Page 1 of Iron Hearts and Dragon Magic

1

The Iron Dragon

Light gleamed on those marvelous, iridescent scales. Leah’s dragon was real—and was flying over the rippling sea, headed to Fernick, that mysterious, unreachable continent. The feeling would be dream-like, if it weren’t for her fears; her kingdom, her people, her mother, they were all in danger. And then she couldn’t forget the dreadful deaths she had caused—without a single shred of remorse.

It’s too late for us.

Fel’s soft voice echoed in her ears. Too late.

Yes, seeing her dragon was a dream come true—if it didn’t mean she could be losing human Fel. Leah rested her face on his scales, their pleasant, warm softness a caress on her cheek, as she breathed in his scent mixed with the salty air of the ocean. It was still him. But if he couldn’t turn back, then there was no way they could ever be together again. No. Theyweretogether. His warmth, his presence, they were enough to soothe her. And if he was her dragon, it meant their bond was much deeper than she had ever imagined.

And yet. With no idea exactly where they were going, leaving so much behind, fearing her connection with whatever she had called from the hollow, everything was confusing and strange.

A loud boom startled her. Thunder. Leah raised her eyes and saw dark clouds covering the horizon and moving towards them. Odd. The sky had been clear not long before. This… There was something unnatural about it.

“Fel?” Her voice was shaky, revealing the fear that she hadn’t dared acknowledge yet.

Underneath her, he emitted a low, guttural cry, as if letting her know that he could hear her, understand her.

A bolt of lightning cleared the sky, followed by a loud roar, and it was as if a monster was awakening, a darkness that had been hidden and was about to be unleashed. Leah sensed something evil in it, something lurking, waiting. Unless it was her own mind, her own memories and fears playing tricks on her.

Unlike in her dreams, dragon Fel had wings. Large, brilliant wings, and they were now beating frantically as he turned sideways and flew parallel to the direction of the coming dark clouds. He wasn’t running from the storm. What was he doing? A tiny speck of brown ahead of them was her answer: he was looking for shelter. There was an island there. The issue was whether they’d make it in time.

Heavy wind hit her face and hair. Leah leaned closer, afraid of being blown off his back. Another low growl under her calmed her down. Her silver dragon was here. She should be safe, except for that strange feeling, that eerie sensation that there was something out there, something evil. And then there was an odd premonition that something was wrong. Very wrong, much worse than all that was happening in Aluria.

As the tiny island got closer and closer, the wind got heavier and heavier, those magnificent wings struggling against its force. Leah tried to hold tight but didn’t want to pinch or hurt him. What would be her odds if she fell in that ocean? Would she be able to swim to the island? Or would the tumultuous waves swallow her?

Droplets, then drops of rain hit her face, right as they were approaching that small piece of land. Not even a hint of green in it, just a big chunk of rocks together. She had no idea how Fel had seen it.

Then, something hard hit her head. A pebble. No. Hail. Leah buried her face on his back and wished she could protecthisface from the incoming pellets. The island was so close… But it had only rocks with rough, jagged edges. A crash landing could hurt him—a lot. And here she was, helpless, hoping and wishing it would be all right. And yet, this would not shelter them from the rain and storm, which was getting harder and harder, hitting her back with increasing force, feeling like wooden sticks beating her.

Fel landed with a thud on what was likely the only flat surface in that spiky, oversized rock. Leah tried to jump to the ground, but a wing caught her, softening her landing, then pushed her until she found herself underneath him, his body above her, protecting her.

His wings spread around them, forming a cocoon, and even though the ground was cold and wet, his heat warmed her. Leah ran her hand over his belly, which was covered with large, almost white scales, softer than the ones on his back. If she basked in his soothing presence, she could perhaps forget her dreadful memories, quell her lingering fears, ignore that strange storm. They were together, and for now, it was all that mattered.

A loud thunder disturbed Leah’s serenity, bringing with it a cold prickle that ran down her neck. Cold, cold, a dreadful cold that chilled her to the bone.

And then a voice sounded in her head. Raspy and old, it made her hair stand on end. “The iron dragon. We found him.”

Oh, no. No, no, no. There was something after Fel.

As much as she had access to power, she felt that it was exactly that power that had allowed that strange voice to find theiron dragon.

* * *

Years and yearshearing her father’s instructions about what to do in case of war hadn’t prepared Naia to see its reality, hadn’t prepared her to believe that this could happen in Umbraar.

All around the Royal Fort, bodies were being burned, some of them strange and inhuman. This hadn’t been a full-scale invasion, but a targeted attack, an attempt to kill her brother and father—which meant Ironhold knew they had been here.

River had an arm around Naia, and she pushed it, then stepped away from him. He’d known about this attack—and had done nothing to warn her. Nothing. She glanced at him, or rather, glared. He looked different, not only because he had no horns, but also because his eyes were blue and his hair was a deep, dark brown, almost black.

As if sensing her surprise, he whispered, “There can always be spies…”

“Sure.” She then turned to Arry, who was still standing in front of her. “Let’s go to my father’s office, then you can tell me everything.”

Perhaps Arry was no longer such a good friend to her, but he was still close to Fel, and seemed to know what had happened, so he was the right person to talk to.

She looked at River. “Stay here.” Yes, that had been an order, and he had better obey it.

---