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TAJA’S DRAGON
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Summer’s Dragon
Dragons of Telera (Book 8)
By: Lisa Daniels
Prologue
“You are positively glowing, Annora.”
The former dragon hunter accepted the compliment with only a roll of her eyes. “You don’t have to say that just because I'm getting married. Not all brides glow.”
The redhead walking beside her laughed, then stopped and put a hand on her chin. “You know that this whole wedding thing is making it a lot harder on Calixto.”
“Until you can say yes, leave me out of this.” A tall man with an intimidating look received a playful slap from the redhead.
“Give me a little more time. I’m still trying to get used to settling down. Marriage is a step too far right now. You should stop asking.”
A hand slipped around Annora’s hip. “Don’t worry, Calixto,” Elian said, “Bree will come around. You have her in every way that matters. You should take this opportunity to go see the world.”
Calixto gave him a withering look. “You know, when you decide to travel, I will consider it.”
“I’m not inviting you on my honeymoon, no matter how much closer our clans have gotten.” Elian gave his fiancée a gentle kiss on her head. Annora couldn’t help but place her head on his shoulder as they walked along. Knowing that she looked foolish, she let a smile grace her lips for a moment as she basked in the life she and Elian had been building.
Bree laughed. A hand wrapped around hers, and she turned toward Calixto. “You already know the answer is yes anyway, but given we have a slightly more difficult problem to deal with at the moment, I want to just enjoy the moment.”
Calixto sighed, “Yes, I know. I should not allow myself to be so distracted.” He leaned back to look at Leonides, who walked on the other side of Elian. “Any word on where Phelan has gone? Has no one been able to get word to him?”
Elian’s second shook his head, “No, not yet. His companion is nearing her delivery, so we will need to consider splitting our resources soon. If what we know from the Seven Kingdoms is true, I don’t think we can keep chasing them down without losing time on preparing for the invasion.”
Elian sighed, “Is there no way for you to find him?” The question was directed at Bree.
“I don’t know why, but I cannot locate them. It is actually causing me to feel…”
“Helpless?” A cheery voice spoke from the woods nearby. A slender man with white hair stepped out and onto the path. “I think I know why you cannot find her.”
The others exchanged looks, then Bree asked, “How can you possibly know something about them that I cannot find out, Jaylon? You barely know how to use your powers.”
There was a musical laugh that followed her expressed doubt. “Oh, Bree, the things I have seen.”
Calixto cut in, “You’ve heard from Cyprian, haven’t you?”
The half-pixie winked at the shifter, “That is a different matter. Come back to the castle and I’ll let you know what I just found out. Besides,” he looked at Annora, “someone has a dress fitting she clearly neglected to tell you about. If she doesn’t get there soon, Master Isaac is threatening to modify the dress because he still can’t believe that is what Annora wants. I won’t even go into how upset a couple of young ladies are that you have gone for a walk without them. You are lucky that I was able to slip out without Saskia seeing me go. Best prepare for the tongue lashing you will get when you get back.”
The bride sighed, “Fine, but I am only returning to keep Isaac from having any more work to do.”
Leonides quickly gave the group a bow, “If that is all, I need to get back to the hunt.”
Elian clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I feel you will be successful this time. So close so many times, surely success awaits you.”
Leonides gave him a fleeting smile before turning and shifting into a brilliant red dragon. As he flew off, the rest of the party turned to head back to the castle. Under his breath Jaylon muttered, “It doesn’t matter how many times I see that, I don’t think I will ever get used to seeing humans turn into dragons.”
The group turned their steps back to the castle. Only Calixto turned to look at the fading figure of the dragon now no more than a speck on the horizon. Something about the whole thing made him uneasy, but there was no point in discussing it right now. Though he had talked of marriage, that was more of a diversionary tactic to keep his mind from focusing on something over which he had no control. In just a few days they would be visited by a host of other dragon shifters, and there was nothing he could do until then. As soon as Hisa had shown up some months ago, Calixto had known that there was much more to the visit than what the irresponsible shifter had confessed. To be fair, it was likely that Hisa had not realized that there was something else going on. The anger Calixto should have felt at a different shifter appearing in his lands was completely absent. Initially, Calixto had chalked it up to the shifter’s laid-back attitude and apparent openness to talk about anything – and everything. Calixto had more than once left the room when Hisa’s talk became too much. The serious clan leader should have been upset with just how much information everyone was divulging in front of this other shifter who had essentially trespassed, but Calixto himself was guilty of that same crime from the first day. Something about Hisa was entirely disarming and charming, making it impossible to get angry. Where other shifters would have slunk around the continent, Hisa had basically walked right up to Elian’s castle with a pixie hybrid. Calixto would have called it brash and disrespectful, except that he doubted Hisa had enough sense to realize the danger or how his appearance could have been taken. After announcing that the hybrid was now their problem, the shifter had stuck around and enjoyed the hospitality not shown to any non-fire dragon in more than a century. It was undeniable that Hisa was likeable, but Calixto knew that it was something else that caused him to be tolerant.
There was something happening under the surface, and Calixto had felt it ever since he and Bree had escaped from the volcano. Mentally, Calixto had been prepared for things to go wrong ever since the encounter with the demons. Even he knew that working with the others was necessary – and perhaps it was time to start mending the rift between all of them, not just the fire clans.
A gentle tug on his hand caused Calixto to turn around. Bree was smiling up at him, a tenderness in her eyes that let him know that she understood. A gentle smile crossed his lips and he turned his attention back to the mirthful chatter of the group as they returned to Elian’s castle.
“That will do, Chadwick. Thank you.”
Sir Gwavas finished sealing a letter, then handed it to his servant. Chadwick gave a low bow and turned to leave the room. He had reached the door when Sir Gwavas called out, “Did she seem happy at least?”
The young man gave a sad smile and prepared to respond when a commotion from downstairs caused both men to look towards the door. Chadwick turned to look back at his employer. “I think you will get a chance to see just how happy she is.”
Sir Gwavas quickly rose from his seat and hurried toward the door. Chadwick stood back to let him pass. “Show her to the courtyard. I want to speak to her in private before she gets bogged down in everything that is going to happen to her. She will need to know that I am at least on her side.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sir Gwavas took the side staircase and hurried outside to wait for his youngest daughter. It had been more than half a year since he had seen her, and of all of his family, Kerensa had been the only one to understand his work. Her absence had been far more difficult than he was able to admit. He had wanted her to experience life; he just hadn’t realized how lonely that would make him feel.
He paced around the garden, not entirely sure how best to greet her – with a hug or a serious talking-to. While he was inclined to the latter at the moment, something told him that once she was in front of him, he would forget to be upset. The man was wise enough to know that seeing her was going to overrule any desire to lecture her.
“Father!”
Her light voice caused him to immediately smile. Sir Gwavas turned around and his arms spread wide as his daughter ran to hug him. “My dear, you have caused me quite a lot of grief.” He tried to sound reprimanding, but the words ended up sounding more like a gentle reminder of how he felt without her.
“I am sorry, Father. I know that it couldn’t have been pleasant to deal with Stinton–”
He pushed her back to look at her, his expression one of mixed amusement and happiness. “That was an absolute pleasure. It was your disappearance that caused me pain.”
“I do apologize.” Both father and daughter turned to look at the smooth voice of a man who had accompanied Kerensa into the garden. “I’m afraid that was my fault. I did not insist as strongly as I should that she return.”
Sir Gwavas looked the young man up and down. “I take it you are Heath.”
The man looked like royalty, and his posture was very formal. Heath gave a deep bow. “I am honored to finally meet you. I have heard so much about you.”
Sir Gwavas waved off the words. “I am more concerned that you think that you can tell Kerensa what to do. If she wants to do something, I do not want anyone to force her to do it. But,” he looked down at his daughter, “I do expect to hear a little bit about what is going on instead of getting a letter from a young man I’ve never met and then not hearing another word.”
“Oh,” her face flushed, “I am very sorry, Father. I lost track of time. Um, and um…” her voice trailed off.
Sir Gwavas’s face bloomed into a smile as he looked between his daughter and Heath. “Oh, my goodness. Well, I guess congratulations are in order. I will be happy to have you join my family.”
Heath’s eyes widened, and a huge grin spread across his face. When Sir Gwavas held out a hand to shake Heath’s, Heath spread out his arms and hugged the man. At first he was surprised, but Sir Gwavas soon started laughing.
“Actually, sir,” Heath said, stepping away, “we haven’t discussed marriage, but with your blessing already given…” He looked at Kerensa, who slipped a hand into his. Suddenly the smile slid off of Heath’s face. “Actually, there is a much more pressing reason for our being here right now. And I don’t think there is anyone more qualified or better suited to helping us than you.”
Kerensa looked up at her father and squeezed Heath’s hand. The shifter looked down at her and smiled, knowing that she wanted him to talk a little more plainly. The smile still on his face, he looked back at Sir Gwavas. “We have brought someone with us, someone who should have come much sooner.”
Sir Gwavas frowned, “Is this someone I know?”
From the shadows, a regal-looking man stepped forward with a pretty young woman walking by his side. “I take it that Hisa did not stop by as I requested.” He stopped in front of Sir Gwavas as Heath and Kerensa took a step back. With a flowing bow, the stranger announced, “I am Cyprian. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Sir Gwavas’s eyes opened wide, and for a moment he was at a loss for words. Finally, his smile covered his face. “I can assure you, the pleasure is all mine.”
Ivy lay back on the bed. “I just can’t believe you actually drank that shit. My gods, you guys really are suicidal.”
There was a warm hand on her thigh.
“Sorry,” she said, her eyes taking in the extraordinary form of Augustin. “Corpses. I can’t believe you drank the remains of sluagh corpses. Better?” Augustin gave her a look, but the smile playing around his lips let her know that he was more entertained than he wanted to admit.
Before Ailey could respond, Zandra cut in, “Yeah, I was there, and I still cannot believe it.”
Ailey was about to say something when an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She leaned into Ash as he kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him and he leaned down and rubbed his nose against hers. Giggling, she ignored the others in the room. Ash, however, did not. “Given that one of you took on two years of pain and the other distracted a Boarthinger and took on two demons, I reeeeeally don’t think you have any room to talk.”
Zandra opened and shut her mouth, ready to concede the point. Ivy was not quite so willing to admit defeat. “Neither of us planned to kill ourselves.”
“Oh, I see,” Ash nodded. “Accidental suicide, that’s an improvement over intending to help others. Yes, that would look great on a headstone.”
Ivy furrowed her brow and sat up straight. A hand clamped over Ivy’s mouth before she could say anything. “Ash, when did you learn to be so… sarcastic?” Augustin looked at the youngest shifter reclining on the bed, a gentle rocking motion the only indication that they were on a boat.
“Oh, the things you missed, Augustin, the things you missed.” Anani walked into the room. “Apparently, you seem to have forgotten his stint with Hisa.”
Augustin turned and looked at his friend. “I remember that Hisa was not the one charged with taking care of Ash, so you must forgive my surprise at the very illogical turn of events in my absence.”
“It’s a fair point,” Anani said, holding a hand out to Zandra, who took it. “Now if you will excuse us, I'm going to see if I can speed this up.”
The couple left the room. Ash laughed as he shook his head. “It’s not the ship he is looking to take care of. Why does he even bother trying to hide what they are going to do? It’s not like we can’t–” A hand gently touched his cheek, and Ash stopped talking to look down at Ailey who was looking up at him.
Ailey leaned her body against his. “I think that it’s a good idea to follow their lead, don’t you?” Her voice was very low so that no one else could hear.
Ash looked at her, concern in his eyes. He was about to respond when Ivy yawned very loudly. She rolled off of the bed and headed toward the door. “Augustin, I think that you forgot to show me how to use my tail to hypnotize–”
Augustin cleared his throat loudly and stood up quickly. “You really are going to make me blush every opportunity you get, aren’t you?”
She smiled up at him, “Of course.” He laughed and followed her out the door. He grabbed the handle and turned just before he left. “I am very proud of you, Ash. You have shown more wisdom and better judgment–” A hand grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled Augustin away, the door closing behind him.
Ash was laughing at the display before turning his eyes to Ailey. “Are you sure you are alright?”
“I think that you are torturing me at this point.”
He wrapped an arm around her, “I just don’t want to hurt you. You are so fragile and–”
Ailey leaned her head on his shoulder. “I knew it, you are looking for a way to let me down gently.”
“What? I have no desire to–”
Ailey stood and let her shoulders sag. “I will let you have the room to yourself.” A hand grabbed hers and pulled her back down onto the bed.
Ash ran a hand under her dress. “Alright, but promise me that you will let me know if you need anything.”
“At the moment, all I need is you.” Ailey looked into his stunning greenish purple eyes. Ash leaned forward, his mouth covering hers as he slipped her dress off.
Phelan squeezed Taja’s hand. “I’m sure the doctor will be here soon. Squeeze down on my hand for now.”
She gave him an anguished smile that quickly devolved into a loud shriek. Torn between running for help and holding her tight, Phelan knew that all he could do was stay by her side, giving her water and support whenever the contractions stopped.
“Well, I have to say this trip has caught me off guard at every turn. Had I known just how much was going on, I would have come years ago to– oh, right. Obligations.” His voice was thick with disgust as he said the last word.
Phelan’s eyes rested on a dark shadow in the mouth of the cave. Ready to shift into his dragon form, he tried to figure out who or what stood before him. The tone of voice was certainly non-threatening, but that just made him that much tenser.
“Don’t worry, Phelan, I’ve heard a lot about you and your lady.” A stranger with cropped black hair stepped into the light of the fire. His black eyes danced with mirth as he looked at the scene in front of him. One of his eyebrows rose as Taja shrieked out. “Yes, that is what women usual say whenever I'm involved.”
Phelan glowered and prepared to attack.
The stranger waved a hand. “Use your senses before you make a mistake, little red.”
Phelan’s eyes narrowed, then his muscles relaxed. “You had better hope that the clans don’t realize you are here.” He immediately turned his attention back to Taja. Tilting a water flask to her mouth, he spoke to the stranger, “My hands are full at the moment, so you don’t need to worry about me. I wish–” His voice trailed off as he watched Taja’s eyes close, her body relaxing between contractions.
The stranger knelt down near the couple. “I can’t say that I have much experience with this. Mostly I just practice making babies. From what I can tell, it’s nothing but work from the moment the woman conceives, so I’m always floored when anyone lets something like pregnancy happen.”
Phelan glared at him. “Most creatures don’t have any control over that.”
The stranger laughed, “Of course you do. You just don’t know what you are doing. Anyway, I may not have much experience with pregnancy or delivery, but pain is universal. I won’t be able to deliver the little monster, so I hope your doctor gets here soon. Still, I can do a bit of work to make her more comfortable until the good doctor arrives.”
Phelan glared at him. “She is not having a monster. It is our baby.”
The stranger’s black eyes showed his amusement as he looked at them. “Oh, you dear boy. The two of you are bringing a sorcerer into the world, so you had best get used to people calling him a monster.”
Taja’s eyes opened wide as the conversation registered. “Phelan,” her voice wavered and it was obvious that she was already exhausted, “we have to protect–”
Phelan leaned forward. “We will. Don’t worry. We will go somewhere remote and–”
The stranger laughed, “No, you really won’t. I happen to know a lovely sorceress who is ready to take on your child and mentor him so that he is not a danger to the world or himself. Or you two.”
The parents frowned at him. Phelan spoke, “There aren’t any sorcerers or sorceresses in the world now.”
The stranger’s laugh echoed around the cave. “This little bundle,” he pointed at Taja’s swollen belly, “is the eighth one. And unlike the rest, he will be very much aware of what he is from early on. My friend will see to that.”
Taja looked up at him with as much defiance as she could muster. “What makes you think we can–” Pain shot through her again and she squeezed Phelan’s hand while clamping her mouth shut.
“Believe me, you will love her. Everyone does. You won’t have to trust me about it either because you are about to play a role in a long overdue reunion. They will get you to do the right thing. I’m not here to do any convincing.”
The pair exchanged a look then turned back to the stranger. Phelan hesitated, then asked, “Why are you here if you don’t plan to take the child away?”
The stranger was clearly amused. “I thought I just made it pretty damn clear I’ve no interest whatsoever in having children – either mine or other people’s. I just happened to be passing by and heard the shouting. Not being the kind of guy who can just ignore something that intriguing, I found something far more interesting than I could have expected. Since I'm here, I may as well be of use.”
Phelan tilted his head to the side. “Wait, what do you mean, a reunion? I have been exiled from the only people who would care. Are you here to make a dire situation worse?”
The dark-haired man ignored him and looked down at Taja. “Would it be alright if I put my hands on you for a few minutes?”
Taja was gritting her teeth as she tried to hold back the pain. A quick nod was all she could manage. The stranger’s hands went to her stomach, and almost immediately the pain subsided. Her eyes closed again, and she let out a loud sigh.
“Taja!” Phelan held her head up as she seemed ready to pass out.
She smiled up at him, “That feels better.”
Her eyes shifted to the stranger, who winked at her. “Go ahead and get some sleep. The whole messy process has been put on hold so that you can rest. You are going to need it.”
She gave a feeble laugh, then rested her head against Phelan. The stranger stood up. “Well, that about does it for me. I hope the doctor gets here soon.” He headed toward the cave’s entrance.
Phelan called out to him as the stranger reached the edge of the light, “What did you do?”
“I shifted the pain so that she could rest.”
The father-to-be frowned, “Does that mean that she will hurt worse later?”
An odd expression crossed the stranger’s face. “I don’t even want to know what your idea of helping is if you think that I would make the process more difficult later.”
Phelan frowned, “Why would you help us?”
The stranger smiled and rubbed his stomach as he looked up at the roof of the cave. “Call me an angel. Always going around doing good where it is least expected.” He then shook his head. “Never mind. That sets up expectations and gods know I’ve no desire for anyone to depend on me. Anyway,” he looked over at the couple, “she will be more comfortable for a bit. I’ve stopped the process for now so that other things in motion have a little more time to reach fruition.”
Phelan blinked a couple of times. “What do you mean? How could you stop the process?” His eyes watched the stranger as he stopped rubbing his stomach.
With a sigh, the man standing on the edge of the shadows said, “Nothing you need to worry about. Help her to rest and plan how you will get her through the next round. She is by no means safe; I merely improved her odds of survival, though I cannot guarantee it. Help should get here soon, but again I have no guarantee that they will be in time.” He turned and stepped into the shadow before seeming to remember one more thing. “And once you realize that I did in fact help her, do me a favor.”
The couple was silent, which he appeared to take as assent. “The next familiar face you meet, do exactly as he says without hesitation. Don’t question, don’t argue, don’t even say hello. Just do what you are told.”
Phelan watched the mouth of the cave, listening as the stranger left. Looking down at Taja, he felt that he should follow the man, but found that he couldn’t leave her side.
Looking up at the cave entrance, he muttered, “He didn’t even tell me who he is.”
A young woman woke up in what appeared to be a large cavern. Her eyes shifted around her environment, and she soon realized that the cavern she expected was not where she was. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and she soon realized that she was in a catacomb. A small part of her wanted to scream, but most of her was curious as to what that meant. Her hands moved to her head where a thick pile of curls quickly covered them. Sliding her hands down her body, she could tell that she was dressed in burial garb.
I’m not dead. Why have I been entombed? I mean, I move, so I can’t be dead. Her mind pitched around looking for an explanation, but she couldn’t find one. To her horror, she couldn’t even remember who she was. The only thing that she knew with certainty was that she had been placed in a crypt because someone thought she had died. It wasn’t much, but at least that gave her a starting point. Who she was, why she was there, where she should be – all of that could be figured out later. Right now, she needed to escape.
Sitting up slowly, the woman pushed herself up and off of the hard slab where she lay. There was only a small lip, so that her departure from the resting place was easy. She was vaguely aware that this was fortunate as her body seemed to have problems moving. Some of her body hurt at the action, but something was pulling her to the surface, giving her the ability to ignore the pain and discomfort of moving. Her feet gently touched the ground. They felt a little strange at first, and she knew that this was not normal for her. Shaking her head, the woman decided that did not matter either. She had something she needed to do and thinking about her body was simply wasting her time. After taking a couple of tentative steps, she felt certain that she could move faster. Something was telling her that she had to move faster. With a deep breath, the woman moved her legs more quickly with each step. Several second later, her feet barely made a sound as she ran throughout the catacombs, her instincts guiding her through the labyrinth.