Dragonlove (58 page)
A draconic fire-promise! Somewhere, a Human girl was leaping and spinning, dancing and screaming with elation.
Grandion’s flanks heaved, his voice grown solemn and throaty as the deepest furnaces of his feelings opened to her awareness.
I give gladly of my soul’s veriest fires to thee, Star Dragoness, and may eternity smile upon us. Hualiama, thou art my Dragonlove.
Dragon-Lia’s fire caressed his muzzle. She whispered,
And thou, mine.
Today, the enchantment over the Isles was love.
S
LIDING A TALON
beneath her chin, Sapphurion raised Lia’s muzzle. “An Island’s-weight of diamonds for your thoughts, melancholy Dragoness?”
“Will you be alright, shell-father? You must miss Qualiana.”
“Alright? No.” Sighing heavily, the huge Blue stooped to turn his burning eye upon her. “I’ve … it’s like I lost a wing. I fear my fires will never burn again. Little one–”
“Why couldn’t I heal her? Why?” The pain behind her breastbone pierced her hearts as surely as if she’d swallowed an Immadian forked dagger. Hualiama stared unseeing at Grandion, returned from negotiating with the Lost Islands Dragons. She knew he listened, even though he spoke with Mizuki as Elki worked on bandaging Saori’s wounds with strips torn off his shirt. “Sapphurion, I failed you. I’m so sorry.”
“Failed?” he thundered, then tempered his tone. “You did not fail. Even a Star Dragon’s power cannot raise the dead. Her soul had flown, little one.”
“You came back.”
“Star Dragons restore balance in the Island-World. I cannot instruct you as your shell-mother could, but I know a smattering of lore. You healed me while my fire-soul yet dwelled in my flesh. There are many paths of healing. Star Dragons bring imbalance back into equilibrium. My Qualiana was a prodigy in physical healing, but her powers also extended beyond our physical realm into the treatment of magical diseases.”
A Dragon could hear grief. Smell it. Taste it on her tongue. In the midst of her staggeringly expanded awareness, Hualiama still clung to her old stubbornness. “No, it can’t be true,” she insisted, drawing a deep, forlorn chuckle from him. “I didn’t manage to heal myself, did I?”
Sapphurion touched her flank with his knuckle. Lia could but marvel at the sensations a simple touch conveyed to her Dragon senses. “You must accept the truth of what is. Healing oneself is always the hardest. I’ll be grateful for every breath I take beyond this day. But I grieve, Dragonfriend. She was … so …”
“She was your Dragonlove.”
“Aye.” His muzzle turned to the sky, shaking slowly. He had been unable to speak as Dragon after Dragon came to welcome the Star Dragoness to the fires of draconic life, or to add a seal of their fire to Hualiama’s and Grandion’s fire-promises. “Ask your question lest it burn more than your tongue.”
He knew? “Noble shell-father, how can I accept this truth? This … Dragoness?”
“What do you mean, little one?”
Cold winds blew over the Islands. She kept expecting to fade into morning, to wake from the dream. How could she trouble him with her paltry grief, when he had lost his soul-mate? Bitterly, Lia said, “My mother and father are dead. How can I become a
Dragon?
Dreams don’t come true for girls like me. They just … don’t.”
“Never say that, little one,” he whispered. His paw drew her against his great muzzle, although it was he who shook more than she did at the mingling of their emotions. “Never think it, for untruth is dark-fires to our kind. You’re still that little sprite I held in my paw. Clothed in a different raiment of beauty, aye. But the fundamental spirit, the essence of
Hualiama
, remains unchanged. We’ll help you learn to fly. We’ll believe with you. Every wingbeat. One day, you’ll wake to the knowledge that you’ve flown beyond your eggling dreams.”
Kindness to cut to the living pith of a person.
“But it’s all wrong!” she burst out, spitting fire unexpectedly. “If I’m a Dragon, how come I’m so tiny? Islands’ sakes, I can curl up in your paw. I must be a tenth of your size!”
“You’re a hatchling. Just the right size.”
“I’m not a hatchling! I’m twenty-one years old. Sapphurion, this is ridiculous. I’m a Dragon and I still can’t have him.” The great Blue quirked an eye-ridge at her. Of course he didn’t understand. Cringing at her selfishness, Lia muttered, “I wanted to–you know, I imagined I could
be
with Grandion …”
“Oh?” One syllable, and the Blue Dragon had his shell-son’s belly fires howling with embarrassment. “Give it a few years. Little Dragonesses grow into–”
“I don’t want to wait.”
“ENOUGH!”
Azziala! Every Dragon gasped. Elki leaped to his feet, fumbling for his sword.
“Oh, don’t bother with that.” Azziala surveyed them from her perch on a rock not thirty feet from Lia’s left flank, her face bloodied and burned, yet her eyes still blazed with that unnerving blue. “Touching as you seem to think this revolting spectacle is–Dragon, obey! Roll over.”
Mizuki flopped over on her side like a hound begging for its belly to be scratched.
A dozen Dragons swivelled, summoning their fires.
“DRAGONS, OBEY. BRING MY DAUGHTER TO ME.”
Hualiama yelped as Sapphurion’s claws raked her departing tail. She wriggled free, desperately trying to escape the clutch of claws from all sides, but with a wing broken beneath the secondary wing-joint, she was not about to fly anywhere. Azziala casually deflected four fireballs, and froze the attacking Dragons in their tracks with a click of her fingers, not even bothering with the command-hold structures.
The Empress’ eyes glittered as she surveyed her draconic captives. Sapphurion. Grandion. Mizuki. A dozen more. “No more hiding, Hualiama.”
The Dragoness shifted from beneath Grandion’s belly, where she had scuttled as he batted at her with his paws. The Tourmaline stood immobile. Bound.
Lia matched Azziala glare for glare.
Her mother said, “You see, daughter, I also possess a talent for surviving in the most adverse circumstances. There’s much to admire in your spirit–how you breached a sealed underground lair, pretended to die and even concealed this disgusting lizard from my Enchantresses, despite our Reaving. You’ll have to teach me that star-fire trick. I imagine a power which can fry a Dragon in his own hide will come in useful when we start our campaign to conquer the Kingdom of Kaolili.”
Coiling in readiness, Hualiama spat, “Still think I’ll join you? You’re deluded.” She’d show Azziala exactly what her Dragoness could do!
“Oh no,” said her mother. “Guess again.”
Hateful woman! Yet, the cold calculation in her smile gave Lia pause. What was Azziala scheming? How could she, alone, hold so many Dragons in her thrall? Had she been concealing her true power all along? Now, she had every Dragon in sight quivering at her fingertip command–save Lia. Surreptitiously, she reached for Grandion. Nothing.
Azziala said, “Silence, my daughter? Most refreshing, where you’re concerned. When were the lizards going to tell me about their most devious plot–to supplant a babe in my womb with a Dragon?”
Hualiama gasped. “No.” Azziala was wrong. She must be, yet Lia remembered the rage of a seven-headed Ancient Dragon unleashed upon a tiny eggling …
the third great race will emerge from the shadows.
What was she? Not the crux of a draconic plot. But Humans did not become Dragons. It was impossible.
“Aye. Let this knowledge Reave you, the knowledge of the depths Dragons will stoop to in order to grasp their objectives.”
“M-Mother, that’s v-vile.” Lia hated that in extremity, she always stammered.
“Aye!” Azziala sounded far too cheerful. “With you, I fear, it has always been a matter of finding the right leverage. I could threaten the Tourmaline. Turn him against you. Wipe his mind of all memory of an irksome dragonet masquerading as a Human. But I’ve a better idea.”
Hualiama gritted her fangs. “Oh please, do tell.”
“You will join me and my Dragon Enchanters in a new enterprise. You’ll teach me how to raise Land Dragons. You will lead these motely lizards against my enemies, turning neither to the right flank nor to the left, unswervingly obedient.”
“I’ll resist you to my last breath.”
“You forget one important detail, child. Unlike last time, you won’t have a mind left to resist.” Her finger rose in an uncannily talon-like gesture, as if she intended to claw Hualiama’s Dragon hearts out of her chest one by one. “You’re Dragonkind, now. And I am your worst enemy.”
In that instant, Hualiama knew what it was for her Dragon fires to turn to dark-fires, for despair to invade and chill even the spirit of a creature created of fire and magic. The Island-World froze in accord with her realisation. The dream was in truth a nightmare, her own nature the seed of her destruction.
The Empress of the Dragon-Haters made a mocking beckon with her forefinger. “DRAGON, OBEY.”
End of Book 2
Hualiama’s story culminates in
Dragonsoul,
coming in 2016.
Lesser Dragon Subspecies of the Lost Islands
The Lost Islands boast a unique ecosystem and four unique Dragon types–subspecies of the Lesser Dragons–developed by the Ancient Red Dragon scientist, Dramagon, to be the perfect draconic war-machine.
Tynukam:
nicknamed ‘Grunts’–a literal flying fortress. Deep red in colouration, the Tynukam are squat, massively armoured Dragons of relatively low intelligence. Their scales overlap like plate armour and they boast a double row of short, conical fangs in the upper and lower jaws. They supplement their diet with large quantities of metal ore. Due to their massive metallic sheets of armour, these Dragons can fly short distances at best and are more suited to ground or underground warfare than aerial combat, unless supported by an Overmind. A favourite combat technique is for Overminds to pick up Grunts and propel them at the enemy at ridiculously high speeds. Grunts, of course, are expendable.
Anubam:
burrowing Dragons. Short in stature with massively oversized forepaws which make them look mole-like. Very slow fliers, they prefer to ambush their prey from beneath the earth or rock. Being Brown in colouration, Anubam possess magical capabilities to burrow through, pulverise, shape and shoot all forms of rock and earth. They have a particular love of garnet gemstones and will spend months polishing a favourite jewel. Easily distracted by a sparkly gift, but vicious when roused–which is often, as they are a rowdy, factious clan which loves nothing better than an all-claws-in brawl.
Indubam:
the ‘Swarm’. Small and manoeuvrable bat-like Red Dragons which grow up to ten feet in wingspan, with iridescent purple bodies and a hinged, underslung jaw capable of accommodating an unexpectedly large bite. Hunt in large shoals up to fifty strong which resemble flying piranha. Their long, curved fangs produce a paralysing sting and their ovipositor-like tails shoot a barbed hook attached to a cord, which allows them to bind their prey before eating it alive. Have no ability to breathe fire. Once a year, the Swarm drink copious quantities of highly nutritious nectar produced by their females before indulging in days-long aerial combat to determine the alpha male of the clan.
Dramubam:
the ‘Overmind’. Smallish Dragons usually no more than fifty feet long, Jade in colour with a smattering of Browns and Blues. Long and serpentine in the body, with four wings and short legs. Named by Dramagon in honour of his magnificent genius, Overminds are the crowning glory of his breeding programme. They possess powerful psychic gifts, but are also inveterately lazy and vain. They keep both Human and Dragon slaves and shy from combat, preferring to leave such messy labours to their minions. Nevertheless, due to high intelligence coupled with a malevolent temperament, most Overminds make dreadful friends and even more terrible enemies. The best defence is to set Overminds at each other’s throats by complimenting one at the expense of others.
Marc is the bestselling author of over a dozen fantasy books. Born in South Africa, he lives and works in Ethiopia with his wife and 4 children, 2 dogs, a rabbit, and a variable number of marabou storks that roost on the acacia trees out back. On a good night you can also hear hyenas prowling along the back fence.
When he’s not writing about Africa or dragons, Marc can be found travelling to remote locations. He thinks there’s nothing better than standing on a mountaintop wondering what lies over the next horizon.
If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.com, or reading one of my other works. Every review matters and I read them all!
Where you can find me:
Twitter: @marcauthor
Email:
[email protected]
Other Books by Marc Secchia
Shapeshifter Dragons:
(Young Adult and older readers) Chained to a rock and tossed off a cliff by her boyfriend, Aranya is executed for high treason against the Sylakian Empire. Falling a league into the deadly Cloudlands is not a fate she ever envisaged. But what if she did not die? What if she could spread her wings and fly?
Long ago, Dragons ruled the Island-World above the Cloudlands. But their Human slaves cast off the chains of Dragonish tyranny. Humans spread across the Islands in their flying Dragonships, colonising, building and warring. Now, the all-conquering Sylakians have defeated the last bastion of freedom–the Island-Kingdom of Immadia.
Evil has a new enemy. Aranya, Princess of Immadia. Dragon Shapeshifter.
Shapeshifter Dragon Legends:
(Young Adult and older readers) A young Pygmy warrior is stolen from her jungle home and sold to a zoo, where she lives for seven years before being kidnapped by the Red Dragon Zardon. Now, the courage of the smallest will be tested to the utmost. For Pip is the Pygmy Dragon, and this is her tale.
The IsleSong series:
(Young Adult and older readers) A story for anyone who loves the ocean and its whales, salt water in their hair, and the gentle rasp of beach sand between their bare toes. This story will transport you to a beautiful, unspoiled ocean world where people have to rely on Whales to travel between the islands. A world where danger can, and does, lurk beneath any wave.
The Girl who Sang with Whales (IsleSong Book 1)
The Shioni of Sheba series:
(Middle Grades and older readers) Unique African historical fantasy adventures set among the myths and legends of ancient Ethiopia.
Shioni of Sheba #1: The Enchanted Castle
Shioni of Sheba #2: The King's Horse
Shioni of Sheba #3: The Mad Giant
Shioni of Sheba #4: The Sacred Lake
Shioni of Sheba #5: The Fiuri Realms
Epic fantasy
(New Adult and Adult readers) Epic length tales of unique worlds and powers.