D.A.R.E. Project

Eiwyn threw the covers back. The rustle of the sheets seemed loud in the quiet of the room. Slowly, she placed her feet on the cold wooden floor and slid out of bed. Draven rolled over, his hand resting on her pillow. Heart pounding, she tiptoed her way to the door. Grabbing the knob, she thanked everything holy that she hadn't latched it when she came to bed.

Draven let out a long snore. His hand moved over her empty pillow as though searching for her. Please don't let him wake up. Eiwyn opened the door a little more than a crack and slipped through. If she woke her husband, he would see to it that she went nowhere. She couldn't let him stop her. She knew he would try. He had put his foot down and she was sneaking under it.

Barefoot, she padded her way down to the room they reserved for opening their portals. Two months ago, she'd had a vision, one she couldn't ignore. If what she had seen was true, the future of the entire universe was at stake. Now was the time to act.

Someone, somewhere, played with forces they didn't understand. One couldn't jump from dimension to dimension willy-nilly without consequences. Her people could, but they were the only exception. They didn't need the help of machines, energy or chemicals to open a dimensional rift. They merely needed the power stored within their bodies since birth. Yet, someone had started to do just that and it was ripping holes in the very fabric of the universe. She had to do something and with her sight, she may be the only person who could.

Entering the room, she closed and locked the door. The thick wood wouldn't keep Draven out, but it would slow him down just enough. Waving her arms nervously, she hummed a soft tune and the air rippled in front of her. Soon, the other side of the room blurred as the transparent rift opened before her.

A loud roar had her looking toward the door with tears in her eyes. It would be years before she would see Draven again. Yet, Eiwyn knew what she must do. It was for the good of all. The entire universe depended on her ability to escape her home and jump to the correct world. Eiwyn blew a kiss toward the door. Tears filled her eyes as she heard the pounding of her husband's feet upon the wooden floor. "I'll be back, my love…eventually."

She stepped through the rift confident that the energy would take the path of least resistance directly to the world she needed to visit. One jump, one world, a few decades and with luck, all would soon be put right.

Emerald continued to trot toward the encampment on the horizon. At least it was in sight now. Before, she could do nothing else but follow the directional beacon on her scanner.

A strange shadow passed overhead and she looked up with a frown. Whatever it was, it looked huge. The wingspan looked at least forty feet wide. The strange whining noise that accompanied the shadow grew faint, then silent. The world around her was quiet once again. The only noise she heard was the faint rustle of the wind through the grass and trees.

Just as the strange whining returned, someone rushed from the nearby brush and tackled her. “Shh… Don’t move or it will see you.” The voice was female.

“What—”

“Hush!” The woman clamped a hand over Emerald’s mouth and whispered, “Not so loud. It will hear you. I’m told they have exceptional hearing.”

Emerald pulled the hand from her mouth and replied in a low voice, “What are you talking about?” She could see how such a large bird could be a predator, but she was a dragon swan. She had little to fear from a beast such as a large bird.

Content to let the other woman hold her down in the tall grass as she awaited an explanation, Emerald looked up toward the sky. She strained to see what it was they hid from. Still, she saw nothing.

“The dragons.” The woman paused as though to give her time for the proper level of horror to sink in. “They never used to come more than once in a life cycle. Now there is a new one almost every day. No one knows why.”

"Well, finding a mate is a prime concern for many, but there are few females to be found." He cleared his throat. "You and your sisters are a blessing from the universe. To have twenty females of breeding age entering society at the same time is unheard of."

"Not anymore and we are not a blessing from the universe, we are a blessing from Eiwyn. Our mother sacrificed years of her life with our father in order to bring us to the worlds." She couldn't help but give credit where it was due.

"He is not happy about the loss of his wife. We are trying to keep the complete truth of his children from him, but it has not been easy." Kros's voice was next to her as she explored the huge doorway that led into the castle.

"It has not been easy on Mother either, but it will not be forever, or so she is telling us. I wish for the day that I can meet her." Opalite whistled softly, listening to the echo within the interior.

"What do you mean you haven't met her? She is your mother."

"We were cloned. She had four embryos and they somehow were split into five sisters each. The researchers don't know why we look identical, but our eyes and personalities are all completely different."

The interior of the home was cool and comfortable. Glossy marble floors butted to matte stone walls. Huge windows were open to the breezes and couches dotted the inner rooms.

"This is a lovely place. How can you live here on your own?" The vastness of the space astonished her.

"Well, I was rather hoping you would join me." He snaked his arm around her waist and she blinked up at him.

"I need to see my sisters first."

He was coming in for a kiss and she reached up and grabbed his lips. "My sisters. Now."

“Hello, lady.”

Heart in her throat, Sapphire spun around at the sound of the deep voice. She couldn’t help it. She wasn’t sure if it was the poison in her system or if she was just struck dumb by the sight of the male standing before her.

He was beautiful…and large. He stood a good six and a half feet tall, his blond hair brushing his shoulders. His black vest barley covered his wide, muscular chest and did nothing to cover the light swirls of chest hair as it swirled and dipped below the wide leather belt at his waist.

Green eyes similar in color to her sister, Emerald’s, stared down at her with the most mischievous-looking twinkle she’d ever seen. Arms as big as tree limbs crossed his chest.

As he stood examining her, she couldn’t help but notice he had markings similar to hers.

“Hello,” Sapphire replied warily. “Do you know how I can contact Galen?”

The man held his hands out to his sides and grinned. “Why would you search out another male, when you have one so handy already?” He waggled his brows. “Believe me when I say I would service you in any way you need, lady.”

“I need a healer.” Her vision blurred and she felt her body give way to a bout of the cold sweats. Swiping her arm across her brow, she began to pant. Flipping her hair back over her shoulder, she raised a hand to her wound and pointed. “I’ve been shot with an arrow tipped with poison. I must see him immediately.”

“Let me help you, lady.” The suddenly serious male stepped forward and made to take her in his arms.

Sapphire stepped back with a snarl, her scowl fierce. She may be injured, but she was still well enough to fight if this male attempted to kidnap her for his own. She would be no man’s possession. Lifting her chin, she stubbornly stared him down. “I will allow only Galen to touch me.”

Smiling, the man shook his head. “I am not certain how I have garnered such trust in one I have never met, but I thank you, lady.” He bowed with a flourish. “I am Galen, at your service. Now…will you allow me to help you before you collapse, or shall I wait until you do so?”

“No one told me you were a tease.”

The storm was coming.

Solar watched the churning clouds through the window and waited for the impact of the winds. Her sisters were down below, using their newly honed skills to make dinner while Solar was on dragon watch.

Five of her sisters had found matches in the dragon population, but the astronomical cluster was still together and single. Solar, Stellar, Celestial, Astral and Lunar were all gathered together on an abandoned world beset by wild weather.

They took shifts sending their senses into the atmosphere and watching for encroaching humans or hunting dragons. Now that the dragons knew that the sisters were cut off from home, they had become more aggressive than ever as they sought out mates.

Solar shook her head. What kind of evolutionary design was it when a species produced so few females that snatching them out of their homes was the only way to get a wife?

The upper tower of their home was ideal for watching for the flying beasts. Whatever race had built this house and the abandoned town nearby had done a wonderful job creating a watchtower for the children of the dragon queen.

The lightning strikes in the distance set her nerves into overdrive. Her body was drawing energy from the weather in a way that life underground on Earth had not prepared her for.

The blasts charged her, and her body was screaming at her to do something, anything, but all she was on assignment for today was to watch, and so, she watched.

The sky above was still open, and the stars stared down at her. Solar held her breath when one star separated from the dance above her. She closed her eyes for a moment and made a silent wish that they would get the humans back home and they could find a way to get on with their lives.

You will find a way, Solar. You and your sisters were born for this.

Thank you, Mother. How are you today?

Same as always, watching my girls and feeling pride at your growing skills. Now, open your eyes and look at the sky. You are missing the show.

Solar opened her eyes and watched four other stars join the one that hosted her wish. The wind pulled at her containment suit while she watched the five stars swirl in the sky and grow in size.

“Ladies, we have incoming!” Solar screamed and ran down the stairs to join her sisters in the main hall.

They all shifted to their assigned tasks, and while Solar got the crossbow, the others all grabbed their chosen weapons.

Stellar grinned and took the rocket launcher from their weapons’ store. With nineteen human colonies sent back home, they had quite a few collections of weaponry at their disposal, and Solar’s eldest sister did so enjoy using the launcher.

They walked into the wind and watched the approach of the bright, sparkling balls of light. The girls had dodged dragons in the past, but none of them gleamed like this.

Solar watched her wishing dragon come closer and closer. “Easy, ladies. No sense burning out the last clothes we have.”

Celestial smirked. “Like anyone would complain if we went naked.”

Stellar settled her launcher on her shoulder and aimed toward the approaching dragons. “We also don’t want to cook off the ammunition. Calm down, sisters. If we have to, we will run. You know where to meet up.”

Solar made a noise of agreement, but there was something in the air. “I am getting a funny feeling here. Mother told me to look up, but now, she isn’t answering.”

Astral bit her lip. “Maybe she is busy?”

Celestial snorted, “Don’t be stupid. From what she has hinted at, she is confined.”

Lunar scowled. “Quiet, they are almost here and bickering isn’t going to help.”

The glowing dragons came in on a roar of wind.

Solar looked up at her wishing dragon, and he dropped to the ground in front of her in his bipedal form. Silvery-white hair, black-on-black eyes and deep bronze skin with tattoos similar to those of her set marked him as a dragon if the four companion fliers left any doubt. He wore a metal breastplate, leather trousers and matching boots, and there was a subtle glow to the clothing that drew the eye.

“Ladies. I greet you on behalf of the Star Guard and ask you to come with us.” The man was cheerful and had a relaxed stance.

Stellar cleared her throat. “Who are you?”

Solar watched him decide how to answer. The column of his throat flexed and his left eye flicked lightly.

“Captain Denhar of the Star Guard. Above us from left to right are Skdel, Myrgik, Cavon and Lerihk. We have come to help.”

Solar took a step forward, and Stellar shifted her launcher to aim at Myrgik.

Solar cleared her throat. “We are well armed and learning to cook. We do not need your help.”

He inclined his head. “Excellent accomplishments indeed, but I was referring to the radiation that you are putting out. If you do not learn to control it, you will kill more than just your enemies. Your family here is leaking power like a burning star.”

Solar stepped toward him again. His power was drawing her in. It was a vibration in the air that called to her.

Stellar called out, “Solar, back away.”

Lunar made a small noise, and in an instant, all hell broke loose.

Solar watched Denhar’s body shift into his dragon shape, and the next moment, she was snatched in a claw. Bands of bone and sinew held her tight, and her breath was squeezed out of her as he launched into the air.

She observed Stellar taking aim at a dragon and firing, but an exhalation by the incoming beast rendered the explosive useless. Lunar was using a bolt gun, Astral was watching the dragons come in and Celestial had already been snatched and was in the air.