dragon archives 05 - forever a dragon

by Linda K Hopkins

  “It’s a long story, but no, you have no need for concern.”

  “And you’re not going to eat me?”

  “I’m not sure – how much meat do you have on those bones?”

  Scott laughed. “Just muscle and sinew. Not tasty at all. But you still have to figure out what you’re going to do. It won’t take Callaway long to realize he’s on the wrong path.”

  Lleland nodded. “You’re right. He and Hobbes will keep pursuing us. And neither of them will be satisfied until we’re dead.” He glanced at Lydia. “You must return to Storbrook.”

  Scott’s eyebrows shot up. “Storbrook! So Hobbes is right – the dragons do have a lair there.”

  Lleland frowned. “Yes – and no.” He glanced at Lydia. “Scott, meet Mistress Drake.”

  “Mistress Drake? You mean like Aaron Drake?”

  “His daughter.”

  Scott’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “The dragon-slayer has a dragon daughter?” Lleland and Lydia watched him closely. “The dragon-slayer is a dragon,” he said slowly. He looked at Lydia, then Lleland. “Am I right?” He laughed dryly. “It all begins to make sense. Their desire for privacy, their refusal to hunt.” He paused. “Something happened to you when you traveled here, didn’t it? Something that made you,” he waved a hand, “this way.”

  Lleland nodded. “You could say that. But we don’t really have time to have this discussion now.” He turned to Lydia. “So you’ll return to Storbrook?”

  “No. I’m not about to run and hide. Besides, I’m a lot stronger than you.”

  “I know,” Lleland said. “We’re not going to fight our pursuers, just separate them. If we take different paths, they’ll split up. Hobbes will want to follow you, and Callaway will want the dragon that looks like Jack.”

  “You’re not Jack,” Lydia said softly.

  Lleland met her blazing gaze. “You’re right,” he said, and smiled. “I’m not.” He glanced at Scott. “Elliott could go either way.”

  “What will you do with Callaway?” Scott asked.

  “I’m not sure yet.” He thought a moment. “Hobbes will follow you to Storbrook, Lydia, which is the best place for him. Order the portcullis closed, and when he arrives, have him locked in the tower. The Dragon Master can decide his fate.”

  Lydia frowned. “I can deal with him.”

  “I know you can, but should you? His history with your family reaches back to before you were born. Your father should be the one to decide his fate.”

  “And the other man?”

  “If Elliott follows Hobbes to Storbrook, we can try talking to him. Just remember they still have poison, so don’t allow either of them to get too close, especially Elliott. He’s a hunter, whereas Hobbes doesn’t have much skill with a bow.”

  Lydia nodded. “Very well. And be careful. I’d hate for you to die after all my efforts to keep you alive!”

  Lleland laid his snout against Lydia’s. “I have no plans to die today, love. There’re some things I need to tell you before I go.” He pulled back, brushing his jaw against hers, and felt her shiver. The sweet scents of berries, summer and fire filled the air, and when he met Lydia’s gaze, her eyes had been swallowed up in flame. He breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with her scent. “Let’s go,” he said. He turned to Scott. “Climb on my back.”

  “How am I supposed to do that?” he asked. He walked around Lleland’s huge side, then yelped when Lydia lifted him in her claws and dumped him at the base of Lleland’s neck. He muttered something about dragons under his breath as Lydia swooped from the hill and Lleland followed.

  “Over there,” Lydia said, turning towards the east. Lleland followed, and soon he could see the three men heading towards the hill they had just quit. They dropped a little lower to get the men’s attention. Elliott pointed in their direction, and Callaway lifted his bow as Lleland swept away from Lydia. He glanced down to see Callaway follow him, while the other two men went after the golden dragon.

  “I never thought I’d be mounted on a dragon,” Scott said, as he clung to Lleland’s neck.

  “I never thought I’d be a dragon,” Lleland retorted.

  “Are you going to tell me how it happened?” Scott asked.

  “This is hardly the time.”

  “Who’s the Dragon Master?”

  Lleland turned and met his gaze. “Aaron Drake.” Scott started in surprise.

  “Of course,” he said slowly. He was thoughtful for a moment. “Can you breathe fire?” he finally said.

  “I’m a dragon, Scott,” he said. “Of course I breathe fire.”

  “Show me.”

  “No. I’m not a trained bear doing tricks at a fair.”

  Scott laughed. “Come on, Lleland, you’re a dragon. And dragons breathe fire.”

  Lleland sighed, then blew out a stream of flame. It curled around his head, and he felt Scott pull back slightly as flames licked his skin. “You wanted flames,” he said with a laugh.

  He glanced down to see they were approaching the rocky outcrop where he had been shot. The horses still stood nearby, grazing unconcernedly. He landed on the ground and Scott slipped off his back.

  “What are we doing?” he said.

  “Showing Callaway that he’s chasing the wrong dragon.”

  “You want him to chase Lydia?”

  “No.” He cocked his head as Callaway crashed through the trees. “Shh.”

  Callaway broke into the clearing and skidded to a stop when he saw the large, black dragon on the ground a few feet away. He lifted his bow and notched an arrow in one smooth motion. The arrow shot forward, and Lleland launched himself upwards as the arrow sliced the air beneath him.

  “I’m not the dragon you seek,” he said, as he dropped back to the ground. Callaway’s eyes widened slightly, but he notched another arrow and let it fly. It scraped Lleland’s side as he hopped sideways.

  “Stop,” Scott yelled.

  Callaway glanced at him as he pulled out another arrow. “What are you doing here? Where’s Seaton?”

  “Seaton’s, er, gone in search of Hobbes. But you need to stop, before someone gets hurt.”

  “The only one that will be hurt is this monster,” Callaway growled as he notched another arrow.

  “Callaway!” As Lleland roared his name Callaway stopped in astonishment. “I’m not the dragon that killed your brother.” The arrow fell from Callaway’s hand and clattered to the ground.

  “How do you know …” He glanced at Scott. “You!”

  “No.” Lleland spoke softly, and Callaway glanced back at him. “It doesn’t matter how I know. But the dragon that killed your brother is long dead and gone.”

  “Seaton told you, didn’t he?”

  “Seaton sought revenge, just as you do. He finally realized he was chasing a ghost. You could kill every dragon in this kingdom, but it won’t bring your brother back.”

  The bow started to slip from Callaway’s hand, but then his grip tightened and he pulled out another arrow. “I’d be a fool to listen to a monster,” he said. The arrow flew from the bow, and hit Lleland in the same place as the poisoned arrow had an hour before. He felt it slip through his thick hide and bury deep in his recently healed flesh. He stared down at it for a moment, before carefully pulling it from his chest with a wince. Scott was running towards him.

  “What have you done?” Scott shouted at Callaway.

  “It’s a monster,” Callaway shouted.

  “No, he’s not,” Scott said. “If he’s a monster, why are you still alive? He could’ve killed you already.”

  Callaway stiffened as his arm fell to his side. “You’re siding with a dragon,” he finally said. “How did it seduce you? Did you drink its blood?”

  Scott glanced at Lleland. “Of course not. But you do not want to kill this beast.”

  Callaway picked up the arrow that had fallen to the ground, then looked at Lleland. “He’s wrong, I do want to kill you. But since you’ve spared my life today, the
honorable thing is to spare yours. But this isn’t over, dragon, and next time nothing will stop me burying an arrow in your heart and cutting off your head.” He stared at Lleland for another moment, then without another word, turned and headed down the path, taking his horse with him. Lleland and Scott watched as he disappeared around a corner.

  “I thought he was going to kill you,” Scott finally said.

  “I’m not so easy to kill,” Lleland said. He pointed to his chest. “Look.”

  Lleland’s wound had already started closing, and Scott stared in surprise. “How does it feel?” he asked.

  “Powerful.” Lleland glanced up the path. “Now let’s get to Storbrook.”

  Chapter 38

  It started to snow as Lleland flew towards the mountain castle. Large, wet flakes melted and dripped from his scales. He skimmed the tops of the trees as he flew, hoping to avoid being seen by the two men below. He made a wide arc around them as he soared up the side of the mountain towards Storbrook. Lydia stood at one of the windows, watching him. His gaze met hers as he glided past the window and into the chamber that had recently been his. He dropped onto the floor and Scott slid from his back. “Close your eyes,” he instructed, then pushed the flame and heat from his belly as he exploded with light, changing back into human form.

  “That’s truly …” Scott shrugged.

  Lleland pulled on his breeches. A pile of clothes had been left on the bed, and Lleland pulled on one of the tunics. It smelled of Zach.

  The door to the chamber opened and Scott turned as Lydia entered the chamber. She was wearing a dark blue gown, trimmed in gold, and her long hair glimmered on her back.

  “Scott,” Lleland said, “may I introduce Mistress Lydia Drake? Of course, you have already met.”

  Scott’s mouth was hanging open as he stared at Lydia. “Mistress,” he finally stuttered. “I’m, er, it is my pleasure.” Lleland grinned to himself. He knew how Scott felt.

  “The others are close,” Lleland said to Lydia.

  She nodded. “I know. What happened with the other man?”

  “He’s gone. He decided to spare my life today, but threatened to kill me the next time he sees me.”

  “And when the other men arrive here, you think I should lock Matthew in the tower and leave him for my father?”

  “I think it would be best, but the decision is yours, of course.”

  “Very well. I agree with you.” She smiled. “This time!”

  Lleland grinned, and ignoring Scott, pulled Lydia into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. Her lips curved into a smile and Lleland felt a moment’s regret that he hadn’t left Scott on the mountain. He stepped back. “Have you spoken to Thomas?” he asked.

  “He asked me to bring you to Father’s study.”

  “Should I be afraid?”

  “Very!”

  He took Lydia’s hand. “Come along,” he said to Scott. “You’re about to meet a man who’s fiercely loyal to his dragon master.”

  Thomas was in Aaron’s study, working on some papers, when Lydia and Lleland entered. “You!” he said as Lleland walked into the room. “Do you realize that you’ve placed us all in danger by bringing hunters to the mountains?”

  “I didn’t bring them, but I know it is because of me that they’re here. For that I apologize.” He glanced at the man at his side. “This is Master Scott. He’s one of the hunters.”

  Thomas frowned. “You brought him here? How much does he know?”

  “I know that both Mistress Lydia and Lleland are dragons,” Scott said. Thomas’ eyebrows rose. “Knowing that, it seems I’ll have to find other prey to hunt.”

  “You don’t want to kill them?”

  “No. Lleland’s my friend.”

  “I’m sure you know that Matthew Hobbes is one of the hunters,” Lleland told Thomas. “What you don’t know is that he sought out the League and led the hunters back to the mountains. I accompanied them because I hoped I could change their minds.”

  “You failed.”

  “No, Thomas,” Lydia said. “Already one hunter has turned back, and Lleland’s friend here has changed his mind. Matthew Hobbes is still determined to kill us, to be sure, but Lleland and Master Scott think they may be able to talk to the other man.”

  “And what do you plan to do when they arrive here?”

  “We’ll place Matthew in the tower, and let Father deal with him,” she said. “We’ll entertain the other man and see what happens.”

  Thomas grunted. “Very well. But I hold you personally responsible for this mess, Master Seaton. If it wasn’t for you, none of this would be happening.”

  Lleland hung his head meekly. “I understand,” he said.

  There was the sound of footsteps in the passage outside the study, and a moment later someone pounded on the door. “Master Thomas! Two men are seeking entry.”

  “Go,” Thomas said to Lydia and Lleland. “I’ll meet you in the hall.”

  “Thomas is right,” Lydia said, her voice low, as they left the room. “This is your fault. If not for you, Matthew wouldn’t have known about the League.”

  “Mea culpa,” he said. “And it was your fault that I became what I am.”

  “But I didn’t mean …” She stopped when his expression turned quizzical. “Oh.”

  She looked away and he nudged her. “I still have the gown you wore this morning. Will you wear it for me again?”

  Her eyes flew back to his, and then she laughed. “You’re incorrigible,” she said. Her eyes flickered with flame, and he wrapped his fingers around hers as they walked across the courtyard. Scott fell into step beside Lleland.

  “There’s a prisoner’s tower here,” he said. “Why would dragons keep prisoners, I wonder? Have your dinners hot and fresh, do you?”

  Lleland shot him an annoyed look. “Perhaps you should be placed in the tower,” Lleland growled. Scott laughed.

  Hobbes and Elliott were standing outside, peering through the bars of the gate. “You,” Matthew spat when he saw Lleland. “I should have known!”

  “How did you get here?” Elliott said.

  “Lleland knew a shortcut,” said Scott.

  “And Callaway?”

  “He’s gone.”

  Elliott’s hands tightened around the thick bars of the portcullis. “Dead?”

  “No. He changed his mind about fighting dragons. At least for today.”

  Lydia turned to the guard, who was looking at Lleland and Scott in confusion. “Let the men in,” she said, “but take that one and lock him in the tower.” She pointed at Hobbes, and the guard nodded. “Once he’s been secured, search him for a small vial, and bring it to me. Be very careful – it contains a deadly poison. Escort the other man to the hall.”

  “Yes, milady,” the guard said.

  They returned to the donjon and entered the Great Hall, where they sat down with Thomas to wait. Elliott and the guard arrived a few minutes later. “Here’s the item you wanted,” the guard said, handing the vial to Lydia. She stared at the half-full bottle for a moment, then passed it to Lleland.

  “Master Elliott,” Lydia said, “please take a seat.”

  Elliott sat down. “Why have you locked up Hobbes?” he said.

  “He seeks to harm me and my family,” Lydia said.

  “He only seeks to kill the monsters that plague this region.” His eyes flicked to Scott. “I thought you were with us.”

  “There’s no lair at Storbrook,” Lleland said. “So what are you doing here?”

  “Hobbes said that the Drakes are hiding the dragons.”

  “So you came here to threaten the Drakes?”

  “We came here to find the monsters.”

  “What about the people who call Storbrook home? Do you think they would just stand aside while you searched?”

  Elliott frowned. “Hobbes said they’re terrified of the dragons, and desperate to see them dead.”

  Lleland turned to Thomas. “Do you want to see the dragons kille
d?”

  “No,” he replied.

  Lleland turned back to Elliott. “It seems you’re mistaken.”

  “Please, Master Elliott,” Lydia said, “I have no fight with you. All I ask is that you extend to the dragons the same courtesy they extend to you. They have no desire to take your life. Why do you seek theirs?”

  “They’re monsters.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “They kill and burn.”

  “Really, Master Elliott? The last time anyone was in danger from a dragon was thirty years ago in Civitas. And that dragon was killed by my father. Do you not see how mistaken you are? You’ve built your aims around a ghost. No dragon has attacked you or tried to harm you in any way. Instead, you’ve tried to kill them with poisoned arrows! Now, I’m happy to extend hospitality to you for tonight. Supper will be served soon, and I’ll have a chamber prepared for you. In the morning, you can leave with Master Scott. But if you try to kill any of the dragons in these mountains, I cannot answer for the consequences. You have to decide what you value more, the hide of a dragon or your life.”

  Elliott glanced between Scott and Lleland, then back at Lydia with a sigh. “It would appear I have little choice but to retreat for now. But I’ll consider what you’ve said.”

  “Yes, do that,” Lleland said.

  Supper arrived, and even Elliott started to enjoy himself as the evening wore on. The groundsman rose to tell a story, and later, Fritz brought out his fiddle and they all sang a few ditties, accompanied with much laughter, before retiring for the night. Lleland overheard Elliott asking some of the servants about the dragons, but like Thomas, they averred that the dragons were not a danger. “In fact,” one man told Elliott, “we rather like having them around. Part of the family, you know.” Elliott pulled his beard in confusion, but the man was already turning away, grabbing the hand of a maid who giggled and blushed furiously.

  It was much later when Lleland finally found himself alone with Lydia. They had left the hall and were seated in the solar. Lleland glanced around the room with remorse. “I said some cruel things to you here,” he said.

  “You were shocked and angry,” Lydia said. “I cannot blame you.”