dragon archives 04 - dance with a dragon (41 page)

Richard came out of his workshop as the two couples walked up the path to the house. “Aaron,” he said with a smile. He turned to look at Max. “I remember you,” he said. “You were at Storbrook a number of years ago. Max, is it?”

Max nodded. “It is good to see you again, Master Carver.” He glanced at Aaron, then at Anna. He reached out his hand and wrapped it around hers, pulling her closer. “We have come to bring you some news,” he said.

Richard looked at Anna, his eyebrows raised. She had not mentioned Max in any of her visits. She smiled sheepishly, and he looked back at Max. “You are not after my permission, I take it?”

“No. It is too late to ask your permission. But we would like your blessing.”

Richard’s eyes narrowed, and his gaze flew back to Anna, but it was Aaron who spoke. “Richard,” he said, “I think you are well aware of what Max is. He is a member of my clan, and has claimed Anna as his mate. They have already shared a blood bond, but they wish to have a human ceremony as well.”

“I see,” Richard said. “Is the ceremony for Jenny’s benefit?”

“Partly,” Max said as Richard looked back at him. “Even though Anna is already my mate, she is human, and I want to honor her by having a human ceremony, too.” Anna glanced at him as he squeezed her hand. She smiled and turned back to Richard, who was watching them intently.

“When is this ceremony to take place?”

“If Jenny is well enough, we will speak to the priest and settle on a day as soon as possible.”

“I see,” Richard said. He stared at the ground for a long moment, then raised his head with a nod. “I will provide fare for a village dance.” He held up his hand when Aaron started protesting. “I insist,” he said. “There has been precious little I’ve been able to do for Anna these last few years, and I will not forfeit this right too.” He turned to look at Anna. “I wish you many years of blessing and happiness, my daughter,” he said. Anna felt the tears welling in her eyes as his gaze moved to Max. “Welcome to the family,” he said. “If Aaron believes you worthy of my daughter, then so do I.”

“Thank you,” Max said.

Richard nodded, then turned towards the house. “Let’s go give Jenny the good news,” he said.

Jenny was lying in bed when they stepped into the room, her eyes closed. Her face was pale against the pillow, and the outline of her body was barely noticeable beneath the blankets. She opened her eyes as Anna drew closer. “Anna,” she said softly. Her glance flickered between Aaron and Max, then came to rest on Keira. “Where are my grandchildren?” she asked. Keira stepped forward.

“Anna has come to give you some news,” Keira said. Jenny’s gaze traveled slowly to where Anna stood.

“What is it? Are you finally getting married?”

“Yes, Mother, I’m going to be married,” Anna said. She reached out a hand to Max and drew him closer. “You remember Max, don’t you?”

“Max?” She frowned for a moment, then smiled. “Yes, I remember him. Charming and honest. I thought you didn’t like him.” Max shot Anna an amused grin, before stepping forward and leaning down next to the bed.

“Mistress Carver,” he said, “I love your daughter. I have loved her for many years, and would like your permission to take her as my wife.”

Jenny reached out a thin, wavering hand and took Max’s in hers. “Yes,” she said. “Take the girl and marry her. I must warn you, though, she is rebellious and disobedient. She gave her sister many hours of grief. But if you want her, she’s all yours.”

Max glanced at Anna, his eyes shining with laughter as Anna glared back at him. “Thank you, Mistress Carver,” he said. “I will be sure to keep her under control.” He lifted the frail hand and gently kissed it before returning it to the coverlet.

Jenny beckoned Anna forward. “Better make it quick before he changes his mind,” she said. Anna drew back and bit her lip.

“I will, Mother,” she said. “Right away.”

The wedding was two days later. The morning dawned rainy and gray, and cloud covered the tops of the mountains, swathing Storbrook in mist. But as the morning wore on, the cloud lifted and a few weak rays of sun broke through the thick covering. Anna wore a gown of dark blue linen, the color of a clear night sky when the moon is full. It had been finished the night before, and as she slipped it over her shoulders, Anna smiled in satisfaction. It fitted her form perfectly. One of the maids had brushed and braided Anna’s hair, twisting it in complicated braids that wound around her head and joined at the back, secured by a pair of combs made from the antlers of an elk, a wedding gift from Max, given to her the night before. They had been carved with the image of a flaming dragon, each comb carrying half the design which became complete when they were combined.

Max was already at the church when Anna arrived with Aaron. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, Lydia’s hand in his, but as Anna crossed the square towards him, his eyes were intent upon her. The cords between them flexed and tightened as her heart gave a little lurch. She dragged her gaze away and glanced around the square. A few of the villagers had gathered to watch, including Sarah Draper, who was staring at Max, her mouth hanging open. Corbin stood a little to the side, along with Zach; and Thomas and Peggy stood together at the edge of the square. They had traveled from Storbrook on horseback, starting their journey at dawn. Near the church sat Jenny on a wooden chair, a blanket wrapped around her legs. Richard was standing behind her, his hand resting protectively on her shoulder.

Anna looked back at Max, then smiled down at Lydia. The little girl had a small posy clutched in her hand. As Anna drew nearer, she dropped Max’s hand and ran up to Anna, holding up the posy.

“For you,” she said.

Anna bent down and took the flowers. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

Max stepped up to her as she straightened, and taking her hand in his, pulled it through his arm, squeezing her fingers gently as he did so. He led her up the stairs and to the doors of the church where Father Brown waited with an open book.

Father Brown nodded and cleared his throat, then glancing down, recited the marriage vows, pausing as Max repeated the words after him.  He turned towards Anna, and she too repeated the vows, before the priest led them into the church for the nuptial mass. As they entered the shadowy recesses of the building, Max leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear.

“You belong to me in every way now,” he whispered against her skin, and she smiled. She might belong to him, but he belonged to her, too. They knelt down to receive the mass, then followed the priest from the church as the people gathered in the square let out a cheer. Tears streamed down Jenny’s cheeks, and Keira beamed at her sister. Lydia, who had joined Keira when the vows were recited, broke free from her mother and ran over to Anna, wrapping her arms around Anna’s legs. Max lifted the girl and settled her in his arms as Lydia reached out her hand and stroked his face.

“You are
very
glowey now,” she said. “Will you also live at Storbrook?”

Max laughed. “Your aunt makes me burn very much, little dragon.” His face sobered slightly. “When people are married, they live together, so I will live wherever Aunty Anna lives. But I’m not sure that it will be at Storbrook.” He glanced at Anna. With how quickly things had happened, there hadn’t been a chance to discuss where they would live. She gave a slight nod in agreement.

“Uncle Max and I will have our own home, somewhere other than Storbrook, but you can visit us, and we will visit you,” she said. Lydia opened her mouth to protest, but then she was being pulled into her father’s arms, her protests unnoticed, as Aaron thumped Max on the back and embraced Anna, and others swarmed around to share their own good wishes.

Richard and Aaron had arranged musicians for dancing and food from the innkeeper whose inn backed the square. Max later told Anna that with the hard work of the two men, there had been nothing for him to do. The musicians struck up a lively carol, and soon a dance was twisting its way around the square as more and more people joined in. There were no fancy court dances, but country carols that weaved around the square as dancers laughed gaily. Sarah Draper tried to position herself next to the groom as much as possible, but he only had eyes for his mate.

“My wife, in every possible way,” he whispered in her ear. “I love you.” 

Chapter 53

“I want to return to the city,” Anna told Max a few days later. They had returned to Storbrook after the wedding, moving between Anna’s chambers and Max’s.

“Why the city?”

“I need to finish business with the queen.”

“What do you mean? You cannot return to her service.”

“I know that. But I would like a chance to explain why I left. Kathleen believed Blanche’s story that we had run away together, and I want to convince Matilda that that was not the case and try to salvage what I can of my reputation.”

“Kathleen is naïve and gullible, and she should have trusted her friend,” Max said, “but Matilda knows better than to give credence to what Blanche says. But that being said, Blanche’s tale has already spread through the court.”

“You heard it when you were back?”

Max nodded. “I denied it, of course, but it is far too salacious to be forgotten.”

“I know.” Anna glanced away. “But I must try.”

“Very well. We will go to Civitas, and you can help me decide whether I should keep my house there. When shall we leave?”

“Tomorrow,” Anna said, with a smile.

Max wrapped his arms around her. “Always eager, aren’t you?”

“Just eager to be alone with you,” Anna whispered.

They left the following morning. The first snows had already fallen in the mountains, and the fresh snow gleamed in the early morning light. They flew until dusk, when Max saw a small lake in the distance. He headed towards it, and Anna gasped when he struck the water, plunging his lower body beneath the frigid surface as he sped through the spray. He ducked his long neck into the depths, then lifted it with a fish clamped between his teeth. He threw it into the air, and catching it in his mouth, swallowed it whole.

“Urgh,” Anna said. “Raw fish.”

“It wasn’t raw by the time it reached my stomach,” Max said. He ducked his head down again and came up with another catch. Instead of swallowing, he skimmed across the water and dropped it on the beach. “That’s your supper,” he said. Anna looked at it in distaste as Max changed his form. He scavenged along the shore for a moment before returning with a handful of sticks. Two of them were forked, and he pushed them into the sand, forked ends up, before spearing the fish with a thinner branch, which he laid across the two forks. He placed a few larger logs on the sand, and with a snap of his fingers shot a flare of flame onto the wood.

“How can you do that?” Anna asked.

“What?”

“Make flames come from your hand.”

“That’s Aaron’s trick, not mine,” Max said, drawing her down onto the sand next to him. “Only dragons far older and stronger than myself can control the burn that way, and Aaron is the most powerful dragon I know. He can turn himself completely into flame, and since I’ve had his blood, a tiny amount of his ability also resides in me.”

“I thought all dragons had tasted Aaron’s blood.”

“Hmm, the dragons of Aaron’s clan have, but I drank more than most.” He turned to look at her. “When we were facing Jack,” he said.

“Yes, I heard!” Anna looked away. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, back then. If I had, things would have been so different! You risked your life for me, and I acted like a child,” she said.

He smiled and gently lifted the hair that was blowing around her face. “You
were
a child, my darling. And we were both a little proud. Perhaps both of us needed to grow up a bit,” he said.

She smiled. “Yes, maybe we did.” She stared into the flames as they flickered and danced, searing the fish above them. “Keira said one time that Aaron talked of a dragon savior.”

“That’s just a legend.”

“You don’t believe it is true?”

Max shrugged. “If it is, it will come from a very powerful line. Aaron’s the most powerful dragon I know.”

“So perhaps Zach or Lydia is the savior.”

Max laughed. “I think we would already have some indication if they were. Maybe it will be one of Zach’s offspring.”

“Not Lydia’s?”

“Female dragons cannot bear children.”

“Oh, yes. I knew that.” Anna turned back to the flames. Lydia would never be able to have children. Would she be able to find a man who would love her and cherish her, or would he run away when he discovered her true nature? Perhaps she would mate with another dragon, but most male dragons would want to mate with a human so they could continue their line. The challenges facing Lydia seemed too much for a young girl to bear, but of course, every other female dragon shared the same fate. At least she was not alone.

Max and Anna left again the next morning, flying over open fields and countryside. “I need to hunt,” Max said as he rose into the air. “I’m consuming more energy than usual.” He turned to look at her with a leer, and she grinned back.

“Then you’d better make sure you find an especially large creature to feast on, because you will be consuming a whole lot more,” she said. He groaned, and his eyes flared into blazing flames. He turned ahead to watch where he was flying.

“If you keep talking like that, we will never get anywhere,” he said, his tone low. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I know,” she whispered.

Max started losing height as they approached a small forest. “I can see a ledge above the forest floor,” he said. “I will drop you there to wait for me.”

“Why can’t I stay with you?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he said. A sheer rock face, rising about ten feet from the forest floor, provided a rocky outcropping, and it was here that he landed. She slid off his back as he lifted his head and sniffed the air. “There’s something just beyond the trees,” he whispered. “Wait here.”