Lady of the Drake FREE READ, Chapter One
Chapter One
Lana trudged through the depths of the ancient forest, her pack growing heavier with each step. Dragons had claimed these woods, and the mountains beyond them, for as long as anyone could remember. Legends told of the drakes defending their borders without mercy, and she was over a day’s hike into the woods.
Lana chose reason over fear. No dragons had been seen in her lifetime; and rare, valuable herbs grew throughout Ashen Forest. She had been venturing within since she’d been a farm girl on the edge of the vast forest, growing bolder with each expedition. Strange things might indeed roam the trees, but aside from the expected woodland creatures Lana had never seen more than shadows in the corner of her eye, nor heard more than rustling in the night.
The woods had become like a second home, one she had all to herself. She never took more than she needed and was careful to leave no permanent mark of her passing. Somehow the massive, ancient trees seemed to welcome her. Perhaps one day she would venture too deep, become too bold, but that day had yet to arrive.
By mid-morning, Lana would reach her destination: a clear pool fed by a waterfall, where she had gathered the precious herb once before. It was farther out than she preferred to go, by a good measure, but these were desperate times. A sickness was spreading through the Village of Eddleton, and dragon bane could be the difference between life and death for many of her friends and neighbors.
The herb’s healing properties were amazing, with a euphoric side-effect that only increased its value. It was a rare aquatic plant, growing only in the sandy bottoms of certain mountain springs, and she couldn’t go home without it.
Lana was a healer and midwife, like the woman who had raised her, sharing duties with Maya in their village of a few hundred. Midwives were not expected to marry, which suited her. Her parents had died when she was a child, and without a mother urging her to find a husband there was no down-side to entertaining herself with whoever struck her fancy.
Not that promiscuity was frowned upon, but Lana didn’t fancy herself a baby dispenser and mothers want grandchildren. She lived on the frontier of an average kingdom, far from polite society, where sex was more of a game to be played than a reason for doubt and jealousy. The pickings were slim in Eddleton, but a worthy merchant or trader would pass through now and again. She always had Darus, a childhood friend who’d been a casual lover for years. Minor potions could prevent pregnancy, and to Lana anything was better than being the breeding cow of some farmer or blacksmith.
Lana heard the waterfall in the distance, speeding up with a second wind. The pool was as breathtaking as she remembered, a hundred feet across and fed by a spring flowing from a huge crack in the sheer cliff above. She dropped her pack on the shore and sat for a moment, bracing herself for the cold swim ahead. She took off her boots and breeches, letting down her fiery hair, catching sight of what looked like a pile of gear on the opposite shore. Her heart skipped a beat when a man burst from beneath the water with a handful of leafy, purple plants. Lana stood frozen in disbelief. In the middle of the wilderness, where she’d never seen another living soul, someone had beaten her to the dragon bane when she needed it most. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The man swam towards his gear, getting out of the water and laying the plants out to dry on a rock warmed by the sun. Lana stood silent and unnoticed, enjoying the view. Even at a distance her eyes caught the sunlight playing across his body, highlighting every ripple of flesh, allowing his thick cock to gleam in the sun. Perhaps this wouldn’t be a wasted trip, after all.
He noticed her as he turned and dove back in, swimming toward her. Lana was mesmerized as he cut through the water. Soon the man stood just off shore in water to his waist, matted dark hair showing a hint of curl, with a cockeyed smile that melted her. Lana was struck with the fact that she stood there wearing nothing but a tunic that barely reached mid-thigh.
He grinned. “Here to poach my garden again?”
She folded her arms. “Your garden? As far as I can see, this is open forest. Unless I’ve got my facts mixed up, only dragons claim these woods, and you seem a bit short on wings and scales.”
He laughed. “Ah, then you challenge my claim. Well then, I suppose it’s everyone for themselves. There’s more down there, but you’ll have to beat me to it.”
“Very well,” she replied. “Just turn around so I can finish undressing.”
“And if I don’t?”
Lana met his playful gaze, feeling a twinge between her legs, saying, “Then I’ll wonder if I can trust you to be a gentleman once I’m in the water.”
Just Released!
