Page 21 of The Dragon Shifters' Enemy
Caden went up to the mirror and put his hand on the glass over Iolaire’s head as if to touch the Dragon Spirit.Valerius wished Caden could physically comfort Iolaire.The White Dragon Spirit pushed its nose against the glass, but could not get to Caden no matter how hard it tried.
Raziel stared down at the two of them and there was a curious expression on its face.Tender and sad.As close as they were to their Spirits, they were just as far away. Valerius touched the mirror, too. Raziel saw his hand and lowered its massive head and pressed it against where his hand was.He thought he felt warmth through the mirror and not just cold glass.
“We need to tell the others about this,” Caden said as he petted the glass.
No!Raziel’s nostrils flared.They will blame Iolaire for this!
“For what?”Caden demanded. “For doing what you and every other Spirit has done? For coming here and connecting to a human? It didn’t know that the Behemoth could come here!”
I brought danger here.Iolaire shook its head.If I had not come--
“No, Iolaire, thisunresthas been coming on for longer than your coming,” Valerius stated emphatically.“It’s clear that the Behemoth has been acting in this world far before last week.”
“Yeah, Iolaire, this stuff with the Faith has been ongoing for years,” Caden agreed.“Serai and Fadel were taken over far before you came here and joined with me.”
But now the Behemoth is here.Not just in the Spirit world,Iolaire pointed out.That it could not do before my actions.
“You saved many lives by coming here.You defeated one of its plans, unknowingly,” Valerius pointed out.“In fact, I think you coming here--drawing it to this realm--was agoodthing.”
Iolaire and Raziel looked at him intently.Caden turned towards him too. There was hope written large on all of their faces.
“Behemoth could not be stopped before it came to this realm,” Valerius explained.“All the free Dragon Spirits are here, are they not?”
Iolaire hooted.All the rest are with it.
“So you see, the Behemoth was beyond our reach.Yourreach before,” Valerius stated. “Once a thing has come here, it can be destroyed.We are nine.Nine against one. We need to bring the other Dragon Spirits here so that you all can speak to one another.”
But they will not trust Iolaire!Raziel cried.They will think it is still under Behemoth’s influence.
“So Behemoth likes to be petted?Adores kids?Wants people to dance in the snow?”Caden shook his head.“Anyone who knows Iolaire will recognize it isn’t at all controlled by Behemoth!”
Valerius caught Raziel’s gaze and said simply, “Lying to others or ourselves is not the right way forward, Raziel.”
Raziel tossed its head.They have no right to judge Iolaire!They have no right to--
“If Iolaire is in any dangerfromthe Behemoth--whether physical or spiritual--we must know, Raziel,” Valerius stated.
Caden whirled around to face him.Those innocent blue eyes were huge.“Valerius, you don’t think--”
“No, I don’t think Iolaire is being controlled.But that does not mean it could not be affected in some way by the Behemoth.Serai was a Shifter and she was affected.Fadel, I believe, was human, and he was affected.”Valerius took hold of Caden’s arms.“Iolaire has told us that it still feels some connection to the Behemoth.We must not ignore this.”
“No, but…” Caden bit his lip.“It just feels sowrongthat Iolaire would have anything to do with that--that monster!”
“I know.I am still trying to accept this fairytale as real.”Valerius grimaced and shook his head.“But now that I know it is.I will not close my mind to any possibility.Nor should you either.”
Caden nodded miserably.“Iolaire has brought such joy to people.”
“And a new understanding among the Dragon Shifters,” Valerius added.“Iolaire will continue to do so because it is special and a different kind of Dragon Spirit.But I will not ignore Iolaire’s concerns.Would you?”
Caden shook his head and passed a hand over his forehead.“Imagine what the press would have said if they knew the Behemoth was real and that Iolaire had--had been a part of it though!”
Valerius did not want to think about that. But really he feared more what the Behemoth could do to Iolaire and Caden more than he feared any bad press.
“The Behemoth is in this world now.It must have joined with a human.Perhaps at that ceremony that Anwar showed us or…” His voice suddenly died as a horrible thought occurred to him.
Caden’s eyes became huge, catching his thoughts before he could stop them from leaking out over their bond.“What if Iolaire having a bonded human is enough?What if the Behemoth is joined to me too?”
Valerius was violently shaking his head. “I would think if that was the case, when you shift, you would become the Behemoth and not just Iolaire.But you don’t.I do not understand this connection between Iolaire and the Behemoth, but I do not believe it touches you.”
