Dragon Dreams: Book 2: Prophecy of the Dragons (13 page)

She must've taken an enthusiastic step forward because Gretchen put a hand on her shoulder.

"Later, I promise. You can fly and explore to your heart's content, but first we have some business to take care of."

They went back out the way they came, much to Andi's dismay, and continued to another set of doors.

"We're getting close to where the Dragon Council conducts business," Gretchen said. Though the door didn't look like much, behind it was as grand as the entry hall they'd come into from the courtyard. Maybe more so. In addition to everything that had been there, including the magnificent sculptures, there were dozens of beautifully detailed paintings of every kind showing dragons and guards accomplishing everything under the sun.

"The Great Pictorial History of Dragonkind," Dad said in a reverent whisper. "I've seen reconstructions, but to be in the very room…" His voice choked up, and he couldn't finish the thought. Mom wrapped an arm around him, her own mouth hanging open as she scanned the room.

Andi had no idea what the Great Pictorial History of Dragonkind was, if that was the actual title, so she looked inside her encyclopedic brain and found that was its name indeed. An influential artist, a dragon commonly referred to as Daniel of the Canvas, had painted these accounts of great deeds in dragon history. Each was a first-hand account, and Daniel took great pains to recreate them as close as possible. They were considered some of the greatest treasures of all of dragonkind, rivaled only by the great library hidden in the bowels of the Stronghold. Andi had a feeling there would be no way they'd be able to see that, at least not on this trip.

Ben gave her a questioning look, but she only smiled. She'd tell him about the works later.

Before she had a chance to study any of the paintings — supposedly there were secret codes hidden in each — Gretchen moved them along. "We're going to see Jonas first. He feels it's his honor and duty to give you an official welcome to the Stronghold. I'm sure he won't say anything I already haven't, but, hey, it's his prerogative as the head of the Council."

They moved out of the area, but before they got too far, a dragon and his guard, both in extravagant dress, walked up to them. The dragon stood at an imposing height, almost as tall as Dad. He had short, jet-black hair and a neatly-trimmed mustache-goatee combination. Andi guessed him to be older than her parents, probably in his early to mid-40s as a human. He wore a long, flowing black robe, matching his color when he transformed into his true form, adorned with dark blue, green, and red gems. The woman behind him, his mate and guard, was also quite tall, but nowhere near as tall as him. She stood eye-to-eye with Ben, close to six feet. She also had black hair, which she wore long, halfway down her back. She wore a matching robe, though hers had a soft, silky-gray lining. Both their eyes, his black, hers dark blue, devoured her and Ben.

"Timothy, Sasha," Gretchen said. "We were on our way to present our Champions of Dreams."

"And our two stars of the prophecy," Timothy said. His voice came out low, smooth, like honey. There was something fake about it, something almost menacing deep down. Mistrust bled off of Ben. Did his powers sense something, or had he picked up on the same thing she had?

Timothy shook hands with all four of them, a big smile on his face. She couldn't tell if it was obviously fake, or if she felt it was because of her first impression. His guard, Sasha, hung back, a sour expression on her face.

"Timothy has championed the cause to imprison you both here at the Stronghold," Gretchen said to her and Ben. Sasha scowled at the red dragon, while Timothy let out a polite chuckle. That humor didn't reach his eyes.

"To be fair," he said, "it's not as bad as it seems. Please don't judge us until you've heard us out. Listen to my compatriots. They'll explain."

"Besides, we're far in the minority of the Council, anyway," Sasha added, venom dripping in her voice.

"Indeed, so there's nothing to worry about," Timothy said. "We're more than happy to abide by the will of the majority of the Council." Though Andi could tell by their tone of voice and body language that they were anything but happy.

"You won't be staying for this session?" Gretchen asked.

"Alas, no. Sasha and I have a pressing matter we must deal with in the mortal realm. Jonas has said that there will be no vote, so our presence is not mandatory. We can catch up with everything in the meeting notes." He turned back to Andi and Ben. "It was a pleasure to meet you, and I'm sure we'll see plenty of each other in the future."

Everyone echoed the sentiment, and Timothy and Sasha went on their way.

"I didn't like either one of them. Ill-intentions bled off both," Ben said, when they were gone.

"Even I could feel that," Andi said, and both Mom and Dad agreed.

Gretchen opened her mouth to say something, but Reggie put a hand on her arm, and she stopped. Instead, she smiled and pointed them forward. "Jonas is waiting for us."

Gretchen led them through another hallway towards Jonas's private chamber. Ben's head was an almost constant buzz of sensory overload from Andi, though he had to admit everything did look pretty cool. How did dragons get anything done here? Did they eventually get used to all of the shine and sparkles, or did they learn how to work through it? He'd ask Andi later, though he knew she'd roll her eyes and tell him to shut up.

He glanced over at Lee and Cassie and saw they were going through the same thing. Cassie looked both overjoyed and annoyed at the same time, while Lee, like Andi, practically floated down the hallway. Neither Gretchen nor Reggie seemed affected, which gave credence to his guess that dragons eventually got used to the glitter.

They arrived at a large iron door decorated from top to bottom in diamonds, rubies, and seemingly every other gem in existence. Gretchen stopped in front of it. How strange had it been to be devoted to her? He would have done anything for her, no matter how dangerous or stupid, and he didn't like that feeling one bit. The only one he should feel that way about was Andi, and with her it wasn't forced. How could anyone live like that, with no say in the matter? Good thing he'd been able to zap away the spell because he might have smashed his head against the wall to get it to stop. Once he'd figured out what was wrong, anyway.

The door swung open, and Gretchen waved them through. Jonas stood in the middle of the room, greeting them as they entered. He looked the same as his hologram, but without the glow and transparency.

"Welcome, my friends," Jonas said. "We're thrilled you can be here in the Stronghold, and I hope you find the hospitality to your liking."

Another dragon stood behind Jonas, one of about the same age as the leader of the Dragon Council. He looked familiar, his bushy brown beard peppered with gray contrasted with his bald head in a way that was unforgettable. So why was he forgetting? Andi recognized him, too, but couldn't place him, either.

"Leon, Cassandra!" the familiar dragon roared and gathered them both in his huge arms. That voice triggered the correct memory in Ben's brain, and he placed the dragon. He was the one who had found Cassie and Lee right after they'd lost their parents. He'd taken them to meet Rico so they could dispatch Derian. Andi's emotions screamed that she'd figured it out, too. She gave him a pointed look, and he nodded. They weren't supposed to know, and they should keep quiet.

When the dragon let go of Cassie and Lee, he turned to him and Andi and smiled. "So you are the two this trouble is all about, eh?" He had a deep Scottish accent. "The name's Angus." He ruffled Andi's hair, and though it annoyed her to no end, she did a great job of playing it cool so only Ben knew. "I haven't seen you since you were a wee-little lass, riding everywhere on your da's shoulders. Truth be told, your parents didn't want me hangin' about you, becoming a bad influence." He added the last part with a wink to Cassie, who rolled her eyes. He gave Ben a playful nudge with his elbow. "She said I drank too much to be around her precious daughter."

"Excuse me for not wanting to drag Andi to every tavern this side of the known world." She turned to Ben. "Do you know how many barrels of ale it takes to get a dragon tipsy, let alone drunk? I don't because Angus would drain any tavern dry before that happened, and then he'd start fights with anyone who gave him lip. And he wanted me to bring Andi along to those places?"

"You say all of that like you couldn't have protected her. Leon didn't have a problem with any of it. He knows dragon offspring are tough."

"Don't drag me into this, you old lizard. I suffered more than one night in the hayloft because I wouldn't tell you off."

Ben and Andi had been doing their best to keep their giggles quiet behind their hands, but when Jonas burst out laughing at this, they couldn't hold back. Angus and Lee followed suit, while Cassie rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but smile.

"Those were cold nights in the middle of winter, if I remember," she said, and the gales of laughter ramped up.

Once the laughs died down, Angus stared at Ben and Andi. "You two are about the same age as Leon and Cassandra when I first met them. Did they ever tell you about that?"

Lee muttered, "Here we go again," while Cassie sighed. Ben and Andi shook their heads, and technically they weren't lying. Rico had shown them the scene, not Andi's parents.

"I found 'em in a ditch on a rainy night trying to cook up a miniscule rabbit they'd managed to catch. Both looked like drowned puppies, and I had to drag 'em out by their ears. Teach 'em both what being a dragon and guard meant."

"Excuse us for mourning the loss of our parents," Cassie said. "It was a traumatic time. Plus we were still learning how to deal with being bound."

"Must you bring that up every time you see us?" Lee asked.

"At least it's not as bad as the time he told the story at the gathering in the Alps," Jonas said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

"How many of these dragon things did I miss?" Andi asked, annoyance now fighting with her good mood.

"Not many," Lee said. "That gathering took place before your time, and when we moved across the Atlantic, we stopped attending."

"And Angus stopped visiting altogether," Cassie said.

"What's 500 years to us? Besides, you wanted to keep your wee-lass out of the spotlight, and since I was an up-and-comer on the Council, I didn't want to shine any your way." He stopped and turned to Ben and Andi. "I know I shouldn't joke about the death of das and mums, but both me and me mate lost ours at young ages, so I feel I earned the right. Besides, if you can't laugh at tragedy, it's going to bring you down, and then where are you? Nowhere but in the dirt."

Ben nodded. It was crude advice, but he saw the wisdom in it. Andi did, too, and she squeezed his hand as they both smiled at Angus.

"Speaking of your beautiful mate, Angus," Cassie said, "where is Ingrid? And Abigail?" she added, looking at Jonas.

"They're off tending to important business somewhere," Jonas said.

"Or more likely taking a break from the two of us," Angus added.

"That's true," Jonas said, and everyone laughed.

"I think maybe it's time to get down to business," Angus said. "Not unpleasant, really, if you're looking at it the right way."

"No," Jonas agreed. "But you four can decide for yourselves when this is all said and done. I believe Gretchen already informed you that you are here to talk about the Demon of Dreams?" Ben glance around and saw she and Reggie had slipped out.

"Yes," Lee said. "And unofficially about Alexandria and Benjamin being the stars of the coming prophecy."

"Correct. When Gretchen returns, she'll take you to meet the two factions, both of which are convinced their way is best for all involved."

"We won't be imprisoned," Ben said, a bit more forcefully than he meant to.

"Indeed you won't," Jonas said. "The Council has spoken on that, and we've decided to let the prophecy play out before we decide if we need to step in. But we'd like you to hear the opposing viewpoints. I think you'll find they don't mean the harm you might imagine."

Angus nodded. "I know I wouldn't mind being forced to live here. Ing might go nuts being cooped up with me all the time, though. She needs to occasionally get out and do things with her lady friends."

"Understandable," Cassie said with a wink.

"After you meet with everyone," Jonus continued, "we'll begin a session of the Council proper to talk about your upcoming quest. We're sure that there will be no problems. We've seen what all of you can do, and it's quite impressive. Especially you two." He nodded to Ben and Andi.

"And don't worry about the prophecy," Angus said. "With Leon and Cassandra by your side, there's no way you'll turn to the dark side, as a certain fictional character did in the movies a few years back."

Ben barked out a laugh, surprised and delighted this old dragon would reference Star Wars.

"Good," Andi said, "because if he goes, I have to, too. And I think Darth Andi sounds kind of silly."

The mirth in the room continued with that comment, and Ben had to hold onto Andi to keep from falling to the floor in a real-life bout of Rolling on the Floor, Laughing. Angus gave Andi a high-five for the comment, while Jonas tipped an imaginary cap her way. Lee hummed a bit of The Imperial March, which doubled their laughter. Ben hoped the meetings with the two factions, as well as the Dragon Council as a whole, were this much fun.

"While I tend to agree," Jonas said when they'd calmed down, "I must warn you not to be as flippant as Angus suggests. Prophecies are powerful works that build for thousands of years. This one has been around for more than two millennium. Be cautious is all I'm saying."

With that, Gretchen and Reggie walked back in. "The other groups are assembled. Are you done in here?"

"Yes, and a nice conversation it was," Jonas said. He rose from his chair. "I look forward to seeing you all again at the proper council meeting."

"I think I was dismissed, too," Angus said.

"I tried to be subtle about it," Jonas answered with a wink, bringing out a final round of laughter. Ben was glad this had knocked out the bad taste in his mouth from meeting Timothy and Sasha. Maybe the Dragon Council wasn't so bad. He guessed he was about to find out for sure.