by Jasmine Walt
Isn’t that where Drystan said Father went off to? Lucyan asked.
Damn, Alistair swore. We can’t bring Dareena this close to danger. One of us needs to take her back to Dragon’s Keep and warn Drystan about these intruders.
“You’re not taking me back to Dragon’s Keep!” Dareena cried, startling them both. Lucyan and Alistair whipped their heads around as one to look at her, and she glared back at them, defiant. “I may not be able to read your thoughts, but I know you both well enough. I want to find out what Count Kianor is up to. Perhaps I may even be of some help in stopping him.”
Lucyan and Alistair exchanged looks. She’s pregnant, Alistair protested. She shouldn’t be anywhere near Father.
Normally I would agree with you, but she is also the only one among us who can use magic, Lucyan said reluctantly. The least we can do is see this through, find out what is going on. If things get too hot, you’ll head back to Paxhall immediately.
Agreed, they continued, following the warlocks to the base of one of the mountains. Alistair and Lucyan hung back as they watched the warlocks begin the laborious ascent up a particularly steep one, using ropes and pitons to dig into the rock. Alistair followed the trail they were ascending and narrowed his eyes when he saw where it led to.
Do you see that cave up there? he asked Lucyan as his heart beat faster.
Lucyan followed Alistair’s gaze. The opening is quite large, he said, echoing Alistair’s thoughts. Do you think…?
A ferocious roar echoed from the inside of the cave, cutting off Lucyan’s thought. Dareena gasped as Dragomir shot out of the cave, spewing fire from his gaping maw. Even from this distance, Alistair could feel the waves of fury rolling off his father, and he cringed inwardly, as though he were a child rather than a full-grown dragon himself.
Blast it! Lucyan swore. He shot upward, and Alistair followed, hiding behind the clouds as they watched the battle below. Two of the warlocks were incinerated instantly. The mules, waiting on a sturdy ledge far below with one of the warlocks, tried to bolt back down the mountainside, but their collars blazed with magic, and the mules stopped in their tracks. The remaining warlocks, including Count Kianor, held fast, using a blue, glowing shield to combat the worst of the fire.
Unfortunately for the warlocks, the shield couldn’t withstand the onslaught—Alistair saw it flicker, and he knew Dragomir did too. Baring his teeth, the giant dragon swooped down, drawing close enough to incinerate the warlocks with one bellow of fire while remaining well away from their swords.
Before Dragomir could unleash the flames, Count Kianor raised his hands. Alistair caught the glint of brass bracelets around his wrists, and his father’s form blurred. The three of them watched in horror as Dragomir shifted back into human form, plummeting toward the jagged, rocky ground. He disappeared into a crevice, and the warlocks cheered while Alistair’s stomach sank.
By the gods, Lucyan said, sounding shell-shocked. Tariana said the elves had a device that could rip dragons out of the sky, but to see it in action… He shook his great head, disbelief in his eyes.
“We can’t get any closer,” Dareena said, her voice trembling. She stared down at the mountain, watching the warlocks continue their ascent with a mixture of anger and fear in her eyes. “If they see either of you, they’ll take you out of the sky as well.”
Lucyan leaned in and nuzzled his giant snout against Dareena, reassuring her they weren’t going anywhere. She smiled, leaning into him, and Alistair felt a momentary flash of jealousy that he couldn’t do the same. Staying out of sight, they watched the warlocks finish making the climb and enter the cave, carrying empty sacks in with them. Quickly, they began bringing the sacks back out, filled to the brim with gold and treasure, and lowering them back down using the ropes.
“So that’s where the treasure is!” Dareena exclaimed. “The warlocks are taking it for themselves!”
Fucking thieves, Lucyan fumed, his eyes blazing with anger.
Go find out what happened to Father, Alistair said. Dareena and I will take care of the warlocks. Your amulet should shield me against the effects of the bracelet, correct?
It should, Lucyan confirmed. But why do you get to have all the fun?
Because, Alistair said, sticking out his tongue, I’m the one who has the girl.
Alistair tucked his wings in at his sides and dove out of the clouds before Lucyan could answer. Dareena shrieked, or perhaps that was the sound of the wind screaming in his ears—Alistair couldn’t tell. He pointed his body directly at the cave just as two of the warlocks were coming out. Their eyes widened as Alistair opened his mouth, blasting them with fire. Their screams briefly rent the air before their lungs crumbled to ash, and the fire cleared, leaving nothing behind but charred human and plant remains. Count Kianor ran out of the cave, brandishing his bracelets, but as Lucyan had said, they had no effect. His face paled as Alistair moved closer.
“Wait!” Dareena cried. “Let me!” She jumped off Alistair’s back, her whip already crackling at her fingertips. The warlock tried to jump to the side as she flung it at him, but the whip coiled around his legs and brought him tumbling down. He screamed and writhed in pain, his body shaking uncontrollably. Dareena yanked on the whip, tightening it around him, and the warlock loosed a cry of such agony, it sent a shiver through Alistair.
“Go and get the last one,” Dareena said, meeting Alistair’s gaze calmly. “Before he gets away with the treasure.”
Alistair dove toward the ledge below, where the remaining warlock was busy ushering the mules down the mountainside. He’d been forced to leave several sacks of gold behind, but there were still three on the mules’ backs. Snarling, Alistair grabbed the warlock and flung him away, sending him tumbling into the vale below. The mules brayed in terror, frantically trying to get away, but Alistair used his bulk to block them while he ripped the sacks from their backs. Once they’d been unburdened, he let them flee, then flew back to Dareena.
“I didn’t want you to accidentally melt these,” she said, holding up the count’s bracelets. He lay on the ground behind her, passed out. “I think this is what the warlocks have been using to force the dragons to shift back to human form.”
Alistair rumbled his agreement. He landed on the ledge so Dareena could climb onto his back, then grabbed two sacks of the treasure and flew back down the mountainside to meet Lucyan. Even with the amulet to shield him, he could sense the wrongness emanating from those bracelets; if Lucyan tried to fly up here, he would be incapacitated immediately.
Lucyan was already on the ground waiting, still in dragon form. Their father was laid out at his feet, and Alistair’s heart clenched at the sight of Dragomir’s broken, bloodied body. As he moved in for a landing, Lucyan’s form blurred, the bracelets Dareena held forcing him to change back.
“Bloody hell,” Lucyan growled, a scowl planted on his face. Alistair shifted back into human form so the three of them could talk. It was a bit strange for them to be standing around naked, with his father naked on the ground between them, while Dareena remained fully clothed, but there was little they could do about it unless they found clothing up in the treasure hoard.
“Is he still alive?” Dareena asked, staring down at their father. She looked like she was torn between wanting to approach and wanting to get as far away from him as possible. Alistair couldn’t blame her—his father had threatened and demeaned her, and even tried to rape her once. The man who had raised them had turned into a truly despicable being.
“I think so,” Alistair said softly, crouching next to the body. He felt for a pulse and found one beating at his father’s neck, faint but present.
“I think his back is broken,” Lucyan said roughly, folding his arms across his naked chest. “His leg is at an odd angle, too, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he has broken ribs. It will take him quite some time to heal, and the bones will need to be set.”
Alistair sighed. “I know he’s done terrible things, but we cannot leave him like this,�
� he said. “He’s our father, Lucyan.”
Lucyan nodded tightly. “We cannot bring him back into the Keep, though,” he said. “It would be impossible to hold him in a cell or put him under house arrest.”
“Not necessarily,” Dareena said thoughtfully. She held the bracelets out to Lucyan, who backed away hastily. “These will keep Dragomir confined to his human form. It likely also hampers his ability to breathe fire and heal, which means that he is effectively rendered mortal so long as these are nearby.”
“And so are we,” Lucyan complained, his face screwed up in disgust. “Just what is the range on those blasted things anyway? Alistair was still a ways up when I was forced to shift.”
Dareena smiled. “Let’s test it then, shall we?” She slid the bracelets onto her wrists, then backed away. “Let me know when you stop feeling the effects.”
Alistair dropped the amulet into the dirt so he could participate. The moment he did, he felt something squeeze him tight, as if a band were wrapped around his chest, except the feeling was inside him. A shiver of revulsion rippled through him, and suddenly he understood Lucyan’s reaction when Dareena had held those bracelets out to him. He would not have wanted anything to do with them either.
Thankfully, the farther Dareena walked, the looser the band around Alistair got. When she was around a hundred yards away, it disappeared completely, and he and Lucyan let out twin breaths of relief. Looking down at their father, they noticed that the scrapes on his body were healing, a large gash on his inner thigh almost completely closed already.
“Stop there!” Alistair called. “That’s the radius!”
“Excellent.” Dareena beamed as she strolled back to them. “I don’t think there is an easy way for us to transport your father and the treasure back ourselves, so one of us needs to go back to Dragon’s Keep and get help. Lucyan, why don’t you go? I’ll wait here with Alistair.” She slipped her hand in Alistair’s after he placed the amulet back around his neck.
“Are you sure?” Lucyan asked. “You wouldn’t rather come back to the Keep with me?”
Dareena dropped the bracelets onto the ground, then came over to Lucyan and wrapped her arms around his neck. “As much as I love spending time with you, I’d hate to leave Alistair here all alone,” she said, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss Lucyan. She brushed her lips against his, and Lucyan tightened his arms, pressing her against his naked body. Alistair didn’t miss the way his brother’s cock had hardened, and his own twitched in response, as if it were feeling left out and wanted to join the party. “Hurry back,” she murmured against his mouth. “Don’t keep me waiting.”
“I don’t plan to.” Lucyan grinned, then turned around and walked away. Alistair snorted, noting the way Dareena’s gaze was glued to his brother’s arse. He wrapped his arms around Dareena from behind as Lucyan shifted into a dragon and propelled himself into the sky.
“If my father weren’t here, I would suggest all kinds of ways to keep ourselves entertained,” he said, nibbling her earlobe.
Dareena giggled and turned in his arms. “I don’t think we can afford to drop our guard while we’re out in the open,” she said with a mischievous smile. “But,” she added as she pressed her lips against his, “there is no reason we can’t kiss and cuddle while we wait.”
33
As Drystan stood over the map in the war room, going over strategy, the urge to tear his hair out struck him. The war wagons were being readied, the troops rallied…and yet, Drystan knew it wouldn’t be enough. Not if those elven bastards were wielding those infernal bracelets, and not once they crossed into the heartland of Elvenhame and ran headlong into the anti-dragon wards.
“We’ve managed to gather twenty warding amulets,” Shadley said, placing a wooden box the size of a medium dog on the table. “That will be enough to protect you and your lieutenants,” he said to Tariana.
“And me,” Drystan added. He was not going to cower behind the battlements while his sisters went off to war again. He was a dragon now, and he would use every ounce of strength and power available to get his mate and brothers back.
“That still leaves the rest of the Dragon Force unprotected,” Tariana said tersely. Her jaw was clenched tight, her eyes burning with frustration. “The moment we come up against the anti-dragon wards, they’ll be reduced to the same fighting capacity as humans.”
“Which is still better than nothing,” Drystan pointed out. “And even if the Dragon Force must fight like humans, they will still have us to back them up. We will just have to fight harder to make up for it.”
“It would be nice if we had all the dragons at our disposal,” Tariana said, folding her arms. “Where the bloody hell is Lucyan? Have you heard from him since he set off for Enethar?”
“No,” Drystan admitted. He scrubbed a hand over his beard, briefly glancing out the window. Outside, soldiers and servants ran about, loading up the war wagons, saddling horses, packing supplies, and so on. “You were the last one to speak to him.”
A troubled look crossed Tariana’s face. “It’s possible he tried to infiltrate the castle and failed. He could be held prisoner even now.”
“My spies have reported no such thing,” Shadley said, “but it has been impossible to plant anyone in the castle itself since they found my last informant, so my information could be out of date.”
“Your Highness!” The door banged open, and a page rushed in. His face was flushed, his wide eyes bright with excitement. “There is a dragon approaching the Keep!”
Drystan jumped out of his chair. “Is it my father?” he demanded, though he didn’t know why the page would be so happy about that. It wasn’t as if anyone missed Dragomir. Or could it be…?
“I don’t think so,” the page said. “He’s smaller, though still bigger than your sisters, and has red scales. Come quick—I think he’s headed for the courtyard!”
Drystan, Shadley, and Tariana sprinted from the war room, following the page to the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Sure enough, a dragon was coming in, his brilliant red hide glinting in the afternoon light. He let out a roar that shook the battlements as he landed, frightening the servants half to death. The soldiers gripped their weapons, an instinctive reaction to the predator before them even though they had to know the dragon was on their side.
Or was he?
The dragon landed in the middle of the courtyard, crushing a wooden cart that had not been moved aside fast enough. He furled his wings in, then lowered his head as his form blurred.
“Lucyan!” Tariana gasped, her eyes shining with joy and relief. Before Drystan could so much as blink, she vaulted over the balcony. His sister landed the thirty feet below in a crouch, then sprang up and engulfed their brother in what looked to be a bone-crushing hug.
“If you don’t mind,” Shadley said, an amused look on his face, “I think I’ll take the long way down.”
Drystan grinned, then followed after Tariana, jumping the railing. “I was beginning to worry about you!” he said, coming in for a hug of his own. On his way, he snagged a cloak from one of the guards to wrap around Lucyan’s body. “What the bloody hell happened? Did you ever reach Enethar?”
“I did,” Lucyan said, grinning from ear to ear. “And Dareena and Alistair are both safe.”
“They are?” Drystan exclaimed, exchanging surprised glances with Tariana.
“We received a box this morning with Alistair’s severed arm in it,” Tariana explained when Lucyan gave him a quizzical look. “And a threat to send more pieces if we did not pay the ransom.”
A dark look crossed Lucyan’s face. “Yes, that was a horrific ordeal. Alistair was on death’s door when I arrived, but with the help of the amulet, he recovered. Thankfully,” he said, a grin banishing the shadows from his face, “the both of us have learned how to shift, and Alistair regrew his arm.”
“That is excellent news!” Drystan cried, feeling incredibly relieved. All the weight seemed to sluice off his shoulders, making him so light
he felt as if a stiff wind might topple him. “I assume this means Alistair was able to fly back with you?” Where is he now? And Dareena?”
“They are waiting for us outside our father’s lair,” Lucyan said. “Along with the treasure.”
“The treasure?” Tariana sounded as stunned as Lucyan felt. “What were you doing at Father’s lair?”
“And how were you able to get the treasure from him?” Drystan demanded. “I was there myself not that long ago, trying to reason with him. He did not recognize me at all, and nearly tore me to pieces.”
Lucyan gave them a smug smile. “That’s because you don’t know how to let others do your dirty work for you.”
Inside, over mugs of hot mead, Lucyan told Drystan, Tariana, Shadley, Catriona, and Taldren all about how they’d followed a group of warlocks to the Black Mountains, then watched as they incapacitated their father using the brass bracelets the oracle imposter had told them about. Lucyan had retrieved their father from the crevice he’d fallen in while Alistair and Dareena took care of the warlocks, and they had agreed to remain behind while Lucyan flew back to Dragon’s Keep for help.
“Is Father all right?” Tariana asked in a worried voice. Drystan felt a pang of sympathy for her—she knew better than anyone else how terrible their father was, and yet, as his eldest child, she shared a bond with him that none of their other siblings had.
“His body will heal,” Lucyan said. “His mind is another matter entirely. Dareena is using the warlock bracelets to keep him subdued while they wait for us.”
“If the warlocks have truly been using mirrors to spy on us,” Shadley said, “then they will have learned of this development. We must retrieve the treasure, and our friends, before they send someone else out to take it again. They will know all three of you can shift now, and will adjust their plans accordingly.”
“Agreed,” Drystan said, rising from his chair. “Enough sitting around. Let us go.”