The boy jumped off his horse when he reached the inn. He burst through the doors, almost tripping over his own two feet. His eyes flitted over the patrons until he found the ones he was looking for – the ones robed in sapphire blue. Quick footed, the boy strode toward the corner where the knights sat.
“Sir?” he asked for attention while he bowed his head. Hiding his hands behind his back, he wrung his fingers nervously.
The knight raised his eyebrows, his cold blue eyes glaring at the boy as he pushed his shoulder length blonde hair behind his ear. The woman sitting on his lap turned to look at the newcomer as well while she ran her fingers through the knight’s soft curls.
The other men at the table also shifted their attention from their casual conversation to the boy, appraising him for any signs of a threat.
“Sir?” the golden-haired knight questioned back, hiding disapproval behind amusement.
The boy’s eyes widened even more when he realized his mistake. “I’m sorry Sir – ermm... I mean Your Highness.” He bowed again, deeper this time.
“Speak quickly boy, I am currently otherwise occupied.” The prince’s gaze slid back to the woman and he eyed her as if she were the most delectable meal he had tasted in ages, though actually he had sated himself with her the night before. A flirty smile played on his pink lips at the memory. The woman giggled.
“I’ve seen a dragon,” the boy said with breathless eagerness and the prince’s head snapped toward him. “I mean... there was a dragon sighting. Actually, the dragon attacked us,” the boy rattled off, unable to hold back his excitement and awe.
The prince, along with his companions, sobered up at the words and viewed the boy with narrowed eyes. The other patrons in the inn quieted at the boy’s words, anticipating a good story.
“You better not be jesting with me,” the prince said in a cold, hard voice.
“I ain’t… I… it happened just a while ago. I–I rode here as quickly as possible. There are other people who saw it. ‘Twas my sister’s wedding. It came out of the sky spouting fire.” The boy’s voice rose as he spoke and his eyes grew big again. “It roared in rage! We was all so afraid. We tried fighting it off. It stole a roast and almost killed my sister’s wedding guests with its fire. Real dragon fire! A real dragon! We saw it flying away towards the north.”
On the prince’s request the boy recounted the incident, reporting everything he had witnessed down to the finest detail.
“What you have told us…” The prince rose to his feet and towered over the young lad, rubbing his chin while considering the import and possible truth of this news. His knights leapt to their feet as well.
The woman who had been sitting on his lap almost slid off to the floor. She steadied herself and spoke quickly. “I know the boy. You’re Kalmin, am I right?”
The boy nodded.
“I believe he speaks the truth. It is his sister’s wedding day today, and he doesn’t have a jesting bone in his body. He’s too serious for his age.”
The prince studied the boy’s face, searching for any sign of treachery. When he found none and saw only panic, awe, excitement and some fear, he nodded.
“Very well. I guess others will come soon to share the tale. You have made the right choice by informing me promptly. Reed, Colin – ” the prince turned towards his men “ – fetch our belongings and saddle our horses. Lance, go get Charlie. And Cathal… you get the others. It looks like I will finally get my chance. The dragon and its head will be mine; I have spent too much time searching for the beast. But our day is getting closer, I can feel it now.” His hands balled into fists at his sides, knuckles turning white.
“Yes, Your Highness.” The men bowed and scurried to do as they were told.
“And you boy…”
Kalmin lifted his eyes to his prince and waited for whatever was to come.
“Here… for your trouble.”
The boy caught a gold coin that soared through the air towards him.
“Thank you, Your Highness! You are very kind. I hope you get that evil dragon! And I hope to be as great a knight as you are someday.” Kalmin’s eyes sparkled with pride that he had done something to please his prince.
The prince snorted. “Not like me, but maybe like one of my knights,” he said and winked at the boy. “Now, away with you.”
The boy scampered off and the prince turned towards the dark-haired woman who had kept his bed warm the last couple of nights.
“I am sorry, my dear puppet.” He lifted his hand and caressed her face with the back of his hand. “But my princely duties await. I swore I would have a dragon’s head decorating my halls and it seems my quest might come to an end soon.” A wry smile curled his lips.
“Will you come back for me?” The woman’s eyes filled with hope as she looked up at her prince. Her hands rested on his chest.
Stupid whore, the prince thought. These small town girls were just too easy for him to seduce and bed; they all hoped to ensnare his heart and become his queen one day. They were useful for one thing, though, and he used them well for it. He only needed to turn his piercing blue eyes on them, run a hand through his soft golden hair as he looked at them with desire twinkling in his eyes, and he had them in his grasp.
“I do not wish to give you false hope, my dear puppet. It might take us some time to finish with the dragon and return to the palace, but if I still remember you by the end of it all, I will send for you.” And use you as my personal mistress, he snickered inwardly. “If I were to judge by the last couple of nights, I will most surely remember you,” he finished with a wink.
The woman giggled at his words, oblivious to the insult threaded through them.
“And of course, if you find someone else while I am dealing with the dragon and tending to my royal duties, I will not hold a grudge.” Voice serious and features softened, the prince provided a self-sacrificing and honorable look.
“There’ll never be anyone like you, Your Highness,” the woman said wistfully. She rose onto the tips of her toes and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “For good luck.”
The prince nodded and swiveled on his heel. The innkeeper approached him, gifting him some food and drinks for their journey. He was going to make good profit when the word spread that the prince himself had stayed in one of his rooms.
As the prince marched to meet up with his men, many people wished him farewell while bowing their heads in respect.
He soon spotted the crowd that were his knights.
All nine of them, the finest he could gather and their little traveling whore, Charlie. He liked that woman, for she was as fiery as her hair. She had tried to run away once, but he had taught her a lesson, and he had loved teaching her.
“Your Highness.” They lowered their heads in greeting.
Cassiel, the dark-skinned knight, relieved the prince of the sacks of food, while Reed, the closest thing the prince had to a best friend and his second-in-command, held up Magnus’ full plate armor, helping him don it. Next came his weapon, a two-handed greatsword which he sheathed safely into the scabbard strapped to his back. Fully armed, he mounted his horse and the others quickly followed suit.
The young woman who traveled with them, Charlotte, sat sulking on her horse as usual. She hated being on the road for days, sometimes even weeks, and it was much easier for her when they stayed in a town. She had some respite from the men then.
When Prince Magnus was comfortably perched on his black stallion, ready to leave the small town, a man approached the group and cleared his throat.
“The Inventor!” The prince gave the man an honest, appreciative smile. “Did you manage to make a duplicate? We have to leave now so I cannot wait.” He turned his horse to face the scrawny, ingenious man who would bring great things to this small town, now on the brink of a steam revolution. And then, the revolution would spread across his whole kingdom of Illirya. The town of Atrav was, in the Inventor’s words, perfect for such an endeavor; it was surrounded by rich f
orests with easy access to the coal mines.
“Yes, Your Highness!” the Inventor said, beaming up at his prince. “I was just looking for you at the inn and they told me you had left already. So… here I am.” The small, wiry man pushed his spectacles up his nose. From his shoulder bag he pulled out an object wrapped in a cylindrical leather pouch and handed it to the prince. “I’ve tested it and it should work fine, just like I showed you. Use it sparingly.”
The prince grasped the pouch carefully, almost reverently, and secured it inside one of his saddle bags. He was going to play with it later.
“Thank you. You will be paid as we agreed.” With a tilt of his head, the prince signaled to his knights that he was ready to go.
“Just let me know how it works!” The inventor’s eyes sparkled with expectation.
“I will.”
Prince Magnus turned to his knights while running a hand through his golden hair. A wicked smile danced on his lips.
“Knights,” he said as they prepared to ride off. “We finally get to kill a dragon.”
Chapter 6
Olivia crept through the forbidden passage, wary of unsuspected dangers. The tunnel widened, and loomed higher and higher as she approached its end. When she reached it, she took her first step into a second, much larger cave, marveling at its vastness.
Awe and wonder spread across Olivia’s face, her mouth agape, eyes wide open, as she scanned the contents of the chamber. Soon, amusement joined them.
The fire from her torch reflected off the shiny surfaces of the cave’s contents and provided Olivia with more illumination. She never expected this. Of course, she had had the same prejudices as everyone else, expecting to find hoards of gold, jewelry and crowns within the dragon’s lair. And here, there were indeed some of those treasures, accompanied by beautiful mirrors adorned with precious gems.
The items which brought her amusement and wonder however, were the chairs, tables, chests, and cabinets. She even spied a bench, a pile of fabrics she presumed were clothes, a stack of blankets, several big wicker baskets, half of a wagon, a plow and many other man-made objects, carefully sorted. And books! A whole crate of them. She would no longer be bored.
As she walked around, scanning the contents of the treasure cache, a simple yet elegant leather girdle drew her attention and she couldn’t resist putting it on just to try it out. The belt fit her perfectly. She approached one of the mirrors to see how it looked on her. She twisted left and right, appraising the combination of the tooled leather with her gown while ignoring the presence of the dark circles under her eyes and the slight tremble of her hands. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted something rather peculiar. Is that really what I think it is? She took a few steps closer. It is! She couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Her laughter echoed throughout the cave as she kept her eyes glued to a brick chimney that looked like it had been torn whole off of a house’s roof. Once her mirth subsided, she almost started back up again as she spotted a dead tree with its dry roots sticking out in all directions.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. There were all manner of items, both valuable and worthless, but the cave was so crowded she couldn’t get to most of them. It would take time and some skillful climbing to explore it all. She had so many questions she wanted to ask Kaden, but that would mean telling him she had gone where he had forbidden her to go.
The fire on her torch sputtered, threatening to go out. That, and fear that Kaden might have returned while she was snooping around, pushed her to go back where she was supposed to be.
When Olivia returned to her makeshift bed, her knee was throbbing, her stomach growling, and her mind was a whirlwind, trying to figure out how and why Kaden had collected and stored all those things. It seemed he had quite a penchant for human possessions. There was no other explanation for it. It was obvious he had no use for those items, and they were just too random, some of them completely worthless as treasure or ransom. Oh, a compulsive thief and a hoarder. The thought made Olivia giggle.
After she had rested her aching body a bit, the water finally reached the boiling point. Olivia then carefully hefted and dragged the cauldron away from the fire, letting it cool down a bit so she could gently wash out her wounds. The rest of water she could drink later.
As she sat back on the mattress, legs straight in front of her while resting her back against the cave’s rock walls, she thought about the dragon again, how contradictory he was, one moment gentle and caring, the next cold and commanding. He probably thought he was scaring her, but she saw different in his eyes, even though his voice was hard to disobey. Thinking about his low, rumbling voice made her realize how strange it was to watch a dragon talk.
To know he did talk after all.
His lips didn’t move like a human’s would. They did move though, in correlation with the pronunciation of the words, but it seemed like the words and sounds were formed in his throat rather than in his mouth, the way a human would speak.
Then there were his amber eyes. She had never seen eyes of that color, probably because she had never met a dragon before. Even though he didn’t have human facial features, he was easy to read. He probably wasn’t used to hiding his emotions and true reactions; most people probably fled from him, if they ever got close enough to see his features at all.
From what she had managed to see of him, he looked quite magnificent. His scales were silky smooth, their color a shimmering midnight blue. His underside, as she had seen today, was a deep gold and his horns were slender and dark grey, almost black. She hated to admit it but she was quite taken with his appearance, as if he were an elegant gentleman and not a fire-breathing monster.
But the thing she liked the best was the emotion he stirred inside her. He made her feel safe and protected even though she had been terrified of him at first. It was just what she needed after what she had gone through the last couple of days. Olivia was beginning to trust him, but remained prudent. He was still a dragon, after all.
Her eyes traveled towards the entrance of the cave. She could hear the rain dwindling. It seemed like the sun was winning the battle of supremacy over the sky, managing to shine a little more light through the clouds.
She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her cheek on them while still keeping an eye out for Kaden’s return.
She sighed.
It must have been an hour or more since he had left. She hoped nothing bad had happened to him, while, at the same time, she felt silly for worrying about his safety. He was probably quite capable of taking care of himself.
Olivia yawned.
She lay back, deciding on a nap while she waited for Kaden to return. It beat sitting around and doing nothing. Just as she was about to drift off, a shadow appeared at the entrance.
The dragon had returned.
As Kaden made his way in with the roast, Olivia quickly got to her feet and moved towards him.
“You are back!” she said, a happy smile blooming on her face.
“Of course I am.” Kaden threw her a confused look as he walked by her to put the roasted pig and chickens near the fire to warm up again.
“And you brought food! Real food,” Olivia said as she devoured the food with her eyes. She could almost feel drool dripping down her chin, she was so hungry.
Her feet moved of their own accord, carrying her towards those tasty-looking chickens.
“Stop!” Kaden said.
Olivia froze in place. His voice spoke of trouble. Trouble she was in. Does he know?
The dragon moved closer to her and lowered his head so he could gaze into her eyes.
“You went snooping where I told you not to,” he accused, but kept his voice level. He couldn’t decide whether to be angry with her.
“No I did not!” Olivia put her hands on her hips and raised her chin. Inwardly, she was surprised she had managed to keep her voice strong and steady.
She had never been good at lying.
This time
Kaden actually chuckled out loud and the deep sound rumbled through the cave. He inhaled slowly and saw a flash of fear flit across her face.
“I can smell the lies on you.” His voice turned serious again as he stared at her, squinting through his left eye.
“Dragons can do that?” Olivia gaped. Had she angered him?
“No,” Kaden responded mischievously. “It would have been easier to believe you if you weren’t wearing the evidence of your disobedience.” He looked at the belt around her waist and raised his brows.
“Oh,” was her clever reply. She pasted on her most innocent smile. “I... ummm...” Olivia clasped her hands behind her back, wrung her fingers and looked down at her own feet. “I might have?”
He shook his head in mock disapproval. “And what did I tell you?”
“Not to go there.” A regretful sigh slipped past Olivia’s lips as she looked up at him from under her dark eyelashes.
Seeing her like that, remorseful and vulnerable, melted Kaden’s irritation. How could he be angry with someone that innocent? They would have to talk about it, but when he heard that stomach of hers growling again, he let it go, for now.
With a heavy sigh, he took a step away from her. “Eat now. I know you’re starving.”
Olivia blinked a couple of times, surprised there was no chiding, no lecturing. No breathing fire. She watched Kaden leave the cave. Just as she was about to panic at being left alone in punishment for her transgression, he returned carrying a crate.
Her eyebrows rose high, head tilted to the side as she studied him and the crate. Then, remembering what she had wanted to do in the first place, Olivia hurried to the roasted chicken and tore off a juicy drumstick, warm from the fire.
As she took the first bite, she moaned in delight. Olivia chewed with slow enjoyment, relishing the experience. When she swallowed her first real food in days, she noticed the lack of sound and movement around her. Looking up, her eyes landed on Kaden as he studied her lips with an indescribable intensity.
Olivia cleared her throat to wake him from his reverie because it made her uncomfortable. Did watching her eat make him want to eat her after all? That couldn’t be it. He’s been nothing but nice to me so far. He would never harm me, would he? What is that dragon thinking? Was he staring at my… lips?
Dragon's Treasure (Dragons Awaken Book 1) Page 4