2. Kaida

The auditorium felt stuffy, with roughly a few hundred people crammed into the small space. The off-white walls had no decorations, and Kaida noticed a few cobwebs in the corners of the high ceilings. With the number of people inside, the murmuring became static and echoed throughout the room. The air felt thick and stale. Kaida could smell the sweat of those inside clogging up her nose. With the sun beating over the glass ceiling at the center, the room was bright but created a magnifying heat inside. The doors were open, but there was no breeze to help them beat the heat.

The boys sat behind a long table against the back wall, quietly waiting until noon. Other chairs were in neat rows for everyone to sit in while they waited. No one had come through the door in at least ten minutes. They could have started already, but Arlo was a stickler for punctuality. He refused to start until noon.

Kaida fidgeted with fingernails while her legs jumped up and down underneath the table. She was thankful that a white tablecloth flowed before the table so no one could see her nervous bouncing. Beckett slid his hand underneath the table to grab ahold of her knee. Their bond opened, and a wave of calm flooded through her. Kaida felt herself relax against the chair and let out a sigh. Within a few seconds, Kaida felt Esen’s bond open, and a breeze whipped through the room. The cool air dried the beading sweat from her forehead, and Kaida leaned her head back to feel the breeze on her neck. She was incredibly thankful that her hair was braided and away from her neck at that moment as the coolness spread down her back.

"Why in heavens are you anxious right now?" Beckett whispered to her.

"I am inside a room filled with Elemental Dragons, and I am about to tell them that we plan to lead them into a war against the kingdom of Dragaal. I am expected to be calm and collected?"

Beckett chuckled. "You won’t be the one to explain that to them. I planned to do so since I have a better relationship with most of these people. Be glad we kept Enzo in the back room instead of having him sit next to us."

Kaida’s head snapped over to him with widened eyes. "Why?"

Beckett smirked at her. "These people would not take it kindly that he is here. His being our prince does not matter to them. He is the son of the man who continues to interdict us from leaving this island."

Kaida growled slightly. "And I am the one who plans to take them back."

"That is why you are here. To show them that we have a way into the kingdom. We will bring Enzo out to show them good faith that we have things under control. I promise they will listen. There may be some heated words, but the simple fact that you are a Plasma and mated to the Storm Prince is a good thing to end that heat."

Kaida crossed her arms over her chest and scooted around in her seat to get comfortable. She disagreed with the plan to keep Enzo in the back room. She did not trust that someone wouldn’t just walk into that room and attack Enzo while they sat there explaining their plan. She only agreed to it because she was told that Enzo agreed to hold a shield around the door until he was prompted to come out.

Arlo was talking to Blaze, who sat at the end of the table. He refused to sit anywhere near Kaida, which she did not mind. Kaida reached out to him through their bond, but he was still closed off to her entirely. The bond was black and wrinkled, feeling dead inside of her. The more she tried to ignore it, the more it called her. After she broke the barrier, Blaze kept his distance because he knew he would not be a match for her other four mates. Those were his final words to Arlo before locking himself in his room.

As long as he doesn’t speak out against me during this meeting, things should go better than what I fear, right? she asked her dragon.

I wouldn’t force him to say something during this meeting to make people dislike you.

What do we do if he does?

Well, we cannot kill him. Neither can our mates without provocation.

I don’t think Blaze is stupid enough to attack me right now.

I never thought he was smart, so...

The sound of the bell as it struck noon ended the conversation with her dragon. Kaida’s leg bounced again, even with Beckett’s calming hand still placed on her knee. She felt it slide down onto her thigh, bringing the prickle of ice of his magic against her skin as well as the sizzling heat from their bond.

"People of the island, please settle down!" Arlo’s deep voice echoed through the room. Kaida felt the hint of power he laced inside of his voice and watched as it struck the people before them. They all stilled in their seats, and their conversations died on their tongues. Kaida’s eyebrows raised momentarily after witnessing Arlo command the room in such a way. Arlo certainly knew how to command attention for someone who didn’t talk much unless it was to her or his brothers. "Thank you for coming. We will begin now and explain to you why we are here."

Everyone’s eyes were on Arlo, waiting for him to speak further. Arlo sat down while Beckett rose from his seat. Kaida felt the energy shift in the room. Before, it felt like a normal gathering where people conversed and waited for news. Now, it was eerily silent, waiting to shift in emotion again once the explanation was given for why they were there.

Beckett cleared his throat and stood straight as an arrow as his eyes swept the audience. "We have gathered you here today for one reason. We stand before you to remind you that we have grown up here because of one person who died hundreds of years ago. We lived here, colonized this island to become what it is, and have created a community that helps one another like family. Until yesterday, we were bound here by magic to keep us from returning to our homes. I bring you the news that the barrier has been obliterated!"

There was a collective gasp inside the auditorium. The whole room fell so silent that Kaida could hear the pulse of each person’s heart.

"What will that do for us in the long run?" Someone with long black hair in the back shouted for them to hear.

Arlo stood back up to respond. "It will allow us to return to the mainland and reclaim what is rightfully ours."

A bulking man with flaming red hair stood up from his chair. Kaida could tell he was an older dragon from the small wrinkles around his eyes and how his skin shifted to red scales on his neck. He was in the front row and nearly kicked over his chair with the pure rage he had as he thrust himself upward. "What makes you think we would agree to throw the life we built here to fight for something we never saw or lived in, to begin with?" The man snarled and then pointed at Kaida. "Do you think, because of her, we should be knocking at Death’s door?"

"Joseph, I assure you, we considered that already. You may have never seen the beauty of the mainland with your own eyes or even the land your forefathers once lived in, but that does not mean they are not there. It has been too long since we were banished here. Our ancestors were forced to leave their homes and thrown here to live out their days. That turned into generations of our people living here because we are different. We have been outcasted, rejected, and oppressed by those who claim to be our brothers and sisters. They have betrayed us, they have humiliated us, and they have tried to erase us from history. But we are not here to beg for mercy or forgiveness. We are here to pose a fight for our honor, our dignity, and our freedom. We are not the outcasts; we are the heroes. We are not the victims; we are the victors. We are not weak; we are strong. If we attack now, before the kingdom knows of the barrier’s fall, we can, and will, succeed."

The man named Joseph growled. "Is this all because she wishes to go home? Would you throw away generations of work on this island to build the community that it is over her?"

An eruption of growls filled the room as all four of her guys stood up from their chairs.Kaida tried to hide her surprise that Blaze was amongst them, but the sudden protection from the Ember prince was not something Kaida thought would happen any time soon. Kaida sat up straighter as she narrowed her eyes at this man. There was no chance in hell she would give him the satisfaction of being intimidated by him. Kaida felt her dragon perk up, and a brief wave of her power washed over the crowd.

"Kaida Hilmir is now your princess. She is mated not only to me but to them as well," Beckett pointed over to his brothers before continuing, " and she does not want to return to Dragaal just because she misses it. Kaida is the one who destroyed the barrier to free us from Gemar’s and Nande’s reign. We deserve to be where the rest of our people are, not here and having to build a separate community from them."

Joseph stepped forward, and another round of growls filled the room. This time, Kaida joined in. Joseph stopped his movement, and his eyes settled on hers. "How are you powerful enough to break the magic of the Dragon Kingdom?"

Kaida took a deep breath to settle her nerves, "I am a Plasma Dragon, the last of my kind. My power is more than even a Storm Dragon. My magic forms into what I need to defeat the issue in front of me. That can include an Ember dragon who does not know how to mind his tongue."

Joseph snarled. "You are just some Dragaal whore that came to this island to sway these princes to do your bidding."

Kaida felt inside the bonds that her mates were charging their magic to fight. Kaida swiftly pushed them, wanting them to calm themselves through the bonds to gain their attention. Beckett, Arlo, and Esen responded immediately. Blaze appeared to be still glaring at Joseph, but there was no aura of wanting to rip this guy apart like the others.

"I was outcasted here, just like you. I was dropped here like discarded trash not that long ago. If it were not for your princes, I would not know who I truly am nor have my dragon inside of me. I can oblige if you wish to see my dragon’s form to ease your concern. You can leave if you just want to sit here and insult me."

"How is it that you have all four of them as mates?" another asked from within the crowd.

"It is part of being a Plasma dragon. I’m sure we can show you the information if need be. However, considering I bear their marks, I don’t see why it is necessary."

Beckett mentioned that morning that it would be wise to wear something to show their marks and wear her hair up. Kaida noticed that, since she called attention to them, the crowd was now bobbing their heads to get a look at her neck.

"And you bear all four of theirs?" Kaida could not tell who asked the question in the crowd now that they were all murmuring and moving around to get a better look at her.

"She does not bear mine," Blaze announced.

Arlo, who sat next to him, looked at Blaze. Blaze shrugged and sat back down in his seat. He leaned back and balanced the chair as everyone accepted the information.

"Then why does she have four?"

"Because she bears mine," Enzo’s voice boomed behind her. Kaida felt his presence as he approached her, touching her shoulder. "I came back to claim her, and now she is mine alongside your princes."

Everyone began to shout, and Kaida could not hear anything other than them. She did her best not to shift in her seat, to appear braver than she felt. From all of her lessons as a child about how to handle a crowd full of people, no one ever mentioned how the walls would feel like they were falling in when the people turned on the one speaking. Kaida swallowed, and her throat felt as dry as a dessert.

"Enough!" Enzo shouted, pushing his power outward to settle the crowd.

Kaida could feel that his power was not enough. It did not reach the entire auditorium as he had thought it would, but it would have if he had pushed more into it. Kaida stood up, pushing her own power out.

"ENOUGH!"

They all sat for a moment and looked at her. Bewilderment that she wielded that amount of power was displayed across their faces. Kaida allowed her scales to show on her shoulders, with only a thin strap to her dress so they could see for themselves. The reflection of her deep purple scales caught their attention, and their eyes fell on them. Kaida knew they were now convinced of what she was and stared at her until Beckett cleared his throat.

"Are you ready to take back your land?"