FOREVER KNIGHTS: #17 Marked As Mine

The next morning at the Hideaway Inn found Meralee still in her chamber reading Lucien’s journal.

As I asked her to.

She read Lucien’s word. Depicting their duties to protect their artifacts, then brotherhood, then mankind. He addressed the precious innocence of man. And how they’d been such until the moment the Fallen came for them.

The night after that, Lucien was sleeping in the woods dreaming of danger. And he felt like an animal was tearing its way out of him. Making his body hurt. Lengthening and distorting. His throat felt congested. When he cleared it there was the rusty smell of sulfur. He awoke knowing something was wrong. His eyes felt different. His hand was now a scaly gray limb. When he looked around the camp, he saw it was filled with massive dragons in red, blue, green, gold, and silver shades.

One by one the dark, animalistic eyes of the others did the same. Lifting their heads to look at each other.

Then the ground shook beneath them and they turned toward the sound of branches crunching and tree trunks snapping.

A giant black dragon entered the camp and walked to the center of them.

They were all too frozen to react.

The black dragon took its place nearest the campfire so it could see them all.

Lucien heard Captain Deragan Black’s voice in his mind. Speaking about what they’d become.

There was no audible voice.

Deragan asked if they could all understand.

They all nodded in affirmation.

Meralee dropped the little leather book into her lap. Staring at the window.

There was a knock at the door.

She jumped in her chair, startled back from her reverie. She cracked the door to verify it was Lucien.

He blinked back at her. “It’s time we have a serious conversation.”