The Dragon's Keeper [Enchanted World Series Book 3]

Chapter 2

Drake watched as the sun slowly went down painting the sky with hues of pink, orange, and red. Feror and his other warriors had left for the city which made the residence very quiet with only the murmuring of the helpers to be heard.

"Commander Drake." A short, slightly plump female came to him and inclined her head lightly, her auburn hair forming a halo around her head. When she looked up again, Drake noticed the hope sparkling in her eyes and the small smile on her lips. 

Abigail.

He remembered her name from the first day they arrived when she came and introduced herself as their housekeeper. "I was wondering if I should serve dinner as any other day since the other warriors have gone out for the night."

Drake turned his entire attention and smiled lightly. "The warriors have gone drinking. If they sleep in an empty stomach, they will be grumpy tomorrow morning, and believe me, you don't want to deal with grumpy warriors."

Abigail chuckled lightly while she nodded. "I guess you are not the drinking type...or maybe Tacinia does not hold the charm Agore has."

Drake looked down at his dusty boots and shook his head. "Tacinia has its charm--"and it comes in a form of a dazzling female tumbling from the heavens, he wanted to add but voted against it. "--but I still have a lot to do before I can settle down and enjoy it."

Abigail nodded again lightly. "My son, Herman, can be of help when you least expect it. Although he is a little clumsy and has poor navigation skills, he has other attributes that compensate for his flaws." As Abigail talked, Drake couldn't help but hear the admiration the female had for his son. "He has always wanted to be a member of the royal army so whenever you have errands to do, send him. He would be more than glad to do them."

"I think with the warriors here, he will have quite a lot to do. Don't worry, we will watch out for him."

Abigail wrung her apron in her hands nervously and looked like she was about to say something but then snapped her mouth shut and bobbed lightly. "I better go and get dinner ready. Commander." She quickly scurried away.

Drake watched as the female disappear into the hallway and hummed lightly. Did he look that unapproachable? He thought, of all the commanders of the Realm of Spells, he was the most approachable especially with the ladies.

He remembered having the Mage Queen, Noelle, weep her heart out on his shoulder when their king followed her to the human realm where she fled to after finding out he was her betrothal and dragged her back to the enchanted world. He also had given advice to the Jinn Queen, Lyrah, when her mate rejected her and returned her back home. There had been several other incidences where females sought him out in order to confide in him about their troubles...yet Abigail was able to walk away without a word. 

Strange female...he thought.

And speaking of strange females, Drake made his way towards the infirmary where the fallen angel was being tended.

"There is no change, commander." The healer sighed as she removed her white rubber gloves and dropped them into a bin. "She is still unconscious."

"But she is alive?" Was she going to die? Drake had so many questions to ask her like who attacked her, how she got there, and why was she naked. "Was she--uhm--" Drake ended up gesturing with his hands.

The healer frowned at him in confusion. "I don't follow?"

"Did someone force himself on her?" Drake could imagine just how comical his face was to the healer. "Did you find bruising anywhere?"

The healer frowned lightly. "She has not been sexually violated and it doesn't look like she has any indications of a struggle or anything. However, she has a bruise on the side of her left leg as if she had bumped herself on something--and...oh yeah, there is a burn mark on her chest--" The healer held her fingers up, creating a circle with her thumb and index finger. "--about this size. Where did you say she came from?"

Drake scratched his head sheepishly and pointed to the ceiling.

"I see." The healer didn't look convinced but she didn't question him further. "Well, I will keep an eye on her, try some healing sessions and see if I can help her out of unconsciousness. I will send one of the healers to alert you if there is any progress."

"Alright. I will leave you now." Drake left the infirmary and went to the back of the residence where several remaining warriors were setting up the training grounds and distracting the helpers who were cleaning up their sleeping quarters. The young naive helpers giggled and hid their blushing faces behind their cleaning cloths.

Drake hummed lightly as one of the younger warriors puffed up his chest and stalked to one of the helpers then tucked her black hair at the back of her ear. The female's face went red as she scurried away with her giggles carried up by the wind. Drake was no saint himself because at the same age as the warrior, Drake woke up to three or four females in his bed, each one paying extra attention to different parts of his body. It was strange that somehow he grew out of it.

As he was about to walk towards them, he stepped on something and it squeaked before he was engulfed in a red haze that brought him down to his knees in crippling pain. The unfortunate part was that he had inhaled some of the red haze and it burnt him like acid corroding his insides. his eyes watered but he could make out the angry bug in front of him. Was it a hummingbird? Its small wings flapped in fury as the squeaking proceeded, almost making his ears bleed.

"Twiska!" Some called and rushed over to Drake. "What did you do?"

"This big jerk stepped on me while I was sleeping." The hummingbird yelled.

Drake tried to defend himself but his throat was clogged and he found it hard to breathe.

"Remove the haze, Twiska!" the male commanded.

"I will not!"

"He is the commander, Twiska--and--and waits until mother hears of this." the male warned.

The angry buzzing stopped. "Fine!"

Just then, Drake felt a cool, refreshing sensation go through his body as a different haze engulf him. It cleared his eyesight and his throat and finally, he could make out what almost killed him.

A pixie.

She had long green hair tied up and stuck with flowers and berries. She was tiny, the size of a small doll. She wore and lime green and white attire and she stared at him with daggers in her eyes and her arms crossed.

"Forgive her, commander." The young male inclined his head to him.

"You deserve it, you big jerk!" Twiska stuck her tongue out at him and flew away muttering. "You are lucky my pot of spax was far away."

Drake's eyes widened. What had just happened? He didn't just get attacked by a pixie, did he? "What was that?"

The young male helped Drake to his feet. "That was Twiska, a forest pixie. She has some temper issues."

Drake rubbed his raw throat and cleared it. "What is a pixie doing here?"

The young male shrugged his shoulders and frowned in confusion. "This is the Northern Sector. Pixies are found here in abundance."

It sounded as if he was being told the most obvious thing ever. "And you are?"

"Herman, commander." The boy grinned brightly.

Drake took the young boy in. He was barely out of his teens. Was he a Mage? Or perhaps a shifter, Drake was not sure but he was lanky and as pale as a merman. A half-breed perhaps? "So, you are friends with that health hazard?"

Herman chuckled lightly as he picked up a black duffle bag. "I look out for her because she has no family."

"You are Abigail's son, right?" Drake asked.

Herman's eyes widened in surprise. "Ye-yes, how did you know?"

"She tells me you want to join the army. Why is that?"

"Well, my father was in the army and most of my uncles also joined the army. I want to continue their legacy, sir." Herman said.

Drake frowned lightly. "They are no longer of this world?"

Herman shrugged his small shoulders. "They died on the battlefield. They died heroes. I have all their medals to prove it. Wanna see?"

"Some other time. So, you want it that bad huh?"

"You have no idea." Herman grinned.

Drake patted Herman's shoulder and the small gesture sent the boy swaying around like a cloth in the wind. He was in terrible shape. "Can you wake up every day at four a.m and come for practice?"

Herman stood in attention and saluted Drake. "Yes, sir!"

"Practice begins tomorrow. See you then--and keep that fiery demon away from me."

Herman beamed as he nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Drake watched as Herman carried his duffle bag towards the warriors' quarters. Was this what Abigail was trying to tell him, that although her son was passionate about being a warrior, he didn't have anything going for him to accomplish such an achievement?

Drake didn't judge because he too was lanky but felt as if he could do anything. Dragons' bodies, like every other species in the enchanted world, changed after adolescence. For the Dragons, it was a rapid change that took forty-eight to seventy-two hours, others much longer. Their bodies went through drastic change which included gaining of muscles and bulking up in order to facilitate their first transformation into full dragons.

It was the most painful time for a young dragon and some didn't survive the change so the ones that did were considered males of worth. Unfortunately, female Dragons couldn't change into their beast forms but could shield their skins using their scales. Maybe Herman was a shifter because the species that went through the change were shifters, merpeople, and beasts that included Lycans, the Cats, Dragons, Centaurs, and the phoenix.

Drake made a mental note to ask Abigail about it.

Maya found herself in a dark room without a door or window. She couldn't see anything and the ground felt muddy and damp. Maya held up her hands to try and feel her way through the dense darkness. Her heart was thundering in her ears. Where was she and how did she get there? Tears burnt in her eyes as she tried to figure out what was happening. The air smelled like poison; vile and moldy.

Suddenly someone captured her hand and pulled her deeper into the darkness. Maya tried to scream but her throat had closed due to the fear. She heard snapping of teeth and snarling like that of a wild animal. Maya managed to break free from the grip and started running. She didn't know where she was going to but she had no choice. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her throat clenched painfully as she raced through space. The snarling and clawing were close behind her, catching at her long gown and shredding it to ribbons.

"Leave me alone!" Maya managed to scream but the creature continued to follow her scraping hard on the invisible walls. "Get away!"

She tripped on something and found herself flying across the darkness onto the hard floor. She covered her eyes and braced herself for the attack but then, something glowed in front of her. She opened her eyes and peered to what looked like a fire a few yards from her. Her heart began to calm down as she got up and started following the fire. It got brighter as she got closer and it basked her in its warmth, reassuring her that she would be okay. With shaky hands, Maya extended her hand to it and the fire change color into bright red. The shadows that were following her shrieked in pain and perished in the shadows. The fire didn't burn her. Instead, it licked at her skin, soothing her and calming her.

Maya sat up with a start. She was panting as if she had run a mile. The room was dimly lit but she could make out the small peach-colored walls. There was a needle stuck on her arm with a drip bag hanging on its stand on the side of her bed. Was she in the hospital? Her head was pounding as if something was trying to burrow out of it. Her hand automatically jumped to her chest. She grabbed lightly and discovered there was nothing there. She didn't know why she had the urge to do that. Did she ever have something there? She couldn't remember.

Peeling away the sheets, she removed the needle from her arm and swung her feet to the side. She brushed away her black locks and sighed. Her throat felt dry and scratchy and her skin felt very sensitive as if she had a sunburn.

Maya managed to stagger to the door and pried it open. Several muffled voices came from the other side of the room. There was a short corridor to what looked like the reception. She saw two women sitting chatting by the desk but this was no ordinary hospital; the women were dressed in attires she had never seen nurses ever wearing unless this was some sort of private cult hospital.

There were certain symbols drawn on the walls and she felt a sense of peace every time she looked at one or passed it. The two women were dressed in light blue flowy dresses that covered them all the way to their necks. Their headpieces were like small scalp hats.

Maya moaned in pain when she stepped on her bruised leg and pain shot through her body. The two women turned to her and their eyes widened.

"Oh, Miss!" One exclaimed as she rushed to her while the other turned towards what looked like an office. "You are finally awake?"

"I will call the head healer."

The first woman got to her and held her up making sure she didn't kiss the floor. "You shouldn't wander around like this especially when your healing sessions aren't quite done."

"Healing sessions?" Maya frowned at the woman as she took her back to her room.

Maya was tucked back into her blankets as another woman wearing a darker version of the nurse uniform came charging in.

"You are awake." She looked relieved as she removed her equipment and started doing some tests on her. "How do you feel?"

"I have a headache that is about to drive me crazy and a bruise on my leg that is throbbing as if it is alive," Maya muttered as the doctor pushed her back. "What happened to me?"

The doctor frowned. "I was expecting for you to tell me that. Your rescuer tells me you fell from the skies."

Maya frowned in confusion. "I fell from the sky? How is that even possible?"

The doctor shrugged her shoulders as she checked her blood pressure. "Perhaps you were attacked by rogue dragons, or sorcerers--"

Maya's face paled down. "Dragons, sorcerers?" she scoffed nervously. "What is this, some sort of a joke?"

The doctor eyed her suspiciously then turned to her nurses. "Could you excuse us for a moment?"

The two women nodded and left the room.

"My name is Akira, a healer and a Mage of Cure. Who are you?"

Maya's eyes widened in shock. What the f**k was a Mage of Cure and--and--where was she? Had the world suddenly gone crazy? "Mage of Cure? What the hell is that?"

"Who are you?" She repeated.

"I am--" Maya stopped as a headache went across her head making her flinch. "I am--" she frowned as she tried to figure out her name. Terror struck her as she turned to the doctor. "I don't know who I am."