Dragon Wish (34 page)

their hearts a need to destroy and conquer, most of this is

aimed at humans. Arcane has thrived over the years on this

desire.

“Lior had only one egg laying shortly before she fell in

love with Bask. Arcane is one of those hatchlings. The others

were all tracked down and destroyed.”

The information was not new to Paladin. Largin said

much the same during their stay in Bae. Paladin nodded. “So

Arcane knows of the war between the humans and the

dragons.”

“He was alive when this was happening. Yes. He’s learned

from the dragon’s mistakes. In turn, you will learn from

Bask’s mistakes and victories. This will give the one true

dragon king time to be born and grow. The dragons

bestowed their magic and wisdom upon your child. We now

have to give the babe the time he needs to mature so he may

take control.”

221

Dragon Wish

With a grunt of disgust, Paladin gathered up the armor.

“Meanwhile, we have to fight the rogues to keep the peace.”

Ren shifted and stared at Paladin. “We can assume that

Arcane has waited, watching during the last five thousand

years. He’s had time to witness the humans and dragons

living in peace, side-by-side. His anger must be immense

enough for him to hunger for revenge. Humans no longer

feared the power of dragons would be used against them.

What better time to attack than at that moment to reveal

Arcane’s true might?”

“So he planned this?”

With a shrug, Ren continued, “Lior has the ability to see

the future. I have little doubt that she witnessed the harm

this son of hers would cause, so she spoke freely to the other

great dragons about what to do. They, too, remember the

battles and losses of the war. They do not desire to return to

those times. However, the exiled rogue dragons listen only to

what Arcane tells them. Many do not remember the battles,

but some do and their resentment is strong. Arcane is using

this to his advantage. More and more rogues are choosing

him as their leader.

“Lior must have seen the birth of your son, the one true

dragon king. The guardian wizard to the blue dragon

informed me that she told the others what would occur. They

joined together to find the right vessel for the king and they

succeeded. The off-worlder suited their purposes.”

“I don’t care to be manipulated in this fashion,” Paladin

said, heart pounding against his chest. He ran a finger over

the smooth lip of the armor’s neck.

“Manipulated? No, my friend, assisted is a more

appropriate word. The great clan leaders want peace to

continue. So do you. Your child will be powerful, but he will

also know the true hearts of the dragons, the evil, and the

good. His wisdom will benefit all the inhabitants of Avaris.”

Ren stepped to Paladin’s side and handed him a cloth

sack. The soft material slid over Paladin’s finger tips. He

222

Dragon Wish

pulled the drawstring mouth open and put the armor inside.

After he finished, he tugged the strings tight.

He lifted his gaze to meet the wizard’s. “I want the

journals. I don’t have the time to return to Bask and learn his

secrets. Seren needs me.”

“They’re in my library. You are welcome to them. After

all, they are part of your heritage.”

Without hesitating, Paladin turned toward the door.

Eager to not only leave the compound, but to begin his

journey, he strode out of the room, a driving need to see and

hold Seren pressing on his heart.

Once they returned to the house, Paladin stopped in the

doorway of the study. “What of Calis?”

Ren’s shoulders straightened. He looked over the top of

his left shoulder to where Leo stood in the hallway. “Calis is

an idiot. This one had sense to know he would be spotted if

he followed, but the other one charged after them. He was

wounded during the attack. He did not even wait for his

wounds to heal, so I know not if he lives or is dead.

Ungrateful wretch.”

“How did he leave?”

“I suppose on a merchant ship similar to your own. Many

stop here and then go on to the White Dragon realm.”

Without a word, glad Calis lived, Paladin waited while

Ren collected the ancient books. When they were bound in a

cloth sack, Paladin looked at Ren. “I thank you for this. With

hope, everything you’ve given me will bring success to what I

must do.”

The wizard reached into his pocket and removed two

palm-sized polished stones. He held one in each hand while

he said an incantation, his lips moving in silence. Once he

finished, he handed the stones to Paladin, explaining. “Take

these and place one in the center of your ship. Keep the other

with you at all times. They are cloaking stones. No one will

be able to search and find your location once they are in

place. When you reach your kingdom, you will need this to

223

Dragon Wish

hide you.”

Without another word, Paladin clasped Ren and Leo’s

forearms in farewell. He departed the compound,

determination to rescue Seren overriding all else in his mind.

He’d caused all her suffering on this planet, and he swore he

would put an end to it. He’d promised to keep her safe. He

always kept his oaths.

224

Dragon Wish

The white dragon realm, with its icy snowdrifts amid

staggering frozen peaks, drew nearer with each passing

second. After giving an order not to be disturbed, Paladin

shut his cabin door and became immersed in the journals.

The words, written in ancient script, sprang to life from the

pages. Many times, he had to rise from his seat and go to the

deck above to calm his racing heart.

The hundreds of battles written of on the yellowed sheets

left devastation and ruined lives in all areas of Avaris. The

cries of those ancient souls rang out from the books. They

tore at him. During those days, dragons tormented and

devoured every human they came into contact with. Paladin

breathed a thankful sigh he had not been born at that time.

When he had completed all the unknown authors’ thin

books, and only Bask’s journals remained, he locked his

door. He called upon his courage and opened one of the

many journals his ancestor had penned. From the first

moment, Bask’s anger along with his unquenchable thirst for

revenge permeated each page. His entire family had been

murdered by the mighty white dragon, Ziane, Lior’s father.

Bask swore vengeance against the beast.

Throughout each of the books, Bask detailed instructions

on the ambush and defeat of many lower-level dragons, but

Paladin found nothing explaining how to defeat a dragon

leader within the power spectrum of Arcane. Then in the fifth

journal, Paladin discovered what he searched for—the battle

between Bask and Lior’s father.

Dark smears marred the edges of these papers. He passed

a finger over one. Blotches of blood. Bask’s blood. The defeat

had caused Bask grievous wounds, but had not taken from

his overall joy of obtaining his revenge.

The wizard wrote that he had defeated Lior’s father at the

dimming of the day. The sol sinking on the horizon and

before the Solrai moons ascended, he had delivered the

225

Dragon Wish

killing wound. Earlier, when Paladin had scanned through

the other journals, he had noticed that the men and women

living during those turbulent times had mentioned the same

thing. He had found a pattern. One man repeated many

times that the best time to attack an adult was at their

magic’s weakest moment of the day.

Paladin leaned back in his chair. He concentrated on his

own teachings and what he had discovered in these books.

Magic was at its weakest with the setting and rising of the

sol, and the ascending and declining of the moons. With a

slow grin, he scraped his chair back and rose.

Moments later, he stood on the deck of his ship, staring at

the Solrai moons. In a few days, the moons would disappear

behind the sol’s shadow. At this time, only a small sliver of

the second moon would be seen. Magic across the planet

would grow quiet at the risings and settings. It’d happened in

the past.

He grinned, excitement building in his mind. He turned

to his helmsman. “Burn more dragon stones. Leave only

enough for the return trip to Durfalin. I want to make

landfall to the north of Xelerdin before two settings have

passed.”

He faced northeast and stared. His need to be with Seren,

to touch her, to hold her against his heart increased. Paladin

squeezed his eyes shut. His spine tingled and blood boiled.

Traces of hope waned as each second passed. His gut

clenched at the thought of losing Seren. What was happening

to her? His thoughts tumbled around in his mind like rocks

crashing against a shore, battering its coast hard, leaving him

with an aching head like never before. When he opened his

eyes, he swore that once he held her in his arms again, he

would never release her.

* * * *

226

Dragon Wish

fir-laden mountain range. Craggy, staggered peaks cascaded

behind, covering the icy land. Sharp, the frigid air sliced

through clothing. Darkness swept over the land, broken here

and there by the reflection of the moon’s slight crescent and

starlight.

Cloudy vapors enveloped Paladin’s head as the ship

glided low over the glassy surface of the water to the

secluded dock sitting in a virtually unknown section of the

white dragon kingdom. Once the ship neared, the crew

lowered the docking plank. The dull thud pulsed through his

body. Paladin, a bulging pack strapped to his back, strode

down the wide beam to step on the wooden dock. Ice coating

the dock crunched and cracked under his weight. The sailors

pulled the plank back aboard. The ship departed with

instructions to return to Ren Murdock.

Two aged men, dressed alike in matching pale blue robes,

the hems pooling around their feet, approached from the

cedars growing along the edges of the small clearing

surrounding the dock. Only their sleeveless over tunics

differed. The man on the right wore red while the other wore

navy. Each carried a staff tipped with a pure white stone.

Weather-beaten faces remained expressionless while their

frigid blue eyes focused on him. Silvered hair, long and

pulled back on the crowns of their heads, hung in an intricate

weave of braids down their backs.

The Carilon twins, Cie and Rie moved closer. Powerful

wizards and long time friends to his father, their appearance

sparked Paladin’s curiosity. He assumed they were part of

the royal court, serving his brother.

Out of respect, he touched the first two fingers of each

hand together and gave them a stiff, low bow in the manner

expected from a younger member of their clan.

The first of the two, Cie, inclined his head in

acknowledgment. “You have returned.”

Paladin straightened. “I come seeking what was stolen

from me.”

227

Dragon Wish

The second man’s mouth tightened into a straight line.

Rie spoke in the same slow, precise tone as his twin. “Your

brother will not be pleased. He has placed a bounty on your

head. He wants you returned, preferably dead.”

The first moved nearer, holding out a cloak draped over

his arm. “Matters not to us what his desires are, he is not our

rightful king.”

Accepting the cloak, Paladin stared at its outer white

material and fur lining. The cloth swished in the frozen quiet

of the inlet. Water lapped against the pilings beneath his feet,

and the smell of the cold sea mingled with the fresh scent of

cedar rose from the cloth. Removing his pack and slipping on

the cloak, he looked at the twins. “And soon he will be your

king no more. This I swear.”

The two men glanced at each other and nodded. They

turned to Paladin, their heads lowered. “Your words please

us greatly, Sire. Now give us your command so we might

fulfill your desire.”

“Where is my brother?”

“He resides at Heart’s Thorn Castle. There, he keeps what