Cake, Dancing, and Dragon Fire

MADDIE

It was pandemonium.

In the blink of an eye, a beautiful wedding gave way to fear and destruction.

Threatened by the presence of Xythor, Loch and Hael burst from their tuxes and morphed into dragons. Anyone who had never witnessed such a scene had no doubt gotten one hell of a show.

Those who didn’t believe dragons existed were quickly thrust into a reality their minds most likely couldn’t comprehend.

Me, I’d seen my fair share of dragon battles…

I was fucking pissed one was happening at my friends’ wedding!

Loch and Hael soared high above the church, blotting out the sun’s rays. They cast demonic shadows on the patio.

But it was their opponent that had me genuinely confounded.

Xythor soared along with them. His metallic body darted around the sky quicker than any dragon I’d ever seen.

The Dobrzycka dragons shot bursts of green and black flame that surrounded Xythor. But every time he emerged unscathed and retaliated with a fire blast of his own.

The golden fire that shot from his gaping mouth was as bright as the sun.

I shielded my eyes as the three dragons released simultaneous blasts. Their heat radiated all the way to the patio. Thea’s dad’s shoes melted right to the dance floor!

~How the hell was I going to stop this?~

I looked at Zayda, watching the battle next to me.

“What in the fuck is going on?” I demanded.

Zayda shook her head, still trying to gather all her thoughts.

“I don’t know,” she replied.

“Don’t lie to me!” I yelled. “We have to stop this, or hundreds of people could be seriously hurt!”

Zayda's eyes met mine, and she nodded her head, understanding the severity of our situation.

“Tell me everything you know,” I said.

“I left Xythor in the laboratory at Xander U,” she admitted. “He must have broken out.”

Or ~someone~ let him out…

~Son of a bitch.~

Was that why Xander wanted the Dragonstone? So he could bring a dead dragon back to life?

None of the answers mattered if we didn’t stop the battle.

Zayda and I fell to our stomachs as Xythor zoomed overhead. Loch and Hael followed close behind. They flew so close I could’ve reached up and touched Hael’s green scales.

Another spout of fire burned a section of tables filled with food trays and chocolate fountains. It went up in a burst of green flame, sending shrieks from nearby attendees.

I got to my feet and sprinted to the middle of the patio, which was littered with debris.

Loch and Hael were double-teaming Xythor, their jaws snapping at his metallic hide.

He fought back, ripping a chunk out of the side of Hael’s green dragon. I watched in horror as blood gushed from the wound, raining down on deckchairs below.

This battle was turning into a bloodbath—one my mates might lose!

“Xythor!” Zayda screamed. “Stop! There’s no reason for any of this!”

Zayda could try to talk sense to a robot all day long but straining her voice would be the only thing she’d accomplish.

I remembered how I’d stopped the last dragon battle I’d seen. But if my voice wasn't loud enough to reach the dragons, it would do no good. My mates wouldn’t listen to me, and who knew if robot Xythor could hear anything.

I looked around, feeling defeated and overwhelmed by the moment. People were crying on the steps of the church. Others crawled along the ground, the wounded bystanders of the raging battle.

It was too late to stop the fight. People's lives were already at stake because I didn't have any control over my mates.

I found my way to the stage the band had long since evacuated. The speakers were destroyed, so there was no use in trying the mic.

That didn’t matter.

I could at least channel my voice toward the sky and hope for the best.

We’d already seen the worst.

I recalled the words to the song and felt my body swell with newfound energy.

The haunting melody played loudly in my head.

My mouth opened, and my voice belted from my throat, filling the air with Freesia’s ghostly tune.

But something was off…

It was almost as if my single voice had split into two…

I looked around as I sang the lyrics and couldn’t believe my eyes.

Zayda stood on the ground beside the stage, belting the lyrics to the song word-for-word.

~Holy shit!~

She moved on to the third verse, and I quickly caught up, still unsure of how the hell she knew these words.

~“I hear with my heart~

~ “Your small ghost in the dark~

~ “Now my curse is lain on the ground.~

~ “My bonds have been broken~

~ “The dark fate has spoken~

~ “His black fire can’t reach you now…”~

As we finished the lyrics, my body felt alive with power. I’d never felt this way before.

I began to tremble. My lips stopped moving, effectively ending my part in the song.

My body felt different—more powerful. It was as if, by joining voices with Zayda, I’d been able to somehow absorb the powers of my mates…

When it seemed like my body couldn’t handle the tremors, I raised my fists to the air and let out a hellacious scream.

The fire erupted from my fists, blasting toward the three dragons. Unaware of the incoming flame, all three were taken by surprise.

Hael and Loch took the brunt of the damage. Their wings went limp, and their bodies collapsed to the ground with a deafening crash.

Xythor was also hit by the blast, but his metal body repelled more of the damage than my mates.

Injured, but still airborne, Xythor spun away from the church and flew off into the horizon.

The song was finished, and the dragons were no longer fighting.

Now all I could hear were the screams of the remaining wedding guests.

I jumped down from the stage and ran toward the body of a young woman. She was conscious and breathing but looked to be in complete shock.

I ripped a part of cloth from my dress and wiped the blood and dirt from her body.

“It’s okay,” I said calmly. “Everything will be okay.”

She nodded her head in understanding, but her body still shook from fear.

I quickly ran to the bar and grabbed a bottle of water before returning to the injured woman.

I noticed Zayda across the patio, helping someone who looked to have sustained a concussion.

She felt my gaze and looked in my direction. Her eyes were alive with a fire I’d never seen before.

How did she know the song?

It had come to me in a vision. The words were so powerful I’d never needed to write them down. There was no way she could have learned it from me without my knowing.

Then I remembered what Storm had once said: that one of my friends was unbelievably powerful and held the key to ending the impending war.

Singing together had unlocked something inside me that I never knew I possessed.

For some reason that made me more worried than excited.

If I had these powers, that meant Zayda could have them as well…

Was it possible we were ~both~ the second coming of Freesia?

STORM

I stood on the tallest peak of the Dusk Mountains with Silver at my side. In the distance, the robot dragon glided through the sky.

We had watched the dragon battle in silence. It was a sight to behold, but things got really interesting when the Dobrzyckas were knocked from the sky.

It was all beginning to come true. The revelations I’d had in the Shadow Realm were manifesting in the outside world.

Requiem City would soon find itself in the crosshairs of a battle between dragon and man. Good and evil.

Which side would prevail? Which party would be exposed as the real evil?

“It’s all coming to fruition,” Silver said. “Your visions haven’t let us down.”

“Not yet,” I replied. “There is still more than enough time to be proven wrong.”

She nodded her head slowly, pained by the idea of false perception.

“We need to have a meeting,” I said. “And it is in every dragon’s best interest to attend.”

Silver grabbed my hand and squeezed hard. Her touch gave me the strength that I hadn’t realized I needed.

I closed my eyes and focused my thoughts.

Storm

Dragons. Friends. Enemies. The time is now.

Storm

A new enemy threatens to wipe us from the earth.

Storm

We need to discuss the future of our kind.

Storm

Gather your hordes and meet me at the Dusk Mountains.

Storm

War is upon us.