The Blue Dragon: A Claire-Agon Dragon Book (Dragon Series 2)

by Salvador Mercer

  The

  Blue

  Dragon

  SALVADOR

  MERCER

  The Blue Dragon

  Copyright © 2015 by Salvador Mercer.

  All Rights Reserved

  First Electronic Edition

  Published by Diamond Star Publishing

  For information contact; Salvador@salvadormercer.com

  www.salvadormercer.com

  Edited by: Courtney Umphress

  Book and Cover design by Christine Savoie aka ‘Cagnes’ c2015

  Art and Stock Photo Credits:

  Dragon Stock by Dimitri Elevit:

  Interior Icons: Svetlana Shirokova | Dreamstime.com

  Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ASIN: B017ICH1HM

  First Edition: November 2015

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Other Books by Salvador Mercer

  Claire-Agon Dragon Series

  The Black Dragon: A Claire-Agon Dragon Book 1

  The Green Dragon: A Claire-Agon Dragon Book 3

  Claire-Agon Ranger Series

  Ranger Rising: Claire-Agon Ranger Book 1

  Dead Druid: Claire-Agon Ranger Book 2

  Sci-Fi-Technothriller

  Lunar Discovery

  Book Description

  A thousand years ago, on the world of Claire-Agon, a war raged between men and dragons.

  After an expedition of elite warriors kills an ancient nemesis, Seth the Sword Slayer, one of Agon's most feared assassins, finds himself in the middle of a mysterious string of killings targeting the members of his elite group.

  As the Kesh wizards call a conclave of Agon's most powerful realms to Balax, the capital of Balaria, Seth attempts to set a trap and kill the rouge assassin in his homeland with the help of the governor's troops, the thieves' guild and his own assassin's order. Seth must not only save his city from a new threat of destruction, but also navigate the politically deadly waters of high intrigue from the gathered realms.

  Seth soon discovers that, in the world of Claire-Agon, when dealing with a Blue Dragon, sometimes appearances can be deceiving.

  For:

  Tina Monique

  Michelle Liset

  Tiffany Cheri

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Blue

  Chapter 2

  Balaria

  Chapter 3

  Triumph

  Chapter 4

  Ulatha

  Chapter 5

  Balax

  Chapter 6

  Revenge

  Chapter 7

  Deceit

  Chapter 8

  Eiry

  Chapter 9

  Attack

  Chapter 10

  Krom

  Chapter 11

  Trap

  Chapter 12

  Sprung

  Chapter 13

  Unexpected

  Chapter 14

  Wounded

  Chapter 15

  Suspicions

  Chapter 16

  Lore

  Chapter 17

  Conclave

  Chapter 18

  Conspiracies

  Chapter 19

  Feud

  Chapter 20

  Grotto

  Chapter 21

  Drones

  Chapter 22

  Azure

  Chapter 23

  Bluff

  Epilogue

  Contact the Author

  About the Author

  Appendix A

  The “Science” of Claire Agon

  Appendix B

  Glossary

  The Green Dragon

  Chapter 1 Excerpt

  Chapter 1

  Blue

  “Is that the dragon?” the pudgy administrative bureaucrat asked, peering over the ridge line near the beach.

  “No, that is its watcher,” the Kesh wizard replied, looking intently at the Balarian government official.

  “Well, it looks like a dragon, though I can barely see it from here,” the pudgy man said, moving to the side to get a better vantage point.

  This brought an immediate reaction from the wizard. “Do not step beyond the two orbs, Overseer Jaxon.”

  Jaxon rubbed his chin, stepping back from the ridgeline to assess the wizard’s words. “Why? Can it see us?”

  “Not if we stay between the orbs,” the wizard replied. “It has ways of seeing in more than just the visible light.”

  “That is not reassuring, Kaylor,” Jaxon said, eyeing the wizard with suspicion. “You seem to know entirely too much about them. Besides, even though it’s hard to see, it looks like a dragon to me.”

  Kaylor took a step closer to Jaxon, scrutinizing the Balarian bureaucrat. Balarians were known for their backstabbing thieves, their professional assassins, and providing sanctuary to marauding pirates, but the wizard was about to add cumbersome and annoying governmental administrators to the list as well. “We are on the same side here.”

  “Are we, Kesh?” Jaxon said, a nod of his head to the Balarian captain who stepped next to his administrator, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.

  A large barbarian warrior stepped up behind Jaxon and the Balarian captain. He had blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and towered at least a foot above the captain and more so the administrator. “Not wise idea to pick fight with magic wielder.” His accent was heavy, his words choppy, but his presence was commanding.

  Several Balarian soldiers stood from their resting positions, and a few even grabbed their spears. Alyssa, the thief, and Krom, the Akun cleric, both stirred restlessly but said nothing. Kaylor looked around and smiled, which wasn’t exactly reassuring to Jaxon. “Now, now, Overseer, we would not want to start a diplomatic incident right before we face one of your country’s chief nemeses, now would we?”

  Seth watched as the soft words of the wizard charmed . . . no, soothed would be a better word, the tensions of his fellow Balarians. There was something mystical not only to the man’s words but to his tone as well. Seth felt himself wanting to like the wizard, even trust the Kesh, but his instincts proved stronger, and he resisted. The Balarians worked with the Kesh, oftentimes closely, but that didn’t mean they trusted one another, and a time like this showed exactly why.

  Seth stepped forward, interrupting the Kesh wizard and breaking the trancelike state that had suddenly come over the Balarians. “All right, Kaylor, you made your point. The stone-like-looking creature that we saw, if it isn’t a dragon, then what is it?”

  Kaylor looked at Seth and then back to Jaxon, who was blinking his eyes, dumbfounded. The large northern barbarian Graz laughed quietly and shook his head, stepping back and down further onto the beach. Kaylor turned his attention back to Seth before speaking. “I am glad at least one Balarian still sees reason. The creature you saw is a wyvern, not a dragon.”

  Captain Eiry spoke, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Not possible. The creature seemed small, much smaller than I would expect a mythical wyvern to be.”

  “That is because these wyverns are drones, bred and raised to serve the Draconians. Fact of the matter is that particular one guardi
ng the cave on the beach is probably one of the largest wyvern drones there is,” Kaylor said, looking now at the captain.

  Seth fingered the daggers tucked into his belt at the small of his back, hidden by his light cloak that seemed out of place in the warm midday sun. “So, what is our plan, Kaylor? You’re the brains of this operation, and there would be no operation if not for your ambassador’s prodding. What would you have us do now?”

  Kaylor motioned to his apprentice, who handed him a stick from a nearby dead tree. Kaylor began to draw a crude map in the sandy soil at their feet. Seth thought it odd that the wizard didn’t just use his staff, but he left it alone when Kaylor began to speak. “We move around these gullies to the rear of the cave to this point here.” The Kesh pointed to a spot behind a small rock that represented their target. “Then we assault the guardian from behind, surprising it and killing it before it can alert its master.”

  Jaxon kicked the dirt, partially erasing the crudely drawn map on the ground, and then the pudgy man looked directly at Seth. “I’m in charge of this mission, not the Kesh. We will approach from the beachfront using the small tidal outcropping to conceal us until we are close to this wyvern thing. Then we attack it. You Kesh”—with this the administrator pointed a chubby digit from his right hand at the taller, swarthy wizard—“will make sure to silence the beast before it can alert the real dragon, if there is one.”

  Seth no longer fingered his daggers, instead gripping the handles of both blades tightly. He was widely considered to be the best Balarian assassin in all of Agon, yet even he knew not to push a Kesh mage too far. Seth had once killed one of the Kesh sorcerers years ago, and it almost cost him his life. He would not underestimate one of them ever again. Seth stepped forward yet again, first to get the men’s attention and defuse the situation and secondly to get within striking range of the wizard, should his words fall on deaf ears.

  “Master Kaylor,” Seth began, being unusually formal and polite with the man, “perhaps you could humor our good overseer and allow him the honor of the kill?”

  Seth noticed that Jaxon’s chubby jowl began to quiver as his mouth moved, but no words came out. Captain Eiry seemed calm enough but had the look of a man ready to die, his knuckles now white as he gripped his sword still fortunately sheathed at his waist. Only Kaylor seemed truly calm, as calm as Seth was in this stressful moment. He was facing two dozen Balarian warriors, a formidable captain, an accomplished thief of the guild, an Akun cleric, and the best Balarian assassin in all of Agon, and the Kesh wizard had only a northern barbarian warrior to protect him, that and his frail, young, sickly looking apprentice. The extreme calm of the man unnerved Seth more than any display of anger or strength could ever do.

  “I see, Master Seth.” The wizard returned the formality; obviously two could play at this game. Kaylor looked at the ground and dropped his stick and then scanned around the group, smiling even more. “Fine, then. If Overseer Jaxon wishes the honor of the kill, then we will grant that to our Balarian host. Lead on.” Kaylor motioned toward the beach and the unmoving dragon-like-looking creature.

  Seth grabbed Jaxon by the arm and literally pulled the administer away, roughly shoving the man forward, propelling him in front of their troops, past the thief and cleric, out onto the beach, veering only slightly to the right to head toward the beast and its presumed lair.

  “What in damnation do you think you’re doing?” Jaxon asked, his voice a hushed whisper.

  “Saving your fat arse, Overseer. You should know better than to pick a fight with a Kesh wizard, especially one with a reputation like his,” Seth answered, keeping his voice low and squeezing tighter on the man’s arm.

  “You’re hurting me,” Jaxon said, trying to free his arm from Seth’s grip. “Don’t rush us onto that beast; he’ll kill us first. Let the Kesh and his brute lead the way.”

  “All in due time, Administrator. For now let’s just give the man a few minutes to calm down,” Seth said.

  “He looks entirely too calm, if you ask me,” Jaxon said, trying to look back and catch a glimpse of the Kesh wizard.

  “I meant calm as in allowing you to live,” Seth said, never moving his eyes from his intended destination—a large rock outcropping a quarter league down the beach.

  Jaxon looked directly at Seth who ignored the stare, maintaining his grip and pulling the man along by his right arm. “He wouldn’t dare . . .”

  “You haven’t spent enough time at the evening social galas in Balax,” Seth said, continuing to move toward his goal. “The last Balarian ambassador to Kesh that died did so at his hand over a dispute over wine. Are you sure you want to provoke him?”

  Jaxon’s appearance took on a decidedly more fearish appearance once that particular deed had been mentioned. He practically stuttered, trying to get his question out. “How could the governor allow that man to even be in our country?”

  “You would know better than most,” Seth began. “Politics will always take precedence over vendettas. The overall good of the Kesh-Balarian relationship is more important than any one man. And yes, before you ask, even an overseer.”

  “Outrageous,” was all Jaxon could say.

  “Take it up with the governor,” Seth said, finally pleased to have arrived at his intended destination without incident.

  The rest of the group caught up to them with Captain Eiry leading the two dozen soldiers, all armored in scale mail, half carrying spears and the other half long pikes. The large barbarian Graz brought up the rear right behind Alyssa and Krom. The arrogant wizard actually walked in front of the soldiers, seemingly unconcerned to have that many armed men behind him. Must be the reason for the mercenary northerner of his.

  Kaylor nodded to Seth and stepped over to stand in a small patch of shade next to the outcropping that separated the beach from the land. His apprentice walked over, standing next to him, and Graz did the same, placing his back against the outcropping, folding his arms, and glaring in their general direction. Had it been any other man in any other circumstance, Seth would have marked him for death, but he let it go. Today, he would let a lot of things go.

  “What’s up with the theatrics?” Alyssa said, walking up to the group followed by Krom.

  “Nothing we can’t handle,” Seth said, finally releasing his hold on the overseer and watching as Krom also took a position facing the barbarian and stared back, folding his arms across his broad chest, mimicking the northern mercenary.

  Jaxon straightened out the sleeve of his silk robe that was wrinkled when Seth unceremoniously grabbed it. “The audacity of all of you . . .”

  The look on Seth’s face told the man to be quiet. “Not now. Are the soldiers ready for a frontal attack?”

  Captain Eiry nodded. “Yes, we’ll split our ranks on either side and flank the beast. One or more of our troops should be able to get within striking range with a long arm.”

  Seth looked over at the Kesh contingent and then back to the captain. “We need to be careful. The Kesh are known for making statements, and I fear that after the pompous ruckus that our good overseer here provided today, they may decide to make an example of one of us.”

  “Don’t you mean he?” Krom asked, nodding his head at the wizard and propping his wooden club in the crook of his arm, continuing to stare at the barbarian.

  “Fine, he, if you like. I’m serious, though. I doubt he would move to attack one of our triumvirate, so that means the overseer, myself, and Alyssa will most likely not be targeted. You, Krom”—Seth nodded at the short, stocky cleric—“are expendable as would be . . . Captain Eiry, that would be my guess. One of the sergeants or troops wouldn’t make a bold enough statement, I think.”

  “Just what are you saying?” Jaxon looked at Seth, his eyes wide, mouth gaping. He composed himself when Seth refused to answer. “You mean they would hurt or kill one of us to make a point about our argument?”

  “Well, it really wasn’t much of one,” Alyssa chimed in. “I think, however, that if
the slayer says to watch our backs, then I would heed his counsel.”

  Seth wasn’t particularly fond of being called by his moniker. Some bloated egos heaped rather large and prestigious titles upon themselves, but in his line of work, discretion was valued more than notoriety, though Seth the Sword Slayer did have a certain ring to it. “Like I said, I’m more concerned with the captain and our good cleric. Let me have a word with the mage and see if we can proceed without any undue excitement.”

  The Balarian administrator nodded, and Seth left them at the outcropping, walking past the soldiers who remained standing in twin columns, one sergeant commanding each, and approached the Kesh.

  “Yes, Master Seth?” Kaylor said without turning around, and indeed, Seth could see no visual cue passed from the mercenary to the wizard to alert him of Seth’s approach, and Seth was purposely trying to be silent. Again, the word unnerving came to Seth’s mind as he continued to walk, standing alongside the slightly taller Kesh wizard.

  “We are ready to flank the beast and begin the attack. Before we do, I wanted to apologize for any unpleasantries displayed today by our government official.” Seth waited for a response.

  Neither the apprentice nor the barbarian moved or said a word. The silence went from expected to mildly annoying and then downright awkward. Still, Seth was determined not to play into the wizard’s hand.

  “Apology accepted, Master Assassin,” Kaylor said. “Inform our esteemed leader that the Kesh stand ready to lead the attack and silence the beast first. Oh, and do inform the captain that his men must remain between my apprentice and myself. Otherwise our protection cannot be extended, at least until we are ready to launch our attack.”