wasted no time in sharing with your coven sisters when
you found the Book of Shadows, did you? The Lady
Goddess pulled a silver chain from the box. I
bestow this clear quartz amulet upon you, brought to
you from a distant place. It shall amplify your energy,
magic and your psychic awareness. She slipped the
chain over Jaynee's head then turned to the
woman's mates. For you two... She paused, then
pulled two more chains, these made of gold, from
the box. On the ends were amulets made of smoky
colored stones. The smoky quartz will soften the
enemy's power. The stones will absorb their negative
energies, while the positive energy of the others will
counteract the evil of your enemy. The two men bent
down and the Lady Goddess slipped the chains
over their heads, the amulets resting perfectly
against their chests. Once in place, a strange glow
emanated from the Triad's three stones until they
each seemed to reach out to each other, connecting
the three together. A few moments passed before
the light dissipated and left the first Triad with a
visible aura surrounding them.
The Lady Goddess then turned to the next
Triad and smiled. Laynee, equal in so many ways to
your sister, yet always fearing her shadow. Your power
has the potential to save everyone in this circle. Come to
me. She reached out her hand, the three amulets
already glimmering as they hung from her slender
fingers. Laynee, Sayre and Fane stepped forward,
hand in hand in hand. They held their heads high,
kept their backs straight. Brandy could see how
serious this Triad felt about what would soon
happen. To the three of you, I give the Black Onyx. It
will help shield you and those around you with
strength, while protecting you from negativity. She
faced the men. You are her strength and courage. You
must stay close. As you all must stay close to your
mates, the goddess said, looking at each of the
Triads in turn.
The Triad moved forward, each one accepting
their stones in turn. Like the Triad before them, a
bright light came from each stone, tying the three
together before it dissipated. The Lady Goddess
turned to the third Triad who had already stepped
forward, eager to receive their gifts to help them
fight the enemy.
Minna, you may have the worst gift. With it, not
only will you see your enemy, but you will see their
atrocities. Those they perpetrate now, those they have
planned for the future and those that have already come
to pass. To you, I gift the Seer's Stone, the Beryl. It is
the telling stone. With one with your power, it can be a
horrible burden and for this, I apologize. Yet, with this
stone you will at least know who and what is your
enemy. No one will have the power to hide their true
form from you.
The Goddess turned to Minna's mates, Dax and
Rage. To the mage twins I award the twin opals.
Identical in every way, like their wearers, this stone will
increase your psychic bond with Minna. What she
knows, you will immediately know. You will also have
the power to heal her as she weakens through the use of
her gift. She must not succumb to unconsciousness or
you will lose her.
Brandy watched as Dax and Rage visibly
shuddered, then spoke as one. "It will be as you
say. No harm will come to our mate."
After nodding at the twins, she turned to Kel,
Wray and Rachana. Rachana, I do not envy your
bravery and cunning. Your love for it has brought you
such terrible disappointment and heartache. Again,
she pulled three chains, two of gold, one of silver,
from the box. Rachana, I gift you with the stone of
healing, Unakite, she said as Ana bowed her head,
accepting the powerful gift. Not only does it heal the
body, but it heals one's soul, even your own if you wish.
This stone will help you balance your ability to connect
with me, and others of higher spirituality, in times of
need. Your spirit will flourish, for this stone will release
all that keeps your soul from becoming what it should.
She turned from Ana to face the woman's mates.
Kel, I gift you with the stone of the truest love,
Topaz, for I know you truly love Ana and would die to
protect her. If you concentrate hard enough, you may
visualize your outcome, which will transfer to the
universal conscious. It will give you the confidence to
do what you know must be done and the personal power
with which to do it. Kel nodded, his Adam's Apple
bobbing in his throat as she slid the chain over his
head.
Wray, I gift you with the Sapphire. It is a stone with
many, many powers. Yet, it is also the universal symbol
of peace and harmony. This stone will protect you
against those who would seek to deceive you. It will
protect you from the wrath of your horrendous enemies.
Wray leaned forward to accept his stone. The
Lady Goddess ran her hand down Wray's arm,
then turned to Brandy's brother and his Triad
mates.
Brandy became more nervous as she watched
the exchange and the Lady Goddess came closer to
her own Triad. She'd known the Goddess was a
woman, was capable of love--but she'd never
dreamed she could be her granddaughter no
matter how far removed. She feared she would
disappoint the only blood family she had left.
Kiri, your capacity to love astounds even me. That
you could or would love the son of a creature capable of
such cruelty says much about your character. I bestow
Rose Quartz upon you. It is the stone known
throughout the universe as that of gentle love. As you
love your son, so shall you love the sons of your enemy
and deliver them from their waking nightmare.
Drace and Fury, I bestow the Tiger's Eye upon you
both. It will enhance your perception and strengthen
your willpower in times of need, which in turn, will
allow you to strengthen your mate when she begins to
weaken. Plus, it will bring you much luck, she said
with a wink.
She smiled and looked down at the boy beside
them and gently pushed the hair from his eyes.
Kneeling before the boy she said, Ryo, you shall not
engage the enemy. However, you will be invaluable in
the coming months. With this, I bestow my own Blue
Topaz upon you. She slipped a silver chain over her
head and it magically turned to gold in her hand.
Known as the stone of love, it shall bring you happiness
all your days.
Brandy stepped forward, sandwiched between
her mates. The Lady Goddess smiled. Leaning
down, she kissed Brandy on the forehead. These
words are for you alone, Granddaughter. Never, never
think you could ever disappoint me. I love you as I
loved the man who was your grandf
ather. You are so
much more like him and your mother than you could
know. Do you still carry your amulet?
Brandy nodded and pulled her pendant from
between her breasts. "Yes, Lady Goddess."
Then again, everyone heard the Lady
Goddess's voice. Your mates shall have stones to
match--every stone of every power surrounding a
moonstone. The moonstone is My stone. It draws its
power from the moons, from me, as I am the silvery
moons in the sky. She touched the three stones and
they began to glow as she infused them with her
power. Now you have the power of the Goddess. It is
the only help I can give you. If you weaken, let your
stones draw more of my strength from the moon. It is
right and good. Otherwise, I can give you no further
assistance. For this, I am sorry. Three times three is a
powerful number. You have two times this. It shall be
enough. It must be enough.
Brandy reached out and the Goddess pulled her
into a warm embrace. Remember. I am always with
you and I will always be your grandmother.
When the Goddess released her, the three
amulets in her Triad joined together, just as the
others had, locking them together, mentally and
physically. If what the goddess said it true, they
could each draw from the other's power.
Before she could think more on that, all
nineteen amulets began to glow. The golden aura
spread from one Triad to another until all six
Triads and the boy were enveloped as though a
magical shield of protection encased them. The
Lady Goddess stood back, a wide smile on her
face.
Take tonight for yourselves. Tomorrow you must
leave--the witches of Carrillia need you.
* * * *
The next day... aboard the Savari vessel Freedom
When Damir saw the number of enemy ships that
ambushed them, he wanted nothing more than to
pull Brandy into the safety of his arms and hold
her there, where no one would ever harm her. The
thought that he must take her into battle with him
rattled his nerves and tested his sanity. Both he
and Kaylen had waited too many long years for
her for them to lose her now.
The captain of the vessel, appraised of Damir's
rank by Dare, deferred to Damir while he waited
for Dare himself to arrive on the bridge.
"What do you think, sir? We're surrounded,"
the Savari Captain asked.
"Have there been any attempts at
communication?"
The man shook his head. "Even our attempts to
converse with the other ships in our fleet have
been unsuccessful. I think they may be jamming
our communications array."
Damir paced the bridge while Kaylen kept
Brandy close. Where the hell was Dare, anyway?
He didn't know shit about what the Savari vessels
could do. What the hell should they do?
"Raise your shields if you have them and pray
until Dare gets here. I'm not going to be the one
responsible for the first shot." Damir swung
around at the hissing sound of the doors opening
and turned to meet the amber-eyed gaze of Dare
Raden. By the state of undress the man was in, he
was certain he too had been interrupted in the act
of mate-pleasuring by the enemy ships
surrounding them.
"Report," Dare said as he strode over toward a
chair, buttoning his shirt as he sat. A translucent
console appeared before him along with a three-
dimensional depiction of the three Savari vessels
surrounded by five Banart warships and two
heavily armed Hienial slave transports.
"They appeared from nowhere, sir." The
Captain stood, faced the Savari leader and fell to
his knees. "Forgive me for not thinking to travel
under cloak. With our numbers and firepower it
never occurred to me that--"
"That the enemy would consider this a
fortuitous time to gather more women to
perpetuate their race?" Dare scowled at the man.
"We always travel under cloak. Just because we
have made so many new friends over the past
months does not make us invincible. Nor does it
make us less hated by our enemies." He shook his
head and sighed. "Get off your knees, Braka, it
does not become you."
Dare turned and motioned Damir closer. "We
handed these out last night after you left. We
figured there would be time enough for you and
your mates to get yours before the fist battle. It
seems we were wrong." He handed three tiny
chips to Damir. "Go to the medical bay and have
them implanted. These are for telepathic
communication. They are, so far, undetectable and
because they are implanted in the soft tissue
directly behind your ears, the nanite's artificial
intelligence will connect to the correct areas of
your brain to link you with the rest of us. When
you wish to use it, think the words, `Com On' and
for privacy, merely think or say the words `Com
Off'. Go now, follow the blue lights in the corridor
and it will lead you to medical. The procedure is
painless and takes only a few moments. Hurry! A
few moments may be all we have."
Damir led his mates from the bridge to the
medical bay. He didn't like the idea of the
technology of another species implanted in his
brain. Many people wanted the dragon's secrets.
He just hoped this wasn't another way for them to
try to get it. Yet, there wasn't much of a choice a
could still communicate with others not of his
kind with an implant if he shifted.
"Have you felt the burning yet?" he asked,
taking Brandy by the hand.
"The--the burning?" She looked up at him, her
eyes wide. "What burning?"
"Your fire. Your dragon's fire. When you truly
become a dragon, your body changes, your organs
change and you grow the organ needed to make
the fire." Damir put his hand on her stomach.
"You should feel it here."
"I--I don't feel any different. When should this
changing start?"
"It should have started the moment we both
came inside you." Damir began to worry that
perhaps it wouldn't work on her because she was
the granddaughter of the Goddess. He thought
about the many times they'd been interrupted and
shook his head, wondering if that could be the
cause of the delay in her transformation from
human to dragon. Perhaps they should hop into a
bathroom for a quickie and attempt to hurry it
along. Instead, he followed Dare's orders and
followed the blue lights in the corridors to the
medical lab and hoped he wasn't making the
biggest mistake of his life.
* * * *
Kaylen followed Damir into the lab, both
concerned about the procedure and amazed at the
Savari technology. Brandy didn't seem upset about
anything but the fact that she hadn't started her
transformation into a dragon yet and he figured if
there was anything nefarious about the Savari
plans she would have said something by now--
felt something by now. After all, she is the
granddaughter of the Lady Goddess.
"I'll go first," he said as a med tech indicated
that one of them should sit in a strange looking
seat. This way he could both protect his leader and
his mate. If something should go wrong and the
implant didn't integrate with his system, his mates
wouldn't have to risk themselves.
He sat in the seat and waited for the technician
to install the device, hoping that it wouldn't
damage him--yet knowing if it did, at least Damir
would care for Brandy if he passed on to the next
existence.
A sense of feminine ire drifted through his
mind. You and Damir have little faith in the people
you would call friends and allies, Kaylen. Have I made
a mistake in gifting you with my only granddaughter?
No, my Lady Goddess you have made no mistake. I
merely wanted to be sure it would not interfere with
our physiology.
I do not want to have to tell any of you to call me
grandmother again. Be sure to use that title the next
time we speak. Please tell them all is well and to have
every female take care as she fights. Every one of them
carries someone precious.
Kaylen swallowed thickly. Brandy already carries
Damir's child?
She carries a child for each of you. Twin girls should
make you both happy.
By the time he finished the conversation with
the Lady...Grandmother, the technician was
already tilting the seat up and calling for another
to take his place.
Com on... It wasn't long before his mind was
filled with the chatter of the others making plans.
Damir looked at him, giving him a wink and a
smile before sitting in the chair himself. He let him
know without words that even though
grandmother had spoken into his mind, she must
have allowed them all to hear the conversation.
We are tied together, somehow. I realized it last
night while you, while we were..." Brandy flushed.
No wonder she'd finally given in and said she
believed them about her luscious body. She'd
heard their thoughts.
I didn't hear them all, Kaylen. Only toward the end,