Pillar of Light (The Lost Princess Book 1)

by A. Mashburn

  Slovenia watched as Mo rose to her feet and walked over to where they all stood. She looked directly into Slovenia’s royal blue eyes. “The boar will be fine.”

  Slovenia couldn’t help but be amused by this strange dragon. She turned to conceal the small smile that had begun to form and the group began walking around the central area of the homestead. She showed them where they would be breaking the bond and the greenhouse where they’d get the necessary ingredients. She watched the small nuances of Mo’s face as she led them from place to place and found the dragon shifter to be more intriguing than she would have thought.

  She’d never had an issue with reading a person. Yet, the moment she saw the shimmering black opal of the dragon in the sky she was perplexed, off her game. The female made her stomach churn in ways she never thought possible. For a moment at the campsite, she thought maybe Mo was feeling the same pull. However, with the stony expression plastered on her face, she now thought her initial impression might have been wrong.

  They had circled to the front of the quaint cottage. “Nicoli, take Gretchen inside and have her bathe and put on the robe that is behind the door. She will be nude when I perform the ritual to break the bond so that she doesn’t shred her clothing when Genesis forces the shift.”

  He nodded his head and led Gretchen inside the cabin. Once they were alone, she heard Mo’s voice, “How did you know my Draconic name?”

  “I’ve spent a lot of time in the Dragon Realm over the years. I’ve heard tales of the Black Opal Dragon, Mallaidh. When I saw you in the sky, I wanted to know if it was you. If the snapping of your neck towards me wasn’t indication enough, you confirmed it was, just now.”

  “And what exactly do you intend to do with the information?” Mo pressed.

  “Nothing,” Slovenia said simply. “I am well aware of how you were driven out of your home and your family hunted nearly to extinction because of the secrets you hold. Secrets, might I add, that I believe are secrets for a reason. I have no wish to do you, or anyone you know, harm.”

  Mo glared at her a moment as she tried to read her and got nothing. She had done this a million times before but still, nothing. “Why can’t I read you?”

  Slovenia laughed at that, “Well, at least I know I’m not the only one with that problem.”

  Mo saw movement over Slovenia’s shoulder and moved the woman behind her instinctively.

  “What are you doing?” Slovenia inquired.

  “A Nari Hound—” Mo whispered in reverence.

  “Oh my, I didn’t even think; you’re a dragon, so you can see him. He’s harmless, well, to my friends and me. I saved him when he was a pup from a Hunters’ trap. The silly male has bound himself to me; his name is Ash.” She smiled at the Nari Hound as he walked closer.

  Mo watched Ash’s elegant gate as he approached. A Nari Hound was a creature with the body of a wolf, a beak for a nose and, since they were a Woodland Fae of sorts, they had elements of nature embedded into their very being. He was light-gray in color with dark fawn speckles of darker ash. He had dark purple buds that crowned his head and what appeared to be white oak for antlers. His Woodland Fae was weaving through the air near him.

  “He is a true Nari—” Mo whispered as his eyes began to glow.

  “Aye, he is.” Slovenia knelt on the ground and he nudged her affectionately as the Woodland Fae circled Slovenia’s head. “Finn, slow down. I cannot understand you when you’re buzzing like this.” The little Woodland Fae sat on her shoulder and Mo watched as Slovenia interacted with the creatures. She giggled a little, “Well, I’m happy you approve.” She peered up at Mo. “They like you; they say you have an old soul, but it’s pure. They said I could trust you. This—” she motioned to the tiny Fae on her shoulder, “is Finn. He’s a Woodland Fae and is Ash’s life companion.”

  Mo slowly approached the Nari Hound and Slovenia spoke again, “There’s no reason to fear him. You may approach; I know he looks fierce, but I wouldn’t think a dragon would be worried.”

  Mo grinned at her. “I’m in no way scared of him; I’m in awe. Has he told you the line he hails from?” A warning growl came from Ash’s throat that silenced Mo immediately. “I guess not,” she muttered.

  “It doesn’t matter where he came from. He has been with me since I was a child. He’s been a loyal friend and confidant. So, if he chooses to tell me his past then fine, if he doesn’t, I don’t care.” Slovenia wasn’t rude or short with her words, just spoke matter-of-factly.

  Her head tilted to the side as she heard Finn speak. “I’m sorry, Finn kindly reminded me that I tend to be a bit abrasive at times. I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s not that I don’t care,” she scratched behind Ash’s ear, “it’s just that it doesn’t matter who he was; I love him and accept him as he is—his past is his own.”

  “I can respect that.” Mo knelt. “He’s quite regal, don’t you think?” A small growl rumbled in Ash’s chest and he rolled his eyes, which made Mo laugh. He headbutted her gently, knocking her on her butt. “I know, I know, your past is your own. I’ll mind my own business, Ash. Don’t worry, okay?” He chuffed in response, turned as Finn settled himself in the branches atop his head and trotted off.

  Slovenia smiled affectionately at Ash’s retreating form. “He’s been a wonderful companion but, I digress. Let’s gather the things we need to get our lovely Princess’ memories back and unbind her wolf.” She rose and dusted off her dress, seemingly unaffected or unbothered by the fact there were now dirt stains where her knees had pressed onto the ground.

  Slovenia and Mo walked to the greenhouse and she told Mo what ingredients they needed to gather. She was impressed with the dragon’s knowledge and had to keep reminding herself that Mo was over three hundred years old and filled with knowledge that was forgotten long ago. She found herself watching her intently and thinking back to what Finn had said. “So, tell me a little about yourself,” Slovenia said to Mo. Real smooth, she thought to herself. “I mean—if you’d like to; I’m really not good with people.”

  “Or small talk apparently,” Mo teased, “but, in answer to your demand, there’s not much to tell. Gretchen and I met when we were in school and she had no memory of who or what she was. I could sense the binding spell on her and it wasn’t long before I tracked Nicoli down and he told me about the binding and who she was. I guess he figured having a dragon on their side would be helpful one day. Obviously, that trust paid off because we’re here. What about you? How did you get mixed up in all of this?”

  Slovenia grinned broadly. “Well, that my dear dragon is quite the tale…” she trailed off as she pondered how much to tell.

  “Is that a dramatic pause?”

  Slovenia laughed, “No, no; well, it wasn’t intended to be one. I was debating how much to tell you since I know I’ll have to tell it again.”

  “The short version is fine with me.”

  “Her mother asked for my help; the end.” She looked at Mo and pressed her lips together suppressing the amusement that was sure to show on her lips. “There is more to it than that, but I really do hate repeating myself.”

  “You’re giving her memories back, so maybe you could just give me the parts she will already remember?”

  “Huh, yes—yes, I can do that. Sit.” She waved her hand and a few pillows appeared on the ground. “As a matter-of-fact, I’ll do better than that. Why tell, when if I’m right, I can show you.”

  “Do I have to ask?”

  Slovenia gestured to the pillows. “No, I can feel your energy and you can feel mine. For some reason, I believe we are connected. If we are, I’ll be able to share my memories and you’ll be able to see what I saw.”

  Mo sat on the big, oversized pillow and Slovenia knelt again in front of her. She reached out and put her hands on either side of Mo’s face and lightly traced her jaw up to her temple. The sensation was beautiful, like gentle waves that were coursing through Slovenia’s body. Mo’s shoulders relaxed under her touch and Slovenia kne
w Mo felt the same. “Okay, so I want you to concentrate on my hands, the way that it feels when I’m touching you.” Slovenia felt a knot of need tightening in her stomach.

  She tried to focus on her past and tried to steady her racing heart, but it was no use. She dropped her hands in frustration, but Mo grabbed ahold of one and kissed her palm. “Mo, what are you—”

  Mo silenced Slovenia by pulling her to the pillows that surrounded them. In a quick movement, she had Slovenia pinned under her body and grinned down at the shocked woman in her arms. “What did Finn tell you?” she asked Slovenia.

  “N-nothing of importance.” But the rapid beating of her heart gave her away.

  “Slovenia, I am over three hundred years old and a dragon; don’t lie to me. You’ve got a damn Nari Hound, a strong one at that. He could see both of our souls and you tell me you think there’s a connection between us. Your heart is racing at the simple touch of your skin on mine. What did the animal tell you?” Mo wasn’t usually this forceful when it came to information, but Mora kept telling her that this information was vital.

  Slovenia groaned, “It doesn’t matter because you’re not affected the same way, so it’s not true.”

  Mo took hold of Slovenia’s hand and moved it over her racing heart. “Now, care to tell me I’m not affected?”

  Mo looked down in awe as Slovenia’s deep purple skin began to glow like stars spread across the night sky “What’s happening?”

  “Y-You’re—I’m—Uhm. I don’t know how to do this—” Slovenia stammered.

  “I think I know.” Mo leaned down and placed her lips against Slovenia’s and her whole body lit up, literally. Her eyes began to glow and Mora screamed in her mind, mate! Their mouths danced together softly. Mo licked Slovenia’s to gain entrance and soon their tongues were wrapped around each other, soft mewling sounds came from Slovenia.

  Mo forced their lips to separate from each other and threw her arm over her stinging eyes. She groaned at the loss of contact and laid back on the pillow. “You know,” Mo began with a sadness in her voice, “It’s been so long, I was losing hope, I had begun to think I’d never find my mate and since I am a female, I always assumed my mate would be male. You know, so we could—”

  “Have hatchlings?”

  Mo nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek to the pillow. “The little bit of hope I had left was that I could have a family. If you spent as much time in the Dragon Realm as you’ve said you’d probably know I can’t do that without my mate. It doesn’t make sense why the Moon Goddess would match me with someone I couldn’t create life with.”

  “Are you going to reject me?” Slovenia asked quietly.

  Mo’s eyes sprung open. “Goddess, no way. My parents will be a little disappointed about the no grand-dragons, but a mate is a blessing. Truly, it was one I never thought I’d find since I’ve never decided on what sex I liked more; I just always assumed it would be a male if it ever did happen. That’s why I never settled down. I get bored easily though, so—” she glanced at Slovenia and saw the wide eyes and hurt look on her face. Mo realized she’d put her foot in her mouth. “Fuck, Slovenia, that was really insensitive of me. I’m not saying I can’t be faithful. I can be and I will be. I just—”

  “You want more?”

  “I don’t know, I mean, if the Moon Goddess paired us together, then there is a reason for it.”

  “There is, I’m sure of it,” Slovenia answered. “And I’m not upset; shocked a bit by your bluntness, but I’m relieved, actually.”

  “What?” Mo sat up from the pillow, her eyes scanned Slovenia’s face for any sign of dishonesty and found none.

  “Well, I’m a shapeshifter, a pretty powerful one. I can shift into any living thing with a heartbeat. You can’t really get more diverse than that.” Slovenia smiled.

  A look of contemplation passed across Mo’s face as though she was doing the math. Slovenia gave her a moment to mull it over.

  “Wait,” Mo’s eyes widened as a thought crossed her mind. “What sex were you born?”

  “Ahhh, and that’s the question, is it not?” Her radiant smile gave Mo hope. “I was born a male. This just happens to be the form I am most comfortable in. Not even Nicoli knows that of me. So, if kids are that important to you, I am more than capable of giving you that.”

  Tears welled up in Mo’s eyes, “You’re serious?”

  Slovenia shook her head. “I am. I was worried that maybe you’d feel uneasy with the fact I’m more comfortable in this form. I never expected to have to tell someone that I wasn’t what I appeared to be.”

  “Vinnie, I’m a dragon. I’m old as dirt and I get bored easily. It’s rare though, for any creature to be able to shift into any sentient being. What exactly gave you the ability to shift like this?”

  “I’m a witch and I’m Fae. It’s my Fae side that gives me the ability to shift into any sentient being and most of my other traits as well. At least that’s what my father told me. I never knew my mother but according to him she was a witch. When I was born, my father saw that I was male. To keep me safe, he used his magic to cloak me as a female. From the time my eldest brother found out my mother was pregnant; he was jealous and fearful of my father having another male heir.

  “So, it was imperative for my survival that no one knew my true form. However, the older I got, the more powerful I became and my brother grew jealous anyway. On more than one occasion he became vengeful over the smallest of things and tried to take my life. My father eventually had to send me away. That’s what this pendant is for; to cloak me from my brother and anyone else who wished to find me for malicious purposes.”

  Mo contemplated what Slovenia said. “A witch is essentially human and thus any offspring carry human traits. You have very few. In truth, I don’t sense any human in you.”

  “So, I remain a mystery. It’s okay, though; I’ve been happy as I am. I only told you because I’m your mate and I don’t want to hide anything from you. If you chose to deny me, knowing everything then so be it, but to have someone accept you—all of you—that’s something special. That is the kind of connection I want. Well, that and I don’t want you to think that by being with me you have to leave any ideas of a family behind.”

  Mo smiled and placed a hand on her cheek. “I like you the way you are. I’ll admit, I like this form, very much. But I am interested in seeing the real you.”

  Slovenia grinned. “Well, if you ask me, this is my true form because this is the form I’ve lived my entire life developing. But I understand what you mean and one day you will. Today though, we have to help our friend. She has much to do and we don’t have much time before they’re back. I trust them, but I’d prefer them to only know me this way.”

  “I understand.” Mo clasped ahold of Slovenia’s hand. “Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out.”

  Slovenia looked to her mate, “It is strange to wake up this morning and be free of any bonds, and now…”

  “You couldn’t imagine being away or not having this feeling? Yeah, I have that effect on people,” Mo teased.

  Slovenia’s eyes sparkled with joy as she tittered, “Something like that.”

  The two gathered herbs in comfortable silence. Both stole glances as they contemplated how strange and wonderful this world was. Once they finished, Mo took Slovenia’s hand, “Do we tell them we’re mates?”

  Slovenia’s brow furrowed. “I don’t think that would be wise right now. Gretchen will be going through so much.” Mo quickly released her hand and Slovenia saw the hurt etched in her features. It was such a quick emotion swap that she almost missed it. Just that glimpse of pain in Mo’s eyes caused her heart to ache. Slovenia knew she wouldn’t be able to upset Mo like this and she wasn’t a secret that Slovenia would keep as though she were ashamed of her.

  Slovenia took a deep cleansing breath and interlaced her fingers with Mo’s and squeezed it gently. “But I won’t hide it either, Mo. If you want to touch me, touch me. If you want to hold my han
d, you may and if they ask questions, we’ll explain. This thing between us will not be something I keep a secret from those we trust. You must remember though, neither of us is exactly out of danger. We both have enemies and this won’t be easy.”

  “Nothing worthwhile is ever easy but we’ll face it together, right?”

  Slovenia nodded, “Whenever we can, we will; we’ll figure it out. Now, let’s go catch up with Nicoli and Gretchen and make sure she’s ready.”

  Gretchen entered the quaint cottage with Nicoli’s hand on her lower back, reassuring her that this would be okay. She marveled at the calming effects his touch had on her and the way that Genesis seemed to purr in response to the simplest touch. She breathed deeply, inhaling his crisp lemony-pine scent and smiled to herself as she took in her surroundings.

  The cottage was small but serene, there were plants everywhere and the smell of dried herbs filled her nose. She longed to lay on one of the overstuffed couches or chairs in the sitting room but Nicoli maneuvered her through the room and towards the back. They passed through the kitchen, which was just as full of vegetation as the living room and Gretchen attempted to stifle a laugh at the sight of a large black pot set upon the wood-burning stove.

  Nicoli gaped at her sudden outburst. “You alright?” he asked frowning.

  Gretchen swiped at a stray tear and managed to respond through her continuous chuckling, “Is that a cauldron?”

  Nicoli grinned and shook his head. “I told you, she’s a witch.” He escorted her through the back door to an enclosed patio.

  “Yeah, but, a cauldron?”

  “Yeah, they come in handy. It won’t seem so weird—” Nicoli began.

  “When I get my memories back; I know, I know,” she finished for him with a condescending smile.

  Nicoli handed her a white robe, which she placed on the back of a chair next to the large tub shaped like a barrel. It had two seats built in, reminding her of the interior of a canoe. The wall had ivy crawling up the side and as she stepped closer, she realized the mat she stood on was living moss. “This is kind of cozy,” she observed as her eyes landed on Nicoli.