As promised, I return to my tent with Meredith. She must be cold because she immediately cuddles up to me. Her presence is a pleasant warmth that pulls me from this cruel world. If only for a moment.


    "Wow that''s hard, is that your?"


    "Oh sorry, I forgot."


    I grab my sword and set it to the side. Meredith looks at me sorely disappointed. I should have played along. I''m sure I would have enjoyed it.


    "Where did you go?" she asks.


    "Oh, there was a cat man sorcerer in the woods, I invited him to join us, he''s the one that made the giant crater." I lean over and brush her hair behind her ear. "Let''s just get some rest ok, we can discuss it on the way to wherever we end up."


    “Just hold me Dirk, and don’t let go,” Meredith says gripping my arm.


    She seems like she has woken from some nightmare. Whatever the matter my presence seems to calm her. The rest of the night is peaceful except a few giggles from Shiroi, I hope she''s behaving herself around our new companion. I close my eyes and drift off.


    "Dirk, Dirk, we need to run, we can''t stay here."


    "We can''t just give up, we can''t let them run us off, we must fight."


    The smirks of evil men surround me as I breathe heavily. There are too many, I can''t defeat them. Aurus screams as they drag her from the woods. No, Aurus, mother, no. Warm blood runs between her shoulder blades onto her chest as she chokes. I see the last bit of light fade from her eyes, then feel it fade from my heart.


    "You''re wrong you know, there aren''t too many of them, no, there aren''t enough,” I hear a voice say from the shadows.


    I wake in a panic clutching my chest. Meredith leans over me, she seems frightened by my sudden outburst.


    "What is it my love, are you ok, do you require healing?" Meredith asks in a panic.


    I run my callous fingers through her soft hair and breathe deep.


    “No, it was just a nightmare, we should get back on the road.”


    I stand and grab my sword. What was that dream, who spoke to me? I hold up the sword slightly, surely not.


    “You called me your love, don’t use that term lightly, I’ve been with a few women, my mother used to give mental counsel to young women at the brothel, a few confided in me for intimacy, but I’ve not known love, I care for you Meredith, that’s all I know.”


    Meredith wraps her arms around me. That’s probably not the response she wanted. She doesn’t seem discouraged by it though. She stays close to me as we continue on our journey.


    We get to the next town and Vene is all over Meredith, she won''t have his attention though of course. It seems she is too infatuated with me, or she just finds Vene repulsive.


    "And which of the Gods made such a beautiful creature as you," Vene says gripping Meredith''s hand.


    "The God of stop fucking touching me," she scoffs pulling her hand away.


    I lean back into the wagon and roll my eyes at them. Vene crosses his arms as Meredith looks at me lustfully.


    "Oh, I see, mixed blood boy is your boyfriend, I had it on fair account from Shiroi that you two weren’t together."


    Meredith and Shiroi look at each other intensely.


    "Excuse me what," they yell at the same time.


    I raise my hand quickly and the wagon becomes quiet. This isn''t good, this isn''t good at all. I step down onto the road gripping my sword. Meredith leans out of the wagon squeezing her perky breasts together.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "What is it, if it''s that boulder just go around it,” she says.


    I look back at her and shake my head motioning her to be quiet.


    "Well fuck," Vene says leaning out of the wagon.


    He stares over at Meredith''s perky breasts, and she slaps him. The rock shifts and the ground shakes violently. Vene rubs his cheek as the boulder shifts into a large creature. Well, let''s be honest with ourselves, it''s a Dryke. The Dryke looks down at us and speaks with gnashing teeth.


    "These woods are mine, why are you here, the others came to pillage and rape, so I devoured them, do you wish to do the same?"


    I raise my hand and the Dryke leans down to me. Its breath is horrid, like a pile of burning flesh. I would never tell it that of course.


    "I am Dirk the Bastard Son of Aurus.”


    "Of Aurus, what has become of that naughty young half elf?" the Dryke asks with a chuckle.


    I grip my sword. How does he know my mother? Why has he disgraced her name implying that she might be promiscuous?


    "Excuse me, that''s my mother you''re speaking of you perverse wyvern,” I yell angrily.


    The Dryke''s expression changes to a sincere sadness as it sees my blade.


    "You wield her blade, this must mean she has passed, my condolences young mixed blood, did you know of your father?" It asks.


    "Only that they fought together, nothing more, she didn''t talk much of him and said nothing of a Dryke."


    The Dryke sits back folding its wings down twiddling its claws. It seems kind of pitiful now. Like it lost a good friend.


    "She really didn''t mention me, nothing at all, no mention of the name Drako came up?"


    I move closer to him.


    "How do you know that name beast!" I yell.


    The Dryke laughs, "it is my name mixed blood, how would I not know my own name?"


    "You lie!" I yell.


    The beast stands and towers above me.


    "There were two young lovers of mixed blood, half orc, half elf, they wandered to my land for asylum, the warriors of Dominion slew them, but I saw their love and I shared my heart with them, when your mother had you, she was alone, she brought you to me and I bestowed the name Drako upon you."


    "If you shared your heart and she is now dead then why have you not perished?"


    He leans down.


    "She lives on," he touches my chest with his long claw, "in you."


    I push his claw away angrily.


    "And what of my father, why would he leave me to be a bastard!" I yell.


    "My heart could only save one of them, shared between them they had to decide, your mother, how did she," he looks into my eyes as if reading my memories.


    "I see, the road is free to travel I must return to my nest and mourn, love is a terrible thing to lose, hold your companions dear, and cherish your time with them, for you never know how little of it you have left until it is gone.”


    The Dryke removes himself from the road and flies over the forest toward his nest. I clench my fists angrily, "fuck!"


    Meredith puts her hand on my shoulder, then Shiroi. I push them away and run into the woods alone. They try to follow but Vene motions them back to the wagon. I run for a while, like a child running from his nightmares. That''s when I hear a whisper.


    "We are alone."


    I spin around scanning the woods but see no one.


    "Don''t be afraid, it''s just me again."


    I draw my sword and spin in circles.


    “Yes, please hold me tighter."


    I tighten my grip on the sword.


    “Oh honey, maybe not so rough, it''s our first time alone."


    I drop the sword, and smoke rises from it as I back into a tree.


    "Who, who are you?”


    A lady steps through the smoke with eyes of gold and hair as dark as midnight. She must be six foot tall.


    "I am Umbra, I fought in the shadows when they murdered Lady Aurus, we gave them what they deserved."


    I take a deep breath and regain my composure.


    "So, you helped me in that fight, I owe,” she cuts me off.


    "You owe me nothing, Lady Aurus was kind to me, she treated me with respect, I expect the same from you."


    I step over and pick up the sword.


    "So, you''re in a sword," I pause, "is there a way I could free you?"


    She moves to me and touches my cheek. Her hand is soft. She''s a soft scale, I can tell by her horns and tail. She''s very attractive, and horny? She grabs my crotch.


    "There is a way, but don''t you want me?"


    I push her away. She disappears and I can feel her hands on my shoulders. She leans over my shoulder, and I can feel her breath on my cheek.


    “Don’t tell me you don''t like girls."


    I run into the middle of the clearing. She rises from my shadow.


    "Stop it, stop doing that, who are you!" I yell.


    She looks down at the ground. She seems a little timid. She’s rubbing her shoulder in a cute way. I thought shadow-stalkers were all murderers and cutthroats. I feel empathy for this one though.


    "I don''t know, who am I to you, maybe I''m just a girl trapped in a sword, maybe I''m just a sword, maybe I''m a powerful Draco that got imprisoned in a sword trying to save her sister, and now she''s..." Umbra stops, "nevermind, you''re not Aurus, you know nothing of me."


    She vanishes. I sit in the clearing until I see Shiroi step from the tree line. She sits beside me crossing her legs.


    "You seem upset, the shadow girl seemed upset too, Shiroi is not upset, but Shiroi is lonely," she says laying her head against my shoulder.


    I rub her smooth scaly cheek.


    "Thank you Shiroihana for coming to make sure I''m ok."


    She looks up at me, "Shiroi likes you, Shiroi is friend."


    "Yes Shiroihana, you are my friend, my white flower."