Dragon Storm (18 page)

“Mayhap we should just ask them.”

Darius’s teasing tone was typical of him but very often, his direct approach yielded unlooked-for results. As Connor expected a moment later, Darius spoke aloud to his latest opponent.

“I say, did you lot used to fight for Salomar?” The teasing tone and haughty words made Connor snicker even as he noted the anger on his current opponent’s face.

“I don’t think they like Salomar, Dar. The one I’m fighting made a face when you mentioned his name.” Connor taunted the enemy with his words.

“Good thing we killed him then, isn’t it,” Darius shot back, then returned his attention to his opponent. “So who do you fight for now, eh?”

Only three men were left of the group. Most were out cold, some dead. Darius and Connor each faced one and the remaining brigand held back, as if watching. Connor saw his opponent’s eyes flicker to the one who observed.

“Did your man just look at the gawker over there?”
Connor asked his twin privately.

“That he did,”
Darius agreed.

Connor observed the observer as best he could while keeping his guard up. This last opponent was the best of the bunch so far. That wasn’t saying much.

“He doesn’t look like a barbarian leader, but he could be a lieutenant, put in charge of this lot. Chances are, he’ll have the information we want and more, if we can capture him. Once we dispatch these two, he’ll make a run for it, I’ll wager.”

“Then we need to try to down both our opponents at the same time and make a dash for him. If one of them goes down, he’ll start to run.”

“Agreed.”

Through careful maneuvering, Connor and Darius timed their blows. Connor’s opponent went down only seconds before Darius’s and then both men were off, after the sole remaining brigand, who was swifter on his heels than they would have credited.

“Stop, damn you,” Darius grunted as he ran at Connor’s side after the bastard, both hefting the metal lances.

The man looked back at them, already far ahead, then dove into a thicket, out of view. Darius and Connor chased after, arriving in the thicket only to find the man cornered by a glowing white snowcat, her claws unsheathed and pining the man’s arms to a large tree. The big pads of her feet were on his, preventing him from kicking and his sword lay several feet away, out of range.

Darius let out a long whistle as a grin split his face. Connor wasn’t far behind as Darius sauntered up to the cat and the man. Making a show of it, he pet the snowcat’s neck, and she rubbed her head into his chest.

“That’s a good kitty,” Darius said with approval. “Now let’s find out a little more about you, my friend,” he addressed the captive. “Before I let my pet nibble on your bones. She hasn’t been fed in a while.”

Chapter Nine

“I’d say we got more out of that bastard than we’d have ever gotten under normal interrogation. You, my love, are a wonder.” Darius was chipper as he walked arm in arm with Josie. Connor scouted ahead as they neared the northern border of Draconia.

They could have flown, but both were tired from the storm and the fight shortly after returning to their world. For now, they were better walking until they reached the river. They’d have to fly then, but it would be a quick jaunt across the water and then to the Northern Lair where they could recover in relative peace.

“We have to talk to Lana and find out who this Gebel person is,” Darius kept talking, though he was careful to keep his conversation low, so that only they could hear him. They weren’t out of the woods—so to speak—yet.

“And Lana is you brother Roland’s wife, right?” Josie asked in low voice. They’d tried to tell her all about their family, and who was who. Even Connor admitted it wasn’t easy to keep the whole crowd straight.

“Yes,” Darius answered, patient with her in a way he seldom was with others. “She was stolen from her family as a girl and sold as a slave to these Northern barbarians. She served in Salomar’s hold until she was tasked to tend a dragon egg.”

“Tor was in the egg, right?” Josie asked, proving she had retained some of their stories.

“That he was. When he was old enough, Tor and Lana escaped to live in the wild, but Lana knows a lot about the Northerners. If anyone in Draconia knows anything about their new leader Gebel, I’m betting she does.”

Connor saw the spark of light off water as he topped the hill and knew they didn’t have far to go. They’d found the river. The trees thinned here, and only a wide expanse of green stood between them and the river.

“I think we should fly from here,” he said, stopping as the others caught up with him. “We can be across the river in less than an hour and then make our way to the safety of the Northern Lair.”

“A good plan,” Darius seconded.

“Are you two recovered enough?” Josie seemed worried about them. “That passage through the storm took a lot out of me. It had to be even worse for you two, since you had to fight those winds.”

“Which is why we walked this far.” Connor bent to kiss her quickly, unable to resist her allure. “We’re all right to fly this short distance. Actually, the first time we crossed—when we ended up in your world—we were in much worse shape. Perhaps it gets easier with experience.”

“Well if my grandfather’s right, we’ll get a chance to test that theory sooner or later,” Josie quipped as she stepped next to Connor to get a better look at the river. “I have to say this, your world is really beautiful. The air is so crisp and pure. That river sparkles, and it’s actually blue. I’ve never seen a blue river before.”

“Many rivers are brown with stirred sediments. The bed of this river is rock and stone, and there is a special kind of fish that thrives here. It eats plant and organic debris before it can accumulate,” Connor informed her. He, too, liked the look of this river, but it marked a very dangerous border.

Connor got to carry Josie across the border into Draconia. They crossed without incident, though they did see another small party of brigands patrolling the border farther away. The dragons could see the patrol, but it was doubtful the humans who made up the patrol could see them in the descending twilight.

Both twins were truly weary when they made their final approach to the Northern Lair. An honor guard of patrolmen and dragons had come to escort them. They landed, to be greeted by Hal and Jures, the leaders of this Lair.

“It is good to see you, Prince Darius and Prince Connor. We thought perhaps something terrible had befallen you when you did not arrive as scheduled,” Jures said, looking from one twin to the other as they shifted to human form.

Josie had already dismounted and stood between them, an uncomfortable look on her pretty face. Connor put his arm around her in a show of support as Darius stepped forward to exchange greetings with the knights who ran this Lair so well.

“We have quite a tale to tell,” Darius informed them. “Have you news of our brothers?”

“Roland is overseeing the search efforts from the castle. Collin and Trey are out looking for you along the eastern border. Trent is watching over Jon and Wil, who insisted on searching to the south. And Nico is—”

“I am here.”

Connor was never so glad to hear his older brother’s voice. Nico seemed to be buttoning his shirt as he made his way onto the landing ledge, his new wife, Riki, just behind him. Apparently they’d been caught off guard by Darius’s and Connor’s return.

Darius turned to meet Nico and was caught in a bone-crushing hug. Connor could see the emotion in Nico’s expression as the Prince of Spies let his guard down for just a moment. He’d been truly worried about them.

“How long have we been gone?” Connor asked, stepping closer with Josie by his side as Nico let Darius go.

“You’re three days overdue.” Nico looked from Connor to Josie and back again and jumped to all the wrong conclusions. “If you had us in an uproar just so you could hare off with some girl—”

“Hold, Nico.” Darius slapped his palm on Nico’s shoulder to halt his forward progress. “That’s not it at all. We’ve been…” Darius looked to Connor for words, but Connor didn’t know how to describe where they’d been either.

“They were transported through a violent, magical storm, to my world.” Josie saved the day, standing forward to face Nico’s fury on her own, not giving an inch. Not for the first time, Connor admired her courage. “I am a snowcat shapeshifter from a world where magic no longer exists in abundance. What little there is resides in a few supernatural races that must live in secret from the rest of humanity. My world runs on technology, not magic.”

“And it is a wondrous place, brother.” Connor moved to stand beside her. “We traveled great distances by air, but not under our own power. We rode with a hundred other humans in a hollow, metal craft with a giant wingspan. It flew high above the clouds at heights dragons cannot dream of and speeds we can only achieve for short bursts when in a dive.”

Nico’s head tilted as if he were testing the truth of Connor’s claims. He didn’t look angry anymore, which was a good start.

“It’s called an airplane,” Josie put in helpfully.

“And why could you not fly yourselves to wherever you needed to go?” Nico asked, suspicion clear in his tone.

“There are no dragons in my world. They are legends out of the distant past. Once I realized what they were, I knew they needed to talk to my grandfather, the leader of the snowcats, but we couldn’t let anyone else see them who wasn’t already aware of the existence of supernatural creatures. Ninety-nine percent of the people in my world are totally unaware of magic of any kind.”

“I would hear more of your tale before I decide if you’re telling me the truth or just making up some fantastical lie to get yourselves out of trouble.” Nico turned and led the way off the landing ledge, leaving the twins no choice but to follow.

“He really was worried about you,” Riki said as she took Darius’s arm, and they followed in Nico’s furious steps.

“That’s your big brother, huh?” Josie asked in a whisper as Connor escorted her after them. “He doesn’t seem too pleased with you.”

“Nico’s usually the more lenient of our elder siblings. I would have expected the anger from Roland, but not from Nico. Of course, things have been different since our youngest brother, Wil, was kidnapped.”

“Did you get him back?” Josie looked shocked.

“Yes. As a matter of fact, those who took him, sent him home a week later. The only problem was, he was five years older. He’d been kidnapped by servants of the Wizard Gryffid and taken to his home on Gryphon Isle to be tutored and trained. Gryffid didn’t ask permission, he just stole Wil and returned him an older, wiser…stranger. It’s been hard getting to know him again. He is much different than when he left.”

“Are you…are you certain it’s really him?”

“Quite certain. The dragons know the truth. There’s no way to fake what or who we are to them. All of us are half dragon. No one else in this world, besides those of the royal family, can make that claim. And dragons recognize their own.”

“Royal family?” Suddenly their claims of being princes in their world came back to her. Was that for real?

“There are several lines descended from Draneth the Wise,” Darius told her. “We are the main branch, descended from the eldest son of the eldest son, going back to Draneth. There is also the House of Kent, from which Riki and her twin, Lana, descend.”

“They’re dragons too?”

“Black dragons,” Connor corrected her. “Only black dragons are shapeshifters. And actually, it’s rare for Riki and Lana to be able to shift. Most females of the royal lines cannot. Their younger sister, Belora, and their mother, Adora, cannot. Both Riki and Lana came to their powers late, as it is said, most females do. If they can shift at all, it usually comes upon them after full adulthood. Perhaps Belora might discover the talent at some point in the future.”

“You really are princes? That wasn’t just a line?”

“A line?” Connor looked as if he didn’t quite understand what she meant.

“You know, something you say to impress the girls.”

Darius laughed outright while Connor looked affronted. “No, it is true, I assure you. Our eldest brother is king of this land.”

“We are just lowly princes,” Darius added with a teasing look. “And you are our beloved princess.”

“Princess Josie?” The thought of it was a little heady, to be sure. She was still just plain old Josie, no matter how many people wanted to deify her in different ways. “Nah, that just sounds silly.”

“Silly or not, it is the truth of the matter. Among our people you will be treated with the respect due a Princess of Draconia.” Connor’s tone told her there would be no further argument on the matter.

Josie decided to let it drop for now. The middle of a family squabble was no place to be worrying about her new title, real or imaginary. Nico looked older and more world-weary than the twins, and he definitely had that older-sibling disapproval vibe going on. Josie didn’t envy her mates having to face this man’s anger or accusations. She’d stand with them regardless. She could do no less. They were her mates.

Eventually they reached a round chamber with a giant sand pit in the middle. The whole place looked like it had been carved out of rock. Slabs of the stuff formed the floors and walls she’d seen so far, though the furniture—what little she’d seen—seemed to be made of wood and other common materials.

The people dressed in natural fibers dyed various colors and leather. Lots of leather everywhere. Especially on the men. There were few women here. She did see one or two in the halls along their path. One wore a dress that could have come out of Camelot, the other was in leather pants and tunic. No one seemed to mind either clothing choice, which was a relief to Josie. She liked skirts well enough, but she was no medieval maiden content to wear such things on a daily basis. If she had to give up blue jeans, she was darn well going to wear their Draconian equivalent.

Nico spun on his heel as the door shut behind them, facing his brothers. Ricki stood beside him but was much less upset. If anything, her expression looked reserved. Darius and Connor tried to stand in front of Josie, possibly to shield her from their older brother’s wrath, but she was having none of that. She shouldered between them, to stand with them, between them, facing down the dragon alongside her mates.