The second man’s mouth tightened into a straight line.
Rie spoke in the same slow, precise tone as his twin. “Your
brother will not be pleased. He has placed a bounty on your
head. He wants you returned, preferably dead.”
The first moved nearer, holding out a cloak draped over
his arm. “Matters not to us what his desires are, he is not our
rightful king.”
Accepting the cloak, Paladin stared at its outer white
material and fur lining. The cloth swished in the frozen quiet
of the inlet. Water lapped against the pilings beneath his feet,
and the smell of the cold sea mingled with the fresh scent of
cedar rose from the cloth. Removing his pack and slipping on
the cloak, he looked at the twins. “And soon he will be your
king no more. This I swear.”
The two men glanced at each other and nodded. They
turned to Paladin, their heads lowered. “Your words please
us greatly, Sire. Now give us your command so we might
fulfill your desire.”
“Where is my brother?”
“He resides at Heart’s Thorn Castle. There, he keeps what
you seek. The mystic dragon awaits also, hoping to devour
your soul.”
With a slight tilt of his head, Paladin released a low
chuckle. “Arcane may hunger for it, but he will find it a bit
too tough to chew.”
Rie raised his gaze and grinned, the full set of white teeth
belied his age. “You have finally found your father’s spirit.
This is more than we have expected.”
Rie’s pleased tone echoed in the clear, cold air. For a
moment, Paladin studied the two men. Both had lived long
in these lower reaches of the kingdom. Preferring seclusion
over the intrigue of the royal court, Cie and Rie came from
this long forgotten location within the kingdom. The two
men, though old, still possessed vast magical abilities. At the
moment, Paladin needed their skills. When the time arrived,
and he took Seren back, these two would benefit him more
228
Dragon Wish
than his ship’s crew.
“Do you hunger, Sire?”
He shook his head. Seren’s face appeared in his mind. No,
he didn’t hunger for food, but for Seren’s sweet kiss. “I will
eat later. I want to speak of your impending tasks.”
Both men inclined their heads, and parted to allow
Paladin to lead the way. He picked up his pack and walked to
the path hidden by the trees. They followed behind. He
remembered the way. He and his family had often visited
this place during his growing years. The twins’ secluded
home lay not far away. The icy ground crunched under their
boots.
The small wooden building, tucked into the side of a
rising cliff, was sheltered at its back by the solid earth.
Towering firs guarded the place on the three outer sides.
Mist from each breath they took trailed behind the men.
They reached the door. Cie stepped in front of Paladin and
shoved it wide.
Warmth rushed out, a shock in the freezing air. Paladin
stepped over the threshold, thankful to be out of the chill. No
more than a step into the structure, he staggered to a halt. A
hearth with stones covering the entire wall opposite the door,
held dancing flames. Sitting in an overstuffed chair in front
of the fire, a woman tilted her head in his direction. Bask
stood behind her, his hand resting on the top edge of the
chair.
Without taking his gaze off the couple, Paladin shifted a
foot to the right. He stared at the lengths of white hair
flowing about the woman’s shoulders. Her skin, even with
the flames so near, gleamed pearly white, translucent with
bluish veins visible beneath. Clothed in a thin, pastel blue
gown, she shifted her stare back to the fire. Her hands,
graceful and delicate, lay still in her lap.
Unsure of the identity of the woman, Paladin waited.
Bask, his usual grin absent, stared at him through narrowed
eyes. The silver skull cap reflected the reddish orange flames.
229
Dragon Wish
Cloth swished behind him, bringing Paladin’s attention
around. The twins knelt with their hands held together at
their chests in supplication, their heads lowered in respect.
His gaze moved back to the woman. She looked at him. His
breath caught in his chest and refused to leave. His knees
weakened. Unable to stop, he staggered in her direction, a
little to the left. A sudden, uncontrollable loss of strength
weakened his muscles.
Bask, his voice low but hard, ordered. “Kneel, you fool.”
The woman lifted a hand. Paladin regained the ability to
stand. “Leave him be. He’s never seen or even imagined me
in this form. He cannot be held accountable for his
disrespect.”
Realization flooded Paladin. He stared from the top of
her head to the softly rounded tips of her toes which peeked
from under the edge of her gown.
Lior.
The great white dragon.
He forced words past his lips. “This is your human form.”
She nodded. Unable to tear his gaze from the pure
blueness of her eyes, Paladin stood awed by the powerful
aura emanating from the woman.
His mind whirled through this information, but didn’t
allow fear to control him. He moved on to more important
matters. “Why are you here?”
Seren’s image appeared in his mind. His belly burned
with the pain from her under his brother’s control. Was she
still alive? Was this why Lior and Bask had come? To tell him
she and his unborn child had died? “Seren? Is she...?”
Lior shook her head. “She is well. For now.”
Tension seeped from his shoulders with his relieved sigh.
Her words eased his mind a little.
A gentle but knowing smile graced Lior’s lips. “I came to
tell you that when you go to her, the seven will have gathered
once more. We will be ready to send your lady to safety. All
you need is to make a wish.”
230
Dragon Wish
“Safety? Where in all of Avaris is this safety?”
“Did I say it was on Avaris? No. She will return from
whence she came. There, our king will be born and allowed
to grow in strength. After a suitable time, we will bring him
home.”
He let her words soak into his mind. He would lose Seren
if he returned her home. “And Seren? Will she return also?”
Bask laughed softly. “So you are smitten with the off-
worlder?”
Lifting a hand, Lior brushed the back of her fingers
against Bask’s arm where it lay on the top of the chair. Her
glance met the wizard’s. Paladin sensed the depth of their
devotion to one another in their eyes. “It is good that he is.”
She returned her attention to Paladin. “Avaris’s future
holds many paths. We can only hope that with the help of
you and Seren, the one which is chosen will be the most
beneficial.”
The word choice sparked some hope in him. “So we do
have a choice in what will happen.”
“You have always had a choice. We have only guided you
to the right ones,” Lior said. She rose from her seat and
glided nearer to him. The scent of spring flowers came with
her. “I go now, my king, to prepare for the moment you will
need us. The man you have misplaced is hiding in the forest
outside Heart’s Thorn. I will send word for him to meet you
at the castle.”
Caught by her clear gaze, Paladin nodded, relieved to
discover Calis’ whereabouts. Seemingly satisfied with what
she saw in his eyes, Lior sighed and glanced at Bask. “Come,
my beloved.”
For a moment, Bask stared at him. He moved until he
reached Lior’s side. “Remember, Sire, love will guide your
path.”
The two then stepped out the door. Paladin continued
looking at the opening long after they had disappeared into
the darkness. Thoughts rolled around in his head, bumping
231
Dragon Wish
and shoving against each other. Exhaustion shut the door on
some while others brightened to awareness.
Bask loved Lior. For five thousand years. Paladin
considered whether what he felt for Seren could survive so
long. Her image formed in his mind. A slow smile pulled at
his mouth. Yes, he believed so, but first, he had to retrieve
her from his brother.
He glanced at Cie and Rie. “Shall we begin our rescue
plan?”
Standing on either side the door, the elderly twins
grinned at each other.
Two days later, Paladin sat on the back of a white
dragoon. Dressed in Bask’s ancient armor, he waited at the
edge of the secluded tunnel entrance. Rylen had made his
entrance into Heart’s Thorn simple by hosting a costume
ball. His brother expected him to arrive soon.
With his hair tied at the back of his neck, the helm fit over
his head, concealing his face. He rotated his neck, trying to
relieve the bothersome itch at the base of his skull.
Unaccustomed to having a cover over his head, the helm
pulled at the strands of hair, aggravating him. He needed no
distractions tonight.
In less than two hours, daylight would arrive. The magic
on Avaris would decrease. He took a chance the magic of his
armor would decline also with the sol rising, but he had to
take the risk. Seren’s life hung on the brink of oblivion.
Movement on his right pulled his thoughts to the present.
Simultaneously, Cie and Rie swung down from their mounts.
Rie spoke first. “Would that you allow us to accompany you?”
Several seconds passed while Paladin considered then
shook his head. “You serve me better on the outside to help
with the escape. Your magic is strong enough to hold the
guards back. This is what I require of you.”
They nodded in unison. With a deep breath, Paladin
swung off his dragoon’s back and entered the tunnel. Damp
darkness along with the slow drip of water enveloped him.
232
Dragon Wish
He shut his eyes, switching to his dragon vision. When he
reopened them, the darkness had dissipated a great measure.
Water ran down the stone walls into the middle channel
where it drained to the land beyond the opening.
Mist escaped from under his helm with each breath he
exhaled. Hurrying, he made his way to the cellars. He soon
reached a narrow opening in the wall. He slid through the
crack into the room on the other side of the tunnel. Vaulted
ceilings disappeared in the pitch blackness above. Tall racks
and huge barrels lined the walls of the cellar.
He grabbed a dragonstone torch off an iron bracket on
his way across the center space to a slight gape between two
of the older wine barrels. Secluded behind the one to his
right, a doorway concealed the entrance to the secret
passageways running throughout the castle. His father had
revealed the entrance to him many years ago. He hoped
Rylen didn’t know of them. With time racing, his plan
depended on no detours. Having to dispose of any guards
posted in the passageways would delay him from reaching
Seren.
With his hand on the wall, he shook his head. Even if his
brother decided to post sentries in the passages, there were
many other ways to reach the upper library. There he would
enter the castle and make his way to the ball. Instruments
playing a fast song mingled with voices above him. The ball
had begun. From the information Cie and Rie had given him,
most if not all of the nobles within the kingdom were in
attendance. If so, it made his task to disappear amid the
revelry easier. The twins had even told him that many of the
nobles had decided to wear antique white dragon armor.
Hopefully, his brother wouldn’t notice one extra guest attired
in such a fashion.
The musty odor of disuse and age filled the passage. He
held up the dragonstone to light the way. The damp walls
glistened in the light. Cobwebs and debris cluttered the
corridor.
233
Dragon Wish
Paladin climbed four flights of stone steps, eased through
narrow walkways until he reached the third floor library. He
forced the cover off a peephole and surveyed the room on the
other side. Walls of books, two stories high, met his gaze. A
Relieved, he released a pent up breath. With extra care, he
opened the secret door, shoving the sheltering bookshelf out
from the wall. He slipped through and replaced the shelf.
Music filtered through the closed double doors. He strode
across the room in the opposite direction of the doors. He
would enter the ballroom through the balcony. He wanted to
study the layout and locate Seren—if Rylen had allowed her
to attend. If not, his next move meant finding her.
The moment he stepped through the balcony doors, the
icy cold of the northern regions slipped through the openings
on the helm. His eyes watered at the instant change from
heat to cold. He waited for the cold to chill the armor. It
didn’t. The magic induced spells kept the metal warm in the
cold.
He grinned behind the face shield. He liked this armor,
deciding that no matter what, he would keep it.
Slipping from shadow to shadow along the wide terrace,
he reached the ballroom balcony undetected. Satisfied, he
stood outside the multi-paned doors, and looked out over the
room. Built to hold over five hundred attendees, the room
overflowed with disguised guests.
The orchestra played in an alcove overlooking the
ballroom. Half of the room comprised space for the guests to
rest from dancing and visit at the tables lined with chairs
placed there. The dance floor took the other half. Dancers
twirled and glided across the area, faces bright in the
&nbs
p; dragonstone light that radiated from the brackets along the
walls. Behind the tables, on a raised platform, Rylen
slouched on a golden throne, surveying the entire affair. Next
to him, a dark-haired woman, dressed in a sleeveless, gauzy
crimson gown, sat, her legs crossed at the knee.
234
Dragon Wish
Paladin’s breath caught in his throat. Her short hair had
grown a bit since the last time he’d seen her. From this
distance, her eyes appeared too bright in the light. Had Rylen
drugged her to force her compliance to attend the ball?
He gritted his teeth. No matter what, he intended to make
his brother pay for his crimes. If not tonight, soon. Seren was
his woman. His brother had no right to take her from him.
With Seren so close to Rylen, Paladin resigned himself to
wait until either she retired or his brother left her side. All he
needed was a moment to grab her and escape. Just one
second.
Seren leaned closer to Rylen. At her movement, streaks of
jealousy cut through him. He gritted his teeth and clenched
his fists. His brother studied her under half-lowered lids.
Seconds clicked by before Rylen inclined his head in
response to what she’d said. She lifted the edge of her skirt
and rose to her feet with queenly grace. Head held high, she
glided down the steps leading from the dais. Relief surged
through Paladin at the sight of her eyes rolling once her back
turned to Rylen. She hadn’t fallen under his brother’s spell
like his deceased wife had done.
He grinned behind the face shield. His chance to save her
had arrived.
She slipped through the congregating groups, moving
across the room to one of the tables covered with food dishes
and drink. Once there, she picked up a white porcelain cup
and raised it to her lips.
He shifted back onto the terrace. Careful to stay in the
shadows, he moved to the next doorway leading to the
balcony. He would enter here, closer to where she stood.
Making sure he remained hidden by the heavy drapery, he
eased the door open. He peered through a gap between the
stone wall and the thick cloth. Several groups of costumed
guests crowded the area. Assured he would go unnoticed, he
came out behind a large group of laughing people. Slipping
past the drapes, he stood among them for a moment before
235
Dragon Wish
stepping to Seren.
236
Dragon Wish