Dragon Lost

by Donna Grant

  “So,” Annita said, drawing out the word. “You’re saying a mate to a Dragon King is essentially immortal as well.”

  “Aye. Only a Dragon King can kill another King. And a mate will only die when her King does.”

  Annita’s eyes grew round. “Wow. Did this human marrying Ulrik know this?”

  “Nay. Ulrik was going to surprise her with the news after they were mated.”

  “I’m not so sure that was a good idea.”

  Royden shrugged. “There are differing views on it to be sure, but it was a secret we kept from mortals so they wouldna try to find a King as a husband.”

  “I can absolutely see that. And what of children?”

  “There has never been a child born to a Dragon King and a mortal. Most women miscarry after a few months. The rare who carried to term had bairns that were stillborn.”

  Annita winced. “Did the mortal know this?”

  “It was common knowledge. Ulrik didna care that he would never have children. He was one of the best men I’d ever met. And he fell hard for the human. However, Con was his best friend, and Con had his doubts as to the mortal’s true feelings for Ulrik. So, he followed her. Turns out, he had a right to be wary. She, along with a Druid and Ulrik’s uncle, plotted to kill Ulrik.”

  “That was a lot of information right there. I’m dying to know about Druids, but first, continue on with the other.”

  Royden glanced at the rocky ground beneath them. “Con knew that Ulrik would be devastated when he learned of this. Instead, Con called all of us together and sent Ulrik on a mission alone. While Ulrik was gone, we went after the mortal.”

  “By go after, I take it to mean you killed her.”

  “Aye.”

  Annita thought about that for a moment. “I can’t say I agree with that, but I also wasn’t there. I wasn’t a part of everything that happened.”

  “We didna take it lightly. The truce between our races was on shaky ground, and Ulrik’s marriage could’ve healed some of that. However, had the marriage taken place, and she tried to kill Ulrik on their wedding night as planned, she would’ve learned that he couldna die. Moreover, Ulrik would’ve gone berserk knowing the woman he’d chosen as his mate didna love him. He would’ve lost his mind. Who knows what would have happened?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “That’s a good point. So what did happen? Because something obviously did.”

  “While we hoped that taking care of Ulrik’s problem wouldna result in war, we were wrong. When we told Ulrik, he was angry at us and the mortals, but in the back of his mind, he knew we’d tried to help. He didna come after us. He called his Silvers and went after the humans, beginning our war.

  “The verra thing we’d tried to avoid happened anyway. However, Ulrik and his Silvers were no’ the only ones attacking. After years of dealing with the ungrateful mortals, everyone but Con and his Golds began attacking. Even me.”

  Annita reached over and put her hand atop his. “You say that as if you’re ashamed.”

  “I am. I killed those I swore to protect.”

  “You didn’t do it because you liked it. You did it because you were betrayed. I’m not saying I agree with what any of you did—because I believe in life, not death. Although, I can admit to understanding why you joined the others.”

  Royden wrapped his fingers around hers, liking the way it felt to hold her. “Con is King of Kings because he’s the strongest in both magic and power among all the Kings. He’s in that position for a reason, and it showed then. He gradually drew us back to him, one by one. And when those of us who began protecting the mortals found that our dragons were being killed by them, we all knew we had crossed a line in the sand.

  “Everyone but Ulrik obeyed Con and returned to Dreagan. Eventually, even many of the Silvers heeded Con until it was only Ulrik and his four largest Silvers going after the mortals. We all realized then that there were two options. Had Ulrik no’ been so angry, he would’ve seen it, too. We could either wipe out the mortals once and for all and go back to the way things were. Or we could remember the vows we took and stop fighting.”

  Annita sighed softly and squeezed her eyes closed for a moment. “You stopped fighting.”

  “Aye. We were no’ monsters. We realized that to keep true to ourselves, we needed to give up our realm. That meant sending the dragons away. We used our magic, and for the first time, created a dragon bridge to send them to another realm. We had no idea if they would be welcomed or even survive, but at least they had a better chance than they did here. Sending my family and clan away was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was then that my brother told me where he’d hidden the claw. I couldna return to find it as we still had Ulrik and his Silvers to take care of.

  “I and the other Kings used our magic to trap the four Silvers and put them to sleep. We then took them to Dreagan and put them in a mountain where they remain to this day. Ulrik was another matter. He made it so Con didna have a choice but to strip him of his magic, forcing him to live as a human unable to shift into his true form. Then he banished Ulrik from Dreagan as we each went to our mountains to sleep while the mortals forgot about us.”

  Annita shook her head. “I don’t know what to say. You gave up everything for us. We never would’ve done that. And banishing Ulrik? Why?”

  “Because while we might have been hiding, Dreagan was ours, and no human could step on the land because of the magic surrounding it. Ulrik couldna use his magic or shift, and Con didna want to force him to bear witness to us shifting, which would have made things worse for Ulrik. Although, it wouldna have mattered what Con did. Ulrik’s hatred turned to each of us. He spent eons as a human plotting our demise. He even went so far as to join forces with the Dark Fae in order to see it done.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Dark Fae?” Annita repeated. “Based on that name alone, I suspect they aren’t good people.”

  “They aren’t people at all, at least as you know them,” Royden told her. “They’re Fae. They’re from another realm, but a civil war destroyed it, and they came here.”

  She raised a brow. “You didn’t make them leave after what happened with the humans? Or did they come before?”

  “They came after the mortals. Let me back up and tell you about the Druids. Some humans who came here developed magic. They became Druids. Many were forced from their homes since mortals compared any magic to that of the dragons. The largest concentration of Druids still resides on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Though, through the years, more Druids bore children with humans, who didna have power, diluting the magic and making Druids rarer and rarer. The Druids themselves split into two sects. The mies, or Druids who use their magic for good. And the droughs, those who aligned with the devil.”

  Annita released a breath. “I’ve heard of Druids. How is that possible, but I’ve not heard of dragons or Fae?”

  “You’ve heard of the Fae. Fairies?”

  “The Fae sound much different than fairies. The fairies I know of are small creatures with wings.”

  “But they have magic,” Royden said. “While the Fae doona have wings, they do, for all intents and purposes, look verra much like mortals. They also have two sects. The Light Fae and the Dark Fae. The Light Fae have silver eyes and black hair. The Dark have red eyes and silver in their black hair.”

  Annita cocked her head to the side. “Why such different looks? Do the Druids look different?”

  “You wouldna know if a Druid is a mie or a drough just by looking at them. The Dark Fae are different because the moment they kill their first person, their eyes turn red. The more evil they do, the more silver appears in their hair.”

  “That’s good to know. I’ve never seen anyone like that here.”

  Royden shrugged. “There have no doubt been Fae here. They can use glamour to change their appearance so you wouldna know them. However, they’re stunning. More beautiful than seems possible.”

  “I’ve known some people like that. You, for insta
nce,” she told him with a smile.

  He chuckled, giving her a scorching look. “Thank you for the compliment, but I can assure you, I’m no’ Fae. Now, mortals are inexplicably drawn to the Fae. They can no’ control themselves.”

  Annita nearly told him that she was hard-pressed to control herself around him, but she kept that part to herself.

  “The bad thing is, once a human has sex with a Light Fae, they can never be satisfied by another mortal again. Only a Fae can give them pleasure. The Light are thereby only allowed to have sex with a human once.”

  Annita raised a brow. “You’d think because of that, they wouldn’t be allowed to have sex with us at all. Does it happen often?”

  “Verra. There are many Halflings on this realm.”

  “And the Dark? Are they allowed to have sex with us?”

  His expression tightened. “The Dark doona stop at just once. They will search out humans and draw them in. It’s how they feed.”

  “I’m sorry. What?” Annita asked, taken aback.

  “The Dark feed on mortal souls. While you experience pleasure unlike any you’ve ever known as they have sex with you over and over again, they’re draining you of your soul all the while.”

  Annita thought about that for a moment and shuddered. “It actually sounds like a decent way to go if you have to die. But, personally, I think it’s horrendous.”

  “I tend to agree. We’ve long fought the Dark.”

  “Is their magic stronger than yours?”

  “Nay. When they first came here, we fought both them and the Light. Then the Light joined us, and we defeated the Dark. But the Fae had nowhere to go. Their realm had been destroyed. We agreed to allow them to stay, but they had to remain in Ireland. The Light took the top half of the isle, and the Dark the bottom. No matter how hard we’ve tried, humans flock to Ireland at an alarming rate. Since we can’t control that, we at least try to keep the Dark on the isle as much as we can.”

  Annita shook her head in bewilderment. “There’s so much going on around me I didn’t know about. I never thought of myself as isolated out here, but that’s exactly what I am.”

  “You’re no’ isolated. You’re protected. You should cherish what you have. Besides, there are those living alongside Fae that doona know it. So doona put yourself down for not knowing. Only a small fraction of mortals know what I’m telling you.”

  She chuckled and looked at their joined hands. “That does make me feel a little better. So, all this time, you’ve been hiding?”

  “No’ the entire time. We eventually came out of hiding and walked among the mortals. Con realized that, in order for us to maintain our privacy and still be a part of this world, we needed to have a business. We began Dreagan Industries, our whisky company, and it has supported us. People visit the distillery every year, but they go no further than that. They think they know us, but no one really does.”

  “I can’t blame you there. What about your dragons?”

  His eyes lowered as he shrugged. His gaze then slid back to her. “We doona know. The Dark are no’ our only enemies. We recently discovered a group called the Others. They’re made up of mies and droughs from our realm, Dark and Light Fae, as well as mies and droughs from another realm. The verra realm where your kind originally came from. They joined their magic together, and we’ve come to find out it’s enough to best ours.”

  It was a good thing Annita was sitting down because she was sure her legs would’ve given out on her. “Another realm?”

  “You’re from another realm. Everyone born there was born with magic. But the empress took advantage of her magic and used a spell that made her immortal. She aged, but verra, verra slowly. The more magic she took, the more babies were born without magic. She took those without magic and brought them here once she found our realm and the magic within it. She wants to rid this world of dragons so she can have it.”

  Annita tightened her fingers on Royden’s. “That can’t happen. I know I barely know you, but that can’t happen. This is your home. You’ve already given up so much. Please tell me you’re fighting.”

  “We’re fighting,” he said with a smile. “We’re fighting with all we have.”

  “Good.” The relief that spread through her was so strong, she became lightheaded.

  “Do you regret knowing now?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. I wish I could help, but I don’t regret any of it.”

  “And when I leave?”

  Annita hoped her face remained impassive despite the immediate response of “no” that she shouted in her mind. She didn’t want him to leave. Ever. But it was ridiculous to imagine that he’d remain. This might have been his home once, but now, it was in Scotland.

  “How many of there are you?” she asked instead.

  “At Dreagan? Many.”

  While he had told her much, she wasn’t at all upset that he wouldn’t tell her an exact number. With the Others, it made sense to keep some things a secret. “How long will you stay in Greece?”

  “I doona know. I should return soon.”

  “Then we must make the most of our time together,” she said as she got to her feet and pulled him up with her.

  He grinned, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “What do you have in mind?”

  “A swim.”

  Royden glanced away as he gave a nod. “I agree. There’s something I want to show you.”

  “I know every inch of these caves. There isn’t anything you could show me that I don’t already know.”

  “Is that a challenge?” he asked with a smile.

  She found herself grinning. “It is.”

  “Challenge accepted. Ready?”

  Annita gave a nod. “Absolutely.”

  He released her hand and dove into the water. Right before his body went under, his clothes vanished, replaced by swim trunks. She gasped when she saw the tattoo that took up his entire back. She wasn’t given time to see much of it, however. Annita then followed him into the water and came up for air beside him.

  “What?” he asked.

  She wanted to look at his tattoo, but she couldn’t see it well in the water. She’d just have to wait until they were on land again. Annita shook her head. “Nothing.”

  “I take it you’re a strong swimmer.”

  “I am.”

  “You’re going to need to be. If you get in trouble, let me know.”

  “I should be fine.”

  He flashed her a wide grin. “Then follow me.”

  When he swam out of the cave, she was right beside him. Annita kept pace with him easily. She followed him around boulders, moving in behind him to keep out of currents and away from the larger rocks that could cause damage. She swam every day. Long distances, too. But she found that she began to tire. When she paused to look around, she realized that they had swum far from the cave.

  She turned and began swimming again now that she had lagged behind him. Her arms were tiring quickly. Then they finally stopped.

  “Do you trust me?”

  She treaded water and said, “I do.”

  “I willna let anything happen to you. You need to take a deep breath. You willna be able to swim fast enough. I’ll have to take you.”

  “Fast enough for what?”

  His eyes held hers. “To see something no one else has seen since my clan last inhabited this isle.”

  That was an opportunity she wasn’t going to pass up. She began taking deep breaths. Then she gave him a nod and sucked in a large lungful. Royden grabbed her hand and pulled her below water. He then wrapped an arm around her, bringing her against him. Annita was shocked at how fast they moved.

  Then again, he was a dragon.

  The deeper they went, the more pressure pushed against her. She popped her ears and released some air when her lungs began to burn. She tried to see where he was taking her, but she couldn’t see anything other than what was usually below the water.

  She squeezed her eyes closed when he
r lungs throbbed, and she released more air. There wasn’t much left for her to use. She had to pop her ears twice more. She clung to Royden, hoping they returned to the surface soon. Instead, he swam faster.

  Annita was now out of air. She really wanted to see whatever it was that Royden wanted to show her, but she couldn’t. She needed oxygen. She tapped his shoulder to get his attention. They were moving so fast, things were a blur. She spotted something moving out of the corner of her eye and turned her head to see a huge boulder roll out of the way, seemingly on its own. Annita knew Royden was responsible.

  They went even deeper to the opening the rock had covered. Annita struggled against him. She needed air. But he held her tighter. After they went through the entrance, he gave her a hard shove upward. Annita didn’t know where she was going or what was happening. She couldn’t even control anything since she was propelled upward.

  Just when she thought her lungs might burst, her head suddenly broke the water’s surface, and she sucked in a huge mouthful of air. She treaded water and closed her eyes as oxygen filled her body. She then opened her eyes and was met with blackness.

  There was a sound beside her that she sincerely hoped was Royden. A moment later, a ball of light rose above her and shed its rays all over, brightening the cavern. She gaped at how high the light continued to rise, as if there were no ceiling above them.

  “Are you all right?” Royden asked.

  She jerked her head to him. “Where are we?”

  He smiled and motioned with his head. “Follow me.”

  Though her body was tired, she swam after him until they reached the edge. He jumped out easily and helped her up. He then linked his fingers with hers and tugged her along after him as they began walking.

  The light looked as though it had finally stopped rising. It was a speck above them but shone like the sun. Royden held out his hand, and another ball of light appeared, racing ahead of them to a tunnel that was large enough to fit a dragon.

  There were no words spoken as they meandered through the maze of tunnels. They were dry, proving that no water filled them. The rock was worn smooth, however. There was nothing that hurt the bottom of her bare feet. It was a little chilly, but she didn’t mind it because she was so fascinated with everything around her.