Dragon Emperor 11: From Human to Dragon to God

by Eric Vall

  So, I pushed my stone magic a little more and melded the jagged slabs back together. The repair slowly transformed from a crackled mess of rocks into a smooth surface that blended in perfectly with the rest of the wall. The stones hummed with a more contented energy, and I stepped back to look over my handiwork.

  “Much better,” Alyona praised. “Now, we need to find the marauder who is roaming around our city.”

  “Agreed.” I nodded. “Let’s get back to the palace. Afra, everyone can get back to work, but we need to know immediately if anyone sees anything strange or remembers anything from this morning.”

  “Of course, my lord,” the fox replied before she turned back to the staff. “You heard Lord Evan. We have a job to do for our city, and we need to get it done.”

  The farmers nodded and murmured their agreements before they dispersed to various parts of the fields, so I turned back to my group and motioned for everyone to head for the Lunar Palace. We began a hurried walk home, and Nallen caught up to me and Laika as we left the fields.

  “My lord, guild leader, if I may, I believe the Blue Tree Guild would be helpful in your search for the traitor,” the bulky man suggested. “I would be willing to go to the airship and ask for volunteers if you’d like.”

  “I think that’s a great idea, Nallen,” Laika agreed and flashed a fanged grin. “You and Saxon go speak with Pyotr. Ask him how many warriors he can spare, and have them all meet us, ah… well, we might need a bigger place to meet if we have several warriors join the search.”

  “True,” I mused. “How about the Smoky Pavilion? It’s large and in the center of the city, so we could divide and conquer from there easily.”

  “Indeed.” The wolf Demi-Human nodded and turned back to face her soldiers. “Tell everyone to meet us at the pavilion. We’ll be there shortly.”

  The large warrior dipped his head, and he and Saxon jogged toward the guild’s airship which was parked, if you could call a flying ship parked, above the outer wall near Hatra’s gates.

  We continued on to the palace, and Ruslan and Julia were waiting outside, while Valerra paced back and forth behind them. Emily and Eleanor hovered a few feet away, and they watched their mistress with fretful gazes.

  “What happened?” Ruslan asked when we reached them, and he wrung his hands together. “Is everyone alright?”

  “Our people are fine,” I replied with a frown. “But someone broke in through the wall, probably with magic.”

  “You didn’t say that before,” Laika murmured as she narrowed her gray eyes. “Why not?”

  “I didn’t want to freak them out,” I answered. “The last thing we need is a bunch of people panicking. That’s the other reason why I didn’t want to start the search from there. We need to discuss who it could be, so we know what to look for.”

  “It could be anyone,” Valerra growled. “I knew staying here was a bad idea, especially with the rumors spreading about us both being here. Maybe I should just go back to the canyons with the eggs.”

  “You will do no such thing,” I thundered as my dragon parental instincts kicked in, and my dragon mate’s eyes widened at my outburst. “Junior is my egg, too, and he’s much safer within these walls than in that cave. Here, he has multiple people to protect him.”

  “I suppose you’re right, Evan,” she whispered as she lowered her head slightly.

  “I am,” I asserted. “Now, we’re meeting with the Blue Tree Guild in the Smoky Pavilion to start searching the city for whoever broke in. I think it’s best if you stay here with Ruslan and Julia. I also want more guards in the palace than usual. If the eggs are what our burglar is after, the last thing we should do is leave the eggs unattended while we look.”

  “I’ll tell the guards,” Julia offered before she rushed inside the palace.

  “No one will get near Lady Valerra or the eggs,” Emily suddenly said, and her green eyes flashed with an anger that took me by surprise.

  “We will tear their eyes from their heads before they enter the home of Lady Valerra and the children,” Eleanor added with a fierce gleam in her eyes, too.

  I stared at the ladies-in-waiting in shock for a moment. They’d turned from giggly little servants into ferocious protectors within seconds. It seemed they had learned a few things from the Crimson Dragon.

  “Ahh, that sounds pretty serious,” Aaliyah said and broke the silence.

  “We’re very serious about our duties.” Eleanor clenched her fists until her knuckles were white.

  “Okay, well, good,” I replied awkwardly, and Alyona covered up a giggle with her dainty hand. “We better head to the pavilion.”

  “Yes, I’m sure we’ll be fine here,” Ruslan agreed with an amused expression. “I’ll send a messenger if we need anything.”

  As we turned to leave, Julia walked out of the palace with four guards in tow, and the warriors posted up outside the front door with stern faces.

  “More of our army is stationed in each room of the palace,” my mother explained. “Don’t worry, Evan.”

  “Thank you,” I replied with a smile. “We’ll be back soon, I hope.”

  My parents nodded while Valerra crossed her arms over her chest, and her servants matched her pose.

  I chuckled as we headed for the Smoky Pavilion to meet the Blue Tree Guild warriors and begin our search. We hurried down the road, but I didn’t want to draw too much attention from the citizens. It seemed my concern was for nothing, though, since no one was even outside to see us rush by, and I wondered where everyone could be.

  Then we approached the giant gazebo, and I realized dozens of people had already gathered inside it with the Blue Tree Guild warriors. I saw Arthur, the baker, and a few other faces I recognized from the party last night.

  “Um, Nallen?” I called for the soldier with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yes, my lord?” Nallen appeared from within the crowd.

  “What’s going on?” I whispered as he came closer. “These are not just warriors from the guild.”

  “I know, my lord,” the man replied. “It seems we aren’t the only ones who want to find our unwelcome guest.”

  A human man stepped away from the others and offered a deep bow. His long blond hair trickled over his shoulder as he leaned forward, and his chocolate brown eyes were determined. He wore a simple brown robe with a belt around his waist. A sword dangled from the belt, and he kept his hand on the hilt as he approached me.

  “Lord Evan, my name is Zane,” the man introduced himself. “We heard about the intruder from the farmers, and we want to help.”

  “I appreciate the offer, Zane, but we don’t need a half-cocked mob running around Hatra,” I replied. “That could end up being just as dangerous as the person who broke in.”

  “We understand your concern, my lord, but we love this city,” he argued, and his brown eyes burned with determination. “I don’t think any of us are okay with sitting by and hoping some stranger doesn’t ruin it for all of us. We’ve poured our lives into our home here.”

  “My love, we could use their help,” Alyona murmured next to me.

  “Hmm.” I turned to the princess and guided her away from the citizens. “What do you mean?”

  “The city has expanded since we left for the campaign,” Alyona explained as she chewed on her lower lip. “It may be beneficial to have people with us who have been here for a while and may know a few things we don’t.”

  “Milady makes a good point,” Laika agreed with a firm nod. “We only know what Hatra had when we left. It’s clearly grown in the past few months, and there are more people as well. We may not even recognize the intruder without their help if he or she is trying to blend in.”

  “Shit,” I muttered. “I didn’t even think about that.”

  “So, I think we should include the citizens in the discussion for how to proceed,” Alyona continued. “And their commitment to Hatra should be praised.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” I agreed before I turned ba
ck to face the growing crowd. “Okay, we don’t know anything about the person who broke in except we suspect he or she has the use of magic.”

  A few of the people gasped, while many faces became set with determination.

  “Why do you believe that, my lord?” Zane wondered.

  “I built that wall myself with magic,” I replied. “It was very thick, and the intruder broke through it with very little sound in a short period of time. I don’t see anyone being able to do that without a spell, so it’s most likely a mage.”

  Then I realized something I missed, and I wanted to smack myself as I turned back to my women.

  “What is it?” Aaliyah whispered.

  “A mage,” I muttered. “Like the one who escaped from Lexavo this morning.”

  “You think he came here?” Laika asked as her gray eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Why?”

  “If he realized I was a dragon, he could have put two and two together,” I replied. “They disappeared, so I couldn’t tell which direction they were going. They could have been headed to Hatra, and since we stayed in Lexavo longer, they could’ve beaten us here.”

  “Then it is vital that we capture him,” Aaliyah growled, and she flashed her long fangs.

  “And we can split into groups as we did in Kana,” Naomi suggested. “It worked out well then.”

  “Yeah, good idea,” I agreed. “And we’ll take these ones out, too.”

  “Let’s do it.” Laika’s ears flattened against her head, and her steely eyes narrowed.

  I nodded as I spun back around to the citizens, and I saw they had scooted closer together as they talked in low voices.

  “We’re going to divide into search groups,” I announced, and everyone turned to face me again. “But first, we need to figure out the most likely places for someone to hide out. Any thoughts?”

  “The buildings just south of the fields are under construction,” a female voice called out. “That could be a good place.”

  “Or the tavern, since it doesn’t open until the evening,” another voice suggested.

  “We have a tavern?” I chuckled.

  “And a vineyard,” Zane added and then raised a finger. “Which reminds me, the vineyard was just harvested, so the workers are likely not set to return for a couple months.”

  “Sounds like we already have a few good places to look,” I said. “So, we have about sixty of you, plus the six of us. Let’s go in six groups with one of us and two guild warriors in each one. We don’t want to leave anyone unprotected, and we can all communicate with each other. If we don’t find anything or anyone, meet back here in one hour.”

  The crowd began to murmur to each other as they divided up into the groups, and then they stood at intervals in the gazebo to wait for my next instructions.

  “Where would you like me to go?” Aaliyah asked as she flexed her claws.

  “You can take a group to the vineyard,” I replied. “I’m sure someone can show you where it is.”

  “We can,” Zane offered, and he motioned for his group to follow him and Aaliyah toward the vineyard.

  “I’ll take a group to the fields,” Naomi volunteered as she waved one search party over. “I don’t know where any of the other places are.”

  The lizard led them away from the pavilion, and I watched her hips sway beneath her black robe with a yearning to add her to the family.

  Then I shook my head to focus on the search and glanced over the other groups that remained.

  “I can lead a group to the tavern,” Nallen suggested. “I know where it is, and we can search the shops around it as well.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “Alyona, you can go with them.”

  “Yes, my lord,” the princess said before she joined Nallen and led the next group away.

  “The rest of us need to search other areas in case there was something we didn’t think of,” I decided. “Miraya, you take a group south toward the archives. Laika, another group should go to the houses. Knock on doors and see if anyone has seen someone suspicious around.”

  “On it,” the wolf said, and Miraya nodded in agreement.

  The women took their groups and headed out toward their search areas, and I turned to the last group and saw Saxon was one of the warriors who remained. The snake Demi-Human rolled his shoulders and popped his neck, and I could tell he was ready for another fight.

  “We’re going to search the area between here and the Lunar Palace,” I stated. “Anything that looks out of place, I need to know immediately. I don’t want anyone to be in danger.”

  The search party mumbled a few agreements and nodded their heads, and then we set out for our search area. We spread out across the walkway and peered into the windows of every building. A few people walked into the masonry and looked around the shop, while others spread even further to look around the outside of each building.

  As we continued, I noticed a greenhouse just ahead of us, and the door was swinging open. So, I motioned for Saxon to follow me, and we crept into the building. A light breeze blew in through the open windows at the top of the greenhouse, and the plants inside slowly waved back and forth. I pointed to the right side for Saxon, and I continued to the left. Then we walked up and down the aisles until we met in the middle.

  “Nothing?” I whispered.

  “No.” Saxon shook his head, and his forked tongue poked out of his mouth. “I don’t even smell anyone here, but I think there might have been earlier.”

  “What makes you say that?” I wondered.

  “Come look,” he muttered, and I followed the snake over to the other side of the room.

  A stack of boxes had been knocked over, and several potted plants were on the ground with their pots shattered into pieces.

  “Two pots on the ground, but three empty places,” I murmured. “Do you think someone was trying to cover up what they took?”

  “That’s what it looks like to me,” Saxon agreed.

  “Any idea what it was?” I asked as I squatted down to examine the remaining pots.

  “No, my lord,” the snake hissed. “But I’m sure Miss LeCroix will know.”

  “Who’s that?” I wondered.

  “She owns this greenhouse,” he replied. “I didn’t see her in any of the search parties, so she’s probably at the market.”

  “Then I’ll finish with our search party, and you can go find her,” I decided. “Have her look over all her plants and see what’s missing.”

  “Of course, my lord,” Saxon said with a nod before he scurried out of the greenhouse.

  I followed him outside and then turned in the opposite direction to continue the search. A few of the citizens had ventured to the next building and knocked on the door.

  “What’s this?” I asked as I joined two human women and a wolf Demi-Human man at the door.

  “It’s a haberdashery,” one of the women answered as she rapped on the door again. “The guys who own the shop keep odd hours, though. No one ever knows when they’re going to be open.”

  “Seems odd,” I murmured and reached for the handle.

  “It’s locked,” the wolf-man said with a frown. “And we can’t see anyone through the windows.”

  “Okay, they may just not be open,” I replied. “The other group can talk with them at home.”

  The trio nodded, and we moved on to the next few buildings. Nothing was out of place, though, and no one else had seen anything odd. We made our way to the storage shed next to the Lunar Palace, but then Saxon sprinted over with a chocolate-skinned woman waddling along behind him.

  “Lord Evan!” he shouted as he skidded to a stop in front of me, and the woman stopped at the greenhouse. “The greenhouse isn’t the only place that got broken into.”

  “Is anyone hurt?” I asked.

  “No,” Saxon replied. “Everyone is fine, but a few things were stolen from shops near the market.”

  “Okay.” I turned back to the citizens who had just finished searching the storage building. �
��Let’s meet back at the pavilion.”

  Everyone gathered around and walked toward the large gazebo. As we arrived, I noticed Alyona, Miraya, and Naomi’s groups were already back, and Aaliyah’s search party walked up behind us.

  “Laika said they’re almost done,” Saxon advised and tapped a necklace that dangled from his scaly throat. “Only a few more houses, and then they’ll be back.”

  “Okay, for now, let’s go over what we found,” I said. “Where is Miss LeCroix?”

  “I’m here, Lord Evan,” a female voice answered from behind me.

  I turned to see the dark-skinned woman from before. She was even shorter than Saxon and wide set with a lilting accent that reminded me of the deep South back on Earth. Her long dark hair was twisted into dreadlocks, but her eyes caught my attention. They were bright orange, like a fire burned behind them.

  “Miss LeCroix, did you look at the greenhouse?” I asked.

  “Yes, my lord,” she confirmed. “You have an astute eye. The missing plant was a Bolingara. I only had the one, so I know that’s what is gone.”

  “Is it rare?” I wondered.

  “Not particularly.” Miss LeCroix shrugged. “I only had one because I’ve only just started the greenhouse a few months ago. It would have sprouted more seeds that I could plant later.”

  “Does it hold a value of any sort?” I pushed. “Does it taste good? Why the hell would someone want it?”

  “It can be used in a number of things,” she answered patiently. “Balms, lotions, spices, the list could go on.”

  “Okay,” I breathed and calmed myself down. “We need to look at the big picture. What else was taken?”

  “Nothing from the vineyards,” Aaliyah answered, and she frowned as her tail lashed back and forth with irritation.

  “Nor from the archives,” Miraya added.