Dragon Wish (23 page)

him before shutting his eyes. Bask’s grin widened as he

glanced in her direction.

“Tonight, woman, they will gather to bestow upon your

child the true power he requires. He will take the blood of all

the dragons, thus the beginning of the prophecy will be

fulfilled.” When he finished speaking, Bask faded into the

same twinkling light she had seen on the ship.

She shifted her legs.

Lior mewled.

Seren ignored her. Tense, sore muscles obeyed her mind’s

request, and her trembling legs slid on the cool stone. She

scooted, slow and with care to Paladin’s side. She touched

him. Cold, a pale blue, his skin still carried a coating of Lior’s

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breath.

She wrapped a leg and arm around him, pulling the full

length of her body against his, trying to share some of her

warmth. She shut her eyes and rested her head on his

shoulder, waiting for their warmth to increase.

Rubbing her cheek against his breast, she swiped a tear

away. His hand threaded through her hair, touching her

scalp. She smiled, lifting her face to stare at him. “Why didn’t

you tell me about the wings?”

Voice weak, but still deep and melodious, he asked. “Or

my magic?”

“I’m glad you have magic.” She swallowed the lump in her

throat. She didn’t want to remember how she’d felt the

moment she believed him lost. She smoothed her palms over

his throat, seeking any damage. “Are you healed? Tell me the

truth.”

“Yes. My father, Remis, his father, and down through the

ages, have carried the pure undiluted strand of white dragon

blood. This is why I was chosen to sire this child.”

She shook her head, but he stopped her by placing a

finger against her lips. “Let me finish. I am what we on

Avaris call a dragonseed, a mixture of both human and

dragon. You have suffered much. All of it is my fault. Because

of this, I desire to apologize for not telling you the truth of

what and who I am. I just wanted you to...”

Grasping his hand, she tugged it away, shaking her head.

“It doesn’t matter. Not anymore. You told me once I needed

to accept what I didn’t understand. Well, I don’t understand

how you’re alive, how you have wings, but you know what?

Right now, this very second, I don’t care. I just want you to

be alive and safe.”

The side of his mouth lifted in a half smile. “As I do you.”

He tilted nearer to her while his arms slid around her.

She laid her palms flat on his chest, reassured with his

increasing heat. His heart thudded under her cheek. She

closed her eyes, savoring the fact that he lived. “I don’t want

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you to die.”

“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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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

him. “Fear not, oh mighty king, my days are numbered, so

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