Forgotten Kingdom

by Stephany Wallace

  Avrielle clung to my neck while my hands gripped her thighs and I pulled her up, taking her to the bed. I would accept anything she could give me. I set her down on the feather mattress and lied next to her, holding her in my arms while my lips moved on hers unrelenting, although I couldn't taste her. My head tilted and I deepened the kiss. When my tongue grazed hers, a moan escaped her, seeping into my mouth and driving me crazy. I didn't stop. I couldn't. My lips continued moving on hers until she pulled away, gasping for air.

  Her panting breaths fanned me as her sparkling eyes settled on mine. I smiled, cradling her against me. She was mesmerizing like this. I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers, gently closing around them and I let them linger, enjoying her warmth. When her gaze returned to mine, her lips slowly curved into a brilliant smile.

  "Did you feel that?" She whispered hopeful, and I could do nothing but look at her. My thumb grazed her cheek, as I remained silent.

  I had never lied to her, but I had no heart to tell her the truth. Her smile slowly faded as she found the answer. The tears gathered in her eyes, and I closed my lips over hers kissing her once again, desperately trying to feel something. I loved this woman, more than anyone else ever would, how couldn't I feel her in this moment?

  The tears slid down her skin as her gaze returned to mine. She shook her head gently, and the love she felt for me shone through her eyes. "It doesn't matter," she whispered, kissing me again. "I feel enough for both of us."

  Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead to hers, relishing having her like this in my arms. Her lips found mine, and I kissed her. I was numb and cold inside, but Avrielle was mine if only for this moment, I could no longer think about anything but her.

  Ash was playing with something in his hands when I returned to my room. He held a glass of scotch in one hand and what looked like a leather pouch on the other. Nyx sat beside him taking a sip too, and two bottles rested on the floor between them. Walking towards them, I took the glass from Ash and gulped the contents, letting my body fall back on the bed.

  "Were you having sex with her or what the hell? We've been waiting for an hour," Ash protested, getting up from the chair and sitting next to me on the bed. Nyx followed, bringing the bottles with him.

  “You entered Avrielle?” Nyx asked, appalled.

  “Entered her? Seriously?” Ash said, smacking our youngest brother.

  "Stop it!” Nyx pushed Ash’s hand away. “It's the technical term," he defended. "When two people have sexual intercourse, the man enters—"

  “Shut up!” Ash and I shouted in unison.

  Nyx fixed his glasses frowning, and sat on the other side of me silently. I sighed sitting up, and let Ash refill my glass. "No, I didn't have sex with Avrielle. I was holding her." Pain traveled through me at the memory. "We kissed."

  “Did you feel something?” both brothers asked startled.

  I stood, shaking my head. “Nothing.”

  "Fuck. That's messed up, brother. I'm sorry." I took a deep breath nodding at Ash's words. My eyes settled on him when he began to fling the pouch in his hands again.

  "What is that?" I asked, leaning closer but he moved it away from me.

  Nyx huffed. "I already asked, but he refuses to show me."

  "First, you have to tell us what the hell happened to you," Ash ordered, and I took a deep breath, fighting to sort out my memories.

  "I don't know for certain. All I remember was I went to visit Av— a friend, and I think he put a spell on me because I lost consciousness, when I woke up was in the middle of the Death Trolls Forest."

  “The what?!” They both stood shocked.

  "Trust me, it wasn't a pleasant visit. My horse was gone, my daggers, my boots were gone, and I wasn't wearing my Dilrunarta Galothnae Kuru.

  Ash gulped on the scotch. "Okay, I don't know what kind of friend that is, but I can tell you he had no interest in what he took from you."

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  "Your horse showed up at the castle walls the same night you disappeared, with everything you just mentioned on him." He nodded towards my armoire. "Look inside."

  I whirled around and yanked the door open. My cloak hung inside, the boots I had worn rested on the side of it. I opened the first drawer and found my daggers there. "I don't understand," I whispered to myself.

  "Who was that friend, brother?" Nyx asked, and I slowly turned towards him shaking my head.

  "I'm sorry, brother. I can't tell you."

  "Well, whoever he is, he has access to your chambers too, because I found this on your bed when I returned with Nyx to wait for you. It wasn't here before."

  Ash lifted his hand showing me the leather pouch. I rushed back to him and took it from his hand. The silhouette of a dragon was burned into it. "Did you open it?" I asked startled.

  Nyx shook his head. "He tried but it’s magically protected."

  I pulled the chords with my fingers and it shimmered, opening in my hands. I slipped my hand inside, and my eyes widened as I pulled the midnight-blue dragon scale from it.

  The images flashed in a frenzy before my eyes until they stopped and they fell together like a puzzle.

  “The time has come for your destiny to begin, but you must look upon the past to decipher your future.”

  “Faeosrae Ostar Evaista Galdormay Karisagul Dothmor," I whispered as every detail of the conversation returned to me.

  "What does that mean?" Ash asked, intrigued.

  "I'm not sure." I shook my head as my gaze once again fell on Avra's scale. "It's very similar to our language, but I can't decipher what it says."

  "I know what it means," Nyx said nonchalantly. "It makes sense since you are holding a dragon scale." He shrugged.

  "That's a dragon scale?!" Ash squealed, ripping it from my hand. "Damn, what size was that dragon?"

  I ignored him and stared at Nyx expectantly, waiting for him to elaborate, but he crossed his arms defiantly. I sighed. "Fine, I'm sorry I told you to shut up. Your knowledge is invaluable, brother. I don't know what I would do without you, and I will never tell you to shut up again for as long as I live. Now, can you please tell me what language that is?"

  Nyx grinned and stood, fixing his glasses. "It's an ancient dragon language, dear brother, and it is similar to ours because the Dragons of the Holy Temple used it to speak to our kind before the Dragon Cataclysm—when they battled each other, and the Holy Dragons were all killed, including our Dragon Lord."

  I took a deep breath and nodded pensively. Avra had used his language to tell me this, which meant whatever he wanted me to do I wasn't to do alone, and I doubted many others in this realm would have been able to decipher that as Nyx had. "Can you speak the language?"

  He snorted as though my question was absurd. "I have spent every moment of my existence in the Royal Archives. As its guardian, I know every book forwards and backwards, and you dare ask me if I can speak the language?"

  I sighed, practicing patience. “Can you tell me what the words mean?”

  He nodded. “Faeosrae Ostar Evaista Galdormay Karisagul Dothmor," Nyx repeated and his lips curved into a cocky smile.

  “The Forgotten Kingdom shall be once again.”

  Chapter 5. One More Night

  KYR

  * * *

  I stared at my brothers, trying to make sense of it all. “The Forgotten Kingdom shall be once again…”

  Nyx nodded. “What do you think that means?”

  I frowned. “You don’t know?” He shook his head. “There is no mention of a ‘Forgotten Kingdom’ in any of the books in the library—” he trailed off and took the scale from Ash who was still admiring it, then began to pace the room.

  "Who gave you that scale, brother?" Ash asked, at the same time that Nyx whirled around, facing me as though he had realized something. I was more interested in what he had to say.

  “Did you remember something?” I moved closer to him while his fingers stroked his chin.

/>   He lifted the scale. "Unless it's not a name but a literal expression. A place or ruler that has been forgotten. Perhaps this scale is a tie to the phrase.” His gaze returned to his hand. “I think this has something to do with the Dragons of the Holy Temple. This is a blue scale, not only an extremely unusual color but also much larger than that of the dragons remaining in our realm. It is said that the temple dragons were forty to sixty feet tall since they were the purest of their race. The Dragon Lord was the largest of them all. They were wise and rational beings like men, gifted with incredible powers, and could speak—unlike the small dragons we see today, who are fully animalistic. The books say he was the only white dragon ever to exist, but there is a children’s tale of the Dragon Lord losing a scale during the war, and that once it left his body, it turned dark as the midnight skies for the magic of the universe was lost to it."

  My breathing faltered as Avra’s words returned to me.

  “The quest must begin at once. Find the one who holds its pair and bring it to me,” I whispered, taking the scale from Nyx.

  “Ooh! A quest. I want in,” Ash said, standing from the bed excitedly. “Temple dragons, danger, a lost kingdom, possibly undiscovered beautiful women. It has my name written all over it. Wherever you are going, I’m with you, brother.” I looked at him placing the scale back in the leather pouch but ignored him. “Not to mention,” Ash continued. “This is the perfect time for me to leave the kingdom. With the whole mating frenzy and all.” He shuddered. “The last thing I want right now is a smell-crazy woman.”

  I sucker punched him in the nose, and he fell back on the bed, sliding onto the floor.

  “Damn it, Kyr!” He covered his bleeding nose and stood. “I deserved that, but still.” Nyx laughed.

  I shrugged. “You do realize if you come with me you’ll have to ask Father for permission first. You have to be at the Blooms Ceremony, or he might send you to the dungeons at last.”

  Nyx and I exchanged an amused glance while Ash grunted.

  “I would like to go too,” Nyx added, fixing his glasses. "On the quest that is. Not to the dungeons." He grinned, but it soon faded as he looked at my hands. "Who gave you that scale, brother?" Nyx echoed Ash’s earlier question, and I looked at my brothers, judging what I should do.

  "Fine, you don't have to tell us, but one thing is for certain. Whoever it is, he wants you to find the other scale, or more accurately, the man who has it. Assuming it’s the one from the children’s stories Nyx read about." I stared at Ash while he shrugged. "It's obvious. ‘Find the one who holds its pair and bring it to me,' the pair from the scale your friend gave you. So whoever has it, is who you must find and bring to your friend.”

  My gaze swept my brothers and fell on the pouch again. Mother and I were the only ones to know about Avra.

  Perhaps he had decided it was time for that to change.

  I caressed Mother’s cheek as her eyes fluttered open. The royal seer had advised she would awake today, and I wanted to be by her side when it happened.

  Her lips stretched into a gorgeous smile as her gaze reached me. “My son…”

  I cradled her neck and pressed the vial of dragon blood to her lips, making sure she drank it all. Her eyes closed and she let out a sigh of relief, as the magic rushed through her body aiding her healing and returning her strength.

  “Estarev Naeathlor Linossa Vaetha…”

  She whispered so low I couldn't quite understand. "I'm sorry, Mother. What do you need?"

  She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t mind me.” I reached for a pillow and helped her sit up. “Have I missed the Blooms Ceremony? Are your brothers with their fated?”

  “No, it’s tomorrow. The palace is almost done with the preparations. You are right on time. Avrielle has taken care of all the arrangements, and it looks like it will be a magnificent affair." She sighed relieved. I chuckled remembering Ash's panicked face as Father denied him the request to skip the ceremony, and told him that in turn, he was to initiate it. "Our king made Ash the initiator of the event. He'll declare the beginning of the ritual and announce he and Nyx will be participating this year."

  Her laugh rang through the room, and I grinned. I enjoyed seeing her like this. "Laeroth is trying to kill my son."

  I laughed, and gave her some water to drink, then remembered my ordeal with Avra two weeks ago. “I think the Dragon Lord wants me to go on a quest for him.”

  Her demeanor instantly changed and she gripped my hands tightly. “What did he say?”

  “He mentioned the Forgotten Kingdom.”

  She nodded, and a glimmer of emotion filled her eyes. Was it hope? She blinked, and it disappeared before I had time to recognize it. "Listen to me, son. Whatever Avra wants you to do, you must do it at once. No questions asked."

  “I think he wants me to take Ash and Nyx to him.”

  Her eyes glistened when my words reached her. “Why do you say that?”

  “He gave me two clues for my quest which my brothers recognized. I don’t know how else to interpret it.”

  She nodded coming to the same conclusion, as emotion overwhelmed her. Her arms wrapped around me and she held me close. "The time has come for your brothers to meet him." Her fingers slipped through my long hair, and she kissed my cheek. "You must take them to him, but tell no one of this."

  "I swear, Mother. I would never betray the Dragon Lord's trust… or yours,” I vowed, pulling back from the hug.

  She smiled, then looked at me knowingly. “How are things between you and Avrielle?”

  "We kissed." She nodded, understanding the undertone in my voice. "She said she loves me, but it doesn't matter now. The ceremony will decide for her."

  “I’m sorry,” Mother said, taking a deep breath. “Perhaps with time things will become easier for you, my son. It’s possible this quest Avra is sending you on it’s exactly what you need, and the time away from here will make you into the king you shall be.”

  “Father has already molded me into his image, Mother. I have learned all I need from him to rule the Winter Court.”

  “Then perchance, it’s time you learned from someone else.”

  I pondered her words and nodded, kissing her cheek. “I’ll send the maids back in to help you. Alannah is in the palace today. She was approving the seamstress’ work on your gown for the ceremony.”

  Mother smiled. “Thank you, send her to me. Now, go begin your quest.”

  “Are you sure this is where your friend lives?” Nyx asked, as we approached the mountain on our horses.

  My gaze lifted and I noticed a slight movement over a section of the white and blue snow peaks, I smiled. “Yes, it’s here.” Avra’s form moved above us, camouflaged in the snow.

  We dismounted our horses and tied them to the trees.

  “We are not going to disappear for two weeks like you did, right Kyr?” Ash asked, eyeing the mountain wearily. “I have lady appointments to keep.”

  Nyx and I laughed as I began to walk towards the cave entrance. They followed.

  “What the hell?” Ash asked as the blade sliced my hand and I pressed the bleeding wound to the rock. Their eyes widened as my blood turned bright blue and they both stepped back, gasping when the rock formation shifted before us, uncovering a wide passage.

  “Ready?” I asked, looking into their eyes.

  It took a moment, but they exchanged a glance and nodded. "We will follow you wherever you go, brother." They answered in unison, and I nodded once, pleased.

  I entered the cave with them behind me, and the passage closed, engulfing us in darkness. “Arthlae Isa glinhir tay!”—Alight! My command reverberated through the space, and the magical torches ignited. My brothers looked all around them as we continued our way.

  Nyx’s gaze admired every detail of the ice formation around us, and the amazement in him was such, that for a moment it made me see it as though it was the first time. I had been here so many times that it had lost all splendor, and it was nothing more tha
n Avra’s cave, but the magical multi-tone ice construction above us deserved admiration.

  The typical icicles one would expect to hang dangerously from the rough cavernous roof were missing, and instead the top was smooth. The walls curved around us all the way to the ceiling resembling a capsule—except these were anything but smooth. Instead, it appeared as though the ice had once molded to Avra’s scales, showing thousands of the concave ice shapes along the ceiling and walls. The light from the torches danced over it in an enchanting way, making the transparent multi-tones of blue and white appear as a though we were standing under the frozen sea. It was mesmerizing. Ice boulders of different size, tones, and shapes were scattered along the space.

  “Remarkable,” Nyx whispered, stopping to rest his hand against the ice wall. “There is something about this that reminds me of the ice caves in Iceland.” He turned to me, fixing his glasses and smiled. “In the human realm.” He explained. “I saw them in a book, but I can’t imagine them being as spectacular as this place.”

  “Welcome, Princes of the Winter Court,” Ora’s voice reached us as she appeared in front of us. We turned to face her. “My lord has been expecting you.” Her gaze roamed over us and settled on Ash. Her lips curved into a sensual smile and she brushed her long, platinum hair back, uncovering her body to him.

  "Really?" Nyx asked baffled, and I grunted.

  “Everywhere we go.”

  Ash dropped to one knee in front of Ora’s small form, his eyes admiring her naked beauty. They lingered on her breasts and I forcefully cleared my throat. Ash grinned taking her hand and lifting it to his lips. "Absolutely stunning. Thank you."

  She blushed and bowed her head, pushing her hair back into place and covering herself again. "We mustn’t keep my lord, waiting."

  She turned, and my eyes widened as Ora uncovered her back to Ash too. His eyes roamed the length of her spine, then focus on her curvy behind, when his gaze returned to me he grinned naughtily, wiggling his eyebrows. I sighed, begging for patience as we began to walk.