Kiss of Destiny (17 page)

Great Wyvern
—the divinity acknowledged by the
Pyr
. The
Pyr
swear by the Great Wyvern and attribute radical changes in fortune to her. Their lore insists that the Great Wyvern lit the divine spark within each of them. The
Death Ritual
ensures that the divine spark is fully extinguished when it should be. By this same logic, the blood of
Slayers
turns black because they willingly douse the divine spark in themselves, by turning their backs upon their sacred mission to defend the earth and its treasures. Just as the firestorm is a mark of the Great Wyvern’s favor, the sterility of
Slayers
is a sign of her disfavor.

High Council of Seven
—a governing council of
Pyr
established by Erik’s father, Soren, in the Middle Ages, in an attempt to fight the plan of Mikael Vassily for dragon shifters to turn against mankind. That initiative failed, the
Pyr
’s numbers were vastly reduced, and Mikael became the first
Slayer
. The original High Council included Soren (father of Erik), Gaspar (grandfather of Lorenzo), Lothair, Sigmund (the elder, brother of Soren), Thorkel (grandfather of Thorolf), Rafferty and Erik. At the launch of the
Dragon’s Tail Wars
, Erik was attempting to locate and gather the remaining
Pyr
to re-establish that council.

Hoard
—a collection of treasures kept by every
Pyr
. Although the
Pyr
in question perceives the items in the hoard to be precious, they may or may not be of monetary value: it is as likely that a
Pyr
will keep sentimental trinkets in his hoard—or stock certificates—as gold and precious gems. Some
Pyr
believe that their mate is the most valuable gem in their hoard.

Lair
—although each
Pyr
may have multiple homes, his one principle residence is considered to be his lair. The lair is usually where the
Pyr
’s
Hoard
is secured, and is invariably heavily defended by
Dragonsmoke
barriers.

Loss of Scale
—a
Pyr
will lose a scale when he loves, particularly when he loves and loses (or fears to lose). His emotional vulnerability is mirrored in his physical armor, which must be repaired by the Smith of the
Pyr
. This is not necessarily a mirror of romantic love: Magnus the
Slayer
lost a scale out of love for himself, while Sigmund lost one over his love for his mother. When a
Pyr
loses a scale due to his love for his mate, that scale can only be successfully repaired with a gift offered willingly by her and the presence of the four elements. See
Affinities
.

Mate
—the traditional term for the woman who prompts the spark of a
Pyr
’s firestorm. Most mates take exception to the use of this word, although it does perfectly describe their role as results from the firestorm.

Old-speak
—the traditional way in which dragon shifters communicate. Old-speak is gutteral and tends to be terse. It is expressed at a level too low for human ears to understand: humans typically hear the sound of old-speak but attribute it to passing trucks, trains or thunder. Old-speak can be uttered at different volumes: it can be conversational, it can be broadcast and heard at a great distance, or it can be whispered in the mind of another dragon shifter. A very wily dragon shifter can meld his old-speak with the thoughts of his victim so that the two are indistinguishable.

Prophecies
—the
Pyr
seem to be particularly fond of prophecies and portents.
The Wyvern
can be a source of prophecies for them, as can their leader, Erik Sorensson, and Sara Keegan, the Seer who is the partner of Quinn Tyrrell, the Smith. See
Dragon’s Tail
.

Pyr
(or “true
Pyr
”)
—The
Pyr
are an ancient race of dragon shape shifters. Their role is to defend the four elements and the treasures of the earth, and they include humans among those treasures. They are not immortal, but live a very long time. Their senses are keener than humans’—they see more clearly, for example, and hear a wider range of sounds.

Scent
—
Pyr
and
Slayers
can detect each other’s presence by smell. Each leaves a distinctive scent, which lingers and can be identified, thanks to the keen senses of dragon shifters.
Pyr
with sensitive noses say that
Slayers
have an odor so foul that even if they don’t recognize the dragon shifter specifically, they know his alliance by his scent. Erik’s son Sigmund knows how to remove his scent from a location, thanks to his diligent research into old dragon lore. Some
Slayers
who have drunk the Elixir develop the ability to disguise their scent willingly.

Shadow Dragons
—
Pyr
raised from the dead with the
Dragon’s Blood Elixir
. These
Pyr
were not exposed to all four elements within a day and night of their death (see
Death Ritual
) so could be revived by the Elixir. Shadow dragons do not bleed and they fight on, without regard for any sustained injuries. They must be dismembered and burned to ashes to be destroyed, then exposed to all four elements to ensure that they remain that way. Niall’s twin brother was made a shadow dragon by Magnus, and that tale is told in
Whisper Kiss
.

Shape shifting
—
Pyr
and
Slayers
change shape at will and by choice. His decision to shift form is presaged by a shimmer of pale blue that illuminates his body. When a dragon shifter is wounded, however, he will revert to his human form, whether he is able to choose to do so or not. This may be the result of the
Pyr
living so many centuries in human society. In addition, when a dragon shifter is wounded so severely that death is likely, he will unwillingly rotate between forms. Often the speed of the shifting increases in this situation, until the dragon shifter dies. There is a persistent idea amongst the
Pyr
that it is dangerous for a human to watch the actual transition between forms, and that seeing a man change to a dragon can make a human insane.

Slayers
—
Pyr
who have abandoned the mission to defend humans among the earth’s treasures. Their blood is black, which is said to be a sign that they have turned away from the light. (The
Pyr
have a saying: “
Pyr
are born and
Slayers
are made.”) This historical development is explored in
Kiss of Fate
.
Slayers
also lose the ability to reproduce when they make their choice. It is possible that part of the reason they are drawn to a firestorm is jealousy.

Smith
—the armorer of the
Pyr
and the only one who can repair their “armor” of scales. The Smith is a hereditary position and relies heavily upon blacksmithing skills. The Smith has a particular affinity with fire and often can coax a blaze or extinguish it with his thoughts. (See
Affinities
.) The current Smith of the
Pyr
is Quinn Tyrrell and his story is told in
Kiss of Fire
.

Warrior
—the Warrior of the
Pyr
can summon the elements to assist the
Pyr
in battle, often in the form of weather as artillery. The current Warrior of the
Pyr
is Donovan Shea, and his story is told in
Kiss of Fury
.

Waterdaughter
—an
Elemental Witch
with an affinity for water. A Waterdaughter can not only control the element of water but become it. Katina is the first Waterdaughter introduced in the Dragonfire series: her story is told in the
Dragon Legion Novella, Kiss of Danger
.

Wyvern
—the only female
Pyr
. At any given moment in time, there is one female
Pyr
, who has additional powers, including the power of prophecy, the ability to take the form of a salamander in addition to human and dragon forms, and the ability to spontaneously manifest elsewhere. The most recent Wyvern, Sophie, died in
Kiss of Fate
. Erik and Eileen’s daughter Zoë was conceived in that book. All
Pyr
come into the fullness of their powers at puberty, and Zoë’s coming of age is told in
The Dragon Diaries
trilogy. The
Pyr
call their deity the
Great Wyvern
.

Meet the
Pyr

A long-running series results in a large cast of characters. Here’s a list of those characters who play recurring roles in the Dragonfire series, including
Pyr
,
Slayers,
mates and children. Note that there may be spoilers in their descriptions, if you haven’t read all of the books published to date.

Alexandra Madison
—partner and mate of
Donovan
, scientist developing sustainable fuels and the prophesied Wizard. Mother of Nick and Darcy. Alex and Donovan’s firestorm is recounted in
Kiss of Fury
.

Alexander
—one of the Dragon’s Tooth Warriors,
Drake
’s second in command and partner of
Katina
. His story is told in the
Dragon Legion Novella, Kiss of Danger
.

Ambrose
—a
Slayer
who tried to steal Margaux, the mate of Thierry and mother of
Quinn Tyrrell
. He vowed to eliminate the line of the Smith after he failed. He plays a role in
Kiss of Fire
.

Aura
—mate of
Thaddeus
and an Airdaughter. Aura and Thad’s story is told in the
Dragon Legion Novella, Kiss of Destiny
.

Balthasar
—a
Slayer
, agate with gold in dragon form, bodyguard and driver to
Magnus
. He first appears in
Kiss of Fate
and is beguiled by
Lorenzo
in
Flashfire
.

Brandon Merrick
—a professional surfer, the rebellious son of
Brandt
and partner of
Liz Barrett
. Brandon was targeted by the
Slayer
Chen
and intended as a sacrifice to build that
Slayer
’s power. Liz and Brandon’s story is told in
Ember’s Kiss
.

Brandt Merrick
—an embittered
Pyr
, estranged from his fellow
Pyr
and separated from his mate, Kay, father of
Brandon
. Brandt and Kay find the spark of the firestorm renewed and make a new beginning in
Ember’s Kiss
.

Boris Vassily
—
Slayer
and sworn enemy of
Erik
, spectacular in dragon form with ruby red and brass scales and trailing red plumes. He has a large role in the first three Dragonfire novels,
Kiss of Fire
,
Kiss of Fury
and
Kiss of Fate
.

Cassie Redmond
—former paparazzi, professional photographer, partner of
Lorenzo
. Cassie and Lorenzo’s story is told in
Flashfire
.

Chandra
—a hunter and executor of evil creatures, she first appears in
Flashfire
, when her pursuit of
Viv Jason
leads her to
Thorolf
. An expert in both the martial arts and the mythological creatures, she immediately recognizes
Thorolf
for what he is, as well as the danger he’s in, and (unknown to
Thorolf
) takes him under her protective custody.

Chen Lee
—a formidable
Slayer
and last of the Dragon Kings (
Lung Wang
) who believes himself destined to be king of all dragons. Chen possesses the secrets of ancient dragon magic, lost to all dragon shifters but him. He is known to have the ability to take six forms: an attractive young Asian woman, an agile young Asian man, an elderly Asian man, a salamander, a snake and a dragon. In dragon form, he is lacquer red and gold. He is manipulative and often underestimated by others. He needs to sacrifice a
Pyr
with an affinity to air to complete his spell: in
Ember’s Kiss
, his plot against
Brandon
was foiled, but he entered an alliance with
Viv Jason
to target
Thorolf
.

Damien
—a Dragon’s Tooth Warrior, known by his comrades as the “heartbreaker” because of his string of short relationships with women. In the
Dragon Legion Novella, Kiss of Darkness,
he has the chance to save
Petra
, the woman who stole his heart.

Delaney Shea
—younger brother of
Donovan
Shea
, married to
Ginger Sinclair
, father of Liam and Sean. Ginger and Delaney’s story is told in
Winter Kiss
.

Donovan Shea
—lapis lazuli and gold in dragon form, a former duelist and the Warrior of the
Pyr
. He and his partner
Alex
have two sons: Nick and Darcy. Nick was named after
Nikolas of Thebes
. Alex and Donovan’s firestorm is recounted in
Kiss of Fury
.