Dragon 7 Chapter 11 (Patreon)

“My King, you are up early.” Pixie opened the door to my office. “Pancakes?” She brought in a tray.

“Thank you. You can put them to the side.” I had one of Pixie’s notebooks open in front of me; she’d been taking detailed notes while I had been locked away in the prison. “These are really helpful.”

“You are welcome. But I do apologize, we have guests.” She opened the door further and three nymphs sauntered in.

My eyes blinked and opened back up as dragon eyes, piercing the illusion around one of them and showing that one I already knew. “Ikta, what are you doing?” I sighed.

The far left nymph sighed and the illusion faded. “You are no fun. I thought I could pull it off for at least a little while.”

“I think when the nymphs rebel because you cheated, it would make the play less fun. Do you know either of these other nymphs?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Of course. Midnight is famous and Nyske is infamous.” She pointed at the two in turn. “Neither of them serve me though, if that’s your request. I gathered that it was part of the screening process.”

The other two nymphs were lovely women. But my first impression drew me to Nyske. She had long black hair, but it kept catching the light like it was filled with the rainbow itself. It looked like all the colors of the rainbow were just before the surface, covered by night. She had a sultry smile that was filled with raw confidence when I looked her over.

I could feel myself strangely drawn to her, and Ikta’s comment had triggered my curiosity.

“Why are you infamous?” I asked her.

“I broke a deal with The Dreamer.” Nyske answered smoothly. “She and I were at odds for a while, but that has simmered down.”

“You want the job? You’re hired. If you can outmaneuver The Dreamer and live, I’m impressed.” I made up my mind instantly.

I really was genuinely impressed. Getting out of a deal with the powerful creature of The Fae Wilds was impressive, not to mention that meant she wasn’t a pawn of The Dreamer.

“What about me?” Midnight moved hypnotically and swayed up to my desk, placing her hands on it and leaning forward.

She had my full attention, and I paused, wondering if I made the wrong decision as I stared down her cleavage.

Pixie snapped her fingers between us and broke the glamor the fae had apparently just used. “That was the wrong thing to do. Ikta, please remove her.”

Midnight screamed as she fell through the floor. Ikta had formed a portal just below her.

Ikta waved her hand again, closing up the portal.

“Is she going to cause problems in the future?” I asked.

“She’s one of The Dreamer’s pets.” Nyske replied. “You didn’t want her anyway. I hear you met The Dreamer?”

“Yeah, I received her ‘blessing’.” I made quotes with my fingers. “I’m highly susceptible to glamor now. What about you? How’d you get in a fight with The Dreamer?”

Nyske grinned. “All wild nymphs have at least one favor owed to The Dreamer; she ensures of that. She called in my favor, and it was something I refused to do. She asked me to take a child away from their parents.”

I frowned. “But you broke that oath?”

“I lost my magic in escaping it.” She nodded. “Thankfully, I’ve found other ways. But I’d love to be your personal nymph, both because of who you are and because it would protect me from additional wrath from The Dreamer.” There was a curl of a smile teasing at the edge of her lips, like she knew a lot more than she was leading on.

I glanced at Ikta for more.

“Oh? You want my opinion? I don’t know the specifics, but Nyske was one of the older and more powerful nymphs. She was alive in my time. Since I’ve come back, I’ve heard of her plight from The Dreamer. And word has it she’s even more powerful.” Ikta backed up Nyske’s claim.

“Okay. We can give it a try. I’d like for you to be my personal wild nymph. This is Pixie, my other personal nymph.” Pixie stood up straight.

Nyske nodded and snapped her finger, transforming into a similar secretary outfit to Pixie.

I stared, very curious how she’d gotten her magic back after losing it in the oath to The Dreamer. But I had a feeling that it was a personal story she’d tell when she was ready.

“That’s not a glamor.” Pixie studied Nyske’s outfit with a frown.

Ikta took several steps around Nyske, observing the change as well. “You are right, Pixie. Nyske, I think you have some explaining to do.”

Rather than answer her, Nyske turned to me and bowed. “I serve the Dragon King and only the Dragon King. I swear this on my life and soul for as long as he’ll have me.” She repeated herself three times. There was a snap of a fae promise that settled between us.

I stood shocked.

Pixie gasped. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Nyske chuckled. “He seems to trust you well enough. But he’d have trouble trusting a wild nymph after what he’s been through.”

Pixie was quick to step up beside me. “I swear that I will serve Zach Pendragon for the rest of my life or as long as he will have me.” She said it three times. A second bond snapped into place, and Pixie smiled and clapped her hands.

“You two. That was completely unnecessary.” I shook my head.

Ikta waffled her head. “This way, not even The Dreamer can pressure them. It’s smart. I should talk to the other nymphs about a similar promise if they are sure of their positions.” Ikta snapped her fingers and fell through a portal.

I stared at the space where she had been. It did not seem like a comfortable way to travel, but she was probably well used to it.

“Okay, Nyske, if you want to catch up on current affairs, you can read these with me.” I handed her one of the notepads that I had already finished.

“What’s the background?” Nyske asked, picking up the pad of paper and starting to read.

“An FBI Director has it out for me, and someone in the paranormal betrayed both the elves and me.” I summarized. “Oh, and my dragon matriarch just had her first egg.”

Nyske beamed at me. “That’s wonderful news!”

“Thanks. I have something else I need to do. Pixie, do you know where Maeve is?” Pixie’s notes had said something about conflict between Maeve and her mother. Summer and Maeve had since holed themselves up.

“Yes. This way.” Pixie puffed her chest out and took the lead.

I wondered if she was a little intimidated by Nyske, or feeling some competition.

Nyske was only amused and flowed out with Pixie. The two nymphs in their secretary outfits looked formidable. Pixie’s bouncy pink hair bobbed up and down while Nyske’s long black hair swished back and forth, catching the light and showing iridescent colors along the strands.

I walked behind them, enjoying the view.

Pixie maneuvered the manor and its twisting hallways like a professional until she opened a door to a giant library. Behind it was a portal covering one of the walls.

Fae were busy on the other side of the portal, moving about the room filled to the brim with scrolls.

Maeve and Summer were at a table reading over scrolls while an army of fae seemed to be working and doing a first pass at narrowing down the scrolls for them to read.

Summer blinked owlishly as she glanced away from her scrolls and spotted me, her face splitting into a warm smile. “Dragon King. You are a welcome sight. We are getting weary of looking through scrolls.”

“This is important enough that you didn’t come see me?” I raised a brow at Maeve as she looked away.

“This is critical.” She frowned at the scroll and put it in a pile. “My mother gave us a hint as to why someone would dig up Simon and frame you with it.”

“False Prophecies?” I had read that in Pixie’s notes.

Summer hummed. “Prophecies are notoriously vague and sometimes they are misleading. We have libraries of these prophecies. But Winter said that seeing Ikta and the two of us standing there reminded her of a false prophecy.”

I frowned. “Why would it be a false prophecy then?”

Nyske picked it up though. “Because everyone thought Ikta was dead, and no other wild fae queen has risen in tens of thousands of years.” Nyske pursed her lips. “All the prophecies containing Ikta, the spider queen or the wild queen were deemed false.”

Summer frowned at Nyske for a moment, seeming to know the nymph. “Nyske?”

“Yes. It’s an honor to meet you. I’ve been chosen to be Zach’s personal nymph.” Nyske bowed, her hair dragging on the floor.

“Good to see you. Congratulations on escaping The Dreamer. Few can claim that boon.” Summer turned back to the pile of scrolls, refocusing on the false prophecy. “As you can see, we are sifting through the false prophecies, but there are so many. We have a team sorting through those that involve Ikta and then those that involve Ikta and then one of us.” She pointed between herself and Maeve. “No luck yet on something that would be a motive. There really are too many pointless prophecies and so many of these have come to pass.”

I picked up one of the scrolls. It talked about the fall of Winter to a vampire. Or at least, that’s what I thought it was saying. The wording was highly cryptic. “Huh. I don’t much like prophecies. I prefer to make my own future.”

“Tricky things, they are.” Summer threw another one to the side in annoyance. “Don’t worry too much about it though. I don’t like them either. Winter had been the one between the two of us to focus on them.”

“Well, I have an hour before the council meeting. So let me help. You both have clearly already done a lot.” I sat down. “Need anything to drink?”

“Tea. Warm.” Summer said, her face inches from the next scroll as she studied it.

“Cold tea.” Maeve nodded, glancing over at me. “And bring coffee for the dragon king or he’ll fall asleep here.”

I chuckled. “Pixie, could you show Nyske where to get refreshments?”

“Of course.” Pixie was all smiles as she pulled Nyske away.

I waited for them to be gone before I turned to Summer. “How does one escape an oath from The Dreamer?”

Summer frowned in Nyske’s direction. “That is a very good question. Usually the only method is death. But there are a few examples of creatures getting out of fae oaths. Phoenixes come to mind.”

I raised a brow for her to continue.

“When they burn themselves to ashes and come back to life, they actually die and come back. Death is the end. Any sort of enchantment, oath or bond disappears with their death, and the phoenix is a blank slate if they manage to rise again.” Summer grumbled, clearly not loving the loophole.

“Did you try and get a few phoenixes for your estate or something?” I asked, curious why they bothered her so much.

She gave me a flat lipped glare. “Yes. I traded quite a fortune for them to move to my domain and they ran away. Stupid flying, flaming rats.”

I held in my laugh, noting that Summer didn’t like phoenixes. Picking up a scroll, I read it while I mused aloud. “Nyske said she gave up her power, but she still has magic.”

“Someone must have offered her something better.” Maeve suggested. “She’s not exactly fae anymore. I believe she is more like half fae.”

“Some would call her an abomination and kill her. But, I’m curious why she’s here to serve your husband.” Summer seemed to be asking Maeve a question.

“I’m more tolerant than my mother. Change isn’t all bad. I wanted to give her a chance.” Maeve said defensively. “Husband, what do you think of her?”

“Of the options I was given this morning, although one was Ikta in disguise, she was the most interesting to me. There was some sort of connection I felt looking at her, without any glamor. And if she got out of an oath with The Dreamer, it’s clear she can be resourceful.”

I looked back down at the prophecy in my hand. They really made no sense. I read it aloud, wondering if the others could figure it out.

“When the moon waxes and the stars align, the three queens of the land shall bear upon them crowns of the reflection of snow, the youth of spring, and the darkness of the wilds. That which the queens have never had will be joined in one and one steeped in The Dream will ride on a dragon not yet seen. The blood will seek to rebel and destroy its roots before the three can become one.” I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. “Am I the dragon not yet seen?”

“Who knows.” Maeve rolled her eyes. “Maybe I’ll ride the dragon.” She smirked at the double meaning. “We’ll add it to the pile though.” She put it on a smaller stack of about four to the side.

“The crowns might be a reference to hair color.” Summer commented. “Which also makes it a little pointless because Winter and Summer’s lines have always had silver and green hair. Why do these oracles always speak in such riddles? Can’t they just say, Summer, Winter and Wild Queen.”

Maeve spoke in a mocking tone. “Because it was an art. And they were artists.”

Summer snorted. “Try being a queen. Now that’s an art. Here, Good Luck Charm, see if you can find another good one.” She handed me another scroll.

I took it, but then set it to the side as my nymphs returned with coffee and tea.

I took a sip of my coffee, the warmth spreading through my chest. “And we are sure that Winter isn’t sending us on a wild goose chase? She hasn’t exactly been on the best of terms with you lately, Maeve.”

“Even she would want to solve a rift in the council.” Summer sipped at her tea. “It is Philly’s paranormal community’s stability that allows us to come into the world from time to time and for our portal to stay safe. Philadelphia is like a demilitarized zone between us and the rest of humanity.”

Maeve nodded along with her assessment. “My mother on multiple occasions has said that Philadelphia’s community was a buffer that must be maintained. For her to actively cause strife in it would be very unlike her. Which only goes to show how desperate she must have been when she took Iapetus’s offer.”

Speaking of the titan, I wondered allowed. “Is there a titan of the fae?”

They both gave me an odd look.

Nyske cleared her throat. “You’ve met her.”

“Oh. OH. The Dreamer.” I realized. “She’s ancient, but that ancient?”

“Yes.” Nyske was quick to confirm.

I paused, considering the myths of Zeus and the titans. Did my father really cast out the titans, or was that an embellishment?

If I saw him again, I needed to remember to ask him.

“Tea break is over.” Maeve grumbled. “Back to reading.” She put us back to work before I could ask more questions.

“I’m not done though.” Summer complained.

Maeve looked over a scroll at Summer. “Drink and read. I want to get done with this so I can go back and check on the battle lines.”

“Your mother is fighting Aurora. She’ll push forward fine without you.” Summer waved away her comment.

“Wait, isn’t it early for your mother to be on the field?” I asked.

Maeve and Summer shared a look; they knew something.

“It’s very early.” Nyske provided. “I suspect that Winter is pushing the Fall Lady aside, in order to gain more control of her people.”

The guilty face of my wife confirmed the suspicion. “Am I causing you more problems?” I asked Maeve, not liking the weariness on her face.

“Nope. Just my mother being my mother. I am getting out of her way when she’s like this. Now, read the scrolls and maybe we can find something coherent before the council meeting.” She looked pointedly at the scroll I’d set aside before meeting my eyes and smirking as she shifted back to her scroll.