Dragon School: The Dark Prince

by Sarah K. L. Wilson

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Dragon School: The Dark Prince

  Dragon School, Volume 3

  Sarah K. L. Wilson

  Published by Sarah K. L. Wilson, 2017.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  DRAGON SCHOOL: THE DARK PRINCE

  First edition. December 5, 2017.

  Copyright © 2017 Sarah K. L. Wilson.

  Written by Sarah K. L. Wilson.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Behind the Scenes:

  For Joanna

  Chapter One

  I cracked a crusted eyelid open and looked up at the golden dawn. The breeze whipped my hair around my face but I was warm and safe cuddled up beside Raolcan.

  Good. You’re awake.

  I stretched and tried to sit up but something heavy was on my lap. Leng sprawled against me, asleep or passed out – I didn’t know which. I’d managed to get some of the medicine down him when we landed which wasn’t actually all that long ago. Maybe a few hours at most. I’d washed his sweat-soaked face with water from my flask and bundled him up in our blankets. He was sleeping beside me and we were both tucked in between Raolcan and Ahlskibi. I would have set up something for him on his own, but I was so tired and desperate when we’d landed that I’d just settled him as best as I could and then laid my head on Raolcan for “only a moment” that turned into hours.

  We would have woken you, but we weren’t sure if you could do anything about it.

  About what? I ran my hands through my hair and tried to collect myself. Where were we? We’d flown from the campsite with fireballs flying through the air behind us and soared off into the sky. I could remember hours of flying, stiff and afraid and clinging to Leng: worried he was dying as we flew, worried that we were being followed, worried that we were lost.

  We weren’t lost.

  But we had been followed. We’d caught glimpses of someone behind us and that’s when Raolcan had veered further east.

  We didn’t know who was following. It was easy to assume that whoever it was thought we’d follow the coastline.

  And then a storm had whipped up over the sea. We’d been driven by rain and gales of wind and it had been all I could do to hold on. I had no idea where we were when the dragons cupped their wings and settled in a wooded dip on...

  ...an island.

  Far from where we’re heading?

  Actually, those gales pushed us a long way. We’re considerably closer to the Ruby Isles than we were before.

  Maybe we could catch up to Grandis Elfar and the other knots!

  We have more pressing concerns right now.

  Oh yes, Leng. I needed to check him and get some water into him.

  But more urgently, you’ll need to deal with our visitors.

  Visitors? What was he talking about? I strained my ears and heard the crunch of boots on rock.

  We aren’t the only ones who found the island in the storm. Ahlskibi and I have taken turns listening for them while the other slept.

  They had? That was so unfair! They must be exhausted, and they hadn’t even had the few hours of sleep that I’d had!

  You slept for four hours. We slept for two. We’re tired, but it is enough for now.

  Do you know who these people are?

  Sailors. Their ship is tucked into the cove below. It has square saffron-colored sails.

  I’d read about that. Square sails. Saffron. It had been in my lessons about nations.

  Baojang has ships like that. We dragons avoid them.

  The ships?

  The people of Baojang.

  Why?

  We have our reasons.

  I squirmed up, finding the tent pole I’d been using as a crutch the night before and pulling myself to my feet. I was right about the leather clothing of Dragon Riders. It wore well. Despite a fire fight with Magikas, a night in the rain, and then sleeping against a dragon, it looked just about the same as when I’d first put it on. I dusted myself off and pulled the leaves and twigs out of my hair. Okay, I didn’t look like a barbarian. How about Leng? I pulled out a cloth, wet it, and wiped his face hurriedly. What else could I do? He was still breathing but he was also mumbling lightly and hot as a furnace.

  The crack of a twig caught my attention and I stood, wobbling against my crutch and biting my lip. I’d never met anyone from another country before. How would I speak to them?

  They speak the common language.

  Had Raolcan traveled before we met? He seemed to know everything!

  I’ve been to every border of the Dominion and to the icy reaches of the great north and the volcanos of the Underland.

  I wasn’t even sure where the Underland was. Good thing I had him.

  A man stepped out from the tall redwood trees with two others behind him, older and bulkier, their faces crisscrossed with scars. The first man was young although older than me - Leng’s age, perhaps - with chin-length black hair, olive skin, golden-brown eyes, and an easy smile. He wore a complicated armor made of narrow horizontal plates that hinged together like he was an insect. A strange, curving metal band crowned his head, swirls and spirals reaching down from it along his cheeks, like an inverted crown. He smiled at me, but there was something hidden behind his eyes, like he was lying before he even spoke a word.

  Chapter Two

  “Dominion Sky People.” His words were thickly accented, but the accent was attractive and exotic. I thought I could smell a strange spice on the breeze now that he was here.

  I licked my lips nervously. The two other men had taken up a stance on either side of him. Were there any more in the trees? Raolcan was unsaddled. So was Ahlskibi. If we had to run, how would I get Leng on his back?

  We won’t need to run.

  They looked dangerous.

  We are dragons. We run from nothing.

  Except Magikas. But maybe that was for Leng and my sake.

  “My diviners thought there were dragons on the top of the hill.” The young man cocked his head to the side, his smile was all charm, like he wanted me to believe I was beautiful. It probably worked on most girls, but most girls didn’t have a bad leg. I knew better than to think any man saw me as more than broken.

  “We sheltered here in the storm.” I felt like I had to say something and it was the most
innocuous thing I could think of.

  “So far from the coast of the Dominion. You must have been blown off course.” There was an edge to his words, as if he expected more from me. What did he think I was hiding?

  “Yes,” I said.

  He took a step toward Ahlskibi, hand raised, and I hobbled forward, stumbling slightly in my haste and catching myself with the crutch. “Don’t touch him! He’ll take your hand off.”

  His eyes were fixed on my crutch. Yeah. I figured he’d be done with charming me when he saw that.

  He put his hand down and stepped back. “We don’t see many dragons in Baojang.”

  “Do you need help with something?” I just wanted him to go so I could check Leng.

  “None that you can give,” he said, his eyes fixed on my crutch. “But perhaps I can offer you something. Your friend there looks ill.” I glanced to where Leng was mumbling, his head turning from side to side. “I’d like to offer you something that can heal him, but you’ll need to leave him here and follow me. You can walk, can’t you?”

  Raolcan shifted uncomfortably.

  I don’t like the idea of you leaving my sight with strangers.

  “I think we have all we need, thank you.” Leng would be fine. I just needed time to heal him. Besides, I didn’t have the money to pay for any sort of medicines.

  “He has a fever from an angry wound. Am I right?” There was that look again as if he wasn’t telling me something. “I’ve seen it before. He was wet last night in the storm, and look at him now, tossing and turning with visions and pain. I’d give him one, maybe two more days.”

  “Until what?”

  “Until you have twice as many dragons as you did before.”

  I clenched my jaw. I didn’t want Leng to die. But was this strange man lying to me? Was he luring me away to do something terrible to me? I looked at Leng – who looked ghastly – and then back to the man from Baojang.

  I chewed my lip nervously. “Before I leave here with you, I think I would like to know your name.”

  He laughed, glancing at the two men on either side. They did not laugh. Their expressions made a knot form in my belly.

  “I am Raktaran, the Prince of Baojang. I sail for the Dominion to meet my bride.”

  Chapter Three

  Was I supposed to bow or something? It was probably too late for that. I gave a wobbling dip, leaning on my crutch so I wouldn’t fall.

  He laughed. “Look, boys. A glorious Dragon Rider bows to me.”

  I flushed. “I’m only an initiate.”

  He had a speculative look in his eye. “Do you know the Atrelan family?”

  I shook my head. After all, I didn’t know Starie’s family, did I?

  “In that case, I’m not sure you’re much use to me.”

  “Do you have a cure for my friend?” I asked. I didn’t like how he was looking at me like he could see the inside of my brain.

  “Come on.” He spun around and began to stride back the way he came.

  I shot Raolcan and Leng a worried look.

  We’ll be fine here. Yell if you need me.

  Are you upset about having a Dragon Rider who isn’t yours lying against you?

  I’m not as fussy as Ahlskibi is.

  Ahlskibi hissed, almost as if he could hear our mental conversation.

  Of course, he can.

  Great. I hurried to try to catch up to the prince, hobbling over the rocky terrain with difficulty. I missed my crutch. A stick just wasn’t the same.

  After a few minutes, they were so far ahead that I’d lost track of them around a bend. I pushed harder, trying to catch up, and as I turned down a hill and around a large rock, Raktaran stepped out and surprised me.

  “You take too long. You need a proper crutch, or do you Dragon Riders think you are above such things?”

  Why did he expect me to be arrogant? Had I given him the wrong impression?

  “I lost my crutch. What do you have that can cure Leng?”

  “That’s your friend? Leng?”

  Ahead of us, his men sat down on a fallen log in a wide clearing. One of them set to sharpening his knife, while the other whittled at a stick. The clearing – full of wild flowers - was wide and led to a sharp drop-off. Below, I could see the azure ripples of the sea and a magnificent ship bobbing in the water, her sails square and saffron in color. She was spectacular. What would it be like to travel in a vessel like that on the sea?

  “Yes,” I agreed. “You are further south than I expected. I thought that Baojang was north and east of the Dominion.”

  His eyes grew dark, like he was upset with what I’d said. Had I made a mistake in remembering the location of his nation?

  “My diviners led me south. I have reason to be here,” he said, shortly.

  “Of course,” I said. I didn’t understand. What were diviners and why would they send him south in a ship? My studies suggested that the Dominion frowned on any ships other than merchant vessels sailing in our waters. But, then again, what did I know about what powerful people did?

  He plucked a white flower from the field, twirling it between his fingers. “So, you claim to know nothing of Castelan Atrelan?”

  “I really don’t.”

  “The daughter of that noble house is a Dragon Rider. A Starie Atrelan, I believe.”

  I nodded mutely as he plucked two more flowers.

  “You aren’t her?”

  “Starie? No! Of course not. I’m Amel Leafbrought.”

  He smiled, pleased by my words. “And Castelan Leedris? You are not from that place?”

  “No.”

  He thrust the flowers into my hand and bent to gather more. “These flowers have fever reducing qualities. You simply put the petals in boiling water and let them steep, then dose the patient every hour until the fever breaks.”

  “Thank you.” I felt humbled that a prince was collecting flowers for my friend.

  “So,” he said, handing me another bunch of white flowers. “Do Dragon Riders know magic?”

  I laughed. “If they do, then they haven’t taught me yet.”

  “If they knew it, you’d know.” He straightened and looked me over carefully. “Once you meet a Magika you don’t forget their power.”

  I shivered.

  “I thought you might have met them.” He leaned in close, like he was going to share a secret. “They have a special power. I find I resonate with it.”

  I swallowed. I wanted nothing more of magic or Magikas. He couldn’t possibly know that they were hunting me. But they had mentioned Baojang. Did they know Prince Raktaran? Was he one of the ones they were conspiring with?”

  “I thought when I first met you that you might be my promised bride. She is a Dominion Dragon Rider like you.” He cocked his head to the side and his smile became cruel. “I should have known better.”

  The insult stung, but at the same time, I certainly didn’t want to marry Prince Raktaran, no matter how good looking he was. I could sense a cruel streak in him, and the way he was looking at me like I was defective was no help at all.

  “I hope you heal from your injury quickly.”

  So, he didn’t know I was crippled. He thought I was merely injured. After all, I was scuffed and rumpled and traveling with an injured man.

  “Thank you.” I couldn’t admit to this man that I would never be whole again.

  “And what Castelan family do you belong to? I want to be sure to remember when I meet them on the Ruby Isles.”

  “I’m not of a noble family,” I said.

  He took a step backward, the flowers falling from his hands. He stared at me for two long minutes and then put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. His guards were by his side so quickly that I barely managed to catch my breath before they all rushed away, disappearing out of sight and leaving me standing alone in a field with my hands full of white flowers.

  Chapter Four

  I gathered as many of the white flowers as I could and traced my steps back to the pa
th up the hill.

  Hurry, or I might have to flame someone.

  What was wrong? Was it Leng? Was he worse?

  Not Leng. Your prince.

  He wasn’t my prince. Certainly not. If he didn’t look down on me for being crippled or common, he’d look down on me for not being Starie Atrelan who he was clearly – wait. He’d mentioned Starie, but he’d also mentioned a bride. Hadn’t Starie been angry that they’d chosen Savette instead of her? Was Prince Raktaran the Lord of Baojang that Savette was being sent to as a tribute bride?

  I hurried along the path. I was going to need a better crutch. This was ridiculous. I knew enough to be of some use and meanwhile, I could hardly get where I was needed because of my stupid leg. It flared with pain, as if objecting to the part where I thought it was stupid.

  I crested the hill to see the Prince standing there in front of Raolcan and Ahlskibi, hands raised. Raolcan was standing, wings unfurled, and head drawn back like he meant to flame the prince while Ahlskibi stood protectively over Leng’s prostrate form.

  Is this who Raolcan was threatening to flame?

  Yes.

  “Prince Raktaran?” My voice didn’t carry the power I had hoped it would.

  It was like he didn’t hear me. He just kept talking to the dragons. “Easy, boys. Easy, now. The diviner will be here in a moment and he’ll break those bonds they put on you. We’ll set you free from these dying riders and you can become the mounts of Baojang. Wouldn’t you like to get a bit of your own back, eh? Help us show those who enslaved you what true freedom is?”

  What was he talking about?

  He offers us revenge on the Dominion.

  Would they take it? They owed the Dominion nothing.

  But I love you. And Ahlskibi loves Leng. We do not serve you as other dragons serve their riders. We chose you for friendship and with that comes love and loyalty.

  I felt a lump in my throat. I’d never stop being amazed at his kindness to me. And I’d never deserve it.

  It’s not about deserving. It’s never been about that.