Dragon Fire: Dragon Knights (The Sea Captain's Daughter Book 2)

by Bianca D’Arc

Seth’s greeting on Gowan’s return was everything he could have hoped for. Seth pulled him into a back-pounding hug that made Gowan feel as if he’d genuinely been missed. This was the kind of caring relationship he should’ve had with his older brother, but had never developed.

  Gowan had come to realize over the past few days that Seth was the kind of brother Gowan had never had and always wanted. Gowan was touched by his reception, and when Seth let him go and Livia flew into his arms, he knew he was truly home.

  Genlitha was over with Hrardorr by the fire, their necks twining in dragonish welcome. It seemed Genlitha had been missed too.

  “Where is Gryffid?” Gowan asked when he finally could pry himself away from Livia’s embrace. He didn’t want to, but he knew he had to deliver his messages post-haste. Things on the mainland were happening fast, and Gryffid needed to know what had happened.

  Captain Gerrow, Lilith’s co-captain and mate, appeared at Gowan’s side. Gowan met the other warrior’s gaze and saw the grim determination on his face. Things must’ve been happening here while Gowan had been on the mainland. But Livia, Seth and Hrardorr appeared in good health, so Gowan was at ease. Still, he was intrigued to learn what had happened here while he’d been away.

  “Come this way. The wizard awaits,” Gerrow said formally. When Gowan made to follow the captain alone, Gerrow looked back and motioned for Livia and Seth to come along, as well. He glanced at the dragons, then shrugged. “I assume your scaled friends can listen in through you?”

  Gowan nodded. “What I hear, Gen hears. If she wants to.”

  “Good. That’ll work. We’ve had to make our conferences private since the unmasking of our traitor. No more open talk in the great hall.” Gerrow grimaced, clearly unhappy with the need for such restrictions. “Not until we’re sure she was the only one.”

  “You caught a traitor?” Gowan asked as they walked briskly along the hallways and up staircases.

  “Your Lady Livia, Goddess bless her, noticed the woman—posing as my mate, no less!” Gerrow seemed truly angry by that, but he nodded thanks at Livia, who tagged along with the group, just behind him. Gowan couldn’t wait to get the whole story out of her later. “There was a confrontation, and the master was able to counteract the spells that had been put on the woman, both to betray her people and to take on the guise of others. If there is one good aspect to this, it is that, after questioning her thoroughly, I now believe she did not willingly betray us. She was trapped by Captain Fisk, months ago, and put under magical compulsion to do all she did. Still, such a troubling event has shaken us all to our core. We believed ourselves impervious to such magical attacks and have been proven totally wrong, if not shamefully prideful and believing ourselves superior to the enemy. A lesson hard learned—and hopefully, not too late.”

  They kept climbing upward in the keep until they arrived at the foot of one of the many towers, if Gowan was any judge of architecture. Gerrow didn’t stop there, but led them up a winding spiral staircase to one of many doors dotted along the wall of the stairwell.

  Knocking just once, Gerrow opened the door to reveal an office of sorts, in the shape of a crescent moon. The tips of the moon-shape held storage racks with everything from office supplies to potion bottles on them. At the largest width of the oddly-shaped room sat Gryffid, behind an ornately carved wooden desk made to fit the shape of the room.

  There were several others already there, including two fey men who greeted Livia with smiles and familiar nods. They were introduced to Gowan as Captain Lilith’s brothers, the healer Lothar and a diplomat named Liam. Livia seemed to know them already, and Gowan was curious as to how she’d met the handsome fair folk.

  He wasn’t jealous—or so he tried to convince himself. Surely, Livia was too level-headed to be swayed by a pretty face. He hoped.

  “Glad I am that you have returned to us, Sir Gowan,” Gryffid greeted him, taking Gowan’s thoughts away from Livia’s possible attraction to the strange fey. “What news do you bring?”

  Gowan heard his cue and began to pull the scrolls from his satchel, placing them in order of importance in front of the wizard. “A great deal of news, as it turns out, milord. Prince Nico and Princess Arikia are now in residence at the Southern Lair. The former leadership has been removed and are recovering from dark magic worked upon them—knights and dragons alike. They almost lost the dragons before they realized what was happening.”

  Gryffid held up a hand to halt Gowan’s words. “Who, exactly? Who broke the spells?”

  “Sorry, milord. The firedrakes. Sir Drake and Sir Mace, along with their dragon partners, Lady Jenet and Sir Nellin. They are also at the Southern Lair helping to sort things out. It wasn’t just the leadership that was affected. Many of the senior knights and dragons were ensorcelled. Princess Riki claims she felt the taint of someone named Loralie.”

  Gryffid frowned deeply. “Grave news, indeed. I knew Loralie’s people of old. She is the hereditary caretaker of the Citadel, but she is rumored to have done…terrible things. If she had a hand in this, then the level and complexity of the magic involved is somewhat understandable. I just never thought…” Gryffid broke off, his face showing his age for a moment.

  “The good news is,” Gowan went on, hoping to give the wizard some comfort, “that they were able to put a stop to it. Prince Nico is setting things to rights from an administrative standpoint while his princess is working with the firedrakes to go over every person and dragon in the Lair with a fine-toothed comb. I expect, once they’re done there, they might venture into the town, as well, to see what’s what. I have reports from Prince Nico, for your eyes only, milord.” Gowan laid the last of the scrolls onto the table. “And his profound apologies that Draconia let you down when you needed her most.”

  Gowan bowed his head, showing contrition as the appointed representative of his land.

  “Draconia did not let me down. On the contrary, the best of your land came to help, Sir Gowan. You and your friends did what was right, no matter the potential cost to yourselves or your careers. I am not disappointed in Draconia’s response, and you can tell the Prince of Spies that when you see him next.”

  Gowan felt a wave of relief come over him. Prince Nico had been concerned that this slipup would cause major problems in the relationship between Draconia and Gryphon Isle. Probably, that’s what Fisk had wanted—to drive a rift between the allies. But it sure sounded like that wasn’t going to happen, and for that, Gowan was grateful.

  “Who will lead that Lair after Nico leaves? Has he said?” Gryffid asked as he perused the scrolls the prince had sent.

  “He’s appointing Sir Drake, Sir Mace, Sir Nellin and Lady Jenet as leaders for the Southern Lair when he and Princess Arikia are done purging the place and are satisfied that Drake and Mace can carry on. The Prince said he believed the firedrakes were likely less susceptible to the kind of magic wrought on the previous leaders and several other key knights and dragons.”

  Gryffid nodded slowly. “That is a wise choice, though I suspect the firedrakes will be needed elsewhere when the real battle begins. But perhaps we have enough time before that befalls us. Perhaps we can still prevent it, if someone can stop Fisk and get my book back.”

  “To that end, Prince Nico has already alerted his network throughout the land and in several others. If he gets word, he’ll act on it, and let you know, of course. He also said, that if you would be willing to teach the firedrakes more about their magic, if there’s time, the kingdom would be grateful. The prince said that the firedrakes would probably like to visit with you themselves, but it will have to wait until after things settle down a bit at the Lair. In the meantime, he grants you leave to request any knight or dragon you wish to act as go-between, or in any other capacity. He also gladly assigns Sir Leonhardt and Sir Xanderanth to be at your disposal as ambassadors, messengers, or for whatever else you might require of them. He also suggested you might want to have some of your gryphons on the mainland to act in the same capacity, so
information can flow more smoothly. He has made the Lair available to any gryphons and their fey partners who wish to make use of it. It is an open invitation.” Gowan gestured toward the scroll containing the details on that offer, and Gryffid picked it up and scanned it.

  “Excellent,” Gryffid said a minute later. “We will station two pairs of gryphons and their fey counterparts. Gerrow, see who wants to go, will you?” The Captain of the Guard nodded solemnly, accepting the mission. “And I’m very glad to keep young Leonhardt and his friend, Xanderanth. They might even end up living here permanently, if things work out as I suspect they will.” Gryffid’s eyes twinkled as he looked up from the scroll. “Are there any other knights and dragon pairs you would recommend? I don’t want to deplete your Lair in time of need, but by the same token, we are in need of more senior and skilled dragons and knights to show the sea dragons the way of things.”

  “Milord,” Seth piped up. “I believe my family would be suitable for the task. As far as I know, they did not come under influence of the evil magic and are all highly ranked teachers of young—knights and dragons alike.”

  “Seth’s family was not under magical influence,” Gowan confirmed. “They were all checked first, since it was one of Seth’s fathers who flew to the capital—against orders—and got the crown’s attention. They have been consulting with the royals and the firedrakes since their arrival at the Southern Lair.”

  Gryffid smiled at Seth. “It’s an excellent suggestion. If they can be spared, I will request them in the next dispatch.”

  When Gryffid had finished with the scrolls, he began to ask detailed questions of Gowan about what had happened in the Lair. He wanted minute descriptions of everything from the color of the flame the firedrakes and the princess had used to the way the afflicted reacted, and the timing of the entire ordeal. He wanted to know how the dragons had fared and required specific numbers of casualties and the severity of each case.

  He took notes and began to create a sort of chart that correlated the severity of the enchantment with the position of the person or dragon in the Lair hierarchy. When Gryffid was done with his analysis, it became pretty apparent that very specific positions and people had been targeted. Gryffid directed an aid to make a copy of his analysis to send back to the Lair, with his compliments, when the first gryphon pair was ready to leave for the mainland.

  After that, Gryffid dismissed them all, saying that he had much to write for Prince Nico’s eyes and would be working through the night to send as much as he could with the gryphons who would leave at first light. Gerrow escorted Seth, Livia and Gowan back down to the great hall and then left them, racing off to make arrangements for the gryphons who would be flying out the next morning.

  Gowan checked on Genlitha and Hrardorr, but they were both fast asleep already, necks entwined by the fire. He didn’t have the heart to wake her, so he tiptoed out, leaving the dragons to their rest. Stars knew, Genlitha had earned it that day. They’d been flying pretty much all day, which had to have been hard on her.

  The trio of humans worked their way from the great hall to the guest quarters, deciding without words to congregate in Livia’s room. There was a set of chairs by her fireplace, and some kind soul had already lit the fire and left a bottle of wine and some snacks for them. Settling in front of the fire, Gowan asked Livia to tell him about how she’d uncovered the traitor in Gryffid’s house.

  He was alternately appalled at the risk Livia had taken and filled with pride at her courage. Livia had stared a dangerous operative in the face and had stood firm in the face of deadly threat. He couldn’t help himself—he had to put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to his side on the couch on which they both sat. Seth was in a wingchair, just a few feet away, and he smiled benevolently at them as he sipped his wine.

  The mood was both mellow and filled with gladness at being together again. Gowan basked in the feeling, recognizing at last what it truly felt like…home. Wherever Livia was, and astoundingly, wherever Seth was, that was beginning to feel like home to Gowan. More than the place he’d called home and been forced to leave by a brother who had never acted as a true brother should.

  Here, with these people, was the closest Gowan had ever come to having a real family. A brother. A lover. And two four-footed siblings with wings who could breathe fire and would stand by them all through thick and thin.

  Yes, that was home. And Gowan felt the warmth in his heart that made him want to stay like this…with them all…forever.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” Livia said, turning in Gowan’s loose embrace to look up at his handsome face. His mood was introspective, and she wondered about the shocks he’d been through at the Lair earlier that day.

  Gowan sighed and stroked her shoulder gently. “I’m just glad we’re not going to be facing an angry monarch when we get back. Prince Nico was grateful we’d taken it upon ourselves to come here.”

  She relaxed and snuggled into his embrace. “Honestly, I was more worried about my father than the king.” She chuckled and stroked one hand over his hard chest. “Although I’m sure he’d still rather have me back at home playing with dolls, I think the worst of the confrontation with him is behind me now, and he’s off on another adventure anyway…chasing Captain Fisk.”

  “Does it help to know he stayed away all these years to protect you?” Gowan asked quietly.

  “I guess, in a way, it does. Though I wish he could’ve just been honest with me from the beginning.”

  “You were only a child, grieving the loss of her mother when this all started,” Seth put in. “He probably did what he thought was best at the time.”

  Livia sat up and looked over at Seth. “I can’t believe you’re taking his side.”

  Seth shook his head. “I’m not saying it was right or wrong, but merely that he was doing the best he could at the time. The man was probably out of his mind with grief himself. I doubt either of you got over the loss of your mother easily.”

  Livia had to admit Seth had a point. “You respect him, don’t you?”

  “Your father?” Seth asked rhetorically. “Well, of course, I always respected the name. Captain O’Dare was legendary in Dragonscove. But I’d never really dealt with him before now. I have to admit…” Seth shifted in his chair. “His actions in this situation have both surprised and impressed me. He certainly proved he loves you, Livia. He amassed a fleet of ships to fight Fisk and turned them for Gryphon Isle, not even knowing Fisk was here. He did that for you.” Seth met her gaze, his own filled with a sort of solemn respect.

  She thought about his words. “Yeah. I guess he did, didn’t he?”

  “For an older man, he certainly didn’t hesitate to put himself in the thick of battle. If he were an army man, he’d be a general, well-loved by his troops, I think,” Gowan put in, surprising her. “Or perhaps an admiral, if we had a naval fleet. He’s certainly commodore of his own force at this point, though Prince Nico had some thoughts about making your father a more formal offer, if he could catch up with the good captain.”

  “Really?” Livia felt her pulse quicken. The Prince of Spies was interested in her father and his fleet of merchant-fighters?

  Gowan nodded. “He mentioned it in passing. I believe riders were dispatched to all the seaports with instructions to make contact with your father or members of his fleet if they were found in port. I don’t know the exact message they carry, but I have to assume it’s an offer of mutual support. The Prince of Spies knows the value of traveling networks. After all, he has long been rumored to be affiliated with the Jinn brotherhood. A fleet of sea-going vessels would be a handy asset, especially since your father is going after something the crown has a great interest in right now—the book and the pirate captain. Both are wanted quite desperately by more than just Gryffid and his folk. King Roland and Prince Nico both know the importance of the book and preventing the fall of the Citadel. I heard them discussing it when I was in Castleton. The war is not going well. Hostiliti
es are increasing in the North and along the border. We are spread thin already, and now, this… They see this as a very grave threat.”

  “So it’s not just Gryffid overreacting to the loss of one of his prized possessions,” Livia stated. She’d already known in her heart that was the case, but she’d sort of hoped maybe it wasn’t as dire as everyone here on Gryphon Isle thought. But if the king…

  “No, my dear,” Gowan said quietly. He was clearly exhausted from his long day of traveling. “They are treating this just as seriously as Gryffid himself.”

  Livia couldn’t handle any more fear and worry right now. There was nothing she could do about it, after all. Not tonight. She’d done her part when called upon, but she wasn’t a fighter. She wasn’t a mage.

  She was a woman. In love with two men. One of whom had flown the length of the lands to be here with her tonight. Gowan was clearly fatigued, but she wanted…no, she needed to be with him. And with Seth. The three of them, together, affirming their mutual passion and caring.

  Livia got to her feet and held out her hands. One to each of her men.

  “Come to bed. The day has been long, and it’s time for us to take our rest…and our reward.” She smiled gently at them, and suddenly, they weren’t too tired to follow her to the giant bed at the other end of the suite of rooms.

  Gowan even let her direct him for once. He must be very weary, indeed, to allow her to make love to him instead of the other way around. She wasn’t asking questions, though. This was what she needed tonight. She wanted to lavish her attentions on her men and show them how much they were appreciated…and loved.

  She stripped them both—one on her right and one on her left. Sinking to her knees, she did something she hadn’t done with them before. Going from one to the other, she fondled one while tasting the other, taking them all the way into her eager mouth, telling them without words how happy they made her. The three of them together felt right. The way it was supposed to be.