Heir of Dragmoore- The Veiled Haven

by Jennifer Ann Schlag

  Desmond and Gavin gather all the citizens of Dragmoore to the throne room. The announcement he must make is not an easy one.

  Jexxer walks over to him. “Do you wish me to lift the spell from them? They’ll remember everything.”

  Desmond nods. He looks down at his hands. His druid magic is flowing rapidly through his veins. As the green moves along, he feels his mind slipping away.

  “Are you all right?” Gavin asks.

  “I shouldn’t have rushed putting this back into me. I’ll be fine. Go and lift the spell, Jexxer.”

  Jexxer stands before all the citizens. “People of Dragmoore, listen carefully to me.” All eyes are on Jexxer. He raises his hands high above his head. “Ilaria. Vectuum. Heknum.”

  A whooshing sound comes down from Jexxer’s fingertips. It covers the entire room. Makes a crackling sound as it covers the people.

  As the spell is lifted, people start remembering. They start asking questions all at once.

  Desmond steps up.

  A hush falls over the crowd.

  “Your king is dead.”

  “Where is Prince Remy?” a noble woman asks.

  “He is on his task of worth. When he returns, he will be your new king. For now, I am standing in as your king.”

  Where no one is protesting, Desmond still sees their thoughts. They don’t trust him. Mainly due to his father being mad. They do have every right to think that the madness is hereditary.

  “Aren’t you the true heir of the throne before Prince Remy?” a nobleman asks.

  “Yes. But seeing that my father was removed from the line of succession, I was too.”

  “As for acting King Desmond’s first task, he will individually speak to all those who wish to know how we are to move forward from this nightmare,” Jexxer says.

  Desmond gives Jexxer an odd look. He never said he’d do that. Instead of arguing; he’s had too much grief for one day. He sits down on the throne and waits for the first person to approach him.

  The South Port is a complete opposite to the north one. Here the village is smaller with homes barely big enough for one person. They have cute pink and white roofs, river pebbles for walls, and they sit directly on the ground. They are far from the shoreline. The water also seems calmer here. During a storm that might change. The elves here don’t harbor ill will like the ones who live in the grand crystal city. They are very friendly. Too friendly. It’s all wit and whimsy here.

  Logan is enjoying the fair beauties. Where he managed to get clothes from, Talen and Remy have no idea, but Remy is thankful for it. The silk pants don’t do much as far as keeping certain things hidden. The impression downstairs is very much visible. The silk shirt shows off Logan’s impressive chest. He may have been better off staying naked. He introduces them to the elf women he’s become acquainted with, who are all equally intoxicating to look at. Talen finds it unusual that Remy isn’t taken with any of them. Can he truly be devoted to her?

  Two elf men walk past Talen. They are graceful in their gait. It’s like they move through your soul. They immediately take interest in Talen. She can’t begin to understand why. Her mother was beautiful. But she looks at herself every day and sees no resemblance.

  “You are Princess Kylie’s daughter,” one of the men says.

  “Yes. Did you know my mother?”

  “Of course we did,” the other man says.

  Two elf women with gorgeous flowing dark hair come straight for Talen and Remy. Their pale blue silk dresses leave nothing to the imagination. Once more, instead of Remy falling for their beauty, he remains reserved. The two elf men quickly exit the area.

  “Hello there,” one of the women says.

  “Hi. Listen, I know you don’t like humans, but can you tell me when the next ship is due to arrive?”

  “Soon,” the other woman says.

  “You aren’t very helpful,” Remy says.

  “Come with us for a bit. We will show you how helpful we can be,” they both say.

  Talen walks past them. Her shoulder touches one of the women. They both turn to each other. They both felt the same thing. A burning. A tingling.

  Remy runs to catch up to Talen.

  “What are we going to do?” the one woman asks the other.

  “We do as our queen says. We track the humans.”

  “That girl isn’t entirely human. I felt the touch that only we give out to each other. She is Kylie’s daughter.”

  “You wouldn’t feel it that strongly since she is half elf.”

  Logan comes out of one of the homes with a plate full of fruit, cheese, and vegetables. Talen goes to grab a piece and he puts the plate high above his head. She jumps to grab it but he keeps it high above her.

  “Stop it,” Remy says.

  “I wish you had drowned. You’re no fun. Plus, if you had died, I would be alone with Talen.”

  Remy yanks the plate away from Logan and hands it to Talen. “You are never going to be alone with her.”

  “I’m not the one who stabbed her.”

  Talen scoffs down fruit. She isn’t a fan of cheese. Remy grabs a few slices of cheese. She hands the plate back to Logan. “What is next for us?”

  “We wait for the ship. We have a few hours. The elves have an inn at the end of that path which leads up to the main road. They are very accommodating.”

  “Is there anyone you haven’t slept with?” Talen asks.

  “Actually, I have never slept with an elf. I usually stick to my own kind.”

  Remy doesn’t believe that. He hopes Talen doesn’t either.

  “We will join you there. I want to keep my eyes on you.”

  “Talen?”

  “Excellent. I see I am winning.” Logan almost skips off.

  “Why are you giving into him?”

  “Because I want proper food. You think fruit, cheese, and vegetables is enough?”

  They walk into the inn and find it full of elves scandalously dressed. The bartender lines up drinks and two elves are downing them. They can hold their liquor better than most but getting drunk eventually happens.

  Logan finds a table at the back. He sits against the wall to better watch the ladies dancing to the serene flute playing. Remy and Talen are happy to sit with their backs to the festivities.

  An elf woman dressed in a pink ruffled top and a white silk skirt comes over. “What can I get you fine people?” she asks in a sweet, delectable voice.

  “It’s my treat. Order whatever you want.”

  Talen has no idea what the elf inn makes for food. “Do you have any honey bread?”

  “Yes. Freshly baked early this morning.”

  “I’ll take a few slices.”

  “Sure. Would you like our dandelion nectar?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll take the same,” Remy says.

  “Darling, I would like some of that glistenberry wine,” Logan says.

  “Great. That’s all we need. You getting all lustful around Talen.”

  “You know, Miss Dragniss, I believe your Remy is really insecure.”

  The elf hurries off.

  “So you know, Prince Remy, I was already lusting after Talen. The glistenberries don’t have the same effect on me as they do on others.”

  “Why are these elves nice?”

  “They rebelled against Galaria and she tossed them out of Evervale. They took up residence at the South Port.”

  The food is delivered. The drinks are delivered. The music is lively. The people are friendly. But Talen can’t get into the sweet groove. She taps her fingernails on the wood table. It gets on Remy’s nerves but he understands her frustration. The ship should have arrived by now. She takes breaks in between the tapping to nibble on the honey bread.

  Two elf men start bickering. Their argument escalates into slapping each other around. Magic starts bouncing off the walls.

  Logan is laughing himself right out of the chair.

  Talen finds nothing funny about this.


  A blast of blue smoke magic almost hits Logan in the face. It hits the wall behind him, leaving behind a huge black mark.

  “That would’ve hurt.” He continues laughing.

  Remy wants to hide under the table or flee the inn. It’s never a good idea to get caught in the crosshairs of a magical duel. The other elves start running out and Remy gets carried out by them Elves may be close to immortal but they aren’t invulnerable. Especially to their own magic.

  Talen starts for the door, then Logan pulls her around and takes her upstairs. Into a room they go. It’s all set up for a pleasurable night. A pink and white canopy bed with lots of large, fluffy pillows. Feathers dance around the room. A spell of some kind most likely. A side table full of nectar. Logan tosses her onto the bed.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Shh…”

  “Don’t shush me?”

  Logan has his ear pressed against the door. “We need to talk to one of the men who started the fight. We have to let them fight it out and hope that the one we need makes it out alive.”

  “Why are we in this room alone?”

  “To throw off suspicion. Your friend Remy is going to get us killed. He has no stomach for deception, like you and me.”

  “I don’t deceive anyone.”

  “You’ve got your mother’s beauty but you’ve got your aunt’s cleverness. She is a great deceiver.”

  “My aunt?”

  Heavy thrashing, banging comes from outside the door.

  “They’re coming. We’re going to have to put on a show. Are you ready?”

  “I don’t understand. Why do we need one of these men?”

  Pounding on the door makes Talen jump.

  Logan rushes to the bed. There is eagerness for a lot of things in his eyes. “It’s better that you hear the truth from one of your own.”

  She lies back against the numerous pillows. He leans in to steal her breath away. Their lips connect. Strong and gentle at the same time. He deepens the kiss. The door flies open. At first there is a lot of shouting and a static, popping sound. Talen opens her eyes to see two elf men with their hands moving to cast magic.

  Logan lifts his face away from Talen. “You want to ruin the moment? Can’t you wait?”

  The elves have a huge weakness when it comes to watching others make love. It distracts them from everything else around them. When an elf has sex, it almost always involves magic. The whole experience has to be enhanced. They move so fluidly that it’s like having sex with water.

  “May we stay to watch?” one of the men asks.

  “No!” Talen says.

  Logan plants a soft kiss on her lips. “Fellas, she is very shy. It’s her first time.”

  “Even better. We love virgin humans,” the other man says.

  Talen shudders under Logan’s body.

  “Ah, let them continue. They still have their clothes on.” The elves leave the room and shut the door.

  Talen sighs a breath of relief. Logan is still on top of her. Gazing into her eyes. “You can get off now.”

  “I bet your Remy doesn’t kiss you like that.”

  “Get off.”

  “You sure you don’t want to continue? I promise that I am an exceptional lover. You will not be disappointed.”

  Talen does want to be with a man who is experienced. He’ll know where to touch her, how to touch her. A level of passion and pleasure she can’t imagine. She’d never have that with Remy. If she decided to marry him they would experience lovemaking together for the first time. Might seem special, but it would most likely be horrible. It’d take him a few times to be any good at it. She doesn’t need to be experienced to enjoy it. She looks at Logan with a temptation that is suddenly stronger than her pull to Remy or Desmond. It sends shivers of fright and passion up and down her body.

  “I can see it in your eyes. You want me. That elf part of you is coming through.”

  “No.” She gets out from under him. “You can’t see anything. I have to find Remy.”

  Logan lies back against the headboard. His arms reach behind him. He is expecting her to come back to him. She opens the door and leaves. He sits up. “Damnit. This is taking longer than expected. I swore I’d never have sex with an elf, not half or full, but she is also one of them. Something that I am too. It makes sense that I’m attracted to one of my own. By the gods of land and sea, why do I want her so badly?”

  Talen finds the two elves that were fighting before passed out on the floor of the inn. Nothing different from the inn back home. Just then, she sees the Seraphina docking. She runs straight for the dock. Gliding across, and it’s the farthest he’s ever glided, is Kip. He crashes right into her. She doesn’t care that it hurts.

  “I have been so worried.”

  I am happy to see you. Deegus betrayed us. He is up to something.

  “I am happy to see you, Miss Dragniss,” Captain Buckman says.

  “Captain.”

  Maria looks on from the helm. The rest of the passengers come down the gangplank. Deegus is being walked down in chains.

  “He betrayed you.”

  “I heard.”

  “He will be taken to Grecia. The port to Nalaren is closed. And if he is to be transported to Welsa, at least Grecia is close enough to do so. I will wait here until the ship arrives to take him there.”

  “Who is going with him?”

  “I’m sure I can get an elf to do it.”

  “Let me do it.”

  Buckman shakes his head.

  “I can find out things along the way. I can delay my journey to the Veiled Haven for a few days.”

  “Sailing to Grecia is dangerous. Sure, the Gracken won’t be popping up any time soon, but the waters to Grecia are littered with other dangers.”

  “What are we talking about?” Remy asks, walking over with a bowl of porridge.

  “Good to see you alive, Prince Remy.”

  “Where have you been?” Talen asks Remy.

  “Getting food. And quit it with the prince stuff. I don’t want to alert the elves to a royal being here.” Remy waves to Maria. She blows him a kiss.

  Talen grabs Remy’s face and kisses him. “It’s good to remind her.”

  “Remind her of what?” He licks his lips. “You taste funny. Have you been kissing someone else?”

  Logan points a finger at himself.

  “You kissed him?”

  “We did more than that.”

  “Don’t believe him. We didn’t do anything but kiss.”

  “Why did you kiss him?”

  “To throw off suspicion.”

  Buckman goes into the Port Master’s building.

  “Good to see you, Captain Buckman.” The Port Master is an elder elf but the only sign of him being older is his hair. It’s pure white. He hands Buckman his new manifest. He will have some interesting cargo. Buckman folds up the manifest and tucks it inside his jacket.

  “This is the last time that I am carrying these things.”

  “But the queen doesn’t trust anyone else.”

  “The last time.” Buckman walks out.

  Queen Galaria meets with the two female guards that she sent to the South Port. “What have you found out?”

  “Talen is going to sail to Grecia.”

  “Why? No one wants to go there. It’s boring.”

  “Apparently a prisoner is being taken there. She wants to go with the prisoner,” the taller of the two guards says.

  “Who is the prisoner?”

  “A druid.”

  “His name is Deegus.”

  “Desmond’s old watcher,” Galaria says.

  “From what I overheard, he was in her party. He was taking her to the Veiled Haven.”

  “What happened?”

  “Logan Drinjon thwarted Deegus’s plans,” the taller woman says.

  “How dare he get involved.”

  “Orders, my queen?”

  “Stay here. I must make myself known to Talen.”


  The queen ducks into the forest to conceal herself. Her two guards walk towards the inn.

  The harpy queen never assumes anything is fine until it is. She comes out of her harpy den. Her harpies have been starving since the elves left Dragmoore. They may have returned that city to its former self but they have laid waste to other areas. Namely the areas with an abundance of wildlife. The elves use their magic to destroy things, whereas druids are connected to nature and can influence it with their elemental magic. They never destroy anything. Elsa would rather deal with druids and their spiritual chatting than the predicament she’s in now. She sniffs the air. Her harpies smell it too.

  A caravan of humans is travelling on the main road. Elsa signals to her harpies to prepare. Harpies have no problem feasting on humans, animals, or elves. Or anything that comes across their path. Meat is meat.

  Desmond assembles a few guards along with Bessy.

  “Where are we riding?” a guard asks.

  “I want to lead a patrol into the Wilderness. With the few Hunters we have left, the border has to be protected by someone. It’s just a scouting mission, nothing more. Hopefully we don’t run into any problems.”

  “Yes, my king.”

  Desmond kicks his stallion into a gallop. The guards follow as does Bessy. Desmond senses her reserve right away.

  “What is it, Bessy?” He slows his mount. Everyone else falls in.

  “You never sent word to Talen to let her know about us and the city.”

  “Damn. I had forgotten. I’m sure she’s been as busy as I have been.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “In case you forgot, we have been preoccupied. She’ll understand.”