Shadow Lands: Book Three: Thrandr’s Love

By J.R. Colson

Thrandr has spent most of his adult life by himself. Love means nothing to him after the death of his mother. Who can ever love a dragon who is hated by his siblings and whose father wants nothing to do with him? Thrandr’s life is wrapped up in the war of the Shadow Lands. He is sent to the human world to help keep track of Darius and to search for allies. His life is turned upside down by doe-eyed Dusana.

Dusana’s world is based on science and facts until she moves to a new school and meets the mysterious Thrandr and his friends. She is drawn to the secret beauty she finds hidden within Thrandr. Everything that Dusana has ever believed in is put to test when she is catapulted into the Shadow Lands and the war that has engulfed it. Can Dusana break through the barriers that Thrandr has erected around himself and discover who he really is? Will Thrandr be able to show Dusana the magic of the Shadow Lands and gain her love?

Exciting times await when Dusana decides to stay in the Shadow Lands with the man who has captured her heart and who has showed her a world that is far beyond the scientific facts that she has so long clung to.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984567543

J.R. Colson

For as long as she can remember, J.R. Colson has loved to write. She has written numerous poems and even a few short stories during her college years. J.R. Colson is a self professed bibliophile who cannot pass up a good book and is addicted to the written word. She lives in a small farming community in Northwest Kansas with her family and close friends.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by J.R. Colson.

Library of Congress Control Number:   Pending

ISBN:              Hardcover             978-1-9845-6756-7

                        Softcover               978-1-9845-6755-0

                         eBook                   978-1-9845-6754-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 11/16/2018

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Contents

Prelude

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Character List

To those who are fans of my work this book is for you.

Prelude

Thrandr had been always been small for his species. Pygmy dragon is the name that was given to his kind. They had always been small, even if they bred with regular sized dragons. No one knew how they came into existence, but his species had appeared no less than 20,000 years ago. Give or take 1,000 years or so because time didn’t exist in the Shadow Lands as it did on earth.

The earliest memory that Thrandr had, was of his mother cuddling him in her warm arms. He had been born a dragon instead of human like his siblings. Thrandr had no idea why he had been born a dragon and his siblings had been born human. They had the same father, but for some unknown reason Thrandr had come out as a dragon. His father was a black pygmy dragon who abandoned them shortly after his mother gave birth to Thrandr. It was the way of dragons when they mate with humans. They stay with the human until they either get bored with them or one of their offspring is born a dragon.

Thrandr had met his father at the tender age of 50. His mother had sent him off to the mountains where pygmy dragons roost. Thrandr’s mother had been dying and she wished to see the face of her dragon lover one last time. His father had refused to go and from that day forward Thrandr had turned his back on his race. He preferred to honor his mother’s memory by staying with his human siblings and offering his help to the non-dragon inhabitants of the Shadow Lands.

That was how he had met Morgana and Phoenix. His life has been different since he joined those two in their fight to preserve the Shadow Lands and restore order. They had almost restored order and now that order was threatened by an enemy that they didn’t know they had until it was almost too late. Things had been simpler when the capital had still been intact. The Shadow Lands has never fully recovered from the destruction of the home of the Ancients. Prospects had started looking better and then that fiasco with the ice giants had happened. Thrandr snorted a stream of smoke from his snout as he thought about that. He could kick Morgana and Phoenix for what they had almost done. They knew better, but they had always been impulsive where loved ones were concerned.

Thrandr sailed over the barren landscape of the Southwestern United States. He was flying over one of the deserts that resided in this country. He couldn’t remember the name of it. Branwyn had called it Mo-have desert or something similar to that. He had always liked deserts. They were easy to hide in and he loved the heat and the hot coarse sand. It felt good on his scales.

Sand was all that he could see. It stretched on for miles and miles. The others were waiting for him to return. He had gathered all that he could on this scouting mission. The Shadowling they had sensed in the desert was now long gone. They would have to track them down again, but right now they were needed back in Oregon. Tomorrow was Monday and they had to be at school. That thought made Thrandr growl in annoyance. He couldn’t understand the point of sitting in a desk all day learning things that were pointless in the art of survival. Thrandr attended school with the others in order to help keep Darius and his emotions in check. He was still learning how to control his connection to the Shadow Lands. Darius needed all the help he could get to control his feelings and his reactions to those feelings.

Thrandr scanned the horizon one last time before he dipped his left wing and wheeled around in a big circle and flew back the way he’d come. He beat his wings powerfully as he sailed over the desert. The wind was in his favor. He could ride the updrafts and thermals for hours on end, but he wanted to get back to his friends quickly.

Tomorrow was a big day. Thrandr didn’t know why, but everything was going to change tomorrow. He could taste the change coming. His scales itched with forewarning and it made him uneasy. The dragon in him hated change, but he was part human and humans were creatures of change. These thoughts carried Thrandr towards the mountains in the distance. Things were going to change dramatically and Thrandr had no chance at protecting himself from that change. If he had the gift of foresight that his eldest sister had, then maybe he could protect himself. Since he didn’t have that gift, he was at the mercy of the Fates and boy did they have a surprise waiting for him tomorrow.

Chapter 1

Thrandr walked into school the next morning in a bad mood. It had taken most of the night to get back to Oregon and dragons didn’t do well on 3 hours of sleep. Humans didn’t either and the morning had been rough. Everyone was crotchety after his failed mission last night. Thrandr headed towards his homeroom. It was a science class and he didn’t pay any attention to what was going on. The female teacher had a bad tendency to just ramble on and on about unimportant stuff. Thrandr was almost to the science room when Ashkar hollered for him to stop. Thrandr stepped back from the doorway and waited for Ashkar to join him.

Ash, Thrandr said as he made a fancy flip of his right hand to his left shoulder and bowed at the waist. He heard snickers from the classroom behind him, but decided to ignore them.

Thrandr, we have a problem, Ashkar said as he joined Thrandr by the door.

And that problem is? Thrandr asked as he pushed his long purple hair out of the way.

One of our enemies has sent out a feeler wishing to contact us.

Does this creature have a name? Thrandr asked sharply.

Lokirian.

Lokirian? Thrandr mused aloud.

Ashkar nodded in confirmation. Do you know him?

Thrandr shook his head. I haven’t, but I don’t keep up with all of the creatures that come and go in the Shadow Lands.

He wants to meet us in within the next 30 minutes. Dorian and I are going to go and meet him on the shores of the river Styx. I came by to ask if you would keep an eye on the girls for us. Darius and Beor are already sticking close to Lilly and Violet.

Thrandr nodded, I will watch over them as if they are my mate. Let them know that I will be watching them and if they feel any foreign presence in their mind, it’s me.

Ashkar looked relieved. Thanks dragon. I owe you one.

Thrandr growled softly in agreement as he clasped arms with Ashkar and clapped him on the shoulder. Ashkar glanced up and down the hall and saw no one coming. He nodded to Thrandr before he walked a few paces away and shimmered out of sight. While Thrandr had been talking to Ashkar the class had filled up with students. Thrandr shifted his book bag back onto his left shoulder and walked into class. Mrs. Robinson was nowhere to be seen. Thrandr let his conscious search for her. He found her in a janitor’s closet locked in a passionate embrace with one of the seniors. He broke off contact as he headed towards an empty seat. It was no business of his what any of these humans do. They were not his priority.

Hey faggot! Yelled a boy seated in the second row. Why don’t you cut your hair and dye it a regular color instead of purple. What are you some kind of fucking freak?

Thrandr ignored the puny human as he headed towards a seat in the back. He tossed his book bag on the table and sat down in his chair. Thrandr crossed his arms and slouched down in his chair ignoring the puny pubescent human.

Hey faggot! I’m talking to you!

Thrandr looked up at the boy. The boy was standing and flexing his muscles like a body builder on one of those shows that Beor liked to watch. Thrandr almost laughed because that human thought he could beat up a dragon. Thrandr met the boy’s gaze and let some of the dragon fire in his eyes show. The boy started and backed up as he saw Thrandr’s eyes flash.

Dude, you okay? One of the other humans asked as he laid a hand on the other boy’s shoulder.

Alright class, sit down, Mrs. Robinson said as she hurried into the room.

Thrandr bared his teeth at the human before he looked at the teacher. She looked a little rumpled and her lipstick was smeared. Thrandr tuned her out as she began to talk about the human body. He let his eyes close halfway and sent a feeler out to find Bridgette and Branwyn. Bridgette was busy mixing some herbs in her kitchen and she jumped when Thrandr brushed against her mind. Thrandr let himself be known before he withdrew and reached out to Branwyn. She was sitting in math class doodling. All