Read Online Deadly Intentions (Blood Feud - Volume 2) by David Temrick - Free Book Online

that a green dragon can be born again?”
He asked.
    Drake motioned over to the corner at the
opposite end of the cavern from them. A large sitting area had been
set up much like Henjis’ lair. Bookshelves lined the three walls
inside the shallow cave. Everyone took a place amidst the cushions,
pilled high on a large ornate rug in the middle of the carved out
study. Tristan looked up, expecting to see bare rock face, instead
a small oil lamp lowered a few feet from the top of the small cave
and with the aid of cleverly placed mirrors and crystals it lit the
cavity in a comfortable glow.
    Tristan settled himself into a pile of
comfortable cushions as he drank in his surroundings more
completely. The bookshelves groaned slightly under the weight of
thousands of books and scrolls of various colors and sizes. The
Prince could make out small runes under each shelf, which he
assumed marked the subject matter collected above it. He focused
his eyes on the shelf closest to him and attempted to read the
spines of the ancient tomes. Most of the languages he couldn’t
decipher, although there appeared to be a few with familiar
markings and symbols. Drake cleared his throat dramatically drawing
their attention as they looked at him, rapt with attention.
    “When dragons first came to this world, there
were only the seven.” He began as he turned to Tristan and
apologized. “Some of this you already know, so please bare with
me.” He chuckled.
    “Our ancestors fled from a world of
destruction and chaos. The dragons fought each other more often
than not, but the wars between the dwarves, elves and orcs ragged
on for thousands of years, long after dragons had grown tired of
inner strife. After the first thousand years of devastating wars,
the dragons tried to hold peace conferences. At the time, they
hoped that they could persuade the warring factions and races to
come to terms with one another and live in peace. More than once
the peace talks ended in murder as each faction sent assassins with
their delegations.”
    Draconis took a deep breath, gathering his
thoughts. “The last such murder was an ancient black dragon,
Henjis’ father to be more specific. The elves seemed the most
willing to hear reason, possibly due to their longer life spans.
The orcs and dwarves hated each other with a passion that I have
yet to see matched.” Drake paused for a moment.
    “To understand the wars and the orcs you must
understand how they both came to be.” He sighed, clearly struggling
with the revelations he was sharing, despite their bloodlines.
    “An elven prince fell in love with a black
dragon. At the time elves were our servants and the dragon wars
were at their zenith. When they mated and produced eggs, there was
great excitement for no dragon/elf hatchlings had ever been born
before.”
    “The dwarves have always been master
craftsmen, and we relied heavily on them to build and maintain our
lairs. However, they were apprehensive of the mix of dragon and
elf. Most asserted that they were jealous, as dwarves never mixed
with other races. At any rate, they decided to leave the dragon
halls in protest.” The three dragons in human form exchanged
meaningful glances before Drake continued his narrative.
    “When the eggs hatched, the dwarves worst
fears were realized. Instead of a fair elf, or a mighty dragon,
deformed humanoid bodies spilled out of the eggs. They were dark
skinned and although they possessed the ears of an elf, they held
none of their other fair attributes. Some of them ate their nest
mates, while others struck out at the servants who cared for them.
When the first three reached their adult size, they slew their
elven father, ripping him apart and feasting on his blood and
organs.” Drake took another steadying breath.
    “The dragons rejected the hideous children,
the elves refused to acknowledge them as kin. The dwarves stepped
forward and volunteered to slay the monster children. The black
dragon matriarch was an