Marked by the Dragon

by Kayla Wolf

  ”It’s not much to look at, at the moment,” he said a little awkwardly, gesturing down at the sheer, rocky hill that dropped away below them. “But it flattens out down the bottom, there’s a nice level area—”

  ”I remember,” Quinn breathed, and her blue eyes were full of wonder. “I remember what it was—David, this is…” She dove into the satchel over her shoulder, pulling out the fist-sized stone. They’d gone to get it the afternoon after the battle—she had thrown herself into the water and swum to the bottom of the lake for it. The lake had remained, of course—the water hadn’t simply melted away into the sand, there was too much of it there for that—but Charles explained that without the stone’s protection, the water would evaporate within a few weeks. The coyotes could use what was left of it if they liked.

  Quinn disappeared into the cave—David had already dragged his books out of there, a little embarrassed to have been using such a sacred space for such a mundane storage task. Then she returned, empty-handed with a smile on her face. He looked into the cave, blankly.

  ”Where’s the water?”

  ”It’ll take a while,” she said simply. “And longer again for the land to return to how it was. But… it felt good.” She beamed up at him, rising on her tiptoes to kiss him. “It felt like the right place for it to be. Now,” she said, turning towards the valley, “are we meeting the king or your father first?”

  He couldn’t help but laugh. She was so driven, so focused on getting this done. It made him feel less apprehensive about the meetings they had ahead of them.

  Olivia met them at the palace, looking tired but triumphant with a handful of papers clutched in her hands. He hugged his sister, pleased to see her, and introduced her to Quinn.

  ”I found the original papers,” Olivia burst out after the pleasantries had been dealt with. David chuckled—she always had been quite bad at small talk. “The ones Dad messed with. It’s pretty clear what he did, which is why he kept them in his library instead of storing them in the palace like he was supposed to.”

  ”You’re brilliant,” Quinn said, staring down at the papers. “Thank you so much.”

  ”It was the least I could do,” Olivia said simply as they walked through the palace, heading for the conference room where King Alexander had his meetings. “Our father wronged you, I’m making it right.”

  ”There’s a lot of that going on lately,” Quinn said, glancing up at David with a fond smile and squeezing his hand tightly in hers. It was almost enough to stop him feeling nervous around Alexander. The golden-eyed dragon king cut an intimidating figure, for all that his smile was friendly and bright as he was introduced to Quinn.

  ”I met your mother once,” she said simply, shaking his hand. “She was wonderful. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  ”Thank you,” Alexander said softly. “I understand that this concerns… William. Will he be joining us?”

  Olivia and David exchanged a glance. “He will not,” Olivia said carefully. “We’ll be speaking to him later.”

  Alexander’s eyebrows lifted. “I see. And what is the nature of all this—paper?”

  David took a deep breath. He’d been rehearsing this. “A century ago, my father told your mother that he was the legal owner of a patch of land down at the end of the valley—a piece of land he has since bequeathed to me. In doing so, he caused Quinn and her parents to be expelled from their home, and as they fought the ruling, they were banished from the valley.”

  ”I see,” Alexander said, frowning down at the papers. “Forgive me—these seem to indicate that it’s your family that rightfully owns the land, Quinn, not William’s.”

  ”That’s right,” David said. “William forged the papers. We’re here to ask you to overturn your mother’s decision.”

  Alexander stared down in silence at the papers for so long that David started to worry. Then he flicked those golden eyes up to David. “You’re willing to relinquish your inheritance?”

  ”Absolutely.”

  ”You’re willing to take the brunt of your father’s wrath?” he asked, and this time the question was directed to Olivia as well. She shrugged, a helpless little smile on her face. It wasn’t as though she didn’t have much experience in that, David thought ruefully.

  ”Yes. We can handle him.”

  ”And you two are soulmates,” Alexander continued thoughtfully, as though he were remarking on the weather.

  ”We are,” David said without hesitation.

  ”Well, I see no reason that this forgery shouldn’t be overturned.” Alexander frowned. “And if I’m honest, it seems to me that you and your father are owed reparations. This is a terrible thing to have gone through.”

  ”We don’t want anything,” Quinn said simply. “Just our home back.”

  ”It can be discussed at a later date, anyway,” Alexander said thoughtfully. “For now… you have my full support in this, Quinn. You are most welcome back to the valley, and I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. As king, I overturn Reagan’s decision. Welcome home.”

  Quinn beamed—and before David could stop her, she threw her arms around Alexander. The king laughed, his golden eyes crinkling with amusement as he returned the hug.

  “There will need to be consequences, however,” the king said firmly, looking at David. “For William, that is. He’ll need to be made an example of. Removal from the Council, I think. Someone guilty of forgery should have no say over the running of the kingdom. There will be an announcement at the next gathering.”

  ”Only fair.”

  ”Would you like me to break the news to him?” Alexander asked, tilting his head to the side. “I know William can be a little… emotional.”

  ”We’ll talk to him,” David said simply. His father didn’t scare him anymore.

  “One fight left,” Olivia said softly as they walked down the hallway towards the ledge. “Are you ready to meet William, Quinn?”

  Quinn’s jaw was tense when she nodded, and David squeezed her hand in his, reassuring her as much as he could even through his own apprehension. “I love you,” he whispered to her. “No matter what happens.”

  William was waiting for them. He was standing in the living room of their quarters, and David could see without even making eye contact how furious he was. Rosaline was with him, standing close, her hand on his forearm as she talked to him in a low, soft voice—David could recognize his sister’s best calming work, but at the same time he could tell by the tension in William’s neck that it wasn’t having much of an effect. The old dragon turned around, his green eyes burning as he looked at his son.

  “So,” he said after a silence that felt like it went for a decade. “You’ve decided to show your face again.”

  ”Dad,” David said levelly. Quinn was at his side, the warmth of her body burning against him, and he felt stronger than he ever had in the face of his father’s anger. The old dragon seemed to recognize it, too—there was a guarded look in his eyes, something like surprise… and suspicion. “This is Quinn. She’s my soulmate.”

  ”I know who that is,” William snarled. “Charles’s brat. You think I’d forget a pair of eyes like yours?” It was as though he hadn’t heard the part about her being his soulmate, David thought blankly.

  “Can’t say I remember you, William,” Quinn snapped into the ringing silence, “but of course that has more to do with you kicking me out of my home as an infant—”

  ”That cursed scrap of land isn’t worth the rocks it’s made of. I did you a favor,” William snarled.

  ”Then you’ll be delighted to know the land belongs to Quinn and her father again,” David said quickly, straightening his spine. Best to get it all out of the way quickly—like ripping a band aid. William’s eyes widened. “They’ll be moving back in the next few days. Alexander wasn’t happy to hear about your forgeries, either, Dad. You’ve been removed from the Council.”

  ”We own that land,” William growled. “You own it, David, as my son I gave it to y
ou—”

  ”Then you’ll be delighted that I’ll be living there with my soulmate,” David said, stressing the word and pinning his father with his eyes. He heard it that time—and David saw him shudder as though trying to reject the idea.

  ”Soulmate,” he ground out, and there was something strange and broken in his voice that David had never heard there before. “You mean to tell me… you flew halfway across the country, and…”

  ”Yes,” David said simply. “We love each other. I’m sorry if you don’t understand that, but—”

  ”Fine,” William said, turning his back. “Fine. Go.”

  David stared at him. Even Rosaline and Olivia seemed confused—he saw them glance at each other, clearly sharing the same confused thought. They’d been gearing up for this argument for days—they’d expected hours of shouting. Was William just giving in? Really? This had to be a trick—some kind of scheme. He was plotting something, David thought dazedly, planning to destroy them somehow…

  William’s voice sounded again, but this time it was barely more than a strangled whisper, something that had forced its way out from deep inside the man. David blinked, not understanding what he’d said.

  ”What was that, Dad?”

  ”I’m happy for you,” William said again, barely audible. “Go. Please.”

  ”Come on,” Olivia said quickly, leading them both out of the room and leaving William with Rosaline, his head bowed.

  “I’ve never seen him like that,” David said blankly as they stood on the ledge. “What was that? What happened to him?”

  ”I didn’t realize,” Quinn was saying, her eyes clouded. “I didn’t realize how much like my father he was.”

  David stared at her, feeling a strange urge to laugh. Comparing his tempestuous, cruel, erratic father to the gentle man in gumboots he’d met down in the desert seemed ridiculous. “What do you mean?”

  ”They’re both grieving,” Quinn said simply, looking up at him. “Your mother. My mother.”

  Olivia exhaled. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  ”Seeing two people who’ve found each other… of course it hurts him.”

  David was reeling. Could it really be that simple? William had been kicking up a fuss over every new addition to the valley for the last several years. Now that he thought about it, the outrage had always resulted from someone moving to the valley as a result of finding their mate among its inhabitants. Could it really be that simple? Was it misguided grief at the loss of his own mate, so long ago?

  They were both silent as they travelled back to the patch of land, lost in thought. Olivia let them go, saying she’d better stay back in case Rosaline needed her. By the time they reached the land again, the sun was setting. Quinn wandered aimlessly back and forth, looking down at the land as though worried it was going to disappear if she didn’t keep an eye on it.

  ”I can’t believe I’m home,” she said honestly, looking up at David. “I can’t believe this—worked. David, thank you.”

  ”Least I could do,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms. “It’s not done, yet.”

  ”I know. But I can’t wait to build stuff. To live here with you. I’m thinking a little cabin, up here, what do you think?” She scuffed at the ground with her foot. “Good view of the sky, and when the stream’s running we’ll hear it through the windows.”

  ”Beautiful,” he agreed, smiling. “I don’t know the first thing about building a house.”

  ”Good thing you’ve got me, then, I’m brilliant at it,” she grinned, her eyes flashing.

  ”How are you at putting up tents?” He gestured to the pile of camping equipment—Olivia, ever the pragmatist, had dug it out of storage.

  ”Not so good. You can be on tent duty.” She stared down across the land as the sun set. “Dad’ll want to live down there,” she mused, almost to herself. “The creek will pool in a lake down the bottom, he’ll want a cabin and a vegetable garden and all sorts…”

  ”And the chickens?”

  ”And the chickens, absolutely. Chicken coop first, knowing him.” She grinned. “He’ll be up in a few days.”

  David hesitated. “How’s he going to go—you know, living near William?”

  She shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out. I don’t know—I think they have a lot in common. Maybe in a few hundred years, they’ll be friends.” She tilted her head to the side, peering up at him curiously. “Why are you smiling like that?”

  ”Hundreds of years,” David said simply. “Hundreds of years with you. I can’t wait.”

  Chapter 18 – Quinn

  “Pass me that hammer, will you?”

  ”Dad, you’ve spent two full weeks on the chicken coop. Will you please start on your own house? You’re going to catch your death sleeping in that tent—”

  ”The girls need to be taken care of first,” Charles said, sounding rather dignified for a man wearing bright yellow gumboots and fussing with a huge roll of netting. He was midway through building perhaps the most ambitious chicken coop in the Northern Hemisphere, and Quinn was so torn between exasperation and amusement that she barely knew where to start with him.

  It had been a month since they’d left their desert home behind for good, and Quinn had been surprised to find that she didn’t miss it at all. Sure, the night air in Colorado was an entirely different kind of cold, and she realized that she was going to need to get her hands on a lot more winter-appropriate day clothes, but she truly couldn’t believe how happy she felt here. It felt like her body was finally able to relax—like she’d been perched in an uncomfortable chair for a hundred years, and had finally moved to a soft armchair that fit her body perfectly.

  She and David had constructed a little cabin on the rise, working long days together to make the place perfect. He’d been surprisingly helpful on the design side of things, making useful suggestions for the floor plan that had contributed to the space feeling airy and beautiful—and the view from the balcony was absolutely exquisite. Just as she’d predicted, when the stream of sacred water started running, there was a beautiful, constant background noise of running water. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed that sound. Looking at the stream as it danced across the rocks and down the steep hill towards its resting place, she realized how wrong it had been to trap it in a static lake down in the desert. It had served them well regardless, but this was where it was truly meant to be—and she was grateful every day she woke up and stepped out onto the porch to greet the morning.

  Charles, on the other hand, was more interested in getting the chickens set up. He’d spent the first two weeks simply wandering around the land—he’d lent them a little bit of help building their cabin, of course, but mostly he’d just walked. It was as though he needed to reacquaint himself with every rock, every patch of dirt, every stunted tree and scraggly bush. The trees were already beginning to look more green, too, Quinn thought, smiling a little as she glanced at a nearby tree. The water was doing its work already. It would be a while before the land was truly transformed to its former glory, but it was heartening to see the effects already coming into play.

  And Charles had outdone himself on bringing as much stuff as possible up from the farm. He hadn’t wanted to leave much behind, not wanting the coyotes to have to deal with their leavings—he’d brought building supplies from the old farmhouse, furniture, a few months’ worth of food at least… and of course, the chickens. How he’d gotten everything up to the valley was anyone’s guess—a truck had been involved, Quinn suspected, some hefty bribes to a local wolf pack, and a lot of flying back and forth. At any rate, they were grateful for the extra supplies.

  Charles had met with Alexander the day he flew in, too, and by all accounts had gotten on famously with the king. Quinn wasn’t surprised—her father was surprisingly charming when he wanted to be. Apparently, he’d regaled the king with stories of his mother that he hadn’t heard before—he’d made quite an impression. They were already receiving invites to the various
social events of the community, making it clear that despite how far they lived from everyone else in the valley, they were being firmly invited to be part of the community again.

  Quinn wasn’t sure how her father would take all of that. Part of her had thought he may be angry with the dragons of the valley—that he’d resent them for exiling him, that he’d want to keep to himself. But forgiveness had come as easily to Charles as breathing.

  “Oh, I’ve invited William down to have a look at the place,” Charles threw over his shoulder. David stood up so quickly that he knocked his head on the roof of the chicken coop.

  ”You what?”

  ”I saw him at the gathering the other night. Had a good chat.”

  David looked like he was about to explode. Quinn was torn between wanting to comfort her mate and wanting to burst out laughing. “Are you sure you mean William? My father, William? Green eyes, gray hair—”

  ”Yes, David, I know the man,” Charles said cheerfully, his gray-blue eyes twinkling. Quinn knew that look—he was enjoying this. Charles reveled in being unpredictable. “There was this thing that happened a hundred years ago, I might have mentioned it—”

  ”He’s coming to visit?”

  ”Yes, I suggested it.”

  ”Unbelievable,” David said faintly, and Quinn grinned as he sat down heavily on the ground. She was surprised, too. They’d both been expecting William to hide in his cave for months, if not years, given the humiliation of being publicly removed from the Council. But it seemed the old dragon had a few surprises in store.

  ”Nearly done, I think,” Charles said, surveying the coop with a thoughtful eye. “It’ll need expanding, of course, but I think it’s good enough to let the ladies have a look.”

  The coop was enormous—there were a dozen nesting boxes inside, plus a huge covered yard for the hens to peck and scratch in. Quinn had no doubt that these would be the most spoiled chickens in North America. It felt good to see her father so immersed in his work. It had taken coming home to realize how truly uncommitted he had been to the farm back down in the desert. Yes, he’d worked hard there… but seeing the care he took up here, she knew that his heart hadn’t been in it. The farm in the desert had been a means to an end, a way to keep his mind off the sadness in his life. Now, with much of that sadness banished, he was free to focus on work that actually brought him joy. And it showed. He looked years younger, decades, even.