Dragons and Mages: A Limited Edition Anthology

by Pauline Creeden

  “The old mage that taught me when I was a youngling had manuscripts that spoke of the past. That spoke of Caspa and the hybrids that lived there. There was a very rough path that would lead us to you, but we were forced to take a few detours along the way, to be sure that no-one would follow,” Ash explained.

  “Is that how you got your injuries?” Ember asked.

  Ash had forgotten that he had been hurt in the battle just before they had been found on the boarder of Caspa. His dragon magic was healing him, but clearly not quick enough if the wounds were still noticeable.

  “Yes my father had sent the deadliest dragon assassin we had. He found us in a small village. Unfortunately the village and it’s people were destroyed. Not by want on my part. I did all in my power to try and prevent it from happening. In the fire the manuscripts I wanted to bring to you were destroyed,” Ash replied truthfully.

  “But you were able to destroy this dragon that had followed you?”

  “We were.” Ash assured her.

  The relief in Ember’s eyes reached to a depth of his soul he had never visited before. There was also gratitude within her gaze, and Ash knew that he had gained her trust. Deciding to secure the deal even more he pushed on. “Ember, I know what my father did. But I am nothing like him, and neither is Blaze. We are honestly on your side. My father is either working with the fae or owes them a debt. I am not completely sure what it is,” Ash confided in her.

  “What makes you think this?” Ember asked.

  “Because before I left I walked in on a meeting with my father and the fae king. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear too much of it. But I believe this has been going on for many years. My father nearly killed me after the fae left. He doesn’t want me to pry, but when I went to visit the mage, he told me I had to leave to find you. That there is a darkness coming and you are the only one that can help me stop it,” Ash told her, he could see her mind working and understood the confused look on her face. This was hard for him to understand also. He still wasn’t sure how Ember was the answer.

  “How? How can I do that?” Ember asked finally.

  Ash shrugged slightly. “I won’t lie to you. I don’t know. I feel the answers were in the manuscript and they are no longer with us. I guess we will just have to figure it out ourselves. If you will let me stay and if you will be willing to help us?” Ash said hopefully.

  He held her gaze steadily and prayed that she would say yes. He didn’t know what he would do if she didn’t agree to take their side. That was, of course if, they would let him and Blaze leave alive.

  The time passed and it felt like a lifetime as Ash waited for Ember to speak, not once did he break her gaze. He didn’t dare. He needed her to see how honest he was. That they really didn’t mean any harm.

  “We will help you. It will take some convincing the others. Especially the boys. But understand that you have my word, that whatever this darkness is that is coming our way, you have an ally in the people of Caspa,” Ember vowed, causing Ash to break out in a genuine smile.

  “Thank you. It is much appreciated. Now, dare I ask that me and Blaze could possibly have a bath and some food,” Ash proposed.

  To his joy, Ember laughed standing as she did. “You are no longer our prisoners. You are free to treat Caspa as your home. But you will always be watched, Ash, and should you betray us, we will kill you.”

  Chapter 26

  Morgan took a deep breath allowing his senses to reach out and touch his home. He had flown most of the way back from Doterrian, but the last day’s travel had been done on foot. He wanted to feel the earth beneath his feet and get back in touch with Caspa as his elf self. Now stood at the edge of the red forest, he was glade he had made that choice. As much as he hadn’t wanted to leave the home of his mother, he knew that for now he was needed in Caspa. It would seem soon enough that he would be calling upon the elves for the army they had promised him. An army he would one day rule and lead.

  That was still something he was trying to process. That his uncle was the king of elves and that he was his heir. It was something he couldn’t wait to tell Ember, Obe and Jaxe. He had wondered, as he had travelled home, how they would take it. He was certain that they would be happy for him, especially as he would be able to bring them aid should the time come.

  As he stepped into the forest, a sudden rush of unease filled him. Something wasn’t right, there was a presence in Caspa that he didn’t know. He couldn’t work out if there was danger with this new energy or if they were safe. Whoever they were, they couldn’t be allies. Apart from the elves, the forgotten had no allies.

  Expanding his powers, calling for them to draw on this new source of life within the camp, he regretted it instantly. He found the new person, the two strangers that were currently wondering the camp, and his findings surprised him and angered him. He couldn’t understand why the race that had destroyed so many of their people, the race that were the very reason the forgotten had been forced to hide, were wandering freely through them. Why the hell had Ember allowed dragons loose? How the hell had dragons found them? They had been hidden for years.

  Adrenaline pulsed through him as he drew his sword and ran towards the camp, he didn’t care that there seemed to be no danger, he was damned if he was going to let these beasts live. He didn’t care if he was going against Ember and her orders. She had obviously been brainwashed or something, either way, this had to stop before it got out of hand. They could not become allies with the dragons. A figure stepped out in front him causing him to crash into their chest. Morgan stumbled back, turning his gaze up to lock eyes with Jaxe. The expression on the Demon’s face was one he knew so well. Disgust, and he could only assume that Jaxe was no happier about the guests in Caspa than he was.

  “Why did you stop me?” Morgan demanded once he had regained his composure.

  “Because you were about to do something stupid. No doubt thinking you could take out the dragons that are currently roaming the settlement. Trust me, I truly wish we could, but Ember insists they are our allies. I was hoping you would return soon, me and Obe have tried to reason with her but she won’t listen to our council. She never does when it comes to this sort of stuff, she only listens to you. So, put your sword away and come and speak with her,” Jaxe replied, stepping aside to fall into step with Morgan as they continued at a calmer pace towards the camp.

  “Who are they?” Morgan questioned, his sharp eyes scanning the faces not seeing the ones he sought. He supposed he should be grateful that the dragons weren’t near him, even with Jaxe right next to him, he wasn’t certain he still wouldn’t attempt to kill them.

  “Only the Prince of Ustrina and his friend.” Jaxe replied simply.

  Morgan shot him a look of surprise, he couldn’t be serious? The dragon prince was here in Caspa? This just confused Morgan more, making him dislike the situation even more. Something was so very wrong.

  Speeding up, needing to speak with Ember. The news he had could wait, this was a much more pressing matter. She clearly had lost her mind in the time he had been away. Flinging her hut doors open, he found her leaning casually against the fire place, her eyes fixed on him. Clearly she had sensed him and had been waiting for him to come.

  The slightly smirk on her lips unsettled him slightly. Morgan glanced at Jaxe who just shrugged.

  “Jaxe, will you leave us, please. Go and find Obe. I would like all of us to eat together tonight. Once I have filled Morgan in on our guests I am sure he will have plenty to tell us,” Ember said.

  As Morgan expected, Jaxe didn’t argue, instead he left them alone, though he knew that he was far from happy. Once the door had shut behind him, Morgan turned on his friend, not letting her speak first.

  “What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind? Allowing dragons on to our land. Allowing them to walk through our people freely. How can you even trust them not to kill us? You know that they don’t need materialistic weapons to destroy us,” Morgan fired, not even bothering to hide th
e anger in his tone.

  Ember didn’t say anything for some moments, she didn’t even flinch at his words which only fuelled his frustration.

  “You are pissed off with me. That doesn’t surprise me. Obe and Jaxe are also, and I do understand why. But I believe him when he says he brings us no harm,” Ember said, taking a seat on the rug by the fire.

  Morgan sighed deeply, removing his sword belt and sitting down next to her. He hated the idea of the son of their enemy wondering freely through the camp, but Ember felt he could trust him and his firebird had never been wrong in all the time he had known her. Running a hand through his long dark hair, tangled and tattered from his travels, he fixed his teal eyes on her. Burning his gaze deep into her soul, he searched for any dark magic or any reason why she would so suddenly trust the word of dragon.

  Ember didn’t resist him, she let him read her, let him in and Morgan was grateful when he found nothing foul mixing with her own powers.

  “Why? Why are they here? And why didn’t you tell me about them, Ember? Why didn’t you reach out to me and at least warn me of their visit?” Morgan questioned her.

  Ember shrugged slightly, and he noticed she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

  “I am not angry with you, I just want to know why?” he assured her.

  “Because I didn’t want to worry you. I knew that as soon as you would have found out you would have left Doterrian and travelled back. And I needed you there, I needed you to find out why I keep having these visions and what they mean. Though since the dragons have arrived I haven’t had any. In fact, I feel more at peace, more protected in a way. Which sounds insane, I know. Believe me, I am struggling to understand why that is. But I felt no threat from Ash the moment I met him,” Ember explained to him. “Did you find anything that would be of use to us?” she added, reminding Morgan of the manuscripts he had brought back with him.

  “I think the other two should be with us when I tell you what I found. After all they are just as worried about you, and I know they won’t take kindly to us talking about it without them,” Morgan suggested.

  “Do you think that it is of importance to the war of darkness that is coming?” Ember asked him, her question surprising him slightly.

  How did she know of this war of darkness? Then it dawned on him. The white dragon. He wondered if Ember knew that Ash was the white dragon of her dream? He guessed not, he was certain that if she did then she wouldn’t have been so welcoming.

  “I do know who he is, Morgan. It is why I have been waiting for you to return. And it is why I think that Ash and Blaze should be in here with us. They are our allies. They are willing to help us, and I think they should be part of any meetings we have on this matter. As much as you and Obe and Jaxe will protest. I lead you all, and this is my decision,” Ember told him firmly, not giving Morgan the chance to argue, though he could tell by the look on her face that there was no point in trying to. She was a stubborn creature and he had learnt when to pick the fights with her. This was not the time, and what she said made sense.

  “Fine. Call them in then. I have something else I need to tell you all also. Something that I found out about myself and that will be a great help to us should this war come,” Morgan said.

  Ember sent him a look of impatience at having to wait on this news, but it had been her that had said they needed to call the other four. He felt her reach down their connection calling on Obe and Jaxe, ordering them to bring the dragons also.

  It didn’t take long for the four of them to arrive and for Morgan to get his first look at the dragon prince. He wasn’t what Morgan had expected. He thought Ash would have been built bigger than Jaxe. Instead, he was petite compared to the demon, but Morgan was certain he could match them all in strength. There was no royal air about him, in fact, he looked like a servant. Dressed in basic clothes, long blonde hair pulled back in a loose plait, those violet eyes of his scanning the room before falling on Morgan. Morgan couldn’t help the smirk that spread across his lips at the unease that settled in the dragon’s gaze. Morgan found himself not in the least bit threatened by the dragon.

  “So, what is it you have found, Morgan? What is so important that Ember feels that the dragons have the right to be here? Jaxe questioned, the tone in his voice telling him that he was pissed, if not furious at the fact Ember had allowed the dragons in.

  “Jaxe I would appreciate if you dropped the attitude and accepted my decision. We can’t move forward if we allow hostility to cloud our judgement,” Ember spoke before Morgan had the chance to answer.

  “She is right, Jaxe. We have to at least give these dragons a chance,” Obe agreed.

  “These dragons that are stood right here.” The red headed dragon injected.

  Ember shot him a look before turning to Morgan. “Before you tell us what you have learned, let me introduce you to Prince Ashran and his friend Blaze.”

  “Pleasure to meet the Prince of Ustrina,” Morgan said, politely dropping his head in respect.

  “Stop with the etiquette Morgan. They do not deserve it. They are not royalty here,” Jaxe snorted.

  “That may be, Jaxe, but he is still a Prince,” Morgan pointed out, just as Ash stepped between them holding his hands out in peace.

  “I appreciate your courtesy, Morgan, and I understand how difficult this is. But as I said to Ember, we bring you nothing but friendship. Now I would be keen to know just what you have learnt, Morgan,” Ash said.

  Morgan looked to each of one of the group before reaching into his cloak to pull out the book Arun had given him just before he left. Placing it down on the table they were all stood around tapping it gently. “This is the best we have that could possibly make sense of things.”

  “Does it explain my visions?” Ember asked.

  “Visions? What visions? You never mentioned them to me in our talk the other day,” Ash spoke up.

  “She doesn’t have to disclose everything to you dragon,” Obe snapped.

  Morgan glanced at his friend and he saw a flash of jealousy in the Fae hybrid’s eyes. An emotion he had never known Obe to experience. Did he feel threatened by the dragon? Was there something more going on that he didn’t know about? Had something happened between Ember and Ash? He decided that was a conversation he would address another time.

  “She does if she expects us to be allies,” Ash fired back.

  “Stop you two! Ash is right, I should have told him about the visions.” Ember stepped in, before turning her full attention onto Ash.

  Morgan didn’t miss the look of hurt on Obe’s face, and he found himself extending a private voice of support. Obe flicked his gaze to Morgan giving him a slight smile of gratitude.

  “Before Morgan left, I had visions of a village, my village burning. The flames caused by a white dragon…” Ember trailed off, clearly waiting for Ash to understand the meaning behind it all. The realisation of her words finally registered with the dragon.

  “I am the only white dragon that lives. But I swear to you, Ember, I would never harm you and your people,” Ash spoke sincerely.

  “Maybe your visions aren’t showing you Ash being the one destroying your people, but the one actually coming to save you? To fight for you?” Blaze suggested.

  Morgan glanced around the group, he could tell that they were all considering Blaze’s point. It was a valid theory. Morgan remembered what Arun had said just before he had left him. That he wouldn’t be surprised if they would soon be forming an alliance with the dragons. Was Ember really seeing that alliance? After all, the white dragon was stood before them seeking their help.

  “It is a likely theory. Arun, the elf that helped me to search through the manuscript, said it was likely that an alliance with the dragons would happen soon enough. That there was a much darker force coming for us,” Morgan told them, before turning to face Ember.

  “This book doesn’t just tell us of the history of dragons. It also mentions your father, Ember. It seems you are the daughter of Elyon. He is th
e angel of redemption and acceptance, and from the royal family of the angels. There is nothing of your mother as yet, but it would explain the power in you,” Morgan explained.

  A silence fell over the room at his revelation. Morgan ignored the others, keeping his focus on Ember. She seemed to be taking the discovery well. He supposed he should have known she would. It wasn’t a bad discovery at all, she now knew who her father was.

  “Wow. I sensed a power so great in you when I first entered the room, but I never even thought that you were descended from angel royalty,” Ash finally broke the silence.

  “Well, neither did I. But that doesn’t change anything. Yes, my father is still alive and maybe I will find him, but for now we have more important things to focus on. Like reading through the rest of this book and seeing if there is any clue as to what is about to happen,” Ember said, opening the book and starting to leaf through the pages. “This is in a tongue I don’t know,” she added glancing, at Morgan just as Obe leaned into look.

  Morgan smiled slightly knowing he would understand it.

  “I can help, Morgan. I understand the ancient language of the elves. It is the same as the fae,” Obe stated.

  “There is one more thing I discovered. Something regarding my bloodline,” Morgan added, not sure he was ready to share such with the dragons but knowing he didn’t have much of a choice.

  “What?” Jaxe prompted.

  Morgan swept a gaze over the five expectant faces, taking a deep breath before answering. “It seems that the king of elves is my mother’s brother. My uncle. And I am his heir. They have promised us the army should we ever need it, and always give us aid. It is why they have always been so generous to us. Why they have gifted us our swords.”

  “Your swords are of elf steal? Wow! That is one of the only things that can kill a dragon. The magic and power held within an elf blade is beyond anything we can fight,” Blaze said.