The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1)

by Payne, Parker

  Ever since he’d been marked by his master, changes to his body had taken place. A new vitality raced through his veins. He’d grown taller by several inches. Muscles tightened under his skin as he flexed them. His senses became more acute and sensitive, particularly his sense of smell. It was one of the reasons he’d been slow in accepting the attentions so many women had thrown at him. Although they were lovely, the closer he came to them, a certain stench rose from their persons, forcing him away. Once when he tried to ignore it under the advances of a particularly eager woman, the smell that came off her had made him sick to his stomach. He didn’t understand it.

  “Elder Callen, Master Ludovicus has returned,” a messenger called from the entrance into the chamber.

  He rose from his seat on the throne chair. In a fluid movement, Master Ludovicus shrugged into the large cloak waiting for him as he entered. The juusha bowed to the ground as their lord appeared in his glory, but he wasn’t alone.

  Next to his lord walked a female. Callen understood it on a level he wasn’t familiar with. The scent didn’t make him gag or feel sick. He stepped to the side of the chair and bowed to his waist as the Drumans came and sat.

  “Welcome back, Master Ludovicus.” he greeted. The female came and stood by Ludovicus’ side. She was magnificent in a way he could not understand. Light green with a trail of tiny bony plates along her head and spine, the Druman woman exuded elegance and grace like a queen. When she met his eyes, he was captivated by their violet, pupil-less depths.

  “Tell them to leave,” his king ordered, drawing Callen out of his regard.

  It still humbled him to be given a positon of power. He snapped his fingers and the juusha rose and left the throne room. When it had emptied, Ludovicus turned to him. Cold and merciless eyes held him captive “Meet your queen,” Ludovicus said. “You will serve her as you serve me. Is that understood?”

  “Hai, master.” Callen answered obediently as he fell to his knees before her in respect. “I congratulate you.”

  “Don’t be a fool, Callen,” Ludovicus rebutted. “Kaluwa is not my mate, but she is your queen.”

  “Hai.” He stood again.

  “You are going with her in a few hours’ back to Rhychard’s juusha.”

  Callen’s heart stopped. “Master, if I go, I’ll be killed.”

  Ludovicus’ face hardened with scorn. “Does not your life belong to me?”

  “It belongs to you.” He gulped, trying to get moisture down his throat.

  “If I ask you to forfeit that life, will you do it?” The black eyes narrowed again.

  “I will.” It was only the truth.

  “Good. Then you should put your trust in me. I will not send you there in order for you to lose your life. Go, Callen, and do as I say.”

  “As you wish my lord.” He bowed again and then faced his queen.

  The purple orbs fastened on him with a piercing intensity. But she directed her next words toward Ludovicus. “I’m so glad you talked me into this.”

  Dawn’s delicate fingers of light spread across the sky. They brushed away the violet dark of the night in gentle sweeps. Soon, the horizon was lit with pink, golden hues, which cascaded over the forest below. It bathed the tops of the trees in a gilded glory that grew brighter each second. The light lifted and pierced Ken in the eyes like a needle, but he didn’t flinch. While the scene unveiled the beauty of a new day, his thoughts were in turmoil.

  Slowly he lifted his hand and stared at it.

  Not human.

  How could that be? Everything about his entire existence was based off being a part of the human race. He ate, drank, slept, and lived according to the edicts of his being.

  He sighed and dropped his hand. Not human, but the second generation offspring of a half dragon/half human hybrid.

  Even the loss of the blood gem, burned to ashes by fire a week ago, had less impact than the truth of what he was. Ken sat on the ground, now basking in the warmth of the sun, hoping to melt away the chill around his heart.

  Did Okasan know of this? How he wished he could ask her. At this juncture he longed for her more than ever. What he wouldn’t give to kneel at her feet and lay his head on her lap and find comfort in her soothing touch. Beg her to make sense of wild, impossible things he’d discovered.

  A descendant of the king of dragons, the Elder had told him. Not just any dragon, but a royal bloodline. The implications boggled him. What did it mean to be of such lineage? Did it matter to anyone but those who knew?

  The mayhem inside Ken’s mind had risen to a point that it took a few moments until he became aware of someone singing. It jolted him out his thoughts. Looking around, he expected to see Uchida—sensei, but saw no one. Perhaps it was one of the juusha, singing from inside the cave. He shrugged retreated back into his thoughts.

  Only the singing didn’t go away. It grew more crisp and clear, drawing closer. The words were foreign, garbling even, but the tune was despondent. As he listened he rose to his feet, spellbound.

  Soon, the haunting, distorted sound formed into words. Rhychard’s son.

  A feminine voice called out, raspy and seductive, with an underlying throatiness that flowed over him like honey. Ken glanced around, looking for the source of the voice. But still he saw no one. “Who’s there?”

  My name is Kaluwa. A mist crept in, even though the sun was climbing higher in the sky. It reminded him of the Elder’s time travel ash, but this was more subtle. He whirled about as the mist cocooned him in a gossamer blanket of opaque white. So dense was the fog it blocked out the light of the sun, and yet he could still see about him.

  “What is that you want?”

  You know what I want, Rhychard’s son.

  He flinched at the reference of his grandfather. “My name is Aoki Kenzo”

  That may be your name but that is not who you are. You are the son of Rhychard, the dragon King. You cannot be molded by a mere human name.

  Still the voice teased his mind, sending a shiver along his nerve endings. Instinctively, he closed his eyes against the onslaught, but images rose behind his lids. He saw his grandf—Rhychard, the Dragon King, leading a massive horde of dragons. The sheer number of them darkened the sky, but Rhychard outshone them all. Scales of flame glimmered in the sunlight, sparkling brilliantly as diamonds. He flew, the wings gliding on a current of wind. Although Ken had no frame of reference, a proud, noble look rested on the king’s features. Bigger and bolder than the rest of the pack, he soared through the air, a creature of grace, and majesty.

  You are Rhychard’s Descendant. You must return to what you are. Do you feel the call of your heart?

  Ken’s eyes flew open. “What?”

  But the fog had disappeared. Before him was an endless blue sky. Clouds brushed past and the wind rushed against his face. The sun warmed his body, drifting over his scales…

  Scales!

  What’s going on here? He shouted but the words that erupted in his mind, not his mouth, for he was no longer human. The muscles along his back moved as his wings flapped. It was so natural, natural like breathing, like walking!

  He felt…alive. Alive as he’d never felt before.

  Ken turned to his side and saw another dragon. Kaluwa. Gloriously adorned in jade green skin with a line of spiked plates down her back, the purple eyes met his, filled with inner joy. What she lacked in size she made up for in agility as she curved outward and flew around in circle before arriving at his side again. They flew together, rushing into the face of the wind.

  This is what it means to be a dragon.

  The sun warmed the scales along his body and he soaked in the rays. Then they flew some more, passing the villages below them and the chains of mountains. His wings were strong, and they carried him farther and farther. There was no limit to where he could go. This was what it meant to be alive. To be free.

  This is your birthright. Claim it with both hands.

  Ken closed his eyes as the wind whisked by, but when he op
ened them an instant later, he was back in the fog. He collapsed to his knees, head bent over, swallowing hard. The abruptness of being shafted back to reality almost made him cry. He’d never experienced such exhilaration, such autonomy. Shaking, he raised his hands and stared at them.

  Inadequate. They dropped to his thighs. What were these legs compared to the strength and endurance of those massive hind legs of his dragon form? How could this body, stationary on the ground, compete with flight? The wings…

  You can become what you are meant to be. Join Ludovicus and me. Give us the Vessel, and you will be a dragon.

  Ken stiffened at the name, head slowly rising. All thoughts of dragon hood ran away as the image of John’s bloodied, mangled body came to his memory.

  “Ludovicus?” He licked his teeth, tasting the bitterness the name caused at the back of his throat.

  “Yes.” The word was audible. Standing once again, the fog dissipated as a hooded figured walked toward him.

  As the figure neared, she towered above him by a foot. Her build was broader. She stopped in front of him.

  “Kaluwa.” He needed no introduction.

  A long, three fingered green hand drew the hood away from her face. Ken stared into a terrible visage, recognizing the features as those of the dragon who had flown by his side in that strange episode she gifted to him. Yet, the sight of her did not frighten him. He felt a strange kinship.

  “Come with me, son of Rhychard. Give us the Vessel and join us. You saw how wonderful it was.”

  Ken gestured with his hand. “That…what just happened…was that some kind of memory from my grandf—Rhychard?”

  She nodded, the movement bringing attention to her face. Somehow, she managed to not wear the alien, animalistic, cold hard mask Ludovicus had worn. Perhaps it was her gender, the soft, gentle quality all females had across the animal and human world. Beneath the reptilian façade she appeared young and innocent. The purple eyes entreating, imploring.

  He couldn’t stop gazing in those eyes. They drew him deeper into two violet pools of water.

  “Join you and…Ludovicus?” What had he been trying to say?

  Kaluwa raised her hand toward him. “Come with me, Rhychard’s son. Give us the Vessel.”

  Seductive, tantalizing, luring words. He took a step toward her, entranced, enraptured. A dragon. He could become a— “Get the hell away from him!”

  Rin fought against the tiny nudge she recognized even in her sleep. Tambo wanted to awaken her, but she wanted to sleep just a little longer.

  The nudge came again, more forceful this time, more intrusive. Lazily, she slapped away his hand and curled into a fetal position under the warm animal hides.

  Rin. Invader. Descendant. Trouble.

  Tambo’s voice was filled with alarm, but the urgency had a hard time making its way past the comfort of sleep.

  Rin!

  She sat up straight and a bone popped along her spine. Glaring at Tambo, Rin rubbed her back. “What?”

  Those brown eyes stared at her with animal worry. Descendant. Trouble. Invader.

  A cold shaft rammed down her back. “Ken?” Rin leapt from her bed and reached for her clothes, a frown creasing her brow. It was disastrous they lost the blood gem to Callen’s mistake to burn the pants Ken had been wearing. With Callen having disappeared, and search parties still combing through the deeper recesses of the cave, an intruder about them proved the theory someone had taken him.

  Dressed, she raced out her chamber with Tambo lumbering behind her, the heavy falls of his hands and feet pounding and echoing eerily through the halls. No one wanted to think it was possible, but somehow an intruder had slipped into the juusha. How had they gotten through the security? There was only one way into the cave, and that was from the outside.

  Hurry, Rin, Tambo’s voice shouted. She cast aside her thoughts and focused on getting to the Descendant, running down the halls. At the mouth of the cave the guards were gone and alarm settled in the pit of her stomach.

  “Tambo, go wake Alderic and then protect the Elder with your life.”

  The gorilla turned and loped back down the corridors. Rin drew in a breath. Obviously Ken had gone outside. Without another thought, she turned and went down the side of the mountain, the trail leading to a ledge overlooking the forest below. That’s where Ken would be.

  Rounding the large tree marking the end of the trail to the ledge, she saw two figures. Her heart stopped at the sight of a real, live, in-the-flesh Druman. Her breath lodged in her throat, the world around her receding like a faded background. A scaly hand reached for Ken, who was standing there with preoccupied expression on his face. Was it Ludovicus?

  Try as she might, for a few seconds, her feet refused to move. Sweat broke out over her body. There was no way she could defeat him. Rin’s stomach churned. She was a child, a child compared to the powerful Ludovicus. He had killed Rhychard although that dragon had been a king. How much effort would he waste on an insignificant such as herself? Would he even blink before destroying her?

  “No one is more suited to bring about Ludovicus’ end than you, Uchida—chan.” The Elder’s words rang in her ears as if he was standing next to her. Rin swallowed. Senpai trusted her to do this more than his son. Tambo believed in her strength. The juusha looked to her as leader.

  The chill of fright eased away from her heart, and her fist clenched with resolve. If they believed in her, then even if she died, their faith would not be in vain.

  “Get the hell away from him!” She ran until she stood face to face with the creature in front of Ken. It was not Ludovicus, but a female. Rin had never seen a first generation Druman female, except for what the Elder had told her.

  “You’re intruding where you’re not wanted.” a smooth rasp threatened.

  “Ken!” Rin called, with a lightning glance behind her. From the blank stare she could tell he’d been hypnotized.

  “Uchida—sensei?” Lucid enough to recognize a familiar face, though.

  “Ken, come out of it,” she called behind her, eyes fixed on the Druman.

  “I said you are not wanted here!” the female shouted, her voice echoing across the forest. The birds flew away in a flurry from their perches in the tress. “You have this only opportunity to leave.”

  Rin’s temple pulsed with resolve. “Make me.”

  A crack appeared underneath her feet. Fissures radiated from it, and then the ground crumbled away. She lost her balance but jumped back and into Ken. They fell back on the ground, limbs tangled into one another.

  “Ken, snap out of it!” she screeched, slapping him with the back of her hand.

  “Ow!” he wailed, holding his face. “What was that for?”

  Lucidity had returned to his eyes. A massive weight lifted off her back. “Ken, get up, we have to get out of here.” She jumped up, yanking him with her.

  “What is it with you? Why are you being so—Kaluwa!”

  The shock in his voice had her facing back to their adversary although Rin scowled. “How do you know her?”

  Wariness etched the lines of his face has he took a defensive stances next to her. “I don’t. We were introduced just moments ago.”

  Kaluwa had ripped off the cloak and stood before them, a tall, massive form of power and fury. The bony plates had enlarged, the tips sharp and gleaming needle-like in the sunlight. She rose into the air and the purple eyes glowed. Extending her arms across Ken, Rin pushed him back. There wasn’t much of the ledge left since the ground had fallen away. Very little room to fight.

  Rin cursed silently.

  Another crack appeared on the ground. It crawled like a worm to them, breaking away the earth as it came closer. Rin’s jaw hardened. She hadn’t want to do this, but the Elder once said a time would come when all secrets would be on display.

  Today was that day.

  Fragments of a blood gem embedded in her leather wrists bracelets grew brighter, their bluish glow enveloping them in a covering of light. Blue co
lored her vision.

  “Uchida—sensei?” Ken’s voice was hoarse with wonder.

  Rin ignored him and focused on the air currents flowing around them. Gathering with her will, they streamed toward them, the force of the wind growing stronger. The crack was almost to them. She had not utilized the power of the blood gem in some time. Ken and she were flush against the wall of the mountain, seeing the ground before them falling away into the forest below.

  Come on, she thought, and bluish aura grew stronger. Seconds later, the air currents had gathered in force and strength. Rin heaved a sigh of relief as she rose into the air, with Ken clutching wildly at her. The earth had fallen a mere second after they rose into the air. Nothing but a gap lay where the trail ended and then picked up again along the mountain.

  “Uchida—sensei, what—how—”

  “I knew you were not human,” Kaluwa shouted. “I could smell your father on you.”

  Ken’s mouth dropping, Rin shrugged off the impact of those words as she and the Druman circled each other in the air. “Ken, join me.”

  “You’re not human either.” The surprise was almost comical. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Now is not the time!” Rin shouted.

  Rocks the size of boars lifted into the air. Using the motions of her hand, Kaluwa threw them. They crashed into the blue shield of the blood gem. Even so, Rin ducked as the hard surface of the stones came mere centimeters from her face. They shattered on impact. The Descendant cried out beside her.

  Another rock came, bigger than the last, and flung itself into her shield. It also shattered, but the size of it was more than her shield could take. Fragments pierced through and sent minute cuts along their exposed arms and faces.

  “She’s throwing boulders at us!”

  “Ken, I need you to join me,” Rin whispered harshly, drawing in breath as another boulder rose into the air, this one much larger than the other two. It was so big it would crush them both.