by Judith Leger
Chapter Twenty-One
Seren’s gaze searched the room for a way to escape the
madness she’d found in this place. She kept her back to the
dais, knowing Rylen watched her every move. She would love
for him to disappear, but realized the possibility would never
occur. He hadn’t mistreated her unless she counted the
narrowed-eyed stares at the place where her child rested as a
form of silent torture.
She took a sip of the cool punch but didn’t taste it.
“Excuse me, beautiful lady, but I sincerely beseech you
for one small grace.”
Believing the owner of the deep voice spoke to someone
else, Seren turned, curious. The soft tones reminded her of
Paladin and caused pinpricks of need to crawl down her
back. A man, head bowed, stood in front of her. His face,
hidden behind a visor connected to a helm, added to the
mystery of his identity. The man was dressed in tight-fitting
white armor which vibrated with a power of its own. He
straightened and held out a gloved hand.
“A dance, my lady?” he asked. “So that I might crow to
the morning light the wondrous news that I partnered with
the one true beauty of the ball.”
Seren’s heart accelerated. “Pal...” she started, but
stopped. She kept her eyes glued to the armored man,
making sure she did not look at Rylen. She half-smiled,
tremors vibrated in her body. Seren nodded in agreement.
The leather-covered hand took hers. He led her onto the
polished dance floor. Lights twinkled around them from the
many dragonstones in their sconces along the walls and
across the ceiling. Magical motes dotted the air throughout
the hall.
He pulled her closer and placed his hand on her waist.
The orchestra started a melody much like a waltz. The
disguised man led her through the steps similar to that
dance, but not exactly the same.
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Her face turned from the dial, she whispered, “You came
for me.”
“I will always be here for you,” he murmured.
She kept a fake smile pasted on her mouth, and didn’t
move her lips as they glided along the edges of the dance
floor. “He’s nuts. Insane. You have to get me out of here.”
“In a moment, after the next round of the floor, I will take
you onto the balcony. Be ready.” He swirled her twice and
leaned a fraction closer. “Did you miss me?”
“Uncontrollably. I was scared to death you were hurt or
worse,” she mumbled. “I don’t want to lose you. I want our
child to know his father.”
“And so he shall. Another moment and then we’re
through the doors. Be prepared.”
She hoped she kept all emotions off her face. One slip up
and Rylen would suspect something was off. Her heart
thudded with fear mixed with joy. Paladin came for her.
Soon she would gain freedom from his brother’s oppressive
control. Before she could respond, Paladin swept her
through the open balcony doors and out onto the terrace.
Releasing her waist, he tugged her through the cold to the
wall on the side of doorway. The icy chill cut through the thin
material of the dress. Goosebumps erupted on her bare skin.
“Grab my neck. We’ll go up and across. Once we reach the
turret, we’ll reenter the castle and go through the secret
passageways.” He placed a booted foot on a protruding
stone. He waited for her to wrap her arms around his neck,
and when she did, his armor heated the front of her body.
“Just hurry. He’ll come after us. He watches me like a
hawk.”
“Since I don’t know what a hawk is, I’ll assume it’s bad, so
here we go.” He scaled the wall, easily finding hand and
footholds. Shouts came from the far balcony door. She
glanced over in time to see Rylen step outside. Paladin’s
brother looked up and down the terrace. The deep shadows
along the building gave them a little protection, but that
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wouldn’t last long. They raced against time.
Seconds seemed to slow with each of her breaths. Rylen’s
gaze found them. Her heart pounded with fear. He pointed
and shouted an order, but no soldiers answered the call.
Flapping from huge wings rang out in the quiet cold.
Fear turned to near panic. She squirmed against Paladin.
“Move it. Faster. He’s called that monster, and I don’t care to
face him again.”
Paladin answered with a grunt. He grabbed the edge of
the wall. In a surge of strength which surprised Seren, he
swung his legs to the side and leapt. Icy air flew up her dress.
Chills swept down her body.
She squealed at the cold touch and the sudden emptiness
surrounding them. The next moment, Paladin’s feet touched
solid stone. He landed, knees bent, hands flat on the stone
with her still attached to his back. With very little spare
movement, he gripped her wrist, twisted in the opposite
direction and took off in a sprint in the direction of the tower
on their right. She managed to grab enough material of the
dress to keep from falling flat on her face while she tried to
keep up with him.
The flapping wings grew with the beat of her own heart.
Panting, fear for Paladin and her unborn child threatened to
overcome her. The door leading into the tower opened. Calis,
wrapped in a white, hooded cape appeared.
“Run, Sire. Run, the dragon’s almost here.”
Halfway there, her heart felt like it rose to her throat.
More steps and hope blossomed that maybe they would
make it.
Calis’ eyes grew round and his mouth dropped open.
Seren glanced over her shoulder. Terror gripped her,
forcing out a scream.
Arcane hung poised behind them with his mouth agape
for the first onslaught of dragon fire. The very air
surrounding him sizzled as if it too waited in anticipation.
Paladin turned to face the beast, twirling Seren so his
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body shielded her. “Stay behind me.”
He slid his silvered blades from their sheaves.
Remembering her vision, Seren grasped his upper arm.
“Don’t. You can’t defeat him.”
Without answering her, he jerked away. He held his left
arm, the one with the dragon tattoo, like a shield. Calis
reached her. He wrapped an arm over her shoulders,
positioning his body close to protect her back. Arcane
released his breath, and pure purplish power surged over
them. The air heated. The stones surrounding them glowed
with an unnatural heat. Smoke rose from the icy surface of
the wall. The armor Paladin wore deflected the dragon’s
breath on either side and protected them from the full force
of Arcane’s first blast.
Footsteps pounding across the ice-coated stone from
their rear came loud after the magical fire ended. Armed
soldiers poured from the doorway Calis
had just vacated,
cutting off their escape path.
Seren’s gut-twisted. Her spine tingled and her mind
raced. What were they going to do? They were trapped.
Paladin would die just like in her vision. The babe rolled over
and over inside her. She laid a palm over the curve of her
stomach. Her skin heated with the intensity of her son’s
dragon fire. A terrified moan escaped her throat.
Paladin whipped the helm off. He stared at the dragon,
his fist high in the air, the sword glinting in the torch light.
He shouted above the noise of both the dragon and the
soldiers. “I will never allow you to harm Seren or my son. I
will keep them safe in my arms for eternity.”
Her gaze flew to the back of his head.
Rylen’s laughter echoed in the cold. He strolled from the
doorway at the opposite end of the walkway. He stood
directly below the spot where Arcane hovered. Framed
between the beating wings, he continued to laugh. The sound
sent shivers through Seren’s body.
“Admit defeat, Brother. Surrender and I might consider
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leniency.” Cool, collective as always, Rylen lifted a brow in
question. Madness sparked in the blue of his eyes. His tone
carried a soft, persuasive note, deadly intent spread across
the area separating them, saturating the air with hatred.
Seren pressed against Paladin’s back and whispered,
“Don’t believe him. He won’t let you live. Arcane has
complete control over him.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he brought his arm down in a
straight line. A fast buzzing started, approaching from either
side of the wall. Two flocks of white dracs, each larger than
any she’d seen on Avaris so far, flew over the sides of the
walls. Their numbers so great, they appeared blended into
one unit, joining their heads, bodies, and tails together. Two
men, identical in dress and face flew from the darkened sky
above. They halted, suspended in the air. Several feet
separated them from Arcane. Simultaneously, they fired a
magical blast into the dragon’s eyes.
Seren barely had time to witness this, before the dracs,
flying from the bailey, grabbed her, Paladin, and Calis by
their shoulders. One moment they stood on the wall, the next
they dropped over the outer edge, straight for the rocks and
trees bordering the castle far below them.
At the sudden drop, a scream ripped from Seren’s throat.
An electrical sizzling started in the air above them and ended
in an explosion. The force of the powerful charge sent
shockwaves rippling over the rocks. Treetops waved back
and forth with the wind caused by the magical blast.
Arcane roared. Was that pain mixed with fury in the
sound? She didn’t want to find out.
Frigid air plastered Seren’s thin gown to her body. Chills,
more from fear than the cold, shook her body to the core.
The drac holding her stretched its body over the length of
hers and wrapped its clawed hind feet over the sides of her
thighs. Lifted, held secure by the beast, she blinked away the
tears clouding her vision. Not far from the huge stones at the
base of the castle wall, the drac veered. It traveled horizontal
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with the ground.
She glanced ahead, making out Paladin’s form, carried by
another drac in a similar way. Unaccustomed to the cyclone
type speed, the little bit of juice she’d consumed earlier
gurgled to the rear of her throat. She grimaced and shook her
head, determined not to be sick in front of him ever again.
Dragon fire blasted the trees next to them. Fir limbs toppled
on the right. The dracs veered to the left, away from the
falling timber.
Many minutes raced by. The deep silence of the forest
enveloped them. Arcane’s raging screams could no longer be
heard. The dracs slowed and came to a stop. They lowered
their human cargo to their feet and released their hold.
Seren slumped to a sitting position on the frozen ground,
her legs still weak from the lightening fast ride. Her stomach
rolled once. She swallowed, closing her eyes, striving to settle
it back to normal. The young white dragons moved to the
side. They stood up on their back legs. Their blue, slit-pupil
eyes watched the sky.
A couple of feet away, Paladin knelt on one knee. He
looked at the sky, his head cocked to one side as he listened.
Seren waited, hearing tuned to the slightest sign of Arcane’s
location. He would follow them.
Paladin’ gaze captured hers. “Hold hands. We have to
stay in contact for this to work. Hold tight.”
With a nod, she touched the gloved palm and his fingers
curled over hers. For a brief moment, their gazes met and
held, more secure than their grip. New warmth, a softer glint
appeared in his eyes and her heart responded. She loved
him. Dearly, irrevocably.
“Search the sky. Shout out when you spy a shooting star,”
he said. His gaze left hers, his head tilted to the deep purple
ceiling above the tree tops.
She focused on the sky. A few moments later, the figure of
a lone dragon glided across. Just behind it, a shooting star
curved toward the planet. She pointed at the spot. The soft
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pad of footsteps came from behind them. The two identical
men who had helped them escape arrived.
Paladin glanced at them. “Take hold. We leave now.”
With those words, he closed his eyes. Blinding light burst
in the forest. In the center, a dark paneled door formed.
Paladin twisted the handle, and fell through the opening,
tugging her with him. The others followed close behind. The
door slammed shut after them.
Silence and warmth welcomed them in the darkened
room. A snap of fingers coming together rang out in the
room. The entire area lit with many dragonstones in metal
brackets situated on the walls. A dark-haired man, nude with
a frown drawing his brows down over his eyes, stood next to
a rumpled bed.
Seren stared wide-eyed, shocked at the sight. So much
bare skin, gleaming in the bright light, and him, unashamed,
made no move to hide his nudity. Tall, slender, his muscles
tense, and his fingers still positioned from where he snapped
them. The lines bracketing his mouth deepened. He glared at
the human jumble on his floor, “Tell me I’m dreaming.”
Heat rose to Seren’s cheeks. She glanced away. Her gaze
landed on Paladin. A grin spread across his face. He shook
his head at the stranger.
“No dream, my friend. We’ve come for a little visit.”
“You could have knocked first.”
“True, but we were in a hurry. I needed a refuge. You
were the first one I thought of.” Paladin stood and held a
hand to help her up. Warm, his palm and fingers, solid under
hers verified she lived. Legs trembling, she managed to
stand, smoothing the silky dress down.
Calis along with the two older men, legs and arms
tangled, lay sprawled closer to the room’s entrance. Seren
eyed the door, afraid Arcane was on the other side. Grunts
and a couple of moans later, Calis came to his feet. He helped
one of other men to stand.
The naked man, unashamed of his lack of clothes, moved
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to a nearby chair and picked up a pair of navy pants. He
pulled them on.
“Seren, this is Ren Murdock, my old friend whose home
you stayed at in Durfalin.” Paladin motioned to the stranger.
Dark hair shining, lean, chiseled features expressionless,
Ren met her eyes. He nodded and pulled a white shirt over
his head. “Now, what are you doing here? I can see you
rescued her, but why here?”
“Where can I take Seren so she can be safe from Arcane
and my brother? A place where she can give birth without
worry over the ones trying to hurt her.”
“What did Lior say?”
Paladin stiffened at Ren’s question. “The seven would
open the door for us to escape.”
Dark eyes locked on blue ones. Seren sensed the silent
battle between the two men. Why, she didn’t understand.
Neither one spoke for several moments, and then Paladin
asked, “Is there a place we can go?”
With a deep sigh, Ren turned away, shoulders slumped.
“The caverns, I suppose. They were the safe keeping place
during the wars.”
“Safe keeping?” Seren glanced from one to the other.
“No dragon ever penetrated the magical shield erected
over the caverns. Even now it is difficult for dragonseeds to
enter if an opening hasn’t been prepared.” Ren glared at
Paladin. “This might endanger your lady.”
“But you can open it? For us? There is a way.” Paladin
stepped to his friend.
Ren nodded curtly. “It is possible. Dangerous, but it can
be done.”
“Very well, we’ll need supplies. I have messages I need to
send. Lior and the others will know where we are, but I need
to discover their intentions.”
“I will inform my staff.” Slipping on a pair of scuffed
black boots, Ren departed. Calis motioned for the two older
men to follow him.
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Alone, Seren stared at Paladin. She took a step closer,
lifted a hand and brushed a finger over his bottom lip. “You
changed my vision. I thought you were going to die on that