May They Always Reign (Dragon’s Reign #9)

Chapter 1

The Mirror

The SUV seemed to gallop up the winding road to High Reach. Valerius could see snippets of buildings and the sky through the window as the car bounced on the asphalt that wasn’t so smooth at these speeds.

“So what’s the plan? What’s the damned plan?” Illarion demanded.

He was in the back seat with Illarion, Caden and Esme. Ironically, Illarion was stuffed in the middle.

“The mirror,” Mei said from the front passenger seat.

Jahara was driving. Like a mad woman no less. The other Dragon Shifters and Claw were following in SUVs behind them. They were driving up the winding roads to High Reach.

“The mirror?” Illarion’s forehead puckered in confusion.

“When we were all in the throne room,” Esme answered, adjusting her dress that was bunched up against the door and window. “Don’t you remember how all our Dragon Spirits were together in the same lair when we looked into the mirror?”

“That… oh,” Illarion said, his forehead smoothing out as understanding filled him.

“Clearly, the mirror transports our Spirits from their lairs to Raziel’s,” Jahara replied.

“And if we go to the mirror again that means our Spirits will be as close as possible to the crater thus giving them the chance to destroy the Behemoth and save Raziel, Iolaire and Caden,” Mei finished.

“So we’re going to be like him?” Illarion tilted his head towards Valerius.

Valerius would have made a smart remark in response that not even on Illarion’s best day could he be like Valerius, but he was too weak to even form the words. He grimaced and tightened his hold on Caden’s body. There was no response from his beloved. Despair nibbled at him.

No, we’re almost to the mirror. We’re getting help to you, my love. Just hold on a little longer, Caden.

“We will be mortal and human again. For a time.” Mei tugged at her collar, belying the calmness of her voice and words. “Our Spirits will make quick work of the Behemoth. In the Spirit Realm they don’t need to worry about any explosions the destruction of that beast may cause.”

“True. That does fix that problem,” Esme said with a nod.

“We’ll be mortal. We can be hurt. We can die. Valerius has been like a doll losing his sand ever since Raziel left him,” Illarion reminded them. He looked over at Valerius’ faintly scowling face. “No offence! But you have been a maiden in my arms twice tonight.”

“Are you afraid of being human and mortal again, Illarion? It might be good for you. To remind you that you’re not all that,” Esme joked.

“You are an old woman. You could have a heart attack the moment that Scylla leaves you!” Illarion growled.

Valerius actually let out a soft laugh and managed to whisper, “Esme will outlive us all, Illarion.”

“Oh, you’re not dead! What a relief!” Illarion rolled his eyes.

“Not yet. Not ever. It’s a good plan, Mei,” Valerius said, making his voice stronger.

She gave him a brief smile and nod.

“Where the hell did that mirror come from? Why can it do this?” Illarion asked. “You’ve always been so cagey about it. I think now is a good time to tell us since we’re trusting it with our lives.”

There was silence. It was something he had never explained to them. Something he had kept secret though he did not understand it fully himself. Would he tell them now? Would he keep his secret? Or would he reveal to them all he did know and open his life a little?

“Raziel led me to it the first year we were one,” Valerius answered, his gaze going distant as he remembered. “It came from strange sand that was not created near the water, but at the top of a mountain that I have never seen since.”

The silence was different now. Admitting this to them, bringing them into the secret, felt right. They felt closer. Illarion patted his arm.

“Maybe from the Spirit Realm?” Jahara murmured. “Perhaps that’s where the mountain is and the sand came from there?”

“Mountains do not disappear unless you are far older than you are letting on,” Illarion pointed out. “So the Spirit Realm sounds possible.”

“Yes, perhaps that is so,” Valerius agreed.

“And you had the mirror made from it?” Esme asked.

Valerius nodded. “Only hellfire melted it and when it cooled, the mirror was created. Not like any other mirror in existence. And I’ve taken it with me. Everywhere.”

Another silence fell as they wondered at this.

“It’s like the walls that the Behemoth uses,” Jahara said quietly. “The mirror. It lets us see into the Spirit Realm.”

“While the walls let things pass between?” Esme asked.

“I think the mirror can too,” Valerius said. “I believe the spirits of the people the Behemoth displaced will be able to return to their bodies. Including…” Valerius cradled Caden close. “Including Caden.”

“Better not let anything happen to that bloody mirror then,” Illarion growled.

Valerius kissed Caden’s cool, unresponsive forehead.

Caden… Caden, we’re coming. Hold on.

“But Illarion is not completely wrong to be nervous. The horde is after us,” Mei said.

“High Reach is the safest place,” Jahara said, “but the throne room is the least protected part of it.”

“We just have to hold out for a little while. Once the Behemoth is taken care of, the horde won’t be a problem,” Mei said.

“You act as if taking care of the Behemoth will be some kind of side adventure and not the main event,” Illarion grunted. “But Raziel has not returned after challenging it.”

Valerius felt the weight of every one of those words.

Raziel has not returned…

Not returned...

Would Raziel return? Was Raziel all right? Could Spirits be destroyed forever? Wasn’t that what they were trying to do to the Behemoth?

“We need to get to High Reach first before our Dragon Spirits can leave us,” Jahara pointed out. “First things first.”

Jahara wrenched the wheel to the right as they took a hairpin curve. Valerius slid the few inches there were between his bare shoulder and the door.

“We just need to survive your driving. What else could happen?” Illarion muttered.

Valerius glanced outside to see how far they were from High Reach. He saw the final turn up ahead before the bridge. There was a stone wall on their right side except for a metal door that interrupted the white stone. Even before Valerius saw it suddenly bulge out as if a great hammer struck it.

“HORDE!” Valerius shouted.

And then the door flew outwards across their path.

There was a squeal of tires as Jahara tried to steer around the metal door that looked like the ripped off lid of a container.

She had to slow down and that was when the horde poured out of the doorway like water streaming out of a fire hose at full speed.

“Watch out!” Esme cried.

Jahara slammed on the brakes even as the horde appeared before them.

“Don’t stop!” Illarion screamed. “Run them over!”

“I’ll kill them if I don’t!” Jahara cried. “Those are people!”

“Who cares?! They made their damned choices!” Illarion snarled. “If they slow us down too much everything is lost! We have to think of all the innocent people who will die if we don’t kill them!”

Valerius saw Landry, her brothers and Jasper Hawes staring out at those faces pressed all around the SUV. They were snarling. Their expressions were hardly human. One of those faces though was Landry’s. She gasped and covered her mouth as she saw herself.

“Oh, my God!” Landry cried. “Oh, my God. What have I done?”

The SUV was barely crawling forward. It was covered with the horde. It was rocking back and forth, in danger of being overturned like a turtle on its back. Countless hands slammed against the windows. But it was made of bulletproof glass so it held. But for how long?

“That’s--that’s Jasper!” One of Landry’s brothers pointed to the squirming figure on top of the hood.

“No! NO! That’s my body!” Jasper frothed. “I was betrayed!”

Jasper’s body slammed his forehead against the windscreen. Blood spurted over the forehead. He slammed it again and again. Starbursts cracked along the glass.

“This was your fault!” Landry hit his arm hard. “You spoke poison! I listened. I was jealous and I listened. More fool me, but don’t pretend you’re a victim here!”

“It’s destroying my body! It’s destroying me!” Jasper wailed.

The SUV was truly rocking now.

“Valerius? What do we do?” Jahara asked.

He felt like he looked directly into Landry’s eyes then. Tears were streaming down her face. But it was as if she saw him.

“Do it,” she said. “Drive.”

“What? NO! That could kill us!” Jasper screamed.

He grabbed hold of Landry by the shoulders and tried to shake her. “Illarion’s right. We made our choice. We aren’t innocent. We have to pay for what we’ve done.”

“I don’t want to die!” Jasper cried.

Landry’s brothers looked crestfallen, but unsurprised as they too nodded.

“Do it,” one said.

“You gotta do it or everybody's going to die,” the other said.

“No! No! NO!” Jasper screamed.

He shoved Landry backwards. Her brothers caught her as she fell.

Before she was even fully upright, she cried, “Drive, King Valerius! NOW!”

Valerius closed his eyes, but he kept seeing Landry, her brothers and Jasper. He wondered if their bodies died here if they would always be in the lair or would they pass on to somewhere else? If they stayed or went, he would still be haunted forever.

“Valerius?” Jahara asked.

He opened his eyes. He could not see anything but seemingly demonic faces at the windows.

“We need to get through,” Valerius said finally. “Do whatever you have to.”

“Let me try something. I saw it in a movie once,” Esme said.

“We don’t need you trying things,” Illarion began.

Esme moved her hands in a circle and suddenly there were shocked cries from the horde. They stopped banging. In fact, they stopped moving altogether. And then water started streaming from their eyes, ears, noses. The very water that made them up was leaving their bodies.

That’s when the screaming began.

And the flailing.

They backed away from the car, trying to reach for the water that was streaming from them.