Dragon Magic: Lyric's Curse 2 (Dragonblood Sagas Book 4)

by Robyn Wideman

Talon reached Deormod, who had stopped to study the tracks of something the wolfhounds were following. “Well, what do you see?”

  “These tracks are fresh. He must have been hiding nearby, the grass is still bent. He’s only minutes ahead of us.”

  Yes, thought Talon. I will finish you now, you little foreign born bastard. He turned to the soldiers. “Here we go boys. We have him now. Follow those hounds and don’t let him get away.”

  Talon drew his sword and started running after the hounds. It was hard to follow them as they flew through the heavily treed forest but their loud barks and howls made tracking them by sound simple. Talon ran until he was almost out of breath, finally he slowed to a jog. The wolfhounds were getting farther away. He didn’t have the stamina or speed to catch them, but the beasts were training to corner or tree their prey. All he had to do was keep running until they caught the bastard. There was no way the boy could out run the wolfhounds for long without a big lead.

  But the hounds kept getting further and further away. They weren’t catching him. Frustration filled Talon. He spotted Deormod who was running through the forest twenty feet to his left. He yelled at the man. “Why haven’t they caught him yet?”

  “I can’t tell you,” said Deormod. “Perhaps his dragonblood magic makes him fast. But he’s heading east and north. We have men ahead.”

  “Push him north. Don’t let him go towards Middale.” Talon turned to three of the soldiers running behind him. “Flank off to the right. Make sure he doesn’t turn east.”

  Talon wasn’t going to let Lyric get away.

  …

  The wolfhounds were fast. If he didn’t have the ability to shift, they would’ve caught him several times. But instead he kept just ahead of the animals. Keeping them hot on his scent. Several times he could hear men yelling, they were trying to herd him north. Lyric smiled. That was where he was intending to go anyways. Just not into the group of men waiting at the small pass ahead. The small pass was a natural choke point and normally a person would have to go through it if he wanted to go northeast. Instead Lyric went up the side of the mountain. By shifting, he avoided the hardest to climb areas while still staying close enough that the wolfhounds wouldn’t lose his scent.

  Once he started down into the northern valley, Lyric started alternating between shifting and running. The climb up the mountain side had bought him a little time, and the wolf hounds would have to run through the group of men waiting at the pass, causing even more confusion. But now Lyric wanted to create more distance between him and the hunters. By shifting he left areas that had none of his scent. The animals would have to stop and circle around until they found it again. He would change it up each time. Sometimes shifting ahead ten feet, other times twenty to the left, fifty to the right. Just enough that the wolfhounds couldn’t run full out chasing him. As he went further north the trees started to thin out into a wide meadow. Looking back, Lyric could see that he’d gained five miles on the wolfhounds. It was enough that he could cross the meadow without worrying about being seen. The wolfhounds and the hunters behind them would still be in the trees while he crossed the meadow.

  The meadow was part of a long, narrow valley. They were deep in the western mountains still, but at least the hunters were no longer one mountain away from the dragon’s home. It was a small but significant number. Lyric pushed on, he crossed the meadow with ease. His physical endurance had been heightened by the dragon magic, but now that he’d learned to shift, it was even easier to travel. The wolfhounds would tire before he did. Keeping to his tactic of running and shifting in random directions, Lyric raced all day. When only the last glimmer of daylight remained, Lyric shifted back to the dragon’s lair.

  Kemoth was sleeping when Lyric returned. The dragon quickly awoke when Lyric entered his cave.

  “How did it go?” asked Kemoth.

  “They are chasing my scent north. Those wolfhounds are impressive beasts. I’m glad for the ability to shift, without it I doubt I could lose them.”

  “What about you? That is a lot of magic use for one day.”

  Lyric sat down beside Kemoth and put his head on the dragon’s belly. “You make a good pillow.”

  Kemoth huffed, but didn’t move. “You didn’t answer the question.”

  Lyric sighed and closed his eyes. “I’m beat. I thought I was doing good, but that shift back here was much harder on me than I thought.”

  “It is the distance. I could feel it too. That and all the little shifts you did add up. You might have strong magic, but you haven’t used magic enough. Your body isn’t used to it. You will have to be careful shifting. At least until you have more stamina. That will come with time and practice.”

  “Practice. I know how to practice,” said Lyric before falling asleep. His rhythmic snores filled the cave.

  “You will need practice my dragonblood. I fear this won’t be the last time you are hunted.”

  When Lyric woke in the morning he found Celine cuddled up against him. His head was still against Kemoth’s belly.

  Morning, Dragonblood, mindlinked Kemoth.

  Morning. When did Celine arrive?

  A few hours ago. Ovalia dropped her off so she could check on you. You were exhausted and wouldn’t wake so we let you keep sleeping.

  What time is it? Asked Lyric

  Almost noon. You shouldn’t shift so much. You almost drained your magical energies, mindlinked Kemoth.

  Lyric moved around to get comfortable and gently ran his hand up Celine’s arm. He needed to get back out on the trail, leading the wolfhounds and the hunters further away from the dragons. But it was hard to drag himself away from moments like this.

  “Morning,” said Celine as she woke to Lyric’s gentle caresses.

  “Morning,” replied Lyric.

  “How did your wild goose chase go?” asked Celine.

  “So far so go. The hunters are in the valley to the east of the second mountain from here. By tomorrow I’ll have led them far enough away that they won’t double back, I hope. How did your visit go?”

  “It was good. I found out Talon Horne is leading the chase.”

  “Talon? Interesting, but I’m more worried about those damn hounds he is using. They are beasts.”

  Celine turned so she was looking Lyric the face. “Talon is using wolf hounds?”

  Lyric shrugged. “They could be. They’re bigger than any dog I’ve ever seen.”

  “Wolfhounds,” said Celine. “They are awful, foul, hateful beasts. Talons father employs a man, Deormod, who raises them. Half wolf, half hound, all awful. They use them for hunting, but they also use them in war and sell them to slave owners. Those beasts are man killers. Be careful, if they get close they could be as dangerous as corca cats.”

  “They sell them to slavers?” asked Lyric. His being a cripple as a child had meant he wasn’t worthy of being taken as a slave, but he’d seen more than one young orphan disappear from Winport. Pirate ships posing as trade vessels would visit the port city and sell their wares, sometimes scouring the dredges for orphans and poverty stricken young men and woman to kidnap or lure into captivity. The thought of those huge wolfhounds hunting slaves disgusted him.

  “Yes. Slavers, assassins, anyone needing an animal that can track and kill at their command.”

  “What else did you learn?” asked Lyric to change the subject. He didn’t want her to know his thoughts about the wolf hounds.

  I know your thoughts about the wolf hounds, mindlinked Kemoth.

  That figures, mindlinked Lyric. Just don’t let Celine know. She would worry.

  She shouldn’t. Wolfhounds are dangerous to normal humans. They present no challenge for a dragonblood.

  “I learned that the Lamars have deed you lands,” said Celine.

  “Really? Why did they do that?” asked Lyric.

  “It turns out that parts of Lord Lamar’s holdings were once owned by a dragonblood. There is some sort of mountain stronghold in the valley to the east of his main
estates. And not only is this land yours now, there are Daxrah on their way to the stronghold.”

  “What in the Seven Hells are Daxrah?” asked Lyric.

  Daxrah are good. They are warriors sworn to protect dragonbloods,” said Kemoth.

  “Morning, Kemoth,” said Celine.

  “Good morning, Lady Celine,” said Kemoth. “If you two are done using me as a pillow I would like to go have some breakfast.”

  Lyric laughed and sat up. “Yes, we are done using you as a pillow. Go eat.”

  As Kemoth left the cave to go fishing, Celine went to her bag of supplies and handed Lyric a massive chunk of bread and cheese. “Eat this. Kemoth told Ovalia and me last night that you are pushing the limits of your magic.”

  Lyric accepted the bread and cheese and took a big bite. Between mouthfuls he spoke. “I thought I was supposed to push the limits, to practice more.”

  “You are supposed to slowly increase your practice. Not go from never using magic to using it all day. We don’t know how much magic you have yet. It is dangerous.” Celine could see the Lyric didn’t understand so she continued. “Try thinking of your body as a cup. The bigger your cup the more magic you can store. By training you use your magic and build a bigger cup. But anytime you empty your cup it leaves you vulnerable and it takes much longer to refill. Sometimes if the cup runs dry it never refills.”

  Lyric nodded. “How big is my cup right now?”

  “That I don’t know. You haven’t progressed like a normal magic student. At least not the way I was taught. Because your magic was repressed for so long, it seems that the magic lessons might have helped build your cup. That you can shift so often and over such a distance is incredible. It is partly because of Kemoth. His being a purple means he has strong magic, but your body must be able to use that magic. Whatever you did yesterday was getting close to emptying your cup.”

  “I don’t think it was as close as you might be thinking. Yes, I was exhausted after that last shift back here. But I still had magical energy, I could feel it. I feel good right now.”

  Celine shook her head. “I blame that on Kemoth. You should be way more tired.”

  Lyric grinned. “Regeneration and healing, purple dragon powers.”

  Celine nodded. “Yes, it seems that way.”

  Lyric took another mouthful of the bread and cheese. He did feel better, but man was he hungry. The morning meal was a godsend. “What else did Azina say?”

  “To work on your shield, it would be a good magic for you to work on until she comes to Fallstorm.”

  “Fallstorm?”

  “The name of the lands. It didn’t sound like it was anything fancy like the Lamar’s property. More like a functional fortress designed for dragons and dragonbloods. That is where she wants us to go. Few people know about it, and even fewer travel in those mountains. They are even worse than these mountains.”

  “More corca cats?” asked Lyric.

  “And worse. But at least you will have help.”

  It wasn’t a bad idea. Lyric was curious about these Daxrah, and the fortress. The fact the lands were on the far eastern side of Droll would mean anyone hunting him would not find the home of Apophis and the other dragons that made this mountain their home. And from Fallstorm he could check on Sibylle and the Lamars and make sure they were safe. His ability to shift would make trips from the mountains to Middale simple as blinking an eye while thinking of where he wanted to go. “I have to finish leading Talon and his hunters north before I go anywhere.”

  “Be safe. Try not to use as much magic today.”

  Lyric nodded. “I’ll try. I should be okay. I made sure I had a large lead on them before I returned last night. I can spend more time running and less time shifting. I will return once I am done and we can go to Fallstorm.”

  32

  The flight to the coast only took a few hours. A trip that would’ve taken days if not longer traveling by horse. Shayla could get used to traveling like this. Although her legs were starting to get sore. Balancing on a dragon’s neck wasn’t like riding a horse. Different muscles were involved, muscles that were now aching.

  We’re almost there mindlinked Caritha.

  Shayla looked to the horizon. She could see the coast now, they were getting close. While the southern interior of Partha was rich, flush with vegetation and fresh water, the eastern coast was entirely different. From the mountain range to the east of Whiteridge all the way to the coast was badlands. A mixture of desert and rocky hills with little life to be found anywhere. There were bandits and nomads who managed to survive in the badlands, but they were few and far between. The lack of fresh water made living there a constant battle. For dragons, however, the badland mountains along the coast made an excellent home. The seas provided all the food they needed, and the hot desert beaches were a favorite nesting place. They could easily fly into the high mountains for fresh water, making the badlands a perfect home for dragons.

  As Shayla examined the coastal landscape, Caritha started to bank and slowly descend. Shayla spotted a dragon sitting on a mountain ridge. The dragon was white with gold tinted scales and was massive. Easier one and a half times the size of Caritha. There was no doubt in Shayla’s mind. This was Apophis, the alpha dragon.

  Caritha came to a landing spot, deftly dropping down beside the alpha.

  Shayla slipped of Caritha’s back and stepped closer to the alpha.

  “You must be Shayla Finch. I’m Apophis,” said the dragon.

  Shayla gave Apophis a small bow. She wasn’t sure why she did it. But there was something regal about the large dragon. From her size to her voice. “Greetings, Apophis.”

  “Thank you for coming, I wasn’t sure Caritha would convince you to join us.”

  Shayla smiled. “What? You don’t think a human wants to be alone with two dragons capable of eating her or roasting her like a spring chicken over an oven fire?”

  “Actually, I was thinking a dragonblood with revenge on her mind wouldn’t want to spend time in seclusion,” said Apophis.

  “That was something I considered,” said Shayla. “I wasn’t happy when Caritha explained that she couldn’t help me hunt the people who murdered my father and my lover and tortured me.”

  “It must have made you angry, I would think,” said Apophis.

  Shayla nodded. “At first, but Caritha gave a compelling argument for your position. You must look out for all dragons, and if Caritha killed humans that could be used against all dragons.”

  “Not just Caritha. If any dragon attacks humans there is a possibility of it being used against us. Trying to maintain a peace between our kinds is not an easy task. There are many on both sides that would gladly see us at war again. I would prefer to live in harmony.”

  “Is that a realist goal?” asked Shayla.

  “Probably not,” said Apophis. “But what kind of leader would I be if I didn’t do all in my power to prevent something that harms so many of my kind.”

  There wasn’t much Shayla could say to argue with the alpha dragon’s logic. If she didn’t work to create peace who would? Shayla knew that the Sacred Blood and other like-minded individuals would work to destroy any peace between man and dragon. “So where do I fit into the equation? What is the purpose of dragonbloods?”

  “Dragonbloods have always served as a bridge between our worlds. The ability to bond with a dragon lets the dragonblood feel the emotions and understand the thoughts of their bonded dragon. Having humans that trust and communicate easily with dragons is important, perhaps even more important than the magical powers that the dragonblood gains. However, dragonbloods also can have an impact beyond understanding by using those powers. Humans rely on leadership from their leaders. A dragonblood can provide much for his or her people that another leader couldn’t. The humans who follow a dragonblood have much to gain.”

  Leadership, not for personal gain, but for the benefit of those who put their faith in the dragonblood, that was what Apophis was talking a
bout. It was a concept that seemed almost foreign to Shayla. So long she’d search for the power of dragons for her own benefit that she’d forgotten that true leadership was a bond between leader and followers. The followers gave a leader power in exchange for protection and guidance. Her father had been a good leader, dozens of families owed allegiances to her family, and he’d always made sure to be fair in his deals with them, be it taxes of making sure they were protected from marauders and bandits. Her father had not always been a wealthy man and had a profound respect for the working class among his people. A trait that had arrived late in Shayla. “And what of justice? Will dragons not seek justice when a dragonblood is wronged? My father was dragonblood, and he was murdered by the Sacred Blood.”

  “It is justice you seek or revenge?” asked Apophis.

  Shayla paused. Caritha could feel her emotions, and if she tried lying to the alpha there was a good chance Caritha would reveal her deceptions. It wasn’t something Shayla blamed Caritha for, their bond was important but so was a dragon’s bond with its alpha. “A little of both.”

  “I’m sure Caritha explained my rules to you, and that they don’t apply to dragonbloods. If you were to seek justice from the Sacred Blood I wouldn’t stop you. The Sacred Blood declared you their enemy and struck first. You have every right to strike back. You can do so however you see fit, but this isn’t just a war of strength. The perception of average humans matters. If it is only the extremists like the Sacred Blood who choose war against dragons and dragonbloods it is one thing, but if all humans grow to hate and distrust dragons it will surely lead to another great war, and whoever wins that war will have suffered a great loss at best. The choices you make will have an impact on more than you know.”

  Shayla sighed. Talking with Apophis was like getting a lesson in history with a large slice of ethics and morality thrown in for desert. It reminded her of the lessons she’d ignored from her father. He was the type of dragonblood the people needed. She was all anger and fury and pride.

  There is room for those traits too, mindlinked Caritha. You must just balance them out with your other traits.