Page 5 of Winter's Dragons. Frozen Flames
Chapter Two
Of Soulmates and Sharing
Cheimon
If I had to pick one thing I was more familiar with than ice and snow, I would've instantly said "crazy families". Raised with three sisters who were just as unpredictable as I was, a mother who'd had a very loose approach on parenting, and a father who three-quarters of the time, hadn't been there at all, I'd had an eventful childhood even before said father had taken over Chronikos.
That didn't mean I was happy about being thrust into additional family drama without warning, and by my dragons no less.
"Actually, I'd like to clarify the matter now. Kerryn, Raijin, Emmerich... I'm waiting."
The brief exchange between Kerryn and his mother had already told me plenty, but it still didn't explain why my dragons had behaved the way they had, and how in the world we'd ended up in this insane situation to begin with.
Fortunately for my sanity, I didn't have to wait too long. "Well, treasure," Emmerich replied, "we might have forgotten to let our families know that we're alive."
"Yes, Emmerich, I think I gathered that much. The question is not what you did, but how it was possible. How do people manage to forget a little thing like notifying their loved ones they are not dead?"
"I know it sounds callous, but we had our reasons, treasure," Raijin answered, his magic swirling anxiously around him.
In front of us, Kerryn fidgeted, his tail swaying back and forth in what I now recognized as a form of nervous tic for his species. "It was never our intention to cause such chaos."
"Intentions have very little importance in the big picture. It is only the end result of an action that counts." I let out a slow, irritated breath. "But perhaps now is not the best time to discuss such things." We had guests, and it was uncouth to have a fight with my soulmates in public.
Turning toward the other six dragons, I offered the group a small smile. "I am Queen Cheimon, Lady of Winter, ruler of Tou Cheimóna, The Realm of Eternal Ice. Your sons accidentally ended up here due to an enchantment gone awry, and I welcomed them to stay."In my bed and between my legs,I didn't say, but I had the feeling the older dragons had already realized it. "I will, of course, extend that welcome onto you."
"You are most generous, Your Majesty," the male ryu said. "I am Noboru no Kurapati, and this is my mate Kasumi."
"You have our apologies for bursting in like this," the female ryu, Raijin's mother, offered. "It was our concern for our children that guided our actions."
"I completely understand," I replied. "No harm done." I could already sense the wards mending themselves in the area where the dragons had breached them. I would double-check their state once I returned to The Palace of Serenity, just in case, but for the most part, I doubted the attack would have any lasting effects on the shield my father had weaved and which my sisters and I had reinforced over the years.
Both wyverns performed small bows mid-air. "I am Devin Thurlacht and this is my mate, Brigid," the male, Kerryn's father, said. "It is an honor to be here."
"Thank you for welcoming us despite the less than ideal circumstances," Kerryn's mother added. "It would appear that no matter how old I am, I will never be rid of the idiocy of males."
That latter sentence didn't seem addressed to me at all, so I let it go. I wouldn't have had the time to find an appropriate response to the comment anyway, because the remaining duo, a couple of firedrakes, flew closer to me, the female already huffing in disapproval. "Now, now, Brigid, don't be so harsh. In this case, I do believe the idiocy was warranted. Clearly, our sons had more important things to worry about than report their every movement to us."
That was a strange thing to say. What could take precedence over making sure one's family didn't uselessly grieve you? There hadn't been any significant emergencies in Tou Cheimóna that could've kept my dragons from contacting their parents.
Oblivious to my thoughts, the female firedrake shot me a concerned look. "I am Jerika von Adalberd, and this is my mate Isebrand. We apologize for our rudeness. I hope it will not taint your perception of our son."
"He is a most capable male, I assure you, and very dedicated to his loved ones," Isebrand offered in a coaxing tone of voice. "He would make an excellent mate to start a family with."
The firedrakes' comments triggered an avalanche of responses as powerful as the snowslides in The Frozen Peaks. Brigid reared up in defensive irritation and snarled at the other dragons. "Not more dedicated than my Kerryn. A wyvern male always knows how to treat his female right."
"Maybe, but both firedrakes and wyverns are a little... temperamental," Kasumi said slowly. "We ryus are far more reliable and it is a known factor that our magic makes us more compatible with other species."
Jerika was not impressed by this argument. "Not everything is about magic compatibility!" she snapped back. "What matters is for the male to be powerful and have the ability to provide and care for his mate."
"Are you saying that our sons wouldn't be able to do that, Jerika?" Brigid hissed, her eyes glowing an unearthly shade of green and puffs of poisonous smoke already escaping her nostrils. "Are you questioning my Kerryn's suitability and worth as a male?"
"Not at all," Jerika answered, her scales flashing brighter red. "I am sure your son is a perfectly good male. I am only pointing out the obvious fact that my own son is superior."
"Superior to the wyvern, perhaps," Kasumi intervened, her tone now threatening even if it was just as mellow. "He cannot hope to compare to my Raijin."
Why? Why was this happening? What had I done to deserve this?
"That is complete and utter nonsense," Brigid continued to argue. "You ryus think you're better than everyone else just because you can use mystical magic, but the truth is you only have it because you were born incomplete and the gods must've tried to compensate."
