The Captain's Dragon

by Bianca D’Arc

  “I seek the page from Gryffid’s book. It is why I approached Captain O’Dare. I believe he has the best chance, right now, of finding it. Will you help, Lord Skelaroth?” She looked the dragon straight in the eye.

  He chuckled, again, surprising her. “I, too, approached the good captain, not long before you landed on the deck of the ship. I have already pledged myself to this quest. I’m surprised Captain O’Dare did not speak of this to you.”

  So was she. “Perhaps he thought it was some kind of secret. Liam likes to play his cards close to his vest, I’ve noticed.”

  “Liam, is it?” Skelaroth gave her the side eye. “Perhaps you were too busy discussing other things, eh? You two are of an age, are you not?”

  Rivka shook her head, hoping her cheeks were not turning pink. She was a warrior woman. She didn’t generally have time for romance. Such things were not part of her usual activities. She was far too busy seeing to the safety of her Clan. And, besides, Captain O’Dare was still famously mourning the death of his wife. He’d been on a personal vendetta to bring Fisk to justice for many years. His heart was not free, even if Rivka allowed herself to feel for him. That was a no-win situation. Better they remain colleagues in pursuit of a common goal. That, she could handle. That, she could do.

  “I think you’ll find that such things are not so simple above the water’s surface, or among humans, for that matter,” she told Skelaroth.

  “But you are at least half dragon, are you not?” he asked with seeming innocence.

  “And half human. That complicates matters,” she admitted, giving Skelaroth a stern look.

  “Shame,” was Skelaroth’s comment. “He seems a good man, but he has a lonely soul.”

  “Perhaps that is his choice,” Rivka said, hoping to end this conversation. “He will be here shortly. I will go and tell him what we’ve found.”

  Rivka shifted into her dragon form and took a running start down the deck of the ghost ship, her wingtips skimming the tops of the waves until she gained some altitude. Skelaroth stayed behind, guarding the ship and perhaps looking it over more closely while she went back to Liam to advise him of what they’d found. She was also going to have a word or two to say about keeping his alliance with Skelaroth a secret, but she knew she couldn’t be too angry about that. Heaven knew, she was keeping secrets from Liam, as well.

  That’s what she did. She was, after all, a Jinn spy. One of the best. She learned things and kept secrets, revealing them only when necessary, and when the safety of her people hung in the balance. She had many secrets she would never divulge about a myriad of things, but she thought Liam probably should have told one dragon about his discussions with another. It just made sense.

  She landed on the rail of Liam’s ship, catching her balance with her wings before hopping down onto the deck as the men made room for her. She nodded her head at them, thanking them silently and also apologizing a bit for startling a couple of them. It couldn’t be helped. She was black against a night-dark sky. They hadn’t seen her approach until the very last minute.

  Her claws clicked against the wooden deck as she made her way closer to Liam. He was already on his way to her side, as well.

  “The ship is abandoned,” she told him quickly, using her mind to speak with him in her dragon form. “Lord Skelaroth is guarding it from below, but I checked the decks, and there’s absolutely nothing left there. Not even a mouse. Lord Skelaroth thinks Fisk used magic to erase all traces of his presence from the ship and left it anchored here as a backup.”

  “That makes sense,” Liam said aloud as they walked toward his cabin. “So, logically, we should remove his ability to use that ship. Do you think it is safe for a small portion of my crew to board and take her elsewhere?”

  Rivka thought that was a good idea. Better, even, than sinking the ship outright. There could be something learned from the ship, given time to study it. “It should be, and it would deny Fisk that avenue of escape.”

  “Mr. Benyon!” Liam shouted to summon his second-in-command. They stood overlapping watches, and Benyon would be readying himself and the crew for the night watch in not too much longer.

  Liam consulted with Benyon on the personnel who would be best at manning Fisk’s ship and taking it away. Where to take it seemed obvious. Liam ordered that it be sailed back to Dragonscove where his daughter, Livia, could take charge of it.

  “Do you have anyone you can trust in Dragonscove that knows of magic?” Rivka asked as Benyon left to gather the crew he’d need. “We might learn something from the ship, or the kind of magic used on her.”

  “There are several options,” Liam replied, choosing his words carefully. “Livia has contacts at the Southern Lair, of course. Some of them—especially the new leaders, from what I gather—may be useful. Also, I have made a friend or two among the folk of Gryphon Isle who are here, on the mainland. They can also examine the ship. If need be, Livia can sail her to Gryffid for closer inspection. If there’s anything to be learned from her, we will have it.”

  “Excellent.” Rivka ducked to enter through the doors Liam had opened for her that led into his rooms.

  He wasn’t surprised, this time, when she shifted shape to her human form, as soon as he had closed doors behind them. She sat in the chair in front of his desk and stretched out her shapely legs. He couldn’t help but notice the way the supple, tight leather she was wearing hugged her calves and thighs. For a moment, he got a flash of those luscious legs wrapped around him in passion that made him shake his head.

  This wouldn’t do. He had no business fantasizing over the woman. She was the next best thing to royalty…and he was still on a quest to gain justice for a dead woman. A woman he had loved with all his heart. There simply wasn’t anything left in his chest to give to another woman.

  Apparently, his loins felt differently, but that was something he would just have to ignore. He wouldn’t further complicate an already complicated situation by adding lust to the equation. For the first time in years, he had to tamp down his baser impulses. What was it about this dragon-woman that brought out the animal in him? He didn’t dare pursue that line of thought. Better, for all concerned, not to find out.

  Desperately trying to clear his mind, Liam walked over to the sideboard where a decanter of port and some glasses were kept securely fastened to the table. He poured a drink and asked Rivka with a silent gesture if she wanted some. At her nod, he handed her the first glass and poured another for himself.

  She toasted him silently before taking a sip. Olivia had never liked port, but Rivka seemed to truly enjoy the fine vintage he had purchased on one of the last regular merchant voyages. He hadn’t been doing any real trading in the past few months, but Livia was getting most of their ships back to the trade routes, and profits would again begin to flow into the coffers of his trading empire. Of course, all those diamonds had helped tide them over.

  Livia and her dragon friend, Hrardorr, had appropriated the diamond-tipped weapons that had been used so dreadfully against dragons and gryphons, and had stripped the blades. She had lined up gem cutters to turn the blades into harmless, sparkly baubles and sent them off with trade caravans to several different kingdoms. There were always nobles and jewel smiths looking for precious gems.

  The sea dragons had no use for such sharp, dangerous items. They had gladly helped Hrardorr harvest the bolts from the sea floor and the holds of the many ships they had sunk. Livia had been scrupulously fair in dividing the spoils of their recent battles. The Lair got its share, as did the people of Gryphon Isle and Dragonscove, but there was a lot of loot. So many diamonds cut from so many blades. There was plenty to go around.

  She had advised caution in seeking to sell the jewels, as well, which meant that everyone who had received a cut would be selling off only as many as they needed at the moment, so as not to glut the market. There would be a diamond supply from those sources for many years to come, which meant a little ended stability for those people who had been at
tacked by Fisk’s fleet, for the foreseeable future.

  The diamonds had kept Liam’s empire afloat…literally. But they had killed and maimed. Such icy, cool gems had been used for their lethal purpose by evil people. But never again. They’d been neutralized, and Livia had seen to it that they could never be used to hurt anyone, again. He was as proud of her as he could possibly be, even if he still wasn’t completely convinced about her choice of mate. Make that mates—plural.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Liam had never thought his little girl would grow up to become partner to two knights. He’d always hoped she’d attract a nice, stable young man from a good family. He had wanted her to have an easy life. Coddled. Pampered. Not living in the dragon’s Lair with two warrior men and a set of fire-breathing dragons.

  He shook his head. She seemed to like it, but he despaired of her future. He had never had much to do with dragons, even though he had lived most of his life in Draconia. He’d spent a good portion of his time at sea, and until recently, dragons were seldom to be seen in, or near, water. Oh, there had been tales of sea dragons, but few ever saw them, and they’d never had much to do with men.

  All that had changed recently.

  “So,” Rivka’s voice came to him, shaking him out of his out of his reverie, “when were you going to tell me about your alliance with Lord Skelaroth?”

  Liam was surprised by her words but didn’t let it show. He walked to the chair behind his desk and sat down, making her wait for his reply. It also bought him time to figure out what he was going to say.

  “Should I have?” he finally asked in reply. He didn’t wait for her to answer but went on almost immediately. “Frankly, I have only spoken with him once. I thought I saw him following us, but I couldn’t be completely sure. I don’t know much about dragons, milady. I may be a man of the sea, but sea dragons are still a bit of a mystery to me.”

  Rivka eyed him as if she was considering his words. At length, she nodded and leaned forward to place her empty glass on his desk.

  “They are a mystery to us all, Captain,” she admitted, startling him a bit. “I don’t know much about them, myself. Lord Skelaroth surprised me when he revealed himself, but I believe he is dedicated to the alliance with you. Dragons—land dragons, at least, though I see no reason why sea dragons would be any different—seldom make promises they don’t intend to keep. In fact, I have never seen a dragon do so. They are truthful beings—mostly because nobody can do much about it if a dragon doesn’t want to do something.” She chuckled at her own words.

  “What about dragons who are also human?” Liam asked, watching her closely.

  Rivka sat back and eyed him from under half-lowered lids. Why he found the pose so seductive, he didn’t know, but he shrugged the thought away, wondering what she’d say next.

  “I’ll admit, the human side does influence our dragon side and vice versa. But the dragon part has a need for truth and honor that doesn’t let our human side stray too far from those ideals. Of course, I’m Jinn. I might be lying to you, right now, just to play with you.” She grinned at him, and he had to shake his head.

  “I don’t know much about the Jinn, either,” Liam told her, “but I suspect you have a wicked sense of humor, milady.”

  “I might have heard people say that a time or two,” she admitted, still smiling. Then, she sobered a bit. “Now, what have you got planned after you secure the ship?”

  “I want to go aboard and see the state of it for myself, first. Then, I’ll post the skeleton crew to sail her to Dragonscove. I’m going to write up very specific instructions for my daughter on what to do with the ship, but I trust Livia to improvise, if necessary. She’s proven herself incredibly resourceful of late, much to my surprise.”

  “Well, she is your daughter, after all,” Rivka offered.

  Liam shook his head. “I’d always thought she took more after her mother than me. It would have been so much easier if I’d been right.”

  “Perhaps,” Rivka allowed. “But, from all I’ve seen and heard, your Livia is a remarkably capable young woman. I’m glad she is the way she is. Her mates are also forces to be reckoned with. We need them all in this fight.”

  Liam’s gaze narrowed. “You’ve met?”

  Rivka nodded. “All of them. I was chasing after Fisk’s trail when your daughter and her mates retrieved Gryffid’s book of magic. All, but that one damning page.” She grimaced. “My father was Livia’s contact at the inn. He’s a bard.”

  “Of course he is.” Liam shook his head again, ruefully this time. “The more I hear about the Jinn and how involved they’ve been in Draconia’s affairs for so long, the more I wonder if our King and his family really rule this land.”

  Rivka sat upright. “We’re not some kind of shadow government. We just help. Quietly. From the sidelines.”

  “Not really,” Liam countered. “Not anymore, at least. You’re out there, in the open, now. Doubling the size of Castleton, last I heard, with more Jinn flooding into the country every day.”

  Rivka tilted her head, as if considering his words. “Your news is a bit outdated. The influx has slowed to a trickle. Most of our brethren who are moving here, have already done so. Some will remain abroad, to keep our information networks intact. We may be out of hiding, so to speak, but our intent was never to take over the country. We are allies. Brothers-in-arms. Family. We’re not going to oust Roland. We’re here to support him.”

  Liam was still skeptical, and it probably showed on his face. Rivka sighed.

  “Many of us in the Black Dragon Clan are direct descendants of Dranneth the Wise’s youngest son. We know we were never meant to rule, but to be supportive of the children of Dranneth’s oldest. They are the rightful rulers of this land. We were born and bred to be their helpers. Hidden, for a long time, but now coming back to the homeland to fulfill our destiny.” Her words had a ring of truth that Liam could not deny. “There was a prophecy, you see. A sacred trust. When Arikia and Nico came to us, it was fulfilled. We knew, then, it was time to come home.”

  “That was the only sign? Seems kind of shaky to me. What if you’re wrong? Or what if the prophecy is bogus? Have you considered that?” Liam couldn’t help but play devil’s advocate.

  “Their arrival was far from the only sign the prophecy was coming to fruition,” she told him. “There’s all this interest in the Citadel—people actively trying to free the trapped wizards. The lunatic that rules Skithdron. The appearance of gryphons in Castleton. The fact that Gryffid has rejoined his island home to the rest of the world and begun active discussions with the rulers of Draconia. There’s more. Believe me. Much more. This is the prophesied time. Much as I could wish it were not.”

  “I take it, then, that the prophecy isn’t all wine and honey?” Liam asked, his gaze narrowing.

  Rivka shook her head. “Far from it. Struggle and strife, mostly. And the Jinn standing ready to aid in coming battles and helping avert potential disasters.”

  “Like the one we face now, if that page of the book gets to the Citadel?” Liam challenged.

  “Exactly like that,” Rivka agreed.

  A knock sounded on Liam’s door in the pattern he had requested Benyon use to signal that they were getting close to their target. Liam stood from his desk and stowed the empty glasses.

  “We’re there,” he told her succinctly, his mind on the ship as he went about his tasks.

  “I’ll shift and come out on deck with you,” she replied, standing and moving to the open area of the room in which her dragon form would fit.

  Liam stood by the doors, waiting for her to change so he could open them wide for her exit. It struck him again, how odd his life had become in just a short while. Suddenly, there was a sea dragon following his ship in the water, and a mysterious woman warrior who could turn into a compact black dragon at will, in his life. He, who had always avoided dragons.

  It made him wonder why he’d been so keen to avoid them all his life. Most children in D
raconia were fascinated by the creatures and dreamed of being knights. Not little Liam O’Dare. He’d wanted the sea all his life, and he’d worked hard to make it happen. He hadn’t allowed himself to be distracted by dreams of dragons.

  And then, he’d met Olivia. Dreams of her left no room for anything else. Of course, by that time, he was well on his way to starting what would become his trading empire. Olivia had been impressed by both his business and his status as a ship’s captain. Olivia had taken up all his thoughts and ambitions for the few years they were married, and then, after she was gone, the driving need for vengeance had filled in all the empty places.

  But dragons had wormed their way into his life. Somehow. When he hadn’t been paying attention. He shook his head slightly at his own thoughts. He’d avoided them for so long, and now, it seemed, he couldn’t get away from them.

  Not that he wanted to get away from the luscious Rivka. Far from it. His body wanted to be near her, even as his mind tried to reject the idea. She wasn’t Olivia. She was about as different from his lost wife as a woman could be. It didn’t matter. He saw something in her that aroused his baser instincts as no woman had ever done before.

  He would have to maintain caution around her. He didn’t want entanglements—especially not with a dragon, of all things. Liam wasn’t sure why he was so dead set against dragons, and always had been. Perhaps, somewhere in the back of his mind, he had always known that they would complicate his life and derail him from achieving his chosen directions.

  If he’d been the starry-eyed dreamer, fantasizing about dragons and knights, he would never have accomplished his goal of becoming one of the youngest-ever sea captains in the trading fleet. He would never have been able to establish his own trading company or build it into the empire it had become. And, for certain, he would never have been able to collect his fighting fleet of ships, warrior captains, and soldier seamen to aid in this ongoing battle against evil.