For the Kingdom of Dragons

by Julie Wetzel

  Angela let out a sigh and leaned into his side. Just being close to him made her feel a little better about everything. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as she feared.

  The cacophony of clashing metal echoed up the path leading to the practice grounds. Kyle reveled in the familiar sound. It had been a while since he’d heard the symphony of swordplay and speculating on whom was practicing gave him a measure of joy that he hadn’t expected. He smiled as Angela clung to his arm. Her concern filtered through their connection but it didn’t worry him. Her feelings were colored with a fair amount of curiosity. He patted her arm in reassurance and hurried them along.

  As they came to the end of the path, the woods gave way to the large meadow that Patrick used to train Eternity’s Elites. Kyle drew in the smell of freshly cut grass and escorted Angela into the mowed field. The scene before them brought back memories of Kyle’s youth. A large red dragon sat on the far side of the clearing and watched as Patrick and Noah squared off.

  Kyle smiled as his brother came at the mage with a volley of moves used to train unskilled swordsmen. Noah just barely got his sword and shield up enough to block the incoming attack.

  “Good,” Patrick said as he brought his pass to an end. “But you want to make sure you hold your shield up.” He raised his targe into the proper place to show Noah what he meant. “If you drop it down, you leave yourself open for attack.” He swung his sword at Noah’s head to emphasize his point.

  Noah yanked his small shield up and blocked the attack with the flat of his blade.

  “Better,” Patrick said. He took a step back, held his weapons in position, and bounced on the balls of his feet. “Now come at me.” He waved the fingers holding his sword at Noah, encouraging him on.

  Noah’s hand tightened on his sword, and he stepped into the same series of practice swings.

  “Good,” Patrick called as he blocked the first move and stepped back. “But, put some power behind your swing.” He parried the second move and gave way again. “Make me feel it.”

  Letting out a loud cry, Noah finished out the exercise with a bit more force.

  “That’s what I like to see,” Patrick said as he blocked the last hit before stepping out of Noah’s reach. “Strength and technique are only part of what makes a good swordsman. The rest is intimidation.”

  Kyle chuckled as he approached the pair with Angela in tow. “Don’t be too hard on him, my brother,” he said cheerfully. “His skills lay more in the realm of magic and less in brute force if I remember correctly.”

  “This is true,” Noah agreed. He swung his sword around in a flashy move that needed more practice, but when he brought it back into attack position, the blade burst into flame. He held his shield up and grinned at Patrick. “You ready to go again?”

  Patrick took a step back and held his targe higher. He stared at Noah with wide eyes. “Now that is intimidating.”

  Noah laughed and relaxed. “It would be more impressive if the fire was real.” He waved the sword around, watching the flames dance. “This is just a simple illusion.” The flames on the sword winked out as he lowered it to his side.

  “It’s still impressive,” Kyle admitted. He turned his attention to Angela. “What say you?” He could feel her awe.

  “Not something that I’d want to face in a dark alley,” Angela admitted.

  All three men let out amused laughs.

  “But this isn’t why you’re here,” Noah said as he held the hilt of his sword towards Patrick.

  Patrick swapped his weapons around and took Noah’s blade.

  “So how do you feel?” Noah asked as he dropped his shield on the ground near his feet.

  Kyle could feel Angela’s anxiety level rise as Noah focused on her. He placed his hand over hers. It will be all right.

  Angela glanced at him before turning her attention back to Noah. “Okay, I guess.”

  “Did Kyle explain what was going to happen?”

  Drawing in a long breath, Angela bit her bottom lip and looked up at Kyle again.

  Her uncertainty beat at his mind. “As best I could,” he admitted. “But, then again, I’m not really sure how this is going to work myself.”

  Noah smiled. “It’s actually very simple,” he explained. He held his hand out for Angela. When she took it, he flipped her hand over. “Using a sharp knife, I’ll make a small cut on the palm of your hand.” He ran his nail across her palm. “Then Byrd and I will use that opening to draw out your dragon.”

  A shiver of fear passed over their connection making Kyle release his hold on Angela’s arm and draw her into his side.

  “Will it hurt?” she asked

  “It shouldn’t,” Noah said as he rubbed the palm of her hand, “Byrd has done this many times, although, he’s never done it with a split dragon.” A worried look passed over Noah’s face and he glanced from Angela to Kyle and back. “We’re pretty sure that the only pain will come from the cut to your hand.”

  A sharper wave of uncertainty caused Kyle to glance at Angela. He caught a quick flash of Angela’s eyes before she asked Noah her next question.

  “And what about the bond with the dragon?”

  If they hadn’t been linked, Kyle might have taken the question as an insult, but he could feel her worry. She trusted he told her the truth as he knew it, but she needed to have someone with more experience confirm what he’d already said.

  Pity shown in Noah’s eyes as his face fell. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do about that. Once a dragon has formed a bond, it can only be broken by death.”

  The glance Noah threw at Kyle had enough of a question in it that Kyle considered that possibility. The analytical part of his brain rapid fired a whole series of pros and cons to killing Angela. A wave of horror washed over him, stopping his musing. He turned to look at Angela. She’d gone tense under his hand.

  “Are you actually considering that?” she asked, clearly disturbed that he’d entertained the idea.

  He had been caught. Letting out a soft snort of amusement, Kyle tried to keep an embarrassed smirk from spreading across his. “For a second there, I actually did,” he admitted. The look of horror on Angela’s face spread. “But only because Noah brought the idea up,” he said, trying to reassure her. “The thought hadn’t crossed my mind before that.”

  Angela narrowed her eyes and gave him a skeptical look.

  “But seriously,” he turned his attention back to Noah and gave the man a pointed look. “Murder isn’t an option. I couldn’t hurt her any more than I could hurt myself. You know that as well as I.”

  Noah chuckled. “I do,” he admitted, “but she asked, and I had to know.”

  “And you considered it,” Angela snapped. Pulling out of his hold, she stepped away from his side.

  Kyle let her go. “This is true,” he admitted again. “But you can’t hold it against me. It was a passing thought that I would never have acted on.”

  “You want to bet on that?” Angela growled as she moved around behind Noah. She dropped her hand down over her stomach and glared at Kyle around Noah’s shoulder.

  The pain Angela was feeling echoed in Kyle, and he forced himself not to show it. He had to find a way to defuse the situation before things got worse. “Angela, I’m sorry.” An apology was always a good way to start. “Sometimes you can’t control the idiotic ideas that pass through your head,” he said, trying to reason with her. “But you can control what you do about them. I have never hurt an innocent person no matter how much I thought they might deserve it.” Memories of a white dragon chasing after his sister flashed in his mind. His dragon let out a low rumble of anger that echoed in Angela, surprising them both.

  She covered her mouth at the unexpected sound. Her eye went wide. “What was that?”

  Kyle could feel her rummaging around in his thoughts chasing the memory that caused the reaction. He let out a forlorn sigh and explained. “That was Michael Duncan. My brother-in-law.”

  Patrick chuck
led as he stacked his weaponry on the ground. “I take it you’re still a little miffed about the way Carissa claimed him?”

  Kyle glared at his adopted brother as the man came over and wrapped his arm around Angela’s shoulders. “He kidnapped her!”

  “That’s not what I hear,” Patrick said as he eased Angela out of her hiding spot. “I heard that she kidnapped him.”

  “Semantics,” Kyle growled as he crossed his arms over his chest. His dragon swirled in him, still upset about the whole affair. “He convinced her to run off instead of coming to me for help.”

  Patrick cocked an eyebrow at Kyle. “Would you have listened?”

  The teasing tone of Patrick’s words made Kyle grind his teeth. He wanted to say yes, but he didn’t honestly know what he would have done if Carissa had brought Michael straight to him. The case they had against the man had been nearly airtight. Kyle probably wouldn’t have given him the time needed to find the evidence to clear his name. Admitting that stung Kyle’s pride.

  The smug look on Patrick’s face told Kyle that he’d come to the same conclusion. Patrick tipped his head closer to Angela as if to whisper, but spoke loud enough that Kyle could hear. “He has a tendency to be a bit overprotective.”

  The tease stressed Kyle’s already out of control temper making him growl. “One more dig like that and I’ll school you on the proper use of a sword.”

  Joy flashed in Patrick’s eyes. “Any time, my brother,” he taunted.

  “Gentlemen,” Kara roared. Everyone turned to look at the red dragon watching over them. She glared at them all. “As fun as that would be, that’s not why we are here. Can we get on with this? I need to get back and help with dinner.”

  15

  Angela stared at the dragon in surprise. Not only could she understand the creature’s rumbling growls, but she could also tell the intimidating beast was the same kind woman she’d met when she’d first arrived. The fact that she recognized Kara’s altered form boggled Angela’s mind. The sound of a deep sigh pulled her attention back from the dragon and she turned to look at Kyle again.

  A strange mix of emotions filled her and she took a moment to sort them out. Most of them came from Kyle. He was irritated with Noah for explaining how the bond could be broken, mad at himself for considering it, furious with his brother for teasing him and generally frustrated with the whole situations. The fact that he was so mixed up eased many of Angela’s fears. She didn’t like having him in her head, but it gave her a new insight that led to an understanding.

  Stepping out of Patrick’s hold, she walked over and placed her hand on Kyle’s chest. She could feel the anger drain from him as their eyes met. Oddly, the pain cramping her middle lessened too. She put that thought aside and studied Kyle. He looked genuinely worried. She stared into his swirling golden eyes for a long moment searching out her feelings among the mix of Kyle’s and the dragon’s.

  Surprisingly, they were fairly neutral to everything. She wasn’t really upset with Kyle for his blunder. She’d been horrified that he would consider such an act, but he was right. She couldn’t really hold his personal thoughts against him. Letting out a deep breath, she stepped closer to him and let him wrap his hand up around her back.

  “Forgive me?” he whispered.

  Angela smiled. “Yes.” The sudden change in the dragon’s emotions made her gasp. She clutched at Kyle’s shirt to keep from falling over. She hadn’t realized how upset the creature had been until its mood lifted. Its elation was nearly euphoric. A sudden spike of worry cut through the ecstasy, bringing it down to something Angela could deal with.

  “Are you all right?” Kyle asked as he tightened his hold.

  “Yeah.” The word squeaked out. Angela curled her fingers into the fabric of Kyle’s dress shirt. The feelings racing through Angela ran the border between exquisite and unbearable. She had never experienced anything like it. A soft snicker from Noah drew her attention, and she turned her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye.

  “Takes a moment to figure out.”

  Angela twisted in Kyle’s hold so she was facing the mage. “What?”

  “Having a dragon,” Noah explained. “It’s not the easiest thing to get used to.” He gave her a knowing smile before continuing. “They go from one extreme to the other and back so fast it’s overwhelming. And when you think you finally have a grip on it, they throw you a curveball that leaves your head spinning. It’s frustrating. And these guys have no idea what that’s like,” he waved at both Patrick and Kyle, “because they’ve been dealing with their dragons since birth.”

  Noah’s words hit home and she leaned back against Kyle. Bits she’d picked up from conversations fell into place and filled in the truth she’d missed. She knew Byrd was Noah’s dragon and they were experts on dragon heartstones, but it wasn’t until that moment that she realized the mage wasn’t a split dragon, he was a human learning to deal with a dragon he’d acquired. “You’re…” She let her words die off, unsure how to voice her epiphany.

  Noah nodded. “Byrd and I have our issues, but I wouldn’t give him up for the world.”

  Angela turned that over in her mind. A hint of fear made her shiver. “Will I end up like you?” She wasn’t sure if she could deal with having a split personality.

  “I doubt it,” Kyle said.

  “There’s always the chance,” Noah added, “but not likely.”

  Angela glanced between the two men.

  “Byrd and Noah came together under traumatic conditions,” Kara explained.

  Angela looked up as the red dragon came closer and continued.

  “While it is true there are many that aren’t fully connected with their dragon, it’s very rare to find a complete split like Byrd and Noah. The others that gained dragons haven’t had as much trouble as Noah. I’m told it’s weird at first, but with their mate’s help, they’ve all adjusted to their new lives very well.”

  Angela’s eyes went wide. “But I don’t have a mate.” A hiss from her dragon and a feeling of possessiveness hit her as Kyle’s arms tightened around her.

  Kara raised her head and, although she didn’t have the right facial muscles, Angela could swear the dragon was smiling as she spoke again. “I’m sure Kyle won’t leave you high and dry.”

  “Of course not,” Kyle replied.

  The echo of a word raced through Angela’s mind, but she couldn’t tell if it came from Kyle or their shared dragon. She turned to peek at Kyle through the corner of her eye. “Mine?” she repeated in question.

  An amused smile curled the corner of Kyle’s mouth. “I told you the dragon isn’t going to give you up.” He dropped the smile and turned his attention to Noah. “So how about getting us fixed?”

  “Of course,” Noah answered. “Let me get my things.”

  Angela stared at Kyle. His face had gone serious, but there was a twinkle in his eye that made her think she’d missed something. She tried poking at his psyche to see what he was thinking, but his mind was exceptionally still. Kyle looked down to meet her gaze, but his thoughts and feelings were still blank. She wrinkled her brow trying to figure him out. “How do you do that?” She’d never been able to completely shut her brain up. There was always a comment or thought floating around in there.

  Kyle smiled again. “Years of practice, but it does take some concentration.”

  Angela let out a long sigh and relaxed back into his hold. She had a nagging feeling that she’d missed something in their conversation. Exactly what that was eluded her, and she didn’t know how to ask.

  “Here we go,” Noah said, coming back with a bag and a blanket. Holding the edge of the blanket, he flipped it out and let it settle on the ground between them.

  Angela raised an eyebrow as he sat on the far edge of the blanket and started pulling things from his bag. Apprehension pressed at her as Noah pulled out a wide range of bottles and bowls from his bag.

  “Is all of that necessary?” Kyle asked. His surprise echoed through
Angela.

  “Nope,” Noah said as he kept pulling things from his bag. “But this is.” He held up a sheathed dagger. Placing it down next to him, he started gathering the array of magical paraphernalia back into his bag leaving out a velvet bag, a few strips of white cloth, and a small silver tray. “You can use any sharp blade, but Byrd assures me that pure silver works the best. The rest of this stuff is just in case.”

  Angela narrowed her eyes. “In case of what?”

  “Anything really,” Noah explained. “Surprised enemy attack, grass fires, medical emergency,” he looked up at her and grinned. “I even have something in case of zombie attacks.”

  Kyle chuckled. “Necromancers?”

  “Yup,” Noah said as he finished putting his things away.

  “Wait,” Angela said confused. “That’s a thing?” She pulled from Kyle’s hold so she could face him.

  “It’s very rare, but it’s been known to happen.”

  “It happens more often than you think,” Noah corrected.

  Angele turned around to face him again.

  “Anytime a mage toys with life force can be considered necromancy,” he explained. “I used it the other night to save Kyle’s life, and we’re about to use it again to pull out your dragon.”

  “But that’s not raising the dead,” she said shocked.

  Noah smiled. “Only a small part of necromancy involves raising the dead. The rest is about manipulating life force and talking to people that have passed. The ‘raising the dead’ thing is seldom done due to the high cost and terrible results. Only a truly insane person would try.”

  “But there have been a few,” Kyle added.

  “Six,” Noah confirmed. “Then again, they were insane and didn’t live long afterward. But we aren’t here to talk about horror stories. How about we get this over with?” He patted the blanket in front of him.

  “Yes,” Kyle agreed. He took Angela’s hand and led her onto the blanket. “How would you like us?”

  “Sit next to each other and face me,” Noah said.