Liza (Dragon Isles Book 1)

by Shelley Munro

“And my parents thought to put Gwenyth in such danger?” Leo cursed, appalled at their treatment of his mate.

  “Karlos also said he doesn’t understand why they imprisoned your mate and placed her in the worst sector. Many of the soldiers are perturbed at her treatment.”

  “Perturbed enough to help her escape?” Leo asked.

  Jakab glanced over his shoulder before giving a slight nod. “Karlos told me since the old commander left, routines and security practices have changed in the castle.”

  “If the dungeon floods, it must be nearer the river,” Leo said. “I wonder if it’s possible to dig into the dungeon?”

  “It’s not worth the risk. If you dug in the wrong place, you could flood the lower dungeon and the level above it. I had a thought during my return after speaking with my brother. The best time to strike would be when the group from Smoking Isle arrive. Either then or during the ball. If you follow your parents’ instructions and attend the ball, they’ll relax and think you’re following their orders.”

  “No,” Leo said flatly.

  Jakab held up a hand. “Wait. They will split the soldiers. Most will be on security at the ball. If they behave as usual, the numbers left to guard the dungeon will be less than usual. That is the time to stage a rescue attempt. Even better, if some of those number left behind are sympathetic to your cause.”

  “But I can’t be in two places at once.”

  “Which is where your many loyal friends come in,” Jakab said. “Dragons and humans like you, Leo. You’re decent and treat everyone with the respect they deserve. If you require help, ask.”

  “You’ll be putting your lives in danger. Once I free Gwenyth, the chances are I’ll need to move to Perfume or Smoking Isle to keep us safe.”

  “Build a large home and a battlefield,” Jakab said with a broad grin. “Those who need to can seek sanctuary with you at your new place.”

  “You have it planned.”

  “Can you think of a better one?” Jakab asked.

  Leo considered all that Jakab had said. “You’re right about most residents not knowing what is going on. The more I learn, the more the events here at the castle worry me.”

  A junior servant trotted across the field to them. Leo and Jakab ceased their discussion once they spotted him.

  “Yes?” Leo demanded.

  The young dragon avoided Leo’s gaze.

  “You wanted something,” Leo prodded.

  “Mr. Telus bade me remind you of your appointment with the tailor. He said it was on your list.”

  “I have clothes,” Leo snapped.

  “Tell Telus Leo will be there soon,” Jakab said and waved away the dragon. He waited until the servant had almost disappeared. “It strikes me the tailor’s appointment might yield information. What else is on Telus’s list?”

  Leo pulled the forgotten list from his pocket and flattened it enough to peruse. “The tailor, the dance master.” He rolled his eyes. “The barber.”

  Jakab nodded. “All tradesmen who visit the castle and ply their trade at the dragon township. Chat with them. You might strike gold.”

  Leo wrinkled his nose. “I do not gossip.”

  “Not even to save your mate?”

  Leo sighed. “I’m off to my appointment with the tailor. I hope my parents don’t expect me to pay for this.”

  “Do you know their financial situation?”

  “I’ve never been interested,” Leo said.

  Jakab nodded. “I might seek a few of my fellow trainers and ask if they’d be interested in taking a trip to town this evening. I was thinking dinner at the Barbecue Shack and drinks at a pub. Preferably one your brothers favor. Would you like to join us?”

  “It’s a plan.” Leo decided a reconnoiter of the town and chatting with the locals, his old friends and acquaintances might bear fruit. He hated to think of the pain and fear Gwenyth was facing now.

  And if the rumors were true, she’d be cold and hungry.

  Terrified.

  “If I can’t get away, I’ll send you a message.”

  Leo worked his way through his list of chores before it was time to meet Nan and her entourage. Frustration boiled in his gut, his anger growing as Telus inspected his appearance. The butler circled Leo before he gave his approval to the servant chosen to dress Leo for the meeting. By Lodar, he could clothe himself.

  By the time Telus had arrived, Leo was ready to explode.

  “You will do,” Telus said. “When Nan arrives, stand with your parents and remain silent. Your father and mother will take care of welcoming speeches. You may speak with Nan at the ball tomorrow night.”

  By Lodar! What was going on here? His parents and Telus were moving him around like a piece on a chessboard. The parents who ignored him until it suited them.

  “Will my brothers be present?” He forced a casual tone while tension roiled in both him and his dragon.

  “They will be there,” Telus informed him. “Everyone is meeting in the Flame room. Remain standing. I do not wish your clothes to crease. You must create a favorable impression.”

  “We resemble a stupid storybook prince,” his dragon complained. “The pants are so tight, we won’t perform once we rescue Gwenyth.”

  A startled chuckle burst from Leo.

  “Laugh all you want, but our cock is an important body part.”

  “Was there something else, Leonidas?” Telus asked, not bothering to hide his smirk.

  “No, nothing.”

  Leo wheeled around and departed. He increased his speed, and his long strides took him down the passage and around the corner. Only then did he slow to his usual pace.

  “The more we learn,” he told his dragon, “the more I worry about the things we haven’t yet ascertained and don’t understand.”

  “Yes,” his dragon agreed. “I vote we interrogate our brothers. We can manipulate them and acquire much of what we want to learn. Their arrogance and stupidity will play to our advantage. I hate that our lodestone is in the dungeon. She must be terrified.”

  Leo considered all that might happen and increased his pace again. If he was lucky, he might have an opportunity to question those already present. His parents wouldn’t arrive early, since they preferred to make an entrance. It was time to knock a few heads together.

  13 – Orders and Obedience

  The cold was insidious. It crept from Gwenyth’s toes and up her legs and torso until she shivered in misery.

  “How do you keep warm?” she asked Martinos.

  “Keep moving. Jog on the spot. Run through my exercises. I’ve become used to the cold, but I remember how it was at the start. Is there a blanket on the bed? You should have one. Wrap that around your shoulders.”

  “Does your dragon help keep you warm?”

  “Not when the druid bracelet binds him.”

  Gwenyth considered that. “Will he be all right?”

  Martinos gave a bitter laugh. “We haven’t communicated since the soldiers forced the bracelet on me.”

  Talking to Martinos helped Gwenyth to ignore the cold, to keep herself from worrying about Leo and what was happening outside the dungeon.

  “What do you think they’ll do with me?” she asked.

  Martinos was silent for a long moment before he spoke. “I believe you’ll be safe enough for now. They’ll use the threat of your death to make Leo behave. After that…”

  “Which means I’m safe short term.” The regret in his words had tears pricking her eyes. She fought for composure and dragged in her next fetid breath with difficulty.

  “What does your family do?” Martinos changed the subject.

  Warning bells rang in her head. For all she knew, this dragon was a plant. She huffed out a breath. Such a vivid imagination. That came from reading too many books. Huh.

  She pushed at the thought, and a face popped into her mind. Smiling lips.

  Dimples. Beautiful brown eyes. Red hair.

  “Are you there?” Martinos asked.

&
nbsp; The memory popped as if someone had speared it with a sharp pin. Who was the woman? It was the first time she’d recalled a face.

  A friend? Family? Or someone else?

  It seemed as if her memory might be returning.

  “My father is the baker in the village,” Gwenyth said the first thing that came to her. “He makes delicious pies and cakes.”

  “And your mother?”

  Was he acting nosy or making conversation? Gwenyth wasn’t certain. “She works with my father.”

  “Do you have siblings?”

  “No,” Gwenyth said with finality. The less she needed to keep straight, the better.

  “Do you work in the bakery?”

  “I work behind the counter.” Something about her words struck her as right.

  A loud slam of a door had her starting.

  “Interesting,” Martinos drawled. “We’re to have company.”

  “Another prisoner?”

  “Quiet,” Martinos snapped.

  Gwenyth backed from the door, fighting her curiosity. Another door slammed, closer this time. Someone was coming.

  “I can give you half an hour and no longer,” a masculine voice spoke from outside Gwenyth’s cell. “I will wait outside the locked door.”

  “Who is in that cell? I sense a presence.” A demanding feminine voice.

  Someone used to issuing orders and expecting obedience.

  “The human woman who married Leonidas,” the man said, sounding supremely uncomfortable.

  The woman tittered. “Oh! What a fine jest. Let her out. I’ll speak to her too.”

  “That is not a good idea,” the man said.

  “Open her cell door,” the woman commanded. “I am paying you handsomely for this visit. A warning. I do not appreciate those who oppose me. I can handle my brother and a weak human. Open. The. Cell. Door.”

  A key turned in her prison door. Another scraped in Martinos’s cell.

  “Go,” the woman instructed, imperious and regal. “I will knock on the door once I am done. Leave the torch.”

  The hairs at the back of her neck rose. Danger, it whispered in the air, and everything in Gwenyth stiffened. She didn’t want this meeting the woman was forcing on her.

  “Open the door and come out where I can see you,” the woman demanded. “Both of you.”

  The contempt in the woman’s tone had Gwenyth’s knees shaking. At least she was no longer cold. Instead, renewed terror flooded her with the urge to flee. She inhaled and repeated the action until she’d steadied herself. After one final inhalation, she opened the door and stepped from the cell.

  The woman wore a brown cloak with a hood that covered her hair and screened most of her face. She set the torch in a holder on the wall, and the light illuminated a larger area. The woman pushed back the hood to reveal her long black hair, her golden eyes, and her wicked smirk full of cruel amusement.

  “What are you doing here?” Martinos demanded the instant he stepped from his cell.

  Gwenyth hadn’t imagined what Martinos might look like, but she saw he was tall and lean in his ragged clothes. A black beard covered most of his face, but his golden-brown eyes glittered with anger. His eyes were the identical size and shade of the woman’s. Gwenyth glanced back at the woman and her calm satisfaction. Her dispassionate demeanor.

  “Brother, dear. Are you not pleased to see me?” she mocked.

  Gwenyth shot Martinos a sharp glance but kept her mouth shut, not wanting to draw the woman’s attention.

  Too late.

  The woman observed her, interest and a hint of malice filling her expression.

  “And Leonidas’s little plaything,” she mocked. “What a pity I had to come along and spoil your party.”

  “Nan, stop,” Martinos snapped. “Why are you here? What do you want?”

  Nan? This was the woman Leo wished to avoid?

  “Step closer, human. This light is appalling. I wish to better see you.”

  When Gwenyth hesitated, the woman darted closer and grasped her arm. Nan yanked her hard, and Gwenyth jerked three headlong steps.

  “I don’t appreciate having my plans disrupted,” she spat. “I am Nandag, The Strongminded, of the lead clan on Smoking Isle. You’ve already met my brother Martinos, The Shunned.”

  Martinos didn’t react to the slur, and Gwenyth took her lead from him. It was best to remain silent and soak up info—anything to release her from this mess.

  “I suppose you’re attractive enough, even if you are a weak human.”

  Nan prowled around Gwenyth.

  Gwenyth didn’t move a muscle. She stood in place, apprehension pressing on her shoulders. Malice and calculation radiated from Nan, and Gwenyth knew, without a doubt, this woman was dangerous and would kill her without a blink. Leo was right to fight a marriage to Nan. He’d loathe everything about this dragon woman.

  “Luckily for me, my spies warned me of the potential problems you might cause to my plans. The thing is,” she mused. “Do I kill you now, or do I keep you imprisoned to apply pressure on Leonidas? Is he good in bed? Tell me that at least.”

  Gwenyth stared at Nan. Lord, she loathed bullies. People who told her what to do. She raised her chin. “He is a magnificent lover.”

  To her right, Martinos tensed.

  Half a beat later, Nan struck her across the cheek. Gwenyth almost fell but caught herself. Her head rang with the blow as she straightened. Her gaze darted to Nan and away, but not before she caught the brief flicker to dragon in Nan’s eyes.

  “That is for daring to touch what is mine,” Nan spat.

  Martinos chuckled. “Do you intend to bitch-slap every woman in Leo’s past? His league of women was legendary during his battle days.”

  “If I come into their direct path, they’ll be sorry.” Nan sounded calmer now, her smile one of beauty.

  Gwenyth shuddered at the abrupt switch in her mood.

  “I dislike those who impede my plans.” Nan focused on her brother. “You know that already.”

  “I suspected you had a hand in my imprisonment,” Martinos said, remaining calm, although tension slid into his frame. “Our parents spoiled you.”

  Their conversation gave rise to even more questions for Gwenyth. The politics and backstabbing in the dragon world had her longing for her peaceful home, the book from the top of her to-read pile, and a glass of red wine. The thought slid into her mind as if it was one she often acted upon. She hoped no one else ended up in these lands as she had. It wasn’t for the faint of heart. Her cheek throbbed even though she tried to ignore the pain, and the dampness she guessed was blood.

  Leo would come for her.

  She sensed this with every particle of her being. Whether he’d charge to the rescue in time was another matter. In fact, now that she thought of it, she’d try harder to escape herself. It wasn’t like her to stand back and accept her lot. She was a battler. Her mother had told her so. Her father had agreed.

  Gwenyth paused, pleased with the random memories streaming into her brain.

  “Once I am wed to Leonidas, you will both lose your usefulness. I will have no trouble consolidating my power and moving on to the next stage of the plan.” Her eyes glittered with triumph.

  Gwenyth wanted to check on Martinos’s reaction to his sister’s declaration but stopped herself.

  Martinos’s advice to say little or nothing seemed spot-on.

  “My spies told me Leonidas keeps to himself these days. He has retired from the battle circuit and fights once a year to maintain his title. Having you slip into his life caused me several sleepless nights.”

  Gwenyth fought to remain mute. It was apparent Telus was one of her spies or someone in the butler’s circle. She hoped Leo hadn’t shared her story with his friends in case one of them intended to betray him.

  “How long have you known Leonidas?” Nan demanded.

  “I met him in the village.”

  “The human village. Bah! Leonidas lowers himself by dealing w
ith humans. Once my plans come to fruition, I shall exterminate every human on the isles.”

  “Who would do the menial work?” Martinos asked.

  Nan’s expression darkened. “The lower dragons will work as they do now.”

  “And if they don’t have the skills—what then, sister? As usual, you jump with two feet and never consider the consequences.”

  “You won’t act so smart once I announce the day of your execution. I shall strike the killing blow myself.”

  Shock punched Gwenyth in the gut. Would Nan execute her own brother?

  “Why would you do that?” Gwenyth blurted.

  Fury turned Nan’s golden eyes fiery red. She advanced on Gwenyth and slapped her hard across the cheek. The blow sent Gwenyth to the ground. Her head struck the stone floor, and everything went black.

  14 – She-Wolf in Dragon Scales

  Nandag, The Strongminded, arrived three hours and twenty-eight minutes later.

  Her retinue had been late, but it had given Leo the chance to interact with those assembled in the Flame room.

  Leo watched the thunder of dragons as they appeared on the horizon. Each dragon bore the same scarlet hide, apart from the leader dragon. The leader was jet-black. The dragons around Leo whispered behind their hands, expressions of awe and surprise flowing from dragon to dragon. Black dragons were rare. Leo hadn’t thought to ask about Nan’s color, but if this lead dragon was in fact Nan, it raised even more questions.

  Why would a rare black who could choose her consort want him—a standard green and the youngest son with no consequence? The answer supplied itself readily enough. She didn’t want him. She was using him for secret gain.

  Leo glanced at his parents and watched them exchange a look.

  Interesting. They disliked this situation too, which meant Nan did have something over his parents.

  Blackmail.

  Jakab was right.

  The thunder of dragons flew closer until Leo’s superior sight read their expressions. The lead black dragon wore determination and a hint of smugness. Bitch.

  Because it was Nan.

  Every one of his instincts screamed this truth.

  By Lodar, he prayed Jakab discovered a way to help free Gwenyth.

  “This woman is a she-wolf in dragon scales,” his dragon stated with disdain. “The thought of touching her makes me feel nauseous. Do we have to act with politeness?”