Page 22 of The Storm of the Empire

His brows shot up. “Tingle my arse. I think I’d rather be bitten by a hydra.”

I scoffed. “Hydras only have small teeth.”

His eyes bulged. “But they have dozens of heads to bite with! You storm dragons are psychotic, if you ask me.”

“How the Dragon of the Night bloodline could originate from somewhere as soft as the First, I will never understand. There’s nothing in this kingdom to test the mettle of a warrior except maybe the politics and bureaucracy.”

“Listen, the inner workings of this palace might be the most inhospitable environment in all the kingdoms. You don’t know the things I’ve seen.” His eyes told me that it was only half a joke, but I didn’t delve deeper since my need was more pressing.

“If you say so,” I dismissed. “So you can spare me for a few days?”

“Take as long as you need. If you think it will be longer than a few days, send a raven. Everything here will be fine. You deserve a break.”

“Thank you, my friend,” I said, standing. I didn’t bother to tell him that nothing about this felt like a break should. I didn’t stop to even pack anything. I was sure I would still have clothes at home. Goddess, I’d be naked. I didn’t care. I just wanted to go.

Within minutes, I was launching off the landing platform again, and this time, I would not stop at the sea. I would get answers to this feeling and make sure my family was fine.

NINE

HAZEL

Exhausted, I landed on the peak of Damona Island. I was two-thirds of the way to my home, but I had to rest if I was to be functional when I arrived. Storm dragons are not built for endless distance. Our bodies are made to weave through storms, not cross oceans, and I couldn’t make it without a rest.

I drank greedily from the island’s spring and let my bellowing breaths subside, the wind cooling the sweat prickling on my skin. I looked down over the island, its ports brimming with cargo and boats. It was a never-sleeping hive of activity I enjoyed exploring.

But on the whole, Damona Island was not somewhere a lone female should leave herself vulnerable. Though it was technically part of the First Kingdom, it’s people were quite different from those of the mainland. Sea farers who controlled all the trade routes across the Middle Sea, they were toughened by the life, and while it wasn’t a lawless land, they didn’t quite live by the same rules.

I never felt threatened here, but I knew what I was capable of. Unconcerned, I found a small cave in the hillside and curled up. An unarmed sleeping female could land herself in trouble out here if she didn’t have her wits about her, but I had no possessions with me, and I stayed in dragon form. Any islander who came upon me resting and wanted to take on a storm dragon was welcome to try me.

I must have dozed for a while because I came back to consciousness at the sound of distant bells. The temple calling the priests to afternoon prayer. I stretched and shook off the sleep, rising to stare towards home. From here, I could see the shores of Storm and the weather lingering over her citizens. It called to me, and I couldn’t resist the lure any longer. I took flight, desperate to know it wasn’t bad news that awaited.

Giant clouds billowed as far as the eye could see when I reached the edge of my kingdom. The turbulent winds made it nearly impossible for any other dragon to fly through, but to me, it felt like home. Instinctively, I adopted a flight style only used in the Storm Kingdom because the winds threatened to rip wings apart when left fully outstretched or blow the flyer straight across the Middle Sea. Instead of the easy glide accomplished in stable weather, all my senses awoke, ones nearly dulled from not using them for so long, but the carnage was like riding a bike. I’d missed it.

I was less focused on my destination and more focused on reading the clouds and picking a route through. There were no straight lines in this kingdom. The term 'as the dragon flies’ could not apply to the shortest distance from point A to point B where I came from. It was all about being flexible and nimble. I could change direction on a pin head and did many times each flight. But I soon reached the rooftop landing platform of my family home and shook off the rain as soon as my feet touched down.

I shifted and made for the entrance, taking a soft toweling robe off the waiting hook. While nudity was no issue, dripping water over my father’s floors was a huge no-no.

“Hello?” I called out when I was not greeted at the door, not wanting to wait another minute to hear their voices. It was early afternoon, and they should have been here if all was well.

“Hazel?” I heard my mom’s voice from below.

“It’s me,” I replied, taking the stairs as fast as my fae legs could manage.

As I descended into the large open kitchen, I could have fallen to my knees with relief. Mom was rushing to take me in her arms while Dad was at his usual spot at the stove, hovering over some massive pot with an apron tied around his hips and grinning in warm welcome. The sight alone made my chest ease, and the anxiety I’d carried from the First Kingdom faded away. This was home, and they seemed fine.

“What are you doing here?” Mom asked, squeezing me tight. “This is a lovely surprise.”

Dad set down his spoon, rounding the counter to join our hug, and there was no rush to leave it. I’d missed how calm it was here. It wasn’t a bustle of endless commerce like the First.

He pressed a kiss on my head and wrapped his arms around us both. “Welcome home, Sparky,” he crooned, and I felt myself sag with relief inside their circle of love.

I was well into my third decade, but you were never too old for this kind of love. I was still wondering why I felt so compelled to be here, but it wasn’t them that called me home, so I took comfort in that as I let them love me.

“I’ve missed you,” I said as they released me.

“We’ve missed you too,” Mom said running her eyes over my form, checking me for the Goddess knew what. Injury, mental or emotional instability, signs of malnutrition? It was a parent thing. “So what brought you home?”

I shrugged. “Can’t I just want to visit my two favorite people?”

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