Dragon Slayer 3: A Pulp Fantasy Harem Adventure Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  End Notes

  Michael-Scott Earle

  Chapter One

  The combined armies of two dragons marched toward Whitespire, and there was nothing I could do to stop them from reaching the city.

  “Let’s roast them alive!” Irenya rumbled beneath me. The huge red dragon, who had once been Riamod, was now my ally in my quest to save the world of Agreon. Right now, she was the best chance we had to slow the minions of the blue dragon Curym Waterblade and the green dragon Zaddrith the Caustic.

  Curym’s minions were churning up the Crystal River, turning the deep blue to a foamy white. Long, sinewy, pale-skinned creatures clambered up onto the shore like snakes with human heads and torsos. I could feel the blue dragon’s magic like a powerful riptide deep beneath the river’s surface. To the south, the forest came alive with Zaddrith’s minions. The canopy was too thick for me to get a good look at the enemy, but it seemed like an army of green-skinned ants surged through the dense trees.

  “Hit the ones at the river!” I had to shout to make myself heard over the roar of the racing wind. “We can’t risk starting a forest fire.”

  We were flying at easily a hundred miles per hour, and we’d made the return journey from Windwall in good time. But if we didn’t hurry, we wouldn’t reach our destination of Whitespire with enough time to prepare for the invading army.

  “With pleasure,” Irenya growled before she tucked her wings tight against her side and angled her long dragon body downward. We dropped so fast my heart leapt into my throat, and I had to hold on tight to her spines to stay in place. I felt like a bomber pilot making a run at my target, but instead of bombs, I’d be unleashing a devastating wave of dragon fire. Irenya’s body grew suddenly hot beneath me as she opened her jaws, and a stream of fire fifty feet long spewed from her mouth. The flames licked at the creatures along the edge of the Crystal River and turned dozens to ash in seconds.

  A moment later, a massive pillar of water burst from the river like a giant fist driving a punch at Irenya.

  “Look out!” I shouted and leaned hard to the left.

  The red dragon swerved just in time to avoid the pillar of water, but another watery column burst upward from the river toward us, and I felt the spray of droplets wash over my face as Irenya barely dodged this one.

  Now I knew where Curym Waterblade got her name from. She used the water more like a hammer than a blade, but it was enough to bring down even Irenya. The power of that liquid pillar could snap dragon limbs and wings easily. No way I’d risk Irenya until I had to.

  “Let’s go!” I shouted to Irenya. “Let’s get back to Whitespire with the news.”

  Irenya rumbled her displeasure in her throat. I hated the idea of fleeing as well, but I had bigger problems to worry about. I had to let King Obragar of Whitespire know that the armies of the two dragons were getting closer. Even if they had scouts monitoring the enemy, my report would reach them far faster than any rider on horseback.

  A last spout of water shot up toward us as Irenya climbed, but the altitude and the heavy wind of her wings defeated the attack. I felt a momentary stab of worry as I thought of having to face the blue dragon with either Arieste or Irenya. Arieste, formerly Frosdar the white dragon, might have a hard time using her ice shield powers to protect herself from those powerful waterspouts, and Irenya’s flame couldn’t burn all the way to the bottom of the deep Crystal River, so there was no way to attack Curym directly.

  A problem for another time, I told myself as I clung to Irenya’s spikes.

  “Follow the Crystal River,” I shouted to Irenya, and the red dragon let out a questioning rumble.

  “If the river doesn’t go all the way to Whitespire,” I answered, “it means Curym won’t be able to hide the whole time. We might even be able to force her to leave the safety of the river where she’ll be vulnerable to your fire.”

  “Excellent!” Irenya growled.

  She banked to the right to follow the twisting, turning ribbon of blue that snaked through the land of Iriador, the continent where I had found myself upon my arrival in the world of Agreon. Barodan, the Silent Guardian, gave me the task of defeating the dragons of this world to free it from their tyranny. If I could figure out the best way to deal with Curym and Zaddrith, I’d be two steps closer to completing that quest and returning home.

  The thought of going back to Earth and Chicago left me feeling conflicted. On the one hand, there was electricity, pizza, takeout, the internet, and all the modern conveniences I took for granted. On the other hand, this world had begun to feel more and more like the place where I belonged. Not just because of the magic powers I’d acquired, though I had to admit those were totally awesome. Arieste, Irenya, Sir Galfred, King Obragar, Captain Daxos, Adath, and all the other people I’d met here on Iriador had begun to feel a lot more important to me than the people I knew back on Earth. With no family to return to, I found myself questioning if I even wanted to return.

  “Don’t forget about me, handsome,” the sexy voice whispered in my mind like a phone sex operator who was having a good tip day.

  “I could never forget about you, Nyvea,” I thought back to her.

  Nyvea was the voice in the amulet Barodan had given me as my guide, mentor, and magic teacher. She had proven a valuable source of information about life on Iriador and helped me to develop the abilities I’ve collected from the dragons I defeated. I’d grown accustomed to her rampant desires and her tendency to say whatever lascivious thoughts came to her mind.

  “That makes me happy. I am so proud of the progress you have made so far in your quest. You’ve destroyed three altars and converted three of the pesky dragons into beautiful and sensual women who are sooooooo eager to do your bidding.”

  “I still have a lot to do,” I said, “but thanks for guiding me so far.”

  “Anything for you, handsome. I am eager to guide you. In all the ways you can think of.”

  “Ha, I’ll keep that in mind.” I pushed the thoughts that the sexy voice gave me aside as the city of Whitespire came into view to the west of our current position. From my vantage point far above the land, I could see the path the river took. The Crystal River continued meandering through the countryside far to the east of the city, with at least fifty miles separating Whitespire from the river’s edge.

  “No way Curym’s getting at us from the river!” I said with relief.

  “Water always finds a way,” Irenya rumbled. “Curym is a clever one. She will strike where we least expect it.”

  “Well, then let’s get back to Whitespire and plan for the unexpected,” I said. “We’ll see what Arieste and Rizzala can add to help us defeat Curym and Zaddrith.”

  The mention of Rizzala, the dark-skinned woman who had once been Emroth the Dusky, elicited an angry growl from Irenya.

  “I don’t trust that one,” she said.

  “When it comes to a fight for our lives,” I answered, “we may have to trust her. After all, she’s in Whitespire with the rest of us, so
she’s in just as much danger.”

  “Regardless,” Irenya grumbled, “Watch your back, and know that I’ll be watching it for you.”

  “I will. And thank you.” I ran a hand along her long, serpentine neck. “I’ll watch your back, too.”

  “I’ve seen that back of hers,” Nyvea purred in my mind. “It’s definitely one worth watching. Especially when you are on your knees behind her while she is on all fours with her ass--”

  “Hey now,” I thought as I chuckled under my breath. “Let’s focus on the mission. Anything you can tell me about these dragons I’m up against? I know what powers Curym has, but what about Zaddrith?”

  “Acid bite,” Nyvea said. “It’s a nasty one. Ask Irenya or Emroth about it, and they’ll tell you just how dangerous it can be.”

  “Irenya, how dangerous is Zaddrith’s acid bite?”

  “Very,” the dragon rumbled. “She has fangs like a serpent and a wicked bite strong enough to drive those fangs through even the thickest dragon scales. One bite is enough to incapacitate, and two are enough to kill even me.”

  “Damn!” I breathed. “That’s going to make fighting her tough.”

  “Arieste and I won’t let her get close enough to hurt you,” she said, her voice taking on a protective tone.

  “It’s not me I’m worried about,” I said. “I’d hate to see you hurt. Either of you.”

  A pleased growl echoed in Irenya’s throat. She poured on the speed, and we were soon flying over the lush farmlands surrounding Whitespire.

  Looking down, I was relieved to see that the fields and farms were empty. Sir Galfred, Adath, and the King must have gotten the word out to the villages and hamlets in the kingdom of Elloriel to warn of the approaching army. Hopefully, that meant most of King Obragar’s people were now sheltered behind the city walls. Not only would that lead to fewer casualties, but it would give the king a bigger workforce to build up the city’s defenses.

  As we approached Whitespire, I was impressed by how it had changed since I left it just a few days earlier. The city walls were already thirty feet tall, but the parapets had been fortified with tall, spiked wooden barriers. I counted five ballistae mounted at intervals along its length though I could see no other siege engines to give us an edge in the battle. Thousands of sharpened staves had been driven into the ground in front of the gate and along the wall. Even now, hundreds of men and women were working on pounding more of the stakes into the ground. Any army charging toward the wall would have to slow or be impaled.

  We flew over the wall, and I saw the interior of the city was also a bustle of activity. People hauled carts laden with heavy stones, while draft animals pulled wagons carrying spears, swords, bows, arrows, rocks, and more lumber to build up the barricades. The Whitespire market was closed and the poles and supports of the stalls were being converted into more defenses for the city. I even saw people in the rich clothing of merchants and noblemen pitching in to help out.

  All the people of Whitespire had come together in the face of this danger, and my victory over the first three dragons had renewed their fighting spirit

  One bald-headed, bearded man turned his face toward me and waved as I flew over. I returned the wave and felt a smile spread to my lips. Adath, the de facto leader of the Grey Hunters’ Guild here in Whitespire, had done a lot to prepare the city’s defenses. I just hoped that he and Sir Galfred the Bold, knight of Iriador, had been able to raise enough of an army to repel the enemy.

  More than a few terrified glances were cast toward us as Irenya and I swooped toward King Obragar’s castle. People still hadn’t gotten used to the white and red dragons being allies rather than enemies. It had only been a week since they saw Arieste swoop over the city and then leave the next day. This was their first time seeing Irenya, the dragon they knew and feared as Riamod. It would take them a while to grow accustomed to her presence.

  But when they saw her fighting to save them, they would come to appreciate her as much as I did.

  Arieste and Irenya had both become very important to me. Arieste was the one I could talk to if I had any doubts or questions, the emotional support in tough times. Irenya, however, was the spark of fire that kept life interesting. Where Arieste was calm and rational, Irenya was passionate and fierce. Together, the three of us made an effective team. I had no doubt we were going to win the battle for Whitespire. We just had to figure out how to do it without losing too many good people.

  Irenya dropped toward the courtyard outside the palace and beat her wings to slow her speed. Stones cracked and crumbled under her bulk as she landed, but her legs absorbed the impact, so I barely felt a jolt. It was better flying and better landing than any airplane back on Earth, that much was for certain.

  Arieste was lying down in the courtyard with her blue dragon eyes closed, but she stood and rumbled toward us when we landed. It felt good to see her, even after just a few hours apart. For a moment, I’d worried Zaddrith or Curym might have attacked her on her way back from Windwall.

  I caught a glimpse of one of the city’s White Guards racing into the palace to warn King Obragar of my arrival. While a few of the others on duty at the front of the palace watched Irenya and me with wary eyes, there was far less fear than there had been the last time I flew into the city on a dragon’s back. The fact that the king knighted me Sir Ethan Dragonrider probably helped them to get used to the presence of the dragons who had once been their enemies.

  “Time to become human again,” I said to my two dragons. “You’re never going to fit inside the palace in these bodies.”

  Irenya’s dragon lips pulled back to reveal a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, and she let out a rasping sound I had to assume was dragon laughter.

  I went to Arieste first. The white dragon dipped her head so I could touch the gemstone on her forehead and pull the magic from within her. I had taken her magical powers when I defeated her, but with the gemstone, I could give those powers back to her and turn her back into a dragon. Now I needed to take the magic and restore her to human form.

  I gritted my teeth against the icy flow of her magic. It felt like being hit by a freezing cold waterfall, but I kept tugging on the power to pull it out of her body and back into myself. I felt the tattoo on my left bicep flare to life as the ice magic surged through my body then settled down deep within me. I didn’t understand exactly how the magic worked, but I knew somehow the tattoos gave me control over it.

  As I sucked the magic out of her, her dragon form shifted and shrank. Her long dragon limbs shortened, her wings curled back into her body, her tail disappeared, and her skin changed from icy white scales to pale pink. Within seconds, she stood in her fully human form with her lithe body covered by nothing more than a gauzy white shift that did little to hide her beauty.

  “I missed you,” I told her. Even though we’d only been apart for a few hours, I found myself surprisingly happy to see her. “Glad to see you made it back safely. Everything go alright with Rizzala and Sergeant Dai?”

  “They haven’t killed each other yet,” Arieste said, and her smile wavered. “The ice of my lair was nowhere near as cold as the tension between those two.”

  “I guess it’ll take him more than a few hours to stop thinking of her as Emroth,” I said with a shrug. “Where are they?”

  “One of the White Guards led them off to your old chambers, where Sergeant Dai could keep a close eye on her.” She shook her head. “The Blackguard’s not going to let her out of his sight even if he never sleeps again.”

  “We’ll have to do something about that,” I told her. “With Curym and Zaddrith coming for us, we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  While Arieste busied herself getting dressed, I turned to Irenya. She lifted her head so I could get close to the gemstone in her chest. I placed a hand to the gemstone and sucked in a sharp breath as I felt the fiery magic coursing through the stone. It was like dipping my nerves into a lava flow, with roiling heat that wanted to be loos
ed on the world and burn everything in its path. With an effort, I pulled the magic out of her, through the gemstone, and back into my body. The fire hit me with staggering force, but I clenched my jaw and kept pulling.

  As her body changed from dragon to human, her fiery eyes lost their spark, and turned into a gorgeous amber color. Instead of red scales, she had long, flowing red hair that curled around her face and bare shoulders. Her ragged dress did little to cover her ample breasts, narrow waist, and well-rounded hips.

  “Well, that was fun.” She turned her eyes up to me, and her full lips creased into a playful smile. “Though I can definitely admit I enjoy this part as well.”

  I glanced down at my hand, still nestled between her breasts. The gemstone had to be placed against her chest to transform her from dragon to human or vice versa, and it was certainly one of my favorite parts of the process too.

  “Here,” I said as I reached into her pack and pulled out one of the red dresses she loved to wear. “You might want this.”

  “Why?” She raised an eyebrow and seemed not at all embarrassed by her scant clothing. “You don’t like it when people look at me?”

  “I worry you might give King Obragar a heart attack looking like that,” I said with a grin. “You take my breath away, so imagine what it will do to him.”

  “Smooth, hero!” Nyvea purred in my mind.

  “That silver tongue of yours never fails to delight, Ethan.” Irenya’s grin matched mine, and a mischievous look twinkled in her amber eyes as she climbed into her dress. “Maybe you can put it to good use again later, like you did last n—”

  “Sir Ethan!” boomed a loud voice. I looked up from Irenya to see a tall, broad-shouldered man with fiery red hair and a beard to match stride from the palace. Sir Galfred spread his arms wide and clapped me on both shoulders, then pulled me into a bear hug. “It does my heart good to see you return from your mission to Windwall safely. Your companion, Arieste, has filled us in on everything that transpired in Kingshome. I trust you secured the aid of the Blackguard in our battle?”