Dragonvein (Book Two) (7 page)

Chapter Five

E
than knocked on
Markus’ door, but there was no answer. He was certain that he had heard him go in earlier. He tried the knob, but it was locked.

“Markus?” he called out. “Are you all right? I thought I heard glass breaking.”

After a long silence, Markus finally responded. “I’m fine. I just need to be alone for a while.”

Ethan frowned. He could hear in his friend’s voice that something was seriously bothering him. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes, damn it!” he shouted back. “Just leave me alone.”

“O…Okay.” Ethan lingered for a few seconds longer, but it was pointless so he returned to his room. Whatever was bothering Markus, he obviously had no intention of sharing it.

Jonas came by a while later. He had located King Ganix, who was still busy making preparations for their departure.

“You should be pleased to know that things are well in hand,” Jonas told him. “We’ll be well supplied and carrying enough gold to bribe a bloody king if needs be.”

“Did he tell you how we’ll be getting to the Dragon Wastes?” Ethan asked.

“When I asked him that, he just smiled and held a finger to the side of his nose.”

“I suppose it will have to be a surprise then,” said Ethan.

Jonas scowled. “I don’t like surprises.”

Ethan considered out loud if he should visit Lylinora, but Jonas said he had tried earlier and was told by the guards most firmly that she was not receiving anyone at present.

Seems like everyone is having problems today, Ethan thought. A short time later Jonas excused himself so that he could return to help King Ganix.

Ethan spent the rest of the day reading quietly, deciding to take his meals in his room rather than the main dining hall. He had just finished dinner when an exhausted looking Kat arrived.

“Maile and Asta are acting like it’s the last time we’ll ever play together,” she complained as she flung herself onto Ethan’s bed. “I should never have told them I was leaving.”

He laughed. “You might wish you weren’t.”

She leapt up and planted her hands firmly on her hips. “Don’t
you
start. I’ve had to listen to Lady Thora ranting on about me leaving every time we’re in the same room together. You know, she even asked King Halvar to make me stay? And when that didn’t work, she went to King Ganix.”

She regarded Ethan suspiciously. “She hasn’t come to you, has she?”

“No,” he said. “Not yet.”

“If she does, you had better not…”

“Don’t worry,” he said, cutting her off. “I promised that you could come, and I meant it.”

“You’d better,” she warned. “You need me.”

Ethan cocked his head. “Is that so? For what exactly?”

“For one thing, to make sure that witch keeps her hands off you,” she replied.

“If you’re talking about Lylinora, you haven’t got much to worry about. I don’t think she’s interested in me. At least, not in that way.”

Kat sniffed. “She’d better not be. Like I told you. You have to wait for me to get older.”

Having stated that, she grinned impishly and danced from the room.

Ethan shook his head and gave a soft chuckle. He had enjoyed seeing the change in the girl since she’d started spending time with Lady Thora and her granddaughters. In some ways, it was as if she had recovered a bit of the childhood she’d been denied. And though he knew she was in fact quite serious about wanting him to wait for her until she was older, there was now much more trust and understanding in their friendship.

After reading for a bit longer, he felt his eyes growing heavy. It was still rather early, but he decided to sleep anyway so as to be well rested for the coming day.

It normally took him at least a half hour to settle his mind sufficiently to doze off, but on this occasion his body felt uncharacteristically drained. Even the ever-present call of the dragons was but a mere whisper that evening, and within minutes sleep had taken him.

His dreams were wild and unintelligible. A mass of swirling colors and unfamiliar images appeared, constantly shifting and changing before he could make any sense of them.

“Lord Dragonvein,” called a soft feminine voice. It came from just beyond his sight. “See me.”

With a loud gasp, Ethan suddenly found himself sitting bolt upright in the bed. Something had awakened him. The shock from being pulled so abruptly from his dream had his heart racing.

“Did I startle you?” It was the sweet voice of Lylinora.

“Yes,” he replied. “I mean…no.”

At first, he could make out only her silhouette against the light creeping in from beneath the door. As his eyes slowly began to adjust, his jaw suddenly went slack. It was definitely Lylinora standing there – but she was completely naked. Even in the dark, he could tell that her eyes were firmly fixed on him.

“What are you doing?” he finally managed to croak.

She made no reply, instead merely advancing with graceful steps to the side of the bed. Ethan tried to scramble from beneath the blanket, but she placed her hand on his chest and gently pushed him back down.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was perfect. Her breasts, her stomach, her hips, everything…perfect. He reached out to touch her face, but she took his hand and kissed the tips of his fingers.

“Be still.” Her voice was soft, yet commanding.

As if carried on a cushion of air, she slid into the bed and straddled Ethan’s torso. He could feel his manhood engorging as the heat from her loins hovered tantalizingly just above him.

She leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Sleep,” she whispered. “This is just a dream.”

He struggled to keep his eyes open, though the harder he tried, the more difficult it became. He wanted to cry out, but his voice was gone. Then, the blackness irresistibly closed in.

“Ethan.”

“Lylinora,” he replied.

“Ethan.” This time the voice was accompanied by a pair of strong hands shaking him roughly awake.

He opened his eyes, blinking several times until his vision cleared. He saw Markus standing over him, a large smirk on his face.

Ethan sat up instantly. “Your face…your scars! They’re gone.”

Markus touched his cheeks and stroked his chin with obvious satisfaction. “Are they? I hadn’t really noticed.” He had shaved his beard, and though older, now resembled the man Ethan knew before coming to Lumnia.

Ethan slid from the bed and took a lingering look at his friend. “My god! She did it.” He wrapped his arms around Markus, nearly lifting him off the ground.

“Take it easy,” he laughed. “Do you want to crack my ribs?”

Ethan set him down and took another long look. “I can’t believe it. Is this why you wanted to be alone last night?”

Markus paused for a second before nodding. “It was just a bit much to take in all at once. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. I understand. Is that what she wanted with you yesterday?”

“That - and to ask me some questions about you.”

“Really?” The vision of Lylinora’s body in the dim light was still fresh in Ethan’s mind. But had it been a dream? He couldn’t tell. Part of him knew that it must have been. And yet he could still feel her on top of him, kissing his forehead. He could even remember the sweet scent of her perfume.

“What did she want to know?” he asked.

Markus shrugged. “Nothing much. Just what kind of person you are. Your likes and dislikes. Stuff like that.”

“Maybe it
was
real,” Ethan muttered, mostly to himself.

Markus picked up on it anyway. “Maybe what was real?” he asked.

“Oh nothing. It was probably just a dream.”

“Tell me,” he urged.

Ethan felt suddenly embarrassed and uncomfortable. “Really…it was nothing.”

“Was it about Lylinora?” he pressed, smiling. “I heard you call out her name in your sleep.”

Ethan lowered his eyes. “Yeah. It was.” He walked to the dresser and began rummaging for a change of clothes. “I dreamed that she came to my room last night.”

“Is that right?” His voice took on an odd tone. “What happened?”

“What difference does it make? It was just a dream.”

“Humor me.”

Ethan recounted the details as he dressed. Once he was done, he noticed that Markus’ eyes had become narrow and his jaw tight.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Markus shook his head and his smile returned. “Nothing. Come on. We’re having breakfast with King Ganix and King Halvar this morning.”

Ethan studied his face; something was still bothering him. Though, with his scars now healed, it was hard to imagine what his friend’s problem might be. Had Lylinora perhaps said or done something to trouble him?

Markus didn’t give him a chance to ask anything further. He opened the door and gestured for Ethan to follow.

They soon arrived at a small parlor with a round table and several chairs situated in the far corner. Already seated there were Halvar, Ganix, and Jonas. Ethan felt a stab of disappointment on seeing that Lylinora was not with them. A meal of porridge, fruit, and sweet wine had already been set out.

After bowing, Ethan and Markus both took their seats.

“I have reconsidered, and have now agreed to allow Lady Lylinora to erect a barrier around my manor,” Halvar informed them. “After she has cleared all the staff and the elders, you will be departing immediately.”

“How long will that be?” asked Markus.

“Two days,” replied Halvar. “It should then take you four more to arrive at the rendezvous point where you’ll meet the smugglers.”

“We’ll be ready,” Markus said.

Ganix had just begun to explain their route through the mountains when Lylinora arrived.

Ethan sprang to his feet rather too eagerly. “Good morning,” he said.

She nodded politely and sat down. A servant hurriedly brought her a plate. “I’ve already begun checking your house staff for signs of a curse,” she informed Halvar. “They’re all quite cooperative and well-trained.”

Halvar nodded. “Thank you. Many have served my house their entire lives.”

“Might I say that you did a wonderful job in healing Markus, My Lady,” remarked Jonas.

“Yes,” agreed Ganix. “I almost didn’t recognize him earlier this morning.” “It was nothing,” she said. “I was the least I could do for the best friend of Lord Dragonvein.” She gave Ethan a tiny smile.

Markus cleared his throat. “Yes. Thank you.”

Lylinora’s eyes never left Ethan. “As I told you yesterday. You should not mention it again.”

“As you wish…My Lady.”

Ethan felt that Markus’ tone was unusually abrasive. But this was driven from his thoughts as Lylinora’s gaze captured him.

“And how did you sleep, My Lord?” she asked.

Ethan shifted in his seat. “Fine. Just fine.”

“He had strange dreams,” Markus blurted out.

She raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Please, do tell. Some mages can foretell the future through their dreams.”

“Yeah,” said Markus. “I bet he’d like that.”

Ethan shot Markus an angry glance. “I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind.”

A sneer formed on Markus’ face. He sharply pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. “If you’ll excuse me, I have things to do before we leave.”

“Wait a minute,” said Ethan. “I’ll go with you.”

But Markus gave no indication of having heard him and did not even break stride. Ethan stared after him for a moment before turning back to the others.

“He’ll be fine,” assured Lylinora. “Healing can be an emotional experience.”

As soon as she had finished eating, Lylinora also chose to leave. Ethan hurried to catch up with her in the hallway. The words he wanted to say were on the tip of his tongue, but the moment she turned to look at him, the sensual memory of her closeness made him unable to speak.

“Is there something you wanted?” she asked. When Ethan didn’t reply, she reached out and took hold of his hands.

The warmth of her touch sent his heart racing madly. He wanted to ask her about the previous night, but instead found himself saying: “I was wondering when you plan to begin teaching me magic?”

“We can do so later today if you wish,” she replied, at the same time pulling his hands up against her breasts and slightly bowing her head. “And it will be my pleasure to do so.”

After a second or two of silence from Ethan, she eased his hands away and released them. “For a moment, I thought you were going to tell me all about this dream of yours.”

“No,” he said, unable to meet her eyes. “It’s…it’s kind of hard to explain. Besides, I can barely remember any of it.”

“What a pity,” she sighed, turning away. “Never mind. I’ll be attending to the house staff until dinner time, but you can join me after that for your first lesson if you wish.”

After flashing him a quick smile over her shoulder, she continued on her way back to her chamber.

*

From around a corner back along the corridor, Markus had been watching throughout as the pair of them spoke. Anger that he was unable to contain flared when he saw Lylinora pressing Ethan’s hands to her breasts. She
had
gone to his room. He was sure of it.

He wanted to scream – or shout – or hit something. But most of all he just wanted her to explain why. Why had she acted as if she had wanted him? Then, after luring him in so far, why had she stopped so suddenly? And why had she gone to Ethan’s bed only a few hours later?

When Ethan first told him about his ‘dream’, he’d suspected that the boy was lying. How could he
not
remember being with a woman like that? Even with his current anger raging, his own desire for her was burning as fiercely as ever. But after the way Ethan had gone on to describe things, he’d come to accept that she had most likely used some sort of magic on him. But why would she want him to forget?

For a wild moment he had considered dashing across and confronting them both. Somehow, he managed to curb the instinct. Such a rash move would only cause more problems. He couldn’t help feeling angry and jealous, but Ethan had done nothing wrong. And if Lylinora wanted him instead…so be it.

“I can’t force you to care for me,” he muttered under his breath.