Border Lair (7 page)

“Is it hard? I mean, it’s such a responsibility. I was raised simply. You can call me a princess all you want, but I’m still just a peasant really. I always will be.”

Then you might understand what it’s like to live in two worlds as well, for you are a princess and apparently a peasant too. And to answer your question, no, it’s not hard at all. It’s the most amazing blessing of my life and I thank the Mother every day for allowing me such gifts. She was wise when She allowed the last of the wizards to form the pact between the dragons of our land and our ancestor, Draneth the Wise. He was the first black dragon, forged by magic and his own wizard blood, but each of us since has been truly of both races. It’s how we can understand the needs of both humans and dragons and continue to guide both races in harmony and cooperation. It’s a gift, Belora, a precious one.

His words touched her so deeply she felt a tear trickle down her cheek.

The prince moved back and the black mist swirled once more, leaving him clad in black leather, human once again.

“Whatever doubt remained is now gone. You carry royal black dragons in your womb. There can be no doubt you are of the royal line.” The prince moved forward, kissing her on both cheeks. “Welcome back, cousin, to our family. It’s a happy day to have found you and your mother once again.”

This time, she did cry—her emotions all over the place with the shocking news of her bloodlines and her pregnancy. Gareth and Lars came up behind her, their supportive arms around her, there for her.

“There’s one other thing I have to discuss with you, Belora, if you think you’re up to it.” The prince looked uncertain for a moment in the face of her turbulent emotions and she smiled to reassure him.

“Anything, Prince Nico. You’ve given me such happy news.”

They walked back toward the kitchen area and sat down once more. Nico reached out a finger to each cold cup of tea and warmed them with his inner fire. Apparently he didn’t have to be in dragon form to call on his fire. She would have to remember that for when her boys started to experiment with their own abilities.

“I don’t mean to bring up bad memories, but I need to know everything you can remember about your sisters.”

Belora gasped at the sudden change of topic. She had not expected it but realized it made sense that the prince would want to account for all the members of her line. The kidnapping of her sisters suddenly took on an even more sinister light in her mind. Had the kidnappers known their true identities? Is that why they had been targeted? She shivered and Lars and Gareth were there, putting one arm each around her at shoulders and waist, silent and supportive. Stars! How she loved them.

“As I told my mates, all I remember is that we were in a big town, at a market. My mother could tell you where exactly. A bunch of men rushed us.

Big men. I remember one had a jagged scar on his face and was missing the two little fingers on his left hand. He hit my mother and the others grabbed my sisters. They were very strong and no one would help us. The scarred man tried to grab me but my mother held me tight and started running. She ran and ran. They pursued us but didn’t catch her.” Gareth and Lars moved their chairs closer. “My mother and I went back later and tried to find my sisters, but they were long gone. We left that day and never went back. We walked and walked, through forest mostly, and when we came upon the cottage, we watched it for a few days before my mother would approach.”

“Sounds like your mother was taking wise precautions.” The prince’s voice held respect and admiration, which warmed Belora’s heart.

“We didn’t have any money or much to trade except my mother’s healing skills. No one claimed ownership of the cottage when my mother asked in the village and they welcomed the idea of having a healer move in closer to them.

Some of them helped Mama in the early days, bringing her food and household items to trade for her herbal remedies. That’s how we’ve lived for the past decade and more.”

“How old were your sisters when they were taken?”

“I was about five, so I guess they were about seven or eight.”

“Then they’d be in their early twenties now.”

“Yes, I think so.”

The prince stood. “Thank you, cousin. I want you to know that I’ll do everything in my power to find your sisters.”

Nico went back to speak at length with Adora while Belora and her new family celebrated the two pregnancies—both human and dragon. Adora, after she woke, was able to fill in the blank spaces in what Belora had told him about the day her sisters were snatched from them.

It was a cold trail, over ten years old, but Nico was a man who prided himself on his ability to learn things that others could not discern. He had a place to start at least, knowing the town from which the children had been snatched. He would start there.

The black dragon winged away from the new Lair under cover of darkness, off on his quest.

z z z

Everything was not as it seemed in the royal palace of Skithdron. While on the outside, things looked much as they had during old King Gorin’s time, on the inside, an evil pestilence roamed freely through the new king’s chambers. Lord Venerai knew his friend and sometime lover, King Lucan, dabbled in magics not of this land—perhaps not of this world—and paid a high price for such power, but Venerai understood. He too, would do anything for power.

When Venerai received the royal summons to present himself in the king’s private bed chamber, he prepared himself for a night of serving the young king’s rather rapacious desires. But he found quite a different evening awaited upon entering the king’s chambers. For one thing, Lucan was not as he had seen him last. Lucan greeted Venerai with inhuman, slitted eyes that reminded him of the almost reptilian gaze of a skith. Then, as Lucan shrugged off his robe, Venerai saw the changes that had been made to Lucan’s once soft and pampered skin. Gone was the almost boyish pudginess, replaced by a sleek, scaled, lithe musculature that was startling to say the least.

Lucan’s skin had an earthy cast and it rippled with scales in the candlelight. Venerai didn’t know what to make of it and for once in his life of political intrigues and power struggles was at a total loss for words. The young king noted all with his new eyes and laughed, but Venerai didn’t care.

Lucan was dangerous now. Let him laugh. As long as King Lucan wasn’t ordering his death, Venerai was pleased to serve as the king’s fool.

As Lucan approached him, appearing to slither more than walk, Venerai held himself still. He started to notice changes in the room since last he had been summoned to pleasure the king. Desperately trying to hide his reactions, Venerai knew one misstep here could easily get him killed.

A ragged girl cowered near the foot of Lucan’s bed, bound to its ornate golden post with a golden chain. She was dressed scantily, but dressed nonetheless, which indicated to Venerai that she was not there for the king’s pleasure, but for some other purpose he could only guess at. The girl watched Lucan’s back with hate-filled, startlingly green eyes.

Venerai also noted the large trapdoor that had been installed near the ornamental golden fountain at one end of the grand room. It opened and Venerai tried to hold his reaction back as three giant skiths slithered into the room, making their way to Lucan’s side as if seeking their master.

Skiths were native to Skithdron, and gave the land its name. They lived in the rock formations that littered the land, menacing all living creatures.

Most active at night, skiths would eat anything that moved and seemed to rejoice in ripping people’s heads from their bodies. Skiths were truly evil creatures, with acid venom that could burn through just about anything.

Only the stone walls that surrounded every village kept the people of Skithdron safe from the predatory creatures.

They slithered like snakes and had slitted eyes, but they were as large as dragons, though of course they couldn’t fly, or even climb very well. Solitary creatures, Venerai knew Lucan had found a way to herd them before his armies. Just how he’d learned to control the creatures was a subject of much conjecture and Venerai almost feared he was about to find out the secret of Lucan’s power.

The power itself was tantalizing to Venerai. The hideous creatures were not.

Lucan welcomed the deadly skiths with outstretched arms as they twined around him like puppy dogs. Venerai had never seen the like. It was a moment before Lucan turned back to him, his pet skiths standing tall, extending upward from the floor on their sinuous bodies, backing Lucan with their immense size and fearsome presence.

“You have pleased us greatly, Lord Venerai. You have always been a faithful servant.”

Venerai bowed low, nearly scraping the floor, and dropped his gaze as the king demanded of his subjects. “Thank you, your highness.”

“In recognition of your service to us, we have decided to raise you higher yet.”

Venerai’s heart stilled with a mixture of fear and anticipation. Power was what he wanted, but what price was too high?

“Come forward, Lord Venerai, and join with us. We promise it won’t hurt…much.”

Venerai stumbled forward as the king laughed.

War came on a quiet day. The wild skith raids on border villages had diminished in the days just before Skithdron launched the entirety of their first wave. Venomous skiths were herded before the army, bringing utter destruction to anything in their path. Somehow the generals were able to direct the creatures, bringing their army up behind. They destroyed three villages completely before enough dragons raced to the incursion to put up a decent defense against the unprecedented swarm of skiths.

Flames flew everywhere as Jared arrived on the scene, swooping in on Kelzy's back to lead the dragons and knights in their forays against the lethal creatures. But the skiths weren’t the only thing to worry about—as if they weren’t bad enough by themselves. The army of men and horses just behind the skiths was armed with crossbows that could shoot small but dangerous arrows at the dragons. A lucky hit to the eye or some of the rare sensitive places on a dragon’s body could do enough damage to take them out of the fighting. The knights, too, were vulnerable to the arrows so the danger was real, as all the knights knew full well.

They flew higher to avoid arrows as best they could, but in order to effectively fight, they had to make low flame runs. Though he hated to give the order, Jared knew the dragons’ flame would be effective against the bowmen as well. Jared watched grimly as the new assault started to have some effect.

Suddenly Jared sighted a familiar banner as it dipped and rose once more with an additional white flag of surrender on its pinnacle. The lone rider made a break for the Draconian side, across the field of devastation, riding for the nearest dragon and knight—Kelvan and Gareth.

Kelzy, can you see? Is that—? Sweet Mother! Is that Lord Darian?

It is. The crazy loon. He doesn't see the skiths turning to chomp on him.

We have to do something. He's flying a white flag.

I see it, Jared. Kelzy made a swooping dive toward the man on horseback, who was almost entirely surrounded by venomous skiths, but another dragon got there before her. This copper dragon had no rider on his back and was acrobatic enough to scoop the man right off his horse a moment before the skiths reached it. The skiths feasted on the poor beast, rending the horse limb from limb with their razor sharp fangs.

Sandor! Good flying. Jared heard his dragon partner call to her friend.

Will you take him to the Lair while we finish here? Don't let him out of your sight.

The copper dragon gave a smoky snort that clearly said he would never do such a ridiculous thing and turned for the Lair, the man clasped tight in his sharp claws. All in all, Jared was glad the other dragon had made the save. He knew Kelzy might have balked at snatching up a human since the last time she had done it—the guilt of inadvertently hurting Adora had bothered her for days and days. He didn’t want to live through that again right now, though he was planning some drills with inanimate objects to sharpen her skills and build her confidence in snatching and grabbing targets as soon as they had a free moment. A fighting dragon needed to train constantly and keep all their skills as sharp as their talons.

When Jared and Kelzy landed at the Lair, they found a scene of chaos.

Several knights shoved the Skithdronian man around, sneering and shouting angrily at him, though he did little to defend himself from them. Jared called for order and the knights grudgingly moved away, staring down the stranger with hatred in their eyes.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Acting like a bunch of children in a schoolyard!” Jared admonished the knights, most of who were on the young side, he realized looking at them. Few had seen real fighting before.

“This man came to us under a flag of surrender. You young hotheads should at least wait to hear what he risked his life and forfeited his country to tell us!” He noted a few eyes clouding with chagrin, but some were still defiantly angry.

“It’s probably a trap, General,” one of the younger knights yelled from the other side of the crowd now gathered on the wide landing ledge. “How do we know he’s not some kind of spy sent to mislead us?”

“I know because I know this man. I’ve known him for years and have called him friend for just as long.” Jared moved to stand beside the Skithdronian lord. Darian was a little worse for wear after the way he’d been greeted by the knights, and Jared was disgusted. Knights were supposed to behave better than this. “I lead this Lair until the king says otherwise and I trust this man. So you all had better just calm yourselves.”

A dead silence fell then as the younger knights simmered. They didn’t have to like his orders. They just had to follow them. He was the leader here and their job was to follow. Simple as that.

“Now, if you’ll all get back to your duties, I’ll talk to our guest and learn what news he gave up his home, his lands, and his title to bring us.”

There was muttering and shuffling of feet but the knights dispersed, leaving a few curious dragons who were being tended by their knights for less serious wounds sustained fighting the skiths. Many were being doused with water to remove small spots of the venomous skith spray from their tough hides. It was best to do that here on the ledge where provisions had been made to remove the contaminated water safely, before the dragons moved around into other parts of the Lair and spread the noxious stuff around too much.