Free Kiss of Darkness (The Dragon Legion Novellas) by Deborah Cooke Page A

the wind, and the motion he could hear from their home. Petra was there, bustling around as usual, as if in anticipation of his return.
    But where had these trees come from? What had happened to the village? There was usually some activity, even until dark.
    Damien realized the trees had no branches. They were more like pillars, or trees that had been sawn off at about his height. He had a very bad feeling as he stepped into this strange forest, although he couldn’t have named the reason why.
    Then he saw the first face and realized the truth.
    They weren’t trees: they were people.
    He reached out and touched one, shocked to find the man as cold and hard as stone. It was the farmer who lived beside them. There was his wife next to him, similarly immobilized. Though they couldn’t move, their eyes were filled with accusation. Damien touched another and another, then realized they’d been enchanted and turned to stone.
    He thought of the prophecy that had just been given to him and feared for Petra.
    He ran to their home, flinging open the door and bursting into the central courtyard.
    Petra turned to smile at him in welcome. She was fine, much to his relief, humming as she stirred a pot of stew that was set over the fire. He stood shaking in the doorway but she smiled, as if nothing was wrong at all.
    “I thought you would return tonight,” she said easily. “I kept the stew warm for you.” He realized that she was completely different from his mother. There was no demand in her expectation, no need. On another night, he might have been relieved, for his mother had nearly destroyed his father.
    On this night, he was cautious.
    How could she not know what was outside these walls?
    Petra came to him and kissed his cheek, catching his hand in hers and giving it a slight tug. “You must be tired. Come and sit, and tell me what you’ve seen.”
    “Have you been out?” Damien demanded, for that could be the only explanation for her calm manner.
    “Yes. Why?”
    He stopped and stared at her. “Didn’t you see?
    She glanced at him quickly, something in her eyes that made him believe she knew exactly what he meant. “See what?”
    “All of the village is turned to stone!”
    Petra wrinkled her nose. “Oh. Yes.” She stirred the stew. “Are you hungry?”
    “Wait!” Damien seized her arm, compelling her to face him. “How can you be so indifferent? Do you know something about this? Are you responsible for this in some way?”
    Petra’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What makes you think that?”
    “You’re the only one who isn’t enchanted.”
    “I’m the only one who’s pregnant,” she said lightly, her gaze locking with his. “But you’re right: I’m also the only one who is an Earthdaughter.” She said this as if it were perfectly routine, but Damien didn’t know what she meant.
    He felt a terrible dread. He remembered his father’s warning, that being bound to a single woman could only lead to sorrow and a loss of powers. He thought of the prophecy he’d just been given, the one that said much the same thing. And he feared that Drake’s summons to serve was offering him an escape just in time.
    If that.
    “What’s an Earthdaughter?” he asked, trying to keep his voice level. If she’d turned the villagers to stone, there was no reason she couldn’t do the same to him.
    And make the prophecy come true. What of the rest of it? Would it all come true? Damien had tried to dismiss the dire prediction, but now he couldn’t.
    “You’re not the only one with powers in this household, Damien.” Petra spoke in a practical tone, as if they discussed the weather. She smiled at him slightly. “I wish I could have found another way to tell you, but in the end, there was no choice.” She shrugged and made to ladle out some stew for him. “It was really only a matter of time before you knew and now you do.”
    Damien wanted her to say it aloud. “You did this to them?”
    “Yes.” She was