Dragon Wish (15 page)

long after the thunderbolt had vanished.

“Oh, flying drac’s liver,” Largin muttered. He hurried to

the spot, staring at the shattered remains of a large stone.

“Now look what you have done, my fierce dragonseed.”

Paladin, unrepentant, moved to his side. At the sight of

the shattered white dragon stone, he tilted his chin higher.

The dragons had sent their message to him. He wondered

whether they supported him, or was this their way of letting

him know his life was at an end. No matter, he would

guarantee them a battle supreme if their plans involved harm

to Seren and his child.

* * * *

When the door closed behind Paladin, Seren released her

pent-up breath. At the questioning expression on Leo’s face,

she grinned. “He affects me. A lot.”

Leo nodded. “He’s a good man.”

Her stomach answered him with a rumble. Embarrassed,

hot blood rose to her cheeks and she apologized.

“I interrupted your meal.” He stood, returning a moment

later with something for her to eat. He handed her a filled

cup.

She murmured in appreciation, and placed the cup on the

small oval table between the armchairs. The delicious aroma

of the cooked meat teased her, making her hunger more

acute. Her mouth watered.

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Once Leo settled into his seat, he asked. “You eat while I

talk, if that’s all right?”

She nodded, bringing a slice of meat to her lips. The smell

had done little justice to the taste. Seren closed her eyes,

savoring the juicy, tender bite.

“I suppose you’re wondering how I arrived on Avaris.

Well, it’s similar to how you came here. I made a wish on a

shooting star. I was in Nam. The night I left Earth, my entire

platoon had been wiped out.”

Leo stopped for a moment. As he stared into the fire,

Seren studied him, wondering what he saw in his mind’s eye.

When he noticed her look, he smiled, sadness reflected in his

kind, dark eyes.

“It was right after midnight. I remember ’cause I didn’t

know how I was going to stay alive for the rest of the night.

My time was short. Charlie would attack at dawn. The

waiting for the final assault made me insane with fear.

“All I wanted to do was live. Praying, I looked up and saw

a shooting star. My Granny used to wish on stars, so I

thought what could it hurt? I repeated the words she taught

me when I was little.”

He grinned at her, and then recited the children’s rhyme.

“‘I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.’”

After he finished, a deep laugh rumbled out of his chest.

“Next thing I knew, the land around me lit up like fourth of

July fireworks. At first, I thought it was a spotlight from a

rescue chopper, but it wasn’t. Weren’t no noise. None of the

plants had moved. Next, I thought I’d died. I went to the

light, thinking it was what I was supposed to do. But once I

walked through, I knew something had happened.”

Seren nodded, finishing the last bit of food on her plate.

“What did you do?”

“I walked. I didn’t stop, either, until I found this place.

Master Largin was waiting for me. He told me he’d felt the

door opening through the star. Didn’t know what he was

talking about, and didn’t care at the time.”

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“Did you want to go home?” Seren placed her dish on the

table. She settled against the chair’s cushioned back, tucking

her feet under her.

“Honestly?” Leo shook his head. “No, ma’am. Didn’t have

any family left. Most of my friends had died in the war. So

coming here didn’t bother me none. Over the years, I made a

good home. Married, even had kids. My wife passed away a

few years ago, but my children are settled with good spouses.

They’re happy, a real joy to me. They’ve given me grandkids.

That’s a lot more than what I might have had back home.”

He grinned at her. “I wouldn’t trade the last thirty seven

years for even one day on Earth.”

Amazed, Seren stared at him. “But it’s so different. How

did you adjust?”

This time his laugh came out full and rich. “There’s no

adjusting. I simply accepted their world for what it is,” he

said, leaning forward. “The inhabitants of this planet take

their magic seriously.”

“I noticed.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think you realize to what degree they

take this stuff. On earth, magic was make-believe, here it’s

not.”

Before he had a chance to explain, a resounding crash

echoed through the house. Seren jerked to an upright

position. She faced the door, listening, trying to figure out

where the sound came from and what could have caused it

Leo jumped to his feet, heading to the door. “Oh, Lord, I

hope Master Largin didn’t turn the captain into a toad.”

Shocked, she untangled her legs and ran after him.

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Chapter Nine

Leo stopped in front of a door down the hall. Seren,

following close behind him, stumbled into his back. He

pounded on the wooden panel, calling out, “Master, are you

all right? Is the captain okay?”

Shuffling came from inside the room. “Yes, yes, Leo.

Nothing to worry yourself with. Just a little disturbance from

the storm.”

Seren, fearing the truth behind Leo’s earlier comment,

ducked under his arm. “Paladin? Are you in there?”

His deep voice carried through the door. “All is well,

Seren. Go, finish your visit. You needn’t worry for me.”

Relieved, she twisted to glare at Leo, lowering her voice.

“Don’t scare me like that.”

He tilted toward her, whispering, “Didn’t mean to, but it’s

true. Those wizards do some of the strangest things.”

“Even turn people into toads?”

“I’ve seen it happen.”

Without another word, he took her arm and escorted her

down the hall.

Once she was seated with another steamy cup of the tea-

like drink in her hands, Leo continued. “Wizards spit out

incantations all around. Our fairy tales touch the mere

surface of what they can do. The ones who care for the seven

great dragons, well, they’re the most powerful of them all.

They know how to do magic without spells.”

Apprehension battled with her newfound ease in this

place and won. “So it’s true. There are seven dragons ruling

this planet?”

Leo sat forward, placing his forearms on his knees. “At

one time there were seven, but right now, only six of ’em

gather. The seventh hasn’t been seen for a long time. Some

think it died out.” He glanced at her middle. “From what the

master says, the ones remaining have something planned for

this baby you’re carrying. Largin claims they brought you

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here just to give birth.”

Surprised he knew of her child, and more than a little

shocked at the verification of the dragon’s plans for her, she

set her cup on the table. Staring at him, she crossed her arms

over her abdomen, the need to protect her innocent child

utmost in her mind. “How do you know about my baby?”

“Master saw it in the scrying stone. He swears the vision

was fuzzy, but he saw the baby. Most of the time, he’s right

when he looks into that rock.”

“Did he see him born?”

Leo shrugged. “Didn’t tell me. Just that you were going to

have a baby and the captain was the father. Said the dragons

want one king to rule over them.” A deep furrow formed

between his brows. “I’ve never heard of a human giving birth

to a mixed breed. They’ll have to purify your blood.”

Puzzled, she asked. “Purify? You mean like a

transfusion?”

Leo shook his head. “The clan leaders have to gather to

perform a purification of your blood.”

“How?”

“Don’t know. Never seen it or even heard how it’s done.”

Seren stared at him. The solemn line of his mouth struck

a chord in her. This man should smile, but instead, he

worried about her and the baby. She looked toward the fire,

trying to absorb what he had told her.

She rested her head against the back of the chair.

“Paladin will know.”

“Yes ma’am, he should,” Leo agreed with a nod.

Seren smiled. “Stop calling me ma’am. You make me feel

old.”

Leo shifted in his chair, sat back and stretched his legs

out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. “I wouldn’t

feel right being disrespectful to you.”

She grunted. “You won’t be. Earth has changed a lot since

you left. Please, call me by my name. I’m Seren.”

They sat in the silence. She sorted through what Leo had

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told her. Tired of trying to understand, she glanced at him. “I

don’t know what to think. When I first came here, I was so

confused. I guess I’m still a little fuzzy.”

“It’s the gravity.”

She lifted a brow in question.

Leo grinned. “From what I can figure, Avaris is larger

than Earth, so the gravitational pull is a bit stronger. It’ll take

you a little while to get used to it.”

“Great, not only do I have to worry over the fact that I’m

having a baby dragon, I have to do it while I get used to the

gravity.” She rolled a look at the ceiling. How did these

people expect her to believe all these new aspects without

being skeptical?

“You’ll feel better after a while.”

“Well, by the time I give birth, I should be accustomed to

the pull. Nine months is a long time.” She started to say

something else, but the surprised look Leo aimed at her

stopped her.

“Didn’t the captain tell you?”

“What?”

“You won’t carry your baby nine months. The term for a

dragonseed is four months at the most. A third of the time a

normal human is carried. They develop faster.”

Seren’s mouth dropped open. “Four months?”

He nodded.

Eyes wide, adrenaline pumping, she sat straight. “So

that’s why I can feel him moving.”

“It won’t be long before you’ll be showing too.”

She met Leo’s eyes. “What am I having? Will this baby

come out looking like a dragon?”

Leo waved his hands. “No, no. He’ll be normal. It’s all the

magic in their blood. From what I’ve gathered over the years,

way back when humans first combined their blood with the

dragons, they were almost extinct on this planet. They

needed children. This helped them.”

“Because they could have more children in less time.”

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Amazed, she stared at him.

“That’s right. Also the children had fewer illnesses. A

minority, if any, died.”

A sharp thrill passed through Seren’s stomach. She

pressed her hand against her abdomen. If what Leo told her

was true, as long as nothing happened to him, her baby,

because of the magic in his blood, would live to adulthood.

* * * *

After Seren and Leo’s footsteps moved away from the

door, Paladin glanced at Largin. Under the weight of the

older man’s stare, he shifted.

The wizard continued to watch him, even raising a hand

to tap a finger on his chin in speculation. “You were always a

difficult dragonseed. Never wanting to comply with what was

expected of you. Captain of an airship, bah. What good does

that do your clan?”

Paladin turned his back to Largin, picked up a piece of

the shattered dragonstone, and studied the jagged ends. “It’s

none of your concern. My father approved of my choice.”

“Even the abandonment of your throne? I think not. If

your father had not died unexpectedly, he would have made

sure the crown went to you.”

“The royal advisors decided Rylen was better suited to

rule. I agreed.” He placed the stone on the table and took a

step back, concentrating his magic on the destroyed crystal.

Shards mixed with slivers of the stone trembled. They slid

over the table top. The pieces which were flung wide in the

explosion bounced on the floor then flew to the growing

mass on the table.

Fusing to each other, the broken stone reformed into its

original shape. When he finished, Paladin angled a glance at

Largin. The wizard, silent during the magical reconstruction

of the dragonstone, stood several feet away, observing him in

return.

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Largin shook his head, something akin to awe in his low

words. “To possess such power and still refuse to rule.”

Paladin grunted in agitation. “A good ruler doesn’t need

great power. My father agreed with me on this matter.”

“Rylen doesn’t. He resents your ability.” Largin walked to