3- Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World

by Love, Dianna

  Did he speak of Herrick, the red dragon, Skarde, or all of them? “Will my visions bring enemies and allies together or pit them against each other?”

  “You will have to figure this out as the visions come to you. The fate of humans will depend upon those considered enemies as well as those considered allies. Your visions will expose a threat, free a life, and cost a bond.”

  She searched her mind for any hint at what he meant.

  Nothing came to her, but visions often had to be cultivated over time.

  “Rise up, Kleio, and see the woman you are ready to become.”

  She rose to her feet, surprised by this move. They normally spoke then she drifted back to her current-day world.

  “Open your eyes, wise one,” he ordered softly.

  When she opened her eyes, she stood in a black void with a ten-foot-tall gilded mirror hanging freely in front of her. She wore a strapless black gown of silk with lace armbands, none of which she’d ever seen before.

  Her lavender eyes would not move from the image staring back. That was her face the color of dark honey and her black hair. The chains she normally wore around her neck had molded together to create a silver band across her forehead with a dark purple stone in the center. Ram horns curled off each side of her head. Her eyes darkened to almost black.

  She lifted her hands to join them in front of her chest, but her fingers wrapped the hilt of a sword as it appeared. The blade pointed down.

  Flames licked all around and sparks flew, but none harmed her. Between the sword and the mirror flamed the crest of a dragon.

  Not just any dragon family, but that of the red dragon.

  Janus whispered close to her ear. “Your vision will change your path and your path will change the course of the human world. The world will either survive what is coming or burn into eternity. Do not return to speak to me again until you have completed this journey and the future is clear.”

  Chapter 22

  Quinn stood in the dark outside the mountain hiding VIPER. This time, the entrance appeared sealed as it should be. Nothing more than a solid rock wall.

  He called to Trey, their most powerful telepathic communicator. I need to get word to Daegan. Find him and ask him to call me right away.

  Quinn didn’t have to explain to Trey he meant telepathically. Two minutes passed without hearing back. When another minute slid by, Trey said, I’ve been reaching out telepathically to Daegan over and over. No answer. I’ll reach out to Tzader and Brina to see what they know.

  Quinn had no idea how long Loki would allow him to find Daegan. Sweat trickled down his neck. While he waited on Trey to get back to him, Quinn called Clyde at his building telepathically. This is Quinn. You know Reese, who arrived earlier at the building.

  Yes, Maistir. She showed up a bit later than I had been informed, but she arrived safe and sound.

  Quinn had never had a driver fail to follow through with an order. Why was she late?

  Told our guy she had to take a shower and change clothes.

  Quinn wouldn’t fault her for a quick stop at her apartment. He should have thought of it himself, but he hadn’t expected to be at VIPER past nine. I have a message for you to give Reese immediately.

  Uh, Maistir, she’s not here. She disappeared at one minute after nine o’clock.

  Panic pushed Quinn’s heart rate into overdrive. Send out a team to find her. Tell them not to harm her under any circumstances, but to tell her I asked my people to bring her back to the building.

  Clyde’s words came slowly. She did not walk out of the building, Maistir. She literally disappeared right in front of me. I was calling to you just as you came into my mind.

  Quinn’s heart slammed his chest. He struggled to figure out what the hell had happened.

  Then it hit him. She’d vanished once before, but she’d needed help to teleport. Powerful majik help. He asked, Was Reese wearing any kind of necklace when she showed up?

  Yes, sir. Nothing fancy. Just a medallion on a leather string around her neck.

  That bloody medallion.

  Chapter 23

  Daegan held his breath as he pulled the scepter to him.

  No sounds of alarm.

  Breathing out slowly, he turned and crossed the rug again, keeping his steps quiet.

  He hurried down the hallway to the library where he found Casidhe halfway up a ladder. She held a bronze box in her hand, staring at it with a strange look on her face.

  What was she doing with a box? He rushed over to the bottom of the ladder. “What do you have, lass?”

  Her voice shook. “I think this is one of the volumes.”

  “’Tis not a book.”

  “I ... I know. I’ll explain later but ... ” She squeezed her eyes. “Hurts.”

  Hell. He lunged up and wrenched the box from her hands.

  She stared at the red skin climbing her arm. “Get rid of it, Daegan. It’s evil.”

  “Come down, lass.” He could feel the same burning reaching through the skin of his hand. A similar burning to what he’d suffered from the venom.

  Was the venom calling to this volume?

  She climbed down. Grabbed her backpack and latched it on. “How can you hold that?”

  Answering would only scare her more. “Ya believe this is the volume?”

  “I read Immortuos Arca on the lid, but there’s more.”

  “You can translate it all later.” His arm throbbed. He shoved the scepter at her. “Take this.”

  Howling and guttural snarls erupted from outside the door.

  She held the staff in one hand and clamped a death grip on his arm with the other. Her voice came out strangled. “We have to say the words and get out of here.”

  “We cannot sit quietly and allow the words to work.” Heat built in his arm. He had to find a way out now. Gripping her hand, he yelled, “Stay with me!”

  He ran from the room and found two additional hallways in each direction. What the hell?

  Vicious howls and hideous sounds came from his left. Clutching her hand, he ran to the right. The lass stayed with him. He could hear her heart pounding frantically.

  Up ahead, creatures appeared, bursting through the white fog and racing toward them, human upper bodies hunched over goat legs with hooves. Strands of blue, brown, and black fur hung a foot long from their bodies. The heads were of animal bone with gold horns curled forward to sharp black points. Human-shaped eyes glowed white with deep-red irises. Bone plates ran down over the shoulders to human-like arms ending in claws for fingers. Long fangs filled the black hole when they opened their maws to howl.

  Were those the satyrs?

  Luigsech screamed.

  Daegan looked behind.

  More creatures coming.

  He rushed ahead, dragging her off her feet until she caught up to run faster.

  She yelled, “We’re heading right for them.”

  “I see them.”

  “What are you going to—”

  He lunged to the left into the next opening, cutting off her words.

  The room stretched on and on.

  His feet pounded over short orange and red grass. He slapped long feathery shapes as tall as him colored emerald, gold, and black out of the way. The feathers swept down from puffy clouds fifty feet up in place of a ceiling.

  At the far end of the space, he stared at what might be a wall of windows exposing the mountain outside.

  Could he trust what he saw?

  If so, he could barely make out moonlight filtering through clouds above a black sea.

  Could he crash through the glass surface? Or was that merely a spelled image capable of doing any number of things?

  Including kill them.

  The satyrs burst into the room behind them, hundreds of hooves stampeding.

  Daegan shouted the words Garwyli had given him. Nothing happened. Casidhe had gone stone silent, but kept her legs spinning.

  He yanked her in front of him, wrapping the arm not a
ffected by the box around her.

  Six feet from the glass, she screamed and covered her face with her only free hand.

  He leaped, turning in the air to hit the surface with his back.

  Everything slowed.

  His heart thumped.

  He held the lass tight.

  A horde of death thundered close behind, slobbering for a kill.

  Ruadh roared, ready to change.

  Daegan’s back slammed a wall. He stayed there for less than a second. Then what sounded like glass exploded out.

  The world moved fast again.

  He fell backwards, hitting trees, bouncing across limbs. Bones cracked and snapped. Busted branches ripped his skin. He flipped and bounced, then landed on the ground not far from where they’d entered the other world.

  Howls followed them.

  The satyr herd left the hidden world?

  Daegan snatched up Casidhe and raced to the hidden location where they’d hidden in the trees. He shoved her in deep. “Stay here. I’ll come back for ya.”

  She dropped the scepter and lunged to grab his hand not holding the box. “No, don’t go. I’ll go with you.”

  His heart broke at the terror in her voice. Terror for him? Yet, she fought that fear, willing to be with him to face monsters. “Ya have to stay, lass. They did not come for us until I touched the box. I shall lead them away and come back for ya.” He cupped her head and kissed her hard, a feel and taste he would never forget, then forced himself to back out. “Stay there. Please.”

  Turning, Daegan rushed out of the black hole and did his best to run downhill at an angle, weaving through the woods on painful legs. When he reached a high point, he spotted the stream of glowing satyrs pouring into this world from an invisible hole.

  He roared to catch their attention and waited. He had to be sure Casidhe would be safe.

  The horde turned as one with him as their only target.

  Daegan streaked downhill, dodging trees and leaping over rocks. He angled away from the cove with homes. That herd might only follow him and the grimoire volume, but he would not risk an innocent stepping in the way.

  Clinging to the damn box trying to destroy his arm, he reached open woods and limped-ran toward the sea.

  Let him make it far enough to keep them away from Casidhe.

  Ruadh rumbled an unholy noise, banging to get out.

  Twilight deepened over the land, but a dragon could be seen. Daegan decided to release Ruadh and have more power to fight the satyr.

  His dragon strained and roared, but remained trapped inside.

  Daegan tried to teleport.

  Not happening.

  Could the grimoire box be interfering?

  His shoulder bled furiously and should have healed by now. Only old majik could do this to him.

  The sound of jets cruising the coast approached from way down out of the west.

  If this ancient grimoire held even one piece to the puzzle of closing the rift between worlds, it would be worth any bodily harm he’d suffer.

  Daegan squeezed the box in one hand.

  The lass claimed it was a grimoire volume. He believed her. Even if he could shift, he had to insure this box survived the change. But would he survive if he continued to clutch this box? Remaining in human form and unable to teleport severely limited his options.

  Wild howling joined with the crashing sounds behind him. Two lead monsters leapt through the trees, hit, and slid, coming close enough he could feel their hot breath.

  A huge splash of slimy liquid doused his back from head to toe. What had the satyrs spewed at him?

  Daegan stumbled.

  The ground shifted downward immediately. His vision blurred. His feet slid out from under him, shooting his body out of the trees, bouncing over a rocky surface.

  Grasping with one hand, he tried to slow his descent. Hitting water even from this height might seem like a good idea, but sharp boulders close to the coastline wall would not. If he crushed his body on the rocks, the satyrs would rip him apart before he could heal.

  He flipped and bounced, falling forward faster and beating his damaged body even more.

  Lights from two jets blinked in and out of his vision. More lights in different spots.

  He scrabbled bloody fingers to find a hold, then spun sideways and went over the cliff. His hand banged the rocky cliff, knocking the bronze box from his fingers.

  “Nooo!”

  Ruadh broke free, but the dragon body didn’t form quickly.

  Daegan’s eyes rolled up in his head at the mind-numbing pain of shifting so fast. He groaned as Ruadh took over, wings beating. His dragon struggled to catch air.

  The grimoire volume! Daegan shouted at Ruadh.

  His dragon said nothing.

  Turn back and look for the box, Daegan yelled again telepathically.

  Box killing us, Ruadh argued, the words slurred.

  Daegan’s vision cleared. His dragon flapped relentlessly to avoid slamming into the jagged boulders below.

  His dragon had done his part to save them when their body had been trapped in the shape of a throne for two millennia. How could Daegan not allow his dragon to save them now?

  He struggled to not shout again to turn back as Ruadh banked within inches of the sheer rock wall. Ruadh lumbered close enough to the rocks below for water to splash them.

  Daegan groaned, We need that box.

  His dragon began to climb with great effort and caught an air current. They cleared the cliff’s edge right in front of jets bearing down on his dragon from both sides.

  Growling, Ruadh banked hard as the first bright light from a jet swiped across his massive red body. But Daegan could feel the strain Ruadh suffered from loss of power and broken bones, plus whatever that satyr had coated over him had started drying. Ruadh’s scales would not move and shift with his body.

  His dragon flew in a series of tight loops, changing the direction constantly. Every difficult move drained their power.

  Those jets flew just as tight formations, but at times flew too fast and overshot Ruadh’s route.

  That they had not fired yet could only be attributed to curiosity. Once that waned, Ruadh would be attacked.

  Land, Ruadh. They will kill ya. Maybe not me in human form.

  His dragon roared a sound not heard in modern day. A sound of fury and frustration. Ruadh had never flown away from a battle.

  Please, Ruadh, Daegan asked softly. I cannot bear for ya to be attacked by these weapons.

  His dragon arced around hard and flew straight up with jets on his tail.

  Then Ruadh folded his wings and dove like a spear shooting down from the heavens. Just before the cliffs, his dragon wings fanned open. Ruadh landed in the pitch dark with a heavy thump, stepping fast until he could stop.

  Heaving from the strain, Ruadh gave Daegan control again and shifted.

  As Daegan struggled to hold his broken and wounded body upright, he blinked away stars spiraling through his gaze. Dizziness threatened to drop him to his knees.

  Coming from out at sea, the sound of a powerful helicopter now headed for him. He’d seen those before in Atlanta.

  Swallowing hard, Daegan moistened his lips to talk. “You did well, Ruadh.”

  Ruadh spoke in his head. We did not escape.

  “We will,” he assured his dragon. Daegan called clothes to his body. Jeans covered his legs. No boots. No shirt. Bloody tears slashed his arms and chest. Skin on his legs felt just as flayed open and bruised.

  The noise of multiple human aircraft closed in on him.

  Then he realized ... no satyrs. Where had they gone?

  Overhead, the loud helicopter approached slowly until it hovered. Wind lashed rocks and sand across his body.

  Black human silhouettes began dropping on lines, each one carrying a large weapon.

  Daegan had done all he could. Time to ask for help and teleport out of here. He called out telepathically, This is Daegan. Tristan?

  Men in
armor dropped to the ground and swung their fierce weapons at him.

  Tzader! Brina! Trey!

  Silence.

  Dear Readers:

  Thank you for reading my new series. I’ve mentioned before this is one big story in nine books, which are also released in three hardback volumes of three books in each. There are cliffhangers along the way (as in any good story), but I started this almost two years before the first book released so that you would not have to wait a year between releases. I appreciate your support and look forward to continuing this journey with you.

  Dianna

  MORE BOOKS:

  Thank you for reading my books. If you enjoyed this story, please help other readers find this book by posting a review.

  For SIGNED PRINT copies of Dianna’s books visit www.DiannaLoveSignedBooks.com where you can also preorder new books.

  To be notified of all future releases, please join Dianna’s newsletter at https://authordiannalove.com/connect

  The 9-book series of Treoir Dragon Chronicles in ebook and audiobooks

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Book 1

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Book 2

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Book 3

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Book 4

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Book 5

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Book 6

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Book 7

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Book 8

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Book 9

  The hardback print versions of Treoir Dragon Chronicles

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Volume I, Books 1-3

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Volume II, Books 4-6

  Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Volume III, Books 7-9

  *Note: Hardbacks can be ordered/preordered signed and personalized from www.DiannaLoveSignedBooks.com

  Reviews on Belador books:

  "...non-stop tense action, filled with twists, betrayals, danger, and a beautiful sensual romance. As always with Dianna Love, I was on the edge of my seat, unable to pull myself away."