The Dragon Princess (Crystalosias - Saga - Book One)

“Am I too late?!” Suelette hollered out of breath as she came into the garden.

“Too late for what?” Trey asked as she turned to Suelette.

Sahrah doubled over with a scream.

“That!” Suelette said as she pointed at her Tashia.

“Tashia, what is it?” Trey asked concerned.

“She’s in labor, Trey. Get her to the hospital wing.” Suelette ordered the robot.

Trey scooped her Tashia into her arms and headed into the Palace. Sahrah screamed again as another contraction, split her in two.

“Sahrah!” Derk hollered as he and several other men ran into the hall, their swords drawn.

“She is in labor, Tasheen.” Suelette said as she followed Trey.

The men sighed with relief as they replaced their swords into their sheaths. Derk, Bentin, and Austen, followed Trey to the hospital wing.

Derk followed Trey and his mate into the room, while everyone else stood outside.

“Austen.” Lesteren said as he walked into the room, their daughter in his arms.

“Husband.” Austen said with a smile as he took their daughter from his arms.

“We were in the garden feeding the birds when we heard Sahrah scream.” Lesteren said as he looked at the door, where Trey and Derk had disappeared, with Sahrah.

Austen smiled. “She is in labor.”

Lesteren nodded. “She is going to have trouble with the baby, where is the Shaman?”

Everyone stared at Lesteren. Lesteren’s cheeks turned a bright red.

“I don’t stand in the background, deaf, husband. I listen, and I read. Something will be different with this baby.”

“Has she pushed yet?” The Shaman asked as he entered the room.

“Not yet.” Suelette said from her position at the window, that looked into the room, where Tashia was about to give birth.

“Good.” The Shaman said with relief as he went to the door and opened it. “Tashia, do not push.” He said as he closed the door.

“Shaman.” Derk growled.

“Listen to him, Tasheen!” Suelette hollered through the glass.

Derk looked through the glass at the Sether then turned to the Shaman. “Alright, what is she supposed to do, if not push?”

“I need to push!” Sahrah screamed.

“No Spitfire, do not push.” The Shaman commanded.

Sahrah’s eyes instantly turned red. “What is going on, Shaman?” She asked with a calm, Derk did not feel at the moment.

“Your son does not understand what is happening.” The Shaman said as he moved over to her and placed his hand on her stomach.

“What the flick, Shaman?” Derk growled with annoyance.

“Shh, he is scared.” The Shaman whispered. “It is all right Conner. Your mother and father are waiting for you. But you need to retract, so you can meet them.”

Derk and Spitfire stared at the Shaman, then Spitfire screamed as her stomach moved. Derk held her hand as he watched the Shaman press on her stomach and her stomach shrank.

“What is going on?” Derk asked in shock.

“It didn’t harm anything to stretch them out, while in the womb, but now things are different, and so I am helping him to retract them.” The Shaman said.

“Retract what?” Derk asked as his mate’s stomach shook a bit and the swelling went down a bit more.

Spitfire laughed. “You little Dragon you.”

Derk looked at his mate’s face. “Spitfire?”

She looked at him with a smile. “He has been stretching his wings, that is why I have been so big, the last couple of weeks.”

“Stretching his...oh dear Lord.” Derk said as his eyes opened wide, then looked at his mate’s stomach again.

“You can push now, Tashia.” The Shaman said as he backed away.

“It is time.” The Meditec said as he moved between Sahrah’s legs.

Sahrah screamed as she pushed.

Derk held onto his mate as she brought their son into the world.

A scream shattered the glass window, as their son came into the world.

“Nice roar.” The Shaman said with a smile.

“Conner.” Sahrah cried when the Meditec held the screaming baby up for them to see him.

“He’s perfect.” Derk whispered.

Black wings erupted from the baby’s back, almost knocking the head off the Meditec. Derk stared at the black wings, but they weren’t pure black, they had dark blue around the edges and a blue hue in the thin part of the wings. They were beautiful.

“I told you our son isn’t evil.” Spitfire said before she passed out.

“Your son, Tasheen.” The Meditec said as he held the screaming baby out to him.

Derk moved to the Meditec and took his son. He was afraid to hold him against his chest, with his wings out like that. The Meditec cut the cord and Derk moved away from the mess the Meditec was still cleaning up.

“How can I hold you, if you have your wings out?” Derk asked as he stared into the dark blue eyes of his son, who had stopped screaming the minute he had taken hold of him.

The wings retracted and Derk pulled his son into his arms and held him. “You sure are a special one, Conner.” He said with a smile as he looked at his son.

“I want to see!” Suelette said excitedly from the other side of the broken window. She had dodged the flying glass, just in time.

“Don’t hold out on us, old friend.” Bentin said with a grin as he watched his Tasheen hold his son.

Derk moved to the window and held his son so their friends could see him.

“He’s beautiful.” Suelette said as a tear slid down her cheek.

“Nice pair of lungs.” Bentin said with a laugh as he looked at the broken window.

“He has his mother’s roar.” Derk said with a smile.

“Derk?” Sahrah called from the bed, where the Meditec was finished cleaning and left the room. “I want to see him.” She whispered.

Derk moved over to his mate and placed their son into her waiting arms.

“Look at you.” Sahrah said with a cry. “You are finally here, Conner Prem Dentse.”

Derk smiled. “Why Prem rather than Den?”

She looked up at him. “I don’t know, Prem felt right.”

“Prem is your Mother’s name.” The Shaman said as he watched them.

Sahrah looked at the Shaman. “How’s that?”

“Prem, is your Mother’s Dragon’s, surname. When she gave you to your father, she had probably already named you, and your father gave you his last name, at the end, so people knew you were his.”

“Do you know my mother’s human name?” She asked as she watched the Shaman.

“I am sorry, I do not. I only knew your Mother’s Dragon, Spitfire.”

“What about my brother, what was his name?” Sahrah asked, hopeful that he knew that much.

“He was the Green Dragon.” The Shaman said with a smile. “He was called the Emerald Dragon, but I do not know what his human name was, either.”

“Did he spit emeralds?” Sahrah asked with a laugh.

The Shaman laughed. “Not all Dragons breath fire, as the stories tell. The only Dragon I have ever known to breathe, or spit-fire, was your mother, and now you. Your brother has control over plant life; if I remember correctly.”

“What about the black dragon?” Sahrah asked as she looked at her son, who was watching them with his intelligent, dark blue eyes.

“The Black Dragon’s powers were much like your Mother’s. Like yours. He could emit black smoke, from his lungs, that could kill thousands in its path.”

“Oh, dear Lord.” Sahrah cried.

“Do not fear him, Tashia. I saw the colors in his wings, he is not the Black Dragon. I have a feeling that his powers, will be different from that of the Black Dragon, from centuries ago. Besides, Dragons are immune to its powers.”

“But not humanoids.” Derk said as he looked from his son to the Shaman.

The Shaman shook his head. “No, but as I said, his powers will be different. Maybe he will have black flames, or maybe his mist will paralyze, rather than kill. The original Black Dragon was pure black, and his heart matched.”

“But you’re pure of heart, aren’t you Conner.” Sahrah said as she smiled down at her son.

Conner opened his mouth and let out a wail.

“Oh, I bet you’re hungry.” Sahrah said as she pulled her breast out to feed her son.

The Shaman quickly turned from the scene and Derk moved his body to block his mate, from the broken window across the room from them.

Sahrah giggled once her son was latched to her breast. “It is perfectly natural, husband of my heart.”

Derk snorted. “I don’t care how natural it is, Spitfire, I don’t want people looking at my mate’s breasts.”

Sahrah giggled again as she looked at her son. “Your father is so silly.”

Conner answered by closing his eyes as he suckled her breast.

“So perfect.” She said with a sigh.

“Did I miss everything?” Temmy asked as she walked up to the broken window. “Whoa, did Tasheen get angry?”

The others laughed.

“Conner’s roar, when he was born, did this.” Suelette informed her.

“So, he’s like his mother, is he?” Temmy asked with a smile.

“Even more so, wait until you see his wings, they are so beautiful.” Suelette said with a bright smile.

“Wings?! Seriously?” Temmy asked with excitement.

Bentin moved to stand between the two women. “Oh, yes.” He said. “He is truly, The Dragon Heir.”

**

Sahrah sat in the rocking chair in the chamber and rocked her son as he slept. So perfect. She thought with a smile.

“Oh, look at him.” Temmy cooed as she walked up to her Tashia and Banshon.

“He has a healthy appetite.” Sahrah said with a chuckle.

“He’s a growing Dragon.” Temmy said with a grin.

Sahrah smiled. “That he is.”

“Kentrei is asking for you.” Temmy whispered.

“Okay, thank you.” Sahrah said as she got to her feet.

They walked together to the throne room and everyone stood when they entered the room.

“There’s my Daughter.” Tentah said with a smile. “And my beautiful grandson.”

Everyone in the room looked at her and her son, with awe. The promised Dragons were finally here.

“You wanted to see me, Father?” Sahrah asked, uncomfortable with the stares.

“Yes.” Tentah said as he motioned for her to come to him.

Sahrah took a deep breath as she walked to the throne.

“You have a punishment to deal out.” Tentah said as he looked down at his grandson. “May I?” He asked as he held his hands out.

Sahrah smiled as she handed her son over to Derk’s father.

“So, perfect.” Tentah said with a wide grin. “He looks like Derksin when he was this small.”

“He does look a lot like his father.” Sahrah said with a nod. “Now, about this punishment?” She asked with her eyebrows furrowed.

“The man who attacked you...” Tentah started to say and Sahrah interrupted.

“Oh, I had almost forgotten. When do I dish out his punishment?”

“When you are ready.” Tentah said as he looked at her. “I was going to set it for two weeks after my grandson was born, but I think you should decide when you are ready to do battle. After all, you did just give birth.”

Sahrah smiled. “I would like to start training and get myself back into shape, it has been almost three years since the last time I battled anyone.”

Tentah smiled. “Talk to Bentin, he will set it up for you.”

“Thank you, Father.” Sahrah said with a smile.

“Bring Conner by, any time you want.” Tentah said as he handed his grandson back to Sahrah.

Sahrah smiled. “I will, Father.” She said before she turned and left the throne room with Temmy on her heels.

“Are you really going to do battle, Tashia?” Temmy asked.

“I am.” Sahrah said as she turned and went in the opposite direction of her chambers.

“Where are we going?” Temmy asked as she followed.

“To find Bentin.”