by Bianca D’Arc
As Lucan approached, appearing to slither more than walk, Venerai held himself still. He started to notice changes in the room since the last time he’d been summoned to pleasure the king. Desperately trying to hide his reactions, Venerai knew one misstep here could easily get him killed.
A ragged girl cowered near the foot of Lucan’s bed, bound to its ornate golden post with a golden chain. She was dressed scantily, but dressed nonetheless. Venerai assumed she was not there for the king’s pleasure, but for some other purpose he could only guess at. The girl watched Lucan’s back with hate-filled, startlingly green eyes that were huge in her gaunt face.
Venerai also noted the large trapdoor that had been installed near the ornamental golden fountain at one end of the grand room. It opened and Venerai tried to hold his reaction back as three giant skiths slithered into the room, making their way to Lucan’s side as if seeking their master.
Skiths were native to Skithdron, and gave the land its name. They lived in the rock formations that littered the land, menacing all living creatures. Most active at night, skiths would eat anything that moved and seemed to rejoice in ripping people’s heads from their bodies. Skiths were truly evil creatures, with acid venom that could burn through just about anything. Only the stone walls that surrounded every village kept the people of Skithdron safe from the predatory creatures.
They slithered like snakes and had slitted eyes, but they were as large as dragons, though of course they couldn’t fly, or even climb very well. Solitary creatures, Venerai knew Lucan had found a way to herd them before his armies. Just how he’d learned to control the creatures was a subject of much conjecture and Venerai almost feared he was about to find out the secret of Lucan’s power.
The power itself was tantalizing to Venerai. The hideous creatures were not.
Lucan welcomed the deadly skiths with outstretched arms as they twined around him like puppies. Venerai had never seen the like. It was a moment before Lucan turned back to him, his pet skiths standing tall, extending upward from the floor on their sinuous bodies, backing Lucan with their immense size and fearsome presence.
“You have pleased us greatly, Lord Venerai. You have always been a faithful servant.”
Venerai bowed low, nearly scraping the floor, and dropped his gaze as the king demanded of his subjects. “Thank you, your highness.”
“In recognition of your service to us, we have decided to raise you higher in our esteem.”
Venerai’s heart stilled with a mixture of fear and anticipation. Power was what he wanted, but what price was too high?
“Come forward, Lord Venerai, and join with us. We promise it won’t hurt…much.”
Venerai stumbled forward as the king laughed.
Chapter Four
War came on a quiet day. The wild skith raids on border villages had diminished in the days just before Skithdron launched the entirety of their first wave. Venomous skiths were herded before the army, bringing utter destruction to anything in their path. Somehow the generals were able to direct the creatures, bringing their army up behind. They destroyed three villages completely before enough dragons raced to the incursion to put up a decent defense against the unprecedented swarm of skiths.
Flames flew everywhere as Jared arrived on the scene, swooping in on Kelzy’s back to lead the dragons and knights in their forays against the lethal creatures. But the skiths weren’t the only thing to worry about—as if they weren’t bad enough by themselves. The army of men and horses just behind the skiths was armed with crossbows that could shoot small but dangerous arrows at the dragons. A lucky hit to the eye or some of the rare sensitive places on a dragon’s body could do enough damage to take them out of the fighting. The knights, too, were vulnerable to the arrows, so the danger was real, as all the knights knew full well.
They flew higher to avoid arrows as best they could, but in order to effectively fight, they had to make low flame runs. Though he hated to give the order, Jared knew the dragons’ flame would be effective against the bowmen as well. Jared watched grimly as the new assault started to have some effect.
Suddenly, Jared saw a familiar banner as it dipped and rose once more with an additional white flag of surrender on its pinnacle. The lone rider made a break for the Draconian side, across the field of devastation, riding for the nearest dragon and knight—Kelvan and Gareth.
“Kelzy, can you see? Is that—? Sweet Mother! Is that Lord Darian?”
“It is. The crazy loon. He doesn’t see the skiths turning to chomp on him.”
“We have to do something. He’s flying a white flag.”
“I see it, Jared.” Kelzy made a swooping dive toward the man on horseback, who was almost entirely surrounded by venomous skiths, but another dragon got there before her. This copper dragon had no rider on his back and was acrobatic enough to scoop the man right off his horse a moment before the skiths reached it. The skiths feasted on the poor beast, rending the horse limb from limb with their razor sharp fangs.
“Sandor! Good flying.” Jared heard his dragon partner call to her friend. “Will you take him to the Lair while we finish here? Don’t let him out of your sight.”
The copper dragon gave a smoky snort that clearly said he would never do such a ridiculous thing and winged for the Lair, the man clasped tight in his sharp claws. All in all, Jared was glad the other dragon had made the save. He knew Kelzy might have balked at snatching a human, since the last time she had done it the guilt of inadvertently hurting Adora had bothered her for days and days. He didn’t want to live through that again right now, though he was planning some drills with inanimate objects to sharpen her skills and build her confidence in snatching and grabbing targets as soon as they had a free moment. A fighting dragon needed to train constantly and keep all their skills as sharp as their talons.
When Jared and Kelzy landed at the Lair, they found a scene of chaos. Several knights shoved the Skithdronian man around, sneering and shouting angrily at him, though he did little to defend himself from them. Jared called for order and the knights grudgingly moved away, staring down the stranger with hatred in their eyes.
“What in the hells do you think you’re doing? Acting like a bunch of children in a schoolyard!” Jared admonished the knights, most of whom were on the young side. Few had seen real fighting before. “This man came to us under a flag of surrender. You young hotheads should at least wait to hear what he risked his life and forfeited his country to tell us!” He noted a few eyes clouding with chagrin, but some were still defiantly angry.
“It’s probably a trap, General,” one of the younger knights yelled from the other side of the crowd now gathered on the wide landing ledge. “How do we know he’s not some kind of spy sent to mislead us?”
“I know because I know this man. I’ve known him for years and have called him friend for just as long.” Jared moved to stand beside the Skithdronian lord. Darian was a little worse for wear after the way he’d been greeted by the knights, and Jared was disgusted. Knights were supposed to behave better than this. “I lead this Lair until the king says otherwise and I trust this man. So you all had better just calm yourselves.”
A dead silence fell then as the younger knights simmered. They didn’t have to like his orders. They just had to follow them. He was the leader here and their job was to follow. Simple as that.
“Now, if you’ll all get back to your duties, I’ll talk to our guest and learn what news he gave up his home, his lands, and his title to bring us.”
There was muttering and shuffling of feet but the knights dispersed, leaving a few curious dragons who were being tended by their knights for less serious wounds sustained fighting the skiths. Many were being doused with water to remove small spots of the venomous skith spray from their tough hides. It was best to do that here on the ledge where provisions had been made to remove the contaminated water safely, before the dragons moved into other parts of the Lair and spread the noxious stuff around too much.
Jared t
urned to the man at his side, looking him up and down before reaching out a hand in welcome. Absently, he noticed Adora hovering near one of the injured dragons some yards distant, a strange look on her face as she watched them. She’d avoided him since that night he’d brought her to climax with his mouth and fingers, just as he had avoided her.
“I’m sorry for their behavior, Lord Darian. They’re young and inexperienced with real war.”
The other man sighed as they shook hands. “Would that I were the same, but I’ve seen too much in my years, Jared. I don’t blame them.”
Jared growled. “I do. I command here and their ill behavior reflects poorly on my leadership. I apologize.”
“No problem. I didn’t expect to be welcomed with open arms, but I had to come. I thank the gods that I got through and that you’re here, of all people, to hear what I have to say.”
Both men’s expressions grew grim. Jared realized many ears were craning to hear what they would say to each other.
“Come with me where we can talk privately. I’ll also ask our healer if she will see to your wounds.” He looked over at Adora and with a slight motion of his head asked her help. She waved a hand and nodded in agreement, and he knew without words that she would join them as soon as she finished her work with the badly injured dragon. He could count on the fact that she was a truly dedicated healer to bridge the icy gap that had grown between them since the night he had lost control of his senses.
Jared winced as he watched his old friend limp down the corridor with him. Kelzy followed behind with Sandor. The break from his own people, the skith attack, being snatched up by Sandor and flown here in the dragon’s fist, and the beating from the young knights, had left Darian with a pronounced limp and assorted cuts and bruises. But true to his character, he didn’t complain. Jared respected the man. Always had. Of all the Skithdronians he had met as counselor to the old king, this was the man he’d dealt with the most, and the most successfully.
Darian winced with every step but couldn’t complain. He was alive and luckier than he had a right to be. He’d hoped to get to someone in power who might believe him and take his message higher, but he never expected to see his old friend, Lord Jared, riding atop a dragon. When Darian had lived near the palace, serving as the newly appointed ambassador from Skithdron to the old king’s court, he and Jared had formed a close friendship. As a bachelor, he was often invited to spend holidays with Jared and his family.
Darian knew the new Skithdronian king had been behind the attack on Jared’s family but didn’t know how in the world he would ever break such news to his old friend. Besides, that was in the past and Lucan had gotten his wish—Lord Jared, the keenest of the old king’s advisors, had been a broken man after the deaths of his young wife and child. He had left the old King’s service and retreated into obscurity for a long time. In fact, Darian would bet none in Skithdron yet realized just who commanded the dragons on this part of the border.
Jared led him to a large chamber that had at its center a massive oval pit filled with sand. The dragons who followed close behind made for the sand pit and sank into it with what Darian would have sworn were dragonish sighs of enjoyment. They rolled slightly in the abrasive sand, which seemed to brighten their iridescent scales to a glossy shine even as he watched.
“Be welcome in our home, Lord Darian. As you can see, everything is designed around Lady Kelzy’s comfort here.” The other man gestured toward the beautiful blue-green dragon he had been riding.
Darian knew enough about dragons to make as deep a bow as he could manage toward the large heads that watched him carefully.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Kelzy.” He turned to the copper dragon then. “And thank you, sir, for your timely rescue.”
“You’re welcome. Though I’ve yet to decide if you were worth risking my neck for.”
Darian’s eyes widened as he heard the booming voice echo through his mind. It could only belong to the huge copper dragon whose garnet eyes twinkled down on him with a sly sort of merriment. Tentatively, Darian sought the way to the dragon’s mind with his own thoughts.
“I can only hope that after you hear what I have to say, you’ll be convinced.”
The dragon gave a smoky chuckle and turned back to the sand and his grooming. Apparently neither Jared nor the female dragon was aware of the silent communication that had just taken place between Darian and the big copper.
“Sir Sandor,” Jared spoke again as he led Darian to a long couch, “is an old friend of Kelzy’s. He’s newly arrived to our Lair and without a knight at present.” Darian sat with only a small grunt of pain but Jared grimaced when he looked at him. “Our most gifted healer will see to your wounds as soon as possible.”
“Don’t worry about me, Lord Jared. There are things I need to tell you. Things you need to hear—”
He stopped speaking as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen walked through the main archway. She spared a smile for the dragons and it lit her entire face. Even from a distance he could see the glint of deep green in her wide eyes and it drew him in. She was a goddess come to earth and he would gladly worship at her feet, if she would let him.
The very idea of it shocked Darian right down to his toes. He’d long ago given up on finding a woman to share his life. No woman had ever evoked such a violent or immediate response in him. Darian knew deep inside, just from looking at her, this was a woman he could spend the rest of his life with.
As simple and startling as that, Darian knew he was looking at his destiny. Never one for overly romantic thoughts, Darian was laid low by the seductive sway of the woman’s hips, the gentle glide of her dainty feet across the stone walkway.
The woman turned her head, spotting them, and it was as if his prayers had been answered when she made her way directly to the couch where he sat. As she drew closer, he could see she was no young maiden, yet there was a freshness about her that made her appear innocent and much younger than the wisdom in her startlingly beautiful eyes betrayed.
Jared stood stiffly and Darian noted the longing that entered the other man’s eyes as he gazed on the beauty who approached. Darian realized Jared was not unaffected by the woman’s grace. The knight wanted her, it was plain to see, but Darian questioned whether Jared—after the devastating losses in his life—would ever act on it. Darian’s eyes were drawn back to the stunning woman and he noted more than a flicker of interest as she looked at him. But the dewy admiration in her eyes was for Jared alone as she passed him.
There was something there, on both sides, but he knew Jared was probably too wounded emotionally to be a good match for this delicate flower. If Darian could, he would have her—take her and cherish her in the way she deserved to be cherished. He knew in his heart he would be better for her than pining away after Jared—a man who might never be heart-whole again. Darian would make her forget the impossible longing for Jared that showed in her every movement. Darian would teach her the delights she’d find in his arms and the love he would give freely, if she would but accept it.
“Princess Adora of the House of Kent.” Jared made formal introductions, but Darian could see from the woman’s start of surprise that she wasn’t comfortable about something. “May I present Lord Darian Vordekrais of Skithdron, former ambassador to our land during old King Jon’s reign.”
The woman stopped in front of him and smiled, nearly taking his breath away.
“I’m not big on formality, milord. I’m a healer and would help you if I could. May I?”
“Princess Adora, you may do whatever you wish with me. I’m yours to command.”
The woman blushed so prettily at his daring words he almost wished he could spend the rest of the day making her smile, but he had come here for a reason. He had to get his message out and Jared was just the man to use his information.
She directed him to lie back on the couch, pulling a wicked-looking knife from her waist and setting to work cutting her way through the ruined leather b
oot and leggings that contained and constricted his swollen foot, ankle, and leg. She was efficient and so gentle he felt little pain.
Darian shook himself, focusing on his task. No matter the distraction of the woman tending his wounds, Darian knew he had to deliver his message. He’d given up his home and country to deliver his warnings, and they had to be heard as soon as possible.
“Jared, you’ve got to get word to your king. Lucan has gone completely ’round the bend.”
The knight dragged a chair closer and sat, leaning forward to catch every word. Darian also noted the dragons had craned their necks over near them and listened intently as well.
“I’ve heard rumors about him, Darian, but nothing concrete.”
“Jared.” He grabbed the man’s wrist, trying desperately to make his old friend understand the urgency of his news. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Lucan has sunk into dark magics that have twisted him into something not quite human. He keeps skiths as pets and trains them. They are far smarter than I ever gave them credit for being. Jared, the ones he trains go out and teach the others. They’re learning to hunt in packs, in orderly groups, to work together. What you’ve seen so far on this side of the border is nothing. Lucan had them test and train on some of our own villages. Every human and animal for leagues around the villages of Vorkrais, Hemdan, Pennrin and Sokolaff are now gone. Skith food.”
The woman gasped, drawing his eyes. She was white with fear and Darian regretted immediately putting such a look on her lovely face. He let go of Jared’s wrist and—almost without realizing he was doing it—moved to cup her cheek, offering what comfort he could from such dire news.
