by Lee Hayton
Shandra stared down at the page, hoping her expression didn’t betray her recognition. On the flyer were five men, each one bearing a remarkable likeness to those currently seated around her table.
“What are they wanted for?” Shandra asked the boy in a croaking voice, then coughed to clear her throat. “What crimes have they committed?”
“Nobody said. I’m just to let everyone around here know they’re wanted.” The boy’s face crinkled in concern. “That’s all I was told, and that’s what I’m doing.”
He looked so stricken that Shandra unlocked the top drawer in the cabinet and brought out a coin to reward him with. From the looks of him, it had been a long while since he’d eaten a good meal.
The messenger’s face exploded into delight, almost enough to ward off her misgivings she’d just wasted money they couldn’t afford.
“Thank you!” The boy hurried back down the trail and jogged away from the house as though scared she’d change her mind.
Shandra stayed at the door, listening to the conversation that still flowed around the table. The warm scent of oncoming rain was in the air. A shower overnight would set the newly planted crops in the fields quite nicely.
The men had performed a great job today and would hopefully do the same again tomorrow. She stared down at the poster again, then folded it and tucked it away down the front of her bra. After checking in the hall mirror that the bulge wasn’t visible, she closed the drawer, took a breath, and pasted a smile onto her face.
Any reward offered for information wouldn’t be worth nearly so much as having five able-bodied men to work the farm. Just one good season would be enough to get them back on their feet.
She returned to the table and sat down, shaking her head at the inquiry of who had been at the door. “Just a tinny selling wares. He’ll have short shrift of it around here, the poor fella.”
The talk moved on and Shandra relaxed in her chair, helping herself to a glass of mead though she usually abstained. If she played her cards right, the farm might stabilize enough to support them through to the next generation.
With her heart beating a fast tattoo in her chest, Shandra smiled at the men gathered around the table.
Chapter Four
The third time Mal looked up from planting to see Shandra giving him an appraising look, he knew something was up. She’d acted slightly off-kilter since the previous evening. At first, he’d put it down to the mead at dinner or the constant stream of off-color jokes still emanating from Baile’s mouth. Now, he knew there was something more.
He waited for his opportunity, letting her walk back to the barn before following along behind, then confronting Shandra when safely out of sight of his brothers.
“What is it?” he demanded. “I know there’s something you’re hiding from us.”
Shandra stared at him with pursed lips. Even though his voice was heated, and he stood a good few inches taller than her, she didn’t show any fear. After a full minute of silence, she wrinkled her nose and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. “Actually,” she said, smoothing it out, “I think it’s more that there’s something you’re hiding from me.”
Mal stared down at the wanted poster, trying not to betray his emotions. Damn it all. They’d only just got here, barely had time to become acquainted. If only Wella had left them alone for a few more days, there might have been an opportunity for him and his brothers here.
He tried to think through his options but there were none. Mal sighed and handed the notice back to Shandra. “I guess it’s useless to pretend that this doesn’t refer to us.”
“It is.” Shandra hid the paper away in her pocket again and folded her arms across her chest. “Do you mind telling me what it’s all about?”
She wasn’t running. Perhaps that was a good sign.
The messenger must have been the one who knocked on the door last night. If she’d told on them straight away, the guards would already be here, dragging him and his brothers away.
Mal shifted his weight to his back foot, studying Shandra from the corner of his eye. If she’d wanted them gone, they’d already be out of there. Perhaps he’d been too hasty, thinking there were no avenues left. There could be a chance left still to turn the situation to their advantage.
But it would mean revealing their biggest secret. If Mal had read Shandra wrong, it would be the end of him and his men.
“Wella Ufsprig is keen on having me and my brothers join with her existing harem.”
Shandra raised her eyebrows at that, then her face became expressionless. Mal thought she’d make an excellent poker player because he didn’t have the slightest idea what she was thinking right now.
“Most men would think of that as an opportunity.”
Mal nodded and pursed his lips. “Let’s just say we’re not keen on joining her harem and becoming her champions.” He shrugged. “Not that we’re against the idea in general, just the woman making the offer.”
Shandra tipped her head forward so the flow of her inky black hair fell forward to disguise her face. “Are you out to become her enemy?”
“We’re not looking to upset anybody.” Mal put his hands on his hips and scraped the toe of his boot across the dirt floor of the barn. He closed his eyes and swallowed. In the past few years, he and his clan brothers had tried and failed to court eight women. Each time he thought they were getting close to being offered a position in a harem, the women pulled away.
At no time, had he revealed their biggest secret.
If he did so now, there was no taking it back.
“The truth is, we’re dragon shifters. That’s why we’re on the run and have so many enemies.”
Shandra stared at him through blank eyes. “Dragon shifters?”
“You’ve heard of—”
“I’ve heard rumors and fairytales,” Shandra said, cutting him off. “An old witch placed a curse on a man, turning him into a representation of the evilest creatures there are. Fantasy. That’s all the old stories are.”
She stamped her foot and turned on her heel, taking a step toward the exit. “I don’t have time for your foolishness. I have a farm to run.”
“Wait.” Mal reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. Shandra punched him in the shoulder and tore his hand away, her face flushing red.
“Don’t handle me. I’m not your possession to grab whenever you like.”
“No, I didn’t...” Mal held up his hands. “I wouldn’t...” He backed away a step, feeling the heat of failure run through his body. This was all going spectacularly wrong. What on earth had he been thinking?
“I’m sorry,” he said, recovering his composure. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You didn’t hurt me,” Shandra snapped. “That’s not the point. Why are you spouting such stupid lies? Do you think I’m not worth telling the truth?”
“I am being truthful.” Mal could feel his own face flushing red with the rush of blood. “This is the first time I’ve told anybody, so I’m sorry if I’m doing it wrong!”
“You believe you’re a dragon?” Shandra stared at him from incredulous eyes. Then she folded her arms across her chest again and nodded her head. “Okay. Go on. Show me.”
Mal felt his heart beating faster. It needed to increase in speed to cope with the extra body mass that would soon come its way.
His skin flushed, warming with the rush of blood. When he shifted, there came a moment when his body felt encased by his skin rather than it being a living, moving part of him. It trapped him within a tiny cage of parchment where his flesh wanted—needed—to spread and grow and shift.
Then his scales formed. Instead of a fixed size, his skin now slid and moved, able to expand to fit his growing frame. His skull rushed with the change in bone structure. His shoulder muscles bunched and flexed, then exploded out into a gigantic pair of wings.
The exultation of his changing body burst forth from his throat in a roar, followed by a hot lick of flame.
Mal swallowed the fire, maintaining enough consciousness of his surroundings even during the transformation to not want to burn it down.
His eyes elongated, turning the barn into a kaleidoscope of colors until his optic nerves adjusted to their new shape. A vast array of colors poured into his brain—ultraviolet and infrared mixing in to form a thousand shades more than his human eyes could see.
As he grew into his new shape, the ecstasy receded and Mal panted, replenishing the energy expended by his change in great lungfuls of air.
Shandra backed away, her eyes wide and her lips swollen and parted.
For a second, the surge of power in his body made Mal want to throw her down on to the floor and ravage her until they both cried out in joy. Then a surge of fear swallowed her expression, and he backed off, moving until his tail hit against the far wall of the barn.
“You... What...?”
Shandra’s voice was like the sound of an angel’s crying. Mal tilted his head and closed his eyes into slits to hear better.
“I can’t...”
She had her back pressed against the wall, shrinking her shoulders down and curling her forearms up over her face.
“It’s me,” Mal tried to say. His dragon throat wouldn’t pronounce the words, spurting forth nothing but a warm breath tinged with fire. Instead of reassuring her, Shandra flinched down further, wrapping her arms around her body.
With a sigh, Mal shifted again, shrinking into his human form as quickly as he’d mutated into the dragon. He ran to Shandra’s side and placed a careful hand on her shoulder.
“You’re a dragon.”
He nodded.
“All your clan brothers are dragons?”
Mal nodded again.
He waited, expecting Shandra’s expression to harden into hatred. He’d seen the fear in her eyes and knew what would come next. Like night follows day, humans hated the things that scared them.
He’d been foolish. Mal hung his head and closed his eyes, waiting for the dismissal that would follow.
“Can I see?”
With confusion muddling his brain, Mal looked up expecting to see the snarl of anger in Shandra’s face. Instead, she looked eager, expectant. “Can you see what?”
She paused, licking her lips before swallowing hard. “Can I watch your clan brothers change as well? In case you’re lying about the rest of them.”
Mal snorted, half in surprise, half disbelief. “What? You think my display was just a light show or something?”
“Maybe. I’m not some backward hick, easily fooled, you know. I’ve seen something of the world and I understand how simple it can be to play a trick.”
Her face was alight now with laughter, her voice rich with teasing.
“What makes you believe the clan brothers wouldn’t know the same methods to trick you?”
“I’m sure if they do, I’ll see through them.” Shandra’s face grew more serious, and her smile changed to a frown. “Does Wella know the true extent of what you can do? What you become?”
Mal shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. The skin on his back flared with pins and needles as it always did after a change. “She knows we’re different somehow, but I don’t know how accurate her information is apart from that. Being told something second hand often doesn’t reveal the true scale.”
Shandra stared at him with a steady gaze as though making up her mind about something. Then she gave a short nod. “I’ll keep your secret, but I want you to do something for me in return.”
At that, Mal stiffened. He and his brothers had been used and abused many times already in their lives. Even though he didn’t expect the same treatment from Shandra, it paid to be wary. “What do you want?”
“Don’t tell Halv and Ricci the truth. Not yet, at least. The less they know about your secret, the better.”
Mal gave a sigh of relief and nodded. He’d hoped she wouldn’t tell the boys either. The more people who knew their true nature, the more danger they would be in.
“I promise. Neither me nor my brothers will tell Ricci or Halv about what we can do.”
“What who can do?” Sulli asked as he walked into the barn. He looked from Shandra to Mal, his face altering to show open suspicion. “What the hell have you two been up to?”
Chapter Five
When Shandra closed her eyes in bed that night, all she could see was Mal transforming in front of her. The ripple through his muscular chest and shoulders as the skeletal structure underneath grew and changed. The slickness as his skin turned from the faint glow of good health into the sleek shining armor of scales, each one sporting the luster of a precious jewel.
In the slideshow of her mind, Mal spread his wings, the scales catching the dim rays of sunlight entering the barn and turning into a chaotic dance of color. Every shade of the rainbow reflected at once, a riotous display that ignited a mix of awe and wonder in Shandra’s heart.
As warmth flooded through her body in a pulse, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. It was no use remembering the power of the spectacle without also thinking about the chance it offered her and the farm.
With such a momentous secret to keep hidden, the clan brothers wouldn’t be in any hurry to leave. Shandra could count on them working the fields and bringing the property back to life in the next harvest. They might wipe out all the debts with one good crop and earn enough to stave off future disasters besides.
In just a few months of hard work, Shandra might be able to breathe freely at night and sleep without worry. Her brothers would be sure of a legacy being passed to them instead of having to make their own fortunes in the world.
Everything might turn out okay just so long as Shandra kept Mal and his clan brother’s true nature hidden from the world. If she could guarantee them a safe shelter, their work would more than pay for the secret she’d hold close to her chest.
As she turned over in bed, staring out the window at the slow drift of clouds over the moon, Shandra thought there was a good chance that they and the farm would survive.
“Aren’t you meant to be planting those rather than just staring at Sulli?”
Halv’s voice startled Shandra out of the deep reverie she’d fallen into watching Sulli work in the field. She loved to watch his dexterous mind figure out the puzzle of how best to seat the new plants into the soil. He would stare for minutes, then in a matter of seconds would plant out the entire bounty in his lap.
Shandra blushed and dug her fingers into the dirt to plant out her own seedling. She’d gone back into town since their last visit, using the very last of their current crop to invest in the season ahead. It was risky—if she played it wrong, that was the last time the farm would see money.
Still, knowing she had five strapping men back at home to help out made her more certain she’d made the right call.
Now, she wiped her hands against each other and stood, turning in a half circle to see what they’d accomplished this morning. With the wheat crops settled in already, the group had planted out more exotic fare in the past few days.
As long as the weather held, they’d soon reap the bounty of aubergine, courgettes, capsicum, and a rainbow of cherry tomatoes. The luxury produce would fetch a much higher price than the crops she usually sold at market. This would be the last chance to eke out a small harvest before the winter seized them in its icy grip.
“Where’s Mal?” Shandra turned to Halv who was practicing swordplay with a stick. Io had spent long nights showing the boy how to stand and parry, thrust and retreat.
As she watched Halv now, Shandra thought he might even give her a run for her money, and she was the natural warrior of the three Kemps left in this world. Even Ricci, with his natural grace, didn’t stand a chance against her in battle. In a mock contest, she let her brothers leave with their lives but they couldn’t keep those and their dignity intact.
“Mal finished up close on an hour ago and is currently showing Ricci how to prepare beans according to an old family recipe.
” Halv looked up at her with a wink. “Or just using that as an excuse to avoid spending too much time with Baile.”
Of all the clan brothers, those two rubbed each other up the wrong way. There’d been hints of it from the very first night they spent at the farmhouse and easing into the new lifestyle only served to exacerbate the situation.
While Shandra could see exactly what got on Mal’s nerves, Baile’s jokes often hit her at the right angle to earn a laugh. Without that, she’d still be ever grateful for him taking Ricci under his wing and teaching him the lighter side of life.
Her brothers had borne enough hardship that Shandra had worried sometimes about their ability to laugh at things. Baile had brought that ability to the fore and shown Ricci the art of a quick tongue.
Chance showed him the opposite, teaching the boys a sense of drama that would have been absurd if it wasn’t so well timed. He could wring passion out of a stone and although Shandra sometimes wished her brothers—especially Ricci—didn’t show quite so much attitude, it also pleased her to see them take lessons from the terrible things that had befallen them in their short lives.
“If Mal’s serving up supper, I suppose I should get cleaned and dressed.”
“I’d hurry, if I were you,” Halv warned with a cheeky grin. “You know if Ricci gets into the bathroom first, it’ll be a good hour until he gets back out.”
In the freedom afforded by having so many strong and willing workers on hand, all the Kemps had found themselves with spare time to pursue their old hobbies.
Unfortunately, it appeared that Ricci’s newest pastime was self-admiration. A few of the clan brothers had taught him the quickest way into a harem was through intense grooming, and her brother had taken to it with all his heart.
She’d tried to talk sense to him a few days previous. “If styling hair was the fast track to being selected, then don’t you think the brothers would be in a harem already?”