Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol II - By Richard A. Knaak Page 0,430

jewel in the world.

Her hand ran across his chest. “This scale. This is you, not armor.”

“It isss ssstronger than mossst armor…”

Leonin chose that moment to return, his arms full of dry wood. He chuckled at Morgis’s obvious discomfort, then cheerfully carried the fuel to the center. “No need to disturb yourselves! I’ll be lightin’ the fire as usual.”

A moment later, Awrak, too, returned. “Horses nervous, very nervous. Didn’t want to come in, not come in at all.”

In truth, he had to nearly drag the animals to the far side of the chamber. Morgis would have preferred the horses in a stable, but not this night.

The bird man eyed Leonin’s efforts with disdain. “Be all night making that, all night.” He made a squawking sound. “Not nearly enough wood, too, wood not nearly enough.”

“My arms aren’t as big as our scaly friend’s here,” the human said with a wink. “There’s still some more just outside the entrance.”

While Awrak went to retrieve the remainder of Morgis’s load, Kalena finally disengaged herself and went to the small fire Leonin had managed. He looked up at her, grinning. The cat woman, her cloak still clutched protectively around her, knelt, taking in the warmth.

Grateful to be free yet oddly disappointed at the same time, Morgis kept watch. One hand remained on the sword at his side. It, the sheath, and the belt that held them—all gifts from the Master Guardians—were the only items on his person that were not actually a part of his skin. If he needed to transform, the belt would simply break, a necessary loss.

“So warm,” he heard Kalena murmur pleasantly. His red orbs shifted to her, taking in her shrouded form and her young face. Again he recalled another feline face and the burgeoning emotions he had been forced to keep in check. More than in the Dragonrealm, it was not uncommon to find pairings of different races. Some, like the Gryphon and Troia, had even been blessed with offspring. Others had no such hope, but love bound them together.

There were times when he wished that he had sailed home… and other times he was glad that he had not.

A slight scraping noise arose from the open window to his right.

The sword came out. Morgis poised for attack. Leonin leapt from the fire, his own blade ready to back up the drake.

Nothing.

“Just a branch rubbin’ against the stone,” suggested the human.

“Maybe.” Morgis glanced to the entrance. “Awrak hasss been gone for quite a long time, don’t you think?”

“He has, hasn’t he?”

Kalena slipped around the campfire and clutched Leonin’s free arm. Morgis tried to ignore the thoughts that briefly raced through his mind upon seeing this.

“I shall go investigate,” the drake finally declared.

“Want I should go, too?”

“No. Ssstay with her.”

The cat woman rewarded his concern with a grateful smile, which Morgis pretended to ignore. Sword before him, he stepped out to where Awrak should have been gathering the wood.

But the avian was nowhere to be seen. The wood lay in a small stack, as if Awrak had prepared it, then wandered off.

Morgis sincerely doubted that his companion had done so foolhardy a thing.

Taking a risk, he called out the bird man’s name, but the harsh wind swallowed his attempt. Morgis hissed. Bending low, he seized an armful of wood and quickly retreated inside.

Leonin frowned when he saw the drake. “By that armload you’ve got there, I take it our friend is gone.”

“There was no sssssign of him. No sign of any struggle, either.” Morgis forced out the two words, fighting the sibilation common among drakes when they grew excited or upset. This was not the time to fall into bad and very careless habits… especially in front of Kalena.

“Maybe this time we should all go out there together,” suggested the bearded human. “That way we can keep Kalena safe and still watch for Awrak.” Despite their many differences, Leonin clearly did not like the thought of something having happened to his verbal sparring partner.

But Kalena pulled back, shaking her head and drawing her cloak yet tighter around her body. “No! I won’t go out there! We need to stay in here!”

“Easy, girl! No real fear! Morgis here’ll turn into a full-fledged dragon if need be! Let’s see any monster take that on!”

A tingle coursed through the drake. It bothered him more than it should have that Leonin had reminded her that Morgis was, in essence, a beast parading as an almost-man. Yet, his partner had a point. To save their lives, Morgis