Dragon's Blood: a Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (The Dragon's Gift Trilogy Book 2)(9)

As Dareena nearly dozed off in the heat, Alistair hissed.

“Alistair?” Dareena asked, sitting up in alarm. He clutched his chest, his face contorting in pain. “Are you all right?”

“I…I don’t know,” he gasped, his face pale. “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

Dareena was about to call for the guards when he relaxed, sagging against the wall.

“That was very odd,” he said.

“Did the pain go away?” Dareena touched his forehead—clammy, but no sign of fever. What was happening?

“Not exactly, but it’s a dull ache now rather than a sharp pain.” Alistair massaged his chest, a troubled look on his face. “I feel as though someone has reached in and yanked away half my strength.”

“I wonder if it has anything to do with crossing the border?” Dareena asked, getting to her knees so she could look around. Sure enough, the flatlands had given way to rolling hills. Off in the distance, mountains jutted into the clear, blue sky, and she spotted a vast forest that couldn’t be more than five leagues ahead. A sense of peace swept over her as she stared out at the verdant landscape, and as she took in a deep lungful of air, she felt almost invigorated. Guilt swept through her at the thought—what was she doing enjoying the scenery while Alistair was in pain?

“That’s absurd,” Alistair protested. “Why would the border make any difference?”

But an hour later, Alistair only appeared to be getting worse. By the time they stopped for lunch, he was listless, his normally bright eyes dull, his blond hair limp, his steps dragging as Dareena guided him over to a log so they could sit and eat. The duchess watched them, a smug look in her eyes that raised Dareena’s hackles.

“You know what’s happening to him, don’t you?” Dareena accused.

“But of course. The warlocks crafted an enchantment to make our principal province inhospitable to dragons. Any dragon or dragon born who cross into this territory feel constant pain and are weakened as long as they remain here. Why do you think I allowed you to bring your brother-in-law with you?”

“You’re lying,” Alistair snapped, glowering at her. “My sister would have reported it if our troops had been struck by such an enchantment.”

“Unfortunately, the enchantment doesn’t cover all of our lands,” the duchess said. “It was quite costly, in terms of both power and money, to set it up, so we have only protected the heartland of our kingdom. The war has mostly taken place in the west, which was no doubt by Ryolas’s design. If he had met your sister on the battlefield here, we would have already won the war.” The duchess gave them a smirk.

“This isn’t right,” Dareena protested. “You promised no harm would befall us while we were in your care.”

The duchess shrugged. “There is nothing I can do about the enchantment,” she said. “But if you insist, I can always send Alistair back.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” Alistair growled before Dareena could answer. “Wherever Dareena goes, I go.”

“Suit yourself,” the duchess said lightly. Her jade eyes lingered on Dareena for a long moment. “I must say I am disappointed to see that you are not similarly affected. But I suppose the spell does not extend to you, since you do not actually have dragon blood in your veins.”

“I suppose not,” Dareena said coolly, neglecting to mention the boost of energy coursing through her. She wondered if perhaps she really did have elven blood, and if being in the elven lands was awakening it.

After lunch, they got back in the wagon and continued. On this side of the border, the guards allowed them to discard the bonds around their hands. As Dareena slipped her hand inside Alistair’s, some of the tension bled out of his shoulders, and he did not seem quite so miserable. Maybe touching her helped restore some of his vitality, the way having sex boosted his power.

Alistair looked at the sky. “Looks like it’s going to rain soon.”

Dareena followed his gaze to the storm clouds gathering above them. A few minutes later, she adjusted her cloak as the wind picked up and the air cooled. The trees dotting the landscape swayed, and soon, fat raindrops splashed onto them.

“Find shelter!” one of the guards shouted as the drops quickly grew into a heavy downpour. The caravan headed off the main road, and everyone took shelter beneath a copse of oak trees. The thick canopy spared them from the worst of the storm, but even so, Alistair and Dareena huddled close beneath their cloaks, clinging to each other as thunder and lightning rent the dark sky.

“Dareena,” Alistair said in a low voice. “Do you see what I’m seeing?”

Dareena lifted her head to look where Alistair pointed. Her heart jumped at the sight of another caravan, much larger than theirs, headed in the opposite direction. Even through the pouring rain, Dareena recognized their armor—the Dragon Force soldiers who had been taken prisoner. Many of them stumbled through the rain, legs and arms bandaged, while others, too hurt to walk, were carried in carts like the one Alistair and Dareena rode in. The caravan was under guard, but even so, Dareena felt a massive wave of relief.

“They’ve kept their word,” she said, clutching Alistair’s hand. “The prisoners are being sent home.” Or so she hoped. It was always possible the elves were putting on a charade for her benefit, but Dareena refused to believe that. Besides, there weren’t nearly enough elven guards to truly control the prisoners should they try to revolt. This was merely an escort, to ensure the Dragon Force soldiers went straight to the border and did not make any mischief.