Dragon's Eye

by Robin Joy Wirth

  Amaranth glanced up in surprise but held her tongue. She looked at Lancelot questioningly. His eyes widened in surprise, and then lit up with understanding.

  “Yes, I believe you are right, my dear,” he agreed as he held out his hand for Felicity to take.

  Each of them took one half of the eye in their other hands, and held the pieces aloft above the Grimoire. Then they looked into the book, and neither one faltered as they easily read the words.

  “Tol loft norta, garr nag ortha! Nek!”

  A golden light encircled them. It was arcing around from one half of the orb to the other. Brighter and brighter it shone until the very walls of the cavern began to shake from its power.

  “Get out of here, all of you!” Amaranth shouted to the throng of dragons who began to panic at the sound.

  Large boulders began to fall as they flapped their wings to fly away, or simply ran in all directions. With a quickness they headed for the exit, but those who went that way quickly realized their mistake as the cave collapsed around them.

  “You must leave the mountain!” shouted Amaranth to those dragons who remained. “Find any way out that you can. Hurry!”

  Only the two humans and the dragoness stood their ground. Even when the floor beneath their feet split in twain, Lance and Felicity held tight to each other’s hands and held onto the shards.

  When the ceiling cracked and even larger rocks began to fall, Amaranth surged forward and grabbed the Grimoire and the humans in her arms and carried them with her as she flapped her wings hard, making for the hole through which the moon itself had shone.

  The opening was not nearly as large as she would like, so with a sharp intake of air, she belched forth a stream of flames. She kicked at the superheated rock with her feet, shattering the stone and bursting free, carrying them all to safety in the grotto beyond.

  Lance and Felicity fell together as the princess tripped over an outcropping rock and tumbled to the ground. They rolled down to the bottom along with her, and as they landed they realized they were clinging to one healed orb instead of the two broken pieces.

  They both released it at the same time, and the eye floated into the air for a moment, hovering. Amaranth reached a claw upwards, and the orb shrank as it plunged down and alighted in the middle of her forehead, searing its way into the flesh.

  Her lovely golden scales began to glow, and then they turned bronze in color as she shape-shifted into a beautiful woman with long, golden hair.

  Lance smirked and winked at Felicity as they looked at her, and she elbowed him right in his ribs.

  “Ouch!” he grumbled. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Silly woman,” said the princess with a laugh as she got to her feet and dusted herself off. “Don’t you know that the two of you could never have performed that spell together if he didn’t love you with all his heart?”

  “Of course I do,” Felicity chuckled. “I just like picking on him. I guess it’s a human thing.”

  “I see,” she said with a furrowed brow. “I fear I have never understood such nonsensical things. However, as the two of you have won the book, and as I am its protector, there are now some decisions that must be made. But first, we must gather together the remnants of my people before we proceed.”

  Returning to dragon form, Amaranth surged up into the sky and called out. One by one, and then several at a time, many dragons came to her call. Though not nearly the number of creatures as those who had occupied the cave.

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  The top of the mountain continued to spew forth radiant energy as Lancelot and Felicity watched. At first, both of them had felt a tiredness bordering on sleep, but they were too filled with energy themselves to succumb to it.

  Looking out over the remains of her people, Amaranth gave a dejected sigh. “Once upon a time, I had a great house. Our number was two thousand strong,” she said to the humans at her side. “Now, it looks more like two hundred, give or take a few souls one way or the other. And now, none of us has a place to call home.”

  “I am so sorry for your loss,” Felicity told her gently as she came to stand by her side. She laid a hand upon her side, much as one might comfort their mount in a time of stress. “Is there any way that we can help?”

  “As I have said before, I am the protector of the Grimoire Draconis,” she said as she stepped backwards and morphed back to her human form. “I must go wherever the Grimoire goes, for our two fates are tied together irrevocably.”

  “You are welcome, of course,” said Felicity with a warm smile.

  “However, I must also care for my people, just as they have always been there to care for me. Every one of them once came here hoping to free me from my imprisonment. I owe them a debt of gratitude for all that they have suffered because of me. Besides, I cannot undo what they have become, and so they must remain as they are.”

  “Perhaps once we return to London we can think of something to do with them all,” Lancelot suggested uneasily as he, too, walked over to where she stood. “Surely, your dragons cannot be completely useless. They must possess skills that would help them make their way in the world.”

  “Are you crazy, Lance?” Felicity gasped. “We can’t bring two hundred dragons to live in London. Where do you think we’d put them all?”

  “Maybe we should simply let them loose beyond the Veil,” he teased her. “That would certainly give the Prime Minister a reason for all his concern.”

  “Don’t be silly, Lance,” she grumbled, unwilling to rise to the bait of discussing politics that he’d dangled before her. “You know they must stay inside the Veil, at least while they are in dragon form. And that is going to mean two hundred more mouths to feed into the bargain. Archibald Flanders surely will not be pleased by that prospect.”

  “You know there is no one place within Magehold’s walls where such a group could live,” said Lance with a heavy sigh.

  “Wait a moment,” Felicity said as she slapped herself on the forehead. “Princess, are all of your dragons able to transform, as you do?”

  “Yes, of course,” she answered. “All dragons have that ability, whether they were born to it or not. Why do you ask?”

  “Only because all of the answers are staring me right in the face. Not just yours, but our own as well. The Magi who live behind the Veil have been seeking an alternative means to bring food into the Magehold for a very long time,” she explained. “If these dragons can appear to be humans, perhaps we could obtain some lands for them to farm.”

  “You’re brilliant, Felicity!” Lance agreed as he hugged her to him. “They could be the answer to that problem. But I fear that does not help us to house them right now, nor solve the issue of transporting them to England to begin with.”

  “Yes, since there is no Veil over the Channel, I do not see how it can be done,” she agreed.

  “We also have the ability to become invisible to humans,” Amaranth told them. “It is how the dragons survived for so long when we lived among humans in the past. Also, while I am in my human form you must call me by my human name. Among the humans, I was once known as Princess Amara, though I fear the name passed from existence along with my book. The identities must remain separate, so that none should guess my true nature without my leave.”

  “It is a lovely name,” Lance reassured her. “And, if you are agreeable, I think I know precisely where we might take your people until we can find them homes.”

  “Where might that be?” she inquired.

  “I own a huge country estate with plenty of land,” he explained. “I would be farming it right now if I could, but since it is inside the Veil I fear the magic prevents me planting any viable crops there. However, it might as well serve as a proper base of operations for your people until the matter is settled.”

  “What a brilliant idea,” Felicity exclaimed. “Lance, that is so wonderful of you to offer.”

  “And now, to the matter of travel,” he said. “There’s nothing for it but to
fly over Mundania, Princess. Perhaps it would be wise to gather your people together and explain the need for secrecy on that journey.”

  “Indeed, yes, I need to gather them together in any case,” she agreed.

  “And if you wish to obtain any supplies before we go, that also should be done in short order. It would be quite difficult to explain our presence in such great numbers should we be discovered here by the Mundanes.”

  While Amaranth returned to her dragon form and set about getting her people in order, Felicity and Lance returned to their campsite to gather their belongings. As they worked side by side on shrinking everything down again, they couldn’t help but smile.

  “It seems like this mission has wrought much more for our people than we’d bargained for, does it not?” said Felicity with a satisfied sigh.

  “There’s still a great deal to be done,” Lance reminded her. “The lands will need to be bought, and the seeds supplied, but I’m feeling very optimistic about the future now.”

  “Did I not tell you so?” she said. “These dragons will be a perfect bridge between the two worlds. Everything will be better because of them.”

  “Of course, London will soon be filled with dragon-borns,” Lance pointed out slyly. “I hope the competition will not overtax you, my dear.”

  “Lancelot Jones, you’d better be off to the store yourself,” she told him.

  “Whatever for, my dear?”

  “Because you still haven’t bought that vellum yet, and I do believe we’re not in the caves any longer.”

  “So, what you’re saying is...”

  “The dragons might be busy for quite some time,” she said as she wrapped her arms about his neck.

  “But Felicity, my sweet, the tent is already taken down,” he pointed out as he feathered kisses along her cheeks and neck.

  “So, it’s not as if that has stopped us before,” she pointed out with a chuckle.

  “Indeed, it hasn’t,” he agreed.

  Lancelot lifted Felicity into his arms and carried her over to the tent. There, he laid her down with tender care and proceeded to kiss her madly.

  She groaned with ecstatic desire as she opened her mouth for him. Once again, she saw rainbows.

  Lance’s hands slid inside of the robe she still wore, gliding over her nipples until he had her sobbing with need. “Oh Lance, please!”

  Lance kissed his way down her body to suckle, and then down her belly and towards a much tastier treat. Felicity groaned with anticipation.

  As Lance was about to delve into all the adventure he could possibly handle, they heard the flapping of a large pair of wings. Looking up, they spotted a pair of dragons as they alighted nearby. One red, the other blue.

  “Hygor, Tapur, what news?” asked Felicity as she covered herself and got to her feet. She stepped forward to greet them. Lancelot, looking none too pleased by the interruption, soon joined her.

  “All is in readiness for our journey,” said Hygor. “We have been given the honor of flying the two of you home.”

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  Hygor elected to burden himself with all of the gear, leaving Tapur to carry the two would-be lovers back to the other side of the mountain, where the dragons were waiting. Amaranth, once again in her dragon form, came forward to greet them.

  “Everything is in readiness,” she told then excitedly. “Since you said we would be making use of land rather than a cave, we have acquired enough tents and supplies to house the remains of my people. Most of them have the packs already tied onto their backs, and those who do not are very nearly ready as well.”

  “This is going to be a long journey, Princess,” Lancelot warned her. “We can, of course, remain hidden while we are over the land, but once we cross over the water, every dragon will need to use their invisibility charms at all times. We cannot afford to make any mistakes, lest we be revealed to the endangerment of us all. Do they understand this?”

  “I have told my people everything that they must know,” she reassured him. “But I see that the two of you had no time to put on some proper attire. Do you not wish to do so now?”

  “No, I’ve no desire to dig out our packs again,” Lancelot told her.

  With a shrewd glance, she asked, “And do the two of you have a wish to travel together? The other dragons are a bit small for carrying you both. Perhaps you may wish to avail yourselves of the comfort of my back, instead?”

  Lance grinned over at Felicity, and she barely restrained herself from swatting him right on his backside yet again.

  “I’m sure two smaller dragons should be fine,” Felicity commented dryly. “I wouldn’t want Lance to have too much fun on this adventure.”

  “Damn, foiled again,” he chucked as he snapped his fingers. Then he snuck up right behind Felicity and wrapped her into his arms. “But your plan is completely unacceptable, my dear. I want to hold you in my arms all the way there.”

  “Do you really, my love?” Felicity inquired with a smile as she tried to avoid his lips, just to tease him.

  “Mm, gimme!” he finally growled, and caught her face and held it still so he could take the kiss he was after.

  Felicity giggled and turned into his embrace when she realized that he was after more than just a casual peck. Lance’s tongue tangled with hers just enough to let her know what he had in mind for her later, and she had to set him away from her and roll her eyes meaningfully in the direction of the throng of dragons who surrounded them.

  Casting the dragoness an innocent smile, Lance kissed Felicity’s cheek instead. Then he said, “We very much appreciate the offer to ride upon your back, Highness. I believe it will be much preferred.”

  “Very well, then. I will make certain all is in readiness, and be fitted with a makeshift saddle,” she said. “I would not want you to fall off, for if you did, where on earth would I take this throng then, eh?”

  Lance chuckled at this. Then he laughed again as he saw Felicity pull a face at the thought of her own demise occurring after they’d finally completed their task.

  Amaranth left the couple to themselves for a time so she could prepare herself for the journey.

  “Don’t worry, my darling,” Lancelot said. “She would not let us fall. If she’d wanted us dead, we would not even be standing here at all.”

  “Yes, I’m certain of that,” Felicity answered. “But you’d better be a good boy while we’re on her back.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” he inquired with a suggestive grin.

  As Amaranth returned to them shortly afterwards, she knelt down so they could climb aboard. Then she made a strange noise, something between a whistle and a growl, and as one the entire group of dragons took flight.

  “Make certain that the Grimoire Draconis is safely stored away,” she admonished the pair as they ascended. “We don’t want that to fall, either.”

  “No worries there,” Felicity assured her. “I’m always protective of the books in my care.”

  Lance nuzzled Felicity’s hair at this, and whispered, “That’s true.”

  It was a long ride just to get from the mountains back to Calais, so Lance and Felicity busied themselves with watching the scenery go by. This was, of course, the scenery of Magical France, rather than Mundane. It was a rather colorful and interesting experience, to be sure.

  The landscape was littered with castles, as was their own, and as they passed by Paris they even saw a great, hulking tower rising high into the sky.

  “What is that place?” asked Amaranth curiously.

  “The French Magehold,” Lance told her. “It’s the largest Magehold ever erected, and it has stood there for thousands of years.”

  “Must not have been more than five thousand years,” she scoffed. “I would have seen it otherwise.”

  “Yes, I believe it has been a bit less than four,” Lance conceded with a smirk of appreciation. “But, to my way of thinking, the manner in which I described it sounds better.”

  “Humans,” sh
e said with a mirthful chuckle. “You’re just as strange as ever.”

  Later on, when they reached the shore of the Channel, the dragons had to cloak themselves as they headed out over the waves. It was decided that beforehand they would take a break to rest their wings, but after only about half an hour they were in the air yet again.

  Amaranth was among the last to fly out over the water, and soon they left the continent far behind. Felicity giggled then, and Lancelot gave her an inquiring glance.

  “If someone had told me a year ago that I would soon be about to lead a couple hundred dragons back to London so they could take up residence somewhere nearby, I would have probably told them that they were completely loony,” she explained.

  Lancelot chuckled and kissed her on the top of her head. “Well, what would you have said to them if someone would have told you a year ago that you’d be working side by side with the famous wizard, Master Lancelot Jones, in the Magical Museum, or that you would go on a grand adventure with him to the south of France, or that you would end up madly in love with him, or that he would fall madly in love with you?”

  “Well, that would have been a rather tall order, wouldn’t it?” she chuckled as she leaned back against him and nuzzled her nose against his chest. “But, I suppose I would have to tell them that I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

  “One could only hope that after the adventure we just had, the rest ought to be smooth sailing,” Lance predicted.

  “Smooth sailing?” commented Felicity with a wry grin. “I’ve heard somebody say that before. You ought to be careful when you ask for that.”

  “What do you mean, my dear?” he asked with a smirk. “I thought this whole grand adventure turned out rather well.”

  “Personally, I think the train adventure is going to turn out even better,” she told him with a wicked grin. Then she snuggled more comfortably into his arms, quite certain she was in need of a nice, long nap.