The Dragon Legion Collection 9 (45 page)

The numbers of the
Pyr
had swollen, virtually overnight, thanks to the darkfire crystal and its ability to make reality out of possibilities. The stone remained dark—he had checked it again after Drake’s departure—and he sensed that it would always be so. Its task was completed.

His, unfortunately, was not.

Erik knew he should feel optimistic instead of worried. What could he do? If Jorge had a plan, was it possible that the other
Slayers
knew of it? He had never been able to determine how much they communicated with each other, and their alliances shifted like the wind.

Confident that his barriers were robust and his family safe, Erik left the loft and went to the apartment he’d acquired directly below. There the
Slayer
JP was imprisoned, confined by a barrier of dragonsmoke breathed by Erik and buttressed by every
Pyr
who had come to visit since JP’s capture.

Erik felt a little bit sorry for the other dragon shifter. JP had been branded by Chen, claimed by that old
Slayer
and held captive by his more ancient magic. He had raved and fought when he’d first been captured by the
Pyr
, venting about injustice and plots. Erik had hoped to learn something about Chen from JP, but he was too incoherent to provide any information of use. Then he’d collapsed into a deep slumber, dozing in his dragon form and seldom awakening.

Chen’s sorcery seemed to be killing him. JP’s scales became thinner each time Erik visited him. He wasn’t sure when the other dragon shifter ate, but he didn’t eat much. JP’s breathing was becoming shallower and his pulse slower. Worse, the fight had gone out of him. It was such an unnatural state for a dragon shifter that Erik assumed JP would soon die.

It was such a waste. He could never understand why a
Pyr
would turn
Slayer
in the first place, never mind why Chen would enchant another
Slayer
just to let him fade away.

Erik unlocked the door to the apartment, fearing as he did each time that he would make a gruesome discovery. He passed through the cold shimmer of the dragonsmoke, only to find the apartment in darkness. The drapes were drawn but the apartment was unnaturally dark, given the light of the full moon. It should have stolen into the room somehow, as well as the lights of the city itself.

Erik smelled brimstone.

He slammed the door and shifted shape immediately, but even at his fastest speed, he was too slow. A plume of flame illuminated the middle of the main room. It was breathed by a young Asian man dressed in leather, a man with malice and violence in his eyes.

Chen, in one of his human guises.

Erik leapt at him, talons bared, but Chen laughed. He grabbed the inert JP by the scruff of his neck, waved to Erik, then they both disappeared.

Erik landed hard on the bare floor, but his prey was gone. Chen had used his powers to spontaneously manifest in other locations to bypass the dragonsmoke barrier and collect his prey.

Why did he want JP?

What would he do to him?

What else had the darkfire changed? Erik closed his eyes and checked the connections in his mind, following each conduit to one of the
Pyr
. It took him longer, with the influx of new dragon shifters, but he soon realized that one was missing.

Thorolf.

Erik had been angry with Thorolf for revealing himself to humans. There was even a YouTube video of Thorolf shifting shape in Washington, one that was impressive in its popularity. Thorolf was all impulse and powerful energy, but he spent himself in indulgence. That he made such foolish choices was in direct contrast to his impressive lineage. If Thorolf focused, or even tried to hone his skills, he could have become one of Erik’s most reliable
Pyr
. He could have replaced Erik as leader. But he didn’t try and he didn’t seem to care, and when he had vowed to go to Asia to hunt down Chen, Erik had let him go. He’d been sure nothing would come of it, that Thorolf would find a woman somewhere and spend a few months exploring her charms.

That had been exactly what had happened. Erik had checked and checked again just the day before.

But now Thorolf was gone. There was no glowing conduit to him from Erik’s mind. There was no link to his spirit, either. He wasn’t dead, just missing.

Erik shifted back to human form, impatient with his own failing in this. He should have kept a closer eye upon Thorolf, and he knew it. His frustration with Thorolf had driven his choices, and that had been a mistake.

He turned on the lights, intent upon checking the apartment, on the outside chance that Chen or JP had left some clue.

Chen had. There was a spiral burned into the hardwood floor, a spiral exactly like the mark branded on JP’s neck. It was about eight feet across and had been the source of that smell. Erik stepped into it and knew too late that he shouldn’t have done so. The spiral drew him forward with relentless force. He was pulled against his will to the very core of the spiral, fighting it even as he saw it begin to burn again. First the mark glowed, like embers, then it was coaxed to a small fire by a wind Erik couldn’t feel. In a heartbeat, the flames were burning as high as his knees. He couldn’t stop himself from moving closer, even when he heard Chen’s laughter echo through the empty apartment.

Was this what had happened to Thorolf? Erik struggled against the force of the spell, but couldn’t change his situation. Would he be compelled to join the other
Pyr
? Or did Chen have worse plans for him?

It appeared that Erik would soon find out.

* * *

Watch for

Serpent’s Kiss

The Tenth
Dragonfire
Novel

Coming Soon!

The World of Dragonfire:

A Glossary

Every fictional world has its own terminology and that is particularly true of fantasy realms. Here is a glossary of terms frequently used in the Dragonfire novels. Although every attempt is made to include an explanation in context, sometimes a longer explanation is desired. Be warned—if you haven’t read the entire series, you may find spoilers here!

Affinities
—as custodians of the four elements (air, water, fire, earth), the
Pyr
have a strong relationship with them. Each
Pyr
has affinities to two elements. When any given
Pyr
experiences his firestorm, his destined mate will invariably possess affinities to the two remaining elements. Their strengths and weaknesses are complementary, as a result, which makes a permanent union such a powerful alliance. When the mate gives a gift to aid in her dragon’s scale repair (see
Loss of Scale
) that gift often echoes her two affinities.

Airdaughter
—an
Elemental Witch
with an affinity for air. An Airdaughter cannot just control the element of air but can become it. Aura is the first Airdaughter introduced in the series: her story (and the link between
Elemental Witches
and nymphs) is told in the
Dragon Legion Novella, Kiss of Destiny
.

Apothecary
—the healer of the
Pyr
. The Apothecary is a hereditary position, involving a long apprenticeship and training in the medicinal uses of herbs etc. for the specific treatment of
Pyr
. The current Apothecary is Sloane Forbes.

Beguiling
—Both
Pyr
and
Slayer
have the ability to beguile humans, although it is a skill that must be learned and cultivated. The dragon shifter in question drops his voice to a low murmur, speaks slowly, and conjures flames in his eyes. This is usually done while in human form, and generally humans see a flame deep in the iris of the dragon shifter in question. This is so irrational and unlikely that the human looks most closely, then is snared by the dragon shifters’ spell. Beguiling is similar to hypnosis, and like hypnosis, yields better results if the suggestion is something the victim already wants to believe. Pyr have used it for eons to convince those humans who have witnessed them in dragon form that they could not have really seen dragons. There is some question as to whether a dragon shifter can beguile another dragon shifter or not. In
Flashfire
, Lorenzo did beguile a
Slayer
, but that
Slayer
was not at his full power or health. Lorenzo is the most adept of the
Pyr
at beguiling.

Challenge Coin
—Dragons have a tendency to both fight and to vigilantly defend their honor. If a
Pyr
or
Slayer
tosses his challenge coin at an opponent, he is challenging the other dragon shifter to a fight to the death. If that opponent picks up the coin, the challenge has been accepted. The fight may be interrupted or delayed, but they will fight to death, as a matter of honor. Challenge coins are carefully chosen by each dragon shifter to be characteristic of his nature or background and to be distinctive. Each dragon always has his challenge coin in his possession and carries it between forms.

Clothing
—When a
Pyr
or
Slayer
shifts shape, he folds his clothing away quickly and tucks it beneath his scales. It is considered to be particularly important that no one ever witness exactly where the garments are hidden. No shifter can return to his human form without his clothing, so speed with this feat is key to survival. In
Kiss of Fury
, Erik burns the clothing of the
Slayer
Boris while they are both in dragon form; Boris, however, has folded away his underwear, so survives this tactic.

Darkfire
—an ancient magic that breeds chaos and unpredictability in the world of the
Pyr
. Darkfire was trapped in three quartz crystals in the past. The
Slayer
Chen broke one deliberately, setting the darkfire free in the hopes of undermining the efforts of the
Pyr
in
Darkfire Kiss
. The location of the second darkfire crystal was also established in that book. In
Flashfire
, the third darkfire crystal was revealed to be in Lorenzo’s hoard, until it was given to Drake, the leader of the Dragon’s Tooth Warriors. The actions of that crystal feature in the
Dragon Legion Collection
of novellas.

Death Ritual
—It is traditional to expose the body of a deceased
Pyr
to all four elements within one day and night of his demise. This was considered to be a ritual of respect and had lapsed from active practice until the
Dragon’s Blood Elixir
was formulated again.

Dragonfire—
a stream of fire breathed by a
Pyr
or
Slayer
, often aimed at another dragon in battle. Dragonfire burns particularly hot. It will singe dragon scales and can leave a victim disfigured, if not dead. The Smith is said to be able to endure dragonfire, because of his affinity to the element of fire, and can draw power from it, as Quinn does in
Kiss of Fire
.

Dragon Legion
—the Dragon’s Tooth Warriors who survived the challenge recounted in
Harmonia’s Kiss
and were sent through time by the darkfire crystal. They include Drake, Alexander, Damien, Thad, Orion, Peter, Ty, Ashe and Ignatio. Alexander’s story is told in
Kiss of Danger
; Damien’s story is told in
Kiss of Darkness
and Thad’s story is told in
Kiss of Destiny
.

Dragon’s Blood Elixir
—an addictive concoction that promotes longevity in dragon shape shifters, expedites healing and increases vitality. It also gave the powers of the
Wyvern
to
Slayers
who consumed it over a period of time, particularly that of being able to take a third form (a salamander) and to spontaneously manifest elsewhere. The
Slayer
Magnus found the formula and shared first sips to build a company of loyal followers. He also revived dead dragon shifters with the substance, creating an army of shadow dragons from those dead
Pyr
whose bodies had not had the traditional death ritual. (See
Death
Ritual
.) The saga of the Elixir is told in
Winter’s Kiss, Whisper Kiss
and
Darkfire Kiss
.

Dragon’s Egg
—A polished sphere of black stone, perhaps obsidian, which shows the location of a newly sparked firestorm under the light of a fully eclipsed moon. Sophie the Wyvern uses the Dragon’s Egg as a scrying glass in
Kiss of Fury
, shortly before it is broken. From that point onward, Erik must learn to scry by using other surfaces, and to develop his ability to feel the locations of all
Pyr
.

Dragonsmoke
—a stream of vapor breathed by dragon shifters—whether
Pyr
or
Slayer
—that is invisible to human perception. (Perceptive humans may feel a chill when they breach a dragonsmoke barrier.) Dragonsmoke is not only visible to dragon shifters, but it has a resonant ring when formed into a complete circle. It is used as a protective barrier or boundary mark and will burn any dragon shifter who crosses it without the permission of the dragon shifter who breathed it. This act is called ‘setting permissions.’ In order to breathe dragonsmoke, a
Pyr
or
Slayer
enters a meditative state and directs the stream of dragonsmoke, weaving it into a barrier that is preferably high and deep. A dragonsmoke boundary will disintegrate over time, and some dragon shifters can tell the age of a smoke ring by its condition. Dragonsmoke can also be used as a conduit between fighting dragons, as shown in
Kiss of Fate
.