by Julie Wetzel
He stopped about halfway to the dragon and considered it.
The dragon cocked its head the other way and considered him.
“Dragon!” Patrick yelled. “Have you come to surrender?” One could always hope.
Pawing the ground, the creature scraped deep furrows in the dirt with his claws. “Maidens,” the thing growled in a voice that was almost too guttural to understand.
If this creature had ever had a human side, it was long out of touch with it.
“There are no maidens here,” Patrick yelled back.
The dragon growled and shot him an accusing stare.
What the hell did it think he had done to the maidens?
“Maidens,” it growled again.
“There are no maidens here,” Patrick explained. “They’re safe in my castle.”
The creature extended its long neck and looked up at the large, stone structure.
“Don’t even think about it,” Patrick growled.
Drawing in a few deep breaths, the dragon stoked its fires. Smoke trickled out of its nose as it turned its attention back to Patrick. “Maidens,” it rumbled again.
“No,” Patrick yelled, “you may not have the maidens.” He clenched his shield, ready for the attack he could see coming.
Digging its claws into the ground again, the dragon lowered its head and spread out its wings. It thrashed its tail and let out a mighty roar in challenge.
Patrick threw his hands back, bent forwards at the waist, and answered with a roar of his own. His human voice was nothing compared to the echoing sound of the dragon, but he put all of his heart into it. Just the fact that the beast had landed in the field showed it held respect for Patrick’s claim on the town. He would meet this challenge with whatever it took to defend that claim. “The maidens are mine, and you shall not have them!” Patrick screamed.
Desperation filled the creature’s eyes as it pawed the ground franticly. “Maidens.” There was a note of begging in the creature’s voice. There was something not right about this. What could drive a dragon to beg?
“No.” Patrick stood firm in his decision. He could not let this creature kill any more people.
The dragon snorted at him before kicking into the air and taking flight.
Patrick spun back to face his men. “Find horse and follow it!” he yelled. “I want the lair found now!” That thing inside him that didn’t sit right with his dragon was screaming at him now. There was more going on here than he knew.
“On horses?” Daniel asked as he met Patrick coming back. The best answer would be to shift to dragon and follow it.
“Yes, on horses,” Patrick answered. “With the people seeing dragons in every shadow, we can’t afford to set after it on wings.” He turned his head to catch Daniel’s eyes. “Did you see it?”
Daniel swallowed as he nodded. “Yes.” He had noticed the tension in the dragon. What could cause such distress?
“I have to take this to the prince tonight. Something isn’t right.”
Daniel nodded his agreement.
“We have to find that dragon’s lair,” Patrick stressed.
“We will do our best, My Lord.” Daniel placed his fist over his heart and bowed before breaking off to order the men around.
The weight of Daniel’s words hit Patrick, and his shoulders dropped as he turned to walk back to the castle. Great, now his friend was seeing him as the lord he was trying to be. Guess that meant he was doing a fair job. The fact that he was claiming the place as lord hadn’t sunken in until Daniel had used the title.
Patrick could feel the eyes of the villagers as he passed. Each one added weight to his shoulders. He had claimed them, he had defended them, and he was now responsible for them. They expected him to kill this dragon, but in his heart, he knew there was something wrong. The dragon needed help, but what could it need maidens for?
Drawing in a deep breath, Patrick straightened his spine. He had come into this situation knowing he would be the lord here. He just hadn’t realized how heavy that burden would be.
***
“You’re back.”
Daniel’s voice echoing down the hall made Kathryn pause. What was he doing up this late at night? It was well into the wee hours of the morning.
“Yes,” Patrick’s voice answered. “The light in the tower was very helpful. Thank you.”
Kathryn sucked in a shocked breath. She had tried to take the lord dinner this evening, but Daniel had sent her away, claiming Patrick was tired and had gone to bed. What was he doing up now, and where had he gone? Kathryn eased herself down the hall, listening to the men.
“The robe was a nice touch,” Patrick’s voice went on.
Kathryn peeked around the corner at the two men. Patrick wore a long dressing gown.
Daniel shrugged. “I figured that would be better than running around a castle filled with maidens naked. How did your trip go?”
“Well,” Patrick answered. “It’s a beautiful night for flying.”
What did he mean flying? Kathryn’s brow furrowed in thought.
“And what did the prince say?” Daniel asked.
Prince? There was no prince here. Patrick’s answer was cut off as the two men disappeared into Patrick’s room. Kathryn paused as her mind repeated the conversation she had just heard. What was going on?
Shaking her thoughts away, Kathryn hastened to her room. Her door was right across the hall from where the two men had disappeared, and she needed to get into it before they came back out and discovered her eavesdropping. Her hand dropped to the handle of her door. Safe.
“Kathryn?”
Daniel’s voice froze her. She twisted to look at him, trying to hide the fear in her eyes.
“Master Daniel!” she gasped in surprise. She hadn’t heard the other door open.
“What are you doing up so late?” He closed the distance between them.
Oh God, she was in for it now. “Dinner wasn’t sitting well,” she explained as she tried to keep the panicked expression from her face. “I was just coming back from the garderobes.”
Daniel considered her for a moment. “I have some mint tea that would help settle your stomach,” he offered. “Would you like me to fetch it?”
Kathryn bit the inside of her cheek. Could she be lucky enough to get out of this unscathed? “Thank you, but no,” she refused. “My stomach is much better now. I’m hoping I can get back to sleep for a while longer.”
Daniel held her gaze as if he were searching her face for the truth. “Rest easy then, fair maiden.” He reached around her and opened her door.
She stepped past him and into her room. “Thank you, Master Daniel.”
Daniel nodded his farewell and pulled the door shut behind her.
Leaning against the closed door, she listened to his footfalls take him away. Thank you, God. She let out a sigh of relief as she shucked her dressing gown and slipped back into her bed. Her mind replayed the last few minutes as she tried to get comfortable.
Patrick had obviously not gone to bed this evening, so why had Daniel lied to her? And where had Patrick gone? The comment about flying nagged at her. How could one fly? She could only think of one creature large enough to carry a man. Kathryn’s heart skipped a beat. Could their new lord be in cohorts with the dragon? Tales of him yelling at the dragon had come back with the men. No, he wouldn’t align himself with such a creature. She shook that thought away.
Rolling over, Kathryn thought about the rest of the conversation. Why would Patrick be wandering around the castle naked? She was sure she’d heard Daniel say that, and he’d been wearing a dressing gown. Maybe he had just gotten up to use the garderobes, too? She shook her head. No, he had come from the direction of the tower. What were they doing up in the tower this late at night?
Memories tickled at the back of her brain. Something her grandmother had said. Kathryn’s mouth fell open as old stories flooded her mind, stories of an age long past, when dragons had learned to walk as men. The
y lived and prospered together until the men had become jealous and frightened of the dragons. Her grandmother had spoken of a great purge, when all the dragons had been hunted down and killed.
Obviously, one had escaped. Could there have been more? The image of a red dragon bursting from the lake filled her mind. Could Patrick be a dragon? It would definitely explain a few things. Like how he’d been able to face down the black dragon twice without being eaten or cooked. He had also claimed to know a few things about dragons, and he said he’d used dragon’s fire to forge his shield. Daniel had also made a comment about the dragon’s fire being nearly as hot as Patrick’s.
Kathryn rolled to her other side as she worked on this. Patrick had to be a dragon in human guise. It was the only answer that made sense. The question now was, what should she do about it? Patrick had said not all dragons were bad. Did that mean he was good? He had stopped the black dragon from terrorizing the town, and he had accepted the maidens into his protection. Was he only biding his time and earning their trust before striking? Did he eat maidens, too? Kathryn paused on that thought. Why did the dragon eat maidens? Did they taste better than those who were not? She shuddered at the thought and went back to wondering what to do about Patrick.
If he were a dragon, how could she find out? Was there a spell he used to change forms? Would he tell her if she asked? Would she dare to ask him? No, she would never dare to ask him. She could easily guess the reasons he would hide his true self. In their fright, the townspeople might act in haste. Her grandmother had told of mobs taking dragons to be drawn and quartered. She couldn’t bear the thought of Patrick being torn limb from limb.
Kathryn rolled into her blankets again. No, she would not pry into his life. His secrets were better left alone.
6
Daniel raised an eyebrow at Patrick as they stared at the dragon just outside their main gate. “What do you think?”
Turning away from the sight, Patrick climbed down from the battlement. “Get the men to saddle their horses. I want them to follow him as soon as he leaves.” He hated to send the men out on horseback, but the village’s response to dragon sightings made it impossible for the men to safely shift.
Pushing the main gate open, Patrick walked out to stand in the center of the road. Having asserted his dominance over the dragon yesterday, he left his shield behind as a show of trust.
There was that same considering cock to the dragon’s head.
“What can I do for you?” Patrick called calmly to the beast. It was obvious the creature wanted something.
“Maidens,” it growled.
“No.” Patrick held his hands wide. “You may not have my maidens.”
A threat rumbled up from the dragon’s chest.
Patrick growled right back at him.
The dragon’s eyes narrowed. It dipped its head and lifted it up, quickly opening its jaws. Something arced through the air and landed near Patrick’s feet. Gold coins spilled out across the ground.
“Maidens¸” it growled again.
The contents of the bag shocked Patrick. Was it trying to buy the women? He bent over and picked up the treasure. “These women are not for sale.” He slid the coins back into the leather satchel and held it out for the dragon to take.
The dragon thumped its tail on the ground in frustration. “Maidens!” it roared.
“No!” Patrick roared back. “You cannot have the maidens!” He dropped his hand down to his side. The dragon had made no move to take the gold back, and the bag was heavy. “Tell me what is wrong, and I will see what I can do to help.”
The dragon’s massive head wove back and forth in despair. “Maidens.” This time the word came out as almost a whimper.
It broke Patrick’s heart to refuse again, but he did. This creature was in pain and desperate. He needed something from a maiden but couldn’t communicate what it was.
The creature whimpered, pawed the ground, and took to the skies, leaving Patrick with the bag of gold.
“Find him!” Patrick cried as soon as he was back inside the gates. Men galloped past him, chasing after the dragon as he looked down at the satchel of gold. For a dragon to willingly part with this much treasure was unheard of. Why did he need maidens so badly that he was willing to pay for them? Especially if he had gone as feral as he seemed. “We have to find his lair.”
Patrick looked up as Daniel came to him. “This is not right.” He tossed the bag of gold to the other man.
Daniel hefted it, feeling its weight. “No. It’s not.” Shock rode in his eyes. He fell into step with Patrick as they headed towards the castle.
“Have we discovered anything?”
Daniel shrugged. “Only that he disappears into the forests towards the south, which border the mountains. There’s the possibility of a cave system or a narrow valley there. But wherever he’s going, he keeps it well hidden. He goes miles out of his way to lose the scouts. Douglas thinks he shifts to a lesser form before doubling back to his lair.”
That thought was outrageous. Patrick shook his head, bewildered. “But feral dragons don’t shift.”
“I didn’t think so, either, but how can something that size continue to elude us?”
Patrick nodded. Daniel did have a point there. “We might have to go after it in wings.”
Daniel agreed.
“If we don’t find him today and he comes back tomorrow, have the men prepared to go out again. Once they reach the forest and are well away from prying eyes, I want the five smallest to shift and search. Maybe they can smell him out. The rest will do their best on horseback. We’ll set the brazier in the tower alight so the scouts can find their way back once the sun has set. It should be safer to fly over at night.”
Smacking his fist into his chest, Daniel nodded. “Yes, My Lord.”
Reaching out, Patrick grabbed the man’s arm before he could take off to spread the word. “And, Daniel?” He pulled him to a stop and gave his friend a confused look. “Am I doing the right thing?” Patrick could feel Daniel size him up as he measured the weight of the bag once more.
“This dragon has killed many, and for that he must answer,” he held the gold out for Patrick to take back, “but there is something more to this story than what we are seeing. The orders we were given were to stop a rogue dragon from terrorizing this village. Since we have arrived, he has neither razed nor killed. So, yes. You are doing the right thing. Once we find this dragon, we can bring its problem to the prince. He can decide what to do from there.”
Patrick cradled the sack of gold and nodded. It felt good to have someone else confirm his thoughts. Now all he had to do was find this dragon. But, first, he had to find a good place to store the dragon’s treasure until he could return it.
***
Patrick pushed his chamber door open with a heavy sigh. It had been a long day. Most of the scouts had already returned empty-handed. The dragon had disappeared into the woods as if by magic.
Patrick paused. Maybe it was using magic to hide itself. That might explain why they had been so unsuccessful. He’d have to have Daniel send some of the men who could see through spells tomorrow.
“Good evening, My Lord.”
The soft voice broke into his thoughts. His eyes found a woman sitting at his table. The fire had died to embers, casting the girl in flickering shadows. He drew in a breath, scenting the air. He knew this girl. “Lillian?’ Patrick asked.
Lillian stood up so the light shone in her golden hair. She had done something to it to emphasize the curls. Her form-fitting dress pushed her bosom up to an almost indecent level. “At your service, My Lord.” She dropped a low curtsy, showing off her chest. Her movement left almost nothing to his imagination.
Moving to the hearth, he dropped a few more logs on the fire to brighten the room. “What are you doing here?” He did not like being in such a dark place with her alone.
“I’ve come to check on your wounds.”
He glanced down at his arm, then back up to he
r face. Something about her eyes set him on edge. “Did Daniel put you up to this?” Daniel had been sending Kathryn after him since the women had arrived. Was he trying to tempt him with another woman now?
Lillian closed the distance between them slowly. “I came of my own accord.” She moved with an alluring grace that spoke of things maidens should not know.
He stilled as she approached.
Her hand reached out to take up his wounded arm. “I wanted to make sure my lord was taken care of.” Lillian rested his hand on her chest above her heart. “I also wanted to thank you for protecting us.” The look in her eyes spoke of desire but lacked the fear usually found in a maiden’s eyes.
Patrick’s jaw clenched as she stepped in against him.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Her hand came up to caress his cheek in an attempt to bring his lips down where she could reach them. “Anything at all?”
Oh, this was no maiden!
***
Kathryn balanced the heavy tray in her arms as she stepped through the open door to Patrick’s room. “Pardon me, My Lord. Daniel sent me to dress your wounds.”
She froze as she took in the shocking scene. Lillian was caught in Patrick’s embrace. One hand caressed the skin above her heart as the other held on to her upper arm. Pain ripped at Kathryn’s heart. “Forgive me,” she cried on the edge of tears.
How could she have been so foolish as to let her heart soften to him? Hadn’t she learned anything from the first time Daniel had sent her to tend his wound? He was nothing but a rogue, there to steal maidens' virtues away and leave them brokenhearted.
As she spun to leave, the tray filled with supplies caught on the edge of the door and slipped from her hand. It crashed to the ground with the sound of shattering glass. She might as well have thrown her heart on the floor. “I’m sorry.” Leaving the mess, she turned and ran out. She couldn’t stand to be in the castle one more second. Not after catching the man she just realized she loved holding another.