Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

My eyes widened. "How long do you guys live?"

A bittersweet smile slipped onto his lips as he continued to look away from me. "Would you believe I am two thousand years old?"

My lower jaw hit the pool of water beneath me, and when I could find my voice it came out in a squeak. "You. . .you're. . .that old? Are you sure?"

He chuckled. "I may be off by a century either way, but yes, I'm sure." He turned to face me and his good humor faltered. "I felt the urge for a bride come to me a fortnight ago and sought the assistance of my ‘acquaintances' to acquire a bride."

I shook off my shock as many questions bounced around in my head. "But why did you have to go to another world for a bride? What's wrong with the women in this one?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't answer that question, as I myself do not know the answer. I only know that the call came from a land far away from my own, and so I sought to use my chosen stone in order to open a gateway to the prospective brides." He turned to face me and his eyes studied me with curiosity. "Little did I know it would lead Enna and her ilk to another world."

A word he said caught my attention. "The chosen stone? You were talking to Enna about getting that back to her, weren't you? What is it?"

He lifted one arm and studied the muscled limb. "It's called a stone, but it's actually my scales fashioned into a ball by my own fire. Only a dragon's fire can burn a scale, and we dragons use that flame to create a concentration of our powers. There's no greater source for our magic, except for our blood."

I tilted my head to one side. "Why? What's in your-"

"Whoa! Whoa!"

The shout came from the south of us in the direction of the road. The lord whipped his head about and frowned. "Someone's in trouble."

My heart skipped a beat. "What do we do?"

"I will go see if I might help," he told me as he grabbed my hand and guided me to the shore. "You will remain here-"

"Oh no," I insisted as I swept my eyes over the silent woods around us. "I think I'd rather go with you."

He stuffed my shoes and socks into my arms, along with his own. "Then you may carry these."

I wrinkled my nose before a yelp interrupted my disgust. He had again swept me off my feet and spread his wings wide. In a moment we were airborne and he bore us in the direction of the noise. Another shout caught our attention and I glimpsed something moving quickly among the trees toward his stately abode.

Lord Thorn dove down so we were just barely above the tree branches. Breaks in the canopy allowed us to see a box-shaped wagon careening down the dirt road. The back was covered by a heavy blanket that flapped in the wind and at times revealed heavy trunks that bounced about.

A man sat in the driver's box. He sported a long mustache and plain trousers with a brightly colored buttoned shirt. The man pulled hard on the reins, but the two terrified horses kept up their panicked gallop. The wagon hit a bump and a pair of terrified female screams came from inside the rear box.

The dragon's face was grim as he tightened his grip on me. "Hold on."

He slipped us through an opening in the canopy and we flew just above the carriage box. The driver gasped and gave a shout of terror, and the horses whinnied and galloped faster.

The lord's calm voice cut through all this chaos. "I'm going to drop you."

My mouth fell open. "You're going to."

He opened his arms and I found myself falling. A long scream escaped me, but it was short-lived as I fell in a heap onto the box. I would have fallen off if the man hadn't latched on to me and drew me back onto the seat. The lord flew ahead and landed on the back of the left-hand steed. He grabbed its reins and that of the other horse, and pulled so hard that the horses' heads were yanked bank. The steeds skidded to a stop a few yards further down and stood there with their eyes bulging and their mouths open in deep, quick pants.

My host slid off the steed and hurried over to the wagon. The driver climbed down from the box and stumbled back as the winged man approached him. "W-what are you?"

"A friend," the dragon assured him as he looked up at me. "Are you alright?"

I glared at him over my armful of clothes and shoes. "You could've given me a better warning than that!"

"You did want to come along," he reminded me before he returned his attention to the driver and the boxed wagon at his back. "Is anyone injured?"

The man's eyes widened. "Maria! Sonya!" He rushed to the rear of the wagon and flung open the heavy blankets.

The dragon and I hurried along behind him and beheld a mess. Several trunks had spilled their contents all over the floor of the wagon. Two women cowered in the corners grasping one another, their faces ghastly white. One of them was older than the other and wore a handkerchief over her head. The other had long black hair that trailed down her back. Both of them wore brightly colored dresses.

"Sergio!" the older woman shouted as she scurried forward with the other woman close at her heels.

"Maria!" he cooed as they embraced in a tight hug. He parted from her and turned to the next woman whom he hugged. "My dearest Sonya!"

"Papa!" she shouted as she squeezed her eyes shut. "It was so terrifying!"

Maria whipped her head around to face the road down which they'd had such a terrifying journey. "Have they followed us?"

Sergio drew away from his daughter and shook his head. "I don't think so."

"You were being followed?" Lord Thorn spoke up.

Sergio pursed his lips before he nodded. "Yes. Robbers waylaid us along the road a few miles back and tried to force us to stop. I cracked the horses into a gallop, but they smelled my fear. They bolted and I could not get a hold of them."

"Where exactly did they attack you?" the dragon asked him.

Sergio pointed down the road in the direction from where they had driven. "Just where there's a group of boulders that make a circle."

The dragon lord's eyebrows crashed down. "I know the place. Did you happen to see where these robbers went?"

The man shook his head. "No, but I have no doubt they are still there among the rocks waiting for others to pass."

Lord Thorn turned to face the west and there was determination in his eyes. He looked to me, first, however, and his expression softened. "I need you to stay here."

The color drained from my face. "Why?"

He grasped my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. "Because I need to take care of these fiends before they attack someone else in my domain."

I clung to the front of his shirt and bit my lower lip. "You said you'd take me wherever I desire, and right now I'm really desiring not to be alone."

He drew me close against his chest. "Don't worry. I'll return in a short while." He drew us apart and smiled down at me. "But you won't be quite alone. If you feel the need for company, our new acquaintances can provide that." I bowed my head but nodded. He grasped my chin in one hand and gently lifted my eyes to his. "I will return as soon as I can."

He leaned down and captured my lips in a long, passionate kiss. I pressed against him and groaned as a pleasurable heat tingled my body. Much was my regret when we broke apart.

I pressed a few trembling fingers against my lips and stared up at him with wide eyes. "What was that for?"

"That is my promise to you that I will return," he told me as he stepped back and opened his wings. "See you in a short while."

He leapt into the air and soon disappeared, taking with him the feeling of safety he gave me.