Tegan nodded. “Yes.”
“And did she provide any guidance, or help with how to survive?” The man asked.
“She left me with a flask of water, a change of clothes, and one night’s worth of food.” He cleared his throat so he could try and speak past the growing lump in it. “I guess that was the best she could do, with what little she had. We didn’t have much, since the clan treated us like outsiders.”
Serina’s lips twisted. “Well I suppose she thought she had no choice,” she said, and then sighed. “For her own survival, as well as yours.”
Drake spoke up for the first time, his eyes narrowed. “And are you sure this is the only reason that you were exiled, boy? Were you known to cause trouble in your clan, or any mischief of any kind? Or was your sire in contact with you and using you as a spy amongst your mother’s people? Be honest here – I won’t allow a traitor in my midst.”
“Alpha,” Grey said, a warning tone in his voice, but Tegan stepped forward, wanting to speak up for himself.
“Sir,” he said, lifting his chin and straightening his shoulders so he could look Drake straight in the eye. “I have lived under fear of execution from my mother’s clan since I was a baby, and yet I have never once struck out against my elders, or tried to harm anyone. Yes, my mother treated me poorly, but I always served her well, and tried to make life as easy for her as possible.” He ran his fingers through his hair, his face wreathed in pain. “I knew that her life was difficult because of my existence, and that if it weren’t for me she would likely be married to a shifter in her clan of high stature, and she would have a better life. I was not exiled by my clan, sir, but by my own mother, because she decided she didn’t want me anymore and for no other reason.”
One of the council members arched a brow. “Are you saying that you willingly gave up yourself and let your mother take you to the forest so that she could live a better life without you?”
Tegan laughed a little. “If only I were that brave, but alas, I’m not. I foolishly thought that we were going away together, away from the clan, to start a better life for ourselves. But when she brought me to the forest, she gave me the last of our provisions, and told me that I was on my own, that she’d come to an arrangement with one of the wealthier shifters in our clan, but that she’d had to get rid of me.”
“So your mother was essentially a whore,” Serina said, her eyes cold. “Willing to sell herself out to the man with the highest coin as long as all she had to do was get rid of her only son.”
The words slapped Tegan in the face hard, like a sheet of icy rain, and he bit back the anger that bubbled to his lips. “I would never speak such words about my mother,” he said quietly, balling his hands into fists at his side. “Regardless of how she treated me.”
“And so you wouldn’t,” the grey haired councilman said warmly. “Because you’re better than that, even after all you’ve been through. Alpha, I think we’ve heard enough. It’s time to put this matter to a vote.”
Drake frowned, considering for a moment. “We shall,” he finally said, but turned to Grey. “On the condition that you do agree that you are fully responsible for this youngling, if we approve him. You will raise him as though he were your own son, and teach him of our ways, and rules, and how to uphold them.”
Grey smiled. “I would consider Tegan as my own son,” he said, laying a hand on Tegan’s shoulder. “And I will be happy to raise him and teach him all he needs to know to become a fine dragon shifter.”
“Very well,” Drake replied. “Let’s vote.”
They voted, and it was decided unanimously that Tegan be allowed to stay and become a member of the clan. Even Drake gave his vote, though Tegan suspected it was because he sensed the rest of the council’s decision, and did not want to appear the odd man out. But even so he couldn’t bring himself to care; he was part of the clan!
“You did very well in there,” Grey said, a proud smile on his face as he led Tegan back to the cabin. “The way you conducted yourself and appealed to the council, I am very impressed.”
“Thank you.” Tegan’s cheeks turned red at the praise. “But really, I can’t be grateful enough to you for taking me in. I will do you proud, I swear.”
“I’m sure you will,” Grey said as they walked into the house. “I’m sure you will, son.”
Chapter Four
Many years later…
What a glorious day, Tegan thought, as he soared through the afternoon sky, simply enjoying the feel of the wind rushing against his face, and along his scales. He’d finished his clan duties for the day, and was taking some time to just enjoy the freedom of flying high before he turned his attention toward the much-needed task of hunting something for dinner.
As he did another aerial turn, he caught sight of another dragon, far off into the distance, likely already searching for their next meal. His heart sank as he was reminded of the days when Grey used to go out hunting with him. They would often compete to see who could bring down a buck the fastest, or who could spot the next prey first. But these days Grey spent less and less time out and about, and more time in his cabin, no longer as strong as he used to be, and so Tegan was left to take care of the heavier chores, such as hunting.
Tegan pushed the thought away, not liking the melancholy feelings that went along with it. He didn’t like to think about the fact that Grey was getting old – he’d already been over two hundred years old when he’d taken Tegan in, and while Tegan was just coming into his own Grey was entering the final stages of life.
Stop dwelling on such things, he berated himself. It’s the natural cycle of life.
He began circling the sky, his keen eyes searching for prey. About thirty miles out, he spotted a herd of antelope, and he zoomed off in that direction, careful to push himself up above the clouds so that they wouldn’t see him coming.
He moved himself up to the proper elevation, and then circled the herd, his keen eyes studying them in an effort to try and choose the best target. Over at the right edge of the herd, he caught sight of one with a lame leg – perfect. He wouldn’t be able to outrun Tegan once he swooped down to catch him. Not wanting to lose the opportunity, he tucked his legs and dove straight out of the clouds, heading straight for the prey he’d chosen.
The antelope, predictably, bolted in all directions, trying to get away from him as fast as they could. But the one with the lame leg, try as it might, didn’t have a chance against Tegan’s superior speed, and the advantage of flight. All it took was one swoop, and Tegan had the creature snapped up in his jaws, eliminating any hope of escape. His teeth crunched down into the flesh, one of his teeth slicing straight through the jugular, and the antelope died instantly, its struggles ceasing.
Triumphant, Tegan took the catch back up with him into the sky, and returned to the village at a much slower pace than when he’d left it. It wasn’t as easy flying when you had a two-hundred-pound animal in your mouth. Definitely no playful flying allowed, or he would drop it, and something else might snatch it up in the meanwhile – or at least try to. The last thing he needed was to come home with an antelope carcass that had been pecked by vultures. Grey would be upset about that – he was very particular when it came to his venison.
Tegan stretched his wings out a little, his eyes scanning the terrain as he flew over the grassy hills and headed for the mountain vale that had been his home for decades. So many villages had cropped up since he’d first come here as a child, he noted, watching the smokestacks rising from the houses to color the sky with little puffs of grey. On the one hand that made him a little sad because he enjoyed the wide-open landscapes that were uninterrupted by civilization. But on the other hand it was good for the clan, as the humans had an ongoing arrangement with the Alpha that in exchange for offering them protection from rival dragon clans, and other beasts in the area, that the humans would provide them with supplies.
Tegan didn’t visit human towns very often – he was uncomfortable with the idea of
interacting with them because he knew that humans feared dragon shifters. He’d already spent much of his childhood around people who feared and hated him, and he didn’t have a place for that in his adult life. So he tried to avoid visiting the towns whenever possible, unless Grey sent him out on a specific errand, and then, he couldn’t refuse.
Grey doesn’t share my apprehension of humans, Tegan mused as he flew straight over the gate, pausing to wave a wing at the sentries who were manning it. Grey had spent many years interacting with humans on a regular basis, which made sense, as he was the main human liaison. As one of the more compassionate members of the clan, and also one of the oldest and wisest, the council had appointed him to the position a long time ago. He often spent long hours visiting with human friends in the villages, or at least he used to before he had started losing his strength. Now he rarely went out at all.
Soaring over the clan’s village, Tegan landed in front of Grey’s house, and then shifted back into his human form, leaving the antelope lying on the grass. He was much different from the youngling he had been all those years ago, when he’d arrived as a painfully thin young boy wearing little more than threadbare clothes, and his skin covered in a layer of dirt. His black hair was no longer ridden with knots and tangles, but long and shiny, pulled back into a queue at the nape of his neck. His body was strong and muscular, much more filled out, and dressed in soft, sturdy wool, not the threadbare cotton and hemp clothing his mother had left him with. His blue eyes were keen and sharp now, the doubt and fear they’d been filled with when he’d first arrived, a distant memory.
These days he was a beautiful, powerful dragon. A shadow of his former self, though he never allowed himself to forget where he came from, and just how much Grey had done for him.
He approached the door, and heard Drake, the Alpha, inside arguing with Grey. Though he’d mostly gotten over the intimidating effect of the Alpha, hearing his voice still rubbed him the wrong way even when he was in the best of moods.
“I can’t just go around making rash decisions,” Drake was saying, and Tegan could pick up with his acute hearing, the sound of Drake pacing across the wooden floorboards. “Just because you say that the village is being attacked by shifters doesn’t mean I’m going to send an army out. I need to vote on this with the council.”
“Are you mad?” Grey snapped, his voice not quite a strong as it used to be, but there was still a core of steel lying beneath it. “What exactly do you think is going on here? You saw that human who came to visit earlier today. He was haggard looking, his eyes filled with desperation – not the look of a man who is trying to deceive us. He told us that his wife had been taken, his daughters too, and by dragon shifters. We have an oath to uphold to keep them safe. It is our sworn duty to protect those villages, Drake. Unless, of course, it’s you who’s been taking their wives and daughters.” Grey’s voice darkened.
“How dare you make such outrageous accusations!” Drake raged, and Tegan stiffened as he heard a loud crash – the sound of glass breaking. “I absolutely won’t stand for this – “
He broke off as Tegan opened the door, unable to stand listening from the other side any more. He didn’t want Drake flying into a rage and hurting Grey – not that that had ever actually happened, but with the way things had been between them and Grey’s decreasing health, he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Alpha,” he said, inclining his head politely to Drake. The Alpha was standing over Grey with his fists clenched, glowering down at the older man who was sitting in a rocking chair. Lying on the ground near the far wall were the remains of a blue and white vase that had been sitting on the fireplace – likely Drake had snatched it and bashed it against the wall in his anger. The Alpha was well known for his temper tantrums.
“Tegan.” Drake inclined his head fractionally in respect – a long ways away from the days when he used to look down on Tegan and call him ‘whelp’. His cold eyes regarded him for a long moment, as if wondering how much Tegan had heard, before turning back to Grey. “This isn’t over,” he said, and then turned on his heel and stormed out.
“No,” Grey said softly, watching his nephew with steady eyes. “It most certainly is not.”
Tegan shut the door behind him. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”
“Eventually.” Grey smiled, and then pushed himself out of his chair. “But for now we should probably tend to that antelope you’ve got bleeding all over my front yard.”
Laughing, Tegan turned and opened the door. “Sharp as ever,” he said, knowing that Grey could smell the beast through the doorway.
“Well, my nose hasn’t gone yet, even if the rest of me has.”
They skinned and butchered the animal together, then wrapped up the meat in wax paper and stored some of it in the icebox. Other pieces they brought out to the smokehouse in the back and hung up on the little hooks, where they would smoke for days in order to preserve the meat for use during the lean times of the year. And the rest they brought inside for supper.
“This is so good,” Tegan said after swallowing a mouthful of venison stew. “You always make it so much better than I do.”
“That’s because you never add the right amount of spices,” Grey said, chiding a little, though his eyes twinkled. “You always forget the tarragon.”
“Tarragon. Right.” Tegan chuckled, then rolled his eyes at Grey. “You know, don’t think that you’re going to be able to distract me into forgetting what happened this afternoon. I want to know what Drake was in here raging about.”
“Alpha,” Grey corrected. “Don’t forget that these walls are thin, son. I don’t want him to think that you’re being insubordinate.”
Tegan scowled. “I would think that after so many years of living here and being part of the clan that he would trust me by now.”
Grey’s brows furrowed together. “Drake trusts no one,” he said darkly, “except for those precious few that do not deserve to be trusted. And with good reason.”
Tegan frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Just that I suspect something is going on with our Alpha,” Grey said. “I don’t know enough to tell you what exactly, so keep it to yourself for now. But I think that he is hiding something, and we need to find out what that is. I need you to investigate.”
“Investigate?” Tegan was taken aback. “You want me to investigate the Alpha? I’ll be thrown out of the clan if he finds out!”
Grey shook his head. “No, not the Alpha,” he said quietly. “I want you to investigate this situation with the humans. The fact that my nephew is reluctant to look into it tells me that he is hiding something, but that isn’t my main concern right now. What I need you to find out is how the humans are faring, if there really is a dragon clan attacking them, and if so, why this is happening, even though we have dragon sentries who are supposed to be patrolling the area. If you can get me some evidence of what is happening, I can take it to the council and have them do something about it.”
Tegan scowled. “Why wouldn’t we just go and question the Firewalker Clan? They’re our rivals, and the most likely culprits.”
Grey nodded. “True, but I need you to check on the humans first and make sure that they’re alright,” he said. “And you should be able to find out more information from them as you are checking out the villages. No one else seems to be doing this right now, so it’s important that someone does. I would do it myself, but…”
“No,” Tegan said firmly, placing a hand on Grey’s forearm. “I will go.”
Grey smiled. “You’ve always been a good son,” he said. “I trust you’ll find out what is going on, and bring that information back to me.”
Tegan nodded. “Well, I did say I would make you proud when you took me in. And I mean to uphold that promise, even if it does mean I have to go and mingle with humans.” He winked, and then pushed back from the table, finished with his stew. “I’d better get going now, before the sun sets.”
/> “Be careful,” Grey called after him as Tegan went upstairs to clean up. “This is a reconnaissance mission only, and I don’t want you getting into anything that is over your head.”
“I’m just going to go have a look,” Tegan replied, putting supplies in his pack just in case he needed them, though he assumed he would not. After all, this was just going to be a quick flyover, where he would stop at a couple of villages, and try to get some information about what was happening to the humans.
What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter Five
It was complete and utter chaos.
Tegan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. At first, when he’d been headed for the village and he’d seen the plumes of smoke, he’d thought it was just the smokestacks from chimneys, or that maybe the humans were having some kind of bonfire celebration. But he’d landed a mile out, instead of directly at the edge of the village, his instincts telling him something was off, and had run the rest of the way so that he wouldn’t be spotted.
And boy, was he glad he’d made that decision.
The whole town was decimated. Buildings were on fire, some of the roofs crushed in, and the hay burning, many of the windows shattered to bits. The sound of people moaning and weeping filled the air, along with the sound of fire crackling. Bodies littered the streets, some of them barely alive, some of them dead and blackened with fire – the kind of fire that Tegan could tell, by their scent, came from dragons.
Grey had been right. There were dragon shifters attacking the towns, and whoever had done this hadn’t just decided to take the women and children – they’d decided to completely destroy everything in sight.
Bile rose in his throat at the stench of burning flesh – not something that usually bothered him as a dragon, but human flesh wasn’t something he ever dined on, and the smell was repulsive. It didn’t help that the scent of fear, sweat, and adrenaline – were also mixed in, from the dead and the dying who lay all around. There was drag, and scratch marks all over the ground, as if someone had literally taken people by the legs, and pulled them across the ground to their death. But then, that didn’t make sense to Tegan because there was no room for a dragon to move so easily throughout the streets, at least not without crushing some of the houses, and he didn’t see that kind of damage. So what had happened?
Shades Of Dragon (A BBW Dragon-Shifter Paranormal Romance) Page 3