by Donna Grant
“There isn’t much to tell. Six of my ancestors climbed up the mountain and entered V’s cave. They took the sword and left, each going in different directions.”
Roman lowered his head to her. “Which one took it? Which direction did he go?”
She shrugged. “No one knows. The men never returned to the village. After they left, my family packed up and became Travelers, beginning the Romani tradition.”
“There’s nothing else you can tell me? Nothing more to lead us to V’s sword?”
“I know only this.”
“Then why pass down the story?”
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Because my ancestors knew that, eventually, the Dragon Kings would find us.”
“And do what? Did V retaliate and wipe out the village when the sword was stolen? Did he hunt your family?”
Sabina shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“I can tell you, he didna.”
“You saw him after the sword was…?”
Roman glanced at the house. “Aye.”
“All these years, my family has believed that if V reclaimed his sword, the vision my ancestor had would come to pass.”
“Did it ever occur to any of you that the vision might happen because V didna have his sword?”
“I suppose not,” she replied in a soft voice.
Roman wanted to shout his frustration to the heavens. And if he felt this way, he could only imagine how V would feel. Shite. He couldn’t tell his friend. If he did, V might fall into madness again and leave another catastrophe behind.
“I thought you figured out who we were and came to demand the sword,” Sabina said.
Roman shook his head. “Nay, but I’m going to take V far from here.”
“You think he’ll retaliate?”
“I’m no’ sure what he might do, and I’d prefer no’ to find out.”
Sabina lowered her head. “I understand.”
Roman didn’t move. Instead, he stared at the beautiful mortal before him. “Did the story mention anything about Fae or Druids?”
Her head jerked up. “Not at all.”
“Could it have gotten lost in the retelling?”
“Possibly. Gran did say that there was a drawing of Vlad that was lost. She also made a point to tell me to memorize her words so that I wouldn’t embellish or change anything. But I was only six at the time.”
“And yet you remembered.”
“It’s not a story you forget.”
“Nay, I guess no’,” he admitted.
Sabina crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her lips together. “What now?”
“We leave.”
“If I were V, I’d want to hear everything for myself.”
Roman started toward the house. “He probably will, but just in case V tips into madness again, I want him away from here.”
“Madness?” Sabina repeated, her voice pitched high in shock and fear.
He halted and faced her. “Somehow, the people that took his sword also cast some sort of spell over V, making him forget where he was when he lost his sword and everything about that night.”
“I always wondered why he didn’t go after the men right then,” Sabina said. “If there was something stopping him, it would let the humans get far enough away.”
“Exactly. That magic wound its way through V so that each time he woke from dragon sleep and went looking for the sword, he couldn’t remember where he’d been when he lost it. And he’d go mad. The consequences were … devastating for mankind.”
Sabina frowned at him. “Devastating how?”
“Does the Great Fire of Rome mean anything? How about the Black Plague?”
Her arms fell limply at her sides. “Oh, God.”
“Exactly. It’s why I’m here with V to help keep that from happening again. We’ve kept him sleeping for just this reason.”
“Then why wake him now?”
“Because we had no choice. And it was time we helped him find what is rightfully his.”
She blew out a loud breath. “Camlo wants to help V.”
“But you doona,” he guessed.
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m scared,” she confessed. “Gran made it sound as if the Dragon Kings would come for us. Like a reckoning.”
Roman twisted his lips ruefully. “We’ve hidden from humans for so long that no one knows of us anymore. It’s how we like it after what happened in the war.”
“War? What war?”
“The war between dragons and humans.”
She blinked, surprise filling her features. “I think there’s a lot I don’t know.”
“You could say that.”
“Will you tell me? I’d like to know what I’m missing.”
Her voice, the way her dark eyes held his without guile or resentment did something to him. “Aye. If you want to know.”
“I owe it to V to give him some answers at least. It’s not the same as his sword, but it’ll be something.”
“You understand that I can no’ guarantee how he’ll react?”
“Will you be there to stop him from hurting me?”
Roman shook his head sadly. “V has never intentionally hurt a mortal before, and he willna start now. But, aye, I’ll be there to make sure of it.”
“I want Camlo with us, as well,” she said. “He already knows more than I do, and I won’t keep him out of this.”
“I’m no’ sure that’s smart.”
“He won’t tell anyone about you,” she promised. “He didn’t even tell me. He just kept pointing to the sky.”
Roman nodded, realizing she spoke the truth. “Point taken. Go get your brother. We’ll begin this evening.”
She touched his arm. “I’m truly sorry for what happened to V. I’ll help in any way I can, but I fear it won’t be much.”
He watched as she walked away, and Roman couldn’t help but wonder if this were the beginning of something that none of them were prepared for.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
She was well and truly into things now. If there had been a small thread of hope that Sabina might stop herself and Camlo from getting entangled with the Dragon Kings, she had snapped that in half by offering her help.
It was a crazy—probably stupid—thing to do. But the look on Roman’s face as he described what V had been going through slammed into her like a punch. Her family was responsible for this, no matter their intentions.
Now, it fell on her to sort it out. Somehow. If she could. Most likely, she would muddy the waters even more. The only things she knew about the Dragon Kings were from the story Gran had told her. There hadn’t been another chance to ask her grandmother for more information since Sabina and her mother left the next day.
The one time she had asked her mother about dragons, her mom had wanted to know which of the local stories Sabina wanted to hear. If Tereza knew anything, she hadn’t passed it on.
Sabina was so wrapped up in thoughts of dragons and swords that she didn’t worry about the food as she cooked. Camlo and Roman sat at the table, talking about the animals. V slept through the meal. Not that it mattered. Her stomach was so twisted in knots that she only managed a few bites of food as she wondered what would happen when he opened his eyes.
Camlo, however, didn’t have any reservations about eating with two dragons in their house. He kept Roman occupied with stories. If Roman grew tired of Camlo, he never let it show.
By the time the meal was finished, Sabina wanted to wake V herself. She went about cleaning the table and was surprised when Roman helped. She met his gaze and found his lips curved slightly.
“You sure about this?” he asked.
She knew he was asking again about her desire to know of the Dragon Kings. How could she not? It seemed the only thing to do, because, otherwise, she would always wonder.
Sabina nodded and went back to washing, which gave her something to do other than pacing. All too soon, she was finished. She wiped her hands an
d slowly folded the towel to lay over the edge of the sink. Then she turned to the living area and found V sitting up, his blue eyes locked on her.
“Hurry, Bina,” Camlo said as he patted the spot on the sofa between him and V.
While she’d begun to believe that V wouldn’t hurt her, she didn’t want to test the theory by sitting next to him. She swallowed, her blood rushing in her ears as she made her way to the chair she used at her worktable. She glanced at Roman, who stood leaning a shoulder against the wall.
Camlo held out his hand to V. “Do you need me again?”
V turned his head to her brother and smiled. “No’ now, but thank you.”
Sabina was nervous and anxious to get things started. She cleared her throat and met V’s gaze. “I suppose you spoke with Roman.”
“I want to hear it from you,” V said in an even voice.
But there was no denying the anger that simmered just beneath the surface. Sabina pressed her hands together and shoved them between her legs in an effort to warm them since they were now ice-cold.
“Please, tell it,” Camlo urged her.
Sabina gave him a nod and focused her attention on her brother. It was easier to look into his dark, eager gaze than think about what might happen when she finished.
She began the tale just as her grandmother had. Sabina retold the story, word for word. Camlo’s eyes widened as he leaned forward, eager for more.
When she finished, Sabina glanced at V to find his gaze on the floor, his face lined with confusion and a wealth of hurt. Even by her grandmother’s words, V had done nothing to warrant the humans turning on him, but that hadn’t stopped them.
Warmth slid over the side of her face and down her neck. She turned her head to find Roman staring at her. His eyes moved over her like a caress. A shiver went through her that had nothing to do with the temperature in the room and everything to do with the fluttering of her stomach.
“That’s all I know,” she told V after pulling her gaze from Roman. “I wish I had more to tell you.”
“It’s more than I had before.” V’s chest expanded as he pulled air into his lungs. “Did your grandmother say anything about Druids or Fae?”
“Roman asked the same question. No, I’m afraid not.”
Camlo made a sound in the back of his throat. The three of them looked at him, but his gaze was on the ceiling as he drummed his fingers on his legs as if waiting for someone to notice him.
Sabina frowned, unsure what her brother was up to. “Camlo?”
“Ask me,” he urged excitedly, his body vibrating with whatever he was holding in.
She looked at V and then Roman before turning back to Camlo. “Ask you what?”
He sighed dramatically and looked at her. “What I know, silly.”
Just as she was about to tell him that he couldn’t possibly know more than she did, she recalled how he had learned of the story her gran told her in the first place—the animals. “What do you know, Camlo?”
“A lot,” he replied. His smile was wide, and his eyes danced.
V shifted to face Camlo. “Will you tell us?”
Her brother’s face suddenly creased into regret. “You’re going to be mad.”
“Nay, lad. I willna,” V assured him.
“Please,” Sabina implored her brother.
Camlo shifted to the edge of the seat. “The animals talk of the place all the time. It’s dangerous and filled with magic.”
“What kind of magic?” Roman asked as he pushed away from the wall.
Camlo shrugged. “The animals don’t say.”
“What does this place have to do with V?” Sabina asked.
Her brother gave her a flat look. “It’s where his sword is.”
It was a good thing Sabina was sitting down because she was sure her legs would’ve given out if she weren’t. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“You kept the story a secret,” Camlo stated.
V caught Camlo’s attention. “Where is this place?”
“Far from here. It’s an isle of fire and ice.”
Roman jerked and took a step back. Shock reverberated inside him as his gaze swung to V. A deep frown creased V’s forehead.
Sabina looked at each of them, trying to figure out what had silently passed between the two men. “Do you know where this place is that Camlo speaks of?”
“Aye,” Roman murmured. “Somewhere I’ve no’ been to in many years.”
V’s blue eyes turned to her. “His home.”
“Iceland,” Roman said.
Sabina slowly sat back in the chair. Both Dragon Kings had left their homes and not returned. She really wanted to know why. That question would have to wait, though. “Camlo, are you sure you heard the animals correctly?”
“Of course. They talk among themselves like we do. There are places they know to steer clear of, and others that they want to visit.” He smiled at V and Roman. “I’ve heard great things about Dreagan.”
Sabina shook her head as she put a hand on her forehead. Dreagan. Like the whisky? She’d just seen that logo. And did that mean…? Oh, God. It did. “I’m feeling a little left out. Is my brother saying that you’re from Dreagan?”
“It’s the home we made,” Roman explained. “We’ve been there for thousands of years. We make our living by distilling—”
“Whisky,” she said before he could.
There was so much about the Dragon Kings that she didn’t know, and she was beginning to realize that the story her gran had shared was just the tip of a massive iceberg. And Sabina was scared of just what discovering the truth might do.
“Iceland,” V said to Roman. “Is it a coincidence that some of us are being brought back to the lands we once ruled? First, Dmitri on Fair Isle, and now you to Iceland.”
“And you here,” Roman added. He ran a hand down his face in a weary gesture. “I would never have looked for your sword in Iceland.”
V’s lips twisted ruefully. “I think that’s the point.”
“But I would’ve heard its song,” Roman added.
Sabina was woefully unprepared to follow such a conversation, but she hung on every word. Gran told her that the Dragon Kings were immensely powerful and immortal, but it was obvious that they weren’t all-powerful if someone could hide a sword from them.
Roman’s eyes focused on her. “You said you would help us, but it seems that we’re going to need Camlo.”
Instead went unsaid, but she wasn’t stupid. Sabina had feared the Dragon Kings at first, but now she was willing to go on this search to return to V what was rightfully his.
And pray that she didn’t set off the vision her ancestor prophesied that began all of this.
“I’m ready. I’m ready,” Camlo said, bouncing up and down on the cushion.
“You aren’t taking my brother without me,” she stated.
V grinned, but it was directed at Roman. It seemed as if a conversation passed between them that only the two of them could hear. Finally, Roman looked at her and gave her a single nod.
“You said you would tell me about the Dragon Kings,” she said. “Help both me and Camlo understand.”
Her brother shook his head. “I know everything already. The animals told me. They’ve been talking about Ulrik’s return.”
V laughed softly and grinned at Camlo. “You have an amazing gift.”
“Who’s Ulrik?” Sabina asked, hating being the only one who didn’t know.
Roman rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “One of us.”
“It was dragons who ruled this realm for eons,” V explained. “Picture the skies filled with dragons, ranging from the size of your cat to that of a jumbo jet. Our numbers were staggering.”
“Pretty colors,” Camlo said.
Roman’s lips shifted into a crooked grin. “Every shade of every color. And each had its own clan.”
“And every clan had its own Dragon King,” V explained.
Sabina was enthralled,
her imagination filling with pictures from their words. “Go on.”
Roman scratched the side of his cheek. “Dragon magic is the most powerful on this realm, and it’s by magic that a King is chosen. It’s no’ a birthright, but the dragon with the greatest magic and the most power leads.”
“Sometimes, we fight to the death to claim the position,” V added and briefly looked at Roman. “Sometimes, the previous King is killed, which makes the way easier for the new King.”
Sabina cocked her head to the side. “Gran said you were immortal.”
“Only a Dragon King can kill another Dragon King,” V said. “So, in many ways, we are.”
She frowned. “Then how does a dragon wanting to be King manage it?”
Roman lifted his eyes to her. “His magic will be greater than that of the present King. Essentially, it is a Dragon King fighting another Dragon King. But even we, as a whole, have a King.”
“King of Dragon Kings,” V said. “His name is Constantine.”
“Ah. I see,” Sabina murmured. “How do we—humans—fit into the picture?”
“You arrived one day,” V said.
Sabina laughed because she thought he was joking. Then she spotted the seriousness on his face. Her head jerked to Roman. “We arrived? How? When?”
“How does any being move from realm to realm?” Roman asked with a shrug as if his words were answer enough. “There is magic involved. Which was why we were so shocked to discover that your kind was mortal and entirely without any magic.”
V ran a hand through his long hair. “As soon as you arrived, each King shifted into a matching form so we could communicate with you. We made a vow then and there to protect your race, always.”
“Each clan gave up land so humans could make this realm their home,” Roman said.
Sabina inwardly cringed. “Then what?”
“Your kind wanted more. Always more,” V stated harshly.
Roman’s lips flatted as he nodded. “Some of the Kings took humans as lovers, and one, Ulrik, was set to marry one. Dragons mate for life.”
“While we don’t,” Sabina murmured.
V snorted. “Nay, you doona.”
“Nearly two hundred years had passed by that time, and tensions were running high between humans and dragons. But the magic here had found its way to your kind. Those mortals called themselves Druids,” Roman said.
