Kelly Lucille by The Dragon's Mage (Dragon Mage) Page A

speak.”  He hoped. 
    Eben had been
strangely cut off for the last bit of time.  He shook that off; if anyone could
take care of himself, it was Eben Kinkaid. 
    Before he could
say anything else, a great dragon roar trumpeted above them.  Eben in a rage
could not be a good thing. 
    “Time to go.”  He
said all humor gone. 
    He expanded out
with his power until the walls bulged outward and he shimmered into his dragon
form, whipping the kids up into his clawed arms and wrapping his tail around
them.  He didn't give them a chance to do anything but squeak and he was
flying, hunched low to protect them from the debris.
    He met blue sky
and saw Eben exploding forth from the highest tower.  The sight of the fiery
red tresses shining from within his arms had Ladon breathing a sigh of relief. 
But Eben was still mad about something because he turned mid air and blasted
the falling towers with a wave of dragon fire.  If anyone had survived his exit,
they were dead now.
    Ladon, Eben is
closed to me.  What is happening?
     He’s fine,
little Falcon and I have your hatchlings.  Eben is in a rage but we are clear
and heading your way.
    Melisande?
    Eben has her.
    By then Ladon was
clear of the city.  Eben took a few more flybys spitting fire at any soldiers
he could find.  Whatever had set off his temper was still riding him.  Ladon
was careful to keep Morgan out of his thoughts.  He was sure that whatever was
making Eben kill as many as he could, it had to do with the fiery haired wind
talker he was cradling in his scaled arms.  He hoped he was wrong.
    Ladon reached the
cliff where Morgan waited first.  He placed his small wiggling burdens at her
feet and watched as they squealed and threw themselves into Morgans waiting
arms.  This, come to think of it, was what Ladon wanted to do too.
    They all started
talking at once.
    “Did they hurt
you?  Are you well?”
    “We thought you
were taken.”
    “We came to rescue
you.”  That from Rhune.
    “You did what?! “
    He looked from her
to the Dragon.  “Well, we didn’t know you had a dragon did we?”
    Before they could
get into that Eben landed.  He didn't set his burden down, but changed back to
his man shape with her still in his arms.  His face was as blank as Morgan had
ever seen it.  She swallowed hard, leaving her suddenly quiet siblings behind
her she reached Eben, her hand brushing back a fall of titanium hair to show a
bruised and beaten face.
    “Melly.”  She said
her voice a whisper of pain.  As quiet as she was the girl heard it and opened
the eye not swollen shut.
    “Morgan?”  The
voice was a whimper of hope.  Ladon wanted to break something.  Go back and
level the fortress to the ground and burn the ashes.  The little face that
looked so much like his mate smiled, her abused lips broke open and bled at the
movement.  Morgan took the hand she reached out to her.
    “It’s me Melly.” 
Then her voice broke.  “I came for you.”
    “Knew you would. 
Told him you would.”  She coughed and the sound was like glass breaking.  “I
kept them safe, hid their powers.  I made sure he couldn’t touch them.  He...” 
She started crying, great sobs of pain that had Morgan wrapping herself around
her in Ebens arms. 
    Rhune buried his
face in Clare’s stomach.  They were both crying.  
    “Shh, Melly,”
Morgan was crying so hard herself she could barely get the words out.  Eben
looked up at Ladon, and the rage firing behind dragon gold eyes matched his
own.  There would be a reckoning for this, but for now…
    “We must fly
little heart.  We have healers among our people who are unparalleled.  In the
meantime,” Morgan felt his dragon magic wrap around them, and then Melly
slipped away, unconscious.  “She will feel no pain.”
    Morgan shuddered
one more time, wiping her eyes and stepping back.  “All right.”
    She turned to
Clare and Rhune.  Her chin rising as she found her inner strength.  “You think
you can