by L M Lacee
For the murders of Liam and Morag Slorah and the kidnapping of the hatchling Slorah. I condemn you all.
Also found guilty are Renata and Cebern Philsna for murder and kidnapping, with the added charge for both Cuthbert Field and Cebern Philsna of fraud and abusing the trust of their Dragon Lord and dragon society.
The sentence of death will be imposed on all four.”
Reighn ordered. “Commander take them away.”
“Wait! We can explain.” said Cuthbert.
“How?” asked Reighn.
“She never wanted for anything. She was educated, clothed what else were we to do?”
“Love her. Provide her a family that was hers. Maybe not murder her mother and father to start with.” Said an angry Sage as she rose from her seat and stood beside Reighn.
Both of the Fields shook their heads, the once proud lady Yestoria reduced to an old bitter female that she was, snarled. “You do not understand, our name was worth nothing. With those notes we would have had standing and wealth far more than we have today and Renata would have had her young. It was our name, we are not all like her and her sister.”
She pointed at Verity with a sneer as she spat out. “Her, who sits there in judgment of us lesser ones...
Verity stood. “You talk of my sister. You who have no right to even think of her. She was light to your dark. I remember Anna telling me about you Yestoria and that crazy sister of yours Renata. How spoiled you both were. How everything anyone else had you both coveted and if you couldn’t bully it off of them, you stole it.
I know Renata never took that hatchling because she was desperate for a young, she never wanted a hatchling and she was far too selfish to share herself with a child. She did it because she was jealous, you both hated Morag. You because she bonded to a brilliant male who was better at science than you could ever be. Renata took that hatchling to hurt Morag, it probably annoyed the hell out of Renata that she had died.
Renata would have loved the idea that she knew she’d killed Morag’s shadow and had her child and there was not a thing Morag could do about it. What with Cuthbert and Cebern backing her up. I imagine when that fell apart, as everything Renata touched did, the next best thing was the two of you gloating over being here thinking you had one over me and Anna. Knowing we had no idea about Ella and yet look at you now.”
They could all see the smirk on the old female’s face, even now she felt she had out smarted Verity.
Verity stood tall as she said and the power of her dragon was in her voice. “You were right to keep the knowledge of who Ella was from me because you know I would have killed you and Renata without a moment’s thought if I had suspected!
Just like after today, I will never think of any of you again. Your precious name will die as you do. Justice will be served. One death is not enough for you or Renata. May someone have mercy on your souls! I will not.”
Yestoria stood there the smirk wiped from her drawn face. Her eyes bled hatred as Verity turned her back on her. Her shadow pulled her to his side as she took a step towards Verity.
Sage smiled and power surrounded her. Her eyes turned bright blue as she said. “Good idea, I can make you hurt without killing you and it will take days. You would beg me for death.”
Yestoria looked horrified as she stared at the female who she had thought was no more than a toy for the Dragon Lord. Here stood a witch with power. She felt her heart thump hard in her chest.
Her shadow took her arm in his hand as together they watched their daughters turn on them. Eugenia and Auremia fell to the floor as they cried out. Begging Sage. “Please.... Please my lady, we were frightened of them. They made us do it!” pleaded Eugenia.
Sage looked at her without expression, then looked at the shocked couple, she read disbelief and then hatred in their eyes.
Auremia cried. “We...We have lived under a tyrannical control. We lived in fear that we would misspeak.”
Sage’s face filled with scorn as she said. “How dare you! When it was the two of you who ridiculed Ella not that long ago to my sister June. You who called her cinders.
Was that not what you dubbed her, clumsy, ugly, pathetic, were those not names you called her. Foolish for another!
Yes I see how you were scared. Get up you pathetic disgusting excuses for dragons and do not think I have forgotten the claws you threatened my sister with. For that alone you should be banished. For everything else you should die. I have no mercy for you!”
She stood beside Reighn with Verity and Rene’ at her side as Reighn said. “As my shadow says for that alone you two should be banished, and you will be.
Never again will you feel the world beneath your feet. Never again will you feel our sun on your faces. For you who think others are toys for you to play with I have given your lives over to the Elementals to do with as they choose.”
With those words the two females were gone, their parents stood there shocked unable to believe what had just happened or maybe they did not believe their own lives were actually forfeited.
“Commander Johner escort the prisoners to the cells, judgment will be served by morning.” Reighn ordered.
This time the older couple said nothing as Johner nodded and a unit of guards surrounded the couple.
He looked to Verity who stepped down from the podium and hugged him as she spoke. It was his mother who she had talked about. Anna her sister.
He hugged her and then with his guards escorted the prisoners from the court.
Once they had gone, Reighn nodded and Lars called for the healer Donald to enter.
Sharm groaned softly as the male walked in or more rightly swaggered in. He looked around and sent Edith a mocking smile. She hissed as she started to stand, both Sharm and Ash held her in her seat.
The male moved to the middle of the room he bowed to Reighn. “You wished to see me my lord?”
Reighn shook his head as he said. “Not really Healer Patten. What I wished to do is forget you existed but you denied me that with your continued subversive behavior. So here we are again!
Last time, due to your parent’s petition and at the request of your mentor, Master healer Kingsley, you were sentenced to help the shifters and Hunters under the direction of Commander Kilfer for the duration of two years.”
Donald nodded as he said with a tone that bordered on disrespectful. “That is so my lord. I did so with extreme diligence as I am sure the Commander reported to you.”
“It was not a question. Remain silent!” snarled Reighn.
Donald looked a little taken a back at the words and tone of the Dragon Lord. He stood and gulped then nodded.
Reighn sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before saying. “As I was saying it seems from the reports I have received, you have continued with your rhetoric of a pure nation and your subversive attitude.”
Donald seemed not to be able to help himself, he said righteously. “In my off time, not while I was on duty. No matter what that old …
“SILENCE!” Roared Reighn’s dragon. “Enough of this. You are an idiot and I want rid of you. I have banished you from earth for the duration of one thousand years.
You will be assigned to Commander Slorah’s old unit. If after 500 years you are still alive, we will reconvene to see if the sentence needs to stand or be renewed.
You leave immediately.” Reighn made a sign to Fin. Donald screamed. “Wait I have no say in this? You cannot do this. I have rights. This is outrageous, what do my parents say? Master what do you say?”
Sharm stood. “I say nothing other than do your best to help as many as you can and stay alive.”
Edith nodded. “Yeah you twat. Try not to die too quickly.”
Donald snarled. “It is because of her. That bitch, you bonded... He could say no more as Sharm had his hand around his throat, he had moved so fast no one had realized. “Never speak of her again or I will kill you, like the piece of shit you are. You want to know where your parents are. They have washed the
ir hands of you. You embarrass them, they cannot wait for you to be gone. My Edith is more dragon than you would ever hope to be!”
His dragon snarled at the cringing male then Sharm threw him on to the floor where he curled into a fetal position.
Charlie leaned over and whispered to Edith “I take it back, no flab!”
Edith sniffed. “Told yah, hard in all the right places.” Causing several groans nearby.
Reighn said. “Commander now please?”
Fin opened a portal to the world he had come from. Two shields came through, they saluted Reighn, then Fin. Without a word they picked the cowering dragon up and dragged him back through the portal. They could hear him screaming as the portal closed.
Reighn sighed and said. “Court is finished for the day. Witnesses, I thank you for your attendance. Family we will see you later.”
He and Sage and his parents all left the same way they had come.
“Well that was traumatic and quick.” said June.
Claire said. “Look we are all dressed up, let’s go to town, to Lucy’s.”
It was a restaurant that had been opened for as long as Dragon’s Gap had been around. It was a favorite of all the dragons.
Lars said. “They are expecting us, let’s go, we will drink and eat and talk. It will do us good.”
Storm asked. “What of the others?”
Lars said. “They will meet us there, this was Reighn’s idea.”
Charlie agreed. “I’m in, early dinner. No kids sounds good.” Those that had young agreed with a smile.
Ella asked Fin. “Do you want to come?”
He smiled as he answered. “Yes very much, I was promised dragon ale.”
“Yippee!” crowed Edith, who loved the ale.
Sharm asked. “Ash will you come?”
He shook his head. “I must find Olinda, Prudence said she has still not returned.”
Keeper told him. “We will find her, come and look in town. That was where she was last seen.”
He nodded and followed the others from the court. Everyone took a shop or street and started looking for Olinda. Keeper called into the library to find a book for Charlie.
As he entered and stopped his dragon sniffed the air and scented nothing but books. Keeper felt the air against his skin and knew there was a difference to the building. It had nothing to do with the many books placed on the shelves or the clean pathways that had been made. Nor even the detailed floor plan of the library and the drawings of each designated area that were drawn precisely on the wall.
No it had to do, with the slim pale female who lay curled around books that seem to hug her body as though they knew she was their protector or they were hers.
Ash entered just behind him. Keeper said. “I feel that I should warn you, I will be demanding she come work for me.”
Ash looked around him even with his untrained eyes he could pick out the order amongst the chaos.
“I think there will be no objection, someone who loves like this should not be denied.”
“Good. Take your shadow home.” Keeper whispered as Ash walked to Olinda saying. “Thank you my friend.”
He lent down and picked her up, she curled into him and sighed. Ash told her softly. “This is getting to be a habit my shadow.”
She mumbled. “Ash...
“Hush you are safe, my heart.”’
“Safe Ash?”
“Yes with me.”
He exited from the library as a portal opened and walked through to their apartment. Keeper shook his head. Impossibilities and a librarian who calls to books and shines the very air with her happiness. Dragon’s Gap is never going to be the same again. He told his dragon.
No it will be better! He replied.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
W aking again in the same room was as unnerving as it had been the first time. She slowly looked around and found Ash sitting where Charlie had sat previously. “Hello.”
“Hello, there is juice for you. Sharm said you would need it.” He nodded to the side table.
Olinda shuffled up and leaned back against the pillows she did a quick look under the covers and heaved a silent sigh, still clothed. Then reached for the juice, her eyes stayed on him.
Dear Goddess he was gorgeous with his long midnight black hair and green eyes. Were males meant to have eyes like that and were they meant to be that vibrant? She wondered.
He was impossibly handsome, it was like looking at a painting of the ideal male.
Olinda was almost too frightened to look beyond the face, to the body. Feared it would not live up to that face or feared it would. Her mind buzzed it was so hard to decide which would be better for her.
Honestly she was not made of stone. Did not the male know that flaunting himself in front of a vulnerable woman like her was torture and she had just woken up!
He grabbed her attention with his next words which she was sort of thankful for. If she saw his body there could have been drooling!
“We found you. Keeper and I in the library.” She nodded as she sipped her juice.
He said. “Keeper is the youngest of the Kingsley brothers and the new owner of the library, he wants you to work for him. I said you probably would as you looked like you loved it, the books!”
She nodded again, seriously that rusty voice just made her blood sing. She had read about lust but reading and experiencing were so very different.
Ash sighed at her lack of response, he sniffed but she had no scent, so he could not read what she was feeling. He ran his hand through his hair. “I was worried, it is five o’clock.”
She nodded again, wow, she had been gone for hours it had been... She counted back, yeah around nine when she had left this morning. No wonder he had been concerned.
She finished the juice and asked as she looked at the glass instead of him. “So you are my shadow and we have two special dragons, who are considered myths. In fact until they arrived here that’s exactly all they were. Lines in a book.
Now they are real and they are to change dragon kind.” She looked up at him. “I read up, while I was there.”
It was Ash’s turn to nod. “I see!”
Olinda decided to lay it all out for him. She had a lot of time to think while she read about shadows and Dragon’s Gap and the Sun dragons.
“I do not know what to do here? I know what is expected of me. I just do not know if I can do it honestly? I do not know you or love you. It is truly amazing, you say you are my shadow but I just do not know if I can be that for you?”
“What do you think is expected of you?” asked Ash.
Olinda blushed she could not help it. “We are to bond. You know?” She waved her hand between the two of them.
Ash raised soot black eyebrows. “And you think we have to have love for that?”
Frowning she asked. “Don’t we?”
He smiled gently. “No we need desire and lust, passion helps. Love comes in time. You think every pair that bonded was in love?”
“Well the book seems to say yes!”
Ash stood as he said. “They lied my shadow, they lied. It is what they want all females to think. Now tell me do you find me attractive?”
Olinda snorted. “I’d have to be dead not too!”
Ash grinned. “Good! So would you bed me?”
“You mean have sex with you right? Not like sleep with you?” She clarified, it never hurt she reasoned to make sure they were on the same page.
Ash’s grin grew as his dragon murmured, so adorable! “Yes I mean join, have sex.”
“Well again I would have to be dead not to want too!”
“Well good.”
He removed his boots and then his jacket as he did, he told her. “Because I find you most desirable and I definitely want to have sex with you.”
“Please, like this?” She scoffed as she waved her hand over her body. Ash stopped and looked at her. “Oh yes there is nothing wrong with you that maybe a little more filling out would not t
ake care of but that is not what draws me or my dragon.”
Wide eyed, she asked. “What is?”
He smiled as he told her. “I will tell you soon.”
Olinda was going to ask why did she have to wait and what did he think he was doing? Then he undid a button on his shirt and she thought it seemed a redundant question. Instead her eyes remained glued to the buttons he was undoing, as she cleared her throat and wished her lust filled mind could clear as easily.
“Oh well, so we can like get it on and stuff and you won’t like be mad and stuff. Like if I like, are not in love with you?”
Ash let her see his grin as he slid the shirt off his shoulders and he was positive he heard a very feminine whimper. His hands went to his belt as he said. “There was a lot of likes and stuff in that question?”
Olinda grinned as well and almost swallowed her tongue as he slowly let his jeans drop to the floor. “I know but I am embarrassed. I have never been with a male before and truthfully books only tell you so much and never about someone like you.
Oh my goddess his body matches his face. I am lost to lust!” She moaned under her breath.
He almost laughed out loud, dragons had excellent hearing and he decided not to tell her just yet. He began to stalk her, there was no other way to describe it Olinda thought, as he walked toward her and when he reached the bed he just kept on coming.
She shimmied down until she was lying flat on the mattress, he hovered over her like a big blanket of maleness.
She knew she was making sounds but her mouth and brain were not in sync. One wanted her to shut up, the other was just overcome with hunger for the male and she didn’t even want to think about what her mouth and hands wanted to do.
Ash stared into honey colored eyes. “I will never cheat. I will never leave. I will never stop loving you and I will wait until you love me. If that takes a lifetime. So be it. I will still be here with you!”
Olinda moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and swallowed. His eyes zeroed in on her lips, she could feel how much he was controlling himself and her armor chipped a large chunk off. She huskily said. “I do not know how to trust me anymore, my judgment got beat up, you know?”