Dragonvein - Book Three (10 page)

“Why do you stare at me so?” she asked. It was obvious that she was not in the least embarrassed for him to see her this way.

Ethan averted his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know…I mean…” He let out a groan. “I should just go.”

“There is no need,” she said. “If my body pleases you, feel free to look.”

Ethan kept his eyes focused on the ground. “I was just taking a walk. I didn’t know you were here.” He took a step back.

“Your heart beats quickly,” she noticed. “And your breathing is rapid and shallow. Is this a sign you wish to couple? Forgive my ignorance if I’m mistaken. I know very little of humans.”

“Couple? No!” He took another step back, but Keira moved around to bar his way.

“Are you sure? I’ve never considered such a thing with a human. But my father says I should be open to new experiences.”

“I don’t want to…couple,” he insisted. “Please let me by.”

“Is it that you already have a mate?” She moved in closer. “Perhaps I could ask for her permission first?”

In spite of himself, Ethan glanced up. Her eyes were fixed on him in a way that caused his cheeks to flush. Suddenly, he could feel his passions stirring. “I have to go,” he told her. “Really.”

“It’s no trouble,” she pressed. “In fact, your mate is here now.”

Though the elf’s back was turned, she was correct. Kat was making her way toward them with deliberate strides, her eyes burning with fury.

“Perfect,” Ethan muttered.

A tiny smile formed at the corners of Keira’s mouth. “Alas. Perhaps another time then?”  

Ethan could hear the elf woman laughing softly as she walked to where her clothes were folded neatly a few yards away.

“What the hell is going on?” Kat shouted. She was making a beeline for Keira. 

Ethan moved into her path and grabbed her arms. “It wasn’t what you think.”

Kat tore herself free. “Then what the fuck was it? Explain why you’re here. And why she’s naked. Then explain to me why she was standing there right in front of you.”

“The fault was mine,” Keira cut in. She had already donned her pants and shirt and her shoes were hanging by her fingers. “I was swimming. He did not know I was here.”

“So he shows up and what? You try to fuck him?”

Keira laughed and shook her head. “I was only having a bit of fun.” She pushed her way past them both. “You see? I’m not without emotion, after all.
Or
a sense of humor.”

Kat took off after her, but Ethan managed to catch her in time.

“I’ll kill the bitch. I swear it,” she raged. “And you! I saw the way you were looking at her.”

“What are you talking about?” he protested. “She was standing right in front of me. How could I
not
look at her? I was just about to leave when you showed up.”

He placed his forearms on Kat's shoulders. “Look me in the eyes...please.”

For several seconds she stubbornly refused to meet his gaze. Only after letting out a low growl of anger did she relent. Even now, her eyes were still hot with fury. “Okay. I’m looking at you.”

Ethan smiled at her with all the sincerity he could muster. “Believe me, I have absolutely no interest in Keira. None. The only woman I want to be with is mad as hell and standing right in front of me. I would never betray you like that. Do you understand? Never.”

Slowly, Kat's rage seemed to fade.  She reached up to grab hold of his face with both hands.

“Okay, I believe you,” she said quietly.

An instant later her foot shot out, connecting hard with his shin.

With a yelp of pain, Ethan hopped around clutching at his injury. “What was that for?”

Kat smirked. “For making me feel jealous.” She shoved his chest, sending him tumbling down onto the sand. “Don’t let it happen again.”

In spite of the pain, Ethan could not resist laughing. “So I’m forgiven?”

Kat huffed and crossed her arms, though her expression had changed from a mask of pure anger into one of a scolding parent. “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.”

“I see.”

Ethan’s hand snaked out to catch Kat by the ankle. It took only a sharp tug to shake her footing sufficiently to have her falling down onto the sand beside him. She scrambled away, but he caught her belt with the tips of his fingers and pulled her back.

“Let me go,” she said through barely contained laughter. “I said I’ll have to think about it.”

Ethan crawled forward until they were face-to-face. “But I really want to be forgiven now,” he told her.

Her struggles ceased as he met her eyes. Rolling on top of him, she straddled his chest. “Fine. You’re forgiven.”

Ethan pulled her back down. Their kiss was light, almost playful at first, but quickly it became deep and urgent. When their lips finally parted, he could feel the fires in his chest burning.

“But if she ever does something like that again…” Kat told him, allowing the warning to hang in the air.

Holding hands, they made their way back to the boat. After dressing they then proceeded to the cabin. Jonas and Markus were on the porch playing chess. Through the open door, Ethan could see the others sitting around the table eating breakfast.

“All ready to go?” called Markus.

Ethan gave them both a confident wave, though Jonas didn’t look up. His concentration was focused entirely on the game board. He had sworn an oath to one day defeat Markus, but had yet to fulfil it. “I know you are cheating,” he muttered. “And soon as I figure out how, you’re done.”

Ethan and Kat moved on inside and took a seat at the table.

The mood was solemn throughout their meal. Even Val, who Ethan had found to be quite pleasant company most of the time, hardly spoke a word. Once finished eating, he set about bidding a final farewell to everyone, though Renald was noticeably excluded from this. His anger toward the old mage had only increased as Maytra’s desperate cries continued to sound regularly from the direction of the lake. Markus had earlier asked why he hadn’t gone to see her, and he had been forced to explain that witnessing her agony was too much for him to bear.

Markus and Lylinora insisted on walking down to the boat with them. Their supplies had already been loaded, and they found Keira waiting impatiently on the bow.

“Do be careful,” said Lylinora. “And return soon.” She embraced them both warmly.

Markus slapped Ethan on the arm. “Don’t get in too much trouble. I won’t be around to save your ass this time.” His eyes then shifted over to Kat. “But I suppose you’re in good hands.”

It was an emotional moment, and Ethan did not care to draw it out. Once he and Kat were on board, he immediately set about pulling in the mooring ropes and then climbed into the wheelhouse to join the two women. At a single touch, the low hum of the engine sprang into life.

“It will be a long journey,” remarked Keira as they moved off.

Kat gave her a contemptuous look. “And I suggest you keep your mouth shut and your hands to yourself while we’re on it.”

The elf was unmoved by Kat’s attitude. “Join me in the cabin,” she said. “We should speak alone.”

Kat glanced at Ethan, who simply shrugged. “That's fine by me,” he said.

But it wasn't really fine at all. After the two women disappeared from view, Ethan shook his head in exasperation. Keira’s
sense of humor
had certainly complicated matters. The last thing he needed was for the two of them to be at each other’s throats in the middle of an ocean. He kept his ears sharp, but even after several minutes, he still couldn't hear any sounds of trouble. And when Kat did finally return, she had a strangely satisfied and almost excited look on her face.

“What did you two talk about?” he asked as she climbed into the wheelhouse beside him.

She moved close and rested against his shoulder. “Nothing much. We just needed to straighten a few things out.”

Ethan kissed the top of her head and then focused his attention on the horizon. Better to let it drop, he considered, even though his curiosity was steadily rising as to what Keira could possibly have said to affect Kat in such a way.

Something told him he would never get to know.

Shinzan cast his eyes over the vast expanse of diseased terrain before him. The Shadow Lands were not of his doing; they had already been there when he'd first arrived on Lumnia. No one had ever dared to cross them. Not even the armies of the once mighty Five Kingdoms. It was why he had chosen the desert to the east of this desolate place as his home. It had left him isolated and secure while he gathered his strength during those first few years.

Once a home for all manner of foul creatures, the Shadow Lands were now completely devoid of life: a necessity if his forces were to traverse them unmolested. The vile nature of the beasts had made it impossible for him to control them, which was a pity. They would have been quite useful. Particularly now that he was forced to remain near his palace.

“How long must we wait?” asked a distinctly soft and feminine voice.

Shinzan turned his head, frowning. “Did I not tell you to stay in the tent?”

“And I told
you
I wanted to see it.”

A flash of anger struck him. Few could speak to him in such a manner and live. But Jassa was unique. Unbreakable and fearless. The unspeakable humiliation and pain she had endured was beyond human comprehension. Yet regardless of how much she suffered, she had never once begged or groveled. She had met his eyes with defiance – daring him to kill her. Only one other woman had ever intrigued him so.

He held out his hand. “Then wait here with me. It will be here very soon.”

“Have you done as promised?” Jassa asked. “Has Vraylic been sent back to his family?”

“Do you really care, my dear?”

“I am in his debt,” she told him. Her voice held no emotion. “And that is a position I do not enjoy being in.”

Shinzan gave her a sour frown. “I am beginning to think you actually love him.” He tightened his grip, but she did not cry out. “But of course, that cannot be.”

In spite of the pain Shinzan’s spiteful hold must have been causing her, Jassa laughed softly. “What care you of love? If I do indeed love Vraylic, that is my own affair. You have no say in the matter. You want me by your side, and I am here. You choose to treat me well rather than kill me, and I accept that. But you do not, and never will, govern my heart.”

Shinzan sent a wave of healing magic into her injured hand. “Of course, you are correct. I care nothing of human love. And to answer your question - no, I have not sent Vraylic away. He remains in my palace.”

Jassa shook her head. “Then you are a liar. One more reason to despise you.”

“You say you despise me, yet you share my bed with such enthusiasm. Even when I forced your precious Vraylic to watch.”

Jassa shrugged. “My plight is what it is. There is no reason not to make the best of it.”

“Is that why you ordered your own servants killed?” Shinzan asked, smiling. “I recall you did so without hesitation.”

“They were plotting against you. It had to be done.”

“That I know,” he told her. “I was fully aware of the plot. But what has baffled me is why you would wish to stop them.”

“That I did so is all that should matter to you. My reasons are my own.”

“And if I said you would be returned to a state of slavery if you do not answer?”

“Do what you must,” she replied.

Shinzan threw his head back in laughter. This is what he enjoyed about her. She truly meant every word. He could give her to the soldiers to ravage repeatedly and she would still say not one word more than she intended. Nothing he could do would change that. Nothing he could threaten her with would break her will. The five-hundred soldier escort at his back was not worth one of her. His mind drifted back to the last days of the war.

“Are you thinking about her again?” Jassa asked.

“And if I were?”

She flicked her free hand casually. “Then go to her. Release her. Or are you afraid she would bring out in you that which you claim not to possess or understand?”

Shinzan gave her a sideways glance. “Careful, my dear. There is only so far you can be allowed to go. Do not presume that you have tasted the worst of my wrath.”

Of course, this was an empty threat and he knew it. He had done everything short of killing this girl. Though he would eventually end her life, for now, he enjoyed her far too much.

A deep thundering roar came to them from high above the cloud cover. Shinzan could hear the men behind him shifting and whispering nervously. He sniffed contemptuously. If they weren’t already fodder, he would have killed them on the spot.

Another roar pierced the air, causing the ground to tremble. Jassa craned her neck, searching the sky. A moment later her hand shot out and she pointed to a break in the clouds. A massive silver dragon was descending in a tight spiral. Flames one-hundred feet long spewed from its great maw, heralding death and destruction. As the creature came closer, a cloaked figure could be seen riding atop, just between its hulking shoulders. When it finally landed about twenty yards away, the impact very nearly threw Jassa from her feet, forcing her to clutch at Shinzan’s arm.

“Impressive, is it not?” remarked the Emperor.

She regained her footing and smoothed her dress. “Magnificent. And you say that you can control it?”

“It will do as I command,” he replied.

The figure on the dragon's back leapt down and strode toward the Emperor. “Your Majesty,” he said, kneeling. “I have done as you commanded.”

“Rise, General Hronso,” said Shinzan. “You have done quite well. This more than makes up for your earlier failures.”

Hronso stood and bowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Shinzan approached the dragon. Even in the dull gray of an overcast sky, its silver scales gleamed brightly. In sharp contrast, its eyes had become as black as pitch, unblinking and devoid of all will. It stared straight ahead, not acknowledging Shinzan’s presence. He placed his palm against the beast’s neck and closed his eyes.

“You will do nicely,” he whispered. “Very nicely indeed.”

The dragon remained perfectly motionless.

“You should move away,” Shinzan called to Jassa and Hronso.

The pair hurriedly moved aside to allow a clear line of sight to the five-hundred terrified men. Shinzan patted the dragon on the neck and then took a few steps back.

In a single movement, it leapt a hundred yards to where the soldiers were standing. Instantly, they scattered and began fleeing. But it was pointless. A stream of flame sprang forth from the creature, completely consuming everything it touched. It moved its head from side to side, covering the entire area with hellish fire. Screams and pleas for mercy were quickly silenced as the deadly work continued.  In less than a minute it was all over. The dragon then turned to face Shinzan.

“Perfect,” said the Emperor, smiling. He walked over to Jassa, who was staring at the scene with a mixture of revulsion and amazement. “What do you think, my dear?”

It took a moment for the girl to respond. “You will unleash this on the dwarves?”

Shinzan kissed her hand. “The dwarves, the elves, and anyone else who dares challenge me.”

“Does it have a name?” she asked.

“Garnak used to be his name,” he told her. “But now he is nothing but an empty vessel – his will totally surrendered to mine. You could give him a new name, if it pleases you.”

She took a few cautious steps toward the great beast, transfixed. “Loknar,” she said. “His name should be Loknar. It was the name of a terrible monster in a story that my mother used to tell me as a child.”

“And what became of the terrible monster? How did the story end?”

“I don’t know. It frightened me so badly, I always made her stop before the end.”

Shinzan raised an eyebrow. “I find it difficult to imagine you being frightened.”

The stench of burning flesh was becoming increasingly strong as the flames died, revealing the charred stumps of the dead. Jassa covered her nose. “That was a long time ago. Much has happened since then.”

Shinzan nodded. “It certainly has.”

He beckoned over General Hronso. “I think it’s time our foes discover what it means to defy me, don’t you?”

Hronso bowed. “I will make them suffer, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor smiled again. “I am sure that you will.”