Dragon Wish (31 page)

spoke, hoping what she believed was true. If so then she’d

found a bargaining weapon against him. “You can’t harm

me.”

A low rumble came from the long neck.
“That may be so,

but I can hurt the ones you care for. Do you desire that?”

Her heart thudded then sped to a frantic pace. “What do

you want from me?”

“Human, get on my back. The lesser king demands you

come to him. He wishes to see this One Dragon King you

carry.”

Renewed fear for her child crawled over her back. Seren

lifted her chin, determined not to allow her terror to show.

“And if I refuse, you will continue killing the people here.

Destroying their peaceful city.”

“I care not what happens to these weak creatures.”

A slight flicker appeared in the dragon’s eyes. Did he lie?

“But your master is human. Don’t you care about him?”

The dragon shifted its head back several inches, blinked

and mewled.
“It pleases me to follow his dictates for now.”

“And when you are finished with him, he’ll be destroyed

too?”

The giant beast whipped its neck so it looked down the

line of its nose at her, haughty, untouchable for someone low

on the food chain like her. Its roar thundered in the enclosed

gardens.
“I am Arcane. One day, I will reign over all rogue

dragons. No human, wizard, or dragon will dictate over

me. Even now, this lesser king deludes himself into thinking

he controls my actions.”

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Seren blinked, her mind rushing with the realization that

this beast was the one Paladin had told her about. He’d

called him a rogue beast. She called upon what little bravery

she found inside and asked. “Then why? Why are you doing

this?”

“I gain great power each time I use my magic on lesser

dragons. Once vanquished, their magic belongs to me. After

a time, none will defeat me. Avaris will then know the

dragons’ true strength. Not as protectors, but as the true

rulers over the planet. The strongest will lead.”

“It won’t happen. Paladin will stop you from hurting

anyone else. You are a wicked beast. Only pain and suffering

will come to you.”

“Silence.”
The roar rebounded off the walls of the garden.

Seren jerked, a flash of renewed fear rushing in her veins.

When Arcane grunted again, his tone came out low and

calm.
“Do you not know what I have suffered from the

hands of both humans and dragons? I was not to be. I was

hunted, captured, tortured, and intentionally wounded so I

would die. But I did not. I fought to live.”

Seren frowned. “Who did this to you?”

“The ones who feared what I and my fellow hatchlings

would become.”

She waited for him to go on, but he just stared at her.

Empathy for him made her look at him with a little more

understanding. Still, his actions were wrong. His pain didn’t

justify the death and destruction. He wanted revenge. He

was selfish.

“So you’re proving them right by the way you’re acting. Is

that satisfaction enough for you?”

The long neck curved in a loop. Eyes narrowed, his

nostrils widened.
“Enough of your logic. Climb on my neck.”

“If I do, will you swear not to harm this city?”

Low rumbling laughter came from his throat. He tilted

his head. The long line of his lips curled up.
“But of course. It

is such a simple matter to swear.”

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She had no choice. If leaving with him guaranteed the

good people in this city would live, she would go. Seren

stepped nearer. A clawed front hand reached out and

grasped her around her waist. He lifted her to the top of his

neck. She straddled the width and laid her hands flat.

“I won’t fall off, will I?”

“Will it matter if you do?”

Bravado came out in her words. “No, I guess it won’t

matter. After all, I can fly now.”

Another deep chuckle escaped the beast.
“Of course you

can.”

His wings spread. They moved great gusts of air around

the garden. Trees limbs swayed outward. Grass bent over

and leaves lifted off the ground, carried by the unnatural

wind currents.

When the beast took off, Seren caught the sound of her

name shouted. She glanced in the direction of the gate she’d

entered to see Leo and Calis rushing from the protective tree

line. Calis came to a stop. He dropped to one knee, a large

bow stretched in his hands, ready to fire an arrow with what

appeared to be a harpoon tip.

Seren screamed, hoping he’d hear above the beat of

wings. He had to stop. The weapon was useless against this

dragon. “Don’t do it. I’m leaving of my own free will.”

Leo leapt at Calis, hands stretched out to grab him. “No!

You’ll hurt Seren.”

With one blink of her eyes, the arrow shot free at the

same time Arcane swung his tail. The long tail swept over the

ground, taking bushes, flowers, and a couple of trees out

before crashing into the two men, sending them flying

several feet off the ground to land on the edge of the open

area. The arrow grazed against the dragon’s cheek, slicing a

furrow below his eye.

Under her hands, tension increased in Arcane’s neck. He

drew in a deep breath, prepared to release his dragon fire.

She lay flat against his neck and shouted to him. “You swore.

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Don’t break your promise. If you do, I’ll jump off. I’ll allow

my son’s power to protect me and this city.”

She didn’t truly believe what she said. But he had to

accept it. Nothing else mattered. If he left with her, chances

for survival of all the inhabitants in the city, Leo and Calis

included, increased.

The dragon straightened into a rigid, upright position. He

stayed silent, unmoving for several moments. Seren waited

as her gaze searched the garden below. She found the two

men, their bodies crumpled and unmoving, a good distance

from where the tail had struck them.

“Very well, human.”
Arcane muttered. His wings moved

faster. His body leveled out, and he lifted away into the night

sky. Seren, a single tear rolling down her cheek, kept her

focus on Leo and Calis until she could no longer see them.

She decided then that this beast along with the king he spoke

of would pay.

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Exhausted from trying to stay balanced on the broad neck

of the rogue dragon, Seren struggled to keep her eyes open.

The further from Durfalin the dragon flew, the more hope of

escaping and finding Paladin dwindled. Paladin would never

allow harm to come to her or their son. She yearned to see

him, hear his voice, and touch his warm skin. Fighting panic

born from fearful exhaustion, she focused on the gentle

movements in her stomach.

The air currents grew colder. The sea below turned into

frozen peaks of rocks and wide stretches of tundra. In the

distance, a towering white castle stretched sleek and majestic

to the sky. Outlined by the dark night, the dim light revealed

the seclusion of the place. Protected by the surrounding cliffs

covered in fir trees, the only entrance was a road which

twisted and turned up steep inclines until it ended at the

gates. At least ten turrets rose from the stone walls of the

octagon double curtain walls.

Arcane swooped down. He glided to a wide veranda on

one of the upper towers. Blue flame torches, set in holders,

bracketed the wide archway into the tower. The flames

fluttered in the cold breeze. Clutching the balcony’s edge

with his clawed back feet, Arcane lowered his head so Seren

could slide off.

All those hours on Arcane’s neck had left her legs numb.

They refused to hold her up when her feet hit the stone and

she fell back. She landed on her rear unable to move her legs

right away. The chilly stone of the balcony went through her

clothes and seeped into her skin. She shivered. Tingling set

up in her muscles and she gasped.

Soft, deep laughter came from the opening to the tower.

“Well done, my friend. Soon my brother will follow, and I

will have my ultimate revenge. His head.”

The words ended with a low chuckle. Seren stared at the

darkened opening. A slender young man, dressed in a

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flowing white robe over his pants and shirt, stepped into the

bluish light. Seren gasped. Prettier, thinner, and his hair a

whiter hue than Paladin’s, this man couldn’t be anyone but

his brother. Their features resembled each other too much to

be a coincidence.

He reached her side. Seren stared wide-eyed and open-

mouthed at him.

“Come, my dear, surely my brother spoke of me to you.”

He held out a hand. She glanced at the slender fingers. She

shook her head.

“No? Pity. He should have.”

“Don’t touch me.” She slid her numbed legs under her

and stood. Trembling with fatigue, she glanced at him. He

met her stare. She sucked in a breath at the strange aura

darkening his eyes. A purplish black rimmed the outer edge

of the whites with a dusky veil coating them.

The baby moved. His eyes shifted to her waistline.

“So my nephew is aware of me, is he?”

“Not really. He’s just waking up.”

A slow, half-smile formed on his lips. “I am Rylen,

Paladin’s brother, King of the White Dragon clan. And you

are?”

“Don’t placate me. You know who I am.”

The smile broadened. He was a pretty man, but she saw

nothing but emptiness in his eyes. She found no trace of

compassion in them. Seren, for the first time since arriving,

feared for her child. “What do want with me?”

He raised his right hand and flicked a lock of her hair.

“Why your life, of course.”

Seren stepped back. “That’s not funny.”

“You stand in my way. You and the child.”

The iciness of his voice and cold look terrified her, but the

way he spoke, his actions, infuriated her. How dare he

believe he would take the one thing she wanted most in life?

“Do we? Well, that’s too bad, isn’t it?”

He chuckled, not bothered by her pretension. His eyes

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shifted to where Arcane waited. “She has strength. You did

not expect that, did you?”

The huge dragon grunted low, the sound forming words

to Seren.
“Matters not. She and the child will die.”

Her anger rose at the audacity of the two. Seren pivoted

and glared at the dragon. “Dream on. You, along with you,”

she pointed from Arcane to Rylen, “will never harm my child.

I’ll see you both dead first. Now if you don’t mind, I’m tired.”

Rylen smirked at her. He reached out, his hand open to

strike her. Several inches from her cheek, he stopped. The

smirk disappeared. He pushed against the air separating

them, but couldn’t draw any closer. For a moment, Seren

didn’t understand, and then she saw a barrier, full of golden

magical particles encompassing her entire body.

The time had arrived for her to gloat. “Not as easy as you

figured, eh?”

He drew back. “For now, I will abide by your desires, but

soon, the protection will not be enough to save you. This I

say, this I swear,” he muttered, an evil expression twisting

his face. In the next moment, icy control cleared his features.

He held out his arm in the direction of the entrance to the

castle.

“If you please, my lady, I will escort you to your quarters.”

She inclined her head and followed him. When she stood

in the doorway, she glanced over her shoulder at the rogue

dragon. His stare cut through her. Hatred and bitterness

reflected in his cold eyes. She sent a silent plea to Paladin.

She desperately needed him.

* * * *

rotting bodies was carried by the wind. The scent reached

Paladin long before the city came into view. Need to leap

from the ship and fly the remaining distance ate at him, but

he waited. The unknown lay ahead of him. Better he and his

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crew approached with care, prepared for the unexpected.

Seren’s face, alight with laughter, flashed in his mind. A