Last of His Kind
“Lazarus”
Eichthighearn Dragons Book #1
Copyright © 2018 Margery Ellen
All rights reserved.
This book or any portion thereof may not be
reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without
the express written permission of the author except
for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents
are either the products of the author’s imagination
or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead
or actual events is purely coincidental.
References:
http://www.storynory.com/2008/11/03/the-fairies-of-merlins-craig
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/fairy/fairybook13.htm
http://www.fairyist.com/fairy-places/yorkshire-fairies/almscliff-crag-north-rigton/
Thank you to my husband for
giving me the inspiration and encouraging
me to write
and to my friend Judy Haugness
for her help and support.
Cover Design
By
Scarlett eBook Covers
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 1
Agent Lazarus MacEachen had been working for the FBI, Special Shifter unit for ten years. He could have been in charge of his own team but turned down the promotion every time it was offered. He didn’t want the responsibility of watching out for everyone. He had been in that position once many years past and swore he would never do it again.
Luke Adams was his boss and Lazarus liked it that way. Luke watched out for the team like they were family. He had known and respected Luke for years. They met before Luke left his family home. Lazarus was the only one who knew about the years of estrangement between Luke and his father and he kept it to himself, just as Luke never revealed how long he had known Lazarus. As far as anyone was concerned, Luke and Lazarus met at the FBI.
Lazarus had a family once, they died five hundred years before in Scotland. His mother and father, his two younger brothers and younger sister. His mother and father died trying to defend their family home from marauders from the north beyond the sea. He had been put in charge of keeping his brothers and sister safe and failed. He had gone to help his parents fight and told his siblings to stay hidden. It was a long battle and the family home was defended, but his parents were lost. When he went to get his brothers and sister, they were gone. He looked for them, but found no trace, not even their bodies. He never forgave himself for their loss.
For five hundred years, Lazarus lived a life of solitude in Castle Thighearn, the family home in the far north of Scotland. He would hire new grounds keepers, and their families, every forty years or so, so no one could keep track of how long he had been there. Being a dragon shifter, he was already close to seven hundred years old and didn’t look a day over forty. The Castle was too far from civilization for anyone to chance by. No one ever saw the laird of Castle Thighearn to witness he never aged.
Treasure seekers and looters would try to break into the Castle from time to time, thinking it was abandoned. They never got very far. Something on the castle grounds protected the castle’s keep. Seldom did anyone try a second time, if they hadn’t already disappeared on the Parph; the moorland wilderness.
Rumors were constantly whispered; Castle Thighearn was haunted or was protected by some strange evil. Some argued there was a dragon there, claiming to have seen it fly over the moors at night. Eventually, no one bothered to make the long trek to the cold northern, windswept shores of Scotland, only to return empty handed or never return at all.
Grounds keepers were paid well to care for the Castle and surrounding moors. Sheep and some cattle were raised for their meat and wool.
For years, Laird Lazarus MacEachthighearna never ventured far from the Castle Thighearn. His tall, dark, brooding figure walked the upper halls during the day and the bowels of the Castle at night where he kept his hoard. When nightmares kept him from sleep, he would roam the moors, which he loved. But with his family gone and no one to share it with, there was no pleasure there.
He read every book in the vast castle library and when he ran out of books to read, he enrolled at the University of Inverness. He had stayed up with the changing times and technologies. For two hundred years, he attended the University. None of the help ever knew he left the castle.
Finally, the dreary grey atmosphere of the castle and the moors got to be too much. Being around the people at the university, even though he kept to himself, made him realize he needed to change his ways. The day came when the Laird of Castle Thighearn informed his new grounds keeper, he was going away and would be gone for some time.
The grounds keeper, Michael MacGregor, was a simple farmer. He and his family lived within the Castle’s perimeter walls. He had been there for seven years. He had never so much as caught a glimpse of Laird MacEachthighearna. The position of grounds keeper was handed down from one keeper to the next. Before the old grounds keeper left, it was his job to find a replacement and show the new man what needed to be done. The lord of the Castle was never involved.
One day, when a seven-foot tall, giant of a man, approached him, the farmer feared for his life and for his family. He didn’t know who the man was.
Lazarus introduced himself and assured the man no harm would come to him, much to the relief of the farmer. He was to continue all his duties as if the lord were there. The castle hearths in the main hall, kitchen and master chambers were to be lit daily and the halls and rooms cleaned as usual. The women cooked the meals in the castle kitchen for all the help. They would continue to do so.
The Laird of Castle Thighearn informed him, he might return in a fortnight, or he may return sooner. If he was gone longer, the man was to continue his duties. As long as he was paid, he would know his employer still lived. In the old days, if a lord of a castle didn’t return, he would be believed dead and the help would eventually leave and abandon the land. This was newer, modern times with cell phones and television. The Castle was to always be ready for the Laird’s return. If the farmer did his job well, he would reward him handsomely.
The grounds keeper never complained in the past and he wasn’t going to start now. He brought his brothers and sisters and their families to help as well. The Castle was so large and properties so vast, it was a common practice for the entire extended family to work there. He was well paid to do his job and not engage in local gossip. They knew their place and never spoke of the strange goings on at Castle Thighearn.
Once a month, the farmer traveled to Inverness to buy supplies and pick up his monthly pay from a banker there. The women spun the wool from the sheep into one of the finest quality threads in Scotland and sold it to merchan
ts in Inverness. The lord was generous and allowed the women to keep half of the earnings to pay for the shearing and spinning. They stayed loyal to the lord and thankful they could afford to live comfortably and send their children to school.
*****
Lazarus MacEachthighearna left his family home and lands for the first time in five hundred years. While he attended the University, he shortened his last name to MacEachen. Having a long Gaelic surname was hard for people to pronounce.
He had no idea where he was going or when he would return. For now, he would travel. He had kept up on current events and knew what was going on around the world. He traveled Europe, Asia, China, and on his way back, he stopped in the Tanna-Ola mountains with Mongolia on one side and Russia on the other.
He loved the mountains, the forests and the rivers running through them. It was so different from the cold, wet, windswept climate of northern Scotland. There was plenty of game and fish to feed on and fresh water. He decided he would stay there for a few days before returning home. He had been gone for five months, much longer than he had planned. It was time to return to Scotland.
Lazarus sat by the river, fishing, contemplating where he would go next when he heard men yelling and an animal screaming. He instantly went to see what was going on. He ran through the trees and came to a clearing. He stopped at the tree line before he was seen. Several men had an enormous tiger trapped in a net. They were yelling and taunting the big cat with long spear-like poles.
Lazarus thought it was a shame such a beautiful animal was being treated in such a way. It was none of his business, they would probably sell it to a zoo. He watched and was about to turn away when one of the men pulled out a rifle and was preparing to shoot the animal.
The huge cat froze when he looked toward the forest. He saw Lazarus. As they stared at each other, their eyes locked, something inside Lazarus told him, he couldn’t let this cat be killed. As the trapper aimed the rifle, there was a huge roar and the ground shook. Everyone stopped and looked towards the sound. A blast of blue and white fire was coming towards them, followed by a sixty-foot long dragon. The man with the rifle fired several shots at the dragon, before running off. The rest of the hunters dropped everything and ran for their lives.
After making sure they were gone, the dragon approached the big cat tangled in the net and looked down at him. “I huvnae had that much fun in five hundred years,” he chuckled. Smoke came out his nose in puffs. The tiger instantly shifted into a man.
“Thank you. You just saved my life.”
Lazarus looked down at the naked man tangled in the net. “Are ye alright? Dae ye need a han ta get outta the mess ye be in?”
“Yes, I could use some help, thank you. I’m afraid this rope is laced with steel cable and I can’t seem to get lose.”
“Haud ye heid, ah dinnae wanna accidently bite ye.” The dragon gently grabbed the net in his teeth to hold it and ran a razor-sharp talon down the net like it was made of butter. A talon almost as long, as a man was tall. He made quick work of the net. It was off the man in no time.
The naked man got to his feet and craned his neck to look up at the dragon. “Should I be afraid of you?”
The dragon instantly disappeared in a swirl and a man, fully clothed, wearing a kilt, stood before him. A giant of a man, seven feet tall and shoulders almost as wide.
“Ma ainm Laird Lazarus MacEachthighearna.” Lazarus held out his hand. “Ye ken call me Lazarus MacEachen.”
“I didn’t understand the first part and the last part was a mouthful. I’m Prince Lukar Adamokus.” He shook his hand. “Laird, it’s like the title of Lord, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Aye, similar, but only a land owner, noo royalty.”
“Thank you, I owe you my life.”
“Nay, just glad ah happened by. How’d ye get yer self in such a predicament? Ye shoo knoo better.”
“You are absolutely right.” Lukar went through some of the packs left by the trappers looking for something to put on. “I had a fight with my father and I wasn’t paying attention. I was too pissed off to watch where I was going.”
“Aye, da’s have a way of doing that. Wanna plan ye life for ye, did he?”
Lukar just nodded his head, he was having trouble understanding what the great Scot was saying. He pulled on some jeans, a size too large, but they would do. He found a t-shirt and pulled it over his head. He would have to go barefoot. The trappers weren’t in the habit of packing an extra pair of boots.
“What is a Scot, a dragon no less, doing in this neck of the woods? Pardon the pun.”
“Ye be more curious aboot me self. Ye na feart me baste?” The Scott raised a brow.
“Baste? Oh, beast.” Lukar laughed. “I didn’t want to appear rude. Did you know you’re bleeding? Hold still and let me look.” Lazarus had blood running down his arm from a wound near his shoulder.
“I must admit, seeing a dragon did surprise me. To be honest, you scared the hell out of me. I didn’t know there were any.” He continued as he examined the shoulder.
“Aa tha yin.”
Lukar gave him a funny look.
“Aye, one.” Lazarus acknowledged sadly.
“You.” Lukar heard the sadness in his voice. “I’m sorry, it must be very lonely. Looks like a flesh wound. Bullet grazed your arm.”
Lazarus just nodded his head. Lukar wasn’t sure which statement he was agreeing to, being lonely or the bullet.
“Do you want me to wrap that? Do you heal quickly like the rest of us?”
“Aye, it will be healed in no time.”
Chapter 2
“Ah was aboot to ha me supper. Ah feart tis nay safe here fir either of us.”
“I think you’re right. I am sure at this very moment, plans are being made to catch a very large dragon.” Lukar grinned at him.
“Aye, lad, time to move.” Lazarus laughed. “They be dafty to try.”
Lukar shook his head. “I’ll have to teach you how to speak English if we’re to have a conversation.”
“Yer aff yer heid.” He gave Lukar a big grin and repeated more slowly. “Yer off ye heid. Crazy.”
“Oh, I’m crazy. You’re the one who can’t speak English. What language are you speaking, anyway?”
“Gaelic. The old Scottish and Celtic tongues of me da.”
“Well, you’ll have to patient with me. It takes a while to figure out what you’re saying.”
“Aye, ah…. speak…. slow…. for…. ye.” Lazarus gave him a grin and continued with a laugh. “You…. asked…. fir…. et.” Lukar was shaking his head again.
“Well, my very tall friend, since I need a change of clothes, would you care to accompany me to my home for a meal, I owe you one.”
“Aye, what aboot yer da? I widnae be trouble?”
“You will be my guest. What is between my father and I will not be broached while we have a visitor.”
“Lead on me friend.”
Prince Lukar Adamokus started toward home. “It’s a long walk. It would be quicker if we could shift, but I’m afraid you are too big to go unnoticed.”
“Ah can hud frae sicht. Ah be rid.” Lukar looked at him like he was nuts.
“Cannae be seen.” Lazarus was getting frustrated cause he didn’t know the right words.
“Wait.” Lukar held up his hand. “You can hide and be ridden. Are you telling me, I can ride you and no one will see us. You’ll fly.”
Lazarus let out a relieved sigh. “Aye, lad.”
“Well, let’s do it.”
Lazarus MacEachthighearna, for the first time in his life, was going to let a man ride his dragon. He’d seen his father do it with a loyal friend many times.
“Stand aside, lad.” Lukar took a few steps back and watched his new friend. A cloud swirled around the Scott, he disappeared into an enormous beast. The sixty-foot long dragon was a beautiful royal blue with hints of emerald green when he moved in the sun. His teeth were the length of Lukar’s arm. Great horns swept
back from his head and a sharp spiked ridge went from the back of his head down his back to the end of his tail. Huge wings were folded at his sides.
Lukar stood motionless. “You’re magnificent.”
“Dinnae dawdle, lad. Climb up me back, troubles heidae our way. Set yourself at the base of me neck and hang on.”
Lukar quickly ran up the dragon’s leg, then climbed up to the base of his neck. He found an indentation where he could slide down between the spikes at the base of the dragon’s neck. He fit quite well.
“Hang on tight, lad.” Lazarus leaped into the air and with two strokes of his powerful wings, they were above the trees. Before long they were high in the sky. Lukar looked below and was amazed how far he could see. He also had to admit Lazarus was right, the hunters weren’t far off and traveled toward the area they just left.
“No one can see us.” He yelled.
“No need to yell, lad. Ah can hear ye fine.”
“But I can see you.”
“Aye, boot no one else.”
“I’m invisible too?”
“Aye, ye look a might silly flying through the air, lookin’ like yer on the pot.”
Lukar laughed as he looked below. He could see the whole countryside.
“Wow, this is amazing. The castle on the hilltop, off to the right, that’s home.” It was a speck above a forest of green.
Lazarus flew toward the hilltop. When he got there, he circled a couple of times. “Which side do ye want to enter?” He asked.
“By the small building to the south of the castle is the kitchen.”
The south side of the castle had a small cluster of trees at the edge of a manicured park. Lazarus headed there to land. Once on the ground, Lukar slid down the smooth scales of the dragon. As soon as his feet hit the ground, the dragon disappeared, and Lazarus stood before him.
“That was amazing, thank you.”
“Fair fa’ye.”
“That had to be you’re welcome.”
Last of His Kind Page 1