War of the Dragons: Book Four of the Dragon-Born Saga

by K.N. Lee

  Now, those towers had been leveled, and the valley was silent except for the howling of the wind.

  Dragon’s Fire could leave a strong scent, and he smelled it in the air. But, there would be no more Dragon’s Fire if they were unable to shift again.

  That would not do.

  He drew his sword and motioned for the two women he had brought along.

  Dressed in their traditional robes, Kastia and Andreea rode their horses and stopped on either side of him. They carried golden scepters and wore white masks that revealed only their eyes. Their hair was long, white, and seemed to lift and float along the crisp wind that swept through the valley.

  “Ready?” Rickard asked.

  With white eyes, the women looked to him. In unison, monotone voices they spoke.

  “Yes.”

  He nodded toward the broken gate, and the women followed his gaze, igniting the magic of their scepters. Lightning and florescent light raced up and down the black poles and into the crystal balls at the top. The sky opened and turned black as they summoned their power.

  He grinned and watched. The wind picked up speed and before his eyes, Kastia and Andreea fused the broken gate with black magic that closed the gap. It resembled a portal, dark and hollow, until the two women left their place at his side and reappeared on the other side of the border.

  They touched the crystal ball at the tops of their scepters and with a blast of light and energy, the stone solidified and became a black wall that stretched as far on either side as the eye could see.

  This was only a temporary fix, but might be enough to slow the human forces. If only for a while, until they found a way to reverse the effects of the red mist on his people.

  He flinched when Kastia and Andreea reappeared on horseback at his side and looked to him.

  “Done, your majesty,” they said.

  He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

  The humans might have their wizards.

  But, the Dragons had their Gatekeepers.

  Chapter 12

  Rowen needed fresh air, and so she stood at the window and savored the cool, crisp air of the mountains. So far, this was still the only area free of the red mist. The White Keep was high in the mountains, and away from the city. Still, she feared it would soon reach even this sacred place.

  While Feyda and Perdan worked on attempting a cure for the red mist’s curse, she clutched the stone and tried to wait out the rolling and bubbling in her stomach.

  “That’s too much wolfsbane,” Feyda shouted to Perdan as he took a handful of the jar’s contents and tossed it into the cauldron. A pungent smell wafted into the air and she sighed and rubbed her temples.

  “Oops,” he said.

  “Now, we’re going to need more honey to counterbalance the flavor.”

  Rowen left her place at the window and walked over to the cauldron. She peered into the concoction at the purple flowers as they bubbled and mixed with the black honey. “How could something so beautiful be so deadly?”

  “Ha,” Feyda said. “Isn’t that the question of the century? Beauty is perhaps the best weapon ever invented.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Perdan said under his breath. “It’s my one weakness.”

  Feyda snorted. “Just the one?”

  With a laugh, Rowen walked to the tower window and looked out to the mountains. As she watched a flock of ravens fly across the sky, her smile faded. The red mist was rising, and whoever or whatever was behind it was continuing to gain power over Withrae. From the reports Rickard had told her about, the mist was spreading across all of Draconia. If they didn’t find a cure or a way to stop its devastating effects, Dragons would be no more. They would all be human, and an era would have ended.

  Her stomach bubbled with worry as she imagined poor Ophelia locked in a dungeon, being tortured by a toothless man with blood on his hands. At one point, she was certain she’d be face to face with the torturer after her imprisonment for Prince Lawson’s death. The Trinity brothers had a reputation. They were strict, but fair. She just hoped they would uphold those traits with her sister in their hands

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was no use worrying about something she was uncertain of.

  The door opened and they all turned to see Gavin walk in, escorted by two palace guards. She smiled, happy to see him again. She approached and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him.

  Then, she remembered proper protocol and let go, taking a step back. The guards kept their eyes down, to not embarrass her.

  It was enough to show him she still cared, for he smiled and gave her a nod that he understood how pleased she was to see him.

  “Good to see you as well, your majesty,” he said, bowing to her.

  She rubbed her hands together and clasped them before her. “Rise, Sir Gavin. I summoned you as a friend.”

  He stood to his full height and nodded acknowledgement to Feyda and Perdan.

  She had been saddened that he wasn’t comfortable living in the palace after her offer, but he still visited from time to time. Rickard wasn’t exactly happy about the visits, but he tolerated them with as much grace as he could muster.

  “So,” Gavin said. “Where’s Rick?”

  She shook her head. Rickard hated being called that, and she was sure that’s exactly why Gavin continued to do so. He was an odd character. He showed no fear. Not to her father. Not to her husband.

  She wondered just how powerful he really was.

  “He isn’t the one who summoned you,” she said. “I need a favor.”

  He lifted a thick brow. “Another?”

  She laughed. “Yes. Another.”

  “Fine,” he said and mocked a deep bow. “Anything for the queen.”

  “You’re getting bored in Withrae, aren’t you?”

  “Not necessarily. I have a beautiful woman to keep my bed warm, plenty of free ale, and a shiny new title that gets me pretty much whatever I want in town. Even the snobs who hate magic tolerate me.”

  She motioned for him to sit with her on the bench that sat beneath the tower’s open window. “Why didn’t you tell anyone you were a wizard?”

  “I was wondering when you’d ask me that,” he said, sitting beside her. He shrugged with a sigh. “Because, I’m not a very good one. Never have been. My parents smuggled me away to the monks when I was a boy. My ability to remember things was stronger than my magical abilities. So, the monks focused on honing that craft.”

  “What you did by saving that homicidal mermaid was pretty remarkable. I’d say you’re more powerful than you admit,” Feyda said, stirring the concoction in the cauldron.

  He looked to her. “Luck, is all. I probably can’t do it again if I tried.”

  Rowen studied him. Was he lying? Was there more that he didn’t want to reveal? She didn’t want to think of Gavin as being dishonest, so she believed him. There were things she never knew she could do until her life was on the line. Perhaps they had more in common than either imagined.

  “I guess I cared about Siddhe more than I thought. I couldn’t watch her die,” he said, and Rowen nodded, smiling.

  “You’re a good young man,” she said.

  “I’m decent. Didn’t get me a thank you from her, but that’s not exactly her way. I wasn’t surprised when she vanished in the chaos that night.”

  “Gavin, I need your help. You might have found good fortune here in Withrae, but you still crave adventure, don’t you? Don’t you want more than to be comfortable in that tavern you’ve been living in?”

  He sighed and lifted his brown eyes to hers. “Aye. You know me so well, Rowen.”

  She reached for his hands and took them into her own. “Feyda tells me there is something you can do to help in the war.”

  “I was hoping there wouldn’t be one,” he said. “I thought the Dragons had a peace treaty.”

  “I was as well, but the Trinity brothers want Withrae and they will do anything to get it,” she said and loo
ked down at his hands. “You see, King Kelton has kidnapped my sister. He killed her husband and destroyed her estates. The peace treaty is no more. The humans are invading Dragon lands and have declared war. If we don’t do something, he will kill her.”

  Gavin’s jaw clenched.

  “What would you have me do? I’m at your service.”

  A smile came back to her lips. She knew she could count on him. Though he was still a bit of a mystery to her, he had never let her down. Once, she had thought he was blindly loyal to her father when he’d been his scribe. Now, he was a dear friend and a valuable ally.

  She nodded to Feyda. “Feyda has a plan.”

  “What kind?”

  “One that involves traveling across the Black Sea and summoning Vaeryn, The Sea Goddess,” Rowen said. She looked into his eyes. “I need you to gain access to the mermaid kingdoms.”

  “Oh,” he said, his face paling. With a nervous laugh, he scratched his head. “Only that.”

  “This way,” Rowen said, leading Gavin down to the palace vaults.

  The vault keepers glanced up from their books. They sat on seats with podium desks in front of them. Large books with golden and bronze bindings were always outstretched before them, being constantly studied.

  “I come down here often,” she said. “The old prophecies have all been recorded in some of the scrolls and books held here. The Withraen royal line has always taken great pride in keeping the old history and research safe and cared for.”

  “Let me know if you need anything, your majesty,” Vault Master Osirin said, adjusting his bifocals as he looked Gavin up and down.

  “I will,” she said, giving him a nod. “We will only be a moment.”

  She walked between the two, with Gavin behind her, and into the dimly lit room they went.

  It was large, with torches at the end of each bookcase the stretched high into the vaulted ceiling. The shelves were packed with old books and scrolls rolled and stuffed into cylindrical cases, and stacked onto one another.

  “Vault Master Osirin has shown me one particular series of prophecies recorded in the first century.”

  “Who saw them?” Gavin asked, looking up at the tall bookcases with a look of wonder.

  She smiled. Finally, someone who appreciated books probably more than she did.

  He traced some of the bindings and began pulling those of interest off the shelf.

  “They were first seen by the oracle of Anumie.”

  Nodding, he opened a book and began reading. “Sulinia of Parean,” he said and Rowen raised a brow.

  “Correct,” she said, a bit surprised by his knowledge. “How did you know?”

  He shrugged and flipped through the pages. Then, he slammed it closed and put it back on the shelf.

  “You did not just memorize that book, did you?”

  A smirk came to his lips. “Maybe,” he said, with a wink.

  She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. “You really are a mystery, Gavin.”

  “Not really,” he said. “I’m just a regular nobody who gets lucky sometimes.”

  She could never tell if he was simply modest, or just hiding something.

  “Right,” she said, and turned back toward her usual study nook at the back of the vault. “This way.”

  The only sound in the entire room was that of pages being turned by other keepers and Gavin’s boots on the slick stone floor.

  “What do you know about Sulinia of Parean?”

  “She was a great prophet in the first century who was ultimately burned at the stake as a witch. Tragic, really. They say she was beautiful and simply spoke the truth of her dreams.”

  “True,” Rowen said, sliding into her seat on the long, wooden bench. She motioned for Gavin to sit beside her.

  He sat down and moved close until their arms nearly touched, and looked down at the open book she had on the table. The smell of burning candles was strong, and the heat from their flames warmed her cheeks as the two candelabras on her table burned bright.

  “But, there’s more to the story,” she said in a soft voice.

  His brows furrowed as he read where she placed her fingertip on the text.

  “See? Here,” she said.

  He read the entire page, and gently moved her finger aside to read the rest of the book.

  She could only imagine what she would do with such a power as he closed the book, having read and memorized its entirety. When he turned to her, the look in his eyes made the hairs on the back of her neck and arms stand on end.

  “What is it?”

  Gavin looked her in the eyes, his face paling. Then, he looked from side to side and leaned in close, lowering his voice. “The red dragon,” he said, and fear rose in her belly. “You’re not safe here.”

  “I know,” she said. “That’s what I was thinking as well. Sulinia said that the half-blood will destroy the world with that of the Red Dragon. At first I thought it was talking about Ioan, but I’ve seen that prophecy many times, and the Dragon is small, like a child. It’s Ophelia.”

  He shook his head. “No. You don’t understand.”

  He took her face into his hands and leaned even closer and chills ran up her spine.

  “It is not your sister or Ioan, Rowen,” he whispered and she tilted her head with confusion.

  “Who then?”

  He placed a hand on her belly and realization washed over her like a bucket of cold water.

  “It’s your baby.”

  Chapter 13

  Today was the day. The ship had sailed across the sea and docked in a port just off the coast of the Parean Jungle.

  Sweat accumulated on the palms of her hands and she couldn’t stop fidgeting.

  Today, Ophelia would meet the other two Trinity kings, King Kelton’s brothers. Her heart thumped in her chest as the carriage carried her across the salt lands. Once, the sea had covered all of Trinity and its many islands. Volcanos had erupted, and lava had paved the way for lush, tropical jungles abundant with fruit, animals, and the loveliest flowers Ophelia had ever seen.

  Harrow, where she’d been born and raised, was a fishing town, and she’d always thought it was a bit boring. She and Rowen would play in the garden and fantasize about a life outside of Harrow. Maybe they’d travel the Black Sea and see the giants in Emalore. Or, fly across the floating kingdom of Pegasius. A smile came to her face as she remembered those fantasies.

  After moving to the island of Jeparthi to marry Henry, she’d been exposed to a whole new world. And now, despite being a prisoner held for ransom, she marveled at the white landscape that stretched out all around her. Mounds of salt left behind from the sea surrounded her. Scant palm trees had emerged and reached high toward the blue sky.

  To her right was the clear, blue-green sea, and to her left was salt that led to a thick jungle, and at the top of a mountain in the distance was a palace. The golden walls caught the light of the sun and reflected it back over the sea. Ophelia had to squint to look at it, and when she did, she couldn’t look away.

  The king did not ride with her. He flew ahead, high above the clouds with his guards positioned at his side. A golden Dragon amongst simple gray ones. If he was so beautiful, she couldn’t help but wonder what his younger brothers were like.

  She held on as the carriage was lifted from the ground and up into the sky by two massive Dragons. She knew they were afraid of her flying away if allowed to shift into her Dragon form, and so, they kept her drunk on a concoction that muted her ability to transform. Even though she’d had her last dose that morning when she had awakened, she could still feel it running through her veins. It constantly rushed up and down her arms and legs, like liquid fire.

  Even though she hadn’t done much physical activity outside of pacing her room in the tower, the drug kept her tired, and feeling as though she’d ran for miles or lifted a boulder over her head.

  “Do you need water, my lady?” Luca’Rosi asked, breaking Ophelia from her thoughts.<
br />
  Yawning, she shook her head. “I’m fine. I’m just ready to get there, already. If they’re going to kill me, I want to know.”

  Luca pursed her lips. “They would not do such a thing. They need you.”

  “Do they?” Ophelia asked, raising a brow. “All I dream about at night is ways the Trinity brothers can put an end to my life. I’m only eighteen. I’m too young to be haunted by such thoughts.”

  “Stop thinking that way. You’re going to be fine.”

  Shrugging, Ophelia closed her eyes and rested her head on the seat. Her stomach bubbled as she realized that her fate was to be decided in just a few moments. “If you say so, Luca.”

  “I know it. Despite what the people say about your sister, I know she won’t let anyone harm you.”

  Ophelia opened her eyes. “Thank you,” she said. “At least someone has some sense. Everything they say about her is false. Yes, she may be half human. But, that’s never made her any different than the rest of us. And, you’re right. She won’t let me perish. I am sure she’s thinking of a plan as we speak.”

  “Good girl. Keep a positive attitude and all will be well. For now, we will keep quiet, do as they say, and bide our time.”

  She nodded, and looked to the palace in the distance. Butterflies filled her stomach the closer they got to it.

  “I can do that,” she said.

  Chapter 14

  The room was silent as Ophelia was marched inside. Her hands had been bound, though she wasn’t sure why they feared her at all. She was a simple Dragon girl, born to a Duke and Duchess. Was it because her sister was half human? That didn’t mean anything to her. Yes, they had different fathers, but why would they worry about her?

  There were rumors that Rowen was part wizard. Perhaps that was why they feared Ophelia.