Heir of Dragmoore- The Veiled Haven

by Jennifer Ann Schlag

  “Remy is the direct descendant of the first born human male with a dragon. Then came the first human female born with a dragon, and Talen is the direct descendant of her.”

  “Talen is half elf, but yes, she is.”

  Desmond walks over to Remy. “They always did have a special connection when they were younger.”

  “It was always going to be them. Their ancestors were soulmates. When it came time for them to be reborn, they were stopped from being together. The druid tale. You know how it ends. When the opportunity came again, we had to make sure nothing interfered with it.”

  “Where is Talen?”

  “She is being cleansed. When you leave here, you will journey to Nalaren. Your uncle needs to be stopped once and for all. He has embarked on a journey to wage war between the druids and sea druids. It has triggered the Waking Ripple. We cannot get involved.”

  “No. The sea witch queen started the Waking Ripple. Felp helped with it as well. Uncle Cyrus has nothing to do with it.”

  “You don’t know your uncle very well.”

  Desmond suddenly realizes what is happening. “That’s why the druid port was closed. He has been there the whole time. Waiting.”

  Without warning, one of the marble cottages explodes.

  “What the hell?” Logan says.

  “They dare to attack us,” Hestin says.

  “Who?” Desmond asks.

  The other Masters come out of their homes and head up the dirt road to a large marble building. To see Masters afraid, Desmond knows this isn’t a normal attack.

  “Come, son. You aren’t a Master but you can hide with us.”

  “No. I must find Talen. I have to protect Remy.”

  Another cottage explodes. Marble chips fly into Desmond’s face.

  “Desmond, come,” Logan says.

  “No. Who is attacking?”

  Out on the water close to the Veiled Haven are two Grecian ships. Felp is at the helm of one of them. “Fire another round.”

  The glass canons are fired and giant crystallized fireballs hurl through the air.

  Another cottage blows up.

  Desmond brings Remy’s body over to a stack of bushes he hopes will remain intact while he looks for Talen.

  A dragon’s roar stops him in his search. “Kip.”

  He runs down the dirt road, past the large marble building, and is at the foot of some cliffs overlooking the ocean. The bombing has stopped and sailing off are the Grecian ships.

  “You are not getting away so easily.” He lifts off.

  A powerful wind brings him over to the beach. He slams his fist down into the sand. A shockwave of energy filled with sand hits the ships, tipping them over.

  Two rowboats are on the water looking for survivors.

  Felp is helped onto a rowboat with Talen and Kip bound in chains. “Your other lover isn’t going to save you.”

  Desmond knows he should shift. If there is any other way to save her, he will find it. He doesn’t want to rely on his druid abilities. He runs and dives into the water. Swims as fast as he can towards the boat with Talen in it.

  Talen’s eyes perk up. Felp sees Desmond swimming towards them, closing the distance.

  Desmond decides to use a little bit of shape-shifting to assist him. He allows his lower half to become a fish tale. His swimming increases and he makes it to the boat. As he climbs into it, the tale is gone and he has his human legs. He lifts Felp off the boat by an invisible grip. “You will release her right now.”

  The two Grecians on the boat are unsure how they should react. They aren’t known to be fighters. For whatever reason, Felp is not afraid of Desmond.

  Desmond’s strength wanes. His grip on Felp loosens.

  “Is my uncle responsible for the Waking Ripple?”

  A sly smile spreads across Felp’s face. “I have already shown Talen her future. She has accepted it.”

  Desmond looks at her. Desperate for Felp to be wrong.

  “I know what I must do, Desmond,” she says.

  “What did you promise this fiend?” Desmond asks.

  Talen gets closer to Felp. “I had no choice.”

  Felp unlocks the chains around Talen and Kip. “You see, you did all of this for nothing.”

  Demond can’t believe what he is seeing. What is happening to his friend and the love of his life?

  Chapter Fourteen

  The people of Dragmoore are preparing for the royal wedding in five days. The entire city is to be decorated in floral garland and feature Remy and Talen’s faces on banners. There’s harvesting to be done. Cooking. Baking. The wine is being tasted to see who has made the best.

  Talen watches as guards bring in a second throne. There hasn’t been a second throne since Tully’s wife passed away. Talen doesn’t remember Lianna much. Only that she loved red roses. The gardens used to be filled with them. She’d have planters around the palace with roses that would climb up the walls. What did Talen have to contribute to the kingdom? She can talk to animals. She is a Master. So is Remy. He hasn’t honed his talent like her but he’s trying.

  “Admiring the view?” Remy asks. He brushes his hand alongside her arm.

  “I almost feel like I am betraying your mother’s memory.”

  He puts his arm around her. She hasn’t felt the same in his embrace since they left the Veiled Haven. When she returned there to resurrect him, despite being told that he was never truly dead. She can’t give Remy the attention he deserves when her dragon is lost somewhere in the world. Poor Kip. He was a symbol of hope. The dragons are making their return to Dragmoore slowly. Kip was meant to be the dragon that leads them. Her bond with him would outshine the first bond of human and dragon.

  They haven’t seen Desmond in weeks. They sent him out into the world to find Kip. He vowed he’d not return unless he finds him. Sorting out her true feelings for Desmond hasn’t been easy. She can’t be with two royals. Since she didn’t embrace her aunt’s vision, she has put a stopper on her and Desmond getting together. Going with her mother’s vision and getting together with Remy, she has betrayed the Grecian leader. Because of that, the Waking Ripple will be upon them soon.

  “I don’t like this waiting.”

  “Desmond will return with Kip.”

  “You’re right. He won’t fail me.”

  “When I volunteered to go, you stopped me. Why?”

  “Because you’re king and we are going to be married.”

  He chews up the inside of his mouth. They’ll never get over this hurtle in their relationship. She vowed she’d erase Desmond from her heart. She lied. Remy has been patient. That patience is growing very thin.

  “Desmond is more qualified to find Kip. You gave up your druid powers.”

  “Not all of them.”

  “You asked for shifting to be taken away. The Masters took it.”

  “When he returns, I am asking him to leave and never come back.”

  “He’s your family.”

  “He’s an obstacle. I want to talk to you about our wedding night.”

  She sits down on the throne intended for her. “We will consummate our marriage.”

  “Don’t say it like that. It makes it sound like it’s mandatory. If you don’t want to on that night, I don’t care when we do it.”

  “I love you, Remy. To be honest, I can’t stop caring for Desmond though. He has been my friend for a long time. But I will be your wife, not his.”

  He kneels before her. “You wish you could be his wife though. I believe that you love me. We’ve been through so much. I never expected to fall in love. I thought I’d run away and live in a mountain. But you changed my mind. It’s not our ancestors that are pulling us together, it’s us.”

  Jexxer comes in and demands Remy’s attention. He walks out of the throne room with Jexxer.

  She looks over at his throne chair. She feels the anxiety starting. She quickly leaves.

  Talen wakes, sits up in bed covered in sweat. Her hair is all m
ashed up and tangled. She looks around. She is alone. No Kip. No Desmond. No Remy. She got used to Kip sleeping next to her. She liked the nights when Remy slept close to her. She longed to hear something from Desmond. To know he was all right. She gets out of bed. She hates living in the palace. Stuck in one of the towers that is meant for royal guests, but as according to tradition, the bride and groom must be separated before their wedding night. They may not share a bed until then.

  Talen comes down the corridor that heads towards Remy’s room. He has decided to remain in his bedroom and not move into the king’s bedroom. As king, he may choose whatever room inside the palace to sleep in. As usual, there are guards patrolling the corridor.

  “Miss Dragniss, where are you headed?”

  “The king asked me to meet him in his room. He has news to share of Prince Desmond that is to be kept private.”

  “Hold on.”

  The guard knocks on Remy’s door. He may be asleep. She almost wishes that he is. No. The door opens. To a sleepy Remy. That’s a good sign.

  “Talen is here.”

  Remy peeks out of his room down the corridor. “What does she want?”

  “She says you asked her to meet you in your room at this time to discuss some news about Prince Desmond.”

  Remy has no clue what Talen really wants. But she wouldn’t have risked coming here for nothing. “Yes. I nodded off. She is actually late. Didn’t think she was coming.”

  The guard waves Talen forward.

  “Come in, Talen,” Remy says.

  Talen goes into the room. Remy smiles at the guard. “Thank you.” He closes the door.

  She’s never been in Remy’s room before. She almost feels as uncomfortable in here as she does in her room.

  “What do you want, Talen? Must be quite important since you lied about me receiving news from Desmond. Funny that you chose his name out of all the men you know.”

  “I couldn’t say my father. How would that look? At least by giving Desmond’s name it appears I am concerned about your family.”

  “Right. Well, we know that you are concerned about Desmond’s welfare. The whole kingdom probably knows. What do you want?” He sits down on his bed.

  “Were you sleeping?”

  “Not anymore.” He pats the space next to him.

  She sits down. “I’m worried.”

  “About our wedding?”

  “About Kip. I can’t stop being worried. I’ve tried.”

  He puts his arm around her, kisses the top of her head. His heart aches for her loss. “I miss him too. I hope he is alive. At least that will make you smile.”

  She touches the side of his face. “You make me smile too.”

  He takes his free hand and puts it over her hand. Then he remembers her feelings for Desmond. He takes her hand down and rests it on his lap.

  “You don’t want me in here.”

  “Didn’t say that. I’m tired.”

  “Then lay back.” She lays him back and scoots up beside him.

  “You have to leave.”

  “I can’t lay next to you?”

  “It’ll be like another dark temptation that we can’t resist.”

  “That’s what this is about? I didn’t mean to kill you.”

  “You wanted to. The dark path senses your desires. If I am gone, Desmond takes the throne and you can be his wife.”

  “Did I take the elf throne?”

  “No. But you want to. I don’t know why you didn’t. By denying that birthright, you are allowing the elves to grow in power. I wish you had went there with Desmond. Get it over with already. Then maybe you could have come back to me. I would take you back.”

  She isn’t gaining any ground here. She keeps falling behind. It’s not too late. She can walk away from this. Break the engagement. Run away. He’d find her. He has done more than any man should for a woman he isn’t married to. Then again, they are married. Not in the eyes of Dragmoore, but in the eyes of Captain Buckman and all those who witnessed it.

  “You can stay here for a bit if it makes you happy. I doubt that it does.”

  She taps her fingers on the side of the bed. He turns on his side away from her. She grabs his arm and forces him to look at her.

  “What?”

  She squeezes his arm. Then she moves on top of him and starts kissing him.

  “What are you doing, Talen?” he says between heavy breaths.

  “Proving my love for you.”

  “You aren’t inspiring any affection out of me. I know your heart.”

  Thoughts of Desmond enter her mind. She pushes them away. She wraps her arms around his neck. She tries to kiss him but he pulls away.

  “We have to stop. We can wait a few more days. Can’t we?”

  “We are married silly.”

  “Yes, we are. Why does it feel wrong then?”

  “Because we are in your room?”

  “The guards. They will suspect us if you don’t leave soon.”

  “Then make it quick.”

  He lets out a sigh and then smiles. “I can’t be sure that you actually want this with me, or you are just afraid you’ll give in to your feelings for Desmond when he returns and somehow you will disappoint him if you don’t get this over with. Don’t feel obligated to give this to me, Talen.”

  She gently kisses him and lets her lips linger against his.

  He wants so badly to give in.

  He lets go of his jealousy and inhibitions and kisses her passionately. He lays her on her back and kisses down her neck, onto her chest.

  The sun shines down on Talen’s face. She didn’t mean to fall asleep. She scoops up her clothes from the floor and quickly gets dressed.

  Remy stretches and yawns. He sits up. “You’re leaving me?”

  “I was supposed to be gone hours ago.”

  “If you think that the guards aren’t aware of what happened in here, then you are not as smart as I thought.”

  She sits down on the chair in front of his mirror and preparation table. “They must have heard everything.”

  “They’ll be discreet. Or I’ll have them killed.” He gets out of bed and pulls his sleep bottoms on. “Did you come to my room last night because you wanted me or because you wanted someone? I need to know the truth.”

  “I wanted to be near you. And then, a different feeling took over.”

  He walks over to her and kisses her on the side of her neck. “There’s no reason why we can’t move up the wedding to… maybe today.” He wraps his arms around her chest and starts kissing her cheek, moving to her lips.

  She wraps her arms around his arms. He lays his head down on her head. “We can wait.” She gets up and skips to the door.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that you won’t be getting this again until our wedding night.” She opens the door.

  “That is unfair.”

  “I know.” She walks down the corridor. The guards say nothing as she passes.

  Remy leans against the door frame smiling.

  Desmond tramps through a swamp. It’s getting deeper as he moves. “All this for a woman who will never be mine.” He hears an animal crying in pain. “Kip.”

  He quickens his pace. The swamp water is up to his chin. He stops moving when he sees Kip hanging onto a dead tree. He is big enough to fly if an adult dragon teaches him how. His tail is wrapped around a limb while his legs are clinging onto a vine that is wrapped around another limb.

  “I’m coming, Kip.” He reaches the dragon. He is badly injured. There’s blood in his eyes. Teeth are missing. An open wound is on his back. It’s full of puss and maggots are feasting on the flesh. His breathing is abnormal.

  The dragon focuses on Desmond.

  “I will shift. It’s the only way to get you out of here.”

  A woman’s laugh bounces off the trees around them.

  Another woman’s laugh joins the first. This one is deeper.

  “Show yourself.”

 
A woman dripping sea-green water behind her floats across the swamp. Her hair is decorated in bright shells. Her teeth are corroded with barnacles hanging from them. Her eyes are black like an abyss. Her long fingers press against Desmond’s arm. They smell of fish guts.

  “I am happy to finally meet you, Desmond.”

  “You’re a sea witch.”

  “I am their queen.” Her horrendous looks fade and in comes her beauty.

  “Who is the other woman with you?”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Let the dragon go.”

  “No. Not until I get what is owed to me. I helped Talen Dragniss escape the clutches of that foolish Grecian. I helped her kill the Gracken. I resurrected her prince. Me. I demand payment.”

  “You didn’t resurrect Remy.”

  “Yes I did. Talen couldn’t muster the magic of the elves or the Masters.”

  Another woman licks at his ears. Elsa.

  “You brought her back to life?”

  “You think bringing back dead people is hard? I have been doing all of this to get rid of the Grecians. If Talen absorbs the elves’ Pools of Serenity, she can join me in taking down the Grecians.”

  “There’s the Waking Ripple. That’ll be enough to kill Grecia.”

  “With her married to your cousin, she doesn’t feel the need to kill her kin. You have to convince her to leave him before they are married. When she is joined with you, she can take in the full power of the elves and the darkness shall consume her. Together we will destroy Grecia and I will be free.”

  “They are technically married by Captain Buckman.”

  “It has to be a marriage before the mage of Dragmoore in order to be considered valid. You better hope that her and Remy haven’t been intimate.”

  “I don’t think so. Morga, you can’t force her to be with me. No matter what darkness you spread across the world. She has made up her mind.”

  Morga raises her putrid smelling fingers and her nails become pointy like daggers. She brings them down into Kip’s back.

  “Enough!”

  Elsa goes flying across the swamp. Morga is pulled down into the water. She flails. Splashing her arms down.

  “You want to stay on land and be forced into a mortal’s life? You let me leave with the dragon and I’ll spare you. I will relay your message to Talen. Whatever she decides is what will happen. Do you understand?”