by Judith Leger
“Not so fast. There’s too many people here for your
speed,” he warned the boy. The youngster nodded, his
attention on Paladin’s face
The innocence in the child’s eyes sparked the sorrow of
his loss. A son to hold, to teach…to love. But now, Paladin
had nothing except the black box which was sealed with
magic and encased the remains of his wife and child. Even
the child resting within Seren held little promise it would
survive until birth.
The squirming boy slipped from his numb fingers.
Paladin turned his face away lest Seren see the raw pain he
experienced. The boy ran, dodged through the crowd and
disappeared. Desire reared. It brushed against the searing
pain of his loss. Need for a son from his body to race ahead of
him, laughing and full of life was something he’d given up
hope of ever gaining.
Seren placed a hand in the middle of his back, catching
his attention. He didn’t turn, just started walking forward,
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glad for the interruption.
Her voice, filled with curiosity, reached him above the
rapid tap-tap of her clogs. “Why is everyone staring at you?
Are you so different? Do they know who you are? Or are you
an oddity here?”
Shaking off his melancholy, he welcomed her
inquisitiveness. He assumed she meant the way he was
formed and his features. “They stare because of my heritage.
The white dragon clan is well known, but few have the
opportunity to see one of my blood. My clan members do not
travel across Avaris much. They prefer to trade closer to our
homeland.”
“So you’re like a famous person?”
He stopped and shook his head. “By famous, do you
mean high status of birth or placing?”
“Popularity.”
“Ah.” Of course, the world she came from judged each
other in such a fashion. Was this why she never spoke of a
special person waiting for her on Earth? Did her kinsmen
view her unsuitable because she refused to have another
child? If so, then her yearning to return to a world which
didn’t accept what she desired seemed odd to him. Few, even
on Avaris, possessed the strength to stand against what
society viewed to be right. Only the strong ones refused to
allow the world’s dictates to rule them.
“Hurry, Seren. Time is slipping by. My crew awaits us.”
He steeled his features and faced her, his hand extended
before him to guide the way.
His steps lengthened, but his speed did not. The tap-
tapity from her clogs told him she stayed with him. Paladin’s
hearing was keyed to the sound so when it stopped, he
glanced over his shoulder. He suppressed the need to laugh
out loud.
The look on her face seemed a cross between surprise and
shock. Turning to the direction in which she stared, he saw
what had stopped her. A group of Felerians, all females,
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washed and rinsed their brightly-colored clothing at a
freshwater stone drain. Singing one of their native songs
while they worked, the group failed to notice they’d captured
Seren’s attention. He tried to see them in the same manner
she did.
Unable to comprehend why she found them so odd, he
moved closer. He leaned down to study her. “Do you not
have females like these in your world?”
“They’re cats. Animals. But they’re shaped like humans.”
Stormy gray eyes, glazed with amazement, rose to meet his.
“I don’t understand?”
“Then do not. Simply accept, because you will never fully
understand the why,” he remarked. “The Felerians have
existed for thousands of years. They are a gentle, but
mischievous clan.”
Her eyes widened. “Clan?”
“Of course,” he said, taking her by the arm and leading
her away. “There are a few males aboard my ship. Perhaps if
you speak to them you will become more accustomed.”
When she raised her hand to brush across her forehead,
he noticed it tremble. She spoke low, “I don’t know if I can
ever become accustomed. It’s a little overwhelming. I don’t
feel good.”
“In time, your distress will end. Look.” He pointed toward
the dock. “Just ahead. There’s my ship.”
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Chapter Four
Seren’s knees started to buckle. She locked them,
struggling to remain standing. Paladin stood with his feet
apart, pride evident on his face. How did he stand there so
calm while her entire world threatened to splinter into a
thousand pieces?
Sails clapped in the wind, catching her attention. She
swung her gaze from the tall man next to her to where he
looked.
His ship rose four stories from the bottom to the top of
the center mast. Six sleek propellers extended on poles,
rising above the sails and out from the sides of the ship, two
upright from the deck along with two horizontal on either
side. The beautiful natural tones and textures of the wood
flowed beneath a coating of glossy sealant. Crisp white sails
flapped in the brisk breeze coming from the seas beyond the
cliffs. On the front of the ship, a carved figure of a white
dragon perched, its wings open, its nose pointed to guide the
way. The beauty amazed her, but her admiration
disappeared when she noticed the vessel floated not on the
water, but in the air next to the dock.
He turned to her, but she ignored him. Still in a state of
shock from all the strange people and creatures moving
around her, she stood frozen, staring with her mouth open. A
lean finger pressed up on her chin.
Light glinted in his eyes. His excitement became evident
with his wide smile and the eager sound in his voice when he
asked, “Do you like it?”
A few quick nods turned into a few adamant shakes of her
head. “It looks like a clipper ship from my world. Only there,
they float on water and there aren’t any propellers.”
He chuckled. “This one can ride on both air and water,
the same as the white dragon.”
The strange heaviness she experienced the night before
had never disappeared. With everything happening so fast,
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she’d managed to ignore how weighed down and slow she
seemed to have become. No longer physically able to move,
she looked at him and said, “I think I’m going to be sick.”
At her whispered comment, he leaned closer, his head
cocked while he listened. One hand slipped around her waist,
bringing her body against his. He moved nearer to the
gangplank. “Easy now. I’ll take you aboard so you may rest.”
She tried to pull away, the soles of her clogs skidding over
the stones. One step and she would physically collapse.
Everything she knew to be true was gone and her perception
of the world around he
r threatened to overwhelm her. Seren
feared that momentarily she would crumple into a sobbing
heap on the cobblestones. Yes, she would, without a doubt.
The sudden weakness in her legs verified it. The muscles in
her thighs trembled. She shook her head, “No.”
Paladin stopped to study her for a second, and then
asked. “What do you fear?”
“I don’t know where I am or even who I am anymore. Am
I insane and this is the result?” Her eyes sought his, anxious
to know the truth.
He shook his head. “I fear I have no answers to give you
peace in this matter.”
There, in his blue eyes, lay the truth to his words. Still,
could she trust him? He was the dragon, the one who had
haunted her every minute before he’d arrived and rescued
her. Her knees, no longer able to hold her up, gave out. His
strong arm, encircling her waist, tightened. He turned her
toward the long, wide gangplank. Her feet missed the boards
several times, but his strength helped hold her up. Once on
deck, he released her.
The world spun. Lightheaded, she tried to remain
focused, but doing so became more difficult. The sailors’
shouts along with ropes pulled through pulleys, even
Paladin’s deep voice speaking to the man she’d met at the inn
came to her like it was through a tube, distant and hollow.
Everything that had happened was too much for her to
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handle in such a small amount of time. She sagged and he
grabbed her arm. With his touch, a stream of vibrating
electricity raced up her arm to the nerve endings in her body.
More aware, she looked up at him in surprise. The
moment of weakness passed. What had he done? She found
no answer in his worried stare.
“Come, you’re pale. You should rest a while,” he
murmured, and then swung her up into his arms. She should
have struggled, but the effort didn’t seem worth it. She
buried her face in his neck, taking a deep breath. Spicy rich
flavor saturated her senses.
“How are you?” he spoke low against her temple.
She couldn’t answer. Her mind swirled with awareness of
him. He remained silent until he turned sideways to enter a
door to go below. “A short rest will help.”
Heat from where his body pressed against hers, his
vibrant life force spoke, reminding her of their night. She
decided to stay quiet, afraid she might say something she
would later regret.
This man had rescued her. She had given her body to him
the night before without a thought. Now, she found that she
wanted him once more. Why? What quality did he possess
which attracted her so much?
Down a set of narrow stairs, he moved across a dimly lit
hallway to a door on the right. He twisted the knob and
entered a large cabin. The bed, built into a wall on one side of
the room, captured her attention. A white quilt embroidered
with a blood red emblem in the center was spread over the
bed. The crimson in the pattern brought forth a tide of
revulsion in her.
Similar to a coat of arms, the shield of the decoration
carried an unfamiliar design in the middle. The red in the
pattern washed over her. Blood scent whirled through her
head, sending sharp crisp memories of Mandy’s death
rushing to the front of her mind. Thick, sickening blood had
slipped through her fingers. And she was useless, unable to
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capture it and draw back into her tiny daughter. Her
stomach turned, temples pounding a steady tempo.
“Put me down,” she cried, struggling in his arms. She
flipped over, landing on her hands and knees. The rough
wood grain on the floor dug into her skin. Bile filled her
throat and spilled from her. Retching, she continued to gag
until her stomach ached worse than her knees. Her head, but
most of all, her heart turned numb. A cool cloth passed over
the back of her neck to her face.
He cleaned her up, calmly reassuring her with gentle
words. Embarrassed, Seren heard the soothing tones, but
they came from a distance, making it difficult for her to
concentrate enough to understand the phrases. Her knees
and palms ached from the fall. Exhaustion overrode all her
senses. She slumped to one side, allowing darkness to take
her away.
* * * *
Paladin lifted her against his chest. He walked to the bed.
For several seconds, he stared at the sleep cover his deceased
wife had made just before her death. He changed directions.
He went instead to the window seat at the rear of the room.
With gentle care, he lowered Seren onto the thick white
cushions.
Several minutes later, he had managed to remove her
clothes. He used heated water to bathe her, and then tucked
a thick, soft blanket around her. Sure she would rest easy, he
cleaned the floor. Once finished, he stripped and folded the
bed cover. One long glance at her reassured him that she
rested well. He left the cabin, carrying the cover with him.
Thoughts churned in his mind as he went to the lower
reaches of the ship. Seren’s illness worried him. Because she
was from Earth, she carried none of the innate magic most
on Avaris possessed. Could this be what caused her sudden
illness or had his child’s blood already started poisoning her?
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Dragon Wish
After walking through the maze of cargo, he’d gone half
the length of the ship when he reached the depths of the
ship. He approached the coffin which was sealed with magic.
The lid was encrusted with the runes of both the Black and
the White Dragon clans. He clenched his teeth and flung the
spread over the casket containing his wife and child’s bodies.
A tug here and there straightened the cloth so the emblem
centered on the elongated box. He rested his hand on the top
for a second, seeking comfort, but then he shook his head
and turned away. He would never find answers with the
dead.
He’d sensed his new dragonseed’s spark of anxiety over
the spread. Had his tiny son recognized and then rejected his
clan’s emblem designed in the offensive crimson? If so, this
would explain Seren’s reaction.
For a moment, a streak of unease riffled through Paladin.
He stumbled on the stairs leading to the upper level of the
ship. His hands slapped the wall on either side of the stairs.
He stopped to regain his balance. If the unborn infant was
able to sense the insult to their clan, then his strength
outmatched Paladin’s. The babe would be considered a
threat to his uncle, Rylen, the new king of the White Dragon
clan. With no heir of his own, Rylen would fear a child of
Paladin’s, especially one with such strong magical ability.
Paladin took the stairs leading to the upper level two at a
time. He pushed all the worrisome thoughts from his mind.
&
nbsp; Seren needed him. If their child had not caused her to be
sickened by the crimson emblem then her body might be
trying to end the pregnancy. Should that be the case, he
needed to stay with her. He would not have another life lost
because of his carelessness.
* * * *
Seren felt the sun’s heat on her face. She smiled, enjoying
the warmth. For a second, she imagined she heard Mandy’s
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soft voice calling her.
She cracked her eyelids open and glanced out a clear
window pane. Blue skies dotted with cotton clouds filled her
vision. Something fluttered in her abdomen. She covered the
spot with her palm. There, she felt it again. Comfort touched
her mind. She concentrated on the spot, soaking up the
emotions coming to her.
Birds appeared on the outer edges of her vision. She
shifted her gaze. She watched the wings moving, brilliant
white down and bluish gray up. Their feathers along with
their shapes reminded her of the herons she often saw in the
bayous and marshes around New Orleans. She smiled. The
reminder brought wonderful memories of growing up in the
Crescent City.
Every summer her parents would take her to beach on
Pontchartrain Lake. Water, sand, and sun had covered her
from head to toe. She’d loved the summer months with
picnics in the park. They’d feed the pigeons in Jackson
Square. Then when she’d grown and had her child, she’d
done the same for her. She smiled at the memories.
Soft footsteps approached her from behind. The touch of
a warm palm on her neck soothed her. A second later, the
cushion dipped from the person sitting.
Paladin’s deep voice warmed her more than the sunlight.
“You’re awake. You must be much better if you can smile.”
“What kind of birds are those? They look similar to ones
on Earth,” she asked, not ready to face him.
Silence answered her for several moments.
When he leaned above her, he cast a shadow over her
shoulder and chest. “They are not birds. Those are dracs,
fledgling dragons. They are from my clan’s namesake.”
Surprised, she shifted closer to the window, studying the
flying beasts. Small, with slender bodies, the creatures
showed little to no resemblance to the beast from her vision.
“Those are the dragons?”
She glanced at him. What she saw melted away her
