Chapter 5

Dusk was coming, with Sorrilth and Kalon fed and sleeping, Saphira paced the cave snorting puffs of smoke and grunting. Tears came from the big dragon.

“She’s afraid,” said Elspeth.

Ian couldn’t handle a woman crying much less a dragon. He never knew what to say. He tried to think of something to get her mind off her troubles, “Now Saphira if you continue tae do that you’ll drown us. How can I champion you, if we’re dead?”

This didn’t fool Saphira, and they both turned to look at him and he shrugged. Elspeth giggled. “Saphira said vampires can’t drown.” That was enough to lighten the fear a bit, he thought. “I didn’t know vampires existed,” she said. “I thought it was a myth, can you…?”

“There’s no time now, Elspeth, I will answer all your questions later, right now we have more pressing matters. We will stay strong and I have Dragon Slayer my sword.” Ian touched his sword. “No dragon is gonna kill you, or your bairns, I promise.”

Elspeth related to Saphira what Ian had said. Saphira nodded her head and blinked away the tears.

“That’s the spirit,” said Elspeth. “We will win.” Then came the first dragon roar of the night. Feeding time. Darlath was on his way.

He prepared them for battle. “Stay in here. Doona go oot Saphira. Stand by the dragon bairns, and you doona get in the middle. Elspeth, beside Saphira, doona interfere, I doona want you fried. Positions.”

“Och.” Smiled Elspeth. He caught her intense study of his body as he gave his orders, stopping him midsentence. He noticed the intense blush that rose on her cheeks and he smiled as she quickly looked away clearing her throat. For a minute, he felt almost naked again, but before he could think any more about it, a roar blasted outside the entrance.

He pulled his sword, spread his legs, and put the blade above his shoulder. As soon as the huge black head came through the opening Ian struck. The dragon shook his head and the strike didn’t even cut his face, but it did enrage him. He roared.

The cave shook, and the large dragon entered. The beast reared back and he struck it again and again. The dragon simply looked bored. He reached out a claw, grabbed him and threw him to the wall where he promptly slid down to the floor. The dragon was getting closer to the babies. Saphira blew fire toward Darlath and he blew back.

“It’s getting damn hot in here!” he shouted. Running toward the black dragon, he managed to stab Darlath in the side, but not enough to be serious. Pulling the blade free, the dragon howled and turned toward him. He smiled his predatory smile. “Goddesses, the look in your eyes makes a pissed off Lochness look like an angel. Come and get me you overgrown, deformed, bawless lizard. I bet your Mither kicked you from the nest just because you’re an ugly son a bitch. Ha! I bet you spit tar and smelly dead stuff. No wonder the ladies hate you. What’s the matter you black bastard!? Sceeered?” he drawled, then grinned.

Darlath stretched and stood taller, flung back his head to blow fire, and Ian shouted. “Elspeth, how the hell do you kill a dragon?”

Elspeth looked at Saphira then back to him. “Up through the stomach where it’s soft. Through the heart!”

He flung himself toward the dark one’s middle when the dragon let his fire fly. Large blasts of fire, then smoke spewed out, and he stood still, realizing he was in the line of fire, then suddenly he dropped, and everything went black.

Elspeth screamed. “You killed him, you beast, and she started for Ian, then Darlath reared back again. This time for her. But before he could blow fire again, a roar louder than anyone or anything had heard before shattered the moment in the cave, and everyone but Ian looked toward the door.

Within moments a massive white dragon entered blowing fire at Darlath. Even though the white dragon was much larger than Darlath, the black attacked.

“Ator?” squeaked Saphira. The fight became intense, roars resounding off the cave walls. It went on and on. She couldn’t get to Ian. Tears streaked her face, she wanted to save him. He couldn’t be dead. No, she wouldn’t believe it.

She’d just found this wondrous man, and she desperately wanted to explore the unexplainable feelings she had for him. She didn’t understand it herself, but she felt something she never knew existed, and it overwhelmed her. She wanted him, in all ways, she wanted him. The thought of him dead squeezed her heart and dread flowed through her veins like hot, thick, oil. She almost wanted to die herself. She shook her head and thought about Saphira and the babies.

As she looked back at the black dragon fighting the white, she prayed if the white was good, he’d win. But luck wasn’t with them. Darlath gripped his teeth around the white’s neck and blood gushed. He pulled the white toward the back of the cave stumbling over Ian. She felt shock when she saw his eyes open and focus on Darlath’s stomach above him.

She felt him draw what energy he had left in him as he struck his sword home and pushed up in Darlath’s heart. The dragon tumbled sideways dead and the white pulled back and fell on top of the black beast. Ian fell back, and his eyes closed, looking truly dead and beyond help.

She immediately ran to him. She leaned over his charred body looking for any sign of life. None. No breath, no heartbeat. “He’s dead,” she screamed. “No, No, No!” Then she saw the white dragon was bleeding badly. She pulled herself up and put herself in healer mode. She’d deal with grief later.

She knelt over the dragon’s bleeding neck and put her hands above him. She leaned back, and with all she had, she chanted to her Gods. Bright white light surrounded her and immediately streamed from her hands soaking in through his wounds. The sounds of the babies crying out, soothing noises from Saphira, the sound of the waterfall, all died away as she focused her thoughts on the dragon.

She had never concentrated this hard on a healing. She wanted him healed and she wanted to go back to Ian. The strength from her chants gave her more energy than she’d ever felt before. Soon she felt he was healed. When she opened her eyes, the massive dragon moved slightly, she moved from his neck and he stood to his full height. Elspeth had never seen anything more magnificent. He bowed to her and turned toward Saphira.

At first, she was afraid for Saphira until she saw her face and felt something else, something sweet. “Ator,” said Saphira. “I thought you dead.” Ator walked to Saphira and they entangled their necks, rubbing back and forth. Later, she thought as she ran to Ian. When she knelt beside him she sobbed. She touched his forehead tenderly.

When she moved her hand, the charred skin fell away, and to her surprise healthy pink skin lay underneath. She leaned in to feel for breathing. Shallow, but there. She felt for a pulse, slow and erratic.

“He’s alive!” She bent her head back and chanted vigorously. White light hit Ian in the chest like a bolt of lightning and before she’d even had a chance to focus, he mumbled then grabbed her arms.

“Elspeth,” he whispered lovingly. She opened her tear stained eyes, wiped at her face, and hit him in the shoulder.

“I thought you were dead! I don’t know anything about vampires, you scared me to death.”

“Vampires canna die. Weel they can, but not from fire. Werewolf bite could kill me, a forged blade made of the blood of fae and vampire could kill me, a wooden stake soaked in holy water can kill me, lightning perhaps, chopping my head off, but nae fire. It would have taken three or four days tae heal, but you? You are amazing. It doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell, it most certainly did. My whole body burned and I thought…”

“Oh, shut up,” she said interrupting him with a smile.

He shuddered. His steal blue eyes heated and he kissed her. She flung her arms around him and hugged him close.

“Wait,” he said. He stood up and shook the ashes from his body and walked to the stream of water coming from the ceiling. After washing away all the debris he stood naked before her, his desire apparent. She looked at him, all of him, longingly. He grinned. She saw lust and longing in his gaze and felt her blood heat. He had an overwhelming effect on her, one she knew she couldn’t or wouldn’t ever deny. Suddenly they were the only two there. They ran to each other and embraced. Her tears came again, and they kissed softly at first, then harder, urgently, fervently.

Then reality hit. Two dragons stood in front of them. Two very amused dragons who were waiting for them to realize they were not alone. Ian cleared his throat and she felt him take control of his desire. He broke away and took Elspeth’s hand in his. “Yes?” he asked the dragons, tilting his chin up.

First Ator looked at Elspeth. “I would have lived, thank you for healing me, but the one who truly saved my life, was he.” She knew what he thought because she had the mark, and she had a pretty good idea what was coming next.

“What? What did the big white bloke…” Ator stood taller and leaned back his head. “Och nae you doona! I willna be fried again. That’s the thanks I…”

Without giving Ian any time to finish his comment, Ator opened his mouth immediately letting loose a stream of blue flame, hitting Ian’s chest, just above his heart. An exact replica of the magnificent white dragon appeared on his chest, complete with rainbow reflections. Ian grabbed his chest and looked down. “It doesn’t hurt!”

“That’s what she said.” Saphira looked at Elspeth with a dragon smile.

“I understand you!” said Ian.

“You will understand us all now,” said Ator. “There’s much to discuss and I didn’t have time for interpretation, so I had to act quickly.”

“Thanks for that,” mumbled Ian.

“You’re welcome. Merlin sent me.”

“I thought you dead,” said Saphira.

“I know as your caretaker I let you down, but Merlin came to me with some great importance.” Ator cleared his throat.

Ator looked first at Saphira. “I was to care for you Saphira. You were mine and I left.”

“I thought you loved me. We were to be mated at my maturity. I loved you so much Ator. So very much.”

Elspeth stood with Ian, clutching his hand as they looked back and forth between the dragons.

“Saphira,” continued Ator, “my love for you has never waned. I will always love you, only you. My thoughts have always been with you.”

“Can dragons love?” Ian leaned over and whispered the question to Elspeth.

The two dragons stared at Ian. Ator spoke. “Dragons can love more fully and deeply than most humans. They mate for life, and rear their young together, they know happiness and sadness. Some are like Darlath, power hungry, bullies, evil. Like some humans. May I continue?” He stared at Ian.

“Doona let me stop you. You’re doing a good job of…”

“Ian!” the three said in unison. Ian smiled and twisted his fingers over his lips as if he locked them tight.

“As I was saying, Merlin came to me. I had to watch over a family, a very important family. They work hard to keep peace in this world and theirs, a parallel world, their earth called outer earth is magical, here in inner earth more human. So, he moved me to outer earth where a lot of mystical things happen. It was my duty as the leader of dragon world, as king of the dragons, to make sure peace could prevail. I would only go if Merlin promised to keep you safe. He did, so he moved me to The Shadowed Cliff above…”

“Grafyq Fjord,” mumbled Ian, finishing Ator’s sentence. “The cliff above my castle. The Fjord on our grounds. You were watching my family.”

“Let me tell you, your sister Akira is such a handful, is she not? She talks almost as much as you.” Ator grinned, a dragon grin. “And I never saw so much fist fighting between brothers.”

“I only talk a lot when I am in battle. It’s a strategy I use tae make my opponents flounder. Strategy, my dear dragon, ’tis all.”

Saphira sniffled and a tear dropped. Ator turned toward her quickly. “Saphira there are stories of what I’ve done, had to do, but believe me when I say I love you. Merlin says now it’s time. We never have to part again. You and your babies, which are now mine as well, will live in the Shadowed Cliff together, forever. Yes, I claim them as mine, if I had been here they would be. But right now, they need our help. Much must be done. Ian must stop Drakkor, and Elspeth’s king may be involved as well as her brother. They need our protection.

“Tomorrow, males from my hoard will be coming here to choose mates. All good dragons. There are so many in my hoard that some wanted to start new here. Merlin knew the situation, but he needed for Ian and Elspeth to save us. As unfortunate as it was for you to endure Darlath, when it came time, they did what they needed to do, to save us. So, that we can save them. The rule of the mark. You know it as well as I. There was no other way. Forgive me.”

“The mark,” said Ian. “That old bastard goat, why didn’t he tell me? Why dinna I ken a dragon lived in my cliffs?”

“You were deathly afraid of dragons, Ian,” answered Ator.

“What?” giggled Elspeth. “Now I understand the ride.”

“Not now Elspeth.” Ian stated flatly. “What now?” Ian looked at Ator.

“Right now, I see to my family. I can fly you to where you want to go for a few days. We will meet in three moons again to discuss things.” Ator looked lovingly at Saphira.

“Uh, not necessary. I could just mist Elspeth someplace, but I can only do that here on inner earth or outer earth if we were there, but I canna mist through veils. My cottage on the loch in outer earth is where I want to go, where we’ll go. I need a portal for that. MERLIN!”

A blue ring appeared and Merlin stepped through. “At your service, Ian. I knew you’d call.”

“You rat bastard. You’ve some damn explainin’ tae do.”

“Toad, Ian. Don’t forget.” Merlin laughed. “Ator explained enough to you. Now you want the cottage at the loch. You have three days, deserve three days, but afterward back to business. I’ve supplied the cottage with food, peat, and wood. Your family doesn’t know you’re coming, yet.” Merlin laughed. “Not until you want them to. I’ve cloaked it. But you will want them to meet Elspeth. Am I wrong?”

“Shut up Merlin, and let’s go, sometimes your ability tae live in the future scares me.”

“You two go on ahead I have some explaining to do to the lovely Saphira. Perhaps she will even forgive an old rat bastard like me. Isn’t that what you called me Ian?”

“Excuse me, Merlin, you just make me so damn mad withholding things from me.”

“Some things have to be for your protection. Besides the future can always change. I usually only see one path, the right one, when there are many paths to the future. You’ll understand in…”

“Due time.” Ian finished. “Yeah, I ken. Come Elspeth I want tae show you a most beautiful place. My home.”

She took his hand and they entered the portal.