The Captain's Dragon

by Bianca D’Arc

  She greeted him with a smile and had already taken down the tent. He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised by her efficiency or skill by this point, so he didn’t comment, except to thank her when she handed him the neatly folded tent, already in its little carrying pack.

  “It’s really ingenious, how they created the tent poles,” she told him. “I’ve seldom seen such fine work.”

  “There’s a little market in Elderland where you can find such things. I imported all they could supply, which weren’t many, unfortunately. Each of these take some time to create, but they last for decades if cared for properly.”

  She grinned at him. “Your trader roots are showing, Captain.”

  He found himself grinning back. “It took money to build my fleet,” he replied honestly. “Once this is all over, I suppose I’ll go back to trading.” He sighed, almost unaware that he did so, but Rivka seemed to notice.

  She shook one finger at him. “That doesn’t sound like a man who wants to go back to simple commerce,” she said, eyeing him with a raised eyebrow. “You’ve built up the finest fighting fleet this country has ever seen. I would hope you could find some noble use for it, even after your quest has been fulfilled.” She turned to look at the provisions he was taking out of his pack. “Of course, that’s something you should probably discuss with the king. I could help arrange that for you. Later, of course.”

  Liam thought about that for a minute as they chose items to eat. He took an apple while she cut off a piece of cheese and part of the bread he’d packed.

  “I may take you up on that offer, milady. If all goes well on our journey.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Rivka flew alongside and just below Skelaroth for what remained of the day. They followed the road, cutting across bends to shorten their path whenever they could. They knew Fisk’s party had a long head start on them, so she didn’t expect to run across any recent sign of their passage until tomorrow at the earliest. Still, she kept a close eye on the ground and helped Skelaroth learn more about aerial surveillance as they went along.

  They landed just before dusk, while there was still enough light to see what they were doing, and set up camp. They’d chosen a campsite near a clear stream where they could both get a drink and wash up. Liam made a small fire that was hidden from the road by a screen of trees and bushes. He had a small metal pot with him in which he boiled water for tea, much to her surprise and delight.

  She set up the tent, this time, while Liam brewed the tea and set out what remained of the provisions he’d packed in Tipolir. They would stop in a village along the way to resupply. Probably tomorrow. They were traveling light, so they were limited to what they could carry easily. Liam had traveled with the satchel that housed Ella hanging across his chest and off his right side, and the equally large pack of provisions situated on his opposite side. The bag was big enough to hold the tent, the pot and the food items he’d chosen, as well as a change of clothes, but not much else. His sword, he carried strapped to his back, with a knife at his waist. He’d also worn a dark cloak to protect himself from the winds aloft. Smart.

  He looked a lot like a knight, riding on the back of his dragon. Though, of course, that wasn’t the situation with Skelaroth and never would be. He was a sea dragon—lord of them all in this area—and he would not choose a knight partner. At least, Rivka didn’t see how he could.

  Still, they made a pretty tableau as they flew along. On the ground, after Skelaroth drank his fill from the steam and went downstream a ways to loll in the water, he returned to the campsite with two fish in his talons and gave them to Liam.

  “For your dinner,” Skelaroth said politely to them both.

  Liam looked up at the dragon in surprise. “That’s very kind of you, milord. Thanks.” Liam took the fish down to the water and cleaned them, preparing them expertly before putting them on an improvised spit over the small campfire. Skelaroth settled into the grass beside him, stretching out and blending into the scenery, only his large head propped up on his foreleg joining them by the fire.

  “I expect we might begin finding fresh signs on or near the road sometime tomorrow,” Rivka offered as they ate what was left of the provisions and waited for the fish to cook.

  Liam sat on his cloak. Rivka noticed that it was waterproof on the outside and the inside was lined in warm fabric. It would act as good barrier between him and the dewy ground while he slept.

  “Will we have to go slower?” Liam asked.

  “Not really, but we should stop more often and check the ground. There may be things we can see down here that won’t be so obvious from aloft,” she explained.

  Rivka sat in front of the opening to the tent. It was closed against mosquitoes, though the smoke from the fire kept most of them away. Still, she would limit the time the flap was open to avoid sharing her sleeping quarters with bugs. Ella shared Liam’s cloak, though she had gone off with Skelaroth when he’d gone swimming…and fishing, apparently. Liam offered her a few bites of his food, but it was apparent by her disinterest and the gentle swell of her full tummy that she’d probably done some fishing of her own already.

  “I am sorry, friends, but I must rest now,” Skelaroth said wearily into their minds. With that, he closed his eyes and was asleep in moments.

  “I suppose, going out to sea and coming around the city through less populated lands, the big guy traveled farther than either one of us today,” Liam said, keeping his voice down to a low murmur as he looked at Skelaroth.

  “And, mighty as his muscles are from swimming, he has never carried a passenger before,” Rivka added. “He was being careful not to swerve or turn too steeply so you could stay aboard. That kind of thing—the concentration it takes to learn what’s essentially a new skill—takes its toll, even on the strongest being.”

  Liam nodded. “He’s done a yeoman’s job and is certainly a credit to his kind.”

  Rivka looked at Liam speculatively. “So, what did you think of flying? You seemed to take to it almost naturally.”

  “It was much better than I feared,” Liam admitted. “That feeling of the wind was almost like when I have my ship under full sail and we’re making time. Flying is quite a bit faster, of course,” Liam smiled slightly in her direction. “And the views…” His voice trailed off as he seemed to think back on all he’d seen. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”

  “That’s good, I hope,” she teased when he didn’t say more.

  Startled out of his reverie, he blinked at her. “Oh, yes, indeed. Flying was marvelous. Though, I suppose it’s old hat to you. It must be even better to fly under your own power. To spread your wings and determine your own path.”

  He was more intuitive than she’d realized. She nodded, allowing some of the wonder that never left her when she flew to show in her expression. “It really is incredible,” she admitted. “I never take the gift of flight for granted.”

  They sipped their tea and sat quietly, enjoying the small fire as it burned down. When she started to yawn, Rivka got up and made a final visit to the bushes before she sought her tent. Liam did the same, considerately going to the other side of the small camp to give her a bit of privacy.

  When she returned to the fire, she spent a few moments banking it against the night. They’d let it burn out gradually since it gave off a bit of welcome warmth. It wasn’t terribly cold yet, but they were climbing in elevation, and it did tend to get cooler the higher they went.

  Rivka stood when Liam returned. He came close to her, speaking in a low tone. “Will you be warm enough?” he asked. “I have a spare blanket, if you need it.”

  He was such a thoughtful man. She was touched. “The tent is more than enough protection,” she assured him, “but thank you for thinking of me. In fact…” She stepped closer to him, reaching upward to place a kiss on his cheek. He didn’t pull away, but she could feel his surprise. “Thank you for everything. You’ve been the most thoughtful companion I have ever travel
ed with.”

  She knew her cheeks were heating with embarrassment over her admission, but she couldn’t have kept going without expressing to him how much his small courtesies and considerate actions meant to her. She had meant to move away as soon as she delivered the peck to his stubbled cheek, but he smelled divine and radiated heat and strength. It was a heady combination.

  “There is no need to thank me,” he said, his voice rumbling low in a way that made her insides clench with delight. “You must not have picked very good traveling companions before, if such simple things seem extraordinary.” His gentle smile invited her to smile back, and she felt the corners of her mouth lifting as she gazed upward into his eyes.

  How had she not realized before just how much taller he was than her? It was rare that she was made to feel petite, but Liam was a big man, both tall and muscular in that lean way that indicated true strength. He was no idle sea captain, but a self-made man who had worked his way up to the position he now held. She admired that very much.

  “I think…” She dared to put her thoughts into words in a way she never would have among her own Clan. “Because of what I am and the life path I’ve chosen as a warrior among my kin, most of them see me as too strong to be needful of their protection—though, that isn’t exactly the right word.” She tilted her head a bit, thinking it though, but couldn’t express it any better than she had. She shook her head slightly. “I think they forget that I’m also a woman and I like soft things. Like the silk of your tent. And the small considerations you’ve made throughout the day.”

  Suddenly, the mood between them grew even more intimate as Liam stepped closer. “I have never, for one moment, forgotten that you are a woman, Rivka.”

  His words sounded almost like a warning, but it was one that she could not heed. The sudden fire in his eyes was answered by a leap of flame in her belly, and suddenly, she wanted more than just a peck on the cheek and to stand within his personal space. She wanted to plaster herself to him and feel the warmth of his body against hers.

  He seemed to feel the same way as one of his hands touched her waist, sliding around slowly and tugging her closer. She went willingly, her feet moving to stand next to and in between his as her body drifted closer to his incredible warmth. His head lowered, and his cheek touched hers. She could feel the gentle scrape of his whiskers against her, and it sent a little thrill of excitement straight down her spine, all the way to her toes.

  Their cheeks slid gently against apart other until his mouth hovered over hers. And then… His lips touched hers in the gentlest caress she’d ever experienced from a man. Tentative, yet commanding. Hesitant, yet needful. His mouth covered hers and held for a heartbeat before applying more pressure.

  She opened for him without any hint of protest, and then, his tongue swept inside, claiming, inciting her passion, and demanding her response. She gave it freely. Enthusiastically. Rubbing her body against his, she took his warmth into her soul, enjoying the sensations she had felt only with him.

  Tiny alarms went off in her mind, but she paid them no heed. Liam’s heart might be inaccessible, but his body certainly seemed to know what it wanted. She felt the hard length of him against her belly, and then, suddenly… He was gone.

  Head spinning, she opened her eyes to find him scowling, at least three feet away from her, cursing under his breath. Not exactly the response she’d been hoping for. If not for the tingling in her lips—and other, more intimate, places—she might almost have believed their kiss had never happened. But she knew better. And she realized, with a bit of horror, that he was cursing himself for a loss of control.

  He regretted the kiss, it was plain to see, but that was something she would never agree with. She was glad he’d kissed her. Glad of the moment of insanity when she’d felt like a desirable woman and not sturdy, dependable Rivka, the fire-breather who everyone seemed to think needed no gentleness from a man.

  Knowing the mood was broken—possibly forever—Rivka climbed into the tent without another word. She would hold the memory of that kiss close forever. Her only regret was that it would likely never be repeated.

  Liam was still cursing at himself the next morning as they broke camp, though he did it silently. Things were very stilted between himself and Lady Rivka, but they worked together to erase signs of their camp and put things back to rights. They said little, only speaking when necessary, and then, only about general things. The route they would follow. The breaks they would take. How often she wanted to land to scan the ground.

  He could handle those things. The mission had to be all-important. It was the personal stuff he found hard to deal with.

  He should never have kissed her. He didn’t know what had gotten into him last night. The darkness. The intimacy. The easy feeling he had when he was with her. It had all compounded into making him act in a way that he should never even have been contemplating.

  They hadn’t spoken of it, and he wasn’t sure he had the courage to do so. If he found an opportunity later in the day, he should really apologize for his rudeness, but in the cold morning light, he found himself still too worked up to be sensible. Better to wait until his temper cooled, so he wouldn’t make things worse.

  Skelaroth was quiet, but he seemed to be watching both Liam and Rivka with suspicion in his jewel-like eyes. Liam didn’t invite discussion with the giant lizard. He didn’t want to talk about what had passed between himself and Rivka the night before, and he made that very clear with his body language.

  Ella was watching him too, but then, she had seen what had happened last night. She might not understand all the nuances of male-female interaction, but she probably sensed enough to realize that things were strained between the two humans of their party. Wisely, Ella chose to stay silent this morning, simply curling up on Liam’s shoulder while he went about his tasks, as if to offer comfort.

  When it was time to fly, she’d gone happily into the little nest bag he’d made for her. He’d left the flap open so she could stick her head out as they flew. She’d go in when she got tired, and he’d lower the flap then, to protect her from the wind.

  They got in the air with little fanfare and worked their way northward along the road. Today, they would stick to every twist and turn of the road so they would be less likely to miss it if Fisk turned off onto another path. Best case scenario—they would see him and his party from above and be able to intervene, catching him on the road, in the open.

  Liam relished the idea of a straight-out fight with Fisk and his men. He wanted to kill that bastard with his own hands and had wanted to do so for many years.

  Rivka was in charge of how often and where they landed. They made three short stops in the morning. Liam dismounted each time and put his rusty land-tracking skills to use while Rivka consulted with Skelaroth, telling the bigger dragon what she was looking for. Liam was happy to leave them to it. Skelaroth was a bit old—and mighty—for schooling, and Liam wasn’t sure if the sea dragon was sensitive about the fact that he needed to be tutored in land-based skills or not. He thought it was safer not to find out.

  It was on the fourth stop of the day that Liam’s venturing off the road to search on his own bore fruit. Ella swooped down off his shoulder to the ground about five feet away. He thought nothing of it, at first, but when he heard the distinctive clink of her talons against metal, he perked up.

  “What do you have there, my lovely?” he asked as he drew closer to the virkin and whatever she’d found in the grass.

  “Coin,” she replied, in his mind, lifting the small round bit of metal in one claw and holding it up to him.

  Liam took the coin she offered and examined it. One side featured a man’s head in profile, wearing a crown. In Liam’s experience, many lands used carved images of their monarchs on their coinage, if their metal workers had the skill to do so. He flipped the coin over in his hand and sucked in a breath at the image on that side. It was a coiled serpent. A very distinctive kind of creature. A dragon’s mortal e
nemy, it was a skith from the neighboring, enemy land, Skithdron.

  Trade with Skithdron was nonexistent. There was very little travel—in fact, none at all that was officially sanctioned—over the border, which was many leagues distant. In fact, they were nearly on the other side of Draconia. It made no sense that this coin should be found here.

  The only way it could have gotten here, to Liam’s mind, was in the pocket of a person who had traveled to Skithdron. And the only people likely to have traveled there were those in league with the enemy. Fisk and his crew fit the bill. They could have easily sailed to Skithdron, or anywhere else, and spent enough time there to pick up some of the local currency.

  “Lord Skelaroth? Lady Rivka?” Liam called to the two who were still examining the roadway. This was too important not to share. “Miss Ella has found something.”

  Ella flew back to perch on his shoulder, and he scratched her head in approval as he looked around him very carefully. There was disturbance in the way in the grass flowed in this area. As if people had walked here then done their best to hide their passage.

  “What is it?” Rivka asked aloud, having shifted into her human form to follow him. Skelaroth merely craned his head over on his long, sinuous neck, joining them.

  “Ella found this in the grass. It is a Skithdronian coin,” he said, offering the round bit of copper to Rivka.

  She sucked in a breath as the skith flashed on the back of the coin. Skelaroth’s head actually reared back. Liam noted the way Rivka shrank back and did not take the coin from his hand.

  “Is there something wrong with it?” he asked, cautiously examining the coin again. It didn’t look dangerous to him.

  “Sorry. It’s the image. Dragons and skiths… We’re natural enemies. I can’t even look at that image without my inner dragon wanting to roar and flame,” she admitted.