Alcharr nodded, remembering his previous promise. He grabbed Yane in his arms and launched himself into the air, knowing the trip to Tanarak would be shorter like that. But even as he flew, he couldn’t help but wonder about Yane’s odd concern for the human. Yane always treasured the little time they could steal away from their peoples. Why had that suddenly changed?
Hash stared at his leader in wide-eyed disbelief. “What do you mean I have to go to the plague lands? On account of what?”
The other dragon just arched a brow. “On account of the utter embarrassment you caused our coven just a while ago.” Ogash’Dral offered Hash a small, cool smile. “I’ve told you a million times to contain that temper of yours. But no. You just have to provoke your brother.”
“The Imperium asked for our assistance,” Hash fumed. “Someone had to go.”
“The Imperium are a bunch of arrogant twits,” his leader and father growled. “I will never understand why Che’kendral chose to work for them. There are other shape-shifters who could do their bidding.” He glared at Hash. “At any rate, you knew Che’kendral must’ve had a good reason if he’d disobeyed. You knew you should have helped him. Instead, you attacked him in front of the entire Golden Eagle army.”
Hash waited as his father continued to rant. It was true. He had indeed attacked his half brother. But he’d always been convinced that behind his cold mask, Chek was a loose cannon. After all, he’d abandoned his coven in favor of the Imperium and a partnership with a wolf shape-shifter.
It might not have turned out this way, but Chek had been furious after their unpleasant meeting. Much to his dismay, Hash found out his half brother was merely protecting his mate, something quite understandable even from Hash’s point of view. And when Che’kendral subsequently refused to come home on account of Hash’s faux pas, their father grew furious.
“You should have let me deal with the situation,” the older dragon said. “But that’s over and done with. For the moment, you will go to the plague lands. In Che’kendral’s absence, you’re taking over his job as an agent.”
Hash cursed under his breath. He didn’t want his brother’s job. If he agreed with his father on one thing, it was that he would never understand why Chek had gone off to join the Imperium’s security force. However, he didn’t have much choice but to obey. At least the trip would get him out of the coven and give him a break from his father’s endless nagging.
Nodding his understanding, Hash listened to the details of his mission. Apparently, a human emerged in the plague lands the same day of Chek’s departure. Nothing else was known, and both Ogash’dral and the Imperium officials wanted to know what in the world happened there. Had Chek lost his mate in the energy storm? It seemed very unlikely, since energy storms acted like one-way portals. A storm that opened on Uli could only be used to take someone to Earth. Similarly, a storm on Earth served just for transport to Uli. They were mutually exclusive. For that reason, the Imperium could not control who came to their world but did keep a heavy watch on all intruders and carefully regulated all departures.
At the same time, the alliance between the Golden Eagles and the dryads needed to be looked into. The two nations would be united later that year through the marriage of the sons of the royal families, Valderr and Yanentah. The power of such an alliance would be significant, and the eagles were known to be a volatile force in the equilibrium of the world. The dragons had to know if they should prepare for war.
After his father gave him the final details, Hash left the office and headed to his room. He quickly packed his bags, taking only a couple of essentials with him. He hoped he would not have to stay long in the plague lands. Shape-shifters in general hated that part of Uli, especially the polluted waters beyond Tanarak. He’d have preferred to go in shifted form, but it wasn’t an option, not with the enchantment on the plague lands. As such, Hash went to the very top of the building housing their coven and summoned his wings. Without further hesitation, he launched himself into the air.
The trip to the plague lands didn’t take as long as he’d have liked. The very edge of the former continent now stood as a hideous bog, with very little left of what had once been lush vegetation. Beyond lay the main city of the dryads, Anethone, and what the nation had managed to restore. But the dryads were very protective of that part of the land, and few ever got to see it. Finally, toward the north lay the polluted seas infested by the great wyrms who continued their attacks on the nation.
Personally, Hash did not understand what in the world possessed his father to send him here. Hash was a fire dragon and his element would not earn him any fans amongst the dryads. The water nymphs would be particularly reluctant to his approach. But, oh well. If anything happened, he’d at least have that to use as an excuse.
As he flew, he sensed the enchantment over the plague lands but found in great surprise it didn’t feel as strong as he’d expected. Hash expected the spell to be more powerful than this if it could control the shape-shifting abilities of whoever entered the plague lands.
He was drawn out from his musings when he spotted a small dot amidst the clouds. It seemed to be another flying person heading in a similar direction as him—a Golden Eagle. He increased his speed but did nothing to disguise his presence. He did not intend to spy, and most likely, the eagle in question had every right to be here. Pretending would be stupid and useless.
He noticed the exact moment when the other individual sensed him. The man—because the eagle was clearly a man—stopped and turned. There was someone else with him, in his arms, perhaps a dryad. From this distance, Hash could not tell.
In the end, the eagle waited for him, and soon, Hash realized he actually knew the flying man. “Greetings,” he said as he reached the two. “It is nice to see you again, Alcharr.”
Alcharr nodded. They’d met during the famous failure of a mission. The eagles disliked humans greatly and had been furious upon receiving a report from Governor Malius of Almareya, according to which Connor Spade corrupted two Imperium Agents. The entire attack ended up an embarrassment for all those present, but it did have a good result, since in the process, Alcharr found his missing brother, Valderr.
Meeting Alcharr had, perhaps, been the only good point of that entire expedition. In spite of the awful circumstances, Hash still sensed the chemistry between them. Nothing had come of it, since Alcharr seemed reluctant to even broach the topic. Hash respected the other man’s decision, but he enjoyed spending time with Alcharr, regardless, even if just as friends.
“And it’s a pleasure to see you again too, Hash,” Alcharr answered.
For a few moments, their gazes met, but then the man Alcharr held cleared his throat. “Oh, forgive my manners,” Alcharr said hastily. “This is Yanentah, a good friend and—”
“Your future brother-in-law, correct?” Hash completed. The nymph gave him a scathing look, to which Hash just smirked.
“That’s right,” Yanentah said. “And you are…?”
“Has’hendral. Alcharr and I met a few weeks ago in a mission for the Imperium. As a matter of fact, I come as an envoy of them and of my people now.”
Yanentah arched a brow. “Oh? I was unaware fire dragons had business in the plague lands now.”
Hash suppressed another grin. He could practically see the other man dripping with jealousy. What an interesting development. Apparently, Yanentah’s interest didn’t lie with Prince Valderr, but with his brother.
“Well, you know how it is. Everything that concerns the world concerns the dragons.” He paused and gave his companions a faux-innocent look. “And what about you, my friends? What are you doing here? It’s a very odd place to meet.”
Alcharr looked uncomfortable while Yanentah opened his mouth, obviously intending to come up with some excuse. Hash didn’t know what made him say what he did next. “Never mind. It’s none of my business. And don’t worry. I’ll keep your secret.”
“There’s no secret to keep,” Yanentah shot back. �
�We were merely discussing my impending marriage with Valderr, nothing more.”
“Of course,” Hash agreed, still grinning. “How is your brother, Alcharr?”
Alcharr sighed. “Still hung up over that human. He went to accompany Connor Spade off Uli.”
Hash remembered his actual mission and asked, “About that. We heard a human has been spotted in the sea beyond Tanarak. It is not Connor Spade, then?”
Yanentah shook his head. “It’s a friend of his, Owen Tomassen.”
Hash was shocked to realize he felt relieved at the news. Truly, even if he disliked Chek, he didn’t hate his half brother so much so as to wish him to lose his mate. “Thank the gods.”
“We’re heading back to Tanarak now,” Alcharr said. “You can join us if you like.”
Hash nodded. “That would be great.”
Nothing else was said as Alcharr started flying again, leading the way. Hash wondered what other surprises waited for him in the land of the dryads.
Chapter Three
Sassaki swam deep within the water, his mind still on the mate he’d left behind. He wondered if it had all been a dream or if Owen truly insisted on his staying and then visiting again. Now that he’d shifted back into his animal form, it seemed even more unlikely.
Lost in thought, he reached his lair in record time. He slipped inside, hoping against all hope that he wouldn’t run into any member of his family. As it turned out, in a rare occurrence, no one assaulted him upon entry. No one reproached his unusual behavior or his stealing of his brother’s lunch. Instead, his arrival seemed to be completely ignored.
Surprised, Sassaki turned back into his legged form. Remaining like this would just cause further arguments with his siblings, something he did not look forward to. He slipped deeper into the lair until he heard the sound of raised voices. Intrigued, he followed it to the so-called family room, carefully disguising his approach as he did so.
“But how?” one of the twins, Assahir, was asking. “How can the enchantment be destroyed?”
“It seems its source has finally been discovered,” their mother, Lota, replied. “It is a crystal located deep under the dryad palace. Its power is already being weakened.”
“By whom?” Assahir’s twin, Grehan, inquired.
“That, I do not know,” Lota answered. “But it will be good for us, regardless. We’ll be able to take up our rightful place in the world.”
“Don’t tell me you plan to mention this to him,” Assahir replied, his voice practically a growl. “You can’t. I don’t trust him.”
“He is just passing through a phase,” their mother shot back. “It’s clear enough that after today, he must’ve changed his mind.”
“He attacked us, Mother,” Grehan insisted. “How can you take it so calmly?”
But Sassaki knew how. His mother had always been protective of him. Out of their entire family, he was the only one born as a single egg. All the others had at least one brother. As such, they banded together, leaving Sassaki the outsider. Lota, on the other hand, cared for him. Perhaps it had been merely interest since one-births were stronger than twins or triplets. They could morph in their shape-shifter form without the need of another. It was the only reason why he’d been allowed his peculiarities in the first place.
But his mother also seemed convinced he would come around and become her definition of the perfect wyrm son. As much as he hated to disappoint her, Sassaki would never do that, especially not now when he had Owen to worry about.
“Your mother is right,” their father, Arssan, said. “Leave your brother be. For the moment, we will not bring up the issue with the crystal with Sassaki. We don’t know if it will happen anyway. But should its power indeed fade, Sassaki will be the first to know.”
A mix of emotions swelled through Sassaki. His father trusted him, at least to a certain extent. Just like his mother, he’d always shown Sassaki a great deal of affection, insofar as wyrm parents could be loving, at least. For that, Sassaki felt grateful. But at the same time, if the plague lands were no longer protected, his mate was in danger. Sassaki could not rely on his family to help, not this time.
Knowing he could not linger there for much longer without risking discovery, Sassaki retreated and left the lair. He headed toward the shipwreck where he’d found the human books. He spent a lot of time here, since his family rarely came around this area, having lost interest in the ship after it had been emptied of humans. Sassaki, on the other hand, enjoyed simply spending time there. Perhaps a part of him had always known his mate would be human, and the ship was the thing closest to his mate’s nature.
But Sassaki visited the ship for another reason, as well. Unbeknownst to his family, these waters were inhabited by someone else.
As he entered the shipwreck, Sassaki scanned the darkness. He couldn’t see anything unfamiliar or suspicious. He ducked inside, then looked back the way he’d come, checking to see if someone had followed him. When he noticed no sign of any wyrm behind him, he called out, “Kani, are you in here?”
The flash of an elegant red fish tail appeared from above. Moments later, Sassaki found himself in the strong embrace of a beautiful merman.
To Sassaki’s knowledge, Kani was the only mer who lived in the waters close to Tanarak. Most of Kani’s people built rich, well-guarded underwater cities in the lands beyond Almareya. Those parts of the great ocean had been spared of the ugliness down here. But Kani had been banished from his home under pain of death and found refuge down here in the wyrm-infested waters, where a merman would never come.
“Sassaki! Hi,” Kani said. “Come in, come in.”
He pulled Sassaki deeper into the ship. They swam through various rooms, through doors and holes, and as always, Sassaki noted the odd beauty of it all. Sure, Kani deserved better than a shipwreck for a home, but at least he was reasonably safe here.
Kani led him to a more well-preserved room and gestured Sassaki to find a seat someplace. “Wait a second. I’ll get you a snack or something.”
Sassaki arched a brow but didn’t comment. He knew Kani prided himself on managing to hunt and provide for himself. In fact, Sassaki knew the mer could take out sea creatures much bigger than himself and knew how to care of himself. As such, even if Kani’s meals weren’t exactly filling for a wyrm, they did taste delicious, always varied and full of surprises.
His friend was very inventive, so he managed to use human furniture even underwater. He retrieved a previously caught fish and offered it to Sassaki on a shell-made plate. Sassaki thanked his friend and took a bite out of the fish. It was as tasty as always, seasoned to keep and better than anything Sassaki could ever cook or catch on his own.
“This is great,” he mumbled at his friend.
Kani beamed at him, his bronze eyes twinkling. “Now tell me. What’s on your mind? You looked thoughtful.”
“I found my mate,” Sassaki answered without preamble.
Kani’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Congratulations! But where? How?”
“He’s a human. He came from an energy storm. The twins almost ate him.”
Sassaki went on to tell his friend the whole story of the meeting with Owen, including what he’d overheard in the lair. “What do you think?” he asked. “I’m worried about this plan. If the enchantment on the plague lands is broken, Owen could be in danger.”
Kani nodded. “You’re going to have to consider your priorities, Sassaki. What’s more important for you—your people, or your mate?”
It was a difficult question to answer. Sassaki had always waited for the moment when he and his kin would manage to make a new home for themselves. He didn’t want much, just to be allowed a small piece of land for a city and fishing grounds that would, for once, be clean and fresh. With the spell down, this goal might finally be within their reach.
But was Sassaki willing to pay the price? The first thing his kin would do once the enchantment fell would be to attack Tanarak. No one would be spared, not even one innocent
human who’d ended up here by accident.
In the end, it truly wasn’t all that difficult to answer Kani. “Owen is the most important thing for me. I just don’t know how to help him. Unless…”
Kani gave him an inquiring look. “Unless what?”
It was a crazy idea, but it might be the only thing that could help Owen. The enchantment’s power had already started to fade. He himself noticed just hours before. Sassaki couldn’t allow any harm to come to his mate.
“Unless I join forces with the enemy,” he told his friend. “The nymphs might be able to protect Owen in my stead.”
Kani seemed concerned. “But Sassaki, they’ll never agree. And what if they hurt you in the process?”
“I guess I just have to take that chance.” Sassaki grinned. “Come, my friend. Do you have a piece of parchment lying around here? I have a message to write.”
When they reached Tanarak, Yane immediately detected something was amiss. Soldiers were running around, shouting, almost in a panic. The silent Tanarak had turned into a bustling battlement. The change shocked Yane greatly, and for the first time, he realized he much preferred the quiet. At least it meant a reasonable amount of peace.
He’d left Lyole in charge of the garrison, in case something happened. The other man was the only other nymph who knew about his trysts with Alcharr and offered to take over Yane’s duties to allow him a few moments with his forbidden love. But Yane hadn’t actually thought the wyrms would attack Tanarak. They rarely ever did, even years back, since the enchantment made it difficult for them to approach. Perhaps the damn beasts had come up with something different. Fuck. His love for Alcharr was making him lax in his duties.
Quickly, Yane scanned the area for his second-in-command. As soon as he found Lyole, he stopped the other man. “Lyole, what’s going on?” he asked. “What’s with all this chaos?”
“Yane, thank the gods you’ve returned.” The other man sighed in relief. “We found something strange in the harbor. It’s a message for you. We didn’t open it, but as far as we can tell, it came from the dark waters.”
Hyacinth, Scarlet - Craving Owen [Tides of Love 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) Page 4
