The Dragon Sands Box Set: Books 1 - 3

by C. K. Rieke

Kera looked out on the horizon, in the direction of the rising yellow sun and it separated from the dunes below it, levitated higher by the second. “No, I don’t think I do.”

  “That’s OK. We will find them, together. Roren said you had a vision when you were younger. Do you remember that?”

  Kera nodded.

  “Is there a way you could do that again?”

  “I don’t think so,” Kera said. “The elders in my group used to try ways to get me to see things. They didn’t work. My visions seem to never come whenever I want. But when they came, they were like a dream, but—clearer. It was like I was awake in a dream. I could feel the things I touched, I could taste and smell like I was awake. I saw the egg in my dream, I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it was important. I told the elders where it was, and how long it needed to be protected, so they sent out Roren. I felt bad for him, because I knew he’d have to live in the dark for so long, all alone.”

  “I’m sure he was honored to do so,” Lilaci said. “And it was for a great purpose.”

  “I wish I could have another vision whenever I needed one,” Kera said. “Because I feel like I could use one now.”

  “What about Herradax?” Lilaci said. “Do you think she’d give you any clue as to where to find another egg?”

  Kera looked up to the sky, at a flying v of birds with long tails as they flew by high overhead. “I . . . I don’t know. I wish I did.”

  “It’s alright. I’m sure we will know more when the time comes.”

  “What are you to going on about?” Fewn said as she sat up from under her linens. “I was finally getting some good sleep.”

  Kera smiled. “Sorry.”

  Fewn rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Well, do you know where we’re going yet?”

  “We’ve discussed it,” Lilaci said. “But we’re not sure just yet, but I still say we walk toward the mountains. More food and water there, maybe some shelter.”

  “Beats staying here all day,” Fewn said, rising to her feet. “Get up too, you lazy critters.” She nudged Roren and Burr both with her foot, trying to wake them from their slumber. Burr snored loudly as she shifted him, but then awoke with a disdainful eye up at her.

  “Well—” Roren said, “—best be moving, it’s gonna be a warm one today.”

  On the other side of the fire, Veranor sat up, leaning closer to the fire, and peered up at Kera. Lilaci felt unnerved by the way he looked at her, it reminded Lilaci of the way he looked at her when she was young. What is he thinking? Is he looking at her like she’s a tool? A weapon, like he did with me? What ideas are rolling through his mind? I’d just as well cut him down here and let him bleed out on the sands, the others would help me without question, and with my Sanzoral he wouldn’t stand a chance against me. But she trusts him, for some reason Kera wants us to trust him. I’ll do it for her, but just looking at him now makes my stomach turn.

  “I take it you two discussed already our conversation last night?” Veranor asked.

  Kera nodded. “I’m sorry but I can’t see whenever I wish.”

  Veranor glared over at Lilaci.

  “She needs time,” she said. “It will come. And Kera mentioned we may not need to find many eggs, but one. A male.”

  “Oh,” Roren said. “A king for a queen?” He smiled. “Yes, that’d do.”

  “So,” Burr said in a gruff voice. “We just got to find one. Should be easy.” He laughed, and got to his feet, folding his linen and stuffing it into his pack. “Well, we best be going. There’s a lot of desert to scour.”

  “We figured we’d head north for the mountains,” Lilaci said. “Seek shelter and gather supplies for the next trek.”

  “I still think we need to form together with my knights,” Burr said. “We’d increase our numbers right away.”

  “And draw more attention,” Veranor added. “It’d be more difficult to keep lurking eyes away if we traveled with one hundred, or however many of your kind are left—but you know that.”

  “My knights aren’t far off from where we are heading,” Burr said, and laid an angry eye at Veranor. “And yes, Scaether, I know marching with that many draws attention. But if it’s supplies and shelter you seek, our compound is fortified. We’d be safe there, at least the rest of us would be.”

  “I fear not of your failed order, Whiteblade,” Veranor scoffed. “If need be, Lilaci, Fewn, and I would decimate your knights if the situation required it.”

  “Veranor,” Kera said is a soft, yet perturbed voice. “He’s one of us.”

  Veranor bowed to Kera. “I apologize for my words, m’lady.” He grabbed his watersack from the ground and took two gulps from it.

  Burr stared at him all the while. “You’re lucky she’s here,” he snapped.

  “We all are,” the commander said.

  “You two are too much,” Fewn said. “Are you going to be like this every day? It’s entertaining and all, but I envision it getting old.”

  “So—” Roren said. “To the Gí Donlan Mountain Range?”

  “Yes,” Lilaci said.

  A sound rippled through the air like booming thunder. Even Veranor shifted his feet and ducked from the sound. Then the sound echoed through the air like nothing they’d ever heard before. Looking up at the sky, ribboned with crimson red clouds, soared a dragon with great wings outstretched as it ripped through the air. It roared again, letting its mighty presence be seen and heard for miles all around.

  “Herradax,” Kera said with a smile. “She’s bigger.”

  “Yes,” Roren said. “Yes, she is.”

  “She’s magnificent,” Fewn said, her eyes widening.

  The dragon soared overhead, its long dark-gray body shimmered in the sunlight as it reflected off its dragonscales. Its sharp wings tore through the air like a knife through parchment. Its head dipped down, and it appeared to look into Kera’s eyes. The dragon’s eyes were piercing, and even Lilaci felt an instinctual fear of the gaze of a dragon. It’s curled horns atop its head had grown, and the red stripe it had only days before, had turned to three stripes. It had easily doubled in size since then, perhaps even more.

  “She’s going to be full-grown soon,” Burr said. “It seems the deserts have missed her and granted her unnatural growth.”

  “Anybody notice which way she’s flying?” Roren said.

  “East,” Burr said.

  “Perhaps that’s a sign,” Lilaci said.

  “What’re we waiting for?” Kera said, hefting her small pack up to her back.

  “That's . . .” Fewn said. “That leads back toward the cities, back toward Voru . . .”

  The group then looked at Kera, who still watched the mighty dragon with its wings spread tear through the skies as it let out another loud roar that shook the ground. “We follow Herradax,” she said. “I trust her.”

  Chapter Four

  The bright sun loomed high overhead. Beads of sweat dripped down Lilaci’s forehead, trickling over her eyebrows and ran down her lips and chin. Sonna was the hottest season of the year, but with the season of Wendren rolling in, usually bringing with it a cool chill in the air, but this day was especially hot. There wasn’t a single cloud to give them a reprieve from the scorching sun. Yet, they trudged on in the soft, hot sand.

  Lilaci looked forward, holding her hand over her eyes to stave off the blinding light. Roren carried Kera on his back as she drifted off to sleep. Fewn walked along with her head completely wrapped in her sash, save for an almost imperceivable slit for her dark eyes. Behind her, was Commander Veranor. His gaze snapped sharply to Lilaci’s, and she instinctively darted her eyes back and forth.

  At the lead of the pack was Burr, pushing forth. His long cape tails hovered slightly over the hot sand. I wonder what is going through his mind right now. He’s spent his entire life in hiding because of Veranor and his creations. To be this close to him, and not be able to unleash vengeance on the man that has killed so many, it must be a sort of torment.

  She pi
cked up her pace and shot around Roren and Kera to walk up next to Burr’s side. He seemed calm, yet strong and not as fatigued as a man his age should be under such a hot sun. His eye peered at her from under his hood.

  “Lilaci,” he said, as if in greeting.

  “Demetrius,” she replied.

  They walked with each other for several minutes, making their way between two great dunes on either side of them before one of them spoke.

  “He sure had a hold on you, didn’t he?” Burr said. “Must’ve been a dark place you were in.”

  Lilaci thought about that, then looked up at the tall dunes that summited high above on both sides. “Yes, it was. Sure makes it that much sweeter to be out here, free. Even if it is as hot as the Eternal Hells.”

  “Are you free?” Burr asked as if not expecting an answer.

  Lilaci didn’t reply immediately, but then Burr looked over at her with an intense gaze. Then he looked back at Veranor. Lilaci did the same and saw that Veranor met both of their glances.

  “Yes, I am,” she said. “As free as I’ve ever been, and perhaps as much so as I’ll ever be. I wouldn’t ask to be anywhere else. He may be here, but we couldn’t ask to be at better odds against him if it came to it.”

  “I wouldn’t need anyone else to rip that monster apart,” Burr said, his teeth gritted and the wrinkles on his face grew taut.

  “He’s a certain kind of monster,” she said, “but he’s strong, and as determined as they come. I wouldn’t want to watch him take life from one that I care about. I’ll even admit if I didn’t have this magic, I worry about how much my skills would match against his. After all he trained me, but who knows what kind of secret knowledge he held in for himself.”

  “Argh, he’s only flesh and bone just like everyone else. All it would take is one blow to send him to his knees. I don’t know why the girl wants him here with us. Every step we take with him is another minute she’s in danger.”

  “With or without him,” she said. “She’s always going to be in danger as long as Dânoz and the other gods rule. Don’t think it doesn’t run through my mind. Roren too. Even Fewn must think of it constantly. She acts tough, but she remembers the pain of being back in Voru. Without us, she doesn’t have anything to her name, and he’s the one who took her from her family. I agree, I wouldn’t prefer him here either. But what’s Kera been wrong about, ever? She trusted Fewn who took her once of her own will, almost killing me, but here we are— free. She’s just a child, but there are forces at work within her, almost as if there is something watching over her from the other side—something telling her the path to walk. These visions she has, where do they come from? There are many things at play here we don’t understand, things we may never understand.”

  Burr groaned. “Let’s just find this damned dragon egg, let Kera do her magic, and this new war can begin to play out. We won’t need to band together like this once the dragons can mate once more. Our work will be done, Kera’s prophecy will be fulfilled, and we’ll have no need to walk with such a foul bastard.”

  “You think this will be over once we find the egg?”

  “Yes. You don’t?”

  She thought about that. Is he right? Once the dragons are free to roar the skies will they be the ones to go to war with the gods so that the lands will be free once again? In the last wars, the dragons had the help of man, of the Knights of the Whiteblade, but they still lost. I certainly hope that our part in this mess will be over, but what my heart wants, my mind is telling me otherwise.

  “My fight,” Burr said, “will never be done. Not as long as he’s alive, and Dânoz, Eyr, Fayell, Arymos, and Vigolos are alive. I truly wish that Kera will be able to rest and live the life of a normal girl after this. You can take her somewhere secret, and safe. Let her become the woman she is meant to be.”

  Lilaci envisioned Kera growing up, becoming a woman, and couldn’t help but smile. She sensed Roren pause behind them. She and Burr stopped and looked back as Roren let Kera slide off his back, he then rolled out a long cloth and ushered the girl to lay on it. “She just needs a few moments, she’s exhausted. Fewn, give me a hand, will you?” Fewn walked over and grabbed the long polls down from her back. They were pitching a tent for her to get some reprieve from the heat.”

  Burr and Lilaci both sat on their packs, and pulled out their watersacks to drink, shielding their eyes from the blinding sun with their hoods.

  Then, Lilaci felt a tension build up within their ranks. She lifted her head just enough to see Veranor standing close to Roren, close enough he could reach out and touch him. They exchanged words and Roren’s posture stiffened. Even Fewn’s gaze shot up at the two. She could sense Burr was alert to the situation as well. Lilaci rose to her feet.

  “Veranor,” she called out.

  His eyes drifted over to her, Roren still intent on the commander. His hand hadn’t moved to his sword, but she could tell he was ready.

  “We should get moving,” Veranor said, Lilaci could tell by his wide stance, he was readying a defensive position.

  “She’s tired,” Roren said. “She’s just a girl, she shouldn’t be under this unnatural sun all day.”

  “Yeah,” Fewn added. “Just a few minutes.”

  Veranor moved his gaze from Fewn to Lilaci. “Can’t you feel it?”

  Lilaci felt it, she’d felt it all day, but she didn’t know what it was until he asked her.

  “I can see you do,” he said.

  “What’re you going on about?” Burr asked as his hand was rolling over the knuckles on his other hand. But he seemed to understand by Lilaci’s reaction that there was something to what he’d asked her.

  “Fewn,” Veranor said. “I know I trained you well enough to feel it.”

  She looked around, up at the high dunes on either side of them, and then back behind them. “Yes, I feel we are being watched as well. But not followed or stalked. It’s more like something or someone is watching from a distance.”

  Roren grabbed the hilt of his sword then and looked nervously around.

  “We should be moving again,” Veranor said.

  “You feel this as well?” Roren asked Lilaci. She nodded.

  “The girl will be fine,” Veranor said to Roren. “Perhaps it is you who needed the break. We shouldn’t stop until the cover of night, and then until we reach some form of shelter.

  Burr glared at Veranor. “No, we let Kera rest.”

  Veranor’s dark eyes fixed on Burr but didn’t respond vocally. His posture and demeanor spoke well enough for him.

  “You’re not the leader of this pack,” Burr said. “We aren’t your murderers, to send wherever you please. We do what is best for her, not for you. So what if there is someone watching from afar. Let them attack us! What force could reckon with us? With Lilaci here? I think you’re just nervous being out on the sands. You are the most wanted man in all the Arr. Any peering eyes might not even be looking for Kera—they may be looking for you! You endanger her. You should leave, disband for us and draw their gaze off us.”

  Veranor stood, motionless, his glare burned into Burr. “You finished? Can we get going now?”

  “He’s got a point,” Roren said. “You may put her more in danger than any help you could offer.”

  “The girl told us not to fight you,” Burr said. “But she didn’t say anything about you taking your traitorous rear and heading off.”

  “If you want the girl to survive the next few weeks,” Veranor said, folding his arms over his chest and spreading his feet out wide, “I’m the best chance she has of hiding and releasing the next dragon. I know more about these lands, and the gods than all of you combined. If you don’t believe that, then you’re a fool. And what is more dangerous to Kera? A skilled and educated soldier, or a fool?”

  Burr shifted his feet, leaning forward. “I’m only a fool because I’ve allowed you to come this far with us. I’m only a fool because you still draw breath.”

  “Demetrius, calm yourself,�
�� Lilaci said. “He’s trying to anger you.”

  “It’s working,” Burr said in a gruff voice.

  “Whoa,” Fewn said, putting her hands up above her. “This is getting tense.”

  Burr and Veranor stood there a few moments, without speaking, anxiety growing in the air.

  Lilaci broke the silence, “You two done?” Burr’s posture seemed to relax and Veranor scoffed, looking up at Lilaci with a subtle smirk. Fewn went over and they spoke to each other.

  Roren came over and stood next to Burr. “What would have been our strategy?” he asked.

  “Roren . . .” Lilaci said, almost as if ashamed.

  “I’m just saying if things escalate—you can’t blame me for wanting a plan.”

  Burr opened his mouth to speak, but Lilaci cut him off. “I’m not going to be a part of this. For now, we are all on the same team. Just because Kera’s asleep doesn’t mean we should be plotting an attack on one another. If you two want to—go ahead, but that’s only going to plant the seed even more. We should be focusing on how to use our strengths together to accomplish our next task, not waste time and energy squabbling.”

  She turned and went over to Fewn and Veranor. Once they sensed her presence they ceased their conversation. “What are they talking about back there?” Fewn asked her.

  “Nothing,” Lilaci said. “Look, Veranor . . .” His dark, mean eyes looked deeply into hers. She felt his intent was to intimidate her, but it didn’t. “You’ve got to stop with this nonsense. One of these times Burr is going to flash steel.”

  “And?” he said.

  “He’s stronger than you know,” Lilaci said. “We need more numbers, not less now.”

  “You think Burr could best him?” Fewn said.

  Lilaci stared back into Veranor’s eyes. “Yes, I do.”

  “My girl is becoming a woman,” he said, his brow slightly furrowed. “Showing her teeth, I like it.”

  “I’m not your girl. I never was. And you’re not going to get under my skin like you do with the men. Everything I was is dead, all that is left in me is my training and the Sanzoral.” A purple fire erupted in her hands then, drifting up her arms. She lifted her hand and with her index finger pointed straight between his eyes, the violet fire inches from him. “If you don’t want to be a part of this mission to aid and protect Kera, then leave. You know they’re right, the gods may be sending out an army out after you, before they seek out Kera. Their wrath is seething, and their eyes are on you for your treason.”