Dreya sat down on the foreleg of the dead Mallax, reinforcing the message that she was now their new ruler, and they were to obey her as they had him. According to the Chetsuans, dragons respected strength and power, Dreya now needed to consolidate hers.
“First, a question,” she began, “about these Chetsuans of yours, which of you here has killed the most?”
“We don’t keep score!” a green dragon scoffed.
“Maybe not,” Dreya allowed, “but I bet you still know. Surely there must be someone around here who likes to brag! Feel free to talk amongst yourselves, but none of you is leaving here until I get an answer, and if I don’t get an answer quickly, I’m going to get upset.”
After a quick discussion, the original green spoke up again, addressing his peers.
“Come on, it’s me! You all know it! I’ve exterminated way more vermin than you lot!”
Dreya was not surprised. She suspected that despite his initial remark, he did keep score. He would serve her purposes very nicely.
“Come down here and tell me your name,” she commanded, “I have a special assignment in mind for you.”
The dragon thanked her and introduced himself as Madroit, Champion of the Green, while the others made room for him to land. Climbing onto his back, she asked him to fly her a short distance away, while she fished Jessica’s phone device out of a pocket, selected the camera app and tried to get Mallax’s carcass in shot. When they were at the optimum distance, she asked Madroit to hover while she took a few shots.
Job done, she opened a Prismatic Sphere portal to her Black Tower home on Tempestria.
“You lot wait here,” she told the assembled dragons. “I’ll be back shortly.” Without further ado, she urged Madroit to fly through the portal. “It should be safe while you’re with me,” she reassured him, planting the idea in the other dragons’ minds that it might be dangerous for them to use her portals without her. It didn’t even break her self-imposed rule against lying: For all she knew, it might be dangerous – she’d never tried to portal a dragon before.
*****
She materialised over her Tower, just as Laethyn entered her grounds. His furious expression quickly changed to a mixture of surprise, shock, fear and utter astonishment at the sight of Dreya the Dark on dragonback.
She ordered Madroit to land.
As soon as she dismounted, she focussed her will on the dragon, and said, “STUN,” paralysing him completely. Then, calling for her elite guards, she ordered them to fetch something she’d had made for her in Gaggleswick. It was similar to a saddle and tack one might routinely use on a horse but imbued with magic and much bigger because it was intended to control a dragon.
While her death knights attached it to the protesting Madroit and made the necessary adjustments, Dreya levitated herself back through the portal to the waiting dragons. The sorceress decreed that there were going to be some new rules regarding Chetsuans on Phitonia.
“Chetsuans are not vermin. Chetsuans are not food. You will not harm Chetsuans.” She considered qualifying the last rule with ‘except in self-defence’, but frankly, they would have to work very hard to convince her that Chetsuans were any threat to the life of a dragon. “Leave them be. Allow them to come out of hiding and start rebuilding their communities. I’m giving you five days to spread the word so that every dragon understands the rules and Chetsuans everywhere know about the regime change that’s happened here today.”
“But that’s not enough time!” complained one blue scaled dragon.
“Thank you so much for your opinion,” Dreya replied, following up with her power word, “PAIN.”
The dragon bellowed in agony. After a moment, she cancelled her power word. “Anyone else agree with that assessment?” she asked. None did. “Excellent. Let me be clear: when I say to do something, you will do it. I will discuss practical ideas of how it may be accomplished but don’t ever tell me it can’t be done. Now stop wasting time. I’ll be back here in five days to inspect your progress, and if I’m not satisfied, I’m going to get upset again.”
Without further comment, Dreya returned to Tempestria and went to greet Laethyn.
*****
“Welcome to my Black Tower, Master Laethyn,” she greeted him, formally.
“Dreya, what the hell is that?” asked the leader of the black robes, pointing to the monster in her grounds.
“That is Madroit, Champion of the Green, apparently,” she replied, pleasantly, taking his arm as they strolled together back towards her Tower. “He’s a dragon, my prisoner and my gift to you.”
“A gift?”
Dreya nodded, saying, “I’m hoping that transferring my prisoner to you might buy your silence for a while. I had good reasons for doing what I did, reasons that will be revealed soon, but if my theft came to light now, it could disrupt the plans we’ve made. How are they progressing, by the way?”
“Everything will be ready when you give the signal,” he promised. “As for your gift, you have a deal. My silence in exchange for your dragon as my prisoner.”
Madroit protested, “But Mistress Dreya! You can’t just hand me over like this! You told me you had an assignment!”
“Yes, I’m assigning you to be Laethyn’s transport, guard, or whatever job he might have for you.”
“But you can’t keep me trapped in this alien world – I have a mate, a family!”
“And how many Chetsuan families have you destroyed?”
“What do those vermin have to do with anything?”
Dreya told him the new rules regarding Chetsuans on Phitonia and explained further, “Since I can’t realistically kill every dragon that’s ever killed a Chetsuan, and because you confessed to killing more than any of your peers, I’m making an example of you. The only reason you’re still alive is that I owe Laethyn here a favour.”
“But that’s not fair!” Madroit objected. “I only killed Chetsuans because Mallax said we had to exterminate them, because they were vermin. It’s not my fault – I was just following orders.”
“Oh well, that’s different,” Dreya accepted. “In that case, you’re right. It wouldn’t be fair to voluntarily hand you over.” To Laethyn, she added, “But of course, despite our little arrangement, you are still my superior on the Council, are you not, Master Laethyn?”
“Yes, absolutely,” Laethyn agreed with a crooked smile. He could see where this was going.
“So, is there anything you’d like me to do for you?”
“As a matter of fact, there is,” Laethyn affirmed. “Dreya, as Master of the Black Robes of Dark Magic and under the authority of the Triumvirate, I officially order you to hand over that dragon to me.”
Dreya bowed, respectfully. “Very well, Master Laethyn, the dragon is yours, with my compliments.” As an aside to Madroit, she concluded, “You see? It’s not my fault – I’m just following orders.”
Since Laethyn was satisfied with the deal, Dreya transferred the control magic in the dragon harness to him. The two Dark mages shook hands and parted ways. Laethyn mounted the dragon and flew away, while Dreya entered her home.
*****
She spent a full day and night there, eating, resting, sleeping, relaxing. By her calculations, a day on Tempestria was about four days on Phitonia or Earth. That gave her one Earth day to check in with Sara and Jessica.
She didn’t want to spook them by opening a portal herself, so instead, she teleported to StormClaw and used Daelen’s portal system. The two Earth-based Chetsuans were alerted by the unauthorised intrusion, but immediately stood down and greeted her warmly when they saw it was her.
They shared another cup of tea and a chat, although this time Sara thought she might enjoy the beauty of Catriona’s Meadow, rather than the dusty old library.
As they stepped outside, Dreya gasped in astonishment, “Catriona did all this?”
Catriona had once taken Dreya to visit Quarthonia, her childhood home among the Faery. It was a strange experience for her girlfriend because even as she was showing Dreya some of the places she’d liked to play as a child, Cat had realised that it wasn’t exactly true. All those places had been destroyed in the devastating attack that had robbed her of her parents. What existed there now had been recreated by what she referred to as her Angel.
She had even asked Dreya, “Can it still be my childhood home, if it’s just a recreation? Are these still the places I used to play if they were destroyed and brought back?”
For a long moment, Dreya had no idea how to answer that. In the end, she told her, “I think it’s all a question of belief. If you believe it’s truly your childhood home, then it’s true for you, and maybe that’s all that matters.”
Some of the places Cat had shown her that day, Dreya could see were perfectly replicated here. The sorceress could only imagine what had been going through Cat’s mind as she created the place in which Dreya now stood. If not for the lack of void storms, the sorceress could easily believe she had taken a wrong turn with her portals and ended up in the heart of Quarthonia on Tempestria. It was almost as if the same place somehow existed in two worlds, simultaneously.
In answer to her partially rhetorical question, Jessica nodded, “Got mad with Daelen, ripped his training centre apart and created all this in one afternoon. Never seen anything like it.”
Sara returned the book and photos that Dreya had left with her for safekeeping, and Dreya returned Jessica’s phone, in exchange, absently advising her to check the last few pictures.
Jessica gasped when she saw them.
“That’s Mallax! You did it – you killed him! Look, Sara!” she exclaimed, showing her sister.
“So, does this mean you rule the world now?” Sara wondered.
“I’m doing what I can.” When the sorceress revealed the new status of Chetsuans on Phitonia, Jessica threw her arms around her and declared, “Dreya, love, you’re my hero!”
“I’m no hero,” Dreya insisted, but Jessica dismissed the sentiment.
“That’s what heroes always say,” she returned. “I mean, I know we still can’t ever go there again, but never mind us, you’ve only gone and saved our people!”
Sara seemed to be in shock. “Why?” she whispered. “We barely even know you. Why would you do this for us?”
“I didn’t. I did it for myself, but I couldn’t have done it without your help, so it’s only right that you should benefit from it, too. I always pay my debts.”
“Who cares why?” Jessica asked her sister. “She did it, that’s what counts.”
“If helping myself helps your people, then I’m happy to do it,” Dreya stated, simply. “It cost me nothing. But I have to warn you: I can’t guarantee your people will be safe from any further dragon attacks forevermore.”
“Of course you can’t, dearie,” Jessica replied, dismissively. “You can’t guarantee I won’t get run over by a bus tomorrow, either. That’s life.”
Dreya didn’t know what a bus was, but she understood the point she was making, all the same.
Sara nodded her agreement. “You’ve given our people a chance, so whether you think you’re a hero or not, I’m grateful, and I’ll tell you another thing: I think you’ve helped us make up our minds about something.” She glanced at her sister for confirmation, who answered her unspoken question with a nod. Sara showed the Faery sorceress Daelen’s note.
Dear Sara and Jessica
If I’ve set the timer properly, then by the time you read this, I will be on Tempestria on the eve of my ultimate final battle against Kullos. I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent with you, and I’m sorry if I didn’t always treat you as well as I should, but I won’t be seeing you again, so I’m taking this last chance to keep you safe. At the last possible moment, I will bring Kullos to my secret island, there to destroy us both. It is a shame to die when I’ve just found a new reason to live, but I have to keep Catriona safe. I have to save her world so she can keep on living her extraordinary life.
But I also need to keep you two safe. That is why I’m writing this. You have to leave, and you have to go now because there is every chance that all my bases will be destroyed. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I know you’d have wanted to come and help me. You can’t. In the end, I have to do this alone. This is not your fight. Forget about me, choose a world and live your lives. You can pick any world you wish, of course, but I think your best options are to stay on Earth or come to Tempestria. In either case, take as much money and supplies as you need – it’s all yours.
In the case of Tempestria, I am attaching directions to a small boat on the Eastern shoreline that can easily take you to Esca – it’s only a short hop. Once there, I suggest you go to a place called Calin’s Tower. You will be safe there, and I will ask Cat and Mandalee to come and find you. If you’re not there, they will know you’ve chosen Earth, and I’m sure they’ll understand.
Thank you for everything and have a great life, both of you.
Your friend
Daelen StormTiger
“Thanks to you,” Sara continued, when Dreya looked up from the note, “we’ve got advance warning, and we’ve had a chance to talk about it while you were fighting dragons.”
“The thing is, love, I’ll be sad to leave Earth. I’ve got used to it here – heck, I’ve practically gone native – but nobody really knows us here. We have to lie all the time.”
Sara nodded. “There’s a boy I’ve been seeing—”
“—And snogging!” Jessica put in.
“Yes, and snogging,” her sister admitted, “but the only time he saw the real me, he thought it was a costume when, in reality, the human girl he thinks I am – that’s my costume. What kind of basis is that for a relationship? Still, we weren’t too sure what to do, were we Jess?”
“No, but now we are,” Jessica continued. “We want to take a chance on Tempestria. At least there we’ve got three real mates, but the way we see it, if we want to live on your world, we can’t just sit here twiddling our thumbs while you guys try and save it from that Kullos bloke.”
“If we’re going to live there, then we have a stake in what happens. That’s where Daelen’s wrong,” Sara insisted. “If we’re choosing Tempestria, then it absolutely is our fight. So, will you help us to help you? This big battle that’s coming, can you take us to where we need to be? I know you kicked our arses, but I still reckon against anybody else, we can make a difference.”
“I agree. Please don’t judge yourselves based on losing to me – the only person who’s got the better of me since I was a child is Catriona. She’s annoying like that.”
“In a good way?” Sara smiled.
Dreya matched her smile with her own. “In the best way.”
“Oh, my gosh!” Jessica gushed. “I can’t wait to see you two lovebirds together! But seriously, we’re in your hands, Dreya love. Whatever plan you’ve got cooking in that head of yours, we want in.”
Dreya considered their words, thinking how best to incorporate the Chetsuans into her schemes. At length, an idea formed in her head that appealed to her enormously. It was just a question of whether they would go for it. It was asking a lot.
“What if,” she began, “there was a way for you to fight for Tempestria, get some personal revenge against the dragons, and just briefly see a bit of your world without risk to your people, all as part of the same plan?”
“Well,” Sara replied, “as my sister would say, ‘you can colour me intrigued’.”
Once the plan was agreed, Dreya found she had some time to kill, so she asked her new friends if they could show her some of this Earth city they were in, including the shopping mall.
After some tests, she confirmed that as long as she had her micro-portal open to Tempestria, she could ward off any ill-effects from synthetic fabrics. Sara immediately had the perfect outfit in mind: the black velvet dress Mandalee had bought for Cat on their first night there. Dreya agreed it was an impeccable choice. Stopping just a couple of inches above the knee, the dress was a lot shorter than anything she was used to, but she found she rather liked it. The colour was almost identical to her usual robes, although the fabric wasn’t quite as luxurious. The heels took a bit of getting used to, but Faery were known for their grace, so it didn’t take her long to adjust. Her Faery markings were no issue – people would simply take them for tattoos. That left one problem: the tiny straps of the dress did nothing at all to hide her winglets. But Jessica gave her a loose black shrug, and that sorted that out. Now, all anyone would see was a beautiful, slightly petite young woman with some rather elegant tattoo spots. All the two Chetsuans needed was to grab their perception filters on the way out and they were all ready.
When they reached the mall, Jessica asked, “Well, you asked to come here, love, so does that mean you’re looking for something in particular?”
“Actually, yes,” Dreya confirmed.
When she told them what she wanted, they both started singing a tune that she naturally didn’t recognise but presumably meant something to them.
After a few hours of shopping and sightseeing, they shared a meal and some conversation at a restaurant before returning to Daelen’s place. Dreya couldn’t remember the last time she had enjoyed herself so much without using or even thinking about magic at all. But as she changed back into her customary Tempestrian robes, she knew the time for that was passed. She had just received a very important sympathic call.