by Judith Leger
wall tonight.”
“I did not.”
A gentle smile tugged at her mouth. “No. I’m glad.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against
his chest. He buried his face into the side of her neck,
whispering, “I have yearned for you.”
She nodded and snuggled against him. “Me too. I was so
worried about you. Rylen wants you dead. He’s crazy.”
“No, he’s controlled by Arcane. The beast must die. Avaris
will never be at peace if he lives.”
She nodded. The mystic dragon threatened everything.
All living creatures Avaris held dear. Still, the determined
glint in Paladin’s eye worried her. She wasn’t sure she
wanted him to put his life in danger.
“You can’t defeat him alone.”
He grinned. “I have no intention of fighting him by
myself. I will send messages requesting the aid of some
powerful warriors and wizards. They will come.” He sounded
so sure, but Seren worried about his intentions. A small
group of humans would never defeat Arcane and all the
rogue dragons following him. She didn’t hide her concern
quickly enough. Paladin’s gaze softened. He pulled her
closer, kissing her, a gentle brushing of skin.
“You need not worry so. Concentrate on our child. Keep
him safe inside you. This danger will pass. I swear we will
live in peace.”
She agreed, hoping to push the negative feelings aside,
but a sense of dread stayed with her.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Cap’an? That wizard requests your presence below. He
opened his scrying stone.”
Her hand grasped in his warm palm, Seren followed
Paladin to the door and out into the hall. Calis stood waiting.
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“He wanted to contact Durfalin to prepare for a possible
assault. Before he could though, images appeared. He
insisted I come for ye.”
Uneasy with the summons, they trailed behind Calis. He
led them downstairs to a room with bookcases lining the
walls. On the far side, Ren stood at a small oval table. A black
basin rested in the center of the shining, dark wooden
surface. He bent at the waist, his focus centered on the glassy
surface of the liquid in the basin.
They moved to stand on either side of him.
He glanced at Paladin, and then shifted his gaze to Seren.
“The rogue dragons are on the move. They are flying into the
human lands, attacking villages and towns, heading north to
Arcane.”
Paladin responded with a slow nod. “I expected this
would happen. Arcane is determined to destroy what he can
before he focuses his attention on us.”
The wizard returned his attention to the smooth surface
of the liquid in the basin. “Perhaps. Their movements are
erratic. I can only assume the White Dragon clan’s wizards
are helping Rylen discover your lady’s location. Once it’s
learned, the dragons will converge here.”
“So what do we do when that happens? Will this barrier
you talked about hold?” Seren looked from the wizard to
Paladin and back. Lines of worry creased between their
brows while they stared into the basin.
Curious, she glanced down, her hands gripping the edges
of the table. The surface remained smooth and flat. The
longer she stared, images started to flow within the dark
water, shapes of long, slender dragons, flying, entangling
with each other. Teeth gnashed and unholy cries echoed in
her mind. Her world narrowed to the center of the bowl and
the swirling mass within.
Her legs weakened. She started to fall forward, but strong
hands wrapped around her upper arms, holding her up.
Dazed, she lifted her gaze and met dark eyes. Ren Murdock’s
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midnight blue eyes met hers. They were so dark they
appeared black. His dark hair framed a handsome, tanned
face that was marred with a concerned frown.
Darkness clouded her sight. A vision flared inside her.
Shiny golden scales glinted in a thick mist. Sorrowful and
fearful slit-pupil golden eyes searched. From Seren’s left
came the strong beat of footsteps moving across a stone
floor, splashing through a thin layer of water she couldn’t
see. She turned to the sound. Ren, a cape flapping about his
shoulders and long staff with an amber dragon stone on the
tip, appeared.
The vision ended. She once more stared into Ren’s eyes.
“You search. So does the dragon. You are surrounded by fog.
You can’t find each other. You must find each other. And
soon or all will be lost for you and her.”
The wizard released her with a little shove. She stumbled
away, but Paladin grasped her, keeping her from falling. The
shocked and foreboding scowl on the wizard’s face kept her
from speaking. She looked up at Paladin. He glared at his
friend, but his features softened when he too took in the
expression on the wizard’s face.
Seren pressed Paladin’s hand, catching his attention. She
shook her head. He seemed to understand her silent message
to leave the other man alone.
“Perhaps, you should rest for a little while. I will prepare
the necessary supplies and items needed during your stay in
the caverns.” Ren motioned at the door.
At first Seren considered arguing, but her body decided
otherwise. Fatigue set into her muscles. She tried to stifle a
yawn, but failed. She needed the rest. With what she’d seen
in the bowl, and the vision afterward, fatigue dictated she
retire. The baby grew more every day. This added to her
exhaustion, too, wearing on her. She squeezed Paladin’s
hand again. “Come for me if there’s any change. Oh, can you
find me something else to wear. I hate red.”
Curiosity gleamed in his eyes. “Then why are you wearing
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it? Did Rylen force you?”
A low laugh slipped out. “No, I wore it to make him mad.
He kept going on and on about the White Dragon kingdom
this and that so I decided to put on something other than
white.”
Ren’s dark brows quirked up. Paladin laughed.
She turned away, leaving the two men. She walked to the
foyer where a servant met her. He led her upstairs down the
dimly lit hall to another bedroom. There, the turbaned
servant informed her that some clothes would arrive soon.
She murmured thanks and he left.
The soft, muted green and burgundy striped cover on the
bed matched the solid green lounging chaise and armchair
across the room. She smiled in anticipation of much needed
rest. Slipping out of her dress, she was glad to be free of the
flashy material. She slid naked between the sheets to rest her
head on the pillow. Just a little nap to refresh her and she
would be ready for whatever the men decided. She released a
satisfied sigh. A moment later, she fell asleep.
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Chapter Twenty-Two
The morning sun domed above the sand dunes behind
Seren. Wrapped in a hooded cloak, she squinted over her
shoulder to the glowing horizon. Light filtered across the
waves of sand in a checkerboard pattern. Cold still
permeated the air, but with the slow rise of the sun, the
sharp bite slackened enough for her to feel comfortable
within the cloak’s thin gauze material over the even thinner
sarong the wizard’s housekeeper loaned her.
Their party, consisting of her, Paladin, Ren, several of his
servants, along with Calis worked their way across the dunes,
heading in a westerly direction of Gimal Zabara. The true
name of the safekeeping caverns deep within the desert.
During the night, the two identical men who’d helped in
her rescue, Cie and Rie, departed for Durfalin. Their
purpose, stressed by Ren and Paladin was to warn the city’s
leaders. The brothers would help erect a barrier around the
surrounding walls and land.
She looked over at where Ren stood on a dune’s crest,
waiting for the slower members of the little caravan to catch
up. Ever since the evening before, after she’d witness the
vision about him, the wizard had avoided her. The vision
remained clear in her mind. She assumed her ability to see
things bothered the man.
“How are you?” Paladin asked from close behind her.
Shivers of need passed through her. She turned, facing
him. “I’m fine, ready to arrive. That’s all.”
He nodded. “It’s only a little farther. I can feel the
pressure from the barrier. Can you not sense it also?”
She stopped and stared into his eyes, uncertain what he
meant. She tilted her head, concentrating. She didn’t know
what the barrier consisted of, she assumed magic, but
nothing came to her. “No, not really.”
“Perhaps once we are nearer you will.”
“Maybe.” She clasped her hands and took a deep breath,
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needing to ask him why the dragons hadn’t sent her back to
Earth after her rescue. She’d woken up this morning with a
nagging need to find out something important. It’d bothered
her, constantly nudging at her mind. Thinking it best to
come out and ask, she looked over at him. “If I was back on
Earth, would Arcane still attack?”
He stiffened, his hair fluttering in the soft breeze. “That, I
do not know.”
Staring at him, she sensed a sudden change in him. He
wouldn’t meet her look. Again, the impression that he
withheld some piece of information from her sprang to the
forward in her thoughts. Not sure how to proceed, she
turned and stepped away. “I was just wondering.”
“We can talk more once we reach the caverns.”
A measure of relief came over her. She nodded with a
contented smile, confident he’d assuage her worry. More
eager to arrive at their destination than when they first left
the compound, she walked at his side.
The heat increased, bearing down on her. She was
thankful for the clothes on her back. She glanced around.
The others members in the group appeared unaffected by the
scorching air while others like Paladin suffered, sweat
pouring from their bodies, soaking their clothes.
In the distance, a deep blue shape formed on the horizon.
Heat waves shifted over the sand, and prevented her from
distinguishing any details. With each step, the dark spot
cleared, forming an outcrop of limestone jutting from desert.
She sighed, relieved, ready to reach some type of shelter
from the sun.
Overhead, dark forms moved across the sky. She
recognized some of the distant shapes as dragons while
others coasted too high for her to tell their identity. Three of
the dragons flew toward the party. With their approach, their
large, muscled bodies rippled in the sunlight, larger than
dracs. Flying in a triangular formation, the beasts descended
on a current, circling around to pass over their small
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caravan. Seren’s stomach quivered with unease.
“What do they want?” she asked Paladin. He, too, studied
them, his eyes narrowed in speculation.
“Let us hope they don’t intend to stop. Those are adult
lesser dragons from the rogue lands.” He explained,
tightening his grasp on her arm and increasing his pace. “We
have one good factor on our side. Ren.”
“What clan do they come from, black?”
“No, they are from the blue. I’m surprised to see them
this far north. Their clan leader lives in Avaris’ southern
regions.”
At his observation, a spiraling intuition struck Seren—
they’d been sent to find her. Did Arcane’s reach extend so
far? She touched the rounded curve of her belly. They
wouldn’t harm her child, she wouldn’t let them.
The trio swooped around them once more, spiraled lower
before landing in a spray of sand. One in front and another at
an angle on the right. The third beast touched down on the
sand several yards to Seren’s left, well out of Paladin and
Ren’s attack range. Ren, sideways to the dragons, held his
staff across his chest, the stone in its tip aimed at the beast in
front of them. Paladin drew both his swords, prepared
should the dragons attack.
This close, their scales glistened and rippled over their
elongated bodies. Their legs, shorter, stockier than Lior’s,
shifted in the sand. A flowing frill started at the crown on
their heads. It ran down the back of their necks to end at
their shoulders. The frill moved up and down.
Ren held the front dragon off. Paladin did the same with
the one on the right.
No one moved.
Time slowed.
Heated air carried by the wind passed over the group,
coating them with a light sandy layer. Seren curved her arm
over the top of her abdomen, determined to protect her
unborn child.
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Three sets of cold black eyes stared at them. Instinct
warned her that they focused on her. The sand beneath her
feet slipped a little, and one foot lowered with the shifting
ground.
The frills on their neck stood straight. The two in front of
Ren and Paladin snapped their long necks down, mouths
gaped, revealing razor sharp teeth.
Magic flew from the stone on Ren’s staff, sending shafts
of glittering light shards at the dragon. At the same time,
Paladin sprang at the beast before him, swinging his blades
at the second one. Neither made a solid hit. Drawn away
from her, they continued with their attack while the two
beasts retreated.
Movement came at her from the left. She glanced in time
to see the third dragon, who’d stood watching the others but
now raced over the sand on its hind legs, clawed fingers
&nbs
p; reaching for her.
With more gentleness than she believed possible, it
plucked her several feet off the ground. The momentum of
the charge kept them going for a good distance. The deep
blue beast shoved her away. She flew back, landing in the
side of a dune, sand avalanching over her from above.
She fanned the dusty cloud swirling in front of her face,
struggling to breathe, all the time trying to keep the dragon
in her line of vision. He stayed in front of her, its neck
straight with its jaw flattened against his throat. The frill on
its spine stood erect.
The other two dragons leapt away from the two men and
joined their ally. She anchored her feet to stand without
sliding in the loosened sand. Heart beating, heat searing her
lungs, sand scratching her eyes each time she blinked, she
hid her fear, tilting her chin high. She tightened her hands
over her abdomen.
They would never harm her child, though how she
intended to stop creatures the size of a semi-truck, she didn’t
know.
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Seconds ticked by. In the distance, Paladin and Ren
struggled to reach her. Paladin shouted her name, worry and
fear evident in his voice. Hot winds curled over the dune
behind her, sending fine glistening particles down over her.
Instead of falling at her feet, the floating dust twirled in front
of her stomach with more rising from the ground. The dust
shifted and deepened, forming the shape of a man.
Long strands of hair blew over a cloaked back. Booted
feet floated above the ground, levitating the form created
from wind and sand. The image carried the deep earth tones
created by the desert. Skin, hair, and clothes materialized
without any other hues.
Seren scooted to the right, stopping at an angle to see his
face, one she recognized, yet never viewed. In the vision from
so long ago, she’d seen only his eyes and body. Now, looking
up at the lean features, her heart tightened and tears washed
the fine grains from her eyes. He reminded her of Paladin,
though much younger.
The dragons’ heads lowered. The one in front growled
deep in its throat.
The image of the young man spoke, his voice soft,
threatening. “You dare touch my mother.”
A powerful magical charge surged at the beast. With the
impact, it sank several inches into the sand.