Winter's Dragons. Melting Ice: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (Soulmates of Seasons Book 1)

by Eva Brandt

  The construction appeared to have several different parts. The side closest to us was predictably made out of ice, whereas the one adjoining the opposite bank used wood. Neither of the two had been turned into traditional building materials like bricks or planks. Instead, on both sides, the bridge grew straight out of the ground, with the ice smoothly popping up from the snowy terrain of Cheimon’s realm and tree branches emerging from the soil of her sister’s territory. Weirder still, brightly colored leaves adorned the branches, up to the middle of the bridge, where they gradually began to be covered in frost, and then disappeared altogether.

  It was suitable, and obviously a magical creation, which explained why it had not been destroyed by the flooding my companions and I had inadvertently caused. It was also already surrounded by a small crowd, something which I suspected did not bode well for our mission.

  Despite being more eclectic in nature than the entire population of Terra Dracones, the group had an almost uniform reaction to our arrival. Most of its members glowered at us when we landed, some more fiercely than others. The more dim-witted individuals even took a few steps forward, presumably intending to engage us in combat. A yeti growled, which would have been more impressive had he not been forced to suppress it when he saw Cheimon jump off Raijin’s back.

  A plump, pale man with deep circles under his eyes rushed to greet us, somehow managing to move just as quickly as a dragonet despite his generous girth. “Your Majesty, thank you for coming so quickly. My apologies for not being able to handle this matter on my own.”

  “It’s fine, December,” Cheimon replied. “I highly doubt it is your fault. In fact, considering what I’ve found so far, I suspect the fault might lie with someone from an entirely different land.”

  An old man with a long white beard walked up to us, flanked by a group of barbegazi. “You suspect my son was kidnapped by an outside force, My Queen?” he asked without preamble.

  The sudden question struck me as rude and disrespectful to Cheimon’s position, and I couldn’t suppress a growl of my own. Cheimon passed her hand over my flank, and I quieted down. Now was not the time for evisceration, I reminded myself. She had said that she didn’t want us to approach the matter violently.

  “It is the most probable explanation, Ded Moroz,” she replied. “I’ve been unable to find him using my magic, and as you know, that is only possible if he is not present in The Realm of Eternal Ice. I will seek him out again from here. In the meantime, I’d like you to meet Kerryn, Raijin and Emmerich. They will attempt to search for Jack as well, through their own skills.”

  All of us nodded when our names were mentioned, but we didn’t get the chance to say anything in greeting. Ded Moroz clenched his fists, obviously not happy with having us there. “Your Majesty, with respect, I’m not sure they can be trusted. It is their fault that—”

  “I have made my decision and you will respect it,” Cheimon cut him off. “I understand that you are worried about Jack, but I can guarantee that I will make every possible effort to find him. Even so, our dragon friends cannot be blamed for the situation. In fact, it is my belief that whatever force caused them to end up here instead of in their homeland might be behind Jack’s disappearance as well. They have generously offered to help us find him, and I have hope that together we will manage to solve this puzzle.”

  Cheimon’s words weren’t precisely truthful. While we had promised to track down the missing male, she’d told us back at the palace that she did believe our impromptu protection mechanism might have harmed her friend. Apparently, she had no intention of sharing that with anyone else.

  Well, contrary to popular belief, dragons could be adaptable when we tried, and despite my personal preference for more straightforward methods, I had always been aware of the benefits of tact.

  “What happened might not be our fault, but we still want to help,” I said. “It is the least we can do, to repay Her Majesty for her kindness.”

  Kerryn easily fell in line with my train of thought. “If not for Queen Cheimon, we would’ve surely found our deaths in the river. We are honor bound to provide you with assistance in this matter.”

  “We understand why you might be wary, but we assure you we mean you no harm,” Raijin finished.

  In that, at least, we were perfectly honest, although our intentions were not as selfless as we made them sound. In any case, it was hard to say what part of the group’s reactions amused me more. The sight of a yeti gaping was definitely interesting, if somewhat disgusting, as the creature appeared to have just eaten. On the other hand, the barbegazi perked up in surprising enthusiasm and tripped over their own massive feet in an attempt to get closer and see us better.

  Sometimes, I forgot that not everyone was aware we could communicate in the common tongue even when we used our dragon shapes. Cheimon had not been surprised by it, but her underlings were clearly not as well-informed.

  I had a feeling that Cheimon would’ve liked to make better use of this curiosity, but unfortunately, it was not possible. “We don’t have time to dwell on any further questions right now,” she said. “Please stay here while we investigate. December, you’re in charge of watching the perimeter.”

  Without further ado, she turned away from the group and gestured for us to follow. We did, although it was somewhat tedious to have to walk. Our little procession undoubtedly made quite a sight, if only because our sheer girth occupied so much space on the river bank.

  Cheimon guided us to a small house hidden under a copse of firs. The door was slightly ajar, and I could sense no life signs nearby. “Jack’s lived here for decades,” she explained. “The spot should hold enough of his essence and belongings to help at least one of us track him down. Am I correct in assuming your senses are just as sharp when you are in your secondary, humanoid form as they are now?”

  “Yes, of course,” I replied. “Our shapes are only manifestations of our essence. There are some differences between the two forms in terms of the skills we can use, but our senses are unaffected by the shift.”

  For the most part, it was only our flying ability that suffered when we changed shapes, and even with that, there were exceptions. Dragons like Raijin, for example, did not have wings, so they could fly using their magic no matter what form they used.

  Either way, flight was not something Cheimon needed us to do right now. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that, in order to investigate, we had to actually enter the house. We could not do this as massive, lumbering serpents.

  I changed shapes first, and Kerryn and Raijin followed my example. By the time we had melted into our humanoid forms, Cheimon had already entered the cottage. We found her sitting cross-legged in the center of the main room, breathing steadily, with her eyes closed and magic glowing in the palms of her pale hands. The ice responded to her call, making frost bloom on the wood beneath her in almost flowery patterns. Snowflakes swirled around her body in a wild dance, occasionally sliding over her skin in a tentative, almost sensual caress.

  I’d never thought that such a thing was possible, but in that moment, I wanted to transform into a literal snowflake, just so that I could touch her too.

  It was official. I’d lost my mind at one point since my arrival on Chronikos. Or maybe it wasn’t my mind that I had lost. In any case, I didn’t want any part of me back. As far as I was concerned, she could have it all.

  I snapped out of my love-struck trance when a well-aimed elbow targeted my exposed midsection. I turned and shot my attacker a glare. Raijin simply arched a brow at me, showing no sign of being intimidated. “I know,” he said. “I get it. I want her too. But think of it this way. The faster we find the Jack Frost male, the quicker we can claim our prize and hopefully bond with her.”

  That did provide me with renewed incentive, and despite being reluctant to leave my lovely female’s side, I joined my two fellow dragons in our quest to accomplish our mission. We picked the second room of the cottage—a bedroom of sorts—as our starting
point and spread out, insofar as we could, at least. I didn’t have much hope that I’d be able to provide information Kerryn and Raijin could not, but I was certainly going to give it my all, regardless.

  Seeking out Jack Frost’s trail made it all the more obvious to me that we were on a different male’s territory. Granted, I had yet to properly catch his scent—it eluded me, for some reason—but the knowledge was still there, burning at the back of my mind. I wouldn’t have cared if it had been just me, Raijin and Kerryn here, but Cheimon was present as well, and I didn’t like the thought of her being in the lair of another.

  “We need a new lair,” I mumbled under my breath as I sniffed a curtain. “Something we can share with Cheimon.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Kerryn replied. Like me, he was attempting to catch a scent, but stopped to chastise me for my completely rational suggestion. “She already has a lair, one she invited us to stay in. We can’t just assume she’ll abandon her home if we build a new one.”

  He had a point, but at the same time, I still felt the need to build our female a lair, something to show her that we could provide for her if need be. Ah, what a difficult situation we’d landed ourselves in.

  “Technically, her current abode is a palace, not a lair,” Raijin said after a small moment of pause. “There’s no reason why we can’t have both.”

  That was about as accurate as Cheimon’s earlier description of our circumstances. Lairs could be anything from caves and underground tunnels to cottages and yes, palaces. Still, I didn’t mind the deliberate error. If I had to rely on semantics to accomplish my purpose, so be it. Besides, we’d already established that Cheimon was too precious a female to have a single mate. She deserved to have more than one lair as well.

  I intended to share this epiphany with my two companions, but Kerryn stepped in before I could speak. “Ah. I think I have something.”

  “You’ve caught the scent?” I asked. “Where are we headed?”

  “Not sure yet. We’ll have to see once we’re outside.”

  Kerryn led us out of Jack Frost’s bedchambers, back into the living room. Cheimon was right where we had left her, but must’ve sensed us approach. She opened her eyes and shot us a curious look from beneath frost-tipped eyelashes. “Did you find something already?”

  “I’ve managed to catch the scent, but I don’t know where it leads us yet,” Kerryn explained. “We will have to follow it.”

  Cheimon gracefully got up, brushing snow off her shoulders as she stood. “Lead the way then, Kerryn.”

  Once we were outside the cottage, the three of us decided to shift back into our dragon forms. Just like before, Cheimon climbed on top of Raijin, and together, the three of us launched ourselves into the air. Kerryn took point, flying just a little further ahead than Raijin and me.

  “It would appear the trace leads us over the bridge and into your sister’s territory,” he said. “Should we pursue it?”

  Cheimon hummed thoughtfully. “My sisters and I have an agreement that allows us to enter each other’s lands. I’ll talk the situation with Phthinoporon later in more detail, but for the moment, something like this should not be a problem. Let us see if we can discover where Jack is exactly, and we will decide where to go from there once we have more information. I can’t absent myself from the throne for too long, especially not now, so we need to hurry.”

  Cheimon’s answer gave me hope that we would be able to find the errant Jack Frost quickly and return to the palace to focus on more important issues. I really should have known better than to think anything in my life would ever be so simple.

  * * *

  Kerryn

  For as long as I could remember, I had, at least in part, hated the fact that I was a wyvern. Growing up, I had many times asked myself why I couldn’t have been born something better and more interesting.

  Today, that had changed. As I flew over the frozen land that teemed with Cheimon’s power, I truly felt proud of my nature. I had managed to track down the scent of the Jack Frost male, as Cheimon had asked us to. Had I been a firedrake like Emmerich, it wouldn’t have been possible, and Raijin’s ryū magic, while considerable, had not helped him either. It might’ve been a little petty, but a part of me rejoiced at that.

  While I had agreed with my fellow dragons that sharing Cheimon was the only method we could use in our approach to courting her, I’d still felt apprehensive about what it would mean for my personal connection with her. This accomplishment might have been tiny, but it did make me feel like perhaps I was not in danger of losing my spot by her side.

  Perhaps Cheimon had seen this coming all along. She could’ve resorted to other means if she’d wanted to find her friend, but had decided against it. Had she done it to give us a chance to prove ourselves to her? Well, I would make sure to not let her down, not now, not ever.

  Following my acute senses, I guided my fellow dragons and would-be mate toward Tou Fthinopórou, The Realm of Eternal Bounties. Unfortunately, even a wyvern’s nose could be taken by surprise. We’d barely crossed the bridge when a massive fireball put an abrupt halt to our journey. It happened so quickly that I didn’t have much time to react. For a few precious seconds, my mind went blank as I realized Raijin and Cheimon were closest, and the ones most vulnerable to the damage it could do. Despite the significant power they could wield, they were water-aligned beings. If they had been caught with their guard down just like I had, they would be seriously injured.

  I had no doubt that Raijin would recover. He had taken similar blasts from older dragons in the past, and had healed with no issues. I didn’t have that certainty about Cheimon.

  “Be careful!” I shouted, already flying back in what I knew would be a vain attempt to save my mate.

  My warning proved to be unnecessary, as was any further intervention from my part. Before I even finished the sentence, Emmerich popped up by Raijin’s side and blocked the blast with his own body. His skin went crimson, and his eyes flared brighter than they usually did. A few tendrils of smoke escaped his snout, accompanied by something that sounded alarmingly like a burp.

  “Did you just... eat a fireball?” Cheimon asked. “With your backside?”

  “Technically, I absorbed it, but I supposed eating could be used as a term too.”

  Cheimon shook her head, as if exasperated by our antics. “Please, don’t endanger yourself on my account in the future. I assure you I can handle a small fire blast like that just fine.”

  Seconds later, Cheimon ended up doing exactly that, when another bolt of fire flew our way. This time, it didn’t reach us at all. Cheimon’s magic struck the fire head on, extinguishing it with almost ludicrous ease. The clash between the two magical forces also resulted in the formation of a thick fog-like steam, which severely hindered visibility.

  This unfortunately meant that, in order to track down the culprit behind the attack, we had to fly down and expose ourselves to greater risks. Still, I did not hesitate. I followed the tentative path of the fire blast’s trajectory, fully intending to take out the threat to my mate despite the fact that she was perfectly capable of protecting herself.

  Once again, Emmerich was faster. Story of my life, really. Once, I had hated him for it. Now, I couldn’t have been happier that I had another competent dragon by my side who was just as dedicated to Cheimon’s well-being as I was.

  By the time I reached the ground, I expected Emmerich to have already handled the attacker. The sight that greeted my eyes was very different from the outcome I’d predicted.

  Emmerich had indeed engaged our opponent in battle, but he was encountering some difficulties. I could not blame him for it, since the creature in question turned out to be a hydra. Emmerich had the advantage of being able to fly, which allowed him to dodge a lot of her blasts. However, he had eight heads to contend with, and no matter what angle he tried to use for his own attacks, he couldn’t get a good shot in either.

  It was just as well, since I knew that if he had m
anaged to hit her properly and chop one of those heads off, our situation would’ve been much worse.

  Fortunately, I was in the unique position of solving the problem we’d encountered without any of us having to die in horrible pain. “Lerna?” I called out. “Is that you?”

  There was a small chance that I was wrong in my guess regarding her identity. I found it highly doubtful, since I would’ve recognized that pattern of scales anywhere and hydras weren’t a common species. Still, it was a good idea to be careful, since I deemed it very surprising that she was here to begin with, so far from Terra Dracones.

  Several of the hydra heads turned toward me, the others still keeping an eye—well, more than one eye, really—on Emmerich’s movements. “Kerryn?” Lerna asked in disbelief. “Little Kerryn?”

  I let out a disgruntled huff, and a puff of poisonous breath escaped my nostrils. “Not so little anymore.”

  “Yes, I see that,” Lerna replied with a small chuckle. “What are you doing here? Is this... pest disturbing you? If you just give me a moment, I’ll deal with the matter for you.”

  As she spoke, she pointed at Emmerich with her tail. I could already see him bristle at having his skills insulted in such a manner, especially with Cheimon nearby and possibly witnessing the whole scene.

  “I appreciate the offer, but that won’t be necessary,” I said. “We’re here together, on a mission of sorts. Perhaps you could help us with that.”

  I might’ve caught Jack’s scent, but tracking someone through this method could take a lot of time. If Lerna had seen or heard anything that could give us further clues on where we were supposed to go, it would help us wrap up our task so much faster.

  Thankfully, Lerna was amenable to the idea of helping me out. “Of course, little Kerryn. I’d love to. What seems to be the problem?”

  Cheimon answered Lerna’s question in my stead. At one point during my conversation with the hydra, she and Raijin had indeed descended from the sky. Raijin carried her all the way to our side and deposited her next to me. “The problem actually concerns one of my... subordinates,” she explained. “We’d be much obliged if you could give us any information on his whereabouts.”