Dragon Lords Blood Contract

by Rylee Winters

  “Great. Thanks,” Drake nodded. “I better go now and greet the old man.”

  “Of course.” Edward grinned. “It was good seeing you,” he said before letting us go on our way.

  “Same. I’ll see you later,” Drake said. “Enjoy the rest of your night.” He bade Edward goodbye, and I gave Drake’s friend a small wave as we left him.

  Pulling me along, Drake guided me towards the left side of the room, where we exited the ballroom through an open door, and entered a new corridor with its walls decked out with beautiful classical oil paintings of portraits and still lifes.

  We walked in silent companionship down the passageway, passing a few servants who were scurrying back towards the main hall where most of the guests were, holding up fresh platters topped with food and drinks. One or two of them threw us a curious glance, and a few inclined their heads our way in a small, polite bow, otherwise we remained largely unbothered.

  “Do the servants know you?” I asked, gazing quizzically at Drake.

  “Some of them…why do you ask?”

  I shook my head, pursing my lips together. “Just a feeling I got.”

  “About what?”

  “You just seem very familiar with this place, so I assumed you must come here often. Also, when some of the servants were passing us and looking our way, they seemed to recognize you.”

  Drake stared at me silently for a moment. “You’re very observant…”

  “Thanks,” I quipped, taking the compliment before he could retract it.

  Drake gave me a strange look, and I just beamed back with a smile.

  Stepping out of the corridor, we walked into a large, lamp lit alfresco area out the back; an open area that lead directly to the gardens. The space was deserted at the moment, but glancing around, I could picture what a lovely setting this would be to sit down and enjoy morning breakfast or an afternoon cup of tea. The view of the garden in front, would be so relaxing and serene.

  As we continued forward, I noticed the pillars of grey-white marble rising from the tiled floors leading up to a ceiling painted with a mural of the sky, and dieties of various star constellations.

  A moment of distraction…then I felt a tug at my arm. “Come on, the footpath into the garden is just past this area,” Drake said, pointing up ahead.

  My gaze followed the direction of his finger, and murmuring my apologies, I quickened my pace. Before long, we reached the end of the alfresco area, where there was a gray stone path. Under the soft moonlight, I could discern it wound deeper into the luscious, green garden.

  Drake slowed down, keeping an easy pace to allow me to keep up with he is longer strides. Every so often I would catch him glancing to his side, checking to see if I was still alright.

  “Come on, this way,” Drake beckoned, as he strayed off the footpath, walking onto the grass. “The pavilion’s just further up ahead.”

  As we rounded the curve behind a copse of shrubs, a beautiful white timber pavilion came into view.

  Surrounding the area were dozens of trees full of pink and white cherry blossoms. The sight was enchanting.

  There was a tall man with long, dark black hair, and skin as pale as the moonlight, seated at the table inside. He was just lifting up a teapot and gracefully pouring himself a cup when we rounded the corner. He looked up at the sound of our arrival. “Drake…is that you?” the man asked, furrowing his brow.

  “Uncle Lupin. How are you?” Drake said, stepping up inside the pavilion and stopping in front of the small, round table his uncle was seated at, with me following closely behind.

  Uncle Lupin placed the teapot down and shrugged. “Could be better. But I shouldn’t complain, things could be worse,” he replied, before giving his nephew a careful look. “So…what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit of yours to?”

  Drake coughed awkwardly. “Sorry, I haven't been able to visit you much these past two years. There's been a lot going on...”

  Lupin waved his hand, brushing away Drake’s apology. “Of course, of course. You young kids are always busy with this and that. No time to humor us old folk.”

  “You’re you're not that old, Uncle.” Drake said dryly, rolling his eyes.

  “Great grand-uncle,” Lupin corrected. His eyes narrowed. “And I’ll have you know, young man, I'm two-hundred-thousand, eight-hundred-and-fifty-one years old this year, young man. So, don't you go telling me that I'm not old!” Lupin scoffed, wrinkling his nose in offense.

  My brain froze, struggling to process this astonishing figure and reconcile it with the man seated in front of us, who couldn’t have looked more than twenty-eight at most!

  He must be some sort of immortal or deity…because even normal shifters – whose lifespans were generally longer than a human’s – wouldn’t live that long.

  Drake rubbed the back of his head with a hand, feeling like he was being given a hard time. “I suppose,” he conceded. “But you look perfectly young and healthy...that’s got to count for something right?”

  Lupin’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “You flatter me, nephew.” His gaze shifted towards me. “And who is this little friend you've got with you?” he asked, assessing me with cool, calculating eyes.

  I hesitated, but Drake nudged me forward with an encouraging look.

  “I’m Jasmine, a friend of Ethan’s,” I said, introducing myself the way Drake had to those other people earlier.

  “So, you’re a friend of Ethan’s...” Lupin stated, eyeing me with interest. Tutting, he continued to remark, “I'm always surprised at how many good-looking women that man knows. Although, it's hard for me to see what attracts them to him – aside from his good looks, that is. That nephew of mine is too much of a workaholic.”

  “I'm only an acquaintance,” I added hastily. “I really haven’t known him for that long…”

  “For most women that’s more than enough,” Lupin replied with dry humor. “But, I’m being rude. Please, why don't you both sit down,” he said, indicating to the empty seats around the table.

  We both went and sat down; Drake directly next to his uncle, and me beside Drake.

  “Do you like green tea, Jasmine?” Uncle Lupin asked. I nodded in response.

  Lupin began pouring me some from the teapot into a small, delicate teacup. He poured another one for Drake. Gently picking them up, he placed one in front of each of us.

  “So,” Lupin began, relaxing forward and resting his arms on the wooden slats of the table, “how are your other brothers, Drake?

  For a split second, I saw Drake’s shoulders stiffen, but then I blinked and the tension was gone, and Drake was casually giving Lupin a shrug as he picked up his teacup. “Same old, same old. Everyone’s still nervous and worried over this ascension thing. But otherwise, they're all doing well.”

  I looked over at Drake wondering what he was talking about. Is this about attaining the position of head of the family that he mentioned previously? I made a note to ask him about it in more detail afterwards…when we were alone and had more privacy.

  “Is that why you're here tonight?” Lupin asked, arching an eyebrow.

  Drake had the decency to blush. “Well…” he began guiltily, his eyes flickering over to me, hoping for what, I couldn’t imagine, “yes – but, it was also to see you.”

  Lupin smiled crookedly. “My darling nephew, you’ve visited me – oh…” he held up a finger near his head, thinking, “…all up, three times in the past two years.” Lupin raised a hand to stop Drake, sensing he was about to rebut.

  “Two of those times were to do with official business, while the third time was because you got kicked out of house.” He lowered his hand and stared point-blank at Drake challenging him to object.

  Drake’s head drooped down, and he peered back at his uncle sheepishly. “Okay, fine – point taken. I’m sorry; I promise I'll make a more of an effort to visit you in the future.”

  Lupin let out a soft sigh. “I guess a promise will have to do for now,” h
e said, seeming placated for now. “Now, what do you need me to help you with? I’m assume that’s why you’re here.”

  Drake pulled out the scroll from inside his jacket and placed it down on the table, unfolding it. “This,” he said, passing the item to his uncle. “We got this from Seraphim's auction house. It's meant to be magically enchanted, but we haven’t be able to unlock spell that’s stopping us from seeing what's written on it.”

  Lupin held the parchment out in front of him, examining it carefully as he slowly brought it to his face. He looked over every inch of the scroll in solemn silence, his forehead creased in concentration.

  “Well?” Drake asked after a moment, unable to wait any longer.

  Lupin frowned, lowering the scroll towards the table. “I’m going to need to take a closer look at this. Let’s go into my workshop.”

  “Where’s that?” I asked, perking up with interest, as Lupin and Drake both stood up. I quickly followed them and did the same.

  “You’ll see,” Lupin replied, and snapped his fingers.

  Almost without warning, I felt a strange jolting sensation as the air around us started warping. My body and the space around it seemed to twist and spin in, like I was being sucked into a vortex.

  The next thing I knew, there was another jolt, and I found myself materializing inside a room full of unusual objects, my feet landing suddenly onto an unfamiliar floor. I stared around me, observing it looked like an alchemist’s workshop.

  Both Drake and Lupin seemed unfazed with our instant teleportation, and Lupin didn’t even miss a beat as he carried the scroll with him over to the work bench.

  He pulled a dark cloth off an object sitting on the table to reveal what looked like a brass microscope, except with a much larger lens. Putting the scroll on the large stage, Lupin placed his eye over the eyepiece, and started adjusting the focus of the lens.

  “Remarkable…” he murmured, after a minute of staring through the microscope.

  “What do you mean? What do you see?” Drake asked his uncle.

  Lupin raised his head to look up at us. “I haven't seen something this well made since the fall of Pompei…”

  His eyes began taking on the kind of sheen many old-timers got when they started reminiscing about the glorious days of their youth.

  “That's great,” Drake said, interrupting his reverie. “So, is this something you can actually figure out?”

  Lupin scoffed. “Are you doubting my abilities, young man?”

  “No – it’s not that. Just…well, how long do you think it’ll take you to break the magic seal?” Drake said hastily, trying not to get on his uncle’s nerves.

  “A few days. Come back then, and I’ll have it unlocked for you.”

  Drake looked relieved. “Fantastic, that’s great news,” he responded, the tension melting from his stiff shoulders. “We better get back and let the others know, then,” he said, looking over at me.

  Lupin shooed us with his hand and nodded his head. “Of course, of course. Please let the rest of your ungrateful brothers know that their brilliant great grand-uncle Lupin, is once again coming to their rescue.”

  I snorted out a laugh as Drake grinned crookedly. “I’ll relay the message,” Drake said.

  Lupin nodded his head airily. “Drake…before you go, could you please fetch something for me?”

  “Sure, what is it?” he asked.

  “There’s a small jar of fairy dust on the middle shelf in the back storeroom. It’s near a wooden box. Could you go grab it for me please?”

  Drake obliged.

  Lupin craned his neck, his eyes following Drake as he moved towards the back of the room, and waited for him to enter the storeroom before turning to me. He beckoned me over with his fingers.

  I hesitated, wondering what he was up to. What’s the worse that could happen?

  I shuffled my feet over to him. “Yes?” I asked, eying him warily.

  “There’s no need for that, now,” Lupin chided, and he opened a drawer built into the workbench, taking something out.

  “Give me your hand, please,” he requested. When I didn’t make a move, he pushed out an exasperated sigh and leaning over, he grabbed my hand. Raising my open palm out in front of him, he placed something small inside it, curling my fingers over the item securely.

  “For you,” he said, giving my closed hand a squeeze, before releasing me.

  Slowly, I unfurled my fingers, and found a beautiful bracelet made of red string, sitting in the cup of my palm.

  “What’s this for?” I asked, looking at the bracelet curiously.

  Lupin smiled. “A present for making your acquaintance for the first time,” he answered in a light voice.

  Picking up the bracelet between my fingers, I began to examine it. The design was very intricate, with the strings weaving tightly through one another to make a thick braided pattern.

  Lupin continued talking, “It’s imbued with good luck. It’ll help you with finding your true love.”

  “Oh…I definitely don’t need this then,” I answered quickly, handing the red bracelet back to Lupin. The last thing I wanted was a romantic relationship. There were already too many things in my life to deal with without the added complication of being involved with someone else. Guys were after all, were unreliable at best, and untrustworthy at worse.

  Lupin shook his head, holding up his hand, refusing to take the present back. “No, no, no. You must take it – I insist.”

  “But I’m not looking to fall in love…with anyone. Or anytime soon.”

  Lupin smiled knowingly, as if he knew about things in my future, which were beyond my own comprehension. “Just wear it. You’ll be surprised at how helpful you’ll find it.”

  I frowned, not believing a word he was saying.

  “Go on. Put it on. I promise you won’t regret it,” he insisted.

  It didn’t seem like Lupin was going to let off about this. Maybe I can just put it on for now to keep him happy and take it off later. Deciding to humor him this one time, I put the bracelet on my wrist, tightening the small beaded ends. It wasn’t exactly my style, but it didn’t look horrible either.

  “Thank you for accompanying my nephew,” Lupin said, changing the subject. “He can be a bit difficult to handle sometimes, but his heart is generally in the right place.”

  “Sure, no problem,” I replied, completely clueless as to why Lupin was telling me this. It sounded like he thought maybe Drake and I were friends – which was so far from the truth, it might as well be light years away.

  Drake came back in carrying a small, clear bottle containing fine particles that sparkled brightly in all different shades of rainbow colors.

  “Here,” he said, handing it to Lupin, who took it and thanked him.

  “We’ll be on our way then,” he said, turning to leave, and signalling me to follow him as he moved towards the door on the other side of the room.

  “Bye Uncle Lupin!” I said, before hurrying to Drake’s side. Lupin gave us a small wave, before turning back to his work bench, busying himself with opening the bottle of fairy dust.

  When I reached the door, I noticed there was a strange circular wheel built into the wooden panel just above the doorknob, sectioned into several wedges with various different symbols on each wedge. Drake turned the wheel of the circle so that the red notch at the top was pointing to the section with a purple symbol that looked like some sort of elven script.

  With a click, he turned the knob and opened the door.

  Outside was a familiar landscape…and I recognized it for what it was: the back garden behind Drake’s house.

  I did a double-take, hardly believing my own eyes. “How…?” I began, looking to Drake for an answer, but Drake simply cut me off with a jerk of his chin. “Go through,” he said, without answering my question.

  I frowned, and when I didn’t make a move to step forward, he released a heavy sigh. “It’s a magic portal. What you’re seeing is real. If you walk thro
ugh, you’ll immediately return back home.”

  My eyes widened and I stared at the space beyond the door, amazed. Uncle Lupin must have some wicked magic to be able to make a door into a portal. Or knew someone who did.

  Still in awe, I stepped through, and Drake was right: I found myself back at the house, standing on the soft lawn in the garden. Drake appeared by my side a few seconds later.

  Looking behind Drake’s large frame, I saw Lupin’s workshop through the doorway we’d just exited. Drake’s Uncle was still bent over, working at his bench. Then, without warning, the edges of the portal stopped glowing an iridescent yellow, and in a matter of moments, the doorway disappeared, and the space where it had been was now nothing but empty air.

  “Let’s get inside and update the others,” Drake motioned, and began walking through the garden towards the back door.

  We quickly made our way inside, and found the rest of the gang hanging out in the lounge room, waiting for our return. Ethan jumped out of his chair and began striding towards us as soon as he spotted us walking into the room.

  “So, how did it go?” he asked without preamble. A note of urgency in his voice.

  “Good news,” Drake said. “Uncle Lupin thinks he can figure out how to break the magic seal. He just needs a few days.”

  Ethan cracked a smile, looking relieved.

  “Whooohoo!” Knox shouted, twisting around in his seat on the lounge and punching the air, grinning at us.

  He leapt up, bounding over to me to give me a high five. I clapped his hand in response, feeling rather pleased myself at this point.

  “What’s that?” Knox asked, pointing to the red bracelet on my wrist.

  “Oh, this?” I said, bending my elbow and lifting my wrist up. “Uncle Lupin gave it to me. He said it’d bring me luck.” With love. I shoved the thought away, and broke into an awkward smile, hoping Knox didn’t notice anything strange about my reaction.

  “Did he now…?” Knox remarked innocently, as I saw the corners of his lips twitch up.

  “Ahuh,” I replied, emphasizing my response with a nod of my head. I need to take this thing off me as soon as I get the chance. Something tells me Knox knows exactly what this bracelet symbolizes, and if he knows… My eyes drifted over to the other guys around me. So, do the rest of them.