Tempest

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  “That is why,” Insepth shouted back, pointing at the jagged, rocky-topped mountain. “There is a breach between the planes of existence. Hell is opening up and we are here to stop it from happening.”

  My head snapped in his direction. Was he nuts—why say such a lie?

  The intensity of the elements billowing around the clearing rose and my own powers became frantic. The linked Watchers of the Light would take out half the hillside, killing us all. I snapped angry eyes at Insepth for taunting the Watchers.

  “It’s begun?” She shook her head. “That’s impossible.” Katherine said, her voice scaling higher. She stared at the snow-topped pinnacle that jutted into the gray clouds.

  Rain drops splattered my face and I followed her gaze.

  “It has begun. My allies are there now, attempting to seal the fissure,” Insepth said with a snarl. “You’re too late—and so are the Angels. We will stop Armageddon!”

  When he mentioned angels, I cringed and looked upwards into the spiraling, blowing clouds. The last thing we needed was for them to show up.

  Howls echoed in the distance and all eyes fell on the mountain. More and more wolves joined in, creating an echoing sound that shivered down my spine.

  “The wolves—I should have known they’d take part in this blasphemy.” Katherine raised her hand. “Our kind must not interfere with God’s will, lest we be cast down into the pit with the likes of Growlers and Demons.” Her voice fell when she glanced at Insepth. “You have failed.”

  Fire, earth, water and air rolled together in a mighty thunder clasp. “Ember!” Insepth called out.

  I forced my stiff muscles into action, grasping Angus’ collar as I ran. When I reached Insepth, his arms were open and I fell against him. Lutz curled around us.

  The air splintered and groaned when the blast left the group of Watchers, streaking across the sky. I peeked over Insepth’s arm to see the air rolling in a visible wave towards the mountain.

  Did the wolves have enough time to flee? “Ivan!”

  The elements struck the mountain top with an explosion that sent a black cloud of debris shooting high into the sky. The sound deafened my ears and rocked my body. I squeezed my eyes shut. Angus whimpered and even Lutz trembled at the noise.

  There was a brief moment of splitting quiet while dust billowed into the air, blocking out daylight altogether. The rain smelled like charred earth and some of the Watchers looked on with horror at what they’d done. Not so with Katherine and Sharoz, though. Their mouths gaped and eyes widened in an awestruck manner that made me feel sick.

  Katherine looked over at us, her smile growing. “Now, we’ll kill you and your girl, Insepth.”

  Insepth raised his head. “I don’t think so.”

  The air was filled with howling once again and then the ground shook. I glanced up at Insepth, who was looking eagerly at the broken mountain. It wasn’t his elemental power or anyone else’s causing the shaking. It was the earth itself crying out.

  I had been afraid too many times to count in the past few months, but this time, the feeling almost hurt. Was it the Angels or something much worse?

  “What is this folly?” Katherine cried out. Sharoz grasped her arm to keep her from falling.

  “Retribution,” Insepth whispered.

  The bears who were still alive fled the clearing, clamoring over mounds of dirt, tree trunks and their fallen brothers. But Insepth held me in place and Lutz remained, although he was poised, ready to run.

  With a greater explosion than the one that the Watchers had just caused, the entire top half of the mountain was gone. The dust cloud that rose into the sky looked like an atomic bomb had gone off. All I could see was a dark cloud of gray rolling away from the mountain, covering everything in its path.

  Then I heard the monstrous scream. It pierced the air and I had to cover my ears for fear my eardrums would burst. The first call was joined by another, even louder.

  My eyes bulged when I saw them. First, a giant red wing sliced through the murky air and then a stream of fire brightened the horizon.

  “What have you done?”

  “We did this,” Insepth replied.

  The speed they rushed at the hilltop was incredible. Seconds later, the pair swooped down on the Watchers. The pounding of their enormous wings as they hung in the air knocked the Watchers to the ground.

  Lutz’s head smacked into me. On my back!

  Insepth didn’t hesitate. He shoved me up and climbed on himself. Angus shot away, running into the woods like the devil was after him. I flattened onto Lutz’s back and Insepth pressed into me as the mighty bear whipped around.

  I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over my shoulder.

  Blue fire erupted from their mouths, striking the Watchers piled together on the ground. There were no screams. They were skeletons, and then ashes that the huge flapping wings scattered.

  Their red eyes flashed in our direction, and Lutz wasn’t fast enough when the dragons came for us.

  Chapter 13

  Then the fifth Angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. And to him was given the key to the bottomless pit.

  Revelation 9:1

  “I can’t control them!” I shouted, clutching Lutz’s back tighter as he barreled through the forest.

  Branches scratched my face and the heat of the inferno that had devoured the Watchers was making me sweat. My inner fire was quiet, but there was no time to ponder why.

  “Adria believed you had the ability or she wouldn’t have sent you on this quest,” Insepth argued into my ear as he gripped my sides.

  “I don’t know what to do,” I shrieked, ducking the tree limbs that rained down on us from the dragons cutting through the trees.

  “Open yourself up to all the elements.” Insepth looked back. “They’re almost upon us!”

  I closed my eyes and buried my face into Lutz’s course fur. His musky scent sharpened my senses and I reached out into the forest. Angus was well ahead of us, not even slowing to acknowledge the touch of my mind. Good boy—keep running. I searched farther and thought I brushed Ivan’s essence. He was surrounded by wolves and seemed all right. I gulped and turned my senses around, seeking out the dragons.

  They radiated heat and light, blocking out everything around them. Their hearts pumped madly—they were confused and very angry. I tried to push into those raging minds, only to be immediately blocked with a solid wall too high to go over.

  My slight touch sent the female into a rampage. She swooped, crashing into trees to reach us quicker. I felt her take a huge breath and my mind screamed out to Lutz, The boulders, turn!

  Blue fire scorched Lutz’s rump and our backs as the bear dove to the left. Flames swept over and around us, setting the pines ablaze and crashing down around us. The abrupt swerve unseated us, and Insepth and I tumbled from Lutz’s back. I hit a burning tree and he slammed into a boulder.

  My fire finally woke. As the earth healed my injuries, I stood up and faced the dragons as they slowed and changed direction. I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t look away. The female was the larger of the two—at least four times the size of an elephant. Her leathery skin reminded me of a crocodile and it was blood red, matching her eyes. The male was a dark, mossy-colored green. His eyes were also red and they sparked with hatred.

  When we had left Adria, there hadn’t been any time to research the extinct creatures, and even as they charged us in all their glory, I still could hardly believe what I was seeing. It was too unbelievable to trust my eyes. Since they were before Insepth’s time, he was no help at all, but I had to trust that he was right about the combination of the elements meaning something. There must be a way to communicate with them or the water Watcher wouldn’t have sent us to free them. Unless she was completely evil, which couldn’t be ruled out either.

  I ope
ned up to fire, earth, water and air and their powers flooded my veins. My heart was about to explode when I met the red dragon’s hot gaze. Her mouth opened and sparks flew from her throat.

  Raising my arms, I pushed the elements out, directing them in a wave at the sky.

  “Stop!” I screamed with my voice and my mind.

  The female pierced my elemental veil first and the male close behind her. They spun out of control as the power I’d unleased wrapped around them. The male screamed out, blowing fire and smoke across the tops of the trees. In his descent, he slammed into the female, sending her flipping onto her back.

  Insepth grabbed my arm, jerking me into a run beside Lutz. The male dropped from the sky, landing a hundred yards away in a flurry of snapping trees, dust and fire. The red dragon was out of control and spinning down on top of us. With a last burst of speed, Insepth jumped a fallen tree, dragging me with him, but it wasn’t fast enough.

  The dragon crashed down, its tail whipping around and striking us as we crested the tree. Insepth was once again knocked away from me and I fell against hot, red skin with a sickening crunch. Fire raged all around and I heard Lutz roaring in the distance, but sounds were muffled. A loud pinging sensation rattled my mind and I blinked in an effort to clear my vision.

  I desperately searched my memories for their names. Chumana—Ormr?

  The dragon’s thrashing stopped and she curled around me. I rolled into a crook between her elbow and chest. The smell of fire and earth burnt my nostrils, but there was also salty sea water and blowing wind there—and something else. Something bright and cold. This must be the stars she carried inside of her, the one element that Watchers didn’t possess. The element that separated Angels from everyone else—except dragons.

  This dragon could draw in her forearm and crush me in a heartbeat, but her stillness gave me hope she wasn’t going to do that. I carefully reached for her skin. It rippled beneath my touch.

  How do you know our names? That is secret, known only to our kind. Chumana’s voice hummed deeply. It felt good.

  I sat up, not hesitating to answer her. Adria sent us to free you from the mountain. You’ve been trapped there for thousands of years.

  Adria—I remember Adria. Precious she is—rescued us as dragonlings, raised us as her own whelps. Her thoughts trailed off and her head swiveled to look at me better. A red eye blinked, then her flaring nose nudged my chest. I stumbled backward against her belly.

  She sniffed me like a dog and pulled back. You are earth, fire, water and air, she dipped her nose and her lip curled up, and human. How can that be?

  I thought quickly, picking up on Chumana’ darkened tone. I recently became a Watcher. I guess I still smell a little human.

  Not just a little human—too much for my liking. Humans are foul creatures.

  Ormr’s head slipped over Chumana’s back, stretching, he sniffed me too. We have come across some humans who were good, he said, coming closer.

  Few and far between. The red dragon’s head rose and she inhaled. Who are the others with you?

  I swallowed. A Watcher named Insepth, two Growlers and a dog.

  That one shouldn’t be sneaking. She drew her hind leg in to reveal Insepth.

  He looked up and smiled, then bowed deeply. It’s a pleasure to make the acquaintance of such magnificent creatures as yourselves. Insepth of the earth order, at your service.

  I rubbed the side of my head at his ridiculous display.

  Humming trilled in my mind. The dragons were laughing.

  Speak falsely and we’ll eat you. Flattery is insignificant to us. We are immune to it. The raindrops turned into a steady downpour. The fires still burning around us began sizzling and Chumana’s tail thumped the smoldering debris. She gave a shake, whisking the water from her hide, before dropping to eye level with me. Gabriel. She shivered when she said the word. Said in prophecy we’d be prisoners until the end of times. Is that where we find ourselves now?

  The hair rose on my neck. I was talking to a dragon, who moments before was trying to kill me. If this didn’t signify that the end was near, I didn’t know what would.

  Yes, the barrier to Hell is crumbling and Angels have come back. I took a chance that the dragons might give a damn and went on. They want to destroy the Watchers—all of us, even Adria—and bring about the rapture. We are trying to stop it from happening.

  Stop it? What an odd thought, Chumana mused, flicking her tail. When she took a breath, it pushed my hair back.

  I became bolder and stood. I was shown a vision of what the apocalypse would be like and it’s terrible—so much suffering. Why shouldn’t we try to prevent it? Maybe God can change his mind, I ventured.

  Chumana’s voice lowered. There is a gray void, so to speak, around the foretelling of the end. The Angels, Demons, humans and dragons have their own lore on the matter, but some things are similar and others seem less concrete. Perhaps it’s worth a try—most likely a waste of time, but one never knows the mind of God.

  I barely felt the cold rain soaking through my clothes. Do you know God?

  We all know God. If you ask if I communicate with Him, the answer is no. He already turned his back on our kind, casting us from the world in favor of the humans. Chumana’s voice wasn’t angry, just melancholy.

  Insepth slipped up beside me and met my gaze. He shook his head slightly.

  “Is everything all right, Ember?” Ivan called out from the forest.

  Ormr turned in the direction of the voice, but didn’t seem too concerned.

  “We’re fine—just talking to the dragons,” I shouted back, almost giggling after I’d said it.

  A moment later, he peeked around Chumana’s foreleg. Angus and Lutz were with him. The other wolves had remained in their animal forms and stood along the tree line. Bears cautiously emerged from the trees.

  “May we come forth?” Broran’s voice boomed out.

  I turned to Chumana. They are friends and they helped free you.

  Her shoulders lifted, appearing to shrug. It makes no difference. They are only furred ones.

  Her immediate dismissal of the Growlers was disconcerting. Her kind had been wiped out by a concentrated effort from Angels and humans. She should be a little more cautious.

  “The dragons say okay,” I shouted to the bear leader.

  Ivan and Lutz came first, taking careful steps past Chumana. Angus skirted around the dragon in a full run until he reached me. When he sat on my foot, a growl escaped his mouth. “No, boy,” I scolded.

  Broran and Quintus walked up together. This was the first time I’d seen them in their human forms. They were both tall, but whereas Quintus was lean and bearded, Broran was stout and clean shaven. The wolf leader wore simple trousers and a black jacket, and the bear was dressed in brown pants and shirt. Their eyes didn’t leave the dragons until they came to a stop in front of us.

  “Thank you both, for helping us get our bodies back.” I held out my hand.

  Quintus took it and nodded, but Broran ignored my hand. “You never said anything about dragons,” he growled.

  “Top secret mission—it wasn’t in your interest to know,” Insepth spoke up. “Besides, you got what you wanted. The Watchers of Light are gone from your territory.”

  “That may be true, but so is an entire mountain and all the creatures that dwelled there!” Broran bellowed.

  “This isn’t the time to quarrel. We have our freedom, but dark days are upon us.” Quintus placed his hand on Broran’s back. “Thank you for what you have done.” He glanced up at Chumana, who was watching the scene below her with unblinking eyes. “All of you. But what of us now—what do we do?”

  I noticed the spark in Insepth’s eyes and I quickly answered before he had the chance to. “Enjoy the time you have left with your family and friends.”

  Quintus’s golden eyes sharpen
ed and his voice lowered, “Some of us will not stand by idly, waiting for death to come to us—not trusting there is a place for us in the afterlife. We wish to aid your efforts.”

  I glanced from Insepth to Ivan. When Ivan’s gaze drifted to Quintus’ daughter, still in wolf form and standing beneath a tree at the edge of the forest, I knew what he wanted. She was a beautiful wolf and I imagined she was just as pretty as a human.

  Insepth looked all too happy, but he left the decision to me with a raised brow.

  “When the time comes, we’ll come for you and any other Growlers who want to join us.” Saying it left a bitter taste in my mouth. So many of them had been killed by the Watchers already. Standing with us would mean many more deaths. I pushed the guilt away. The choice was theirs. I couldn’t save everyone, even though I knew I had to try.

  “But what of them?” Broran protested, pointing at Chumana and Ormr.

  “They’re coming with us,” Insepth answered.

  Chumana hissed and hot steam shot from her mouth. The Growlers stepped back and it looked like Broran was about to change into a bear.

  You may have freed us, but we are not at your command, Chumana hummed.

  So much for a thank you. We made a bargain with Adria to free you in exchange for her help. She expects us to bring you back to her—we’ll create a loophole. In a few moments we can be there, and you can see her again. I hesitated. The world is very different from when you left it. You can’t just fly anywhere you want to.

  The dragons were quiet, except for their trilling in my mind. They must be communicating with each other in a way we couldn’t eavesdrop.

  I watched the creases on Chumana’s face deepen when the trilling stopped. Perhaps our paths are aligned with yours for the time being. We will go with you.

  Her words didn’t fill me with relief the way I expected or hoped. A nagging string of tension wrapped around me and I tried to shake it free.

  The question of what Adria was going to do with the dragons pricked at me almost painfully.

  I had no control over my life and where I was heading, and I was afraid things were about to get worse.