Finding the Dragon (Dásreach Council Book 1)
Read Finding the Dragon (Dásreach Council Book 1) Online
Authors: Josette Reuel
Tags: #Dásreach Council Novel - Book 1
Finding the Dragon
Copyright c) 2014 Josette Reuel
Cover design by Evanlea Designs
Cover artwork c) 2014 Christopher Reuel
Photo contributor Curaphotography on BIGSTOCKphoto.com
Proofreading and Edits: Jennifer Cazares, Gillette Kempf, Lenora Buchanan, Debbie Blight, and the Book Worms Beta Readers.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews – without permission in writing from Josette Reuel.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you are reading this ebook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
ISBN: 9781311690722
ISBN-13: 978-1500758585
Dedication
To my husband, for being my strength and my courage – for being my Dragon.
For my Book Worms :) – the inspiration and the support that every author should have.
To those that fight the good fight and those that support those that are fighting.
Acknowledgments
I have been writing and reading since I was a little girl. This love of words was fostered by my parents, Dean and Cosette, without them I would not be here and I would not be who I am. I thank them for their guidance, sacrifice, and belief. For the times as a little girl when my daddy said, “you’ll grow up to be a famous author and make me lots of money.” I’m finally working on it daddy!
To my family – husband, daughter, and son – who support me, love me regardless of my flaws, and always make me laugh. Thank you for believing in me and supporting me as I achieve this lifelong goal and dream.
A huge thanks to all of those on Facebook – authors, readers, family, and friends (those I’ve met, those I hope to meet one day) – Thank You! For words of wisdom, for words of joy, and for sharing pieces of your lives with me. So many have helped me gain faith in myself to finally do this.
A special thank you to Suzan Tisdale for her dedication to aspiring authors; to D.L. Roan – the original Passionista – for her passion for doing it right, her way; and to Victoria Zak for taking this first book journey alongside me and sharing a love of dragons – and yes, for sharing Dragon drinks! You all kept me sane-ish 3:)
A huge thank you to my beta readers, my proofreaders, and editors. You all ROCK! This book wouldn’t be where it is without your corrections and suggestions.
Most of all, a huge THANK YOU to my gals - the Book Worms :) for which this series is created. An idea born of a “chain story” several of us participated in, this series and this book would not be here without you all. Especially: Marlena, Jennifer, Amy, Debbie, Alison, Chelsea, Melanie, Elisabeth, Keshia, Stephanie, Joann, Jessica, and Ginelle your input has been invaluable.
The Dásreach Legacy
Millennia ago when the Earth was much younger it was first protected by great and ferocious beasts – the dragons; however, after a time of peace the dragons left the Earth for another world in danger. Leaving the Earth in the care of the Great Spirit and its creation… humans.
As it is with such things, the Earth soon found itself in peril once again. Humans prospered, but with that prosperity also came greed and depravity. The Great Spirit saddened by the lack of concern humans had for the Earth and each other sent forth the Shaman from Tiranam, the sacred land, to find the strongest and most loyal of warriors; thirteen warriors to become the guardians of the earth – the two-spirited, the Dásreach.
The Thirteen, as they became known, were bonded with spirit guardians to better understand the natural world around them. As each warrior accepted their calling they were tattooed with a mark from the Great Spirit and the spirit guardians chose the man best suited to each task; the dragon chose the leader of the warriors, the black panther chose his Beta to support the leader in all things, and the eagle chose the warrior with the strongest connection to the Great Sprit. The remaining warriors were chosen in pairs by the Kodiak grizzly bear spirits for combat strategy, the mountain lion spirits for gifts of healing, the red fox spirits to provide for the warriors physical needs, the falcon spirits for intelligence and memory to keep the history, and the grey wolf spirits for battle training and knowledge of the world. The spirit guardians granted each warrior long life, the ability to shift into the form of their spirit guardian, and a special ability to assist them in their sacred duties.
The Dásreach made strides in protecting the natural world, but the balance was still skewed. The warriors lacked the knowledge of true connection and compassion to their fellow humans, seeing them only as the cause for the imbalance of the Earth. Realizing that the men needed a connection to family and community and a way to continue to fulfill their responsibilities into further generations, the Great Spirit sent them into the world to find mates. Destiny chose a woman that would balance each warrior’s strengths and flaws. As each mate accepted their warrior and bonded to their mate they shared in the warriors gifts of long life, a spirit guardian, the ability to shift, and the special ability gifted to their warrior – becoming true partners to their warriors.
As a tentative balance was restored to the Earth, the Great Spirit granted the couples many sons to carry on the duty charged to them and to maintain the balance. The Thirteen with their sons and mates created a Dásig, a community, for the Dásreach and became the first council of the Dásreach race.
***
Present Day
The Dásreach still follow the teachings of the first council, leadership switches every 20 years as a new Thirteen are chosen and trained to become the next Council of the Dásreach. As with the original Thirteen these men are required to find mates to keep balance with the Earth and humanity, so by their 40th year when the new Council takes control the law states that they must have bonded with their destined mates. In all of the history of the Dásreach, the Thirteen have always found their mates – that is until the current Thirteen.
Prologue
The Dásreach, or two-spirited, are a long lived paranormal race of male shifters tasked with maintaining the peace and balance of the Earth. They are led by a Council of 13 warriors and follow the guidance of the Great Spirit. Every 20 years a new group of warriors are chosen at the age of 20 to be the next Council. This group of young men is known as the Thirteen and will spend the next 20 years preparing for their positions. At the age of 30, if they haven’t already done so, the men begin the search for their mates, for they cannot become the next Council unless all thirteen have found the women who will balance them.
The current Thirteen are in their 39th year and have been unable to find their mates. This leaves them with two summer solstices before they are to take over the Council – only a year and a half to find their mates. The Thirteen have been working their tattoo shops and traveling the world, searching and hoping, but with each passing year, month, week, and day that they have searched their frustrations have risen as one brother after another return with no mate.
Kai Darrow was gifted with the dragon spirit guardian and is the next leader of the Council. For the Dásreach, the dragon is a sacred and rare spirit guardian. In long ago days when the world was young, it was said that the Great Spirit along with the dragons protected the Earth. The dragon was strength, intelligence, and protection. These dragon protectors are the spirit guardians who choose the next leader of the Dásreach Council. Kai Darrow carries the spirit of the leader of all dragons, who has chosen Kai because a darkness has arisen in the Dásreach and the Earth is in turmoil again. Kai feels the heavy weight of the darkness his spirit guardian councils him against and searches frantically for his and his brother’s mates. They must take their place as the next Dásreach Council at the Council Oath gathering in a year and a half. They must find their mates immediately.
*
Day of the Winter Solstice, Outside New Orleans, Louisiana.
Kai watched from the doorway of a large room in the plantation house where he lives with his best friend Charlie and fellow Thirteen member, Malkum. The three of them live in the house on a more permanent basis while the rest of the Thirteen travel the world. Now that the Thirteen were done with their formal training, this room was where they planned and regrouped. The old plantation house located in the bayou outside of New Orleans worked as a great base of operations for the men as they traveled the world, working at tattoo shops owned by the Dásreach and searching for their mates. All of the men had become friends, how could they not with the amount of time they had spent together over the last 18 years, but Charlie had been Kai’s best friend since they were lads. Even so, Kai had a feeling that even Charlie would think he had cracked when he explained his plan. Which was why he continued to stand at the door, and wonder if he should enter or turn and go the other way?
Chairs were pulled in a ragged circle and Kai’s brothers sprawled or paced like wild beasts around the room. He had watched their frustrations grow more and more with every year that passed with no mates. Kai felt it was his place as their leader to find a solution. None had presented itself, until he and Charlie had been playing darts at a local pub. Thus the reason he stood with his arms full of a globe, an atlas, various maps of countries and their counties and states, and a box of darts.