Chapter 3 Reflect
REFLECT
As Strom kisses me, giving me the most blisteringly scalding embrace ever, long and decadent, he knows what he’s doing.
Even in my fatigue, my inner dragons roar to his bright passion; as everything inside me scorches to his eager heat at whatever mystery he’s discovered, I feel my ardor careen, reckless, despite my exhaustion.
I’m all-too-aware we haven’t been together since Chambord as he pulls back now, his bright emerald gaze rapacious with sex and intrigue. His eyes blaze with a ring of crimson around the green, the eyes of his dragon staring out at me from his princely, handsome face.
As he grins, he revels in leaving me hanging from whatever mystery he’s got. Dressed in russet warrior’s leathers tooled with copper and gold, his short, tawny hair is rucked up into a sexy mess as his full lips grin.
His arcane outfit looks almost too good on his tight, fit frame. Like the sexiest Disney prince with the naughtiest thoughts, Strom takes in my attire now, impressed at the tawny battle-leathers I’ve found.
I glorify in his appreciation; because with my tall warrior’s build and strong curves, I’m a lot to look at, clad head-to-toe in tight leather. I know it, as I toss my blonde mane back over my shoulder.
Only to get my fingers tangled in it—ridiculously mussed, as it still is from sleep.
Strom barks a laugh, as he gives me the hugest smile. He has me blushing now as I try to untangle my long hair and fail.
He doesn’t care, though, as he laughs a second time and nets me close. Strom kisses me again, making me feel hot and bothered now, and so, so cherished, as my First Drake looks on.
My inner dragons growling with pride for my Second Drake, as they surge all through me.
“I felt that, drakaina.” Strom grins as he finally pulls away, lingering with one hand at my waist, even as he gives me a bit of space now.
“I’m sure you did.” I sass him, feeling good, despite everything. Because even though we’ve gone through hell these past few days, it makes the good times that much better. I feel that knowledge shine between Bjorn, Strom, and me, even though Baldur’s curses still pull at us.
Needing to enjoy the hell out of these good times when we can.
“All our dragons are rising a lot more strongly now, after some food, rest, and warmth.” Bjorn lifts a level eyebrow at me and Strom, now that we’re done kissing.
He reaches out, putting a hand to my other hip in a moderately possessive gesture, though far less than it used to be around Strom.
“I won’t be surprised if we can shift again soon, and get out of here. ”
“First thing’s first: we need Baldur to wake,” Strom counters as he eyeballs the bed. “Because we can’t go anywhere with him still in stasis. Or do anything even remotely helpful for our situation or our King, fighting-wise.”
“Though I’m itching to get back into the fray against our enemies, Strom’s right: we can’t do anything for anyone without all of us back in fighting shape.
” I haul my long hair over my shoulder, picking out the knots now, and raking my fingers through it as I eyeball my drakes.
“We’re here; whatever this place is, it’s got what we need to eat, sleep, and rest. We need to recover here as much as we can, because we’re no use to anyone if we can’t even muster anything close to our fullest power.
Which we can’t right now, with Baldur’s curses from the Black Dragon still draining us. ”
“You’re ridiculously chipper this morning, though. Did you find something while you were out?” Bjorn asks Strom now, lifting his eyebrows as we finally get to whatever secret Strom’s hiding.
“Maybe.” Strom grins anew. He’s smiling to beat the band as he enjoys baiting us. An intrigued sparkle reignites in his green eyes. I know he’s discovered something big, which is why he came back to find us this morning.
“What is it?” I lift my eyebrows as I braid my hair into a simple cable over my shoulder, wrapping and tucking in a piece of my hair so it stays put, since I haven’t found any elastic in this place.
“Well, after I ate this morning, I did some exploring. You know, to see if we can find anything useful down here, while we’re wiling away the hours recuperating.” Strom watches us with a more mysterious smile on his lips now, enigmatic.
“What did you find?” Bjorn prompts him as he scowls, my First Drake quite a lot more concise than my Second, who loves being verbose, especially if it irks Bjorn.
“The strangest thing.” Strom grins at Bjorn before looking at me. “I think to get the full effect, however, you should come see it.”
“You really can’t just tell us what you’ve found, can you?” Bjorn grumps with his hands on his hips now. Even he’s giving a little Bjorn-smile at Strom’s mystery, however, as the very last corners of his lips lift.
“I really can’t,” Strom grins wide now, jovial. Extending his arm to me like a high lord, which I always forget Strom is, being the chosen Jarl-Heir to the Eriksson Jarldom, he grins like a brigand. “Milady.”
“Milord,” I tease him back, though I take his proffered arm, winding mine through his. “Shall we go?”
“We shall.” Strom has a faux-lordly affect in his voice, as he cinches me to him with our arms linked.
“You jokers are just two peas in a pod.” Bjorn grumps behind us, though there’s humor in it, as we turn and head towards the vaulted door.
Because despite our exhaustion, all of us are feeling light at our current safety and everything this place has provided for us. Despite the surreal mystery of these ancient halls, it’s a good feeling, as I head with Strom out through the massive doors of our underground room now.
Bjorn steps to my side as we egress into the quadrangle where we’ve found bedrooms. As fountains burble in the niches of the walls, this vaulted through-way devoured by luminous mosses, vines, and trees like the rest of the underground, Strom leads us to a side hall we’ve not explored yet.
We move through a towering stone vault, then into another hall with just as many doorways branching off it as the one we left. This ancient underground is a warren, and I concentrate now to memorize the twistings and turnings we go through in the fey halls, as we’re led onward by Strom.
Luminous moths waft everywhere, phosphorescent lizards darting down from the trees to snipe them up. A chill wind curls through the ancient space, however; I shiver in my leathers, until Bjorn hands around some of those magical torches, which he snagged before we left our room.
I’m glad he remembered them, as they ignite in our dragon’s colors and we continue on. Because this is an entire city down here, gone to ruin but partially preserved by ancient magic, like a dragonfly trapped in amber.
It’s a strange feeling, being in a place built for so many, abandoned except for us. I know it is abandoned; with the sixth sense of my inner dragons, I know there’s nothing down here but us, as I feel no other significant signature of life while we walk.
We move from hall to towering hall, perusing the ancient silver and gold runes glimmering on every archway and vault as we walk, done in a Blood Dragon language long-lost. As Strom at last ushers us in through a towering doorway with snarling dragons carved up the lintels and massive doors, we enter.
It’s a gargantuan space, with a domed ceiling like an observatory. Flanked by massive silberskrae shelves that rise into the dome like a library, all the scrolls, vellums, and leather-bound tomes in those vaults are in a sorry state.
Once protected by our Ancestors’ magic, most of that magic has failed now, and the knowledge preserved here has paid the price. Several barriers over the towering stacks are gone, obliterated; there, everything has mildewed and gone to tattered dust.
Some stacks still stand, however, hale and pristine, as Bjorn and I raise our eyebrows now at this impressive library Strom has found. But the most impressive thing about it stands right in the center of the hall.
Before us, I’m amazed to see a massive silver stone taking up the entire center of the space. A gargantuan disc which towers five man-heights tall, it sits on its edge like a mirror.
My eyebrows lift as I notice it’s floating, suspended by nothing but flowing currents of air underneath and all around.
It’s magic our people can’t even fathom anymore, as a deep respect fills me for our ancient Ancestors.
Because they were capable of so much more than we are, united in their Blood and Bone Magic as their society was, long ago.
Neither side persecuted for it.
I’m startled, however, as we come before that shining silver stone and it swirls to life. As Aesa’s Truthstone upon my chest gives an answering swirl, I see the massive silver stone before me suddenly stabilize.
It’s then I realize I’m looking at a mirror, as that smooth silver surface now reflects my exact visage back at me, plus Strom and Bjorn beside me.
As deep currents of unknown magic swirl in the mirror-stone again, however, I see the image change. I now view the Black Dragon roaring through the skies—decimating a village in its ungodly wrath.
My good mood falls right down through the floor, as I’m confronted by our enemy and its mad destruction. Though I had been twisting in dreams of it all night, I had thought those were only fever nightmares from my exhaustion, until now.
If I needed any reminder that we’re not on holiday here in this abandoned Blood Dragon city, this is it.
As I watch the Dragon of All Souls do its worst now, spewing its diseased, burned black blood-trail as it roars its bone-shattering and blood-calling power from its massive, undead maw, I get a nasty wake up call.
Because we’re not recovering here for no reason; that undead behemoth nearly did to us what it’s doing to all those Blood Dragon innocents running now as they try to escape, or shifting fast as they fly up hard from the burning wreckage to battle it.