The Shadow Of The Dragon - Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Leoness awakened the next morning chilled and in her bed alone. She stretched and her hand brushed against a single red rose lying on the pillow next to her. Entwined around it was a simple gleaming silver chain holding the gem the wrymling had created. Closing her eyes she took in the fragrance of the rose and a look of total satisfaction spread across her face. She sat up and slipped the necklace on smilling with the memories of being in Nix embraces the night before She and Nix had moved into her bedroom and made love throughout the night. Not a word had been spoken between either of them as they'd been too busy in their greedy exploration of each other. They had lazily drifted off to sleep entwined in each others arms as sunlight had started filtering through her blinds. Leoness kicked her legs off the side of her bed and rose stretching and yawning to reached for her favorite old robe then slipped on her fuzzy slippers. She opened her door and was promptly greeted by Shamus.

"Sleep much?"

"Not a word dad, not a word do you hear me?" she warned him

"Do you hear me complaining my girl?" he retorted. She could swear heard him laughing at her.

"How's the dragon?" she inquired flushed from the knowledge her father had of her previous night's activities with Nix.

"Come see for yourself." he answered leading her into the living room. On the couch sat Ayden decked out in blue jeans and a blue pocket t-shirt who looked up at her as she entered the room with a quick wink and knowing smile. At this she blushed furiously and saw that across from him on the other side of the coffee table sat Nix in also in blue jeans but wearing a dark crimson pocket t-shirt on the floor. He was absently stroking the sleeping wyrmling curled up in his lap. Fred lay curled up next to him on the floor also sleeping. Nix looked up and smiled and quickly went back to studying the chess board he and Ayden had been using. The sounds of soft swearing emanating from her kitchen made Leoness pop her head around the corner and she hid a smile as she watched Pockets trying to figure out how to operate her coffee maker.

Taking pity on her new friend she walked into the kitchen. "Want some help with that?" she inquired to a now thoroughly flustered Pockets.

"Please." she begged "If I don't get my daily dose of caffine I swear I'm gonna lose it." replied the extremely pleased kendall. "I swear I never know how to operate these damn modern gadgets you humans choose to use. At home I can just snap my fingers for coffee but trying to figure these things out and make them work is something I want to know how to do." she said as Leoness measured the coffee and flipped a switch to make the coffee maker start perking to life. She saw the kendall watch the shiny object swinging from her neck with wide eyed attention and she quickly hid it under her robe. If she had been warned anything about Pockets it was that the kendall couldn't resist shiny objects and she wanted to keep this particular necklace.

"I know the feeling well. I'm at least a five cup minimum girl myself." and she reached up into her cupboard above the sink for two mismatched mugs. One of the perks of working at a bar was the hodge podge of cups and glasses she'd aquired during different alcohol distributors visits to her place of employment. She also pulled a clean bowl down and filled it with cereal and turned around and opened her fridge for milk. She poured enough milk into the bowl to hide the cereal and pulled a spoon out of the filled dishdrain next to the sink and walked back into the living room to watch the now heated game of chess in progress.





"Damn and bloody hell!" exclaimed a frustrated Ayden. "How do you do it brother? Just when I think I've got you beat you find a new tactic to get me again."

"It's all in here." chuckled a now victorius Nix pointing at his head.

"One of these days I swear I will beat you" declared his brother.

"You can try Ayden, you can try" retorted a fully amused and laughing Nix.

"Mind if I give it a whirl?" asked Leoness innocently.

Nix looked up, tilting his head and studied her curiously for a moment. He enjoyed a quick flash of leg from under her robe as she d sat down on the couch at the spot now vaacated by a still grumbling Ayden. He had just disappearing into the kitchen in search of something to eat . A quick flare of passion stirred in Nix again and he decided to try and ignore it. Gods but he'd enjoyed himself with her the previous night. She'd stirred something in him he'd never felt in his entire lifetime. Giving her his full attention he taunted "I hope you don't mind loosing?"

"Not at all." she said and flashed him a knowing smile. "But you are going to lose I fear" she further taunted.

"We'll see about that." he said and quickly set up the board for their game. "I'll even go first to give you a better chance." he said smugly as Leoness dug into her cereal. Leoness quietly laughed to herself. She knew she was nearly unbeatable at this game, but you never knew.

Ayden and Pockets reappeared out of the kitchen and found seats around the table to watch the match, hopeful that anyone might finally unseat the current chess champion of the magickal realm. Nix moved a pawn out from in front of his bishop and the match was on. Both players matched moves and and traded pieces equally with an occassional groan or swear word escaping into the now silent room. Nix realized she was no ordinary player. He was jointly amused and surprised to find himself on the defense for the first time since he could remember. But he wasn't amused when 20 minutes into the match he found himself without his queen and Leoness calling "check" on him. Muttering a mild oath and mentally sweating he quickly retracted his king to safety and and a few moves later a jubilant Leoness boxed in the king and cried "mate."

"I'll be damned" muttered a disbelieving Nix and Ayden at the same time, both staring at the board. Pockets simply leaned over and hugged Leoness congratualting her new friend on a well deserved victory.

"Now what was that about losing?" taunted Leoness grinning at a befudled Nix.

Nix stretched his long legs moving the now stirring wyrmling and stood up and with a grand flourish bowed gracefully with a sweeping gesture and said "I defer to you, m'lady. We will of course have to scedule a rematch sometime."

"I hope you don't mind losing?" she teased repeating his earlier words. To which she was greeted with a quickly mouthed "I'll get you for that later" to which Leoness choked down a light giggle.

The dragon yawned and stretched at Nix's feet and slowly fluttered up over the table and onto the couch by Leoness. "Well I must be off. I am required at home since dad is expected for a visit and since his visits are always such a pleasant experience with my wife I may need to referee." he said with sarcasm dripping over the word wife. He had no idea why his father had requested a meeting with Arys but it couldn't be good.






He came around to Leoness and gave her a quick hug, a peck on the cheek and whispered into her ear "I'll be back tonight" which sent pleasant shivers all through her, and left.

Feeling a sudden sense of dread, and emptiness, Leoness returned her attention quickly to the others in her home. "I've been trying to think of a great name for you little one, but I can't seem to put a name to you yet." she said gently rubbing the dragon under his chin. Leoness studied the creature and watched as the light in the room danced off his pale blue scales. He glimmered with a multitude of colors that danced like the aurora of the wintery Alaska nights and suddenly she knew the perfect name. "Borealis. Yes Borealis is perfect. What do you think?" At the first utterances of the name the little dragon looked up at her with fluttering eyelashes and adoration acknowledging a perfect choice in names.

"Hmmm Borealis, I like it." replied Ayden and as the rest agreed with the choice, they all gathered around to pet the newly named and now happy dragon.


Zenith Sidh

Arys was gowned in shimmering hues of blue and black and seated on her throne when Octarius strode into the throne room. Nix was seated to her left and looked dashingly handsome as always in dark shades of crimson. He'd returned home and had just flashed one of his daziling secretive smiles at her before he'd quickly disappeared in the bathroom for a shower. Damn tease she'd thought. That thought was still on her mind and she was by no means in a good mood for it. She was also curious as to why Nix's father had required an audience with her. Octarius rarely, if ever came around and usually it wasn't a pleasant experience when he did.

"Octarius, a pleasure as always." she said began extending a hand to the Zion court ruler.

"Father." said Nix politely nodding his head acknowledging him. He also realized quickly his father was fuming mad and knew knowing there could never be a good outcome of his father's anger, if he was reading him correctly.

Octarius studied the little witch sitting on her throne and briefly acknowledged his son before returning his attention to the prickly little cactus of deciet.

"Pleasure my ass." said a seething Octarius ignoring the hand she offered. "How dare you send those two bufoons to a very public human domain and attack, not only me, but your own neice" he said icily.

"What niece!" exclaimed Arys "I have no niece."

"Father....." said Nix now standing and warningly a little too late, not knowing the happenings of the previous night. Just what the hell had happened to cause his father's anger?.

"That girl is your niece" he said brushing off Nix's warning. "She is the daughter of both Elzbeth and Shamus." It was about time for the secret to come out so that Arys would no longer be able to keep his son in a false marriage and forced loyalty. He hated secrets and the ditty revealed to him the night before had kept him up pacing through most of the night. After all now Leoness would be rightful ruler of the Zenith court as she was the dragon's chosen as was fae law.

"That's quite impossible. Elzbeth died 45 years ago during the quake. The child she gave birth to also died. We all know that" she stated.






"I quite assure you, Leoness is your niece. By god she looks just like your sister you treacherous...." he never got a chance to issue the expleative as Arys interupted him abruptly.

"No. I won't listen to any of this." said a disbelieving Arys now standin. "The proof of my sister's death and child's death were brought to me by none other than your son, my husband. Nix tell him how crazy he is." she now begged of her husband extremely distraught.

Nix fought for control of his anger as he stared at his father. Damn him anyway! And damn his wife for attacking the wrong person at the wrong time. His delay in coming to his wife's defense damned him and he knew it.

"By the Gods Nix, tell him he's wrong. Tell him he's crazy. Tell me I'm not crazy." Arys was now at his knees crying and pleading a sight he'd wanted for over 50 years, but not now. Not in this way. How in the Gods name was he going to protect Leoness or the dragon? All was lost. 45 years of protection was slipping from his fingers and he had no idea what to do. His crime of 45 years earlier would be considered high treason and there was only one punishment for it, death.

Nix's silence was all the proof his wife needed to know that she'd been lied to all those years ago. A cry of rage exploded from her and she stood up and, with all the energy she could muster, slapped her husband's face. Nix accepted the blow unflinchingly, he was guilty and she now knew just how guilty.

"Treason! Oh god Nix why? Didn't I love you enough? Why could you never find a love for me. I could have made you happy if you'd just let me." It just flew out of her mouth.

"How can you talk of happiness? You are the one who took away from me the only woman I've ever loved. She was the nicest, kindest, gentleset woman in this kingdom and your petty jealousy ruined her. When you used the glamour and placed yourself in my bed you sealed your own fate. Your own treachery caused your own downfall Wife, not me." Nix thought what the hell he was damned anyway why not just hit her with it all. "She should have been on your precious throne Arys. She was the rightful ruler and your treachery and plotting killed her. Your own sister Arys, your own sister. And for it you were damned by the Gods and so by God was I ever since we created our child." He turned to walk away but was suddenly seized by Arys's royal guards.

"You didn't think you would just walk out of her now did you Nix. You're admitting to treason against this realm's ruler. Don't think you just walk away from that. Please Nix swear loyalty here to me now. I'll forgive you but you must swear loyalty to me." said the fairy queen.

"You stand there and talk to me of loyalty. You don't have a single bone of loyalty in you, you bitch. I'd rather go to my death than be forced to spend another minute bound to you in this farce of a marriage and your fake reign as ruler." he said and turned on his heels and let the guards take him. As he was ushered out of the throne room he mouthed "protect Leoness" to his father.

"You can't do this Arys. You have no power anymore over this sidh. Leoness is in possession of the dragon and that dragon has chosen her. By fae law you know she is rightful ruler here now." stated an unbelieving Octarius.

"Oh really? I haven't seen the dragon yet or the girl. For all I know you are lying to me about both. You might just be trying to protect Nix, afterall you are his father." she taunted. Panic gripping her she sent a sudden bolt of blue and black magic in the form of a dagger into Octarius's chest and heart. In utter disbelief, Octarius sunk to the floor with glassy eyes. "To hell with you Octarius, I hope you a speedy journey."






With that she stepped over the king's now inert body and headed for her still room. The hell with all of them she thought, anger now replacing the panic. As she rushed down to the still room she thought she'd be damned if she was going to give over power so easily. Until she got proof of the dragon's existence she was going to hold onto her throne. Accidents, afterall, did happen That thought brought an evil smile to her face. And her mind raced with all kinds of delicious possibilities. Yes indeed, accidents did happen and that dragon could be disposed of. No one but the guards and Octarius were aware of the girl and the dragon's existence. And anyone else who might know would and could be dealt with in equal fashion. She didn't care what it took she only knew she had to save her throne. But first she need proof of the dragon and the girl.

As she entered her still room she went straight for her altar. The fire in the great hearth behind her crackled to life with her entrance into the room and the great cauldron within it slowly bubbled to life. Candles flickered from their many perches around the room disturbed by the sudden movement in the air around them. She quickly thumbed through an enormous ancient cracked leather bound book that sat on the great altar. This wasn't just any ordinary book but a vessel of power and sacred to the "dark ones" and their ancestor Teugghia Marina. It had passed down from generation to generation and had come into Arys's keep after her mother's death. The Book of Shadows was handwritten and yellowed with age and contained rites, spells, lore, herbology and personal journalings of all the Dark Ladies who had owned it before her. Some would be terrified at the stories within but Arys had always loved these tales and the great knowledge they provided. Finding what she was looking for at last, a perfectly evil smile spread across her face. "I'll show them all." and she laughed.