Dragon Storm

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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520

Macon GA 31201

Dragon Storm

Copyright © 2009 by Bianca D’Arc

ISBN: 978-1-60504-829-1

Edited by Bethany Morgan

Cover by Kanaxa

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: November 2009

www.samhainpublishing.com

Dragon Storm

Bianca D’Arc

Dedication

To the awesome readers who allow me to continue writing the books of my heart. Dragons started this whole roller coaster a few years back, and they remain some of my favorite books to write. So I suppose I should also dedicate this book to the dragons! Rawr!

I’d like to thank my family for their love and support. Thanks also to Bethany, editor extraordinaire, for not laughing too hard at some of my typos. And finally, thanks to the fans who kept asking for another dragon book. As long as they keep asking, I’ll keep writing!

Chapter One

It was early morning when a near-breathless messenger arrived from one of the southern cities. He rushed into the throne room, falling to one knee before King Roland.

“My liege.” The man breathed hard, as if he’d run all the way from Tipolir to Castleton. “News from the south. A flight of gryphons with mounted warriors heads this way at a slow pace. They can’t be more than a few hours behind me.”

“From whom did this news pass?” Roland demanded, already on his feet.

“The news started with a messenger from Tipolir, thence to Bayern, Hallowet, Sewell and on. I saw them myself, my liege. They overtook me on the road and shadowed me for a time but let me pass unmolested.”

“How many would you say?” Nico helped the man to his feet, handing him a glass of water since the poor fellow looked well-worn from the hard ride.

“A dozen that I saw. The reports stated twice that many, but I only saw six gryphons—each with a mounted rider, though the riders blended so well with the gryphons’ golden plumage they were hard to make out. My liege, I never thought to see the like.”

“Thank you for making haste to give us this news.” Roland signaled to his brother, Nico. The man known as the Prince of Spies led the messenger from the room, passing him a few gold coins for his trouble. Nico never skimped on paying for good service. It was one of the things that made him such an able spymaster.

Roland turned to his knights, Drake and Mace, who stood nearby. Drake, former troubadour and spy, known as Drake of the Five Lands, had dealt with gryphons before. His new fighting partner, Mace, had also seen gryphons when the two had flown to Gryphon Isle to save Prince Wil from kidnappers.

“I think it’s safe to bet these could be some of Gryffid’s folk,” Drake said thoughtfully.

“My brother Wil is flying to the south,” Roland informed his advisors. “I’ve asked him to wait, but I doubt that will hold him.” Roland stalked toward the door. “If your partners are near, mount up and fly with me. I’m going out to meet them.”

Drake, Mace and several others of the king’s advisors were hot on his heels. The knights raced for the ledges where their dragons waited, ready to fly. Roland, Nico and a few of the other princes shifted form and took to wing as black dragons—as only those of royal blood could do—and the large contingent headed south to meet the wizard’s emissaries.

The flight of gryphons was easy enough to spot. They were not trying to conceal their path.

There were six gryphons in all, each more magnificent than the next. Two were smaller than the others. Perhaps they were juveniles, Connor thought as the two groups met up with each other in mid-air.

The dragons circled and followed the gryphons downward to land on a rocky mountainside. A small flat area allowed them room to gather and parlay. The black dragons took point, as was their right, and the others followed their lead.

Prince Wil landed first, joining the gryphons and showing little fear of them. The others followed but remained wary. Roland came first after Wil, Nico behind him. As the two eldest, their roles were clear. Connor hung back with his twin, Darius, and his other brothers, to watch and guard. He was within easy hearing distance and was curious to see what would transpire.

“Shanya?” Connor watched intently as Wil shifted form from black dragon to human and strode forward to meet the girl. She looked about Wil’s age, eighteen or nineteen at most, but one could never be certain with these magical fair folk.

“It is good to see you, Wil.” The girl stepped forward to meet him, her hands outstretched in welcome and a gentle smile on her pretty face.

The young prince gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek in greeting. “Why have you come? I’ve only been gone a few days.”

“It may feel that way to you, but time still works differently on the island. To us, it is as if you have been gone a month or more. We’re not sure why time sped up, when it has always passed more slowly on Gryphon Isle. Gryffid assures us it is only temporary. He is setting things to rights, compensating so that time will run normally between here and there.”

The black dragons were arranged around the pair in a semicircle. The other half of the circle was made up of gryphons and their fair folk riders. Behind the black dragons, another semicircle of knights and more colorful dragons stood ready, watching for any hint of danger. A few pairs kept to the air, on patrol for any danger from above.

Roland and Nico shifted form and came up behind Wil and the girl.

“Who’s your friend, Wil?” Roland asked, his tone friendly and curious. He was playing it cool, which is something Connor wasn’t sure he could’ve done in the same situation. There was a reason Roland was king. He was more even-tempered than the rest of them—especially since he’d gotten married.

“Rol, this is Shanya. She’s the youngest daughter of the Captains of the Guard of Gryphon Isle.”

Shanya bowed low to the king of Draconia. “I come with gifts for two of your brothers.”

Roland seemed intrigued as he and Nico shared an appraising glance. “Which two and why?”

The girl’s forehead wrinkled. “One of the sets of twins. It is they I saw in my vision. Two identical black dragons. Two identical princes. I came to deliver the amulets in person because I couldn’t tell which set of twins without seeing them.”

Wil stepped in. “Shanya has the gift of prophecy.”

“Sorry,” she smiled at Wil. “King Roland, I apologize. I foresaw two of your brothers undertake a perilous journey. The Wizard Gryffid sent me here with gifts that will help protect them on their quest.”

“What gifts?” Roland looked skeptical.

Shanya stepped toward the gryphons and gestured. Two of the adolescent creatures stepped forward to stand before the king. Each wore an intricate plate of armor suspended by a delicate chain that ran around their necks and under their forelegs. Shanya turned to each gryphon and removed the chains, catching the ornate ornaments in her hands. As they fell off the magical beasts, they transformed from large breastplates and harness into glittering necklaces. She held one in each hand.

“These will protect the dragon’s heart in flight and help find the man’s heart. That’s what Gryffid said when he gave them to me. The first part is obvious. The armor will help protect the dragon’s breast. The second part…” she trailed off. Stepping forward, she faced the king squarely. “There is a woman. Your brothers will journey to her realm and must convince her to come back here with them. She is vital to your struggle. That is all I know at this time.”

Roland’s raised eyebrow would have tested the mettle of a proven warrior. The girl didn’t flinch. She was made of stronger stuff than that, and Connor had to admire her strength of spirit.

“Will you ask your brothers to change so that I may see their faces,” she dared ask. “I will recognize the men I saw in my vision so I know to whom these gifts belong.”

“What do you think?”
Roland sent the question silently to the black dragons gathered on the rocky outcrop.

“It could be a trap,”
Nico observed.

“It could also be exactly what it appears. I’ve known Shanya for years, and she definitely has the gift of foresight. She has saved lives with her abilities, and I’ve never known her to do anything dishonest or deceitful. Just look at her,”
Wil invited.
“She wouldn’t harm a fly.”

“Looks can often be deceiving, young Wil,”
Nico countered.
“You said yourself she is the daughter of warriors. Who knows of what she is capable?”

“Her parents have never tried to train her beyond basic self-defense. It’s more than obvious to anyone who knows her that she may be born of warrior stock, but the inclination toward soldiering passed her by completely. She is a gentle soul, meant for magic and nurturing, if anything. She spends most of her days with the healers or reading in Gryffid’s library.”

“What say the twins?”
Roland asked.
“Since it is their fates we may be deciding here.”

“I’m inclined to trust Wil’s judgment on this,”
Darius said confidently. Of course, of the two of them, he was always the brashest.
“Wil knows her. And regardless that he was gone so long and has returned to us a man grown, he’s still our brother and his opinion deserves due consideration.”

Connor could easily see Wil’s gratitude for the vote of confidence but did not remark upon it. It was still hard to get used to having him back and so much older.

“All right.”
It sounded like Roland had made a decision.
“How about if one of each set of twins shifts, plus the remaining brothers. If she really did see one of you in a vision, she ought to be able to recognize you without your mirror image standing right beside you.”

Nico grinned at his older brother.
“You’ve gotten more devious since you married. I like it.”

Connor sought out his twin on the private communication path they alone shared.
“Who shifts and who stays scaly?”

“Doesn’t matter to me.”

“All right, I’ll do it.”

Just that easily, Connor was elected to shift to human form. He performed the change easily as his other brothers did the same. Two remained in dragon form because there were two sets of twins.

The girl looked at each human face, her forehead wrinkling again as she studied each man. Connor and Darius were the younger set of twins. They were fully adult and had been warriors for several years.

When her attention turned to Connor, her expression changed. He saw the recognition in her eyes as their gazes met and held. She walked up to him and held out one of the necklaces.

“This is for you.” Her voice was low and musical. “Where is your twin?”

“That clinches it. She did see them.”
Wil’s tone was telling as he communicated privately with his brothers. He clearly wasn’t happy to have his friend doubted.

Darius shifted form and moved to Connor’s side. He grinned at the girl like a fool. Of the two of them, he’d always been the flirt.

“Forgive us, Lady. We wanted to be certain you really did recognize us from a vision.”