The Dragon Council: The Dragon Child Series, #2

By Nikita Boshoff

For though the child wears human skin,

The child will be the Dragons' kin –

Born of both the dark and light

Depth of heart both shadow and bright.

Lucy Clare has been sentenced to death. As an untrained Dragon Child, who has no control over her power, the Dragon Council cannot allow her to continue to live.

When an unexpected friend gives the Dragon Council important information, Lucy realises that she may yet be saved. By finding the goddess Arianrhod, Lucy may still be able to redeem herself.

To find Arianrhod, Lucy will need to seek out the old gods, but the Morrigan is hunting the old gods as well. If the Morrigan gets to them first, it could mean the end of the multiverse.

At the same time, Lucy still needs to learn how to control her magic and she will face hardships on the path she has chosen. The end of the road could mean victory but it could also be the fall of the Dragon Child.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sera Blue
• Release date: Mar 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781990940743

Book preview

Chapter 1

THIS PRISON IS PARADISE

Time meant nothing in Lucy Clare’s prison. There were no windows to indicate the passing of hours. There was only her cave and her garden. Rock walls cocooned her in a solid dome. Vines grew along the stone and lush green grass spread across the floor like a blanket. Bright red flowers bloomed in the trees and a crystal lake glimmered in the centre of the room. The room always smelt like wet dirt. It was always light in the cave, though Lucy had no idea where the light was coming from.

When the elves had left her here, anxiety took over. In a desperate, sobbing panic, she’d felt every wall looking for a way out and even climbed the trees to reach the roof of the cave. Though the elves were able to pass through the stone to bring her food, under her fingers the stone walls were firm. Her prison may be beautiful but there was no escape.

She’d even tried to find a way out of the prison in the lake. Diving as deep as her magic would let her, she searched the lake for a door, but even its walls were solid. The fear had torn through her. For what felt like hours, she’d sobbed.

There was still a black ring in the grass from where her dark magic had taken over and erupted in flames. Already, the black ring was healing and disappearing. Even though the scar was fading from the earth, that darkness still swirled inside her, crawling underneath her skin, making her fingers itch.

The problem with being alone for so long meant that you had too much time to think.

Based on the duration between meals, Lucy guessed that a week had passed since her imprisonment. By the third day, she was too tired to cry anymore.

Now a mellow calmness had taken over. All she had was the darkness inside her for company and whoever occasionally spoke to her from the cave chamber next to hers. Sitting on the bank of the lake, she stared into the water. After everything that had happened, she expected to look different, but her ginger curls still framed her white, freckled face and despite all the walking in Lavendura, her face was still a bit too round for her liking.

Wasn’t losing someone supposed to change you? She wanted a scar or a burn to mark the change. Although she felt changed on the inside, there was nothing to indicate that change on her face. It almost felt like it never happened and that made it worse.

There was a part of Lucy that never wanted to leave the prison at all. By accepting her fate, her prison had become a paradise. It kept out the real world. Leaving meant that she would have to face Ra’s death. She would have to face the death of a man she barely knew and yet she could feel his death resting like a stone pit in her belly.

She would have to face the darkness that had taken over when she’d fought the Morrigan and how incredible it had felt even though she had failed. On the fourth day of her imprisonment, she realised the cave was too small for her anxiety. There was no space for it here in a place that kept her safe from the outside world.

Leaving also meant that she would have to face her own death. She was not ready to die.

Behind her, she heard a shuffle. She turned, catching only a glimpse of green as the elf was leaving. A wooden plate of food was now waiting for her.

Did you get steak this time? a voice called.

It echoed around her so she that wasn’t sure where the adjacent stone chamber was situated.

Her closest guess was that the voice came from the right of where the elves entered, but the stone walls between them were too thick for her to be certain.

Lucy stood and picked up the bamboo plate. She prodded the bluish meat with her finger. I’m still not sure you can even call this steak, she responded.

Its sickly-sweet smell wafted up to her nose.

At least it tastes good, the voice responded, muffled as if his mouth was full.

Steak is not supposed to taste like strawberries, Lucy mumbled, pulling a piece of meat off and placing it in her mouth.

It’s all about the diet. Feed the deer magical berries, the meat tastes like strawberries.

I don’t think it works like that back where I’m from, Lucy responded, And if that’s true, why does the fruit taste like meat?

The boy on the other side of the cave chuckled. There was a moment of silence as Lucy continued picking at her food until the boy said, You never finished your story about how you landed up becoming a prisoner of the dragons.

You never tell me anything about yourself. Why should I finish my story? Lucy answered, but there was a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. The boy only spoke to her once a day but she looked forward to that conversation every time.

I promise I will tell you why I’m here as soon as your story is finished.

Lucy considered this as she popped some starch-like substance into her mouth. Okay, where were we? I told you about the Village of Burnt Roses and the Ice Kingdom, didn’t I? She knew exactly where she was in the story, but she didn’t want to face that part yet. The darkness in her rose its head.

You arrived at the Morrigan’s castle with the help of Baron Vuld. Your friends had just been kidnapped. With Ra’s help, you started a rebellion amongst the prisoners, the boy stated.

Right, Lucy said, taking a deep breath. War broke out. The prisoners began attacking the Morrigan’s soldiers while Ra and I moved through the fog and freed them. The soldiers were getting the upper hand and we couldn’t free the prisoners fast enough. I thought we were going to lose. That’s when the Morrigan appeared on her balcony. She had one of my friends in her grip and said she’d kill him if I didn’t face her one on one. So, I did. I ran to the castle. I don’t know why. I didn’t have nearly enough training. I wasn’t prepared. When I reached the castle, it turned out the Morrigan was lying about having one of my friend’s prisoner. My friends had already escaped. The Morrigan, did, however, ask me to join her cause. She wanted me to help her tear down the veil between the worlds. She was pretty convincing. I almost did join her when Ra appeared and he convinced me not to. As a result, she – Lucy paused, unable to say the words.

Her anxiety crawled under her skin, revealing itself after days in hiding.

She killed him, the voice answered for her. His tone was hollow.

Yes, how did you know?

There was a long pause. The boy sounded sad when he responded. I hear you cry sometimes. I don’t mean to, I just do.

Lucy swallowed hard. Anyway, she continued, ignoring the growing lump in her throat, When Ra...after Ra...I exploded. I was so angry; I set the entire castle on fire. I almost had the Morrigan too but I lost control of the flames. The Morrigan escaped. I failed the one job I was given – kill the Morrigan. Luckily, my friend saved me from the fire. But he might as well have left me there because as soon as I came out of the castle, the dragons sentenced me to death. Just because I was a Dragon Child who couldn’t control my magic. And that’s it. That’s how I landed up here.

Lucy’s emotions raged inside her and she was worried she was going to set fire to the grass again. She put her plate down and focussed on her breathing.

After another extended moment of silence, the boy spoke. Being born a certain way is no reason to imprison someone. He sounded genuinely sympathetic. It’s definitely no reason to kill them.

Lucy tried to swallow a piece of fruit but it caught in her throat. She placed the ripe, red fruit back on the wooden plate. It no longer seemed appealing anymore.

I can’t believe I’m on death row, she said.

A sob racked through her. The hollow sound echoed around the chamber. The words didn’t sound real. It seemed so long ago that she was nothing more than an ordinary high school student. Now she wouldn’t even be able to finish her final exams. Was she even still seventeen? Had any time passed at all?

I’m sorry, the boy replied. It sounded like he meant it.

Lucy sucked in a breath. I think I’m going to try to get some sleep. She pushed the plate of unfinished food aside.

When the voice said nothing in response, she curled into a ball in the soft grass. Every time she closed her eyes, Ra’s dead eyes stared back at her, but she pushed the image away.

She tried not to cry.

There’s no use ignoring death. You must face it.

Lucy jumped up.

That voice did not belong to the boy next door. Readying for a fight, she looked around the cave until she found the source of the words. On the other side of the lake, seated on a stone, she found the speaker. For a second, she thought the woman was Badb, the Morrigan’s sister, because of her tight-fitting, flowing black dress.

Panic struck her and she was about to call out for help when the woman dropped her cloak to the floor. Fiery red hair, not black, hung in braids around her shoulders. Her features were also angular and sharp. On either side of her, sat two large, black dogs that looked like monstrous Doberman Pinschers with fireballs for eyes. Saliva dripped from their elongated fangs.

Are you here to execute me? Lucy asked, failing to prevent her voice from shaking.

The woman stood up and began to walk towards Lucy. Instead of walking around the lake, she crossed the water as if it was glass. Small ripples were left behind after each footstep. The dogs followed close behind her. I’m a friend, the woman announced. I’m here to help.

Lucy scrambled backwards until her back was against the cave wall. The woman kept coming closer until the dogs were so close to Lucy’s face, she could feel their warm, rancid breath that smelled like rotting meat, on her skin. From this vicinity, Lucy could see strange, silver symbols appear and disappear on the silk of the woman’s dress. Her heart hammered so loudly in her chest the noise filled her ears.

The woman knelt down, meeting Lucy’s eyes with her own silver-blue ones. The same runes that danced across her dress, danced across her skin as well.

The dragons have sentenced you to death, Lucy, she began, "But they cannot kill you. Although the Arch Dragons may be eternal beings, not even they can end a Dragon Child. But they do know how to kill you. Be wary of their verdict. For though it may not seem like it, you will still be on death row."

What are you talking about? Are they going to let me live? A kernel of hope began to grow in Lucy’s chest.

The woman’s eyes flashed to the left before meeting Lucy’s again. Don’t be fooled. I don’t have much time. When the dragons ask you to choose a guide, you must name me. I can help you survive their trial.

I don’t know who you are.

The dogs began to growl and the woman seemed jittery. I am Hecate, Queen of the Witches. Goddess of magic and sorcery. Name me, Lucy. I can save you.

Lucy opened her mouth to speak when Hecate and her dogs disappeared in a puff of black smoke. As the last wisps were dissipating, the stones to Lucy’s left began to crumble, creating an opening in the cave wall. Silver-haired elves began to pour into the room. Lucy recognized two of them as the ones who had brought her here from Lavendura – the dragon’s lackeys.

Despite being afraid of them, Lucy was equally enchanted by them. Their skin was the pale green of early spring grass and their hair hung like rivulets of moonlight to the floor. Although they wore no clothes, they wrapped their long hair around them to imitate clothing. Each footstep they took barely left a print in the grass.

It was as if the elves had come first and the word ‘ethereal’ had come as a result. Even their eyes were dark green orbs with no pupil. It made their gaze unnerving.

It is time for your trial, Dragon Child. The CCouncil has arrived. The elves were androgynous and Lucy could not tell if the speaker was a man or a woman, but the lilting, melodic tone sang to her, like the voice of the Siren who had tried to kill her not too long ago.

Lucy took a deep breath and straightened her spine. It was time to face the inevitable.

Chapter 2

TRIAL BY DRAGONS

In a highly structured fashion, the elves led Lucy out of the opening they had made in her prison wall. There was a silver chain wrapped around her wrists and legs so that she could not get away.

It seemed thin and pretty but held when she tugged on it. The elves kept her close between them, so that if the chain failed there were no gaps for her to slip through.

Ahead of her was nothing but a long, dark tunnel. The tunnel stretched into the shadows. The rocky walls on either side of it gave no indication that here were prisons behind them.

Lucy couldn’t pinpoint her own prison let alone the chamber that housed the anonymous voice that had kept her company. It made her wonder how the elves were able to navigate the cave system. Beneath her bare feet, there was also nothing but stone.

At first, the caverns were poorly lit. The only light was shed from a strange orb that one of the elves carried in the palm of their hand. But as they continued, white, glowing moss clung rooted to the walls and filled the caverns with eerie brightness.

Strange, near translucent creatures, picked at the moss and used it to fill leather satchels they kept at their sides. They had large bat ears and eyes that gleamed back at Lucy when they were caught in the light, but otherwise, they looked like small men with long beards and miners’ garb.

What are they? Lucy asked the elves. Although she was asking mostly out of curiosity, the question was a distraction from her increasing nervousness.

They are called tommyknockers or knockers, one elf responded, to Lucy’s surprise. They take things out of the walls to sell, but they never do for they cannot bear the sunlight.

Lucy watched one dig its fingers into the moss and loosen it with its pickaxe. When the treasure came free, it knocked against the stone wall which caused a hollow sound to echo throughout the tunnel. More echoing knocks answered in return before the creature scampered away. The knocking remained long after it was gone, but Lucy did not see another knocker for the rest of her walk.

Without the distraction of the tommyknockers, Lucy began to slip deeper into her own thoughts. Her nerves were not yet overwhelming, but they were a constant presence niggling at her and demanding to not be ignored. It made her chest tighten with each step. She could hear her blood pumping through her veins.

Immense, heavy tiredness weighed her down and made each footstep more difficult than the last. She wanted to go back to her cave with its soft grass and just sleep and sleep and sleep. The trial meant that she’d have to face expectations again. Expectations she did not feel like she was capable of meeting.

She didn’t even know where Sameera was. Was Sameera safe? Where were her friends? What if she had failed to protect them despite everything that had happened? The Morrigan was still out there and Lucy did not think she could face her a second time. These thoughts buzzed violently around Lucy’s head like hornets.

The elves stopped in front of a doorway. A cascading waterfall curtained the entrance and glinted like crystals in sunlight. The elves at the forefront of the party slipped through the water, readying the way for Lucy to follow them.

One elf turned to Lucy. This one’s skin was mint-green, a shade paler than the other elves, and they had sharp, high cheekbones and a small, button nose. Silvery freckles speckled their cheeks and matched the colour of their hair woven around their body.

When we enter the courtroom, you are not to speak, the elf told her, You will be given a chance to defend yourself, but The Dragon Council must speak first. In essence, speak only when you are spoken to. Do you understand? If you have any chance of surviving the dragons’ wrath, you will keep your emotions in check and give them no reason to side against you. The elf softened, which surprised Lucy. The dragons can be merciful despite what you may be thinking.

Lucy gave the elf a slow nod, not sure what else to say. The elf turned away from her and tugged on the silver chain, indicating that it was time for Lucy to move again.

When Lucy passed through the cool water, it left her dry, but a few pearls of water clung to her skin and hair, shimmering like diamonds when she moved. She had to pause, lost for words at the sight in front of her and the elf gave her that moment to take it all in.

The underground cavern was massive. Its ceiling was so tall that the top of the cave was shrouded in shadows. As tall as the cavern was, it was wide. In the walls of the chamber were alcoves where dragons of all sizes were flying in and out, so that the air was full of the bustle of dragon wings. More dragons scuttled along the walls, watching Lucy’s procession with mild curiosity. Their chittering filled the cave chamber with noise.

Beneath Lucy, a bridge traversed a roaring river that circled the entire chamber. More bridges stretched forward from other waterfalls around the room. Elves were constantly coming and going from the exits and entrances. On one end of the room, a giant rocky ledge overlooked the chamber.

Twelve, ornate gold chairs were all placed in a line on the floor below the ledge. A long table stretched out in front of each seat. A single table and chair, simpler in design, faced the ledge. Behind that chair was a few more chairs so that the entire display resembled a courtroom.

On the other side of the cavern, a waterfall, as big as Niagara Falls, roared over a massive entrance, large enough for the dragons to fly through. The cavern was so huge, that the waterfalls thunderous rumbling didn’t drown out the noise of nearby fluttering dragons.

The elf tugged on Lucy’s chain, pulling her out of her awe. Her feet crunched across the floor. On closer inspection, she realised the floor was coated in gold coins and brilliant jewels. It was a dragon’s hoard that filled the cavern. Some diamonds were as large as her fist and she was almost tempted to snatch one.

The elves led her to the single table and chair and as she got closer, she saw that her friends filled the audience. Her heart leapt when she saw Dylan but fell again almost immediately. Sameera was not with them.

You may take a seat, the kind elf instructed.

Lucy nodded but before she did as she was told, she turned to speak to her friends, to ask them where Sameera was. Along with Dylan,  Yuki, Wolfbane, Rosy and Zenobia stared back at her.

The elf gripped her arm and spun her around before she could say anything.

Do not risk it, the elf hissed, You will have a chance to speak to them when this is over. Whatever the outcome may be.

This time Lucy didn’t hesitate. Her cheeks burned as she slipped into the chair. Elves stood on either side of her, blocking any attempted escape. For a few minutes, nothing happened. Lucy’s nerves began prickling again as she stewed in the anticipation. The room felt too warm and the pace of her breathing accelerated.

Suddenly, a hush overcame the cavern so that the only sounds were from the waterfalls. From the deep shadows guarding the ledge, three giant dragons stepped forward. Their heads swayed as they looked over the chamber, the motion coming to halt as they fixed their eyes on Lucy.

Lucy recognised the one in the centre. Her jet-black scales melted with the darkness. She was larger than every other dragon in the room. It was Onyxia, the matriarch of the dragons – the one who had sentenced her to death.

Let it be noted, that the trial has begun, Onyxia declared in her booming voice.

From either side of the ledge, lines of people exited waterfalls and came to a stop at each of the seats at the long table, leaving only one seat empty.

Lucy recognised Max immediately. He still wore his plaid coat and flat-cap. He seemed older than he did when she first met him. His cheeks sagged with wrinkles. She also recognised another face and, at that moment, she knew that she was doomed.

The Mapmaker grinned at her beneath his wide-brimmed hat and even though she could not see his eyes under the shadows, she could feel his malice seething towards her. He wore the same trenchcoat he’d worn in his cave but it was splattered with blood. His long dreadlocks were pulled back in a ponytail. There were scars flashing across his brown skin. From the corner of Lucy’s eye, she saw Dylan lurch forward towards him, but Wolfbane held him back.

The woman sitting in the first chair to Lucy’s left spoke. She was Hawaiian in appearance and she had lava dripping from her hair. Her body was covered in tribal tattoos.

I am Pele and I stand for Aries.

She was followed by the woman next to her, who had bandages wrapped around her eyes and snakes spitting where her hair should have been. I am Medusa and I stand for Taurus.

In turn, each member of the Council announced their names followed by a Zodiac symbol.

Although the third seat was empty, the following members included a man who had blue scales crawling up his skin, another girl with flames instead of hair, a woman made out of flowers, a woman whose clothes were billowing around her as if she was caught in a wind, Max, an owl the size of a man wearing a wizard’s hat, the Mapmaker, an Mesoamerican man dressed in bright feathers and finally an Inuit woman with black eyes and blue skin.

Each member of the Council watched Lucy with varying degrees of intrigue or disgust. It was the Mapmaker who spoke first and Lucy’s stomach sank further.

I don’t think this Council is really fair, he said. The defendant’s own grandfather and uncle are members. He indicated to Max and the scaled man, who’d introduced himself as Triton.

Max shot up in a fury. If you are here to denounce her character, I have every right to defend it, he roared.

Hush, the billowing woman commanded. She’d announced herself as Frigg.

The white dress she wore twisted around her and her thick, blonde hair lashed out in the invisible gale. There were crow’s feet at the corner of her eyes but that did not detract from her immense beauty.

She had a motherly aura surrounding her. This trial will not have bitter squabbling, do you understand? Poseidon, his son and Anansi all have equal say here as long as they promise to remain objective for that is our role as members of the Dragon Council. Even one of the Morrigan’s own sits amongst us.

Medusa hissed at the audience, chorused by her snakes.

If you continue your petty fights, leave now. We are already one short. We will not suffer if we lose any more members, Frigg continued.

The Mapmaker glowered at her and Max took his seat again, but neither of them said anything. Lucy realised that Frigg held some sort of authority over them.

Does the child even understand what she’s on trial for? I haven’t seen a look that dumb in years, the Mesoamerican man, Quetzalcoatl, added with a laugh, indicating Lucy.

Heat rose up Lucy’s cheeks.

Frigg turned to Lucy, but she wore kindness on her face. "Do you,