Dragons of Dobromia Collection (Books 1 -4)

by Celeste Raye

For now, I had business with the sun and its raging heat. I met Tredorphen in the fields, and we set up the machinery, hot on our hands as the sun had all the opportunity to blaze its heat and ashes down upon it.

  “Here he comes!” Marina yelled, setting a hand over her eyes to see me properly in the sky.

  I flew down before them and felt my feet graze the soil below with immeasurable, intense fire.

  “Right on time,” I said to the blonde as we approached her husband. She gave me a pointed, menacing look and then whipped her face away from me, walking quickly toward Tredorphen.

  “Really?” I looked at the rose gold shifter derisively and accused, “You told her?”

  Tredorphen let out a bellowed laugh and slapped his palm against his leg before taking Marina’s hand in his. “Are we ready to go?” he asked.

  “For the record, I think you’re disgusting,” Marina warned with a downcast gaze in my direction.

  “I told her,” I admitted flatly, spreading my palms before the couple that had somehow become the very people I wanted to emulate.

  Marina looked at me, perplexed, and then looked to Tredorphen for an unspoken answer.

  “Told her that he loves her,” he clarified.

  “Alright, alright,” I hushed, waving them off. “I told her I loved her,” I repeated quickly. “But I told her everything else, as well. I asked her to come back with me… With you both, to Earth. If you’ll have us.”

  “That was a dangerous move,” Marina laughed unsurely and looked back to Tredorphen. The two exchanged a look that could only be deciphered by two people who shared a love together and finally, Tredorphen nodded.

  “Of course,” he said firmly. “You’ll come with us.”

  Aurlauc slouched up to the group of us, carrying some of the burning metal with him. “Sure would be more convenient to be able to fly it up there,” he said, looking down to the massive laser cannon we were reassembling.

  Tredorphen laughed. “Humans don't make artillery that convenient.”

  I looked around at the four of us, together, and suddenly it seemed that even amidst the immense humidity, everything was as it should have been, if only for a minute. Tredorphen back on Dobromia, his beautiful wife…

  And then just a minute later, it was all ruined as I caught sight of Vaikrand flying up to us. I had always gotten along with the shifter, ever since he returned to the D’Karr’s favor, but I knew he and Tredorphen were great enemies.

  Tredorphen and Vaikrand used to serve as warriors together, until Vaikrand was found to be stealing food from the empire for his own family. Tredorphen was the one who sold him out and had him banished.

  When Vaikrand was allowed to come back to the D’Karr’s good graces, he had to attend a proving and fight our leaders chosen warrior, Khrelan, to the death to prove his worthiness. Khrelan had once been a close friend of Tredorphen.

  The detailed explanations from both sides made my head spin. I didn’t care for their rivalry. I had enough on my mind to worry about without readying myself for a battle between two rivals.

  Upon seeing the yellow shifter approach, Tredorphen spread his wings in a show of dominance and curved his neck so that he stood with his chin raised.

  Vaikrand looked at me and then back to Tredorphen with a roguish smile. “It's like that, is it?”

  “Isn't that why you called us here, Vaikrand?” Tredorphen spat, lunging forward at him before Marina pulled his arm back.

  “Actually, it was Athena who called you here to fix what you abandoned,” the yellow shifter snapped.

  Aurlauc offered wide eyes to me at the drama unfolding and let out a long sigh. “This is fantastically good fun, and as much as I would love to see Vaikrand's throat ripped out, now isn't the time.”

  I took the last piece of artillery from Aurlauc and set it into place. Sweat dripped down in beads along my forehead as I set the coordinates to destroy the sun that I was beginning to hate.

  I aimed the vessel and felt a tug at my arm.

  “I need to talk to you,” Vaikrand said urgently.

  I raised my brows and disregarded him quickly, mumbling “I’m kind of busy.”

  “It's important,” Vaikrand sing-songed and ignored the stares and glares of the D’Karr’s son.

  “You’re going to want to hear it,” he insisted, and I waved him away. I looked through the sight as the most terrifying ball of fiery heat I had ever seen.

  Without another word, I pulled the trigger and watched as the massive blue laser shot forth from the cannon and went careening toward the sun: bursting it into billions of shards that rained down a storm of fire upon us all. The humans had set up a protective netting, but I could still feel the heat billowing down on the crowd of onlookers.

  There was an immediate reprieve from the heat, even as the remnants of the oversized star hailed down to the ground. I could see lakes of lava forming in the distance as chunks of the star found its way to our empty lakes.

  We were all stuck in time, frozen in the sudden knowledge that for once… we had won. A massive cry echoed throughout the field, dragons celebrating and screaming their cries of relief out in intense roars. A communal shout of thanks.

  Maybe now there was hope. Maybe this would be enough to save a lost race; to start over and utilize our resources the way we should have been doing this whole time. Maybe my soul was still with Dobromia more than I suspected before.

  If anyone could make me believe in Dobromia again, it was Diana. Not only did she believe in bettering my home, but she believed in me. I had never met anyone before who didn’t just see me as a means to an end; a killer; a warrior. She saw me as someone worthy and capable of doing something great—and perhaps, I just did.

  I stared up at the sky in shock: my body numb and unable to comprehend what just happened. My breath was moving inconceivably fast, and suddenly all I wanted to do was see Diana. I looked up at the sky once more at the embers that seemed to fall like an explosion of feathers.

  Vaikrand pulled at my arm, moving my limp body with ease.

  “I need to talk to you now,” he seethed under his breath.

  “I know you hate us and all, but can you at least take this moment to celebrate with us?” Marina snapped.

  Vaikrand let out a loud sigh that could be heard even over the throngs of warriors in the distance, cheering and letting out cries and roars of celebration.

  The yellow shifter matched eyes with Tredorphen and said, “I would get men to your ship as soon as possible. If you have any loyal supporters here, shifters, get them to your ship.”

  Tredorphen’s eye twitched. “What's... going on?”

  I looked over at the blonde shifter and set my jaw. “Vaikrand, what?”

  “The D’Karr’s out for blood,” he said, and it sent pin-pricks throughout my body. I swallowed hard, and he continued, “It's everywhere. The D’Karr is on the warpath.” He looked at Tredorphen. “Your mother is dead. Diana told him Sillevia was out for her life and he had her publicly executed today.”

  Marina grabbed her husband’s forearm and her eyes filled with tears as she monitored the shifters reaction.

  Tredorphen said nothing but exchanged a pointed look with Aurlauc before offering me a deep scowl. I pinched the bridge of my nose and could feel my hands shaking. Why would she do that? I grit my teeth and Vaikrand continued, “It gets worse.”

  I rubbed my forehead. “Goodie.”

  “Sillevia told him Diana had been unfaithful and he’s looking for her as we speak. There's—”

  Before the yellow shifter could continue, he turned, and the lot of us followed his gaze. The top of the hills of T’nemtar were now scattered with fire and a wide array of soldiers: warriors flooding in everywhere seeking Diana’s blood.

  “How much does he know?” I asked quickly.

  Vaikrand thinned his lips. “He’s out for your blood, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  My body erupted with shivers. She told him. Stubborn. She did exac
tly as I asked her not to. I didn’t know what it all meant; did it mean Diana didn’t want me? Was she that bent on doing away with the D’Sharr? Or was it Sillevia who sold us out as my punishment for not following through?

  I raged. “Where’s Diana?”

  “I don't know. Guards were sent to her quarters as I left,” he replied.

  I nodded. “Then there's still time.”

  Vaikrand eyes went dark as he continued with a sigh, “There's more…” He looked to Marina and Tredorphen once again. “Diana told Athena that Boradrith isn't interested in going to the Earth. That's why you were called back. To keep you here.”

  “Who orchestrated that, I wonder?” Aurlauc snapped.

  Ignoring him, Vaikrand continued, “The D’Karr's going to seize your ship and slaughter your people. If you have any loyalists, any shifters who support you here, you need to get them to your ship as soon as possible. Boradrith isn't interested in an alliance any longer. He wants your technology, and he wants your scientists. It's his plan to keep them here. It's going to be a massacre now.”

  Within just a moment, our path was obstructed by a barrage of shifter warriors, storming through by land and sky, seeking out their betrayers: seeking Tredorphen.

  The rose gold shifter looked to me and gave an unsure nod. “Then we go,” he said and grabbed hold of his wife.

  He took to the blazing sky with more bravery than I could have mustered, and without a word, Aurlauc followed.

  “Thank you.” I swallowed hard and looked back at Vaikrand. “Get Athena and then grab Diana if you can find her and then…”

  “Right,” he said quickly and went to take his leave of me. “Wait… and then what?”

  I smiled. “Tell Boradrith where to find me.”

  Diana

  “No, no, no,” I breathed, rushing to the courtyard in the center of Graynar. I heard there was commotion between Boradrith and the D’Sharr and I couldn’t pretend not to know why.

  I walked up to the pike that stood mounted with the head of Sillevia, her long, white hair still and lifeless. I told the D’Karr of Sillevia’s plan to have me killed. I begged for him to get rid of her. He was filled with fury and fiery passions for me. I finally got what I wanted.

  But seeing her here now, it didn’t feel like anything. Not a victory or a sadness. I just felt numb.

  It made me uneasy that Boradrith would make her pay for her crimes and not tell me about it.

  I stared up at the vision of her and couldn’t help but notice how empty Graynar was. No one had crowded together to see her here. No one was mourning or cheering. It was just me.

  Vaikrand flew down in front of me, the dust flying up into the air as the yellow shifter landed with a large flap of his wings.

  I set my jaw and stopped in my tracks, meeting his eyes. “If you’re looking for Athena…” I said unsurely.

  “I know exactly where she is,” he said, his eyes flitting about the courtyard. “Boradrith knows.” Then his pupils went wide. “About Kavryiss and you.”

  I swallowed hard and felt as though my legs were knocked out from under me. I struggled for breath and spun on my heel. If I could get to Boradrith, I could fix it. I could make him believe me.

  “How?” I demanded.

  “How else?” he asked with a taunting raise of his brow, gesturing to Sillevia’s body with a single flick of the eye. “He wants…” His voice faded suddenly, and he offered me apologetic eyes, and with a sigh, he mouthed: ‘I’m sorry.’

  I turned to follow his sightline and saw Boradrith walking up behind us. He had a hollow stare that seemed to follow him in an unseen shadow: an evil commanding him secretly.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I seethed under my breath as Vaikrand gripped my arm firmly and held it up toward the D’Karr. I scowled wickedly at him.

  It seemed the yellow shifter had come to warn me and was caught. So now he would do the exact opposite. He would give me up.

  “I found her!” the yellow shifter shouted and jerked me toward Boradrith, still firmly grabbing hold of me. “With your permission, I’ll take her to the tower,” Vaikrand said coolly.

  “No,” Boradrith said, looking me over; his golden scales looking hard and dull as he walked closer to me. He grabbed my wrist. “Leave her to me.”

  Vaikrand breathed hotly into the air and looked in my direction, never loosening his grip on me. “Let me get rid of her for you,” he said through gritted teeth. “Let me do what needs to be done and save yourself the–”

  “No,” the D’Karr waved him off again, raising my chin to him in the same, sweet way he used to do. But his eyes were empty now. “I’d quite like to get it done.”

  With a single motion, he ripped me from Vaikrand’s grasp and pulled me into his arms. I grabbed his chest like a small child would and burst into violent sobs.

  “Please, Boradrith,” I said with quivering lips.

  “I found Kavryiss,” the yellow shifted offered, interrupting me.

  “Where?” Boradrith demanded.

  “Seized in T’nemtar,” he replied formally. “Shall I bring him to you?”

  The D’Karr smiled pointedly and looked down at me. “No,” he said slowly; carefully. “There are lava fields flowing there now, aren’t there?”

  Vaikrand swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

  “Then that’s where I should like to be.”

  Within an instant, I was jettisoned skyward with the D’Karr, and Vaikrand following closely behind.

  “Please don’t do this,” I begged desperately, pushing away from him. “I didn’t… Whatever she said was a lie, my love. Please. Why would I do that to you after all you’ve done for me?”

  “Hm,” he grunted, but didn’t look at me.

  “Please,” I begged, squirming away from his grasp. “Sillevia would say anything to have you hate me. Please.”

  “Do you want me to drop you right now?” he seethed calmly, gripping me firmly as the power from his wings shook me with each flutter. I shook my head but said nothing. “Then shut up.”

  I balled my fists and looked to the ground below; the diamond-shaped plains of T’nemtar were letting me know that we were close. The fields once held lakes and water. Now those hollows were filled with great rivers of lava, swamping up from the surface and bubbling with oily heat. They radiated from the ground below and set the whole sky into a deep shade or orange.

  It was surreal to be held in his grasp amidst the impossibly colored skies, knowing that soon he would get rid of me.

  He brought his wings tight to his body and made his decent quicker than I’d ever seen. His eyes scanned the fields for Kavryiss to no avail. We came skidding to a halt, and he tossed me to the ground.

  “Why?” It wasn’t a question from him; it was a demand.

  I swallowed and got on my knees, crawling up to his feet. “I promise you it was a lie,” I lied desperately. “What reason would I have to do it? You’ve promised me the world, and I love you. Why would you believe her over me?”

  He stared down at me, watching my fingers carefully, before his eyes filled with a burning hate.

  “Sillevia is not a liar,” he said sharply, crushing his foot down on my hand and turning it painfully from left to right. I let out a sharp scream and pulled my hand from under his grasp. “But you humans are. The lot of you.”

  I screamed and cradled my hand against my chest, curled up on the ground before him.

  “Kavryiss!” he called to the air, his yellow eyes seeming to glow with vengeance in the lava’s heat. “Come out!”

  He stood there in silence and scanned the skies for my love, but nothing came. I could see Vaikrand watching in the distance, but he did nothing.

  “What are you?” he asked thoughtfully, walking closer to me and edging me toward a deep pool of red and black magma. He leaned down and grabbed me by my neck, pulling me up off the heavy dirt and raising me to his face, my feet just shy of the ground.

  “D'ierdaree?” I croaked,
gripping his fingers and desperately trying to pry them from my neck.

  He blinked in surprise at the phrase and then let out a loud laugh. “No, no. That other word.”

  I stared at him, bloodshot red infesting my eyes as tears spilled down. I felt stoic and strong as I pushed the word out, “Bitch.”

  With that, he squeezed my neck harder and held me over the thick, syrupy lava. The orange liquid sloshed around beneath me, and I could feel my legs burning just from getting closer to it.

  “Yes,” he smiled. “You are a bitch. I gave you everything. Power. Food. A child. I brought you up from nothing!” he gripped me tighter, breathing hot against my face. "I could have had you slaughtered, but I saw so much in you, Diana. All you could have done for us. You would have ruled beside me, and you would be with him over me?” he raged. "I can't understand it."

  "It was a trick," I struggled for breath. "Sillevia set me up."

  "So he took you by force?” he seemed suddenly calmer then. His grip on me eased, and he stared down into my eyes, willing himself to believe me. "Then which is it, Diana? Did he take you or was Sillevia lying?"

  The tears stopped spilling then; I let out a small gasp, and suddenly my brows drew to a deep frown. I grabbed his hands on my neck and spat at him. The muscles in my neck tightened and I could barely breathe.

  "I loved you," I stormed. "And you slept with—”

  "That's my right!” he screamed, his voice coming out in a loud bellow of a roar. He seemed wild then; no longer the shifter I knew.

  I looked down at the burning lava, felt my legs pinching with heat as though they might melt away from me. I looked back at the dragon I once loved and said tersely, "And so I took my right."

  Just as I thought the D’Karr might let me drop into the thick red waters below, I heard Vaikrand let out a deafening cry, and Boradrith turned around, taking me with him.

  We looked up, and I heard a crack soar through the sky like nothing I'd ever experienced before. My ears went numb with ringing and immense heat. Looking up to the sky, I heard another boom of vibration, and then the sky went black.