Dragon Wish
Page 1
Dragon Wish
by
Judith Leger
Wild Child Publishing.com
Culver City, California
Dragon Wish
Copyright © 2011
by Judith Leger
Cover illustration by Wild Child Publishing © 2009
For information on the cover art, please contact Valerie Tibbs.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form without written permission from the
publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for
review purposes. If you are reading this book and did not purchase
it or win it in a sanctioned contest, you have obtained this book
illegally. Illegal copies hurt both the author and publisher. Please
delete this book immediately and purchase it from either Wild
Child Publishing or an authorized distributor.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person,
living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely
coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Editor: Deborah Herald
ISBN: 978-1-936222-90-2
If you are interested in purchasing more works of this nature,
please stop by www.wildchildpublishing.com.
Wild Child Publishing.com
P.O. Box 4897
Culver City, CA 90231-4897
Printed in The United States of America
Dedication:
With Love to Terri, Amber, Linda and Debbie
Dragon Wish
Chapter One
Afraid to blink in case the dragon’s image appeared
behind her lids, Seren glanced around her spotless, steam-
filled bathroom. Eyes burning from fatigue, she repeated the
plea in her mind. Show me what you want or leave me
alone. Whatever was causing the dragon to appear needed to
know she’d had enough. She’d force an end to the vision.
Low classical music emanated from the radio. She’d
plugged it into the nearest socket so it sat on the smooth
angled slope of the tub’s lip. The soft, lulling notes did little
to ease her restless thoughts.
She wanted to relax after using her psychic abilities to
help the police solve a string of murders. In the past, the
resulting closure for the families helped her to go forward
with her life too. However, this time, a week before catching
the killer, the first vision struck, leaving her emotionally
drained and physically exhausted. The images of the dragon
dug deep into the darkened sections of her mind. They
stirred old memories of fear and pain she longed to forget.
Terror made her shiver as wispy strands of horrors from
her past drifted through her mind. She couldn’t focus on
anything solid as crimson flooded her memories. Seren
fought against the rise of utter helplessness. In an effort to
escape, she squeezed her eyes shut. The vision appeared,
seeking to destroy her sense of normalcy.
A single dragon, cold and menacing, rested atop a
pinnacle. In profile, under the heavy brow crowned by six
curving horns, one blue eye with its slit pupil watched her.
Wings hung straight at its sides. They concealed most of the
creature’s body. Pearly white scales glistened in a darkness
that swirled with charcoal and silver clouds. With the first
touch of its gaze on her, a tremendous weight settled over
her body. On the outer edges of her awareness, the force of
an unseen entity threatened to drain the life from her.
She snapped her eyes open. The mental pictures
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Dragon Wish
evaporated, but left her trembling. She studied the clear
water gushing in glimmering streams from the faucet. What
was she missing? The message lay hidden, beyond her
comprehension. She rested her head against the back of the
tub.
Sirens echoed outside her apartment, announcing
another emergency on the streets of New Orleans. Eyes
burning from lack of sleep, she hoped the police didn’t call
her to work for them again. She needed rest, but the vision’s
hold on her tightened with each new day.
With a soft sigh she sank lower in the tub, knees bent.
Damp air chilled the bare skin on her knees. Ripples in the
water moved out from her as the liquid covered her
shoulders and the heated wetness licked against her clenched
jaw. The tub’s rim hid the rest of the room from her. A strong
scent of herbal shampoo mingled with the mist rising from
the water.
Seren tried to connect something from her past to the
present—anything to trigger this sort of reaction. She’d
married and became a mother at eighteen. Ten years later,
she was single. Her husband and daughter, the child she’d
loved so much, gone forever. Over the last two years she’d
tried to be happy, or at least content to exist alone.
In a flash, ten years of her life had disappeared along with
everything she’d loved.
She drew in a deep soothing breath and released it by
slow degrees. She’d decided two years ago that she would live
the rest of her life without a man or children. No emotional
ties connecting her with anyone. The thought of love along
with loss sent bone-deep chills through her soul. The very
idea frightened her so much that she’d buried herself in
work. She hadn’t wanted to spread the word about her
psychic ability but word had gotten out, and during the last
few years, her slight psychic ability had increased to the
point where she was called upon many times to aid local law
enforcers with some of their most daunting cases. She’d been
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Dragon Wish
happy helping others find resolution for their own losses
since she’d never found any for her own.
She frowned, concentrating on the last case. Nothing
concerning the murders should have triggered this kind of
reaction. No, the image of the dragon was real, yet not. She
grunted. Dragons, they were nothing but myths created by
the over-active imaginations of ancient people. They didn’t
exist—except man-made ones.
The thought ended, and the vision erupted in her mind
with a screeching cry.
Darkness surrounded her. The wind buffeted her with a
constant stream of cold. She stood on a high peak across
from where the dragon waited. Like before, its eye was
focused on her. Moonlit-rimmed clouds drifted overhead.
The sting of salt in the air burned her nostrils. Her breath
caught in her throat. She tried to scream a question at the
beast, but no words came.
In an instant, the bathroom materialized. She jerked,
struggling to maintain control. Water splashed against the
side of the tub, sloshing over the rim to pour down the side
and pool on the floo
r. She gripped the sloped edges, taking
deep cleansing breaths to control her pounding pulse. Was
this what the vision meant? Had it been warning her of what
to expect in her future—cold emptiness?
Once calm, she raised her foot, and with her toes, pulled
the knob down to shut off the hot water. Determined to
finish her bath in peace, she shoved her troubling thoughts
aside. A slow drip slipped from the faucet, plopping below,
sending ripples in the water to circle outward. Seren braced
her feet against the tub. With a slight push, she forced her
body forward. She reached toward the Sweet-Pea scented
soap sitting next to the radio. Hand trembling, she sent one
last heartfelt plea for release from the vision. When she
picked up the soap, she brushed against the side of the radio.
The radio slipped toward the water.
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Dragon Wish
* * * *
Avaris, 1111
Age of the Great and Mighty White Dragon
The Crakkintaw Inn boasted the best drink, but lacked
the niceties richer places in the port city of Gilliesport
offered. Numbed by the overindulgence of the potent house
drink, Captain Paladin Fulcan weaved down the dim paneled
hallway of the second floor. Musty clouds of dust rose with
each step from his booted feet. The wicks in the wall lanterns
needed a trim. The blue flames gave off barely enough light
to see by, and the smoke rising from them added to the stale
odor in the building. He grunted. The place needed a
thorough cleaning. He had not chosen this place for its finer
aspects, but for the solitude along with the liquor.
He’d passed on an earlier opportunity to attend a dinner
gathering at a friend’s home. The idea of a night spent eating
a delicious, savory meal and visiting with several high-
ranking men alongside their splendidly robed families
seemed appropriate, but the thought of mouthing platitudes
while whispers swept across the room turned his stomach.
Sympathetic, the guests would have offered comfort, yet at
the same time, averted their eyes, none of them bold enough
to meet Paladin’s steady stare. Everyone would have been
uncomfortable with him there. So instead, he had come here
to drink and mourn alone.
Through the grimy multi-pane window at the end of the
hall, stars glinted in the night sky. Paladin narrowed his eyes,
concentrating on the glittering beacons as he approached his
room. He needed to get to the second door from the end—
almost there.
A shooting star blazed across the sky beyond the window.
At the sight, he stumbled. It was beautiful, so fleeting. Much
like life.
He made a wish, violating the one cardinal rule for all
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Dragon Wish
dragonseeds of Avaris. The dragons would know and their
decision to grant him a child would, most likely, lead to dire
consequences. What had he done?
Regret flared in his heart. He clenched his teeth to fight
the pain.
Fool.
His wife was gone, lost to him along with his unborn
child. His wish for a son was impossible now. He had no
intention of ever marrying again. To do so meant he must
trust another female, which was unlikely to happen.
He stopped and rubbed the heels of his palms over his
eyes in an effort to erase the horror of finding her along with
their babe. The burning hatred the memory provoked
threatened to overwhelm him. He lowered his hands and
staggered forward, wanting to reach his room where the
comfort of his bed waited. Once stopped in front of the door,
he fumbled with the key.
A brilliant light burst against the window where he’d
viewed the shooting star. He stiffened, surprise rendering
him motionless. The other end of the hall disappeared in a
blinding whiteness. Within it, a solid white door formed.
Caught off guard by the strange sight, he stepped away
from his room, a chill moved down his back. Out of habit, his
right hand grasped the cool, solid handle of his long sword.
What magic worked in this inn? Paladin tried to recall if
there were any wizard apprentices in the building, but there
were none that he knew of.
He took one step closer and lifted his free hand to touch
the door inside the bright glow. He snorted then half smiled.
Excellent sorcery. The power radiating from the light amazed
him. None but the six great dragons acting in conjunction
possessed such strength.
At this thought, horror over his regretted wish widened
his eyes. Was this the dragon’s answer to his plea? He should
turn and go to his room but curiosity drove him forward.
Without any further consideration, he twisted the golden
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Dragon Wish
knob then gave the door a shove. The door swung wide,
banging into the wall on the other side.
A room appeared before him with its smooth floors,
walls, and even the ceiling painted white. Amazed at the
difference between this room and the dank, dim hallway,
Paladin stepped over the threshold.
Across the room, a woman, her short dark hair slicked
against her scalp from the abundance of steam in the air,
leaned forward in a vessel filled with water. Her hand
stretched toward the opposite end, but her gaze was caught
by a strange box emitting a tune. The silver box slipped
toward the water.
Fire flared in his veins. His dragonblood roared to life. It
warned him of danger with the box. In one long leap, he
clasped its sides a moment before it touched the water. With
a swift jerk, he flung the contraption behind him.
* * * *
The radio crashed against the wall, pieces flew out,
scattering the floor with debris. Seren, at first unable to tear
her eyes from the broken pieces, glanced toward the
stranger.
He was bent over next to the tub, his body twisted at the
waist with his back hunched. A long fitted coat flared around
his middle and fell to his knees. From her side, she saw
underneath the coat, gold hued skin of a solid chest peeked
through the gap in his white shirt which opened from the
neck to mid chest. Lower, a wide black leather belt wrapped
around his slender waist, holding up dark pants which clung
to his long legs; the hems of his pants were tucked into knee-
high black boots.
Golden hair fell in strands angled toward his face and
shoulders. His light blue eyes were narrowed in his lean face.
Just past him, a brilliant light from the doorway added
brightness to the gold strands.
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Dragon Wish
She glanced at the water. Then, unable to stop, her stare
moved toward the shattered radio. What the hell had just
happened? Was she imagining this or was it part of another
vision? Her body felt numb, but her mind raced through the
events of the last few seconds. Yes, it had to be another
vision, just another weight to add to her already miserable
day. She reached out and poked the arm closest to her. He
faced her, straightening and staring down at her with a cool,
almost curious look in his eyes.
He was real. Oh, God! How had he gotten into her
apartment? The shock of having a strange man in her
bathroom added to the fact she came close to death sent
adrenalin rushing through her body. Only one other time had
she experienced such a feeling, and that was when Mandy
had died. Without thought of her nakedness, she grabbed the
tub to stand, determined to escape. A phone—she had to call
the police.
He gripped her hand. She wasn’t sure if he meant to
capture her or help her stand. A sense of security came over
her, but she wasn’t going to take the chance his intentions
were good.
“Let me go,” she demanded, pulling from his hold. He
held tighter. She gave one fierce tug. He released her. Free,
she splashed back, landing with a dull thump against the far
corner of the tub. She watched in slow motion as water flew
out and a drop landed at the corner of his eye. Pain lanced up
her left side, ending in her shoulder.
Their gazes clashed, his pupils dilated. The water droplet
slowly drifted down his check like a tear. A second later, he
wrapped his arms around her and lifted. He set her on her
feet and made sure she was steady. Water cascaded in
streams off her body and his soaked sleeves to pool on the
floor. The drop on his cheek fell free.
He touched her lips and muttered words she couldn’t
understand. She had no idea what he was doing. Whatever it
was, he’d better stop and get the hell out of her bathroom. In
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Dragon Wish
one sweep, he shrugged his coat off and wrapped it around
her. Heat raced up her neck to end in her cheeks as she
realized her nakedness was covered. How had she forgotten
she was nude? He hadn’t thrown her down or hurt her.
Maybe he didn’t plan on hurting her.
“What do you want?” Seren tried to shove him and his
coat away, but she slipped on the wet floor. Her body tilted
forward, she started to fall, but his body stopped her from
hitting the ground. Instead, she landed hard against the
width of his solid chest.
Stunned, she panted, gathering the strength to fight this
strange man. He picked her up. His voice, so deep and