The Queen's Dance (Emerging Queens)

by Jamie K. Schmidt

  Remy looked up at the sky. He didn’t dare bring her in the house. She needed to be under the sun to heal. But he could at least make her more comfortable out here.

  …

  The world was still dark. But this time Margery’s eyes were open, and she could see pinpoints of lights in the sky. The stars. She took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of freedom. At some point Champ must have put a quilt over her. Tucked into her arm was the Smooshie.

  “Are you hungry? You’ve slept for an entire day and night.”

  She turned her head. He was sitting by a fire and cleaning a bucket of fish. In his human form, Champ was a solemn figure, handsome but not dazzling like the dragons she’d been lucky enough to score interviews with when she was a mere human.

  “I lost a whole day? What day is it?” She could barely move, she felt so weak. “What month is it?” Margery had lost so much time in that ship’s hold.

  “It’s Sunday night. You were rescued Friday morning. It’s June fourteenth.”

  “June?” She sat up, steadying herself as her head spun. “It was the middle of May when I was captured.” Margery rubbed her eyes. “I was belowdecks for almost a month.”

  Champ’s knuckles went white on the handle of the frying pan. “They will not ever trap you again. You have my word on it.”

  Had anyone missed her? Her editor, definitely. Her sister, probably not. Certainly not her mother, not for another five to ten years anyway. Her friends would’ve just assumed she was hot on the trail of a story. It was actually a little depressing. She’d gone missing and no one really cared.

  “You’ll feel better once you get some food and water in you.” He smiled at her, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe. Then he winked, and she felt her face flush. “I’d eat ’em still wiggling, but I figured you’d prefer them cooked,” he said, flipping the fish fillets.

  Her stomach growled in answer.

  “There’s a jug of fresh water by you. You should drink some, but go slow. You don’t want to be sick.”

  Margery tucked the blanket under her arms and sat up. She took a long swallow of the sweet, clean water. “I want to thank you,” she said. “You saved my life.”

  He winced. “I’m sorry it wasn’t sooner. I’ve been distracted, otherwise I would have sensed you on the lake. I just got back from Scotland. There was a credible sighting of my mother in Loch Ness and I went to investigate.”

  “Your mother is…” Nah, it can’t be.

  Champ blushed. “Yeah, Nessie. It might have something to do with the curse being broken. Maybe she had been trapped.”

  Margery shuddered. “I hope not.”

  “Me, too,” he said. “The new Queens that have shifted have some unique powers the old Queens don’t have. Viola can track female dragons in the weave. When things die down, I’m going to ask her to locate my mom.”

  “Is Viola here?” She had used her power to see into the weave, had sensed Margery’s suffering and rescued her. It was like dragon telepathy. She owed her life to Viola, too.

  Champ shook his head. “She had other things to take care of, but she wanted to let you know they got all the men who kidnapped you. They’ll be in jail until their trial.”

  “Good,” she said.

  “How did they catch you, anyway?” He put the fish fillets in a cast-iron pan with a handful of onions. The smell had Margery swooning.

  “Equipment malfunction.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Is that anything like a wardrobe malfunction?”

  “No, but speaking of which, do you have any clothes I could put on?”

  “None that would fit you, but I can give you one of my old shirts.” He frowned. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything that a Queen would wear.”

  Margery waved her hand, dismissively. “I don’t care about that. Do you have a cell phone? I need to call my editor.”

  “Nope. Not much cell reception around here. But I’ve got a BGAN laptop for emergencies. It’s in the house. I’ll get it for you when I get the shirt.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It connects to a satellite instead of a cell tower.”

  “Can I use it?”

  “I guess.” He shrugged. “Why do you need to call your editor?”

  “I’ve been missing for a long time. I need to check in.”

  “Don’t you want to call your family?”

  Hell, no. “We’re not close,” Margery said. There was the understatement of the year.

  “Can you walk?”

  “I think so.” Margery tested her legs. The world tilted as vertigo hit her like a two-by-four between the eyes. “I’m all right,” she said when he stood up. She hobbled over to the log he was sitting on and lowered herself gingerly onto it. “Maybe I need a minute,” she said.

  She took the opportunity to look him over while he was busy cooking the fish. He had eyes the color of the lake, slate blue and a little stormy. In his lake dragon form, he was all neck and head. In human form, he was all lean muscle wrapped up in flannel and jeans. Cinnamon-colored hair curled up slightly at his nape, and his profile was strong enough that he could have been a model for a hundred sculptors. He wasn’t dazzling, but he was interesting. In a world where dragon magic could transform his appearance to whatever he desired, she found she liked that he chose to look like a normal human. Margery’s face heated when he caught her admiring him. “Thanks again, Champ.”

  “My friends call me Remy. I’d be honored if you would also.”

  She smiled at the old-fashioned way he offered his name to her. “I’d like to be your friend.”

  “I’d offer to shake, but I probably have fish guts on my hand.”

  Margery put her hand on his shoulder and leaned in to kiss his cheek. He tensed under her hand and gave the barest of flinches when her lips brushed him.

  “I’m sorry again,” she said, mortification flooding her. She moved away from him. “I didn’t mean to invade your space. I just am very grateful to be alive and under your protection.”

  He gave a tight nod. “I’m not used to having company. I’ll have your dinner ready pronto.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Please stop thanking me. It’s my duty.”

  Margery watched him toss the fish fillets over the heat, and in a few minutes he handed her a plate of blackened trout and a fork. He got up and went inside. She wasn’t sure if she should start eating without him, but the smell was too delicious for her to wait. She devoured it and washed it down with the rest of the water. Her stomach gurgled happily.

  “Do you want some more?” Remy asked, returning with the laptop and a thick cotton T-shirt. He handed her the T-shirt and sat down next to her with the laptop, turning his body so his back was to her.

  With a quick look to see if he was peeking at her in the monitor, she shook out the T-shirt. It would cover her like a tent, but it was something at least. She dropped the quilt and slipped the shirt over her head.

  “No, dinner was delicious.” She pulled the hem down. It came to midthigh, and it smelled like the sky and Remy—a hint of pine and musk. Margery breathed deep, and it settled something inside her. “But I think I’d be more comfortable inside.”

  Remy shook his head. “You need to be outside until you can shift into your dragon form. The sky heals you. I can get you an air mattress and some pillows.” He logged on to the computer, typing in a long password that she wouldn’t even attempt to try and remember.

  “Thank—” She cut off at his glare. Right, stop thanking him. “I’d appreciate that.”

  “I live to serve.” He handed her the laptop then got up and bowed to her.

  Margery wasn’t sure what to make of that, so she smiled at him, and he left her again and returned to the house. She opened up a browser and logged in to her email.

  Mailbox full.

  Crap.

  She deleted most of the junk while picking at the bones of her meal, aware of Remy setting up her bedding. At one point, she look
ed up and caught him staring at the water with his fists clenched. He sensed her gaze and turned to meet her eyes.

  “If the camp is attacked,” he said, “you run like hell for the water.” He pointed. “Do not go in the house. Do not try and hide. You will only be safe in the lake.”

  Margery shook her head. “I can’t swim.”

  His face fell. “I’ll teach you when you’re stronger. In that case, I should really get you aboard my boat for tonight.”

  “No!” Panic flooded her. She would have run if she had the energy. Forcing herself to relax and take deep breaths, she explained, “I’ve had enough of boats for a long, long time.”

  “It’s a cabin cruiser,” he said. “It’s nothing like the boat you were in.”

  “I’m never going on the water again.”

  “Until you can fly, you’re vulnerable,” he said, his body tensing as if expecting an immediate attack. “I can’t protect you on land.”

  “Why not?”

  “My dragon form has no hands or feet.” Remy flushed an angry red and glared at her.

  “I didn’t get a good look at you,” Margery said. “I didn’t know.” Now she felt bad. How was she supposed to know that was a touchy subject?

  His chest puffed out. “Nothing can beat me in the water. Any water.” Then he looked away and sighed. “On land, I might as well be a human.”

  “That’s okay, Remy. You’ve done enough. I’ll send this email, and then if you’d be so kind to give me a ride to town, I’ll be out of your hair.”

  He shook his head. “There are delegates from the dragon embassy coming tomorrow to talk to you. There will be at least one Queen with them, so you don’t have to worry about any overeager studs. They’ll have a survival pack for you, and they can help you decide what to do next.”

  “I know what to do next. I’ve got to file my story, get back to Manhattan and my life.”

  “I’m not sure how that can be arranged, but it will be easier if you speak to the bureaucrats. You know how it is.”

  “Yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “There are always paper pushers. I guess I’ll stay here tonight then, if it’s all right.”

  “It would be my honor,” he said and bowed again.

  Margery forced a smile and turned back to the laptop and composed a letter to her editor.

  Clinton, I’ve got the story of a lifetime. I can nail Smythe Industries for smuggling drugs inside their Smooshie dolls. I’ve got a sample with pills inside. But that’s not the lede. The drugs make a human’s womb hospitable to dragon sperm. They’re trying to incubate dragon eggs inside humans. Before I was captured, I was able to overhear that all the test subjects have died, but they think they’re getting close, if they can time the C-section so they enable the dragon egg to survive outside of its mother. Too close to birth, the baby dragon eats his mother and then dies. Too far away from birth and the egg dies for lack of nutrients. Some—

  “Nidhogg’s balls,” Remy snarled from behind her. “Is that true?”

  Margery frowned at him. “Are you reading over my shoulder?”

  “It’s my damn…” Remy sighed. “I’m sorry, my Queen.”

  “Knock that shit right off,” she told him.

  He blinked at her.

  “I’m Margery. Just plain Margery.” They glared at each other for a moment, until she looked down. “I’m sorry if I snapped at you.”

  “Queens don’t apologize,” he said through his teeth.

  “I just told you I’m not a Queen.”

  “Yes, you are. I saw you. Although you looked like a plucked chicken rather than a dragon.”

  “Up yours,” Margery said. “Stick you in a cargo hold for a few weeks and see what you look like.”

  “Aside from that, I can smell you.”

  “You wouldn’t let me inside to take a shower.” Margery sniffed at herself self-consciously.

  “You smell like…” He breathed in, eyes closing. “Musk, sunlight, and sex.”

  “Hey, now,” she said.

  Remy shrugged. “You smell like a Queen.”

  Margery’s head was spinning at his reverent words. “I’ve got to send this email and then write up the story.”

  “That’s an inflammatory email.” He jabbed his finger at the screen.

  “It’s the truth.”

  “I think your life will be in danger if you send that. Perhaps you could send it and then go on my boat?”

  “I’d rather not.”

  “You would be safer.”

  Margery shook her head. Although they were arguing and she was alone with this strange man, she didn’t feel threatened. He made her feel safe, and she appreciated that. But she wasn’t going to let him dictate what she could and could not do.

  “Or wait until you can fly?”

  “I can’t shift back into a dragon. What if I broke that part of myself?” Margery bit her lip. It would be just like her to screw up a good thing. That was the best part of being a dragon, being able to fly.

  “The dragon embassy representatives will be here in the morning to assist you. Can you wait that long to send the email?” Remy reached out as if he was going to touch her arm, but he let his hand drop. “Please.”

  Margery was going to protest, but she tamped it down. She owed this dragon her life. If he didn’t want any trouble, she would do her best to keep it away from him. He was a good guy, and she didn’t want to complicate his life any more than necessary.

  “Of course. I’m sorry—”

  “And stop damn apologizing to me.” He stormed away. Margery flinched when the cabin door slammed.

  Chapter Three

  Way to go, Remy. Shout at the only Queen who ever deigned to have dinner with you.

  He scowled. She probably didn’t know that a Queen took everything as her due. That by thanking him, it meant she was surprised that he was able to offer her the littlest of courtesies. It grated on him. At least she hadn’t sneered at him. It would have hurt, but it would have made things a lot easier. Then he probably would have just dived into the lake and stayed there until her perfumed scent was a memory. As it was, he prayed for morning to come as soon as possible and the temptation of her sweetness to fade. Centuries of being ignored and thought of as useless by the bitch Queens should have inured him to their presence. But this new development with the emerging Queens made a dragon hope. Was it too much to ask that one of them would be a lake dragon, too?

  Of all the Queens to cross his path, it had to be a sky dragon. Her strength was in the air. His was in the water. They only met on common ground on earth. It would never work between them, even if she could overlook his shortcomings.

  He stayed in the shadows and looked out at her. She was still moving gingerly, but he was pleased to note that she left the log she had been sitting on for the comfort of the deluxe air mattress. She frowned in the light of the laptop, and he wondered what caught her attention.

  Margery.

  He let himself savor the name. She wasn’t perfect in her human guise. The old dragon Queens would never let their magic slip as to appear anything but flawless. He liked that Margery decided to stay true to her human form. Of course, she might not have mastered enough dragon magic to change yet. She certainly hadn’t magicked the T-shirt he gave her into something that fit her. He had to admit, he liked seeing her in his shirt, smelling her fragrance mixed with his, and seeing the swell of her breasts against the soft material. Remy especially liked that part of having a Queen around.

  Because he was sniffing like a stud in heat, he smelled the drakes before he heard them. They were deliberately coming in downwind and moving slowly to minimize their presence. Remy glared into the distance. At the extreme range of his vision he saw three of them, but he’d bet there were more. Low to the ground, they resembled enormous Komodo dragons. Wingless, they relied on the brute strength of their mouths and claws. They were coming in a pack to try and steal the Queen before she could fly out of their reach.

  H
e knew she was going to be trouble. But he hadn’t expected them so soon. After taking the Barrett .50 caliber rifle off the wall, Remy loaded the magazine with depleted uranium rounds and walked outside. These bullets could punch through a tank’s armor. While it wouldn’t kill a drake or one of the bigger Celtic dragons outright, it would make them think twice about poaching on his land.

  “Remy, what?” Margery said, alarmed. “That’s a big damn gun.”

  “Rifle. Cover your ears,” he said and fired to the left of her.

  The drake roared and flipped over. It writhed in pain as the depleted uranium bullet shattered through several layers of scales. Remy shot it twice more until it twitched in agony. It was still alive, but it wasn’t going to get up anytime soon.

  “Holy shit,” Margery screeched, both hands clamped on her ears.

  “Stay down,” he warned and blasted a second drake.

  “Hold your damn fire,” the third drake snarled, shifting into human form to make a smaller target.

  Margery scrambled up from the air mattress, clutching the laptop and the quilt to her.

  “What are you doing on my land?” Remy asked.

  “We wanted to talk to the Queen.”

  “How did you know she was here?” Remy covered Margery as she scurried behind him, sinking two more rounds into the second drake so the only immediate threat was from the one in human form.

  “People talk. We listen. Is she sick?”

  “I’m fine. Thanks,” Margery said. “I’m not in the mood to be receiving guests.”

  “The Queen says fuck off.” Remy sighted the barrel on the remaining drake.

  “We need to ask her a few questions.”

  “Then come back tomorrow. The embassy’s delegates will be here.”

  “I don’t need to kowtow to Reed and his idiots,” the drake spat. “It can be solved here and now. What is the Queen going to do about the lake situation?”