I am Dragon (Dragon Fires Rising Book 2) Marc Secchia (most read books .TXT) 📖

“As long as you promise not to harm so much as a mouse while we’re down there, be my guest. This is an official royal visit with a kingdom that might very soon be allied with mine through marriage. For my brother’s sake, best behaviour. You too, Chalice.”

The Dragoness winked. “As you command, Highness.”

“Or, if they threaten you …”

“Oh, for pity’s sake, Dragon, would you just get on with strutting your stuff?” Azania cried. “Aye, you are handsome! Aye, you’re so huge my eyes water just thinking about it! Aye, you’re a fire breathing, muscle-stuffed egomaniac … we understand all of this! Block your ears, everyone, because mister pompous over here just has to show off his masculinity!”

“The word you’re looking for is, ‘draculinity.’ ”

“Whatever!”

Cupping his paws to his mouth, he voiced a cry that was more sonorous and haunting than he had expected. He almost cut it off in surprise. What was this? But then his usual thunder reasserted itself, and he boomed, I AM DRAGON!!

Ah, rattle those windowpanes and shake behind locked doors, puny Humans!

Two Dragons were flying to town.

Chapter 13: Royal Visit

THE CAPTAIN OF THE Watch bowed with faultless formality. “To what do we owe the honour, Dragons?”

His men, however, continued to hide behind a wedge of shields. Dragon wanted to be genteel and point out that their armour would not exactly save them from becoming hot tinned food, should the fancy take him. Darn it. Why, by his itching wings, had he agreed to behave himself?

Oh, just a talon’s width of fun. Why not?

He raised his forepaw for Azania. “Your Highness?”

Despite the dripping cloak and waterlogged boots, his progressive royal was never one to miss the opportunity to seize an occasion by the scruff of its neck.

She stepped regally onto his palm. “Honoured Dragon.”

He conveyed her to ground level, whereupon she nonchalantly stepped off as if they had practised this manoeuvre a thousand times, glanced about as if she owned the very heavens, and bowed formally to the guards.

“Good sirs, I am Her Royal Highness the Princess Azania of T’nagru, here on an official royal visit to my sister-to-be, the Princess Yuali of Amboraine.”

“Your Highness,” said he, bowing once more. “How may I best serve you?”

Ooh. He wanted a few servants to call his own. Maybe a royal butler. And fifty staff! This man pleased his draconic hearts very much indeed.

“I should greatly appreciate it if you would appraise King Harilan of our presence. Please convey our apologies for the unannounced nature of our visit and our mode of arrival. The Dragons will harm nothing and no-one here during our stay. You have my word of honour.”

“And mine,” Chalice cooed, looking his men over.

They shrank back a step. Two actually fainted, slumping to the cobblestones with resounding clangs of their helmets.

“Is this normal?” she inquired.

The Captain appeared utterly unfazed. “They’ll recover. Cohort! I want two men to run to the castle at the double, two to alert the battlement leaders, and four to inform the town criers that the populace should not be afraid of the Dragons. The rest of you, form an honour guard for our visitors. Follow me, Your Highness. I should be grateful to receive all of your names to ensure that you may be announced properly. The King was injured whilst out visiting the villages to the east, I regret to report, and thus has been delayed. He should arrive tomorrow.”

“I am sorry. Will he recover?”

The Captain said, “Highness, the injury is said to be grave. His horse slipped and fell upon his leg.”

“My sister is a magical healer. If we can be of any help at all …”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Another Human warren. The streets through which the escort led them were not large to begin with, and matters did not improve. Each house was two to three levels in elevation, the lower being made of solid stone blocks, while the upper floors were made of dark timber frames that contrasted prettily with the whitewashed filling between. For Dragon, the issue was that the upper one or two floors of the houses overhung the road at crazy angles, almost as if the buildings leaned together in conspiratorial conversation. His shoulders did not appreciate the conversation quite so much.

“Grr, sorry about your house,” he growled, setting another building creaking upon its foundations. The person who had been peering out of the upper window fell back with a low cry. Another fainting episode?

Chalice said, “You might need to fly up to the castle, Dragon.”

“I will not leave my Princess.”

“I’ll watch over her.”

The Dragoness fit. Looking ahead … he stood no chance. Not even if he slunk along on his belly, which was not happening. Seat for Princess’ rump, aye. Crawling, no. Even he had his limits – not many, nowadays, but there it was. He did not want to break down anyone’s dwelling.

He said, “Try not to make too many of them faint. Yarimda –”

“I’ll continue riding, if it’s all the same to you, Dragon. It’s been a long day’s travel.”

“I’ll sit with you, grandmother,” Yardi decided at once. “Inzashu, you walk with your sister and try not to look quite so amazed at all these pale faces around you.”

She giggled. “Was I staring?”

“They’re all staring at you – probably never seen a black person in their lives. Act normal. They’ll soon figure out you’re a real flesh and blood person.”

“Smile like me, and hope yours doesn’t make them faint,” Dragon said helpfully. “See you up top, Princesses.”

After switching about, he walked back to the nearest open space, a communal fountain, and decided he could make the jump without risk of random demolition. “Watch out, folks. Hold onto your hair.”

As he coiled and sprang upward, he