The last of the Limea Dragon riders: Dragon Master and Dragon Warrior

by Tamsin Baker

  “I am…princess,” Nakeeri taunted back and Kalvis smothered his chuckle as Tattiena’s smile faded.

  “Go,” he yelled out and the women rushed at each other. The clang of their metal blades meeting ricocheted around the yard.

  “Whoa!” Some of the men yelled, their gazed glued to the mock battle in front of them.

  Kalvis shifted his weight, his hand clenched tightly into fists as he watched the women move.

  They sliced at each other, ducked and weaved. Tattiena got a good shot in and Nakeeri barely got out of the way in time.

  His heart began to pound faster. He didn’t want either of them hurt, but his heart ached for his warrior woman.

  The battled until they could both barely hold up their swords, then fell back into a round of laughter.

  “Fight’s over. Well done, dragon riders,” he announced, pushing the men back to their own tasks.

  He jumped the rope fence and walked towards Nakeeri, where she leaned against the fence. Her face spattered with mud, her breathing heavy but her eyes were alight with happiness.

  “Enjoyed that, did you?”

  “Enjoyed it? Damn. She is amazing.”

  He moved back to allow Tattiena into the conversation. “Yeah, we’re pretty proud of her.”

  He trained Tattiena since she was a small child and he knew her to be his most skilled warrior.

  Tattiena wandered over, her face flushed with blood and her arms shaking with strain.

  “That was fantastic, but I am so not fit enough for that yet.”

  “See! Mia told you not to,” he said to her.

  She simply grinned at him and then turned back to Nakeeri. “I need a shower desperately, and then I think I’d like to go for a fly. Would you join me?”

  “Me? Oh, absolutely! I think I should have a wash too.” She said, glancing down on her dirty clothes.

  “Well, there’s quite a nice bathroom back at the stables. I’m sure Kalvis can show you. Meet you there in say…two hours.”

  Kalvis wanted to kiss Tattiena with gratitude, but knew Leo wouldn’t approve.

  “Two hours? Surely we don’t need so much time.” Nakeeri asked, her voice hitching with discomfort.

  Tattiena began to back away. “Oh, Leo needs a bit of attention, if you know what I mean.”

  She gave them a beautiful smile and rolled her eyes between the two of them pointedly.

  “See you in a few hours.”

  Kalvis waved at the princess and turned to Nakeeri, who was shivering once again.

  “Are you cold?” he asked, wondering why she was now biting her lips.

  She glared at him and wrapped her arms around herself. “No.”

  An awareness flowed over him as tingles of lust trickled down his spin.

  “I’ll show you where the bathroom is. Let’s go.”

  She slid her sword back into its sheath and stared at him with wounded eyes. “You don’t have to you know. I’m sure I can find it.”

  He took a step closer and leaned in so that he was pressed against her side and he could speak directly into her ear.

  “There are ways of not getting pregnant you know. I can pleasure you with just my mouth if you want.”

  She shuddered and moaned. “This is not fair, Kalvis.”

  “Come on.”

  He took her arm and pulled her to the gate, opened it and began hurrying her across the dragon paddock.

  “If you want me as much as I want you, I don’t know why you’re fighting it.”

  “I don’t want a child.”

  “Then I don’t release my seed in you.”

  They stopped outside the barn and she stared at him with wide open eyes. “You can do that?”

  “Of course I can.”

  That was when his heart was hers forever. Her lips lifted up into the most beautiful smile he had ever seen and for the first time ever, her eyes were completely clear of pain.

  She pushed open the sliding door. “Then what are we waiting for?”

  He grabbed her up into his arms and charged past the amused barn hands. There was a shower awaiting and he intended to make sure she got clean, and then dirty all over again.

  ****

  Nakeeri stretched her aching back and struggled to pull the satisfied smile from her face. She’d never known life could be so good.

  “And how are you, my beautiful friend. As crazy happy as I am?” Nakeeri threw the thought out to her Dragon, who made a soft purring sound in response.

  Teramessi was lying in the straw after a large meal and a hatchling crawling over her while the parents lay close by. Relaxed and safe.

  They’d never known such a life.

  “Nakeeri.” Tattiena said as she walked in, wrapped in a woollen cloak. “Leo made me wear this. I don’t usually worry about the cold.”

  Nakeeri nodded in return. She couldn’t imagine having a man dictate to her what she should wear, but she supposed it came from a place of good intent.

  “I hope Nargoya will come with me, I haven’t ridden her since the hatchlings were born.”

  “Well, Lordip is here. Hopefully one parent is enough.”

  “We shall see,” Tattiena said as she wove into the dragon’s bedroom, a place Nakeeri had been unable to venture.

  Nargoya rolled to a stand, unfussed by the babies that ran around her feet.

  “Would you fly with me, my lovely one?” Tattiena asked, sliding her hand up Nargoya’s nose and over her face.

  The dragon turned and made some strange, keening noises to Lordip, who in response sat down on the hay and scooped his offspring close.

  “I think that’s a yes,” Tattiena announced with glee.

  “Fantastic. Teramessi, let’s go.” Nakeeri called to her own dragon and they all walked out into the clean air.

  “I’ve missed this.” Tattiena said as she slid a saddle onto her dragon’s back and tightened the strap.

  Nakeeri jumped up onto Teramessi’s back and petted the dragon’s neck.

  “Me too. It’s only been a few days and yet it feels like a lifetime.”

  Tattiena stepped up onto Nargoya’s wing and swung into the saddle. “Shall we?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She leaned down and gripped Teramessi tightly. Her dragon transferred her weight into her hind legs and launched them into the air.

  They flew high over the city and Nargoya circled around them. Where should they go?

  “Follow me.” Tattiena yelled out and Nargoya dove down through the air.

  Teramessi followed the other dragon and they flew down to the surface of Limea, ducking around trees and zooming over the countryside.

  The air was warmer and sweeter down this close. Her hair whipped around her face and she let out a laugh as she clung tight to her dragon and watched the other rider set the pace.

  Suddenly they were hiking up in altitude again, flying over another city. Bigger than Gregorick.

  “Davuno!” Tattiena yelled out, and though the word was caught on the wind, Nakeeri still heard it. Prince Leo’s home.

  They circled around the castle and headed back to Gregorick. Teramessi pulled up right next to Nargoya and together, the dragons blew fire out in front of themselves.

  Heat fanned her face as they flew over the flames and continued home.

  Home.

  What an unusual concept. To her, home had never been a place, but rather wherever Teramessi and she were together.

  Now, she was beginning to think of Gregorick as her home, and that was a dangerous thing to do. They hadn’t invited her to stay, and even if she wanted to, could she?

  What would the king do to her if he found out?

  Gregorick stretched out ahead of them and Nargoya tucked in beside her as they descended onto the lush grass which was a great indication of the health of the whole city.

  “That was amazing. Thank you.” Tattiena grinned, sliding to the ground.

  “It was. I agree.”

  She could feel the
smile stretching across her lips, unlike any happiness she’d ever felt. To fly with another dragon rider was a new experience again. And a female one as well. Extraordinary.

  The walked back into the barn again and Tattiena turned to her. “I hope you’ve decided to stay Nakeeri. Because you know we all want you to be a part of the castle and our kingdom. Kalvis and me, especially.”

  The sun was setting on the day and Nakeeri could feel the clock ticking away on her time to go back to her cave and back to Tumurk.

  She only had one answer, unfortunately. “No.”

  Chapter 8.

  “Why? Stay, please Nakeeri. You have a place here. You never need to go back to sleeping out in a cave alone.” The princess implored her, reaching for Nakeeri with that easy affection she had.

  She pulled her arm out of Tattiena’s grasp, not liking the negative way Tattiena spoke of her life. “But I like my cave, Tattiena. It has no rules, no ruler, nothing to harm me.”

  That wasn’t entirely true of course, but there was a lot of safety in the known, and none in the unknown.

  “You can have the same here! We would never hurt you, or try to rule you. You’ve seen how much respect my father and the soldiers give to the dragon riders. You could stay in the barn forever if you wished it. You don’t need to come inside the castle. Just stay. Live here with me.”

  It all sounded so easy, and lovely. And though scary, Nakeeri could see herself living here with the three dragons and their riders for company.

  She heaved out a massive sigh. “It’s not as simple as that.” Even if she wanted to stay forever, she couldn’t.

  Tattiena was persistent. “Of course, it is. You have no ties there. No reason to stay. Unless…do you have family? A child? Something that I’m missing?”

  Tattiena’s tones had softened and the soft hearted princess looked conflicted.

  She shook her head. “No, not at all.”

  “Then why?”

  She blew out a huge sigh. “Because I made a promise to the king a long time ago that I would stay and protect the city. He will be angry that I’ve left his side at all.”

  “I know you did, but surely there is a way around that ridiculous sentence?”

  Maybe, but she’d never tried to get out of it before. “The penalty still applies if I abandon the castle and the city.”

  Tattiena’s mouth dropped open for a moment, then her nostrils flared and her jaw tightened once again.

  “Are you telling me that your…king…” She spat the word, “Has tied you, an amazingly powerful and strong dragon rider, to him…by force? That death will be your penalty if you don’t fulfil your lifelong punishment?”

  Put like that, it seemed ridiculous. Either way, it was a death sentence for her.

  “Well…yes.”

  “Then you definitely have to stay!”

  She shook her head. “No. I simply can’t.”

  Didn’t Tattiena understand that this sort of promise could not be unmade?

  “Don’t be afraid of him. Just stay. He won’t find you. You don’t have to go back.”

  And show myself to be a coward? Never.

  “Tattiena! I could never break my word like.”

  The princess sighed, her shoulders drooping. “Yes, I figured as much. What are you going to do about Kalvis then?”

  That was a sensitive topic, and she didn’t want to discuss it. “Kalvis is not relevant to this conversation, Tattiena.”

  Tattiena narrowed her gaze on Nakeeri. “Have you learnt nothing from being here with us? Kalvis is your destined mate. Your partner. The man that should be your husband. Don’t you realise that you won’t be happy without him?”

  Nakeeri opened her mouth to refute the claim and Tattiena held up her hand in reply.

  “Don’t try to deny it. Trust me. I have stood where you now stand, with an even stronger vindication that I would never go down the same path as my mother. Never let a man control my life. Never have a child. Never change who I was. Well, you don’t have to. Don’t you see it? This is about embracing your life and who you are, not about all the things that you will miss out on.”

  But we’re not the same! I can’t possibly hope for the happily ever after you have. You’re the daughter of a king!

  “But it’s not like that for me. Even if I want to…I don’t know how to do that, Tattiena.”

  “Stay.”

  The one word. The command from a future queen, cut through her like a sword blade.

  Could it be possible? Was a change, that dramatic, able to come into her life? And if it was, what were the steps to achieve it? What did she have to barter that the king would exchange for her lifelong servitude?

  “No, I can’t do that. If I choose to stay here, then I will tell my king of my decision first. I will not disappear into the night without a whisper, like a thief.”

  That was still such a sore point for her. An old wound that had never healed. She hated some of the things she had done in the past. The names she’d been called for so many years.

  But the princess was right. She wouldn’t let it define her future.

  Tattiena was nodding, her brow drawn tight over her eyes. “Good. Alright. I’ll come with you.”

  No!

  “Oh no. Your baby needs you. I will do this alone. My king must understand why I’m leaving.”

  And if he didn’t, she would leave anyway. Tattiena was right. She couldn’t continue on as she had before. After seeing what sort of life she could have in Gregorick.

  She was a warrior, but she was also a woman. And she needed a family. A home. If not here, then somewhere else. But it wouldn’t be in Tumurk.

  “I will go now. And I will be back within three days.”

  “You will? Oh that is so wonderful! You won’t regret it, I promise.” Tattiena raced forward and hugged her tightly.

  A dreadful ache filled her belly and she held the princess tight. This was not going to be easy.

  “I’ll see you in three days.”

  She turned to walk back to the door that would lead her into the open dragon paddock. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled and rose. Kalvis appeared, sword in hand.

  The effect on Nakeeri was immediate. Pleasure tingled inside her belly and her whole body softened, wanting to throw away the sharp edge that she usually clung to.

  “You ready for another training session?” he asked, her eyes glinting with mischief.

  She straightened her spine, hardening her resolve. It would be so easy to stay and fall into a regular pattern of sex and work outs with this man. “No. I have to leave.”

  Kalvis’s arms fell by his side. “Why? When?” His eyebrows dropped and his eyes were clouded.

  She didn’t want him worried whether she’d come back or not. “Now. Because… Tattiena has convinced me to move here. To be with her and so that Teramessi can bond with the other dragons.”

  “That’s…” he swallowed visibly, “that’s great. I believe you will fit in well, in Gregorick. It’s a wonderful city.”

  She nodded her head, heat swirling in her belly like a growing storm. The desire to drag him back to the stables and have her way with him again dancing across her mind.

  But now was not the time, and it was a bit shameful how much she still wanted him after such an amazing session a few short hours ago.

  “Goodbye Kalvis. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  He flinched as though wanting to move, took a step back. Then one forward.

  A bubble of laughter rose in her. “What are you doing? Some sort of weird dance?”

  Kalvis clenched his jaw. “I…can’t shake this feeling that I’m not going to see you again.”

  “You will. Very soon.” She promised, and a lurching feeling pulled at her gut once again.

  He took a step forward and pressed his lips to hers in a brief, but intimate kiss. He lifted his head a little, breathing against her skin. All the sounds in the world faded away as she focused on his face.

/>   “Make sure you come back to me.”

  He stepped away and the brightness of the day shone in once again.

  “Alright. Yes.” She swayed where she stood. “Thank you and see you soon.”

  Her head was light and spinning from the brief kiss Kalvis had placed on her. She would have thought that his effect on her would have disappeared by now, but it was still very present.

  She called out to her dragon. “Teramessi. We are to Turmurk.”

  Her dragon walked into the light, her energy and eyes screaming at Nakeeri that she didn’t want to leave.

  I know how you feel.

  Nakeeri walked forward and placed a hand on her beloved friend’s scaly neck.

  “We will go to the king and explain that we wish to live here. That he can’t hold us to a promise I made in fear and haste so many years ago. We have done enough.”

  Her dragon whirled and butted her happily.

  “Oh, so you wish to stay also?” she asked the dragon who was already lowering herself to the ground, her wings outstretched.

  A happy laugh bubbled up inside of her. “Let’s go then.”

  “See you when you get back, dragon rider.” One of the stable hands said from behind her as he flicked the lever and the roof to the stable opened up for her.

  She twisted around and waved at him.

  “Thank you.”

  Her gaze lingered on Kalvis as he stood beside Tattiena. Both of them staring at her and smiling encouragingly.

  Teramessi leaned back, putting her strength and weight onto her back legs, and then launched herself up into the air.

  “To Tumurk.” Nakeeri shouted into the air, clinging to the dragon’s neck as she flew higher, then levelled out, coasting through the up drafts of air.

  They flew over the land, admiring the trees and rocky outcrops. A nervous, excited sensation tickled at Nakeeri’s belly. This was a whole new life for her, a new beginning.

  Finally, after miles and miles of green, she saw her cave up ahead. Nakeeri steered her dragon down to their safe haven and they landed softly on the dirt.

  There was a guard there waiting for her. His face grim.

  “You are wanted by the king, dragon rider.”

  She frowned at his forceful tones. It was strange how he said dragon rider in a totally different way to the people of Gregorick. Here in Tumurk, they spoke to her as though she were a lesser creature. But in Tattiena’s world, she was revered as a person of strength. Of rarity and courage.