Dragon Storm (16 page)

He dropped a devastating kiss on her lips and then stepped back. He’d shifted shape before she’d even caught her breath. Of the two men, Darius was definitely the one who liked to live dangerously.

“If you weren’t covered with impenetrable scales right now, I’d scratch you for teasing me, Darius.” She winked to let him know she was only kidding, but he seemed to understand. A dragonish chuckle, complete with pleasantly cinnamon-scented smoke, erupted from his lips and she got a gander at his foot-long fangs for the first time. He had some serious chompers in dragon form.

“Climb aboard, my love. Show your grandfather how it’s done, and we can be on our way.”

Darius’s voice rumbled through her mind. She glanced over to find her grandfather standing next to Connor, who had just shifted into dragon form. She stepped on Darius’s bent knee and swung her leg over his back as her grandfather watched, then copied her moves. Within moments, they were both mounted and the dragons took gracefully to the sky.

Darius followed Connor’s lead. The old man was giving Connor verbal direction to the sacred mountain and the ice cave he’d been told lay hidden near its summit. It was an easy trip for a dragon that would have been impossible for anyone on foot. Even someone in a helicopter would not have been able to find the hidden entrance to the cave.

When they came upon it, it was clear the entrance had been constructed in such a way as to be visible only to those who knew where to look and what to look for. It was an optical illusion. The entrance appeared as one flat face of snow and ice, but was really a sliver of an opening in the sheer mountainside.

Josie felt the tingle of strong magic against her skin as they passed through the tight opening. Connor and her grandfather were just ahead of them. Connor had landed inside the cave and her grandfather had already dismounted when Darius slid to a stop, his claws scraping on the ice floor. She slid off his back and joined her grandfather as the twins shifted shape, unable to go farther into the cave at dragon size.

“This is amazing.” She dared not speak above a whisper. Something about this place felt sacred. Like the inside of a cathedral. In a way, it was a kind of cathedral. A cathedral of ice.

The entryway widened into a massive chamber lit from within by sunlight that filtered through the solid ice of the ceiling, walls and even the floor. The ice had a tint of blue in one area, copper in another. Everything sparkled, and there was quite a bit to see.

Far from being empty, the chamber was filled with carvings on the walls, the high, domed ceiling and the small bumps and recesses scattered around in a roughly geometric pattern. At the center of the wide, circular room was a flat-topped, round pillar that made a waist-high table. Vines twined around the base of the cylindrical column in an artistic, natural motif, rising slowly toward the center of it, where the vines ended and clouds began.

Flitting among the clouds were two dragons. Dragons carved in pure ice, they looked exactly like the twins in their shifted form. Only these dragons were tiny carvings in pure white and reflective prisms of light, while the twins were massive and had a coal black sheen when they were in dragon form.

Josie got her first good look at the carved walls as she moved farther into the room. All the species of shifters she knew were represented in the carvings and some that were only legend. Snowcat was prominent throughout, but there were others as well. All the big cats were there, as were the wolves, the raptors and so many others she lost count.

She turned her attention back to the center of the room and the ice table. Her grandfather stood before it solemnly. Josie moved closer, as did the twins, to see what her grandfather was up to. He bowed in respect, touching his fingertips to the edge of the table, motioning for her to do the same. She did as she was told and bowed low, feeling a magical thrill of energy shoot from her fingers to her toes as she touched the flat-topped pillar of ice.

She rose from her bow, and then she saw it.

An amulet almost exactly like the ones around Darius’s and Connor’s necks. Only this one showed a snowcat, not the dragon that graced their medallions. Her grandfather lifted it reverently from the sparkling ice surface, holding it in both hands as he turned to her.

“It has come to pass. The daughter of snowcat joins with the dragon. This, I believe, was meant for you.” He held out the amulet, and she took it with trembling fingers. She could feel the magic of it buzzing through her skin. She didn’t have to be told that this was an object of immense power.

Darius and Connor flanked her, one on each side, looking over her shoulders, down at the silver and gold necklace.

“It’s just like ours, except it has a cat on it instead of a dragon.” Darius stated the obvious.

“What does this mean?” Connor asked her grandfather.

“It means that you are the ones who were foretold in the most ancient scriptures of the snowcat. It was said a daughter of snowcat would join with the dragon. I didn’t know what it meant until I saw you two.” Her grandfather looked very old and weary all of a sudden as he stepped away from the altar. “I can tell you what teachings have survived the centuries. This place is known only to the elders of our tribe, though none I know of have ever been here before. Snowcat alone is not able to reach this high on the mountain.” The old man began walking around the chamber, looking at the magnificent carvings. “The amulet and other things, it is said, remain locked away here in the ice, waiting for those who need them.”

“But I only see this amulet. Besides the carvings, this place is empty.” Josie was confused.

“You see the amulet because it is meant for you. It is Marpa’s gift to you, child. The snowcat daughter destined to join with the dragon. I wonder if even Marpa could have foreseen that you would bring not one, but two dragons?” A faint smile touched the corners of the old man’s mouth as he continued his progress around the room.

“What is she meant to do with the amulet?” Connor asked. “Do your legends say anything more?”

Grandfather turned just his head to give Connor a quizzical look. Oh, the old man knew something. Josie was familiar with that raised eyebrow and the inscrutable expression. Her grandfather knew much more than he was telling. Perhaps he was drawing out the tale to buy time. Chances are, without the twins’ help, he would never see this cave again. He had to get a good long look while he could.

Josie sent him a small, knowing grin that was answered with a slight, approving tilt of the old man’s head. Even after all these years away from his influence, she understood her grandfather.

“I don’t know that she’s meant to
do
anything with the power of the amulet, but I do know the artifact has immense power of its own, imbued to it by the great wizard, Marpa, eons ago. Josephine is a daughter of the line of Marpa. Some of his blood flows in her veins, all these generations later. She should be able to tap into the magic he left behind for his granddaughter many times over. It was left for her. It was meant for her.”

“But what can it do?” Darius insisted.

Her grandfather turned fully to face them. “I believe it is the key, along with your dragon amulets, to crossing the boundary between our world and yours.”

Chapter Eight

The men looked stunned. Darius and Connor looked at each other with expressions that went from shock to hope to eager anticipation in the space of seconds. Then they turned that intensity on her.

“We can go home?” Darius asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I guess so. If that’s what Marpa intended.”

“It is.” All three looked at her grandfather. His voice echoed through the ice cavern with strength and surety. He knew something she didn’t. There was no doubt. “It is part of the teachings that have been preserved. The daughter of snowcat will join with the dragon to defeat Marpa’s enemies in the dragon realm.”

“If Marpa was a wizard, his enemies would be…” Darius began.

“…other wizards.” Connor finished the thought.

“
Evil
wizards,” her grandfather confirmed, nodding sagely. “Marpa was on the side of light, of good. He passed his teachings to us. He gave us instruction on how to live to achieve enlightenment. Few know that before he passed down his teachings to the mortal world, he fought great battles against the evil ones of his own kind. In the peace that followed the victory of goodness over evil, those who were left began to teach the lesser beings the path of truth and light.” Her grandfather began to examine the carvings once more. “Marpa and those like him brought peace to our world but in winning the battle, most magic was dispersed. Except for creatures like us—those who can tap into the magic that was left to shift form—there is little real magic in this world anymore. Not like it was when Marpa and his fellows battled an evil as great as their power for good. Their battles fractured the magic in this world. I imagine, from your words, your world is not like this.”

“No, it’s not. Our wizards battled too, in the distant past, and were thought to be extinct,” Connor told him. “Only recently have we discovered, at least one of the prevailing good wizards went into seclusion after the last great battle. The wizard Gryffid is alive and well in his island fortress, living among the fair folk and his creations, the gyphons.”

“These fair folk,” Grandfather repeated the strange name as if tasting it. “Are they magical folk? And the gryphons?”

“Yes, very magical. Fair folk live in hidden enclaves, it is said, all around our world. They often go out into human society, disguised as warriors or bards. They have sweet voices and lightning reflexes, enhanced by their own intrinsic magic,” Connor explained.

“And gryphons are as magical in their way as dragons,” Darius stated. “Our dragon friends have their own kind of magic and can heal others when they manifest the Dragon’s Breath. They also speak mind to mind with those who can hear them and can detect many kinds of magic.”

“Are there many other creatures and peoples in your world that make such light use of magic?” her grandfather asked. He was driving home a point, and she knew he wouldn’t relent until they all saw it and understood his meaning.

“Yes,” Darius answered carefully. “I only know for certain about those I have encountered myself, but there are stories from other kingdoms and lands. Magic is an integral part of the fabric of our world.”

The old man sighed heavily, and his heavy brows drew together. “Sadly, it is not here. Surely you’ve felt the lack since you’ve been in this world. Whatever magic there once was has been scattered and submerged, hidden by the last of the great wizards. They probably thought it was too dangerous to leave lying around for those who came after them. Who knows if their decision was correct? We only must deal with what we have.” His spine straightened. “So now we have a very powerful magical artifact with everything but your name on it, granddaughter. It is for you to discover how to use it, and for you to decide when, and if, to use it.”

Josie didn’t like the heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach as the responsibility settled squarely on her shoulders. Suddenly, her grandfather stopped moving. She didn’t have time to worry more about her troubles as he motioned them to draw near.

The twins went first, protecting her in that old-fashioned way of theirs. She’d have to break them of the habit, but for now it was oddly comforting.

“What is it?” she asked from behind as three big men blocked her view.

Darius and Connor parted silently, and she faced her grandfather and the ice wall that was ice no more. Behind an elaborate dragon carving was a clearly visible line of some sparkly metal. As she looked up and down its length, she realized the thing had to be about seven feet long, with a larger piece on either end that she couldn’t make out through the ice covering.

“Touch the dragon’s heart and all will be revealed,” Grandfather instructed.

“Which one of us?” Darius asked, looking confused.

Connor grinned challengingly at his twin. “How about both?”

The twins reached out together, and as they touched the heart of the dragon—a dragon that was wearing the armor she’d seen them wear, now that she had a better view of the carving—the ice disappeared.

Not one, but two gleaming spears were revealed.

“Take them. They are yours,” her grandfather intoned as she moved away, standing off to one side. “These are the Wizard’s Lances, once used by the elite leaders of Marpa’s armies, now passed to you who battle evil in another realm.”

Josie got her first good look at the gleaming silver and gold lances. They were basically three-pointed spearheads on top, with a counterbalance on the other end that looked like the ball of a giant mace, with lethal, sparkling sharpened spikes.

“I feel the magic in this weapon,” Darius commented as he hefted the center of the staff, moved into the open part of the chamber and gave it an experimental twirl.

“It is perfectly balanced,” Connor agreed, on the other side of the chamber, going through some practice moves with the glittering weapon.

They were impressive. Not only were they dragons with superior strength, but they were students of the fighting arts who had superior skill in their human forms as well. She saw her grandfather watching them with a critical but approving eye as they tested the new weapons and put them through their paces.

“Your mates do you proud, granddaughter,” he told her as she stood by his side. They watched the twins perform mirror versions of some strange but clearly advanced staff
kata
. They were both acrobatic and strong with near-perfect balance and absolute concentration. And they were perfectly matched.

“They’re amazing, aren’t they?” She couldn’t help the bubble of pride that entered her voice.

“Two more talented masters I have never had the privilege to see,” he agreed quietly. High praise indeed, from a snowcat elder who had studied and taught martial arts his entire life. “They bring honor to our clan, as do you, granddaughter.”

Josie felt a tear gather in the corner of her eye, but refused to let it fall. She’d always craved her grandfather’s acceptance. To have it, when she was about to embark on the most uncertain time in her life of uncertainty, meant more than he would ever know.