Drakhana's Claim Read online

  Had I been home and organizing added patrols around the area, we would have seen this attack on our territory sooner. I could have beefed up security. I could have rallied the other generals to my side.

  Without my presence at Floe Fortress, reminding them of what is at stake, they grow complacent. What Logan is doing is spreading the wrong idea within the ice clan. Because of the riches he’s sending home, the once fierce dragons are becoming weak.

  He may have held his own during our training session, but that’s nothing compared to real battle. I doubt he can hold his own should the fighting come knocking at his door. Logan may have chosen a different route, but he will soon be unable to deny that he should have stayed and fought by our side.

  I lift my chin and concentrate on my breathing. I drop to the floor and fold my legs. Then I rest my palms on my knees.

  I close my eyes and force my tight muscles to relax. Using the ancient ways of meditation, I call upon my dragon. She steers within the darkness of my soul, her wings rustling.

  You shouldn’t have allowed him to call us that ugly word, she says in a more feminine voice than I will ever be capable of.

  It’s not like I could have challenged him to a fight in that moment, I say as a way to appease her bruised ego.

  Oh, but it would have been pleasurable to watch him fall out of the sky.

  I grin. Let’s set that aside for now. We have more important things to worry about.

  Yes. She hisses. The fire dragons. The bastards have found power and now they are the worst kind of fools.

  And what is that? I ask.

  Dangerous. She flaps her wings in annoyance.

  Do you know where that great power came from?

  It’s ancient. Very old. A power that has gone untapped for centuries.

  My forehead crinkles. How do we stop it?

  There is a long pause. At first, I think that she will not respond. Then I hear a rustling in the depths once again.

  We must find our own.

  I pull out of my meditation. I’m not sure what my dragon means by that. Could anyone tap into that kind of power?

  I don’t know if I’m comforted by that revelation or concerned. That kind of magnificence is already in the wrong hands. I need to prepare my people.

  Placing both my hands on the floor, I push up until I’m standing. I need to get back to what I do best. I need to protect my people.

  Let Logan play his business man games. I have more important things to do.

  I leave the conference room in search of Basil. I want us out of LA as soon as possible. I also want some time with the men who will be left behind. They will need reassurance. We are not abandoning them. We are just giving them more time to recover so that they can join the fight once more.

  Ten

  Logan

  My original plan was to leave the factory right away before I did something that I regretted more than calling Ivy a berserker. It’s as if I wished death upon her and that’s certainly not the case. I just wanted her to see the folly of her ways. To put down the swords and see things my way.

  Instead, as I’m making my way to my car, one of the medics approaches me and asks about medical supplies. They are running low because of the many injured that they were tending too. At the same time, they are hoping that I provide someone to relieve them even for just one day so they can rest adequately.

  “I understand your concerns,” I say. “I will make sure to send fresh supplies and two new medics to bring you relief. Just brief them on what needs to be done before you leave so that they can perform their duties properly.”

  I may be angry with their general, but that doesn’t make me a monster who wishes them to suffer. They will have the best care I can provide. Some of them are even well enough to be transferred to better lodgings.

  I want to show them the kind of life they can have away from battle. Maybe if they see what awaits them then they can decide for themselves to leave the bloodshed behind. There’s a better life for them here in LA.

  My goal is to move each and every ice dragon down here. Even the king, queen, and the elders. I already have houses picked out for them, each grander than the next. Fit for their stature in life.

  The fatigue on the medic’s face lifts. He goes back inside to tell his comrade. Right as I’m to leave, a dragon of obsidian ice lands inside the factory floor.

  The sight forces me back inside. The new arrival quickly turns back into a man and speaks quickly with Basil. Ivy’s second in command loses all color from his face as he leaves to tell whatever it is to his general.

  I approach the young ice dragon and ask, “What did you just tell Basil?”

  Based on the look of hesitation on his face, he’s unsure whether to tell me or not. I release some of my aura to show him that I am someone that ranks above him. That’s the only way to get the younger dragons to follow suit.

  He clears his throat and begins telling me about the fire clan widening their territory and their claiming of the area surrounding Verglas Mountain, which means Star Peak is in danger of invasion. I feel lightheaded at the implications. Not only does the fire clan pose a threat to our investments, they are also threatening our ancestral home.

  Knowing Ivy well enough, that can only mean one thing. As soon as the thought enters my mind, Basil rushes out of the conference room. He marshals the troops. When the still recovering dragons begin to get up, Basil stops them.

  It seems like Ivy will be leaving some of her men behind. That’s probably one of the more sensible decisions she has made. She obviously can’t expect those who haven’t sufficiently recovered to make the harrowing journey home.

  The last thing I want is another argument, but as soon as Ivy exits the conference room, I approach her and say, “You can’t do this.”

  “What?” She looks at me with complete disgust. “Leave and protect my home from invasion? Are you that kind of traitor now who lets innocents die?”

  “Look, I apologize for calling you a berserker, but you have to see it from my perspective. Help me fix the businesses and everything will turn out for the better without the need for bloodshed.”

  She charges me and growls. “I don’t care about your stupid businesses. I need to go home and fight for my people. Unlike you, I have not abandoned them.”

  “I haven’t abandoned anyone.” I raise my chin in defiance. “Or are you forgetting something?”

  “What is that?”

  “Without the money that I provide and keeping a foothold in the human world, it will not matter if Verglas Mountain survives a siege. The ice clan will not be able to move forward without what I do.”

  “Looks like you’ve truly lost what it means to be an ice dragon.”

  “I am as much an ice dragon as you are.”

  “Oh really? Then why don’t you understand that without our ancestral home we will truly have nothing? Money is just pieces of paper. What we stand to lose is our history. Our very existence.”

  Sadness enters her eyes. It hits me harder than any physical blow. I’m stunned into silence for the briefest second.

  “I’m giving you one more chance, Logan,” she says. “Leave with us and fight. Help us defeat the fire clan once and for all.”

  There is a moment where I actually consider following her into battle again. Ivy has that kind of power on men. She can bring them to glory with her words and charisma alone.

  I have to physically step back to be able to think for myself. “I have my own battles to fight here in LA.”

  “Then you have truly become weak.”

  Running my fingers through my hair, I say, “Why does it always have to be violence with you? Not everything can be solved with a fight.”

  “That’s because you’ve never fought for a cause worth fighting for. How can you truly know the glory of battle when all you do is sit behind a desk all day?”

  “I fight in my own way.”

  “You see those dragons.” She points at the injure
d. “They know what it means to fight for their people. Even if they are injured, if I asked it of them, they will get up and fly back to Verglas without a second thought. They are the true heroes of this story.”

  “Do you honestly think so little of what I do? No matter how much I’ve shown you?”

  “If what you do is so important, why weren’t you able to stop the fire clan from buying all those businesses that you are so proud of?”

  She might as well have punched me in the nuts. Ivy always knows the weakest points of a dragon and isn’t afraid to exploit them for her own gain. That’s what makes her lethal.

  “It looks like I won’t get through to you,” I say through my teeth.

  I leave her where she stands and approach the dragons putting on their fighting leathers. Basil pauses in his preparations and so do the rest of them. I clear my throat.

  “You don’t have to go into battle,” I say to them. “I can provide better lives for all of you here in LA. You no longer have to risk your lives.”

  None of the dragons move. None of their expressions even change at my words. They don’t even consider what I have to offer. They continue their preparation to leave without saying a single word.

  Ivy approaches to stand beside me and says, “That’s what loyalty to the king and clan looks like. You have turned your back on us.”

  “Ivy, don’t send these men to their deaths,” I plead with her, losing all my willingness to argue anymore.

  “I’m not sending them anywhere that they are not willing to go.”

  One by one, each man calls on their dragon. Like the day we trained together, they take flight. Basil is the last to transform. He waits for a nod from Ivy, which she gives without a second thought.

  When we are alone, she faces me and says, “I admired you once. You were such a skilled warrior. One of the best, even.”

  “I’m still that warrior,” I tell her.

  She shakes her head. “Not anymore. I once told myself that I would never admit this, but I did consider you as a worthy consort. It seems my decision not to say anything was valid because right now, I can’t see you as anything but a man.”

  Again, she deals a blow that’s below the belt. She walks off without looking back. She calls on her dragon and flies off. The wind her wings generates pushes me back.

  As I watch them fly away, back to our homeland, I wonder: Have I truly become someone that they despised?

  Then I steel myself. If they have a battle to fight, I have my own to wage here. I will show them that what I do is just as important as saving our ancestral home.

  Eleven

  Ivy

  I breathe in the cold air. It invigorates me back to life. LA is so smoggy that it’s hard to stay connected with the ice.

  The closer to home we get the more powerful my dragon feels. Verglas Mountain holds the ancient ice within its veins that feeds our powers. Feeds our souls. Star Peak is the beacon that calls us all home.

  The reason why it’s called Star Peak is because when the sunlight hits it, the top of the mountain shines like a large star. Legend has it that the elders used the light of Star Peak to guide them home during a particularly brutal snow storm. It’s what called them home then and it’s what calls us home now. Even through the clouds, I see the peak shining like a single flame within the velvet of night.

  The approach to Verglas is tricky because of the thick cloud layer that surrounds the mountain top. From afar, you can see that only the base of the giant mountain is visible. The rest is shrouded in white clouds.

  There is a wall of wind that needs careful maneuvering to pass because if you flap your wings the wrong way, a single gust can break the bones. You need to have grown up in Verglas to know how to navigate its air currents. The young, as soon as they learn how to flap their wings, are flung off the tallest cliff in Star Peak so they learn how to fly using the wind currents. This is, of course, under the strict supervision of several adult dragons.

  The young cannot fear Verglas or they will not be able to leave the mountain. They must become one with its nature to be able to grow strong. This is why all ice dragons have a strong affinity for their home. Even as whelps, we already know how to appreciate what it means to live in Star Peak and low lands.

  Feel that mountain air, Basil says as he comes up beside me.

  Stay vigilant, I reply. We did not come home to relax. Our people need us. Spread the word to the squad that we will do a spiral circuit around the mountain before we land at the fortress. I want to assess our surroundings.

  Basil lets out a grunt, which produces ice crystals from his nostrils. I puff out a breath and observe the air crystallize. It’s beautiful. When we were fledglings, we used to play a game where we measure who could create the most ice crystals in one huff.

  Now, it seems like we are so far away from those childish games. Danger surrounds us everywhere. I do this to protect those fledglings that want to play who have yet to experience the real fear that comes from outside threats.

  As soon as we pass the thick cloud cover and the mountain come into view fully, I hold in a breath. The sight is always so breathtaking. The upper half of the mountain is covered in thick snow while the lower half is peppered with a thick canopy of green. The trees are so large that dragons can actually build homes on their branches.

  Many of the low land dragons have made their homes in the Verglas Forest. They are the farmers and the hunters who provide the essential produce needed for the inhabitants at Star Peak. With the fire dragons becoming bolder with their attacks, these lowland dragons are their first targets. They must be protected at all costs.

  I bank right and the squad behind me follow suit. I don’t need to look back to know that they are there. We’ve trained so much that we can do this with our eyes closed.

  One by one, I ask dragons to land, setting up a perimeter that will enhance the security of our borders. I tell them that I will send reinforcements when I reach the peak. I just want them to keep their eyes peeled and to make sure to stay in contact with each other.

  At each point up the mountain, I ask dragons to land. I’m setting up a relay chain. This way, should fire dragons decide to attack, we can get ample warning.

  From the signs of scorched earth in the distance, it seems that the fire clan have been taking territory, but they are not close enough to Verglas. We still have time. But I also tell my dragons to spread the word in each area. I ask them to guard that no one should leave the perimeter I have set up for their own safety.

  We will be stretching our forces thin enough. I will not have the dragon power needed to go rescue someone too stupid to heed my command. I want to keep this contained as much as possible to save lives.

  As Basil and I approach Star Peak where the Floe Fortress sits, I send word that we have arrived. As soon as we land, the royal council is already there to meet us. Basil and I shed our dragon skin.

  Before I acknowledge the council, I give Basil specific instructions to start a new training regimen with the younger troops. They need to be ready to fight. I’m formulating a plan that involves a major attack on the fire dragons with the goal of pushing them back to their mountain. Why can’t they just live in Star Peak and call it a day? The pests.

  Basil leaves me to go enact my instructions. In the back of my mind, I want to be the one to start the training of the troops. But I’m also responsible to keep the royal council appraised of everything that is happening. They may not be the ones fighting, but they do make important decisions. I need to be on their good side if I want to move forward with the attack.

  “Welcome back, General,” the head of the council greets me.

  They all bow low, clad in their white robes. All of them vary in age, but many of them are old and wise. They have seen many battles in their day.

  “Council,” I say, nodding for them to stand straight.

  “How goes it in LA?”

  “What do you mean?” My eyebrows come together. “Why do
you ask about LA when we have to focus on keeping Verglas safe from attack?”

  “We just want to know about our business ventures. You were there long enough. Surely, Logan has show you what he has been doing,” the head says.

  “Master Orion, with all due respect, I don’t believe talking about business is what we need to do right now,” I say through my teeth. I can’t lose my cool with them or I will never hear the end of it from my father. “What Logan does is inconsequential to our situation at the moment. If you’d like to hear about business, might I suggest that you give him a call.”

  “We merely wanted to get your perspective, General,” he says as if we’re not on the brink of losing our homes.

  That’s the problem with bureaucrats. They lose sight of what is important. Talk of business has no place on Star Peak at the moment.

  “Might I suggest that we focus on strengthening our armaments?” I say, not really asking for their permission on the matter. “We need to be ready. The threat the fire clan poses is real. We cannot allow them to gain more ground on us or it will be too late.”

  They all stand there looking at me like lame ducks. I want to scream at them to move. To do something productive for once.

  Instead, I bow and say, “If you will excuse me, I have any things to attend to in preparation for keeping our ancestral home safe.”

  I leave them in the landing bay without looking back. I don’t even have time to wash away the grim of travel off my skin. I head straight for the situation room.

  I ask a page to call all the generals. No matter what they are doing I ask that they drop it and attend the meeting. It is mandatory. We are climbing to the highest threat level.

  Once the meeting begins, I sit at the head of the table, listening to each and every general report on the situation. Then we come up with a plan. I ask several squadrons to fly down to the lowlands to give assistance to the dragons I already have guarding the border. I want us locked up tighter than a new drum. No one in or out. All fire dragons are to be killed on sight.