Dragon Wish (7 page)

visions.

If Lior wanted to give him a child, why do it this way? The

baby would battle against Seren in his effort to survive.

Paladin stared into his tankard. Sorrow mixed with guilt over

touching her.

For all Lior’s help, the great white dragon chose the

wrong female for his child’s vessel. No matter her reasoning,

Lior should have found a different woman, another

dragonseed, to carry his child. Not a full blooded human. He

intended to assist Seren in her search to find a different way

home, yet he dreaded the idea of having to approach the

dragons to request help. The overlarge beasts were at the

best of times temperamental. He never knew what to expect

from them.

There was also the strong possibility of her miscarrying.

This weighed heavy against her. To his memory, no woman

without dragon blood had ever transfused their human blood

for dragons in order to give birth, nor to his knowledge, had

one carried a full-term dragonseed babe.

These other women had been born and lived on Avaris all

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their lives. Their blood soaked in the magic from the planet,

but even this had little effect on the outcome of their terms.

The babes had always died, taking the mother with them.

Seren had human blood from Earth, a place where magic lay

dormant under the inhabitants’ disbeliefs. He cringed. Their

child had little to no chance of survival.

Yet another son of his was destined to die. He had been

careless. Last evening, with all the drink, he’d allowed his

staunch guard to slip. He had needed a woman, any woman

to fill the emptiness inside him. For just once, he had desired

a woman to want him, not because of his ancestry, but

because of him. Now, he’d have their deaths on his

conscience.

She set her tankard on the table. The sound pulled him

out of his morose thoughts. He smiled at her. Her eyes

widened, and then she lowered her gaze to her plate.

When he saw she had eaten a sizable amount and showed

no sign of partaking more, he stood, offering her his hand.

She looked at him, watching his every move.

His stare wandered over the fragile length of her neck to

the sweet slope of her breasts where her shirt gaped. “I travel

to the Black Dragon stronghold of Velhavin. We will detour

to Dene and speak with Leo, the other off-worlder. He is a

close friend with a powerful wizard there. Perhaps, we can

discover from him another pathway to Earth. From there, we

will decide what to do next.”

A spark of hope flared in her eyes. She stared at him,

chewing on her bottom lip. From the expression on her face,

she considered reaching the other off-worlder. For now, that

was fine. She had enough to worry about with her arrival on

Avaris. He, however, had decided. Her future and his were

tied to each other. He refused to let her slip away from him.

He slid his fingers under her arm, and helped her stand.

“Come, we must be off. The winds are picking up. The time is

best to depart while they are strong.”

“I get sea sick easily,” she blurted out a second before

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they reached the front door of the common room.

He chuckled, her innocent response on venturing into the

unknown cast a bit of light on his darkened thoughts.

“Indeed, that would cause a problem if we traveled across

the seas.” Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the look she

aimed at him, a frown marring her heart-shaped face. “You

will see soon enough.”

Still holding her arm, he moved through the door which

led to the inn yard. Her pulse jumped under his fingertips. It

annoyed him that her fear and nervousness increased with

each step. He’d give anything to calm her fear.

Wide-eyed, she surveyed the locals scurrying throughout

the yard. She gasped, coming to a complete stop. He glanced

in the direction she stared. The Solrai moon floated white

and full in the blue sky. Shadowing the pearly circle, the

second moon appeared in crescent shape.

He leaned closer to better hear her soft words. Her hand

trembled as she pointed toward the moons. “There’s a design

in the center. On the surface. How did it get there? It’s a

moon. That’s impossible, isn’t it?”

For a moment, he stared at the silvered disc in the sky.

The dragon skull image covering the entire surface appeared

normal and comforting to him.

“Why would it not be possible?” He’d never realized how

different her world was from his. Books told the basic facts,

of how each planet had a moon in orbit around it. He could

not recall if Earth had one or two moons. Still, how different

were these when compared to her world’s moon? Her strange

ideas intrigued him more with each second he spent in her

company.

She frowned at him and lowered her hand. “They’re in

outer space. Thousands of miles away. You’d need a space

ship to fly there along with several decades to do something

of that magnitude. ”

He tilted his head, enjoying the wide-eyed surprise

mingled with amazement etched on her features. “It may be

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impossible for your world but not ours. Great magic formed

the dragon’s skull which marks the Solrai moon. In turn, the

moon guides our world.”

“How? How does it guide you?” She pulled backward.

“In the ways of our lives.” Paladin smiled, realizing he

had confused her more. Without knowing how to explain the

answer she needed, he released her arm. He started to walk

once more, drawing away from her while he spoke. “The

moons show us the seasons, planting crops, wars, all things,

including the times of birth.”

Seren’s wooden clogs clopped over the cobblestones in

the yard. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Good,

she followed. Silence reigned between them for several

minutes while they moved away from the inn and onto the

path leading into the main section of the port city. Each time

she lagged, she came to a halt, staring at what he assumed

was something exotic to her. Paladin slowed and waited,

giving her time to assimilate the differences of their worlds.

Excitement raced through him like a dragonseed who’d

just gained their wings and had taken flight for the first time.

He couldn’t understand why, but he wanted her to be pleased

with his ship. Perhaps it was his guilt over knowing that he

was responsible for her presence here, but reality told him it

was more than that. He liked her, enjoyed being with her,

and genuinely wanted her to be happy here. He was proud of

his vessel, and he wanted her to think it spectacular.

A gift from his deceased father, he took great pride in the

vessel. Sleek and swift, the air ship cut through the skies like

his blade through the flesh of his enemies. He moved away

from her, beginning the trek to the dock,

When too much distance formed between them, Seren

called to him, “Wait up.”

“Fear not, I will never leave you. My responsibilities are a

duty I always tend to,” he said over his shoulder.

Once she reached his side, she spoke, icy anger lacing her

words. “I am not your duty, nor your responsibility.”

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Paladin chuckled. “Are you not? How do you expect to

survive without me to fulfill your needs and offer protection

until you reach Dene?”

She remained silent for a few seconds, so he continued.

“Do you realize how vulnerable you are? You have no

knowledge of the customs of our world. How do you expect

to survive if you leave my side?”

“Just shut up, will you?” she snapped.

Several feet in front of her, his back to her, he grinned,

confident she wouldn’t notice and become more irritated

with him. Seren’s fiery spirit held great promise for her

ability to cope in this world. He sobered a second later. If she

survived, that is.

The stone path leading from the inn to the docks

overflowed with vendors and customers. He sidestepped a

child that darted into his path. When he realized the child

might collide with Seren, he reached out, snatching the

young one by the collar, halting him.

“Not so fast. There’s too many people here for your

speed,” he warned the boy. The youngster nodded, his

attention on Paladin’s face

The innocence in the child’s eyes sparked the sorrow of

his loss. A son to hold, to teach…to love. But now, Paladin

had nothing except the black box which was sealed with

magic and encased the remains of his wife and child. Even

the child resting within Seren held little promise it would

survive until birth.

The squirming boy slipped from his numb fingers.

Paladin turned his face away lest Seren see the raw pain he

experienced. The boy ran, dodged through the crowd and

disappeared. Desire reared. It brushed against the searing

pain of his loss. Need for a son from his body to race ahead of

him, laughing and full of life was something he’d given up

hope of ever gaining.

Seren placed a hand in the middle of his back, catching

his attention. He didn’t turn, just started walking forward,

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glad for the interruption.

Her voice, filled with curiosity, reached him above the

rapid tap-tap of her clogs. “Why is everyone staring at you?

Are you so different? Do they know who you are? Or are you

an oddity here?”

Shaking off his melancholy, he welcomed her

inquisitiveness. He assumed she meant the way he was

formed and his features. “They stare because of my heritage.

The white dragon clan is well known, but few have the

opportunity to see one of my blood. My clan members do not

travel across Avaris much. They prefer to trade closer to our

homeland.”

“So you’re like a famous person?”

He stopped and shook his head. “By famous, do you

mean high status of birth or placing?”

“Popularity.”

“Ah.” Of course, the world she came from judged each

other in such a fashion. Was this why she never spoke of a

special person waiting for her on Earth? Did her kinsmen

view her unsuitable because she refused to have another

child? If so, then her yearning to return to a world which

didn’t accept what she desired seemed odd to him. Few, even

on Avaris, possessed the strength to stand against what

society viewed to be right. Only the strong ones refused to

allow the world’s dictates to rule them.

“Hurry, Seren. Time is slipping by. My crew awaits us.”

He steeled his features and faced her, his hand extended

before him to guide the way.

His steps lengthened, but his speed did not. The tap-

tapity from her clogs told him she stayed with him. Paladin’s

hearing was keyed to the sound so when it stopped, he

glanced over his shoulder. He suppressed the need to laugh

out loud.

The look on her face seemed a cross between surprise and

shock. Turning to the direction in which she stared, he saw

what had stopped her. A group of Felerians, all females,

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washed and rinsed their brightly-colored clothing at a

freshwater stone drain. Singing one of their native songs

while they worked, the group failed to notice they’d captured

Seren’s attention. He tried to see them in the same manner

she did.

Unable to comprehend why she found them so odd, he

moved closer. He leaned down to study her. “Do you not

have females like these in your world?”

“They’re cats. Animals. But they’re shaped like humans.”

Stormy gray eyes, glazed with amazement, rose to meet his.

“I don’t understand?”

“Then do not. Simply accept, because you will never fully

understand the why,” he remarked. “The Felerians have

existed for thousands of years. They are a gentle, but

mischievous clan.”

Her eyes widened. “Clan?”

“Of course,” he said, taking her by the arm and leading

her away. “There are a few males aboard my ship. Perhaps if

you speak to them you will become more accustomed.”

When she raised her hand to brush across her forehead,

he noticed it tremble. She spoke low, “I don’t know if I can

ever become accustomed. It’s a little overwhelming. I don’t

feel good.”

“In time, your distress will end. Look.” He pointed toward