Lailoken nodded. “My stomach’s roar grew louder than my stubbornness. It won in the end.” He wanted to talk in familiar tones but Etain’s betrayal had stung deep.
“Would you care to walk? The day has been exhausting. I would enjoy your company.”
Lailoken considered the offer. “No lies, Etain.”
She shook her head. “No lies, my love. I swear. The truth only.”
Satisfied, Lailoken accompanied her.
They exited the cave and followed a path running along the cliff’s edge. Etain walked deliberately in the twilight, the half-moon overhead offering a fair amount of light. Waves crashed on the beach below, beating out a familiar sound. Noisy owls in the forest were busy with their nocturnal hunts.
“Lailoken, I never meant to deceive you. I wanted to befriend you. I thought maybe if I were to join with the greatest threat to my kind, I’d be able to show you we aren’t all evil. But you…your love, your care for me was unexpected.”
“You used me? I was a pawn in your game?” Lailoken froze while Etain took a few more steps. She took a deep inhale and continued without turning around.
“My intention was never to use you. I thought if I could get close to you, you’d understand. What I didn’t count on was falling in love with you.” She turned then, the moonlight highlighting her bright eyes and fair skin. “My heart is yours, my love. It has been since I first met you.”
“But you lied! Our relationship was a lie! You knew I hunted the Drakku. You knew my calling! So you lied to cover yourself. To protect your…your kind.”
“I cannot deny who I am any more than you can deny who you are. I own the fact that our relationship started with a lie, but you must believe me that it did not grow from there. It grew from the fertile soil of my feelings for you. Ever since I gave my heart to you, I’ve fought with my kind to keep you safe. Even when you continued to slaughter them, I fought many battles with furious dragons. You were and are my everything. Can you not see that?”
“What I see is a deceiver, like all the rest of your kind. I’ve yet to encounter a dragon that didn’t lie.”
Lailoken walked away, following the path in the dark forest, wanting to be alone in his thoughts.
“But, Lailoken! I swear to you!”
He didn’t turn back. He didn’t want to face her again, fearing he might give in.
He did love her more than anything. Or maybe it was the memory of her he loved. When he closed his eyes to think about his wife, he envisioned the woman he lost years ago, not the shifting dragon he knew now. Did that make a difference? He had chased a lie for close to eighteen years, and now that he knew the truth, how was it different?
Ingrained hatred for dragons was all he knew. How could he reconcile that with the truth? Etain was also more than a dragon. She was their leader. He still didn’t understand how it worked, but somehow, she commanded the rest of them as the day’s events had revealed. There were clear disagreements and not all the dragons followed her. Etain’s fight with the two Onyx dragons was proof of that. However, many more bowed to her and accepted her leadership despite what it did to their kind.
He turned, expecting Etain to be gone, but instead found her far down the path, staring at him in the moonlight. She raised a hand and a small ball of flame ignited in front of her, illuminating the path. He walked back to her, unsure what he was going to say or do.
“Lailoken, I cannot keep you any longer. It is unfair to you and our children. I want you to stay, but—”
Etain looked down to study the ground.
“I want you to stay, but if my deceit cannot be forgiven, I will not force you to live in our lands. Just know my love will always remain.”
Lailoken approached her, carefully sidestepping the flames and stood in front of her. He reached out and took her hands in his.
“Your lies hurt deep, Etain. I loved you. I wanted you back so badly. I swore I’d kill every last dragon that stood in my way. I was so convinced you were stolen by those wretched dragons!”
“We aren’t all that bad. We’re more like you than you care to admit.”
Lailoken closed his eyes and thought a moment, then opened them, staring again into her lovely eyes.
“I cannot forgive the betrayal completely, but I can try to make sense of what our new reality is. I cannot promise a return to what we were, but I can try to be civil. I’ve been raised to kill your kind, so it won’t be easy.”
“I know, my love,” she said, squeezing his hands. “And I do not take your words lightly. I know you are a man of honor.”
Going against the screaming voice inside his head, Lailoken leaned in to kiss her. He could feel the electricity of Etain’s lips, just like the first time they kissed. In that moment, everything felt right.
Lailoken stepped back from their embrace and admired her. Etain’s beauty was remarkable. Her long, shimmering hair and slender build didn’t seem to have aged a bit from when she lived with him so many years ago.
“I’ve dreamt of your return for so long. I never, ever imagined you were actually a dragon; only that you’d been taken by them. It has been difficult to raise our daughter without you.”
“I understand Alushia is a fine woman. She’s more than capable of taking care of herself, is she not?”
Etain kept hold of Lailoken’s hand and walked along the path with the ball of flame guiding them.
Lailoken let out a little laugh. “Aye, she’s an amazing woman. She often reminded me of her mother. Strong, beautiful, and intelligent. She ran the homestead with an admirable sense of duty. I never once doubted her ability to keep it going.”
“I would like to see her again. To meet her as the woman she has become. I have much to share with her, as I have with you.”
Having Etain at his side was something Lailoken had wished for. Knowing she was also a dragon made it somewhat difficult to enjoy her presence, but the more they talked, the more he grew accustomed to it. As long as she didn’t shift into her other form.
“Why did you lie to me? Why didn’t you tell me about yourself back then?” Lailoken asked.
“What would you have done? If halflings are murdered in Tregaron, catching a dragon in human form would surely have meant my death. I do not fear the great beyond, but I’m not ready to be slain now, and I wasn’t then. I told you, my dear, you stole my heart. I wanted to live amongst your kind, and especially learn more about you, the greatest slayer in the world. What I found was much more than that. I found a true man, a true lover, a true kind-hearted person who gives of himself for others.”
“But…” he started, knowing she was right. If he had known then she was a dragon, the chances of him letting her live would not have been great.
He stopped walking. Was this Etain’s plan? Was she lying now to get what she wanted from him?
“Etain,” he said, turning to her, “I want to believe you. I want to trust you. How can I know you aren’t lying to me now? Dragons are cunning creatures that lie to get what they want.”
She scowled. “I’ve already shared my great deceit with you. It’s a regret I carry with me to this day. I want to make it right. I want you to see my kind are not evil, but kind and loving, just like you.”
“But can you understand my hesitation?”
“Dragons aren’t known liars. We are no different than humans in that regard. I swear on the lives of our children, I would not lie to you about my feelings. You are special to me. Do you know how many of my kind have died because of my love for you? Those Onyx Dragons—Grymryg and Freytha—represent a growing sect of dragons increasingly unhappy with me. They want you dead and do not care about my decree.”
They walked quietly for a few moments before Lailoken spoke again.
“So who are you, Etain? I know you’re a dragon. I know you hold some power over your kind, but why? Who are you to command such respect?”
Etain smiled. “I am much, much older than you think.”
He stopped and turne
d to her. “I thought I was the older of the two of us,” he said with a smile. It did feel great to talk with her again, though he never imagined it would be the current subject matter.
“You are much younger than I. My ancestors go back to the beginning of time. I come from before the Reformation.”
Lailoken’s jaw fell open. “The…Reformation? That’s—”
“A thousand years ago. You’re correct. I’m over a thousand years old, actually. One thousand three hundred twenty-six, give or take.”
Lailoken let out a hearty laugh. “Now you’re lying to me again! That’s impossible! I refuse to believe you’re that old!”
Etain smiled. “I refuse to lie to you, my love. I’m that old. In fact, there are no dragons older. My rightful place as their leader is a claim I do not make lightly. I’ve had many challengers over the centuries, but I refuse to allow our kind to fall like they did before the Reformation. It’s part of why I did what I did.”
Lailoken cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean? I’m still not sure I believe you. No creature is that old!”
“The Blood Stone. I was there my love. I participated in the ritual. Of those there that day, I am the last living being. All the rest have passed on. It was our plan, and since it was put in place, we realized our error when humans used it for evil. We took great pains to hide it, but—”
“I found it,” he whispered, interrupting her.
“That you did, and now it must be destroyed for good.”
Lailoken let the words sink in, wishing they were not true, but something inside told him he knew the truth already.
Eleven
Myrthyd stood grinning on the platform. Tukra, the head of the Tower guards, discovered another halfling girl and brought her to him. Using the wraith, he determined she was in fact not a halfling, but a normal girl. However, his people didn’t need to know that. They were in a crisis, food was dwindling, and the Drakku were at fault. The people had to see that!
“We are here today to execute this abomination from our lands. Halflings are terrible monsters that pollute our land and are unworthy of life.”
The crowd roared their approval, like dogs waiting for their treat.
“The punishment…is death!”
The girl, probably age fourteen or fifteen, struggled against the bindings holding her to the post. “I’m not a halfling! My parents are both human! Please! Have mercy on me!”
“You’ve been accused by many to have mixed blood! The evidence is overwhelming. The verdict is death.” Myrthyd’s voice was calm and sinister. A light breeze rustled his black cloak, the overcast sky a gloomy backdrop of the dreary proceedings.
“Kill her!” a man shouted.
“Halflings must die!” a woman added.
“Please, no! Spare her!” a man called out. Myrthyd spun to face the crowd. A man and woman embraced, arms tight around each other, both with tears down their faces. The man looked to Myrthyd. “Please, Kull Naga, she’s no halfling. She’s our daughter! Her accusers shame her out of spite and envy. They blame her for their crop failures. We are not dragons nor do we have dragon blood. Please, have mercy on her.”
Myrthyd peered at them. “Guards! Bring them to me!”
Tukra ordered four guards to secure the couple. They pushed through the now silent crowd and roughly shoved the couple up the steps of the platform.
“Please let me go! This is a mistake!” the girl cried.
Myrthyd knew the girl’s innocence, but the people needed to be kept in line. He’d do what was necessary to control them. Halflings disgusted him, but they were also now the source of his impending army. Until he filled its ranks, he’d have to keep his people’s attention focused on obedience.
“Silence!” he yelled. All eyes were on him as the girl’s parents faced him on the platform.
“Is this your daughter?”
“Yes, Kull Naga. Our one and only,” the woman said.
“And if she’s a halfling, then one of you is a dragon.” The words dripped like venom from his mouth.
“No! Never!” the man said. “We’re true Tregarons. Our family has served long in this land. We’re pure like you!”
“The evidence against her is overwhelming. Your daughter is a halfling!”
“No!” the woman yelled. “Please have mercy! She’s only a girl.”
Murmurs of Death! and Kill her! slowly drifted amongst the crowd. Then a growing chorus of Kill the parents! began near the back of the crowd and surged forward as others picked up the plea.
Myrthyd grinned. The people were his. Their obedience was firm. He only had to give them what they wanted once in a while, and he didn’t even have to use compulsion on them.
“Please, she is no halfling! We are faithful servants!” the man pleaded.
“Guards, add them to the pole,” he said coldly.
Guards shoved them as they struggled to escape and used a length of rope to tie them to the same pole as their daughter. The three of them huddled together and wept.
The crowd erupted in applause as the family held each other tight.
“Kill the beasts!” a man shouted. More applause and cries for justice rang out.
“By the power of the Order and the laws of the land, I pronounce a sentence of death upon you all,” Myrthyd boomed. He used his power to deepen and amplify his voice. They must all cower to his will.
“No, please! Stop this madness!” the woman cried. Spittle flew from her mouth. Her husband and the girl joined in her pleas for release. Myrthyd nodded to the guards, who cleared the platform in anticipation of what was to come.
Myrthyd raised his hands and a faint glow of red flame engulfed them. The crowd roared in approval.
“Death is your only hope. May Meanos have mercy on your souls.”
“Spare us! We are true Tregarons!” the man shouted.
A bright ball of flame ignited above their heads, larger and hotter than anything Myrthyd had created before. He felt the Blood Stone vibrate softly inside his cloak, the power enhancing his abilities to degrees he’d never known.
Slowly Myrthyd lowered his hands and the flaming ball followed direction, creeping closer and closer to the family who clutched each other.
The crowd applauded and called for death, urging Myrthyd to finish the task.
The flames reached the top of the pole and slowly worked downward, closer and closer to the family.
“No! Spare us!” the girl cried out.
Myrthyd lowered his hands further and the red-hot flames dropped. First the man and then the woman screamed in agony as the flames ignited their hair and consumed their heads. The girl tried to lower herself but the bindings were secure. The red flames burned brighter as they devoured the family, lighting their tunics. Flaming appendages waved fiercely. The ball of red grew wider, taking in the entire family. The trio screamed in horror, the flames wrapping their bodies in certain death.
Finally, Myrthyd rested his hands at his sides, watching the flames shoot to the top of the pole from the platform itself. Within the dancing fire, the family struggled against the bonds. The crowd hushed as they watched the last moments of life from what they believed was a halfling and her parents, one of them a dragon.
They waited, anticipating the moment of death.
Flames burned bright and hot, the figures inside finally succumbing to their fate, slumping from their bindings, no longer struggling against them. They were dead.
Myrthyd raised his hands to the crowd. “The execution is done! We have removed a blight from our land!”
Thunderous applause roared from the onlookers. Myrthyd stood for several moments basking in the glory.
He moved his hand slightly and the flames on the platform dissipated, revealing the three intertwined charred bodies.
The remains smoldered and smoked. Myrthyd turned to the bodies and smiled. “Let any who gaze upon them know we shall not tolerate impurities. Halflings will never be allowed within our borders. Our land wil
l forever be free of dragon-breeds!” He shot flames from his hands, arcing high in the air over the crowd. When the two strands collided and extinguished, the crowd erupted, yelling and applauding, calling his name,
“Kull Naga Myrthyd! Kull Naga Myrthyd!” they chanted over and over. Myrthyd allowed the applause to consume him, their adoration welcome to his ears. After quite some time, he lowered his hands and left the platform with several Magus in black robes and Tukra with his guards in tow.
“Wonderful display, Kull Naga,” the Magus Renfro said. The older man served him well; a trusted Magus he held close. The compulsion spell he used on the man also helped keep him trustworthy.
“Thank you, Renfro. This ought to keep the halflings in-line. I swear, they seem to be appearing more often now.” Myrthyd held public executions regularly since his return from the south, though he rarely allowed halflings to die at the stake. Once he realized what he needed for the night-wraith to work, he immediately halted executions of all halflings, though only he knew it. No one tried to stop him, other than those accused like the girl and her family who were just publicly burned. With his plan in progress, it was only a matter of time before his army grew to a considerable size.
“Aye Kull, the halflings have been many. I believe dragons have done serious damage to our people. I feel you’ll soon have them flushed out and pure blood will once again run freely. You’ve done a great service for Tregaron, Prime. It is my honor to serve.”
Myrthyd turned to the older man. He hadn’t been using compulsion on him. The admission was freely given. “Thank you, Renfro. It means a lot to have your support.” He gave the old man’s shoulder a squeeze and then left him standing, attending to several novices who accosted him.
Tukra and his guards led Myrthyd back to his room where they stood outside his door. “I’ll not be accepting visitors. I mean to study. Please keep it quiet out here.”
“We’ll see to your privacy,” Tukra said.
The moment he closed the door, Myrthyd pulled the Blood Stone free. It was a remarkable object, black with red shimmering through. It was the size of his fist and vibrated slightly, especially when he tapped into its power.
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