Winds from the North: An NA Epic Fantasy (Blood of the Dragon Book 3)

by Samantha Warren

  They reached the village early the next morning. Veni was left along with the wagons in the woods. She sat there with the young boys dressed as soldiers for over an hour. She could hear the sounds of battle echoing through the trees and her heart thudded. She was desperately terrified, not just for Rul, but for Captain Jase. She had grown fond of the man and couldn’t help herself.

  Two hours passed and she began to pace around the small clearing. The screams and clanging of metal had faded, but the men had not returned. Hope had begun to slip through her fingers when the rustle of leaves drew her attention. She raced down along the path the men had taken. A single horse broke through the trees. It was a big, black stallion. Captain Jase rode atop, head low. His swords hung at his sides and his hands drooped slightly on the reins.

  He did not see Veni until he was almost on top of her. When he finally did, he could not stop the corners of his mouth from turning up and his eyes from shining.

  She waited for him to say something, not trusting her own voice. When he looked back, another horse came around the bend, followed by several more. Rul was in the pack on the stocky little steed, looking none the worse for wear as far as she could see.

  Jase leaned over and held out a hand. “Come. We will ride back to the wagons together.”

  She took his hand and he hoisted her up onto the back of his horse. It was much higher than the one she had shared with Rul and she clung to him. As the horse began moving, she cleared her throat.

  “How did it go?”

  “Well enough.”

  “Rul?”

  “He did fine. He will make an excellent addition to our ranks.”

  Jase’s voice betrayed weariness and something Veni could not pinpoint. No matter how much she prodded, he would not say more. When they reached the wagons, he transferred her to one of them, forbidding her from riding with Rul the rest of the day. They drove in the direction of the castle until the sun sank behind the trees and the sky turned a deep shade of purple. Veni yawned as she rode along on the wagon bench, next to the driver. Rul rode in the front of the column alongside Jase, far ahead of her. When they finally came to a stop, she climbed off the wagon and went in search of her friend.

  As she walked through the blossoming camp, stories from the soldiers floated to her.

  “Did you see him? He was insane. Four guys at once!”

  “He was pierced through the heart and just kept going!”

  “I don’t trust him. He’s unnatural.”

  Veni’s nostrils were flaring with worry by the time she found Jase’s fire. He was seated upon a stump and she settled onto the grass beside him. She looked for Rul, but he was nowhere to be seen.

  “Please tell me what happened.”

  The soldier looked down at the young girl. His face was lined with creases, his eyes pinched in concern. “I…” He sighed and turned back to the fire, tossing a small twig into the flames to be devoured.

  Veni waited, but the silence stretched on. She had about given up and was preparing to rise when he spoke again. “It was wrong.”

  “What do you mean, wrong?” She curled up on the ground once more, pulling her knees in close to her as a chill wind whipped around them.

  “I mean… He fought like he had nothing to lose. He was unstoppable. At one point, six of their defenders surrounded him. They kept piercing him with swords and arrows, but he did not even flinch. He killed them all without blinking.” Jase stopped and looked at the girl. “I worry for you, Veni. What if he turns on you? If a sword to the heart will not stop him, what will? He is invincible.”

  “I will not turn on her. Ever.” The undead man settled onto the ground on the opposite side of the fire, across from Veni, his blurred eyes fixed on her. “She is safe with me, and always will be.” He turned on Captain Jase, his face hard. “If anyone tries to harm her, they will meet a fate worse than death.”

  Jase raised his hands in surrender. “I did not mean to cause offense. I wish only to protect this young girl. You cannot wish more than that.”

  Rul’s gaze settled on Veni. “No, I do not wish more than that.”

  Rul rose, swaying as he did so. His speech had started to slur since the last time she saw him and his eyes grew milkier as they spoke. “Have you eaten, Rul?”

  He shook his head briefly and she looked to Jase. The older man’s lips pinched slightly, but he nodded. “Sit. I will have a servant bring us food.”

  Rul settled back to the ground, nearly falling over as he did so. Veni scooted around the fire to sit next to him while Jase stood to find a servant.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “I do not feel pain.”

  She scowled. “That is not what I asked, Rul.”

  He nodded and lifted his shirt, exposing the pale gray skin beneath. Wounds split wide in more than half a dozen places, exposing the still-pink flesh beneath. One such gash lay across his chest and Veni could see the darker red of the man’s heart through the hole. She shuddered and turned her head, fighting back bile and tears.

  Clearing her throat, she turned back to him as he pulled down his shirt. “Is there anything we can do to close them? Will they get infected?”

  He shrugged. “Don’t know. No point, really.”

  Veni frowned and bowed her head. She could see Jase talking to a servant through the trees.

  “Veni…”

  She turned to her friend. “Yes, Rul?”

  “I’m scared, Veni. Please don’t let them take me away from you.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes and she sniffled. “I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening.” She slipped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. “Everything in my power. No matter what Rivanna thinks, you are not her creature. You are a man, and you deserve to make your own decisions like every man does. If it comes to it…”

  Her voice trailed off and she could not speak the words that came to mind. She wasn’t afraid that speaking them would make them true. Rather, she was afraid of being overheard. If it came to it, Veni would kill for their freedom. She had been a prisoner for too long. For years now, she had been contemplating her situation, and with Rul by her side, she no longer felt alone. Together, they could make it in the world. She no longer needed Rivanna, and if the dragons could win their freedom, so could she.

  Jase returned with three bowls of stew and settled back onto the stump. Not a word was said between them as they ate. The stew was bland, but Veni was famished and she ate quickly. She noticed the men ate much slower, almost as if they were contemplating every bite.

  She glanced around the camp. The other soldiers were jovial and loud, lifted by the excitement of battle and victory. Only the captain and Rul seemed morose and unhappy with their success. Pondering that strange difference, Veni pulled out her sleeping sack and laid it on the ground near the fire.

  Jase followed, but only Veni fell asleep quickly. Jase lay in his makeshift bed, watching the dead man as he stared at the fire and the young girl as she slept. They were an odd pair, he thought. He had expected something much different when they walked into the castle with the witch. But there was a depth to them that he did not count on, a friendship that grew beyond the bounds of normality into the bonds of family. He wondered how far those ties would stretch if they were put to the test.

  Chapter 15

  The weather grew cold and bitter as the trio trudged through the deepening snow in the far north of the kingdom. Even Neth wore a special coat that Lana had designed for her from the furs of various animals they caught for food. The villages in that part of the land were few and far between and most remained untouched by the war. The group often had to seek shelter outside the villages, as the presence of a free dragon was not a welcome sight to the locals.

  “How far are we from the Barrier?” Neth asked as they plodded along a path filled with knee-deep snow.

  Dixon and Lana had been forced to ride on her back when the snow became too deep for the humans to trudge through
.

  “It should only be a few days now.” Lana gritted her teeth as she tried to stifle her shivers. She had packed warmly, but it wasn’t warm enough. Dixon, suffering the same fate, wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, pulling her to him. She leaned back, wishing she could feel his warmth through their thick layers of clothing, and accepted the blanket her wrapped around her.

  Neth was cold, but, like all dragons, her internal body heat worked well to fend off the bitter chill that the smaller beings felt. Coupled with the long days of walking and the fur coat, she was as comfortable as could be expected in such conditions.

  The dragon plodded on through the woods along a wagon path that had not seen use since the first big snowfall months before. Once the first true snow layered the earth in those areas, travel between villages became extremely difficult and dangerous, if not outright impossible. Dragons were utilized by those who did need to travel and even they often could not overcome some of the largest snow drifts created by the harsh winds.

  The blanket of snow muffled her shuffling passage, but it also muffled the sounds of the woods. Anethesis rounded a sharp curve in the path that was surrounded on either side by thick evergreens and was confronted by a sight they all had hoped never to see. She froze in her tracks, holding her breath, and the humans on her back did the same. Lana placed her hand on Neth’s shoulder, bidding the dragon to remain still. Slowly, she reached down to where her bow was strapped to the creature’s neck.

  “Get her moving!” A burly man swaddled in layers of fur and a thick beard shouted at men on the ground. “We have to have this dragon to Albereck by nightfall!”

  In his hand was a thickly braided whip, its four foot-long tails tipped at the ends with small, spiked balls. He cracked it in the air and the balls clanked together, the sound ringing through the cold. One more crack brought the vicious weapons into contact with the already bloody skin of a white dragon who struggled to rise to her feet. She was smaller than Neth and looked young. He brought his arm back once more, the whip prepared to strike again.

  “Don’t touch her again, or it will be the last time you use that hand.”

  The man paused mid-swing and the spikes clicked uselessly against each other. He turned slowly, his nostrils flaring as he faced the trio of intruders.

  Cocking his head slightly to one side, he glared at the girl who dared to address him. Lana could see the hint of a scar through his beard and the anger in his eyes, but she held her bow steady, the arrow already nocked.

  A snarl crossed the man’s lips. “And who do you think you are to give me orders, little girl?”

  Lana smiled. She had dealt with far worse than the vile creature in front of her. “Someone who can make you suffer beyond belief. And who do you think you are, beating a beautiful creature who is clearly in distress?”

  The man scoffed and kicked at the white dragon on the ground. “This weak thing? It’s just a Rimer whelp. We are taking her to Albereck. The lord there pays well for the creatures when we can get our hands on them.”

  Lana paused for a moment, looking the small dragon over. The creature was baleful and her mouth drooped at the corners. She had bags under her eyes and they were bloodshot. Her cheeks were streaked with frozen tears.

  “Your dragon would bring a pretty penny over there.”

  His comment took Lana by surprise. “Excuse me?”

  The man shuffled his feet at her tone. “A lot of Albereck’s dragons rebelled when the queen was killed, so they had to be destroyed. They’re a little short on dragons right now, especially nice big ones.”

  “I see… And where did you find this little Rimer?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Up north. Why? Are you planning on going into the business?”

  “The business?” Dixon had been silent behind Lana and his voice made her jump slightly.

  “The slaver business. Because if you are, I’ll tell you right now that you’ll have a very tough time. The trade is hard right now, what with those damn Gypsies causing problems and thinking they run the world. I hear they’ve destroyed a lot of villages down south, taking the dragons with them and killing all the humans.”

  He paused to yell at his men again, who had stopped to listen to the conversation rather than handle the dragon.

  “Anyway, the competition is stiff in these parts among the slavers. You have to be tough as nails and not be afraid to make an enemy or two if you want to be successful.” He leaned toward Lana, a conspiratorial grin on his face. “I am a deadly enemy, but a very useful friend, if you know what I mean.”

  He winked at her and the girl smiled. “You are so kind. I would love to take you up on that offer, but I simply cannot do that.”

  Lana fingered her bow as Dixon’s hands settled tighter on her waist. He leaned forward over her shoulder to address the man on the ground. “I am afraid you seem to have mistaken us. You see, we are not slavers. This is Chelandra, protector of Ychthorn.” He smiled as the man paled. “You have heard the name, haven’t you? The descendent of Sigurd? I thought so. If you would be so kind, drop your weapons and step away from the dragon.”

  As he spoke, Dixon unsheathed his sword and slid gracefully from Neth’s back. Lana remained atop the beast. It provided a valuable vantage point, but more importantly, her leg was still too weak to dismount without help. She feared that would provide the slavers with enough of an opening to give them the upper hand.

  The burly head slaver dropped his whip with a snarl and took two steps away from the Rimer.

  “Farther.” Lana’s voice offered no opening for argument and the man complied. She could see the bitter hatred in his eyes, but ignored it.

  “You two,” she said, indicating the men holding the harness of the enslaved dragon. “Next to him. Quickly.”

  They dropped the leather straps and held their hands up as they moved to stand next to their boss. Dixon took a knife from his belt and stepped up to the young dragon. He ran a hand along her side, trailing his fingers along her icy scales. Straps held her mouth shut and a mesh bag was over her nose, allowing her to breathe, but not speak. A rough harness was strapped around her body, hampering her movement and disabling her wings. She could move her legs, but not enough to break into a run or do more than a slow walk.

  She shivered under Dixon’s touch and shied away from him as he moved the blade toward her. She calmed visibly as he leaned forward and whispered into her ear and she didn’t fight as he brought his knife to the leather on her muzzle.

  As he sliced through the thick strap, Lana heard a growl from the edge of the path where the men stood. Before she could turn her head, Neth rose up on her hind legs. Lana was forced to drop one hand from her bow so she could grip the saddle and avoid sliding to the ground behind the dragon.

  A roar rumbled through Neth’s body and she lunged toward the men. As she did so, Lana saw the Rimer move as well. The smaller dragon was still hampered by her harness but she was able to move well enough to turn on her captors. With her mouth unhindered, she opened her jaws, baring her teeth. She took a deep breath and blew. The moment the air left her lips, it turned a bright white, like a ray of sun shining through the window on a cold winter day.

  Lana screamed at Dixon, who had been standing between the dragon and the men, and he dove out of the way. The deadly beam shot through the air and met its intended target— the burly man with the beard. He was covered in frost from head to toe. Lana saw him open his mouth, but his lips turned blue and froze in place before any sound could come out. Eyes wide, the man tilted backward, unable to stand on his own two feet, and plummeted into the snow, stiff as a board. He never moved again. The other two slavers held perfectly still, afraid of receiving the same treatment as their boss.

  With the men firm in her stare, Neth reached up a clawed hand and gripped the long knife that had sunk deep into her side. Lana climbed down with the dragon’s help and limped over to Dixon. He was standing next to the white dragon, slicing the rest of her harness off. It
was loaded with packs and fell heavily to the ground, sinking into the deep snow. Lana pulled some salve and bandages from her bag and tended the creature’s wounds. When she was done, she stepped back.

  “What’s your name?”

  The young dragon sniffed, eying Lana. She waited a moment before responding. “Jalea. Are you really the dragon queen?”

  “Dragon queen? What are you talking about?”

  The dragon shifted uncomfortably at the tone in Lana’s voice. “My brother called you the dragon queen. He said you freed the dragons and were going to lead us.”

  Lana’s laugh echoed through the trees and she had to sit on the ground to keep from falling over. When she finally composed herself, she looked up at the big blue eyes of the dragon in front of her. “No, I am not the dragon queen. I’m simply a girl who did not want to see her friends hurt anymore. I’m not even part of the council anymore. I just want to see the land at peace again.”

  Jalea nodded. “Peace would be good. My people have been pursued for too long. It would be nice to finally be safe from being hunted. What can I do to repay you for your help?”

  Lana looked at Dixon before responding. “Take us to your leader.”

  Chapter 16

  The young dragon stared at Lana like she had three heads. “You cannot be serious.”

  “I am. Completely. I want to meet your leaders, and I want to meet them soon.”

  “Why? What purpose do you have with the Rimers?”

  Lana smiled, her eyes as cold as the wind whipping around the group. “I need their help to get my revenge.”

  Jalea returned Lana’s hard stare, then the corners of her lips started to pull up. “Fair enough. I will take you to the head of my clan. That is the best I can do.”

  “I will accept that.”

  After searching the packs for anything useful or valuable, Lana and Dixon began to climb back onto Neth’s back. Jalea’s voice was soft and nervous, floating on the wind to Lana’s ears. “Then we will be even. Agreed?”