Dragon's Eye

by Robin Joy Wirth

Lancelot kept Felicity very close to his side as the two of them walked past the long row of dragons who stood watching them pass. It was obvious that the creatures had no intention of attacking, but still he would rather be cautious than suffer the alternative.

  “Why are they watching us so intently?” Felicity whispered against his chest.

  “I don’t know,” said Lancelot uneasily. “Let’s just hope it isn’t because they are thinking what tasty morsels we’re going to be in the near future.”

  “Oh Lance, don’t be silly,” she admonished him. “If they were going to eat us, I wouldn’t even be here right now. Besides, I have a feeling they’re expecting something great to happen.”

  “Great?” asked Lance curiously. “What makes you say so?”

  “Apparently, they think I’m dragon-born, whatever that is,” she explained. “That’s what the door called me when it opened for us. I’m not sure what they’re talking about.”

  “Well, that’s simple to explain,” he said with a grin. “It means, truthfully or not, that you’ve got someone in your ancestry who was mated with a dragon.”

  “Why on earth would they think something like that?” Felicity wondered. “As far as I know, both of my parents were normal enough.”

  “Yes, but what about your great, great, great Uncle Albert, for example?” Lance pointed out. “What do you know about him?”

  “I’ve no idea about anyone that far back, to tell the truth,” she admitted. “But I had no idea humans and dragons could mate at all. Wouldn’t there be too many logistical issues for that?”

  Lancelot chuckled at the face Felicity had pulled. It was obvious she was trying to work out just how such a coupling could possibly have been accomplished.

  “Well, love, though it’s a little-known fact, most dragons, and the dragon-mages in particular, are able to transform into a creature quite similar in appearance to a human,” Lance explained. “It is conceivable that they might be able to mate with us in that form.”

  “Well, that’s certainly a relief,” she commented wryly. “I have never given any thought to such matters before. Perhaps if we make it out of here in one piece I’ll have to look into it.”

  “I also have heard that when they transform, their appearance is so alluring that they are difficult to resist,” he added as he gave her arm a little squeeze. “Maybe that explains it.”

  Scoffing at his comment, she said, “Explains what?”

  “Why you’re so very alluring, of course,” he said as he kissed the side of her cheek near her ear. “Heads up, love, we’re about to meet a dragoness who holds our fate in her claws.”

  As they neared the far end of the wide path they traversed, the rocky ground began to rise, and they could perceive a solid wall of stone through the smoky haze that obscured their line of sight in the dimly lit chamber. It grew a great deal warmer as well.

  Felicity had expected to be frightened in the presence of a great and powerful dragon sorceress, yet as they neared the foot of her throne, she felt unaccountably calm. The creature stirred from her repose to glance at them curiously.

  Lance took a few more faltering steps before coming to a complete stop. He pulled Felicity into a protective embrace as he looked over the dragoness they’d come all this way to meet.

  Amaranth was a lovely golden shade, and her eyes shone bright green as she looked them over more fully. Her throne appeared to be made out of obsidian, and she held an obsidian scepter in one of her claws.

  “Come closer, humans, and greet a dragon princess,” she said in a lyrical, feminine voice. Her human words sounded odd coming from a reptilian throat, but they were understandable nonetheless.

  When Lancelot drew Felicity closer than ever and did not immediately move at this prompting, the dragoness made a sound he assumed was a laugh, and added, “Have no fear that I will harm your mate, male human. She is safe here. Come forward, that I might have a better look at the two of you. It has been many years since two such brave humans have ventured into my keep.”

  “Go on, Lance, do as she says,” Felicity prompted as she gave his arm a soft squeeze.

  Releasing Felicity from his embrace and putting one arm about her waist instead, Lance stepped forward with her, keeping her near him. When they reached the foot of the dais he looked boldly up at the beautiful, deadly beast, and he could not help but stare at her in awe.

  “I have your word on it then, dragon?” he asked insistently. “You will not harm my mate, no matter what happens here today?”

  “No matter what,” she agreed, and her sharp teeth protruded from her mouth as she cast him an amused grin. “Though I notice that you do not ask the same for yourself.”

  “I am not a fool, dragon,” he commented lightly. “We all know what is at risk here.”

  “No, I did not think you were foolish,” she answered with a laugh. “I know that you have come here for the Grimoire Draconis, human creatures. But what I would like to know is your reason for seeking it.”

  “We have been charged by our employer to restore ancient tomes and artifacts of great importance to their former glory,” Lancelot explained. “We believe your book would be of great importance to the Magi, a colony of humans hidden from the sight of Mundane men and women. Long has the wisdom of the dragon-mages been lost to our world.”

  “And in what way would it be important?” she persisted. “What would it matter if that magic were returned?”

  “It is a shame to see it go to waste with disuse, when those who practice magic could learn from it instead,” he explained. “Since you went into hiding, the magic of the dragons has been lost to our kind, and we want to see it once again live and breathe as it should. Some of us would even like to learn those secrets, if we could, to use those teachings for good. We do not wish to see something so precious pass away forever.”

  “That is indeed a most worthy undertaking,” Amaranth agreed as she preened within her seat, her head raised high above them as she stretched it into the air. “And I do believe it is a goal I would allow you to fulfill. If you can help me heal the Dragon’s Eye, of course. For you must know that I cannot help you otherwise.”

  “We understand this, Your Highness,” Lancelot said with a nod. “It is our great desire to be of assistance to you as well.”

  Amaranth sat up and clapped together her claws so that they made a clicking noise. “Hygor, Tapur, bring these humans to the bathing pool and purify them. We shall begin the ritual within the hour.”

  Two smaller dragons stepped forth from the throng. One was red, and the other was blue. Lancelot and Felicity nodded at them in greeting, and they nodded back.

  “Even now, the moon begins to rise in the night sky,” Amaranth explained, her tone almost trancelike. “All must be ready soon. The two of you shall be brought to the healing chamber to read from the Grimoire. If you can successfully heal the eye, the book is yours. But if you fail, I fear your fate must be to remain here with all the others, transformed even as they are.”

  “We understand all of this, Your Highness,” Lancelot agreed, and bowed low before her.

  “Thank you, Your Highness,” Felicity added as she cast the dragoness a smile, bowing to her as well.

  “You are quite welcome, my child,” she told her, and then the other dragons led them away.

  THIRTY-FIVE

  The hot steam that had been gathering slightly at the feet of Amaranth’s great, obsidian throne began to make more sense as they traversed further into the cave beyond with their two escorts. The walls began to drip with hot dampness as they went, and it became obvious there must be a pool somewhere ahead.

  “I am called Hygor, humans, and this cave is usually reserved for the mating ritual,” said the red dragon with a reptilian smirk. “However, as you can imagine, most of the dragons here are male, since it is less common for females to undertake a quest such as this one.”

  Felicity blushed as the dragon gave her a gentle bow of respect.

  �
�Yes, I suppose it would be unusual,” she agreed. “But I am nothing, if not unusual.”

  Lancelot raised a brow as he realized the dragon who had taken Felicity before had been red. This could well be the very same one.

  “If there are so few females among you, then where do you get your mates from?” he inquired suspiciously, and his gaze was not lost on the beast in question, though he did not seem concerned by it.

  “There are several ways, of course,” he said as he inclined his head in Lance’s direction. “There is the obvious answer that one’s mate need not be female, but not everyone here feels comfortable with that line of logic, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

  “Yes, that is understandable.”

  “We sometimes go out and capture human females, and have them transformed,” he admitted, and then quickly added, “Not that this was my reason for capturing your female, of course.”

  “Of course,” Lance said, raising one blond brow with annoyance. “Then what precisely was your reason, might I ask?”

  “You were looking for a way to get inside the mountain, were you not?” he pointed out with a smirk. “You found one.”

  “Yes, I suppose I did,” he had to agree. But still he turned toward Felicity and pulled her closer to his side.

  “Felicity, my darling, why were you so quiet back there?” Lance inquired with a bit more emphasis on the endearment than necessary. “In all the time I’ve known you, you have always had something to say.”

  “Yes, that’s true,” she said with a blush. “But I had the overwhelming feeling that if I interfered in your little conversation back there with Amaranth that she would have considered you less of a man. I didn’t want her to get that impression.”

  “Hmm, thanks,” Lancelot said with a suggestive grin. “I wonder what she’s thinking of me now.”

  Felicity reared up and smacked his backside. “You know very well I didn’t mean it that way, Lancelot Jones! I don’t intend to share my mate with anyone—especially not some huge, ugly dragoness.”

  Then, just to prove her point, she turned and bit the side of his neck. The two dragons hissed with amusement and moved on ahead of them.

  Lance laughed then. “Oh, so now I’m your mate, am I? Since when was that the case?”

  “You’re the one who said so, aren’t you?” she reminded him sweetly. Then she skipped away down the corridor after their escort, leaving Lance staring after her.

  “Yes, I suppose I did,” he said to himself, chuckling and shaking his head.

  He got a huge smile on his face that he couldn’t seem to wipe away, so he took his time catching up in the hopes he could regain his composure before Felicity saw him again. But, since his arrival was precisely timed to coincide with the point at which the two dragons were helping Felicity disrobe, composure was not about to be something he regained any time soon.

  “Sweet,” he whispered as he gazed, transfixed, at the pleasurable sight. He got a full glimpse of the panties that went along with Felicity’s lacy black bra, and his heart began to pound erratically when even those came off. “Very sweet,” he added in a soft whisper.

  Felicity turned to the sound of his voice, and froze. She gazed at Lance with a heady combination of surprise and hot desire.

  The two dragons moved toward him next, and Felicity suddenly realized she was completely unclothed and open to his view. With a profuse blush, she stepped down into the very large, steaming pool of water the attendants had been preparing her for.

  Felicity didn’t take the time to test the temperature with her toes before she stepped quickly into the water. She swam out into the middle, then turned to look at Lance again.

  He looked very much as he had done when they’d awakened by the waterfall earlier, she noticed. He had the good grace to blush slightly when the dragons removed his coat and started in on his shirt, allowing the rather large erection that was hidden beneath to be revealed to her full view.

  Felicity gasped, and felt an aching need fill her being at the sight of him. She could hear every single exhale of Lance’s breath, and matched them with her own, as she waited for him to join her in the water.

  The dragons had him down to his boxers now, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away as they trailed down to take in this fact. Lance, however, stopped them at this point, well aware that the girl in the water still retained some tender sensibilities.

  He stepped to the edge, still somewhat hidden from her view. His eyes watched hers, and only when she looked into his again did he remove the garment in question and slip into the pool.

  “There’s not much time,” she reminded him as he swam in her direction.

  “Hush, love,” he whispered as he reached her, his hands running over her shoulders and down her arms. “I’ll not take you for your first time in such a place as this. When I make you my own, I want to take my time with you, to show you what it means to be a woman, and what it means to pleasure the man who has given you his heart.”

  “Lance!” she breathed into his mouth as he kissed her softly. She could feel his nakedness as he pressed against her fully, and she wanted him with every part of her being. She ached for the fulfillment that he had just told her he would not yet give.

  “Shh, sweetheart, let me wash your hair,” he said, turning her around.

  Felicity tilted her head backwards and let him wet her hair, and only then realized that he’d brought soap along with him. It felt heavenly as his fingers scrubbed her scalp, and she closed her eyes as she savored his ministrations. When he’d rinsed her clean, she turned and smiled at him.

  “Your turn,” she said as she took the soap from his hand. With a smile, Lance turned around to let her wash his hair as well.

  When the two were finished, the dragons beckoned them to shore, and slid soft white robes over each of their shoulders. They presented them with a vast array of charred meats, and these were surprisingly flavorful since they’d used spices to season them.

  “Well, my dear, if you were planning to look up anything else in that book of yours, I’d suggest you do it now,” Lance told Felicity as he reached for his pack and brought it out for her.

  Felicity took it from his hands, and spent the next half hour reading. But there was nothing in that book that could be half as interesting as simply gazing upon the man at her side, especially since he was also gazing at her.

  THIRTY-SIX

  The two dragons led Lance and Felicity deep into the heart of the mountain, where the fires of the earth glowed red. Then they brought them up a long shaft to somewhere far above, and dropped them to their feet again at the opening to another cave.

  “The chamber lies within,” said Hygor as he bowed before them. “Good luck to you both.”

  “Thanks,” they answered, and then they stepped inside.

  The first thing that they saw was a huge opening high above that showed a field of stars in a midnight sky. The full moon glowed as it neared the center of it, and many dragons were gathered there to watch.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” asked Tapur as he went forward to join the others. “It’s been a long time since this happened last.”

  “Yes,” agreed another dragon, a female. “Can you not feel it in the air? I truly believe this time will be different.”

  Lance and Felicity approached the great, golden dragon who stood behind a table, on which the Grimoire Draconis itself was placed on a golden stand, opened to a specific page. The table was made of obsidian, just as Amaranth’s throne had been.

  “All of the elements have conspired to arrange a meeting at this time, and in this place,” the dragoness intoned. She waved her arms in a broad circle, ending by pointing up at the sky. “You were meant to be here on this, the five thousandth anniversary of my departure from your world.”

  “Has it truly been so long?” Felicity asked sympathetically.

  “Yes, it has,” she said with a sage nod. “But for me, time has been standing still till this very moment. To me, it has
not seemed so long.”

  “So much has changed in this world since then,” Felicity said. “It would hardly seem like the same place to you now.”

  Amaranth nodded, grateful for the human’s concern. She motioned for them to each stand to one side or the other of the altar upon which the Grimoire sat, and then the two noticed that the two halves of the eye were placed on either side of the book as well.

  “The words in this book are dragon words,” she explained. “However, anyone reading them will be able to understand them if they are truly meant to see. I do not know which of you is meant to read them, however.”

  “What do you mean?” Lance inquired with surprise. “I had thought, since you believe Felicity to be dragon-born, that the choice was already made.”

  “As did I,” she conceded. “But I sense a most unusual energy about you as well, Lancelot Jones. The book does not call out just to the girl, but to the both of you, together.”

  “I don’t understand,” he said.

  Trance-like, Amaranth continued, “The two of you present a great puzzle to me. So very different, and yet so much a part of each other. You are yin and yang, personified. You, man, you are darkness within yet golden without. You have seen hell and managed to return, though not unscathed from your ordeal. Your heart is pure in a way I have never seen before, such an odd mixture of chivalry and naughtiness as cannot be explained.”

  Lancelot blushed and smirked at this.

  “You, girl, have lightness within and yet hide it behind a shield of sorts, so that it cannot shine too brightly. You also have known much pain, yet it does not seem to touch you within. You have a power that is unmatched by anyone I have ever known. I cannot say which of you are the true champion. The choice must be your own.”

  Lance and Felicity were both easily within reach of the book. The moon was nearing the center of the opening above. They stared at Amaranth, and then at each other. Both of them felt the urge to move, yet neither one took a step.

  “I know the answer, Lance,” said Felicity finally as she looked up into his eyes. “Neither one of us is the true champion. We are yin and yang, just as Amaranth has said. We are meant do the thing together.”