Dragon’s Weir Read online

  Dragon’s Weir

  By

  Stephanie

  Burke

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Dragon’s Weir by Stephanie Burke

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  Publishing with a touch of Class! ™

  The symbol of the Red Rose and Red Rose is a trademark of Red Rose™ Publishing

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  Copyright© 2009 Stephanie Burke

  ISBN: 978-1-60435-384-6

  Cover Artist: Sheba Productions

  Editor: Lea Schizas

  Line Editor: WRFG

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you cannot trade, sell or give any ebooks away.

  This is a work of fiction. All references to real places, people, or events are coincidental, and if not coincidental, are used fictitiously. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

  Red Rose™ Publishing

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  Dragon’s Weir

  Stephanie Burke

  Chapter One

  “Star!” an exasperated voice called out. “Where are you, Star? We have things we need to do!”

  “I don’t wanna go!”

  Sure she sounded spoiled and petulant, but how would you sound if someone wanted to drag you…totally devoid of clothing, out where everyone could see you?

  Zol spotted a few electric blue curls peeking out from under a pile of silks and furs.

  “What objection do you have to getting clean?” he demanded, his golden eyes blazing as he slammed his fists on his hips. “The smell of sex is quite inviting when you are actually having it,” he sniffed insultingly. “But the moment it’s over with, the smell of sex is just rank!”

  “I am not rank!” Star hissed, trying to squirm deeper into the pile of silks. Why couldn’t they invest in some real furniture? Hiding like this was ridiculous. She knew parts of her were sticking out, the rear parts…but, but…She refused to go down, or rather, out without a fight!

  “You are rank!” Zol tossed hanks of his hair behind his head in exasperation, rolling his eyes up as if to pray to the Ghods for guidance. “Basin baths are not enough!”

  “I used soap!” Star insisted, not giving one inch. “And I wash daily!”

  “You need to sink your female ass into some water!” Zol was so frustrated that he was fairly dancing in place. “You need a total wash! I refuse to let this Quad become known as the house of stink because of some cracked female!”

  Indignant, Star poked her head out of the silks, her brown eyes blazing. “What did you call me?”

  “A cracked female!” Zol screamed, face turning quite red despite his dark complexion. “An egg that cracked before the whole brain could develop! A female who is not quite done! A female who’s thought processes are askew! A female….”

  “Screw you, Zol!” Star screamed, her eyes narrowing more and more with each of his words. “Just who do you think you are?”

  “A Second whose poor nose is being burned off by your stench while trying to breath in his own home!”

  “I do not stink!”

  “Well, then you tell me what that dark cloud following you is, cause it sure smells like the stink of unwashed body to me!”

  “But I don’t smell anything!” Star wailed.

  “Because your senses are retarded,” Zol’s eyes narrowed while glaring at his suddenly reticent charge. The night before it was spread those legs as wide as they would go. Today it was cower in fear. Females were ridiculous! “It’s from being reared with those strange humans! Trust me, anyone on this aerie can smell what you and Zen have been up to!”

  That caused a flush of embarrassment to redden her checks, which clashed horribly with her hair. Star looked down at her bare body, sniffed, and shook her head. She could still smell nothing.

  “Do I really stink?” she asked, pouting, her bottom lip quivering as she raised her head to stare with huge liquid eyes at the older dark haired dragon.

  Zolamel huffed softly at seeing the hurt in her face as her eyes grew glassy with unshed tears. How could he put this in a way as not to damage her already fragile ego?

  “Yes!”

  He had no pity for the stinky and unwashed.

  “Fine!” Star bellowed, anger moving her to toss aside the silks she had been hiding behind and rise to her feet. She chose to ignore the deep frown that slowly formed on Zol’s face like the harbinger of a bad storm to speak her mind. “So I stink! Big deal! You and Father are the ones responsible for that stink with your performance last night, Zol! And I did not hear you complaining about my smell then, big man. I am not going to some damn bathhouse naked! You want me to go, you provide me with some clothing!”

  She stomped her bare foot, emphasizing her point, not noticing that his frown turned into a leer as her breasts bounced in righteous indignation. “And as the one who will control this Quad should something happen to Kyo, I am stating my words as law! There will be no nude traveling! If you want me to leave this aerie,” she paused as another thought filled her head. They were always naked, the males. And that meant that any female could gaze upon what was hers! Oh no! No—no cracked-brain female was going to get a good look at what the Ghods gifted to her! This rampant nudity had to be stopped! “If any of us leave this aerie, we will leave it clothed! Are my words understood, Zolamel? Clothed!”

  Five minutes later, a scowling Star was being flown quite naked in the arms of a huge black dragon to the bathing house, on her way for first contact with her new people.

  Chapter Two

  “This place is…huge,” Star pouted as Zol gently sat her on the warm marble panel that made up the floor of the bathhouse.

  “Well, its not like the Dragonish are a small lot,” Zol pointed out, his large talons clicking on the polished floor as he moved around his female. “And we told you once that the human skin is our secondary form. We all much prefer to be in our natural state.”

  “Well,” Star spoke softly, almost reverently as she studied the large columns and the domed ceiling pained with fantasy pictures of mystical animals and plants. The humans she grew up with never had anything like this, and if they did, it was sure to have been reserved as some sort of religious building, an homage to their Ghods. She doubted that the normal everyday folk would be allowed inside, except for special ceremonies. Only the „learned’ would have been allowed within these seemingly hallowed halls. “This sure is a pretty place. Where is the tub?”

  With a puff of smoke, the large gold eyes dragon disappeared and the tall naked brown-skinned man took its place.

  “Honestly, Star,” he sighed, gripping her hand in his large one and tugging her forward. “This is just the entrance hall. The bathing chambers are inside.”

  “Oh,” she sniffed. “And just how was I supposed to know that? You never explained that to me.”

  “Looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me to get you ready for the second mating and ritual.”

  “But I am already mated,” she reminded him as they walked deeper into the amazingly light filled room.

  “Remember my mate, your b
rother, Zel?”

  “That was the first mating,” he spoke slowly as if he was speaking to an imbecile. “Now you have to have your second mating and the ritual which will enable us to bear.”

  “Eggs,” Star sighed, wondering just how this whole laying thing was supposed to work.

  “Well, eggs are better than trying to push out a full grown dragon,” Zol chuckled. “Though, as the one to bear a female, I would get the better side of this mating.”

  “So I give birth to the males,” she sighed, shaking her head at the complexities of her new life.

  “That is why your sex is so prized. Without you, there would be no male Dragonish left! Females are prized, as well, but one is dependant on the other. I believe that it makes up for your inability to change shape. This balances out the sexes, no one sex is greater than the other. It makes for a peaceful life.”

  “If you say so,” Star followed along, knowing there was a lot she had to get used to before she could consider this place her home.

  She stepped forward, then froze, her eyes widening as she caught a glimpse of the vastness of the building. But it was not the high ceilings and multiple marble benches that caught her attention. It was the fact that almost every corner of this room was filled…with Dragonish, mostly in their primary form.

  There were huge dragons all over the place, some lounging in massive tubs of steaming water, some in repose in corridors, some being massaged and oiled by smaller dragons. But all were huge massive lizards, darkly colored and glinting in the light of the place.

  “My Ghod,” Star froze, never realizing how comfortable she had become in her own little aerie with her personal Quad. She had sunk into the mindset that she and her mates were totally isolated, that she had landed into her own personal paradise. The sheer about of Dragonish in this bathhouse reminded her suddenly of how narrow her thinking had been and acted like a brick of reality, slamming into the middle of her forehead.

  They were not alone. They were not uncommon. There was a whole new world of these strange folk and suddenly, she was in the middle, up to her eyes in a new culture and a new way of life.

  It made her want to go running back to her pile of silks and furs.

  “We shower first, to get the bad stink of good sex off you,” Zol went on talking as he spoke, not realizing that his charge was not behind him until he didn’t get a sarcastic response for his thinly veiled insult. He froze, looking around to see what had happened to his female, and spotted her standing at the entrance, a shocked wild look upon her face.

  “Star?” he called out, slowly backtracking towards her. “Star? What ever is the matter?”

  “Too many,” she breathed, her pupils dilating as she stared around her. “They are everywhere!”

  “Of course,” Zol was trying to understand her sudden fright. With the spirit she possessed, he expected her to take over the house, kicking out Quads who got in her way. She started to shake like she did at the mention of the dreaded Scab. “We are a whole race of people, not as prolific as humans, but hale and hearty, never the less.”

  “But…but so many…”

  “They won’t hurt you, Star,” he explained as she grew more skittish as the Dragonish in the room began to notice them, their jewel-toned eyes curious as they watched this new taboo unfolding.

  “They are…looking at me.”

  “You are a new entity here,” Zol smiled softly, garnering some insight to her issue. “But you are perfectly safe. No one will dare approach you without the permission of Father or Younger Brother.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing, Star. No one would dare harm you. You are special as one of our fertile females. And, of course, I am here.”

  He preened, sticking out his chest and striking a suitably impressive and heroic pose.

  That pulled Star out of her shock as she stared at him, an incredulous look on her face. “You?”

  “Well, what is wrong with me?” he deflated, glaring balefully at her.

  “Well,” Star thought of a way to coach her answer as to not bruise his obviously fragile ego. “Well, you are not the most…um…warrior-like individual…out there?” she finished on a questioning note and a shrug, hoping she would not have to expand on her reasoning.

  “And that means what?” he snarled, smoke beginning to pour from his nostrils as his ire physically manifested itself.

  “Well, Zol,” she looked around, hoping to find a magic personal eject from this situation string to pull, but the only thing she saw was an irate dragon expecting an answer.

  “Well…” she decided to try and explain, though it may get her left behind and roasted. “You are so…. so maternal!” she decided, hoping she was on the right path. “You seem so nurturing, I mean, just look at the way you are taking care of me! I just can’t see you willing to harm someone…unless it was absolutely necessary,” she quickly assessed, remembering Zol was still male despite his ability to bear young.

  He looked thoughtful for a moment as if assessing her words for hidden meanings, before he nodded in agreement.

  “I suppose you are correct, Star. I would rather nurture than harm, but if it came to it, I would kill to defend you.”

  “And that is why I feel so safe with you.” Star smiled.

  “Then let us go and bathe.” He turned to walk towards the showers, and made it a few feet before he turned back to star at Star.

  “What is it now, female?” He stalked back towards her, annoyance in his every move. “I thought we agreed that I would protect you?”

  “Yeah, but…but… They are still staring at me!” Star all but wailed.

  During her mental fight to determine just what to say to Zol to not hurt his feelings, Star had momentarily forgotten their Dragonish audience. But, with the return to peace in her own portion of her Quad, she began to notice all of those glittering eyes once again.

  “Probably because you stink so much,” Zol sneered, reaching out to grasp her wrist, pulling her, despite her attempts to dig her bare heels into marble flooring and find some sort of traction. “Let us go! I thing we have given our people enough entertainment for one day.”

  “B—but,” Star stammered, stumbling along behind him. “They can’t hear us, can they?”

  “Sure they can. More enhanced senses than humans,” he reminded her, pulling her through a set of columns towards the sound of rushing water. “Though they should have been polite enough not to listen. But you are new and word has spread that Zen, who is not considered a raving beauty, has managed to bring home a fertile female.”

  “Zen is beautiful!” Star jerked helplessly in Zol’s grip, trying to defend her mate and let her anger show about this Dragonish ideal of beauty. “What is wrong with Zen?” she snarled, her free hand tearing at the strong dark fist that led her unerringly towards the sound of falling water.

  “Nothing!” Zol snarled.

  At the same time a light smooth voice called out, “Everything! Especially when it comes to that ugly red haired monster that….”

  Zol and Star abruptly stopped their tug of war and turned to face the insulting voice, suddenly united, anger apparent on both of their faces.

  “Oh.” Zol grinned, a smile that was anything but pleasant. “Why, if it is not the rejected one! And I thought that you would still be buried in the desert sands after Kyo damn near buried your head in a Scab Hill for what you did.”

  “Who is this…thing?” Star hissed, baring her teeth and suddenly feeling very protective and territorial. “And what gives it the right to speak ill of my mate?”

  The no longer smiling dragon in question was as tall as Zol, with skin a bit darker than his, the color of deep brown earth. Yet his skin lacked that creamy texture that made Zol seem to glow. His eyes were deep amber, his hair a light brown. However, the expression on his face detracted so much from his beauty.

  “This thing?” Zol laughed. “Good name for a pile of Scab dung!”

  The dragon stiffened more, st
eam rolling from his nostrils as he faced the united pair.

  “I am not a thing!” he hissed, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

  “This thing,” Zol went on as if he didn’t hear the protest, wrinkling his nose in disdain, “This thing wanted to mate into our Quad, and would have succeeded if Father hadn’t realized its true character and chose Zen instead.”

  “I would have made a better Second in Command!” the angry dragon roared, its voice louder than the sound of the rushing water. “My family line is royal!”

  “Anyway…” Zol cast a dismissing glance at the amber eyes dragon, “…that thing has been trying to make trouble for Zen ever since. It seems to think that it matches the ideal of Dragonish beauty.” Zol tossed his long hair and preened, purring lightly in his throat. “But unless the ideals of beauty have changed in the last millennia, it still has a long way to go to even match any of us.”

  “Zen is an ugly pale dragon!” the belittled one screamed, losing some more of its composure. “He could never match me for strength and beauty!”

  “So that thing,” Zol blithely continued, “decided to ambush Zen when he was just beginning his training with Father. But even half trained, Zen managed to send it fleeing back to his Blood Quad, crying to its sires. And when Zen returned, looking worse for the fight, but incredibly better than that thing over there, you could hear Father’s displeasure all over the Weir. Its punishment was legendary and I believe still held up as an extreme in discipline to warriors in training as what could happen to you if you displease Kyotyte by attacking a younger untrained warrior.”

  “What was done?” Star asked, ignoring the now quite red-in-the-face dragon. “Because obviously it didn’t work. It appears he is still arrogant and offensive.”

  “Father had it de-clawed,” Zol spoke in a staged whisper that was almost louder than his speaking voice. “And had its front fangs pulled. No one ever attacks the Future Commander of the king’s army, and no one ever flaunts the Commander’s rules…”

  “Enough!” the amber-eyed dragon roared, trying to cut off Zol, but was soundly ignored by both.