Dragonvein - Book Three (4 page)

“This was Rakaal’s,” Hanvir told them. “He copied it from an ancient map he found here when he was young.” He placed his finger approximately where Borgen would be and traced it west until reaching the Dragon Wastes. Roughly in the center of this area was a large red dot with the word ‘Sichean’ written above it. “Rakaal taught me that in the old language it meant
foundation,”
he continued. “But now I'm thinking perhaps a closer definition might be
beginning,
or even
home
.”

Ganix scrutinized the map for a while. Rakaal had painstakingly detailed every area. He looked to Keira. “Is this where you think our ship is?”

She spread her hands. “I cannot say for sure. But it would seem the most logical place.”

“We must go there,” said Hanvir. “Please, Your Highness. Let me come with you.”

Ganix met his eyes; they were wild with exhilaration. All the same, Hanvir was right. They
must
go there. “How soon can we be ready?” he asked.

“At once,” he replied eagerly. “Two of the boats need some repair. But one is completely undamaged.”

The king nodded. “Then gather five others to accompany us. We will depart tomorrow.”

Without another word, Hanvir bowed and sped from the room.

A moment later two dwarves entered to escort Ganix and Keira to their separate quarters. Once there, Ganix stripped off his clothing. After a wash and a meal he stretched out on his bed, staring vacantly at the ceiling. There was still the matter of questioning the human he must attend to, but first he needed to still his mind. Though he didn’t show it outwardly, his heart was currently in the strangest of places - both aching badly from news of Rakaal’s death, but stirred immensely by the prospect of finding another piece of his people’s past.

“I wish you could be there when we find it, old friend,” he muttered quietly.

Struggling to his feet, he left an order with the guard outside his door to wake him in three hours, even though he could feel his old bones were crying out for a much longer respite. As he pulled the blanket tight around him, he tried to imagine what they might find in the Dragon Wastes. At that moment, Shinzan, Ethan Dragonvein, the elves - in fact everything that had been consuming his mind in recent times - seemed relatively unimportant.

A tiny smile formed on his lips as the darkness of sleep pulled him in, filling his mind with dreams of wonder and awe.

Ethan sat on the porch watching Markus and Lylinora talking quietly a short distance away under the shade of an apple tree. Over the past several weeks the two of them had grown quite close. And though they would never admit it openly, Ethan suspected that their relationship had become intimate. On quite a few occasions they had disappeared for several hours, returning flushed and disheveled. He had asked Markus what had changed between them, but his friend would only give vague answers and was always quick to change the subject.

The door to the cabin opened and Kat stepped out to take a seat beside him. She had shed her jeans and tee-shirt in favor of a pair of loose fitting cotton trousers and a blouse: a choice she was now able to make. When first arriving back on Lumnia, all the clothes she had left behind were naturally sized for a thirteen year-old girl. But to the surprise of everyone, Renald had expertly refitted them for her. As it turned out, the old mage was quite the seamstress – a result of mending his own clothing for the past five-hundred years.

Kat reached across and took Ethan's hand. “No lessons?”

He smiled over at her. “Renald is working with Jake and Val today. And I think Lylinora needed a day to rest.”

“You mean a day to spend alone with Markus,” she corrected. “Speaking of which, I thought we could eat dinner on the boat tonight.”

“Just the two of us?” asked Ethan.

Her smile became soft and seductive. “Of course. Unless you want to invite Renald.”

Ethan’s heart began to race. They had yet to consummate their relationship – though they had come very close on several occasions. That they hadn't done so was all down to him. For some mysterious reason he was reluctant to rush things. His feelings for her were undoubtedly as strong as ever, and he thought of her constantly. Even so, something was holding him back. A tiny voice in the back of his mind kept telling him to wait; to be patient. This did not sit well with Kat, who had done everything she could to seduce him each time they were alone.

She rose from her chair and straddled his lap. “And this time you’re mine,” she stated, kissing him long and deep. Her tongue played teasingly with his as she ran her fingers through his hair.

The effect on Ethan was instantaneous. He was acutely aware of his manhood swelling in response, and of his heart pounding furiously as the passion of her kiss increased.

“Enough, you two!” Markus called across light-heartedly. “The sun’s not even set.”

Their mouths parted, but Kat's eyes locked onto Ethan’s. Her hips wriggled suggestively across his lap. “Is that enough?” she asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

Ethan could barely utter a sound. He wanted her so badly, it was taking every ounce of willpower he possessed to stop himself from dragging her away and ravaging her immediately.

“For now,” was all he could manage to gasp.

Kat slid from his lap and sauntered away in the direction of the shore. Ethan could clearly see the look of disapproval on Lylinora’s face as Kat passed by. More than once she had scolded them both for such public displays. At first Ethan had thought it was said out of jealousy, but soon it became evident that she simply didn’t think it proper for a young lady to behave in such an openly sexual manner. His mother on Earth had possessed much the same attitude. Anytime they passed a couple kissing on the pavement she would scowl and look at Ethan.
“I hope you never have anything to do with women like that,”
she would say.
“It’s just shameful.”

Mother would definitely
not
have approved of his new love.

After a moment, Lylinora sprang to her feet and hurried after the departing Kat. Most probably to give her another scolding, Ethan thought. Markus joined him on the porch and tossed him an apple.

“Funny how things turn out,” his friend remarked.

“Yeah,” agreed Ethan. “You and Lylinora. I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“I don’t mean us,” Markus said. “I mean you and Kat. To think how much she wished for the pair of you to be together. And now here you are.” He regarded his friend. “I assume you feel the same way about her.”

Ethan was unsure how to answer. “I…I care for her. Deeply. More than I ever have for anyone, in fact. But something is missing.”

Markus frowned. “Missing? Like what?”

“I’m not sure. It’s like I feel I should be…I don’t know. More.”

Markus chuckled. “Feeling a bit inadequate, are you? Can’t say I blame you. If you want the truth, Kat’s way out of your league.”

Ethan wanted to dispute what he had said, but it was true. The depth of Kat's love was made obvious by a simple glance. She had waited for him for five years. The last girl he'd cared for hadn’t bothered waiting for him at all. “I just don’t understand her,” he said. “Why me? What does she see in me?”

Markus shrugged. “Who knows what women see? My advice is that you count your blessings and just go with it. You’re not going to find another one like her any time soon.”

Ethan knew that his friend was right. After taking a bite from the apple and leaning back in his chair, he nodded over to where Lylinora and Kat were now strolling off together. “I wonder what they’re talking about.”

“You, of course,” replied Markus. “And from what Lylinora told me, you have one hell of a night in store.”

Before Ethan could manage a reply, Renald appeared from around the corner of the house. Jake and Val were following close behind. Both carried sour expressions.

“I see things went as well as always,” observed Markus.

Renald glared. “I don’t need to hear from you. Why are you here anyway? Shouldn’t you be off hacking someone with a sword or some other nonsense?”

“I’m here to make you smile, old man,” Markus told him. “It’s my sole purpose.”

Renald always targeted Markus when he was in a foul mood – which was often. But Markus didn’t seem in the least bothered by the insults. In fact, they usually made him laugh.

“You want to make me smile? Then stay away from my porch,” the old man growled before disappearing inside.

Jake and Val pressed their backs to the wall of the house and slid down into seated positions.

“What happened?” asked Ethan.

“He’s just a mean old fucking bastard,” grumbled Jake. “I swear, I almost choked the son-of-a- bitch.”

Ethan tried to contain his amusement. “Calm down. I’m sure it wasn’t
that
bad.”

“Oh, yeah?” Jake shot back. “He turned a fucking wolf loose on us. Damn thing was breathing fire. It almost tore Val’s leg off.”

Ethan looked down at her leg, but could see no injury. “Are you hurt?”

Val shook her head. “I’m fine. Renald made it disappear before anything bad happened.” She turned to her brother. “You shouldn’t have tried to hit him.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “You tried to hit Renald?”

“Damn right,” said Jake.

“I’d liked to have seen that,” said Markus, grinning.

“Renald wrapped him in a cloud of green smoke and held him there until he calmed down,” explained Val. She turned back to her brother. “But there was really no reason for you to get so angry. I wasn’t hurt.”

He was in no mood to be pacified. “I’m sick and tired of his bullshit, Val. Nothing we do is good enough. I’m trying as hard as I can. I think I’m doing just fine. Even Lylinora says so.”

His words were justified. Both he and Val had already mastered several minor spells and were well on their way to learning more advanced, offensive incantations. Val had managed to create a whirlwind strong enough to lift her brother off his feet. And Jake had begun making fist-sized balls of flames that he was able to send flying several yards before they exploded. 

“Just relax,” said Markus. “He’s an old man. And he has a lot on his mind.”

Jake snorted and pushed himself up. “Well, he better hope that I never learn to get out of that damn smoke. Because if I do, I’m going to beat the shit out of him.” With that, he stormed off toward the shore.

“He’ll be fine,” said Val. “He’s always been a hot head.”

“What he doesn’t understand,” began Ethan, “Is that nothing would make Renald happier than if he learned how to free himself. Renald may be a grumpy old man, but the fact is, sooner or later we’ll have to face Shinzan. And right now, he’d slaughter us without breaking a sweat.”

“What do you think we should do?” asked Val.

“I wish I knew,” Ethan replied somberly.

“Do you think Martok can help?” Markus asked him.

“Maybe. But I’m hoping to find a way without him.”

Martok’s voice had been quiet of late. Though Ethan could feel that he was still listening to his thoughts. What at first had been a constant pressure in his mind to allow his ancestor to come forth had now dwindled to a distant whisper. A reminder that he was still there, waiting to be summoned.

“He scares you, doesn’t he,” said Markus.

“Yes,” Ethan admitted. “I know he helped me. But my gut tells me not to trust him.”

Markus nodded. “So you think maybe you could lose control to him?”

“That’s what bothers me. Heather warned me that I might become trapped inside my own spirit. But I’m not sure how that would happen. It would be easy to allow Martok to…to come out. But I don’t know if I could ever put him back again.”

“He offered to teach you, didn’t he?”

“Yes. But even when I see him inside my mind, I can feel him wanting to take over.”

“Then it’s best you keep him where he is,” advised Markus. “At least until you find out more.”

After a pause his serious expression suddenly brightened. He slapped Ethan on the shoulder. “But right now, you have other things to think about. We need to get you ready for your big night.”

Val laughed. “So you’re finally going to stop playing hard to get with Kat? It’s about time.”

“I wish you two would stop worrying about what goes on between us,” Ethan told her. Val and Jake’s casual attitude about sex made him uneasy. But they were from a different era. One far less repressed than his own time.

Val smiled up at him. “All I know is that if you don’t make a move, sooner or later, Jake will.”

A flash of anger passed through Ethan. “I’ll
make a move
when I’m good and ready. And Jake had better keep his damn hands to himself.”

Val looked pleased that her teasing was getting to him. “Well, he’s only human. And I mean, Kat’s gorgeous. And you…well…”

The implication of her words hung in the air.

“What are you talking about?” grinned Markus. “Ethan may be on the scrawny side, but he’s a reasonably good looking guy. Though I admit, Jake’s not bad either.”

Ethan was far from amused by their banter. “I’m going to get cleaned up,” he snapped.

Jumping from his chair, he headed off quickly toward the corner of the house.

* * * * *

Kat sighed heavily as she heard Lylinora calling out for her to wait. Another scolding was on the way. But this time she had no intention of arguing. She had other things on her mind.

“Save your breath,” she called back. “I’m not in the mood right now.”

“Oh, I think I know perfectly well what you are in the mood for,” Lylinora said. “And that is why I’m coming with you.”

“Why? To talk me out of it?”

Lylinora gave a quiet laugh. “Not at all. I want to make sure that it’s as wonderful as you imagine.”

Kat shot her a confused glance. “You’re not serious.”

By now Lylinora had caught up and was walking beside her. “Believe me, this is not something I would joke about. Ethan is kind and gentle, but his experience with women is not much more than your own with men.”

Kat was well aware of how she would know this, and did
not
like being reminded that Lylinora and Ethan had once been intimate. “I think I’ll be fine on my own,” she sniffed.

“I’m sure you would be. But just being
fine
should not be what you aim to achieve.” She caught Kat’s arm and halted her. At the same time, her features softened and her tone took on a sisterly quality. “Don’t you want your love expressed to its fullest potential?”

Kat thought on this for a moment. It had crossed her mind that she was still a virgin. What little she knew about sex was from listening to the other kids on the farm. And they didn’t know very much. Would Ethan be disappointed? Would
she
?

“Just how can you help?” she asked.

Lylinora took her hand. “My mother was quite insistent that I be prepared for the day I took a husband.”

“You mean you talked with your mother about how to have sex?” Kat asked, her voice a combination of deep shock and disgust.

Lylinora shook her head and flashed an amused smile. “Spirits, no! She had someone else do that for her. Someone quite experienced. I was taught that love making is more than just a physical act. There is a side to both men and women that only true love can reveal. I want to pass on what I was taught. Hopefully then, your first time will be everything you have ever dreamed of.”