Page 61 of Dragon’s Rogue

The power to be lords over humans, animals and shifters, to be worshiped and feared.

And as he sat in the Draken’s tomb, night after night, he began to hear the Draken’s dreams.

Those dreams were dark and full of death, but also full of power and glory and treasure beyond imagining. Treasure that he could take to other worlds, where there were great shining cities, and not the filthy hovels that passed for civilization on most of this primitive, backward world.

So Corwyn kept returning to the tomb. Eventually, as he walked in the Draken Lord’s dreams, Vyrkos became aware of his presence. And one night, Vyrkos spoke to him.

He saw the darkness in Corwyn: the power and the weakness, and he flattered him and coaxed him, promising Corwyn magic, riches, and power beyond measure, if he would only set Vyrkos free.

“But he didn’t,” Blaze said. “Right? Because… still here.”

“He tried,” Tyr said.

Corwyn searched the Drakens’ archives and learned the secret of how the Seals were made—and how they could be destroyed. All he needed was a piece of the Draken Lord’s treasure hoard, the one piece that had not been buried with him. The piece that had been used to connect the original Guardians to him, and cast him into his eternal sleep. So he planned and he schemed, and one night, he stole the one final piece of Vyrkos’ hoard and sneaked off to the tomb to set Vyrkos free.

Maia, the beautiful sorceress, followed her lover to the tomb, and saw what he was about to do. When Corwyn began the spell to destroy the Seals, Maia confronted him. She pleaded with him to consider what he was doing, how many people could be hurt, but Corwyn was too dazzled by Vyrkos’ promises.

Corwyn attacked Maia, and she fought him, magic to magic. But they were evenly matched, and she realized that she couldn’t win—but as long as she never gave up, neither could he.

But Corwyn used the piece of Vyrkos’ hoard to connect with the Draken Lord, funneling his essence through it to try to burst open the magical seals. Unable to stop him with her magic, Maia took a dagger and stabbed her lover through the heart. She killed his body, but his soul still lived, trapped in the piece of gold from the dragon’s hoard.

Corwyn called to Vyrkos, and the Draken Lord began to wake. Seeing the Seals begin to crack, Maia made the ultimate sacrifice. She turned the dagger on herself, but with her dying breath, she funneled her own essence into the Seals, strengthening them with her magic and her life force. The Dragonfly Seal, the Dolphin Seal, and the Phoenix Seal. Corwyn was defeated, and Vyrkos slipped into slumber once more.

The Draken Guardians felt the battle raging, but got there too late to save Maia. The best they could do was remove the piece of gold from Vyrkos’ hoard and place it within a protective circle, so Corwyn’s spirit went to slumber with his master’s.

Arkyld, devastated with grief at Maia’s death, took the seals from the tomb—the only remaining vestiges of her spirit. He cursed the Guardians, for he believed that if he had been allowed to mate with Maia as he wished, he might have been able to save her.

So he left the green river valley with the Seals, and he was never seen again.

The Guardians tried everything they knew to find him, but to no avail. And then one day, after centuries had passed, a young Draken came with a message.

Arkyld had died, but before he did, he had a vision. Corwyn’s spirit would wake, and Vyrkos would rise again. In order to defeat him, the Guardians would have to find three female Draken: the Rogue, the Rebel and the Storm. Each had one of the Seals, but she would only give it to the Draken who could win her heart. The Seals could not be stolen or taken by force, but only given freely by the female to the male.

These females were the Guardians’ Three Mates of Destiny, and would become the treasures of their hearts, dearer to them than caves of gold. And the power of Maia’s love, working through them, would allow the Draken to seal Vyrkos’ tomb, defeating him and Corwyn utterly and forever.

Tyr’s voice faded, and with it the magic of the story. They were just four people, sitting in an underground cave filled with electronics.

And ancient memories.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then they all turned to look at Blaze.

“Wait a minute,” she said. “You don’t think I’m one of these Three Mates of Destiny, do you?”

“Yes,” said Tyr.

“No,” said Thorne.

She looked at Zane. He said nothing, just looked down at his cake. Dreams, she thought. Years and years of dreams. How many years? she suddenly wondered. He was a dragon, after all. He could be centuries old.

“She can’t be one of them,” Thorne said to Tyr. “The Three are Draken. The story says so.”

Zane snorted. “So now you believe the story?”

Tyr said, “That’s what most versions say. But as I went back, digging through the files, I found what I think is the original version of the story. The word used to mean ‘female’ was translated as ‘female Draken,’ but if you look at the etymology, I believe it was mistranslated. I have the sources—”

“Get to the fucking point,” Thorne ground out.

“The point is that the original doesn’t say anything about the Three being Draken. It uses a generic form of ‘female’ that was most often used to refer to women. Specifically, human women.”