Dragon Master (Dragon Collector Book 2)

by Simon Archer

  “How hurt are you?” Johan, the dark green dragon, asked from his spot over by Korey.

  “Bruised or broken ribs, but the fever seems to have gone,” I reported as if assessing a separate patient, not myself. “Is my face, okay?”

  “How do you mean?” the feminine pink dragon, Ninji, wondered.

  “I do not know,” I muttered, feeling stupid for having asked. “Is it red or something? Is there a huge cut along it?”

  “Your face is no more messed up than it usually is,” Alona said sharply. “Since you are no longer dead or dying or corrupted or whatever, you need to tell us what happened.”

  “Alona,” Maximus scolded. “She deserves a minute to recover, clear her initial shock. That way, she can tell us what happened in the most accurate way possible.”

  Alona did not answer. She, instead, exhaled through her nose and shook her head. Her exasperation annoyed me. It was so natural to blame her and direct my immediate anger in her direction. I had been doing it for years, and it was a difficult habit to break.

  “What happened while I was… gone?” I struggled to find the right word because while my body had physically been here, it was obvious to all that my mind was in an entirely different space.

  “We asked you first,” Alona snapped.

  “Alona,” Maximus stepped in again. “Give her time.”

  Alona huffed again and rose to her feet. She crossed her arms and dared to look at me directly. While Alona had always been several inches taller than me, it was unnerving to see her look down on me as I remained sitting on the grass.

  “You collapsed,” Alona started, her face curled into an angry snarl. “I carried you the rest of the way to the maze. The dragons were waiting, as I sent Harmony ahead to warn them. You were practically seizing by the time I got you here. After you smacked me in the face, I had to drop you. Korey saw and came to my aid, thank goodness.”

  As she mentioned it, I examined Alona’s face. Sure enough, a solid sized welt formed between her inner eye and her nose. It would bruise into a nice shiner by morning. A part of me felt bad, but it was a very small part.

  “We checked for corruption,” Korey piped up from the fountain. “You had it, Diana.”

  A solemn silence followed her words as if they were mourning me at my funeral. I knew that silence. It was a final proclamation, one that hardly anyone returned from. Everyone in this area had lost someone to the corruption, so they were no strangers to that silence either.

  “The clan pulled together and were able to heal you,” Korey continued. “At least temporarily.”

  “We were able to keep it at bay,” Ffamran informed me, “but it is gauze on a bloody wound, Diana. Only Martin will be able to cure you fully.”

  “No,” I shouted. My abruptness jolted everyone. “He cannot heal me.”

  “Why not?” Kolo asked. Her light voice calmed me, but only enough to make me lower my volume, not enough to eradicate my nerves.

  “Then he will have to face Hennar again, and he is not ready for that,” I concocted quickly.

  A voice in the back of my mind called out my cowardice. It poked holes into my armor, calling me a traitor. I had revealed secrets to Hennar about Martin to protect myself. If he tried to heal me, he would meet Hennar, and he would surely tell him what I had said, what I had done. I could not have him know I betrayed his trust like that.

  Another voice joined my internal dialog. If Martin knew about my gift, maybe he would understand… but that was impossible. He could not know about that either. No, it was better for him not to know at all. With this decision, I shut down both voices and addressed the group.

  “Martin cannot know that I am corrupted,” I proclaimed.

  “That is ridiculous, Diana,” Alona said with a scoff. “He has to know.”

  “No, he does not,” I said with a grunt and rose to my feet. Though painful, I managed it. I could not ask this of them from the floor. It would not be right or acceptable.

  “You are going to ask us to lie to him?” Alona questioned incredulously. “His clan and his friends? Really?”

  “I am going to ask you to withhold the truth for a little while,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

  “That is the same as lying if you ask me,” Korey commented.

  “What she said.” Alona pointed with her thumb to agree with Korey. “You have got to be crazy.”

  “Look,” I started, realizing now the weight of what I was asking them. “I saw Hennar there, just like Martin says he has. If he goes in to heal me, he is going to encounter him again. He bought us time so he can work with the king at getting better at chess and maybe find the traitor in the kingdom before he has to face him. If he heals me, it will be too soon.”

  “She has a point,” Jin said mildly.

  “Thank you,” I said softly. Despite it being a weak point, thinly veiling my other reasons, it was enough to stand upon. Hopefully, it would be enough to convince them.

  “You cannot be serious,” Alona addressed Jin directly. “Martin has a right to know who is corrupted. Is it not our entire mission to find out which sections of the kingdom are corrupted so he can heal them?”

  “But it is Diana’s body,” Jin countered. “If she wishes to let it rot for the sake of Martin and the kingdom, she has the right to do that.”

  I took umbrage with Jin’s phrasing, but I decided not to comment on it. My need for help outweighed my need to correct her on my assumed martyrdom.

  “I do not like the idea of lying to our king,” Kolo said in her fairy-like voice.

  “King?” Alona and I said at the same time, picking up on Kolo’s verbiage. Alona and I shared an annoyed glance at both of us having spoken at the same time. I barrelled on. “What do you mean, King?”

  “Kolo,” Maximus said, turning his scolding tone onto the small black and orange dragon. “You were asked not to speak of such things in the company of others.”

  “Sorry,” the dragon said, shrinking into herself.

  “Are you telling us that Martin is your king?” Korey said as she rose to her feet. “Martin is the new King of Dragons?”

  The dragons said nothing, which basically was a confirmation of Korey’s suspicion. I weighed this information in my mind and nearly fell over again.

  “There has not been a King of Dragons since King Garham,” Korey continued, spouting history lessons we had all been taught as children. “It was said there would never be another after him.”

  “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Johan shrugged, trying to add some humor to the situation.

  No one laughed.

  “Damn,” Korey sighed. “King Atlus is going to be so angry when he finds out.”

  “You really think he does not already know?” Jin said, exasperated. “It is not as though seven dragons at his command was not already a dead giveaway.”

  “I cannot believe he can bond with all of you,” Korey said in disbelief and a little wonder. “That boy has too much power.”

  I scoffed. “No kidding. The only gift that can heal our kingdom, the ability to bond with all dragons, giving him who knows how many gifts. The whole thing seems unbalanced.”

  “If anyone can handle it, it is Martin,” Alona said defensively.

  “I was not saying that he couldn’t,” I told Alona, sounding eerily similar to Hennar when he told me the same thing.

  “It sounded like you doubted him,” Alona accused. “Just like you seem to doubt he will be able to handle the news of you being corrupted.”

  “Alona,” I said slowly, trying to get her to see eye to eye with me. Though I had never managed before now, so I did not know why I thought this time would be different. “I am doing this for his own protection. Once he is strong enough to fight Hennar, I will tell him. You have my word.”

  “I think you’re an idiot,” Korey said, “but I respect the logic behind your decision. I will not say anything to him.”

  “Thank you, Korey.” I nodded in her di
rection. She returned the gesture.

  “We will need to discuss this internally, but we will not tell him until we have come to a decision,” Maximus announced.

  Behind me, I felt a huff of hot breath on my neck. I looked up and saw Ffamran hanging his head in what seemed to be defeat.

  “Ffamran?” I reached out gently, but the dragon jerked away from me.

  “He is my Merkin,” Ffamran said sharply. “I will not lie to him.”

  My heart sank. I knew, of course, where he was coming from. I hated myself for having to ask the dragon to lie to his merkin. It was too precious of a thing to sully like this.

  “However…” Ffamran added, and I waited, holding my breath. “I will not bring it up to him either. Unless he asks me directly, I will not say a word about your condition.”

  “You are all mad,” Alona exclaimed.

  “Do you not understand where we are coming from?” I said with more of a beg than I wanted to admit.

  “Yes, I understand, Diana,” Alona replied. “I am not daft.”

  “Could have fooled me,” I said automatically, not thinking about how insulting Alona was not going to help my case. Sometimes, however, she just made it too easy.

  Alona’s face flushed red with frustration, and I knew I had struck a nerve. I hid my smirk behind a closed fist that I put in front of my mouth, appearing contemplative instead of smug.

  “I will not lie to him, Diana,” Alona proclaimed. “I will not.”

  “You do what you must, Alona,” Maximus said with approval. “You do not have to agree with the rest of us. I would only ask that you think about what you are doing. Think of the consequences of telling Martin before he is ready.”

  Alona tightened her grip on her crossed arms and rolled her lips over her teeth. She looked away from me and seemed to grow intensely interested in the ground. Without a word, my old friend crossed away from us and approached one of the maze’s exits. She reached out and grabbed a couple of the vines but did not turn to me as she spoke.

  “Fine, Diana, have it your way.”

  Then Alona left, and I let her without saying anything else. I did not need Alona’s word. She had already given it in that declaration, that much I knew.

  The only sound upon Alona’s departure was a cool breeze, indicating the impending entrance of fall. It danced about and scooped some of the dry leaves on the ground to join in the movement. None of us acknowledged the weather or the leaves. We eyed one another instead, as if willing someone else to break the silence first.

  “Come, Diana,” Korey finally said with an outstretched hand. “We should get your ribs looked at.”

  “I agree, Korey, but first…” Maximus said with a narrow gaze. “What did Hennar say? What did he want from you?”

  I met the red dragon’s sharp glare, and without much hesitation, I decided the truth was a valid option. Since I was asking so much of them, it was natural to give them something in return, something worthwhile.

  “He wanted information about Martin,” I answered. “However, it was not information about his gift or his relationship with Ffamran or what he was planning. He wanted to know about him specifically.”

  “Like what?” Jin scoffed. “Like if his hair color is natural? Or what size slippers he wears?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “He wanted to know about his past. He wanted to know his origins and about his family. Where he was before he came to Insomier.”

  The dragons fell silent and let the breeze wheeze in and out of the conversation once more. I felt intrusive, as though they were having a private moment over my head. For all I knew, they could have been. I did not know the extensive powers of dragons, and frankly, that unknown always made me suspicious of this clan.

  Some of those doubts eased when I first flew with Martin and the dragons. That was a magical experience and required more trust than I originally thought. Still, it was only natural to be intimidated by such large and imposing creatures.

  “Why would he ask such things?” Korey wondered. “Is he trying to know his enemy better? Sometimes that tactic works, but when given the opportunity to speak with one of his closest allies, I am surprised he asked for such personal details.”

  “He wants to see how similar they are,” Ffamran interjected. He swished the tip of his tail nervously back and forth. “He is comparing Martin’s background to his own.”

  “Martin’s origin is different from any I have ever known,” I answered honestly. “Are you implying that there are others like him? Other people who have come to Insomier from another world?”

  “It would be unusual for him to be the only one,” Maximus said cryptically. “Thank you for the information, Diana. I believe Korey is correct, and you should get those ribs tended to.”

  “Hang on,” I said with an outstretched hand. I raised my right arm too high, making my ribs scream in pain. I bent over a bit, and Korey rushed to my side.

  “I am fine,” I assured her. Nevertheless, Korey placed her hands on my shoulder and lower back in a gentle effort to help me upright.

  “Maximus.” I spoke directly to the red dragon, despite the pounding pain in my side. “You cannot simply hint at something like that and then proceed to dismiss me. Does not Martin deserve to know if he is not the only one? That he is not alone?”

  The dragon lowered his head to my level, keeping eye contact with me the entire time. His yellow eyes flashed like freshly polished topazes, and I gathered enough courage not to step back or flinch away.

  “Like you, we have secrets we wish to keep,” Maximus said in a low and intimidating voice. “We hope that you would return the respect we have shown you today and say nothing of them.”

  18

  The combat training began with each of us sparring against Madame Lilysmyth. Needless to say, it was highly entertaining watching these noble men and women try their hand at hand to hand combat.

  Eamon went the longest simply because of his size. Alexie was a slight, skinny woman who was able to dodge his imposing and brash strikes. However, it took her a bit of time to actually knock him down. She dipped behind him and gave a swift kick to the back of his knee. Not enough to break it or anything, just enough to make it bend involuntarily. Eamon went down into a bow, lowering him to just the right height for Alexie to leap on his back and capture him in a headlock.

  The large boy tapped the ground twice, the signal of defeat. Alexie released him, and they bowed to one another while we clapped on the sidelines.

  Next up was the other young man, Kadir. He kept pushing up his glasses like a nervous habit. The sight of him in the ring facing Alexie worried the lot of us.

  “Do you think he has a chance?” Em asked me in a low, hesitant voice.

  I crouched down next to her chair to better converse quietly with the young noble. “Honestly? No. He’s too scrawny to have done any real muscle building. He might have the speed, though.”

  “You cannot win solely on speed,” Em commented smartly. “At some point, you will have to strike back.”

  “Yep,” I agreed. “My money is on Alexie, easy.”

  “I am not taking that bet,” Em chuckled, “because I completely agree with you.”

  As it turned out, we were both right. Poor Kadir went down in under thirty seconds. He was so nervous that Alexie could have simply pushed him lightly on the shoulder, and he would have relented. To his credit, Kadir let the instructor flip him over her back and pin him fully to the ground before he gave up.

  Em and I shared a knowing glance and smile. Together, we watched Razia hop into the ring and jump up and down with extra energy. Her braids bounced in time with her.

  Alexie wasted no time once Razia entered the ring. After the ceremonial bow, the instructor snapped one arm out, which Razia tactfully dodged but then punched the other one out of nowhere. The young noblewoman practically leaned into the punch and clutched at her side.

  When Alexie struck with her furiously fast fists again, Razia adjusted an
d managed to dodge both.

  “Good,” Alexie complimented. “Learning as you go is important.”

  Shortly after she praised Razia, the madame had the girl in a heap on the floor. She unleashed a flurry of blows on Razia’s stomach that reduced her to a ball.

  As I watched Alexie, I knew the woman was holding back. She had more strength than she was letting on. While Razia may have been cradling her injured stomach, I knew that was nothing compared to the damage the woman could actually do.

  A familiar need rose in my chest. I wanted to pull Alexie’s real skills out of her. I wanted to give her a challenge and see what she really could do. I wanted to surprise her and prove to her that I was worthy of her time.

  My resolve hardened as I watched Maria step into the ring. Admittedly, a smug grin curled at the corner of my mouth.

  “Oh, I can’t wait to see this,” I muttered to Em.

  “Why?” Em wondered innocently.

  “Just look at her,” I judged. “She is probably going to get one speck of dirt on her pristine outfit and give up right then and there.”

  “You do not know Maria at all, do you?” Em asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “I met her once,” I said confidently. “Trust me. This won’t last long.”

  Em gave me a skeptical glance and stayed silent.

  Alexie and Maria bowed, a curtain of curls blocking the young noblewoman’s face for the briefest of seconds. Then, out of nowhere, the blonde released a sharp battle cry and hurled herself towards Alexie. She was the first inductee to attack first. Everyone else had waited for Alexie to begin the fight.

  Maria launched for Alexie, also catching the instructor off guard, and wrapped herself around Alexie’s middle. She pushed the madame back to the edge of the circle, but Alexie caught her footing and halted. All the while, Maria continued screaming, which, after the initial shock, turned quite funny.

  Alexie reigned blows on Maria’s back, trying to get the girl to release her. Maria did no such thing but continued to push and yell. Finally fed up, Alexie bent her knees and hiked one up into Maria’s stomach. The blow interrupted Maria’s screams with something that sounded like a mix between a cough and a hiccup. Maria loosened her grip just enough for Alexie to grab the girl’s arms and throw them off her.