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Chapter 1

 

 

 

Buffy looked up at the dark sky.  A loud bang of thunder made the Slayer jump in surprise.  A thunderstorm wasn’t in the forecast, but clearly it was happening anyway.

 

 

 

Lightening streaked across the sky, illuminating the clouds.  There was a dark cloud in front of the lightening storm that looked just like a …

 

 

 

Dragon!

 

 

 

“That’s not something you see every day,” Buffy said.  “That’s pretty cool.”

 

 

 

There was another boom of thunder off to the west of town.

 

 

 

“I better finish this up before I get rained on.” 

 

 

 

If Buffy had looked towards the lightening cloud again, she would have noticed that it looked like the dragons had multiplied. 

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

 

 

The monastery shook in its entirety.  Abbot Popeo wondered if an earthquake had hit the region.

 

 

 

No, my dear Abbot.  Not an earthquake.

 

 

 

A voice echoed through Popeo’s head.

 

 

 

“Who are you?”

 

 

 

I am Emperor Highsoar the Great-Winged.  We are one now, Aurel Stanislav Popeo

 

 

 

“How do you know that name?”  Abbot Popeo rolled out of bed in surprise.

 

 

 

I know you.

 

 

 

“What do you want?”  Abbot Popeo looked around the room trying to find the source of the voice.

 

 

 

I am not in your room.

 

 

 

Popeo wondered if the being was reading his mind.

 

 

 

Of course I am.  Now, to business.  We have much to decide if you are going to give the Key a living form.  A human girl, even if she’s the Slayer’s sister, just won’t do.  The Key would be vulnerable as a human.

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

 

 

Buffy sat up, wide awake, after someone pounded on her dorm room door.  She glanced over at Willow who was also blinking groggily.

 

 

 

“Hurry up, you two,” someone yelled through the closed door.  “You gotta see the news!  There are dragons.  Real, live dragons.”

 

 

 

“Wow.” Buffy rubbed her eyes.  “It’s not April first again, is it?”

 

 

 

Willow shook her head.  “Not unless we’re caught in a time loop.  You want to go see what’s the what?”

 

 

 

“I suppose.”   The two young women put on their robes, and they went to join their fellow dorm mates in the lounge down the hall.

 

 

 

“This just in,” the reporter announced.  “Dragons are real.”

 

 

 

The din in the room rose until a young man put his fingers in his mouth to make a sharp, loud whistle.  The room quieted again.

 

 

 

“I’m here in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Cleveland Boys School with Principal Robin Wood.   Principal Wood, when were you first made aware of the phenomena,” the reporter asked.

 

 

 

The camera zoomed to where four huge dragons rested in the courtyard of the school.  There were two red ones, a green one, and a black one.  One of the red ones looked towards where the reporter spoke with the principal.

 

 

 

“At two o’clock this morning, the night guard called me to tell me there was a disturbance at the school.  When we arrived, we found them,” Wood replied.  “I’ve seen some odd things in my life, but I wasn’t prepared for dragons.”

 

 

 

“I must say, you don’t seem at all disturbed by the sight of mythological creatures not being so mythological,” the reporter commented.

 

 

 

Wood shrugged.  “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen a so-called mythological creature in my life.”  His head whipped around to stare at the red dragon.  Before the reporter could ask another question Wood hurried off towards the dragons.

 

 

 

“Well, um, this has been Rick Bracken with the KBZZ news, reporting from the Cleveland Boy School.”

 

 

 

The reporter in the field disappeared, and a female reporter sitting at a desk appeared.   “That was from our sister station in Cleveland.”

 

 

 

Someone turned off the television.  Buffy and Willow sat in stunned silence.

 

 

 

“I wonder what other mythological creature that dude has seen before in his life,” a blond guy asked.  Buffy was sure his name was Robert.

 

 

 

Another guy who looked like he was an upperclassman rolled his eyes.  “You’re a freshman, aren’t you?  Haven’t been in Sunnydale long?”

 

 

 

Robert shook his head.  “No, I just moved up here from Rocky Point last fall.”

 

 

 

The upperclassman put his arm around Robert’s shoulders.  “Come on, let me tell you all about the Sunnydale rules.”

 

 

 

“Oh, shove off, Mike,” Robert grumbled.  He shrugged the arm off his shoulders.  “You’re pulling my leg.”

 

 

 

“He’s really not,” Buffy said.

 

 

 

Everyone in the room turned to stare at Buffy.  She grinned in a sheepish manner.   “Uh sorry.”  She grabbed Willow’s arm.  “We gotta go.  Talk to someone about the thing.”

 

 

 

Buffy and Willow dressed in record time.  They set off towards Giles’ apartment.  On the way, they stopped by Lowell House to see if Riley and his buddies had seen the news too.

 

 

 

“Hey, is Riley awake?” Buffy asked the guy who answered the door.  She wrinkled her nose when she took in the smell of marijuana on his clothes.

 

 

 

The guy shrugged.  “It’s really weird, man.  A whole bunch of the brothers just bugged out in the middle of the night.  Dude, have you seen the news?  Dragons, man.  They are so happening.”

 

 

 

“They didn’t give an explanation?” Buffy gave Willow a worrying glance.  “I mean, Riley left without even saying good-bye.”

 

 

 

“The whole bunch of them just freaked the f-in’ out, man.  Like they got a batch of bad weed.  Kept talking about voices in the head, man.”  The guy tapped the middle of his forehead.  “There was some bad mojo going on.”

 

 

 

Willow patted Buffy’s arm.  “I’m sure Riley will contact you when he gets to where ever they’re relocating at.”

 

 

 

“I suppose.”  Buffy turned back to the stoner.  “Thanks.”

 

 

 

“No problemo, man.” 

 

 

 

Buffy and Willow continued towards Giles’ apartment.

 

 

 

“I wonder what made them leave,” Willow commented.  “Has Riley said anything about leaving or being stationed elsewhere?”

 

 

 

“No, not a word.”  Buffy shook her head.  “And it seems kinda weird that they left in the middle of the night.”

 

 

 

Buffy and Willow chit-chatted for a few more blocks until they found themselves, instead of at Giles’ apartment, but at the burnt out husk of the high school.

 

 

 

“Oh my.”  Willow clapped her hands over her mouth.  Perched atop the old high school was a ….  Herd?  Flock?  Murder? … of dragons. 

 

 

 

“Well that’s not something you see every day, even in Sunnydale.” Buffy gulped when a white dragon glided over to her, landed, and stared into her eyes.    She swallowed her fear.  

 

 

 

She was the Slayer.

 

 

 

“Nice dragon,” Buffy stammered.

 

 

 

“I am Soulcharmer.  We are now one, Buffy Anne Summers,” the dragon’s voice boomed.

 

 

 

“Wow, loud.”  Buffy put a hand on her forehead.

 

 

 

“ Sorry, Slayer.”  The voice was much quieter and contrite.

 

 

 

A dark royal blue dragon with large wings glided over to Willow.   He brought his face in close to Willow’s and whispered, “I am Holyseeker the Screamer, a Shaman.  We are one now, Willow Danielle Rosenberg.”

 

 

 

“Uh, hi?” the redhead said with a sheepish wave.

 

 

 

“Buffy, Willow, what the frilly heck is going on?” Xander called out.

 

 

 

Buffy and Willow turned to look at their friend.  He ambled down the street with Anya trotting along behind him.   When they stopped two more dragons, a sapphire blue one and a violet one, glided over to them.

 

 

 

The sapphire dragon spoke to Anya.  “I am Coinsmasher the Appraiser.  We are one now, Aud known as Anyanka known as Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins.”

 

 

 

“I am the Empress Aidwreck the Poisoner.” The violet dragon boomed in a regal tone.   “We are one now, Alexander Lavelle Harris.”

 

 

 

Xander stared up at Aidwreck in frightened awe.

 

 

 

Joyce drove up in her Jeep with Giles riding shotgun.  When they got out of the car, Joyce replied, “I had the weirdest urge to come here.  I just don’t know why.”  Then, she stared at the dragons in astonishment.

 

 

 

Buffy gestured towards the school and the dragons.  “I’d say you guys have a couple of new friends.”

 

 

 

A giant black dragon looked Giles over carefully before she let out a huff of steam.  “I am Battlesoarer the Great-winged.  We are one now, Rupert Edward Giles.”

 

 

 

Joyce’s dragon companion had copper scales and a great many horns that jutted from his head.  “I am Sandvoice.  We are one now, Joyce Zeraphenia Summers.”

 

 

 

“Is this all of you?” Giles asked.

 

 

 

Empress Aidwreck grunted.  “No, there are three others that are meeting their companions; Poisondreamer, Howlfang, and Dawnwing.”

 

 

 

Buffy and Joyce looked at each other in astonishment.  For some reason, the name Dawnwing resonated with them, but they didn’t know why.

 

 

 

“Who are their companions?” Willow asked after she raised her hand.

 

 

 

“The other Slayer, the Wicca, and the vampire who loves without a soul.”

 

 

 

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