Earth's Hope by Ann Gimpel Read Free Book Online Page A

“You’ll have help caring for them. Bring these dragons back to Fionn’s. I’ll join you once I’ve had it out with Odin. He overstepped his bounds when he targeted our kind to get even with Perrikus for kidnapping me.”
    “You think?” Scorn saturated Dewi’s voice. Fury left an ashy residue in her mouth, and she shook herself to contain her anger. An idea took root, and she nuzzled Nidnogg’s neck, infusing compulsion into her words. “Kra knows where Fionn’s manor house is. They scarcely need me as an escort. Maybe—”
    “No.” Nidhogg’s eyes whirled faster. “You’re not coming with me.”
    “Why not? These four dragons are my subjects. He had no right to terrorize them and force them into hiding for centuries.”
    “Oh, believe me, he’ll hear that.” Nidhogg’s tone dripped menace. “And more. This is between Odin and me. Technically, I’m his subject, but I won’t be after we get done.”
    Berra stepped in front of Dewi and bowed low. “My humble apologies for not letting you know we yet lived. I thought you’d show up here, and we could tell you then. Except you never did.”
    I can’t very well tell them I avoided our world because it would have made it too easy to take the coward’s way out of my pain…
    “Apology accepted,” Dewi grunted through stiff lips.
    Vaughna lumbered to Berra’s side, her coppery eyes aglow. “We’d love to see your younglings. Because things on Earth were so uncertain, we didn’t think it wise to create new dragons if they were just going to end up sport for Odin and his Viking horde.”
    “We could remedy that.” Kra strode behind his mate, caught her eye, and winked lewdly.
    Dewi smirked in spite of her ire. Men. No matter what race, they were all the same, with sex-saturated brains.
    Nidhogg backed away from her.The air shimmered and thickened, smelling of a newly lit fire, as Dewi felt him summon teleport magic.
    “Be careful,” she said.
    “He can’t kill me,” Nidhogg said. “I’m one of the gods.” He skinned dark scales back from his teeth and smiled with all the warmth of a scimitar. The air around him took on a glittery aspect, and he whisked out of sight.
    Dewi looked at the other dragons. It was impossible to be angry with them. “Bet you’re ready to leave,” she said.
    “More than ready,” Royce concurred.
    “Rather than return to your caves in Norway, why not move into the ones near mine in Inishowen? That way we can support one another. Odin isn’t our primary foe.”
    “What do you mean?” Kra blew a gout of flame.
    Dewi shook her head. Apparently Arawn hadn’t been any more forthcoming with this group than he’d been with her. “We have much to catch up on. Let’s teleport out of here. We can talk once we’re at Fionn MacCumhaill’s. You do remember where he lives?”
    “Of course.” Kra’s tone was prickly. “My long stay here hasn’t addled my mind.”
    Dewi ignored his barbed comment. “How about the rest of you? Do you know where we’re going?”
    “The northern tip of Inishown, not far from the sea,” Royce rumbled.
    “Near enough. You’ll sense my energy once you get close. See you there.” Dewi gathered power, reaching deep into the magic that thrummed through the dragons’ world. No point wasting her own magic when she had a ready source near to hand. What had taken the better part of a day to fly to, took only a few moments to cover using a teleport spell.
    She burst through the veil separating her world from Earth right atop Fionn’s manor house, spread her wings, and floated to the ground in one of the many courtyards. It was morning, but still dark since the sun didn’t rise much before nine during the cold months. Before she landed, she trumpeted a command to her young to join her.
    It wasn’t her brood, but Aislinn who stomped out of the house to greet her. “Finally!” Aislinn grunted, sounding very out of sorts. Her long, flame-colored hair hung in tangles to her waist, and