by James, Jacki
Azaran
The Brotherhood of Ormarr Book One
Jacki James
Copyright © 2019 by Jacki James
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Edited by TRIBE Editing
Cover design by:
Jay Aheer www.simplydefinedart.com
People in images are models and should not be connected to the characters in the book. Any resemblance is incidental.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
About the Author
The Brotherhood of Ormarr Series
Also by Jacki James
Chapter One
Azaran
We were all tired and hot and sweaty at this point. I could tell the boys had all had as much as they could take for one morning. I’d worked them hard, starting with weapons training using the training dummies, and then moving on to them fighting each other. That was Zale’s favorite exercise, but even he’d had enough by the time we were done. We switched over to Dim Mak training, which wasn’t as physically demanding, while they caught their breath.
I watched as Eeli took Malachite down to his knees and couldn’t help but grin. He’d been studying the pressure points and was getting much more efficient. Because he was in school during the day, evenings and weekends were the only times he had to practice, but he worked twice as hard during those times and it showed. I watched as Zale and Eeli teased Malachite about being brought down by the much smaller, younger man. Of all the martial arts, Dim Mak was my favorite, and I was glad Eeli had taken to it. There was something I loved about disabling an opponent by simply pressing on a pressure point. It was quick, efficient, and wasn’t messy.
I appreciated that because as members of the Brotherhood of Ormarr there were times when our missions were very messy. People didn’t contact the council for help unless the situation was dire. Normally, that meant our opponents were desperate; for what, depended on the assignment. More often than not, in the end, it all came down to one of two things—money or power. I had no interest in money; although, I had plenty. As far as power went, well, I wished I could give some of that away sometimes, but that wasn’t my fate. My fate was to protect innocents and to train my three brothers to do the same. Because what we did was dangerous, their lives depended on how good of a job I did.
We continued to run through some basic moves; practicing, locating, and applying force to the appropriate pressure points. Eventually, though, I could tell I was losing them because they started goofing around. I debated giving them another lecture about how serious this was and how important the training was, but I decided that wasn’t what they needed at all.
“It’s almost lunchtime. How about some air time first, and then we can find something to eat?”
“Man, that sounds great; my arm has been itchy all morning. Kesia is in the mood to play,” Malachite said, grinning. He loved time up in the air; he was born to fly.
Eeli sighed, looking dejected. “Want me to go in and start lunch?” he asked.
“No, you ride with me.”
“Awesome!” he exclaimed.
We all moved to our spots like ball players on base, except for Eeli who waited off to the side. “Aroko,” which meant rise, was said in unison. You could feel the magick in the air as the tattoo on my left bicep came to life, moving on my arm. Red swirls of energy emanated from the tattoo and grew in size. Once it reached about the size of a dump truck, there was a popping sound and the swirls of energy bounced back to my tattoo, leaving a massive red dragon standing there.
Ready to go for a fly? I asked silently.
Ready to go for a ride? she responded, also using the telepathic link all dragon riders had with their dragons.
Eeli is coming, too.
Is Bodhi with him?
“Eeli, Sindri wants to know if Bodhi is coming.”
“She’s right here,” Eeli said, and I glanced over to see a little purple dragon’s head about the size of a small dog poking her head out of Eeli’s shirt.
She is Sindri.
Good, the little dragon needs to fly.
“Okay, Eeli come on.” I motioned for him to come with me as I climbed up and settled on Sindri’s back, and he hurried to comply. I looked over at my other brothers, pleased to see them ready to go. Malachite was sitting on the back of Kesia, a huge green dragon. His dragon was the largest which made sense considering Malachite’s size. Zale was on Itsaso, a blue dragon who was as beautiful as Zale was. Early on, our dragons had taken on traits that resembled us. I didn’t want to think too much about what it said about me that my dragon was a red and black, fire breathing, surly grouch. I shook my head and yelled, “To the air.”
Sindri ran at the edge of the cliff. As she leaped over the edge, she unfurled her giant wings and we took off. I checked to make sure Malachite and Zale were with us and they were. We soared high into the clouds, and then swooped down toward the water below. We went low enough to feel the ocean spray on our faces before Sindri flapped her wings and we shot back up. Our house sat high on top of a set of cliffs that overlooked the Pacific Ocean and was bordered on the north by a grove of trees. That was where we were headed as we skimmed the edge of the cliff, close enough to touch. Of course, you’d have to be an idiot to reach out since at the speed we were traveling it would easily break your hand. Malachite flew past us, his dragon in a hurry to get to the woods, while Zale trailed behind, hesitant to leave the sea.
I could stay up in the air like this forever. It was the one place I truly felt free, like all my burdens were left on the ground and they couldn’t reach me up here.
We kept various training things set up on our property, and I thought Eeli would enjoy having a little fun. Sindri, I thought, Let’s go light some fires.
She roared in response and broke off from the others as she pointed her head up, increasing our speed, taking us higher. We went up through the clouds and back down over the ocean, again; this time staying low and turning to the left along our beach. She flew past the stacks of wood we’d arranged bonfire style, and then suddenly turned, barrel rolling and swooping back toward the stacks.
“Woo Hoo!” I heard Eeli yell from behind me and I smiled. He was still with us. The last couple of times Sindri barrel rolled with Eeli on, we’d lost him, which was why we only did it low to the ground. This time, he managed to stay on.
With a roar that sounded fiercer than most, Sindri let out a breath of fire, taking out the first stack. She turned and flew between the burning stack and the next one, circling around and lighting it up as well. Then she flew straight at the third one, pulling up just before we hit it, going straight up. Then doing a quick flip in the air, we spiraled down toward the stack. At the last minute, Sindri turned out toward the ocean, lighting up the last stack as we went by.
“Now you’re just showing off,” Eeli shouted to Sindri; Bodhi chortling in agreement. As we flew by Zale, he moved in
to formation, and we headed north where Malachite was playing chase with a red-tailed hawk. When he saw us, he too fell into formation. We swooped out over the water, and then back into the open cave in the side of the cliff. We skidded to a stop on our landing pad. Eeli and I hopped off Sindri, while Zale and Malachite got off their dragons. Their faces were flushed from the salty sea air, and their eyes were bright from flying.
“Arata,” which meant return, we said, and the swirls of energy returned to replace our dragons. But because we were home, they didn’t return to our tattoos. Instead, they transformed into their wyrmling form, which was basically a dog-sized dragon, and all scampered to the stairs and up to the house. Malachite and Zale headed up after them, but Eeli hung back.
“You’re doing great you know,” I said, slinging my arm around his shoulders and guiding him toward the stairs.
He let out a deep sigh. “No, I’m not. I should be fully bonded with Bodhi by now. I don’t know why I can’t get it. I want to fly; she wants to fly. I don’t know why we can’t get it together. Instead, because I keep messing up, I’m stuck on the ground and she’s stuck small.”
“Eeli, you’re putting in the work and you’re trying. That’s all you can do. It’ll happen, I promise. Now let’s go grab some lunch.”
Chapter Two
Tobias
I was so sick of meetings. I swear we had more committee meetings, and leadership meetings, and business meetings than we had patients. But this one was always my least favorite, the monthly financial report meeting. I got into medicine because I wanted to save lives, not because I wanted to argue about the merits of one treatment over another from a strictly financial perspective. As far as I was concerned, that was what was wrong with medicine today. There was a time when the local doc treated everyone in town, and if the people couldn’t pay with money, they paid in whatever way they could. If only Mrs. Edmonds could pay with knitted beanies and scarves, we’d be able to treat her with the best possible method versus what her cut-rate insurance company said they’d pay for.
“Look, gentlemen, we all agree that the first drug I recommended gives Mrs. Edmonds the best chance at a full recovery. The one the insurance wants to use instead will prolong her life, true, but it won’t cause her to go into remission.”
“But we aren’t sure the first drug will work. We’d have to eat the cost over what the insurance will pay and her results might be the same,” Jeremy Sanders, the clinic manager and resident penny pincher, said.
“There are never any guarantees. But what I do know is the first drug is the best choice by an overwhelming measure, and you know how I know that? Because I’m her doctor. Are you a doctor, Jeffery? Because last time I checked, an MBA from Harvard doesn’t qualify you to practice fucking medicine. The last time you argued with me we sent the Simmons boy home when I said he needed more tests and he almost died. Dead. Just to save a few thousand bucks on an MRI and an overnight hospital bed. The only thing that saved you from a malpractice suit was that he collapsed at school and they got him here in time.”
“I’m giving her the first drug. It’s the one she needs. And I’m sick and tired of having my recommendations questioned.” I stood up and stormed from the room. Aware that in a matter of minutes, I’d probably be out of a job. But at this point, I didn’t really care. Maybe I should open a doctor’s office in a small town somewhere and leave all this behind. Treat the patients as I saw fit and fuck big pharma. I went to my office and shut the door. I closed my eyes and waited; it wouldn’t be long before they sent Cathy down to talk to me. She was Jeffery’s second-in-command and got to do all his dirty work. She was actually a decent person, but it was rarely pleasant when she came to talk to you.
Sure enough, no more than fifteen minutes passed before I heard the knock on the door. “Come in, Cathy,” I called out.
“What the hell were you thinking, Tobias?”
“I was thinking I wanted to give my patient the best possible treatment.”
“Regardless of cost?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.
“Yes, regardless of cost. I’m sick and tired of having to compromise on care because of cost. Mrs. Edmond’s life is just as valuable as anyone else’s. Just because she cleans offices at night instead of being one of the corporate drones in one of the corner offices doesn’t mean she shouldn’t get our best.”
“Look, you’re suffering from burnout. Being a doctor is stressful, and the thing with the Simmons boy has you on edge. You don’t deal well with feeling like you missed something important.”
“Oh, fuck no, Cathy. You will not change the narrative and put that on me. I didn’t miss a damn thing. I said there was a problem. But they denied my order for tests, and he almost died.”
“Okay, Tobias, okay.” She put her hands up in surrender. “Here’s the deal. Jeremy wanted to pull your privileges, but you’re a popular doctor so that wouldn’t be smart for the bottom line. So instead, you get to take a vacation. Two weeks minimum to give you both time to cool off.” She stood and walked to the door, but before she walked out, she got in her parting shot. “Oh, and while you’re on vacation, stew on this. Mrs. Edmonds’ care is being turned over to Dr. Richards, so your little tantrum didn’t do your patient any good at all because he’ll do exactly what Jeremy says.”
Well fuck, looked like Jeremy would get his way after all. But if they were under the impression a two-week vacation was a punishment, they’d better think again because two weeks was enough time to find something else to do with my life. I pulled up my computer browser and began a search. I’d always wanted to visit the West Coast, so why not? Washington state was supposed to be gorgeous this time of year.
I booked a same-day flight, a hotel room, and a rental car. Then I called Cathy. “I’m leaving. I have my vacation booked and I’m walking out the door. I assume you can handle reassigning my patients.”
“You’re leaving now?” she asked, sounding slightly panicked. “Your vacation doesn't start till tomorrow. You have a full day of patients.”
“Nope, I don’t. I’m suffering from burnout, remember? I’ll see you in two weeks.” I hung up the phone, grabbed my jacket and walked out. On my way home, I ran through what I needed to do before I left town. Sadly, it was a short list. I didn’t have any pets, houseplants, or anything else that needed caring for. I had a couple of friends I needed to tell I would be gone, but that was all. As the only child of only children, whose parents had passed away years ago, I didn't have any family to notice I’d left town. I would contact my security company and make them aware, but that was about it.
I drove home, packed my bags, and headed for the airport. Dargum's Cove, here I come.
* * *
I chose Dargum’s Cove because they have some of the best tide pools on the West coast. When I was a little boy, my grandmother used to take me to the tide pools in Maine and I loved them. So much so, that I even considered marine biology at one point, but in the end, chose medicine. I was looking forward to exploring the shores and seeing how life in the pools differed from coast to coast.
My plane landed at Sea-Tac and I picked up my rental car for the drive to Dargum’s Cove. I’d booked my room in the only place in town, so hopefully, it would be decent. Two whole weeks would be a long time to stay in a bad hotel. The drive was every bit as beautiful as I’d expected and with every mile I drove, I could feel the stress and pressure falling off. I was hoping to find some clarity these next couple of weeks.
I had exactly the life I’d wanted, but it was nothing like I’d expected. Cathy had called it burnout, but I didn’t believe that was the right terminology for it at all. I’d go more with disillusioned. You heard a hundred times through medical school and your residency that it was all about the money, but hearing it and experiencing it were totally different things. I hadn’t been prepared to have a mother standing in front of me begging me to figure out what was wrong with her child while the hospital said he couldn’t have any more testing and neede
d to be discharged. I wasn't prepared to spend hours researching treatments for an illness, only to be told the insurance company didn’t approve. Yes, disillusionment was for sure the correct diagnosis.
I smiled as I drove past the welcome sign. The top of the sign said Welcome to Dargum's Cove with a picture of a treasure chest and a very friendly looking pirate standing over it. Underneath that it said, The treasure of happiness awaits you. It was silly and cheesy and perfect.
Unlike the East coast, this area was pretty much untouched. The shoreline wasn’t littered with beach houses and tourist shops; instead, it was the natural beauty of the ocean meeting the rocky shore. I knew it was too late tonight for me to go explore, but I was really getting excited about what I might find here. Not too long after the welcome sign, the road veered inland around a small mountain, and then opened up to reveal a small town set back into the valley. It looked like something out of a painting. Neat little houses with smoke rising from the chimneys, shops lining the streets, and wide sidewalks dotted with old-fashioned lamp posts. It looked like a Norman Rockwell painting from a distance, but the closer I got, the more I realized that wasn’t quite right. I was almost positive Norman Rockwell hadn’t had a book and crystal shop called The Overlord’s Lair or a tavern called The Witch's Brew. I also doubted many of the shops in his paintings had rainbow stickers in their windows.
I thought it was marvelous. Then I came to the 420 Smoke Shop and The Hippie Haven, and decided it was a little more like Rockwell on acid. I liked it, a lot. This was going to be the perfect place to relax and figure out my next move—I just knew it.