Last Dragon Standing (Heartstrikers #5)(33)
“That’s not true,” Julius said fiercely. “Sure some dragons are like that, but not all of us. Look around! You’re surrounded by dragons who prove the stereotype wrong.”
That was meant to be an argument, but the Black Reach nodded excitedly. “Exactly,” he said. “You are an extraordinary group that represents everything I’ve always hoped dragons could be. Why do you think I allowed Brohomir to gather you all here?”
Julius felt as if he’d just been punched in the stomach. “What do you mean ‘allowed’?”
“I am the world’s greatest seer,” Dragon Sees Eternity said solemnly. “As I told you back in your mountain, the only thing I couldn’t see was Brohomir’s motive. His moves—what he did, how he did it, what he was going to do—were always perfectly clear. I saw him gathering all of you together as clearly as I see you standing before me now. I saw no reason to stop him, though, because he’d already chosen the pieces I myself would have selected, including a brand-new seer.” He smiled over his shoulder at Chelsie’s daughter, who was peeking out at him nervously from behind Fredrick. “Truly, I couldn’t have arranged a choicer group of dragons for our second try at a new beginning.”
The Black Reach held up the Kosmolabe. “This world was chosen at random and in haste, but with the compass of the Kosmolabe and my knowledge of what was coming, I was able to search at my leisure until I located the perfect hospitable plane. A place where we can survive the Leviathan and keep our futures under our control. Those of you gathered here—Svena and Katya of the Three Sisters, Svena’s children, Julius and Chelsie of Heartstriker, and I suppose Brohomir now as well. Also Xian the Qilin and his eldest son, Fredrick, and of course the new seer—you are all dragons who’ve proven you can overcome the inherent evils of our race. Once I move you to a new plane, you will become the foundation for a reborn dragonkind.”
Julius had no idea what to say to that. His sister, however, had plenty. “Your invitation list is missing a pretty big name there, buddy,” Amelia growled. “Where am I in all of this?”
“You were not included,” the Black Reach replied. “You are a selfish alcoholic who was willing to risk the fire of every dragon and this world’s entire magical system in your quest for personal power. Even if you were less typically draconic, however, I couldn’t take you with us because you are now a spirit, bound to this plane. The same goes for you.” He turned to Marci. “You are a Merlin, a human whose magic is inextricably linked to a concept of this world. You can visit other planes, but you cannot survive without this one, which I’m afraid means you can’t come with us.”
“I didn’t want to go, anyway,” Marci said stubbornly. “I’m not running like a coward and leaving everyone else to die!”
“Me, neither,” Julius said, taking her hand. “I’m not going anywhere Marci isn’t. And what about Justin and Ian and all the other Heartstrikers? Don’t they deserve to live?”
“It’s not about who deserves life,” the Black Reach said angrily. “It’s about who is best. I could not put this plan into motion until after I’d done my duty and punished Brohomir, but I wouldn’t have chosen differently even if I’d had centuries. You are all the absolute best candidates to ensure my desired outcome. I don’t need anyone else.”
“Then you’d best come up with a B-list, because I’m not going, either,” Svena snarled. “I will not abandon my sisters to Algonquin’s tantrum now that we’re finally free of Estella and our mothers.”
“I, too, will not run,” the Qilin said, his beautiful voice as steady and immovable as bedrock. “I am an emperor, the pillar of twenty clans. I will not abandon my subjects, or the rest of F-clutch. They are all Chelsie’s and my children. I will not leave them behind.”
“Nor will I,” Fredrick snapped. “Those are my brothers and sisters. We just got free. I haven’t even told them who our father is yet, or that we have a new sister.”
Everyone started talking after that, the whole group launching into all the reasons they couldn’t, wouldn’t, and shouldn’t run away. It was starting to get deafening when Bob’s maniacal laughter broke through the din.
“What are you cackling about?” Svena demanded.
“Nothing, nothing,” Bob said, trying and failing to get a hold of himself. “I’m merely appreciating the irony. The Black Reach chose all of you for salvation precisely because you were the sort of good, compassionate, responsible dragons he’s always dreamed of having. But now that the chips are down, you’re all so responsible, no one will take his out.” He laughed again, turning to grin at the Black Reach. “Surely you saw this coming?”
“I did,” the construct said. “But I’ve also foreseen every one of them will take my offer in the end. Responsible they might be, but there’s a line between doing what is right and throwing your life away for no reason, which is what they will be doing if they dawdle much longer.”
All the arguments cut off like a switch after that. “What do you mean?” Marci asked.
“He means there’s no way out of this corner,” Bob said. “Not unless we’re willing to pay for it.” He smiled sadly at the Black Reach. “I’d really hoped you had something brilliant up your sleeve. Some miraculous plan that would save everything at the last second. Alas, you do not, but I think I actually like this outcome better, because it proves I was right. If even the great Black Reach has been forced to cut and run, that means I really did find the only future where we survived.”