Lumen and Neko, all grins and chuckles now, looked as though they wanted to raise a pint to Lyre in a sort of “Well done! You’ve gained unrestricted access to Trix’s woman bits” gesture, but they somehow managed to restrain themselves.
“So,” Lumen said, “You’ll be on to the hunt soon, then. The Relic is yours to find.”
“Yes,” Lyre nodded before signing again. “And speaking of the Relic, A-E-G-I-S. We wanted you here in particular.”
“So I hear. I must say, I’m a little surprised,” Aegis told him out loud. “I’m not used to being in demand when there are so many excellent Dragons about. Tell me—what is it you need from me?”
“The verse mentions King Arthur,” Lyre signed.
“Ah, the ol’ Pendragon, eh?” Aegis’s voice boomed, his immediate excitement obvious. “You’ve come to the right man. So what can you tell me about the verse’s wording?”
Lyre looked to Trix now, as though asking her to explain. She was, after all, the one in charge of the search. “Could you fill him in?” his voice asked her, caressing her insides. Trix smiled and offered an enthusiastic nod before turning to Aegis.
“The verse mentions the Pendragon, it’s true. But it also makes reference to a tower,” she told him. “Above a labyrinth of grass and stone.” She supposed it didn’t hurt to divulge the exact words. In this place she was safe among friends, and no Forsaken would overhear them.
“Hmm,” Aegis said. “If you’d just mentioned Arthur, I’d assume that you needed to look to Tintagel, which was his castle in Cornwall. A big tourist attraction, that. But of course it’s an utter wreck by now, nothing more than a few crumbled walls. Has been for centuries. I can’t imagine that anyone would hide anything important there; tourists pull pieces of the place away to take as souvenirs. It wouldn’t do to have someone tear off one of our Relics.”
“There’s another thing,” said Trix. “The verse says that Arthur looked for his love in the tower. Does that make any sense to you?”
Aegis scratched at his blond stubble for a moment before replying. “Yes, I suppose it does. There’s an old and somewhat obscure story of Guinevere being kidnapped by another king, and taken away to the island of Avalon.”
“Avalon? But that place is only a myth, isn’t it?” asked Trix. She recalled books from her childhood about the magical land where Morgan le Fay and Merlin had spent time. Even Arthur himself was said to have been born there. Avalon had always made her think of fairy people, wizards, and enchantments that couldn’t possibly exist. Then again, she was now sitting in a room full of Dragon shifters, so anything seemed possible.
Aegis grinned. “It might well be a myth, but there are theories that it was a real place. As for where it might be located, some say that Glastonbury Tor is the location where Guinevere was hidden away. It’s a lonesome stone tower on top of a very tall hill. They say that in the old days, the hill was surrounded by water.”
“So,” said Trix, “you’re saying that it was an…”
“Island, yes,” said Aegis, unable to control his enthusiastic grin. “They think the tower was a beacon of sorts, perhaps. The hill even had a name: ‘Ynys yr Afalon,’ or the Isle of Avalon. These days, most people forget that bit. Except for Arthurian nerds such as myself, of course. Oh, and they say that there is a labyrinth inside the hill, under the grass.”
Trix threw a smile in Lyre’s direction. The idea of literally heading to Avalon, a place that she thought had only ever existed in legend, excited the Hunter beyond measure. Not only was she now a Seeker, but her duties were to take her to the old lands of myths and spell-weaving.
“I suppose we need to leave London again, then,” she said. “And head to Glastonbury.”
“Yes, I rather think you do, Beatrix.” A feminine voice shot towards them from the Guild Chamber’s doorway.
Trix turned her head to see that Tryst had wandered into their meeting. She was now standing a few feet away, tall and serious as always, staring at the Hunter. “But be careful,” she said. “I have a bad feeling about your task.”
“Have you seen something, Tryst?” Neko asked, concern tinging her voice.
“Nothing specific,” the Dragon shifter replied, shaking her head solemnly. “Not yet. But there is an aura of death associated with the Glastonbury Tor. They say that the Wild Hunt used to usher the Dead through the lands around it, into the passageways below the tower itself.”
“The…Wild Hunt?” asked Trix.
“Another legend,” said Aegis. “They say that Souls were taken to the Underworld by the great Horned Hunter, who rode a massive steed and was accompanied by hell-hounds. But don’t worry—I suspect that there’s no truth to that one. A tale invented around hearths when too much scotch had been consumed. A ghost story and nothing more.”
“All legends have some basis in fact,” Tryst snapped. “You, of all people, should know that. We’re Dragon shifters, for God’s sake, and by all human accounts we don’t even exist. It would not be remotely out of the question to assume that Forsaken and their Lapsed minions dwell near the Tor. They are as close to living dead as there are. And they may very well be waiting for the Seeker’s arrival.”
“We’ll be careful,” Lyre assured Tryst, signing the words in rapid succession. “I won’t let anything happen to my Seeker.”
“And I’ve no doubt Trix will protect Lyre,” Lumen said. “I’ve heard about her abilities with blades.”
“She may well have to,” Tryst responded. “A Dragon’s powers might be diminished at the Tor. Its magic shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
“Then maybe we should all go,” mused Aegis. “We were all present when Neko found the first Relic; perhaps we should be there for the second.”
“I’m afraid that we need the Dragon shifters to stay in London,” Lumen said, his voice soft but commanding. “There have been more sightings of Forsaken in the last couple of days. We can’t afford to leave the human population undefended. Besides which, Lyre and Trix will be safest if they don’t attract a great deal of attention.”
“We’ll be all right,” Trix said. “We’ll just pretend to be a couple of tourists out for a walk about the place. No one will be the wiser.”
“Let’s hope you’re right,” said Tryst. “Well, good luck to you both. I wish you well.”
“Thank you,” Trix replied. “And we’ll bring the Relic back, I promise.” She reached for Lyre’s hand and squeezed. “Or we’ll die trying.”
To be Continued in Dragon Seeker, Part Three (the final instalment) coming in autumn, 2016!)
Also by Carina Wilder
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Carina’s Books:
Dragon Hunter Chronicles:
Dragon Hunter Box Set
Dragon Seeker, Book One
The Seekers Series:
Sought by the Alphas Box Set
Seeking Her Mates Box Set
Illusions
Sorceress
The Plenty of Shift Choose Your Own Sequel Shifter Dating Series begins here:
Miri: Plenty of Shift, Book One
Naomi and Tyler, Book Two
Naomi and Quinn, Book Three
The Wolf Rock Shifters Series (these are complete stories and can be read out of order):
Wolf Rock Shifter Box Set
Winning the Alpha
Bearing Up In Wolf Rock
The Right to a Bear's Arms
To Lie With Lions
Alpha’s Hunt
The Billionaires and Curves Serial:
Billionaires and Curves (Taken With You) Trilogy
Taken With You
Crazy About You
The Way to You
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About the Author
Carina Wilder is a writer of Paranormal Romance, world travele
r, researcher of all things hot and male, and lover of anything edible and tasty.
Among her books are the Wolf Rock Shifters Series, Sought by the Alphas, Seeking Her Mates, the Plenty of Shift series and the Dragon Hunter Chronicles.
When she’s not writing, Carina can be found romping around fields, pondering her next adventure, and sipping wine with her real-life love.
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