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and he needed them now.
"Our union had been drawn short. We were to meet again
on your twenty-fifth birthday. But that was not to be. Your da
died before the final connection could be made, as did my
father," Cragyn stated, sadness filling his voice as he took a
deep breath.
"What are you saying?"
"We each are one with our lord, from birth until death.
When you die I will also die. Our spirits are absorbed by the
next Dragon Lord so that our lines will live on forever. So it
was with my father. When your da died suddenly, my father
also died, although, it was more of an agonizing death for
him. I thought that it was you that absorbed his essence, but
it must have been someone else."
"Who could have been there to absorb the spirit of the
dying?" Rowan asked more to himself than to Cragyn.
"I do not know, my lord. But it had to have been someone
of blood for that process to happen."
Harper! Rowan thought with anger. He had been right all
along to think it was Harper who had killed his parents. Now
he knew for sure.
"How is that possible? I only have a half-brother. The only
blood we share is our mother's."
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"I have heard that in ancient times, if a non-dragon lord
gathered enough magic, it was possible for him or her to
absorb the energy of the dying."
Rowan nodded in understanding. That must have been
how Harper had accomplished the deed. The wizard would
have been able to extend enough magic to him, just long
enough to succeed.
"I am sorry for your loss, Cragyn." Rowan told him as he
came to stand next to him, laying a hand on the creature's
shoulder.
"Thank you, my lord."
"Where is this place?" Rowan asked as he stepped back
from Cragyn and gazed about.
"This is called the Isle of Moran. We only exist here to
serve the Dragon Lords."
"We? You mean there are others here like yourself?"
Rowan asked looking around for any signs of others.
"Aye, we are not as many in number any more, for people
do not believe in dragons like they use to. There are the old
ones that have never mingled their souls with a master. They
are the ones that care for the hatchlings when they are born."
"My mind is having a hard time comprehending what my
heart knows to be the truth." Rowan stated as he settled
down upon a rock a few feet away from his dragon.
His dragon; he was feeling so overwhelmed with all this
new knowledge and it gave him yet another reason to hate
Harper. If not for him, his da would still be alive and he would
have come into this more gradually instead of being thrown
into the midst of a swirling mass of flames.
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"You said that you thought I had been the one to absorb
your parent's essence. But you knew it was not me by the
agonizing way your da died. What would have happened if I
would have been the one to receive such a gift?" Rowan
asked with much interest. Cragyn's answer could explain
much where Harper was concerned.
"My da would have died a peaceful death if you had been
there and accepted the essence from your dying father. You
would have then accepted all knowledge of all the Dragon
Lords before you in that instant of death."
"So the one that received the spirit of the Dragon Lord also
received all the knowledge of those before him, even if that
person was not meant to become a Dragon Lord?" Rowan
asked with astonishment.
"Aye, whoever it was that stripped your da of his dragon
spirit was already filled with an evil essence. That is why my
da died in agony. We must be magically separated from our
lord's soul if that person is not of the Dragon Clan and forced
to enter their bodies and attach to their souls. When this
happens, all previous knowledge is known to the host, but if
that host is evil, then all knowledge will work in that way
also."
"What happens if I kill the person that stole our fathers'
essences?" Rowan asked with interest.
"Then you will gain all the knowledge that is in the soul of
the Dragon Clan."
"What of the evil that dwells along side the good?" Rowan
had to know what to expect when he cleaved Harper in two.
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"I do not know, my lord, for I have no knowledge of this in
my memory."
So be it. Rowan thought. He would deal with that issue
later.
"So Cragyn, what do we do now? How do we join as we
should have joined? My wife is in danger and I must hurry if I
am to save her and our unborn child."
"Aye, a new dragon has already been nestled and waiting
for its new master. We must become tuned to one another,
Rowan, in order to blend our souls as one."
"How do we do that?"
"With trust."
Rowan took in a deep breath and stood up. After all, he
was here to learn about his latent powers and to become a
true Dragon Lord. May the Goddess protect us both. Rowan
thought as he walked closer to Cragyn.
"So be it."
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Chapter Thirty-Six
"Unhand me, you son of Hades!"
"Now, now Aeryn, you are a lady after all," Harper stated
from his viewpoint by the door to his dungeon.
"Let me go or my father will bring the heavens down upon
your head!"
"He will do no such thing, for fear of my retaliation against
you. So save your vengeful mouth, for they fall on deaf ears."
Harper motioned for his men to strap Aeryn down upon the
rack that held a special place in one corner of the room.
He brought all of his victims here when he was ready to
play with them. Aeryn was so beautiful. He wasn't going to
mar that beauty, not yet of course, at least not her face. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]