battle was engaged, and she knew this time would be different. She pulled her own readiness into place. Old a
nd tired warrior she might be, but he would not face the monsters of the water alone. Must not face them alone. Because the elves of the water might not be monsters.
They might be salvation.
She stepped forward, a queen ready to do the most important work of her life, and shuddered at the water’s edge. Baraken’s large shoulder pushed her aside none too gently. “This is warrior work.”
She wasn’t yet dead, and she would be a warrior until that day, but perhaps he was correct. It was a dragon of his line who had bugled the call.
Baraken dipped a claw in the water, slashed, and pulled it out. Fury rode in his eyes—and also fear. More than she had ever seen there.
A warrior weakened.
It was not for his heart to do battle with this. He had spring campaigns to lead. Lovissa strode forward and placed both her front claws fully in the water. Fierce cold ran up her limbs, aiming straight for her chest, her life, her fire. She held it back by sheer will. Encased herself in a heat that cold could never harm and peered into the water with eyesight and queen sight both.
She gaped at what she saw. Scores of dragons in the water, and amongst them, so many puny dots. Dots with hair and pointy ears. Elves, at least as many as there were dragons.
An enormous bay of water churning with their fighting.
An elf jumped from dragonback onto the head of a dark green dragon who barely had his nose in life-giving air.
Lovissa trumpeted a warning, one that she knew would arrive far too late.
And felt herself knocked out of the water as Baraken charged.
-o0o-
Lily kicked sideways and laughed as Kis swam by, Irin hot on his tail, chasing after a totally unrepentant Fendellen—and felt another presence.
Heard another presence. A loud, nearly deafening roar. A horribly angry one.
Every dragon turned as one toward the mouth of the bay.
“The hell?” Irin popped up beside Lily, on full warrior alert.