by Mary Auclair
Dalgo nodded, then Aldric’s eyes strayed to the upper floor. There was a staircase leading to the second floor, most probably to a set of private apartments such as bedrooms and perhaps the father’s office. This was also where the air of quiet happiness ceased.
Blood. Everywhere on the stairs, the walls, blood drew a macabre depiction of the occupants’ fate.
With a deep breath, Aldric led the way to the second floor.
Aldric stood outside by Dalgo’s side. Both men were lost in silence. They hadn’t spoken since climbing the stairs of the first house. Such a level of loss was beyond words. In all, there had been sixteen deaths. The doubts Aldric had had about the Knat-Kanassis’ return were gone. No others would have done what they did. Ten children, the youngest a babe of merely a few weeks old, their throats cut and the symbol of evil drawn on their foreheads. No, not evil. A taint, an irremovable stain on the blood.
This was the work of merciless fanatics, people who would let nothing stand in their way.
Sordied sangui. Mors abomina.
‘Death to the abominations of impure blood’. The words had been written in blood on the walls of each victim’s house, above the naked piles of their bodies.
“What now?” Dalgo broke the silence, always with duty on his mind.
“We find them, and we finish them.” Aldric turned and wasn’t surprised to see his friend’s eyes shining with a murderous glint. “I’ll advise the Council, but I need to be careful. If they have returned, they could have reach in the highest of places.”
“We’ll need proof.” Dalgo nodded. “I’ll have my own men canvass the neighborhood. This Lawkeeper and his constables aren’t going to give us anything. You think they could be in on this?”
Aldric glanced at Lawkeeper Kyrn. “No. He’s incompetent and he’s scared out of his mind, but he’s not involved.”
Dalgo nodded in agreement.
This still left them with more questions than answers. Aldric turned, impatient to get back to the castle, and to Endora. He hated to leave her so soon after their mating, especially after the way they’d made love the night before.
Especially after seeing the human women and their children slaughtered. Aldric felt the push of the beast rise inside him, its primal instinct imperious and refusing to be ignored. He had to protect her above all things, and the Knat-Kanassis clearly had women like her in their sights. Aldric walked toward Rhyl, intent on taking to the sky and finding Endora as soon as possible.
“Wait!” The young constable, the one with the scar along his cheek, walked up to him, glancing nervously at Rhyl and Myral. As he approached, he dropped down to his knees, waiting to be allowed to stand.
“Get up,” Aldric said with humor. This wasn’t the time for protocol. “What do you want?”
“I found these at the Falrs’ place, after Lawkeeper Kyrn forbid us to enter the houses. I went inside anyway. I just had to know if anybody was left alive.” Rage showed on the young man’s features. It was the haunted rage of a man who would never forget the images that were carved in his mind. “One of the victims, Asly Falr, she was going to be my mate. We had set the Mating ceremony date for next Spring.” The young man met Aldric’s stare directly. “Whoever did this to her, I want them dead.”
Aldric nodded, then extended his hand. A piece of paper found its way between his fingers. With a low bow, the constable turned and walked away under the stern, resentful stare of the lawkeeper.
Aldric looked down at the small package the young constable had given him. It was an envelope, the kind the humans still used most of the time to send letters. Inside was a single picture, and Aldric flipped it over.
His heart stopped beating and his blood boiled with unbridled rage.
“That’s Endora and Shari,” Dalgo said, his voice brimming with the same wrath. “This was taken during the Mating ceremony.”
Behind them, Rhyl roared. Aldric turned to his dragon, feeling every inch of his beast answer the call of the protective instincts that linked him to Endora.
Feeling the emotions that coiled inside him like a hurricane, Rhyl growled and puffed a heavy cloud of steam.
“Double the security on Endora and Shari.” Aldric gripped Rhyl’s scales and quickly mounted his dragon. “I want a guard by her side at all times.”
Rhyl roared and bristled, impatient to fly. As they took to the sky, an image imposed itself in Aldric’s mind of Endora and Shari, lying in a pool of bright red blood, their unseeing eyes staring at the ceiling, a circle with a cross on their foreheads.
Endora walked around the rooms once more, ending at the large bed. She had paced her private rooms a hundred times. She’d had time to change, wash, and worry until her nails were raw and short from being bitten. Hours had come and gone, and her nerves were frayed to shreds. Neither Junco nor Aldric came, and she was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the confines of the three rooms that were her own.
If she at least could have a window, it would make things more bearable.
A knock on the door made her turn around, her breathing suddenly faster. Anticipation coursed through her at the idea that Aldric was coming to join her.
The door was pushed open and Walfrey appeared, his face set in grim lines. He quickly nodded to her, then made way for a young Delradon servant girl who walked in pushing a heavy cart. The smell of food filled the room and Endora’s stomach twisted with hunger. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed.
“Your dinner, Lady Endora.” The servant girl bent quickly, keeping her eyes cast down.
“Thanks,” Endora said, walking to her. “Where is Junco?” Fear instantly rushed in, and she wondered if the old servant had been caught. She wouldn’t allow Junco to be punished in her place.
“I am Irri.” A smile stretched the girl’s lips even though her eyes remained cast down. “I am taking up Junco’s duties while she visits her family in Helbon. They say her great niece had a baby.”
Of course. Junco needed an excuse to leave the castle and deliver the money to Henriette. Endora should have thought of that, but she was too frazzled to think clearly.
“Do you know when she’ll be back?” Endora relaxed and allowed herself to smile back at the girl.
“I’m afraid I don’t, Lady.” Irri briefly met her eyes. “But I can try to find out for you.”
Walfrey grunted and Irri shot him a glance, then turned around and disappeared. Endora glared at the guard, sure he was using his position to intimidate the young, impressionable girl. Not pausing to stay with her, Walfrey bent his head and turned, ready to resume his post outside her door, but she stopped him.
“Where is Lord Aldric?”
“I would not know, my Lady.” Walfrey turned to face her, his features devoid of any emotion. “The Lord does not keep me informed of his comings and goings.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” Endora said, making a face. Then she made a decision. She was done waiting. “Where do you think I should look first? The throne room, his bedroom?”
Walfrey’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open. She would have found it comical if she wasn’t so tired of waiting.
“You cannot go around the castle looking for the High Lord.” Walfrey regained his stony-faced composure, then locked his hands behind his back in a classic military stance. “You have to wait for him to call for you.”
“Fat chance.” Endora’s cheeks burned with anger and she stormed past Walfrey, out of her rooms and into the hallway. The sound of the guard’s heavy boots pushed her to keep walking, as she was pretty sure he would try to stop her and take her back. Well, she wasn’t a pet to be put in a cage, and she wasn’t going to let Aldric treat her like one. He’d paid her, but he hadn’t bought her.
Taking wild turns and walking fast, she noticed she was going deeper into the mountain. As she progressively left the more populated areas of the castle, there was less and less light, along with less and less heat. She looked around as she walked, her eyes suddenly wider, the twinge
of fear familiar in her belly.
Where was she going? She had no idea. The only thing she was sure of was that she was on the right track. The hallways were almost completely black now, and the few heating crystals that remained lit the path with growing shadows. A few more twists and turns, then there were no more heating crystals and the hallway was shrouded in darkness. A cold, bone chilling wind blew, heavy with the smell of minerals and dry, dead things. This was the heart of the mountain, and it was calling to her.
“Lady Endora!” Walfrey called from a few paces behind her. His usually controlled voice was laden with fear. “We have to go back. You cannot go into the dragon’s lair. It’s too dangerous.”
Endora stopped and turned to see his shadowy features. The man was clearly uncomfortable, and he shot wide glances toward the hallway beyond, where darkness ruled. Blinking, she realized she had been following some sort of primal pull which had pushed her feet in this direction.
The dragon’s lair. A strange shiver started at the base of her skull, traveling down the bones of her spine to her legs.
“Rhyl won’t hurt me.” Endora spoke calmly, and as she said it, she knew it to be true. “He won’t mind if I come to his lair.”
“Rhyl might not,” Walfrey said, “but I wouldn’t be so sure about Myral.”
“Who’s Myral?” The guard’s doubts insinuated themselves into Endora, and she wondered if she was making a mistake.
“She’s Rhyl’s mate.” Walfrey walked closer to Endora, his countenance more assured now that he thought he’d stopped her. “She’s as fierce a dragoness as I ever saw. You’d be smart to be careful around her.”
With the looming shape of the guard at her back, Endora felt the pull again, stronger this time. It was almost like being under a spell.
“Rhyl’s mate won’t harm me, either.” She turned her chin slightly toward Walfrey. “Come with me or don’t, but I’m going to the dragon’s lair.”
With that, she walked into the darkness, allowing it to swallow her whole.
Chapter 9
For a long time, Endora walked in total darkness, her hand traveling along the carved stone to steady her way. A few paces behind, Walfrey followed. The guard hadn’t uttered a word since her ultimatum, and she was glad he hadn’t. She wouldn’t know what to tell him. This wasn’t rational in any way. There was no reason why she, a human woman, would feel the urge to walk into the dragon’s lair. She should be afraid and turn around, but no matter how many times she told her legs to stop, they didn’t obey. She had to go, no matter what.
She was shivering constantly now, the cold of the deep cavern penetrating through her clothing, but still she couldn’t stop. She had to keep going, had to reach the dragon’s lair—and Aldric.
Finally, as she took a blind turn, the air blowing her way changed. It wasn’t any warmer, but Endora ceased her shivering. A quiet peace invaded her mind, and without being able to identify how, she knew Aldric was close.
The wind’s smell changed. From wet and mineral, it became heavy with the comforting aroma of fire, mixed with a scent she could recognize in a million: the strong cinnamon and lavender-laden smell of dragon.
“We’re here.” Her voice traveled in the blackness, and she heard Walfrey stop breathing behind her. “You shouldn’t come any closer. Rhyl won’t hurt me, but there’s no telling what he might do to you.”
Walfrey’s breathing resumed, fast and shallow. The man was obviously afraid, but after a few seconds, he replied, “No, Lady Endora. I am sworn to your protection. If I die, then so be it. The dragon’s fire is an honorable death.”
There was a strength in the man’s words that forced Endora to change her opinion of him. Yes, he was stern and gruff, but there was honor in him, even in the face of the dragon’s wrath. She had misjudged him.
Then a hot wave of air embraced her entire body and all thoughts of Walfrey deserted her mind.
Endora’s hand left the stone wall and she walked without seeing into the liquid darkness of the cave, following a blind pull that drew her farther in, in search of what her entire being craved like oxygen.
Aldric.
A few steps later, she stopped. The floor wasn’t stone anymore, but covered with some kind of soft, stringy material.
Straw.
She had walked on enough straw to know how it felt. This was the entry to the dragon’s lair.
“Endora?” A familiar, velvet smooth voice came through the darkness like a caress. “What are you doing here?”
“I was tired of being alone.” The words escaped her lips before she had time to think, but even then, she would have said the same. The truth was simply too compelling. “I needed to find you.”
“Sergeant Walfrey.” Aldric’s voice wasn’t soft and warm anymore. It had the edge of a blade of ice. “Why is my mate wandering the castle hallways?”
Endora could feel the waves of fear emanating from the guard. “Walfrey kept me safe. I didn’t give him a choice,” she answered quickly. “He refused when I told him to leave.”
“Leaving you alone is out of the question,” Aldric snarled in the dark. “Leave us now, Walfrey. I’ll take care of my mate, and deal with you later.”
The sound of boots on the ground traveled to her ears for a while, fast and sharp. Walfrey wasn’t just leaving, he was running away.
As soon as silence enveloped the cave again, Endora’s entire attention returned to the invisible man standing with her in the darkness. She knew he could see her, and that made her skin prickle with the knowledge that he was watching her.
She could almost feel his pale dragon eyes on her, watching her throat, her mouth. His presence, even in total darkness, was like a balm on a burn. She understood that she had been missing him, was nearly sick with his absence. This was bad—unacceptable, even—but she was powerless against it. She needed him.
“Are we alone?” she asked. “I’m not hearing Rhyl.”
Aldric didn’t answer, but two strong hands closed on her shoulders and she was pulled against the warmth of a hard chest. As soon as his body touched hers, a wave of relaxation overcame her and she leaned in to his embrace. His male scent filled her nostrils and her lips burned with the desire to kiss him.
“How did you find the dragon’s lair?” His hands, so hot and strong, slid from her shoulders to rest on her stomach. “You shouldn’t be wandering the castle by yourself.”
A kiss landed on the curve of her neck, at the junction of her shoulders and her throat. A fire started in Endora’s belly, low and deep, spreading desire for more of his body on her; inside her.
“Why?” She grabbed Aldric’s hands as they traveled dangerously low to the front of her hips. There was too much she needed to know to let lust blind her. “What is it that you’re not telling me?”
Aldric’s hands pushed irresistibly past her resistance, and she gasped when his hand cupped her mound. At her back, his breathing was faster, shallower. “Don’t worry yourself.” His voice was hoarse with lust, and it only set her own desires ablaze more. “I am going to keep you safe. No threat will ever so much as brush your path. Just trust in me.”
His words brushed aside some of her desire and Endora squirmed to get free of him. Reluctantly, Aldric softened his grip.
“Can’t you turn a light on?” She was trying her best, but she couldn’t even distinguish a trace of Aldric’s features, though she knew they were but a few inches from her. “I can’t see a thing.”
His body deserted hers and she was left regretting her demand, then a faint orange light illuminated the room. Endora breathed in deeply, entranced by what she saw.
The dragon’s lair was almost as tall and wide as the throne room, a hundred feet long and a hundred feet tall. A room of dizzying proportions, but that wasn’t what made it the most beautiful place she had ever seen.
“It’s amazing,” she managed to say. “It looks like the entire room is made of liquid, black diamonds.”
“You are quite ri
ght,” Aldric said, chuckling. “That’s the best description for it that I’ve heard to date. The lair is not carved by men, neither human nor Delradon. It’s carved by dragon fire. It melted the rocks all around, creating what you see. To this day, it’s still hot to the touch, even when the dragons are out hunting.”
Endora’s eyes widened at the revelation. Dragons could cast a fire hot enough to melt rock. So much power, so much control. It made her dizzy just thinking about the potential destruction such beings could unleash on the world.
Instead of feeding her lust, that thought cooled it.
“It’s no wonder, then, that the Draekons conquered Earth so fast.” She didn’t turn, but she could feel his presence like a magnet at her back. “Your kind burned mine into charred remains.”
“Earth was dying.” Aldric’s voice again, like velvet on her skin. “My kind rescued it for both our people.”
His breath caressed the sensitive skin of her nape, so hot it could easily melt her entire being away. Her last remnants of control slipped through the cracks of her mounting lust. She had to fight for her brain to be able to formulate her thoughts.
“Why is there a guard on my door?” She turned her head just enough to see the outline of his face, doing her best to ignore her impulse to melt into his body, to beg him to touch her again. “Am I your prisoner?”
“Would that be so bad?” His hands circled her waist, pulling her to his body. “Being my prisoner?”
“Yes, it would.” She breathed out heavily as Aldric pushed his erection against her back, clearly displaying his intentions. “I might have agreed to a mating contract, but I’m still a free woman. I don’t belong to anyone.”
“How wrong you are, sweet Endora.” His voice was low and husky. One hand traveled up and closed around her breasts, gently squeezing through the fabric, while his other went to her lower stomach to pull her in to him harder, his hard flesh digging into her back. “You do belong to me.”
