The Dragon Mage Collection

by L J Andrews

  “Wasn’t he?” I scoffed, cocking my head. “If that’s what comforts you, by all means, keep speaking lies. We all know the truth, though. I wonder what angers you most, Bron: that Teagan isn’t your son, or that he’s stronger than you because he is not.”

  Bron sent the silver plates flying in his burst of rage. Ced rolled his eyes and took another long drink. Aldwin muttered under his breath before glancing out the window—utterly bored with our company. My fellow royal wyvern, Amber, startled, but I only crossed my arms over my chest. Chuckling arrogantly, I met Bron’s deadly gaze before the dark mage shoved his pale face close to mine. “He will never reach his full potential—I killed his father long ago. Without the entire family, he will fall to me. I hope you’re there to watch.”

  I swallowed hard. Ced actually agreed with Bron on this point. If it was true—if Teagan had lost the power of the mage line of his father, it would be a weak spot Bron would surely exploit. As it was explained to me, Bron quite possibly absorbed his father’s energy as he died. Mages could do that, I’d learned after coming to the lindworms’ manor. So Bron would have a piece of Teagan’s lineage he could use to weaken him. I fought hard not to let my fear show, but Bron grinned wickedly when he pulled away.

  “There it is. You hide behind your smug arrogance,” Bron whispered darkly. “But I see it in your eyes. You’re afraid. Afraid that your dear mage will fail. He will, Queen Jade. I promise it.”

  Bron straightened the black vest over his strong shoulders and stalked quickly out of the dining room. Aldwin must have taken it as a cue he could finally leave as well, and soon the room was abandoned to deafening silence between the three of us.

  Finally, Ced offered an exasperated expression and leaned forward on his elbows. “Must you aggravate him? I thought we agreed we would keep our heads down leading up to tonight,” he whispered, soft enough I had to lean forward to hear.

  “I’m sorry,” I insisted. “How do you expect me to act cordial to the man who has killed so many of my people—my family? He threatens Teagan daily. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

  “We just need a little more time, Jade,” Amber muttered.

  Ced nodded. “I’m very close.”

  “Ced,” I whispered, leaning my face closer to the lindworm prince. “Your father gave us one more week before he forces us to mate.”

  Ced sighed, his dark eyes taking in the enormous piles of food on the table. It was more than we could ever eat. Ced was a lindworm, and I’d always thought the serpent dragons were ugly, with black or yellow eyes. Ced had dark eyes, to be sure, but they were unique in that they brightened as though the moonlight breathed behind his irises. Ced wasn’t ugly either—his face was defined and quite handsome. Not Teagan handsome, but I’d caught Amber staring a few moments too long at the prince before.

  “I know,” he finally sighed. “But without the plans and the man power behind us, I’m afraid we wouldn’t stand a chance convincing my father to surrender.”

  I rubbed a hand across my face. “Ced, even if we succeed, do you really believe your father will surrender? Can’t you feel the hatred that’s within Bron? I’ve felt the same emotion in your father.”

  Ced flicked a single tree nut off his plate and scowled at the table. “I know, Jade. I really do. But what would you have me do? I have the ability to help your warriors have a better chance, if they will take it. Do you want them to have a good chance at winning this fight? Or the best chance?”

  “Jade, already the elementals are uprising, or some even joining the lindworms because they believe you have joined them in your heart,” Amber said cautiously.

  I covered my face with my burning palms. My blood hadn’t cooled since I’d come to King Nag’s manor. I was always on edge and biting at the bit to be free of it all. Amber wasn’t wrong. The energy shift of the elemental wyverns was nauseating. I was overwhelmed with betrayal from those around the globe that believed I abandoned them when I went with Prince Ced, and others—perhaps even worse than betrayal—had surrendered to the lindworms. Nag ordered them all to be imprisoned and their loyalty tested. I could only imagine what they were suffering.

  “I know,” I said through my fingers before daring to look at my only allies in Nag’s home. “That is another reason I’m so desperate to leave. How many more elementals will refuse to stand with me when the time comes because I can’t be trusted? Or how many will be locked in your father’s dungeons out of loyalty to me?”

  Ced strode from his seat across from me and took the seat at my side. “Listen, there is a gathering today with my brothers and father. I’m invited—for once. I will speak with my brother Olc. He doesn’t despise me, and he is the head of the underground prisons. I will do all I can to get the plans today.”

  I nodded, offering the prince a brief smile. “Thank you, Ced. I know how much you’re risking, and we do appreciate all you’ve done.”

  Ced smirked and glanced toward Amber before looking at me again. “We’re all risking everything. But if we succeed—it will be worth it. Now, I must go. You both have what you’re to do while I’m gone?”

  Amber and I nodded together. I wasn’t certain it would work in the least, but we promised Ced we’d try.

  Amber released a trembling breath as she paced in my bed chamber. King Nag had wanted us kept apart. Although I had yet to see more than a glimpse of the dark king as he trudged with his warriors through the corridors, Ced had pleaded our case with his father. It must have worked because Amber and I were given the freedom to stay close together.

  Amber’s long blonde hair was braided down her back. She was dressed in a silver gown that I thought complimented her strong body well. But her honey-colored eyes couldn’t hide her apprehension as we waited beyond the hour our guest was supposed to arrive.

  “I don’t know if I can do this,” she worried through clenched teeth.

  “Amber, please, she will sense your nerves.”

  “She’ll fight us—or tell Bron,” Amber huffed.

  “She’s not going to leave this room,” I replied darkly, hating that I had to speak those words.

  Then came the knock at the door. Amber paled, and I ushered her to a plush seat in the far corner. Brushing my golden hair behind my ears and taking a deep breath, I opened the door.

  The mage wasn’t incredibly powerful. The dark swirls of her black armor only covered her arms. I didn’t see any along her neck or chest. She hadn’t practiced her power much—this was both a good and bad thing.

  “Prince Ced informed me you were in need of my help,” she grumbled, pulsing disgust in my direction. I hoped she got a taste of my disdain for her treason to the mage as well.

  I nodded and opened the door wider. “Yes, come in.” The dark mage sauntered cautiously into the large room I’d been provided. She glanced at Amber, who swiftly averted the mage’s eyes.

  “Elementals,” the mage snarled. “Always so skittish around real power.”

  I clenched my fists into tight balls. Thinking of what this could mean for us—for Teagan, if he was watching close enough—I let my angry breath filter out in a few haggard puffs. “It’s the window,” I said.

  “What about it?” she snapped.

  “Don’t you feel it?” I questioned, my eyes wide.

  “I feel nothing,” she insisted, stepping closer toward the glass.

  “Exactly,” I snapped, my voice arrogant and demanding. I played the part of queen well when I needed to be regal. Unlocking the massive window pane, I shoved the glass so the wide veranda opened up. “There is nothing here. Bron instructed the mage to place warding around this room.”

  The mage stepped onto the veranda with me, her eyes narrowed as she watched me. Amber seemed as though she was about to vomit, but I shot her a look before the mage sensed anything.

  “I don’t understand,” the mage hissed. “You want me to ward you in? Why would you want to be trapped in even more?”

  “You question my honor? I agre
ed to unite with Prince Ced. I am trying to prove my loyalty. If King Nag discovers this room is left open, then it will fall to the mage who were called to protect this room from the inside, won’t it? Even worse than the king, I wonder how Bron will react to know you failed his order.”

  The mage bristled, and she stepped toward the edge of the veranda and lifted her palms.

  “No, no,” I corrected. “The High Priest insisted the warding go through the iron.”

  She eyed me carefully. “But that would release a surge throughout the mage race. I’m almost positive it would make your location known before the warding took hold.”

  I shrugged. “I’m not a mage, but I heard the High Priest explain to the Prince that iron is one of the stronger earth elements and creates the greatest shield.”

  She considered my words, her dark eyes locking with mine like empty holes. “Iron is powerful.” She tapped the balcony, and for a moment I thought she would release her energy, but she stalked back into the room in a huff. “No, I am going to ask the High Priest myself. I’ll return soon.”

  “If you insist, but it’s your punishment—not ours,” Amber said easily—to my surprise, there wasn’t a hint of fear in her voice.

  The mage stopped, glaring at Amber from the doorway. “What do you mean by that?”

  Amber shrugged. “Well, this was supposed to be done directly after the queen arrived. I’ve seen the High Priest’s temper. If he were to learn after all this time Queen Jade could have been sending messages to his enemies—well, I’ll just say I wouldn’t want to be you tonight.”

  I tried to hide my pleasure. The mage seemed truly fearful of Bron, and Amber’s manipulation worked nearly immediately. “Fine, I will use the iron. Don’t be surprised if a mage or two comes to your door before the warding takes effect.”

  “We’ll tell them where to go if they do,” I said slyly.

  The mage opened her palms wide and gently placed them along the iron banister. I watched as she breathed a rush of energy into the iron. I felt the shock spread beneath my feet. The mage took a deep breath and surged more power until I saw the gilded light fill the night sky. It was time. I swallowed hard against the knot of apprehension and slid the small knife Ced had given me from beneath my satin robe. The mage was nearly finished sending her energy into the iron. She wouldn’t finish—I couldn’t allow her to finish the warding.

  With a swift thrust, I stabbed the unsuspecting mage in her back ribs. My hand covered her mouth before she could cry out, and I clutched her against my body. Together, we lowered slowly to the ground. I sobbed silently in my throat, boiling tears splashing against my cheeks as the mage struggled against my blade until she shuddered once and her life filtered from her body. Amber was at my side and helped me lower the mage’s body to the ground. I stumbled backward, my chest tight as I slumped away from the death.

  Amber quickly placed her hands on the dead mage. I was forever grateful in the moment that Amber had the ability like me to release energy into the cosmos. Slowly, drops of darkness bled from the body, and in a matter of seconds, there was nothing left of the mage except my knife still stained in her blood.

  “Jade,” Amber whispered briskly, shaking my shoulders. “Jade, we don’t have much time. Come back inside.”

  I wiped more tears from my cheeks and tossed the knife over the edge of the balcony. Amber looked toward the sky, where a subtle ribbon of russet light bled into the folds of night.

  “Does that mean it worked?”

  My voice was flat when I stepped back into the room, ensuring the window was once more locked tight. “I hope so.”

  The signal was what we’d needed. The spark of energy that would shoot through the air to every mage, and then the bright light that Ced assured us would fill the sky. The plan was risky—if the mage finished the process, the manor would be warded with impenetrable power, and we might never be found if we couldn’t escape, but with an unskilled mage, Ced knew she wouldn’t be able to contain the output of energy from reaching others. That was the hope. It was our one attempt to send a signal to those I prayed would be searching for us.

  But it came with consequences. When the door burst open, I tried to rise from my bed as though I’d been sleeping for hours. Amber groaned and rolled to her side. It was better if she continued to pretend she was sleeping when Bron was near.

  I squinted at the dark High Priest before I gathered my quilts about my chest. “What do you want?” I hissed.

  “What did you do?” he shouted.

  “What? We’ve been sleeping,” I snapped, attempting to bury my guilt far away from his senses.

  Bron darted toward the window, checked the lock, then burst to the balcony. I heard him shriek a curse to the sky when he glanced up. In a matter of seconds, Bron dragged me from the bed. My skin boiled at his touch, and I desperately wished there was enough space I could shift to my true wyvern form. Bron shoved me against the wall. Amber roused in a fury and screamed for him to stop.

  “What did you do?”

  I glared deeper at the wicked man. “I did nothing. Now, I demand you leave us in peace.”

  “You’re lying,” he sneered. “I see the sign in the sky. What did you think? That I wouldn’t feel the surge, that I wouldn’t find out?”

  “Find out what?” I shrieked.

  “If he comes, he won’t get far,” Bron snarled. “Now we know to expect them. We’ll just increase all our defenses. You likely led your precious mage to his death.”

  Bron seemed to be spiraling in a dangerous balance between clarity and mania. I could have cried with relief when Prince Ced appeared in the doorway.

  “High Priest, this is most upsetting indeed,” he muttered, as though he were bored. “A mage has unsuccessfully warded the lower prisons. I was just there with my brother. Now, there is a signal to all the world where we are.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “What I’m saying is, I would appreciate you taking your hands from my future mate and tending to your foolish mages in the tunnels before my father sees fit to destroy every last one of them. I hope we will see increased defenses around the manor in the event the royal bloodline mages attempt to take the queen.” Ced spoke so calm I could have believed every word.

  Bron glared at me, but eventually gave up his painful grip on my shoulders. His lips brushed by my ear, and his frigid voice sent a shudder down my spine. “I don’t trust you. I know you’re hiding something.”

  Bron backed away and stomped from the room without a glance at Prince Ced. Slowly, I slid down the wall. Ced waited a moment before closing my door and rushing to my side. Amber was already clutching my hand and rubbing my head. I trembled as my true fear bled through the veiled bravery.

  “Are you hurt?” Ced asked, kneeling at my side.

  I shook my head, feeling the burn of tears in my eyes again. “No,” I whispered. “I just…I killed her.”

  I looked at Ced, then to Amber. Amber wrapped her arms around my shoulders and held me tight. Ced sighed and rested a hand on my shoulder. “I know, Jade. But remember, it’s the only way we could send a signal to both your mages. They won’t make it to the manor—I plan to meet them outside the walls. But at least we wouldn’t be wandering out there without people we can trust coming.”

  “Bron will learn the truth,” I added.

  Ced shook his head. “He suspects, of course he does. But we won’t have to worry about him much longer.”

  “Did you find them?” I asked, the emotion fading when I looked at the prince.

  Ced smiled. “Yes. I found the prisons. They are filled with lindworm warriors—and from the energy in every cell, not one has any love for my father.”

  Chapter 2

  The Mage

  Snow stacked heavily on jagged boulders. The frosty air breathed the thick of winter, but in reality, I didn’t feel much cold lately. Golden sunlight was daring to peek over the distant horizon; the darkness before the dawn was where I’d found peace
to be alone in my thoughts. I folded my arms across my chest, pacing along the deep tracks I’d carved in the snow for over an hour.

  Puffs of breath trickled from my throat when I paused and glanced to the left when something rustled. Groaning when a white hare leapt from behind the shrubs, I turned my back and resumed my anxious steps.

  “They’ll be here soon,” his low, rumbling voice startled my thumping steps.

  I stopped and glanced toward the mouth of the cave. Thane wasn’t coated in the thick pelts and furs he’d worn when I’d first met him. Although he was dressed in black, his blue eyes and sandy hair stood out and made him seem warm and bright. They were my eyes, my hair. Sometimes I still couldn’t wrap my head around the truth that the lead wyvern warrior was my father. Thane smiled and stepped closer, leaning against one of the boulders when I finally found the will to pause and sit atop the rock.

  “Did I wake you?” I muttered.

  Thane shook his head, staring into the rising sun. “Truth be told, I’ve been awake for some time—I just pace inside,” he chuckled, grinning over his shoulder at me.

  I scoffed and leaned my head against the stone, feeling the trickle of melting snow drip down the back of my neck when my skin touched it. “What am I going to say?” I whispered. Thane and I hadn’t found much time to be alone since the truth had been revealed the day we’d freed Gaia—my mother—from the dark High Priest’s prison. Staring at my hands, I smiled at the idea that I had my father in front of me to ask such questions.

  We were still a work in progress in some ways, but being able to feel real emotions bursting from my parents whenever they were around me helped. Sometimes Gaia’s love spilling out from her heart was so overwhelming I had a hard time breathing. Calling them mom and dad hadn’t really stuck yet. They were words I never remembered saying. Gaia told me she could restore my memories, but in the haste of freeing her and gathering those still in hiding, I guess we’d forgotten.

  Thane rested one hand on the pommel of the blade that was constantly on his hip and looked down from where he stood. “It will be overwhelming, I’m sure.” That’s what I liked about Thane—he spoke plainly and didn’t hide the truth. “Although, riding a dragon will hopefully add some proof that you’re telling the truth.”