Dragon Greed

by Kelly Armenta

  “I am fine,” I whispered tightly and placed my hands upon him while in my mind I forced the healing once again. When I was certain he was well, I lifted my eyes to him sluggishly and felt my vision narrowing. Hands reached for me in slow motion as I listed sideways.

  I woke in the middle of my bed. My head pillowed in Jace’s lap. I blinked and then winced at the pain within my head. Amras’ face swam into view, as well as my Mother’s, and I glanced down my body, thankful that someone had thought to clothe me in a pale green nightgown. “How do you feel?” Mom asked and I lifted my hand to my head and groaned.

  “Weak,” I replied softly.

  “It is no wonder, since you have not eaten in a week. And we’ve barely been able to get fluids within you. Judging by the amount of blood on the floor, and the lack of injuries present, might I assume you have managed to overexert yourself?” she asked, her pale blue eyes searching my face. Her fingers reached out to stroke my brow when I nodded.

  “Probably,” I muttered then felt her touch sooth my head and sighed softly. “Thank you.”

  She glanced at Gareth who was standing next to the bed, his arms crossed over his chest and told him. “Feed her… but slowly. And I know she requires…assistance. But go gently,” she added with a grimace. “She’s been in a coma for a week; her body needs time to heal and rebuild its strength.” And then her face crumbled and she reached for me, pulling me into her arms. Her body shook silently against mine while I held her and patted her back, making soft soothing noises. My eyes met my Dad’s over her shoulder and he looked like he might be close to tears, too. It must have been delayed reaction because my eyes overflowed and tears slipped down my cheeks to fall amongst the bedding.

  “I’m okay, it’s okay,” I whispered over and over again, while she clung to me and silently cried. My men brushed her gently, giving her their strength with a hand on her shoulder or back. It was their way of sharing her pain and offering support. When she finally released me she turned to Dad, who gathered her gently against his body and held her tightly.

  “Do not do that again, young lady,” he growled at me. I nodded and smiled up at him through my own tears.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. I never meant to get sucked into the Everlasting while I was out walking in a meadow. It just sort of happened.” His eyes widened and he glanced at me in horror.

  “You were in the Oiotellad?” he asked me softly. I nodded and leaned back against Jace, who had slipped in behind me. His arms wrapped gently around my body and pulled me in against his chest. I could barely breathe from the pressure he exerted but did not take him to task as it felt wonderful to be in his arms. His day old growth brushed my cheek and he hummed quietly.

  “Apparently I said something that was a challenge to Tdem, and his God Kaela Mensha wasn’t happy with me. I think I asked him… who was minding his Kingdom while he was out walking in the Seelie meadow with me. Anyway I got pulled in and… can I have something to eat?” I asked, feeling a slight tremor in my hands and wrists. “I think I need food. And maybe some water?” A tray with a large bowl of broth and warm buttery bread appeared on the bed next to me, along with a large bottle of water. Amras reached for the bowl and spoon while Jace continued to hold me. Normally it was Jace that fed me, but I didn’t think he was going to give up his hold this time. He seemed content to allow Amras to have the honors while he held me and rubbed his cheek against my hair repeatedly. I suspected he soothed himself with his actions.

  I spent several minutes getting some of the broth into me while I glanced around the room. Talon and Roa’ were nowhere to be seen and Lira and Roral had graduated from hall monitors to inside door duty, both watching me closely. It was as if no one there could pull their eyes off of me. Perhaps they feared I might disappear once again if they did.

  “Where did you put the others?” I asked quietly and glanced at Gareth, who met my eyes but refused to respond. When it was clear to me that he wasn’t going to answer, I turned my gaze upon the rest of them and discovered no one was interested in eye contact. When Amras held the next spoonful up to me I dodged it and glared up at him. “What did you do with them?”

  Amras sighed and put the spoon back in the bowl. “Kit put them somewhere,” he finally replied, his beautiful violet eyes hinting at an anger that seemed to simmer just below the surface. I glanced at Kit who folded his arms over his chest and stared down at his still bloody thigh, refusing to look at me. “Dad, the Silver is here. His name is Roa’, and he is unlike any of the others. I thought you said that the woman you inseminated were only Seelie?”

  My Dad looked at me curiously and glanced around at the floor, then back at me. “A Silver did this?” he replied in a curious tone.

  “Yes, when he thought I’d killed his mentor, friend… whatever,” I told him waving my hand in exasperation. “By the way you never said, what color was Dane’s father?”

  Dad looked surprised at my question. “Bronze,” he replied.

  “Roa’s mother was a Drow,” I told him with a raised eyebrow. “Apparently she disguised herself.”

  “His father was Bronze and Drow? That isn’t possible, Lexi. No Drow exist upon this planet.”

  “Well, that’s not what Morai, the Keeper of Elfin Souls told me. Apparently Tdem is part Drow, too” I muttered and dropped my head back against Jace’s chest.

  Mom seemed to pale then shake herself slightly as she glanced from Amras to me. “Lexi, you must eat the rest of this broth,” she told me in a shaky voice. “And then maybe you should rest for a while. Your body has been through a lot this past week.”

  “Sure Mom,” I replied in a small voice, the broth in my stomach making me sleepy.

  “Lexi?” Dad asked me abruptly. “You said others? What did you mean by that?”

  I swallowed the spoonful Amras forced upon me and glanced up at Dad. “He’s got a Gray with him, his name is Talon. And he looks like a Drow, too.”

  Dad’s eyes widened and he stared down at me in shock. “Lexi, did you see this God? This Kaela Mensha?” he asked, his voice sounding urgent.

  I stilled and ignored Amras for a moment, my eyes going round in my face. “No,” I told him. “No, there was only Roa’ and Talon, along with four others that went away when I broke one of the other men’s arms.” Then I thought about his question for a moment remembering how Talon had informed me that Roa’ would not dare touch me first and thought… uh oh.

  Gareth made a disgusted noise in his throat, and turned first to my Father then back to Kit. “Bring them back,” he told Kit, who looked mutinous and shifted his red eyes to me.

  “Maybe it would be best to ah… oh stars,” I muttered and nodded at Kit, who glared at me but snapped his fingers.

  Talon appeared on the bed lying on his back. He was dressed, if you want to call it that, in a huge t-shirt and ugly baggy plaid pants. I frowned at Kit but didn’t say anything. He turned and slowly rose to a sitting position, his pale pink eyes glancing around the room calmly. He hesitated briefly on my Father before finally settling his gaze upon me. He lifted an eyebrow and informed me in a wry voice. “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. It seems I should apologize for my lack of… participation. However, I hardly think I deserved the charming visit to Hades in punishment, as the choice apparently wasn’t mine to make.”

  Hades… Hell? I thought, then bit my lip and glanced at Roa’ who was sitting on the bed behind Talon, his head held in both hands. Obviously he’d enjoyed Hell about as much as I had though I doubted he’d been stripped naked and covered in naught but little gold chains. But then, who knew where Kit had put him? And I glanced at Kit in question.

  “They were not molested,” he growled. “Though I was sorely tempted, I knew it would make you angry. The black one is just being overly dramatic.” he replied with a disdainful look and a dismissive wave of his hand. “You were not nearly as upset by it as he appears to be.”

  I lifted an eyebrow at him and responded, “Yes Kit, but then I am suit
ed to it and he is not.”

  My comment caused Talon to still, and then he appeared to have a moment of utter confusion. I looked at them both and wondered, why had Morai sent them with me?

  Chapter 5

  “Sorry about that. I think it was a bit of a misunderstanding. Roa’ there tried to kill several of my men while you were… recuperating,” I informed him and Talon turned to look at Roa’ who lifted his head and winced.

  Talon sighed and raised a knee to lean upon. “Remind me next time you are beneath me to be more specific,” he replied and grinned when several growls erupted around the room.

  “Please, I am not feeling well enough to put you back together like I did in the cell,” I warned him while behind me Jace tensed and several pair of eyes shifted to me in question. I glanced at Roa’ and could nearly feel the pain coming off him in waves. “Roa’!” I snapped and he jumped on the bed. “Come here,” I told him, while Jace hissed and I ignored him.

  Roa’ glanced at Talon, who shrugged and nodded, then watched as Roa’ moved to his knees and crawled slowly toward me. Dane looked like he had to struggle to control himself as the other man passed near to him. Roa’ tensed his shoulder and back muscles but managed to ignore him and kneel near me, his eyes wary. I held out my hand toward him and he flinched back, while I raised an eyebrow and waited patiently.

  “Lean forward, would you? I don’t have all day,” I told him. He hesitated for a moment then bowed his head toward me while I forced the healing into him. He jerked back and stared down at me in surprise. “Do not ever attack my men again,” I warned him softly. “Or you will find yourself truly dead from a crushed windpipe. Understand?” I told him in a cold and calm voice while he nodded and eased back from me. “Stop glaring at me, it had to be done,” I muttered to the rest of my men, who all looked angry at my actions. I leaned back against Jace and closed my eyes for a moment.

  “Your Majesty, you must finish your food,” Amras offered causing me to crack open my eyes and glance at him curiously. Since when had he called me that, I wondered, and watched as his eyes narrowed and the skin tightened over his cheeks?

  “Since you elected to drag home a… those,” he hissed back and literally flung the tray across the room. He leapt from the bed and was gone in a swirl of pale hair and black leather. The crockery and tray shattered, while silverware clattered against the marble. I sucked in air and sat up straight, turning my eyes to Cursed who looked equally irate. When I would have pulled myself from Jace’s arms he grabbed me and held me fast.

  “Let me go!” I told him angrily, and then struggled weakly until my hair covered my face. Amras had never acted this way and I needed to find out why he was so angry with me.

  “Lexi, leave it,” my Father told me. “We’ve all been under strain this past week. He will return soon and you can discuss it then.” I glanced about the room noticing that once again no one but Talon and Roa’ would meet my eyes. Well Lira and Roral, too, but that wasn’t surprising. I made a ‘harrumph’ noise and crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Talon, you aren’t also known as Kaela Mensha are you?” I asked baldly, watching him out of the corner of my eye as he jerked and his face went blank. He stayed that way for perhaps a second or two, then humor lit his eyes and he threw back his head and laughed… much as Roa’ had before I’d released him from the cell.

  “Oh, you are delightful!” he told me when he had gotten himself back under control. I continued to stare at him, as did the rest of the men until he finally frowned and became serious. “No, I am not Kaela Mensha,” he replied and in my mind I heard his voice as it whispered “I am he that hunts.” In the next instant, his eyes shifted to red and his face turned black and nebulous, while I cried out and once again lost consciousness.

  This time when I woke the room was dark and I sensed my men sleeping upon the bed near me. I rose slowly and moved to the edge, needing to use the restroom. I felt eyes on me in the dark and I bit my lip as my feet hit the floor, the cold seeping into me immediately.

  “Your Majesty?” Lira whispered softly. And I thought the word ‘bathroom’ as I shuffled toward the doorway. My body felt stiff and shaky. Apparently laying around for days on end was harder than one might think. The lights came up as I closed the door behind me, the Faerie magic nearly blinding me. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I passed and stopped dead in my tracks. Stars! I thought, and winced at the reflection staring back at me. I looked like a picture of death warmed over. No actually, I just plain looked dead! My skin was pasty, nearly translucent. My hair seemed brittle and was a rat’s nest. My body looked like I’d taken up anorexia as my newest hobby and was really excelling at it. Even my eyes looked dull. Shifting hadn’t helped much and I shuddered to think what I might have looked like before. I stared back at myself and slipped to my knees on the floor, bending my head to my thighs, and sent up a silent thank you from the depths of my soul to Morai, who had surely saved my life.

  When my eyes finally stopped leaking all over me, I pushed myself to my feet amidst the circle of golden tears and went to use the restroom. The bath was running when I came out and a tray of food had been left for me. I bit the inside of my cheek and forced myself not to cry again as I slipped into the tub and reached for the shampoo. The simple act of washing my hair exhausted me, and I had to rest several times before all of the soap was finally gone from me. Then I set to eating everything on the tray. I had always been lean, but it was too obvious that my body had been feeding upon itself for the past week, as there was little left of me but parchment and sticks. Not exactly pin up material, I thought, as I drank the rest of the bottle of water that had been left for me. I tipped my head back against the rim of the tub and let my mind empty.

  When I opened my eyes, Amras was staring back at me, his face pale, eyes huge. Apparently I wasn’t the only one that had missed some meals. He looked thinner and… tragically beautiful. “I watched you die and could not prevent it,” he whispered brokenly. “And the only thing that gave us hope was that Kit stayed. I thought as long as Kit is here, you would come back to me. I love you more than life itself, and I should not have let you come here.”

  His words choked me, squeezed my heart, and caused my eyes to fill again. “No,” I told him softly. “This was meant to be,” and I closed my eyes and repeated what Mi had told me the night that I had met Jace and Gareth. “Beware the red and the white, who like thieves in the night will steal your very essence. And the black will attack to take you back into the Everlasting. But the green and the blue shall be your friends true. That is what Mi told me weeks ago. Amras, this was not your fault. This was no one’s fault. It merely is.”

  His face lost some of its pallor and a look of relief slipped into his eyes. His body seemed to unclench and he shifted from one foot to the other. “May I join you?” he asked shyly and I smiled as he removed his clothing and slipped into the bath with me. He gathered me gently into his lap and I curled there, placing my head against his shoulder. “It is good that you ate everything on your plate,” he whispered while his lips brushed my forehead and his fingers slowly stroked my arm.

  “I would have earlier, but it seems my tray took flight and shattered itself against the wall,” I teased him, and he muttered and hugged me carefully.

  “I am sorry. It was wrong of me to lose my temper.”

  “I don’t know if it was wrong, but it was… shocking,” I replied and placed my hand on his chest just above his heart. The gentle beat soothed me and I snuggled closer and yawned.

  “Amras, what happened in the cavern?” I asked and stroked him lightly when he tensed. “Please, I’d like to know.”

  He kissed me once or twice upon the brow. More for him, I suspected, than for me. It was several minutes before he replied. “From where I stood, the King asked you a question and you turned to him. Then the sky went black and the Wild Host began spilling out upon the air and I think you shouted something, and then you just collapsed,” he muttered
softly.

  “And what of the Host?”

  He shuddered slightly and hesitated. “They flowed over you. It happened so very quickly, and we could not reach you. Then they simply disappeared… into you. And the King…,” he continued softly, “the King roared and also disappeared, taking with him his three guards.”

  “And did he roar in triumph?”

  Amras shook his head against me. “No it was… heart wrenching. He screamed in pain, as if he’d been mortally wounded. We have not seen him since,” he replied without my having to ask. “I suspect he thought he’d killed you, as had we all. Though with his spies, it is likely he will know soon that this is not so.”

  I thought about it for a while and compared his comments to what I had sensed and felt. I still wasn’t certain who the black was. Perhaps Mi could shed some light on it the next time I saw her. Or better yet, I thought, seeing red eyes and blackness. Hmmm, I might have that discussion soon, I promised myself. “And what happened after Tdem disappeared?”

  “We brought you here and we warded the room to keep you safe.”

  “You warded the room how?” I asked softly, my mind stuttering over the possibilities.

  “To keep you here safe, your body alive. And to keep any and all others out.”

  I sat up straight and leaned back to look at him. “You warded the room to keep minds out?” I whispered, and he nodded while his eyes turned pensive. “Amras, who told you to do this?” I breathed softly.