No teasers. No prologue. This is it, the end of Wizard. Read and enjoy! Oh, and if you're just getting started You can find Chapter 22
here
, Chapter 1
here
, and the story (Enchanted) that started it all
here
Back in the dragon's lair Roxanne came to a stop halfway down the ramp and gasped. She pointed and said, "The pods!"
"They are not yet formed," Arika said. "Without our sire's magic to make them grow and with no one to keep the rocks hot, they could not grow into dragonkin."
Helleen gasped. "Like eggs that won't hatch?"
"They aren't eggs, they are lumps of flesh being reshaped and given life," Arika said.
"That's good," Jennaca said. "They won't be running loose in the mountains hurting people."
"No, they will not," Arika agreed. "The others still in the mountains will have felt the loss of Dargoth too. I... I'm not sure how it will affect them."
"Will it kill them too?" Roxanne asked.
"I don't think so," Arika said after a moment of thought. "They will have no purpose though. They will exist to kill because that is what they were created for. They don't know pleasure and they can't think for themselves. There aren't many left though, you've killed most of them. Creating dragonkin taxed my si-- it took a lot of time and effort to do. Dargoth thought his army was large enough and I was near to convincing him that he could use the humans as servants."
"We should kill them too," Sasha said. "They're vicious and more than a match for most people."
"They are, but we taught these people to defend themselves," Roxanne said. "Not all of them, but we can."
"It's up to John what to do," Helleen said, prompting them all to turn to him.
John was starting at Dargoth's corpse. He started walking toward it, stepping ahead of the others. They shared a second look between themselves and then followed him. He climbed up the stairs and stared at the dragon's head. Even in death it sent chills down their spines.
Jennaca bent down and grabbed the tooth that John had knocked free. She tucked it into her belt and stepped over to look past the dragon to something she'd glimpsed when she was trying to climb the dragon's back. Dargoth's hoard was mostly gold from the mine but the plunder from Rock Haven was probably amongst some chests, sacks, and stacked ingots.
"We need Artesia," John muttered. "I need Artesia."
"Sadie will heal her," Helleen said.
John stared at the dragon. "She can teach these people, not me. Not any of us."
All three women nodded in agreement with him.
"I've learned everything I can from her," Roxanne said, "But she knows so much more. She knows tactics in a way I don't think I ever could."
"My sister's right," Helleen said. "And Rox was the one that came up with most of our routines. Not just ours either, I mean for the other gladiators too."
Roxanne blushed. "I knew how to make us look good, not how to fight."
"You'll figure it out," Helleen soothed her.
"Not without Artesia to teach em," Roxanne said.
John swallowed. "Should I risk it?"
"Risk what, John?" Jennaca asked.
"Risk letting her die? If what Sadie said is true, I could make sure Artesia stays with us... and she wouldn't have to worry about dying again. She could--"
John fell silent when he saw the looks on their faces. Even Arika looked troubled at the prospect. He dropped his head to his chest and sighed.
"I understand the desire," Roxanne said. "But it's not right."
"I wasn't old really old enough to remember the war between Altonia and the Order of the Dragon, but the dead rose to fight there. Both sides nearly destroyed by the dead and they had to form a truce until they could put an end to it and restore the balance. From what I hear, it restored it everywhere, not just here," Jennaca said. "The dead walking isn't right, John. It goes against the natural order of things." John reached up to scratch his chin. He'd lived through the time Jennaca mentioned as an bitter old enchanter but he couldn't quite remember them. There was something though... had he been involved?
Jennaca let out a shuddering breath and said, "I... I don't want that for Artesia. She wouldn't want that either."
John pulled himself from his scattered memories and said, "I know. I'm just afraid of losing her."
"You're not even bonded to her though," Roxanne said. She glanced at Helleen, "Or am I wrong?"
"You're right," Helleen confirmed.
"No, I'm not, but I care for her all the same. I've taken her for granted too. Not as much lately but... I know I have."
"We all do that from time to time," Jennaca said to comfort him. "She knows as well as we do that you care."
"You don't have a contract with all of these women?" Arika asked.
"No," John said.
"Not yet," Roxanne mumbled.
"Rox? You decided? You want one?" her twin all but whispered.
Roxanne blushed and couldn't meet her sister's eyes. She did find John's though. She bit her lip and nodded.
John smiled. "Even knowing what I'm struggling with? How I'm putting basic human decency on the line because of my fear of losing her?"
"Way I see it, you healed Helleen and Jennaca. If the rest of us had been bonded you could have done that to us to. On top of... um... the other reasons, that's a damn fine one."
"What other reasons?" Arika asked.
"Oh, only orgasms unlike anything you'll find in this world," Helleen told the blond.
"There are a lot of other reasons too," Jennaca laughed. "But... yeah, that too."
Arika's smooth brow furrowed.