She had to avoid eating too many of these Dragon Cult members in the ruin, however, though the stupid fools seemed to consider it an honor. The cult had never been bright. They knew enough not to flaunt danger, however, and had been avoiding her when in dragon form. It was one reason she changed now, her large body shimmering briefly as she vanished like an illusion. In her place stood an elegant woman of exceptional beauty, golden hair tumbling to her slender waist, full breasts straining against the silken gown, and jewels of shining brilliance about her sinuous neck. The only hints of her true nature were the golden eyes that faded slowly to pale green. As all dragons could, she snuffed the sensation of magical power emanating from her so as to pass for human. But as she had with those hunters, sometimes letting the power exude had its advantages.
Perndara slowly climbed a staircase at one end to look down on the Dragon Gate. A large oval nearly twenty feet high and twice as wide, it lay on its stand almost flat, tilted toward the blue sky. Dragons were pulled down into it through the ragged opening in the castle roof, the crumbled ceiling having made this an ideal spot for the gate. Newer rubble had lain scattered about the floor – most likely Soliander’s doing when setting up this device – until she’d ordered the cult to move it to a corner. They had dutifully cleaned everything but the gate upon her order. The last thing she wanted was the door to their prison kept in good shape. If she could have destroyed it, she would have, but it was impervious to her magic or dragon fire. She had no idea what it was made of and hadn’t seen anything like it. It was unadorned except for a peculiar looking hole above the three steps at its base. She surmised this related to its activation but wasn’t really interested. Once the dragons were free, they’d bury the thing under tons of rock. For now, they waited, the force of Nir’lion’s will strong enough to keep the remaining dragons on the other side despite the door being open.
The sight of the gate renewed her thirst for vengeance. She’d been told not to harm the champions too much, for Nir’lion wanted them alive. After all, these were the four who’d trapped them these long years, and revenge was to be had slowly. Still, accidents were known to happen, especially with such powerful forces being tossed about, and Perndara was in fact known to be somewhat careless. That’s how she’d come to be seen flying over the tall peaks, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if one of the heroes met an untimely end. Yes, that’s how she’d put it to Nir’lion. The knight had simply not been fast enough. He was unable to escape her fiery breath, or a sweeping claw, or the clamp of her long fangs on his tender flesh.
She had healing powers, like all dragons, and was prepared to answer the question as to why she didn’t heal the knight after accidentally wounding him. In the heat of battle, she’d say, she was too distracted and hadn’t noticed the grievous nature of his wounds. Oh, and the priestess Eriana, well, she had been knocked unconscious during the melee and unable to heal the knight. By the time she roused, he had perished.
And it had to be the knight, if for no other reason than that title he proudly wore, that of Dragon Slayer. She would see about that. If this puny human thought he’d be slaying a dragon here, he was in for a surprise. More importantly, it was he who truly led them, regardless of any counsel or help from the others. It was that knight who had guided them into this banishment, she was sure of it, and for that he was to pay with his life. Nir’lion would have to settle for the other three and Perndara’s best rendition of an innocent apology from a timid, careless, twit of a dragon who was nothing of the sort. She knew perfectly well what she was doing and the wrath that would come with it, but let it come. It would be worth it. Lord Korrin of Andor was going to die screaming in her fanged mouth.
Chapter 8 – Affinity
As the horses cantered into a stand of evergreens, Olliana disappeared behind them and with it, a kingdom full of hope. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, settling in to enjoy a ride through beautiful country. He’d been an avid horseman for years, but his friends looked quite out of place. Anna had some experience, but the elves had taken the reins from Matt and Eric, leading them along for now. Some basic horsemanship lessons were in order.
An embarrassing fanfare had accompanied their departure. Beyond the blaring horns, crowds of people had lined the streets to see them off. Some threw bouquets of flowers to Anna and garter belts to the men, particularly Lord Korrin. Outwardly, Ryan had appeared to enjoy the attention, hiding his consternation. The number of people depending on them daunted him, and he’d settled for waving and concentrating on holding the lance in his stirrup, the deep blue banner snapping in the warm breeze. On it, a golden dragon breathed fire toward a fearless golden knight. He hoped the depiction was pure fiction but began to rethink his decision to stay behind, for all the looks of hope, especially on children’s faces, made him realize all these people were counting on him in particular. The thought of letting them all get killed wasn’t acceptable, his loathing of violence notwithstanding. He suddenly felt selfish.
There’d been no sign of Cirion, Nora, or Raith, which both worried and relieved him. An unseen troublemaker
