Theaurumpear orchards that brought people all around the world such love and light.
“Are you sad to see it all gone, theaurumpears?” Layla asked Rhennic quietly, gazing around at the orchards of charred stumps. “Will you re-plant?”
“Of course.” Rhennic smiled at her sidelong, a little smile curling his lips now as if he had a secret. “Come with me, Layla, I want you to see something. It’s actually why I dragged you out here tonight, to show you.”
“Okay.” An answering smile lifted Layla’s lips as she felt an eagerness in Rhennic. As they walked through the barren orchards, she saw they were approaching a squat, round turret like an ancient lookout upon the grounds now. Made of lightning-stone but more pockmarked and older than anything else on the Château’s grounds, it looked like it had withstood ten thousand years of war and weathering by the elements as they approached.
Remnants of ancient carvings could be seen around the turret’s outside, but for the life of her, Layla couldn’t make them out. As she and Rhennic mounted the deeply-worn steps, six Storm Dragon guards with long pikes and blue livery stepped out from niches, barring their way. Atop the turret, Layla saw the meanest, most massive Storm Dragon she had ever seen unfurl five-layer wings atop the turret, staring down at them with entirely lightning-flickering eyes, seething plasma-lightning coursing through its scales. But upon seeing who it was, the massive drake just gave a snort and went back to a leisurely drape around the turret’s top, while the guards eased below.
“My King.” The guards saluted as Rhennic moved up the steps with Layla.
“As you were, gentlemen.” Rhennic answered as he came to the enormous lightning-stone doors and set a hand to them, flooding the door with a strange series of lighting-pulses like Morse code. Layla heard a complex clockwork mechanism unlatch inside with a series of clicks and groans. And then the doors were swinging inward – admitting them to a long passage of flickering lightning-stone that didn’t go up to the top of the turret, but down into its depths.
“What is this, your secret dungeon?” Layla joked as she and Rhennic entered and the doors were shut behind them. Glancing back, she saw the most massive magical clockwork she had ever seen click back into place, until seven enormous bolts had secured the turret’s doors.
“This is our grow-hall.” Rhennic smiled at her as he led the way down. Lightning flickered through the white stone all around them, the stones inside smooth now rather than pitted by time. Heading underground, they came to a short hall with a second set of doors guarded by two big black Storm drakes, who bristled out from wall-niches as Layla and Rhennic approached.
“What, like, your marijuana grow-hall?” Layla joked again as those two huge drakes recognized their new King. Bowing their heads, they set their talons to the lower doors, hauling them open – and permitting a glorious sight. Deep beneath the turret sprawled an enormous underground hall with endless rows of trees and bright white daylight up above. Immaculately lovely, the light up above came from a ceiling of ultra-white stone flooding through with plasma-lighting. Long rows of emerald moss were fed by ornately gilded streams, watering it all. And from each row, thousands upon thousands of young pear trees grew.
Each one perfectly gold in their trunks, branches, and leaves.
“This is ouraurumgrow-hall.” Rhennic spoke with respectful awe as he moved to the nearest row, reaching out and stroking one five-foot tree, admiring its first golden fruit. “Aurumpear trees are very delicate when they’re young; they can’t withstand most normal seasonal temperature changes even here in France. For tens of thousands of years, my people have grown them in this underground hall, built long before anything else upon these lands. My ancient Storm Dragon ancestors were dedicated horticulturists; for generations, we’ve protected this place and used it. And though Hunter destroyed our orchards above, he didn’t know we had this hall, and thus, didn’t destroy our next generation. Or our hope.”
“This is why I still felt light in you, even after the battle at Chambord.” Layla spoke with awe, reaching out to stroke the tree’s glossy golden leaves.
“Yes.” Rhennic smiled, lowering his hand from the tree. “In time, all the orchards will be replaced, and our joy from Château de Chambord will continue. Storm Dragons are an emotional bunch, Layla. We need hope and light and beauty in our lives, to help us weather the storms inside.”
“And how are you?” Layla asked as she turned to him, enjoying their first moment alone in the whirlwind of the past few weeks. “How are you really feeling about your new Kingship?”
“Conflicted.” Rhennic spoke with a soft honesty as he watched her in that underground daylight. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek in his big palm, warm and solid and kind. “I know I can do right by my people by being their King, and I will. But a part of me still wants to just run off with you… and say goodbye to all of this to be by your side.”
“Maybe one day we can have an extended vacation.” Layla suggested as she smiled up at him. “Once everything is a little more politically calm.”
“I’d like that.” Rhennic truly smiled now as he drew her in. Their lips met, and for a long while they kissed in the bright room of trickling water and vibrant golden trees. Layla felt their hearts and bodies heat through the Bind with a beautiful golden glow – Layla’s drakaina and Rhennic’s drake celebrating with joy as they kissed. And then Rhennic eased away, glancing over and picking a ripe golden pear from the young tree. Bouncing it in his palm, his violet eyes flashed with delight. “Come on. We should get back to the party and the rest of the Bind. I just selfishly wanted some time alone with you in all this madness. And to show you why I’m not afraid of anything that comes next.”
“Of all the Bind, you’re still the bravest.” Layla laughed now with a shake of her head. “My white knight. Will that chivalrous nature ever break, Rhennic Erdhelm?”
“It broke once, when I yelled at you on the road from the airstrip,” he spoke soberly now as he lifted her hand, kissing it. “It’s my intention to never let that happen again.”
“Fighting’s normal in a relationship, Rhennic.” Layla chastised him sweetly now.
“I know.” He chuckled as his lavender eyes flashed with a sexy flicker. “But I’d still rather pleasure you all the rest of your days and nights than fight.”
“Okay…” Layla breathed as he pulled her in. As their lips met this time, a deep wave of joy flooded all the way through Layla from Rhennic, inundating her heart so fully through the Bind that for a moment, she could barely breathe. Heaving her up into his strong arms suddenly, Rhennic wrapped her legs around his firm waist, holding her close and kissing her deeper as he kneaded her back through her silk gown with his strong hands. As Layla’s drakaina surged high in her veins with a delighted flush of bourbon-orange scent, Rhennic’s drake did also, scenting of lavender fields and heather after a summer storm. His chuckle was deliciously deviant as he pulled away, nuzzling her nose and smiling at her lips.
“Come on.” He spoke with laughter in his voice now. “Fucking you here would create too much heat for the trees, my blistering Desert drakaina. Besides, we should take a few of these pears back to the Bind so we can all share in their delights tonight, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely.” Layla laughed as Rhennic slid her delightfully down his Viking-hard, finery-clad body. He was very firm in his tight breeches and Layla couldn’t help but squirm against his rock-solid hotness as his breath caught and hers did also. But their Dragon-heat was already withering a few leaves on the closest tree, curling them up and causing them to fall to the moss as Rhennic took her by the hand, holding his pears in the other and leading them back to the entrance. With slow ceremony, the two Storm Dragons guarding the doors closed them, bowing their blocky heads to their King.
And then Layla and Rhennic were moving back up to the summer evening above.
They were quiet as they returned to the palace, watching the display of Storm Dragon art above the Château’s grounds as far as the eye could see in the settling night. The sun had touched the rim of the forest now, and Layla saw how even in a short space of time, green shoots of grass were already peeking up through the Château’s plowed-under fields. All of it suddenly gave her so much joy as she threaded her arm through Rhennic’s and he pulled her close.
Sharing another sweet kiss as they walked.
They were soon back to the main grounds, moving through a heady celebration and a mighty crowd as the Storm Dragon King returned. Maneuvering through Storm Dragons in human form dressed in ornate finery from every culture around the globe, plus hundreds in Dragon form taking wing through the sky and roaring with thunderous delight from the turrets of the Château, Layla and Rhennic eventually made it into the bailey. Smiling at the celebration all around, thick with food being cooked in every corner, games, music, and ornate Storm Dragon fireworks that lit up the night in addition to the display above, Layla finally spied the other members of the Bind lounging with wine around a satyr fountain. Since Hunter’s main target had been theaurumorchards, the palace of Chambord had largely survived the battle. Inside the bailey, the ornate inner garden was still blooming in a high summer riot and smelling heavenly as Layla relinquished Rhennic’s arm at last to kiss Adrian and the rest.
“What have you got there, my King? Do I spy forbidden fruit, raided from the dangerous lands of the Dragons of Storms?” Dusk joked with a deviant chuckle as he noticed Rhennic’s pears. Wearing a sexy modern charcoal-grey suit tonight that looked like Armani, Dusk was clearly drunk on the Storm Dragon’s excellent wine that had survived in the cellars of Chambord. Waggling his straight dark eyebrows at Rhennic, he held out a hand impudently, and with a bright laugh, Rhennic handed him a pear.
