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

by Robyn Wideman

  “We have some experience fighting in woods like these, we thought you might need a hand. Where is the girl?” asked Jarvis.

  Lyric pointed to the shed located between the house and the barn.

  “And the guards?” asked Tripp.

  “Two in the woods and one at the shed,” said Lyric.

  “We’ll take care of the ones in the woods,” said Jarvis. “You take out the one at the shed.”

  Lyric nodded.

  “Is Kemoth up there watching?” asked Jarvis.

  “Yes.”

  “Then Kemoth can tell you when we’ve taken guards out.”

  The confidence that Jarvis and Tripp spoke with calmed Lyric. These men were experience warriors, that they would be part of the attack made him less nervous. “Go.”

  Jarvis and Tripp slipped back into the woods as silently as they had arrived. Lyric and Allan waited and watched for signs of movement. The sky was just starting to show signs of lightening up. Dawn would be there soon.

  “I am going to get the men into position, be careful, Lyric.”

  As Allan slipped further into the woods. Lyric took deep breathes, he remembered all the lessons Azina and Blair had given him about controlling his emotions before going into a fight. The lessons, for magic and for fighting had been very much the same; breathe deep, focus on the task at hand, push everything else aside.

  Jarvis and Tripp are almost to their targets, mindlinked Kemoth.

  The dragon’s warning spurred Lyric into action. He drew his staff from its sheath on his back and started moving closer to the cabin to get a better angle at the shed. The shed was dark, and there wasn’t enough light for easy to see shadows, but he could see the outline of the shed guard.

  They have taken out the sentries.

  Lyric shifted beside the shed guard, and struck him in the head with the end of his staff. The blow sent the man crumbling to the ground. Lyric opened the shed door. As he did, a bell started chiming in the shed. Someone had attached a rope from the door to the bell. Lyric cursed himself for not opening the door slower. He stepped into the shed and found Sibylle. She was tied to a chair and blindfolded. He rushed in and grabbed her. Picking her up, he ran back outside. Men were pouring out of the barn and the cabin.

  Lyric lifted Sibylle into the air, and felt the swoosh of air as Leomaris flew down and picked her out of his hands. As the young dragon flew off with Sibylle, Lyric picked up his staff and walked towards the soldiers. He wanted them focused on him and not the dragon. He yelled a war cry and shifted towards the closest soldier and as the man stood, stunned by Lyric disappearing and reappearing, Lyric slammed his staff into the man’s head. All the soldiers pouring out of the buildings had on heavy body armor, and his staff would do no damage if he tried hitting them in the body.

  Half of the men were yielding large heavy shields, while the rest carried either bows, crossbows, or oversized spears. Dragon hunters, thought Lyric. These weapons were meant for hunting dragons. Lyric shifted, again and again. Striking quick blows then shifting to the next target.

  The soldiers were confused, they had trained to fight dragons, not one disappearing dragonblood. They didn’t know what to think. Then Talon Horne stepped out of the cabin and yelled. “Horseshoe formation. Shields up.”

  The soldiers snapped out of their daze. The shield men lined up side by side and the spearmen and archers lined up between them.

  Lyric, standing in front of the shed, stood still. He waited as the soldiers organized. He looked defiantly at Talon Horne. “You won’t win. Have your men put down their arms and I will let them live.”

  Talon laughed. “You think your magic tricks impress me? You are the one who is going to die, you stinking filthblood.”

  “Fire,” yelled Allan from the trees. The men fired at the dragon hunters. All the dragon hunters were looking at Lyric and had their backs exposed to the woods and Allan’s small band of warriors.

  Soldiers started dropping. A captain or someone of rank among the dragon hunters barked out new orders. “Reverse shields. Two lines. Get those shields facing the trees.

  As the dragon hunters scrambled to reassemble towards the hidden enemies in the trees, Talon Horne stared incredulously. His trap was being turned against him. The dragon was flying Sibylle to safety while his men were being hit by unknow attackers siding with the damned dragonblood. Talon drew his sword and started towards Lyric. “You damn coward. You couldn’t come alone?”

  “Says the man who kidnaps women?”

  Talon’s face went a dark red as he realized that if any of the attackers survived they would tell that it had been him, the new prince of Droll who’d kidnapped Sibylle Lamar. His plan to kill Lyric and the dragon, then pretend to rescue Sibylle was completely backfiring. The only way out of the mess was to kill the filthblood and his men. “You’re dead.”

  Lyric ignored Talon’s taunts. Instead, he attacked. Shifting behind Talon, he slammed the prince in the back with his staff. He then shifted again, slamming his staff into Talon’s chest.

  Talon spun as he took the hit, then was slammed again as he turned. He cursed at Lyric. “Stand still and fight like a man.”

  Lyric shifted again, avoiding the wild swing of Talon’s sword. Around him he could hear battle raging as the dragon hunters started returning fire on Allan’s men in the woods. He ignored the rest of the battle, instead focusing on Talon Horne.

  Then a block struck Talon in the side. One of the dragon hunters had turned and fired at him, striking him in the side with an arrow.

  Talon grinned and pressed the attack. Lyric blocked Talon’s attacks then shifted back twenty feet. He looked down at the arrow imbedded in his side. He didn’t dare pull it out, but the shaft of the arrow prevented him from moving his arm. Lyric grabbed the shaft and snapped it off close to his body and threw it to the ground. He looked up to see Talon running at him.

  Talon jumped into the air. His sword high above his head, started coming down in a vicious downward attack at Lyric.

  Lyric shifted out of the way and let his hands slide down to the end of his staff. He twisted his body, ignoring the shooting pain in his side and swung the staff like an axe, putting everything he had into the blow. The end of Lyric’s staff struck Talon in the head. The sound of Talon’s skull being crushed could be heard by everyone fighting.

  The commander who Lyric had heard barking orders earlier took one look at the fallen Talon Horne and yelled to his men. “Retreat. Fall back.”

  But as the men started to turn and run, Jarvis and Trip Hayes came running out of the woods charging at the retreating dragon hunters. From behind the dragon hunters, Allan, his men, Marsden and the Daxrah charged out. The dragon hunter shield men panicked. The heavy one man shields were perfect for fighting in formation, and against dragons, but in an open skirmish they were cumbersome. Same with the oversized spears half of the dragon hunters were yielding. The fight between the remaining dragon hunters and the combined forces of Sir Chestmires men at arms, and Lyric’s Daxrah was quick and decisive.

  A handful of the dragon hunters dropped to their knees in surrender while the rest went down fighting.

  Lyric stood over the body of Talon Horne. He watched the end of the skirmish but didn’t move.

  How bad are you hurt? I can feel your pain, mindlinked Kemoth.

  It hurts. But it is a low wound. Nowhere near my heart.

  Allan rushed up to Lyric. “You are wounded. Let me see.”

  Lyric shook his head. “It wasn’t as bad as it looked.” He lifted his tunic to show the armor underneath.

  Allan touched the armor. “This looks familiar. The armor Sibylle gave you before our fight.”

  “Yes. It is troll skin. I thought it was supposed to be extra tough.”

  “It is tough. But that was a black-steel arrowhead from a crossbow at close range. No armor is that strong. Those arrows are meant to penetrate dragon skin.”

  Lyric looked down at the body of Prince Horne. “It se
ems you were right about the Horne’s being behind the attack.”

  “Yes. This certainly means war now. Lord Lamar’s daughter being kidnapped by the prince was the first strike. Now that you’ve killed Talon the king will want revenge. But with the southern rebellion who knows how things will play out. Droll is now a land of chaos.”

  Chaos was a good way of describing the current situation. A kingdom at war, the return of dragons, and behind the scenes the Sacred Blood. Life was not going to get easier.

  Marsden joined Lyric and Allan. “You alright, Lyric?”

  “Yes. I’ll live.”

  “That is good. We wouldn’t be very good Daxrah if you didn’t survive our first skirmish.”

  Lyric smiled until a shooting pain turned it into a grimace. “I was a little busy to watch the fighting. Allan how did my Daxrah perform? Are they worth keeping?”

  “Well, if you don’t want them, I would gladly take them,” said Allan. “They more than held their own.”

  “Thank you, Sir Chestmire,” said Marsden. He then turned to Lyric. “What do you want done with the bodies?”

  “Bury them. The ones who surrendered can take Talon’s body back to the king.”

  “Before you bury them, remove their armor. The king must’ve spent a small fortune on the armor and weapons. It would be fitting if the king supplied the armor for your Daxrah.”

  Marsden smiled. “That would be fitting.”

  Dragon hunter armor and weapons becoming the armor and weapons of the protectors of the dragonblood. It had a feeling of poetic justice. “Allan, Marsden, do you mind taking care of this? I am going to go home now.”

  “Ye better. Celine would have ours heads if you don’t return,” said Marsden.

  Lyric shifted back to Fallstorm. He grimaced as he landed on the ground in front of his quarters. He opened the door and made his way inside. He was greeted to the scent of fresh cut flowers. While he was gone, Celine had filled the quarters with an assortment of flowers, and dried arrangements. Lyric smiled as he made his way to the bedroom. The flowers were a wonderful assortment of vivid colors and smells. He’d never had a room like this. The orphanage has been dull and gray, his alley had smelled of rotting food and sweltering heat, even his bed at Azina’s had been in the barn.

  Lyric started to undress. He removed his tunic, leggings, and bracers.

  “I thought I told you not to get hurt,” said Celine from the door.

  “I’m not very good at listening,” said Lyric.

  Celine came over and inspected the wound. “Why is the arrow head still in you? Don’t any of those men know how to dress a wound?”

  “I suspect they might, but I wanted to be away. So much blood, and I thought you’d fuss over my wounds anyways.”

  Celine shook her head. “Men. Hold on, I’ll be right back.” She left and shortly returned with bandages and salve. “This is going to hurt,” she said as she grabbed the arrow head.

  Lyric clenched his teeth and waited.

  Celine pulled out the long arrow head. Blood started pouring out of his wound. “What the heck kind of arrow did they shoot you with?”

  “They were dragon hunters. The arrows were designed to kill dragons.”

  “Or dragonbloods,” said Celine. “This thing is huge. Your wound is very deep. It is good that you didn’t pull it out earlier.” She pulled his armor over his head then repeated with his undershirt. She then slathered salve on the wound and wrapped his torso with the bandage. “Lay down on the bed. You need rest.”

  Lyric couldn’t agree more. The wound along with the heavy magic use of shifting long distances multiple times in the last two days had left him exhausted. He closed his eyes.

  “Is she okay?”

  “I hope so. I only had time to get her out of the shed and give her to Leomaris before they attacked. She had a blindfold on, but I didn’t see any wounds. I don’t think they mistreated her. She was just a pawn in their game.”

  Celine shook her head. “You obviously need to learn how to play chess. In no world is Sibylle a pawn. She is a future queen. That is why your marriage to her was so disruptive.”

  Sibylle a queen? Lyric had never given the idea consideration before. Her family had money and linage, and if the Hornes hadn’t weaseled their way into power perhaps she would’ve been in line for the throne, or her marriage to a powerful lord would’ve let him become ruler. “It seems I have a lot to learn about royal women.”

  Celine laughed. “You have a lot to learn about woman, period.”

  Lyric couldn’t argue with that. He started to drift off to sleep. “Did I tell you how beautiful the flowers were?”

  Celine leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. He was already asleep. “Perhaps you know women better than I thought.”

  Author’s Notes

  Thank you for reading DRAGON MAGIC the fourth book in the Dragonblood Sagas.

  For readers of the Hanna Halfblood Series and the Stoneblood Sagas you will start to recognize some of the territories are the same. Actually, all three series share one map and world (The Bloodlands). Hanna Halfblood is set a few years before the other stories but after that they are very close in timeline. In the Stoneblood Series dragons are first sighted in book four. But unlike the more eastern countries, Solotine was a land of giants. Dragons and giants don’t mix well.

  Check out my Amazon Author’s Page for more information on these series.

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  THE BLOODLANDS

  The Bloodlands is the combined world of the Stoneblood Saga, the Halfblood series and the Dragonblood Sagas. If you haven’t read the Stoneblood Sagas or the Halfblood Series be sure to check these titles out.

  SON OF SORON

  When tragedy strikes, a young boy is forced to become a warrior.

  Soron and Velaina thought they could escape the dangers of their past…but they were wrong.

  Fourteen years after their escape from a perilous royal life, their son Nathan begins to show signs of possessing magical abilities that will put all of their lives at risk.

  Before they can share their secret past with their son, a tragic series of missteps by an ambitious duke leads to tragedy.

  Now alone in a world he doesn’t fully understand, Nathan's quest pits him against deadly bandits, vicious mythical creatures, and a northern king who may stop at nothing to bring him death.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010TZD0GQ

  HANNA HALFBLOOD

  Blood binds us all…

  As a deckhand to a merchant ship, Hanna Halfblood is no stranger to the art of mêlée combat. Striving to join the ranks of the elite fighters who defend against boarding pirates, Hanna sees no better future for herself than that of a fighter.

  But when Thorodd Stoneblood, her grandfather, is killed by a mysterious assassin, Hanna discovers that her own life is bound to a fate she couldn't have imagined. Faced with the understanding of an unknown past and a coven of power hungry witches who will stop at nothing to see her dead, Hanna struggles to overcome the adversities of a magical world she never knew existed. With the tide of danger rising around her and the driving need to uncover the truth of why blood was spilled at her door, Hanna discovers that it won't be enough to be a warrior. In order to survive, she will have to become something more…

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCQIYE3

  AFTER DARK

  AFTER DARK are a collection of Fantasy and Urban Fantasy novels by Robyn Wideman that are much more adult in nature compared to the BLOODLANDS books, which are YA fantasy. The AFTER DARK novels contain graphic adult content (sex, violence and language) and are
not meant for young readers.

  THE SHADOWS AWAKEN

  In the shadows the truth exists.

  For centuries vampires and shifters have lived in the shadows as myths and legends. But when an organization of vampires decides to take its rightful place as the rulers of the world chaos ensues.

  Brad has been helping shifters find homes in society for years, but everything changes when his business partner is murdered by vampires. He will do anything to make sure his widow is safe, including bringing a powerful being to life, one that might not think he should live.

  Erica thought she was going crazy. A year had past since her husband’s murder, but she still felt like she was being watched, stalked. Then a night on the town turns crazy when someone tries to kidnap her right off the dance floor and she turns to the one man her husband said she could always count on: Brad.

  Jess is a lost soul, and when two men try to take advantage of her, all is lost. Then from the shadows come her saviors, handsome, dark, mysterious and wanting to feed?

  Serena works for the Vampire Council, trapped into a disturbing plot against humanity she has no choice to go along, until they decide to kill her boyfriend Jaden and his human loving brother. She tries to warn the council that they are making a mistake. Jaden is not someone you want to try kill.

  Warning: contains violence, sex and course language, not intended for younger readers.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XNWNN4T

  SAVAGE

  When the attacks started, Prince Astar hired an investigator to solve the crimes. When the third investigator went missing he knew he had to try something different. He decided to hire Kyra, a smart and sassy woman, who also happens to be a thief.

  Kyra wants the job, it pays well and is far more interesting than sneaking around and copying people’s signatures. But she has no intention of being the fourth dead investigator, so she needs protection.

  Kyra turns to the one man even mercenaries fear: Bazur, a solitary mercenary half-orc, infamous for his barroom brawls.