Rivals (Dragon Reign Book 1)

by Kit Bladegrave

  I shook my head hard to try and stay focused on the spell. A rush of warmth burst from my hands into the ground, but I couldn’t hold on any longer. Carrying that bloody sword around had worn me out, and I was tired, so tired.

  The dagger in my side… they poisoned it. The thought hit me too late to stop the effects, and I slumped onto my stomach hitting the ground hard.

  My breathing grew ragged, and the power that had enveloped the sword disappeared in a blink.

  I was done for. They’d find me, drag me back to Raghnall, and all hope would be lost. I saw them emerge one by one from the trees around me, but when I glanced up to see Reginald’s face, he looked right through me. The cloaking spell worked and so far, held up, despite my weakness.

  “Where is he?” he seethed.

  “The trail led here,” one of the other demons pointed out.

  “Then, where is he? Find him!”

  “There are no footsteps to follow. He’s gone.”

  Reginald snarled and slammed his fist into a tree, splintering the trunk and nearly snapping it in half. “Spread out. He couldn’t have gone far. We are not returning to Raghnall without him.”

  I watched, holding my breath and struggling to stay conscious as they backed away from nearly stepping on me they were so close. Once they were out of sight, I let my mind go, unable to hold on any longer.

  Something warm and wet moved across my face, and I jerked awake. A large bushy dog with black and white fur stared happily down at me, that warm tongue lolling out of the side of its mouth, its whole body wiggling as it wagged its tail.

  “Thanks for that,” I grumbled and sat up, pushing the dog away from my face.

  It tried to get right back at me, plopping down in my lap and I realized my strange visitor was a he.

  The dog barked loudly in my face, and I gave in, scratching behind his ears for a moment.

  I turned and gasped in pain.

  The dog leaped off my lap instantly and snuffled its huge snout around my side.

  Gingerly, I reached around and then remembered what happened last night and why I was lying in the middle of the woods.

  The dagger was still in my side, and blood oozed out around it. Bracing myself for the pain, I gave it a quick yank and flung several curses to the surrounding trees.

  Birds took off for the sky at the sound of my ferocious growl as I dropped the blade and pushed aside my clothes to see the wound. It would take too long to heal for me to sit here. Reginald and his demons could come back at any time. I tore off a piece of my shirt and balled it up the best I could, pressed it against the wound, and used another piece to tie around my middle to hold it in place.

  All the while, the dog watched, sitting and staring at me intently.

  “What do you want, huh?” I asked grumpily. “I don’t have any food. Go home.”

  The pain was bearable, no worse than any injury I’d had before, but Reginald had tainted the blade, and from the feel of it, it wasn’t only a sleeping toxin. I was woozy and wanted to curl right back up and go to sleep, but there wasn’t time.

  I had one shard, one tiny shard of the object I hunted for. The sorcerers never even told me how many pieces there were. It could take years for me to track them all down, decades, and by that time, we’d all probably be dead. I needed help from the only race good at finding treasure.

  And they hated demons, especially half-breeds of any kind.

  “Bloody dragons,” I whispered and tucked the glass shard back in my pocket. “Thanks for the wake-up, but I have to go now,” I muttered to the dog.

  He scratched at his ear as if he hadn’t a care in the world about me going or staying. I tried to stand, but dizziness made me start to fall. The dog rushed forward and steadied me on my feet.

  I could hardly stand without his massive body to keep me upright. And the sword was still on the ground. I wasn’t about to leave it behind so I took a shaky step over to pick it up and sheath it on my back.

  I wasted nearly ten minutes, grunting and straining with my wound to get the sword back to its hidden location underneath my coat. Once it was there, I was out of breath and ready to sit back down and call it quits. But I had to get moving. Had to get out of these woods and figure out where I was going to find a dragon willing to help me.

  In truth, I never understood why dragons didn’t like us. I mean, not like my clan caused a war between the races nearly every decade for one reason or another. Not like we tried to assassinate their queen once, or twice… no check that, three times.

  And now I was going to find one and ask him for help. Yeah, this was going to be a great day.

  “Alright boy,” I said as I stared at the dog following me. “Where are we? You hungry? We need some food… and a car.”

  He barked twice and set off at a happy pace through the trees.

  I couldn’t keep up, and he circled back more than once to try and nudge me along. He wore no collar, and I started throwing around names for the big beast of a dog whose head came nearly up to my chest. I was short by demon standards, but not my human ones. Whatever breed this guy was, he was a good thing to have by my side. If nothing else, he’d scare any curious people away.

  The trees grew farther apart, and soon I found myself staring at a large town. Shops and houses were intermixed, but there were more pedestrians walking around the cars. Absently, I scratched the dog’s big head and grinned when he turned his big ole brown eyes up to stare me.

  “Rufus, how about that for a name?” I asked.

  The dog tilted his head and growled.

  “Ok, no Rufus. Benji?”

  He huffed this time.

  “Harry?”

  The dog seemed to think on that one for a moment before he barked and wagged his tail.

  “Ok, Harry, it is. Now, where do we get some food?”

  I was hesitant to step out into the open, but standing at the edge of the trees would get me nowhere closer to solving the riddle of what hunted my clan.

  Despite them denying anything terrible was happening, demons had been disappearing for years, and the few that returned were changed.

  Sickness broke out constantly, and though I was no longer there to see it for myself, I had eyes and ears willing to keep me informed of the situation.

  Harry bounded towards the sidewalk leading into town, and I hurried to follow, pressing a hand to my wounded side as it throbbed in pain.

  The dizziness returned for a second and I cursed Reginald again for his antics. Just because I nearly killed him once, he felt the need to make my life miserable.

  A café sat not too far into town. “Stay here,” I told Harry, and he obediently plopped his butt down. “Weird dog. I’ll bring you something.”

  Glancing around for any sign Reginald and his horde of hunters followed me, then ducked inside to grab some breakfast and figure out my next move.

  3

  Kate

  Mama Lucy’s tea failed to keep the nightmares away last night, and I had to get out of the house. Saturday was my day to wander the town anyway, and do some running for Mama Lucy while I was out.

  It was still early, and I’d skipped out on breakfast back at the mansion. Mama Lucy would’ve asked me questions, and I wasn’t ready to tell her about my dream.

  It started as they often did, me flying around high above the clouds… but this time… this time the sky turned black, and it started raining. But it wasn’t water. It was worse, so much worse.

  I shuddered thinking about it now and stared up at the clear blue sky overhead. No dark clouds here and no raining blood. The dream only got more horrifying from there, but I forced myself to think of something else as I headed towards the local café for some pancakes and OJ.

  “Oh, hello,” I said when I spied the large black and white dog sitting outside.

  He barked and wagged his tail, headbutting me until I patted his head.

  “No collar, huh? Are you lost, boy?”

  I glanced around, looking for
any sign of an owner, but there wasn’t one around. He didn’t look like he was in bad shape. His fur was soft, despite it being extremely bushy. His eyes were bright and alert, and he seemed happy.

  “Are you hungry? How about I get you something to eat and then I’ll take you home with me?”

  The dog barked and I grinned. I’d get my breakfast to go and lead him back to Mama Lucy. The kids would love to have a dog around for a while, and Mama Lucy never said we couldn’t have a dog in the house.

  I worried the furry beast would take off, but he circled twice and sank back down to the warm sidewalk, basking in the sun. I hurried inside and glanced around the café. It was busy with the usual faces, but I frowned to see a new one near the back corner. The town wasn’t large by any means, and I was good at remembering faces.

  The guy, maybe a year or two older, sat with his back ramrod straight and glared out the front window. His face was pale, and he hadn’t touched a bite of the food in front of him. As I waited at the counter to order, my gaze kept going back to him… and for the strangest reason, I felt the urge to go talk to him.

  “Morning, Kate,” Jimmy, the owner of the café said as he neared my stool at the counter.

  “Morning,” I replied automatically, but barely turned my head.

  “Ah, I see. Busy checking out the new guy in town?’ he teased.

  “What, no I just… is he alright?” I whispered.

  As if the guy heard me, he stiffened, and his gaze suddenly shot towards me.

  “Not sure. Came in here this morning with that dog outside. Barely said enough to order some food,” Jimmy replied quietly. “Not sure I like the look of him, so you stay away from him, alright?”

  “What if he needs help?”

  “Kate, what would Mama Lucy think, huh?”

  I frowned.

  He was right, but at the same time, Mama Lucy taught us to look after each other in this town. He was in this town, and he looked like he needed help.

  “Can I get an order of pancakes to go, please?” I ordered, even as I hopped off my stool.

  Jimmy’s brow furrowed, but he wrote up the ticket and didn’t say another word as I slowly made my way towards the guy. The closer I came towards him, the more I had to stop myself from rushing to him and sliding into the booth across from him. What was wrong with me? He was attractive sure, with his sandy brown hair and its messy style and his piercing blue eyes, so pale they reminded me of ice in the winter.

  “Can I help you?” he snapped.

  I flinched.

  I laughed nervously. “Sorry, I uh, I just hadn't seen you around town before,” I mumbled. “I usually remember everyone, but you’re new. Passing through or coming to stay?”

  His eyes narrowed, and I felt his annoyance hit me like a punch to the gut. “Why do you care?”

  “Just curious is all.”

  I breathed deeply through my nose and froze. What was that delicious smell? It was magnificent and tantalizing… was it his food? No, no Jimmy’s pancakes never smelled so good. Like all the holiday dinners mixed together.

  I breathed again, and he tilted his head, watching me. I stopped sniffing the air, realizing what I was doing and that I probably looked like a crazy person. “Sorry, it’s been a weird morning.”

  “Sure,” he said.

  “Right, well, I just didn’t know if you needed help or something.” I watched him closely, but then my gaze shifted to the item resting against the seat beside him. It was wrapped in leather, but the light refracted off of something red and sparkling beneath it.

  My shoulders tensed and the sensation of something trying to move beneath my skin had me stepping back quickly.

  “Are you this weird around everyone you meet?” he asked annoyed.

  “Uh, no… no… what is that?” I blurted out, pointing to the thing.

  His hand automatically went to it, and he glared at me. “None of your business, little girl.”

  “Little girl?” I snapped and fiddled with the silver bangle on my wrist. “Seriously? I’m just trying to be nice, and you’re going to bite my head off?”

  “You haven’t exactly been nice.”

  “I was worried about you. You look like someone’s chasing you,” I pointed out. “All I was going to say was if you needed help, I know someone you would be safe with.”

  He glanced around as if I’d brought in a team of other people to corner him. “Who sent you?”

  “What? No one,” I muttered. “I came in to get breakfast for me and that dog, but then I was told that dog is yours so just getting food for myself.”

  “Harry, his name is Harry,” he grunted as if I offended him by not knowing the dog’s name.

  “Maybe you should get a collar for your dog,” I shot back.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “You’re right, totally right.”

  It took another second to take in his weird look, the long leather trench coat, and the torn-up shirt beneath, and his pants. They weren’t jeans. He was wearing knee-high leather boots, and… were those breeches?

  “Did you come from a convention?”

  “Now you’re going to insult what I’m wearing? You’re great at making new friends, aren’t you?”

  My hands curled into fists at my sides, and the strangest urge to smack him across the face hit me. I stopped myself short and backed away.

  “You know what, never mind. I didn’t want to help you or your dog anyway. Crazy, paranoid freak,” I mumbled and stalked away.

  I paid for my pancakes and grumbled as I stepped outside. I gave Harry a long scratch behind the ears and stomped down the sidewalk. I’d eat my breakfast in the small park then do my running for Mama Lucy.

  That guy, he was such an asshole. All I tried to do was help. My steps slowed, and I frowned realizing he might have been right. I had acted weirdly. I’d been sniffing the air like a dog. And that thing with him, what had it done to me? A shiver shot down my spine as flashes of my dream last night hit me again.

  Didn’t matter. I’d never see him again. I’d do my running, go home, and try to catch up on some sleep and pray that whatever strange crap was going on with me was nothing more than a fluke.

  4

  Craig

  I left a twenty on the table, picked up the wrapped sword, and without touching anything on my plate, or waiting for change, headed out of the café. I’d pocketed a pancake for Harry at least, and he gobbled it up as soon as I offered it to him.

  “Who is she?” I whispered to him, watching the weird girl walk down the sidewalk.

  At first, I thought she was some townie who was going to hit on me. Happened before, but then she’d been sniffing the air. Sniffing it, intently, and I’d watched as her gaze zeroed in on the sword. The idea crossed my mind she was a witch of some kind, sent after me by Reginald, but she was a piss poor one if that was the case. No witch was that clumsy.

  And then I saw the bracelet on her arm.

  She was no witch, not even close. She was exactly who I needed, and she was storming off through town.

  I patted my leg and Harry fell into step beside me. I carried the sword over my shoulder, keeping my eyes trained on that head of black hair. The conversation replayed over and over in my head, and each time, I found another thing that made me curious about who she was. Her eyes were intense as she’d spoken to me, but at the same time, she seemed so unsure of herself. What was someone like her doing in this tiny town anyway? As far as I knew, there were none in these parts. They rarely frequented the human realm, not wanting to risk exposure.

  Many centuries ago it happened, and it was disastrous for their kind. They were still rebuilding, and yet one of their own was out here wandering the streets of some mountain town in Colorado.

  The runes on that bracelet were old, older than many I’d seen before on one like her. She had no guards following her that I could see. Was it possible she was really on her own? My luck might be holding out, and I picked up the pace.


  When she’d sniffed the air, I thought at first, she was being weird, but now I realized if she was what I thought she was, then the glass shard in my pocket had been what she smelled. I couldn’t lose her. She might be my only chance to track down the rest of the shards.

  The girl turned off the sidewalk, and my gut dropped thinking I lost her, but then Harry barked and took off through the small crowd, and I caught the end of his bushy tail disappearing into a small park.

  I couldn’t run and hoped he would slow her down. Warmth spread from the wound at my side, and I knew it opened up. I healed slower thanks to my human half, but usually, it didn’t take this long. And never before had I needed stitches to aid in the closing of a wound.

  Whenever I saw Reginald again, I’d have to pay him back in kind.

  Harry’s barking guided me through the tiny park where a small playground was set off to the side, and a few art pieces were displayed, popping out here and there amongst the bushes. I clutched at my side, grimacing as the pain grew and my feet staggered.

  “Hi again,” I heard the girl say, laughing at the dog. “Where’s your mean old owner, huh?”

  I tried to call out, but the words stuck in my throat. I collapsed to the ground, coughing and hacking as a chill spread through my bones. What the hell was this?

  “Hello?” the girl called out. No one else was in the park that I could hear. Harry barked and a few seconds later, I saw his furry feet before my eyes.

  “Oh God!” The girl was there, grabbing my arm and trying to pull me to my feet. “You idiot!”

  “Idiot?” I managed to rasp, trying to get to my feet with her help—and the dog’s.

  “Yes, idiot. I asked if you needed help and you chased me off by being an asshole,” she snapped.

  Her anger made me grin, and I tried to laugh, not exactly sure what was funny about this situation. I might be dying, but all I could do was laugh.