dragon archives 04 - dance with a dragon

• Chapter 1
  
• Chapter 2
  
• Chapter 3
  
• Chapter 4
  
• Chapter 5
  
• Chapter 6
  
• Chapter 7
  
• Chapter 8
  
• Chapter 9
  
• Chapter 10
  
• Chapter 11
  
• Chapter 12
  
• Chapter 13
  
• Chapter 14
  
• Chapter 15
  
• Chapter 16
  
• Chapter 17
  
• Chapter 18
  
• Chapter 19
  
• Chapter 20
  
• Chapter 21
  
• Chapter 22
  
• Chapter 23
  
• Chapter 24
  
• Chapter 25
  
• Chapter 26
  
• Chapter 27
  
• Chapter 28
  
• Chapter 29
  
• Chapter 30
  
• Chapter 31
  
• Chapter 32
  
• Chapter 33
  
• Chapter 34
  
• Chapter 35
  
• Chapter 36
  
• Chapter 37
  
• Chapter 38
  
• Chapter 39
  
• Chapter 40
  
• Chapter 41
  
• Chapter 42
  
• Chapter 43
  
• Chapter 44
  
• Chapter 45
  
• Chapter 46
  
• Chapter 47
  
• Chapter 48
  
• Chapter 49
  
• Chapter 50
  
• Chapter 51
  
• Chapter 52
  
• Chapter 53
  
• Chapter 54
  
• Chapter 55
  
• Chapter 56
  

Dance with a Dragon
Book IV of The Dragon Archives

Linda K. Hopkins

Published by Linda K. Hopkins at Amazon
Copyright 2015 Linda K. Hopkins

Kindle Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

About the Author

Chapter 1

“Mistress Anna!”

Anna turned to watch Peggy as she rushed along the stone passage.

“I’ve lost the twins again,” Peggy said. She clutched her skirts as she tittered nervously. “They are always escaping me.”

Anna sighed. It was true that Zachary and Lydia were quick on their feet, but this was the third time
today
. “Have you searched the gardens?”

“Yes. They aren’t anywhere!” The last word ended on a wail, and Peggy quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her gaze searching the walls and ceiling as if expecting to find a monster lurking between the stones. Or maybe she was just looking for a pair of four-year-olds. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Do you think they are …?” She nodded at the ceiling, indicating the floor above, where the master’s chambers were situated.

Anna shrugged. “Probably. Why don’t you go and check?”

Peggy’s face paled slightly. “I couldn’t possibly,” she whispered. “What if
it
is there?”
It
was the dragon of Storbrook Castle, a huge, winged beast that came and went as it pleased. It was well-known amongst the servants of Storbrook that Master Aaron Drake had no fear of the dragon, and allowed it free access into all the upper chambers, including those of his wife, the lady Keira. He even allowed his children to play with the monster, quite unconcerned about the danger it posed.

Anna knew it was pointless to try and convince Peggy that the dragon was harmless. “I’ll go find them,” she said. “Wait for us in the nursery.”

“Oh, thank you,” Peggy said. “It’s just that their supper is growing cold and …” She trailed into silence as Anna turned away and headed towards the staircase.

Anna’s shoes rang against the hard stone as she mounted the wide staircase that led to the upper floors. A low growl reached her as she walked along the dingy passage, followed by childish shrieks. The sounds came from the direction of the master’s chambers, and the growl was definitely not human. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, Anna stepped across the threshold, taking in the scene before her.

The room she’d stepped into was huge, stretching thirty feet from one side to the other. The ceilings soared high above her, while overlooking the range of mountains was a series of large, arched windows that reached almost as high as the ceiling. The center of the room was bare of all furnishings, and lying in the middle of the stone floor was an enormous, golden dragon. Anna paused, staring at the magnificent creature. She never failed to feel a sense of awe at the beast who was now a member of her family. He had a long neck, which, when raised, stretched taller than her, while golden horns curved from the top of his skull. Sharp rows of teeth lined his long snout, from which blazing flames sometimes spewed. His cat-like eyes gleamed yellow, but when aroused by emotion, they were windows into the flaming furnace that burned within him, revealing leaping flames. Huge wings lay folded over his scaly back, and a long tail armed with sharp spikes curved around his body. Keira, Anna’s sister, was leaning against his side, her feet drawn up beneath her, a book resting against her knees. She looked up as Anna entered the room.

“We’ve been reading a story,” she said.

“I can see you have a rapt audience,” Anna replied in amusement. The children Anna had come to retrieve were clambering over the huge back of the dragon, clutching the folded wings in tight fists.

“They’re still listening!” Keira said, frowning when Anna laughed.

“I’m sure they are,” Anna said.

The dragon, who was watching the children on his back, looked up at Anna with a grin. “They’ve heard the story so many times, they know it by heart,” he said.

Anna laughed, then nodded at the children. “Peggy is looking for them,” she said. “Again!”

“Oh dear,” Keira said with a sigh. “They do seem to frequently escape her attention.”

“And she is far too scared to come here to look for them,” Anna added.             

“So she should be,” said the dragon. He turned to look at Keira. “Perhaps it is time to hire a tutor for them.”

“They are only four,” Keira protested.

“Ah, yes, but they are dragons, so they will learn very quickly.”

Keira laughed. “Of course! How dull of me to forget that the children of the Dragon Master will be superior in every possible way to any other children.” She rose to her feet and turned to face the creature. “But maybe they inherited their intelligence from their mother.”

Aaron brought his face close to hers. “Then they are doubly blessed, my sweet,” he said. She smiled and ran her hand down his snout, before turning to look at her offspring.

“Zachary! Lydia! Nurse Peggy has been looking for you.”

Neither of the children paid their mother the slightest attention, but were instead intent on the task of walking bravely along the length of their father’s back towards his tail. Opening his wings, he gave a gentle shake and they fell onto the outstretched appendages, sliding onto the stone with a thump when he lowered them. Anna winced, but the children rose to their feet unhurt. Lydia looked at her mother, then dropped her gaze to the ground, but Zachary placed his hands on his waist and gave his father a defiant stare.

“I don’t want to play with Nurse Peggy. I want to play with you.”

“I want to play with you, too, son,” said the dragon, “but you should never have run away from Nurse.” Zachary glared for another moment, but at his father’s upraised eyebrows, his expression crumpled.

“But I want to be with you,” he said. “Make Nursey go away.”

“No. You need to learn to listen to her and be more obedient. But if you go with Aunty Anna now, then I will come see you in the nursery after supper.” Zach smiled.

“Like this?” he said.

“No, silly,” Lydia said with a giggle. “Nursey’s scared of Papa when he’s a dragon.” Zach’s expression went from incredulity to outright disbelief.

“Papa’s
not
scary,” he said, with a stomp of a foot.

“Off you go with your Aunty,” Keira said. “You have kept Nurse waiting long enough, and your father has said he will come find you later.”

“Will you take us for a ride?” Zach asked the dragon as Anna took him by the hand.

“We’ll see, son. Perhaps if you behave yourselves.” The dragon pushed himself to his full height, and looked down at them with his bony eyebrows raised.

“Yes, Father,” said the boy with a sigh, allowing Anna to finally take him by the hand and lead him and his sister from the room.

Anna marched the children down the stairs and delivered them to their relieved nurse, waiting in the nursery. She watched for a while as they dutifully sat down at the table and waited for Peggy to serve them their food. Peggy had been hired at Storbrook when the children were toddlers. Only a few years older than Keira, she had spent the years of her youth caring for an elderly parent. Shy and slightly awkward, she was never completely comfortable around other adults, but she loved being with the children. Her biggest fear, however, was for the dragon who was a regular feature of the Storbrook landscape. Although the creature never came near her, she trembled when it circled the skies, or when its roar rang through the stone mountain-top castle, certain that the beast was about to eat them all. Zach watched Peggy as she bustled around the room, giving her a penetrating stare.

“What is it, Zach?” she finally asked.

“Are you scared of Papa?” he asked.

Peggy looked at him in surprise. “Scared of your Papa? Why would you think that?”