“No! Haytham!”
Rough hands grabbed at her, dragged her from the bed. Four men wearing black stood in the small space.
“Shut up, bitch.” A hand slapped her face. Candace gasped.
“Engyl, fetch help.”
“Dammit, get that bird!” Candace recognized the voice now. “You’ve ruined everything,” Derog said, shaking her.
“I don’t understand.” Candace kept her face down. She searched for a sign that Haytham lived. Surely if he was dead, she’d feel it. They were bonded. She saw it then, his chest rose slowly. He breathed.
“Yes, you do. I planned for decades. Now my uncle has taken a mate. Together their magic is too strong. I need the Dragon’s Heart and you’re going to get it for me.”
“We found this, sir,” one of his men held out the book she’d kept from the library.
“You know where the stone is don’t you. Tell me! Tell me now, or I will slit your would be lover’s throat.” Derog motioned to one of his men who pulled back Haytham’s head and placed a knife to his throat.
“Don’t!” Candace lunged forward.
Derog grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him, the book fell onto the bed.
“Where is it?” he asked between gritted teeth.
“Omeo, the volcano.”
“I’m glad to see you can be reasonable. Perhaps your lover has some use after all. Bring him.” Derog motioned to his men. They wrapped Haytham in a blanket from the bed and one guard hauled him over his shoulder.
Derog leered at her. “I’m glad I got here in time. Perhaps when this is over, I will take that sweet virginity.”
Candace wanted to cover herself, instead she stood strong. “I can’t travel like this.” She glared at Derog. There was still a chance of rescue if she stalled him.
“Hmm. Get some clothes then, but don’t think to stall. We must leave immediately, before your damn bird raises the alarm.”
Candace hurried to her chest and slipped on her servant’s uniform. She grabbed a small pack and slipped the First Dragon and Marwolaeth books inside along with a couple of changes of clothes and Haytham’s shirt. Derog grabbed her arm and hurried her from the room. She tried to drag her feet, but Derog wasn’t having it. He squeezed her arm, his grip bruising.
“Keep up, or I will carry you. Remember, I have your lover in my possession. Do what I say, or I will kill him.”
Chapter Nine
Candace kept expecting help to arrive, but they actually rode out of the palace gates without the slightest hint of something being wrong. The guards never questioned why Derog would tie a servant to one of the lizards.
She pressed her bound hands to Haytham’s inert form. Thankfully, Derog’s men tied them to the same rogne. Blood covered the blanket from his head wound. She feared for his life, her Destined One. They’d bonded magically. She should be able to call on the healing powers of the Air House, if Haytham was so gifted. She prayed he was a healer.
Candace called on the soft golden magic she felt during the ceremony. Her hands tingled. She hoped she did this correctly. She spread her hands out as much as she could, touching his upper back.
“Healing energy, come to me. Bathe this man in golden light, flesh repair and cells unite. Return his body to perfect health, his mind complete and soul is well.” Candace felt the energy pouring into Hay. He moaned.
“As I will it, let it be. It is done, it is done, it is done.” Candace continued to keep her hands in place until she felt the energy stop flowing.
Haytham didn’t move or make a sound, but his breathing seemed improved. Candace bit her lip, hoping he’d recover. Since he was wrapped and tied like a sausage, it might be better if he slept for a while. She patted his back and looked at Derog on the lead rogne.
A wave of rage consumed her. He would pay for this. She glared at his back. Smoke poured from her nose. Surprised, Candace coughed. Sniffled. Coughed again.
Derog looked back at her. She glowered at him and he turned away. Dragons could breathe fire, but only the most powerful Fire Witches could perform that trick. Did the bonding of her magic with Haytham boost her abilities?
Candace stared at the ropes tying her hands. She let the anger at Derog’s actions feed her magic, and then she blew across the bindings. A small flame ignited the jute. Candace gasped. She waited until the rope fell apart to dump the still burning pieces to the ground. At least, now, she had the full use of her hands.
She looked around at the guards. They ignored her. Could she figure out a way to escape? Looking at Haytham, still passed out across the rogne’s back, she decided to wait it out. Once Hay recovered, they could escape together.
§
“Well, is your Destined One still alive?” Derog grabbed her arm and pulled her off the back of the rogne. They had ridden until dark, always going northward. Now, they stopped in a small glade next to the road surrounded by old trees that stretched into the heavens.
“Too bad,” Derog said, noting Haytham’s breathing. “We’ll stop here for the night. Perhaps you would like to dance for me and my men? I really wanted to claim you at the Virgin Dance. It would have made this trip much more comfortable for all of us.”
“Get your hands off me,” Candace hissed, pulling against his grip, but not managing to break free. “I wouldn’t dance for you if you were the last man alive.”
“Such a temper, sweetheart.” Derog leaned over and took a long sniff. “It’s going to kill me to keep my hands off you, but the Dragon’s Heart is worth any sacrifice. At the end, I’ll have you and the stone.”
“I’ll never belong to you.” Candace glared at Derog.
“You’ll do whatever I ask you to do, if you want to keep your Destined One alive. Guard, tie them to one of the trees. Give them a little length. I’m sure they need to relieve themselves. I don’t want them soiling their clothes and stinking up the place.”
Derog handed her to one of the guards while another dragged a still unmoving Haytham to a tree.
“You need to release him from the blanket,” Candace pointed out. “When he wakes he won’t be able to move, let along relieve himself.”
The guard dumped Hay unceremoniously on the hard earth. Candace winced, fearing for his head injury. Then the guard unrolled Haytham from the blanket, dropping it near his head, and tied his ankle to the tree. The second guard gripping Candace’s arm dragged her to the adjoining tree and tied her by the wrist. Funny, no one asked how she’d become untied before. Did they really think she would sit here through the night? They probably figured with Hay unconscious, she wasn’t going anywhere. She frowned. They were right. She couldn’t carry him. If she escaped, they’d have no reason to keep him alive.
Movement near the fire caught her attention. Derog waved his hands and seemed to be conjuring some kind of magic. Then his shape began to glow and morph until a huge dragon stood near the road. He blew smoke from his long nose until a ring floated a few inches off the ground surrounding the whole camp. With a last puff, Derog curled up like a cat and went to sleep.
Candace scooted as close as she could to Haytham and reached for him. She could just touch him. His skin looked pale, but his temperature seemed normal. If he woke, he could turn and they’d be able to reach each other easily. Was he ever going to wake? Blood caked in his hair and across one side of his face. Tears sprang to her eyes.
“Don’t leave me, Haytham. Please don’t go.” She sniffled and pulled up her knees, resting her head on them. She felt so alone. What should she do? Derog couldn’t be allowed to get the Dragon’s Heart. If she did find it, how would she keep it safe from him? Her magic wasn’t enough to fight a dragon.
One of the guards dropped a water skin next to her foot. Candace greedily gulped down the liquid, then thought of Haytham and stopped. He would need water when he woke. She wasn’t giving up on him. A short time later, a guard dropped a packet of banweh jerky and suchi fruit at her feet.
Candace forced herself to eat. She’d
need her strength to escape. She watched two of the guards walk the perimeter of their small camp as the others bedded down by a fire. She shivered, wishing she could be a little closer to the warmth. Finally, not knowing what else to do, she leaned against the tree and let her eyes close.
§
Haytham heard the rustling of the wind in the trees before realizing he lay on the cold hard ground. He blinked his eyes open and suppressed a groan. His head felt like it wanted to explode. What the hell happened? The last thing he remembered he was making love to Candace and was about to take her virginity.
Tree branches partially blocked his view of a night sky. He brought his hand to his head and felt a sticky dried mess. Blood. He’d been injured. Where was Candace? He tried to sit up and only managed rolling over onto his elbow. Candace sat near him, shivering in the cold. She wore her servant’s uniform, her wrist tied to the tree next to his. He looked down. His ankle was tied to a tree as well. What the hell?
Seeing the blanket on the ground next to him, he scooted into a sitting position propped against the tree. Then he leaned over and placed the covering around Candace. Her shivering slowed. Next he took stock of himself. He felt weak, probably from the injury. From the amount of blood in his hair and dried on his face, he was surprised to be awake. He felt around his skull, but couldn’t find a wound. Someone must have healed him. Now if his headache would go away, he might be able to think clearly.
A water skin sat near Candace and he reached for it, not realizing until that moment how thirsty he felt. When the skin was empty, he noticed the small package of trail rations. A piece of jerky and fruit remained, which he quickly gobbled up.
Movement at the edge of the trees caught his eye and Haytham realized guards circled the area. He tugged his foot. The rope held fast. He could probably get untied, but it might take a while. Whatever happened, Haytham needed to regain his strength.
Candace whimpered in her sleep. He scooted closer and laid her against him. His ankle hurt from the pulling of the rope, but Haytham hated to see her suffering in her sleep. He wrapped his arms around her and she melted against him.
Calling his magic, he blew across her and around in a circle. Then he visualized the air molecules moving faster and getting further apart. The small bubble of air he created warmed them both. Hay rested his chin over Candace’s head and let sleep take him.
§
A soft hand cupped his cheek. “Haytham, are you awake?”
He wasn’t but tried to blink his eyes open anyway. A soft glow in the sky heralded dawn. A quiet moment of in between before the world awakened.
He felt a rush of energy entering his system and looked down at Candace still in his arms. She healed him. Her eyes closed, she called on the air magic bound to her from the Destined One Ceremony. The last of his headache disappeared.
Haytham grabbed her wrist. “That’s enough. Save the rest for later.”
“Haytham?” Her eyes blinked open. “You’re okay.” Her gaze searched his. His breath stopped, caught in her emerald colored eyes, his beautiful Destined One.
“What’s going on? Why are we tied to a tree?” he finally managed to ask.
Candace told him about their kidnapping and the search for the Dragon Heart stone.
“I have to find it before Derog. He’ll use it to take over the kingdom.”
“Do you know where it is?” Haytham asked.
“There is a map in a book I found in the library. It’s in my pack on the rogne. We have to go into the volcano Omeo to find it.”
“Sounds dangerous.” Haytham hated to think of Candace in danger.
“More dangerous than a psychotic dragon?”
Hay chuckled. “Okay, you’ve got me there. Do you have a plan?”
“Not really, I figured I’d let Derog get me closer to the mountain before I try to escape. You were injured and Derog will kill you in an instant if he thinks he can. I couldn’t leave you.”
“I appreciate you looking out for me.” Haytham caressed her cheek.
“You’re my Destined One.”
Haytham covered her soft lips with his, needing to touch her, to taste her. His tongue flicked against the seam of her mouth and she opened on a soft gasp. His hand curled around her nape and pulled her closer. Candace circled his neck with her free arm as she responded.
“Hey, none of that. Derog won’t be pleased.” A soft thunk filled the air as one of the guards tossed down Candace’s pack at their feet. Haytham pulled back and glared at the man.
“The king will kill you for your treason. You should run before he finds us.”
“Naw, Derog will be king, and once the virgin gets the stone, you’ll be killed, and she’ll be dessert. Better hurry if you want to clean up.” The guard leered at Candace. Haytham wanted to smash his face in.
Candace patted his chest and reached for the bag. The guard walked to the fire pit and worked on restarting the dying embers.
“I grabbed your shirt off the floor. It’s kind of fancy, but I didn’t have much time.” She handed him the blue doublet he’d worn to the ceremony. Once on, she handed him two small books. One on the First Dragon and the other on the Marwolaeth. He slipped them into his pocket and felt the cold metal of the silver flute. He searched the pocket, but didn’t find the dragon scale pin Aiden gave him. Haytham shook his head.
“What’s wrong?” Candace asked.
“The dragon scale pin your brother gave me. How will I get through the portal to Earth without it?”
“I have my necklace. Let’s worry about that later. Right now, we have to survive Derog’s plans for us.”
Haytham nodded. “At least I still have the flute. It might come in handy. When I played it before, it seemed to create a hypnotic reaction in the audience.”
“You have the silver flute? I thought I’d lost it. Nobody has been able to make it play.” Candace’s eyes lit up. Haytham smiled at her excitement. “I’ll tell you about it after you get changed. I’ll hold the blanket so you have some privacy.”
Candace nodded and handed it to him. Haytham held it up as Candace slipped out of her dirty clothes and into a clean servant’s outfit.
“Your mother made you a servant?” Haytham didn’t understand the dragon kind.
“Derog made her do it in front of everyone the night I arrived. I guess that’s what they do with children who can’t shift form into dragons. It must be hard on both the parents and the children, but dragons don’t like change. I’ve read their history. Enfys was the first king to introduce new laws. He implemented the Destined One mandate when the gates to all the dimensions remained open.”
“The book on the Marwolaeth? You read that too?”
“A little. It mentions a spell that can undo the magic that made them parasitic beings. A Fae wizard made them that way. Okay, I’m finished.”
Haytham lowered the blanket and Candace stood. The burnt piece of rope that had tied her to the tree dangled from the trunk. She reached down and touched the rope attached to Haytham’s ankle. It burst into flames and fell apart as it blackened.
“The guards aren’t going to like that.” Haytham worried that Derog would punish Candace.
“They should have untied us when they told us to change. Come on, I’m hungry.”
Candace walked up to the fire pit and grabbed the coffee pot near the edge. Haytham followed behind her readying for a fight if one of the guards took umbrage. Too bad he didn’t have the sword Aiden gave him, but he had his air magic. He could pull the air from their lungs and suffocate them, or fill their lungs with so much air they popped like a balloon. Knowing he wasn’t defenseless calmed Haytham. He might not kill a dragon, but he could take out the guards.
Candace poured some of the hot liquid into a tin cup that sat near the edge on a stone. The guards watched, but didn’t make a move to stop them.
Next, she reached into a pack that contained trail rations and handed Haytham one of the packages. They ate the jerky and dried fruit in si
lence as the rest of the party packed the rogne and prepared to leave.
Off to the side of the camp, closer to the road, a rock formation moved. A long neck rose from the ground and a huge triangular head with dark swirling eyes looked down upon them. When the dragon got to his fee,t he was the size of a semi-truck in both height and length. Haytham watched in amazement.
The dragon yawned, showing off razor sharp teeth. Then he walked closer to the fire pit and leaned down to sniff delicately at Candace. Haytham froze. He wanted to grab Candace and pull her out of danger, but she didn’t seem afraid of the huge beast.
Instead she ignored him, treating him like the family dog. She reached down and picked up one of the trail rations and flipped it into the air. The dragon caught it with a snap of its huge jaws. The beast leaned down and blew a large gust of air from his nose. Candace covered her eyes with her hand and the fire went out.
The brown dragon began to shimmer with a fiery light and then shrank in size while his neck grew shorter and his body morphed into human form. A servant ran up and handed Derog a robe. He tied the sash around the middle and reached out toward Candace. She took an unhurried step out of reach placing her next to Haytham. Not being able to help himself, Hay put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Derog frowned and then scowled at Haytham. Did the dragon think he had a chance with her?
“I see your Destined One lived through the night. Pity.”
Fire bloomed in Candace’s cheeks. Haytham grabbed her wrist in warning as she began to open her mouth. She snapped it closed in an eerily similar dragon movement.
When she didn’t answer, Derog seemed disappointed. “Everyone mount up. We need to get a move on.”
“I’m sure the king is sending someone after us,” Haytham said.
Derog laughed. “Are you hoping for a rescue, human? The king would probably gut you. I arranged for his beloved son Andras to have an accident. When they find your sword at the scene, they’ll think you turned against your friend and killed him. Tie these two to their mount.”
Fiery Magic Page 11