Enchanting Eilagh (Dragon Warriors)

Evernight Publishing ®

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2014 Khloe Wren

ISBN: 978-1-77130-942-4

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

Editor: Karyn White

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To one of my best friends and the best critique partner ever, Tamsin Baker.

It seems appropriate that the story that introduced you to ménage be dedicated to you.

ENCHANTING EILAGH

Dragon Warriors, 1

Khloe Wren

Copyright © 2014

Legend

Legend tells of a time, many moons ago, when there was just one plane. Humans, dragon shifters
, and liaths all lived together. But it was not in harmony. The mystical liaths wanted to dominate the others. Magic fought against magic, causing great fires to rip through the land. The Goddess used her Great Wind to come and take the innocent to new planes, separating them so peace could reign. Humans were placed on Earth, while the dragon shifters were given the Land of Feury. The Goddess wanted them to thrive in their new homes, so she gave each new plane the same fruits, vegetables, and livestock. All they needed to live healthy happy lives.

The
liaths, who had started the war, were left in the burnt out plane of Dubhghlas. The Goddess did not replenish their lands. She left them to recover on their own, hoping they would grow to understand the importance of peace over war.

Alas, over time this legend has been lost, its knowledge sinking in the mists of time…

Chapter One

Eilagh Kala Judd took in the image before her in the mirror as she tied back her thick mane of hair. Her Irish heritage was evident not only in her name, the same one that belonged to a lonely young convict way back when, but also in her fine boned facial features. Her dark eyes, thick, naturally curly ink black hair and caramel skin tone made her father's Aboriginal heritage obvious at a glance. She dearly loved both her parents and their heritages. She'd always loved listening to her father's people recount the Dreamtime legends. Her favorites were the stories about the great snake king Wanambi. Which was why she'd suggested her four best friends join her on a hike and camping trip around Kata Tjuta in the Northern Territory where the legends were based.

They were all going to leave behind the stresses of their jobs and families to go on a relaxing trip into the Australian outback wilderness for a few days. It was just what she needed. Her job up in Darwin, checking imported fruits and vegetables for quality and disease, was beginning to grind on her last nerve. Whenever she found fault the captain would try to bribe her,
and then the officials would get shitty with her for creating more work for them. What did they expect from her? For her to simply let this crap come into the country to pollute their farming industry? Australian farmers had enough to stress and worry about without adding new diseases to their concerns. The officials could just get over it and deal with the fact she did her job properly, no matter who or what she had to deal with.

She rolled her shoulders to release some of her tension before she grabbed her hiking boots from the floor. Dropping down on the bed in her childhood room at her parents’ house, she pushed her work worries from her mind.

Eilagh reached for her heavy rucksack sitting behind her on the end of the bed. She slung it over her shoulder as she headed out to the kitchen. After kissing her mother goodbye, Eilagh headed outside to the Alice Springs heat where her father had the car warming up. He’d offered to take the girls out of town to their starting point in his Land Cruiser. Eilagh smiled. Her father had always insisted on warming the car up, but in this heat she was sure the oil in the engine would already be plenty warm enough. It was a habit that drove her mother insane, especially when they were running late. Eilagh dumped her rucksack in the boot and jumped in beside her dad.

"Let's hit the road!"

Her father chuckled at her enthusiasm before he headed out the drive. It didn't take long to round everyone up and get out to their agreed upon starting point. After they all hopped out and geared up, she leaned into her dad for a hug and a kiss goodbye.

"Now, you girls be careful and stay safe. Remember everything we've taught you all, and whatever you do, don’t separate from each other. If you get lost, just head for Uluru
, and if you're not back here in three days I'll go there to look for you."

"We're always careful
, Dad. We did pay attention to you and the other Elders when you taught us. Thanks for the lift out, and we'll see you in a few days."

"Yeah, thanks Mr. J," Skye called out, chorused by the others, from behind her.

Eilagh shook her head as her dad hopped back in the Land Cruiser chuckling at them. She didn't miss the way his eyes scanned the area quickly, as if he felt something in the air.

"Okay
, ladies, ready for our adventure away from reality?" She rubbed her hands together as she spoke.

"Hell yeah! Three whole blissful days with no phone and no kids!" Skye said in a wistful tone. Skye taught Year One
, and after several years at it she was beginning to lose her passion for it.

"And no pesky ex-boyfriends that just don't understand the concept of
no
." Binda sighed. Even with a restraining order, Binda's ex, Dean, would not leave her alone. Fortunately, he was a wimp who had a phobia of getting lost in the outback so he would never stalk her out here, so none of them were worried he would follow them and ruin their trip. There was also the fact he lived in Sydney and loved all his high-end creature comforts. Eilagh barely bit back her laughter at the mental image of a sweaty Dean covered in red dust.

"It's going to be heaven. No boss, no alpha male bullshit…" Becky finished with a grin. She worked driving big ass trucks at a mine over in Western Australia. She was always dealing with men and their bullshit theories on what women should or shouldn’t be doing.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this show on the road!” Carina said with a little too much enthusiasm. Eilagh wasn't sure what had happened to Carina in the last year, but it was something big. She could clearly see the sorrow that was now a permanent resident in her gaze. Eilagh hoped that over a campfire, with them all around her, Carina would open up and let them help her get through whatever it was.

With a deep breath, Eilagh headed off with her friends surrounding her. The girls had been inseparable since their first day of school. They all had some Aboriginal heritage, which had helped seal their bond as they grew older. Even now, with them spread around the country, they still remained close friends. As they hiked toward the large boulders that formed Kata Tjuta they all joked and laughed with each other. After a couple of hours,
which had felt like minutes, they arrived at the scrub surrounding the stunningly red rocks. The tallest boulders easily stood over one thousand feet high.

"How about we set up camp here tonight? We can explore tomorrow and find somewhere better for the next couple nights." Binda had always been the practical one of the group.

"Sounds good," Eilagh said as she dumped her rucksack and stretched out her sore back and shoulders.

All of the girls had split up the tent so they each carried a part of it to even out the load. They all pulled what they had from their rucksacks
, and in no time the large dome tent was up and pegged down. Next job was collecting firewood. With no need to voice what needed to happen, Becky and Carina headed off to collect the wood. Binda started grabbing some smaller kindling from the close by scrub while Eilagh used the camp shovel to dig a pit for the fire to be placed in. She also cleared an area around the pit so they wouldn't inadvertently set the whole place alight. Binda returned, and they set about lighting the fire. By the time they needed bigger pieces the others had returned with an armful each.

As they sat around the campfire in comfortable silence they watched the sky change colors as day turned to night. Sunsets in the outback were outrageously glorious, even more so when watching the colors reflect over Uluru. The sunrise in the morning would be even more spectacular as the sun rose from behind Uluru to greet them. Once it was dark with the moon and Southern Cross shining brightly above them, Eilagh found herself absorbed by the flames. She loved to watch fire as it moved and danced. After a while, she looked up at her friends to see they were also mesmerized by the flames. Eilagh smiled
. She loved having friends so close that silence could be as comfortable as a pair of old Ugg boots.

She turned her attention to Carina. Her mouth was turned down slightly
, and her eyes were half closed. As Eilagh watched Carina shed her tough front and began to look as fragile as a dried rose. What had happened to her? Suddenly Carina's whole body shuddered, and she raised her gaze, locking into hers. The look of panic in them tore at Eilagh's heart.

"You know, Carina, you can tell us anything. There is no need to hide or be ashamed. We all love you. Please, let us help
." Eilagh kept her words quiet and spoke in a voice as soothing as she could make it. She watched as Carina shook her head then closed her eyes. The tears that began to silently fall down her friend's face ripped through all of them as they all moved to surround and hold her.

*
***

Dimitri was tired. Being clan leader was never easy
, but since the Great Plague it had been near impossible. The men were restless, and with good reason. It had been seven years since the Great Wind brought visitors to their world. At first they seemed peaceful and friendly. Their blue skin, dark navy hair, and thin bodies took some getting used to, not so much the hair but definitely the skin. Blue was so different from their bronzed skin tone. When they began to spend time in the labs, no one was concerned. The liaths had planned their attack well. Those evil pieces of shit had lulled them all into a false sense of security and trust. Then they had created and released a virus, a horrid disease born straight from the depths of hell. As horrific as their creation was, it did backfire. Unfortunately for the liaths the virus had only affected the females and the young—leaving the men to seek revenge. Retribution had been sought and obtained. It was short lived and bloody, just how it should be. However, even though justice had been successfully served, the fact remained that now there were only male dragons left. With no females there would be no babies, no future. No sexual pleasure. Dozens of guilt-ridden sexually frustrated warriors were not helpful either. He needed to find a solution, but it seemed impossibly out of reach.

Dimitri ran his hands through his thick
, blood red hair and tugged. He wanted to scream out his frustration but knew it wouldn't serve any purpose. The door swung open, and Max, his twin, strolled in.

"You’re looking on edge, brother. Pulling your hair out won't solve anything. Come on, let's take a walk through the orchard."

Dimitri observed his twin closely. It was unlike him to suggest a walk, especially in the orchard. Not many of them ever stepped foot in that place. Most refused to even fly over it.

"Why would you want to visit the place where all this began?"

"Well, I need to speak with you in private. No one will be listening in on us out there. The apples were planted to cleanse the soil, to bring forth new, fresh life. It isn’t the soil that's cursed, but the wind that brought the liaths to us."

Curiosity won out
, and Dimitri rose from his chair to follow Max outside.

Once they were surrounded by the heavily loaded apple trees, he turned on his brother.

"Okay, we’re now away from prying ears and eyes. What is so important that we must endure this place?"

Max sighed before he reached up to grab a bright green glossy apple from the closest tree.

"They’re apples like any other, brother, but they all go to waste because of our stupidity." He bit into the apple. A crisp loud crack echoed around them as his teeth pierced the flesh and ripped a hunk out. "I’ve been eating them for years, and I've never come to any harm."

"Please tell me you didn’t drag my tail out here to discuss the damn apples." Dimitri clenched his fists and started to count backward from ten. His brother may only be younger by mere minutes
, but some days it seemed as though there were decades between them.

"Don't get your tail in a knot, Dimitri. The apples are merely a cover, a reason for us to be here."

"I am not in the mood for your games, Max. Just spit it out already!"

"There is a revolt happening, an uprising of some of the warriors. They think you’re not doing enough to fix our problem—"

"What the hell am I meant to do? Just create females out of thin air?" Dimitri cut off his brother's speech in a fit of rage. He was doing all he could. Hell, he even had the scientists looking into cloning with adjustments to see if they could, in fact, create females.

“Most of us understand you have done and are doing all you can. But there are a few who don't. They’re heading off at nightfall to search the lands for females.” Max raised his hand to stop him from talking. “Before you go off again, I know you’ve already searched. They’re just too stupid to believe it. I'm sure they'll return, tails between their legs, begging to rejoin to the clan before long."

"Who? Who is revolting against me, against the clan?"

He watched as Max winced and sucked in a sharp breath. Great, someone they were close to was going on this little trip of craziness.

"Johan, Adio, Huro, and Gyasi, so far. They’re being rather loud and boastful about the bounty they think they'll find over the horizon."

"They're nothing but fools. However, I’m not surprised. I would take a guess that Huro is their leader?"

"You would be correct, brother. What are you going to do?"

"Nothing I can do. I will not remove free
will from them. Let them go and stretch their wings. When they return, after discovering what we already know, we'll see about how best to deal with them. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about? I really don't like being here."

"Yeah, that's all. You head back
. I'm going to wander around for a while. I need to think."

"Be careful in this place, I can feel something is not as it should be
, and I can't be certain it's just because the others are leaving. You'll come and find me when you return? To let me know you're safe." He watched Max throw his apple core into the orchard for the birds to eat before he turned and spoke.

"I'll be fine
. I wander around this orchard regularly, but I'll call in on you when I get back."

Dimitri nodded at his brother before he turned and headed back to his office.

****

Eilagh stepped from the tent and stretched with her arms high above her head, arching her back until she heard the telltale
click
that signaled her spine was back in alignment. The sun was just peeking up over Uluru in the distance, and the silence of the morning was so peaceful it calmed her soul. As she watched Uluru change her colors in the slowly rising sunshine her thoughts returned to the previous night and their campfire confessional.