Daryk Warrior (2 page)

“Point me in the direction of Grimnald Castle,” she said.

A low, deep laugh left his throat. “Pretty one, there is no
way you’d survive a trek through this jungle without my help. And I’m not going
to Grimnald right now. We’re heading to Bardannia Castle in Imekland, where I’m
stationed.”

“Imekland?”

“It is in the frozen wastelands. When we get to the edge of
the Tarrian Jungle there is the Ithycan Desert to cross. After that we’ll cross
to into Imekland and Bardannia.”

She shivered thinking about how far they had to go.

His eyes narrowed and he assessed her more closely. His
attention unnerved her to the bone. “You’ve never seen snow and ice, have you?”

Since he already knew she’d come from Magonia, she couldn’t
deny it. “No. There isn’t any on Magonia.”

He grunted but she had a feeling he knew quite a bit about
Magonia. She had no proof of it but it stood to reason that anyone who knew
that she wore the garb of a Scribe would know other things about her country.
Everything she’d heard about Dragonia made her cautious, but under different
circumstances she would have been excited. This was freedom. A new life.

“You’re a fool to travel to Dragonia,” he said. “Don’t you
understand how dangerous it is for you here?”

“Yes.”

He snorted. “You wouldn’t have come here if you did.”

Anger trickled upward. “You don’t know anything about me or
why I came here. Don’t presume to know.”

One of his eyebrows quirked upward but he didn’t look angry
or reprimand her. She expected it. Waited for it. It didn’t come. The man
inspected her as if she amazed him, was a singular oddity for him to observe.

“How many days’ travel is it to this Bardannia Castle?” she
finally asked.

“A few days on foot.” He eyed her cynically. “Then again, I
don’t know if you could move fast enough. It might take us longer.”

She stood straighter, stung by his assessment. “I am fit for
travel.”

“You are a woman and unused to strenuous travel. If you were
a warrior that would be different. We can march many miles a day.”

“I’m very capable.”

Again his gaze traveled her body, but not with the desire
she’d noted in his eyes before. “Under normal circumstances, maybe. Women are
weaker physically in many respects. It isn’t a reflection on your worthiness.”

His statement silenced her a moment. Not because he’d said
she was weaker but because he said it didn’t reflect on her worthiness.

She planted her hands on her hips, sarcasm leaking out even
as she wondered if she could push him too far. “Well thank you very much. But I
do not really care whether you think me worthy. Perhaps you can direct me on
how to reach Grimnald Castle after I get supplies and—” She stopped.
God
Magon
. She’d lost her money wallet. “My money is gone, but perhaps someone
will be generous enough to provide me with what I need to reach the castle. I
will pay them back.”

The dark brow with the scar above it lifted slightly.
“Someone? Maybe. It won’t be me.”

Ticked, she glared at him. “I never said it would be you.”

“Not because I can’t.” He took a couple steps closer,
crowding her once more. “Because no woman with an ounce of sense would travel
the jungle alone. I won’t help you kill yourself.”

Aching and impatient, she groaned softly. She rubbed her
left temple. “I was hoping Dragonian men would be different than Magonians. But
perhaps not.”

His chest seemed to puff out a little. “Magonian men have
little dicks and big mouths.”

Startled by his bluntness, she asked, “Do they?”

He chuckled, and for a few moments this man’s hard looks
gave way to genuine warmth and amusement. “Some Dragonian men do too.”

“Literally?”

He laughed louder. “Sometimes.” When his laugh faded, his
gaze traveled her body again. “Not all.”

Hot interest licked at her lower belly. She pressed one hand
to her middle, trying to ignore the way her body reacted to this stranger.
Desire had claimed her attention before but never with this ferocity.

He tilted his head to the side slightly, curiosity plain in
his eyes. “Men are men no matter where they come from. It’s their teaching that
makes them different. Their wits and brains. But by all accounts I hear
Magonian men make rules for women that are different. Rules designed to make
the men feel superior. To keep women in their places.”

She shook her head as weariness pressed down on her
shoulders. “A truthful statement.”

“Why do you want to go to Grimnald?”

“I heard there is a healer there, and that it is the least
violent area of Dragonia.”

“You heard wrong. Grimnald isn’t any safer than the other
castles right now and the only healer there died years ago. You picked a poor
time to leave Magonia. Drakus Fina is sending his rogue hoards to plunder the
land.” He edged closer. “And take women.” His gaze sliced across her, probing
and assessing. “You’d make a fine addition to his collection.”

Fear rose inside her.
Magon
. “Collection?”

“Breeders to replenish our population. Dragonia is dying.
Most of our women are barren and our men no longer strong enough to get their
women pregnant.”

She nodded. “I’d heard that as well. But there is much that
is rumor, and no one was quite certain.”

“Be certain. Drakus believes we must invade your country and
take the women. But you’ve just made it a little easier for him by coming here.
Dragonia is wild and dangerous. It’s no place for a woman alone.” He frowned.
“Wait. You intended to come to Dragonia? There are no passenger ships from
Magonia to here.”

“The
Hydrasoseles
was headed for Opali in Magonia
when the storm came. I planned to find a way to get to Dragonia some other way.
Hire a ship. I left Scribe school and…”

Caution rose inside her. She didn’t know anything about this
man. She couldn’t reveal all to him. She needed to think of a way to escape.
But how?

“Enough.” His voice turned impatient. “You’re coming with
me.”

“No. No, I’m not.”

A crack came from the jungle behind them, and a roar. Just
as she whirled toward the sound Eryk drew his sword and stepped in front of
her. Rising out of the jungle, a behemoth creature stepped into view. Her
breath seized in her lungs. A reptile of incredible size loomed from between
the trees, its breath heavy, its long snout jagged with rows of teeth. Its red
eyes glared, its skin seemed to pulse with colorful life. Red, green and blue
stripes scored its surface. Its long talons dug into the ground as it gripped
with four feet. Wings stretched from its back then folded.

Her pulse tripped and stuttered, her heart banging against
her ribs. “What—”

“Quiet!” Eryk snapped his demand, stinging like a lash.

Eryk didn’t move, his stance solid, ready for anything.

The creature eyed them, its gaze malicious but wary. Its
breath stank and she wrinkled her nose. The smell overwhelmed her and her
stomach curled with revulsion. She almost retched. Mia swayed in her shoes,
eyelids fluttering as weakness finally took hold again. Would the creature eat
them? Fear rose higher until it took control, and even that weakness infuriated
her.

Mia wavered. Her mind screamed for her to run.
Run.
She shook inside. Was this man crazy, standing against such a huge animal?

“Do not move,” the man said.

She swallowed hard and held her ground.

The animal stayed still and watched them, eyes gleaming with
malice. With one last snort the creature turned and stalked back into the heavy
greenery. Mia released a pent-up breath and the weakness in her knees took
over. The lights went out again.

* * * * *

Night descended on the jungle, and Eryk watched the woman
lying on the rollout pallet he’d made. The cave surrounded them as shelter for
the night. He’d made a decision he hoped he wouldn’t regret. Taking her to
Grimnald wouldn’t happen anytime soon, if ever. He couldn’t afford the time for
a side trip, not when Bardannia could come under attack from rogues soon. Yet
the woman lying on the makeshift bed was an innocent, and he wouldn’t leave a
woman in danger even if she did come from Magonia. Despite his inherent need to
be fair, the idea of sheltering a Magonian didn’t sit well with him. Even one
as defenseless as this one.

Mia Griffi. And interesting name for an intriguing woman.
Two opposites warred inside him. His distaste for Magonians made him want to
turn away. If he left her here, anything could happen. Too many perils lived in
the jungle, including rebel Daryk Ones who’d turned rogue and gave loyalty to
Drakus Fina. No woman could withstand the power of a Daryk One but he’d seen
fire inside her, a spark of true defiance and courage. He admired those
qualities in man or woman. But if he hadn’t come upon her when he did she would
have drowned. The woman needed protection. He sighed.
Fuck
.

She shifted on the pallet and he sat on the ground beside
her. He’d eaten long ago and night had fallen. She slept like the dead and he
feared if she didn’t take food and water soon he’d be saddled with a seriously
ill woman. She’d been unconscious for a long time. The fire he’d started at the
mouth of the cave would ensure animals would stay away. They didn’t need the
warmth—the jungle steamed with heat. Eryk drew his forearm across his face. He
needed sleep. When she shifted again and groaned, he waited. He had a feeling
she wouldn’t like the sleeping arrangements, but he only possessed one pallet.
Not that it was a hardship. He’d slept on the ground often enough. His body,
though, had other ideas about taking the hard ground when a pretty, luscious
woman lay before him.

She seemed modest, self-effacing perhaps. He’d met plenty of
women who used their beauty to obtain male attention and get what they wanted.
He’d grown adept at detecting liars from truth tellers. She defied the odds. He
saw sincerity in her eyes but wariness too. She possessed secrets.

No matter her intentions, her body drew him like no other
woman’s had. Her thick dark hair spilled along the pallet, sand caked in the
strands. Her lips parted and for a moment he wondered if she had awakened. She
shifted then went still. He couldn’t take his gaze away even though his stomach
growled and demanded he eat dried meat from his pack. As he chewed the meat, he
stared at her.

Most men wouldn’t describe her as beautiful. She was far
more than that. She defied pretty and went straight to amazing. Her eyebrows
arched delicately over eyes so dark he’d almost fallen into them. Her face was
slim with high cheekbones, her nose a small feature with an innocent tilt to
the end. Her body… Oh, her body sparked to life primitive instincts. She was
only shoulder-high to his considerable size but tall for a woman. Slim. Curved
under that plain tunic and pants. Shapeless clothes couldn’t hide her form.
When he’d held her his cock had surged to life, a powerful erection demanding
attention. If he could have seduced her into lying down, his cock would have
found her tightness and slipped within. He groaned with desire. He gritted his
teeth as the realization poured through him. He wanted to protect her, wanted
to discover her thoughts and dreams and intelligence. Primitive fear surged
upward inside him.

No. Couldn’t be. He’d heard all the advice about mating with
one woman and that many Daryk Ones found their true mate. He could ignore lust,
get her to Bardannia Castle and then she’d be on her own. He couldn’t afford
the burden of a woman with war looming over the continent. She was delicate—a
gentle breeze among beasts.

He yawned and gave in to the call for sleep. He’d barely
lain down next to her on the pallet when she jerked awake and sat up with a
gasp. Eryk opened his eyes and stared at her. Mia’s full lips parted, her hand
going to the throat of her tunic.

She scooted off the pallet onto the cave floor, her eyes
filled with allegation. “What are you doing?”

He closed his eyes and folded his hands over his stomach.
“Trying to sleep.”

She made a tiny grunt of disbelief. “Well that is a likely
story. Do you have to sleep next to me? And where are we? What happened to
that…that creature?”

Half amused and half annoyed, he opened his eyes. That
pretty mouth thinned in disapproval while her eyes threw daggers. “You fainted.
The dragon was harmless. Luckily for us it wasn’t a flesh eater. Some dragons
don’t eat meat and aren’t aggressive to us.”

“Dragons?” The word was breathy, filled with equal parts
dread and wonder. “I’d read about them of course but never believed they could
be real. I thought maybe the elders made them up to scare children. They scare
us with so much else.”

“Magonian parents must be cruel.” He gave her a half-smile.

“Some are. Mine were…” She swallowed around the pain the
subject always brought. “Mine abandoned me in Opali when I was seven. They said
I was too difficult to handle so they gave me away to a man they knew who said
he could break my willfulness.”

Eryk’s gut clenched as he imagined any number of horrors.
“What did he do?”

“He figured anyone as willful as I needed a strict husband.
He tried to attract a husband for me but they all rejected me after a few
moments in my presence.”

Revulsion rose in his throat. “Seven? He tried to marry you
off when you were seven?”

“They would have bought me and kept me in their household as
a regular servant until I was old enough to…” She shrugged.

He knew what she meant and anger filled him. “Until they
could breed you.”

“Yes.” She nodded. “After I failed to attract a suitable
husband he sent me away to apprentice as a Scribe.”

“I suppose that was better than being subjected to a cruel
husband.”

Her gaze traveled to a point far away, as if she remembered
and was lost in thought. It took her awhile to answer. “Perhaps. Perhaps not.”