This was completely surreal.” Then I can ask you anything I want.”
The First Dragon turned back to the sword and twirled it in his hands, examining the hilt.” Hit me with any quandary you’ve got.”
Cage would start with an easy one and work his way up to the tough questions. “Why did you give me the sword?”
“You needed it and it needed you.” The First Dragon blew another stream of fire over the hilt and the sword split in two. Then he blew on it again and again until he held four pieces.
Cage watched in awe as his creator shaped and formed the metal and jewels into four new swords. They were smaller and thinner than the original, but still beautiful and equally as sharp and deadly as it had been when it was one. Would they work as the one had before, with the mirror, or did the new pieces have new powers?
“And because you and your brother Wyverns are going to need these.” The First dragon handed one of the swords with a citrine in the hilt to Cage then set the other three down on a rock. One of the new swords had a sparkling blue sapphire, one a deep green emerald, and the final one a brilliant red ruby.
“Thank you, sir.” The swords would come in handy when fighting the demon dragons and Geshtianna’s servants of the night, but so did claws and teeth and tails. Without matching mirrors for their mate... unless the White Witch was with Azy right now having the same conversation with her.
“My mistake when I made this sword was to give it to only one dragon. Its power is too unwieldy, and the consequences of being used by only one warrior are too great. You've barely tapped into its magic and it's already changed the course of your future and that of your offspring. Just like it did my own twins.”
“You had twins?” There was nothing about that in the lore, not that Cage had ever heard. Of course the First Dragon had sons. They had become the first Wyverns of each dragon Wyr, each taking on a color and an element as given to them by the White Witch. But only the first sons of the first sons became Wyverns. If there had been a twin, where did he fit into the grand scheme of things. Was his legacy lost to history?
“Yes, my boy. Just as you are about to. One sacrificed his life to save all of Dragonkind from Ereshkigal's machinations.”
The sadness emanated from the First Dragon and took Cage nearly to his knees. He'd never thought about the First Dragon being a parent. He'd raised an entire race of sons who were all warriors. Many had died in battle against the demon dragons. The thought of having to watch his own sons fight against the demon dragons and the King of Hell filled Cage with both pride and gut-wrenching fear.
Cage could hardly wait to teach his children how to wield their powers and destroy the Black Death, but could he handle seeing one of them die in battle?Fuck.
Cage remembered that the First Dragon had allowed him to ask whatever he wanted. “Sir, can you see the future, do you know what's coming? Will Azy and I lose one of our twins as you did?”
“Even Inanna cannot see that, my boy. We have been working at every turn to help you all prepare for the hard battles ahead. Kur-Jara grows stronger and soon even Ereshkigal’s spells will not be able to contain the despair that has turned to hatred in his heart. You and your brothers have done a good job quelling the tide, but none of you can do it on your own.”
“That's why the White Witch has been finding us mates, isn't it?”
“It's taken a long time for her to figure out ways around Ereshkigal’s latest revenge.”
A shimmer of light flashed beside the dragon warrior and the most beautiful woman Cage had ever seen, aside from his Azy, appeared beside the man. She took his arm and snuggled up to him. “I couldn't have done it without you, honeybun. We make a good team. Now if only I can get your sons to do the same.”
Uh. Was she talking about Cage? He and Azy were a team. They'd razed hell together. Literally. “We have done as you asked and worked to strengthen our bond.”
They hadn't found the ring yet. Cage didn't like that the White Witch was denying that to Azy. “She is my true mate, my lady. You can give her the ring.”
The Witch smiled and glanced down at Cage's hands. He'd fiddled with the jewel from the sword in his hand absently all this time. Sometime in his conversation with the First Dragon he'd forgotten he was even doing it. He opened his hand and instead of a faceted stone, he held a glowing ring that looked as though it was made of pure golden sunshine.
“She can find it in your hand just as well as any other place I might have left it for her.”
Azy would love it and Cage could hardly wait to give it to her. “Thank you.”
“Enough of the mushy stuff,” the First Dragon said. He picked up the three swords and shoved them toward Cage. “Get a move on and get these to your brothers. You’re going to need them.”
That sounded a little to ominous. Cage shoved the ring into his pocket and took the weapons. A stiff wind whipped around him and he blinked at the bright sunshine on top of the bare mountain top.
Wait. Where had all these swords come from? They looked familiar. All four were similar in styling to the magical sword he carried. The one with the golden jewel called to him to be wielded. Suddenly he knew the other three were for each of the Wyverns and that he needed to get them to their rightful owners immediately if not sooner.
For the first time since he’d had his soul shard stolen, Cage wanted to go on the offensive against the demon dragons, the Black Witch, and that damned Black Dragon. He’d been reacting to the onslaught of dangers thrown at him.
No longer.
Now, with the four Wyverns gathered here in his new home, he had the perfect opportunity to man up and ask for the help to protect his family he needed.
For too long, he’d kept his fears to himself.
He shifted into his dragon and grasped the swords in his claw. They would help defeat many demon dragons.
