22. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One
Ionus
Mattias landed, the earth shaking beneath him. Ophelia and Marx gasped and stepped back.
Stay in form, brother. I fear our adversaries aren’t far.
Understood.
Should I shift, too?
Yes please, Quint.
“Ophelia, Marx, this is our brother, Mattias.” Mattias respectfully bowed his head. “Quint will shift and join him in protecting the three of you as Caro, Raven, and I venture into the nest. We have no clue what we may be stepping into, but I can assure you we will respect these sacred lands and those who lay in waiting.”
“Thank you for the offered protection,” Marx said. “Shall we begin?”
While the four mages spoke the incantation to release the spell, my brothers and I released our dragons.
“You are formidable in your true forms, dragons.” Was that awe or nerves from Marx?
“I can assure you they are gentle giants, and their loyalty knows no bounds. They were the chosen ones for a reason.” Raven, our dear sister in light whom we proudly guarded with our own lives.
As soon as the veil lifted a rush of unease filtered through as the mountain shuddered and rocks fell from the formations.
Brothers, it’s time.
At the last moment as I gently cradled Raven within one claw, I decided to grasp Knox with the other. We hadn’t discussed this, and I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake, but given one of these sleeping dragons was his father his presence may be necessary.
Ionus?
Mediator, Caro. These dragons will be uneasy and hungry. The sight of us could rattle them and I’d rather not start off with an epic battle.
We took to the air, first circling the mountain top then down along the backside.
There, Caro, do you see it?
A barely visible cave opening which we only had moments to enter before the ward was back in place appeared before us. The inside was large enough to remain in form along with a half dozen dragons who stood glaring at us. Taking down the ward appeared to have woken them .
Proceed with caution, brother.
Aye, Ionus.
We towered over these dragons, but we meant them no harm. They were poised, prepared to protect what was theirs. Gently I sat Raven and Knox down then Caro and I proceeded to dip and bow our heads to them.
A dark grey, nearly black dragon was the first to approach.
What are you doing with my son? Though in a weakened state, this dragon meant business and would protect his son with his life.
“Pops, these are friends, you can trust them.” Knox reached out and ran his hand along his father’s scales. “Goddess, how I’ve missed you. There’s so much to tell you.”
Such as why you’ve brought the protectors into our sanctuary?
He recognized our hierarchy within the dragon culture. Would the Gorynych see us the same and concede or would they disregard it? Interestingly enough, had Knox grasped that he could hear his father while in dragon form?
Yes. I am Ionus, eldest of Clan Denarius, this is my brother, Caro. Our brothers Mattias and Quint are outside protecting your mages.
Ionus, we’re not alone.
Who’s there, Mattias?
They’ve not made an appearance, but I can feel them. Quint does, too.
Are you strong enough to fly?
Aye , they replied as one.
Please, follow us. We need to get the wards back in place as soon as possible.
I nodded to Raven and she began reciting the incantation, and the cavern entrance reopened. I carried her as Knox’s father did the same with him as we all reemerged into the daylight. Nothing was amiss beneath us where our friends stood, but I felt an unfamiliar presence as well.
Brothers, take to the skies.
Aye.
I shifted and dressed to properly greet our new friends in a less intimidating manner.
“Knox, shall we take them inside to dress, so we can get down to business?”
“Good idea. Pops, and?”
“My apologies, son. These fine dragons are all that remain of the Drakemyre clan. Ignatus, Angus, Elgin, Rory, and Hamish.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. Mages, I must once again call upon you. Raven, I believe you know what we require.” A masking spell would hide us and the conversation to be had. It would be safest for all if these five agreed to return to our compound where we could speak more freely and had more room.
“I do, Ionus. As soon as your brothers return we’ll meet you inside.” Leave it to Raven to make sure all were present and accounted for.
“Gentlemen, after you.” So far so good, but getting ahead of myself wasn’t wise. We had no clue what they’d seen or taken part in therefore this discussion could easily go south.
“Things have changed, son,” Baird said as he glanced around.
“You’ve been asleep a long time, Pops, over forty years.” The men slid into the clothes Knox handed them.
“Why hadn’t Zelda awoken us?”
“Because she’s dead,” Marx replied as he, Ophelia, Raven, and Mattias stepped inside.
Quint?
Standing guard. We didn’t find anything, and the presence is gone but just to be safe we decided it was best.
Wise choice. Quint, call out if anything is amiss.
Will do, brother.
“We knew the spell, but not the rules,” Marx continued. “Then the others were nosing around and not so quietly or nicely. We strengthened the wards after that.”
“Others?” Baird glanced from Marx to me.
“We believe it’s the Gorynych.” Best to get that name out there and gauge their reactions.
“Say no more.” Baird’s growl came with a plume of smoke.
I think it was safe to assume they too considered them enemies.
“For centuries my clan brothers and I kept watch and one by one, they ambushed us. When we were down to just six, as clan leader I made the decision for us all to slumber. Knox was unable to shift so they’d have no reason to seek him out as he was nothing more than a human in their eyes. They were looking for those who had the ability to become incubators for their clan, dragon omegas. Their goal was to build an army and take control of all dragons.”
Not on our watch.
“Knox, do you have a mate?”
“No, Pops, I did have a son, but he and his wife passed away. I raised their only child, Alex. He’s, um, he’s Ionus’s mate.”
Our dragon preened, so proud of our mate.
“He is now, is he? Alex mated well, landing himself a protector.”
“Glad you are familiar with us.”
“Every dragon alive knows of the protectors, though none recalled ever seeing them. It’s an honor to be in your presence, Clan Denarius.” The Drakemyres each dropped to a knee and bowed their heads.
“While we appreciate the sentiment, times have changed. There’s no need to bow. Please, gentlemen, rise.” It’d been so long since we’d encountered other dragons I’d nearly forgotten about this act of reverence.
“Son, may I ask how your offspring perished?”
Knox glanced at me before he responded. “The cause of the accident was determined to be faulty climbing equipment.” Baird snorted. “Since meeting Ionus and his family and Emerson…”
“Emerson?” Baird questioned.
“He is our archivist in Dragon City and one of the Gorynych omegas they kicked out of their clan when he couldn’t shift at the age of thirteen.”
Caro’s dragon growled, only audible to my brothers and me.
Down, Caro.
“They did what to an omega?” Baird was not at all happy with this. “Omegas are to be revered, treated like kings and queens. Without them our existence would come to a halt. They are the true givers of life and the reason we are all here.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Baird. Emerson has many questions for all of you and we’d be honored if you’d escort us back to our compound. The five of us have plenty of room, food, and protected land for you to stretch your wings on.”
Baird and his clan took a few moments, I was sure communicating as my brothers and I did, before he replied. “As much as I hate leaving our lands, safety is in numbers and if they’re lurking around as they once were we’ll be down to no dragons before long.”
Sadly, I too saw that outcome.
“Do you know of other clans that may have done as you had? Seeking slumber for protection?”
“Not many. Let me get the old brain fed and back in working order. There may be a few names tumbling around inside this old head.”
I chuckled. “We look forward to your company and you can meet your great grandson.”
“I’d like that. Can we fly in daylight?”
“Aye, the mages can mask us. Mattias and I will fly with you while Caro and Quint ride back with Raven. We’ll keep the van in our line of sight. Marx and Ophelia, we are forever in your debt for assisting us today. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need us or if you hear or see anything questionable.”
“We’ll hold you to that, Ionus, and thank you for not breaking our trust.” Marx and I gripped each other’s forearms. “Safe travels.”
We’re headed home, my love.
Fantastic! I’ve been a nervous Nellie so much so that Odem and I have a surprise for you.
I look forward to it. I can’t believe you corralled Odem and put him to work.
It was worth it, brother. Besides, it gave me plenty of time to share some of your childhood antics with your mate.
Oh, dear Goddess. I never should’ve left Odem there.
The flight back was exhilarating, it felt wonderful to stretch our wings. It would’ve taken half the time had we not followed the van but ensuring those in it arrived home safely was number one.
We landed on the practice pitch and out came my beloved and Odem.
I scooped Alexander up and peppered his face with kisses. “My love, I have someone very special for you to meet.” I sat him down and hurriedly dressed as the others had. “Your great grandfather, Baird Drakemyre.”
Alexander ran right to him, easily picking him out of the five as his Gramps was the spitting image of Baird. Alexander wrapped his arms around the man’s waist and hugged him. For a moment, Baird didn’t know what to do, then it all came back to him as he hugged my mate.
“Alexander, so wonderful to meet you, and you’re with egg!” Baird cheerfully announced. “So wonderful.”
“Four to be exact, Great-Gramps. One true set of dragon twins!”
My dragon purred and mentally wound himself around our mate.
“And so it has begun, and of course it all starts with the protectors. You are the trusted ones to keep the balance, you are the ones who will renew our species.” As Baird spoke the words, the depth of our existence sparked back to life. For centuries my brothers and I protected but not to the full extent of our abilities. Had we buried our heads in the sand and turned a blind eye to what was truly going on?
Now, it was time for redemption and to find as many of our kind as possible.
“Baird, Ignatus, Angus, Elgin, Rory, and Hamish of clan Drakemyre, this is our brother Odem and my mate, Alexander, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed. Gentlemen, you must be famished. Please, come inside and we shall break bread.”
Mate, can I show you something before we join them?
Lead on, my love, and I shall follow wherever you may go.
Sappy much?
Only with you, my love.
We dropped off our guests in the kitchen. My brothers got right to work feeding them while I followed my mate to the office. The tapestry was rolled up and inside was the beginnings for a fine, yet very large, nest.
“Alexander, you did far too much. You should be resting.”
“Odem took on the high spots and moving everything out. I just scrubbed and only with all natural ingredients. Nothing that would harm the eggs or me.”
“Thank the Goddess for that. Looks like we need more pillows?”
“Yes, I already ordered them. I wanted the nest to be big enough for us to curl around the eggs. Do you think our dragon will fit?”
“It will be a tight fit, but we’ll make it work.”
“I love it when he cradles me in his tail, and we float. Can we float later?”
“Your wish is my command. Let’s get our guests sorted first then I’m all yours.”
Our dragon was bursting at the seams, ready to hold our mate as he’d requested.
In time, Dragon, in time.
Pfft.
I guess the pfft was here to stay.
“The contractor will come as soon as I call. I’ll have him install a door to the library. What else would you like added?”
“Possibly some lighting but nothing too bright. I know you and the babies will be able to see perfectly in here but for me it’s a challenge, too dark.”
“Understood and it will be done. Anything else?”
“Should we add a barrier to keep them from wandering down the corridor?”
“Another brilliant idea. Not that they’ll be down here once they hatch but it is an easily accessible area that we’d want protected. Cameras will be added for parental piece of mind.”
“Given the stories Odem shared with me about a very naughty Ionus, cameras are a must.”
“And you were an angel, my love?” I drew him near and pressed my lips to his.
“Not even close. Double the number of cameras you first had in mind.”
My chuckle rumbled down the stone hall. “Done. Now, let’s entertain our guests. I have many questions for them.”
All in all, I was proud of the work Alexander and Odem had done. From the colorful pillows and bedding to the cleanliness of the space. It was a fine fit for our three eggs.
And me?
I believe so, Dragon.
He purred so loudly Alexander smiled beside me.
Our dragon is happy.
Indeed, my love, as am I.