The Ice Dragon: Dragon Knights, Book 3 Read online

  He was pleading with her and she could not refuse him. The emotion in his green eyes was so deep, so genuine, she knew she couldn’t make his burden even heavier by insisting. Slowly, she nodded, praying her sudden feelings of dread were all wrong.

  “I’d rather be out there helping, but I’ll keep William safe for you.”

  “That is help, my love. That boy would be in the thick of it without some honorable reason to keep him here. He’s too brash, too young, and I don’t want him hurt.”

  She nodded against his chest. “I’ll keep him safe.”

  “And yourself and Tor.” He raised her chin with one gentle hand. “I love you more than life, Lana. I couldn’t take it if you were hurt. It’s my weakness, not any of yours. Please understand that. I know you’re a capable woman. I know you fought and evaded Salomar’s soldiers for years before I ever knew you, but I can’t help the need I have to know that you’re safe. Thank you for humoring me.” His gentle smile warmed her heart.

  “I love you too, Roland.”

  He kissed her long and deep then, lighting a fire they didn’t have time to quench. When he pulled away, he held her gaze for long moments before finally stepping back to transform. A moment later, the man was gone in a swirl of black mist and the dragon stood in his place, breathing warm air over her. His long tongue licked out and wrapped around her neck briefly in a caress before brushing across her cheek.

  “Stay safe, my love, and keep William and Tor by your side. I don’t trust either of those two young scamps to stay put unless they are within your sight.”

  “I’ll keep them close. And safe.”

  “Then I can ask no more. You put my mind at ease. Stay here and try not to worry. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Never forget that I love you with all my heart, Alania.”

  “I love you too, Roland.” A tear trickled down her face as she walked with him out to the landing ledge where dragons and knights were grouped in number, ready for flight. He took his place at the head of them and launched, leaving her behind with a trumpeting roar.

  Almost immediately after the last of the fighting pairs were gone, she felt Tor’s large body nestle up against her side. He was scared, judging from the slight tremor in his forelegs, so she put her arms around him.

  “It will be all right, Tor.”

  They stood there for a moment before she became aware of the smaller black dragon watching them. She moved back from Tor and regarded her other charge. William. Somewhere along the line he’d changed to dragon form and followed Tor.

  “I’m to stay and guard you two.” Wil didn’t sound all that happy about his assignment, but willing to carry out his duty nonetheless.

  Lana smiled and walked up to him. “Thank you, Prince William. Tor and I are glad of your protection.” Her thoughts turned grave, though she tried to keep a brave face for the youngsters. “Though like you, we’d rather be out there helping.”

  The black’s head tilted to the side. “If we go up top we can probably watch most of the battle.”

  “Can we?” Tor piped in, moving closer.

  “Is it safe?”

  William snorted smokily. “We’re miles away. It’s safe. There’s a lookout position up there. Our sentries use it all the time.”

  A few minutes later, Lana found herself with Tor and a now-human William near the lookout post at the top of the peak into which the Lair was built. One young man had been left behind to act as sentry, but he didn’t object to their company and even loaned Lana an extra viewing lens they used to see far distances. After he showed her how to use it, she could see a great deal of the action as the battle was launched. She couldn’t see the knights’ faces, but she recognized individual dragons and Roland was easily identifiable, leading them.

  She watched as he employed the tactics Tor had shown them against Salomar’s weapons and seemingly endless army. There were so many soldiers! Where had they all come from? She hadn’t suspected Salomar commanded so many men.

  Lana recognized the big, rolling machines they used to fire diamond-bladed bolts into the sky and cheered when each of their shots missed their marks. The dragons were using what Tor had learned and passed on to avoid the potentially deadly bolts. A few dragons were caught by some of the other traps, but none were hurt too badly. Lana felt her palms itch with power, needing to heal them, but knew she would get her chance to help when they came back to the Lair. For now, she could only watch from afar as the battle progressed.

  She followed Roland most of all, watching his skill in the sky with joy. He performed acrobatic feats many of the other dragons could not due to their greater size and bulk. He also didn’t have to worry about a rider on his back and achieved angles much steeper than the other dragons who had their knights to consider. He was graceful and fierce, flaming brighter and flying faster than any of the dragons, though she thought privately Tor might give him a run for his money when he was fully grown.

  She loved them both so much. She kept one hand on Tor’s sinuous neck, the other on the lens through which she watched the action. Tor and Wil saw well enough with their sharp dragon eyes, but she needed the lens, limited by her human body. Even so, she was the first to see disaster when it struck.

  “Roland!” She screamed as she saw the black dragon fall, tears whipping down her face as something inside her stirred to life. Something wild. Something untamed. “Roland!”

  She fell to her knees on the ground as the ache in her heart turned to molten fire, spreading outward to her limbs. She hurt all over and realized something was terribly wrong. Not just with Roland, but with her own body. She looked up to see Tor winging away at full speed toward the battle and she knew her baby was heading out to try to save Roland. Without her. He was going into danger without her!

  Anger stirred. Anger, determination and a soul-blinding fury of flame that came from deep within. She caught movement at her side and watched the black mist envelop William as he changed.

  But no, the black mist wasn’t around William, it was around her own body.

  “What’s happening to me?”

  “Stars above!” William whispered in awe as he backed away from her. “You’re changing, Lana. Don’t fight it! Let the change take you. Fighting will only make it hurt more.”

  His words followed her into the mist as all light faded from view, only to come back in startling clarity a moment later as she came back to herself. Her eyesight was a thousand times sharper. At first she thought she must still be looking through the borrowed lens but as she blinked, she realized two things—first, that she was looking through her own eyes, not the lens, and second, her eyes were huge!

  She was no longer human. Lana tried to move her head to look down at herself, but everything felt foreign and strange. She was high above where her body should be, looking down on a…a…black dragon. A female black dragon.

  “Sweet Mother! I’m a dragon.”

  Wil barked in startled laughter as his eyes widened. “You’ve never changed before, have you?”

  “I didn’t know I could. Before I met Roland, I didn’t know anyone could. Oh, no, Roland!”

  She turned her ponderous head and realized she could easily see the action so far away now without the lens. Her dragon eyes were much more acute. Her heart reached out to her fallen lover and she knew he was unconscious…or worse. Roland wasn’t moving at all. He was definitely down and within range of Salomar’s men, vulnerable on the ground. Tor was nearing him at a fast pace but he would need help and all the other knights and dragons seemed to be engaged. She saw a haze over the battlefield. It was an unnatural, ghostly blue glow springing up like a barrier between the dragons and knights and where Roland lay on the ground. She saw how it prevented anyone from getting close enough to help him. It was evil magic, she knew it in her bones.

  She unfurled her wings in agitation and flapped, surprising herself when she lifted off the ground.

  “Stars! Can I fly?”

  “I don’t see why not.”
<
br />   Wil’s calm voice steadied her. She could do this. She’d helped Tor learn to fly, after all. She knew how he did it in theory, and Roland needed help. As did Tor. He was big and brave, but he couldn’t stand alone against that many armed men and still manage to help Roland. They needed her.

  “I’m going to help them.” She flapped a few more times and took a running leap off the high ledge, surprised when she started to soar rather than plummet. She flapped her wings and started to get used to the rhythm of flying, the way she’d seen Tor do so often. She felt a presence at her side and looked over to see the smaller black dragon alongside, watching her.

  “You’re not going without me. I promised Roland I’d look after you.”

  “I promised him the same thing about you. If you get hurt, he’ll never forgive me.”

  “I could say the same, sister.” Wil chuckled softly, streaming smoke out behind him as they ate up the distance between the Lair and the battlefield. “I don’t know what he’s going to say when he sees you. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been a female black dragon in centuries.”

  She fumbled in the air a bit as she got used to the beat of her wings. She was small and fast, maybe even faster than Tor, she realized as she caught up to him quicker than she thought she would. He was running below the weapons fire, evading the bolts and shards sent at him from the ground and just skimming the tops of the swordsmen’s reach as he made his way to Roland.

  Lana knew she’d have to follow that same deadly path if she was going to help. William too, but at least the young prince had more flying and fighting training than she did.

  “Damn, he’s good,” Wil commented as he watched Tor’s dangerous path. “They’re going to be watching for us to do the same. Can you flame?”

  The thought shocked her. “I don’t know.”

  “Now would be a good time to find out. Take a deep breath and then let it out through your mouth. The flame should engage at the back of your throat. It’ll feel warm and a little ticklish. Aim with your neck. Point your head where you want it to go and narrow your mouth to narrow the stream. It’ll shoot farther that way.”

  Lana tried to do what he said, shocking herself almost to the point of falling out of the sky when a small belch of flame shot past her claws. Immediately, she began beating her wings again. This body felt awkward, to say the least, but she was getting the hang of things. Having spent so much time with Tor helped, though she had a whole new appreciation for the things he’d learned all on his own now that she was doing them herself.

  “Good. Just don’t forget to fly!” Wil cheered her on as they neared the battle line. Tor was on the ground now, flaming and flaring his wings, keeping the soldiers off Roland. “Keep your belly to them and do your best to shield your joints where the scales meet. A lucky shot between the scales could bring you down all too easily and then Roland will kill me for sure.”

  Wil’s attempt at humor made her realize just how risky this entire maneuver was, but without their help, Roland would die. The enemy was deliberately keeping the knights and dragons away from Roland, and though they were trying desperately to fight through, the enemy was all too clever.

  She had no more time to think as they swooped over the enemy soldiers. Wil flamed as he went. Tor had not thought to do so, relying on his speed and flying skills to get him through. Wil’s flames took a few of the soldiers by surprise before the rest brought up their shields. The shields helped protect them from the worst of the fire, but they also prevented the soldiers from firing any more bolts at the racing streaks of the black dragons.

  “Now, Lana! Now! Flame now!”

  Wil’s urgent voice broke through to her and she breathed as he’d told her to do, amazed when the fire leapt out of her newly formed jaw to the ground and soldiers below. She heard a man scream as she burned him, but she couldn’t spare him much sympathy. These men were trying to kill her! Worse, they were trying to kill Roland and Tor. She would do anything to protect them. Anything.

  A few more harrowing moments and they were through the army, dropping through Tor’s flame to Roland’s side. Wil took up a position back to back with Tor and taught the younger dragon how to lay down a wall of flame encircling the two blacks in the middle.

  Lana fell out of the sky with little grace, nearly landing right on Roland as she fell, but she caught herself just in time. Without even thinking, she transformed to human and laid her healing hands on Roland’s severe injuries. He was so close to death!

  Calling on all the ancient power within her, she closed his wounds, sealing the deadly gashes from the inside out. The power came from them both, feeding upon each other, strengthening her ability to heal without tiring her. Never before had she done so extensive a healing without falling unconscious, but this time, she felt energized. Roland opened his eyes, blinking at her.

  “Lana? How did you get here?”

  “Not now, my love.” She kissed him gently but urgently on the cheek. “Can you fly?”

  “I think so.” He shook himself as he stood, appearing more than a bit disoriented. He’d been close to death only moments before, having taken a bone-crushing fall from the sky.

  Lana stood also, gasping as she saw the woman who walked with impunity, right through the dragons’ flames to peer at her.

  It was Loralie, the North Witch. Lana stood in front of Roland, facing the other woman down.

  “Stay back, witch. You cannot have him.”

  Loralie smiled coyly and walked closer. “Be at ease, little one. I’m here for my own reasons.” She held Lana’s gaze. “To help. To keep Salomar from using me any further in this battle.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  The witch shrugged. “Believe me or not, I’m glad to see you and the dragonet are doing well.” The woman calmly took a blade from her waist, and though Lana started, she made no move to come closer to any of them. No, the witch turned the blade on herself, slicing her clothing in three long gashes, also slicing into the pale skin beneath. When she was done, the wounds looked almost exactly like the marks made by a dragon’s slashing talons. The witch threw the blade to her and Lana caught it reflexively.

  “A gift. Take it with you or he’ll know what I’ve done. Go, little one. Take them and go. Please.”

  It was the plea in her voice that got Lana moving. For whatever reason, the witch was letting them go. If it was some kind of trick, she would kill the woman outright, but for now, she would trust…a little. Clutching the witch’s blade carefully between her fingers, Lana stood back and called on the fire she had only just found awakened within her and sought the change.

  The black mist enveloped her and it was much less painful this time. No, this time, it was wondrous. She felt herself change in the blink of an eye, and a moment later, she stood next to Roland, smaller than he, but just as dragonish.

  “Lana?” he questioned.

  “Yes, my love.” She stumbled a bit on her new legs, touching noses with him for a swift moment. “We’ll talk about it when we get back. Can you fly now?”

  “Yes!”

  Roland breathed deeply, turning to help the younger dragons with their circle of flame so they could clear a path for their launch. Lana watched the witch carefully, but the woman was smiling.

  “So you’ve discovered your birthright. Congratulations, Alania. You’ve done better than I ever expected.”

  “As if you care for my welfare.” Lana thought at the witch, knowing the other woman could probably pick up on dragonish speech.

  “I have always kept an eye on you, Lana. When you were stolen, I chose to follow you rather than your sister. I knew you would be the one for him.” Her eyes moved to the black dragon at her back. Roland.

  “Do you know where Riki is?”

  The witch smiled as she lay down on the ground at an odd angle, as if wounded. “Your sister is in the east, serving the mad king. I protected her from him as best I could, but I wasn’t able to do much. The Prince of Spies will find her. I h
ave foreseen it.”

  “Time to go.” Roland was still clearly dazed and his eyes had trouble focusing.

  Lana looked down one last time at the witch. “I feel like I should thank you, but I don’t understand why. You tried so many times to hurt Tor and me.”

  “You may understand in time. For now, let us part as enemies. It’s safer that way for all concerned.”

  At Roland’s direction, Tor took off first with Wil right behind, then it was Lana’s turn and Roland took up the rear by only a few seconds. Within moments, the four were winging their way back to their side of the battle. They flamed a path back to the lead pair, Tilden and Rue, with Hal and Jures on their backs.

  “Sire! Thank the Mother! We’ve been blocked at every angle. They came prepared to take you down.”

  “Rest easy, Hal. I see that now. That was Salomar’s deeper game. Not your fault. Regroup and go after the machines. They’re made of wood under the hide shielding. Concentrated flame should torch them.”

  “Aye, we’ll torch the lot of them.”

  Hal had murder in his eyes as he and the dragon peeled away, Jures following close behind to carry out the king’s orders.

  “Roland, you need to rest.”

  “Lana?” His sparkling green eyes turned on her. “How in the world did you shift?”

  “I have no idea. I saw you go down,”—she hiccupped and smoke came out of her dragonish mouth, startling her so much she faltered before picking up the rhythm of her wings again—“and Tor took off after you without me. I had to get to you. And it just happened.”