Dragon Wish

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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  Dragon Wish

  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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  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