The Angels Present: Dragons among the Eagles

Dragons Among the Eagles by C. L. Kraemer

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Rain thwacked against Aleda's leathery black appendages. Her arms ached; heck, every muscle in her body ached. This flying thing was going to take more practice. The continual downpour of the spring night slithered past her shielded turquoise eyes, bathing her scales in cool refreshment. As much as she would like to have frolicked in the showers, she was more interested in landing in one spot, curling up and sleeping for the next four days. If only…

Cyre winged up to her side.

"You go in first and I'll follow. I want to wash off the grit of the trip."

Aleda pulled back her lips in a semblance of a smile.

"No problem," she shouted over the wind drafts.

When Cyre's sister, Brittany, had first suggested Aleda attend the dragon council in China, she'd been ecstatic. Her recent discovery of her true identity--half human, half dragon--had put her beliefs to the test. She imagined being around those like her would make her transition simpler. Cyre and Brittany, full-blooded Celtic dragons, had helped as best they could by explaining rules of dragon protocol and pointing out the good guys from the bad guys at the council meetings. By the end of the week, Aleda's fairy tale illusion had fallen abruptly on sharp rocks. Politics and power were as rampant in the dragon-shapeshifter community as in the human community.

Brittany was going to spend a night or two in Cyre's den before continuing her journey back to Scotland. Then Aleda and Cyre would be faced with the decisions they'd both been putting off since their first meeting.

She felt the solid rock beneath her talons and breathed a sigh of relief. The council meeting had been exhilarating, educational and overwhelming all at once. It was nice, really nice, to be back in the Northwest of the United States. Aleda stood, getting her land legs then shook the extra moisture from her body. Placing her talon on the button in the rock wall, she pushed and the door of the cave slid open. Watching the heavy glass trundle into the backside of Mt. St. Helens still gave her chill bumps. So much about the twenty-first century dragon world made her shake her head. How could they survive with all the advancements humans had accomplished? Knowing the answer still didn't stop her from asking the question.

The few minutes she'd stood contemplating questions already asked had given the cavern a chance to air out. While her sense of smell wasn't as acute for some things, sulfur being one of those, she still hadn't been able to adjust completely to the acrid aroma Cyre tolerated in his cave.

As she dragged her tired feet over the threshold, Cyre backwinged his way on the landing. Aleda turned just in time to catch the wicked twinkle in his eyes.

He sprayed water over the landing, his laughter bubbling over the surrounding rocks like thunder.

"Cyre! I just dried off! Jiminy!"

Aleda wrinkled her brow and glared at the young gray-green dragon. His mirthful smirk did nothing to help her anger.

"Hey, you two. Get in here and dry off. I did some hunting before you got here and there's dinner in the great room. I've had mine and to be quite frank, I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep."

Brittany tromped back to the great room and found a warm spot near the back wall.

Cyre and Aleda located the carcasses of the deer where Brittany had dropped the bodies. Each took one and moved off to eat, alone, before settling in for the night. Minutes after devouring their meals, the trio of dragons were fast asleep, the decisions of the previous week set aside for the normality of life.

Dragons Among the Eagles is an excellent sequel that will hold your attention until the very end and leave you craving more.  Well done Ms. Kraemer for delivering yet another awesome book!

Worthy of a 5 Angel Eyes rating

L. Nickels for Rogue's Angels

Buy at:  http://www.roguephoenixpress.com/

The Angels Present: Dakota's Bride

Dakota's Bride by Christine Young

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Moonless and frigid, the December night sent chills down Emma's spine. Yet she didn't stop at the lighted inn nearby, nor did she break stride when she stumbled over a rut in the muddy road. Instead, she pulled her skirts higher. A carriage raced by, hell-bent in the same direction, spitting mud as it flew past

A frantic look over her shoulder did nothing to relieve the fear. He was closing on her, forcing her from her hiding place. She stopped for a moment while she quickly shook the mud off her cape, then she turned to the little girl.

"You all right, Clare?" Emma asked.

The little girl nodded but didn't say anything, her face screwed tight with concentration, her breaths ragged and hard.

The big Mississippi paddle wheeler, due to leave in ten minutes, let out two loud, booming whistles. To Emma's frayed nerves, the sound was heart-stopping.

The wind from the docks smelled of fish and tar. When it shifted, she could make out the aroma of fresh baked scones coming from the inn. Emma gripped the tiny hand she held in her own a little tighter, and prayed that Clare could keep up the pace.

"It's only a wee bit farther. We can make it," Emma told the little girl, her sister. Half sister, she reminded herself.

Clare's father was not her own. His demonically hand­some face leering at her while he calmly explained what he meant for Emma to do in the bordello was something she'd never forget.

Clare was a tiny and very fragile seven-year old. She had loving green eyes and a long, slender nose coupled with delicate cheekbones. Emma knew that someday Clare would grow into a classic beauty.

One long blond lock of hair slipped loose from Clare's cap. The little girl pushed it away with her free hand, wrinkling her nose disgustedly.

Frost coated the road, and each hurried step caused the almost frozen mud to crunch beneath their feet. A horse and rider passed them, the man tipping his hat as he and his mount thundered by. Church bells rang out, the sound hollow and thin. It was almost six o'clock. She had five minutes to reach the boat.

A gust of wind caught her broadside and whisked the hood of her cape off the top of her head. She grabbed the soft fur and pulled the fabric back where it belonged. Distracted by the wind and her haste to reach the boat, Emma caught the toe of her shoe on a rock and balanced precariously for an instant.

She swore softly under her breath.

Had only one month passed?

No, three weeks ago her mother had died and two weeks ago she had learned the awful truth. Lawrence Stevens had slowly poisoned her mother. He had given her a small dose of arsenic each day until finally her mother took to her bed. Several days later Emma had held her mother's hand while she breathed her last.

Emma would never have known about the murder if she hadn't overheard Stevens speaking in harsh whispers with a friend of his. There were other things said and promised, things Emma had not wanted to acknowledge.

Disbelief and denial had caused her to waste precious time. Seven days had come and gone since she'd had her last horrible encounter with her stepfather. It was an encounter that had left her with no doubts that everything she'd heard was the god-awful truth. Stevens had meant to sell her to a whorehouse. Still, she'd had a difficult time believing the extent of Lawrence Stevens's depravity. But when he'd installed her in Madame leBon's bordello, she realized too late that her life was in grave jeopardy.

And Clare, sweet, sweet Clare, had understood all she'd told her and perhaps more. With the eyes of a child, Clare had somehow sensed the evil that surrounded her father long before anyone else did.

Five long days and nights they'd spent on the run. Clare had not complained. No matter how exhausted or hungry she was, the little girl had pressed on, understanding the imminent danger that faced Emma. Clare had somehow known that Emma had to get as far away from Lawrence as possible.

This incredible romance is one I positively fell in love with and is good enough to read again and again.

Cherokee
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More 4 Cups

I can’t remember the last time I was so engrossed in a book: Dakota’s Bride took over my weekend, and even now, am wishing to go peruse it one more time…

Rating: 4.5 Books
Reviewed by Snapdragon Long and Short Reviews 

Love in Lavendar tinted scales

Dragon Bath

Sweden

Dagmar and Petra stood gazing at one another. This moment was too precious to worry about what the Ancient One had just imparted to everyone.

“Dagmar?” Violet eyes widened.

“Hmmm?”

“I have the strangest sensation we’re being watched.” Petra rustled her scales.

Dagmar had felt the eyes but hadn’t wanted to spoil the mood of the moment. He shook his head slightly.

“Well, you do realize we are standing in the meeting hall. I suspect there are a lot of eyes watching us. After all, you are the most beautiful shifter here.”

Dagmar watched the lilac cheeks burnish a deep amethyst.

“You’re just saying that because you love me.” She looked up at him through thick blond lashes.

“Yes, I am. The fact it is true doesn’t change it, though. Let’s go into the café. I’d like some hot coffee. How about you?”

The tiny dragon rewarded him with a shy smile.

Dagmar pulled a deep breath in his lungs. He had to be the luckiest being on the planet. This tiny slip of perfection was willing to spend her life with him. He realized he was being imbued with a heavy responsibility. I’m up to it. Gazing at Petra, he reinforced his promise. I have to be, she’s very precious.

The couple strolled to the Ice Palace café and located an empty table. The room buzzed with murmured, urgent conversations, the auras of concern dancing across tables and hanging diaphanously in the air. The dominant color was a gossamer blue-tinged grey, the throbbing tempo matching the stress emitted by couples going over the news the Ancient had relayed in the meeting.

Dagmar spotted Lee, red-tinged scales a sickly orange, sitting with Olga, the green edges of her scales resembling week-old mown grass, heads nearly touching as they animatedly whispered. Dagmar quickly decided he wanted to be alone with Petra and turned his back to the center of the room effectively shielding them from prying eyes and negative auras as he steered her to a small table for two tucked into an alcove near the café’s opening.

He pulled the table from the wall so she would affect a sitting position on her tail. Once she was comfortable, he sat himself across from her using his larger form to block prying eyes.

“We’ll stay the night in the dorms. May I follow you home to ask your parent’s permission for your hand tomorrow?”

Petra cast her eyes to the table. She drew small circles on the top with her delicate talon.

“I never knew my dad and my mom died giving birth to me.”

Dagmar felt his cheeks burn. “I… I’m so sorry.”

Petra gazed up at him and dazzled him with a brilliant smile. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault and my adopted mom, Kerttu was mom’s best friend. She’s a really cool shifter who taught me everything I know about myself. However,” a small line formed across the perfect brow, “I think I’d better talk to her first before you meet her. Kind of lay the ground work, you know what I mean?”

Dagmar moved his head in agreement. He wasn’t going to worry about the impending world catastrophe – too much. However, starting life with Petra at his side was becoming more urgent by the moment. The longer the two waited to lifemate, the longer it would take to have children. Dagmar wanted to see his children before the two-leggeds did something stupid like blow themselves and everyone around them up or declare war on dragonkind. They’d tried once before and nearly succeeded but dragons and shifters were ready this time. More so than the two-leggeds could possibly suspect.

“You’re right.” He allowed a light sigh to escape between his lips. “I guess I’m just impatient to start life with you.” He turned his cobalt eyes to gaze into Petra’s lilac ones. He was lost in her lavender pools when someone coughed politely behind him.

Dropping his gaze to the table, he sucked in a deep breath. “This had better be good.”

He turned to glare into the golden eyes of Lee Svensson. Olga, Petra’s best friend, stood beside him, talons wrapped possessively around his lithe, muscular bicep.

“I know the two of you would prefer to be alone, but I really feel the need to speak with you.” Lee’s scales had returned to their brilliant crimson-edged color as Olga’s had deepened to her normally forest green edges.

Dagmar darted a glance at Petra who shrugged her shoulders. He rose and maneuvered closer to the tiny dragon. She scooted herself into the corner and placed a delicate talon on Dagmar’s thigh as he sat on his tail next to her. Lee and Olga sat across from the two lovers.

Lee looked into deep cobalt and startling lilac eyes. The pair would produce interesting offspring. He cleared his throat.

“We are all aware of the announcement the Ancient made earlier.”

Agreement was unanimous around the table.

“What he didn’t say is how desperate the situation has become.” Lee glanced down at Olga, her scale edges blanching light green, and moved his talon over hers.

Dagmar raised an eyebrow as he looked at Petra who was blinking her eyes in shock.

The white scales of Lee’s cheeks began to blossom orange. He clutched Olga’s talon in his.

“Petra, I know you are Olga’s best friend, and we’re sorry to have kept this such a secret, but…”

Petra turned a terrified look Dagmar’s way. He patted her talon on his thigh then wrapped his arm around his lifemate, pulling her to him. Her body trembled beneath his touch and he gently squeezed her shoulder.

“…we got married last night.”

Petra’s eyes popped and she gasped.

“I… I… I didn’t know you were even dating!” She felt anger building in her chest and struggled to contain the fury. Her eyes narrowed and the lilac orbs colored a deep amethyst.

“Why couldn’t you confide in me Olga? We’re supposed to be best friends.”

Dagmar watched the normally flip Olga cower in her seat. He suspected his lifemate could be scathingly dangerous when aroused. The edges of Olga’s scales blanched so intensely it was hard to tell they had color at all.

“Petra…” the plea was whispered, a large tear coursing down her cheek.

Dagmar chanced a glance above Petra’s head to find her aura spiking yellow bolts of energy in a roiling red cloud.

Lee looked at the couple in front of him and spoke. “I take the blame for that.”

Petra snapped her head his direction. “I still haven’t heard why my best friend couldn’t confide in me. From you or her.”

Lee straightened his back and rigidly sat on his tail. “What I’m about to say to the two of you goes no further than this table. Are we clear?”

Petra dug her talon into Dagmar’s thigh. She barely moved her head in agreement as did Dagmar.

Lee pulled a deep breath in and slowly released the air, stirring the ice crystals on the tabletop.

The waitress appeared at the table. “What can I get everyone?”

Dagmar took a quick eye survey. “I think we’ll all have hot coffee. Would you be able to bring the pot to the table?”

The white dragon flashed a perfect set of teeth. “Sure, no problem. Be right back.”

The group waited until she was out of earshot.

“When my mother’s people visited China some 350 years ago, she went along at the insistence of her father. What he hadn’t planned on was her falling in love with one of the emperor’s archers. They courted in secret and pledged themselves to each other. Before they knew, a child was on the way – me. It was at that point my father had to set my mother down and explain that he wasn’t an archer; he was the Western Dragon Ao Jun. He was able to shift into human form at will.”

The waitress shashayed up to the table with a tray bearing four cups and a carafe of coffee.

Dagmar signed the slip adding his room number.

When she was out of earshot, Lee continued his story.

“Fearing the retribution the dragon council would inflict on my mother and her family, my father and a trusted servant secreted her out of China and back to Sweden. As my mother was a two-legged, she did not live very long but my father had sent his servant to watch over and train me in the ways of the sapien draconi. I shifted the first time when I was a year old; terrified my mom and nearly got us burned out of the village.”

Petra lifted a brow. She’d watched her friend across the table nodding and gazing at the young dragon speaking with obvious love. But she still wanted answers, and Lee wasn’t forthcoming with them.

“This still doesn’t tell me why you kept me in the dark about getting married.” She pulled her talon from Dagmar’s leg and crossed her arms in front of her.

Lee cleared his throat. “I’m getting to that. It wasn’t long after my mom discovered my… ability, the mage wars began. My father stole out of China as he knew the peoples of China would do what they had always done when the rest of the world went to war – close the borders and isolate themselves. He joined the Swedish contingent of warriors, and that’s where he met, Branstock and Arndis Nelsson.”

Lee watched the color of Dagmar’s eyes fade. His aura blanched to grey and he wavered on his tail.

“My… my parents.” The words spoken so quietly that even with dragon hearing the trio had to strain to hear them spoken.

Lee nodded. “Yes, Dagmar. Your parents. The reason songs are sung about your father is his fierce spirit and determination are legendary. He was a magnificent warrior, and your mother had healing powers not matched since her unfortunate death. Yours is a noble line.”

Dagmar’s eyes had glazed over and he murmured. “You knew my parents.”

“Actually, my father knew your parents. They whisked me away to a family cave in the fjords until the wars were over. I vaguely recall meeting an impressively tall dragon with military bearing and his lithe companion. I recall she had the most enchanting blue eyes, but it was in the process of my being trundled up and sent to the caves.”

Petra rolled her lilac eyes and shrugged her shoulders. “This still isn’t giving me an explanation of why the two of you have kept your relationship a secret, and now have denied me the pleasure of helping my best friend plan her wedding.”

Lee pushed out a breath. Olga gave him a tremulous smile. “Well, it’s complicated…”

Petra pushed up, fisting her talons on her hips. Her aura blazed red, yellow lightning flashing dangerously.

“STOP! Of course it’s complicated. Tell me now or I’m leaving, and I promise you, Olga, I’ll never speak to nor see you again as long as I live!” Her eyes had turned a royal purple. The slight hint of sulfur tainted the coffee aroma drifting around the table of four.

Olga stood pulling her spine up and glared at the petite lavender tinted dragon she called her best friend. Olga’s scale edges had deepened to a forest green tinged with black.

“Don’t ever yell at Lee. He has taken the brunt of your temper tantrum long enough.” The aura surrounding her roiled as angrily as Petra’s.

The two males looked at each other and, simultaneously, placed gentling talons on their respective mates.

The two females tried shrugging off the firm talons but met with resistance. Realizing they could not fight their mates concern, they sat rigidly glaring at each other.

“The most Ancient dragon of our species has deigned to start a war against the two-leggeds.”

Petra and Dagmar gasped in unison. Dagmar looked at Lee, raising an eyebrow.

“Seriously?”

“Unfortunately, yes. The reason Olga and I kept all of our courting quiet is even in our world of secrecy there are spying eyes. My father was the last known full-blooded dragon of the west. Many have no knowledge of my existence. Olga has just discovered her true lineage. It was revealed that her father is Volsung’s first deputy and her mother was…”

He glanced at Olga and she nodded. She turned her head sideways and looked out the doorway.

“…Kerttu Heikkinen.”

Petra started to cough. She couldn’t catch her breath. Kerttu Heikkinen was her mother’s best friend!

“I… I… I… didn’t know. How come we weren’t raised together?” She slumped on her tail. How could she have doubted Olga? They’d been best friends all their lives. She put her head in her talons and allowed tears to slide down her forearms.

Dagmar’s scale edges turned smoky grey. He slid his arm around his ladylove. He could see her distressed aura and feel her deep pain, but he really didn’t know what else to do to make her pain go away.

Olga turned back to the table. Slowly she stretched a talon across the ice top and laid a talon on her friend’s arm.

Petra shook her head. “I feel like an idiot.”

Olga allowed a smile to touch her lips. “You were acting like one.”

Petra looked up, her lilac eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“I would have told you if I weren’t afraid you and Dagmar would have been put in danger. Remember last year’s gathering at the Arctic caves?”

Petra and Dagmar acknowledged by a quick nod. Petra grabbed a cloth napkin from the table and wiped at her eyes.

“Lee and I have crossed paths for many years.” Olga’s amber eyes glowed as she looked at her husband. He lifted his coffee cup to his lips and diplomatically filled his mouth.

Dagmar looked at the couple and saw the line of royalty in their features, the straight snouts and perfectly spaced, slender eyes rimmed in black; eyes so golden they glittered in the light. How could he have missed it before?

Olga stroked her small friend’s forearm finally grasping her talon lightly.

“I love you Petra but truth be told, when you were not the center of attention, you didn’t know or care what was going on around you.”

Petra’s eyes began to fill with tears. She looked at the tabletop watching small tendrils of steam rising from beneath the hot cups of coffee.

“I… I…” Petra stuttered.

Olga quieted her with a squeeze of the arm.

“I’m not laying blame. I’m explaining.”

Petra looked up, a tear escaping down her cheek.

“Lee and I knew of his lineage. With the rumors circulating about shifters changing unexpectedly, we knew something was not right and began to investigate on our own. When we met last year, we realized the attraction was more than just friendship – that we wanted to become lifemates but doing so would cause problems. There are still those who would see Lee’s family line rendered extinct. So we put off any permanent plans. We emailed and kept in contact on the phone. With the instances of unexpected shifting increasing, we knew we had to make a move and now. So without any fanfare or fuss, we met in town before coming up last night and got married. You two are the only ones that have this knowledge. Oh, and the magistrate at the town hall.”

Dagmar sat back on his tail. He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to believe.

Lee leaned in as he put his cup on the table. He looked directly into Dagmar’s eyes.

“In the two-legged world, I work for… the military. I’m an officer in a division that keeps tabs on the pulse of our nation and others. I can’t verify what we’ve said but trust me; things are getting very precarious in their world.

“I have a pipeline of information to the Ancient’s inside circle and let me tell you, things are heating up there, too. What is the saying ‘An ill wind this way blows’? We’re in trouble and we need to face some facts about what might happen.”

Dagmar and Petra gazed sadly at each other.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” She asked, a quiver skipping through her voice.

Dagmar pulled her close to him and looked at Lee.

“Do you still have the name and address of that magistrate?”

 ~ * ~

I've been threatening to write the full story of the Scandinavian Dragons for two years. Well, I've my tukus in the seat and no excuses why it can't be completed. Wish me luck!

Sable Angel



A bit of history about Ice Dragons...

 White Dragon w/Girl

 



Text from Dragons Among Us 

Sweden-The Great Hall in the ice mountain

Volsung Odell trudged to his private chambers. He pushed the massive ice door open and slipped inside. The announcement in today’s gathering had elicited the expected response. Few members of the organization were full bloods. This inconvenient condition would prove dangerous to all if a solution were not found and soon.

Two-leggeds didn’t distinguish between true dragons and shape shifters. An oddity was to be yanked apart and studied as far as they were concerned. After all, they couldn’t coexist with just different skin colors let alone different life forms. Their unthinkable treatment of lesser animals was proof of their egomaniacal attitudes.

He moved to the viewing platform. From here, he could see the meeting chamber floor and outlying hallways. The ice rooftop of the restaurant let him know how many were inside but not who. It was the brainchild of his deputy, Magnus; the most suspicious being Volsung had encountered. However, the veiled balcony gave the leader a view of those whose fates rested on his decisions.

He narrowed his eyes. There was a couple standing together and Volsung could see a cloud of fear surrounding them. There was a mix of turquoise and lavender… lavender!

He quickly stepped back into his living room. He moved to the wall and pushed a button on the intercom set in the granite face.

“Magnus.”

He heard the fear in his own voice, and closing his eyes, pulled in a deep breath. He couldn’t show any emotion—it was the curse of his position.

“Sir?” the baritone voice wrapped around Volsung’s ears.

Volsung hesitated, controlling his heartbeat and breathing before answering.

“Magnus, I need to you investigate the young shape shifter in the chamber below. It is imperative I know everything there is about him before the end of the day.”

“Both of them, sir?”

“No. Just the male.”

“Consider it done, sir.”

“Magnus?”

“Yes, sir?”

“As always, this is highly confidential.”

“Of course, sir.”

Volsung moved to the granite slab that served as a mantle over his fireplace. This place had been his home for as long as he could remember. It was only in the last few centuries the council deemed it necessary to convert the cave in an ice mountain to the luxurious abode he currently occupied. He ran a finger over a frame of the finest crystal in the land, refracted light sending tiny rainbows to the opposite grey wall. Inside the frame, unbeknownst to the owner of the pictured image, was his child. He knew, but didn’t think she did.

The worry lines around his burnished gold eyes softened. Her tiny form, perfect in all its features, amazed him. She had one outstanding feature most shape shifters didn’t share—long, blonde eyelashes. He stared at the enormous lavender eyes gazing adoringly at the camera. She’d not known, of course, of the camera taking her picture or that the Ancient leader was her father. Volsung couldn’t admit he had sired any offspring but this one’s mother… ah, Laila. Volsung allowed a smile to light his face.

Laila. Just the thought of the miniscule shape shifter set his scales to rustling. Volsung ambled to the balcony.

The little dragon stood trembling, lavender eyes pleading up at her companion. The male placed a delicate kiss on her forehead.

Volsung felt heat rise in his chest. You can’t interfere.

The two strolled away talons clasped tightly.

Volsung let his mind idly wonder about Laila. He placed his elbows on the railing of the balcony and fixed his gaze on the spot where he’d first run into the diminutive shape shifter.

~ * ~

“Laila! Will you please hurry up? We can’t afford to be late. I don’t want to be in this spooky old cave when everyone else is in the meeting.” Kerttu Heikkinen waved her friend forward. “Beside, the Ancient One is supposed to speak today and I, for one, don’t want a check by my name noting I was late. Annikki would love any excuse to get us banned from the meetings.”

Kerttu stopped and waited for her friend to catch up. “What’s your problem, today?”

Laila Hanssen dropped her head. “I just can’t get used to shape shifting. I’d rather stay in one form or the other. This changing just wears me out and if I forget; I’d be eaten here and killed out there. I hate it.” She sat on her tail. “Let Annikki mark off my name. Maybe I’ll just stay human.”

Laila watched Kerttu’s eyes narrow to thin slits and her mouth drop open.

“That would be a shame because you’re quite a lovely dragon.” The deep voice resonated against the granite walls of the hallway.

Laila turned to face the bold owner of the smooth voice. Looking up, her eyes beheld the tallest dragon she’d ever seen. His glistening, iridescent white scales glowed in the dark hallway. Eyes of burnished gold twinkled at the tiny amethyst-tinted dragon.

Laila narrowed her pupils to slits and glared at the handsome offender.

“You take liberties, sir. Our conversation was a private matter between two friends on their way to an important meeting.” She crossed delicately sculpted arms over her tiny form, lifting her graceful snout in a mock pout.

A low rumble began to fill the space and soon the impressive white dragon was chuckling aloud. He bowed deeply and swept a powerful, muscular arm in front of him.

“My lady is correct. I rudely interrupted a private conversation. Please accept my humblest apologies.” He rose to his full height mirth tweaking the corners of his mouth as he stood waiting to hear the verdict.

Laila relaxed her stance and, brushing imagined dust from her scales, lifted her snout in mock umbrage.

“Apologies accepted, sire. Now if you will excuse us, we must hurry so as not to be late to our meeting.”

“But, of course, my lady.”

The dragon swept an arm in front of him to allow her passage. He straightened and watched the tiny dragon and her friend hold their heads up, tails swaying enticingly, as they marched down the hallway to the meeting chamber.

Kerttu felt the eyes on her back. She whispered to Laila. “Do you know who that was?”

“A very rude, very tall dragon that seems quite full of himself. Why?”

Kerttu huffed a puff of smoke. “I swear Laila, you are so behind the times. That was Volsung.”

“Oh, please, Kerttu. You have such an unbelievable imagination. Why would the Ancient One be walking the hallways? I’m sure he has better things to do than traipse around the halls of the meeting chamber.”

The two dragons entered the large meeting area and slowed their gait. Towering torches lit the ice-encrusted walls giving off a warm glow that lit the massive room mimicking the sun streaming through the ceiling. The room buzzed with the sound of excited voices, shuffling talons, and dragon scales scraping across granite flooring. On the wall, hung reminders in the ancient language carved into wood planks that there was no flying within the meeting chamber and adjacent hallways.

Laila and Kerttu linked arms and worked their way toward the front of the hall, Laila needing to be in the front to see. A tall grey-green dragon set forth a roar quieting the crowd.

“He’s not from here.” Kerttu whispered to Laila.

“Shhh.” Laila frowned at her friend. “Obviously,” she whispered.

He started haltingly, uncomfortable with the Nordic language, but continued announcing the meeting would come to order. The Ancient One would be addressing the gathering with important news. The grey-green dragon stepped back.

Volsung stepped to the front of the stage and looked out at the gathering of dragons and sapien draconi in the large hall. His eye fell on the tiny dragon he’d encountered in the hallway. She stood in the front gazing up at the platform. He looked at the amethyst eyes wide with surprise and a tinge of fear and he tipped his head, ever so slightly, in her direction.

“My children, it is with great sorrow I announce to you the following: We must spend less time in the world we love. Man in his quest for progress has deemed our kind unnatural and unreal. Any dragon that walks in true form will face death by weapons we cannot beat without the use of extreme methods.

“If we use fire, we risk burning the forests and our own homes. If we fly, they have weapons of great metal that can kill at distances never known before.

“We must devise a method to live in this world without revealing ourselves to mankind. They will be the death of us all.

“It has now become the time of the shape shifters. Your ability to change will save you from the tortures of secrecy and lies. We must take care to watch out for each other. I know it is difficult, with our homes being so far apart, but we must take the best of the two-legged world and protect each other. Find ways to notify the shifters and dragons in your area when danger is near. Stay away from the two-leggeds at all costs.”

The Ancient One stopped. Silence blanketed the hall.

“I am truly sorry to bring this to you.”

Laila watched his shoulders droop.

“I’m afraid our world of freedom is at an end.” He straightened to his full height and squared his chin. “But we are neither defeated nor dead. We will quietly slip into the forests and mountains. We will wait. These two-leggeds are fragile beings living only 50 or 60 years. We will outlive them. Have faith, my people. We will overcome this human scourge.”

A great roar filled the cavern. Dragons and shifters alike raised their arms into the air and cheered. Laila and Kerttu clutched each other. The waves of anger mixed with fear undulated throughout. The two wended their way to the back of the room near the exit.

“I told you he was the Ancient One.” Kerttu shouted above the din.

“Now is not the time to gloat.” Laila glanced nervously at the exit. “The moment the meeting is dispersed we must head for home. I don’t wish to be out when the two-leggeds are awake; not in dragon form.”

Kerttu concurred. “You’re right. We must get to our village as quickly as we can. We’ll make a plan then. If it is dark, we can fly. That should save us much time and keep us away from the humans.”

Feet shuffling, bodies beginning to surge towards the exits and voices raised in discussion, letting the two shape shifters know the meeting had ended. They made their departure to their village.

~ * ~

Volsung recalled it had taken him, actually Magnus, six months to locate the village of the tiny shifter named Laila. Tampere was in southwestern Finland across the Gulf of Bothnia. She was so close, and yet, Volsung hadn’t wanted to command her to come to him. It had taken another six months of courting to get the tiny shifter back to his domicile. She’d arrived in her human form and had shocked Volsung with her audacity. He knew she’d stolen his heart. The one dragon in the land who wasn’t supposed to be emotional had fallen head over tail in love with a tiny shape shifter whose temper and nerve rivaled his own.

They had been inseparable for a year when she decided she needed to go back home and set her affairs in order. She’d never returned.

Volsung had dragged about the compound carrying on the daily affairs of his office, but he was distraught, unfocused, and downright irascible. Magnus had taken it upon himself to find out why the little shape shifter had abandoned the Ancient Leader.

He’d returned with mixed news. He brought word Laila had given birth, the human way, of a girl child. During a period of extreme pain, she had spoken the dragon tongue. The assistant to the midwife in the village had run screaming from the room directly to the priest. He’d come scurrying to the hut and demanded the midwife stop her ministrations until the heathen denounced her devil ways. The midwife, Kerttu, pushed him out of the way and tried to attend to Laila but the priest, crazed with his mission to convert the mother before the child was born, kept interfering.

The little girl was born, wrapped, and set in the cradle. Laila, in her human form, had lost so much blood due to the priest’s interruptions she expired in her bed. The priest, feeling vindicated, immediately baptized the little girl, and announced all had been for the glory of God.

Kerttu spirited the child away from the crazed priest and took her to her home to raise the child in the ways of the old Norse. The villager’s burned Laila’s home and belongings to the ground.

Volsung shook when he’d received the news. He would have flown to the village and torched every building, but being bound by his station, could do nothing. It was, after all, not acceptable for the Leader of the Artic Circle of Dragons, and one of the remaining Ancient ones, to be in love. He arranged education for the shifter child in the old ways of dragon-shape shifter and saw to every item the child needed. When the time came that photos were easily available, he made sure he had one taken every six months to track the young woman’s progress. Volsung may not have been physically in the picture of his child, but he made sure she never wanted for anything.

And Petra Hanssen would never want. Not then—not now.

He would learn who this young shifter was that courted his daughter.

“Sir?” The disembodied voice drifted through the intercom speaker.

“Yes, Magnus?”

“I know the identity of the young male shifter.”

“So soon?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s not play a game of word tennis. Who is the young man?”

“Dagmar Nelsson.”

Volsung pulled up to his full height. He realized he’d been staring into the empty meeting hall. Turning around, he sauntered to his living room.

“Repeat that name.”

“Dagmar Nelsson.”

“Is he…”

“Yes, sir. Branstock’s son.”

A smile began to form on the Ancient One’s lips. His daughter was smart as well as pretty. “Well, well.”

“Pardon, sir?”

“Magnus, have the report on my desk as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

Volsung moved to the framed picture. “This is better than if I’d arranged it myself. Good going, Petra. You’ve entered a good match.”

His smile soon faded. The recent rash of unexpected shiftings would hurt not only his daughter but everyone else in his realm. There had to be a solution and a cause for the problems. In earlier days, there had been an occasional unplanned change, but upon investigation, one could find several witches and wizards in the area. Volsung shook his head. One didn’t anger mages.

As time rushed toward the end of the millennium and magic and its practitioners camouflaged themselves, the shiftings began to occur more frequently.

Volsung, sitting at his work desk and gazing at the computer screen, tilted his head.

Could this have to do with the introduction of machinery? The simplicity of the answer shook him. He maneuvered his way to the spreadsheet set up for him by Magnus. His deputy’s attraction for all things new had served Volsung well. Magnus embraced and adapted to the changes made through the centuries with ease. While it took Volsung a bit more time, he eventually learned to adjust to new technology as well.



~ * ~

Tomorrow is the last peek at the Scandinavian Dragons. I hope you've enjoyed sharing your day with us.

Let me present the Scandinavian Dragons

 

Introduction to Dragons Among the Ice

[This text is from Dragons Among Us.]

 

 

Sweden-The Great Hall in the ice mountain

 

Dagmar lumbered as quickly as he could to the central meeting hall, the use of wings forbidden

inside the mountain. Out of the corner of his cobalt eyes, he caught movement from a tiny figure. Even in her natural form, Petra was delicate. Small, at 18-feet fully grown, her talons were dainty and perfectly shaped unlike his muscled digits. She scurried to his side and slid her talon into the security of his.

“I’m afraid, Dagmar. Our world is changing so quickly every day, I’m afraid our children…” She stopped realizing she’d let slip her inner desires. A light lavender hue colored her exquisite cheeks.

He chuckled and turned the little dragon toward him. “I had hoped to invite you to the Ice Palace restaurant and over candlelight look deeply into those amazing lavender eyes to ask this question, but since the subject has been broached… let me ask you now.”

Dagmar grasped her tiny talons and looked directly into her eyes, pulling a deep breath into his lungs.

“Petra Hanssen… will you be my wife and lifemate? I would be honored to receive your reply at the summer equinox in front of the entire Sapien Draconi gathering.” He blew out a nervous breath.

Petra moved her feet between his and gazed into the cobalt depths of Dagmar’s eyes.

“I’ll tell you now. I feared you’d never ask, and I didn’t want Axel Lindburg to be the first. My answer is yes, and you can ask again at solstice in front of the gathering.”

Dagmar watched the lavender eyes for deception but felt his hesitation drown in a sea of pure lilac. His fears allayed, he leaned down, tilted Petra’s face up to his, and placed a tender kiss on the lips of his lifemate.

“Oh, please. Hurry up, you two. You can get a room later. The meeting’s in five minutes and neither of you can afford the fine if you’re late. Oh, yeah, congratulations.” Olga trotted past the pair rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

Dagmar frowned. “How’d she know?”

Petra giggled. “Don’t be silly. Your scales are turquoise, kind of a giveaway with my scales so lilac.”

He looked down at his body and realized Petra spoke the truth. His scales glowed turquoise just as she glowed lilac. He’d not experienced this before but, then again, this was his first time being in love.

“Oh, yeah.”

The warning bell rang and the couple trotted to the meeting hall.

Petra led the way, Dagmar in tow, and found Olga standing near a slender, well-muscled dragon, his white body accented by the fiery red tips of his scales.

Olga spoke in hushed tones. “Dagmar, Petra, this is my—friend, Lee Svensson. Lee, Dagmar Nelsson and Petra Hansson, soon to be Petra Nelsson.”

Lee nodded at the couple, gold eyes glinting in the bright light of the meeting hall.

“Has anything happened, yet?” Petra moved to Olga’s free side.

“The masters’ absences worry me,” Olga started. “You know, when everything’s going okay, the masters show up on stage, the meeting lasts about ten minutes then we can leave or stay and relax. Today, I haven’t seen them anywhere—not in the halls, not in the restaurants, not anywhere they usually hang out. This can’t be a good sign.”

Petra agreed and opened her mouth to respond when the Swedish National Anthem began blaring from the loudspeakers. Every being in the massive cavern stood at attention, talon over heart, gazing at the blue and yellow banner and singing allegiance to the flag.

When the music ceased, a large white dragon strode to the lectern on the raised platform.

“Now, we’ll find out what’s happening,” Dagmar whispered into Petra’s ear.

She stood on the tips of her talons, pulled him gently down and placed a kiss on his cheek.

“Yes, we will.”

Volsung Odell was an impressive sight. At 45-feet in height, white scales shining iridescently in the refracted light, he stood head and shoulders above most other dragons; his body muscled from the tip of his snout to the end of his magnificent tail. Rumor had it, he’d been fearless in battle during his youth, and many a folktale carried his name as the conquering hero.

Today, he held the attention of every dragon and shape shifter present. All eyes were upon this historical master.

He cleared his throat. “Welcome to the spring meeting of the Artic Circle of Dragons. Thank you to all who’ve traveled a great many miles to join us today. I’ll forego the niceties to address the issues, which concern every one of us.

“For those shape shifters among us, I’m sure you have heard accidental shifting has been occurring with horrifying regularity.”

A gasp went up from the gathering. Sobbing punctuated the frenetic buzzing of conversation.

Petra squeezed Dagmar’s talon and slid her body next to his.

“Dagmar, I’m scared.”

“Let’s wait until the meeting is over, and we’ll sit down and discuss everything that’s happened tonight in detail. Okay?” He looked lovingly at his tiny lifemate. Her scales quivered slightly as did her lip.

“Okay.”

The leader at the lectern raised his arm for quiet.

“We,” Volsung indicated with a nod of his head at the collected elders sitting on the podium behind him, “have been in meetings for the last month trying to unravel this phenomenon. I can assure all here we will find the underlying cause of these problems.

“In the meantime, our only suggestion is to travel in tandem. We know it will be trying on the patience of many but, so far, the shiftings have occurred rarely and to one shifter at a time. If one of you shifts without warning, the other can intervene and move the unfortunate party to safety. You should be able to escape the situation undetected.

“We’ve been fortunate none of our kind has been detained, but until we’re able to locate the source of our problems, capture is but a second away.

“I’m sorry there isn’t better news. We will keep you informed as we receive updates.”

Volsung ceded the meeting to another elder and sat watching the reaction of the collected dragons and shifters before him. They were terrified, as they should be. If any of them shifted unexpectedly, and did not have a friend, lover or mate nearby, the two-leggeds would be thrilled to incarcerate and dissect them as scientific discoveries. He was sure his meeting, in a week or so, would present solutions. After all, the Ancient council had been convening for 3,000 years; surely, this wasn’t a new issue.

The younger leader had the misfortune of conducting the business part of the meeting. After Volsung’s announcement, the crowd was buzzing with the news they most feared—their world was in danger of being exposed. The buzzing soon rose to a boisterous roar.

Oleif Crosby let loose with a raucous bellow. “Ladies—gentlemen. I realize the numbing boredom of official business can’t compare to the upsetting pronouncement of Master Volsung, but it is necessary. Please — save your speculations until the end of the meeting. Thank you.”

Droning on with numbers and projections of IDN business, Oleif wasted no time in concluding his portion of the meeting. The continuous shuffling of feet and coughing had barely covered the underlying tension filling the room.

“That’s the end of my portion of the program. As Master Volsung said, we need to be more careful out there,” he raised a talon and swept the room from side to side, “Locate a partner and be ever vigilant about your surroundings. The Master will be back from his council meeting in a month. At that time, we’ll send a message with a time for another gathering or with a news update.

“Meeting adjourned.”

The level of noise rose to a deafening dissonance punctuated by waves of alarm. Couples clung to each other, eyes narrowed in slender slits of apprehension. Each pair of dragons Dagmar and Petra passed murmured lowly, heads together, ceasing when another pair would walk within earshot.

Marriage, lifemate, cohabitate—words seldom used in this setting normally were bandied about freely.

Dagmar turned to Petra. “Do you want to stay here tonight or do you want to change and go home?”

The little dragon clutched his arm. “I feel more at ease in this form. Can we stay here and discuss what we’re going to do?”

He leaned over and brushed a delicate kiss across her forehead. “Of course. You’ve given me the gift of my life by agreeing to be my lifemate, how can I deny you anything?”

Lavender eyes brimming with unshed tears peered up at him. “Thank you.”

Dagmar had wanted to discuss their life together, but not under these circumstances. The pronouncement the Ancient One had dropped on the gathering had taken the joy of youth away. He’d not set a complete course for his life beyond pairing with Petra but fighting for the survival of his species hadn’t been in the top ten of his list.

Dagmar gazed at his mate and wondered. Is this what my father faced?

He knew his father had been a heroic warrior during the Mage wars of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries—his grandmere was always telling him of wild and dangerous deeds Branstock had accomplished. He faced a similar future. His mother never spoke of the man who sired him but when grandmere would get started on the tales of his father’s odyssey, his mother’s eyes would take on that far away look and a tender smile would form on her lips.

The task ahead held the same danger—not with swords and armor but even more challenging. He’d be forced to use wit and cunning to keep himself and his ladylove from the worst end possible—slow death by imprisonment and dissection.

Dagmar reached down and clasped Petra’s talon in his. “Shall we?”

 

~ * ~

 

Tomorrow I'll continue with the next chapter of the Scandinavian Dragons. See you then!

The Angels Present: Back To School and Homework Time

Choose The Write Path!

It's Check In Day.

Time to pay the piper! How did you do? How much did you write? Did words explode on your WIP?

This is the Rogue's Angels weekly check-in. Every Thursday we encourage the Angels and visitors to let us know how their writing is going.

How well are you doing?

Had problems this week? That's ok. Just sit down this coming week and write. Whatever you do, don't let difficulties from the week before get in your way this week.

Every word is one word closer to the finished product.

Writing my last chapter of Highland Sunrise. Will finish it next week. This week lots of family and lots of baby sitting. Had family fun at Enchanted Forest and we're giving Austin Baker and his girlfriend Mel a going away party. What fun, but I feel sorry for his mother who will have to find a way to visit Ottawa.

Sweet Sexy Sadie will be released in one month and three days. I'm not counting down. Received the RT add for Sweet Sexy Sadie and the Purrfect Picture today. It will be up in the October edition which should be out in August. Hoping for great sales.

 Happy writing.

How was your week?