A Castle for Dragons Read online

  A Castle For Dragons

  By:

  Julie Wetzel

  THIS book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the authors' imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  NO part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  A Castle for Dragons

  Copyright ©2015 Julie Wetzel

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 978-1-63422-129-0

  Cover Design by: Marya Heiman

  Typography by: Courtney Nuckels

  Editing by: Cynthia Shepp

  This one is for Jessica

  Thank you for everything. Love you Sissy!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  1

  Horror washed through Kathryn as she stood by and watched the great, black beast cutting across the sky.

  Reports had come back from the outlying farms of a dragon stealing livestock, but no one had really believed them. Dragons were mythical creatures—stories told to scare bad children into being good. And even if they were real, they were long gone from the world. No one believed in dragons anymore, but there it was. A dragon. Big as life, with scales black as night. Something dangled in its claws.

  Squinting, Kathryn could just make out the wiggling legs of some farm creature. It wasn’t big enough to be a cow, maybe a sheep or pig. Whatever it was, it was someone’s precious livestock, gone to fatten up the huge creature that shouldn’t have been there.

  Kathryn glanced back when she heard a noise behind her. Turning her attention to the dragon again, she continued to watch the creature in the sky. “Do you see it?” she asked as her father came up behind her.

  The older man placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder and looked out over the southern fields. “Yes,” he answered, pulling her back from the open space. “Get inside before it sees us.”

  He turned the girl and pushed her to the safety of the house. Well, relative safety. How safe was a thatch-roofed house when there was a fire-breathing dragon on the loose? Tuning around, he watched the dragon disappear in the direction of the forest before heading into the house himself.

  “What are we going to do?” Kathryn asked as she peeked out of the shuttered window in the direction of the field. The dragon appeared to be gone, but just knowing it was out there terrified her.

  “You are going to get back to work, girl.” Her father came over and pulled her away from the window. He checked to make sure the bar was across the shutters, locking them firmly in place. “Dinner will not make itself.”

  Kathryn let out a sigh and went to the hearth to check on the pot hanging there. Dinner was well on its way to being done. It was times like this when she wished her mother were still alive. At least then, she would have someone to listen to her concerns.

  She glanced at her father. He had gone back to the door and was looking out over the fields. Kathryn truly loved the man, but he hadn’t been the same since her mother had drowned in the lake. He’d gotten much more protective of Kathryn. She was no longer allowed to go out without either her brother or her father accompanying her. The man had also turned away several offers for her hand in marriage. Not that she wanted to marry any of the young men who had asked, but for goodness sake, she was nearly twenty. If things kept going as they were, she would end up a spinster.

  The sound of hooves announced Kathryn’s brother’s return.

  “Did you see it?” His animated voice echoed through the house as he rushed inside. “It was a dragon. A real, live dragon! Just like Grand’s stories. It was huge!” her brother rambled on in excitement.

  Kathryn glared at him, irritated. Trever was nearly a grown man. Where did he get off bouncing around like such a child? She would have chided him for such actions if her father weren’t there.

  “Yes,” Kathryn’s father said quietly, “we saw it.”

  “We chased after it, but it disappeared into the woods.”

  “You shouldn’t have been out there chasing after it,” Kathryn reprimanded him. Didn’t he realize it was dangerous chasing after a fire-breathing creature? “You could have been killed!”

  “I knew what I was doing,” Trever scoffed.

  Kathryn let out a sigh. Arguing with him would do her no good.

  Their father considered both of his children. “Lord Dunham needs to be told about this.” He looked at his son. “Trever, come with me and explain what you saw to the lord.”

  Turning to Kathryn, he gave her a pointed stare. “Stay here, and don’t go outside.” With that, he led Kathryn’s brother out, and the door shut behind them with a resounding thud.

  Another long sigh slipped out of Kathryn as she listened to the men get the horses and ride off to the castle. Great. Just another excuse for her father to keep her locked up. Bloody dragon!

  ***

  The hinge on the window creaked as Kathryn peeked out. The shadow of the dragon skimmed across the ground as the great, black beast circled above the town. The chaos of its arrival had ceased as the townsfolk hid in fear. No one here would be able to defend themselves from such a terror. When the dragon first appeared a few weeks ago, Lord Dunham called every able-bodied man up to the castle to train for the fight against the creature, leaving the village vulnerable. Maybe that was what had brought the dragon in from the outlying farms. Maybe it had heard that Lord Dunham was going to start hunting it as soon as the men were trained in the use of the newest weapons.

  As it was, the entire town had gone into overdrive, trying to get enough real weaponry to outfit all the men. Even Kathryn had been doing her part. There was no telling where Lord Dunham had come up with so many pieces of plate mail, but the stuff wasn’t fitted to any of the men properly—it chafed and cut after just a few hours of use. The women of the village had spent the last few weeks slaving away, trying to weave enough material to make padding for the men. At least the danger had gotten Kathryn out of her home for a while. Her brother and father were both at the castle, training.

  The dragon’s roar rattled the walls of the village hall. The women huddled in the middle of the room as dust drifted down from the rafters. Kathryn cringed away from the sound but turned to look out the window again. Curiosity ate away at her; she had to know what the dragon was doing out there. Pulling the shutter open just a bit, Kathryn could finally see what was going on.

  The great beast had moved from the town to the castle. It flew wide circles around the stone structure as it slowly descended. Obviously, the thing wasn’t too bright. Didn’t it know there was a whole army of men inside, waiting to take it on?

  It was distant, but Kathryn’s keen eyes saw movement from the top of the battlements. The men had to be up there, ready to strike at the dragon as soon as it was in range. They didn’t have to wait long for their chance. The dragon shifted its wings and dropped down as if it were going to land on the pathway leading to the castle.

  The archers didn’t give the beast time to finish its landing before they attacked. A rain of arrows fell on the dragon. The creature roared in surprise and pumped its wi
ngs, regaining height, but the poor thing wasn’t fast enough. A loud thunk reached Kathryn’s ears right before the dragon roared in pain and tumbled out of the air. While the regular arrows bounced off the creature’s shining scales, its hide stood no chance against those new contraptions that threw out heavy arrows with wickedly barbed ends.

  Thrashing about on the ground, the dragon righted itself and blasted the wall with fire before throwing itself back into the air. Screams of the men caught in the dragon’s flames echoed through the town.

  Kathryn’s heart clenched as she watched the beast pass overhead and take off towards the south. Grabbing up a bolt of new material, she rushed to the door and threw it open. She wasn’t a healer, but it didn’t take a genius to bind a wound. Other women joined her in her flight, racing to check on the injured. This was going to be a very long day.

  ***

  An echoing roar was the only warning the castle had of the dragon’s second attack. The thing dropped out of the sky like a rock. Kathryn looked up in terror as the great, black beast landed on the castle wall. When the dragon had come earlier that day, it had seemed smaller from the village. It looked so much bigger now that it was close. The solid stone wall swayed dangerously under the thing’s massive weight. Or it could have been the way the beast kept flapping its wings as it held on to its perch. Either way, the wall was not going to stand up to the onslaught for long.

  “Move, girl!”

  Some man in armor grabbed Kathryn’s arm and shoved her towards the open door of the castle. All the women were running inside. The men, on the other hand, had turned to face the creature. Arrows were already in the air as Kathryn ran up the steps and into the main hall. Rushing past the long tables, the women huddled against the inside walls, as far away from the danger as they could get. A horrifying rumble and screams rattled through the castle as the outer wall finally gave way under the dragon’s persistence.

  Kathryn cringed as the dragon roared. Flames washed over the open door, making the women scream. Thankfully, the fire passed too quickly to catch on anything. More screams of rage and pain mixed with the roar of the dragon as all hell broke out in the bailey. Kathryn closed her eyes and plugged her ears. There was nothing the ladies could do at this moment but wait for the dragon to leave.

  After what seemed like forever, a man stumbled in from the courtyard. “It’s gone,” he said as he dropped to the floor just inside the doorway.

  The women rushed to his aid, but Kathryn passed him and went to the open door.

  Her feet stopped in pure shock, and tears sprang to her eyes as she surveyed the scene. The outer wall had been knocked over into the bailey, and all the outbuildings were ablaze. The men who were still on their feet were doing their best to pull the injured away from the flames.

  Kathryn sniffed back her grief and rushed out to see what she could do. It was hard to turn off the emotions surging through her. She knew these men. They were friends. But right now, they would benefit more from her steady hands than her tears. There would be time enough for tears when the wounded were safe.

  ***

  A gentle hand settled on Kathryn’s shoulder. She looked up to find Eustace standing over her. The town elder’s eyes were as red as hers, but his tears were nowhere to be seen.

  “Come on, girl.” Stooping down, he caught Kathryn under the elbow and urged her up from the dirt. “You need to get some rest.”

  Kathryn would have laughed in irony if she’d had the heart, but so many had died in the last few days. Her father and brother were both listed among the dead—her father had been crushed when the wall fell in the dragon’s second attack, and her brother had been foolish enough to go with Lord Dunham’s son to hunt the dragon down. Word had just come back that most of those men had been killed. Shock had stolen the strength from her limbs, and she had collapsed to the ground where she stood. Under Eustace’s gentle hands, Kathryn staggered to her feet and let the old man help her into the town hall.

  “Why don’t you rest here for now?” he said as he laid her on one of the many pallets that had been made up for injured survivors. Sadly, more than one held a girl who had lost her family this week.

  Even though she had a nice home on the edge of town, Kathryn lay down without a word. Just like the other girls here, her world had been ripped apart. Again. She lay there, listening to the others cry out their grief, while tears slipped down her face quietly. Turning her face into the bedding, Kathryn let out the sobs she had been working to hold in. She would allow herself this one night to cry, but with the loss of so many, she would have to pull herself together fast. Falling apart was not a luxury she could give herself in this time of tragedy. She knew this pain, but many others did not. Tonight, she would give into her grief. Tomorrow, she would help those who knew nothing of loss.

  ***

  The roar of the dragon echoed through the town once more. Kathryn rushed out to watch the creature attacking the castle. It was not surprising that the enraged thing came back to finish what it had started. The lord’s son had made a terrible mistake in chasing after the creature when his father had been killed. Now they all would pay for it.

  Villagers ran for cover as the dragon bathed the castle in fire. The stones blackened under the unrelenting flame, but the inferno was not hot enough to damage them permanently. The heat, however, was enough to drive several from the castle. Ending the fiery onslaught, the creature dropped down into the bailey. Kathryn couldn’t believe her eyes when it took to the skies again—dangling in its claws was what could only be a human. The relentless shrieks were those of a young woman. Maybe one of the maids from the castle.

  Turning in the air, the dragon dropped and flew low over the village. It let out a roar, shaking everyone to their souls. The poor young woman screamed in fear as the creature carried her away across the field to the southern forest.

  Kathryn stared after them in shock. What could a dragon want with a young girl? If he were going to kill the girl, why carry her away? Noise behind her made her turn around.

  “This creature has to be stopped!” one of the village men yelled. His arm, badly burned in the dragon’s second attack, hung in a sling.

  “And how do you purpose that we do that?” Eustace asked. “We have no men to fight it.” It was obvious the village elder was as upset by the dragon's new behavior as the injured man was.

  “There has to be something we can do.” There was a note of pleading in the man’s voice. The hopelessness of their situation was starting to settle in on everyone. So far, the dragon had only attacked the castle, but they were all sure it would not be long before it turned its attention to the town.

  Eustace stood, staring off in the direction the dragon had gone. “Maybe there is something we can do.” He turned to the injured man. “We can send a message to the king, asking for help, but it will take a few days of hard riding to get to his castle.” The village elder raised his voice. “Is anyone up for the trip?”

  A few stepped forward, and the healthiest was chosen to take the message to the king. It took no time for the village to pack rations and send the young man off on the best horse that could be found.

  Kathryn looked back towards the south. Was it really a good idea to call in help from some unknown king? True, they did need help, but what type of person could stand against a dragon? Hadn’t Lord Dunham’s attempt proven the creature was unbeatable? Most likely, whomever the king sent would just rile up the beast and get them all killed.

  2

  “You summoned me, My Prince?” Patrick dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

  Kyle Mylan, the dragon prince, looked over his oaken desk to the young dragon kneeling on his rug. “Yes.” Kyle shuffled through his paperwork, looking for his map. “I have a mission for you.”

  “Truly?” Patrick looked up at his friend. Finding a way to prove himself had turned into a real challenge since he had risen to the rank of Elite. He had worked hard to gain his status in Eternity, but the world of dr
agons had been quiet recently. How could one gain a name when there was nothing to do? No wars to fight. No maidens to save. Other than a few territorial arguments, the dragons of the world had done a decent job of keeping their heads down and out of trouble. And no one gained fame for deciding whose sheep had wandered onto neutral ground.

  “Truly, my brother,” Kyle waved for Patrick to stand and come over to his side, “we have a serious problem.”

  Patrick’s heart lifted as he stood and came over to look at the maps. A serious problem meant a real possibility to carve out his place in the world.

  “Father has received reports of a black dragon plaguing a village just south of here.” Kyle pointed to a spot on his map. “Eyewitness accounts tell us that the dragon has ravaged Dunham Castle, and the lord and his family were killed during the attack.”

  Concern filled Patrick’s face. This truly was a problem. The dragons had all taken oaths to remain hidden from mankind. “Have you spoken with the guardian for this area?” He tapped the symbol on the map, marking the home of the dragon charged with monitoring the region.

  “No,” Kyle shook his head. “She hasn’t reported in, so I sent a messenger two days ago, but he has not returned yet.”

  “Did he fly or ride?” Patrick looked at the map, calculating the distance and time it should take to reach the guardian and return. Two days should have been more than enough if he flew.

  “He flew.” The note of concern was heavy in Kyle’s voice. “I fear he has run into trouble.”

  “Do you want me to find the messenger?” Patrick asked. This would be an excellent first mission to test his skills.

  Kyle shook his head. “No. I’ve already sent William to search for our missing man.”

  Patrick nodded. If Kyle didn’t want him to go after the missing messenger, what did he want him to do?