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

  “Just this one time,” she promised herself and floated forward, merging her present self with her past.

  A soft gasp slipped from her. Tamblin caught the sound when he kissed her. Arosa melted in his arms, wishing she could keep this moment frozen for eternity.

  The Kingdom of Glitter:

  Several Months Ago

  “That was very… pleasant,” she announced.

  Tamblin laughed. “Yes, it was indeed very pleasant,” he teased.

  Arosa leaned forward and parted her lips when Tamblin kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers through his hair. She could sense his surprise—and feel his growing desire. She sighed in regret when he reluctantly pulled back and gazed down at her.

  “Arosa—I….”

  She laid her fingers against his lips. “I want you to know that tonight is a night I will never forget, Tamblin,” she confessed.

  He frowned, slightly shook his head, and captured her hand in his. “You say that as if we will never see each other again,” he said.

  “My… kingdom differs from yours,” she replied, pulling out of his arms.

  He tightened his grip on her hand. “Things are different now. With the Tasiers’ return, the mushroom forests are thriving again, and the threats have been mitigated. There is no reason we can’t continue to see each other,” he protested.

  A pang of guilt pierced Arosa. How did she explain to Tamblin that she was not who she was pretending to be? As far as she knew, there had never been one of her kind who fell in love or stayed with another species. It was not their way.

  She pulled away from him, fluttering her hand to her chest as she realized what she had just thought. Shock and confusion swept through her. Was it possible that she—a being made of pure energy—could experience love?

  “Arosa, perhaps I’ve overstepped my boundaries, but I have to confess that I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I want to see where it leads. A union between our two kingdoms could only strengthen them,” he said,

  “A union—?” she repeated, looking up at him in shock.

  Tamblin groaned and shook his head. He reached out and cupped both of her hands in his. It was impossible for her to look away.

  “That was very forward of me… but, please, hear me out. I know that we’ve just met, but I believe that there is a connection between us too powerful to ignore. This is an extraordinary night and I… I would like to explore where it could take us. What I’m trying to say is… I want to get to know you,” he declared.

  “Tonight…,” she began, pausing and reaching out to her sister in desperation as she tried to think of what to say.

  “We’ll start with tonight,” he agreed with a tender smile, misunderstanding her hesitation.

  She nodded. Even though Arosa knew what was going to happen, she embraced the evening. Reliving the night over again was as magical as it had been the first time—though it seemed shorter.

  All too soon, they were returning to the palace. She kissed each dragonling’s forehead when they came up to wish her a goodnight. An unexpected burning stung her eyes when Morah tugged on her skirt. She knelt, looking the little girl in the eyes.

  Morah touched her cheek with tiny fingers. “I wants you to knows that if you ever needs help, I will helps you. I’m goings to be a Priestess one days,” she said.

  Arosa smiled. “You will be a very good Priestess to the symbiots, Morah,” she replied.

  Morah nodded. “I’s knows a lots ‘causes I’m smart likes my mommy and daddy.” Morah threw her little arms around Arosa’s neck. The goddess blinked in surprise. “Thanks you for making my wishes come true. For my last wishes, I’d like for all the daddies and us to be bigs again so we can goes back home to our mommies.”

  “When you wake, your wish will have come true,” Arosa promised.

  “I hopes your wishes comes true too,” Morah whispered in her ear before giving her a kiss on her cheek and stepping back.

  Arosa stood and watched as the little girl, her skin dyed green from playing in the fountain and princess gown stained with dirt from adventuring through the land, ran over to her father. Deep in her heart, Arosa knew it was time for her to leave, but she didn’t want to. She stared wistfully at Tamblin. He was talking to Paul, but she could feel his focus on her.

  Anguish filled her as she relived the last few hours that she would ever have with Tamblin. A part of her wanted to pull away so she wouldn’t have to say goodbye to him again, but another part wanted to savor the beautiful memory that came next.

  “I’ve had a room prepared for you,” he said.

  She nodded, gripping his hand. They walked in silence up the steps into the palace. She followed him up the stairs to a long corridor on the third level. He slowed as they neared a set of double doors.

  “I hope you will be comfortable. My room is next door should you need anything,” he said as he turned and faced her.

  “What if I need you… to stay with me tonight?” she quietly asked.

  Chapter Three

  Minor Moon of Leviathan:

  Present Day

  “Tamblin, call them back,” Jett shouted.

  Tamblin lifted the curved horn to his lips and blew. The Guardians skidded to a stop. They were boar-like creatures with long tusks, sharp quills, and red eyes that could see in pitch darkness. One beast snarled when a blast from a poacher’s laser pistol grazed it.

  They couldn’t afford to lose any more of the creatures that protected them. The poachers had already killed five of the beasts. Tamblin pulled back on his reins, directing Batty to follow the retreating warriors.

  They were losing the war. Hundreds of Tasiers were being loaded onto the ships by the hour. Tamblin and his allies could no longer keep up with the traps. The poachers had modified the locking mechanisms, making the cages virtually impossible for his and Jett’s forces to open them and free the trapped Tasiers.

  They also had a bigger issue. One alien now knew about their existence and the man was hunting them. It was only a matter of time before the other poachers believed him.

  Batty flew to a tall outcropping of rocks a short distance away. Nature and the weather had sculpted the various layers of rocks until it looked like slabs had been stacked on top of each other. Batty turned and gripped a large slab by his feet under a low overhang of rock.

  Tamblin released his grip on the saddle, and slid off, landing on the ledge below. He lifted the horn to his lips again. He gave two long and one short blast. The Guardians responded by melting away into the night, disappearing down camouflaged holes that would lead them back to their caves.

  He lowered the horn to his side when Jett’s skimmer swung around an outcropping of rocks and came to a stop nearby. Jett dismounted and climbed toward his position. Tamblin reached down, gripped Jett’s hand, and pulled him onto the ledge. Jett shook his head and gazed out at the trampled fields of mushrooms.

  “They outnumber us, Tamblin. Even with our combined forces, we are no match for the aliens,” Jett said.

  “You’re bleeding,” he replied.

  Jett grimaced and touched the wound on his temple. Tamblin walked over to Batty and pulled out a small first aid kit from his saddlebag. He motioned for Jett to sit on a rock.

  “What are we going to do? We need help, Tamblin. At the rate they are harvesting the Tasiers, there will be none left by the end of the month,” Jett commented.

  Tamblin looked up when he saw a fire flare up. The poachers were using long wands attached to tanks to burn the mushrooms. Their newest tactic helped to herd the Tasiers in the direction they wanted and forced his people into retreat since they had no place to hide.

  “How far are they from Sandora?” Tamblin asked.

  Jett winced when Tamblin pressed a cloth coated with a disinfectant against the cut on his forehead. “A week if they stay on their current course. If any more come or they spread out, it would take less time. Father and Mother have instructed the citizens of Sandora to move to the underground chambers,” he confessed.

  Tamblin frowned and shook his head. “Even that isn’t safe, Jett. You heard them. Now that an alien is aware of our existence, he has set traps to capture us. Once he or one of the others finds the city, it will confirm what he has been telling them. Sandora will be destroyed,” he said.

  Jett nodded. “They will think of us as freaks and oddities to be sold and put on display for credits. I remember their joking comments,” he bitterly stated.

  He finished bandaging Jett’s wound and packed the remains back into the kit. Jett murmured his thanks and stood. Tamblin could see the weariness in Jett’s eyes. A sense of hopelessness threatened to overwhelm him when he saw the flames rising into the night sky and the thick plumes of smoke.

  “We need help,” he said.

  “All we can do is hope that the sensors the Valdier placed have triggered an alert and they will come in time,” Jett tiredly replied.

  Tamblin pursed his lips. Even if the sensors were triggered, by the time the Valdier arrived, nothing would remain—including themselves.

  “Jett, you need to convince your parents to evacuate Sandora to Glitter. We have the shields, the Guardians, and the protection of being buried deep within the mountain. Sandora is too vulnerable,” he said in a hard voice.

  There was no more time to debate the decision. Tamblin’s brother-in-law stared out into the burning night with haunted eyes. There was no trace of the fun-loving man he used to know.

  “I will tell them,” Jett promised.

  Three days later, Tamblin stood on the balcony watching as the last caravan of refugees from Sandora entered the cavern. The mood had been somber but filled with determination.

  Construction crews from Glitter and Sandora continued to work around the clock, widening new sections of the cavern for the new arrivals. Merchants and farmers focused on giving each family supplies.

  Roan, Jett’s father and the King of Sandora, and Ladora, Jett’s mother, guided their people to the finished levels. A movement from above caught Tamblin’s attention, and he watched Batty release his grip from where he was hanging and fly down to the balcony, landing on the narrow railing. He chuckled when Batty lifted his chin and wiggled his nose.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bat this affectionate, especially after being around you for so long,” Tia teased, walking up and standing beside him.

  He started with surprise and lifted an eyebrow. “I didn’t hear you come in,” he said, frowning when he saw that she was alone. “Where are Jett and Arielle?”

  Tia scratched Batty behind the ear. “Jett is helping his parents and Arielle is playing with some new friends. I needed to speak with you alone,” she said.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I’ve had another vision,” she confessed.

  Tamblin’s stomach clenched with worry. Batty nudged his hand, and he realized that he had threaded his fingers through the fine hair along Batty’s neck. He forced his fingers to relax.

  “What did you see?” he warily inquired.

  She looked away from him to Batty. “You must go on a journey,” she replied.

  He stared at her with a confused expression. “A journey? Now? When our kingdoms… our very existence is in jeopardy?” he asked in a voice laced with skepticism.

  Tia nodded and looked at him again. “Yes. It is the only way to save our world and our people,” she answered.

  “Tia.” He shook his head. “Where am I supposed to go?” he asked.

  She paused her stroking of Batty, and was silent for a moment.

  “You have to find the Queen of the Wood Fairies,” she finally said.

  “Arosa? You are saying I have to find Arosa?” he repeated incredulously.

  Tia turned emotion-filled eyes to him. He could see the truth of her conviction in them, but there was also something else. She looked—pensive.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” he quietly asked.

  She reached for him. He gripped her hand, gently squeezing it in reassurance and studied her face. Tears glistened in her eyes. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, Tamblin,” she whispered.

  He pulled back and studied her face again. “Tell me what you saw,” he instructed.

  “Arosa has the power to save our world,” she said in a slow, measured tone.

  “But—” he added.

  “But—she also has the power to hurt you,” she replied.

  He shook his head in denial. “Arosa would never hurt me. If she has the power to save our world, then I will find her and bring her back,” he said in a confident voice.

  “I know this is what must happen, but Tamblin—please be careful,” Tia said.

  Tamblin kissed her forehead, released her and stepped back. “I will. I’ll find her, Tia,” he reassured.

  He motioned to Batty. The small mammal released his grip on the rail and launched into the air. Tamblin jumped up onto the railing and hopped onto the back of the hovering bat. He slid his feet into the stirrups, unwound the reins from the horn of the saddle, and looked at Tia. She stared back at him as if she wanted to say something more, but she raised her hand instead.

  “I’ll return as soon as possible,” he promised, tapping Batty’s sides.

  “Be sure that you do!” she cried out behind him.

  Chapter Four

  Valdier:

  Paul Grove looked up from the tablet he was reading when his wife, Morian, came out of the kitchen. There was a worried expression on her face. He placed the tablet aside.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  She looked at him with a crooked smile. “Have you noticed anything unusual this evening?” she inquired.

  He frowned and looked around the living room. The coffee table had a variety of toys covering it. Crash, their symbiot, was sprawled out on the balcony. The aroma of cooking food made his stomach growl. Everything appeared normal. In fact, it was downright peaceful.

  His eyes widened. “Morah,” he muttered.

  She chuckled and nodded. “I haven’t seen her in almost an hour. By now she’s usually at the table moaning about how she is starving and we never feed her,” she replied.

  “I better check on her,” he laughed as he got up from his chair.

  “Tell her dinner will be in ten minutes,” she called after him.

  He scooped up several of his daughter’s dolls as he walked down the hallway. Turning the toys in his hands, he shook his head. His oldest daughter, Trisha, had played with soldiers—real life ones. They were polar opposites about some things.

  “But the same in others,” he chuckled, looking at the princess doll in the flowing gown wearing a laser pistol at her hip.

  He paused outside of his daughter’s door and frowned when he saw it was closed. Morah never closed her door. He reached out and gripped the doorknob. The door was locked.

  Surprised, he listened. He could hear her talking. He gently knocked on the door.

  “Morah, honey, unlock the door,” he said.

  “I busy, Daddy,” Morah called through the closed door.

  Paul frowned and looked at the door with a raised eyebrow. “Busy?” he repeated to himself.

  He knocked on the door again. “Morah, can you open the door, please. Mommy said dinner is almost ready. You need to get cleaned up,” he replied.

  “I can’t eats right now. I’m busy,” Morah responded.

  He studied the door and wondered what was going on. Morah was talking again but obviously not to him. Curious, he pressed his ear to the door.

  “You in loves. I know becauses my mommy and daddy has that weirds look in their eyes too when they talk about each others,” Morah was saying.

  Paul pulled back and gripped the doorknob again. “Morah, who is in there with you?” he demanded.

  He stepped back when the door knob rattled. His eyes widened when his petite daughter scowled up at him with a disapproving air. He tried to peer inside her room, but she pulled the door partially closed behind herself so he couldn’t.

  “I is having a meeting, Daddy. This is importants. It is about loves and wishes. I can’t eats dinner yet,” she explained in a very serious tone.

  Paul studied Morah. She was wearing a pair of oversized golden glasses—without any lens in the frames—one of his white dress shirts unbuttoned down the front, and a name tag with… He tilted his head to read it, Dr. Morah, written in uneven, childish lettering.

  “Dr. Morah?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  She reached up and adjusted her fake glasses and nodded. “The Goddess needs helps. I tolds her if she ever needs helps I would gives it to her. We’s having an… inner… inner… a session,” she announced with an emphatic nod of her head.

  Paul reached out and steadied the tall, pointed princess hat that tilted sideways from her movement. He tried looking into the room again, but Morah pushed a hand against his stomach. He cleared his throat and looked down at her.

  “Are you saying you have one of the Goddesses in your bedroom, and you are having an intervention session with her?” he asked.

  He wanted to clarify what he was going to tell Morian.

  “Yes—and you is interruptings us,” Morah pointed out.

  “My apologies. I’ll let Mommy know you’ll be busy for a bit longer,” he replied, trying not to laugh.

  “Thank you, Daddy,” she replied.

  She began to close the door before she paused, sniffed the air, looked down the hallway, then turned eyes filled with longing up to him. He could see the conflict on her face. The sound of her tummy rumbling gave her thoughts away.

  “How about I bring you a plate—or two. After all, counseling a Goddess is hard work, and I imagine both of you are probably hungry,” he suggested.

  Morah’s face lit up with delight, and she wrapped her arms around his legs. He adjusted her hat again when she pulled back and looked up at him with a smile. He bent down and kissed her forehead.