Fated Souls (The Fated Saga Book 1) Read online

  He cut me off with a wave of his hand. "Soon, m’dear. Soon. I promise I will give you all the answers I can. First I need to ask you a couple things to make absolutely sure of something—it’s for your safety. Please, be patient, child."

  I started to protest and quickly chided myself. My grandfather always knew best, I knew that. Instead I just kept my mouth closed and then nodded.

  "Good, good. So…what was he?" my grandfather questioned carefully.

  "What do you mean? He was just a guy," I said, trying to prevent my mind from wandering to that electrifying kiss. I tried to keep my face as stoic as possible, fighting a pleased smile as I tried unsuccessfully not to think about it.

  "Sure, sure. But could he do anything….out of the ordinary? Did he show you anything that you found interesting?" my grandfather probed.

  "Um…you mean other than the fireballs and the waterballs and the fact that he could summon the wind? And I'm not talking about the farting kind of wind," I retorted, with a snorting laugh, amused by my own joke. My grandfather didn't seem to catch it and I stopped laughing because of his stoicism. "No, nothing out of the ordinary," I said feeling rather perturbed he didn’t find my quip funny.

  My grandfather forced a smile. "What did he call himself? Besides this Knight title?"

  "He called himself a sorcerer."

  My grandfather took his turn, narrowing his eyes at me suspiciously. "You're sure?"

  I nodded slowly. "Yes. I saw the balls—well the magic ones—and he is definitely a sorcerer."

  He turned away from me and, appeared distant and thoughtful; like he was calculating his next words he said to me. I allowed him his silence for a moment and he finally spoke, thankfully because I thought I was going out of my mind, wondering what he was going to say.

  "Okay, Leorah what I am about to tell you is dangerous information. I should be killed just knowing it, but since I hold a fairly high authority in the Court—and since there aren’t too many other dragons that rival my age or even remember—I am probably one of very few privileged to know this. But first things first. Yes, Leorah, your ‘Pink Order’ is real. Ord na Draconica Dianthus has existed for many years. Gabriel is very much a part of it, in fact I was honored to know his ancestor, Niall ó Domhnaill. Niall was a highly revered knight of the Order; in fact, he was the direct knight of the last known pink dragon."

  "Cyril?" I asked with surprise, and he nodded.

  "There were other families of course when dragons of your kind were more prevalent but as pink dragons became less common, so did the knights. But the purpose of the Knights was to aid pink dragons in the maintenance of magic, so as it wouldn’t be abused by the wrong people or at certain times, to be amplified if need be. It was a tricky task, though…the pink dragon had to be completely clear minded, open to all possibilities and at the very most, fair. Pink dragons were almost always neutral. They helped keep the balance between our worlds—human and dragon alike as there are many power-hungry souls out there who seek magic for their own benefit.

  "When pink dragons were abundant, their tasks were pretty mundane. Amplifying rain over the land so crops wouldn’t die off in a drought. Easing fights. Simple stuff like that. But as time wore on, corruption started spreading out the land. At first it was greedy feudal Lords trying to squeeze out every last bit of wealth from his’ people, then it was the people fighting back…then it was…. more…"

  "…more?" I prompted him to continue.

  My grandfather’s brow furrowed, his one hand stroked his long beard thoughtfully. "How do I put it? People started wanting more than just their own land…they wanted everything. Land. All the riches of a kingdom… entire civilizations would seek to destroy others…well, you know your history. Rulers would kidnap pink dragons from their neutral service and force them to work for them."

  I nodded knowingly. "Gabriel mentioned something about that."

  He nodded. "Yes indeed. The downfall of many prosperous civilizations would be thanks to the—albeit forced—aid of dragons. He who captured a pink dragon would almost always be victorious."

  "Almost?"

  "Well, many knights of the Order sacrificed themselves trying to save their dragons…once captured the pink dragons would try to escape, if they could not, they would kill themselves to prevent further disaster. It was a terrible time to be a dragon. This is eventually why we created our own realm in the sky and we usually stick to it. Humans are passionate beings. When inspired by good, the outcome is generally beautiful. But bad…." My grandfather trailed off and shook his head. "Well, you've seen the outcome I'm sure; watching their news and reading their media.

  "The need for pink dragons, once we separated began to wane…eventually to avoid situations like had grown on Earth it seemed evolution took over, and less were being born. But the ones that were…. well most dragons uphold a strict code of conduct and honor. Occasionally an unscrupulous dragon is appointed and to further one’s agenda…would seek the help of a pink dragon. This was the case of Cyril." My grandfather heaved a heavy, burdened sigh. "He was once a very, very close friend of mine. We trained for Court together, battled and learned fighting skills."

  "Cyril? You mean, Cyril the Crazed? The Mad?" Of course that wasn't his official name, but that's what everyone unofficially called him. Like, most dragons knew me as Leorah the Pathetic; Leorah the Waste…

  Good times.

  My grandfather smiled slowly. "Yes that was what he was to become but he wasn’t that when I knew him…it was rumored that, after time he married and had a drake—a violet drake. She was stillborn and his mate also died, so Cyril was heartbroken. After that he…changed. I didn’t know him after he married, but after his daughter and mate passed he wasn’t quite the same. Rumor has it he left for one of the Eurasian realms. He met a group of corrupt humans and well…they committed many acts of treason, taking over kingdom after kingdom until finally, he was executed. Supposedly. Unfortunately, the stigma remained, and pink dragons were known to be highly susceptible to mind control and were dangerous. Rarely, a pink dragon like you was born. They were to be immediately surrendered and murdered at the hands of the King or Queen, in case they became like them."

  "Murdered? Newborn drakes?" I felt a lump swell in my throat, at the idea of murdering innocent dragons.

  "That was what was said although, I never heard of any being born until you. That’s what makes you so special," my grandfather said with a smile.

  "Special? But…why me? Why now?"

  "Clearly, you are here for a reason. I don’t know why; I don’t know how. But you serve a purpose." He patted at the empty space at the end of his chaise, indicating he wanted me to sit. I did so, dangling my legs over the side and looking at my grandfather earnestly. "I don’t know what’s about to happen, but I can assume that you were spared, somehow, to help us."

  "Help? How? And why?" I squeaked out the words as if being choked. "How am I supposed to help? I can’t even fly!"

  There was a glimmer in Grandfather’s eyes. "I’m sure that you will figure that out. Somehow. But you will have help."

  "Help? Gabriel?" I asked hopefully.

  Grandfather shrugged. "I don't know anything for sure, but, I know you're here for a reason. And, you'll not be alone. But, you never were, you know." He beamed, remembering a faraway memory. "Your Grandmother was quite taken with you; I could barely fight you away from her. You know, she left the Court to take care of you full time; she was so afraid something would happen to you. She never left your side."

  A smile slowly spread across my face as tears began to sting my eyes. "I miss her. Still. Even though it’s been a long time."

  "As do I, child. As do I…." He said, with a faraway look in his eyes, his gaze wandering to a portrait of her that had hung in his (well, theirs at one time) chambers near the bed of when she was young. She was a graceful, green dragon the color of springtime flower buds…who had a knack for flowers and plants. This portrait showed her in her elaborate rose g
arden as she stared off into the land. "But…" my grandfather shook himself out of his daze and turned to me and forced the despair off his face. The years gone by clearly did nothing to rid himself of the pain her sudden death caused. It didn’t me, either…but I was fairly young when she passed—only around eight or so—I still remembered her though not clearly as he did. I didn’t even know the full details of her passing; I was only told it was due to a magic accident. It sounded odd, but I didn’t question it. My grandfather did not like speaking about it and neither did my father (to be fair, he hated discussing anything with me at all).

  "She knew you were meant for greatness, too." He said, reaching out and stroking my cheek. "You look like her, you know…in your human form. A lot like her. So very lovely."

  I blushed, and grasped my grandfather’s hand. "Really?"

  "Yes…she was a wonderful dragon, and did many great things. She fought so hard for you, called in a great many favors to help you when so many others had been ready to just write you off as hopeless. She saw the great in you, as I do," Grandfather said, giving my hand a squeeze before resting it in his lap. "There is no doubt in my mind you are phenomenal because you and she are very much alike. You know she saved entire villages from ruin? She tended their crops, pulled water out of the depths of the Earth during heavy dry spells to save lives? This was even after we separated and most dragons had just written humanity off and were bitter. Not her. She saw the value in every life and somehow managed to bring it out in everyone. I believe you have that in you, too. That’s why I know whatever this task is, you’ll be successful. She’s watching over us, now, from the Heavens…and she’ll be aiding you whenever she can."

  I grinned. "I’m glad. Because I’ll need her."

  He chuckled. "Yes…but just remember I’m here for you too. No matter what, you can always come to me. Okay?"

  I nodded. "Okay."

  "Good," he said. "So…I’m sure you have questions. Go ahead, ask. I'll try to answer them."

  I opened my mouth to speak but quickly stopped, realizing that I had so many but couldn’t properly express them. "I don’t…know where to begin."

  He offered a light smile.

  "Why the hell can’t I fly?" I blurted. In the human realm it didn’t bother me so much but before that, it was probably the bane of my existence—well, that and being pink of course.

  My grandfather burst out in uproarious laughter.

  "And…well all dragons have special little added talents. Red dragons can harness fire. Blue ones can manipulate water…what can pink do?" I asked, wrinkling my nose at the word pink.

  He smiled. "I’m not for sure—years ago it took a Knight of the Order to fully encompass pink magic but…you know each dragon has a ruling element, yes? To help tie us to the planet? Some say we were given the abilities for us to help protect it, though in recent years it certainly doesn’t seem that way anymore. Silver can heal, of course. And harness air, like yellow. White dragons can heal wounds, but they take their power from the air or water as well; like me."

  "So why don’t pink dragons have a ruling magic?" I questioned.

  "Well, I think they do. Earth. Fire. Air. Water. Arcane. And recently, we’ve started acknowledging another magic; that which exists in every living force. Spirit."

  "Spirit?" I repeated in disbelief.

  "Yes. See, many faiths believe that there is a form of energy in all things. The trees, the water, rocks…even in crafted works by people. Their thoughts, feelings, experiences all go into the making of an object whether it be a book or a metal sword or—well the possibilities are endless. Some say they leave a tiny bit of their soul or life essence in whatever they create, love and cherish…this is called spirit. It’s everywhere, in all things. This is why when we die, we are never truly dead—both dragon and human and all other life—because memories, thoughts, experiences—they reside in the brain and become energy. And energy never dies."

  I gave him a skeptic glance. "So what does spirit have to do with me? And why am I the only kind of dragon to use it? "

  "Ah…well that’s how you can amplify the magic of your allies. It’s all in your intent. You trust the magic user; you can will the magic to be stronger. You don’t, squash it. But I think eventually you will be able to hone in on other abilities as well. We think that dragons like me—silver—and white dragons may also tap into those powers to heal as well; but we’re not proficient in it like a pink dragon would be. You should have many skills we do not. But, it explains why no one has spoken of it for years; because everyone's afraid of what you could do to them if we acknowledged its existence."

  My fingers drummed on my leg, tingling with excited anticipation. "Like what? Mind control?"

  "Maybe. It was said that Cyril could influence decisions of others, sometimes hear their thoughts."

  I gasped at the idea. "Really? I was so just joking!"

  Grandfather chuckled. "Yes, well, we won’t know for sure until you start working but…I think you’ll find the answers to a lot of your questions soon, upon working with Gabriel. Who knows, you may even learn how to fly," he said with a wink.

  I smiled. It would be nice not to have to depend on "Brother Transportation" while I was here. "I hope so. If Gabriel even chooses to stay."

  It was my grandfather’s turn to appear skeptic. "Why do you say that? Isn’t that his duty?"

  "Well, yes I guess so but he has his own life in Canada. A job. A home. His family. How can he just leave that behind?" I didn’t mention that I had a moment of bitterness and told him he could go back not really meaning it of course.

  "His family? He's married?" Grandfather asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

  "No, I mean his dad and his brother and... well whatever else he has. He's not married," I replied. I don’t think so, anyway, I thought to myself. I really didn’t know much about him at all. I felt uneasy with the thought.

  "Oh," my grandfather simply said. He seemed to ponder something in silence before he forced a smile and continued to question me. "Is he unhappy about being a knight?"

  "I think he’s…surprised."

  "Yes, I’m sure. Well if he isn’t up to the task I suppose we can figure out something else."

  I shrugged, feeling slightly depressed at the thought. "I guess…"

  "Well…" he rose, and crossed the room, walking slowly and gingerly to a spot on the brick wall where he touched a corner of a brick lightly and a small section of the wall popped open, exposing another bookshelf. Well, that was new.

  "You’re kidding me…" I said in awe, as he fingered each of the extremely old appearing, worn, tattered books until he landed on the one he sought. He pulled it out, carefully, and handed it to me.

  The red leather cover was worn, but still holding on to its contents inside. I carefully opened it and on the first page was a symbol—hand drawn and similar to the one that was on Gabriel’s chest. Underneath were words I didn’t recognize.

  "What is this mean?" I asked my grandfather.

  He handed me a second book entitled Gaelic to English Translation. "This will help you," he said. "That book you have there is a handwritten, underground document written years ago. I can’t tell by who," he gestured towards the book, intending that I should flip through the pages. Carefully. The book was very worn and definitely fragile. "I assumed it was written by the Ord na years ago since it was Niall who gave it to me and it was Cyril that gave it to him…but I can’t be certain about that. But if you look…there are several pages that seem to talk about dragons. Maybe even a pink one like he. Or you."

  I didn’t notice anything that stood out. A few symbols here, a few pictograms there but admittedly I was too afraid to really touch the book; afraid it would promptly fall apart due to age. When I reached a little more than halfway through the book, though, it became blank. I shrugged. "Well not sure how this will help but, I might show this to him later and see if he recognizes anything about it," I said, "him" meaning Gabriel, of course.


  "Please do. I can only assume that Cyril gave it to Niall in hopes that one day it might reach the hands of a pink dragon again," Grandfather said. "Niall was a great man: I’m sure that Gabriel is as well."

  I felt my cheeks warm at the thought. Memories of that kiss kept trying to penetrate my thoughts but I quickly shooed them away. Clearly it freaked him out—rightly so. I suppose it would be a daunting thing to be romantically linked to a dragon.

  "Uh…I have a strange question, actually. Not necessarily about this—" I said, holding up the book he gave me, "—but about…other things."

  My grandfather swiveled around and raised his eyebrow. "Oh?"

  "Are…is it possible for humans and dragons to be…well…"

  He chuckled. "Romantically involved?" he offered.

  "Yes." I said quickly, feeling embarrassed asking my grandfather the question.

  My grandfather lifted a brow at me and scratched at his chin. "You are having romantic thoughts about Gabriel? You haven’t known him very long, have you?"

  I bit my lip sheepishly. "No, I haven’t. It’s probably too early to be thinking that, but…" I groaned at myself at the question I was about to ask, "is it even possible for a human and dragon to…um…"

  "Hook up?" Grandfather offered, his tone innocent.

  I choked down a surprised laugh and smacked my forehead with my hand. "Oh lord, you did not just say that…"

  He laughed. "Well, is that what you mean?"

  "More or less," I said, with a grimace.

  "Yes, Leo…humans and dragons can be romantically involved, and it’s perfectly fine," he replied, with a chuckle.

  "Oh." That was all I could say. "Well…how does anyone know?"

  My grandfather laughed. "Oh, dragons and humans have been knocking boots for years." I snorted at his use of common slang. He smirked, and continued, "It just doesn’t happen much now because dragons and humans don’t spend much time together anymore. But it’s possible, and happens all the time. Well, happened." He gave me a knowing look. "Just…whatever you do be careful."

  He raised a brow at me, as he stroked his long, gray beard. "So, do you have...feelings for this sorcerer?"