King Of Souls (Book 2) (33 page)

The knight’s numbers had dwindled to dangerously low levels since Ronan took the throne last summer. He hadn’t found a way to infuse Elan’s magic into new recruits. Only those who had already held shards could hold the magic. Ronan had relied on those knights who’d served under Queen Arianne to step forward. But, Merric Pride had murdered many men and women who served under Patron Tyrell’s command, and few remained.

Visions of dragons and sorcerers rampaging Freehold raised a chill along Danielle’s spine.

High above the dying forest, a distant roar echoed from the mountainside. Sharp gasps rose from the clustered refugees. Necks craned skyward as the crowd froze nervously scanning the sky.

Along Elan’s Gap’s high walls, blue shields sprang to life around the dozen knights manning the lower gates. Battle knights pulled arrows from quivers and readied bows bracing for attack.

Two dark masses appeared in the sky descending likes thieves from thick gray cloud cover. With pinned back wings, twin dragons sliced the air setting a collision course for the Ayralen refugees.

Among the stunned refugees, a piercing scream cut the air. Ayralens scattered like sand in the wind pushing and shoving past those in their way. Refugees nearest the gates ran ahead pressing into their fleeing countrymen.

A tall broad shouldered man led two children past Danielle pushing her aside almost knocking her over.

Danielle’s head buzzed as she staggered backward clutching Ferris to her chest.

Keely pressed in behind her hooking her arm around Danielle’s waist keeping her upright.

On Danielle’s right side, blue light flashed in Jeremy’s palm, and she snapped her head toward him. “Jeremy, no shields! What if these people run into them?”

Jeremy shot a glance skyward and nodded. “We need to find a place to hide.”

“Come on!” Keely tugged Danielle’s arm pulling her sideways into the tall grass and shrubs.

A jade dragon swooped over the scattering horde unleashing lightning from its open mouth. A second dragon, the shade of an autumn pumpkin, flew in low spraying a wide arc of fire six-feet above the fleeing masses.

Danielle’s heart raced while her feet flew forward. She stomped through waist-high grass and slipped past tall shrubs following just behind Keely.

Fifty yards away, hundreds of screams merged into a mass jumble of terror. Atop the walls at Elan’s Gap, battle knights fired volleys of arrows that raced toward the swooping dragons.

The knights’ opening shots fell short, and the dragons climbed over the Heartwood.

Danielle ran haphazard through the tall grass cradling Ferris’s head and body. She embraced her warden's magic and the grass parted as she raced forward toward the nearest heartwood tree. Despite its crippled health, she would find safety inside its trunk.

As Danielle ran ahead, tall grass swirled and moved as if turned aside by an invisible hand.

A tall thorny shrub moved and grass parted. A blond haired child stepped through wearing the garments marking him as an Obsith sorcerer. Silver bands circled tightly braided strands of hair, each clipped with strange crystal ornaments. Exotic tattoos marked his cheekbones and eyelids, and his lips curled into a thin smirk. The sorcerer raised his index finger pointing it toward Danielle. An oversized silver ring circling his index finger glowed red. His lips moved chanting strange unintelligible words.

Danielle screamed drawing on a well of nature magic. She commanded the grass near the sorcerer’s legs upward wrapping his legs in a vise-grip.

Grass moved near the sorcerer’s ripping his index finger away. It wrapped his body in long dried grass leaving him bundled him in a tight cocoon. She hugged Ferris close, and he burrowed his face into Danielle’s shoulder clutching her blouse in his balled up fists.

Three more blond heads bobbed above the swaying grass.

Danielle twisted the grass beneath their feet pulling them to the ground before wrapping them tight.

Behind Danielle, the chilling giggles of a prepubescent child set her flesh crawling. She whirled and gasped as Aren Broderick, Brees’s older brother, stood three-feet away.

The stench of burned ozone clung to the cool air at the forest’s edge. Around Danielle the air warped and shimmered. A dozen columns of sizzling blue lights flashed forming bars of pure electricity.

Danielle placed Ferris on the ground and reached for her belt pouch.

“Take care with your next move Danielle,” a familiar voice said. “Don’t give them a reason to hurt you.” Arber Stroman, traitor to Ayralen, stood from where he’d crouched in the tall grass. He stepped forward and stopped outside Danielle’s electric prison.

Moira’s Story

The dragon’s golden scales gleamed beneath the rising sun as she crept forward and hovered over her egg. She craned her neck forward and roared. Energy ripples cascaded over Ronan’s spirit shield.

The short hair on Ronan’s neck rose while his body stiffened. A steady river of sweat ran along his chest and between his shoulder blades. He stepped backward wiping rivulets of perspiration from his forehead. In his right hand, he warned off the advancing dragon with his sheba blade while he held enough energy to level a small village in his left.

A high-pitched growl came from the white mound of shaggy fur behind Ronan as the bear cub did her best to invoke a threatening posture.

Ronan shot a quick glance over his shoulder praying he’d find his bear friend still in one piece.

The red dragon tipped his head upward, and his nostrils flared while he sniffed the air. He settled his hindquarters atop the sand and curled his thirty foot tail around his forelimbs and stared blankly at the bear cub.

By Ronan’s estimation, the red dragon appeared content watching the confrontation unfold. But, he harbored no doubt the beast wouldn’t hesitate to intervene if any harm came to his mate.

The gold dragon lumbered another step forward. But her mouth closed, and she glared down her long snout at Ronan appearing more angry than hostile.

Ronan’s shoulders eased, and he lowered his arm holding the stored spirit energy.

“Tiamat! Abzu! That will be enough!” A creaky voice radiating authority spoke from somewhere behind Ronan.

The red dragon’s tail flickered, and he glanced downward wearing an almost bored expression.

The gold dragon’s ears perked, and her head jerked toward the voice before she lowered her neck in a gesture of obedience.

Despite the warmth, a sharp chill danced along Ronan’s spine. A wide grin split his face, and he whirled tracking the voice’s source.

Seated atop a giant silver snow eagle, Moira glared between the two dragons. “You’re scaring the boy half to death. You both know better than to treat one of my guests with such ill manners.”

The gold dragon lowered her body until her hindquarters and belly rested atop the sand. She curled her tail around her body mimicking the red dragon’s indifferent manner.

Ronan’s gaze locked on the eagle and her distinct gray eyes. But, he didn’t need to see her eyes to feel her presence. His heart surged with pure unfettered joy as he sheathed his blade and released his magic. “Rika!” He sprinted ahead while relief filled his body.

Sensing the easing tension, the bear cub’s fur returned to its normal shaggy rag-top appearance. She hopped along the hot sand behind Ronan struggling to keep pace.

Moira slid from Rika’s back as Ronan stopped beside them. He eased Moira from the saddle taking care to ensure the old woman had her two feet planted firmly on the sand.

Rika shifted into human form and teardrops welled in her eyes. A smile of relief spread across her face, and she leaped into Ronan’s open arms wrapping him in a tight embrace.

Ronan lifted Rika off her feet and spun her in circles smothering her cheeks and lips with kisses.

“Thank God you’re okay,” Rika said. “You had me scared to death.” Rika ran her fingers through Ronan’s hair and cupped his cheeks in her hands.

Ronan chuckled and shook his head. “I had you scared?” His tone echoed the confusion running through his thoughts. “The last time I saw you, a dragon held you two-thousand feet over the ground in its razor-sharp talons. I came to rescue you.”

A warm smile spread across Rika’s face, and she stood on her tiptoes before planting a tender kiss on Ronan’s lips. “I know you did. It was very sweet of you, and it makes me love you all the more.” Her eyes searched his face, and she brushed away a dried patch of sand from his forehead. “But I’ve spent the last week scouring the mountains looking for you.”

“She’s a brave young woman Ronan. She rescued me from the mountain last night after the ice cave collapsed,” Moira said. “I can see why you traveled so far to get her back.”

“After the ice cave collapsed….” Rika’s voice trembled as she choked on the words, and a teardrop rolled down her cheek. She wiped her eyes and shook her head, but her gaze never wavered from Ronan’s. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Ronan leaned down and kissed each of Rika’s tear-stained cheeks. He pressed his forehead against hers and sighed letting a week of pent up anxiety drain away. “And that’s exactly how I felt the last time I saw you. What happened?”

Before Rika could answer, the bear cub waddled forward and settled in her usual position between Ronan’s legs. She stared upward at Rika tilting her shaggy head and blinked.

When her gaze settled on the bear cub, Rika jumped backward and squealed with delight. A wide smile flashed across her face, and she knelt before the tiny cub. “Ronan! Who’s this? Where did you find him? He’s absolutely adorable.”

Ronan’s brow furrowed. “Him? That’s a girl bear Rika. And be careful. She may be small, but she’s fierce.”

Rika giggled, plopped on the sand, and extended her arms toward the bear cub. “This little bear is no more a girl than I was a boy all those years ago.” She glanced upward slipping him a coy smile. “You seem to have a lot of trouble deciphering gender. Maybe you need a refresher course?” She raised a single eyebrow and offered a smile warm enough to melt ice.

Ronan’s pulse raced, and slow heat reddened his cheeks. “Yes.” He rubbed his chin and nodded feigning a serious expression. “I think a refresher course may be in order. Do you know a competent instructor that might administer the lesson?” He fought back a smile creeping across his face.

Rika grinned and shook her head. “Ronan Latimer, get your mind out of the gutter.” She reached for the bear cub as he peered at Rika from behind Ronan’s leather boot. “And this bear’s a sweetheart. He’s about as threatening as you after two pieces of my apple pie and a long nap.”

“Never underestimate a potential threat,” Ronan said. But, he couldn’t stop a smile from sliding across his face.

The bear cub bounded outward and leaped into Rika’s lap. He stood pressing his paws against her chest and licked her face.

Rika giggled as she scooped up the bear and kissed the top of his shaggy head.

Ronan folded his arms and tried to sound serious. “Get your own girl. That one’s taken.”

Moira grinned as she watched their exchange. She shuffled forward and hooked her arm around Ronan’s elbow. “Do you see that Ronan? That bear cub couldn’t be more than a few weeks old, and understanding Rika’s true intent came as naturally as breathing. Returning her affection feels equally as natural.”

Rika ran her hands through the bear’s soft shaggy white hair and scratched behind his ears.

“Yes, I noticed,” Ronan said. “She has the same effect on me.”

Moira laughed and swatted Ronan’s shoulder. “I’m trying to make a point.”

“I understand. It’s the same point you made with the bear cub’s mother in the cave. But Rika’s a guardian. She has a way with animals.”

“Rika dear, have you cast any magic on that little bear cub?”

Rika shook her head. “No ma’am. He’s so sweet I didn’t think I needed to.”

“Okay. I stand corrected,” Ronan said. “But, how do those lessons apply to me? I’ve never had to understand the true nature of anything, and I get along just fine.”

“Really?” Moira said. “You were ready to kill Tiamat and Abzu, and neither of them intended you any real harm.”

Ronan wagged his finger toward the gold dragon whose eyelids had drifted half-closed a dozen yards away. “Tiamat roared loud enough to trigger my spirit shield, and Abzu snuck up on me from behind.”

“She was protecting her unborn offspring. You broke into her home and appeared ready to abduct or kill her children. How do you think you’d react in that situation?”

“What’s Abzu’s excuse then?” Ronan said.

“I thought Abzu displayed great restraint considering the circumstances. I told you not to travel to this peak without me.”

The red dragon, Abzu, turned his head and flared his lips as if grinning.

Ronan’s stomach flip-flopped, and he stared wide-eyed at Abzu’s reaction. “Did that dragon understand you?”

“Of course he did,” Moira said.

“How —”

Moira raised her hand cutting off Ronan’s question. “We’re straying off topic. I’ll answer your questions, I promise. But, first I’d like to know how you managed to survive that cave-in.”