Eladea: A Hopeless Age

Chapter 31: Liam

"Comon, let him go. He said he's just here to hunt." I say, glancing at Lucian.

"Drop all weapons. Now." Kate commands. The older man slowly reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small knife and drops it, followed by a larger knife, then reaches behind him and throws a couple arrows and a bow
onto the sand.

"There. You can pat me down, if you want to. That's all of it." Kate reaches a leg forward and kicks it all backwards, towards Amber and Reid, the various weapons clanging together as they roll away.

"Are you happy now? He's unarmed. Lower your sword." I say to her, "Why are you being like this?"

"If he's a hunter then why did he make a loud noise, one loud enough for me to hear in my sleep, and make birds fly away? Skilled hunters don't do that."

"What if he's not a skilled hunter?" I try to reason with her.

"For the record I'm not-"

"Shut up" He's cut off by Kate snapping at him. 

"Kate!" I try to tell her off.

"What?" She turns to me, confused.

"Why are you being so mean to this nice man?" I say with an exasperated sigh.

"I have a bad feeling." Is all she offers.

"Please lower your weapon." Is all I say in response, looking straight into her eyes. She lets out a defeated sigh after a long moment of staring.
 
"Fine. But if he kills us all it's your fault." She rolls her eyes and lowers her sword, "accidently" nicking him very slightly in his jugular.

"Thank you, kind sir." Lucian says, rubbing his neck where the sword had been probing him. "From the previous threats against my life I'm guessing I'm not allowed to ask you your name?" He offers me a friendly smile.

"I'm Liam." I answer, holding out my hand. He reaches forward and clasps it, shaking it a few times.

"Pleasure to meet you. I figure that the nice lady with the sword must be Kate?" He lets go of my hand and takes a small step back.

"Yes. The white haired one back there is Reid, who's hiding behind Amber." I turn to look at a wide-eyed Reid peeking around Amber's leg, of which wasn't doing that good of a job of hiding him.

"It's very good to meet you all." A spark ignites in his pale eyes. "And it is a special pleasure to meet the offspring of a heat-wing and a bronzala! It's been a long time since a cross like that showed up in the islands. Usually we don't get many breeds other than heat-wings." He smiles, looking at Amber. She tilts her head at him in confusion.

"What?" She asks, letting her guard down.

"Oh dear! That's a first." He chuckles, most likely at the telepathic conversing. "I'm guessing you don't know of your heritage? It's not uncommon, most crosses like yourself would more than likely have to go into hiding to avoid getting killed back when Tempus ruled." He smiles broadly again. She just stares blankly at him.

"Ever wondered why pure red dragons are so common, yet your extremities turn a bronze color? It is because one of your parents was a bronzala, which are very rare, yet becoming more and more common as the years go by." He clasps his hands behind his back. "If you couldn't tell already, I'm a dragon researcher. I stay on a remote island to hopefully catch glimpses of dragon's I wouldn't otherwise see."

We all stand in shocked silence. I knew there were different types of dragons, I mean the difference between Amber and V is staggering, but I didn't know they had names. And based on what he's suggesting there's more. And they cross breed. I've never been to the archipelago, where dragons have started congregating after Tempus stopped hunting them, so I've never seen any other than V and his family. The thought of others being out there never even crossed my mind.