Dragon Mates: Dragon Knights (The Sea Captain's Daughter Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  Dragon Knights

  The Sea Captain’s Daughter Trilogy, Book 3

  Dragon Mates

  by

  Bianca D’Arc

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Copyright © 2017 Bianca D’Arc

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Dragon Mates

  The Sea Captain’s Daughter Trilogy, Book 3

  The pirate Fisk is on the loose with a dangerous artifact and Seth, Livia, Gowan and their dragon friends must get it back. The very future of not just their land, but all people everywhere, is at stake. They’ll dodge pirates, bar fights, and undue interest from unsavory characters to fulfill their mission. And the dragons will risk everything to help.

  But at the end of the day, will the blind dragon be able to come to terms with his disability enough to embrace the future—and the love—that is waiting for him? Can he take Seth as his knight partner and Genlitha as his mate, solidifying the union between humans and dragons?

  Or will it all fall apart, and evil prevail?

  Only the dragon knows…

  DEDICATION

  First and foremost, I’d like to dedicate this final book in the trilogy to my family, and especially my Dad, who, at 91, is still looking after me more than the other way around. This isn’t exactly the way we expected things to go, but I’m glad to have gotten to know my Dad so much better over these past seven years since we lost Mom. We both still miss her every single day, but I’ve learned a lot about dealing with loss and soldiering on from my World War II veteran Dad. He’s still teaching me valuable life lessons, even now. I love you, Dad.

  I’d also like to thank my editor, Jess, and my good friend, Peggy, who both helped to whip this manuscript into shape. You guys are both wonderful and I’m blessed to have your help with these projects. Hugs.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from The Bear’s Healing Touch

  About the Author

  Other Books by Bianca D’Arc

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Word is, Fisk has gone to ground, Captain,” Bernard, one of the minstrel spies traveling with O’Dare’s fleet of vessels, reported to him aboard ship in the wee hours of the morning.

  Captain O’Dare had been on the trail of the pirate named Fisk since leaving Gryphon Isle the week before. The trail had been fouled with magic, but the fair folk spies the last of the great wizards, Gryffid, had put aboard O’Dare’s ships had helped with that. Fey were said to have natural abilities with magic, and O’Dare believed it now after watching some of the fey warriors at work.

  Bernard was a prime example. He was tall and blond like the rest of the fey O’Dare had come to know in the days since sailing from Gryphon Isle. And, like them all, he had a pleasant speaking voice. Bernard also played stringed instruments and knew a fair repertoire—from the bawdiest drinking songs to court ballads. He was a chameleon of sorts as well.

  O’Dare had seen him fit into every environment they’d investigated up and down the coast the past week or more since they’d been hunting for sign of Captain Fisk on land. His ships had to have put ashore somewhere. O’Dare intended to find out where and follow the bastard like a hound on a scent.

  What Fisk had stolen was too important. What he’d done to get it had been too foul. Setting loose a fleet of pirate ships on Dragonscove—O’Dare’s hometown, where his daughter, his only living relative, lived—and on several other towns along the southern coast of Draconia was bad enough. But the fact that it was all a feint for his real mission was despicable.

  Fisk’s real goal was to steal the book. An ancient tome of magic kept these centuries past in the last wizard’s library. How Fisk had managed to get past the wizard Gryffid’s powerful wards was still an open question, but there was no doubt he had. The book had gone missing while the inhabitants of Gryphon Isle—fair folk and gryphons—and a few brave humans who’d answered the call, along with a handful of dragons, fought off an all-out assault on their beaches.

  It had all been a ruse. A distraction to keep anyone from noticing the infiltrators who had stolen into the wizard’s keep and taken the book. A powerful book that could wreak havoc on the entire world. A book that could release the imprisoned evil wizards biding their time in ice at the top of the world, in a mystical place known as the Citadel.

  “He came ashore here? Are you certain?” O’Dare asked Bernard. This was the first crumb they’d found of Fisk’s trail since leaving the island.

  “The ships didn’t come into port, but he must’ve rowed in on a lifeboat because the innkeeper at the Lazy Arms down by the west dock swears he saw him last night while he was putting out the refuse. Sneaking through the yard, he was, or so the innkeeper claimed.”

  “Do you believe his account?” O’Dare asked. He could only hope the fair folk had some way of divining the truth. They were magical folk, but O’Dare didn’t know enough about their abilities yet to know how much weight to put on their information.

  “It rang of truth,” Bernard said now. O’Dare eyed him carefully.

  “Is there some way you can know for certain? Some magic…?”

  Bernard sighed. “Only the magic of living over three hundred years, Captain, and spending most of them as a spy for my lord Gryffid. I know truth when I hear it. If the information is false, it is because the innkeeper was deceived in what he saw. The report he gave is true as he saw it. Whether or not our foe would go to such lengths to plant a false trail on the off chance that we would talk to this precise man, I cannot say. You know Fisk better than any of us.”

  Three hundred years? O’Dare knew intellectually that the fair folk lived long enough that most humans thought they were immortal, but being faced with it in such an outright way still jarred him. O’Dare cleared his throat.

  “Forgive me, Master Bernard, I didn’t mean to question your skills.”

  “Aye, you did, lad, and you’ve a right to do so under the circumstances.” Bernard sighed again, running one hand through his blond hair. The man didn’t look a day older than O’Dare’s own forty years, and yet, he was the elder by centuries. It was hard to fathom. “We’ve not traveled long together, but I respect your skills as a man of the s
ea, Captain. I hope, with time, you’ll learn you can trust my skills as well.”

  O’Dare relaxed and turned to a side table in his cabin, reaching for the decanter and glasses he kept there. He poured two glasses of port and handed one to the minstrel.

  “It’s a hell of a situation, Master Bernard. I hope you’ll forgive the folly of what you must see as youth. I am used to being the old man on my crew. It’s going to take some adjustment, working with you ancient fellows.” O’Dare smiled to soften his words, hoping the man would take them in the manner in which they were meant.

  Bernard reached for the glass and gave O’Dare a relaxed sort of smile. It seemed all would be well between them. O’Dare felt relieved. He’d have a much better chance at catching his archnemesis, Fisk, with the fair folk’s help than without it.

  He invited Bernard to sit and they talked over the events of the evening, trying to devise a plan for locating Fisk. O’Dare vowed to find the bastard, and then…to kill him.

  *

  Livia O’Dare laughed as she raced down the beach, playing a game with Flurrthith, the young gryphon. Flurrthith had become a good friend since they’d traveled together from the mainland to Gryphon Isle. He’d been such a brave messenger for his people, who were under attack. He’d been the only one they could send, who could make it out, running the blockade of ships and pirates armed with deadly diamond-tipped weapons.

  Small and agile, Flurrthith had not only made it past the pirate fleet, but he’d flown all the way to Dragonscove to summon help for his people. The leadership of the dragon knights, the men who had run the Lair until very recently, had turned him down, but Livia and her friends had answered the call. Since then, she and the two men—the apprentice healer from the Lair named Seth, and a knight named Gowan—and the dragoness, Genlitha, along with another knight-and-dragon pair, young Leo and Xanderanth, but most of all, the blind dragon, Hrardorr, had been on the island, helping out.

  Hrardorr was part sea dragon, and despite his disability, he’d been instrumental in taking down the pirate fleet. He’d also befriended a group of pure-blooded sea dragons who had helped considerably, attacking the ships from below. They couldn’t breathe fire like Hrardorr and the other land dragons, but they definitely did their part as the unseen enemy attacking from below.

  “Flurrthith! Give it back!” Livia cried out, laughing as she ran after the young gryphon who had teasingly made off with her scarf. It blew in the wind, clasped carefully in his beak as he pranced away from her over the sand.

  Flurrthith passed her scarf off to a young sea dragon child, and Livia had to chase the other youngster who was using her little wings to help propel her along. She was almost a baby, but Flurrthith let her play with him. He had a kind heart, did Flurrthith, and the baby sea dragon was utterly adorable. Her name was Zeranelia, Zera for short, and she was the baby sister of Xanderanth’s new mate, Shara.

  That Xander was a land dragon and Shara a sea dragon had been quite the talk of the island there for a while, but once Gryffid had given his blessing to the mating, and young Leo, who was Xander’s knight partner, was also granted permission to marry Lizbet, a fey healer soul-bonded to Shara, it all worked out. Shara’s parents had come ashore to bless the union as well, and they’d brought Shara’s little sister, Zera, who had quickly captured everyone’s hearts, two-legged and four-footed alike.

  Little Zera stopped and faced Livia, waiting for her. Zera’s kind heart wouldn’t allow her to play keep-away for a long period of time. She turned and presented the scarf back to Livia, who accepted it with due ceremony.

  “Here’s your scarf, Livy. It’s okay if you keep it.” Zera’s little voice came to Livia in her mind. She was one of the rare human females who could hear dragons’ silent speech, which came in handy, seeing as how she was friendly with so many dragons.

  “You are very sweet to give it back to me, Zera. But what if I want to give it to you? Would you like that?”

  In truth, Livia had brought the colorful length of fabric for the toddler. Her tender little feet weren’t quite used to sand and rocks yet, since she hadn’t spent much time ashore in her young life. She’d received an injury to her right foot the day before, and Livia thought it would help to cover the foot with something soft. And being that Zera was female, it should be pretty too, Livia thought.

  She’d presented her needs to the fey weaver in the marketplace, and that venerable woman had come up with the perfect length of fabric, which Zera held now. Livia could see the way the young dragon was stroking the cloth with the pads of her fingers—the soft parts on the inside, under her small talons. She liked the cloth, Livia could tell.

  “Truly?” Zera’s big eyes blinked. Oh, yes, she definitely liked it.

  “Yes. Well and truly. I bought it for you, for your booboo. I thought maybe if we put this over the bandage Lizbet put on for you, it would make it prettier and feel softer against your scales. And when your booboo is healed, you can use it in other ways, like to sleep on or throw over your shoulders if you feel a chill. There are many uses a girl can think of for a length of pretty cloth, and I want this one to be yours. What do you say?” Livia tilted her head in question, smiling softly at the child.

  Flurrthith had come over and was watching over Livia’s shoulder.

  “How doess your foot feel today, Zera?” Flurrthith asked, his beak interfering with the letter S as it did for most gryphons when they spoke aloud.

  “It still hurts,” Zera admitted. “Lizbet looked at it and replaced the bandage just a little while ago. She said it’s healing, but I have to be careful.”

  Livia wanted to smile. Zera’s tone made being careful sound akin to being in prison. Livia remembered feeling that way as a child too. Perhaps all children had that in common.

  “Why don’t you sit down and I can wrap this around your leg. It will cushion your injury a little more, and in case you forget to be careful, you won’t hurt yourself again, all right?”

  Zera plopped down onto her little dragon butt, her tail stretched out behind her in the sand, her little feet sticking up. Livia could see the bandage and the waterproof wrap Lizbet had put over it. Livia intended to reuse the waterproof layer at the very bottom so Zera could still walk on her foot without ruining the fabric, but the wrap would cushion everything a bit more, and the colors and texture would please the patient.

  Livia had asked Seth’s advice before buying the fabric, and he’d told her they often did such things in the Lair, especially for the younger patients. Seth had invaluable experience treating dragons, and he was teaching Lizbet as much as he could, but she hadn’t consulted him on this yet, and Livia wanted to do something nice for Zera, anyway.

  Livia unwrapped the waterproof layer and brushed it free of sand, setting it aside for use after she added the new soft and colorful wrap. She worked through the wrapping process the way Seth had told her to do it, and was pleased with the results. The two ends of the long swath of fabric tied off in a showy bow, much to Zera’s delight. Livia quickly replaced the waterproof layer, folding it into a sort of walking sole or bootie just on the lower part of Zera’s foot, talking all the while to the youngsters.

  Flurrthith was watching everything with his hawk-like eyes. He was a curious child with a keen mind.

  “Will that make it heal fasster?” he asked Livia, nodding to the colorful wrapping.

  “Not faster, but more comfortably. And it’s pretty too. Isn’t it, Zera?”

  Zera looked down at her leg, examining the fabric and the big bow. “Oh, yes. I like it very much. Thank you, Livy! You’re the best human female I know.”

  Livia had to laugh. “I’m the only human female you know, sweetheart, but I’m flattered.”

  “What about when I go in the water? Will this get ruined?” Zera asked, the thought apparently just having occurred to her.

  “No, that’s the best part,” Livia told the dragonet. “The weaver assured me that the colors are fast and will not be ruined by water. Al
so, the weave is particularly tight, and the fabric itself has been treated to repel water. The weaver believed that it would not become waterlogged and weigh you down. But you’re supposed to keep your foot dry for another day or two, right? Isn’t that was Lizbet told you?”

  Zera nodded solemnly. “She said she didn’t want my booboo to get ‘fected.”

  “Infected,” Livia corrected the child, nodding kindly. “When something gets infected, it hurts even worse and doesn’t heal for a long time, so you don’t want that. And it’s not so bad up here on land, is it?” Livia caressed the dragonet’s cheek affectionately, rubbing up behind her ears the way Livia had come to learn Zera liked.

  “No, it’s nice. I like the sand pit. And I like playing with Flurrthith, and you, Livy.” Some of Zera’s enthusiasm was returning. “And I really like learning to fly.”

  Under her parents’ watchful eye, Xanderanth was showing Zera how to catch the wind under her little wings. She’d accomplished short hops over the dunes that made her trumpet in childish delight. She probably wouldn’t fly any real distance for months yet, Seth had told Livia when she’d asked, but these little hops were important on the way to learning. He’d seen it in the Lair, with the few dragon children they’d had there during his lifetime.

  The sea dragons, surprisingly, were good fliers once they got the hang of air. Most of them stayed beneath the waves as a general rule, but they knew how to fly in air, if need be. It was a skill they learned as children, but didn’t use very often.

  Once they started flying with the gryphons, they proved to be strong and fast, if not very accurate. Xanderanth was as strong, if not stronger than they were, even though their wing muscles had been built up against the resistance of water, which was much greater than air. Still, Xander had dexterity and control over fine movements that they lacked, and he was looked to as a teacher for those sea dragons who wanted to learn better control in the air.