Prologue
“My lord, my lord!” The warrior ran into the war room, out of breath from running.
“What is it?” Kelos demanded. This idiot better not come bearing bad news about their enemy, the Dragonosians.
The warrior stopped short in front of him and bowed. “My lord, all of the females and babies,” he started.
Kelos had no clue what the babbling idiot was trying to communicate, and his short-fused temper took hold. He backhanded the warrior, making him fall to the ground. “Speak clearly, you moron! I don’t have all day to listen to you stammer!”
The warrior stood up and bowed again, realizing he had made his leader angry. “I apologize, sir. The Dragonose warriors invaded our lab and took all the subjects,” he glumly reported.
“I see,” Kelos responded, heavily sitting on his thrown behind him. He looked to his left and noticed several of his elite warriors were gathered and waiting for instructions. “Gather the men; we leave immediately.” He locked eyes with his first general. “Mustormorn, I will lead today’s contingent.”
The other warrior stopped and bowed to his leader. “As you wish, my lord.”
Kelos waited until the room was empty. He picked a goblet from a nearby table and threw it against the wall, watching the liquid trickle down the surface. It represented Dragonose blood to him, and he vowed to have his enemy’s life source flowing before tonight was over.
***
Kelos and his warriors traveled through the darkness of night to avoid detection. He had spotted more than one dragon in the sky and was thankful for the cover of darkness and forest to keep the reptilians from spotting his group.
The Raptorians were a dying breed. A medical enigma kept his people from reproducing, and it would be too late if he and his scientists didn’t come up with answers soon. Kelos believed the answers they were searching for lay within the Dragonose females. If only they could successfully eliminate their pesky dragons, the females would be possible matches for his males. They were close, so very close, to ridding the females of their beasts.
Kelos noticed the massive plume of smoke coming from the direction of the lab. When they were closer, he smelled the scent of death in the air. His anger rose to the surface. All their hard work was gone in just a few short hours.
As they entered the courtyard of the lab, Kelos noticed the dead Raptorians scattered across the grounds. Not only had his enemy rescued the females and children, but they burned down the building and destroyed all notes and formulas. It would take years to recover from tonight’s attack, and that was time his people could not afford to lose.
Chapter I
Carmen listened to the sounds coming from outside the locked door. Those bastards better not try to come in here! She glanced over to the babies, sleeping peacefully. The twins, Millie and Miley, played on the floor with Sunshine, using the dirt to draw stick figures. Her heart ached every time she thought of their predicament. Why hadn’t someone from Dragonose come to rescue them? She remembered the day the Raptorians had stolen her from her home world. That damn nurse facilitated her kidnapping.
Carmen shook her head as her memories threatened to take her down a long, dark path. She heard more noises coming from beyond the locked door, and Carmen quickly glanced around for a makeshift weapon. She’d had enough of the Raptorians.
Her eyes landed on a spot of rotten wood on the floor. She marched over and grabbed a plank, pulling with all her strength. “Ms. Carmen, do you need help?” Sunshine whispered her inquiry. All three little girls were adorable and did not deserve the life they were forced to live.
A sound outside their room had Carmen holding her finger to her lips to remind the youngsters to be quiet. She told the children to hide in the nearby closet, hoping it would keep them safe. There was no telling what the ugly, foul-smelling creatures wanted from them. It was possible they finally remembered to feed them, which would be a first in three days. Carmen tugged harder on the board, a satisfactory smile on her lips when she heard the unmistakable sound of it lifting away from the floor.
When the intruder opened the door from the outside, Carmen raised her weapon above her head. She was in position and ready. She did what she could to protect the children, ordering the older ones into the closet to hide.
“Enough is enough,” her dragon grumbled. “These children need their families.”
Carmen didn’t care what the enemy did to her, but she was beyond finished watching them slowly destroy the childhood dreams of the youngsters. When a shadow fell upon her, she acted.
“Ouch! What the hell?!?” A male voice bellowed as he bent over, his hand covering his forehead where Carmen had clocked him with her makeshift weapon.
King Thoran quickly glanced around while holding his aching head. He couldn’t believe someone had just got the drop on him. A look around the room verified a lone woman. On his second pass, he realized several babies were in the corner, on the floor. He also noticed several eyes watching him from the almost closed closet door. He turned his attention to the woman who had just attacked him.
“Let’s calm down and lower our weapons, please,” King Thoran ordered. His guard, Camdon, stood before the woman, his weapon raised and pointed at her. Thoran lifted his hand and placed it on the other man’s shoulder.
Thoran locked eyes with the strange woman still holding what looked to be a large piece of wood. “We are here to rescue everyone. What is your name?”
Rubinmire, King Thoran’s dragon, suddenly perked up his head. “Mmmm, mate,” he murmured.
“Have you lost your ever-loving mind? There is no way this poor woman is our mate. We had a mate, Rubinmire. You know this. Why would you think such a thing?” King Thoran inquired from his dragon.
“I would never stomp on the memory of our beloved first mate, but Fate has given us a second chance. She is our mate, Thoran. Touch her, and you will realize what I am stating is true.”
The king glanced over at the woman standing in front of him. She was malnourished, and one look at her face verified she was scared. She kept her lips pressed together, glaring at the two men. He held his hand out. “I’m King Thoran of Dragonose. This is one of my warriors, Camdon.”
A noise behind him caused him to spin around as one of the infants started crying. The woman headed to the squalling infant. She walked backward, never taking her eyes off Thoran as she held her weapon against her front. As she reached the baby, a small female child poked her head out of the closet. “Ms. Carmen? Is it safe to come out?” the child whispered.
Thoran’s heart threatened to break in two upon recognizing this woman and the children's living conditions. The occupants were dirty, and their clothing was nothing more than rags. There were a couple of inches of dirt on the floor, and no food, toys, bottles, diapers, or anything essential in sight.
Thoran turned to the child poking her head out of the closet. “It is safe, baby. My warriors and I are here to take everyone home.” He silently watched as the little girl entered the room, quickly followed by numerous other children. His heart threatened to break again when he realized two little girls were twins. As far as he knew, there hadn’t been any twins born in Dragonose since the birth of his sons.
***
Carmen picked up the crying infant and began to rock it slowly. The older children wearily made their way out of the closet and walked over to stand next to her. While she was glad to see someone finally realize people were missing from Dragonose, Carmen still wondered what had taken them so long. Some of the children had been there for years. Years! And now King Thoran comes waltzing in the door like a knight in shining armor, announcing he was there to rescue everyone. Carmen wondered if the arrogant man thought he would walk into a bunch of simpletons, too scared, starved, and hurt to reason. Well, if he did, she was about to set him straight. Yes, she and the children had gone through unimaginable horrors, and although she certainly couldn’t speak for the rest of the women, Carmen felt she was in complete control of herself.
“Yeah, we both know that’s not true,” her dragon whispered from within. Due to the poison running through her system, her dragon was weak, but Carmen was the only adult these children had to look up to. She certainly couldn’t afford to go down when so many needed her. A noise behind her had her quickly spinning around as she watched several warriors carrying in other women. More females followed, soon filling the room. The warriors gently placed the ladies they were moving onto the few cots in the room. She wondered what was wrong with them. Were they too weak to walk, or were they sick?
Carmen squared her shoulders when she noticed a large man and King Thoran touching one of the women they had carried. The woman wasn’t moving, and Carmen didn’t know who the other man was, but she could see no reason why King Thoran was touching her. Her temper boiled over once again, and although Carmen knew deep down that the poison running through her system was bringing out this almost uncontrollable anger, it still didn’t stop her from marching up to the men and sticking her finger in the king’s face.
“Stop touching her! What do you think you are doing? Don’t you dare touch any of these women or children! They have all been through hell! Are you listening to me? You are not to touch or talk to anyone.” She quickly spun on her heel, facing the other warriors in the room. “That goes for everyone! No one touches any woman or child without their permission!” Carmen would be the first to admit she was screaming like a banshee, but now, she didn’t care. It felt good to release some of the built-up frustration and rage coursing through her. She noticed two warriors step towards her as if to threaten her. She arched an eyebrow up at them. If they thought they could dish out anything she hadn’t already gone through during her imprisonment, they were welcome to try.
King Thoran raised a hand to stop his guards from coming any closer. “Stop,” he quietly ordered, shocking Carmen down to her toes. He seemed to ignore her outburst and address his warriors. “She is right. None of us have any right to touch anyone here.” She watched in amazement as he sighed in defeat before turning his attention back to everyone else in the room. “I am sorry,” he stated quietly, stopping to catch the eye of every woman and child in the room. “I have let you down, and I know you have no reason to trust any of us, but we would like to get you out of here and take you to Dragonose. You have my word that you are no longer prisoners and free to go where you wish, but we offer all food, shelter, and medical care. I know apologizing does little to fix your situation, but we came once we realized the enemy had kidnapped you.” The king stopped and glanced around the room. “Please come home with us,” he retreated. “I give you my solemn vow as your king. I will make this right.”
Wow! Talk about taking the wind out of her sails! Carmen found herself unable to stay angry after his heartfelt words. That didn’t mean she was letting him off the hook.
“We accept your offer to help but remember, I’ll be watching you,” she warned. She marched over to the older children, who stood silently and pressed against the wall. She knew they were scared, with one looking ready to cry. She wrapped an arm around each twin, Millie and Miley.
Carmen hugged the twins tighter as the men started discussing an evacuation process. What was she going to do once they left the building? Where would she go? What would she do? What would happen to the children? She had spent the better part of five years in this room. Yes, the Raptorians were monsters. They only remembered to feed her and the children every few days. Even then, it was never enough. Each child was kidnapped from their home world of Dragonose and thrown in the room with her; the Raptorians demanded she take care of them. How she was supposed to provide for the children and take care of their needs with literally nothing at her disposal was a mystery, but the moment Carmen spotted the fear in the youngsters, nothing mattered but keeping them calm and healthy. She had done what she could for each child and cried over the few that had not made it. It was a testament to her will and stubbornness that kept all the children from perishing.
But now their people were here to rescue them; the children would no longer need her. Undoubtedly, they each had family in Dragonose that would swoop them up the moment they returned, and she would never see them again.
Carmen remained silent as she helped the children and babies move from the prison into a larger room near the front door. King Thoran stood before the closed door, addressing the group once again.
“I’m going to walk outside and ensure it is safe for everyone. If we encounter any problems, Quinn, Bernard, Colt, Blain, and Natasha are trained warriors who will keep you safe.” The king turned to the other warrior in the room. “Camdon, you’re with me.”
Carmen listened as a few of the other women began talking amongst themselves. They didn’t bother to include her, but that was fine. She had never been in with the others, as the Raptorians had decided long ago that she was to run the nursery. Still, she stood silently and listened to their conversation.
“Can you believe we are finally going home? I feel like I’m dreaming and afraid to wake up,” one woman breathed.
“But what if we don’t have homes to return to?” another lady inquired as she started to tear up.
Indeed, what if we don’t have homes to return to? Carmen had been in the Raptorian prison for a long time. Her best guess was she was quickly approaching her fifth year. She had no idea how long the other women had been there but knew at least a few were there when she arrived. Were their families still around? What would happen if nobody came to claim them? Where would they go? Carmen glanced down at the twins, still tightly clinging to her. What would happen to the children? She frowned to herself. Carmen would petition the king to be their caregiver if any children had no family to claim them. They knew her, and she loved each one of the children under her care.
King Thoran stepped back inside the door and addressed his charges. “Okay, we are clear for transport. Before we start, I want to warn everyone about what awaits us outside.” Carmen noticed he stopped and cleared his throat, taking the time to wink at the children. She almost smiled. The oldest three, Sunshine, Millie, and Miley, were the sweetest little girls.
“He might not be such a bad person after all, you know,” her dragon whispered. “Why not allow him to correct the many wrongs?”
“We have a trained Tantassaurus waiting to carry most of you home. The woman currently riding the animal is an Omega Elf and is the mate of one of my top warriors. We have attached large baskets to the animal for transport purposes, and I assure you everyone will be completely safe.” The king stopped and seemed to be uncomfortable with his following words. “But please be aware numerous dead Raptorians are throughout the yard.”
A Tantassaurus! They were deadly creatures held within a large forest with magic wards to keep the beasts inside. And what exactly was an Omega Elf? Has the king truly lost his mind? Just how much has Dragonose changed since I was kidnapped? Carmen wondered if she would recognize anything when they reached her homeland. It didn’t sound like it. She shook her head. They had found a way to tame a truly terrorizing beast and now had a woman riding it. Like riding a dragon? When and how had that happened? What else had she missed while in captivity?
Carmen held her breath once the front doors opened, and everyone started pouring out of the old, rundown house where they had been kept prisoner. The surrounding yard was in no better shape than the old structure, and dead Raptorians lying all over the grounds gave the area an even more sinister feel. Carmen squared her shoulders as she helped escort all the children out of the house. It wouldn’t do any good for the children to see how upset and afraid she was. No, she had to keep her tough-as-nails attitude up for the kid’s sake.
As they neared the giant beast, Carmen wondered if they would return to Dragonose alive. The colossal beast stood docile, but Carmen grew up on stories of the damage these beings could cause. The old reports stated that most full-grown dragons didn’t want to tangle with the Beasts living in the Forbidden Forest.
One of the warriors helped her climb into a huge basket. Once stationary, she helped the other children and ladies clamber inside. Carmen spotted the twins clinging tightly to one another.
“Where’s Sunshine?” she inquired, not wanting to leave until she knew everyone was accounted for and with them.
Miley shrugged her thin shoulders. “She got separated from us, but then one of the men you yelled at stopped and put her in the other basket.”
“Oh, okay,” Carmen replied, feeling guilty for screaming at the men in front of the children. She usually was much better at controlling her anger, especially when the children were present. But then again, she knew the latest injection they gave her was bringing out the worst of her personality.
“You know they were trying to poison you,” her dragon whispered. “Well, specifically, they want to poison and get rid of me.”
Yes, Carmen knew she had poison running through her, but she was determined to ride through the aftereffects. She couldn’t afford to go down, not when the children depended on her. Maybe once everyone was taken care of, and reunited with their families, then she could take the time to figure out how to heal herself. But she didn’t have the time now.
Just then, the vast beast started moving, and Carmen reached over and grabbed both twins, hugging them tightly to her. Millie looked ready to cry, but Miley was trying to put on a brave front for her and her sister. “It’s going to be okay, girls. It’s going to be okay,” she whispered to them.
Millie glanced up as a tear ran down her cheek. “I’m scared, Ms. Carmen. What if nobody likes us? What if we never see each other again?”
“Now, what makes you think nobody is going to like you? Everyone is going to love you, and if they don’t, they can answer to me,” Carmen replied as she wiped the tear away from the little girl’s face.
Millie’s eyes got big before replying, “And they don’t want to do that, do they?” she asked as she shook her head.
“Certainly not,” Carmen snipped. “You girls have nothing to worry over. You will see that everyone will love you and help care for you; if they don’t, you will still have me. I’m not going anywhere,” she finished with a nod.
That seemed to settle both girls, and a noise behind them had the girls and Carmen all peering over the edge of the giant basket to see several huge dragons high in the sky turn and rain fire down on the old structure that had been their prison. Carmen sighed in relief, knowing no one would stay in that house of horrors ever again.
The trip to Dragonose took longer than anticipated, but Carmen had to remember they were traveling by land and had many sick and injured with them. Of course, they would be taking the trip home slowly not to aggravate those ladies.
The twins seemed to calm down and rested their heads in her lap, giving Carmen a moment or two to herself. She noticed most of the other women seemed very docile and scared, as if they were afraid that if they stood up for themselves, the warriors would leave them to die in prison. She wondered if they had always been that way or changed due to their treatment while locked up. What lay in wait for all of them in Dragonose?
Hmm, I wonder how they will deal with my strong personality. That was the question of the day. Carmen had always had a strong, take-charge character, and much to the Raptorian’s dismay, no matter what they did, they couldn’t seem to change her into a submissive, mindless drone, which appeared to be their end goal.
Carmen knew her take-charge attitude would work to her benefit at first. She could see where her personality would come in handy when they first arrived, but she still questioned what would happen once things calmed down. Too many sick and injured women, malnourished babies, and scared children needed care. But she assumed families would quickly come to claim their lost loved ones, and she would be stuck with nobody and not needed anymore.
The animal carrying them stopped a few minutes later, and people seemed to pour out of the castle standing before them. The women and children began to unload quickly, and Carmen walked the twins into the large dwelling herself. She dropped them off in the dining room with other children and promised to return once she checked on the babies and women.
“Some of the other ladies are sick and need me. I want you two to stay with the other children, and as soon as I know the babies are taken care of and the sick women receive help, I’ll come to find you. Remember,” she continued after running her index finger down Miley’s nose, watching the child scrunch up her face. “Behave and stick together. Tell one of the workers to find me if Sunshine doesn’t show up,” she instructed as she quickly marched back out the door she had just entered a moment ago.
She followed the sounds of babies squailing and women’s murmured voices to a vast room converted into a makeshift triage area. Carmen jumped into action, helping calm down several scared women and keeping the babies quiet. When all the babies would calm down, and she let out a sigh of relief, one would start squawking, causing the rest to follow.