Kiss of Destiny (16 page)

That had been exactly what had happened. Erik had checked and checked again just the day before.

But now Thorolf was gone. There was no glowing conduit to him from Erik’s mind. There was no link to his spirit, either. He wasn’t dead, just missing.

Erik shifted back to human form, impatient with his own failing in this. He should have kept a closer eye upon Thorolf, and he knew it. His frustration with Thorolf had driven his choices, and that had been a mistake.

He turned on the lights, intent upon checking the apartment, on the outside chance that Chen or JP had left some clue.

Chen had. There was a spiral burned into the hardwood floor, a spiral exactly like the mark branded on JP’s neck. It was about eight feet across and had been the source of that smell. Erik stepped into it and knew too late that he shouldn’t have done so. The spiral drew him forward with relentless force. He was pulled against his will to the very core of the spiral, fighting it even as he saw it begin to burn again. First the mark glowed, like embers, then it was coaxed to a small fire by a wind Erik couldn’t feel. In a heartbeat, the flames were burning as high as his knees. He couldn’t stop himself from moving closer, even when he heard Chen’s laughter echo through the empty apartment.

Was this what had happened to Thorolf? Erik struggled against the force of the spell, but couldn’t change his situation. Would he be compelled to join the other
Pyr
? Or did Chen have worse plans for him?

It appeared that Erik would soon find out.

* * *

Watch for

Serpent’s Kiss

The Tenth
Dragonfire
Novel

Coming Soon!

The World of Dragonfire:

A Glossary

Every fictional world has its own terminology and that is particularly true of fantasy realms. Here is a glossary of terms frequently used in the Dragonfire novels. Although every attempt is made to include an explanation in context, sometimes a longer explanation is desired. Be warned—if you haven’t read the entire series, you may find spoilers here!

Affinities
—as custodians of the four elements (air, water, fire, earth), the
Pyr
have a strong relationship with them. Each
Pyr
has affinities to two elements. When any given
Pyr
experiences his firestorm, his destined mate will invariably possess affinities to the two remaining elements. Their strengths and weaknesses are complementary, as a result, which makes a permanent union such a powerful alliance. When the mate gives a gift to aid in her dragon’s scale repair (see
Loss of Scale
) that gift often echoes her two affinities.

Airdaughter
—an
Elemental Witch
with an affinity for air. An Airdaughter cannot just control the element of air but can become it. Aura is the first Airdaughter introduced in the series: her story (and the link between
Elemental Witches
and nymphs) is told in the
Dragon Legion Novella, Kiss of Destiny
.

Apothecary
—the healer of the
Pyr
. The Apothecary is a hereditary position, involving a long apprenticeship and training in the medicinal uses of herbs etc. for the specific treatment of
Pyr
. The current Apothecary is Sloane Forbes.

Beguiling
—Both
Pyr
and
Slayer
have the ability to beguile humans, although it is a skill that must be learned and cultivated. The dragon shifter in question drops his voice to a low murmur, speaks slowly, and conjures flames in his eyes. This is usually done while in human form, and generally humans see a flame deep in the iris of the dragon shifter in question. This is so irrational and unlikely that the human looks most closely, then is snared by the dragon shifters’ spell. Beguiling is similar to hypnosis, and like hypnosis, yields better results if the suggestion is something the victim already wants to believe. Pyr have used it for eons to convince those humans who have witnessed them in dragon form that they could not have really seen dragons. There is some question as to whether a dragon shifter can beguile another dragon shifter or not. In
Flashfire
, Lorenzo did beguile a
Slayer
, but that
Slayer
was not at his full power or health. Lorenzo is the most adept of the
Pyr
at beguiling.

Challenge Coin
—Dragons have a tendency to both fight and to vigilantly defend their honor. If a
Pyr
or
Slayer
tosses his challenge coin at an opponent, he is challenging the other dragon shifter to a fight to the death. If that opponent picks up the coin, the challenge has been accepted. The fight may be interrupted or delayed, but they will fight to death, as a matter of honor. Challenge coins are carefully chosen by each dragon shifter to be characteristic of his nature or background and to be distinctive. Each dragon always has his challenge coin in his possession and carries it between forms.

Clothing
—When a
Pyr
or
Slayer
shifts shape, he folds his clothing away quickly and tucks it beneath his scales. It is considered to be particularly important that no one ever witness exactly where the garments are hidden. No shifter can return to his human form without his clothing, so speed with this feat is key to survival. In
Kiss of Fury
, Erik burns the clothing of the
Slayer
Boris while they are both in dragon form; Boris, however, has folded away his underwear, so survives this tactic.

Darkfire
—an ancient magic that breeds chaos and unpredictability in the world of the
Pyr
. Darkfire was trapped in three quartz crystals in the past. The
Slayer
Chen broke one deliberately, setting the darkfire free in the hopes of undermining the efforts of the
Pyr
in
Darkfire Kiss
. The location of the second darkfire crystal was also established in that book. In
Flashfire
, the third darkfire crystal was revealed to be in Lorenzo’s hoard, until it was given to Drake, the leader of the Dragon’s Tooth Warriors. The actions of that crystal feature in the
Dragon Legion Collection
of novellas.

Death Ritual
—It is traditional to expose the body of a deceased
Pyr
to all four elements within one day and night of his demise. This was considered to be a ritual of respect and had lapsed from active practice until the
Dragon’s Blood Elixir
was formulated again.

Dragonfire—
a stream of fire breathed by a
Pyr
or
Slayer
, often aimed at another dragon in battle. Dragonfire burns particularly hot. It will singe dragon scales and can leave a victim disfigured, if not dead. The Smith is said to be able to endure dragonfire, because of his affinity to the element of fire, and can draw power from it, as Quinn does in
Kiss of Fire
.

Dragon Legion
—the Dragon’s Tooth Warriors who survived the challenge recounted in
Harmonia’s Kiss
and were sent through time by the darkfire crystal. They include Drake, Alexander, Damien, Thad, Orion, Peter, Ty, Ashe and Ignatio. Alexander’s story is told in
Kiss of Danger
; Damien’s story is told in
Kiss of Darkness
and Thad’s story is told in
Kiss of Destiny
.

Dragon’s Blood Elixir
—an addictive concoction that promotes longevity in dragon shape shifters, expedites healing and increases vitality. It also gave the powers of the
Wyvern
to
Slayers
who consumed it over a period of time, particularly that of being able to take a third form (a salamander) and to spontaneously manifest elsewhere. The
Slayer
Magnus found the formula and shared first sips to build a company of loyal followers. He also revived dead dragon shifters with the substance, creating an army of shadow dragons from those dead
Pyr
whose bodies had not had the traditional death ritual. (See
Death
Ritual
.) The saga of the Elixir is told in
Winter’s Kiss, Whisper Kiss
and
Darkfire Kiss
.

Dragon’s Egg
—A polished sphere of black stone, perhaps obsidian, which shows the location of a newly sparked firestorm under the light of a fully eclipsed moon. Sophie the Wyvern uses the Dragon’s Egg as a scrying glass in
Kiss of Fury
, shortly before it is broken. From that point onward, Erik must learn to scry by using other surfaces, and to develop his ability to feel the locations of all
Pyr
.

Dragonsmoke
—a stream of vapor breathed by dragon shifters—whether
Pyr
or
Slayer
—that is invisible to human perception. (Perceptive humans may feel a chill when they breach a dragonsmoke barrier.) Dragonsmoke is not only visible to dragon shifters, but it has a resonant ring when formed into a complete circle. It is used as a protective barrier or boundary mark and will burn any dragon shifter who crosses it without the permission of the dragon shifter who breathed it. This act is called ‘setting permissions.’ In order to breathe dragonsmoke, a
Pyr
or
Slayer
enters a meditative state and directs the stream of dragonsmoke, weaving it into a barrier that is preferably high and deep. A dragonsmoke boundary will disintegrate over time, and some dragon shifters can tell the age of a smoke ring by its condition. Dragonsmoke can also be used as a conduit between fighting dragons, as shown in
Kiss of Fate
.

Dragon’s Tail Wars
—The Dragonfire series is set during a period of trial for the
Pyr
, in which they will battle the
Slayers
for custody of the earth and survival of mankind. This test was foretold to commence during the Dragon’s Tail, an astrological period believed to be a phase of karmic retribution and rebalance. We are currently experiencing the power of this same Dragon’s Tail in real life, which began in June 2006. The moon’s node will move back to the Dragon’s Head in November 2015, at which point either the
Pyr
or the
Slayers
will have been exterminated. The
Pyr
’s prophecy declared that the first three firestorms after the Dragon’s Tail commenced had to be successful for the
Pyr
to have a chance against the
Slayers
. Those three firestorms are recounted in
Kiss of Fire, Kiss of Fury
and
Kiss of Fate
.

Dragon’s Tooth Warriors
—These warriors are a military unit of
Pyr
, charged with hunting down and exterminating those dragon shifters who had turned against men. They come from a time before the evolution of
Slayers
and call their opponents ‘vipers.’ In fighting one viper, they were enchanted and cursed to take the form of additional teeth for that dragon’s maw. They are led by a taciturn general named Drake, and unlike the modern
Pyr
, they are all dark in color in dragon form and almost indistinguishable from each other in either form. They first appear in the series in
Kiss of Fury
. The result of their decision to finish what they had begun is told in the short story,
Harmonia’s Kiss
. Their adventures with the darkfire crystal are told in the
Dragon Legion Novellas
, during which they rename themselves the Dragon Legion.

Elemental Witches
—women with power not only over an individual element but also the ability to become that element. The first elemental witch introduced in the Dragonfire novels was Liz Barrett, a
Firedaughter
, in
Ember’s Kiss
. The history of the relationship between these women and the
Pyr
is explored in the
Dragon Legion Novellas
.

Earthdaughter
—an
Elemental Witch
with an affinity for earth. An Earthdaughter can control the element of earth as well as become it. Petra is the first Earthdaughter encountered in the Dragonfire series: her story is told in the
Dragon Legion Novella, Kiss of Darkness
.

Firedaughter
—an
Elemental Witch
with an affinity for fire. A Firedaughter can control the element of fire as well as become it. Liz Barrett is a Firedaughter and the first
Elemental Witch
introduced in Dragonfire: her story is told in
Ember’s Kiss
.

Firestorm
—each
Pyr
will experience one firestorm in his lifetime. A firestorm occurs when that
Pyr
meets the human woman who can bear his son. Sparks literally fly between the couple, causing an overwhelming sense of attraction and desire. The firestorm is believed to flare the way it does because it marks the presence and approval of the
Great Wyvern
: in her presence, the spark within each
Pyr
is kindled to greater strength and power. The heat of the firestorm builds until the couple’s relationship is consummated (“satisfying the firestorm”) and this first coupling always results in the conception of a son.
Pyr
only have sons, who come into their shifting powers at puberty. (For the exception to this rule, please see
Wyvern
.) All
Pyr
and
Slayers
can feel the spark of a firestorm and are instinctively drawn to its blaze. Firestorms of particular significance to the
Pyr
tend to occur during full eclipses of the moon. Historically, the firestorm was believed to be a purely biological impulse, but the modern
Pyr
increasingly believe that a partnership of long duration with the “mate” is ideal. (See
Loss of Scale
.) In some instances, the firestorm can be a healing power: in
Kiss of Fury
, the injured Delaney is drawn to the heat of his brother Donovan’s firestorm in search of renewal.