A Destiny of Dragons (Tales From Verania #2)(59)

“Sorceress,” it said.

And that wasn’t right. I wasn’t a woman, I wasn’t a—

“Dragon,” I said in response, but it wasn’t my own voice.

It was one only recently made known to me.

I wasn’t Sam of Wilds.

I was Vadoma Tshilaba.

No. No, no nononono—

“Why have you summoned me?” I asked, my accent thick on my tongue.

“I have felt it,” the dragon rumbled. “Deep within the heart of this world. The blight. The cancer. It festers. He will come and consume everything he touches.”

“Who?” I asked, and my voice trembled. Like I was scared.

“The dark one.” The dragon crouched down until its chin almost rested on the ground. The sand swirled as its nostrils flared. “The burning man. A plague of locusts. Once he betrayed those that loved him more than life itself. He was exorcised from this world, trapped in a realm of shadows, as they could not find the strength within to end his life, even at the cost of their own souls. But a door will be cracked open, and he’ll crawl from the depths to devour everything he sees.”

“Why do I hear this?” I asked, my heart heavy in my chest. “Why have you chosen me?”

The star dragon shifted, raising its head toward the night sky above. I looked up, following its gaze. The stars were moving, dancing in the dark. They rushed toward each other, molding until they made the shape of a man and a woman. The man had his arm wrapped around the woman’s shoulders. His other hand was resting on her swollen belly, and they were smiling, they were smiling, and it was made of starlight, and I (Sam and Vadoma and others?) felt my throat thicken at the sight.

“A child will be born,” the dragon said. “He will be yours by blood, birthed by those you have banished. He will be kind and brave. And foolish. Headstrong. His heart will be lightning-struck and marked as if scarred. There will be goodness in him, and a power unlike the world has ever seen.” The man and woman made of stars suddenly exploded, flashing brightly. The dragon sighed as he looked back down at me. “If only he can control it. There will be temptation. The path to the light is always shadowed by the dark. But for none more so than him. It will whisper to him. And he must resist.”

My hands were shaking. “My grandson?” I whispered.

“Yes,” the star dragon said. “When the time comes, he will call upon my brethren five. He will allow their voices to be heard. The white. The fire. The two-snow.” The dragon wrinkled its nose in disgust. “The… Kevin.”

“The… Kevin?” I repeated.

The star dragon sighed, wings drooping. “It’s best if you don’t ask too many questions on that one.”

“O… kay?”

“Trust me when I say it wasn’t my idea to include him. Fate’s a strange thing with a sense of humor most can’t understand.”

“But—”

The dragon reared back, wings spread wide. “The boy must be protected until the time comes when all will be revealed. He must gather my brethren five at his side. Then and only then will he be capable of fighting back the darkness.”

“And who is this darkness?” I asked.

The dragon said, “One who is known.”

I sighed. “Specifics?”

The star dragon shrugged. “It’s a prophecy. It’s supposed to be vague.”

I frowned. “I do not like you. I do not like most magical creatures.”

“Trust me. You weren’t my first choice either. There was this nice man in a village to the north, but he accidentally turned himself into a ghoul and now spends his time eating rotting flesh. I could have gone to your daughter, but the magic in your blood skipped a generation. So here I am.”

“I’m your last choice.”

“Precisely.”

“Useless,” I said. “Just like the rest of your kin.”

“Oh, so you’ve met many dragons, have you?”

“I don’t need to have met many to know you’re useless.”

The dragon rolled its eyes. “I’ve done my job. I’m going back into the sky now. Try not to let the world die or anything. Oh, and find Morgan of Shadows. He’ll watch over the boy until the time is right.”

“Morgan of Shadows,” I repeated.

“He’ll know,” the dragon said simply. “He’s expecting this, even if he doesn’t know it yet.” And then with a great flap of its wings, it rose back into the sky. The lightning exploded, and the stars hurtled into the dark until they’d resumed their rightful place.

I took in a great gasping breath and—

I was back in the Dark Woods.

“What the fuck,” I whispered, running my hands up and down myself. I was in my own body again, which was good, because I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life as an elderly gypsy woman. I was in control again. I was— Everything around me was charred black. The forest. The trees. The ground. Embers floated in front of me, burning orange, bright and hot. Every breath felt like I was choking, a vise grip around my throat. My eyes stung from the smoke and ash. I turned and— I stood outside the gates of Meridian City.

It was on fire.

All of it. I could hear the screams of the boys and girls who worked the streets as their flesh was seared from their bones. There was a bright flash, and something exploded just inside the walls of the city. A tall guard tower began to lean dangerously until it tipped over, the stones breaking apart as it collapsed. A large plume of smoke erupted into the air and I ran for the gate and it was surrounded by Darks. They chanted words in the ancient tongue, saying fie and clo and wei, and there was fire and ice and wind, and it tore through the gates.