ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES BOOK 3: THE DRAGON'S KEEPER
Chapter Thirteen

Maya watched as Drake softly cleaned her soiled hands the the Pyck Lagoon and sighed. She was a little disappointed that she couldn’t replace her grandmother’s pendant but she remembered what Grandma Frida had told her in her dreams; it disappears but it is never lost. It always comes back when you need it the most.

Maya just hoped it was not a dream and that indeed the pendant would replace its way back to her. She felt a wet hand on her cheek as Drake wiped away a smudge of dirt.

“Don’t worry, we will replace it.” He assured her as he got up and helped her to her feet.

Maya nodded. “It could be the answer to me going back home. It burnt my skin before I woke up here. I think it has special powers.”

“Why are you so determined to go back home, Maya?” Drake groaned at her. “Why is it that you are so determined to leave this place?”

Maya’s eyes widened a bit. Did she expect him to understand when he already had a home there? “Drake, I don’t belong in this place. I have a family; two loving parents who might be mourning for my loss right now. I have friends, Drake, that I love so much and miss. I also had a life before all this. I just can’t stay here and let everything go to hell back home! I thought you understood me?”

Drake ran his hand through his hair. “I am trying to understand you but you forget something very important, I am your mate and I will not let you leave me—distance from each other will only drive us insane.”

That much Maya knew. She saw the way Leanor reacted to being away from her mate for a while. Just looking at Drake and Maya felt her heart twist in her ribs. She couldn’t bear to think about leaving him behind. She moved closer to him, placing her hands on his hard and warm chest. “Then come with me.”

“I can’t leave this place with all that is happening. I am the second in command after the king and I have duties to fulfill here.” Drake looked a little frustrated.

Maya was adding a burden onto his shoulders when he already had so much to carry. “Why would a young man like you take on so much responsibilities?”

That made Drake laugh suddenly. “Me? Young? Right...”

She frowned pensively as her arms crossed over her chest. “Just how old are you, Drake? Don’t tell me I am dating my grandfather?”

Drake grinned chasing away the sorrow in his eyes. Maya preferred him smiling to him being serious or turning into the soldier. “I don’t want to shock you any more than I already have.”

“Several decades?” Maya persisted but Drake only smiled. Her eyes widened. “Centuries? Millenniums? Oh God, I don’t even want to know...but you look so young...”

“When we are born, we age like humans in our childhood years because most of us are born with human traits until we undergo our first transformations during puberty. After that ageing is reduced tremendously. Abigail, Herman’s mother happens to be quite old and that is why you can make out her wrinkles. It reaches a point that you no longer count your years because they are meaningless here.”

“So, I am almost a baby here.” Realisation hit Maya hard. “You are dating a baby!”

Drake framed Maya’s face and made her look up at him. “I am dating my baby.” He leaned down at placed a kiss on her lips softly. When he moved back, Maya was drunk with his kisses. It was as if he weaved a spell on her to make her body stir every time he was close by. “By the way, we are travelling to Agore in two days.”

“Agore?” Maya asked.

Drake nodded taking her hand and leading her back towards the bike parked a little away from the lagoon. “The capital city of The Realm of Spells.”

Maya’s face paled. “Isn’t that where the Lord Mage resides?”

“Yes.” Drake chuckled placing the helmet over Maya’s head. “You’ll get to meet the Queen of Mage. She’s a Fae. She’s awfully nice....too nice for her own good.”

Maya remembered the silver eyes of the Lord Mage and shivered. “I’m looking forward to seeing the capital and to meet the queen but I am not looking forward to seeing the Lord Mage again.”

“It’ll be fun. I have some business to deal with there but after that I’ll show you around the city.”

Maya hummed telling Drake she was not convinced.

After Drake made sure Maya was safely back inside the house, he made his way to the office where Galea and Zach were waiting for him, their faces grim. Drake knew something was wrong.

“What the fuck happened?” Drake growled at them.

Zach turned to Galea then back at him. “The sorcerer must be more powerful than we first thought. The dragons...”

Drake felt everything in his body freeze as cold fingers of dread scaled up his spine, awakening Red and making his spine spikes flare up. “How?”

“Midnight Wycker spell.” Zach ground his teeth.

“Speak in English, please.” Drake tried to keep his anger on a leash. They were very close to learn everything about what was happening, very close to getting names and positions of the culprits. He promised to keep the Dragons safe and they promised to give him the information he needed and now....

“It’s a spell sent in the wind, seeking out the mentioned name at midnight. It was used back in the days to exert revenge especially on cheating spouses. Once you performed it and mentioned the name then sent it in the air at midnight, it sought out the individual and it did irreversible damage.”

“Back then it attacked the reproductive organs, a rotting dick or channel but this—this was...” Galea swallowed hard and shook his head.

“The sorcerer is powerful. Both Dragons’ flesh rotted and fell right off their bones before we could do anything.”

“Fucking hell!” Drake raked his hands in his hair and turned to the window behind him. “I brought you here to stop such a thing from happening. What happened?”

Zach shrugged his broad shoulders. “The cloaking spell was up, Drake. I feel the sorcerer must have sent the spell when the previous cloaking spell was at its weakest. Once the spell is sent, not even a cloaking spell can keep it from reaching its victim.”

“Were you able to get any more information from them before they...expired?” Drake turned to them once more. It felt like instead of taking a step forward, he took at least three steps back. The only source of information was gone.

“One mentioned something about the leader of the rogues.” Galea’s face was severe.

Drake stiffened. “Who?”

“He didn’t name him but he said he....” Zach’s voice trailed off as he sighed.

“He what, damnit!” Drake growled, his eyes flashing at his friend.

“He is from the Glaedar clan.” Zach snapped at him. “He is of your bloodline.”

Drake found himself flopping on his chair, all the strength in his body draining right out of him. He was stunned at the irony of the whole thing. While he pointed fingers and accused everyone else around him, he was oblivious that it was his clan that was harbouring the leader of the rogue dragons. It made sense because it was the strongest bloodline after the royal bloodline. It was only natural that a leader would be stronger than his subjects. “I need his name.” He hissed, Red prowling in his mind ready to rip someone’s head off.

“Maybe it’s about time we go and interrogate Ron. I think he knows more about this than anyone else not to mention the Lord Mage is becoming very impatient with him. It’s only a matter of time until he kills him himself.” Zach sighed tiredly.

“We leave tomorrow.” Drake, too, was losing patience. Somewhere at the back of his mind he dreaded replaceing out who it was. As it was, Clans were almost like family. He feared replaceing out that the new leader of the Rogue Dragons could be a male he once knew very well.

Both Zach and Galea nodded and inclined their heads before they went out.

When they left, Drake passed his hand over the desk sending the papers, pens and everything else scattered onto the floor. Rage gnawed in him like angry termites. This anger was directed towards the few cowards of his people that hid in the shadows and attacked innocents then puffed out their chests and declared themselves victorious. If they really wanted to earn such a title then they should have come and challenged him instead. He was more than happy to send them to the after life. The Enchanted World would be much better with fewer scum roaming its lands.

“Your hair is very soft, Miss.” Karlie grinned as she finally managed to snare Maya in her room and make her hair. She brushed the shiny locks down her back in long sure strokes. It calmed Maya and made her sigh heavily in content. “I’ll plait it for you.”

“Okay.” Maya closed her eyes for a moment but her peace was short-lived when she heard a familiar buzzing sound.

Her eyes snapped open as the little green humming bird entered through the opened window. “Oh God!” She jumped from the chair knowing fully well that it was no humming bird.

She watched as Twiska shifted and her body stretched taking on her human form. Her legs landed on the floor in a soft thud and she stood in front of Karlie and Maya looking a little nervous and uncomfortable.

“Are you afraid of me?” She eyed Maya suspiciously.

“After what you did to me, I don’t want you anywhere close to me.” Maya hid behind Karlie.

“Elder Abigail told me that you have to stay away from Miss Maya!” Karlie stated.

“Until I apologise!” Twiska exclaimed, her eyes burning as she looked at Karlie then she flipped them towards Maya and recollected herself. “I don’t know how you got rid of the deal sealer but—I thought that was awesome.” She cleared her throat awkwardly.

Maya had no clue how she got rid of it too. One moment it was there, driving her crazy with itchiness, the next moment her body was covered in a red haze and suddenly the splash of green on her skin disintegrated. “Well, that should teach you to stop scamming others.”

“Abigail and Herman told me to come and apologise. Thanks to you, Herman is beyond mad with me.” She said softly, looking down at her hands. “He has never been that angry with me before and he banned me from entering his room until I apologised.”

Maya wanted to feel sorry for her but she remembered how wickedly mean she was with her. Herman must have meant a lot to her for her to look that helpless. Maya didn’t want to be the reason behind the two of them arguing. She was just there for a short period of time. God knew how long those two were friends. She could only imagine someone trying to get in between her and her friends. Maya pursed her lips and said. “I understand how you feel, Twiska--”

“You have no idea how I feel.” She flipped her eyes towards Maya and they burnt with fury and retaliation.

Well, Maya concluded that Twiska had no humble bone in her body. “I forgive you, Twiska. I would have done the same if someone was trying to steal my friend away....though I would not have given them an allergy reaction.”

Twiska clasped her hands over her mouth and giggled. “It’s awesome, isn’t it?”

Maya nodded reluctantly. “It is.”

Twiska grinned smugly and turned to the window towards the rainbow that had painted itself on the clouds. “Do you want to see something more awesome?”

“Twiska, don’t even think about it.” Karlie warned.

“What is she talking about?” Maya asked Karlie.

“I’m guessing she wants to go steal gold from the pot at the end of the rainbow again.” Karlie said tautly.

Maya’s eyes widened. “You mean there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?”

Karlie turned to her. “Yes but it is a trap. Leprechauns put it there to trap unexpected travellers. Once you are trapped, they strike a deal with you, usually something very dear to you; your mate, your baby or your home.”

“I thought Rumpelstiltskin was just a story!” Maya exclaimed feeling hysteria settle in her gut.

Karlie smiled grimly. “Rumpelstiltskin is legendary among the leprechauns.”

“So, shall we go? Oh please, please, please?” Twiska begged, her expression hopeful. “I promise nothing will happen to you. We will ste—borrow lots of sugar from the kitchen.” Her eyes skittered towards Karlie then back at Maya. “Oh, come on! You owe me for stealing my friend and making him angry.”

“Uhm--”

“Great! I’ll go get the sugar. Wait for me at the back-door!” Twiska’s body shifted again and she buzzed out.

Maya swallowed softly and turned to Karlie. “Why do we need sugar?”

Karlie looked very concerned. “Because Leprechauns love sugar more than they love their gold. I guess we will have to deal with your hair later.”

Maya couldn’t believe that Karlie was actually letting Twiska drag her into the forest to go steal gold from a Leprechaun! Was that even a normal thing to do? Maya nervously made her way towards the back-door. Somehow Twiska had managed to tap into Maya’s guilty conscious and it kept on telling her that she was the reason why Herman and Twiska were not talking. She felt that if she did this for her that maybe a bit of that guilt would go away. As she made her way through the house she saw Zach and the man with the piercing eyes exiting from Drake’s office with hard and cold faces. A few seconds later, she heard something crush on to the floor and gasped. Something bad must have happened. She didn’t bother knocking on the door and opened it. The sight in front of her left her frozen in place. Everything from Drake’s desk was tossed and scattered on the ground, including the glass weight that was now shattered. Drake was facing the window behind him with his hands in his pockets but Maya could not dismiss the rattling hiss that escaped him and made a shiver pass down her spine in apprehension or the slight trembling of his shoulders.

“Drake?” She called to him but he didn’t turn. She gulped hard and called, “Red?”

His head jerked up and he gave Maya a side glance. Maya caught the glowing eye from his profile.

“What has happened? Are you okay? Is Drake okay?” Maya asked, afraid to even take a step inside. She remembered Drake warning her that the beasts were unpredictable and violent when they were angry. When she entered that office, she felt the fury swell out like an entity unto itself.

“My Keeper is fine.” He hissed, the sound raising the hairs at the back of Maya’s neck. “You should not concern yourself in his business. Stay clear of it for your own safety.”

“I care about him, Red. Of course I would want to help him.” Maya assured the dragon.

Red peeled his lips back, revealing the sharp incisors and canines. “If you cared as much about my Keeper as you say you do then you would not subject him to your whimpers of wanting to return home.”

Maya was shocked with the sudden change in Red. He was no longer the mischievous and teasing dragon, he was a deadly menace and every word that came out of his lips warned Maya to take a step back.

“I miss my home--”

“We need you here.” Red snapped turning fully to her.

His eyes twirled in a violet storm. A pattern of scales rippled on his skin every now and then. She remembered touching Red’s scales the last time and passed out. Was he going to have the same effect on her again? She had to wonder because suddenly Red had rounded the desk and was making his way to her.

Maya took a step back but he blurred to her, trapping her in place. “Red--”

“Shhh...my Keeper is having a hard time with you and his job. So much is happening and he is needed here but if you are to leave this place, he will have no choice but to follow you.”

“He doesn’t have to follow me.”

Red chuckled lightly as his eyes went over her body. Maya’s skin flashed with heat and colour. It was strange that Red would make her feel that way. But then again, he and Drake were connected. “You don’t understand. We can’t stay away from you even if we wanted to. It doesn’t work that way. Mates are for life and one can’t leave the other.”

“Then what do you want me to do, Red?” Maya felt tears clog her throat. “Do you want me to give up the home, the family and the friends I have know all my life? It is not that easy.”

“Try.” Red hissed against her lips.

Maya’s body tightened, anticipating Red’s touch. Was it right for her to react this way with him? She felt as if she was being unfaithful to Drake. She turned her head away from him, blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill out. She felt him settle his head against her shoulder like the way Drake did earlier.

“My Keeper will be forced to choose and believe me when I say that is the last thing we need right now. Something is coming and he needs to be here, so Maya, I am begging you to try. Please.” His voice sounded raw as he begged her.

Maya found herself lifting her trembling hand then ran it in his hair. Red purred flashing his body against Maya’s as if seeking for all the attention she was willing to give him. She sighed, loving the feel of his body against hers and wrapped her arms around him. For a moment, she inhaled the scent of cinder combined with something wicked and of pure sin.

“Cinder.” She blurted out.

Red moved back and grinned wickedly. “My Keeper’s about to crack my head to come out. Let me give him a good enough reason to do so.”

Maya was not prepared when suddenly Red claimed her lips in a vicious kiss that had her body burst in desire. A moan escaped her lips as the dragon thoroughly kissed her until she thought she was going to loose her mind. He snarled lightly before his body suddenly tightened and his kisses became a little more tentative. When Maya opened her eyes, Drake was back his eyes churning in fury.

“Red, that fucker...” He snarled.

Maya bubbled in laughter and as she did so, she pulled Drake down and kissed him lightly. “Don’t be upset with him, he is only trying to protect you.”

Drake looked anxiously at her face. “He doesn’t want you to go back. I don’t want you to go back.”

Sadness settled in Maya’s heart. She didn’t want to leave him either. She quickly forced a smile and sighed. “Let’s see how is goes first.”

Drake ran his finger over her lower lip and Maya felt him swell in his pants against her stomach. She bit back a moan. It wasn’t long since they were tangled in each other’s arms panting after their vigorous lovemaking yet as they stood together, the air between them was charged with an unexplainable zing of energy, pulling them together with a desire like no other.

“Maya?” She heard Twiska call and recalled the task at hand. “Where are you, human?”

Maya rolled her eyes. “Twiska is unbearable.”

“Are you two girlfriends now?” Drake asked.

Maya chuckled. “No but she is rubbing my face deep in my guilt. Because of me, Herman is no longer talking to her.”

Drake’s eyes darkened. “That foal is awfully too close to you. I don’t like it.”

“He will soon get over it. I remember once I could tolerate his presence and touch before he went through puberty but now, I get nervous when he is around and when he touches me, it feels very uncomfortable.”

“That is the mating bond acting up. I can’t tolerate another female’s touch too. Only yours.”

“Awkward.” She pursed her lips and straightened. “I need to go and see Twiska.”

Drake nodded. “And I need to get back to work. Oh and we are travelling for Agore tomorrow and not in two days.”

Maya nodded but she couldn’t help worrying over Drake. “Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Take care of yourself out there.”

“I will.” Maya was pulled into a kiss and when she moved back she saw the promise of a long night that had nothing to do with sleeping written in his eyes.

She quickly went out trying her best to control that hammering of her heart in her chest.

“There you are!” Twiska appeared in front of her with her hands on her hips. “Let’s get going before the rainbow disappears.”

Before Maya could protest, Twiska was already pulling her hand and heading out.

Maya followed Twiska’s movements in the forest as they approached the end of the rainbow. Never had Maya ever thought she was finally going to see the end of the rainbow. She remembered the stories and nursery rhymes about the pot of gold. Twiska stopped abruptly in front of her and turned to her before placing her finger against her lips gesturing for Maya to keep quiet. Maya nodded as Twiska pushed away the bushes in front of them towards the clearing just a few feet away.

Maya gasped lightly eyeing the big shimmering golden pot with coins brimming over it. A rainbow shimmered with gold-dust sparkling in it. Temptation swelled in Maya’s blood as she found herself wanting to get up and try to get the gold. A strong arm stopped her and Twiska shook her head at her then fished out for small white mushrooms with yellow dots on them from her bag. She popped one into her mouth and handed one to Maya.

Maya took the mushroom and popped it into her mouth. A bitter sweet sensation went through her mouth into her throat making her want to gag. A minty sensation went through her nose and made her eyes water. As she blinked away the tears and turned back to the pot of gold, she found that she no longer had the unquenchable urge to go to it. Twiska patted Maya lightly on her shoulder and pointed to the moving bushes a few meters from them.

“He’s hiding in there, waiting.” She whispered. Reaching for her little bag once more before producing a few cubes of sugar. She grinned mischievously. “They are quite hideous on the face but they are harmless--just cunning.”

“Okay...but I don’t think we should do this.” Maya couldn’t help but feel dread clasping its cold fingers on her spine. Something wasn’t right. It was the same feeling she had felt right before she jumped out of that plane.

“Don’t worry, children do this all the time.” Twiska giggled as she threw several cubes of sugar out.

Maya heard a grunt and the bushes where Twiska had pointed early started shifting. A round bold head popped out and Maya almost fell over at the sight. It had big round eyes with bushy eyebrows coming down in a frown. Its nose came down like the beak of a crow. What caught most of Maya’s attention were the sharp teeth protruding from its mouth and the black claws on its hands. Maya turned to Twiska with the I-thought-you-said-they-were-harmless look. Twiska merely shrugged her shoulders and watched as the Leprechaun shuffled forward on its short hairy feet and began picking up the sugar cubes and popping them in its mouth. It must have been a forest dweller because of its shabby and unkempt appearance.

Twiska tossed a few more and while the leprechaun was preoccupied, Twiska sneaked out and flushed her body against the pot. She turned to the shocked Maya with excitement gleaming in her eyes and gestured for her to join her. Maya shook her head, her feet refusing to move. She was terrified of the Leprechaun! Twiska rolled her eyes and began collecting coins from the pot.

The Leprechaun continued eating the sugar cubes that Twiska kept tossing over the pot while she stuffed some coins in her little bag. Suddenly several coins slipped from her fingers and dropped on the ground with a loud clanging sound of metal. The Leprechaun jerked up and sniffed the air then turned to his pot. Maya clasped her hands over mouth to keep her scream at bay. Twiska was in trouble.

The Leprechaun began wobbling like a penguin towards his pot. Maya’s dread increased as she felt a slight shift in the air. Before she knew it, she was being pulled from behind. A yelp escaped her lips as her body was carelessly tossed into the air towards a tree. Maya’s back exploded with pain as she connected with the tree bark and she landed on the ground in a heap of limbs. She gritted her teeth against the pain and looked up. There was yet another Leprechaun but this one was larger and it looked vicious. He threw his head back and bellowed then rushed towards her.

“Maya?” Twiska’s voice came through.

Maya couldn’t answer as she was yanked from the ground and raised up in the air. Her eyes bulged as she looked down at the hideous thing. His eyes were churning with violence. There was nothing but bloodlust in his red eyes. The Leprechaun placed his cold fingers around her neck and began to squeeze lightly.

“Twiska!” She rasped.

“Maya!” Twiska called in alarm but she, too was viciously attacked by yet another leprechaun. The smaller leprechaun with the gold yelped in fright and dashed back into the bushes while his pot of gold shimmered away and disappeared.

Twiska was able to shift into her pixie form before she hit the ground. The leprechaun roared in retaliation as he tried to catch the fast moving Twiska. Maya turned back to the one who was choking the life out of her. Her throat was closed and no air was passing through. She struggled hard against him and finally connected her knee on his stomach. The mass of flesh grunted but it didn’t do anything.

Suddenly there was a loud shriek from the leprechaun attacking Twiska. He was scratching his eyes and choking as he fell on his knees and wheezed. Blood oozed where he scratched himself with his claws.

Twiska angrily buzzed to them. Maya could already feel numbness taking over her body starting with her feet and arms. Twiska shifted into her human form in midair and knocked the murderous leprechaun out of the way. He let go of Maya, sending her crashing down onto the ground. Her breath came in short gasps because Maya was very sure that her throat was too swollen to allow any air through.

As the leprechaun struggled to get up, Twiska blew what looked like a red powder on the thing and he too began howling in pain and scratching his face and choking.

“Come on!” Twiska got up and went to help Maya up then dragged her out of the way. Maya couldn’t even see where her feet were carrying her but when they cleared out of the forest, she was relieved to see two dragons take off into the air towards the forest while several men came running towards them.

Maya sighed and collapsed unable to pull in any air. Her body felt cold and numb as people appeared before her.

“What happened?” Someone demanded.

Maya felt her body being pulled up by strong arms. By the discomfort that suddenly went through her body, she knew it was not Drake.

“We were attacked by two giant Leprechauns.” Twiska answered, her voice frantic as they carried Maya inside.

“Leprechauns? Leprechauns don’t attack.” someone said in disbelief.

“Let’s get her to Akira first. Jira, go and get the commander.”

Finally Maya was able to recognize Feror’s voice as they raced towards the infirmary.

She was settled on the infirmary bed but before Akira could do anything, Maya felt warmth radiating from deep within her and engulf her in its comfort. She felt as if she was floating as a fiery orb levitated in front of her. It swirled around her floating body, a curious little thing. It had a trail of glowing flames that licked lazily around it. The darkness fell away around her and Maya found herself standing on the flat ground that stretched for miles. The soils were red and dry, being picked up by the warm wind into the skies. Even the skies were red and hazy. The was nothing to be seen all around her, just the red plane and the bright and floating orb. Maya tried to talk but her throat was still swollen. She touched it lightly wondering where she was.

“Fiery terrain....” the words filtered into her head.

What am I doing here? Maya thought as she looked around the barren land.

“Protection.” the voice filtered again and that was when she realised that someone was reading her thoughts.

The orb stopped swirling around and floated in front of her. It came so close to her face, its warmth radiating into her all the way into her bones.

The orb moved to her chest and quickly penetrated into it. Maya groaned in surprise as the warmth seeped into every part of her body. The heat lingered around her neck and she felt the swelling recede. Finally she could breathe again. More of the heat seeped into her back where she was bruised from the trees then it travelled down her arms and legs like warm honey. By the time it was done, all the pain was gone. The orb began emerging from her chest and the voice sighed.

“Good as new....” The orb began floating away.

Maya didn’t understand what just happened.

“Wait! What are you? Why are you helping me? How did I get here? How do I go back?” Maya called with her voice a little scratchy but the orb disappeared and Maya found herself back in the infirmary surrounded by blurry faces of people from all sides of her bed.

Their faces were stunned as they looked down at her. She wondered what happened as she rubbed her neck and discovered that the bruise was gone. Even the pain on her back was gone. So the orb wasn’t a dream....Her face leached of all color as her eyes turned to Drake who reflected her stunned look.

What the hell was going on!