Page 21 of The Storm of the Empire

My ancestors expected more of me. I expected more of me.

I could not be just this.

Why did I have to know I was meant for more and be forced to settle for less?

I’d long thought of myself as a failure. How long until I was a disgrace? I used to think the only way I could disappoint my family would be if I were a dud, but at least a lack of magic was something I couldn’t control. This waiting was a slow and painful death where I was forgotten while those around me all progressed in their lives, and I stayed stagnant.

I flew and flew with no aim until I found myself nearing the coast of the Middle Sea.

From high in the sky on a clear day, a dragon could see the faint coast of the opposite shore.

Home.

The dark clouds that always lingered on that part of the horizon called to me today more than usual, and I felt a tug towards them from deep within. Something still felt so wrong, and it was becoming clear to me that was where I needed to be.

My family… Were they in danger? Did I believe it was even possible I could feel it if they were? Goddess only knew, and I needed to find out.

I wanted to just leave now and fly until I could see those who mattered to me and know they were okay. But I had responsibilities, training and… Well, training. Let’s face it, that was all I had, but I had a lot of it, and the legion relied on me, though not in the way I had dreamed of.

Lightning crackled along my wings as the frustration I felt at my life collided with this sense of unease. I banked before I made a rash decision and left without a word.

I turned my back on the coast to head back towards the city, firm on my next move. That feeling of unease grew with every mile I put between my tail and my home. As if getting further from the Storm Kingdom was causing it to multiply. By the time I landed in the palace, it was verging on panic.

“I need some time off,” I burst out to Nyx in a rushed breath as he opened the door to his office.

He stepped aside, letting me in. “Okay… What’s going on?”

I sighed heavily. The first full breath I think I’d taken since I woke up.“I don’t know. Something feels wrong, and I need to go home.”

“Home?” He looked at me like I had two heads.

“Yes, Nyx, home—to Storm,” I snapped, regretting the outburst immediately.

Nyx remained calm and patient, though. Something I noticed had become his default. Long gone was the spirited and passionate leader. A far cry from the old Nyx, but I supposed that was what finding your ryder and fulfilling your destiny did for you. He’d grown, and I’d stayed still. If we could all be so lucky.

Goddess, I was getting bitter.

I closed my eyes, summoning some of the energy he was putting out. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”

“Tell me what’s going on, and I will help however I can,” Nyx soothed.

“I don’t know what is going on. I just know I woke in the night with a feeling of dread, thinking something was wrong, and the feeling is pulling me home. So I came to see if you could spare me so I could fly back and make sure everything is okay.”

“Of course. If you need to go, I will rearrange things here. You never take any time off.” He hesitated before asking, “Are you sure it’s not anything else?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Like what?”

His expression morphed, and he tried to play off. “Nothing—I just had to be sure. Would it not be easier to send a raven?”

I gave him a flat look. “Firstly, you know I’m faster than a raven, but secondly, ravens get lost in the Storm Kingdom all the time. The only way I can be sure is to go myself.”

“I always forget you come from the land that wants to strike all airborne creatures out of the sky, and still, you fly with abandon and add to the mayhem with lightning of your own.” He shook his head, chuckling.

“Theres nothing about Storm that’s any more dangerous than any other kingdom, if you ask me.” Not to a storm dragon at least.

“Sure, that’s easy to say if you’re immune to bolts of electricity flying through the sky at random intervals.” Nyx actually shuddered at the thought.

“We are not immune. But come now, they only tingle.”

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