| |
Constant, strange noises came creeping in through the thick stone walls of the cave deep within the mountain where the Dragon slept.
The King of Golden Flame, Rei Dorado as he was known in his human form, had many professions and titles over the course of his long life.
The most recent of which was owner and president of Dorado Shipping Incorporated. He’d begun the company back in Europe, taking one of his newly christened ships to the shores of Brazil in the early 1840s.
Choosing one of the many uninhabited islands for his own, he bought the land part and parcel from Emperor Dom Pedro II and named it Sol Dorado for the way the sun appeared to be made of pure gold from its perch in the sky each morning when he awakened in his chambers.
Chambers he was currently wishing he’d chosen for his nap. Rei growled and blinked his heavy eyelids. Though muffled, the unfamiliar sounds were persistently irritating. What was causing all the ruckus, he wondered.
Dragon Shifters had exceptionally good hearing, but the mainland was some several miles from his shores. Far as he knew, Brazil had not drifted closer since he’d closed his eyes.
Cling. Clang. Rumble. Shriek. Pound. Vibrate. Bang. This was getting ridiculous.
He unwound his thick long body from the coils he’d formed while asleep. Stretching carefully in the darkness, he still managed to hit his tail on a long stalagmite that protruded from the cave floor.
Hmmm. Odd that. He was sure it hadn’t been there when he’d settled his Dragon’s body down on the otherwise smooth interior of his favorite, secret cavern.
Then again the entire space seemed a bit different. The air surrounding him certainly was. He snorted and bit back a sneeze. Flaming balls, what was that stench?
A Dragon’s sneeze was no laughing matter and the foul odors were tickling his draconian nostrils into twitching unpredictably. He growled, audibly annoyed at the situation.
This type of thing was dangerous in close quarters. Luckily he had superior self-control as was befitting of his noble lineage. A King of the Golden Flame simply did not set his quarters on fire whilst sneezing.
Not since he was five at any rate. The fond memories of his youth swirled around his mind for a brief interlude while he worked out the kinks in his stiff muscles.
Sleeping in Dragon form was preferable to his human body, but he felt as though he’d lain still far longer than intended. Rei had only meant to slumber for roughly a decade.
Just enough time to forget his rather unfortunate tryst with Tricia Cadela. The woman was a Witch. Literally. He’d thought to sate his lustier appetites with the wench but found her price a bit too steep for his liking.
She’d pushed too hard. The woman wouldn’t take no for an answer after he’d refused her bold request. Grrr. It still angered his beast. The very thought of giving any part of himself over to her Dark craft was repulsive to say the least.
Foolish Witch. The sex had been tolerable. Not extraordinary but rather adequate under the circumstances. Nonetheless, it had not been enough to save her worthless hide. Especially not after she’d dared to send a team of bespelled rogues to try and best him. Him?
Dragon Shifter and King of the Golden Flame! It was downright insulting.
As if he’d be bested by common Shifters acting under her spell. Lover or not, Rei was a Dragon and he had a duty to his line. Betrayal was not something he could forgive.
He’d exacted his revenge with the typical flair of his kind. Scorching twenty-foot flames to be exact. A fitting end to one who thought to steal his fire.
He had not stayed to watch them burn. The act of setting fire to her keep had been enough for him. Exhausted by his miscalculation of the extent of her greed he’d decided to back out of society for a while.
The darkness of the cave did not impair his ability to see, and yet he squinted as he tried to recall the events leading to that precise moment. The deed done Rei had retreated to his mountain island. Weary from the entire debacle, he’d slipped into his scales and prepared to put the entire thing from his mind.
Ten years certainly seemed like enough time to sleep away the disappointment of his failed affair. Another mating season that would yield no young for him, he’d closed his eyes and slipped away into unconsciousness.
Inhaling a deep breath, Rei became more and more certain that he’d perhaps gone over the intended ten years. The strange noises and scents in the air told him he’d slumbered for much much longer.
“Flaming balls!” He inhaled again, frowning deeply.
The pungent air reeked of a type of petrol. Worse than any of the factories he’d visited in London. Oil, dirt, and a most unclean smoke penetrated his nostrils.
Not Dragon fire. That was for certain. No, this scent was foul and rotten. It stung his eyes and made him snarl, a deep and angry sound that started at the base of his broad, scale covered chest.
In his Dragon form, Rei was over fifty-feet long. Golden colored scales covered his chest and underbelly. That same hue formed a crown of sorts around the two spiral horns that protruded from his forehead. Like a starburst of gold.
Larger, diamond-shaped scales covered his back, legs, and horned tail. Those were much darker in color. The undertones more olive, even brown, than the golden yellow of his chest.
His claws were massive, the black nails harder than any substance he’d ever come across. Muscular wings topped his back, capable of carrying his massive bulk. Not a warrior per se, Rei was still a formidable opponent. Dragon Shifters being at the top of the totem pole as it were. An apex predator indeed.
His crowning glory was of course his Dragon fire. The King of the Golden Flame was the keeper of a most powerful Dragon magic. It was that which his ex-lover had sought.
The Witch, Tricia Cadela, had flattered him, sought him out. Society was complicated in that time and he was fortunate, or not, to walk amongst the rich and influential.
Dragons, even solitary ones, enjoyed company now and again. And they were all attracted to shiny things. Treasure always was a Dragon’s one weakness.
The Witch dazzled him with her precious jewels and unending flirtations. Using his increased sexual libido during mating season against him, she’d almost had him convinced they were destined.
When the sex had not produced that spark that he’d come to crave, he’d known she was playing a sort of game with him. He was a shrewd Dragon and at over two hundred years old, knew better the nature of mankind than his Witchy friend.
Though his talents were not primarily in fighting, he was well versed in literature, art, and his personal favorite, alchemy. Tricia was a grasper. She’d wanted him for his power, and he’d refused. In the end, she’d gotten her taste of it alright.
He pushed all thought of his ex-lover from his mind. Flexing his wings as much as he could in the small space, he was glad to find the cave was not damp or rank with mildew.
His keen scientific mind started churning and Rei breathed a bit of fire into the air. He noted the chemical reactions his flame caused and frowned.
Pollutants and chemicals! He’d been breathing in this garbage for how long? Displeasure coursed through him. Something had made him sleep for longer than he’d intended. Or someone.
With a flash of his spiked tail he sent bits of the rock ceiling crashing down to the hardstone floors, but he didn’t care. Rei would get to the bottom of this sabotage and fast.
He rolled his neck and called upon his other form. Though he’d lately preferred his beast, he settled into his two legs easily enough. His human skin was stronger than any of the normals that walked the earth, but it still left him feeling a tad vulnerable. Especially nude.
He stormed off down the tunnel that would lead to his head footman’s cottage at the bottom of his castle grounds. Alameda would know what was going on.
He was once again glad he’d bought this secluded island and built his keep at the very top. He was a few miles from Morro da Babilonia and the more famous Sugarloaf Mountain. But this place was his alone.
It was an exciting time for South America. Trade was taking off and he enjoyed his enterprises greatly. His home was close enough to the ports of Rio that he could rule his import and export business without having to work too closely with the local normals.
Perfecto, he smiled as he thought of his clever abode. Making his way down the winding cave trail to the small opening he instinctively knew was ahead, he grumbled to himself. Asleep for more than a decade? Ugh. He’d have so much to catch up on!
The strange scents grew stronger. He identified the stink of sweat common among working people, the ocean and fish that he suddenly craved for his dinner, but it was the unfamiliar pungent smell of oil and smoke that assaulted him, causing the most concern.
Rei blinked several times to clear the burn from his eyes. He’d have someone’s head for this. Reaching the top of the narrow passage, he pushed against the secret wall and waited for it to give under his command. When it did not, he decided to use a little more muscle.
“Grrr,” he roared and with a mighty heave, the wall gave way.
Rei stepped over bricks and shattered plaster to an unfamiliar room that stood where he’d once housed his prize collection of wines. The room should have given way to a small yard followed by Alameda’s cottage.
But what was this place? The tiny space was foreign and square shaped. The floor was covered in a hideous green carpet that was bald in spots.
A large glass box with moving images dominated the space and stood in the very center of the room. Strange magic, he thought to himself.
A young man with a heavy mustache and a large paunch sat in an oversized fluffy looking chair, his mouth agape as he took in Rei in all his glory.
“Merda! Shit! Where the hell are you coming from, man?” The man screamed and scrambled backwards until he fell off the fluffy furniture to the floor.
“What are you doing here? Where is Alameda?”
“Alameda? You mean Fergus Alameda? Man, that old fool lives down the hill. Por favor, just get out of here before I-”
Rei did not like this slovenly normal in the least. He growled deeply, releasing a hint of his Dragon behind his usually dark eyes. They were a deep brown until his beast showed, lightening to a golden amber.
“Fetch me some clothes,” he growled at the man who tripped running to a large metal machine where he yanked a long bit of cloth and tossed it to Rei.
He took the scratchy material with a frown and proceeded to fashion a crude sort of kilt from the fabric.
“Clean up this place. I’ll be returning shortly,” Rei shouted the command and the man immediately ran for a broom and shovel.
Pleased with his effect on the poor slob, Rei turned towards the door and headed outside. He stopped once to view the several small, squarish buildings that seemed to have cropped up all over the base of the mountain he called home. Short docks with fishing boats tied to them lined the shores and the roads were roughly paved with black cement and smooth cobblestones.
“Flaming balls! Foder!” He growled again. What had happened to his island home?
The Portuguese slang dripped from his tongue with ease. Not that it mattered. A fuck was a fuck in his opinion. He simply liked the way the foreign word rolled off his lips. Foder pronounced foo-thee-air had just the right oomph he was looking for.
But what about his castle? Gazing up, he used his Dragon eyes to view his home. The structure was in ruins.
Could that be his mighty keep? Anger coursed through his veins. Couldn’t a Dragon take one little nap without all he held dear turning to shit?
Fury moved his legs faster down the path. He bellowed for Alameda. The people pointed and directed him while keeping their eyes trained on the ground. They might not know him, but they were smart enough to avert their eyes in his presence.
Beware for here be Dragons, he thought grimly. He furtively ignored the screeching metal boxes and large unsightly buildings. This age was a mess in his opinion. Garbage littered the streets and people were overcrowded. The smell was godawful.
Finally, he came to a rundown shack and was rendered speechless when a stooped, white-haired man greeted him with a shocked expression.
Rei stood still as the old man looked him over. He realized he looked a sight with his too long hair tumbling about his naked chest and the pink dotted cloth tied around his waist.
Flaming balls...
