Oaths (Dragon Blood, Book 8)

  Oaths

  Dragon Blood, Book 8

  Lindsay Buroker

  Copyright © 2018 by Lindsay Buroker

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Author Notes

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Bonus Short Story: Crazy Canyon

  Author Notes

  When I wrote Soulblade a couple of years ago, I thought I was done with the Dragon Blood series. Oh, a comment from a beta reader enticed me to write Shattered Past (Therrik and Lilah’s story), but I didn’t have any plans to continue on with Ridge, Sardelle, and the gang. Though Bhrava Saruth informed me that it was quite rude of me to stop writing about him (or is that Him?), considering he had come into the story so late in the game.

  I wandered off to try my hand at space opera (the Fallen Empire series) and wrote some scifi romance under my pen name, Ruby Lionsdrake. It wasn’t until I was listening to the Dragon Blood books on audio (thanks to Podium Publishing for putting all the books out that way) that I remembered how much I enjoyed the world and the characters.

  I don’t know about other authors, but I don’t re-read my own books very often, and I can’t remember what prompted me to start listening to the series, but whatever it was, it got me excited to return and see if King Angulus forgave Ridge for dropping a sorceress in his castle and what kind of wedding Ridge and Sardelle would have. And if the dragon “god” Bhrava Saruth would get the temple that his divine self deserved. And of course, I would check in on Cas and Tolemek and many of the other characters…

  The only problem with a Book 8, or any later book in a series, is that the only people who will pick it up are fans of the first seven books. And since nobody was expecting a new book, I didn’t know how many people would spot it. I decided to write another series before this one, something that would serve as another entry point into my Dragon Blood world and that would, I hoped, renew interest in the original books. Thus, the five-book Heritage of Power series was born. It takes place three years after the original books, so you don’t need to have read it before reading Oaths, but you may want to check it out afterward. (As I write this, it’s exclusive in one store, but it’ll be everywhere by the end of 2018.)

  What you definitely should read before Oaths are “The Fowl Proposal” bonus scenes. I originally posted them on my website a couple of years ago, but they’re out as a free ebook in all the stores now. As you might guess from the title, they cover Ridge and Sardelle’s proposal.

  You may also wish to read Shattered Past if you haven’t yet. That’s a bit of a side story that focuses on Therrik and the new lady in his life (Professor Lilah Zirkander — yes, she’s related to the famous pilot, and no, she won’t get him to sign anything for you). It’s not necessary to read before Oaths, but you may be wondering about their relationship, otherwise. They both poke their noses into Oaths, Lilah to lend Sardelle some support with dress shopping and Therrik to insult Ridge (what else?).

  Also, I’ve included the short story “Crazy Canyon” at the end of this ebook. It, too, originally appeared on my website, and I know folks wanted it in an ebook somewhere for their convenience, so I’ve added it to this one. It takes place shortly before Oaths, so if you’re a fan of reading in chronological order, you may want to jump to the end for that before starting on the novel. That said, it’s just a fun little side story and doesn’t have much to do with Oaths.

  There, I think that’s all you need to know before jumping into this one. While I’m chatting you up, let me also take a moment to thank my editor, Shelley Holloway, for sticking with me for all the books I’ve mentioned here, the entire Dragon Blood and Heritage of Power series. Also, thank you to my beta readers Sarah Engelke, Cindy Wilkinson, and Rue Silver. They’ve also stuck with me over the years. I know none of us expected Balanced on the Blade’s Edge, a little fantasy romance that was supposed to be a stand-alone novel, not the start of a series, to lead into all these stories. Also, a big thank you to the sharp-eyed typo hunters who have been reading the stories early to help me catch most of those pesky slips that get past the rest of us.

  Lastly, thank you for picking up Oaths and following along with these series. Many of you have emailed and let me know how much you enjoy spending time with my quirky characters. As a rather quirky soul myself, that means a lot to me. Thanks!

  Prologue

  As steam carriages and horse-drawn wagons filled the busy street behind him, Lieutenant Farris “Pimples” Averstash gazed through the window of a stationery shop at the handsome leather-bound writing journals on display. He would have loved one with blank pages for the houses he enjoyed designing when he wasn’t busy flying—and sometimes when he was. Lately, he had been sketching larger houses with rooms for children—and princesses and their retinues.

  Did Zia have a retinue? Just because she was the youngest of the Cofah emperor’s children and he’d first run into her alone in the middle of an alligator-filled swamp didn’t mean she didn’t typically travel with an entourage.

  “You’re not going to buy them a book, are you?”

  Lieutenant Duck walked up to peer—or was that a sneer?—through the window. They had only been on this quest for fifteen minutes, and Farris already regretted inviting one of his male Wolf Squadron colleagues along to help him shop. He should have asked a woman. Women liked to shop, and they knew all about weddings and what made appropriate gifts for brides and grooms.

  He should have brought Lieutenant Ahn. No, wait. She wasn’t very womanly. She would likely give the bride and groom a sniper rifle. He should have brought Captain Blazer. No, she was even less womanly. Seven gods, Farris needed to make the acquaintance of more womanly women. Like Zia. She was beautiful and smart and… Why did she have to be an ocean and a continent away?

  “Farris?” Duck poked him. “No books. That’s boring.”

  “Sardelle is a historian. She may enjoy a journal to record her musings in.”

  “But what about General Zirkander? I don’t think he muses.”

  “He must do some musing out in that duck blind he converted into his private sanctuary. There are shelves in it with books and magazines on them.”

  “I think he just goes out there to hide from the magic lessons going on inside the house. And the shape-shifted dragons strolling through the kitchen and stealing his cheese like foxes slipping into the henhouse.” Duck shook his head. “If you’d told me a year ago that I would say sentences like that, I would have fallen over laughing. Or I would have run and hidden at the notion of magic existing in the world.”

  “It has been an eventful year.”

  Reluctantly, Farris stepped back from the window. Though the journals appealed to him, he supposed one should buy gifts appropriate to the individuals receiving them. But Sardelle and Zirkander were such different people. Farris didn’t know what exactly had brought them together. He also didn’t know what kinds of items would be useful to them after they married. They alread
y lived together. Was there anything for the house that they might need? Something practical? Were wedding gifts supposed to be practical? Or frivolous and fun?

  He should have asked someone. He had never been invited to a wedding before. He was thankful he’d been told his Iskandian army dress uniform was suitable attire because he didn’t own any fancy civilian clothing.

  Duck grabbed his arm and pointed across the street. “That’s the shop.”

  “Enh?"

  Farris allowed himself to be dragged across the busy street, doing his best to dodge fresh piles of horse droppings. He would be glad when steam vehicles completely replaced horse-drawn wagons and carriages. Especially here in the capital where the ocean breezes blew away the smoke from the stacks.

  “This.” Duck stopped in front of a shop with all manner of clockwork children’s toys on display in the window. Several of them trundled around on stubby legs, while wheels or treads propelled others. A fuzzy ball rolled around in circles, seemingly of its own accord. “No, that.”

  Duck grinned at Farris, his eyes gleaming as he pointed at a bronze, dog-shaped toy with iron rivets. It walked several steps in a line, then turned and walked back. At the end of its circuit, it lifted a back leg.

  “Is that dog peeing?” Farris asked, prepared to drop his face in his hand.

  “Well, I don’t see any actual liquid. That’s good. That would be messy. Oh, look. I think you can add on that little lamppost over there. For versi— verisimi— to make it more lifelike.”

  Farris finally did drop his face in his hand. “Verisimilitude. Did you not take any classes unrelated to fliers at that little Eastern Iskandian university you attended?”

  “Not when I could help it. You know I didn’t learn to read until I was eighteen. You should be pleased I can tell the lamppost is half off with the purchase of the dog.” Duck pointed at a sign in the window. “I’m going in.”

  “No.” Farris grabbed his arm. “Think of Sardelle, man. She doesn’t want a peeing dog toy.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Her sword told me.”

  Duck squinted at him.

  Actually, from the handful of times Jaxi, Sardelle’s soulblade, had spoken into his mind, Farris suspected she would cackle with delight at the atrocious gift. Well, maybe not. He’d heard that Jaxi had forbidden Sardelle to lay her scabbard on the bullet-riddled couch made from flier parts that the squadron had gotten the general as a housewarming gift.

  “Why don’t you get something a little classier?” Farris suggested, lowering his hand. “You should be feeling flush with cash, given that you won the hangar betting pool about the wedding date.”

  He was hoping for better luck with the baby pool. The wedding one had been put together at the last minute when General Zirkander had started asking people for advice on proposals. All the prime dates had been chosen by the time Farris had gotten in on it.

  “Nah, nobody guessed the exact date. I’m one of three people who guessed a day in the first week of fall. There’s going to be a tie-breaker to see who gets the money.”

  “Oh? How will that work?”

  “Whichever one of us guesses the correct number of dragons that will appear at the wedding wins. That means nobody gets the payout until the day after the wedding. So, I’m not any more flush with money than a bear is flush with fat at the end of its winter’s nap.”

  “Flush with fat?” Farris curled a lip. He definitely should have found a woman to bring with him.

  “It’s an expression.”

  “I doubt it. How many dragons did you say would come?”

  “One. I figured Bhrava Saruth and General Zirkander are close buddies.” Duck clasped his hands together in front of him, fingers intertwined. “He’ll definitely invite the dragon. He might even ask Bhrava Saruth to be one of his two kin watchers.”

  “Uh, considering that job involves leering at the bride and saying whether she looks healthy and hale and capable of birthing babies, I doubt Zirkander will ask a dragon. Especially not that dragon. He’s randy.”

  “Hm, that is true. I do hope I’m right about the guess though. Usually, I’m about as lucky as a wolf with a thorn in his paw. I never win anything. It would be great to break that streak.”

  “What were the other guesses?” Farris asked. “We don’t have that many dragon allies.”

  “Colonel Coyote said two. Captain Kaika said three. Which is alarming.”

  “We don’t have three dragon allies.”

  “That’s why it’s alarming.” Duck looked toward the cloudy sky, perhaps remembering their battle with dragons from earlier in the summer. Fortunately, there hadn’t been any more attacks since they had sent those Cofah dragons fleeing. “I’ve been enjoying the last few trouble-free months.”

  Yes, the capital had been quiet—almost boringly so—since the Cofah emperor had officially disappeared from the world. Farris had been on the team responsible for the kidnapping, but he had no idea what King Angulus had done with the prisoner after they’d gotten him back to Iskandian soil. There had been talk of a forced exile, but as a lieutenant, Farris wasn’t told much of what happened behind the scenes. For all he knew, the emperor could have been made to disappear forever.

  “Uh,” Duck said, his gaze still skyward.

  “What is it?” Farris looked up. He supposed it was silly to hope for an air pirate attack that would need to be fended off. Sardelle and General Zirkander would likely appreciate it if nothing eventful happened until after they were happily married.

  Of course, if the city-wide alarm went off now, and all Wolf Squadron pilots were called to the hangar, that would keep Duck from buying that clockwork dog. That, at least, should please the couple.

  “Trouble,” Duck said.

  A gold dragon flew into sight, heading in the direction of the army fort.

  “I think that’s Bhrava Saruth,” Farris said.

  “That doesn’t necessarily negate my statement.”

  As far as Farris knew, the dragon hadn’t been seen in the capital for a while. His return could indeed herald trouble. But maybe he’d simply returned for a visit and to cadge tarts from the Zirkander household.

  “Guess we’ll find out soon.”

  1

  General Ridgewalker Zirkander had a thousand things to do before his wedding, so he hoped the citadel would be quiet and he could work without any interruptions. Sardelle and his mother were handling most of the preparations for the event itself, so they weren’t cluttering up his to-do list, but he was in the process of redoing the curriculum at the flight academy, as well as assigning pilots to a new squadron he’d gotten permission to form. Rather than being based out of a city, the squadron would be intended from the start to be itinerant and ready to fly around the continent at a moment’s notice. Ridge didn’t believe that just because the Cofah had misplaced their emperor they would truly cease to be a threat in the foreseeable future.

  His office door banged open, and a young man with golden locks, sandals, and a loose tunic—or was that a dress?—strolled in without knocking. Perhaps because he was usually a dragon, and dragons didn’t knock. Presumably, dragons didn’t have doors of their own. Just caves or dens. Whatever they were called.

  “We call them lairs,” Bhrava Saruth said, his deep emerald-green eyes locking on to Ridge’s. “But such dwellings tend toward dampness. Mildew. Mold.” He crinkled his nose. “They’re not at all befitting a god such as myself. Which is why I must have a temple, as you know, mate of my high priestess. We have had this conversation many times. I need a temple.”

  Those green eyes held an allure that made it hard to look away. And hard to deny the dragon anything he wished.

  “It is not only for my own pleasure that I ask this, Ridgewalker.” Bhrava Saruth pressed a hand to his chest, loose bracelets jangling on his wrist. “I have been traveling all around Iskandoth and have obtained thirteen more worshippers. Having a temple here in this most central of human cities will be
ideal since many of them live on this coast. With a temple, my worshippers can easily find me and have a place where I can attend their needs and bless them. I have already constructed a hysrinthiea-narsh.”

  “Of course,” Ridge said, having no idea what the mouthful of letters meant. “I hear every temple needs one.”

  “It does! The device will allow me to know when one of my worshippers has arrived, touched my throne, and needs my assistance.”

  “You’re planning to have a throne?”

  “For when I am in human form.” Bhrava Saruth used his hand to gesture up and down his body. Ridge tried not to pay attention to how much leg was on display. It was summer, after all. Maybe this was the dragon version of shorts. Airy shorts that swayed when he moved. “I must be comfortable when delivering my blessings.”

  “Will it be bigger than King Angulus’s throne?”

  “It must be sufficient to contain my magnificent form.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  Ridge shifted aside a few folders to make room on his desk, then grabbed a rolled-up map and several preliminary blueprints that were leaning against his filing cabinet.

  “You can see that I am fully prepared to be accessible to my followers and a good god,” Bhrava Saruth said. “All I need is my temple. Which you have agreed to help construct. I would have simply constructed it myself, but you and your king have not yet granted land suitable for the project.”

  “I know, I know. I promised to help you build your temple.”

  Ridge still wondered how he had ever allowed himself to be talked into that. Most likely, he had made the mistake of looking the dragon in the eyes when he was radiating that aura of his, an aura that made obeying him seem like the most natural thing in the world. But Bhrava Saruth had helped fight off enemy dragons on numerous occasions, and he’d also helped Sardelle find Ridge when he’d been without his memory and in the hands of that enemy sorceress.