Enchanted Bookstore Legends (5-book complete epic fantasy romance box set)

by Marsha A. Moore

  The alchemist bowed his head. “Your highness, I present to the court of Aria the bird known as an avril.” He lifted his arm bearing the bird and walked closer to the throne. “It is a fine example of the few animals capable of stealth flight, not only hiding its magical aura, but also becoming physically invisible in sunlight.” He walked to the window to display his bird’s talents. The same evil grin covered his face as he looked toward Lyra.

  “And Scribe Lyra or Sire Drake, which of you has chosen to participate in the contest?” the king asked.

  Lyra took a step forward. “I will be the one.”

  Eos nodded. “Please present your bird to my court.”

  “Your highness, I do not have a bird. I—”

  Suddenly a frenzy of flapping wings filled the air and circled Lyra. Kenzo opened his wings and covered her lower legs with his display. The king’s own osprey landed on the floor at her side, looked up to her, and gave a clipped shriek. The golden eagle swooped past Eburscon at the open window to land at her other side.

  The king gave a hearty laugh. “You are incorrect, Scribe Lyra. You have three birds who choose you. Which one is your choice?”

  Lyra looked from one bird to the other. She felt no connection to the osprey, but he must have sensed the evil of the avril and wanted to help the cause of good. She bent and stroked his white head. The golden eagle possessed some energy that weakly resonated with hers, so slight she couldn’t be certain it was a real match. The giant tiger owl towered above the other two. Lyra moved her hand to rub between the feathers at the back of his neck the way he loved. “I choose this tiger owl. He has been my loyal companion, helper, and friend. We are bonded through those experiences.”

  King Eos leaned against his wife’s arm, and the two conferred for several minutes. They called in several couriers. Finally he sat back, his brow furrowed. “Lyra, much as I feel the love you and Sire Kenzo share, he is not a match for your power. However, my rules specified that the birds the auspex should suggest were to be in Aria, in other terms, those that have been seen in this land even if rarely. I knew Kenzo prior to announcing this challenge, but until this moment had never seen an avril.”

  Lyra shot Cullen a questioning look, and members of the court whispered all around the grand hall.

  The king raised his hand to silence the murmuring. “However, some of my trusted couriers assert that they have seen avrils flying near Sensua’s portal above the Dark Realm. I accept their word and declare Sire Eburscon the winner of this portion of the challenge.”

  The alchemist turned and bowed in several directions to a silent group of spectators. He paused an extra length of time to bow toward those seated along the window wall.

  “Let us proceed to the second portion of the challenge,” the king announced. “Prepare your trade offers.”

  Lyra sighed as Cullen pulled the commuter bag off his shoulder and quickly withdrew a copy of her book. When he stepped beside her, the osprey returned to his king, but the eagle hung behind them.

  “Please present your offers. This time, Lyra you shall be first.” The king leaned forward, prepared to listen carefully.

  “I offer this copy of the Book of Dragonspeir that I have written.” Lyra pointed to the book as Cullen held it up. “I will gladly include a penned inscription to increase the power contained in the text,” she added.

  The king motioned for Cullen and Lyra to approach the throne. He examined the book, then clasped Lyra’s hand into both of his. “You may step back now. Thank you.” He nodded to Eburscon.

  “My offer is a copy of the Book of Dragonspeir authored by Scribe Brigid.” The alchemist stepped forward and presented the book for examination.

  “What is the age of this volume?” the king inquired, brow raised.

  “It would be two hundred years of age, your highness.”

  “Do many of such copies exist or is this rare?”

  “Commoners do not have access to such a rarity,” Eburscon replied quickly and glanced out the row of windows.

  “Hmm. I will assume your answer means you have access to more than this one copy. Thank you, Sire Eburscon. Please step back.”

  Without taking time for council, the king addressed the participants. “This is a clear choice. Aria utilizes the Book of Dragonspeir as an important source of magical power. It is in our best interest to seek a greater or equivalent amount to what we trade. The magnitude of powers contained in the two books offered varies markedly. Not only does Scribe Lyra’s book exceed Brigid’s but also Nareene’s. The extra benefit of having her supply additional energy, makes the choice indisputable of both this portion of the challenge and the entire contest. I declare the winner to be Scribe Lyra.” He motioned her to approach the throne and handed her a quill pen and a jar of ink. “If you will make your inscription directed toward the people of Aria, that will suffice for our purposes.” As she wrote, he passed Nareene’s copy to Cullen and asked the wizard about the state of the Alliance.

  Lyra’s body temperature soared and her pulse raced, wondering what Eburscon did behind their backs. She tried to be fast, but writing with a quill proved extremely awkward. It took care to make her words legible. In as careful a script as she could manage, she wrote:

  This copy of the Book of Dragonspeir that I have authored is presented to King Eos to supply magical powers for the world of Aria so its people may continue to live in peace.

  Scribe Adalyra McCauley

  When they turned around, the alchemist was gone. She and Cullen gathered up Kenzo from his conversation with the queen and Noba, playing with the guards. After dozens of salutes and bows, Belray and his staff escorted them to the boat docks.

  As they boarded Pisca’s starp and exchanged goodbyes with Daryd, the eagle, now perched on the roof of the boat, let out a chilling shriek.

  “Master!” Kenzo yelped, flapping his wings wildly.

  Lyra spun around as a shadow fell over her, so black she recognized the umbra of evil. Her sensory perceptions seemed strangely acute. A strong dark power pervaded the air and shivered her skin.

  The distant sky darkened with dragons—the Black Dragon surrounded by a squadron of six cimafa.

  There was scarcely time to run, and even if they did, no hiding place in this land of clouds could protect them. With a struggle, one cimafa could overpower both she and Cullen, but six plus the Black Dragon meant certain death.

  Regardless of the impossible odds, Cullen stood with his staff poised to fight. Seeing his willingness to give his life while protecting her made Lyra’s heart skip a beat. Heroism alone wouldn’t save them this time. They needed another way—a way to escape. She looked in all directions.

  More guards scurried to the bank, and King Eos stood watching on his portico, scepter flaming in his hand. Golden light spilled from it in a cloud that covered the amphitheater. Did he have enough power to save them?

  Lyra learned her answer when her lungs began to burn with the acid breath exhaled by the Black Dragon.

  White guards shot harpoons into the air at the sleek cimafa dragons. Their barbs, which trailed golden ropes, served as little more than decorations lodged in the necks and spines of the beasts.

  Daryd screamed but was unable to move, despite Pisca yanking him toward the railing to jump overboard.

  The eyes of the cimafa dragons glowed red, mouths open and hungry to inhale auras. They hovered overhead, the red of their auras mixing into a whirlwind vacuum. The red cyclone descended toward Pisca’s boat, lifting it off the surface of the nebule current.

  Without taking time to plan, Lyra grabbed the long white tail of the lantern dragon at the bow of Pisca’s boat and shouted, “I wish that you become the World Tree with a portal to take us to Silva Caliga.”

  Chapter Twenty-one: Magic Sweet as Honey

  From Lyra’s hands, the tail of the lantern dragon grew downward, transforming into thick roots as it dropped off the rail of the boat and into the nebule. His arms morphed into limbs, thickening and
developing a cover of tough bark.

  The booming voice of King Eos roared from the portico, “Begin climbing down! Follow his roots.”

  Trusting the king’s assurance, Lyra didn’t hesitate. She wrapped her arms tightly around the trunk and stepped onto a branch that aimed below the starp. It plunged her into the milky nebule of stratiform clouds. The white vapor filled her nose and eyes. She couldn’t see whether Cullen and the others were nearby…or if the evil dragons could pass into the portal. The thick mist did ease the burning sensation of the Black Dragon’s acid breath. “Cullen, are you there?” she called, uncertain whether to whisper or yell. Her heart raced.

  She heard Noba whimper just above her, and a roar of a large dragon reverberated in her ears from higher up. Something grabbed awkwardly at her back and shoulder. It felt hard like a claw. Her senses of hearing and touch seemed extra sensitive, possibly making up for the others blocked by the thick nebule.

  She clenched her hand around the bloodswear ring. In terror, her mind froze and couldn’t find the correct incantation. Wedging her closed fist between the massive branch and her chest, she willed her heart aura into the ring. Her whole hand lit with her golden aura, empowering the ring’s magic without words. She cupped her arms and shoulders around the light to hide it from view. Preparing to fire, she inched her hand to her collar bone. Lyra froze when a voice spoke inside her mind.

  Dowse that light. It was so quiet that she almost didn’t decipher the words or the voice as Cullen’s. He used the smallest possible extension of his aura to speak.

  She shoved her aura back deep inside her heart. The cimafa were expert at finding other people’s auras while hiding their own. Some said those stealth dragons on the hunt sniffed out auras. More likely their own auras extended far, scanning the area for heightened energy of magicals. This time it was Cullen who knew it wasn’t the moment for heroism. With the comfort of him at her back, she clung to the tree that drilled through the firmer pother cumulus layer. The more solid mass scraped her exposed skin. She worried about Kenzo, how his delicate feathers would hold up in this.

  The sheering force seemed unending. Her limbs felt burned with fatigue, and she rested her cheek against the trunk, now grown so thick her arms couldn’t reach around it.

  Several minutes later, Lyra coughed as pieces of foamy cumulus forced into her throat.

  Trying to quiet her, Cullen stroked her hair.

  Unable to breathe freely, her muscles started to give way. Prickles of numbness shot through her legs, and her grip slipped. Lyra’s body slid down, straddling the branch.

  Aware of the noise of her movement, she sat completely still.

  Silently, Cullen worked his way down to sit behind her on the branch.

  A rustling sounded not far above them, but the thick pother blocked any view.

  Suddenly, the bottom of the heavy cloud layer dropped out. Lyra sputtered, desperately trying to send fresh air to her lungs. Even the heavy, damp air of Silva Caliga filled every lobe. She tipped her head back to see Noba and Kenzo huddled together on a branch—and a cimafa several branches above them. Where was the Black Dragon?

  They can see us now. Let’s climb down, Cullen sent her a mental communication. He caught Kenzo’s attention and waved them to fly down. The dragons are too large to get out of this tangle of limbs easily, so we have a little advantage of time. As his assistants flew past, he called, “Find some keepers, and have them get Ysmena.”

  Can’t you transport us to the Alliance from here? she replied.

  If I had my staff, I could. I lost it as we descended while keeping the pack safe. Hopefully, I can find it on the ground.

  A new set of possible dangers raced through Lyra’s mind as they lowered from one branch to the next. Without his staff, they couldn’t fight or travel as easily. Fighting the dragons above them was still an impossibility, and escape still essential. Kenzo and Noba needed to pull through for them with some help.

  Heartened when the ground came into sight, they dropped faster to lower limbs.

  All six cimafa and their leader had traveled through the portal and now wrestled with thick boughs that didn’t break or bend. Lyra wondered if Galbinus worked to resist the attackers.

  Cullen jumped to the ground and helped Lyra down.

  Noba and Kenzo returned, each carrying a circutamina in their talons.

  “You need Ysmena?” the male keeper asked. “We can send a message through limbs or roots.”

  Acid fumes from the Black Dragon permeated the air, and he let out a fearsome roar.

  Lyra coughed uncontrollably, and her eyes stung. She lifted an edge of her cloak to cover her nose and mouth.

  The female keeper looked up at the dragons squirming through a tangle of branches, and her eyes doubled in size. “No time for messaging. Draw a sigil in this tree. She feels them as they’re drawn.”

  “We don’t know runes. Can you do it for us?” Lyra asked.

  The male shook his head. “It’s your request. You must empower the sigil.”

  Without any discussion, Kenzo headed for the portal tree and, within seconds, clawed out the joined symbols of the sigil they drew before their quest.

  Cimafa directly above him squirmed lower, their eyes red and ready for the hunt.

  The blinding light of the Lady of the Forest’s lantern glided through the forest toward them. As the lamp lowered, her face became visible, lines creasing her brow. “This is serious.” She turned to the two keepers. “Send an alert in all directions to disable and send these intruders out.”

  The circutamina scurried away without a word.

  “We must get you from this location. The trees will take care of these dragons. Sire Drake, will you transport your group?” Ysmena asked.

  “I cannot. I lost my staff,” he called from where he searched underneath the portal tree. “Here it is, but it’s broken. Let me try.” He picked up the bent metal shaft with the large crystal cracked and the top sapphire missing. “Gather around me!” he ordered.

  Lyra and his assistants all stood near him while he spun the damaged staff. The fragmented crystal sent no sparks.

  After a second attempt, he said, “It won’t work. We need another way.”

  “We’ll have to go on foot. Let’s go!” Ysmena called out over the deafening hum in the forest.

  “Wait!” Lyra cried over the noise. She stepped to the trunk of the lantern dragon tree.

  “You, closest to the ground, take her aura now!” roared the Black Dragon.

  In response, the portal tree bent its trunk, pinning several of the lower cimafa.

  The stealth dragons let out a chorus of groans.

  Lyra put a hand on the bark. “Once we are away from this spot, you are free to go back to Pisca. Thank you, Galbinus. And thank your master for us.” As she turned, she felt the aura of a cimafa slink over her, compelling her to look up. She forced her aura into a single-minded purpose. Strengthening her weak legs, she ran to where Ysmena and the others gathered along the trail. They quickly cut away from the bluff.

  Even with the terrible din of communication between keepers and their trees, the crackling of the lantern dragon returning to Aria sounded sharp and clear.

  Now free, the dragons roared and charged forward on the attack. They bounded down the path after the group.

  Trees on either side dropped limbs to stop the beasts, but they broke through.

  “Master, the dragons are coming!” Noba whimpered.

  Lyra’s heart beat in her throat as she willed her body into a run.

  Ysmena looked over her shoulder, but kept gliding forward. “Move faster!”

  The Black Dragon gained ground and overtook his squadron. He spit his acid ahead and it burned the bark off trees. A drop melted one of Kenzo’s feathers, and his flight wobbled wildly.

  Lyra stopped and bent double, coughing.

  Cullen urged her along, his hand seriously burned from the acid.

  “This way, over the stream.” Y
smena guided them down a side path.

  After they cleared the creek, trees lifted their roots and moved to form a dense wall, extending along the bank far up and downstream.

  No match for their numbers, this blocked the dark leader. He roared wildly, but the trees closed down around him.

  “Have no fear now,” Ysmena said, slowing their pace to a brisk walk. “My trees have gained the upper hand and will take care of them. There is a reason why unwelcome visitors do not frequent Silva Caliga.”

  “What will happen to those dragons?” Lyra asked, trying to walk safely while glancing back, fascinated by the defense of the trees.

  “At least the Black Dragon will be permitted one path out, on his own border to the Dark Realm. We do not wish to incite war through all of Dragonspeir. The cimafa may or may not be allowed passage, depending on how compliant or aggressive they are.” She glanced over at Lyra and Cullen. “Now, I have a couple questions. First, were you successful?”

  With a smile, the wizard held up the pack.

  “Ahh. Good. This world needs peace from that tyrant. My second question—where did that portal come from? I know that sycamore tree wasn’t there before.”

  The pair looked at each other, neither wanting to explain the long story.

  Lyra took a breath and began. “Well, we made friends with a fisherman who was the master of a lantern dragon on his boat. As a favor, he granted us one wish from his magical dragon. We could make it turn into anything we wanted or needed.”

  “Lyra thought fast and cashed in that wish when we needed an escape,” Cullen said with a strained voice as he trudged along the trail. “Otherwise, we all would have been killed.”