by Judith Leger
“From what Largin has told me, he is acting in a fashion
unsuitable for the throne.” Paladin lifted his gaze to meet
hers. “He would see you dead before our child is born. I will
have to stop him. Not a task I look forward to.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve caused you so many problems.” Her heart
ached for him.
Voices came from the trail behind them. Several villagers
appeared on the path through the trees. Many of them called
out to Paladin. He took her hand and led her to the people.
Seren smiled, concealing her confusion over the increased
attraction for him in her heart.
* * * *
The sun moved across the sky. Looking at the angle of the
bright circle, she assumed midday had passed. An array of
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meats cooked over a fire pit, strange fruits and vegetables,
some cooked, others left raw, sent her taste buds into
ecstasy. Overstuffed from eating too much, suffering from
the drowsy aftereffects, she leaned against the trunk of a
tree, listening to the insects buzzing in the meadow. Birds
cooed and chirped in the leaves above. Dappled shade
covered the ground around her. Lids half-lowered with
lassitude, she silently admired the golden haired man
stretched out on the grass not far from her. He’d pillowed his
head with a bent arm. Dark lashes hid his eyes so she
couldn’t tell if he slept or just rested. She’d considered
crawling to his side, but with her full stomach and sleep
tugging at her to close her eyes, she’d decided to remain
against the tree, satisfying her desire for him through her
unwavering stare.
A few feet away, Felerian children sat in a circle and sang
clan songs, clapping their hands. Their youthful voices
brought a smile to her lips. She wanted to remember this day
long after she returned to Earth, every second here in this
place, keeping it locked deep within her heart. Never had she
experienced such peace.
One moment, she basked in paradise, the next, Paladin
leapt to his feet with his swords drawn and held ready before
him. Her energy returned with a blood rush to her head.
He faced the meadow with his head back, his eyes on the
sky. Flapping wings brought her focus to where he looked.
From the sound, huge wings. Her vision of Paladin, the
dragons attacking him, flashed through her mind. Fear rose
inside her.
Two gigantic dragons glided over the rim of the bluff
overlooking the water. They coasted for several yards. Blue-
green scales glinted in the sunlight. They extended their back
legs, both heavy with muscles, and landed several yards
away. The ground shook. The leaves bounced in the nearby
trees. Birds took flight, squawking in fear.
Paladin stood like a physical barrier between Seren and
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them. He lifted his right hand, the sword glinting in the light.
“Be gone, Biaotoc. Be gone from here.”
Both dragons lowered their massive bodies to rest on
their shorter arms. Long necks, the scales rippling with their
movement, stretched to the side, their lime green eyes, the
pupils slit, focused on her. An inner lens opened and closed
then stopped.
Low mewls came from their gaped mouths. Those low
grunts, growls, and mewls transformed into words. She
glanced around to see if anyone else heard, but most of the
Felerians, their bodies tense, faces lined with unease,
watched from behind the trees edging the meadow. They
seemed unaware of the dragons speaking.
“We have come to see the truth.”
The words, slow and elongated, slid into her thoughts.
Paladin answered. Her attention caught on him. He
understood what they’d said too. “What truth, Biaotoc?”
The second dragon, smaller than the other, leaned toward
the left, its words softer, more feminine in tones. “Our king.”
Biaotoc, the male with its much larger body, stretched its
head nearer, its nostril flared with its inhalation. “We have
heard the King has been created.”
“It is no concern of yours.”
A gust of sea-scented air shot toward Paladin as Biaotoc
reared back. “Human.” He twisted his head to the other
dragon. “A human carries the dragon king.”
Icy shards of fear lashed at Seren’s insides, freezing her
limbs. Someone touched her arm. She tore her gaze away
from Paladin to where long, ebony fingers curled over her
upper arm. She looked up, meeting Leo’s eyes. He squatted
next to her. “It’s okay. They shouldn’t attack.”
“Oh, that’s great,” she mumbled. His reassurance did
little to relieve her.
In the seconds it took Seren to look back at the huge
creatures, the other dragon slipped her head forward. “I can
smell him. Oh...he sleeps in his human mother.”
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“You will not call to him,” Paladin ordered, taking a step
toward them.
A white blur passed in front of the female’s face. It landed
with a dull thump in the grass before the beasts. Standing on
its lanky hind legs, the lone white drac spread its wings. The
miniature dragon cawed and flapped its wings at the two
larger ones.
Biaotoc’s nostrils widened, his eyes narrowed as he stared
down his snout at the drac. “You dare order me—leader of
the sea dragons.”
The drac flapped harder. Frightened for the small beast,
Seren jolted upright. The little reptile shooed the larger
dragons away. She raised a hand and the words spilled out
before she thought, “Please...don’t hurt it.”
The male dragon focused on her for a moment then
looked at the drac. “You have been magic-kissed bold one for
your actions this day. We will leave you in peace.”
He nudged the female’s neck with his nose. “Come,
Faelee.”
Paladin remained with his back to Seren, swords ready.
The dragons rose, their wings stirring the grass along with
the flowers. A moment later, they took flight.
The drac hopped in place a few times then wobbled to
Seren. It flopped down onto the ground next to her, lying on
its back. Rear legs stretched out, the front ones hung over its
chest, leaving the smooth white belly unprotected.
Without giving any thought to the matter, Seren touched
the drac’s stomach. She marveled at the soft texture of the
scales. “He’s so pretty.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Paladin grunted. “He is a she.
Do not grow attached, they do not survive long. Few live to
be dragons.”
Surprised at his uncaring comment, Seren glared at him.
“I don’t know. She has a ton of courage. She’ll live. Maybe
even become the great white dragon.”
The tension faded from his stance. He turned to her and
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slid his swords into their scabbards before he responded.
; “Perhaps. Her actions reveal strength.”
Seren scratched at the corner of the young female
dragon’s jaw. Low, deep moans rolled from the drac’s throat
and one back leg bounced. Laughing, Seren passed a hand
over the downy neck to pat her narrow chest.
Paladin squatted next to her, bringing her attention to
him. “We must depart. Come, the storms will return before
long.”
Disappointed, Seren nodded and stood, brushing the
pieces of debris from her rear. The little drac rolled over and
came to her feet, tilting her head toward Seren. With a laugh,
Seren motioned with her head, speaking to the drac. “Come
on, you can ride home with us.”
They told the villagers goodbye and promised to return
soon. Seren turned to walk down the path to the village.
She’d miss this place and its peacefulness.
The pat-pat of the drac’s feet came from behind her.
Surprised the little beast had listened when she’d told her to
come, she glanced at the drac. Her lips stretched over
pointed teeth in what might be called a smile. Seren giggled.
Turning to Paladin, she asked. “Can we keep her?”
He looked at the drac, shaking his head with a grin.
“Dracs do not belong to anyone. They are free to come and go
how they please. From the look of her though, it appears she
might stay for a while. There must be a purpose for her
appearance here. I for one do not want to anger fate by
driving her away.”
Seren took his arm with a grin. He cocked a brow in
question. She touched her cheek against his shoulder and
murmured, “Thanks.”
They hurried to the village, where they mounted their
well tended dragoons. Seren turned in the saddle for one last
look at the peaceful valley. She wanted to remember this
wonderful day. The drac, sitting on her dragoon’s rump
mewled at her. She patted the soft white head, faced forward,
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and nudged her mount behind Paladin’s.
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Chapter Twelve
On the morning of the third day during their visit with
Largin, the drac flew away. The white wings spread out
against the blue sky as the drac caught an air draft. The
winds carried the small creature out of sight. Seren looked
on, trying to catch even a glimpse of the drac. The strange
beast had captured Seren’s heart and with its departure,
sadness came over her, making the day less bright and
cheery. A short time later, Paladin informed her that they
were to leave the next morning. The winds had increased,
and he needed to continue their journey. Concern with where
their trip ended sent worry streaming through her mind, but
she was eager to see and learn more about Avaris. Leo
decided to travel with them. Early the next morning, they
said their goodbyes to Largin and departed. Several hours
later, far from Bae, she listened to Paladin inform Leo of
their destination.
Hands on his hips, Leo stood on the ship’s bow, a frown
marking deep lines in his forehead. “Did your momma drop
you on your head when you were born?”
Seren, standing at the rail listening, bit down on her
bottom lip to keep from laughing out loud. Leo continued,
his expression incredulous. “You have to be crazy if you think
you can just sail into Velhaven and stay in one piece. They’ll
shoot you down with all those magical fireballs you people
use.”
The wind gusted over the deck. Blond strands fluttered
away from Paladin’s face. He stood at the rail, looking at the
horizon with his arms crossed over his chest and his feet
braced apart. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Damn it, this isn’t funny.” The anger and fear in Leo’s
tone caused Seren’s back to stiffen.
No longer amused, Seren chewed on her bottom lip while
she watched the two men.
Paladin shook his head. “I am not laughing.”
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“But you find humor in it?”
With a slow and steady motion, Paladin faced Leo and
placed a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “No, but I can do
nothing else. My duty to my wife requires I return her body
to her family. I cannot pass this duty to someone else.”
Tucking his chin, Leo shook his head, his lips forming a
tight line. “If you have to, fine, but drop Seren in a neutral
port. You don’t want her hurt ’cause you want to act noble.”
“I had already decided to do so. We go to Durfalin first. If
you will, stay and watch over her until my return,” Paladin
said. He lowered his hand and met Leo’s eyes. “She will be
closer to me there than if I had left her with Master Largin.”
She had to stop from opening her mouth to argue with
him. When had he decided this and without talking it over
with her? Her heart beat faster. What was she suppose to do
with him gone? Clenching her fist, she glared at him. Why
hadn’t he said something? She wasn’t sure she wanted him to
leave her. Her entire life revolved around him. This
realization stopped her. When had he become so important
to her? A smile pulled at her lips. From the moment he
brought her to this world, that’s when. She ignored the
prickling of aggravation brought on by his neglecting to tell
her and focused on their conversation again.
Leo agreed with Paladin. The conversation drifted to the
running of the ship. Seren only half-listened. Her thoughts
were on what would happen during her time away from
Paladin. Even though it probably wouldn’t be for long, the
implied separation frightened her. She wasn’t secure enough
in this strange new place, yet at the same time, she
understood the reasoning behind his decision.
The wind passed over her face, cooling her. She closed
her eyes and drew in a deep breath, savoring the fresh sea
breeze. The heaviness she experienced upon her arrival on
Avaris seemed less. She found that if she lifted her hand, she
didn’t have to struggle to do so.
Sails clapped in the windy gusts. Dracs that mingled with
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a flock of birds passing nearby cawed. She glanced over the
rail at the white tipped water below. Bluish-silver wings
flashed in the sunlight as the birds dove into the sea for a
minute or so. They erupted from the water in little geysers
with small glistening fish wiggling in their beaks.
She turned and leaned back against the railing, her head
tilted to see the sky. Clouds floated by while the sun kissed
her face. The peace she experienced in that moment relaxed
her. Deep in her heart, did she want to return to her old life?
There wasn’t anything tempting her to go home except for
Mandy’s grave. Paladin stood a few feet away, and she
watched him unobtrusively.
After several minutes, Calis appeared. He challenged Leo
to a board game. When they moved to another spot on the
deck, Paladin’s gaze met hers. She refused to lower hers first.
Her reaction to the way he looked always struck her the
same. She had difficulty catching her breath even as her
pulse danced through her veins.
He walked to her side, the corner of his mouth lifted in a
teasing fashion. “You look fetching today.”
She raised her brows. “Fetching?”
His smile widened. He leaned closer to whisper.
“Beautiful.”
Speechless, she studied him. Sincerity echoed in his
words and the open, honest look he leveled at her.
“I’m not sure I believe you.” She waved a hand in front of
her body, indicating her worn boy’s clothes. “This doesn’t
flatter me.”
“It’s not the clothes I see, but the woman in them.”
“Why do I have the feeling you’re trying to seduce me?”
“Because I am.”
He held her stare. For a brief moment, she suspected
there was more to his teasing remark than he wanted her to
know. Seren grinned, glancing away. “Won’t work. I won’t
give in. I want to discover all your secrets.”
“What secrets? I have none.”
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“We all have some in one way or another. I want to know
what makes you tick. What makes you the man you are?” She
spun on her heel and placed her forearms on the rail.
Fighting the smile tugging at her lips, she stared out across
the sky and sea. “Why didn’t you fight for the throne?”
He placed a hand next to her arm, his fingers a mere inch
away. A pang of desire danced across her stomach. The heat
of his body radiated to her. She wanted to fall into his arms
and devour him with her mouth. Instead, she waited for his
answer.
“I believed to do so was a better decision than for me to
rule. My younger brother was the better choice.”
“Why?”
“Why not? He was taught to rule our country.”
“So that makes him a better king?”
“You twist my words.”
“Tell me, what do you mean? You believed at the time you
made the right decision. You just said so—but the other day,
you told me you had to stop him. What will it do to your
relationship with each other? Destroy your kinship?”
He looked at the sky. An expression of doubt crossed his
face for the space of a second, just long enough for Seren to
see.
