Heir of Dragmoore- The Veiled Haven

by Jennifer Ann Schlag

  “Not me. I need you to get to the Veiled Haven. I wouldn’t fuck things up by having your dragon stolen or you getting killed.”

  “The Grecians. You were supposed to wait for them,” Remy says.

  Talen almost growls while she holds Kip close to her. “How are sea witches on land?”

  “Remy did kill one. We didn’t dispose of it correctly. Also, things are changing now that the Grecians have awoken a slumbering beast,” Desmond says.

  “The Waking Ripple,” Logan says.

  Talen brings Kip into the bedroom. She sits down on the bed. It isn’t soft. Barely comfortable. She doubts she’ll get much sleep anyway. She wraps Kip’s leg as best as she can. Desmond comes over with a towel in his hand.

  “Can you use druid magic to heal him?”

  “Only a Master can heal one of the sacred beasts.”

  “You’re druids. Heal him.”

  “There’s a bond between you and him. You heal him.”

  “Logan said that he and I are alike. He must be a Master.”

  “He’ll say anything to bed you.”

  “His voice is almost enough.”

  Logan goes into the washroom.

  “I’m sorry about all of this. You have to admit it’s strange that Logan wanted to rest here, when we are so close to the Veiled Haven. We could have kept going but he insisted we rest.”

  “Right now I don’t trust anyone.”

  Logan comes out of the washroom with a towel wrapped around his bottom half. “I feel better.” The upper part is glistening with wetness and some body oils. He winks at Talen as he sits down on the bed.

  Desmond goes into the washroom, takes off his clothes and then closes the door.

  Kip purrs against her hand.

  Desmond sinks deep into the water. It feels wonderful. The hot water burning off the impurities he’s endured. He shuts his eyes. Something disturbs the water. He feels the ripples running over his body. He opens his eyes and sees Talen, naked. She drops down on top of him and starts kissing him. He reacts by kissing her back and moving his hands up and down her body. He repositions himself.

  A knock on the door makes him open his eyes and shake his head. Just a dream. “Yes?”

  “Remy wants to use the bath. You’ve been in there for a while now.”

  Desmond puts his head underwater for a second to try and clear his thoughts. He gets out, rubs down most of the water and then wraps a towel around his lower half. He opens the door and there stands Remy.

  “Wait until the maid changes the water.”

  “You didn’t.” Remy goes in and shuts the door.

  Talen tries not to look at Desmond. The green magic is flowing madly through his veins. She touches his arm. “That’s amazing. Does it hurt?”

  “Yes. I try not to think about it.”

  Remy comes into the bedroom. “I came to my senses.” He brings Talen and Kip into the washroom with him.

  He shuts the door. Talen sits down with Kip at her side. Both are unamused by the prince’s jealousy.

  He’s overreacting. I feel sorry for you marrying him.

  “Me too.”

  “What was that?” Remy drops the towel and Talen looks away. “Oh, my body offends you but you practically drop your pants for them.”

  “Stop it.”

  “Come wash me.”

  Talen gets up and grabs a cloth from the side table. She soaks it good, takes a few drops from the pink bath oil and foams up the cloth. She washes Remy’s chest. “You’re acting like a child.”

  “We should be acting like a married couple.”

  “I knew saying yes to you was a mistake.”

  “Oh, was it? Well, if you wish to be removed from the union, I can arrange that.”

  He continues letting her wash him despite him yelling at her.

  She starts washing lower and stops when she gets to his private area.

  “Don’t even think about stopping. You will wash every single part of me.”

  “Forgive me. The cloth needs more bath oil.”

  She walks over to the table with the bottles and drizzles some more pink oil on the cloth. “I’m sorry for all this tension.” She goes back to washing Remy, moving further down on him. He flinches. A grin comes across her face as she takes full hold of his precious assets. He squirms.

  “You listen here. If you dare to treat me again like you are right now, I will make sure you can’t consummate any marriage. Do we have an understanding, husband?”

  “Forgive me, darling.”

  She smiles like a good girl and releases him. He lets out a heavy breath.

  “I really am sorry. They bring out an ugly side of me.”

  “I doubt you have an ugly side, my king.”

  He grabs her hands and wraps his hands around them. He brings her close to his face. “You may not believe me, Talen, but I truly love you. And somehow, from the moment we met at the party, I knew it was going to be you that I married. From that day I just wanted to be near you. Is that crazy?”

  “No.” She gently kisses him.

  He becomes eager and starts kissing her passionately. “Get into the bath with me.”

  She pulls away. “Not tonight.”

  She leaves the washroom with Kip.

  Remy soaks for a bit then gets out and dries off.

  Talen is already in bed with Desmond and Logan when Remy comes in wearing only pants. It’s not the biggest of beds, not anywhere compared to what a king would sleep in, but it will have to do. Kip is asleep under the window with a blanket covering him. Remy gets into bed and brings Talen close to him. It gives the other two more room but he wants her close to him. The further she is from them, the better.

  “I’m going to say it before anyone else does. If my arm happens to be on any part of anyone’s body in the morning, do not kill me for it. I move around a lot in my sleep,” Logan says.

  They all laugh.

  Desmond takes lead as they start their way down the main road. The news of bandits travelling the same road raises some concern. It’s not anything he can’t handle. He is, after all, the Marksman. People will recognize his name and maybe his face. He did travel from time to time with the Hunters when they went on their long hunting trips. They never travelled beyond any of the ports but they covered enough land to find the beasts they needed.

  “We have to cross a marshland. It never rises more than a few feet. Shouldn’t come past our waists.”

  “Logan said we were nearly at the dark path which is the last stop before the Veiled Haven. What is this about crossing a marshland?” Talen says.

  “I don’t want to get wet,” Logan says.

  “Then shift.”

  “I’m still getting wet.”

  “You will shift and you will like it.”

  “Talen asked you a question,” Remy says.

  “Logan lied. If we were to take the route he is suggesting, yes, we would be at the dark path right away.”

  “Which is what we need to do,” Logan says.

  “However, if bandits are up ahead, they will be waiting for people to enter the dark path. When they become delirious, they’ll be robbed, or worse. By us going around and entering the dark path on a different angle, we are saving ourselves from that fate.”

  “That sounds like crap. We can take down some bandits,” Remy says.

  “Not if we are possessed by the darkness. Any one of us can be taken in by it.”

  “Oh, for all the sacred beasts, let us go already,” Talen says.

  They take a left turn off the main road, onto a smaller road and come upon the dank and dismal marshland. It doesn’t smell as bad as it does in Dragmoore. There’s a floral fragrance coming from the pink flowers atop the tall grass around the few solid pieces of earth. There’s a plethora of frogs leaping from lily pad to lily pad, while the largest ones sit on the solid ground.

  “I will carry Talen across,” Logan says.

  “Why can’t you carry all of us?” Remy a
sks.

  “Remy, you will shift into one of the woodland wolves from back home,” Desmond says.

  Talen looks out over the small hill which gives the best view of the marshland. “Why do I get the feeling this isn’t going to be easy?”

  “It may not be. If a frog bites you enough, the toxin in their saliva will impair your mobility and you will die slowly.”

  “Lovely,” Logan says. “Let’s just shift into flying animals then.”

  “The dragon can’t fly. We have to stick low to the ground in case he gets into trouble,” Desmond says.

  “And he’s hurt. Logan, shift into an animal that can carry both of us,” Talen says.

  “I am considering becoming a bisselfy. They are quick.”

  Desmond smacks Logan on the side of his face. “You want to shift into a giant bug that hungry frogs, who eat bugs, will see and wrap their tongue around?”

  “How do you know what animal you can shift into?” Talen asks.

  “In one of the druid books it talks about what animals are allowed. No sacred beasts ever,” Logan says.

  Remy’s eyes turn a milky pale blue and a flash of white light bursts around him. His body grows and grows until the wolf comes through. Its hair is dark and has streaks of tan running through it. Its eyes are amber with blue mixed in.

  “Thanks to the Wilderness wolves mating with our woodland wolves, they have stronger hides. It also happens to be Remy’s favorite animal.” Desmond climbs on top of the wolf. Grabs its scruff. The wolf leaps down the hill and into the marshland.

  Kip takes his time getting down the hill and crossing into the marshland. His injured leg is hurting but he intends to glide as much as he can.

  Logan focuses hard and shifts. Into a giant fly with long curved horns on the front of its head.

  “Desmond is going to be so mad at you.”

  The fly tilts its head. Talen throws the large backpack over her back and gets on. Grabs holds of the horns. It takes flight and dives down, almost touching the murky water below. It pulls up but its legs skim the surface. Talen sighs her relief.

  The wolf covers a lot of ground. It lands on one of the patches of ground and a frog lets out its tongue. It wraps around the wolf’s leg and brings it closer to its mouth. Fangs drop down and the mouth latches on. The wolf howls in pain. Desmond’s eyes flutter. The frog’s tongue retracts and it chokes to death. The madness is taking Desmond. He tries with all his strength to push it down. Now he is killing animals. They may not be innocent. Truth is these frogs are one of the deadliest beasts in the Wilderness. That isn’t a reason to kill one.

  Kip is doing really well avoiding the frogs. He glides across most of the swampy areas. He lands and his injured leg gives out. He falls into the water.

  “Logan, go down.”

  The bisselfly flies down.

  Talen jumps off into the water. It comes up to her knees. No frogs are in sight. The small patch of land closest to them is reachable. If she can move Kip. He is sinking. She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him forward. She looks at the fly. “Can you fly both of us?”

  The bisselfly tilts its head and lets out a soft humming.

  “You’re going to have to try.”

  Just as she pulls Kip onto the mere spit of land, a tongue wraps around her leg. She tries to pull it off. Kip snaps at the tongue and bites it in half. Rising out of the water, a giant of a frog with pieces of grass hanging from its large dark eyes and popping warts running down its back. It opens its mouth. The defeated tongue flaps haphazardly at them. It’ll never reach like before but it can still hold onto someone. The bisselfly lands on top of the frog. The two animals thrash around. During the commotion, Talen brings Kip onto the back of the bisselfly. The extra weight is too much. The thrashing nearly knocks Talen and the dragon off. More frogs are making their way over.

  Desmond has already made it to the other side. Then he sees Talen in trouble. The wolf transforms back into Remy.

  “I should have took her myself,” Desmond says.

  Talen calms her mind. “It’s going to be all right, Kip. It’s going to be all right. I… am…” Her voice trails off. She wags her index finger across Kip’s injured leg. A vibrant orange glows covers his leg. Her eyes turn bright blue. “Transform, Logan.” The bisselfly immediately goes back to being Logan.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Stay close.”

  Her eyes turn dark blue. An electric current feeds through her eyes to the approaching frogs, including the injured one. They are trapped in place, encased in an electric prison. The current running through them scorches their bodies. They suffocate and fall over dead. Talen’s eyes go back to their pretty green.

  “You used your elf magic.”

  “I don’t think it was entirely me using it. I think my aunt is somehow forcing it out of me. Grab Kip.”

  Logan grabs hold of the dragon.

  Talen makes a small circle with her hand. The water in front of them sinks lower and lower and solid ground rises. They waste no time in running to the other side where Desmond and Remy wait.

  “You could have done that and saved us the trouble of shifting,” Desmond says.

  “It came out of me on its own.”

  That worries Desmond. Much like him, Talen can’t control her elf magic. He will not stand by and watch her go mad too.

  Kip has been healed but he still has a small limp.

  Desmond leads them out onto a safer looking path.

  Gavin visits with his brother. The dungeon has been cleaned out recently. The prisoners have been washed and given fresh clothes. Along with Ragbar, there are two others being held captive. Not all of the elves got through the portals. But Gavin is not here to talk with the elves.

  “Go away. Traitor.”

  “Me?”

  “Remy is no ruler. His father was weak. Heck, I’d even rather see you on the throne before Remy.”

  “My daughter will sit on the throne as well. You dare to say evil things about her?”

  “She is evil. From Kylie’s seed. What were you thinking? Mating with an elf? There were plenty of good women around here. Bessy has loved you for a long time. She’s a druid but she’s human.”

  Gavin takes out his Hunter dagger. “Say one more word about my wife and I’ll gut you.”

  Ragbar isn’t afraid. He will not back down to his brother. “Talen is part of the reason for this darkness coming. You can never trust elves.”

  Gavin opens the cell door and plunges the dagger forward. He pulls away and the dagger barely scratched the shirt Ragbar is wearing. “You’re lucky that I haven’t got the nerve to kill you. Not after losing so much.” Gavin slams the door shut, heads for the staircase.

  “Coward,” Ragbar says.

  Gavin goes up the stairs. He exits the dungeon through the back and walks into Bessy.

  “We need to talk. You haven’t begun recruiting any new Hunters. It can’t stay just the two of us. You can’t run a kingdom and a city and be a Hunter.”

  “Why can’t you recruit new ones?”

  “Because I don’t trust my judgment. You have a knack for seeing people beyond their face. You have to snap out of this, whatever it is you’re in. I need Gavin the Hunter back. What are you proving keeping your brother locked up? You’re turning into a Dragmoore. Only they toy with their kin better.”

  “I am doing this to teach him a lesson.”

  “Who is the lesson really for?”

  He parts the bushes nearby and walks into the woodland. She is quick to follow. “The strain is hard for us. Holding together a kingdom when our would-be kings are out there somewhere.”

  She brings him into a hug. He hasn’t felt a woman’s warmth in a long time. It’s a great comfort for the moment. He almost imagines making love to Bessy right there. Knowing Desmond will never give that love to her, he can. Maybe it’s time to move on. Bessy may be stocky but she has a pleasing figure. He can see the attraction.

  Gavin start
s digging up the rows of vegetables on his old farm. He whistles over a few young men. “Get to taking down the house. I am building my Hunter home here.”

  The men start tearing down Ragbar’s home. Gavin’s old home. The memories swim back to him. He was so happy with Kylie and Talen there. He curses the king under his breath. Although the king gave Gavin liberties, such as not having to live in the Hunter area of the city, being able to live in his home with his family, he was still the property of the king. There is no leaving the Hunters. Gavin isn’t going to take the easy way out either.

  “Make sure all of my daughter’s things are destroyed. She won’t need them when she returns.” He watches for a brief moment the pieces of the home being carried away. Everything personal to Ragbar and Talen being tossed into a pile of broken furniture. Talen may hate him for this but he feels he is doing her a favor. Wash away the past. It doesn’t do anyone good to live in the past.

  Gavin evens out the farmland that belonged to his home. He looks over the emptiness. He can’t let it stay empty. He walks over to the house that sits on the right side of his old home. He raps on the door. It opens to a woman with two young children. A boy and a girl. They are wearing identical shirts. Most of the farmers and their families wear simple clothes and it’s not uncommon for them to dress alike. The girl’s hair is short and the boy’s is down to his shoulders. He remembers Talen’s hair always being short when she was little.

  “Gavin?” the mother says.

  “I’d like to plant a garden where my old crops used to be. I want you to help me with it. I want a nice bench to sit in the middle and have pretty flowers surrounding it. My wife would have liked that.”

  “Sure.” She turns to her children. “You want to help mommy plant flowers and make it pretty for Kylie Dragniss?”

  The children nod.

  “Can we get it done before she visits?” the boy asks.

  “What did you say?” Gavin says.

  “Oh, don’t mind him. He thinks he saw your wife a few days ago. Lurking around in the Wilderness. Children and their imagination.”

  “What did you see?” he asks the boy.

  “Kylie. She said she is coming to see you soon.”