“We all must die at some point. Whether we desire to or
not, the choice of when is one we have no option to decide.”
He brushed his palm over the crown of her head. “You
mustn’t grieve if my time comes and I leave you. Swear you
will not.”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she fought against the burning
behind her eyes. With a shuddering breath, she mumbled,
“I’ll try.”
“Good. Rest. The night approaches.”
A comfortable silence passed between them. She wanted
to do what he asked, but worry intruded with questions
needing answers.
“What did he mean by giving the baby the dragons’
blood? What are they going to do to me?”
“I do not know.” His teeth ground together. “I would take
this upon my own body if they would let me, but this is
something you must bear alone with our child. With hope,
the babe will give you a measure of his strength.”
With a nod, she ignored the increasing fear coursing
through her with the approaching night. “Will it help keep
the baby alive?”
His chin rubbed over her brow with his nod.
Satisfied, she closed her eyes, murmuring, “Hold me.”
His arms tightened, and his strength sent a thrill through
her, knowing they were both safe. At least, for now.
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Chapter Fourteen
Black velvet clouds drifted over the Solrai moon with its
shadowing twin. Paladin shifted on the hard rock, seeking a
more comfortable spot. Dull pain radiated from his hip and
shoulder where they pressed into the stone. Seren moaned.
He tightened his hold on her, pulling her snug against his
chest, wanting more than anything to take her pain.
She buried her face in the curve of his neck, whispering
his name. Chills swept through him. He closed his eyes and
savored her breath’s light touch against his skin.
The sound of large wings flapping in the distance came to
him. The six great dragons gathered on the columns of
judgment. Soon they would take her from him. Powerless to
stop them, he would have to watch them purify her. They
would do so for the baby’s sake. Seren’s suffering would end.
If they didn’t destroy her with their power.
He closed his eyes, inhaling her sweet scent. She must
have her blood cleansed, otherwise, she would not carry the
babe full term, and if she miscarried, her own death would
follow.
He should never have touched her, but he couldn’t
change what had happened in the past. He had to move
ahead and try to make this better for her.
Roars erupted in the night sky. He glanced over his
shoulder, seeking the source of the sound. The clouds drifted
past, revealing two dragons, coasting on the upper wind
currents, and twirling in front of the silver moons. Their
noses pointed down, they dropped in a vertical dive in the
direction of the white stone pillars.
He rubbed his cheek against Seren’s head, her silky hair
sliding against his skin. He battled his ever-growing fear that
she would die under the dragon’s fire.
Bask appeared, gliding over the smooth surface of the
slab to stop at their side. He held two robes, one white, and
the other deep blue. When he reached them, he dropped the
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clothes across their legs. “Up with the two of you. Dress and
prepare. The time draws near. Blue for the human, Sire.”
The silver skull cap on his head glinted in the moonlight.
Ignoring the White Dragon Guardian Wizard, Paladin lifted
the blue robe and roused Seren. He helped her slip the
flowing garment over her head. His own robe took but a
moment to pull on.
Unsteadily, Paladin started to rise, but when Bask held
out his hand, he stopped. He stared at the hand, slender,
delicate in a beautiful way, then shook his head and stood on
his own. Paladin desired no help from Bask. In a way, the
wizard had betrayed him. Paladin never intended to forget
that fact.
A low laugh came from the wizard. He glared at Bask.
One brow rose and the wizard smiled unrepentantly at
you will not have to worry long over my punishment for
stealing your lady.”
Bask gone? This thought overrode all else. Paladin’s
resentment about the wizard’s actions vanished. “No, do not
say such a thing. It’s not true.”
“Ah, but true it is. Lior has told me. I am prepared for the
event. Too long have I walked this world. I have been
promised to look upon this child with my own eyes. This one
wish, I so desire to be fulfilled.”
The wizard turned, keeping his back to Paladin. He tilted
his head back. “Five here, one left to arrive.” He looked at
Paladin, “When all is ready, I will return.”
With those words, he faded into the glimmering lights
which flickered around him.
“He talked like he’s going to die. How would he know?
Does he have the sight?” Seren stumbled to her feet, rubbing
the sleep from her eyes.
“Lior has the ability to see into the future.” Paladin
squinted in the direction of the White Dragon’s lair. Empty.
He glanced up to the tops of the seven columns. He found
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Lior perched on one of them. Next to her, the Black Dragon
stretched his neck in her direction.
He loves her. Paladin frowned. The black dragon, terror
of the west, cared for nothing other than his clan. Yet, the
soft grunts, flaring nostrils, even the half rise of his horned
frill, revealed the dragon’s fondness for Lior.
He studied the white dragon’s response. A bubble of
laughter rose. The female tilted her nose up, turned away
from the male. She obviously wanted nothing to do with
Sinimal.
Another dragon landed atop an empty column on the
other side of Lior. The deep blue one, Karia, from southern
Avaris. Paladin’s heart pounded in his chest. He wrapped an
arm around Seren’s shoulders, holding her to his side. Soon,
the ceremony would start.
With the threat of losing her wrapped around his neck,
Paladin waited, holding Seren. Her trembling increased. He
rubbed his hands over her shoulders and back.
When she spoke, her voice was so low, so soft that he had
to lean closer to hear her question. “Will this hurt our baby?”
“No, not him. You though, I would that I could tell you no
also, but I...” his words trailed off, leaving an unsettling
silence between them.
She wrapped her arms about her waist, looking up at the
dragons where they perched on the columns. “They’re so
huge. After seeing Biatoc, I imagined these would be about
the same size.”
He shook his head. “The ones gathering here are the great
six, mightier than any other. At one time there were seven,
but the golden dragon no longer exists. There is another
beast prowling the land. He appears to have equal strength
as any here. His name is Arcane. His parents are Lior and the
black dragon, Sinimal.”
He pointed to the two dragons on their stone seats.
“Arcane’s powers are increasing every day.”
“Will he be here tonight?”
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“No, he is not one of the clan leaders. He is a rogue and
must be watched. Should he overstep his bounds within the
hierarchy of the dragons, these great ones will see to his
chastisement, his sire in particular.”
“They’ll kill him?”
“It will depend on his crime.”
The last dragon was accompanied by another. They rode
a wind current and landed with resounding roars on the last
two pedestals. The red dragon flapped its wings twice before
settling them against its sides. The other dragon, though,
captured Paladin’s attention.
Golden scales shimmered in the light. Straightening,
Paladin stared in amazement. The very beast he had just
spoken of now sat above them. Seren shivered. Paladin
kissed her brow and gave her a little squeeze.
So the golden one was alive. Was his friend, Ren Murdock
aware of this fact? Ren had been declared Guardian Wizard
to the Golden Dragon, but had never been ordained by the
beast. He had never been able to fulfill his duties. The
absence of the beast made this difficult, inspiring the belief
that the golden dragon no longer existed.
A low, nervous laugh escaped Seren, pulling his attention
to her. “I guess you were wrong. It’s still alive. Seeing it
doesn’t help me. I’m scared to death, but then I thought, if I
was back on Earth, this would be nothing more than a
dream. Once it reached the scary parts, I’d wake up. Right
now, I want to be back home.”
In the same twinkling light, Bask appeared. He glided to
them. “They are gathered.”
He extended his hand to Seren. She looked at it for a
second then lifted her gaze to the wizard. “Swear to me that
my baby won’t be hurt.”
Bask grinned and placed his hand over his heart. He said,
“Upon my head will fall your ire should this child be harmed
in any fashion. No, no, my lady, your babe will soon blossom
into the one who is promised to save Avaris. He will gain
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such strength, none, dragon, beast, nor human, would dare
oppose him.”
“Will they send me home after they finish?”
“Perhaps, there is a possibility of such happening in the
future. What is important now is for them to enable you to
carry this child. Do you not want this?”
She didn’t hesitate in her answer. “Yes.”
“Then let us begin.” Bask beckoned for her to take his
hand.
Paladin stared at her, memorizing every curve of her face.
His stomach tightened, cramping like never before. He had
trouble loosening his arms from around her. Glancing at
him, she smiled. It was a sweet, soft flicker of her spirit. “I’ll
be fine. I didn’t die in my bathtub. And I won’t now. I want to
see my baby, to hold him, and watch him grow up.”
He nodded.
She slipped from him, taking Bask’s hand. Paladin let his
arms fall like dead weights to his sides. Bask wrapped his
free arm around Seren’s waist. His wings materialized on his
back, and he rose into the air with Seren pressed against
him.
Her short hair fluttered in the increasing wind. The
clouds grew thicker. The moons disappeared from view.
Particles charged with magic floated in the air. Paladin’s
heart raced. He had trouble catching his breath.
When Bask reached the place in the pedestals’ center, he
hovered and started an incantation. The bare hint of the
wizard’s voice reached Paladin. The words he chanted were
blown away with the rising wind.
The dragons leapt at the same time to fly in a circle above
the pillars. Faster and faster, they created a vortex, swirling
in a magnificent array of white, black, gold, red, blue, green,
and purple until the aura surrounding them combined into a
rainbow. They joined into one entity, diving toward the
center, coming together, their wings angled, one up, one
down. Their heads met, cheek to cheek. There they halted,
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suspended several hundred feet above where Bask held
Seren.
The wizard passed a hand over her face then levitated
her, releasing his hold. He descended, landing not far from
where Paladin stood.
Once Bask’s feet touched the slab, the dragons opened
their mouths. From deep inside their chests, flames poured
out, combining into one column of magical fire aimed at
Seren.
“She will not feel any pain. I used a spell to send her into
a deep slumber,” Bask murmured.
Paladin swallowed. When the column struck Seren, she
dropped several feet. He took two quick steps in her
direction, building his inner magic to produce his wings.
Quiet and calm, Bask ordered, “Do not interfere.”
Clenching his fists, Paladin fought the need to help Seren.
He didn’t want to lose her, not now. His heart pounded, and
he chewed on his bottom lip until a strong metallic taste
formed in his mouth. Bile rose to the back of his throat. He
gritted his teeth to keep his mouth shut, but the need to
shout at the dragons to stop nearly overwhelmed him.
Lightning flashed across the darkened sky. Thunder cracked,
vibrating the air. Dust along with small stones bounced on
the slab at his feet. His dragon’s blood boiled with the
increased magic swirling in the air.
He tore his focus away from her to where Bask waited.
Paladin yelled over the windy gusts. “Swear to me, she will
live. Swear upon Lior’s head.”
Bask, face expressionless, cut his gaze to him. “Swear.
There, done, final. Does this make you less frightened, oh
mighty king of the White Dragon Clan?”
Paladin gritted his teeth in frustration. The wizard dared
to mock him.
With his next words, Bask verified he did indeed mock
him. “Words are words, thrown out so carelessly. Here, this
very second, the dragons prove their worth. What they
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decree will be. You and no other on Avaris can stop them.”
Taking a step toward him, Paladin raised a fist, prepared
to pound the truth out of him.
“Be still, king. You bother me with your faithless self.
Wait. Watch. And consider—do you truly believe they would
harm the very vessel their king needs for his survival?”
The question stopped him. He looked up at the dragons
and Seren. Within the column of fire, a golden aura
encompassed her form. She glowed with the dragons’ full
magical power.
Rain splattered, blurring his vision. He swiped at his
eyes, refusing to look away.
After what seemed an eternity, the blast ended. The
dragons snapped their mouths shut as one creature. They
took flight, roaring amid the wind and rain.
Seren descended, coming to rest on the slab, her eyes
closed while her body remained limp. Peaceful and serene,
she appeared to be sleeping.
The wizard reached her at the same time Paladin did. He
checked the pulse in her neck, smiled then placed his hand
over her abdomen. He shut his eyes, his brow lined with his
concentration.
Paladin knelt at her shoulder. He brushed a trembling
hand over her head, smoothing her hair back. Her skin was
coated with the strange yellow dust from the combined fires
of the dragons.
When Bask grasped his wrist and tugged, Paladin jumped
in surprised. The wizard grinned, “Feel your son now, Sire.”
He sensed the power of the baby without needing to
touch Seren’s rounded belly. Instead, he ignored Bask. He
wrapped his arms around her, lifting her, pressing her body
against his chest. He swayed lightly with his cheek pressed
against the top of her head.
With a grunt, Bask left them. After several moments,
Seren stirred, her eyelashes brushing across his neck. His
eyes squeezed shut while he battled the tears burning behind
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his lids. She would live. So would the child. He would hold
her close for a while, and he was thankful for the boon.
She moaned.
He tensed.
Raising his head, he tilted to one side so he could look
into her eyes. She stared for a moment, recognition absent,
then like the lightening flashing through the night skies
awareness pooled in her gray depths.
“I’m alive,” she murmured.
He smiled and passed the back of one hand over her
cheek. “Very much so. How do you feel?”
She frowned, a puzzled expression crossing over her face.
“All right, I suppose. I don’t feel different. Except...”
He leaned nearer. “Except what?
Lifting one hand, she studied it, the layer of gold glinted
when she turned it one way then another. “Colors, they’re
brighter for some reason.” She tilted her head in the
direction along the edge of the slab. “And I swear I just heard
a fish in the water.”
Paladin grinned. “You’re fine. You will soon become
accustomed to these things.”