Goldie McBr

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upward again, circling to watch them on the ground below
and make certain they didn't regroup and resume their
pursuit.
He brooded over Gerald's treachery as he studied the man
children below him. There was no end to the treachery of
man, he thought. One could never trust them. They were
always plotting something.
Deciding Gerald needed a lesson himself, he allowed his
nose to lead him to the castle. He was glad he did. He had
not believed the elf was lying but it never hurt to check.
Gerald did, indeed have a protection spell over the castle.
Now how had he managed that? He had no magic of his own,
not according to anything he had heard.
Artimus had to be the source. So, had he woven it to add
that protection to the female? And, if so, why was it that he
had failed to mention the spell when he had sent them upon
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Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
their errand? Who was being duped? What game was Artimus
really playing, he wondered?
Setting his questions aside for the moment, he tested the
strength of the magic and discovered a weakness. He could
break the barrier at the highest points.
Artimus had not counted upon a dragon, he thought with
satisfaction. Climbing along the tower until he could see the
humans still milling about in the bailey below him, he sucked
in a deep breath and spewed fire and death upon Belmor
Castle. "Stay out of my way, humans!" he bellowed in his
beasty growl. "The female is mine. I will be back if you
interfere again!"
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57
Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
Chapter Four
Gwyneth was in such a state of shock after the encounter
with the strange men near the edge of the forest that her
mind was reeling with the questions circling round and round
in her head. She had been unnerved when she saw the two
men blocking their path, for she had thought, at first, that
they must be thieves. She might not have left the castle
before, but there were plenty who did and many carrying
tales of robbers that waylaid travelers and relieved them of
everything they had of value.
She didn't know why, but she hadn't actually believed that
the two were anything but men even though Caelin had called
them dragon and unicorn. They looked like two ordinary men.
Well, she amended, there was nothing ordinary about
them not really. Dragon looked as if he was nigh seven feet
tall and about half that across the shoulders. His face had
been shadowy, but she had not seen that he had the ugly,
distorted features that were common in giant men. Of course,
he wasn't actually a giant, just uncommonly tall, but still
about the tallest man that she had ever seen. She had still
perceived him as a man, nothing more than a very large man.
She had wondered if, perhaps, he was of the warrior race that
lived across the sea, for his hair was very light and she had
heard that they were a fair race and uncommonly big.
The man who traveled with him unicorn was also very
tall, though not nearly as broad shouldered. And he was still a
very large man, for all that he seemed small next to dragon,
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Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
perhaps a half a head shorter, near six feet in height, and the
sort of build that gave the entirely false impression that he
was slender only because of his height. His shoulders did not
lack much of being as wide as dragon's, though, so he was
certainly not thin regardless of that perception. His hair was
strange all dark in the back, with two very wide streaks at
the front that were pale enough to appear white, whether
they were or not.
The three, Caelin and the strangers, had not seemed
friendly, but she had begun to realize fairly quickly that there
was some sort of stand-off, that none of the three actually
wanted to test themselves against the others. She'd relaxed a
little when she sensed that, enough to study the strangers
closely, enough to begin to notice that they pleased her
senses. She wasn't certain how. She'd barely been aware of it
at first, but she had definitely found their appearance to her
liking. She didn't think she would've paid so much attention
as to notice so many details otherwise.
In any case, it was hard to dismiss that she'd found them
attractive when she'd been so focused on studying them that
she'd hardly followed the conversation. It had seemed a very
cryptic sort of discussion anyway and she thought she
would've had trouble following it if she had given it her entire
attention.
There was no chance of that once dragon had begun to
strip. From the moment he'd removed his shirt and the light
from the stars and the sliver of a moon had illuminated his
bare torso, she had been completely mesmerized. He was not
merely bulky as she had thought. There were large, bulging
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Lamentation of Swans
by Goldie McBride
muscles along his arms, chest, even his back, that rippled
with his movements in a way that made her breathless. Her
mind had instantly perceived that as sheer beauty. There was
no dismissing or questioning whether she liked what she saw.
She'd couldn't take her eyes off of him as he revealed more
and more of himself. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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