Dragon Kin and other fantasy stories

By Vanessa Finaughty

The Dragon Kin anthology is a collection of fantasy stories with plenty of twists that will keep you turning the page for more.

In this anthology, a young man's incredible past is uncovered when he saves a young woman from conjured, fire-breathing dragons. A novice wizard’s resolve is tested when he is chased by rabid dogs for accusing a king’s beloved queen of murder. A mother prepares to brave danger by taking on a gluttonous black dragon with an overzealous penchant for livestock in the next valley that threatens, if left unchecked, to see her children going hungry during the looming winter. A cunning assassin sneaks into the castle dungeons to silence a prisoner before his testimony can reveal startling revelations about the queen. A desperate man does the unthinkable when he tries to kill a seven-year-old girl for the bounty placed on her head. An elf risks exposing the world’s best-kept secret – her secret – by embarking on a rescue mission to retrieve captured humans and kidnapped phoenix eggs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vanessa Finaughty
• Release date: Aug 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465947512

Vanessa Finaughty

Vanessa grew up in Cape Town, and still lives there with her husband of fifteen years, her baby daughter and plenty of furry, four-legged ‘children’. Her passion for the written word started her career as an editor and copywriter, and she part-ran a writers’ critique group for close on seven years. She's been writing ever since she learnt how, has always been an avid reader, and currently lives on coffee and cigarettes. Her interests include reading, photography, the supernatural, life's mysteries and martial arts, of which she has five years’ experience. Review copies of all Vanessa's books are available upon request, and fans are welcome to email her at [e-mail] - she loves to hear any type of feedback and answers all emails personally. *** Please note that Vanessa uses UK spelling and grammar, which is not always the same as US spelling and grammar.

Book preview

DRAGON KIN

And other fantasy stories

Vanessa Finaughty

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Vanessa Finaughty

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Thanks to fellow author and friend, T.C. Southwell, for editing this anthology.

DRAGON KIN

And other fantasy stories

Vanessa Finaughty

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dragon Kin

Jeepers’ Creatures

Kill to Live

Royal Assassin

The Bounty Hunter

Whisperer

Dragon Kin

Karas shot up in bed, instantly awake. The shrill screaming continued outside the log cabin, reaching his ears above the howling wind. It hadn’t been part of the dream. He sprang from the warm bed and grabbed his trusty wood-chopping axe, then dashed outside without stopping to pull on more than a pair of thin trousers. Framed in the doorway, he squinted sleep-blurred eyes into the wind and stared down the mountain path – the only access to his cabin. A young woman came into view, racing towards him. Movement drew Karas’ eyes to the tree tops, where an elephant-sized dragon pursued the woman, waiting for her to leave the safety of the tree-protected path, where it currently couldn’t reach her.

Karas rubbed his eyes and looked again, his heart pounding painfully. A dragon? He must still be dreaming. Dragons were mythical creatures. He wasn’t interested in adventure, not even in his dreams, and turned to go back inside. He’d make it go away by ignoring it. The woman screamed again, her desperate plea freezing Karas.

Help me!

His hand still on the door handle, Karas scowled, willing the dream to end. Heat seared his back and he spun as the silver-grey dragon swooped towards the woman with a triumphant screech that chilled his blood. The forest’s edge was now ablaze, the flames so blistering they scorched his face from metres away. What in damnation?

Dream or not, he wouldn’t stand idly by while what he thought of as ‘his forest’ was destroyed. Now he was mad.

Karas raised the axe and yelled, Hey! Over here, you giant puffed bird!

His shout saved the woman, who tripped just as the dragon’s head jerked in Karas’ direction. Its lips curled to display gleaming teeth that looked at least as long as a human forearm, and almost as thick. The woman dragged herself up, fear-filled eyes fixed on the terrifyingly real creature as it lunged at Karas. He was ready for it and swung the axe at its snout as it came for him. It connected with a solid thwack inside the dragon’s mouth, the force so strong that its head was forced to the veranda’s wooden boards, where it was pinned.

The dragon thrashed and Karas leapt over the veranda railing onto the sandy ground. He glanced at the woman, who remained rooted to the spot. Pieces of wood flew from the cabin, and Karas ducked to avoid a large, splintered plank. The veranda was strongly built – he’d made it himself – but it wouldn’t hold the dragon for long. His eyes rested on the plank that had almost split his head in two and fiery anger surged through him as he bent to pick it up.

Ignoring the woman’s strangled cry as the dragon destroyed more of his cabin trying to free itself, its spine-chilling wails cutting the air, Karas strode towards the burning tree line and dipped the plank into the flames. With grim determination, he walked boldly up to the dragon and stuck the burning wood inside its mouth. Its wails intensified, almost bringing Karas to his knees, but the added pain seemed to give it strength and it finally broke free of the floorboards, though the axe remained firmly lodged in its lower jaw.

Karas backed away, convinced it would attack him, but the creature flapped about wildly, shaking its head in an attempt to dislodge the axe. Karas raced inside and came back with his hunting bow. He took aim and let an arrow fly. It pierced the dragon’s eye and the creature dropped motionless to the veranda with a crash that took out half the cabin’s front wall. Karas stared at it wide-eyed, hardly noticing the burning in his lungs. A dream-like haze fuzzed his mind, but a glance at his ruined home told him he was either still caught up in the dream or this was real.

The woman stumbled up to him. Thank you! Oh, thank you! I knew if anyone could save me you could!

He’d almost forgotten about her.

She clutched his arm. Karas, right?

Karas jerked away. What do you want?

She blinked, her baby blue eyes moist and her face streaked with dirt and tears. I wanted you to save me, and you did.

You just said that! he snapped.

But you asked…

Karas was angry at his home being partially ripped apart by a fearsome creature that shouldn’t exist – because this blonde woman had led it to him. He scowled at her. "I meant what do you want now? It’s gone, so run along. I have a cabin to repair. He moved to the side of the cabin and opened a wooden box that formed part of the wall, where he stored a spare axe – thank goodness for that. He turned back to find the woman had followed him and stood staring at him. Why are you still here?" he asked harshly, heading for the clearing’s edge.

T-the village e-elder s-sent me, she stuttered.

What on earth for? Karas wound his way through the burning vegetation, then felled the first flaming tree swiftly, making sure it fell towards the clearing, effectively preventing the fire from spreading to the rest of the forest. The last row of trees would fall onto sand and the flames would soon die without further fuel.

The woman peered through the trees from inside the clearing. What are you doing?

Are you mentally challenged? he asked.

Wh-what?

And hard of hearing, he muttered as the next tree crashed.

There’s no need to be rude! she said, her hands now on her hips. Vildron sent me. He said you’d help.

Yes, your esteemed village elder who’s never even laid eyes on me said I’d help. Presumptuous son of a turtle that he is.

The next tree went down. The wind was thankfully blowing away from the forest, which made Karas’ job easier.

H-he said he had a v-vision of you defeating the dragons.

Karas whirled to face her. Plural? There are more?

She nodded. They attack villages across the land. Ours wasn’t the first and it won’t be the last.

Karas frowned as he turned to the next tree. Why would they do that? And since when do they even exist? What in damnation is going on here? He swung the axe hard. Splinters shot past his face and he jerked his head aside just in time to avoid losing an eye.

It’s sorcery… A sorcerer from the land beyond the Great Sea controls the beasts. He wants to rule this land, and any who refuse to submit to his will and call him king are destroyed.

Perspiration slicked Karas’ naked torso as he continued felling trees. The fire was almost out now; luckily, only a few trees had been torched. Whole villages, you say, he muttered, only half listening to her.

My name’s Sasha, in case you wondered.

I didn’t. Karas snorted. It sounds like something I might name my dog if I had one.

Why are you so obnoxious? she shouted.

Karas cut down the last tree, then picked his way over the fallen trunks to the clearing, careful not to get too close to the dying flames. He gestured to the trees. This… His arm swept towards the cabin. ..And this… He glared at her. "…Is your fault."

"How is that my fault? I didn’t conjure the dragon!"

No, you just led it here.

Oh come on! Was Vildron wrong?

Apparently not, since you aren’t dead.

"What is wrong with you?"

You aren’t gone and part of my home is. Karas began chopping up a fallen tree.

What are you doing?

What does it look like?

She huffed, I meant what are you going to do with that?

Karas looked at her. "You really are stupid, aren’t you? What do you think a guy with a half-destroyed log cabin would be chopping wood for?"

Sasha sat on her haunches, scanning the sky nervously. "Look, I don’t know why you’re such a slab of misery, but if you think the sorcerer will leave you alone, you’re mistaken. Once he’s done with the villages, he’ll start on the outlying farms and hermits like you. He wants everyone in the land to bow to him, and if