Dragon Witch & Lord Families…

Witches
From the ancient Draconian Chronicles,
Dragons have reigned over the skies of this planet since magma cooled and formed the first small piece of land. At first, we were alone in our magnificence. Until one day we noticed strange creatures climbing from the muck and mire to walk on two legs.

At the gods’ bidding, we watched closely as they evolved.

In so doing, we discovered a way to use our magic and take on human structure. Learning to mate and mingle with these fertile organisms, we used the budding intelligence of the new beings.

This is known as the time of Becoming.

We called ourselves dragonkynd, a new species formed of both man and dragon. The gene pool evolved, but it was in the First Giving that we found our purpose.

Shortly after our creation, the dragon-covens gathered and were granted unique talents by the interstellar gods. Accepting those talents meant each group vowed a Sacred Oath to oversee either the land, the oceans, or to govern and guide the countless creatures taking shape on the new planet.

The vows made during First Giving will forever regulate our lives.

In fulfilling our promise, we guarantee not only our future but also that of our human charges. The dragon half of our spirit and the magic we wield, separate us from humans, even though we are given the tools to walk undetected among them.

There are rules, and there are secrets.

As dragonkynd—both Witch and Lord are sworn to uphold both.

At Dragon Home…
Closing the sacred book, Natura sat back and sighed. Since she was one of the first dragonkynd, she was intimately acquainted with how this new species would come to control the powers and knowledge of dragons while walking among the mortals.

Today—in the year 2204—there were no dragons left on Earth. There were a few hundred magically created dragon-shifters—but those beings didn’t have a trace of dragon DNA. Dragon-shifters were just humans who had willingly or unwillingly been magically turned into a shifter.

The only thing left of the original species of dragon was the dragonkynd. They didn’t turn into dragons but had a dragon inside of them.

She didn’t want to believe it could be possible, but her coven might be the only ones left of this ancient species.

Yet there were billions upon untold billions of humans who needed their protection.

She had been searching for others of her kind for centuries. When she discovered the three hatchlings—almost fifty years ago—she had hoped there were others to discover. But in all this time she hadn’t found anyone.

Trying to find more of her species, especially one of the elusive Dragon Lords—was like trying to find one microscopic pin in the Mount Everest-sized haystack that was humanity.

Letting go of this failure, Natura smiled at the remembered vision of Midnight as she had been six centuries ago. This wasn’t difficult, as she still looked the same now as she had at two hundred.

Her eldest daughter was all long, jet-black hair and big russet eyes. Her face was often set in an expression of irritated frustration, as she pondered the questions her mother couldn’t answer.

Over the centuries Midnight’s once unblemished and very pale skin had become adorned with dozens of all-black body-markings. Midnight’s markings were similar to the designs on Natura’s body. These symbols were the natural design of a dragon-familiar.

But the unusual pattern reflected on Midnight’s body also foretold the responsibilities she would be given someday. The stylized dragon heads, claws, teeth, and wings testified to Midnight’s destiny of coven leader. That destiny would come sooner, rather than later.

Midnight was strong, opinionated, and a force you ignored at your own peril.

Wishing things could be different—she allowed a solitary tear to trickle down her cheek as Natura acknowledged the one glimpse she was allowed of the future—Midnight would have her sister and the other coven witches by her side when she uncovered the remaining mysteries of her life…but she wouldn’t have her mother.

Lords
When he shifted to one side, she could see two shelves filled with leather-bound journals. She frowned.

He selected one, locked the cabinet again, and handed her the book which was already open about half-way through. “Read this. It’s about forty pages long. I’ll go warm up the burritos and bring them in here.” He waved at the small table in front of the window. “We can eat when you’re done and talk.”

When he left, she settled back on the couch. Before she read the date he picked out for her, she flipped to the beginning of the book.

Written on the front, was a month, year, and a name. March 1550—Dahvid Dracovin.

She flipped back to the section Matei pointed out and started to read. It was in Ancient Draconian, so she translated and modernized the text as she read, making it easier for her to understand.

It is with a heavy heart that I recount the activities leading up to the Dragon Lords’ loss of power so many centuries ago. It is important the later generations understand that Dragon Lords have rivals, enemies in the form of the Supernatural Council. I caution all Lords to stay away from this organization and guard your families against the conspiracies of these money-hungry devils.

Midnight shook her head. She had a feeling the diary was going to be an interesting read.

An hour later…
Midnight had already finished the section of the book when Matei walked in with their dinner on a little pushcart. She turned from the window and smiled when she saw the bottle of white wine and two glasses. But she was more interested in the food.

“Is Matyas still body-bound?” she asked.

Matei nodded. “Let’s eat, once you get started we can talk.

She took a few bites and then asked, “Who is Dahvid Dracovin?”

“My father.”

His answer was about what she expected. Shit. “Do you have any of the ancient texts, those written by coven leaders and passed down from the gods?” she asked carefully.

“No, those were all destroyed long ago. It is why my father recorded everything he could remember in such detailed diaries. He wanted us to know the history and rules of our kind.”

Dragon-hell, she was afraid of that. She concentrated on her food. It was a really good burrito, with just the right amount of spice. As she ate, she tried to figure out what to say to him. When she finished her dinner, she set her fork down and sat back.

She started with something non-threatening. “At Dragon Home, which has existed for thousands upon thousands of years, we have the manuscripts handed down to the first of our kind by the interstellar gods.”

He beamed at her. “I would love to read those!”

“Yeah, well that’s not all. We also have the original Dragonkynd Chronicles, and all the dragon-historian textbooks from the beginning of time.” Before he could interrupt her she kept going. “We have scrolls and photos of cave drawings done by the first dragonkynd, we have journals written by hand by both Lord and Witch, and those that were typed. We have paper copies of modern electronic communications between dragons…and Others.” She held up her hand. “Not done yet. We have writings in every language, including Ancient Draconian. The libraries in my home stretch three floors— from floor to ceiling—and cover over a thousand square feet.”

His eyes blazed with interest. He leaned forward. “Have you read any of them? What a wonderful treasure trove!”

“It is wonderful. And I’ve read a great many of them. Not all, as I think that would take centuries of intense study just to scratch the surface.” She sighed. “I’ve read a lot about Pompeii and worked with the Supernatural Council my entire life. What you gave me to read was a surprise.”

He leaned forward and took her hand. “It’s all right. I understand how you must be shocked and afraid. I will protect you from them.”

His attitude surprised her. Protect her from them? It was a sweet, very misplaced sentiment. She was the warrior in this relationship. Not that they had a relationship. She back-peddled her thoughts and silently winced. His statement made what she had to do harder. “I need you to promise me something,” she said.

“Anything Darkness.”

“I want you to promise you will stay and discuss what I read all the way through. You can’t leave until I say we’re done.”

He scowled at her—but nodded.

She sighed. Making him promise to stay was a little underhanded, but she thought it was necessary. “How old is your father?” she asked.

The question seemed to surprise him, so he answered right away. “He died before he turned six-hundred years old. That in turn, was over six-hundred years ago.”

“Umm. He was young when he died.” She said to herself. “So, he was born in the year 1004, long after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.—correct?”

He thought for a moment. “Yes, I’ve never really done the math in my head until now, but yes. Why does that matter, Darkness?”

“I don’t know why—I can’t guess who influenced your father’s writings or his motivation—but what he wrote in his diary isn’t what happened.”

Matei’s expression went blank, then suddenly he popped out of his chair and started pacing. His long legs quickly took him from one end of the room to the other, then he turned and did it again. After several rotations, he swung to face her and demanded, “What do you mean?”

“I’ve read hundreds of historical texts, and journals written by Dragon Lords, as well as studied what the Supernatural Council has archived on this incidence. The Supernatural Council didn’t strip the Dragon Lords’ powers because they wanted their money—they have more money than they will ever spend. Nor did some type of Council persecution keep the Lords from doing their job.” She held up her hand, preventing him from interrupting.

He glared at her but stayed silent.

She continued, “The Supernatural Council has never interfered in our lives, and wouldn’t unless we broke paranormal law. The Lords had begun meddling in human politics. They were taking sides and doing forbidden things to ensure their side won battles or inherited kingdoms. The Lords were off in another country playing with the history of man and ignored the first natural warnings from Mount Vesuvius. When they finally showed up to do their job, it was almost too late. Then they got carried away and used a heavy hand. The fireball they sent toward the volcano—intending to use dragon fire to reduce the severity of the eruption—did the opposite. Their actions triggered a more powerful explosion of ash and magma than would have occurred naturally. If that wasn’t bad enough, once they screwed it up they didn’t stay and help rescue those in danger…they ran. That is when the Supernatural Council stepped in. The Lords’ powers were reduced and their large community disbanded—because they were playing with humans. They picked sides and influenced battles. Their powers were further reduced for dereliction of duty and screwing up. Then they were chastised for being cowards, and not staying to help.”

She stopped and reached for her glass of wine from dinner, her throat was tight. She sipped and studied him.

He looked shocked, pissed. Shut off from what she told him.

She would finish it anyway. “In case you didn’t know, the Draconian Chronicles specifically forbid dragonkynd from getting politically involved with humans or trying to influence their growth and advancement. The Supernatural Council has similar laws for all paranormals, which includes dragonkynd. The Dragon Lords had broken not just our laws, but the laws they agreed to follow as part of the paranormal community.”

“Forbidden all but the most necessary contact, you mean,” he mumbled.

Midnight frowned at him. “What?” Lifting the wine glass to her lips she took a sip.

“Dragonkynd is forbidden all but the most necessary contact with humans. Women to serve our sexual appetite and men to run our estates. That is the only contact Dragon Lords are allowed.”

She sprayed the wine she had in her mouth. “What?” she exclaimed, wiping her chin. “No! That isn’t it at all. The Draconian Chronicles beseech us to seek interaction, enjoy all the light and love of the humans, to remind ourselves daily of why we keep our Sacred Oath. Our fledglings attend human boarding schools and colleges. We all have friendships and take vacations around humans to observe the good things. Such as their artistic abilities, their music and dance, and their love of life. Sometimes it is difficult to find the time to nurture our relations with humans, and there are idiots and those who—in my opinion—should just be killed. But there are more good humans than bad! We aren’t forbidden contact—we are forbidden to interfere in their lives—except for those things we have to do to uphold the Sacred Oath!”

He glowered at her. Shouting, “And I suppose the Supernatural Council didn’t cause the Separation—breaking up our family units and preventing the Witches and Lords from living together—to impose population control on our species!”

She couldn’t help it, she laughed. The hysterical reaction to his statement clearly increased his anger.

When she got herself under control, she vehemently shook her head. “No! No, the Supernatural Council had nothing to do with the Separation. The Witches and Lords argued about the direction they would take. The Witches have always followed the Sacred Oath to the letter. The Lords wanted more active involvement in human lives and to make permanent solutions, such as forbidding all technology and scientific discoveries made by humanity. Basically, the Lords wanted to rule the Earth and direct every aspect of human lives, and Dragon Witches vowed to prevent this. The fighting over our purpose and the Dragon Witch promise to stop the Lords from setting themselves up as rulers over mankind—is what caused the Separation.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at her. “I don’t believe you!” he growled menacingly.

She stood up to face him, throwing her hands up in the air. “You don’t have to believe me, I am one person. Believe the uncounted hundreds of Dragon Lords and Witches who have detailed our history and infighting for thousands of years. There isn’t one aspect or time of our life that isn’t fully documented in the books at Dragon Home.”

She winced because for some reason the mating practices of the Lords and Witches weren’t explained in those writings…she had looked. But that wasn’t important now. “All the Draconian history texts and personal diaries of dragonkynd tell the story. And they all say the same thing!”

“Fine! I demand to see those texts!” He stood with his legs apart, hands clenched at his sides, his body tense as if prepared for battle.

She had to take this down a notch, she was reacting to his anger. Midnight took a deep breath and shrugged. Her voice was softer, less combative when she said, “I have no problem with that. If I had my magic I could call some of the texts to your home, or pop back and get one. But I am not allowed to do that, am I, Matei?”

“I’ll go, just tell me where you live,” he demanded.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. No way in dragon-hell. “I won’t do that and you know it. Besides, Dragon Home has been protected with blood-rite. You wouldn’t get in. But if you let me go check on my coven and the Fading Witch, I’ll take you there and you can spend all the time you want in the library.”

“No. Not until our dragon-month has been satisfied will you leave this house! Are we done here?” His question reminded her of his promise to stay until the discussion was finished. He was so closed off…so conflicted…he might as well leave.

She nodded and watched him stomp out of the room. What the dragon-hell did he mean she couldn’t leave the house for a dragon-month?

Books:
Midnight’s Mystery
UnDuplicated Magic
Autumn’s Awakening
Vlad & Veronica

Family Excerpt – Waking Dragon Babies
The entire coven gathered in the dining hall. In a castle as big and regal as Dragon Home, it was a happy surprise to find that the dining hall wasn’t a formal room. The castle often updated itself, and a few years ago that update included turning this room into a large, airy, sunlight drenched space. There were lots of windows in this room, and several alcoves around the perimeter that held a pool table and arcade games. There was a large fireplace with a built-in pizza oven at one end. It was a great space for their dragonkin gatherings.

Everyone was home, and that rarely happened. Midnight watched her sister Dawn. She seemed to be doing better. Her long, golden blonde hair was gleaming and her sky-blue eyes glowed. The sight warmed Midnight.

Autumn and Spring sat on either side of her. These three Witches were close in age. Dawn was the youngest, she was also the healer in their Trinity. At three-hundred and fifteen, Spring was both the oldest and the leader. Autumn was in the middle at three-hundred and ten and could both lead and heal.

Her thoughts were interrupted.

“Is that how Natura found us when our mothers Faded, she was searching for other covens?” Ivory asked.

Worrying her lower lip between her teeth, Midnight wondered what to say. She wasn’t sure what Natura had told them. They would have remembered some, but they’d been pretty young when they were brought to the castle—little more than babies in the dragon world.

She sighed. “Yes. I recently learned that my mother had searched for years in the attempt to find other Witches and any sign of a Dragon Lord. She found the three of you twenty-five years ago, just before Jade’s mother Faded. Ivory and Coral’s moms were already gone, and Jade’s mother was trying to care for you three. I wanted you to know that we are searching for others of our kind. If you think you see another dragonkynd, no matter if they are male or female, don’t approach them. Just contact me and let me know where you are. I don’t think they’d try to harm you—but dragon-hell—I haven’t seen anyone outside of our coven for centuries, so what do I know?”

Jade nodded. “That makes sense. Can I ask a question about something else?”

“Sure.” Midnight raised her eyebrows and focused on the girl.

“Where do our dragons come from?” All three girls leaned forward when Jade asked the question.

Midnight blinked. “Umm. I’m not sure what you mean. Our dragon-familiars are inside us. They come from our bodies.”

All three girls rolled their eyes. “We know that!” Jade snorted. “During all the years of boarding school and then college, we’ve had at least a dozen classes on human sex education and the developing fetus. I can quote—verbatim—how a human conceives and all the stages starting with the swimming sperm colliding with an egg…to the birth nine months later. But I have no idea how that works for us. I assume our human bodies are conceived and develop much like the humans with Dragon Lord sperm meeting Dragon Witch egg…but where do the dragons come from?”

It was Midnight’s worst nightmare.

She looked around the table at the other mature Dragon Witches, hoping for a little help. At the blank look on everyone’s face, she knew she wasn’t going to get it. No one knew anything more than Midnight did. Shit!

She took a deep breath and stalled. “I know my mother was responsible for your primary care at first, and then I basically saw to your needs and sent you off to boarding school in the mortal world. It never occurred to me that you might not...well...be aware of your heritage. I just assumed you were trained as we all were. I hate to admit that I don’t know what you understand and what you don’t. Do you know why you are fifty Earth years old, and yet look and feel like human-mortals in their early twenties?”

Jade looked confused. “Because we age slower?” It was more of a question than an answer.

Midnight looked at Coral and Ivory in turn.

Ivory shrugged, “I never really thought about it. I mean, well, you’re over eight-hundred and it just seems normal. We are Dragon Witches, so we are pretty much immortal. Right?”

Midnight sighed. “Well, not immortal, or no one would ever Fade. We can be killed, but it is hard to do. But we can also get sick and die. Your mothers were all about six-hundred years old, Natura was several thousand. We can live for a long time, but not forever.”

“So, you don’t understand why you age slower?” Summer asked.

Midnight sensed the threesome had no idea. She was sorry she had waited so long to explain who they were.

“Because we are Dragon Witches and our dragons are dormant inside us?” Coral spoke up.

Midnight smiled. “I guess this conversation proves how assumptions will get you in trouble every time. This celebration has just turned into Dragon Witch 101. The other coven Witches can help me explain the Draconian version of the birds and the bees.”

“No problem, if there is one subject I aced in school, it was dragon sex!” Winter chortled.

Midnight laughed, “I don’t believe we are quite ready to broach that part of the lesson. I think what we need to cover today is what happens after Dragon Witches have conceived. It’s a little more complicated than just having a sleeping dragon inside of us.”

Jade chimed in, “Please. Leave the sex out. That is just gross.”

Midnight smiled, “And that’s a good place to start—the differences between humankind and dragonkynd. You won’t be sexually mature or interested in sex for a very long time. The discrepancies between humans and dragonkynd are not visibly apparent; they are more mental and magical. When a dragonkynd is conceived, the fetus looks human. But under the dragon-child’s heart lies an egg that develops in a symbiotic relationship. Eventually, this egg will become your dragon-familiar.”

“Eeewww, you mean there is a dragon-egg inside of us? How did it get there?” Jade grimaced.

“No. And as for how it got there?” Midnight frowned. She didn’t know, and that pissed her off. It was one of the little mysteries that Natura said she couldn’t explain. And the knowledge was suspiciously missing from the collective consciousness of the coven.

“Well. That’s a question I can’t answer. What I do know is the egg inside you is gone now, but let’s back up a bit. When we are conceived, our dragon-familiar—Becomes. When a dragon-child is born, the familiar’s egg is about the size of a US dollar coin and is located right under your heart. Your body feeds and protects the dragon-egg while the shell releases a chemical that slows your aging process. This ensures that you will be about fifty mortal years when the dragon hatches.” Midnight paused and watched the fledglings.

“Are you saying that the dragon is going to hatch in my body?” Jade shrieked.

The six mature coven members laughed.

“Remember what Midnight said, a dragon-egg’s gestation period is fifty years,” Dawn reminded her gently. “The host never feels a thing when the dragon emerges.”

Midnight continued quickly, before the girls figured it out, “When a dragon is body-bound they share our body, our heart, and our bloodstream. Once the dragon hatches, it secretes two separate hormones. One hormone keeps the aging process of the dragonkynd tied to the dragon’s development, and the second hormone stimulates our magical powers. There is no real feeling of movement, just a subtle awareness of their existence. As your dragon-familiar ages, more dragon symbols will appear on your body. Your dragon “feels” through your body-markings. You’ve all seen us rubbing our fingers over the tattoos. We do this because it soothes the savage beast,” she said tongue-in-cheek. “We’re petting our dragon-familiar.” Now she would wait for the information to settle.

It didn’t take long.

Lifting her hand in front of her face, Jade stroked a finger over the black, very small design of a dragon. “They hatched when the marks showed up.”

This was not a question, but Summer smiled and confirmed the girl's suspicion, “Yes. And you didn’t feel anything. Did you?”

All three girls shook their heads in amazement.

“There is more,” Midnight said calmly. “When a dragon first hatches, it is vulnerable. Its essence is very small and weak. It is, for all intents and purposes, a newborn baby. If it left your body it couldn’t stand, fly, eat, etc. So, your dragon-familiar must stay bound to you for at least another twenty-five years while it develops. During this time, you will start to figure out what special talents you have.”

“The dragon inside you really is a baby,” Spring added.

Coral frowned, her amethyst eyes worried, “So, we just carry this—dragon essence—in our body until it grows up?”

Midnight smiled. “Good question and no, it’s not quite that easy. For the next twenty-five years, your familiar won’t be able to manifest outside your body, but you will have to help it mature,” she said.

Autumn leaned forward, her hazel eyes gleaming with laughter. “Your dragon-familiar shares your heart, blood, and other things—but it has its own mind. That mind has a strong connection to your mind. Its mental ability is housed within your mind. A simplistic explanation of this would be to compare it to a nut in a shell. Your mind is the shell for the little dragon nut.”

Winter laughed, “Oh, how fitting!”

Midnight grinned. “One of the things that will drive you insane over the next twenty-five years is the fact that the dragon already has the ability to talk. She is young and her vocabulary is very stilted. At first, the only thing she may be able to relay to you is her name. But believe me, her vocabulary grows rapidly. Imagine having this being in your mind that only you can hear. In the beginning, it will be a baby that has just learned to make sounds, then a toddler that has learned how to sing...”

Winter chimed in, “During the terrible twos its only word is no, and it will discover it likes the sound of its own voice.”

“Even when it matures, you can’t change its personality. It is a mentally separate being from you,” Midnight warned. “You could be the shy and retiring sort of girl,” she said, glancing at Ivory, “and end up with a Madonna-wannabe dragon.”

“Or you could be the party girl—a boy toy fanatic that ends up with Suzy Homemaker,” Winter said in disgust.

Midnight hid her smile. Winter was speaking from experience. She turned back to the fledglings and added, “But the dragon-familiars are a part of you, and you’re a part of them. You learn to take care of each other and make adjustments. When your dragon is released from your body the first time, you’ll probably find that its colors and markings are mirrored in your body-markings. It is very rare for a dragon to look different than your body symbols. One of the other dragons will take your newly released dragon under their wing...literally. The older dragons will teach the young ones to fly, to hunt, and to manage their powers. And control their fire.” She purposely kept her gaze away from Winter, remembering how their own little dragon babies had managed to burn down an entire mountain forest before they learned this little trick.

Midnight rubbed her fingers over the black wings on her arm. “With Luscious I am never alone. I always have someone watching my back and worrying over me. Once your dragons have matured and learned to control their bodies, they won’t let you down,” Midnight said. “When you become sexually and magically mature at about two hundred years, your dragon will have reached the early teen years.”

“TMI! Way too much information,” Jade broke in. “I don’t even want to think about being sexually active, let’s leave the baby dragon’s sexuality completely alone,” she hissed.

“So, do we just wait for it to start talking?” Coral obviously wanted to change the topic of conversation.

Summer shook her head. “No. You go to a quiet place and you use your mind to call her. You tell her silently that you are there and happy she’s hatched. Then you ask her to tell you her name. Each dragon is born knowing her name. It may take a bit, you may have to keep at it for a while, or she may tell you her name the minute you try and make contact. Each familiar is different.”

“Just be prepared for the possible fallout,” Winter mumbled. “Once my Raven found her voice, she didn’t shut up for three days!”