Page 1 of The Dragon King's Curse
CHAPTER ONE
FERYN
Danger lurked in such quiet. The night felt especially eerie. Beyond the glow of the fire, I saw nothing but darkness. The silence of the forest told me all I needed to know. The enemy was near.
We’d set up camp for the night, deciding that we’d trekked enough for one day. Several of my fellow warriors, men and women, had pitched their tents and settled in for the night. The rest of us were gathered around the fire.
Those who feared little were drinking, laughing raucously as they told tales of previous battles. The rest of us were keenly aware of everything going on around us. The occasional hoot from an owl in the treetops set me at ease. Someone else was watching.
“You should have a drink with me. You’re far too tightly wound, princess. Especially for someone who escaped yesterday’s fight unscathed.” Leif plopped down next to me on the fallen log where I sat. He jostled me with an elbow, almost spilling the drink he held in one hand.
I shot him a warning glare when the liquor in his cup splashed onto my knee. “I think you’ve had enough for the both of us. You’ll be useless in a fight if we’re accosted tonight. Anddon’t call me princess. You know better than that. Out here I’m just another warrior.”
Leif nodded, taking a large swig from his cup. “No doubt. You’re a better fighter than most of these men. Several of them would be dead if it wasn’t for you. Me included.”
I laughed, rolling my eyes. “Not a lie spoken.”
Leif Amadyn and I had been best friends since childhood. Our mothers were the closest of friends, raising us together, even though he was a year older than me. They often joked that we would marry one day. A joke that had the two of us rolling our eyes. Other than one foolishly drunken night together, we were more like brother and sister than anything else. There would be no romance between us.
Almost five years ago, shortly after my twentieth birthday, I’d joined the warriors that worked to protect my family’s kingdom. Both my mother and father had been against it, wanting me to embody the role of prim and proper princess. I wanted no such thing.
Perhaps it was because I’d grown up surrounded by boys and men. I’d always wanted to be part of the fight. To protect our home and lands from those who threatened us harm. The Earth Realm where the elven dwelled was but one of four powerful realms. It was my home. A place of beauty and magick that I loved so much as a child. Now, as an adult, I felt it was my duty to protect it with more than my status as elven princess.
Despite their efforts, my parents had never had any other children. Understandably, they were ridiculously protective of me. So much so that when I’d become a warrior, they’d encouraged Leif to do so as well. They seemed to think that he would protect me from harm, even though I often did most of the protecting for the two of us.
Leif nodded toward a rugged redhead wearing an angry expression. She sat on the other side of the fire, cleaning the blade of her sword with a strip of soft leather.
“This might be the liquor talking, but do you think Miranda would take me as a bedmate? Just while we’re on duty, of course. Not when we return to the city. The gods know it can be difficult to pass the time out here.” He blatantly ogled Miranda, oblivious to the scowl she shot in his direction.
I snickered. “Why don’t you go over there and say to her what you just said to me about her? When she drives that sword through your heart, don’t come crying to me.”
Leif frowned. “I’d think such a proposition would be a compliment. Look around, Feryn. The options are absolutely abysmal. None of these haggard drunks have my looks, and I’m sure they don’t have my sexual prowess either.”
I burst into laughter. As his frown deepened, my laughter only grew. I supposed Leif was attractive. Mischievous green eyes had earned him many an admirer. His golden brown hair was short, swept back from his face to reveal his pointed ears, pale blonde streaks throughout. He possessed a firm build from working hard to become an expert swordsman. The two of us had spent many days training together. Still, I’d learned long ago not to stroke Leif’s ego.
“Sexual prowess?” I repeated with a shake of my head, making my long, silver blonde braid fly about. “That’s not what I recall hearing after you took Wisteria to bed. In fact, if I recall correctly, she mentioned you being rather ill equipped to satisfy a woman, if you know what I mean.”
Wisteria had said no such thing. However, Leif didn’t need to know that. As his expression changed to incredulous shock, my laughter brought tears to my eyes. When patrolling the realm’s border, one had to find fun where they could.
Leif’s jaw dropped. “She said what? Has she been going around telling ladies that I have a small cock? You know that’s not true. You should have defended my good name. Do I need to refresh your memory? I’ll show you how wrong such an accusation is.”
“Please don’t.” I held up a hand. “It’s not my place to defend your nether regions or your so-called prowess. I was incredibly drunk that night. Maybe it’s best to forget about finding a woman to pass the time with and stay ready to act if needed. The vampires are close. I can feel them.”
I didn’t exaggerate. Being an elf of the Earth Realm, my magick was rooted in the earth. In nature. The vampires had been breaching the perimeter of our land for several weeks now. Attacking our people. There was much unrest here. The trees themselves spoke of it in soft whispers and murmurs.
Most elven kind were linked to nature in some manner or another. Our magick was born here. We were deeply connected.
The vampires were from the Blood Realm in the north. Their magick was rooted in blood and death. In the east, the fae occupied the Shadow Realm. To the south, the dragons ruled the Fire Realm.
The four realms had been at war for as long as I could remember. All of them battling for greater power. Division caused by rivalries, rebellion, and betrayal throughout the centuries.
Unclaimed land known as The Seam divided our boundaries, providing a buffer region of sorts. The cities and towns of The Seam were often occupied by humans, as well as those who left each realm for whatever reason. Some had been banished. Others had fled, no longer wanting to be part of the violence and bloodshed that often came with being loyal to one realm or another.
Leif glanced around like he expected the vampires to burst from the darkness. “Do you think they will attack tonight?”
Closing my eyes, I reached out to the forest. The trees didn’t speak with words but with feelings. I felt them all when I acutely tuned in. There was unrest among them. There were those who did not belong, and they were close.
“I’m sure of it. I just don’t know when. We need to be ready for anything.” I reached to touch the handle of my sword. It rested in its scabbard, leaning against the log beside me where I could snatch it up in an instant.
