Dragons of Asgard 5 Chapter 1

My eyes blinked open slowly, and my mouth opened into a yawn as my arms and legs stretched and pulled my body in the most delightful way.

Then a big, happy grin spread across my face as I turned to look at my beautiful redheaded bride beside me.

Eira’s green eyes were still closed, and her naked chest rose and fell steadily as she slept. Her long fire-red hair laid on the bed next to her and practically took up an entire section on its own, and sunlight poured in through the small window above the kitchen counter to illuminate Eira’s fair skin and beautiful, plump red lips.

My fingers traced their way up her muscular stomach to the mounds of her full breasts, and her body quivered beneath me.

“Sorry,” I chuckled softly as I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I just had to touch you.”

“Mmmm, that felt nice.” She grinned and then slowly opened her green eyes to look at me. “Good morning, husband.”

“Good morning, wife.” I grinned back before I placed my lips on hers.

Eira sighed against my mouth, and I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me.

Her body pressed against mine, and I breathed in her scent and kissed along her jaw and down her throat until she let out a deep breath and nuzzled her nose into the crook of my neck.

We laid in bed and held each other for a moment, but then I heard Asta and Kas giggling outside, and Eira looked up at me and smiled.

“It sounds like they’re having a good time,” she said.

“It does,” I laughed.

“Shall we go see them?” she asked. “I’m starved.”

“Did our night of lovemaking drain all your energy?” I teased.

“Definitely.” Eira smiled wryly.

“Good.” I smirked. “Then I am performing my duties as husband correctly, and I will continue to do so by making us some breakfast.”

Eira and I got up, and I pulled on a pair of dark pants and a dark blue tunic, while she yanked a short green tunic over her head. She pulled her long hair from under the tunic, and it fell down her back in a mane of auburn that swished back and forth beautifully.

I followed Eira’s ample swaying hips outside, but as soon as she opened the door, I smelled something delicious.

“Mmm, what is that?” I asked as I sniffed the air.

“Oh good, you are up!” Asta, the gorgeous white-haired elf woman, called out with a wide smile. “We made you breakfast!”

We were in the midst of the Asgardian summer, and it was hot, even this early in the morning, so Asta had on one of my short-sleeved tunics that barely covered her tight little ass cheeks. The dark black color was a distinct contrast from her pale skin, bright yellow eyes, and lovely white hair. Most of her long locks hung down to her back, but the front section was pulled back into two long braids that combined at the back of her head. Her pointed ears stuck through the braids in the most adorable way, and her plump pink lips looked incredibly kissable as she smiled at me.

Blar immediately cleared his throat and sat back on his hind legs to look at her with accusatory bright blue eyes. Then he pursed his little reptilian lips and glared at her until she looked at him.

“Oh, right.” Asta nodded. “Blar helped, too.”

The little dragon smiled and sat back down. Then he looked from me to the covered pan on the fire and smiled.

“You just want me to sit down so you can eat,” I laughed.

Blar nodded.

The blue dragon had such an attitude sometimes. He was adorable and loving, but he didn’t joke when it came to his food, and I was sure Kas told him he couldn’t eat until we all ate together. The strawberry blonde Valkyrie wasn’t afraid to tell the little dragon no, no matter how much attitude he gave her.

I wasn’t sure if it was because Kas had known Blar the longest, or because she was just an organized person in general, but neither Asta nor Eira bossed him around the way she did.

Of course, Blar didn’t always listen to her, but for the most part the two of them had an understanding.

“Would you like some tea?” Asta asked with a wide smile. “I made something special for you to celebrate your nuptials.”

“That’s so kind of you,” Eira said, and her cheeks actually pinked up a little.

“It’s the least I could do.” The white-haired elf girl pulled her kettle off the fire and began to pour mugs of tea while Eira and I took our seats next to the fire.

As soon as we settled in, Blar walked over and sat down by my feet to wait impatiently for his food. I reached down and scratched between the two curved horns on the top of his head, and he craned his neck back so I would scratch further and further toward his chin, his favorite spot of all.

Unlike the other dragons, Blar was long and thin, and he had horns that were sharp and unique. In all the time I’d been helping dragons, I’d never seen another who looked like him. Nidhug, the ancient dragon who lived at the well in Niflheim, was the closest in appearance, but even he didn’t have horns.

Svass yawned, stretched, and then scurried over to Eira to lay in her lap. The newest dragon to our clan was from Alfheim, just like Inger and Uffe, and instead of a long, thin body like Blar, the three of them had larger bodies, with big legs and long, skinny necks and tails.

Svass was only a third the size of Inger and Uffe since she was still so young, and she was a bright yellow color with piercing pink eyes that knew how to melt someone’s heart with a single look. She was feisty, just like Eira, and I loved her all the more for it.

My bride cooed to the little yellow dragon and stroked down her back until she rolled over for belly scratches.

“I think she missed sleeping with you,” Asta giggled.

Inger was curled up around Asta’s shoulders, and the white-haired elf girl absentmindedly reached up to stroke her scaly skin. The little red dragon hung off the small elf woman’s shoulders, and soon she wouldn’t be able to fit up there at all, but Asta didn’t seem to mind. The elf girl loved Inger, and I knew Asta would let the little dragon sit on her, even when she grew too big.

Uffe, Inger’s male twin, sat near Kas’s feet and snored lightly. The two red dragons looked so similar it was nearly impossible to tell them apart, which was why Inger always wore a little ribbon around her neck.

Each of the dragons had sort of taken to the woman who matched their personality best. It made sense they’d be drawn to someone similar to them, and it was nice to have each of them have a sort of assigned person to work with.

Inger and Asta had even learned to work together when we were in battle. Asta would throw her daggers or axe, and Inger would retrieve it for her.

I smiled as I looked out at my women and the dragons. I couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to have them all in my life. We still had work to do to dismantle the dragon trade and free all the enslaved dragons, but we would do whatever it took to make it happen.

“Whatever you made smells delicious,” I said as Kas lifted the lid of the pot to stir the contents.

“Oh, good.” The Valkyrie grinned. “We caught some fish in the river.”

“You did?” I asked, and then I looked around and realized the entire courtyard was cleaned up from the wedding last night. “You cleaned, too. You two must have been up early.”

“Not too early,” Kas assured me. “Besides, magic helped with the cleaning.”

“Oh, right,” I chuckled.

Asta passed us our cups of tea, and then Kas dished up plates of fish, rice, vegetables, and a side of fruit. The strawberry blonde sorceress made the dragon’s bowls first, and they’d barely touched the ground before Svass, Blar, and Inger were right there with their little faces jammed inside.

Uffe, on the other hand, walked slowly over to his bowl and took purposeful bites.

Food splashed out the sides of Inger, Svass, and Blar’s bowls as they ate their breakfast, and I had to laugh at their ridiculous behavior. One might think they never got fed when, in fact, they ate at least three times their weight each day.

Kas handed the rest of us plates, and I bit into the fish to find it was still moist and incredibly flavorful. They’d used some of my spices to season it, and it was done quite well. The rice was nice and fluffy, too, and the vegetables were perfectly seared on either side.

“Mmm, this is good,” I said through a mouthful of food.

“Glad you like it,” Kas chuckled. “You can thank Blar for the seasonings, he told us what to use.”

“I suppose when you love food that much, you better learn how to make it,” I laughed and reached down to scratch the top of the little dragon’s head.

“So, did you two enjoy your night alone together?” Asta asked nonchalantly, and I nearly spat out my food at the question.

I didn’t have any reason to be ashamed or embarrassed, but talking about what I did behind closed doors wasn’t something I made a habit of.

“We did,” Eira said without hesitation, and she flashed me a half smile before she took another bite of fish.

“Oh, good,” Asta said. “But we missed you out here, so you will sleep with us again tonight, won’t you?”

“Asta, they’re not going to sleep by themselves every night just because they’re married now,” Kas laughed, but then she stopped as her violet eyes went wide and stared right at me. “Are you?”

“No.” I smiled and shook my head. “I would miss all of you far too much.”

“I did miss you,” Eira told the little yellow dragon. “Though, it was nice having the bed to ourselves for an evening.”

“I wouldn’t get used to that,” Kas chuckled. “The dragons are incredibly needy. They love to cuddle.”

“Oh, I’m well aware,” Eira said and scratched Svass’s back. “And that’s just fine with me.”

“Me, too,” I yawned and stretched my arms.

“For enjoying your night so much, you don’t look well rested.” Asta frowned and cocked her head to the side as she looked at me. “Did you sleep alright?”

“I slept fine,” I said, but then I remembered my dream the night before. “Though, the dragon from the Elf King’s dungeon did pull me to him in my dreams.”

“He did?” Kas asked quickly. “What was he trying to tell you?”

“He wanted to show me the Elf King’s henchmen,” I explained. “They were talking about how his plans are unraveling.”

“That’s great!” Asta squealed, and she bounced up and down on the bench she was sitting on.

“Yes, that’s good news,” Eira said, but then she looked at me, and her eyebrows pinched together. “You don’t seem overly enthusiastic about it, though.”

“It is good news, but I think it might be bad news, too,” I said.

“What do you mean?” Asta asked, and her bright yellow eyes filled with concern.

“Well, if the Elf King thinks his plans are unraveling, he’s most likely going to try and speed things up,” Kas mused.

“That’s what I was thinking, too,” I said.

“Oh, I hadn’t thought about that.” Asta frowned.

“Neither had I,” Eira admitted with a sigh. “So, what do we do?”

“We work quickly to take out the dragon dealers,” I said. “I think that’s our best bet to stop the Elf King.”

“I think so, too.” Kas nodded. “Even though we destroyed the weapons the dwarves were making for him, he can still get dragons from the dealers, and if the Elf King has them, they’ll be a lot more difficult to free.”

“Not to mention, they’ll probably be tortured into submission so they join his army,” Eira growled.

“Speaking of the dwarves yesterday,” Asta said, and she bit her lip. “That little dwarf we caught said some odd things.”

“About the society?” Kas asked. “That was strange.”

“I’m not surprised,” Eira said. “I’ve been a warband leader long enough to know the realms are overflowing with evil people.”

“But an entire group of people dedicated to bringing Vinrar back to life?” Kas asked, and she shook her head back and forth. “I just don’t know why anyone would want to do that, the man was downright evil.”

“Man seems like a bit of a stretch,” Eira mumbled as she took another drink of tea.

“My point exactly!” Kas threw her arms up in exasperation. “He’s a monster.”

“What can we do about it, though?” Asta asked. “Do we need to worry about this society, or should we just focus on the dragon traders for now?”

“I think we keep doing what we’re doing,” I said. “This society is bound to reveal themselves soon enough. Besides, we’re going to be traveling to plenty of dragon trader hideouts, and I bet some of them are part of this society, so we’ll keep our eyes open when we search their lairs. We can probably find some information about who these people are and exactly why they want Vinrar back.”

“Yes, I think that’s what makes the least sense to me.” Kas frowned. “Vinrar was a monster, but on top of that, he didn’t do anything good for anybody. All the dragons he trained attacked and killed people after being tortured for years and years. Why would anyone want him back? What do they think they’ll gain from it?”

“Maybe they think he’ll train dragons for them?” Asta suggested.

“But the dragons he trained before weren’t even trained,” Kas said. “Not really. They were just beaten into submission.”

“Hm, I see your point.” Asta pursed her lips.

“I don’t understand it, either,” Eira agreed. “But I’ve found most people have a self-driven interest in whatever group they’re in.”

“How so?” Asta asked, and she cocked her head to the side innocently. “You mean people don’t do things for others if they don’t get something out of it?”

“Sometimes they do,” Eira confirmed. “But even in the warband, the men fought because they wanted to protect their land and people, but they were also paid for it, and they got to keep whatever they could find in our enemy’s villages.”

“I see,” Asta said. “So, people want to do things they think will benefit them.”

The elf woman was always so innocent, and she truly saw the best in everyone. That was one of the reasons I loved her so much, but it also left her at a slight disadvantage when it came to predicting our enemy’s moves.

“Right.” The redhead nodded. “But I can’t figure out how bringing Vinrar back would benefit anyone. He seems like the most selfish man of all.”

“He does,” the white haired elf girl agreed. “He is very obnoxious and awful.”

“Poor Ove.” Kas hung her head and sighed. “I hate that he’s stuck in Helheim with that arsehole.”

The beautiful Valkyrie was referring to Vinrar’s huge black dragon, Ove. The massive creature was banished along with Vinrar, possibly for helping to lead the dragons to a revolution. But he certainly didn’t belong there with Vinrar, and I promised I would free him once this was all over.

“I wonder if the Elf King will try and bring Ove along with Vinrar,” Asta mused.

“I hadn’t considered that,” I said.

“He’s in Helheim with him.” The elf girl shrugged. “So, wouldn’t it make sense that when they summon Vinrar, Ove would come, too?”

“I suppose it would.” I nodded.

I’d have to keep this in mind. If Ove did get summoned with Vinrar, then I wasn’t completely sure I could trust him. The dragon had some sort of love for the man I didn’t totally understand, and even though I felt he would want Vinrar locked up again, I didn’t think the dragon would want to kill his former master.

I, on the other hand, would do whatever it took to stab my blade through that arsehole’s still beating heart. Vinrar was the reason the dragon trade existed in the first place, and he’d caused the death and torment of more dragons than could be counted.

The sonofabitch deserved a slow, painful death.

As I finished the last of my tea, I looked up at the beautiful blue Asgardian sky. It was filled with white, fluffy clouds, and a light breeze that smelled of flowers ruffled my hair.

It was still early in the morning, and if we wanted to get anything done today, we needed to get going. We’d recently stolen a piece of paper from the Elf King’s dungeon that had a list of all the dragon traders he was working with and their whereabouts. We could use it to free the dragons from them so the Elf King couldn’t get to them first, but we needed to move quickly. If his plans weren’t going as expected, he was probably already thinking of new ways to bring Vinrar back and build his army, which meant he could be going to these dragon traders any minute.

On top of that, the King had already put out a call to these traders for dragons who were already trained, and I’d seen firsthand what that meant. The dragon traders were trying to train the dragons themselves, which was really just them torturing the poor creatures until they became so terrified they’d do whatever the traders said.

The traders had no idea what they were doing, and countless dragons were probably dying every day at their hands. The sooner I could get to them, the better chance they had of living.

“I know we just got married yesterday,” I said as I glanced at my redheaded wife. “But I think we should go to some of the dragon trader hideouts today.”

“I can’t think of a better way to spend our honeymoon.” Eira grinned at me.

“I’m glad,” I chuckled.

“A couple of them?” Kas asked me. “How many were you thinking?”

“I think we should try and go to as many as possible. Like you said earlier, the King is probably going to try and speed things along.”

“Which means we need to do the same.” Kas nodded and dug in her satchel for a moment before she pulled out the list. “Where should we go first?”

“Anywhere but the first place on the list,” I said. “That seems too suspicious.”

“I agree.” Eira nodded. “Just run your finger down the list and stop on a random name.”

“Hm, okay.” Kas closed her eyes and then brushed her finger along the page. After a second, she stopped and opened her eyes.

“So, where are we going?” Asta asked eagerly.

“To your home world,” Kas told her.

“There are a lot of dragon traders in Alfheim.” Eira shrugged. “I’m not surprised you landed on one from there.”

“It’s so sad the dragon’s home is also the place where the majority of the dragon trade comes from.” Asta frowned.

“It is,” I said, and I reached over and placed my hand on her knee. “But we’re going to stop it.”

“I know.” Asta smiled, and her bright yellow eyes met mine. “I’m ready.”

“You don’t have your weapons on,” I laughed as I looked at the beautiful elf girl. She only had on a tunic, no weapons, no shoes, nothing, yet she would have run right into battle if I’d let her.

Her eagerness to do right was one of the things I loved most about her.

“Oh, right.” She bit her lip. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

“We all need to get ready,” Kas chuckled.

“Everyone, go get your weapons and armor,” I instructed. “And meet me out here in ten minutes.”

The girls all stood up and headed into the cottage while I stepped over the little dragons’ full, fat bellies to put the fire out.

The four of them laid next to each other on the sand around the fire pit with their bellies in the air. Light snores floated up from the four of them, and I shook my head at how they could go from flying, fire breathing, incredible fighting little badarses to sleeping babies in a matter of minutes.

Their fighting personas only came out when they were needed, so most of the time this was their true form. But the four of them seemed to grow every day, with Blar being the biggest. He’d started out no bigger than my forearm and used to fit in my satchel, but now he barely fit on my back. Instead of perching on my shoulders like he used to, he had to put his front paws on my shoulders and then wrap his body around my back so his rear paws could clutch onto my hip. His tail was as long as my legs, and he grew bigger every day.

I knew before long he wouldn’t be able to fit on me at all, and while I knew his growing size would be an asset to the team, I dreaded the day I could no longer feel him clinging to me. It had only been a few months since I’d accidentally hatched his egg, but we’d already been through so much together. He was the reason I knew I had the ability to control dragons, and there’d been an instant connection between the two of us that affirmed my purpose in life.

I’d always felt like I wasn’t where I needed to be, that I was meant for something other than fighting in the warband and going home to my cottage every night. I’d liked my former life, but there was always something missing.

But once I hatched Blar, that feeling went away, and I knew my purpose was to dismantle the dragon trade and free the dragons from the torment they’d been suffering for centuries.

With the help of my team, I’d already manged to free several hundred dragons from slavery, but more were taken every day. The dragon traders were ruthless, and they weren’t above stealing eggs or freshly hatched babies. In fact, it was kind of their specialty.

But not for long.

I finished putting out the fire and then looked down at the little dragons and smiled. They were each so incredibly special to me, and I knew one day, we’d free all their brethren. I only wondered what would happen to them after that. Of course, I wanted them to stay with me always, but I wouldn’t keep them here if they wanted to go. There were big worlds for them to explore once it was safe to do so, but no matter what, they’d always have a home here at the cottage.

I chuckled to myself at the thought of the four of them, full sized, still sleeping around the fire pit. The flames would be dwarfed in comparison to their massive bodies, and I’d definitely have to expand my garden to keep up with their ever growing appetites, but I’d do whatever I needed to to make sure they were taken care of.

I was already dressed for the day, so I walked over to the cart that sat in the courtyard and retrieved my sword and armor from inside. I’d left it there last night, since I had to rush inside and get dressed as soon as I arrived home with the food for the wedding last night.

The familiar weight of my blade on my hip brought a smile to my face, and then I tied my armor on tight. The sides of my head were freshly shaven from the night before, so I pulled the hair on the top of my head into a long braid that hung down my back.

After that, I found the one horns I usually attached to the cart grazing in the woods nearby and gave them some carrots and vegetables from the garden. They worked hard for us a lot of the time, and while they weren’t exactly pets, I wanted to give them a special treat for all they did.

The pair of them never wandered too far, so I never bothered to tie them up. I wasn’t sure if they were just happy to be away from the bandits who had them before us, or if they were just extremely well trained, but I never worried about them getting lost or stolen.

I wouldn’t put it past someone to try and steal them given they were fairly unique animals to Asgard since most people around here had horses, but that would just make them all the easier to spot. They looked nearly identical to horses, except for one long horn that protruded from their foreheads. They were from Alfheim, though, and everything there was a bit more magical than here. Even the air in Alfheim had some sort of magically delicious smell to it.

Asta was right, it was incredibly sad to know the realm many dragons considered home was the place where the most dragon traders lived, but it made sense. The dragons were right there, so the dealers could easily get to them to steal their babies or eggs, but just because I understood it didn’t mean I liked it. It was like the ultimate betrayal, especially considering not all dragons were from Alfheim, and even the ones that were used to roam freely between realms. We’d recently met dragons who were from Alfheim but had chosen to live in Svartalfheim a long time ago. Unfortunately, they’d been tricked into slavery and used for a long time, but even when we offered to take them back to Alfheim, they refused. They said they belonged in Svartalfheim, and it was their home.

It was sad to think dragons had once roamed between worlds and settled down where they wanted, but now the majority of them all lived together in Dragon Valley. The valley in Asta’s home world was where we often released newly saved dragons, and it was a sort of safe haven where the dragons looked out for one another. That didn’t mean the traders never went there to steal babies or eggs, but it was much safer for them to be in large groups than it was for them to be out on their own.

Once I was ready to go, I walked over to the dragons and gently poked each of their bellies with my finger.

Blar opened one eye, looked at me, and then closed it again and pretended to snore.

“I know you’re awake,” I laughed. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

The blue dragon sighed, but he flipped over, yawned, stretched, and gave his whole body a shake.

“Feel better?” I asked, and he smacked his lips leisurely in reply.

Uffe, Inger, and Svass all stretched and yawned, too, but before long they were all up and ready to go.

A moment later, my women all walked out from the cottage.

Asta wore the same black tunic, except now she had dark silver armor overtop of it and her axe on her hip. Her weapon was actually three weapons in one. The axe was connected to her nature magic, and depending on what spell she cast, it would turn into a pair of daggers, a short sword, and back into an axe.

The elf girl’s pale hair was pulled back into a long thick braid that hung down to her hips and swayed as she walked. Her pointed ears stuck through the top of her hair, and her bright yellow eyes regarded me sweetly as her full pink lips pulled into a smile. She’d put on a pair of black sandals instead of boots to stay cool, but it was hot, and I could still see the barest bit of sweat on her forehead.

Kas wore her short white tunic that hugged her full breasts and hips, dark brown sandals, and her silver colored armor. Her satchel was tossed over one shoulder, and her greatsword was attached to her hip. The weapon was so large it almost looked too big for her, but I knew she could wield it incredibly well. I’d seen her go into battle many times before, and the strawberry blonde was both fierce and beautiful.

Her plump red lips were pursed and pushed to the side, and her violet eyes were narrowed to slits as she looked up at the sky in contemplation. Kas was always thinking about something, and her incredible brain and knack for magic was a great asset to our team.

The sorceress’s abilities had come in handy many times before, and I had no doubt they’d come in handy in the future, too.

The strawberry blonde’s wild mane of curls was loose around her head as always, and they bobbed up and down with each step she took. She was absolutely beautiful, and I’d forever be grateful I’d gone into her father’s shop that day months ago, and that she’d decided to follow me back home.

Eira, the newest addition to our family, and my now wife, looked absolutely stunning as always. Her piercing green eyes were lifted from the small smile that pulled her cheeks up, and her long red hair was pulled up into several braids that all led to one large ponytail, which hung down her back. She wore a short green tunic, black knee high boots, and silver armor over her outfit. Her longsword hung at her hip, and I could see a dagger attached to her right thigh. I was sure there was also at least one dagger inside her boots, but probably one in each.

Eira used to be a wonderful warband leader, and I’d loved serving under her, but now I had to snicker at the fact our roles had been reversed. While she’d once given me orders, now it was me who called the shots.

The redhead didn’t seem to mind, though. She was eager to help us dismantle the dragon trade, and she’d even given up her own position as warband leader to devote herself to us fully. That’s why, when she’d asked me about getting married, I couldn’t think of a single reason to say no. I loved Eira, just liked I loved Kas and Asta, but I’d never thought of myself as a married man before. I’d come to the conclusion long ago that marriage wasn’t for someone like me.

Sure, I was a warrior, and I had plenty to offer a woman, but that didn’t matter in our society. I was an orphan, with no last name to speak of, no family lineage to pass on, and this was important to most people. It had even been important to Eira’s father, though not for the reasons I’d initially thought. He wanted his daughter to have a last name so she would still have the respect she deserved, but he thought I deserved one, too. The girls helped me pick, and we’d finally come up with “Ormr.” It meant dragon in the old language, which only added to the inside joke we had going.

It was incredible to think I was now married to a beautiful woman with a last name of my own. I finally felt like I was fulfilling my destiny. Now, all I needed to do was free the dragons, and I could live the rest of my life knowing I’d fulfilled the prophecy and that my life’s work was complete.

“You all look wonderful,” I told my women as they walked over to me.

“Thank you, husband.” Eira grinned. “And you look very handsome.”

“I can’t wait until I can call you husband,” Asta sighed.

“It does sound very sweet,” Kas agreed.

“I can’t wait until that day, either,” Eira said. “I’m happy to share such a wonderful man with both of you. Especially since you shared him with me first.”

“There’s plenty of Rath to go around,” Kas chuckled.

“Yes, we’ll have our own weddings soon enough,” Asta giggled. “I can’t wait for my elven wedding. You two are going to look so beautiful.”

“Oh, what do we wear for an elven wedding?” Eira inquired.

“Nature,” Asta said, and she threw her arms out wide to gesture to the world around us.

“Wait, you don’t mean we’re naked, do you?” Eira asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, that might be weird,” Kas laughed. “Especially if you want my dad to come.”

“You could be.” Asta shrugged. “But usually we make our dresses from leaves and flowers to show our connection with nature and to each other.”

“That’s actually really sweet.” Kas smiled.

“It’s going to be beautiful,” the elf girl sighed in a dreamy tone.

“It certainly will,” I said, and I pulled her to me and kissed the top of her head before I looked out at the group. “Everyone ready?”

“Ready.” Eira nodded.

“Yes,” Kas said.

“Mhm,” Asta murmured.

“Alright, Blar.” I grinned and looked down at the blue dragon. “You know the drill.”

Blar’s reptilian lips pulled into a smile, and he flew up to perch his front legs on my shoulder and his back legs on my hips.

Inger took her place on Asta’s shoulders, and Svass on Eira’s. Uffe didn’t like to fly since he was more connected to the earth, so he stayed on the ground, but he walked over and sat in front of Kas’s feet.

Kas held up the list of names and locations for Blar to look at, and the dragon studied it for a moment before he glanced at me and nodded.

Blar closed his eyes, and a second later a portal appeared in front of us. Then the small circle of swirling air swished around and around as it grew larger and larger until we could walk right through it.

Asta and Eira grabbed my hands, and Kas grabbed Asta’s, and then together, we all stepped through the portal into Alfheim.

Immediately, everything was different. The air was sweeter, and the sky was a brighter shade of blue. There were white trees with yellow bark in front of us, but as I spun around to survey our surroundings, I realized we were just outside of a large white brick building with a yellow top. It was no doubt designed to blend in with the trees, and I shook my head at the cleverness of these dragon dealers. They might be sonofabitches, but most of them weren’t stupid.

As I continued to check out our surroundings, my eyes landed on a guard less than twenty feet away.

I’d expected Blar to get us close to the hideout, but not this close.

“Shite,” I breathed as the man’s dark brown eyes locked on mine.

“Intruders!” he shouted, and I yanked my sword from my hip as the arsehole ran toward me.