Chapter 6
1750 Words
6
I awoke to the gentle sound of waves against soft sand. Sunlight streamed into our bedroom as I lay on my side. I stretched and opened my eyes.
The flat spot beside me was empty. The covers showed obvious signs of use, but the person who used them was gone. I touched the sheets. Slightly warm. He must have left within the last half hour.
I sat up and rubbed one eye as I looked over our spacious chamber. The dresser, bed and a small table were all carved from gray driftwood, giving the room an aged appearance. The walls were an aged oak from the forests that surrounded the serene valley. I breathed in deep and leapt from the bed. My wrinkled clothes from previous evening stared at me from the floor. A few minutes dressing and I was ready to hunt for my dragon lord.
I slipped out of the bedroom and down the hall to the foyer. My feet barely made a sound. Nothing else in the house did. I reached the front door and grasped the handle.
“Xander is in the other direction.” I yelped and spun around to find Spiros standing not more than two feet behind me. He had a mischievous smile on his face as he bowed his head to me. “Good morning, My Lady.”
I clutched my chest over my heart and glared at him. “Are you trying a royal assassination through scaring me to death?”
He raised his eyes to me and shook his head. “I would never dream of frightening you, My Lady.”
I dropped my hand and eyed him with suspicion. “Uh-uh. You said Xander was somewhere?”
He stepped aside and gestured to the hall that led to the patio. “He is on the beach to the south of the house. Would you care for me to lead you?”
I snorted. “No. You might finish the job. I’ll go find him.”
I strode past the mischievous captain and down the hall to the patio. The area was empty, but I walked to the railing and leaned out for a view of the beach some eight feet below me. To my right and some fifty feet off sat Xander. He was perched at the bottom of the slope and atop one of the few large rocks that were found scattered over the length of the beach. I climbed down the stone steps to the sand and crunched over to him.
I expected to find the dragon lord in some pensive reverie as he looked out over the sand to the water that gently lapped against the beach. Instead, his head was tilted down so he stared at his hands that were upright in his lap. My foot kicked a pebble and sent it clattering across its brethren. He looked up from his work and smiled even as he hid one hand on his other side.
“You have risen early,” he commented as I plopped down beside him.
“I thought I’d start a new habit,” I returned as I leaned forward to look at his other side. He drew his hand back into my view. It was empty.
He chuckled. “You are a horrible liar.”
I nodded at his side. “What do you got there?”
Xander shook his head. “Nothing of importance.”
I snorted. “You’re a horrible liar, and you shouldn’t keep secrets from your Maiden.”
He chuckled. “This would be the most appropriate place to do so.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
He nodded at the waters. “In the ancient tongue of Cayden’s people this bay is called Bha na Ruin.”
“And the means what?” I asked him.
“It means ‘Bay of Secrets.’”
I leaned back and grinned. “Nice name, but I think you’re just trying to distract me from what you’re hiding in your pocket.”
He bowed his head. “I will accept your comment without argument, but I am glad you have come.” He stood and wiped the sand off him before he stretched out his hand to me. “I was about to inquire about our dinner when you arrived. Care to join me?”
I furrowed my brow, but took his hand. “I’d rather walk along the beach.”
Xander smiled and drew me against him as we set off in the opposite direction of the house and toward the southern cliff. “That is exactly what I intend us to do.”
I jerked my head over my shoulder. “Shouldn’t we be heading that way for the kitchen?”
He shook his head. “No. On this trip our kitchen is the vast expanse of water.”
I glanced past him at the calm, glistening bay water. “I hope you’re not implying that everyone is going to rely on me for their dinner because we might have a starvation mutiny on our hands.”
Xander nodded at small sailing ship that navigated through the cliffs and broke the calm bay waters. It drew up beside a dock to which Xander led me. “I believe that until we have fully tested your skills we will rely on a more seasoned provider.”
Dreail hopped from the ship onto the dock with a thick rope in one hand. He bent down beside a thick post and tied up the rope faster than I tied my shoelaces.
I looked up at Xander as we walked down the noisy planks. “Is he already done fishing?”
“Yes. He leaves in the early morning hours and returns shortly after the sunrise.”
Dreail glanced up and squinted at us. His face brightened when he saw our faces, and he stood and gave a slight nod. “Good morning to you, My Lord. What can I do for you?”
“We wish to purchase some fish from you, provided the catch was good,” Xander told him.
Dreail nodded. “As good a catch as any.” He stepped into the ship and lifted the lid of a wood box. Inside flopped dozens of fish of various sizes. “You can pick out whatever you like from it.”
Xander looked to me and gestured to the box of wriggling life. “Care to do the honors?”
I held up one hand and shook my head. “No thanks. I prefer to pick out my food from a plate.”
He chuckled and stepped onto the ship. I glanced down the dock at the parting of the cliffs. My mind wandered back to Beriadan’s advice: If you wish to know yourself, seek out Valtameri. He will know your lineage.
I walked down the planks to the end of the dock. A ladder some five feet on the right side of the dock led down into the water. The depth was so great that I couldn’t see the bottom. There was only darkness. That darkness held answers. All I had to do was be brave enough and catch the attention of the big fish of the sea.
A strong gust blew over me. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped off the dock.
That deep breath was probably what saved my life. I plunged feet-first into the cool water of the bay. My head was submerged, but my natural buoyancy brought me back to the surface. Pity nothing else of me wanted to cooperate. I still didn’t know how to swim. My arms flailed about me and my legs kicked together. The result was I was sinking, and fast.
I reached for the dock, but the waves drew me away and toward the far shore. The water splashed over me and I swallowed a filling dose. “Help!”
Xander glanced over his shoulder. A coy smile slipped onto his face as he stepped onto the dock and knelt at the edge close by where I floundered. “It appears we are both keeping secrets. Have you taught yourself to swim without my knowing?”
I took in another gulp of water that made me sputter. “No!”
Xander’s eyes widened a half second before he swan-dove into the water. He barely left a wake which was good because I couldn’t handle the tiniest of splashes. My head went under and the weight of my wet clothes made sure I stayed under. I watched Xander swim to me as swift as a fish. He wrapped his arm around me and kicked. We broke the surface and I gasped for air.
Xander drew us over to the ladder and pushed me against the rungs. Dreail was there to help me up the thin strips of wood and onto the dock. I collapsed atop the boards and Xander soon knelt beside me. A coughing fit overtook me. I stretched my neck out and spit up a cup of water.
Xander rubbed my back. “Are you injured at all?”
I managed to get my fit mostly under control and glanced over my shoulder at him. “You’re-cough-asking that a lot-cough-on this trip.”
He smiled. “It is only because I care.”
“Your Lady has taken a lot of water,” Dreail commented.
“I’ll be fine,” I choked out as I sat up. I managed a weak, shaky smile at the pair of men. “Just give me a towel and a nice spot in the sun and I’ll be fine.”
“I will escort you back to the house,” Xander offered as he helped me to my feet. He glanced at Dreail. “If you would oblige me by waiting, I will return for the fish.”
Dreail bowed his head. “No harm waiting a while, My Lord. I will be hauling them to my house and you can choose them there.”
“Then we will see you within the hour,” Xander promised.
My dragon lord swept me into his arms and carried me across the dock toward land. I glared at him. “I’m wet, not paralyzed. Let me walk.”
“Your legs are unsteady, and I would rather you were set down on land,” he argued.
I glared, but movement behind us caught my attention. I glanced over his shoulder at the solitary fisherman. “Does Dreail have any family?”
Xander looked ahead as he shook his head. “None that I know of, though I have heard that in his youth he dallied a great deal with human and dragon women.”
I grinned. “So he could have some children somewhere?”
“It is possible.”
I leaned forward close to Xander’s face and studied him. “You don’t happen to have any dragon children flying around somewhere, do you?”
He smiled and his mischievous eyes flickered to me. “Do you wish to meet them?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned. “That better be a joke.”
He chuckled. “Very much so. While I have dallied, I have not sired anyone, at least not to my knowledge.” His eyes flickered down to me and his smile took a lecherous turn. “Though I am eager to sire a child.”
I spread my arms and let the water drip off them. “Let’s wait until I’m not covered in seawater.”
- Writer
