Dragon Storm (17 page)

The twins came to a halt at the end of their
kata
, facing each other at exactly the same moment. Then grins spread across their faces.

“I think they like the gift, grandfather,” Josie joked as the twins walked slowly back toward them.

Before anyone could speak, Josie’s grandfather moved forward, to face all three of them. “I believe I understand the meaning of the ancient teachings. From what you have told me, there is war against evil in your world. You must return to fight it and with you, must go my beloved granddaughter. She is the key. With her power, and your own, when the three amulets are joined, you may travel between our worlds. It cannot be done lightly, but it can be done. And you will take with you the gifts of Marpa, the Wizard’s Lances, so that you may defeat your enemies, the enemies of light and goodness.”

They stayed in the cave until the light began to fade so Josie’s grandfather could take a good long look around and say a few respectful words in thanks to Marpa and those who had come before. Darius and Connor, surprisingly, added their formal words of thanks for the gift of the Wizard’s Lances, the amulets and their mate. That final bit touched Josie’s heart and she echoed their prayers, following the example set by the men.

The dragons were welcomed this time as they returned to the village, and the elders gathered to hear what Josie’s grandfather had to tell them about their pilgrimage. They didn’t go far, though. It seemed everyone else had been busy while they’d been away and a sort of feast was waiting, at which Darius, Connor and Josie were to be the guests of honor.

She was flabbergasted by the idea. Only half snowcat, Josie had never been feted by these people in her youth. In fact, more often than not, she’d gotten the idea that they disapproved of her Western ways, even her Western face.

That all seemed to be in the past. At least for the villagers. They had rolled out the figurative welcome mat for the dragons and their new mate, and the cynical side of Josie wanted to sneer at their sudden change of heart. The little girl inside who’d wanted their approval so badly felt different.

Josie tried to strike a happy medium, smiling through the meal and the celebrations that followed. Most wanted to talk to Darius and Connor, of course. A few of the more polite souls inquired after her with real interest. She’d had
some
friends in the village, after all, it seemed.

As Darius and Connor discussed their land and its troubles, Josie started to feel the same urgency they felt. She knew they wanted desperately to go home, but she was scared. There was no question she wanted to be with them, wherever they ended up, of course. Still, the idea of leaving her world behind completely to enter a realm in which she had no experience, no knowledge, with a war going on was frightening.

Her mates would be by her side. She had to keep reminding herself of that. They would help her as she learned about their world.

“Rest easy, granddaughter.” Josie’s grandfather had snuck up on her while she’d been engrossed in her thoughts. The twins were busy talking to a small group of elders, and she’d been momentarily left alone.

“I’m not sure I’m strong enough to start a new life in their world, Grandfather.” She needed his guidance. She needed his counsel, more than ever before.

“This is the fate your karma has brought you, child. Believe it or not, you have done this before. It is something you are good at. Have no doubt. This is what you are meant to do. To bring light to a threatened world and the magic of the snowcat that is strong within you.”

“What do you mean, I’ve done this before?” She was truly puzzled by his words.

“Think back to when you were a child. When your mother died and I came for you. That lonely child was brave enough to follow where I led, though she had never seen me before. You started a new life in a new land with strange customs and people who were not entirely ready to accept you. Yet you prospered. Then, a few years later, you did it again by striking out on your own and making a life for yourself in America. You prospered there as well, without the help you could easily have gotten from other cat clans. They would have revered you. They would have given you any assistance you needed. Yet you forged your own way and made a success of it. Why do you think you will fail now?” He gave her a kind smile. “Especially with two warriors of such caliber beside you. Two warriors who love you. Two warriors who would give their lives for you.”

Her eyes teared as she looked at her men, so strong and supportive, so loving and gentle, so fierce and magical. Her grandfather was right, as he usually was. Darius and Connor would be there for her in their land. They would be together. That’s all that really mattered.

Impulsively, she leaned forward to give her grandfather a hug. He returned it, squeezing her close and placing a kiss on her cheek. She felt the emotion of the moment and knew she had finally achieved one of her childhood goals. She had her grandfather’s approval. It meant more than she would have believed.

“Thank you, Grandfather.” They broke apart, and she saw his aged eyes glistening with emotion. Her own eyes welled with more tears, but smiles wreathed both faces.

“You will go tonight. After the feast.” Josie was stymied by her grandfather’s abrupt words. “The longer you delay, the harder it will be to leave and the more desperate the situation in their land will grow. As snowcats, it is our sacred duty to oppose evil wherever we find it and seek the goodness in men, show them the light. We use our magic to foster enlightenment. You must now do the same. You must carry our banner into your new world to fight at your mates’ side.”

She felt at sea. She’d just really found peace with her grandfather, and now he was sending her on her way.

“Will I ever see you again?”

“In time, child. So the ancient teachings say. The voyage between our worlds cannot be made lightly. You hold the power—along with your mates—to do so at will. After the crisis in their world is resolved, you will return here. So the snowcat decrees. And I will be here to welcome you and hear of your adventures.”

She thought she read knowledge of the future in his canny expression. “You know more, don’t you?”

An inscrutable smile graced his lined face. “That is for me to know, and you to find out. Of course, I am not a snowcat elder for nothing.”

“I thought so.” She hugged him, laughing with him as her heavy heart lightened. She would see him again. For now, it was enough to know that as she embarked on the next part of her life. The life of a mated woman with two handsome men as her partners on their journey. It would probably be a perilous journey, at that, but with Darius and Connor at her side, she could do almost anything.

It was Darius’s turn to act as her ride this time, since Connor had shuttled her back down the mountain earlier that day. The amulets had turned into gleaming armor breastplates on each black dragon. They posed for pictures, adding to the surreality of the moment as Josie said farewell to her grandfather. She had the snowcat amulet around her neck and felt it tingle and hum against her skin.

“When you get far enough away, you must call the storm, child.” Her grandfather’s urgent tone made her pay attention.

“Call a storm? How?”

“Do you remember your mantra? The one I taught you as a child.”

“I do.” She wasn’t sure where this was leading, but it sounded ominous.

“Repeat your mantra. It is yours alone. It will call the storm, if your will is strong enough. Center your thoughts and say your mantra. Do not lose focus.”

She thought she understood. The words to the mantra her grandfather had taught her were more complex than such things often were. He’d also told her never to practice it around others, though she did not understand why at the time. Now it all began to make sense.

“You taught me a magic chant, didn’t you?”

He grinned. She would remember that grin, whenever she thought of him. It was a much different image than the one she’d held in her mind in years past. She liked this one much better.

“I suspected you were meant for great things, even when you doubted yourself.”

“I never knew.”

“I know, child. Such is the way of life. The young never see what is right before their eyes. With age comes knowledge, and sometimes wisdom. I believe you are on the path toward wisdom.”

“I’m not so sure,” she joked, giving him a final hug. “I’ll do my best to make you proud.”

“I have always been proud of you, granddaughter.” His words rocked her to her core, and a warm feeling spread from her heart throughout her body.

“I love you, Grandfather.”

“As I love you.”

They said their final farewell, and she turned to mount. Once she was on Darius’s back, seated securely, everyone stepped back. Only her grandfather stayed near, his eyes trained on her.

Just before Darius launched into the sky, she heard her grandfather’s final words of advice for her.

“Remember what I taught you and don’t lose focus. No matter what, don’t lose focus.”

His words followed her into the air and she had no chance to respond. She would remember his advice. She would do her best to remember everything he had ever taught her.

The night was black as pitch. As black as the hides of the dragons. Snowcapped peaks surrounded them, but the three who flew through the night sky had superior vision and were able to see obstacles before they became a problem.

When she could no longer see the village behind them, Josie began to chant. It drew the dragons’ attention, and they broke her conversation with their questioning thoughts.

“What are you doing, sweetheart?”
Darius asked in her mind.

“I’m trying to call the storm that will bring us to your world.” There was just a hint of frustration in her tone. She’d barely gotten into the rhythm of her mantra before she was interrupted.

“Can we help?”
Connor asked politely, flying closer.

“I don’t think so. Grandfather said I needed to concentrate. For now, just let me say my mantra and see what happens. Please don’t interrupt. If this works, I’ll need to stay focused. You guys fly. I’ll hold the storm—or whatever it is—as best I can.”

“We will do so, but if at any time, it looks like you are in danger, we reserve the right to interrupt.”
Connor veered off to fly a few feet farther away, in what must be a more comfortable distance for the two dragons.

“Fair enough.” Josie breathed as deeply as she could and began again.

It took a while, but she felt the wind begin to pick up as the clouds began to swirl. Moments later, she saw an eerie green glow from within the clouds just ahead of them as it began to snow and sleet, soaking her in seconds. The icy precipitation melted and steamed against the dragon’s warm hide, keeping her warm, even in the deluge.

She fought against the fear that threatened to choke her, overcoming it with the discipline taught her as a youngster. She was able to watch and observe, as if from afar as the storm swallowed them. She stuck to her mantra, focusing the magic of her words in the magic of the storm as the dragons labored on.

The violent green of the storm enveloped them, and that was the last thing she knew.

“Where are we, do you think?”
Darius asked his twin as they awoke in a forest for the second time. This forest, unlike that other one, at least looked familiar.

“I believe we are somewhere near the Northern Lair.”

“Thank heaven for that, at least. We are back home. In our own world.”

“Is she awake yet?”

“Not quite.”
Both had changed to human form upon waking, and Darius took charge of Josie’s still form. She’d been on his back when they came through the storm and aside from the faint they had all suffered, she looked as if she had come through it well.

“Someone comes,”
Connor warned his twin.

Both men were armed with the Wizard’s Lances should there be trouble.

Darius carried Josie farther back, under cover while Connor took point, jumping up into a tree to see if he could get a better vantage point. Even in human form, they had superior agility and were able to make the leap from ground to limbs several man-lengths in the air with little difficulty. Darius looked around for a suitable tree should it become necessary to hide Josie aloft.

“Northern barbarians. I can see a troop of them behind their scouts. The two scouts are heading right for us. You’d better get our mate under cover.”

“Way ahead of you, brother. I’ve already got a tree picked out.”
Darius broke cover for a quick moment, making the leap upward to a lower branch with Josie hoisted over his shoulder. He worked his way up the tall pine until he was hidden by the boughs, then found a little crook where he could stash her. She would be safe there until she recovered.

Darius tucked her into the tree, making her as secure as he possibly could. Seconds later, the sounds of skirmishing came from below. Connor had engaged the enemy, which meant he’d seen no other way. The scouts had found him.

“I need you, Dar.”

“On my way. Josie’s safe for now.”

“Good.”

And then there was little time for thought as Darius dropped out of the tree and into the fray. The scouts hadn’t been that far ahead of their troop, and a real melee was in progress as Darius fought his way to his twin’s side. They stood back to back, the Wizard’s Lances effective in keeping a wide perimeter around them clear. The three-bladed ends of the Lances were sharp as dragon talons and just as lethal as the twins wielded them against inferior fighters.

“We could go dragon and fry their asses,”
Darius mused as he took down another opponent.
“It would be faster.”

“We would also betray who and what we are. Obviously we landed on the wrong side of the northern border. These heathens probably once belonged to Salomar.”

“Good point, brother. It would be good to learn what we can while we’re here so we can report back to Roland.”

“True, but how are we to learn if they are Salomar’s lot or some other group? These brigands don’t wear uniforms or signs of office.”