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Warder's Dragon Excerpt |
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The Warder's Dragon - Anryn Warder is the child of both a Warder and a dryad, and there is a price on her head. A demon is hunting her, determined to avenge the dishonor she caused him. Decklyn Ringler is the dragon who has gallantly offered to protect her, for a price. She is willing to pay, but will he let her go after her life is no longer in danger? Join the Warders of Realm in their quest to live a normal life, with a magical touch.
The Warder's Dragon - Chapter
1 The
ancient house rocked with light, laughter, and the occasional burst of
magical energies. The somber stones were decked out with brightly
colored balloons and the fairies in the garden reeled in drunken
circles around the windows and doors. They wanted to join the fun. Anryn
Warder looked around the room and smiled at the guests that had
gathered to celebrate the engagement of her cousin Albina, and her
fiancé Imaran. The mix was a bizarre blend of human and magical
creatures. The wards that were set around the estate would wipe the
memories of the humans as they left, transforming the faces of the
djinn women and the elves into normal, if beautiful, humans.
Which was a handy thing, as some of the more inebriated guests
were comparing species-specific physiques. A ‘how many breast do you
have?’ contest was underway in the foyer under the watchful eye of
the Lakin portraits. The old gents in the paintings had never had such
a show. “I
can’t thank you enough for this shower Anni! I was never expecting
anything like this.” Albina wandered over with a glass of wine in
her hand. She was glowing. Literally. “Alby,
you’re quite welcome. What have you been up to? You are lit up like
a Christmas tree.” The
snicker was unmistakable. “Oh,
I was just having a conversation with Imaran’s mother, Delileh. She
wanted to look at my markings in front of other djinn witnesses.”
Not only was Alby’s face flaming, her hair was glowing in the
afternoon sun. The nearby paintings sparkled in the luminescence cast
by her braided tresses. When
Anryn and Albina were first learning to cast wards, Albina made a
mistake in her focus. Her spell blew up in her face and she had to
spend the rest of her life with glowing, magic-sensitive hair. It was
Anni’s favorite point to tease her cousin with. “So
basically, a group of djinn women cornered you and said ’Show us
your boobs’. What did you do?” The giggles were coming fast and
furious; she fought desperately to keep her face straight. “I
flashed them.” She took a hefty slug of the wine that one giggling
dryad was serving to the crowd. She watched the dryad and asked her
cousin, “So, how is your mom enjoying the party?” “She’s
having the time of her life. And since she is a couple of hundred
years old, that really means something.” Anryn was driving, so she
stuck to soda. Smiling,
she watched her mother flit among the other women. Mylawith looked not
a day over twenty-four. Her delicate green skin had been bequeathed to
her daughter, as well as her bright green eyes. Hair that was a
strange combination of green, gold and brown rippled down her back.
She preferred the solitude of the forest, but the company of other
magical creatures always warmed her. Anryn’s
black hair had come from her father, a warder who worked to keep the
old-growth forests from predation by logging companies. Her mother had
taken one look at the handsome mage and jumped out of a tree and onto
his startled form. Dominick
had been astonished to have the warm womanly body drop on him, and as
she began to grind herself against him, he had decided to accede to
the lady’s wishes. “ He visited her every chance he got until she
announced she was pregnant. For one month he had stayed away,
frantically making phone calls. Laying claim to a portion of
old-growth forest was not a task for the bureaucratically challenged. Then,
one day, a building crew arrived in a nearby meadow. They excavated
with extreme care and using sprayed concrete and a frame of metal,
they created an underground warren. They back-filled the site and the
meadow grew again. Dominick
Warder made a place in his lady’s world, and that is where his
daughter was born one winter night. They couldn’t get married right
away, as Mylawith did not exist to the human world, but a binding
ceremony with Dominick holding his daughter brought a wild Warder
party to the deep forest in the dead of winter. “So,
how many have RSVP’d already?” She dragged her mind back from her
father’s favorite bedtime story and focused on Albina again. “Around
six hundred.” This was about right for a Warder wedding. It was a
favorite place for them to shop for men. “All
races are being represented?” “Through
our family alone.” She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. The Warders
were bound by law, to mate outside their own clan. This kept their
most desirable talent from being used for evil, as it had at one time
in the past. The
Warders had made a bid to take over Realm by starving out the
population and only allowing access to those who supported them. The
Dragon Council had collected an army and broke the wards, killing all
males of the clan, and imprisoning the women. The women were tried,
put to the Question and those who were guilty of planning the attacks
were put to death. Only seven women survived. Seven Warders. They
were given to the clans they had wronged, and their bloodlines were
forbidden from inter-marrying. Warders had successfully married and
produced offspring with twenty races, humans being one of them. They
moved from Realm to earth, and used mirrors to go back and report to
the Dragon Council every five years. Their
family crossed over twenty races, but no one could stop the ties that
bound the Warders together. Anryn
started to set her cousin‘s mind at ease about the wedding
preparations. “Music wise, I have the Goblin Rulz playing at the
reception.” Albina‘s
blue eyes danced in delight. “I love them!” She was practically
hopping in her chair. “How did you get them? I thought they were
booked.” “Never
underestimate sleeping around in your youth.” Anryn winked slowly
and watched the light dawn in her cousin’s eyes. “You
mean that you…?” “Six
years ago. But he and I are still friends.” All of Anryn’s lovers
became her friends after the relationship was over. No one could hold
a grudge against her perpetual cheer. “Wow,
if I had friends like that…well, Imaran wouldn’t be marrying
me.” They
both laughed. It was a well known fact that djinn preferred virgins.
That she was no longer in that condition was strictly due to her
fiancés actions. “Delileh
seems happy enough with her son’s choice.” The djinn women were
mingling a little, occasionally making forays to the snack table. The
stern matron in question was holding court in her daughter-to-be’s
home. “That’s
what she said once she saw the family’s markings. It isn’t like
she could deny they are Imaran’s. Each djinn has his own pattern and
this is definitely his.” She peered down into her shirt and
shrugged. “I haven’t learned to read them yet. I can’t get
beyond the ABC’s of the djinn script yet. Goblin was much easier.” “You’re
drunk.” The happy bride-to-be was listing gently to the right. Anryn
held out a steadying hand and held her. “Yes,
I am.” A blinding smile broke free. “I really do love him, you
know. He makes me feel…happy.” “Yes,
Alby. I know.” She stood and scooped her cousin up in her arms.
Albina was as light as a feather. Anryn quickly walked into the dining
room and through the mirror, taking her cousin to Realm. The
Djinn village was over three hundred miles away. She stomped her foot
on the ground and sent a wave of power through Albina. Moments later,
a djinn appeared in front of her. “Albina, what is wrong? Anryn, is
she alright?” His
face was concerned, the black eyes searching her burden for any sign
of injury. Once in his lifetime was enough. He took her gently from
her cousin. “She’s
fine, but my mom got her drunk.” He grinned in relief, chuckling as
Alby burped and began to snore against his chest. The
twinkling in his black eyes let her know that he had figured out what
happened. “She had to deal with my mother, did she?” “Yep,
and the rest of her attendants. She had to show them the djinn marks,
and promptly got loaded after that. Can you keep her with you here for
a while? I want to kick out the party goers and clean up a bit.” “I
can do that when we get home.” She
blinked and smiled ruefully. Oh, right. Magic. He used to be
Albina’s housekeeper. Lords, if only she could find a guy who did
housework. “Yeah,
ok. Give me six hours to get rid of the stragglers.” She turned to
leave, “Oh, and Alby came out of the bridal shower with quite a
haul. Thirty pounds of gold jewelry, and seventeen pieces of edible
underwear. Hope you’re hungry.” She winked at him in the mirror
and passed through to the bright tune of his laughter. Her
cousin was a lucky woman. Viola Grace Copyright © 2006 All rights reserved |
