Chapter 5
HAILEY
It took Corvus all of five seconds to assemble a dragon council on the ridge, and another three to set the rules of engagement.
Apparently, there was an etiquette to sky-side meetings.
The Queen and her chosen stood on the high ground, the regent and her general on level footing, and all other dragons at a distance respectful enough to avoid telepathic crowding.
We stood in a triangular formation, our tails parallel to the wind, wings partially unfurled, and snouts angled so the light of both suns caught the lines of our faces.
From our side, the portal was a standing glass rectangle, perfectly upright and glinting with every color the mind could handle.
On the earth side, however, the portal was a glowing disc, horizontal, maybe six feet off the ground.
The effect. Our entire earth-side team was still standing under the portal with their heads cranked back.
Jax was already trying to establish a line of sight with the earth crew. He craned his neck and quickly realized we needed to be human to speak to them.
“Let’s see if we can shift back,” I said to Jax, flicking the thought to Adalinda as well. We hadn’t tried yet. For all we knew, this world was going to keep us in dragon form.
The change rippled through my body, skin crawling, bones compressing, tail and wings withdrawing. It was over in less than a breath, and then I was human again.
Jax cleared his throat, then addressed the portal. “We’re here. We’re okay. The locals are mostly friendly.”
Janice yelled back, “Brief us!”
Ransome nodded curtly. Jax told them what we learned so far about Vaelog’s soul coming here and being a menace of epic violent douchery. Well, those were my words; Jax kept things a little more professional than I would’ve.
“He’s stolen power from those he killed in that realm?” Ransom asked.
“Definitely,” I said. “He’s gathering power and hunting this realm. He’s angry.”
Luke leaned in from the edge of the frame. “Any way to bring us through?”
I shook my head. “Dragons only, at least for now. We have no idea how this portal even opened, not really.”
There was a pause as the earthside digested this. Then Janice, never one to waste time, began typing into her phone, probably updating half a dozen hunters simultaneously.
Izora stood from the lawn chair she sat in.
“We’ll coordinate a watch on this side. Make sure nobody sneaks up on your exit hatch.
Or comes out of it.” She bent, plucked Courage from his perch, and set him on her shoulder.
“I’ll take the first shift,” said Izora.
“I have centuries of experience doing nothing.” To everyone’s surprise, Izora began organizing, with actual efficiency, a “portal watch rotation,” complete with delegation of responsibilities. “Paige, you’re on the second shift.”
Zara, who hadn’t been there earlier but was now, popped her head into frame. “I want a shift! If the Queen can do it, so can I.” She shot a look of utter defiance at Izora, who responded with a lazy air kiss.
Xander, lurking at the periphery, sidled up and added, “Put me on graveyard. I don’t sleep anyway.” He grinned at the portal, then at me. “Don’t worry, Philly’s still here when you get back.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Ransom’s posture never relaxed, not once. He stood, shoulders squared, jaw clenched. A twinge of guilt hit, knowing how much he hated being left out. Worse, how much he hated not being able to protect his people.
“Is there anything you need?” he said, voice softer than I expected.
I looked at Jax, then at Adalinda, who had resumed her dragon form and now loomed over us like a benevolent cryptid.
“There is,” I said. “I think we may need the dragon daggers. Both of them. They’re the only leverage we have against Vaelog.”
Luke nodded, already moving to fetch the case. He returned in a minute with both blades, each sheathed in a custom wrap of leather and etched steel. “Should I toss them through?” he asked.
“Hand them to us,” said Jax. “Gently.”
Luke climbed a ladder and held the daggers up toward the portal. The surface rippled, but when the blades touched it, they didn’t pass through. They bounced, gently, almost politely, and dropped back down to the earth-side grass with a pair of dull, definitive thuds.
“Shit,” I muttered.
Corvus, watching from his vantage, was unsurprised. “I’m not surprised. The blades know where they were born.”
I relayed this to the earth-side, which prompted a chorus of “What does that even mean?” from half the team. Izora just grinned wider.
“The blademaker lives in Ayrathys,” said Solenne, her mind-voice clear and resonant. “If the originals will not cross, then we must seek him out. He may be able to give you something that will.”
“Where?” asked Jax, wiping sweat from his brow.
Solenne pointed with her snout toward a distant range of mountains, their peaks hidden by roiling clouds. “The Pale Smith resides in the Forge of Silence. We will take you there.” She straightened, her scales shimmering. “Then we should not delay. Every hour there is a day here.”
That explained how Vaelog had been gone a matter of hours from Earth but somehow had time to terrorize the countryside here. I turned to the portal one last time. Ransom’s face, usually so composed, now held a rare note of uncertainty. “We’ll be okay,” I said.
Luke, standing beside him, nodded. “You better be.”
“Ready?” asked Jax as he looked over at me. Love pulsed through our bond.
I nodded. “Always.”