"215." Raina replied and Kyera shook her head.
"Not possible. There are 218. You are not counting Ember, Ivory, or Tempest." Kyera pointed out with a gentle smile. She could see the wheels working in Raina's head.
"Why couldn't there be 215?" Raina asked and Kyera glowed with appreciation for her young daughter.
"You are very bright young one." A dragon spoke as it stepped out of a large nest at the center of the room. All the baby dragons ran to her and nuzzled and chirped in excitement at the elder. She was pale lavender, as if her scales were weathered, and her wings sagged slightly as if too tired to hold high above her back. She was beautiful but everything about her was Old. "You see, Dragons can never be in odd numbers. We are born as pairs, and die as pairs."
"Elder Winter Wyn, I am honored to see you again." Kyera bowed to the elder dragon, and the Storm Twins followed suit.
"And I you, Queen of the Storm. Is this our Storm King and his Princess?" Winter Wyn asked as she glanced at the pair with her faded blue eyes.
"Yes, Your Ladyship." Raina offered with a curtsey.
"No, dear child, I am no lady. Dragons do not use such silly titles. I am simply Grandma or Elder." Winter Wyn replied soothingly. Her old voice loving even with its rougher texture.
"Grandmother Winter Wyn, I have heard the heart song of Raina… I have accepted her as my charge." Tempest Explained and the Elder cracked what could only be called a smile.
"Beautiful. Welcome to the family, Raina. I assume you are here for the dragon secrets?" The Elder addressed Raina directly. Kyera smiled and Raina nodded.
"I suppose so, Mother?" Raina looked at Kyera as did the Elder.
"Yes Elder, I wish for Raina to know the truth before she meets Tempest's Pair." Kyera agreed and Winter Wyn nodded.
"Then I shall tell you." Winter Wyn replied thoughtfully. "You see, Raina, Dragons are not simple flesh and blood creatures. We are beings of powerful magic. That magic is too dangerous to be contained by one mind. Take the storm twins. Ivory of clouds and Ember of Wind. The pair together become storms that can destroy worlds, just imagine what they can do to cities? However, I dare say, no one around here has to imagine." A sharp glance was spared for the storm twins who avoided Winter Wyn's eyes by playing with a group of dragonlings.
"OH, us?" Ember asked shamelessly and the older dragon snorted in indignant amusement.
"Images of saints, the both of you." Winter Wyn's voice was thick with sarcasm. "Because of this, eggs are born in pairs. A dragon mother has even numbers of eggs. 2, 4, 6 etcetera. They are power pairs. Depending on the power of the mother and father, decides the strength of their children."
"Oh? Who are the Storm Twin's parents?" Raina asked.
"That would be myself and my Mate Wyvern. He died when I was still a young matren." Winter Wyn shot a look at her two children.
"Oh… then does that mean your lonely?" Raina asked curiously and Winter Wyn shook her head.
"No, I still have my twin. I miss Wyvren but our children live on." She explained "The mate and the bond are different. A twin, the other half of a dragons power base, can not live without the other. If I was to die, or Mimmsy died we would both die."
"OH?" Raina exclaimed in surprise.
"That's how dragons work dear. You see 218 I see 108 and two halves." Winter Wyn explained patiently but Raina was beyond confused.
"But 2 halves make a whole." Raina replied remembering her lessons from Daxin.
"Yes, but not in Dragons. You see myself and Tempest are here without our Twins. Therefore we are half of a pair. Tempests pair is a flight trainer and mine is Helmsman of the Guard." Winter Wyn offered.
"Speaking of, Tempest perhaps you should go retrieve him. I will watch over Raina." Ivory pointed out and Tempest nodded flying out into the sky.
Raina was still mulling over the information she had been given. "So when 1 dragon dies, two are lost. Is that why there are so few?"
"Yes, that is why young dragons don't leave here before they are nearly 100 years old. They have a high mortality rate. Even as is only 50 or 60 of these dragon pairs will leave here alive." Winter Wyn explained a bit solemnly. "We do our best but not every dragon is needed here. The Godly plane takes those they need and leave the gemstone clusters for us here, to let us know they were taken safely away." Winter Wyn explained as she motioned to the colorful crystals in the walls and ceilings.