The King's Quest (Dragon Lords of Valdier) Read online

  Tia shook her head. “You know that would never work, Tamblin. Jett and his people will never give up their home without a fight,” she replied.

  He sighed. “If the aliens come, they may not have a choice. We are no match for their size and strength,” he said.

  Tia parted her lips as if she would protest, but she closed them and nodded instead. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. Her slender figure had filled out again, and it felt good to hold her without fear of breaking her.

  “How have you been feeling?” he asked.

  She laughed and shook her head. “You ask me that every time you see me. I’m fine, Tamblin. My heart is beating normally. If it wasn’t for running after my little Arielle, I would be the size of a Tasier with the way I eat,” she retorted, referring to the furry rodents crucial to their small moon.

  Tamblin chuckled and released her. “I think you are perfect.” He turned and looked down over the kingdom again. “I can’t believe how fast Arielle is growing. Though, I think she takes after your husband more than you,” he said.

  Tia put her hands on her hips, raised an eyebrow, and gave him a pouty look. “Why do you say that? I think she has a lot of my qualities,” she replied.

  He waved a hand over the railing. “You haven’t been watching them, have you?” he asked with a laugh.

  Tia followed the direction he was pointing. She uttered a very unladylike curse under her breath, hiked up her skirt, and left at a run. Tamblin laughed and shook his head. He gripped the railing and watched with amusement as Tia burst out of the palace below and hurried down the steps. His brother-in-law, Jett, was going to be in big trouble this time—not that he wasn’t in it most of the time.

  Jett appeared to have decided it was time to teach his petite daughter how to sword fight—albeit with a diminutive wooden sword. From the way Jett was yelping, hopping around, and rubbing at his shins, Tamblin was sure the man was already regretting the decision to give his little Arielle this lesson.

  His niece also appeared to have inherited a bit of her personality from the woman she was named after. It had surprised him when Tia and Jett named their daughter after the alien female—but it was also fitting. Tia had foretold that a woman from a distant world would bring life back to the barren moon they called home. Once again, his sister had been right.

  Lady Ariel of Valdier had discovered the Tasiers—gentle, furry beasts that ate the sandworms and fertilized their planet—at an off-world market. Unbeknownst to her, the creatures were essential to the ecological survival of the small moon and its inhabitants. The few she had brought with her had reproduced quickly—especially on a diet of sandworms. A chemical reaction between the spores buried deep in the sand and the excrement from the Tasiers caused forests of giant mushrooms to grow. The mushrooms rose from the vast deserts, cooling their world and bringing the much-needed cleaner air and rain.

  Tamblin chuckled when he watched Jett laughingly trying to evade the dual attack of Tia and little Arielle. The sounds of boots against the polished stone floor pulled him away from his view of the activities below. He frowned when he saw the brooding expression on his General’s face.

  “What is it?” he demanded.

  General Brant and two of his men halted at attention. Brant bowed his head in greeting before meeting his gaze. “King Tamblin, it is as you warned us this morning. We have spotted alien ships to the north,” Brant responded.

  Tamblin clenched his fist. “How many?” he demanded in a hard voice.

  “Two, your Grace,” Brant answered.

  Two—so far. This would be just the beginning if history were to repeat itself. While Mandra Reykill, a Dragon Prince of Valdier, had declared the moon a sanctuary, the price for Tasiers was too tempting for some traders to resist. The dragon-shifters had long considered the small rodents a delicacy.

  Now that the mushroom forest was thriving, the gentle creatures flourished. The moon was finally healing from the predation. Now it was being threatened again.

  Tamblin gave a brief nod. “I want you to gather an elite reconnaissance team. See if you can board the ships without being detected. We need to know how the ships operate and discover if there is a way to disable them,” he instructed.

  Brant frowned. “If we disable the ships, it will trap the aliens on the moon,” he warned.

  Tamblin gave him a grim smile. “Yes. It is vital we have a strategy that will level out the battlefield. We are no match for their technology or their size. We will need to use what we have to our advantage. For now, we should assess the situation and gather as much information as we can,” he replied.

  “I’ll gather a team, and we’ll leave this evening,” Brant said with a bow. Turning on his heel, he left.

  Tamblin looked out across his kingdom again. The sounds of music and laughter resonated throughout the cavern. Illuminated mushrooms growing in thick clusters with brilliant colors released spores that looked like floating candles. Soft breezes that blew through the open vents would help carry most of the seeds outside where they would mix with the other spores.

  The mood of his people had changed over the past few years. The restored balance of the moon brought feelings of joy and hope, while the discovery of other clans outside of the cavern brought a chance of survival. Tia’s union with Jett had paved the way for increased trade and introduced the possibilities for new relationships among the clans.

  He briefly closed his eyes when a shaft of yearning pierced him. The memory of Arosa, Queen of the Wood Fairies, flashed through his mind. He had not seen her since the night the men and children of Valdier had visited. His responsibilities always seemed to impede his own desires.

  There hadn’t been a day since then that he hadn’t thought about Arosa. He would remember that magical night with her for the rest of his life. Memories burned inside him: the way her four small transparent wings hung down her back like a cloak, the way her long hair, its vibrant color like flames capped by a crown of tiny white flowers with dark red berries, fell over her shoulder, and the rosy hue of her lips after he kissed her. He would never forget how her brilliant green gown fell in layers around her, a striking contrast against her red hair and silky skin. Her intellect and wit had truly captured his admiration.

  “Tamblin.”

  He turned when he heard Jett call his name. Lost in thought, he had missed the sound of Jett’s approach. He forced a smile of greeting on his lips.

  “Jett. I see you escaped your wife and daughter relatively unscathed. It looks like you might have a bruise under your eye by tomorrow,” he mused.

  Jett touched the tender spot under his left eye. “Arielle caught me with her sword while doing a backhand twirl. She said she is a dancing warrior princess,” he chuckled before growing somber. “Santil found me. He said the scouts had spotted two alien transports.”

  “Yes. I’ve sent a team to do reconnaissance,” he said.

  Jett nodded. “I’ve done the same,” he replied, walking over to the railing.

  “I was going to send a missive to your parents. I want you to know that the Sand People are welcome here,” he said.

  “I appreciate the offer and will convey your message to my parents,” Jett replied.

  Tamblin didn’t miss the way Jett’s hands tightened on the railing, nor the way his lips pursed. They stood in silence, looking out over the festivities. He was about to say something when Jett spoke.

  “Perhaps they will leave. The Dragon Lords promised to protect our moon. Surely whoever the traders are would not dare cross such powerful creatures,” Jett growled with frustration.

  “Greed can be more powerful than the need to survive, Jett. Generations ago, our ancestors saw what it could do. Almost three-quarters of our people died because of hunger, loss of habitat, or through the aliens’ careless harvesting of the Tasiers. Only a few clans survived the devastation by the aliens, and we didn’t even know about each other until recently,” Tamblin reminded him.

  “We can’t let it happen again, Tamblin,” Jett passionately declared.

  “It won’t. We will fight them,” he replied, his eyes glued on Tia and little Arielle’s laughing faces.

  “Is there any way to get in touch with the Valdier?” Jett asked.

  “They will know. The question is if they will discover it in time,” he reluctantly admitted.

  Jett frowned and faced him. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  Tamblin sighed. “The Valdier promised to protect our planet. The last time Lord Mandra returned, he asked me if I would agree to the Valdier sending a scientific research ship here to install devices that would monitor the rehabilitation of the moon. I agreed, and now once every new moon, the information automatically transmits to them through these devices,” he said.

  “My parents mentioned it to me when you relayed the message to them, but where did they install them? I haven’t seen any of the devices,” he replied with a frown.

  “There are four within a hundred-mile radius. One in each direction. I was told that if there is a dramatic change in the readings, it will trigger an alert, and someone from Valdier will come,” Tamblin explained.

  “It will be another thirty days before the moon circles the planet. Our historical scripts state that it took less than half that time for the population of the Tasiers to drop to critical,” Jett growled with frustration.

  “There were more ships,” Tamblin pointed out.

  Jett shook his head. “There were a lot more Tasiers, too,” he countered.

  Tamblin nodded. “Let us hope that these two ships are the only ones and we can discourage them from staying,” he said.

  “How do you propose to do that?” Jett muttered.

  Tamblin sighed. “By any means necessary. We’ll st
art with the Guardians,” he said.

  Jett shuddered. “Are you sure? Those beasts are as dangerous as the aliens,” he muttered.

  “That is what I am hoping,” Tamblin grimly replied.

  Chapter Two

  Minor Moon of Leviathan:

  Present

  Tamblin stared out at the lights flickering across the vast mushroom-covered plains. His heart ached when he heard the frightened squeaks of the Tasiers and the sharp snap of a trap. Despair filled him when he saw the poachers trying to reach the traps before his or Jett’s men could.

  The last weeks had grown decidedly more perilous. The two transports had become four, then six, and eight. He had ordered General Brant and his elite squad to disable the transports, but the aliens repaired them almost as quickly as they sabotaged them. It had finally become too dangerous. The poachers had set traps, injuring two of his warriors. Another six men had been trapped inside a transport that was about to leave the planet and they had barely made it out.

  Tamblin released a sigh when a furry head nudged him. Oversized brown eyes with gold flecks in them gazed back at him with a solemn, inquisitive expression. He lifted his hand and gently scratched the adolescent bat behind one of its oversized ears.

  “It’s alright, Batty. Let’s hope Jett and his teams get to the traps before the poachers,” he tiredly said.

  Exhaustion fogged his mind. This was the third week that he, Jett, and a combined force of soldiers from Sandora and Glitter were out all night. The poachers had begun patrolling when they realized that their traps were being sabotaged.

  Batty nudged him again and turned his ears in the direction of the bouncing lights. Tamblin nodded his head in acknowledgement. Batty wanted to fly, and Tamblin needed something to lift his spirits.

  “Your mistress would be very proud of you,” he affectionately said.

  Batty wiggled his ears back and forth, making Tamblin laugh. He stroked the bat for another moment before he turned and climbed onto the saddle strapped between its wings. He reached up and adjusted the night vision goggles over his eyes. With his focus on the vast plains below, he gripped the reins and tapped his heels to Batty’s side.

  “Let’s have a little fun,” he said.

  Batty twitched his ears back and forth with delight, then jumped off the edge. Tamblin leaned forward and tightened his thighs against the saddle as they soared downward until finally, Batty began flapping his wings.

  The wind brushed against his face as they flew through the night. It was going to be another long one. From the air, he followed Jett’s team as they moved quickly to release the Tasiers that had unwittingly entered the traps.

  “To the left, Batty,” Tamblin instructed, leaning in the saddle.

  The bat darted in front of one massive poacher. The man stumbled back several steps and swiped an enormous hand in their direction. Batty twisted in midair, changing directions. The man tried to follow their movements, twisting around so fast that he lost his balance.

  “Damn creatures,” the man growled with frustration.

  Tamblin gritted his teeth when the man pulled a laser pistol from his waist and aimed the weapon at them. He leaned forward and Batty swerved. Tamblin winced when the super-heated blast from the laser narrowly missed them.

  “Dragon’s balls, Macron! Are you trying to kill me?” another poacher yelled when the blast sent him diving for cover.

  “Sorry, Harron. These bats are driving me crazy,” Macron shouted back, quickly holstering his weapon.

  “You shoot that thing again and it will be more than the bats you’ll have to worry about. The trap is empty again. I swear when I find out who is releasing the furballs, I’m going to roast them,” Harron said.

  “This one is empty too. I hope the others are having better luck than we are,” Macron replied, kneeling next to the trap.

  Tamblin saw Jett and Santil crouching behind a large mushroom only a few feet from Macron, which was too close for comfort. They couldn’t keep this up. It was only a matter of time before someone was killed.

  The sound of another trap springing and the squeal of a Tasier pulled him away. Batty flew in that direction, trying to reach the poor creature before the two poachers. Tamblin tensed, preparing to jump.

  This will be another close encounter, he grimly thought as he released his grip on the reins and fell toward the large mushroom that would soften his fall.

  Valdier:

  The Hive

  Arosa lay along the bank of the river of symbiots and moodily swirled a finger in the flow of gold. Warmth flowed upward through her outstretched arm. She sighed when some of the gold formed into fish and jumped. The scene reminded her of the magical night several months ago.

  An uncharacteristic feeling of frustration flashed through her, and she sat up. She growled when the symbiots formed an image of Tamblin. They were reacting to her thoughts—and her longings that were growing stronger every day.

  “This should not be happening,” she snapped.

  The symbiot gold Tamblin melted back into the river. Arosa stood up. She was alone at the moment—thankfully. With a sigh of resignation, she reached out to her sister.

  Arilla, I need your guidance, she confessed.

  Silence greeted her, the same silence that had surrounded her since her return from Glitter. She floated over to a boulder. Time normally meant very little to her species, but the last few months had seemed endless.

  Her mind had replayed the magical night over and over. She felt guilty for her desire to go back in time to relive it, but a smile played on her lips as she closed her eyes and floated higher in the air. The wind became music in her ears.

  She lifted her arms and twirled, dancing the way she had with Tamblin. She had repeated the movements so many times, she could now gracefully dance. A wave of symbiots rose from the river and formed Tamblin again. They had been her dance partner, but even their warmth could not replicate the feeling of being in his arms.

  As the music faded, she opened her eyes. She traced the curve of her symbiot partner’s cheek. The gold shimmered under her fingertips as it recognized her loneliness and longing.

  “What is wrong with me?” she asked in a confused voice. “There is a beating in my chest that I don’t understand, and I yearn for his touch. What is it that causes me to want to be with him? To hear his voice, his laughter, and to touch his lips with mine?”

  She touched her mouth as she remembered his kiss. The symbiot Tamblin shifted into a bat. She shook her head and scowled at it.

  “I know,” she grudgingly said, turning away.

  It would be so easy to spy on Tamblin. In fact, she had done so the first few days after that night, but guilt and other unfamiliar emotions plagued her, so she had forced herself to stop. At least she knew he was safe.

  She floated over to a pillar and studied the star chart engraved on it, locating Tamblin’s small moon. She looked at the platform and then down at the main gateway. Aikaterina and her sister still had not returned. There was no telling when they would. If she opened the main gateway, others of her kind would immediately sense it.

  She looked at the pillar again. If she opened a very narrow gateway to the past, she could relive the night one last time. Perhaps the night was not as wonderful as she remembered.

  “Just once, then I will never relive it again,” she whispered.

  The symbols on the pillar glowed as she sent the mental command. A hologram of the glowing star chart appeared before her. She touched the galaxy, pulling the moon into view. With a twirl of her fingers, time reversed until she saw the images of dragonlings. She replayed the night, following the events as they unfolded.

  Her heart ached when she saw Hope’s excitement turn to terror, the moment Morah gripped her hand so that she couldn’t escape, and when Tamblin cupped her hand and helped her to her feet.

  She stared up at the platform. The time when she was standing in Tamblin’s arms appeared on the platform. She floated until she was level with the ghostly vision of her past.