Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series
Her Elemental Dragons: Ride the Wave: Chapter 21

In the morning we met for breakfast with the others in a dining room with windows that looked out to the ocean. Opea and her priests served us fruit and pastries, which they said they traded for when they visited a nearby island once a week. I didn’t question it too much. Despite the remote locations of the temples, the Gods always found a way to provide for their priests somehow.

As Opea and her priests left so that we could have privacy, I thought of Calla, the High Priestess of the Fire God, and wondered how she and her mates were doing. The last time I’d seen her had been in the capital of the Air Realm, but I wasn’t sure if she planned to stay in Stormhaven until it was safe for her to return to her temple. Sark was her grandfather and he’d kept my presence a secret in exchange for Doran keeping quiet about her. Did that mean Sark actually cared about Calla in some way? I’d always assumed he was heartless, but maybe even the worst Dragons had something or someone they cared about.

I gazed across the table at my father. Was I his weakness too? Or was he playing me this entire time?

Reven must have seen my troubled look because he reached under the table and gave my thigh a squeeze, reminding me of our night together. My worries melted away, and I gave him a grateful smile.

“I’m guessing the bonding went well,” Jasin said with a smirk as he took his seat across from me.

“How can you tell?” I asked.

Slade began to load up his plate with food. “You look content. Less troubled.”

I smiled and looked down at the plate in front of me as color flooded my cheeks. “I suppose I am. Everything feels like it’s as it should be.”

“Now that you’ve bonded with all of us, what is the next step?” Auric asked, as he folded a napkin across his lap.

I sighed. “I can access all of your powers now, but the Water God told me I can’t become a dragon myself until the Spirit Goddess blesses me. Which could prove difficult.”

“You need to confront Nysa,” Doran said, before popping a piece of melon into his mouth. “I suggest we do it at the Spirit Temple near Soulspire, since that’s where the blessing needs to take place.”

“Somehow I doubt the other Dragons will let us just walk in there,” Reven said.

Doran nodded. “Once they learn you’ve obtained all four elemental powers, they’ll know you’re heading for the Spirit Temple next. I would expect it to be heavily defended with both shades and soldiers from the Onyx Army, along with the Dragons themselves.”

“We’ll never get in there,” Jasin muttered.

“Not alone, no,” Doran said.

I picked at the food in front of me as I considered. “We need to call upon our allies.”

“What allies?” Reven said. “We have the Resistance, who just lost their leader and… Oh wait, that’s it.”

“I can speak with my father,” Auric said. “He has no love for the Dragons but was scared to turn against them. I might be able to convince him to change his mind, if I explain how close we are to defeating them. Perhaps he could lend us some of his soldiers.”

Jasin arched an eyebrow at me. “What about that bandit gang you were once a member of, Kira? Would they help us?”

I took a long sip of orange juice. “Cadock’s men? I asked before and he said no, but it couldn’t hurt to try again. We are desperate, after all.”

Reven rolled his eyes. “They’ll never say yes. I’d have better luck convincing the Assassin’s Guild to join us.”

“Do you think you could?” I asked.

He opened and closed his mouth, then scowled. “Maybe. They might do it if we paid them well.”

Jasin dragged a hand through his auburn hair. “Even if they all said yes, which is unlikely, it still won’t be enough.”

I glanced between my father and my mates, then spoke the idea that had been brewing in my head for some time. “We need to ask the elementals to help us.”

“The elementals?” Doran asked with a sharp laugh. “Why would they ever agree to that?”

“The elementals hate the Dragons and the shades, according to Enva,” I said. “They might be willing to side with us if we explain that we’re planning to defeat them.”

Jasin shook his head. “Just because you saved one elemental doesn’t mean they’ll fight beside us.”

I shrugged. “It can’t hurt to ask.”

“It can if they attack us.”

“He’s right, it’s a big risk,” Slade said. “Even asking them to help could be dangerous.”

“We have to try,” I said. “Humans think the elementals are our enemies. Elementals think the same of us. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There were times when our two kinds were at peace.”

“You think you can unite elementals and humans and erase hundreds of years of hatred and fear?” Reven asked.

“Not overnight, no. But this would be a good first step. I just want to talk to them. I know it’s dangerous, but we need them. I don’t think we can do this without their help.”

Auric drummed his fingers on the table with a thoughtful expression. “How would you even contact the elementals? There are different types of them spread across the world.”

“They have a capital, of sorts, past the Fire Realm,” Doran said. “There’s a council of leaders, one from each type of elemental. I could take you there.”

“Won’t they be suspicious if we show up with one of the Dragons we’re planning to replace?” I asked.

“So I’ll keep out of sight,” he said with a shrug.

“There’s another problem with this plan,” Auric said. “It’ll take a long time to visit all these different groups and try to convince them to help us.”

I glanced between everyone at the table, weighing the options, before saying, “We’ll have to split up. Slade will go to the Resistance, Auric will speak with his father, Reven will ask the Assassin’s Guild, and Jasin will try to convince the bandits. Doran and I will replace the elementals.”

Jasin shook his head with a frown. “I don’t like the idea of splitting up.”

“Especially if it means none of us will be with you to protect you,” Slade said.

“I’ll keep her safe,” Doran said. “You have my word.”

“But can we trust your word?” Reven asked.

Doran’s eyes narrowed. “I would never do anything to harm my daughter. Surely you know that by now. Have I not done everything I said I would?”

“Forgive us for being cautious,” Auric said. “We’re just trying to make sure Kira stays safe.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting off an oncoming headache, probably from the stress of this combined with the lack of sleep. “I know this plan isn’t ideal, but this is the only way. The longer we take, the longer the Dragons can prepare to stand against us. We have to recruit allies, and we have to do it quickly. We must split up, even if it puts all of us in danger.” My voice softened as I looked at each of them. “I’ll have Doran, and I can control all four elements now. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Slade reached for my hand. “We always will worry.”

“It’s settled then.” Doran pressed his palms on the table and stood. “But before we rush off to the four corners of the world, you each need more training first. Meet me in the courtyard in an hour.”

After he was gone, Reven fixed me with a dark look. “You know you can’t trust him.”

“I don’t trust him,” I said, remembering the Water God’s comments last night. “But he has kept his word so far, and he’s helped us a lot. We would never have found this temple without him. He might betray us in the end, but we’ll be prepared if he does.”

Slade rubbed his beard. “I have another idea. I’ve been wondering if it’s possible to imbue a weapon with all of our magic.”

“How would that work?” Jasin asked.

“I’m not sure, but it might be effective against Nysa once we’ve defeated her mates, or perhaps even against the Spirit Goddess.” Slade shrugged. “I’d like to try, but I’d need my forge.”

“We could plan to reconvene in your village,” Auric said.

The plan was set. Now we just had to replace a way to pull it off.