Dragon Hunter Book Two: A Dragon Shifter Serial (Dragon Hunter Chronicles 2) (5 page)

When they’d left the tiny bathroom behind, Lumen led her down a few narrow streets, back out to a main thoroughfare before turning right.

“I want to show you something,” he said. “One of our secrets.”

B
efore long they
came upon one of Hyde Park’s many entrances, not too far from Lumen’s flat. The place to which Neko had pursued him only one night ago. Though it felt like weeks, even months, had passed since then.

Lumen turned into the park, guiding her as though they were two tourists on a stroll. The sun was high in the sky now, and she was reminded that it wasn’t yet mid-day. So much had happened since she’d woken that morning.

“We’re not going to your place, then?” she asked. It did seem like a dangerous proposition, given that she’d worked out the location a few days earlier. If she knew where it was, then others might know as well. They’d be sitting ducks in such a place.

“Not the flat that you’ve seen, if that’s what you’re asking,” he replied. “Too risky. I thought it wiser to take you somewhere a little more magical.”

He led her deep into the park, towards a series of tall, gnarled old trees. Beyond them, all but concealed, was what looked like a small, man made lake, shimmering under beams of sporadic sunlight.

“More water,” she said, recalling their morning dive into the pond at Hampstead Heath. “Fantastic.”

“Water won’t hurt you.”

“Unless I drown in it.”

“I’d never allow such a thing. The only entity allowed to render you breathless, Neko, is me.”

Don’t I know it.

They came to the edge of the lake, where hundreds of tall reeds swayed gently in the breeze, the sunlight filtering through their long, bushy tips. Stepping among them, Lumen’s eyes scanned the soggy ground until he smiled. He’d found what he was looking for.

He took her hand and guided her to the edge of the water, looking down into her eyes. “Trust me?” he asked.

She nodded. “I trust you. For now.”

He put his arm around her and stepped forward, pulling her with him between the reeds, their feet about to make contact with nothing more than marshy ground. Or so she thought.

A moment later she was falling, his arms wrapped tight around her. A memory struck her mind of playgrounds from her childhood. The familiar sensation of tearing down the inside of a plastic tube slide, waiting for the abrupt landing at the bottom.

And it came. Sooner and softer than she expected, they hit a plush surface: a white, shaggy rug coated in cushions, seemingly laid out to welcome those who visited in this way.

She stood up, looking at her new surroundings as she wiped her hands over her clothing. But it was dry, just as it had been when she and Lumen had landed under the Heath.

“One of these days you need to explain how you do that,” she said.

The look on his face as he lay on the cushions was inquisitive, amused.

“I mean, enter a body of water without getting wet. Let alone how you guide me into secret places that humans seem completely unaware of.”

“It’s a gift,” he replied, pulling himself to his feet. “Bestowed upon Dragons, and a few others. And not only are humans unaware of this place, they’re unable to access it. Well, aside from those as remarkable as yourself.”

“You flatter me, Dragon. So tell me, where are we now?” Her eyes were still moving about, trying to piece together how they could be in such a strange location.

The room, if it could be called that, was oddly bright, considering that there were no lights turned on. All the light seemed in fact to come through the ceiling above, which appeared to be made of glass. Neko looked up, noting a liquid ebb and flow of the reflecting sunlight, and realized that she was seeing up from the bottom of the overhead lake. The entire ceiling was made of one giant skylight, several feet of clear water above it.

“We’re in one of my homes,” said Lumen. “A more secret one than the flat you saw when you followed me. That one is for show—a human residence for a human façade. This one is very well equipped—better, in fact, than my other flat. Come with me—I want to tend to your arm before we head out.”

He led her through the room into a narrow white hallway. The walls were marble, the floor light grey stone, and sunshine poured in from above, just as it had in the first room she’d seen. After a few moments Lumen guided her through a doorway to their left, revealing a large, bright bathroom with a beautiful marble sink to one side.

“This is the nicest place I’ve seen in London,” said Neko. “Unless you count Buckingham Palace.”

Lumen laughed. “Real estate is remarkably cheap in London, if one has the resources to build underground, hidden away from human eyes.”

“It’s amazing, really. I feel as though I’m floating above ground, rather than under it.”

“I’m glad. I don’t want you feeling imprisoned, now or ever.” He’d opened a white cupboard and was extracting a few items: some gauze, bandages. “And besides, this place is all the more amazing for having you in it.”

Neko watched him, heat rising through her body. Now that they were alone, the light shining down on him, she was reminded once again of his ethereal beauty. She knew, too, that he could smell her desire, as he had in every space they’d occupied together. But somehow it didn’t matter anymore that he knew. He was transparent about his own wishes; perhaps she should be too.

But before she could speak, he lay the items on the counter and turned to her. “Wrap your arm as best you can,” he said. “You’ll also find a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste in the cupboard, if you’d like them. But be quick—we have somewhere to be. Then I promise you that we’ll return here, if you wish to come with me. And we’ll clean up properly then.”

“All right,” she said.

Lumen stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, and Neko got to work as disappointment flooded through her. A part of her had wanted to sit for a little and just look at him. To soak up everything that had happened over the last few days. But now they’d be moving again, running to yet another destination.

That was his life, though. She could see in him a need, a duty. Whatever the Guild had spoken of during their meeting, it was more important than her desire to stare at a gorgeous man. He had a task ahead of him. And perhaps he’d finally let her know what it was.

A
fter several minutes
, a knock sounded at the bathroom door.

“You ready?” Lumen’s voice was soft, as though he sensed her mood.

A moment later she opened the door, offering a weak smile. “Sure. All patched up.”

“Good. Come on then, we’ll make this as quick and painless as possible.” With that, he began to lead her down the hall towards another unseen destination.

“So tell me,” she said, “how do we get out of this underground marvel? I can’t imagine that we’ll crawl back up the invisible magic slide to the lake’s edge.”

“Not at all. I told you I’d start teaching you about our passageways. This is where we’ll start.” They continued down the long, white hallway to its end, where they came upon a round room, empty, open and bright, flanked on all sides by a series of nine or so doors.

“More rooms?” she asked.

“No. These doors lead to corridors,” he said. “Pointing like spokes of a wheel towards every corner of the city.”

He opened the first one on the left and guided her into a narrow hallway, similar to the one they’d already been in, white marbled walls and stone floors. As Neko stepped forward lights flared to life ahead of her, illuminating the way in a soft glow.

Motion sensors? Or magic?

“I don’t entirely understand why Dragons spend so much time underground,” she said, marvelling internally at the beauty of the place.

“Because Dragons above ground are visible,” Lumen replied, shutting the door behind him. “This is our way to remain hidden—though we much prefer being overhead, in flight.”

“You’re hiding from shifters and Lapsed, I take it. Humans still seem more or less to ignore your kind.”

“They do—but they may not for long, if things go badly. It’s best for us to stay out of the limelight for as long as possible. Though as you’ve noticed, we’ve become more conspicuous around London than I’d like.”

They walked for a time in silence. Lumen seemed deep in thought, and Neko had no desire to extract him from it; after all, her own mind was exhausted after a day spent riding an emotional roller coaster with no brake pedal.

Every hundred feet or so, a new series of lights came on, offering a bright pathway to lead them into the distance. At least their surroundings were warm and pleasant, even if the two of them seemed preoccupied with weighty topics.

“It’s not far now,” said the shifter eventually, his mood seeming to brighten with the revelation. “We’ll come to a familiar spot in a minute, and hopefully you’ll like what you see.”

Eventually the hallway began to slope upwards, leading to a narrow black door. He pulled it open, revealing a stone staircase. “After you,” he said.

Neko stepped forward, a gust of cool air striking her as she began to climb. By now she was completely disoriented, the underground maze wreaking havoc on her sense of direction. But as she came to a door at the top of the stairs, she pushed it open to reveal a familiar street spread before her.

“This is the cul de sac,” she said. “Where I tracked you the other night.”

“Precisely,” said Lumen, pointing to the right as the door shut behind him. “And there you see the pub where my friends and I like to meet to discuss covert Dragon affairs.”

Neko turned to him. “I don’t understand. If this door was here all this time, why did you walk back to your flat along city streets? Wouldn’t you have been safer in the passageway hidden away from the likes of me?”

“Well, if you look closely you’ll see that there is no door,” he said. She turned to look at the place they’d just come from, but all she saw was the brick façade of a row house. “It’s there, of course. But hidden from eyes such as yours.”

“Another of your secret entrances,” she said.

“Yes. And of course I could have taken that route. But perhaps there was a part of me that
wanted
to be followed along those city streets by the likes of you.”

“So you knew I was there? That I was on your trail?”
Of course you did.

Lumen smiled. “No, actually. Not at first. You were, shall we say, an unexpected surprise. But I don’t regret my decision to remain above ground and head to my human abode, not for a second.”

“I’m glad.” If he hadn’t chosen to stay within her sight lines, she might have lost him. And she may never have found him again.

Lumen opened the pub’s door, guiding Neko inside.

Like so many old London establishments, the place was warm and cozy, filled with loud-talking men who paid them little attention and guzzled beer as though it were going out of style. A long bar occupied one side, the rest of the place filled to the brim with tables and clients.
Neko wandered in, warily glancing around before looking back towards her companion.

Lumen’s face lit up when he spotted the man he was looking for. “Good. Aegis brought someone with him,” he said.

Quietly he took Neko’s hand and directed her to the table where the two men were sitting. The electric touch of his fingers sent glorious jolts through her arm, but she reminded herself to focus on task at hand.
Stop enjoying him so damned much, Neko. This is a business meeting.

“There you are,” said one of the two men, standing to greet them. Like Lumen he was large and handsome, though his colouring was different, his hair blond, skin more fair than Lumen’s. Neko smiled at him before taking note of the other man, who’d remained seated and silent.

“Is that…Minach?” she asked, leaning towards her companion. The resemblance was uncanny. His hair was black, though shorter than Minach’s, his eyes the same icy shade. But no—this couldn’t have been him. This man’s features were devoid of the hardness she’d seen that morning. She couldn’t quite imagine Minach looking so content, even at the best of times.

“No. This is Lyre,” said Lumen. “Minach’s twin—and yes, they
are
in fact blood brothers.”

Neko nodded his way. “Hello,” she said, and the man smiled at her, a warm, friendly grin. But he didn’t speak. Instead, he gestured to Aegis with his hands.

“Lyre wants me to tell you that he can’t hear a thing,” he said. “In case you didn’t know.”

“I didn’t. I’m sorry,” said Neko. “Is he…?”

“Deaf? As a very deaf fucking post.”

Lyre let out a laugh—apparently he
could
read lips—either that or he could read minds. It was so odd to see Minach’s doppelganger smile; Neko had never imagined
that
face with laugh lines.

She grinned, amused by the men’s good humour.

“I brought him with me because he’s involved in all of this,” said Aegis. “In the Gathering.”

“Oh?” began Lumen. “Interesting.”

When Lumen and Neko took their seats, the men leaned in and Aegis addressed them in hushed tones. “So, no one followed you?”

“No one,” Lumen replied.

“Good. I received word of what went on this morning. It’s time, I take it. You need the verse.”

“I do. Sooner than expected, it seems.”

“Right. That’s why I brought Lyre,” said Aegis.

“So, he’s the Keeper,” said Lumen, his voice thoughtful.

“He is.”

“You’re a good choice for it, Lyre,” said Lumen, turning to Minach’s twin. “At least we know you’d never talk.”

The man let out a chuckle as Aegis turned to face Neko. “You know what this is all about then, do you?”

“I’m utterly lost, in fact,” she said. It felt as though she were invading an ancient rite by taking part.

A watcher on the outside of a deeply mysterious event.

Lumen turned her way, his features intense. “I can tell you now,” he said. “I trust you—and I know you won’t betray us or our cause.”

“I won’t,” she confirmed.

“Then there’s no reason you can’t know the first verses.” He spoke the words quietly, thoughtfully, accessing a memory he hadn’t touched in many years:

A shiver overtook Neko as he finished.

“That’s beautiful,” she said. “Though I can’t say that I know what any of it means.”

“No. I suppose you don’t.” He smiled at her, glancing at the other two men. “So I’ll tell you what I can. A long time ago, when the Dragons held the power over their lands, there were always those who opposed them. Enemies of various sorts, attacking the Dragon strongholds—which at that time existed in every corner of England. It was always said that for the Kindred to survive in the long run, they would need to help one another. And so the strength of four great clans came together, each forging a quarter of one Circle—a magical relic, a powerful one, with all our strength linked into one symbol. Each quarter of the Circle represents an Element—Fire, Earth, Air…”

“Water,” said Neko, thinking of their hiding spot under the lake.

“Water. It is my Element. The sigil of my clan. And the relic that I need to find is the one that represents it—the quarter-circle of
my
clan. It’s now my duty to locate it, before the Controllers do.”

“So this relic—it’s hidden, even from you.” Neko was whispering now, afraid of being heard by anyone but the men at the table.

“Yes. It’s been concealed for centuries, somewhere in or around the city of London. For the safety of us all, its location has been passed down through generations only in the form of verses. They’re nothing more than clues to help us on our way. But without them, it’s all but impossible to begin the hunt.”

“Why all the secrecy? It seems risky not to let you know where your own piece is…”

“It is. But if the information got into the wrong hands—the hands of a corrupt Dragon, or a Controller—it could prove disastrous. So for each symbol there is a Kindred who seeks it, and a Keeper—a Dragon who holds onto his verse. When the time comes, we find each other. And today, Lyre will give me the words I need.”

“And now,” said Aegis, interrupting their moment, “We should step out back and get on with it.”

The four of them rose and moved towards the back door of the pub. A narrow corridor led to the washrooms and beyond that to an exit which brought them to a courtyard in the rear of the building. When all of them were outside, the Dragon shifters looked around, inspecting the premises for onlookers.

“No one,” said Lumen. “Let’s get to work. Neko—please stand back, if you would.”

She stepped backwards, hands pressing against the wall as she watched. Aegis remained at her side, eyes vigilantly exploring the windows above them for movement.

Lumen and Lyre made eye contact, nodding to one another in mutual consent. And before a moment had passed, Lumen’s beautiful silver Dragon stood before Neko, and another one stood, almost a mirror image, facing him.

Lyre’s Dragon was blue-white, the hue of frozen glaciers. Icy cold, much like his eyes.

A Dragon of Air, who looked like he was made from the frigidity of the farthest reaches of the sky.

The two creatures began a silent communication, their eyes locked on one another. And in that moment, Neko recalled how Lumen had spoken to her in his déor form while she’d been on his back that morning, his thoughts penetrating her mind, speaking to her as clearly as though they’d been standing in a room, having a conversation.

That must have been what was happening now, between the two men. Lyre’s deafness wasn’t an issue in déor form, it seemed. His mind heard as clearly as anyone’s, and Lumen’s words no doubt made their way to him just as they had to Neko’s.

“Lyre is giving him the verse,” said Aegis quietly, confirming her thoughts. “Ancient words that will help him to find what he needs. Once Lumen learns it, it’s to him—and you, to figure out how to proceed. The other three Seekers will do their part when their time comes.”

“I’m still a little confused. But I’ll do what I can to help,” said Neko.

“Good.” Aegis studied her for a moment, his expression denoting a deep amusement. “You are just how he described you, you know,” he said. “When he and I were last here together.”

“Oh? And how did he describe me?”

“He said you were very beautiful.”

Neko flushed at the words. Standing as she was near three outlandishly handsome men, two of whom were currently in the form of exquisite Dragons, it seemed odd that she was the one called beautiful.

“Did he then?” she asked, looking at Lumen’s déor. “Of course, that was no doubt before he broke into my house, hid my knives and made my life generally miserable. I’m not sure he finds me so beautiful anymore.”

“I’m sure he
does
. And that sounds like the sort of thing he’d do, the scoundrel,” said Aegis, letting out a quiet laugh. “Even after I warned him about women with knives.”

Neko liked Aegis. He lacked the self-importance and seriousness of the other Dragon Guild members, seeming instead to have a genuine sense of fun. That he and Lumen seemed to be close friends was a good sign.

After a few more minutes the two Dragons turned their way for only a moment before shifting back into their human forms. Lyre signed a few words to Lumen, who replied, “Understood. Thank you, Brother.”

“You have what you need?” Neko asked.

“I do. Now, let’s get a little food and then head out, shall we?” said Lumen. “I see that you two are getting to know each other, but you’ll have plenty of time to bond at a later date, assuming that neither of you gets horribly murdered in the meantime.”

“Fine, you dull old bastard,” said Aegis. He glanced around before opening the door once again. “Let’s head in and have a drink and a nosh.”

Lyre made a few signs with his hands when they’d stepped back into the pub, and Lumen, looking around, said, “We’re safe. No Lapsed, no Controllers.”

They sat down at their table and Aegis signalled a barkeep over.

“Ale all round, and steak,” he said. The man nodded silently before moving away. Neko wondered if he was a little intimidated in the presence of such men—it only made sense that any man
would
be.