Warrior: Dragon Tamer, #2

Warrior

Book 2 Dragon Tamer

Armitage & Culican

Copyright © 2018 Armitage & Culican

All Rights Reserved.

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Edited by: Cassidy Taylor

Cover by: Covers by Christian

ASIN: B078B6W4ZY

www.dragonrealmpress.com

To our sons…

May you soar to the skies with courage and heart

Chapter One

The early morning sun bathed the fields in a warm glow, painting the scenery in warm hues of pink and orange. In any other situation, I would have been happy to sit out in the fields, aimlessly watching the day go by. But today was no ordinary day and the beautiful view of summer fields in front of me was only part of the vista, for in front of them were hundreds of dragons. Dragon shifters to be precise. Each milling around, absorbed in their own task. Some were healing the battle wounded, some were sharpening swords and one was silently wrapping up my arm in a bandage where I’d purposely cut it just ten minutes previously. That one was Ash, the dragon shifter who’d been by my side right from the start of all of this mess we were currently in. I’d had to cut my arm so my blood could free a dragon from a sword. My blood, it seemed, was the key to their freedom. I looked down to the ground beside me. Three more swords lay waiting, the souls of dragons trapped inside. Next to them was the empty one.  Just looking at it, you could tell it was now free of a dragon soul. It was black and tarnished and looked sad next to its gleaming brothers.

No, said Ash firmly. It was the first word he’d said in the last twenty minutes.

No what? I asked.

I saw what you were looking at. They can wait. You are exhausted. You need your blood more than they do at the moment.

He was right. I was exhausted. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a good night’s sleep. It certainly wasn’t last night as I’d been down in Dronias, the Slayer village and my former home, fighting to get these swords. I yawned as if proving his point.

I was just looking at them, I said, trying to suppress another yawn.

Hmmm, he replied, obviously not believing me. You need to sleep. I’m taking you home for some rest.

No! I said, standing up. The end of the bandage he’d not quite fastened hung loose and the whole thing began to unravel. Spear is planning another attack on my village and he needs me there!

Yesterday, he didn’t want me to have anything to do with going into Dronias, but after last night, he conceded that I was on the dragon’s side. Without me helping to plan, it could all go terribly wrong, just as it had done already.

Will you sit still? He pulled me back into a sitting position so that he could once again tighten my bandage. I’ve spoken to Spear. He agrees that everyone who was out fighting last night should take the morning to sleep. There is no point in us all going down there again when we are too tired to fight. We are to meet him after lunch at his house.

Oh. I could feel my heavy eyes begin to close. Spending the morning in bed might have seemed wasteful but the thought of it was very welcome.

I was so sleepy I didn’t notice Ash had finished wrapping my arm, nor did I notice him carrying me to his house and laying me on my bed. He must have, though, because four hours later I woke up there with his arm wrapped around me. I turned my head to look at him. He was beautiful in sleep. Okay, he was beautiful awake, but somehow, in sleep, he looked serene, calm, as if all the worry and stress he’d been carrying around for the past few weeks was gone. He was breathing heavily. Not quite snoring, but there was a light grumble in the back of his throat. Outside the window, I could hear the sounds of people, still busy doing whatever it was they had to do, and I could smell meat of some kind roasting on the big, open fire they had. My mouth watered, but looking at Ash overcame any sense of hunger. I ignored the rumble in my belly and just looked at him. I wanted to kiss him so badly, but I didn’t want to wake him. I settled for kissing his lips delicately, but despite my light touch, his eyes opened. His face cracked into a huge grin.

Morning. He whispered through his grin.

Morning? I think we are past that. I can smell lunch.

What is it? He gave a tentative sniff. Mmm. Barbecue.

Shall we go get some?

I’d rather stay here with you. He put his other arm around me and pulled me closer. My head nuzzled his shoulder.

Me too, but we have to eat. You have to keep your strength up if you want to shift into a dragon, and I need to eat red meat if I’m going to be using my blood to free the other dragon souls.

You’re right. You get up first, Ash said playfully.

His body heat was calming, and I felt warm and safe up against him, my head on his chest. I didn’t want to move.

No, you first! There was no way I was going to be able to get up with him still keeping the bed warm.

I would, but there is a gorgeous, red-haired woman currently laying on me. I’m afraid I’m pinned down and can’t move.

I’m hardly laying all over you. Just my head! I grinned.

And your arm.

Okay, and my arm, I conceded.

It took another ten minutes for us to untangle ourselves and get up the motivation to leave the bed. It helped that Ash’s little sister, Lucy, knocked on my door to tell me that lunch was ready.

The meat had already been served and placed on plates by the time we got down to the fire pit. Most of the others were already tucking into their food with relish. As well as the meat, which, judging by the charred carcass still smoldering on the fire, was beef, we also had fresh bread and a heap of fresh vegetables.

For the first time since being in Frokontas, I felt accepted. Some had accepted me from the start, but it took me drawing my own blood this morning for some of them to truly believe in me. The atmosphere was strange. It was one of both happiness and sadness. Happiness that we had found some swords, and sadness that there were so many yet to recover and many of the dragon souls were still trapped.

I don’t see Spear, I whispered to Ash.

He’ll be eating up at his home.

In the twenty minutes it took me to eat the meal, I had at least ten people come up and talk to me and every one of them was positive. Mostly they wanted to thank me for helping them. Even the ones who had previously shunned me were offering me more food. If it wasn’t for the impending fight tonight, I could almost feel happy.

What’s it like being a great warrior? asked Lucy after coming to sit beside me.

I’m not a great warrior. Spear is a great warrior. Why don’t you ask him when you see him?

She wrinkled up her nose. Spear is a boy. I don’t want to be like him when I grow up. I want to be like you.

I couldn’t help but smile at her.

If I was such a great warrior, your brother would have his soul trapped in my sword now and I wouldn’t be sitting here with you having this conversation. I’m actually a pretty terrible warrior. I just have a cool sword. You know, there is a great female warrior. Her name is Morganna. She is a Slayer like me.

She kills dragons? Lucy looked at me wide-eyed.

No. She kills men. There is not one man that has gone up against her and survived. For a long time, I wanted to be like her. Her skill with a sword is legendary.

But now you don’t?

No. Now I have no desire to kill anyone or anything. Up until I came here, I thought I was a dragon Slayer, but being here has taught me that you can’t just go around killing people or creatures without knowing who or what they really are. You’ve got to remember, I didn’t know you were people, too. I thought you were just dragons.

Just dragons? teased Ash, eavesdropping into the conversation.

You know what I mean, I said with a shrug.

But I want a sword and to be like Morganna! replied Lucy.

I think you’ll make a great hunter one day as long as you only kill for food and not out of anger or tradition.

You think so? Lucy clapped her hands together in excitement before running off to speak to her father.

You’ve made her day, said Ash, finishing the last of his food.

I just don’t want her growing up thinking it’s okay to kill like I did.

She won’t. She’s just a little kid with a new hero. Come on. I think it’s about time we headed to Spear’s. He’ll be waiting for us.

Spear’s house was a twenty-minute walk along a dirt path with fields of crops at each side. We skirted around the main part of the village until we saw his house in the distance. It was huge and white and looked stunning in contrast to the golden fields surrounding it.

Ah, you’re here. Wonderful. The others just arrived. Spear answered the door himself. Last time it had been his maid that had answered. Would you like tea? Coffee?

Coffee would be lovely, thanks, I replied and Ash agreed.

Spear clicked his fingers and the maid I’d seen last time I was at the house appeared. We are all here now. Can you bring the coffee and tea into the parlor, please? Enough for ten people each.

She nodded her head and left through the same door she’d come through.

We followed Spear from the large entrance hall into the parlor where the others were seated. I’d been in this room before. The last time, I’d been asked to leave. It wasn’t going to happen again.

I found a spare seat and Ash sat beside me. There were about twenty people in the room including Ash and me. Most of them had been with us in Dronias last night, but there were a few newbies too.

Last night was a disaster, as I’m sure you’ll all agree. I take full responsibility. Tonight will be different. Most of us here know what the village looks like now. We know where the houses are and hopefully, this map we looked at yesterday will make more sense to you.

He pulled out the crude map I’d drawn for him the day before.

Out of thirty-three swords, we managed to retrieve four. It wasn’t a good start, but at least we can cross those off the map. Julianna, you know better than the rest of us. Can you do it please?

As I’d already marked the houses with swords using crosses, I took a red pen and scribbled over the ones I knew we had retrieved. I’d not seen exactly who all the swords were taken from, but I recognized them easily enough, so being able to place them wasn’t too difficult.

This is my house. I began, pointing to the map. "You’d have seen it as a burnt-out mess. There are no swords there, but there are two in the barn behind. One belongs to my brother, Jasper. It is empty now and therefore worthless to us. It was the sword that held Fiere.

There is another sword there, but my father will not release it easily and let me warn you all, he is an excellent Slayer. The best in the village. His sword holds a lot of souls, which makes it extremely strong. The Goblin magic imbued in it gets stronger with every soul, and he has taken many. Of all the swords in the village, I suspect this will be the most difficult to get. He will be on guard, too. The whole village will. They know that we were there last night and they know we are after swords. I’m going to say what I said before. I don’t want anyone getting killed or hurt, but I think it’s inevitable that we will have to be ready to fight. We also have to free the dragons from the three swords we have, and one person has to be in charge of following that soul until we find where the soulless dragons are being held.

You should be that person, interrupted Spear.

Why?

Because of all of us here, you have more at stake. We can fight for the swords, but I wouldn’t want you to be in a position where you have to fight your own family or a friend.

I thought about it for a second and agreed. I couldn’t imagine having to have a sword fight with anyone I knew and loved.

Okay, Ash will fly me down to the village just after I free the dragons from the swords. We’ll set off about ten minutes after the rest of you so that we can follow the souls without distraction. Hopefully, the Slayers will be too busy with you to notice us, too.

The maid interrupted me by bringing in a large tray. On it were twenty cups, a jug of coffee, a large pot of tea, milk, sugar and a plate of cookies.

Once everyone had a cup, Spear got back to the map and making a plan for the raid into Dronias. For four hours we planned. I drew on the map, and we discussed who would do what. I wasn’t naive enough to think that one of my people wouldn’t get injured, but I said a silent prayer as Ash and I watched the others transform into dragons at twilight in preparation to fly to Dronias. Our part of the plan was simple. We would take the three swords up the cliff and through the tunnels there until we reached the platform. There, I would cut my skin with all three swords which would free the dragons. I’d then have to jump on Ash’s back quickly and follow the fiery trails the souls made.

It all seemed simple enough, but as I watched the other dragons take off, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy at all. It was probably going to be the hardest night of my life.

Chapter Two

The sun was just setting on the horizon. It would be almost completely dark by the time we got to Dronias. It was hard to imagine that we were setting off from the same place just twenty-four hours ago. And in those hours, I’d learned that my whole life was a lie.

You are going to have to let the dragons free once I’m changed, so please don’t injure yourself too much because I won’t be able to help you.

"I’ll just make