Dragons of Asgard 2

by Jacobs, Logan

  Eira and I had fought alongside each other before, but never this close. Now, it was six against two.

  These guys were drunk, though, and they didn’t seem like the intelligent type to begin with. I had no doubt Eira and I would be able to take care of them quickly and send them crawling home with their tails between their legs.

  The group of men readied their weapons and drunkenly stumbled toward us while the man on the ground reached for the blade on his hip.

  I slammed my foot down on the man’s hand, and at the same time I blocked one of his buddy’s attempts to slice me in half.

  Our swords clashed against one another, and he tried his best to push down on his so he could get it closer to my face. I quickly shoved my sword forward, and the man stumbled backward, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet.

  Instead, he growled, let out a war cry, and charged at me again.

  His friend on the ground tried to grab my boot with his free hand, but I quickly removed my foot from his wrist and placed it on his throat instead. The man made a terrible gurgling sound as he clawed at my calf in an attempt to get me off him.

  I wasn’t going to kill the guy, but he didn’t need to know that. The only reason I was going to spare him was because Eira had asked me to, and I had a feeling it wasn’t just because the warbands were low on soldiers like she’d said. I suspected this beating would only be the beginning of the punishment for these sorry sonsabitches.

  Eira was a respected warband leader, and I had no doubt she’d speak to their leader and figure out a suitable punishment for their foolishness. They weren’t just about to get their asses handed to them, I suspected they’d be embarrassed next time they showed up for work, too.

  The dark-haired man with the beard charged at me again, but I focused and extended my blade before I held it up to meet his.

  The man raised his sword to slice down at me, but I focused again and shortened the length of my blade. The man sliced too far out, and the force of his blow carried his sword to the ground.

  Steel collided with the stone on the street, and I saw the guy’s arms tense up with the impact. He instinctively let go of the blade and stepped back with a curse.

  This wasn’t the kind of hit to the ground he and his buddies had been doing earlier, he’d put all his force behind that strike, and I could only imagine the reverberation that had gone up his arms.

  The man below me continued to claw at my boot, but I ignored him as I glanced over at Eira.

  I only caught a glimpse of her before I had to turn my attention to the next asshole trying to attack me, but in that instant she was sexy as hell.

  The redhead’s long hair swung out behind her as she spun to kick. Her foot collided with her opponent's head, and I looked down and noticed the slit on her dress had ripped even higher. Now, her full thigh and part of her hip was exposed. Her tan skin looked soft even while her muscles were tensed, and I wanted to pull her to me by her wide hips and run my hands all over her.

  The man flew to the side from her kick, but another was there in an instant to replace him.

  This guy tried to raise his ax to Eira, but the warband leader quickly used her dagger to catch the bottom part of his ax blade and rip the entire weapon out of his hands.

  A sound drew my attention back to my own opponent, and I raised my sword just in time to meet the man’s battle ax. This guy was bald on top, but he had a long black beard. His jaw was clenched, and he snarled at me with breath that reeked of sweet alcohol.

  I thrust my arms up and pushed his ax away from me, and then I grabbed his bald head with one hand and slammed it down as I brought my knee up to meet him.

  The impact of my knee to his nose wouldn’t kill him, just as Eira had requested, but he’d definitely have a bruise or two.

  “Arughhhh!” Blood flooded from the man’s nose, and he reached up and cupped his hands over it out of reflex.

  I looked over to see Eira had taken care of her men as well, so I pushed a little harder on the blond guy’s neck, and then I lifted my foot off him and stepped back.

  The man on the ground gasped and held his neck, and the bald man was doubled over with hands cupped over his bleeding face. The man with the dark black hair was on his knees, and his arms hung limply at his sides while he cried out in pain.

  Eira’s three men were in a nice neat pile, and each was totally dazed from whatever she’d done to them.

  I kicked the blond-haired guy on the ground who had started this whole mess. He seemed the least injured somehow, so I figured I’d put him in charge of his friends. I doubted the guy would be able to talk for a few days, but he could still gather his friends and get them out of there. It was the least he could do after they’d all jumped in to defend him and ended up getting their asses kicked.

  “Hey,” I said. “Get your friends and get out of here.”

  The man gasped and held his throat as he looked up at me with panicked brown eyes.

  “Now,” I said through gritted teeth.

  The man continued to gasp for breath, but he nodded and scrambled to get up. Then he helped his friends up and ushered them down the road back the way they’d come.

  “Well, that was exciting,” Eira laughed. “You really know how to end on a good note, don’t you?”

  “All part of my plan,” I teased with a grin.

  “I suspected as much.” The redhead smiled. “I really should be going now.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home?” I asked.

  I didn’t like the idea of her walking alone, especially not with what had just happened. Though, it was obvious the redhead could handle herself.

  “That’s not necessary.” Eira smiled. “You should get back to the dragons, the girls, too.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Of course.” She nodded. “I will get home just fine.”

  “Alright,” I said. “I hope to see you again soon.”

  “I hope for that as well.” Eira looked down and then back up at me through thick red eyelashes.

  I wanted to lean in and kiss her again, but it felt like the moment to do so had passed.

  The redhead blushed slightly and rubbed her arms before she shook her head.

  “I’m going to go now,” she said, and she gestured down the road.

  “Oh, right,” I agreed. “I’ll see you soon, then?”

  “Yeah.” Eira smiled softly. “Goodnight, Rath.”

  “Goodnight, Eira,” I said, and I watched her walk away down the road.

  Then I headed back into the yard and found Asta, Kas, and the dragons curled up around the fire. The girls each had a fresh glass of mead, and they’d refilled mine as well.

  I walked over, picked up the glass, and sat between the two women.

  “That was a pleasant evening.” Asta smiled.

  “It was nice.” I smiled.

  “Sooooo,” Kas teased. “Did you get a goodnight kiss?”

  “Oh, yes, do tell us,” Asta pushed with a grin.

  “Uh, wellllll, yes and no.” I looked down and took a drink of my mead.

  “Why not?” Asta asked. “Do you no longer find her desirable?”

  “I do,” I chuckled. “But some drunk arseholes came down the road and interrupted us.”

  “So you were about to kiss?” Kas asked with a smile.

  “We kissed,” I explained. “But it was brief.”

  The girls giggled, but I ignored them and took another drink of my mead.

  “So, I was thinking about tomorrow,” Kas said after a moment.

  “What about tomorrow?” I asked.

  “We can’t barge into the Elf King’s home,” the Valkyrie said. “At least not yet.”

  “You’re right,” I agreed. “We need to think of something else. Even if we could prove the King has dragons illegally, I don’t think Odin would care enough to do anything about it.”

  “You’re probably right.” Asta nodded. “If he had cared, he would have do
ne something long before now.”

  “What about if we don’t go after the King just yet?” Kas suggested. “I know you want to save the dragon in the dungeon, and we will, but I think we should go after the smaller dragon dealers first.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Well, there’s got to be more than one person involved in the dragon trade, right?” Kas reasoned. “So, I say we go after some of the men who are peddling the dragons. If we can take them out, we can try and find out who their boss is.”

  “You don’t think the King is the boss?” Asta asked.

  “He might be.” Kas nodded. “But if he’s not, and we attack, then word is bound to get out, and whoever the real boss is would have time to get away.”

  “You’re right,” I agreed. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Asta,” Kas said, and she turned to the elf girl. “Do you know where to find any dragon dealers?”

  “I’ve never met any personally.” The elf girl bit her lip. “But I believe they go to the market sometimes. I’ve seen some mean-looking men there before.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But if anyone sees us attack them, then it could still cause problems between Asgard and your homeworld.”

  “You’re right,” Kas sighed and ran a hand through her curls. “Aesir attacking elves of any kind wouldn’t be good. If our goal is to avoid breaking the treaty between our people, then we cannot be seen.”

  “What if we make ourselves invisible like we did at the castle?” Asta suggested.

  “I don’t know.” Kas pursed her lips. “If we’re invisible, we can’t talk to anyone.”

  “We can use your illusion magic,” Asta said with a smile. “Elves can see through weaker enchantments, but if we work together, I think we can craft something strong enough to withstand cursory scrutiny. If you and Rath have elf ears, then even if we find some dragon traders to fight, it will just look like elves fighting against elves.”

  “Brilliant.” I smiled at the elf girl.

  We all sat around the fire a while longer, and once I finished my mead we went inside and headed to bed. The next morning came quickly, and before I knew it, my eyes opened to the dawn of a new day shining in through the window.

  The girls and the dragons were still asleep around me, so I carefully pried myself away from them and got dressed to head outside. I started a fire, and then I picked some fresh fruit and used some dough from the night before to make some breakfast for us.

  I cut the dough into strips and wrapped them around the fresh fruit before I put them on the fire.

  It wasn’t long until the smell of freshly baked apples and spices filled the air, and soon after that the girls and dragons all appeared in the doorway of the cottage.

  “Mmm,” Asta said as she sniffed the air. “What smells delicious?”

  Blar ran right over to the fire and sniffed around.

  “Breakfast,” I chuckled. “And you better hurry and get some before Blar tries to eat it all.”

  I smiled and dished everyone up some breakfast, and it didn’t take long for everyone to finish eating. We were all eager to get the day started, and after we’d finished eating, Kas called me over to the grass in the yard.

  “Okay.” The Valkyrie grinned at me. “Are you ready?”

  “I’m ready,” I chuckled. It seemed the sorceress was more excited about the illusion we were about to undergo than I was.

  Kas smiled, and then she grabbed my hand and closed her eyes. The Valkyrie began to murmur something and a few seconds later, a red sparkly dust surrounded us.

  I felt a slight tickle as the sparkles touched my ears, and I watched as Kas’ ears elongated. They became pointy at the ends, and I had to smile at the sight of her.

  It was strange to see the Valkyrie with ears like Asta’s, and I knew my own looked just as odd.

  Kas let go of my hands, then, and I reached up and touched my ear. I could feel the altered shape, but it felt different than my skin, which I figured was part of the spell.

  “You two look wonderful,” Asta told us with a smile.

  “Do they look good?” Kas chuckled and tossed her hair over her shoulder to show off her new ears.

  “They fit you well.” Asta nodded and reached out to touch one.

  Kas put the canine enchantment back on the little dragons, and then it was time to set out.

  “I think we’re ready,” I said, and I turned to Blar. “Can you make us a portal?”

  The little blue dragon nodded and closed his eyes. A second later, a small portal appeared, and it got larger and larger until I was able to fit through it.

  “Good job,” I told Blar.

  The little blue dragon flew up to land on my shoulders, and Inger did the same with Asta while Uffe walked over and sat down in front of Kas. The Valkyrie leaned down and picked up the little earth dragon. He was perfectly capable of flying, albeit not as well as Blar and Inger, but still, there was no reason Kas had to pick him up each time. As much as she thought Blar was spoiled, Uffe was well on his way to being just as rotten smelling.

  After the dragons were in place, I grabbed Asta and Kas’ hands, and we all walked through the portal and into Asta’s homeworld. Then we came out onto a dirt road with woods all around.

  It was definitely Asta’s homeworld we were in. The place seemed to glow with a golden light, and if it weren’t for the terrible dragon trade, at first glance I’d think there couldn’t possibly be anything evil there.

  The realm smelled floral and sweet, just like I remembered, and I took a deep breath in and savored the scent.

  “Which way should we go?” I asked.

  “Hm.” Kas pulled her map out of her satchel. “I had Asta help me with this map yesterday. It should be able to tell us where the marketplace is.”

  “How did you do that?” I inquired as I peered over her shoulder.

  “Magic, of course,” the Valkyrie joked. “I had Asta perform a spell to put everything she knew about her homeworld on the map.”

  The paper in Kas’ hand showed a small portion of the realm from Asta’s memory, but it was enough for us to go off of, and the marketplace was included, which was all we really needed. There was a small sparkling dot that appeared to be where we were, and about an inch or so north was the marketplace.

  “It doesn’t look like we’re too far away,” I said. “Maybe an hour’s walk or so.”

  “Yes,” Asta agreed, and she turned to Blar. “Good job.”

  The little blue dragon smiled so big his eyes closed, and I could feel how proud he was of himself.

  He deserved that feeling. His powers had come a long way in a short time, and I just hoped mine would do the same.

  “Is there anything about elven culture Rath and I should know before we get to the market?” Kas asked as we walked toward the town shown on the map.

  “Hm.” Asta shook her head. “Nothing I can think of. Light elves and Aesir are quite similar.”

  “Do you think anyone will be openly trying to sell dragons?” Kas inquired.

  “Oh, no.” Asta’s brow furrowed. “It is frowned upon, so traders don’t do business out in the open.”

  “Are people punished for it?” I asked. It was curious the King would dabble with dragon trading if he was also punishing those who got caught doing it.

  “I’m not sure,” Asta answered. “I haven’t ever seen anyone get into trouble for it, but I also never saw a trade happen.”

  “It would make sense the King wouldn’t punish anyone for it,” Kas muttered. “They’re probably working for him. If he took out the dealers, then he wouldn’t have anyone to sell him dragons.”

  “The King is not a good man,” Asta sighed.

  “Don’t worry,” I told the elf girl. “We’ll figure out what’s going on here.”

  I couldn’t say for sure the King was in charge of the dragon trade, though it would make sense if he were. He had ultimate authority in the realm, and he could easily hide whatever dealing
s were happening.

  Even if he wasn’t in charge, though, he was clearly no stranger to the dragon trade, and he was most certainly protecting the men involved with it.

  As we walked, I thought again about the dragon inside the King’s dungeon. We’d get them out soon enough, but Kas was right, this was the best way to do things for now.

  We needed to take out the smaller dealers first and work our way up.

  It wasn’t long before I could hear the bustle of the market ahead of us, and the road we were on got much more crowded with people going to and coming from the shopping center.

  We arrived at the market, and I took in the sight of it. The place was huge. It was on a large, open stretch of road, and there were vendors everywhere. As far as I could see, there were people moseying around and talking with vendors about their wares.

  I saw booths with beautiful stone pendants carved into various shapes, and other boots had beautiful clothing hung up for potential customers to look at. There was even one booth with a huge sign above it that offered to tell the customer’s fortune.

  We made our way through the crowd and down the street, but we were careful to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

  Blar, Inger, and Uffe all stayed right in front of us, except for a couple of times when Blar ran over to food vendor booths to sniff around.

  Everything around us looked beautiful, and the aroma of delicious food that filled the air was wonderful. It was hard to believe dragon smugglers hung out here. The market seemed to be such a happy place. The elves all got along as they shopped and sold their wares and ate and cooked. I didn’t get the sense anyone thought they were above the vendors here like I sometimes did in the Asgard market. Lineage was a big thing to Aesir, though, and most vendors came from vendor families.

  This market felt so welcoming, I almost didn’t want to leave. I needed to focus, though, so I pushed my happy feelings to the side and narrowed in on individuals who looked out of place.

  I watched as one elf man in a long dark gray tunic wandered from booth to booth. He picked up different things to look at them and then set them back down again, but he didn’t buy anything. It wasn’t until we were near him by one of the booths that I realized he was sneakily pocketing the wares and replacing them with some sort of magical look-alikes.