dragons breath 01 - stalked by flames (13 page)

Aidan indicated the girl he’d just left. “That one will need a lot more practice if she hopes to pass her sword skills test.”

“I know,” Phoebe said, sighing. “To make matters worse, most of her family hasn’t crossed over yet and it’s affecting her training.”

He arched a brow. “I thought the last of our clan arrived two days ago.”

“Not quite. We’re still missing about ten, including her parents and sister. Right now all she has is a younger brother. He’s a five-year-old handful and takes all her attention when she’s not here practicing.”

Dragons could be hard-hearted about many things, but families tended to form tight bonds—except his own, of course. He hoped the girl reunited with hers soon.

“Who is caring for the boy now?” Aidan asked.

“Two human women are keeping watch over clan children while their families work.”

Ah, yes, it explained why he’d seen so many young ones running about the great hall. That’s where the humans spent most of their day doing tasks the dragons would rather avoid—such as cleaning and preparing meals.

It had only been a little over twenty years ago that they’d started appearing one or two at a time in
Kederrawien
—the dragon world. Somehow, they’d crossed over from Earth and couldn’t get back. It had only worked going one way until recently.

Any humans the pure dragons found first, they killed. It was only the shape-shifter dragons who provided refuge for them. Over the past two decades, his clan alone had acquired over a hundred. Between the twelve total shifter clans around the world, they may have saved thousands of humans.

His people didn’t keep them as slaves, but they did require them to work if they wished to stay in the fortress. Most chose never to leave again once they were settled. Even since returning to Earth, the humans who’d gotten used to living among the shifters chose to remain. The pure dragon threat still existed and only the ones who missed their families enough to take the risk left.

Phoebe pulled Aidan to the side, farther from the trainees. “So where have you been today?”

“Out patrolling.”

She gave him a skeptical look. “Since when are you voluntarily going out on patrols?”

Aidan had cultivated a reputation for being lazy and apathetic. Sometimes, he wondered if he might have done too good a job of it.

He shrugged. “There’s a whole new world out there and even more humans than we saw through the veil. You should see them run whenever one of us comes near them. They scream and flail their arms about like small children.”

If he discounted the ones with guns, of course—they could be quite annoying. Bullets striking his scales were a lot like mosquitoes biting into his skin. It didn’t hurt much—unless they hit the small bones in his wings—but it was uncomfortable enough he preferred to avoid it.

“You should stay close to home where it’s safe,” she cautioned.

He kept his amused smile in place. “I always take Donar with me. Not to worry.”

“That’s a small comfort.” She snorted out a puff of steam.

Donar was actually a very strong fighter, but like Aidan he didn’t show off his skills.

“Will you mourn my loss if something happens to me?” Aidan asked.

There was a brief softening of her eyes. “If only because you’d leave me behind with Zoran and Ruari.”

“Speaking of Zoran, our eldest brother is coming now.”

Phoebe stiffened.

“Did he hear me?” she whispered.

“No, he’s just leaving the gates,” Aidan reassured her. “But he looks like someone has been pulling on his tail.”

She took a deep breath and turned to face Zoran as he came their way. Even in human form, their brother was massive with muscles bulging from every part of him. It was almost unnatural. Aidan was convinced he could feel the ground shake when Zoran walked. He had straight black hair kept at shoulder length and yellow eyes that never showed anything except hatred, distrust, or anger. It was as if he’d been born with nothing but the darkest emotions.

“I need to speak with Phoebe alone,” he growled when he got close.

Aidan clasped both Zoran’s upper arms and smiled broadly. It was the highest form of affection he could give his brother in human form. He only used it now because it was clear the four hundred and fifty-year-old shape-shifter was in a bad mood. Aidan would do what he could to soften his attitude for Phoebe. Even if it irritated his inner dragon to do it.

“It’s so very good to see you, Zoran,” he lied. “I trust you’re doing well?”

“Well enough,” his brother answered, pulling away.

Aidan was always thankful Zoran wasn’t the brightest of his siblings.

“The repairs on the fortress are going smoothly?”

Throm—the pendragon—had let his oldest son take charge of restoring the walls. Aidan might not have much respect for his brother, but Zoran seemed to be doing well at this task. He’d organized crews for quarrying rock from the mountains, masons to shape and fire-proof the stones, and others to put the completed blocks in place. Not one minute had been wasted since the project started. Zoran must have found a good foreman to keep things running smoothly.

“The walls should be finished by tomorrow if the masons work through the night,” his brother answered in a gruff voice, then gave him a distrustful look. “What do you care?”

Aidan lifted a shoulder. “I’m merely concerned for the safety of our clan.”

Zoran’s eyes turned to a dark gold. “You’d better go, whelp, before I lose my patience with you.”

Aidan must have overdone his praise. That was the problem with his brother. Regardless of how you behaved toward him you could set him off. Aidan had to ignore the growling inside his head that demanded he strike Zoran down.

“I’ll see you later.” He gave Phoebe’s arm a squeeze.

She gave him a warning look. “Stay out of trouble.”

“I always do,” he said over his shoulder as he walked away.

“What a worthless whelp,” Zoran said before Aidan got far. “When I become leader of this clan I’m going to have him hauling stones for the masons day and night. That’ll teach him some respect.”

Aidan’s steps faltered for a moment. It took everything in him not to turn and challenge his brother, give in to his dragon and prove he wasn’t weak. It would be satisfying, but it would ruin his long-term plans and make him a target. He needed to avoid bringing attention to himself right now.

He took several deep breaths and kept going. Zoran wasn’t worth it. Aidan would head into the fortress and find something to distract him from beating his brother into a bloody mess.

Chapter 13

Aidan

Aidan entered the keep and followed the cobbled road that made up the main thoroughfare. It was crowded with humans and dragon folk—all of them searching for ingredients for the midnight meal that was a handful of hours away. One could find a variety of foods, including fish, chickens, fruits, and vegetables—more types than they’d ever had back in Kederrawien. Shopkeepers had scoured the nearby countryside to gather it all or paid others to find the food for them. He couldn’t remember his clan ever looking happier or healthier.

He stepped around a few human children attempting to kill
petroes
with large sticks. They were fire-breathing insects that crossed over from Kederrawien with them and looked like miniature dragons. It was the juices extracted from the
petroes
’ dead bodies that could heal burns.

He wondered what Bailey would think if she knew that was what he’d rubbed on her friend’s throat. Probably better she didn’t find out, considering her low opinion of him already. Then again, she wasn’t immune to his charm if her reaction to his studying her body was any indication. She might distrust him, but she was curious about him. Perhaps there was hope for them to come to some sort of understanding with each other.

Aidan worked his way toward the far corner of the keep where the mason and blacksmith shops were located. There were six tall stone buildings in a row near the fortress walls. Each stood two floors high and had an overhang at the front, providing shade against the hot sun. They served as living quarters and workshops.

He found Donar and his father, Olin, at the first building. Both were in their human forms, blowing blue and purple flames at gray stones. Slowly, they turned them into the darker gray that indicated they were now fire-proof. The process also made them stronger and more resilient against blunt force.

Donar finished his and straightened, eyes lit up with hope. “Did you need me to go somewhere with you?”

“No.” Aidan leaned against a post. “I’m just here to enjoy the sight of you working.”

Donar snorted. “As if you know what that means.”

As the pendragon’s son, Aidan wasn’t required to do anything except maintain proficient fighting skills and serve his father. He could take on another job if he chose, but no one expected it. His brothers certainly hadn’t. The taxes his family collected on the clan ensured they didn’t want for anything.

Over the years, Aidan had visited most of the shops and learned the basics of nearly every trade they had in the fortress. It had given him a better understanding of the clan’s inner workings, but his older brothers had laughed whenever they caught him out. He hardly cared since knowing how to do things for himself made him less reliant on others.

“Would it make you feel better if I helped?” Aidan lifted a brow.

His cousin’s face reflected surprise. “You would do that?”

It had been a long time since he’d last offered. “For today.”

“I’d appreciate it if you would,” Olin joined their conversation. “We’ll be up all night otherwise. There’s a space inside for you to work if you don’t mind the heat.”

No one in Aidan’s immediate family knew he’d inherited the gift for blowing both types of flames. There were stories about his mother’s father being able to do it—which was the side Donar came from—but neither she nor her two eldest sons had gained the ability. Aidan hadn’t even known he had it until around the time he turned sixty.

One day he’d been watching Donar practice and for some inexplicable reason decided to give it a try. At first, his flames had come out red and orange, destroying half the stone. Then they’d turned to purple and blue, hardening the remaining half. Olin had seen it as well and encouraged him. Over the next decades, he spent at least a few hours a week perfecting the skill until he could do it almost as well as his cousin.

Next, he’d found a blacksmith willing to keep his secret and teach him. That had been even more useful since it meant he could forge his own weapons. He was still working on perfecting the art with camrium cloth. It required thinner, lighter flames since it was more delicate. So far he’d only made one set of clothes successfully.

“Come on,” Donar said. “I’ll get you set up inside.”

They passed through the open doorway. It was dim in the workroom and much warmer, but a light breeze coming through the windows helped keep it from being too stifling. They passed a set of stairs leading to the living quarters and went to the back where there was a smooth stone worktable. Donar picked up a large chunk of rock from a broken boulder and set it on top.

Aidan looked it over. “What size do you need it?”

His cousin pointed at a row of lines cut into the table. “Each side equal, going from here to here.”

Aidan studied the lines Donar indicated. The stone would need to be about the length of his forearm. It wasn’t for one of the outer walls, then, but likely for a workshop or home.

“Very well.”

“Enjoy yourself.” Donar clasped his arm and left.

Aidan would have loved to work outside, but he couldn’t risk being seen by anyone close to his family. If his brothers found out he inherited the skill, it would cause a greater rift between them. As it stood now, they didn’t see him as competition.

Once the pendragon died, there would be a contest held to decide who replaced him. Three noble families were eligible to participate with a total of twenty candidates who were of the right age—between two hundred and six hundred years old. From among them, the elders would choose five to compete, usually the oldest sons.

Aidan’s brothers had been working hard in recent years to prove themselves as the most obvious choices. They fought in every battle, took on any task the pendragon asked, and befriended the right people. Sons from other families were doing the same, though two strong contenders had died under mysterious circumstances in the last few years. Aidan had his suspicions about who’d done that, but couldn’t prove anything.

Zoran and Ruari didn’t see him as a threat yet, but there had been precedent in the past for a younger brother to be chosen over an older one. Usually, it happened if the younger one proved himself more worthy or had other more desirable traits. It was up to Aidan to continue appearing harmless for as long as possible.

He kneeled down and blew a stream of yellow and orange flames onto the stone. His aim had to be precise or else he’d burn away too much. It required all his concentration to make each side as smooth and even as possible.

Once he had a perfectly sized stone, he changed to blue and purple flames, engulfing one whole side. The fire needed to reach deep within if he was to harden the inside as well as the outside. After it was dark gray, he flipped it around to work another angle.

Aidan couldn’t have said how much time had passed when he finished the fifth stone. His inner dragon had been soothed and lay quiet in his head. There was hardly any light streaming through the window anymore, so it must have been at least two hours. He stretched, trying to work the kinks from his back. Just as he dropped his arms, a loud booming noise shook the workshop, rattling tools and other loose objects. This was not a ground tremor, but something else.

He rushed outside and nearly stumbled into Donar when another boom struck—this one just across the keep. A plume of smoke rose from that direction, along with terrified screams echoing through the air.