The Greystone Chronicles Book Two: The Dire Lands

by Dave Willmarth

  Looking into his eyes, her face now quite serious, she replied, “Oh, I see. So, you don’t actually want me here? You’re just taking one for the team?”

  Alexander panicked. “What? No! NO! I was… shit. I really want you here with me Jules, I-”

  He was interrupted as she laughed, then kissed him. “You really have the worst sense of humor, Alexander.” She smiled at him, touching his face. “We’ll have to work on that.”

  Alexander blushed. He’d fallen for her trick completely, and nearly bared his soul to her. That would have been awkward. He felt more for this girl than he knew he should.

  She stood, taking his hand. Looking at the door to the study and beyond, she led him that direction. “I assume your bedroom is this way?”

  He could only nod. He was afraid he’d say something stupid again and ruin the moment.

  As they passed into the bedroom, Jules closed the door behind them. “Just so you know, snuggling is ALL we will be doing tonight.”

  He just grinned and nodded his head.

  Chapter Sixteen Ragnarok

  Alexander was awakened by a loud tapping on his window. He opened his eyes to find Jules wrapped around him. Still fully clothed, she was sprawled out on his chest, one leg wrapped around his. She was snoring lightly, and drooling on his shoulder. She couldn’t possibly have looked more adorable.

  More tapping drew his attention to the window. It was still dark outside. Forcing his eyes to focus, he made out two very large, slightly glowing eyes gazing in at him.

  Alarmed, he rolled Jules off onto the bed and jumped up, reaching for his weapon. He took a defensive stance, meaning to protect her no matter what.

  “My apologies, Alexander,” a voice rumbled quietly through the window. “I did not mean to alarm you.”

  Kai. It was Kai in dragon form.

  Alexander sheathed his sword and stepped forward to open the window. Jules, awakened by his sudden movement, sat up in the bed. “What’s going on?” she asked sleepily. Seeing the giant dragon head outside the window, she exclaimed, “Oh!”

  “My apologies to you as well, Lady Jules. I did not mean to… interrupt.” The dragon actually managed to grin. Despite the massive display of teeth, Jules giggled.

  “That’s alright, Kai. We were just sleeping.” She blushed slightly.

  “Kai, I’m glad you’re back, buddy. But your timing kind of sucks.” Alexander stood on the small balcony outside the window. Looking down, he couldn’t help but laugh. He’d initially thought Kai had been hovering at the window’s level. Now he saw that the massive dragon was simply sitting in the courtyard, and actually had to bend his neck down to Alexander’s level.

  “Yes, well. I’ve just returned from… spending time with my own mate,” the dragon said. Now Jules was really blushing. “In fact, she has come to meet you. I’m afraid she is rather impatient.”

  Looking around, Alexander didn’t see another dragon. “Okay. Where is she?” he asked.

  “I’m afraid she’s invaded Fitz’ tower. I made the mistake of telling her about the wizard’s plan to hatch a moat monster. She insisted we rush back here and get the egg hatched immediately. I tried to stop her, but…” Kai looked uncomfortable.

  “I know, buddy. Women are the boss. We just follow their lead, and try not to anger them,” Alexander commiserated. Behind him, Jules snorted. Kai’s gigantic head bobbed up and down.

  “I see you understand. I’m afraid right now she’s rousing Fitz from his slumber, demanding he produce the egg. You might want to gather the others for this,” he said.

  Alexander opened guild chat. “We have visitors, folks. A very determined lady dragon has just invaded the wizard’s tower. Everybody who’s awake, meet me at the drawbridge ASAP. It seems we’re about to meet Kai’s mate, and our new moat monster.”

  As he finished, there was a flash of light, and a roar from inside the wizard’s tower. Kai shook his head. “I warned her not to disturb him. At his age, he enjoys his sleep.”

  “HA!” Alexander laughed out loud. He’d pay good money to witness what was going on in that tower.

  “Aren’t you going to help her?” Jules asked. She’d stepped out onto the balcony with Alexander, and was looking toward the flashes still emanating from tower windows.

  The look on the dragon’s face suggested he thought Jules might be insane. “I learned long ago not to disturb a sleeping Fitz. I did warn her. This is a lesson she must learn for herself. Maybe it will teach her to be less… demanding.”

  “You can always hope.” Alexander grinned. Jules punched his arm.

  Kai looked at the tower as another roar echoed across the courtyard. “Let us retire to the drawbridge while the two of them… discuss etiquette.” Without further ado, Kai disappeared.

  Alexander teleported himself and Jules down to the courtyard. Seeing very alarmed guards hustling out of the barracks, he said “Jeeves, please activate emergency message. No loudspeaker this time.”

  “Already done, master,” Jeeves said. Improved interface, indeed.

  “Relax, folks. Just a friendly disagreement between Fitz and our lady dragon guest. Nothing to worry about. Though, I wouldn’t stand too close to the wizard’s tower, in case pieces begin falling off. It seems we’re about to hatch our moat monster. Anyone interested in observing, you should have a good view from the top of the wall above the drawbridge.”

  Alexander and Jules walked out the keep gate and across the fields to the outer gatehouse. They were joined by a crowd of citizens who were still occasionally looking over their shoulders at the wizard’s tower. One especially loud boom had many of them ducking down.

  After that, the commotion ceased. Alexander guessed Fitz was done teaching his lesson.

  They arrived at the gatehouse, and a pair of guards lowered the bridge. The sun was not up yet, though there was a hint of orange on the horizon. Stepping out on the drawbridge, Alexander turned and looked up at the wall. More than a hundred citizens and newcomers were lined up along its edge, peering down at him. All at once, their gaze shifted over his head.

  Turning, he found Fitz standing next to a beautiful human-looking woman with glowing blue eyes, and long silver-blue hair. She wore a simple but elegant blue dress with silver embroidery. Her hair was mussed, and she looked slightly frazzled after her argument with the wizard.

  Kai walked out onto the bridge to stand next to her. “Alexander, Greystone guild members, I would like you to meet Lianbalistrix, my mate and future queen of the dragons.”

  Alexander stepped forward and bowed to the lady dragon, who nodded her head slightly in return. “It is an honor to meet you, Lady Lianbalistrix. I am Alexander. Welcome to Dire Keep.”

  “Thank you, Alexander. I have heard much about you, and I hope that we shall be friends. Please call me Lia,” she replied.

  “Yes, yes. We can do all the introductions later. Now is hatching time. This impertinent young dragon thought it important enough to wake a poor old wizard from a pleasant dream of roast boar and apple tarts. So, let’s get this over with so I can get back to my bed!”

  Fitz produced the moat monster egg from his bag. It stood about three feet tall, and was nearly round in shape. Its shell was a mottled blue and grey with swirls of silver. Though it looked heavy, the wizard easily held it in one hand. Fumbling around in his bag, he said, “Bah! I’ve left it in the tower. Impudent child distracted me!”

  Reaching the egg toward Kai, he said, “I must pop back to the tower. Hold this.” As Kai reached for the egg, Lia hip-checked him and took possession of it. She held it close to her as if to protect it from the wizard, who disappeared as soon as the egg left his hand.

  The ensuing awkward silence was broken by Lia. “Have you chosen a name?” she asked.

  Alexander shook his head. “I’d thought we would take suggestions from the citizens once it was born. The winner can claim a prize. Maybe a keg of ale or a rare gear item.”

  Lia’s face took on an angry frown. �
��That simply will not do! First, ‘it’ is a ‘he’. Naming a majestic beast such as this should not be a drinking game! I will find an appropriate name for him,” she declared.

  After the sounds of her argument with Fitz, and the way Kai subtly leaned away from the dragoness, it seemed a bad idea to argue.

  “Of course, Lady Lia. We’d be honored if you would name him,” Alexander acquiesced.

  Lia rubbed the egg as she held it against her torso, looking almost like a pregnant woman rubbing her belly. “I’ll save you from the silly humans and their horrible names,” she cooed to the egg.

  Fitz reappeared holding a small stone that was identical to the egg in coloring. “Are you ready?” he asked. Everyone present nodded their heads.

  Fitz touched the stone to the egg, and murmured a phrase. A spark of magic shot from the stone to the egg, and the silver swirls on the egg’s surface began to glow.

  “You might want to set the egg down,” Fitz warned. Lia shot him a look that said she was ready to start round two of their argument. Grinning, Fitz simply took a step back. “I warned you, child.”

  The egg began to wobble in Lia’s hands. There was a soft hum as the shell began to vibrate. The hum grew louder, and cracks appeared in the egg.

  Fitz motioned to Kai and Alexander, who both took a step back. Then Alexander took another. Lia was focused on the egg, smiling beatifically down upon it.

  The largest of the cracks widened around the circumference of the egg near the top. With a final shudder, the top of the egg popped off. A viscous yellow-green fluid burst from the opening, drenching Lia’s face and torso. It dripped slowly from the end of her nose as her smile turned to a look of pure disgust.

  Holding the egg with one hand, she attempted to wipe the fluid from her face. Kai helpfully handed her a handkerchief, taking the egg from her.

  As she cleaned herself off, cursing under her breath about crusty old wizards and their immature pranks, a small head appeared above the rim of the shell.

  The head looked just like that of a dragon, only softer and more rounded. It had huge green eyes that looked almost too large for its head. A fore-claw pawed at the rim of the shell, breaking off a large piece. A few more gyrations, and a push from its little round snout, and the majority of the egg fell away.

  Kai now held a tiny dragon with webbed feet. It wriggled free from Kai’s hands, and began to sniff at all those gathered around. Reaching Sasha, it appeared to like what it smelled, and began to try and climb her leg.

  Sasha reached down and lifted the little monster like a puppy. It was maybe four feet long from snout to the tip of its tail, which was flattened at the end like the flukes of a dolphin’s tail. Its hide was made of pale blue scales so fine that they felt a bit like human flesh when she touched him. There were two nubs where a normal dragon’s wings might be.

  As the druidess cradled the tiny monster in her arms, he yawned. His stubby snout was filled with little sharp, serrated teeth. He looked up at her and cooed. Then, noticing its tail for the first time, snapped at it.

  “Oh, he’s adorable!” Sasha and Jules said nearly in unison.

  Though he kept a straight face, Alexander tended to agree. The bug-eyed little fella was kind of cute.

  “He’s a water dragon,” Fitz smiled. “I was hoping he would be. Water dragons are not actually dragons like Kai or Lia, but they are one of the greater serpents. Semi-sentient. He will be able to understand basic commands, and will recognize friend from foe. They are often mischievous,” Fitz explained. “And easily distracted,” he added, as the little dragon made another snap at its tail, then stuck its nose into Sasha’s inventory bag.

  Still cleaning herself off, Lia looked balefully at the dragonling. “Little monster has ruined my dress,” she pouted. “I name him Ragnarok. The ultimate destruction. The time when the great serpent encircles the world, and everything drowns in a flood of water,” she declared.

  Fitz chuckled. Stepping toward the little dragon, he laid a hand on its chest. “Actually, not a bad name for a moat monster. While he’ll not grow to the size of Jormungandr, the World Serpent, he will get quite large. And will likely be the ultimate destruction of any who anger him.” Tickling Ragnarok’s tummy, he qualified, “Well, when he gets bigger anyway. For now, he’ll be the terror of rats and fish. And fancy blue dresses.”

  “Ragnarok it is!” Alexander called out loud enough for those on the wall to hear. He didn’t want to allow Lia time for a retort.

  There was a cheer from the crowd as Sasha held the little monster up for them to see. As she lifted him, his head emerged from her inventory bag. He gripped a large chunk of boar meat in his jaws, and was growling as he chewed at it. There were more than a few chuckles from the crowd.

  “What do we do with him now?” Jules asked. She was scratching Ragnarok’s head just behind his left ear. The dragon stopped its battle with the boar meat long enough to make a bubbling, purring sound. “Do we need to keep him warm, or something?”

  “Well, the first thing is to feed him. Which he seems to have taken care of himself. Then you must bind him to the keep. Or to an individual. He seems to have adopted Sasha. Once that is done, he should be able to take care of himself. You can set him loose in the moat,” Fitz explained.

  “How do we bind him?” Sasha was rocking the dragonling, now laying on its back in the crook of her arm like a human infant. It was gripping at the chunk of meat with its forelegs and trying to gnaw a piece off one end.

  “Simply look into his eyes, make a connection, and name him formally.”

  Sasha brought her face down right in front of the tiny dragon’s, catching his gaze with her own. His little vertically slit pupils widened, and seemed to swirl a bit. Sasha said, “I name you Ragnarok, defender of Dire Keep and the Greystone Guild.”

  Unable to resist, she booped the little dragon on his snout, and giggled when he went cross-eyed watching her finger. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to his meal.

  “We should call him Raggy for short. Or, no! Rocky!” Jules offered. She scratched his head again, and the dragonling purred. “See! He likes it!”

  Still trying to clean her dress, Lia growled, “Oh, this hopeless!” Stepping to the side of the bridge, she dove into the water.

  Ragnarok’s head swiveled at the sound of the splash, and he leapt free of Sasha’s arms. With the half-consumed meat still in his tiny maw, he stood at the edge of the bridge and looked down toward where Lia had entered the water, wagging his tail back and forth.

  The mini moat monster looked back at Sasha, who laughed and made a shooing motion, saying, “Go ahead, Rocky. It’s your moat.”

  Quickly gulping down the remainder of the meat, the little dragon began to wiggle his butt, shifting his weight back and forth between his rear legs in a very cat-like manner as he watched Lia move under the water. Then with a tiny roar, he dove forward off the drawbridge and into the water.

  The others moved to the edge for a better view. The tiny form of Rocky was barreling downward toward an ascending Lia. His little webbed feet thrust backward in unison, propelling him forward with surprising speed.

  Lia looked up just as Rocky collided with her. The little dragon promptly wrapped himself around her neck and licked her face. As she broke the surface of the moat, Rocky licked her face again, then head-butted her gently, obviously looking for a scratching.

  After a moment of indecision, Lia relented. Smiling at the little dragon, she scratched his head. “Okay, Rocky. I forgive you. Now go play!”

  The moat monster of Dire Keep launched himself off her shoulder, diving after a leaf that was floating nearby. Lia teleported herself out of the water and back onto the bridge. Alexander noted that she was completely dry. And her dress was clean.

  Sasha looked to Fitz with a question on her face. “He’ll be fine.” Fitz waggled his eyebrows. “He’s the ferocious moat monster of Dire Keep, now.”

  Looking back at the water, Alexander saw the little
monster bounding about in the water. A few folks on the wall were tossing bits of meat and fruit into the moat, calling his name. He managed to catch one in mid-air, much to the delight of the crowd.

  “Lady Lia,” Alexander turned to Kai’s mate, “if you’d like to accompany me into the keep, breakfast should be ready shortly. Or if you’re tired from your trip, I’m sure we can arrange a room for you to rest.” Alexander looked to Silverbeard, who nodded.

  “Thank you, Alexander. That is kind of you. Breakfast sounds wonderful. As for a room, I will use Kai’s for now. But we plan to establish a roost in the cliffs above the keep as soon as possible.” She linked arms with Kai and began to lead him inside.

  Alexander raised an eyebrow at Kai. The dragon just shrugged and shook his head.