by Eric Vall
“Or hatchlings,” Marina interrupted.
“Or hatchlings, yes,” Polina agreed. “Trust us. She will be overjoyed when you talk to her about this. It is the job of women to please their powerful husbands, and there is nothing more powerful than a dragon.”
“Let’s just go and see the dragonsblood,” I muttered as I cleared my throat, adjusted myself under my robes, and started walking again.
“Mmmkay!” Marina smiled cheerfully as she grabbed onto Trina’s hands.
Somehow, we were able to arrive at the farms without any further shenanigans from the dryad sisters, and I was able to maintain my sanity. The dryads had tested not only my patience, but my willpower as well, and their words brought me sexual fantasies I didn’t even think were possible before I’d come to this world.
Were harems really that normal in Inati, or were the girls just pulling my leg?
I really wanted to know, but I didn’t know who I could ask. Julia was out of the question, especially now that she was my mother. I could probably ask my new dad, but only if I made sure Julia was out of hearing distance. But they’d barely had any contact with the outside world for a thousand years, so would the information Ruslan had about harems still be true?
At this point, my best option was probably Alyona or one of the Blue Tree Guild members. The issue was bringing it up without seeming like an asshole.
I sighed as we stepped through the archway that led to the walled farms, and then I caught sight of a head of dark blue hair and fox ears bobbing behind some pepper plants.
“Afra!” I called out to the fox Demi-Human in charge of the farms.
Afra peeked over the pepper plants in confusion and looked around her before she turned to the archway.
“My Lord!” she exclaimed, and her ears perked up when she caught sight of us. “Welcome to the farms! If I knew you were coming today, I would have prepared a greeting or a picnic or some tea. Oh! I can put together a basket for you quickly if you’d give me a moment or two.”
Afra rushed toward us, and I met her halfway. Then she dropped into a quick curtsey as she balanced a basket full of peppers on her hip.
“Don’t worry about it.” I smiled as I patted her head. “You didn’t even know I was coming here. Hell, I didn’t even know I was coming until those three beauties dragged me here.”
“How can I not worry?” Afra shook her head so hard her braid swung out behind her. “You’re our young Lord Evan now, you’re not just Master Dragon anymore.”
I shrugged as I continued to pat Afra’s head. The fox Demi-Human purred happily at my touch, and I smiled fondly. Afra really was so adorable I couldn’t help but want to spoil her.
I didn’t know if it was my pack instincts that made me think like this or if it was from the fox blood from my adopted father. If I had access to lab equipment, I would have drawn some of my blood before the adoption ceremony and then after it so I could compare the changes in my body.
I knew my new father could control fire, but I didn’t know if that would have been passed down with the adoption ceremony. More long afternoons in the River Moonstone House probably awaited me if I wanted to find that out.
As I followed that train of thought, a fluffy gray tail in the far end of the rows of pepper plants caught my eye, and my face lit up with excitement.
“Laika!” I called out to my wolf friend cheerfully. “Where have you been hiding?”
I walked over to where I had seen Laika, but there was nothing behind the plant. A frown slid across my face as I glanced down the row of plants and caught sight of the tip of her tail.
There was no way I was going to let her keep hiding from me, so I brought up walls of stone around her and stalked toward her.
“Lord Evan, this humble warrior greets thee,” Laika murmured as she turned to face me rather sheepishly. Her usually erect furry ears drooped, and a dark flush covered her face. “Congratulations on your adoption ceremony and the completion of the aqueduct. All of Hatra is proud to know you will lead this city to greatness.”
Laika’s sudden formal language confused me, and she refused to meet my eyes. Was this because of what happened during the Blue Tree Guild’s interrogation, or was there something else I was missing?
“Laika, you don’t have to talk to me like that.” I placed my hands on her shoulders as I bent down to try and catch her gaze. “We’re friends.”
“Friends?” the Demi-Human echoed flatly.
I frowned. “Yes, friends. That means I’ll always trust you to have my back no matter what. I’ll also always listen to you and do my best to not make a sudden decision.”
I thought those words would reassure her and cheer her up. Instead, her ears drooped further, and I could smell the salty tears welling up in her storm colored eyes.
“Please, My Lord, you are being too generous to someone like me.” Laika dropped to one knee, and her voice hardened. “I am but a sellsword in the service of Hatra. I could not dare to presume to be anything more than a sword for Hatra, in fact, you should keep your distance from one such as me. If you would excuse me, My Lord, I must attend to matters regarding the defense of the city. What I can promise you is I would die before the city is breached. That you can trust in.”
Laika stood in a flash from where she was kneeling and darted up and over the wall before I could even open my mouth to reply. By the time I’d lowered the stone walls, she had disappeared from view, and all that remained of her was the scent of pine and storms.
“What the fuck?” I frowned at the space she once occupied. I couldn’t understand why she’d said she was nothing but a sellsword or why she’d become so deferential all of a sudden.
Even when the dryads and Afra came up behind me to drag me over to the dragonsblood saplings, I remained silent and deep in thought. It wasn’t until the rich, clove-like perfume of the saplings began to overwhelm my senses that I really took in my surroundings.
All around me were glowing, small shrub-like trees covered in crimson leaves and delicate white flowers. It was like we’d walked out onto a bloody field while it was snowing, and snowflakes had fallen onto the scarlet blood. The leaves of the dragonsblood were mostly vermillion, but at the center of the leaves was a drop of rich green. Around the leaves and the flowers was a faint glow, it wasn’t exactly white but more of a pearly and sort of luminescent color.
I reached out and touched one of the tiny white flowers. The moment my fingers brushed the delicate petals, a jolt of electricity went through my mind, and the world swirled around me.
Acid bubbled up my throat, and the sensation of flames licked up my arms as wire cut through my flesh. I gasped as I realized there was no fire consuming me, the feeling actually came from deep inside of me.
All the way from the depths of my spiritual sea.
Then a voice echoed through my head.
It burns and digs deeper into my flesh. What irony, the more I fight to escape, the more I am trapped inside of this madness. The dragon attempted to save me, but he was a fool. I can never escape this hell.
Asher, I somehow heard Asher inside of my mind. It wasn’t his voice, but it was like his thoughts had reverberated inside of my head. But how did I hear him? Could it have been because I touched the flower?
I looked from my hand to the dragonsblood. There was only one way to know.
I reached out again, and the moment my fingers grazed the crimson leaves of the dragonsblood, my spiritual sea stirred, and Asher’s voice echoed inside of my mind once more.
Why is there nothing but pain? Oh gods in the heavens above, why have you forsaken me to this darkness? Why was I not saved from this poison that dragged me down into the depths of hell? What crime is it that I have been forced to pay for with my existence? Why was I forsaken and forced to fight for this malice?
I stared at the sapling and then back at my own hand before I turned and ran toward the entrance. There was no way I could ignore the desperation in Asher’s voice. I had to go and
find a way to help him.
“My Lord?” Afra stood and called out after me. “Where are you going?”
“To find Lady Julia and Alyona!” I shouted, but I didn’t turn back as I ran as fast as I could out of the farms.
Asher’s voice had been desperate as it echoed in my mind, desperate for an end to the madness and pain that tormented him. I knew the miasma controlled him and had treated him like a puppet on razor sharp strings, but I didn’t know how it gained control of him or how to cut him free of those poisonous strings.
What made it worse was I could feel lightning coursing through my body, and it was difficult to move. It wasn’t painful, but it was like I had too much energy and too much power inside of my body, and it was having problems settling inside of me.
I had no idea just what the fuck happened, but if anyone would know, it would be either Elder Julia or Alyona. Julia was the Keeper of Knowledge of Hatra, and she’d buried herself in the underground library searching for any secrets that would protect Hatra from the miasma. Alyona was the divine princess of Rahma and had the power to purify miasma out of existence. Between the two of them, they had to know something about what just happened to me.
With those thoughts drowning out everything else, I crashed straight into Ruslan.
“Evan, what’s the hurry?” Ruslan asked as he steadied me, and his ears twitched with concern. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I don’t know what’s happening,” I confessed as I bit back a pained wince. “I heard Asher inside of my mind, and now it’s like lightning is inside of me. I was heading back to the library to see if Julia or Alyona knew what was going on.”
Concern darkened Ruslan’s emerald eyes as he looked at me for one short moment. “We’re heading to the River Moonstone House, that’ll settle your spiritual sea.” Ruslan slung my arm around his shoulder as fire engulfed his other hand. “I’ll have Julia and Alyona meet us there.”
“Okay,” I said as my father’s summoned fire fox sped away from us in the direction of the underground library, and we turned in the direction of the River Moonstone House.
A nervous energy coursed through my body, like lightning was constantly striking all of my nerves. I wasn’t weak, but I trembled as we walked.
When we finally reached the River Moonstone House, Alyona and Julia were already waiting for us there.
“Asher, he was in my head!” The words tumbled out of my mouth in a jumbled mess. “He was just there and then his voice! It was like, wow, just, I don’t even know!”
I sighed as the turbulent lightning inside of me finally settled once I was surrounded by the moonstone and marble walls.
“You heard Asher inside of your head?” Julia asked as she stepped toward me, and concern lined her face.
“It was only for a split second at first,” I looked down at my hands as I remembered the miasma that tortured and controlled Asher, “but as I kept touching the dragonsblood, his voice slowly became stronger.”
“Was he saying anything?” Alyona asked as she pressed a cool cloth to my forehead and stroked my hair.
I leaned into the princess’s soothing touch, and my turbulent spiritual sea began to settle even more with each gentle stroke of my hair.
“No.” I shook my head and frowned as I tried to explain what I had heard. “It wasn’t Asher speaking to me but more like something inside of him? No, like I was sensing his thoughts inside of me or maybe his feelings. Is this making any sense, or am I just rambling?”
“How strange this all is,” Julia murmured as she paced in front of us and tapped her cheek with her fan. “And it started when you touched the dragonsblood?”
“Evan already tried to reach Asher once,” Ruslan interjected from where he leaned against a wall. “The link has already been established, so anything could trigger or create a stronger connection between the two of them.”
“Maybe it’s the purifying essence of the dragonsblood.” Alyona’s brow was furrowed as she continued stroking my hair. “Since the dragonsblood protects and purifies everything it surrounds, and it’s currently being planted within and around the city, its power is reaching Asher.”
Alyona’s words made sense to me, but then wouldn’t that have happened earlier? The dragonsblood had been planted inside of the city for some time now, unless it was because I needed to be in direct contact with the dragonsblood.
“Even though he’s inside of my spiritual sea?” I tilted my head back in order to look at Alyona. “Can it reach that far?”
“Yes.” Alyona nodded as she plucked the cool cloth from my head and placed it on the table.
“Perhaps you should spend more time meditating in the River Moonstone House.” Julia glanced over at Ruslan as she frowned. “He’s going to have to spend more time meditating than we thought.”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” I winced as I realized just how hectic my schedule was about to become. “I need to get this under control, and if I can talk to Asher, we could get so much information from him.”
“As it is, it’s too late for us to continue any proper lessons,” Julia sighed as she stopped pacing behind me. Then she stooped to press a kiss on my forehead before she headed for the door.
“Wait, where are you going?” I blinked in surprise at the Elder’s actions and turned to face her.
“To speak with Moskal and Maksim.” Julia smiled as she placed her hand on the door. “They may know more about the dragonsblood’s interaction with the miasma and other herbs that may help you and Asher.”
She was right, Maksim and Moskal were both herbalists, and the former had come from the village where the dragonsblood was once protected. They would be able to find out more about why the plant caused that strange reaction between Asher and me.
“Thank you, for everything.” I couldn’t call Julia mother, not yet, but she was still family, and I hoped she knew that.
“Of course, you are my precious son now.” Julia’s expression softened, and she started to slip through the door, but not before she called one last thing over her shoulder. “Don’t forget to eat. Now, come along, Ruslan.”
“Wait, but--” Ruslan began just as Julia yanked him along behind her.
The door closed behind the two Elders, and I slumped to the ground as I felt the River Moonstone House continue to settle my nerves. What a day it had been, and it was still pretty early considering everything that happened. It was barely afternoon, and I was already exhausted.
I sighed and glanced over to see what Alyona was doing. The priestess was deep in thought as she sat across from me. A sigh left Alyona’s perfectly painted lips, and she rested her head in her hand.
Suddenly, I wondered if Alyona knew why Laika was avoiding me. The two of them were close friends, and even if the wolf Demi-Human was avoiding me, I doubted she would avoid Alyona. Laika was always a bit like an overprotective puppy when it came to the divine princess, and it always brought a smile to my face to watch them interact.
“Is there something on your mind, Evan?” Alyona asked as she glanced up at me and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re thinking quite loudly over there.”
I couldn’t help but blink at her words. Honestly, I really wouldn’t be surprised if she could read minds, but I kind of hoped she wasn’t able to. I really didn’t want to think she knew how desperately I desired her and everything I wanted to do to her just from reading my mind.
Honestly, I’d much prefer to show her.
Still, I had to get my mind out of the gutter because that wasn’t what I wanted to do at the moment.
“Alyona, do you know why Laika has been avoiding me?” I frowned as I rested my weight on my elbows.
“Laika admires you greatly, you must know this.” Alyona tilted her head as she considered me.
“Really?” I furrowed my brow. “Because I think she hates me, she has to. I don’t understand why she would act like this otherwise.”
“I think I may know w
hat troubles her,” Alyona said quietly as her gemstone eyes grew melancholic. “Laika is quite the honorable warrior, and her emotions have snowballed. From the shame of what occurred with the prisoners to the desires of her own heart, she thinks denying herself is the only right thing to do.”
“Denying herself?” I glanced up at Alyona and wondered what she meant by that.
“Come now, Evan.” Alyona shook her head, and the golden flower ornaments in her hair chimed delicately. “Don’t be purposefully obtuse. Just as you’ve stolen my heart, you’ve stolen hers. Maybe things would have been different if I hadn’t allowed my own heart to take control instead of my head. You and Laika could have been happily in bed right now. Really, this was my fault to begin with. I didn’t take into consideration her own desires. If I hadn’t have loved you, maybe Laika would still be smiling.”
I stood the moment I heard her words and knelt in front of her. My instincts raged to comfort her, and the sight of her tears worried me.
“Alyona, none of this is your fault.” I reached out to wipe away the tears on the princess’s face, and then my mind blanked for a moment at her words. “Wait, did you just say you love me?”
“I do, I love you so much it hurts.” Alyona put her hand over mine and placed it over her heart. “But I am not the only one hurting. Laika has become the sister of my heart, and I wish for my happiness to be hers as well. Does she have a place in your heart? Do I?”
My heart skipped a beat and then took off at a gallop. She loved me. It wasn’t a one time thing between us, and everything I felt about the beautiful princess was reciprocated. Alyona loved me.
The beast in my chest preened and roared in triumph, and I had to stifle the urge to shred Alyona’s dress to pieces and take her on the floor of the River Moonstone House. Not only was I a dragon with awesome powers in a new world, but now a princess loved me.
