Gwennore waved back, then settled on a grassy spot to watch the little girl. A shadow moved across the ground, and she glanced up at the cloudless sky. A large bird was flying high overhead.
Her eyes narrowed. An extremely large bird. Was it Brody in eagle form, watching over them? She looked down at the camp and spotted Brody as a dog, following the two nasty earls and nipping at their heels.
She glanced back at the bird, but it was too far away and the sun was too bright for her to see clearly. Surely it couldn’t be the Chameleon. No one knew the mysterious shifter’s real name or what he even looked like, but since he apparently had the ability to change into any animal or human, Brody had dubbed him the Chameleon.
After causing so much trouble three years ago, the villainous Chameleon had disappeared. Brody had searched high and low for him to no avail.
“Look, Gwennie!” Eviana ran toward her with a big bunch of flowers in her hands. “Awen’t they pwetty?”
“Oh, they’re lovely!” Gwennore pulled the blue ribbon from the end of her braided ponytail and used it to tie the bouquet together. “There. Perfect. I think ye should pick some flowers for Aunt Sorcha. ’Tis her birthday, too.”
“All wight!” Eviana bounced away.
Gwennore lifted her face to the warm sun, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Life was good, she reminded herself. Two of her sisters had become queens, and now the countries of Eberon and Tourin were at peace. The Seer had predicted even more peace, so Mother Ginessa had finally relented and allowed Gwennore and her younger sisters to leave the Isle of Moon and live on the mainland. The other two countries, Norveshka and Woodwyn, still caused trouble every now and then, but they seemed far away now.
A screech echoed in the distance, and she opened her eyes. That hadn’t sounded like an eagle. Whatever it was, way up high in the sky, it seemed to be circling. An ominous feeling crept under her skin, and suddenly she recalled the way Luciana had looked last night when Maeve had suggested they play the Game of Stones.
“We’re all together again,” Maeve had said when Brigitta had joined them. “We should bring out the Telling Stones, so ye can predict our futures.”
Luciana had grown pale. “I’m too weary from travel. Perhaps another time.”
Gwennore hadn’t missed the worried glance Luciana had exchanged with Brigitta. They’d looked the same way almost three years ago when Luciana had selected a handful of Telling Stones to predict Gwennore’s future. Luciana had completely avoided playing the game since then, and Gwennore couldn’t help but feel that her oldest sister had seen something that had frightened her.
Green, brown, and the number three. Those were the pebbles Luciana had picked for Gwennore. To Maeve and Sorcha, the interpretation had been obvious. The colors signified the country of Woodwyn, since the elfin flag pictured a tall green tree growing from brown earth.
But Luciana was the one with the gift of foresight, and she had declined to agree with them. She’d also failed to explain the number three, even though Sorcha had claimed it meant Gwennore would meet a tall and handsome stranger in three months.
That hadn’t happened, of course. Not that Gwennore had expected it. With her rational mind, she preferred to believe that people were responsible for making their own future. Still, she had to wonder what the three meant.
Three. Today Eric and Eviana were turning three. Gwennore glanced at the camp as the feeling of foreboding grew more intense. Was whatever Luciana feared going to happen today?
“Gwennie!” Eviana wrenched her out of her thoughts by shoving a plant in her face. “Look at the funny fwower.”
“Oh, I know this.” Gwennore set aside Luciana’s bouquet of flowers to take the new plant. Instead of flower petals, it was topped with a sphere of white fluff. “’Tis called a puffball. We grow them at the convent, because we can use the leaves to make medicine.”
Eviana wrinkled her nose as she studied it. “I’ve never seen one before.”
“That’s because the gardeners at Ebton Palace consider it a weed and pull it out.”
“Why?” Eviana pushed out her bottom lip. “Why is it bad? I think it’s pwetty.”
Gwennore sighed, feeling a sudden kinship to the plant that wasn’t welcome in most gardens. “There’s a saying that if ye make a wish afore blowing on the puffball, then yer wish will come true.”
“Weally?” Eviana’s eyes lit up.
Gwennore nodded. As she gazed at the ball of white fluff, she thought about wishing for that magical world where the tall and handsome stranger was waiting for her. But what were the chances of that actually happening? It made more sense to wish for something that could possibly come true. A long and happy life for Eviana and Eric.
“I’m weady!” the little girl announced.
“Me, too!” Gwennore took a big breath and started to gently blow.
Eviana huffed and puffed, spitting more than blowing, then giggled as white florets detached from the flower head and floated away on a breeze. “We did it!” She danced about. “Guess what I wished for!”
“Ye shouldn’t say, or it won’t come—”
“I wished you not be sad.”
Gwennore stiffened. Good goddesses, was she so obvious that even a three-year-old could tell? “Ye think I’m sad?”
Eviana nodded. “’Cause we get pwesents, and you don’t. But I’ll give you some fwowers, too.”
Gwennore smiled. “That’s very sweet of you, but ye needn’t worry. My birthday will happen in the fall at the Autumn Embrace. I have the same birthday as yer papa. And Brigitta, Maeve, and Brody.”
“Weally?”
“Yes. Really.”
Eviana clapped her hands together. “Then we can have another party?”
Gwennore nodded. “Now let’s get some flowers for Sorcha, so we can head back to camp.”
“All wight!” Eviana skipped away, stopping every now and then to pluck a flower.
A large shadow swept over them, and Gwennore glanced up. Good goddesses! Her heart lurched.
Dragon.
She scrambled to her feet. What was a Norveshki dragon doing here? Was that what had been circling them? Why would it be interested in her? Not me. Icy-cold terror crept into Gwennore’s bones, freezing her for a few seconds. Eviana. Dragons were known for kidnapping small children.
With a shriek, the dragon swooshed down. Fire burst from its mouth and hit the ground, creating a wall of fire between the hill and the encampment. Heavenly goddesses, it was cutting them off!
“Eviana!” Gwennore dashed toward the little girl. She would grab her and run for the nearby forest. There, the larger trees could shelter them from the dragon’s view.
Eviana’s eyes grew wide with terror, and the flowers tumbled from her hand. She turned and ran. Away from the forest.
“Nay!” Gwennore struggled to catch up with her.
The dragon swooped down.
Gwennore heard the beating of its wings and its breath huffing just above her head. She reached out a hand to grab Eviana, but the dragon shoved her with its powerful back legs, flattening her facedown on the ground. She barely caught her breath before she saw the talons of the dragon’s forelegs curl around Eviana.
With a squeal, the little girl squirmed.
“Eviana!” Gwennore scooted forward on her elbows while the dragon hovered a few inches above her. She seized its talons and attempted to pull them back. But they only tightened, digging into Eviana’s skin till beads of blood blossomed on the girl’s white dress.
“Stop it!” Gwennore cried. “Ye’re hurting her!”
Whoosh, whoosh. The air around them stirred as the dragon beat its long, black wings.
It was going to take off! Gwennore frantically yanked at its talons, but it enveloped the little girl in its forelegs and pulled her tight against its smooth chest.
A bolt of lightning struck the ground just as the dragon rose in the air. Leo was attacking. The ground beneath Gwennore trembled from the impac
t, and a booming noise deafened her ears.
The dragon rose high enough for her to gain her footing. A sudden blast of wind shoved the dragon to the side, causing it to collide with her and knock her back down. That had to be Brigitta’s husband, using his wind power to attack.
As the dragon struggled to regain its equilibrium, she scrambled to her feet and grasped one of the creature’s forelegs to try to keep it from flying away. If the two kings succeeded in frightening the dragon enough that it released Eviana, she would fall, and it would be dangerous for her to fall more than a few feet.
A second lightning strike ripped past them, then another one, dangerously close to the dragon’s head. The air sizzled with energy, buzzing in Gwennore’s ears.
With a screech, the dragon shot up into the air. Gwennore gasped as she was pulled off the ground. Her arms strained, and panic threatened to overwhelm her. Should she let go? No! She couldn’t leave Eviana alone.
Higher and higher, the dragon rose. The people below grew smaller, their screams more distant. The Norva River was now a blue ribbon, winding through a miniature forest. Luna and Lessa help her! If she lost her grip, she would plummet to her death.
Another bolt of lightning streaked past them, and she cringed. Poor Leo! He had to be frantic, but what could he do? If he hit the dragon directly, the shock would kill his daughter. And if Ulfrid used his wind power to make the dragon crash into the ground, Eviana would die.
“Gwennie,” Eviana whimpered.
“I’m here!” Gwennore’s arms burned. How long would her strength last? How long could she hold on with this fierce grip before her hands began to cramp?
Don’t think about it. She hissed in a breath between clenched teeth. She had no choice. Letting go would mean death. Letting go would leave Eviana unprotected. “I won’t leave you.”
A squawk sounded in the distance, and she spotted an eagle following them. Brody. Thank you. She wasn’t alone.
But could she hold on all the way to Norveshka? If only there was a way to reason—
Of course! If the dragons worked for the Norveshki army, then that meant they were able to follow orders. They had to understand the Norveshki language.
“Can you hear me?” she yelled in Norveshki. “You must return us immediately!”
No answer, but then how could a dragon reply?
She raised her voice. “You have kidnapped a princess! She’s the daughter of the king and queen of Eberon and the niece of the queen of Tourin. Those countries will declare war on Norveshka! They will attack you!”
The dragon made an angry huffing noise.
“Return us now!” Gwennore screamed. “Return us or hundreds of Norveshki will die. Take us back now!”
Do as she says, brother.
Gwennore flinched as a deep male voice reverberated in her head. Who—what was that?
No, another male voice answered.
She gasped. There were voices in her head? And they were arguing? Goddesses help her, she had to be losing her mind. She twisted in the air, looking around.
Another dragon! It was coming from Norveshka and flying straight toward them.
Is it true what the woman says? the deeper voice asked. Have you taken a princess?
The queen needs a princess, the other one replied.
She was hearing the dragons, Gwennore realized with a shock. The voices were speaking Norveshki, and there was no one else around, other than Brody, who was far behind.
This is a mistake, brother. You must return the child, the deeper voice insisted.
That had to be the newcomer. “He’s right!” Gwennore yelled. “It’s a terrible mistake. Take us back now!”
Silence.
Was it just her imagination, or had she felt the muscles in the dragon’s foreleg flinch? The dragon that was carrying her and Eviana had grown tense.
She heard us, he hissed. The damned elf can hear us!
Stay calm, the newcomer urged him.
No! The dragon shot straight up into the sky.
Gwennore cried out, struggling to keep her grip. The wind buffeted against her, threatening to tear her loose. Good goddesses, the dragon was trying to kill her!
“Gwennie,” Eviana whimpered.
“I’m here!” Tears stung Gwennore’s eyes as the ache in her shoulders and hands became more agonizing.
The dragon went into a series of rolls.
As Gwennore was tossed about, one of her hands slipped loose. No! Luna and Lessa, help me! The dragon used his back legs to kick her loose.
Down, down, she was falling. Dear goddesses, am I going to die? The wind rushed past her ears, mingling with the little girl’s screams. Eviana. I wanted to protect you.
Something dark blocked her vision, then bam! She struck something so hard, it knocked the breath out of her.
Stunned, she was unable to think for a moment. Then, with a rush, her mind raced. She was still alive. Black, leathery legs held her suspended in the air.
The other dragon had caught her. He’d saved her life.
Thank the goddesses!
But why? Why would a dragon save her? What did he want with her? She lifted her gaze to his smooth gray chest, then higher to his long neck, covered with black scales. His head was frightening. Black horns sprouted from the thick, knotted ridge across his brow. His long snout ended with flaring nostrils, and his jaw looked strong enough to crush bones.
Whoosh, whoosh. The air around her billowed as the dragon beat his leathery wings and rose higher in the sky. Where was he taking her? What if he decided to drop her? She wrapped her arms around his foreleg.
Be still. He bent his long neck, angling his head downward so he could study her with gleaming gold eyes.
I have you.
Chapter Two
Gwennore did grow still. The way the dragon was staring at her was so fierce, she wondered if he could stop his prey from escaping by simply locking his sights on him.
Power. Strength. Those qualities were to be expected with a ferocious creature like this, but she sensed more than that. A high level of intelligence. And a feeling that he saw more than she wanted him to.
Once again, she was being examined as if she were a strange species of insect. Earlier, she had decided to unleash her rage on the next male who did that, but her tirade would have to wait. It would be foolish to verbally assault a fire-breathing dragon. Especially one that could kill her by simply dropping her.
Are you all right?
The dragon’s voice slipped into her mind like a lullaby. How could he look so strong, yet sound so gentle?
Were you harmed in any way?
She shook her head.
How is it you are able to hear me? Do other elves have this ability?
“I-I don’t know.” Was that why he had saved her life? Because he was curious about a strange ability she possessed? Did that mean he would have let her die if she couldn’t hear him? Did he believe that was the only thing that made her worthy of being saved?
Dammit. She allowed herself to curse. Why not, when she was in the middle of a nightmare, completely at the mercy of a frightful dragon? She glanced back at him and discovered he was still staring at her. Blast him.
“You should watch where you are going,” she fussed at him. “You could run into a tree. Or a mountain.”
As the dragon looked away, she had a bizarre feeling that he was amused. Stop imagining things. If she was going to survive and protect Eviana, she needed to face reality.
It seemed fairly certain that they were on their way to Norveshka. The first dragon was still holding Eviana in his clutches. Her dragon—she didn’t know what else to call him, but he was definitely not hers—seemed to be focused now on catching up with the first.
While her dragon increased his speed, strong winds buffeted against her, causing her ears to ache. Her hair unraveled from its braid, and tendrils whisked across her face. Cold air shot through her thin silk gown, chilling her to the bone. So cold. How high were they? r />
She ventured a look down. Good goddesses! She squeezed her arms around her dragon’s foreleg. They were so high, the trees appeared no bigger than ants. Don’t look down!
She quickly shifted her gaze to the first dragon and wondered how Eviana was doing. Was she freezing to death? Would she be traumatized for the rest of her life?
And how was Brody? She leaned to one side then the other, trying to catch a glimpse of him in eagle form, but the dragon’s chest was too wide for a clear view.
Stop squirming. The shifter is still behind us.
Her breath caught. The dragon knew about Brody? “He’s a friend. Please do not hurt him.”
The dragon made no reply, but snorted a puff of hot air from his nostrils.
She’d annoyed him. Not a smart thing to do when he could drop her. She cleared her throat. “I suppose I should thank you.”
I suppose you should.
His wry tone pricked at her. Did he think her manners were lacking? That was rich when dragons went around kidnapping small children.
Another puff of hot air. And I should apologize for my brother’s actions. I will make sure the child is safely returned.
“Thank you!” Praise the goddesses! She could only hope and pray that this dragon would be trustworthy. So far, he seemed somewhat civilized. She’d always thought of dragons as frightening, destructive creatures that burned down villages and terrorized the innocent. And the rumors about them were even more horrendous. Some people claimed the dragons stole children so they could feast on them.
The dragon’s talons suddenly flinched.
She winced as the sharp points dug into her skin. “Too tight!”
Sorry. His talons retracted a bit. Crosswind.
The wind seemed the same to her. A terrible thought jumped into her mind. Had he heard what she was thinking? She was hearing him, so what if it worked both ways? Oh, dear goddesses, no!
Her heart raced. Nay, it couldn’t be true. That would be too horrendous! But wait. If the dragon only knew Norveshki, all she had to do was keep thinking in Eberoni. That would keep her thoughts private, wouldn’t it?