Dragon Blood 2: Wyvern

Dragon Blood 2: Wyvern

Published by

Broken Gate Publishing

PO Box 6241

Maroochydore BC 4558

Australia

978-1-925131-21-5 (Kindle)

978-1-925131-39-0 (Print)

Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy

Copyright 2015 © Avril Petersen

Cover design by Caitlyn Petersen

All rights reserved

It’s still for you three.

Amber struggles to keep up with the constantly changing alliances amongst dragons and is worried Ronan, an ancient dragon, might not keep his end of the bargain they made. Life is filled with secrets and sometimes Amber just wants to get away from it all, which makes her jump at the chance to visit dragon lands. Her excitement over the visit is ruined when she learns someone wants her dead. And they’re willing to pay her weight in gold to make their wish come true.

This novel was written by an Australian author using Australian spelling.

Like many names there is more than one way to pronounce the following ones. These are the pronunciations used in this story.

Names:

Alsandair (ahl-san-dare)

Anrai (arn-ree)

Bredon (bread-en)

Chait (single syllable, rhymes with hate)

Daray (dah-ray)

Doneele (donny-lee)

Emlyn (em-lin)

Gair (rhymes with hair)

Gethin (geh-thin)

Isleen (ish-lean)

Kiani (key-ah-knee)

Laren (lah-rin)

Maira (may-rah)

Orin (oh-rin)

Paili (pah-lee)

Queran (qwhere-rin)

Rhobert (row-bert)

Rian (ree-in)

Ronan (row-nen)

Tahmid (tar-mid)

Turi (two-ree)

Other pronunciations:

Erilan (era-len)

Feralenzi (fair-a-len-zee)

Pliethin (plea-thin)

Temolae (tem-oh-lay)

Amber kicked her bedroom door shut behind her. Grandmothers should be outlawed. Okay, maybe not all grandmothers. Her best friend Crystal had a grandmother who was perfect. It didn’t seem fair she was stuck with one that could give little kids nightmares. Even getting her arm out of a cast nearly two weeks ago hadn’t improved her grandmother’s attitude.

Amber frowned as she stared at the curtains that didn’t quite meet. She strode across the polished wooden floor and checked the French doors that were hidden behind them. They were closed, not locked. Had she locked them? She wasn’t certain. No, the only thing she was certain about was that her grandmother’s greatest joy in life was making everyone as miserable as her.

Staring through the glass, she checked the balcony. Even in the dark she could see that no one was there. Nor could she sense or smell anyone. Letting go of the curtains, she glanced around her room. Everything seemed to be in place. Her built-in wardrobe was shut, her schoolbag sat by the door, with several books scattered around it. Her laptop was closed and on the desk in the corner and her duchess had the usual clutter of hairbrush, clips, scarves and hair ties overflowing the crystal tray in the middle.

“I’m getting paranoid,” Amber muttered under her breath as she roughly slid open the door of her built-in wardrobe and grabbed a change of clothes. Shorts and a well-worn grey t-shirt. She’d given up wearing sleepwear this month. Her life was too unpredictable for that. Striding across her room to her ensuite, she slammed that door behind her too, hoping her grandmother heard the sound.

She dumped her clothes on the vanity. It was amazing she wasn’t in therapy after putting up with her grandmother for nearly two months. How was she going to survive until the end of the year? That old woman was enough to drive anyone completely mad. Although, she probably wouldn’t know when she did go crazy. Didn’t even psychotic killers think they were sane?

Amber grabbed the hem of her t-shirt, about to pull it over her head so she could shower.

“Parnoia will help you stay alive.”

Letting go of her t-shirt, Amber spun around, almost certain she’d sensed Ronan behind her for a moment. The bathroom was empty. Her brown eyes narrowed. “No games, Ronan.”

A man seemed to step out of thin air. He was a lot taller than her and wore leather pants and a leather vest that showed off his muscular arms and broad chest. He looked to be in his thirties, but Amber knew he was a lot older. It showed in his eyes. Pale blue eyes that mirrored centuries of experience.

Amber put one hand on her hip, tilted her head and flicked her long chestnut hair, which fell in waves around her shoulders, out of her way. “I was just thinking about psychotic killers.”

Ronan laughed. “You’re always so entertaining.”

“Yeah, yeah. So you keep saying. Now what are you doing in my bathroom? I’m sure it’s not for the entertainment value.”

“You need to disappear. Immediately.”

Her arm dropped to her side and suspicion crossed her face. “Why?”

“Because maybe one of your gifts is prophecy.”

Amber shook her head slightly. “You can’t help playing games, can you?” She really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Ronan after an argument with her grandmother.

Ronan spread his hands and tried for an innocent look. His eyes spoiled it. “It’s not like we know everything about Dragon Mages.”

Amber took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Ronan was enough to turn anyone into a psychotic killer. Between him and her grandmother her sanity was probably on an endangered list. “Why are you here, Ronan? And I don’t just mean in my bathroom. And cut the prophecy crap.” She made each word separate and clear.

“Because there’s a rumour that a contract has been put out on you.”

She frowned. “Contract?”

Ronan nodded. “I believe that is what you humans call them.”

Amber took a step back and shook her head. “This is even harder to believe than dragons being real. What next? Do you have your own version of the mob?”

“Your weight in gold is very tempting for many warriors, Amber. What do you weigh? Fifty kilos? Fifty-five?”

She could only shake her head. She didn’t have a clue exactly how much she weighed and right this minute she didn’t think she wanted to find out. But not only that, she also didn’t want to let Ronan see his words had unnerved her. Showing him weakness would be a very bad move. “Only about half a kilo when I’m a hawk. I can’t see how tempting half a kilo of gold would be.”

Ronan grinned. “When you die, you’ll be human. Not a hawk or a panther.”

Amber shrugged. “How do I know this isn’t some trick or game of yours? And if it’s not, how did you hear about the contract?”

“It’s not a trick and I heard because I’m friends with some of my enemies.”

Amber frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Of course it does. Now pack a bag and let’s get out of here.”

It had to be a trick. Ronan had to be planning something. “Why would someone want me dead?”

“Not just you. All Dragon Mages. But you’re first on the list.”

Amber could have sworn her heart stopped for several seconds before it began racing out of control. She stumbled backwards until she could sit on the closed lid of the toilet. Her legs suddenly felt like they were made of spaghetti. And it was well-cooked spaghetti with no chance of holding her up. “All?” She didn’t even recognise her voice. Disbelief, fear and uncertainty were not her usual tone. “Crystal too? And Jay?”

“That’s your biggest problem. I could turn you into the perfect warrior if it wasn’t for your weakness where friends and family are concerned.” Ronan leaned back against the wall, his arms crossing his chest.

Amber glared at him. “If you’re an example of the perfect warrior you can forget it. I wouldn’t eat the heart of my own son, if I ever had one.”

“I’d suggest learning to be a little more ruthless. The ones who’ll try to kill you won’t be playing nice.”

“We managed to beat you, didn’t we?” Amber couldn’t resist smiling, even though her heart still raced and the words ‘not Crystal, not Jay’ repeated over and over in her mind.

Ronan laughed. “Only because I wasn’t trying to kill you. I needed you alive. I still do.”

Amber’s smile died instantly. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“Run. Hide.”

“I can’t. I’ve still got another few days of school left before the holidays.”

Ronan pushed away from the wall. He dropped down in front of Amber so their eyes were level. “We’re talking about your life. Do you understand that?”

“Yeah.” Her voice was soft. “But what happens afterwards? My parents don’t know anything about this. They’d freak. I’m still partly grounded from the last time I ran away and in this world I’m a kid and have to live by their rules.”

“Then maybe you’d be better off leaving this world of yours and live in mine.”

Amber frowned, her eyes narrowed again. She pushed Ronan from her so she could stand up. The past two months had brought enough changes to her life. No one was taking her world from her as well. “Is this a trick? Are you trying to get me to join you so I can help you with all your fights?”

“Would I do that?”

“Yes. And stop trying to look innocent. You were probably hatching plots when you were a baby.”

Ronan laughed. “I’m sure I was at least a toddler before I started.”

Amber gave him a scathing look. Her next comment was halted when she heard a noise in her bedroom. Had they found her already? She pushed past Ronan and swung the bathroom door open. “Mum!” A glance behind showed Ronan disappearing into the Void. She stepped into her bedroom.

Donna put a pile of folded clothes on the bed and kept looking behind Amber. “Who’s in the bathroom?”

Amber stepped out of the doorway to give her mother a clear view. “No one. Not even my reflection now.” Lucky it hadn’t been Kade. He couldn’t disappear into the Void like Ronan could.

“Don’t be smart with me, Amber.” Donna stood in the doorway and pushed the door hard against the wall. Her eyes searched every corner.

Amber crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight to her right leg. “Actually, it was a psychotic killer. I was just discussing with him the best way to murder Grandma.”

Donna spun to face Amber, a finger pointed at her. “That’s enough. This is your grandmother’s home. Show her a little respect.”

“I’ll show her as much respect as she shows me.”

“Keep this up and you can forget about your plans for the holidays. You’re lucky you’re not grounded for life after the stunt you pulled last month.”

Amber struggled to hold her tongue. She wanted to tell her mother there hadn’t been a problem until she’d been dragged away from her home and friends, to Hicksville. But she didn’t. She’d been warned that if she called the town by that name one more time she’d spend the school holidays in her room. Not many more days to get through. She just had to remember not to answer back. But that was getting harder and harder. Especially with the way her grandmother kept needling her. She knew it was deliberate. Her grandmother wanted her to be grounded. Although you’d think she’d be glad to have a break from her for two entire weeks.

“Well, Amber? What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Nothing,” she muttered. What could she say without ending up permanently grounded? She turned her gaze to the floor and stared at the grain of the polished timber. How long was her mother going to stand there?

Donna finally sighed heavily. “I really don’t know what to do with you some days, Amber.”

Yeah, you and me both. Amber’s jaw tightened as she bit back the comment.

Another heavy sigh and Donna retreated from the room, closing the door softly behind her.

“Do you want me to take care of your grandmother for you?”

Amber spun to face Ronan who was now near the French doors. “No!”

Ronan grinned. “You only have to ask. I’d be happy to help out.”

“Leave my family alone.” Amber glared at him. The sound of footsteps outside her room halted further words as she turned to see her door swing open again. “Now what do you want?” She hoped Ronan had returned to the Void.

“Don’t be up half the night. You do have school tomorrow,” Donna said.

“Yes, Mum.” Amber couldn’t resist the tone of exaggerated patience.

One last look around the room and Donna left, closing the door.

Amber strode across her room and locked the door. Whatever had happened to knocking? Her mother had stopped doing that this past week. Did she suspect something?

Ronan returned from the Void, still near the French doors. “It’s impossible to talk here. Meet me at one tomorrow morning.”

What if she had more important things to do? Like sleep? “Where?”

“Your school. Alone.”

“There’s an assassin out to get all Dragon Mages, with me right at the top of the list. And you want me to go traipsing around in the middle of the night on my own. How sane is that? Are you sure it wasn’t you that hired them?”

Ronan’s lips curved into a predatory smile. “I’d at least wait until I was finished with you.” He laughed at her expression. “Don’t worry. I keep my word. You’re safe from me. You and yours. Now don’t forget. Alone.”

Before Amber could protest his order, he disappeared into the Void again. She growled in frustration. She wished she could disappear into the Void too. The best she could do was turn into a panther. Or a hawk. Not very helpful if you wanted to hide. And now this. Just when she was beginning to get the hang of being a Dragon Mage.

“Damn dragons. They think I’ve got nothing better to do other than run around after them.” She growled again, this time sounding like an angry panther. And how did he expect her to get away from Kade? She checked the alarm clock beside her bed. He was due in ten minutes. Striding back to the ensuite, she slammed the door even harder than before, swearing as she did. It didn’t make her feel any better.