Dragon Guard Scholar, page 1
part #2 of Dragon Guard of the Northern Isles Series
Dragon Guard Scholar
Dragon Guard of the Northern Isles Book 2
Alicia Montgomery
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 Alicia Montgomery
www.aliciamontgomeryauthor.com
first electronic publication April 2021
Edited by LaVerne Clark
Cover by Jacqueline Sweet
041921
All rights reserved.
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Contents
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
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Epilogue
Chapter One
Ginny Russel drummed her fingers on her arm as she stood on the edge of a barren cliff overlooking the Norwegian Sea. As she watched the icy water churn and listened to the surf breaking along the rocks below, her chest tightened as if gripped in an invisible vise.
Her inner lioness paced, perhaps sensing the activation of her flight-or-fight response. But how could she tell it that the perceived threat was all in her head?
She willed her animal to stay calm. As long as she stayed up here, she could manage the tension building up inside.
Taking deep breaths, she closed her eyes and envisioned soothing places, like the stillness of Badain Jaran dunes of Mongolia or the Salar de Uyuni salt flats of Bolivia. Even thinking about the beautifully kept gardens of her childhood home in Colorado helped, despite the fact that she literally spent most of her adult life avoiding that place. When her body loosened up, she let out a sigh, and her lioness lay down in a relaxed position.
Glancing down at her wristwatch, she checked the time. Still early. It was a short hike from the sleepy little village where she’d stayed the previous evening. Before that, she’d taken three flights, driven six hours, and took a ferry ride to get here. But in truth, she didn’t mind the journey; that was the most exciting part of any trip for her. The exhilaration of travel never lessened, even now, in the tenth year of her nomadic life.
However, hopping from place to place and country to country for a decade did have its downsides, namely, she’d gone to almost every place she wanted. Traveling began to get boring, and for a while, she even thought it was time to settle down. In fact, she nearly did; two and a half years ago when she bought a one-way ticket back home. And that’s when things changed.
Her lioness suddenly went on alert, sending the hairs on the back of her neck bristling. It knew, before she could hear or see it, that something approached. Something big.
There.
Her enhanced shifter sight spied the small dot in the distance, becoming bigger as it drew closer. Her animal’s ears pricked forward, then flattened out as its tail lowered. This time, Ginny knew what it was first. Or rather, who.
Her lioness cowered.
Calm down.
It hissed at her, as if saying, you try calming down when there’s a humongous predator up there.
But this wasn’t a predator, at least, not any normal predator. No, this creature rushing toward them was special. One of the few dragon shifters in the world.
As it drew closer, the golden scales that covered the dragon’s gigantic body gleamed. Its giant horned head swung around, searching for something, until its gaze landed straight on Ginny, then made a long arc to redirect its flight path. Leathery wings spread out, and it used the wind to glide, then slow down and descend toward the cliff.
She stepped back a few feet to give the dragon space as its clawed feet touched down on the rocky ground. The wind generated from its flapping wings nearly knocked her over, but she knew to dig in her heels to prevent herself from falling back.
The dragon began to shrink, its golden scaly body and giant horned head slowly disappearing until it was completely gone and only a dark-haired female stood in its place. “Hey, Ginny!” Sybil Lennox called as she slipped on the dress she had been carrying in her dragon’s claws.
“What’s up, Sybil?” she greeted back. “Long time no see.”
Though Sybil Lennox was a few years younger than her, they’d known each other through their parents. Hank Lennox and Geraldine Russel had run in the same social and business circles, coming from two of the wealthiest and most influential shifter families in Colorado. Ginny recalled being invited to their castle for many birthday parties in her youth, and Sybil’s older brothers Jason and Matthew had been in the same year as her brother Gabriel at Lucas Lennox High.
And now, apparently, she had married some king of a faraway land and ruled alongside him as queen. “Should I curtsy or bow, Your Majesty?”
Sybil approached, her silvery eyes rolling. “Ugh, no please. No formalities, at least not when we’re alone. It’s so nice to see you after all this time, Ginny! But I have to admit, I was surprised when Christina told me who she was sending to help us. I didn’t even know you were part of The Agency.”
“I’m the one they call on when they need someone to sniff out secrets,” she said with a wink.
During that fateful trip back two-and-a-half years ago, an anti-shifter organization had planted bombs in what she considered her home town—Blackstone. When she heard about the trouble, she volunteered to help sweep for bombs. It was a dangerous task, but during the entire time, there was an excitement and thrill she hadn’t felt in years.
The town had been saved, and in the aftermath, she discovered the existence of The Shifter Protection Agency or simply, The Agency, run by Sybil’s brother Jason Lennox and his wife, Christina. They had been so impressed with her investigation skills that they brought her in as one of their recruits, and after a solid year of training, started sending her out on missions.
Now when she traveled, she actually had a purpose. Though she’d done a variety of jobs for The Agency, undercover work seemed suited to her. Being pretty and petite helped, as few people suspected she had anything to hide, and putting on the dumb blonde act had gotten her out of more than a few scrapes. But she completed every mission assigned to her, and nothing satisfied her more than bringing justice to the helpless and oppressed of her kind.
When it came to jobs, she was relentless and never stopped until she finished her mission, then she moved onto the next. Her missions kept her grounded and in the present. Stopped her from dwelling on the past.
“Did Christina tell you why we need help?” Sybil asked.
“Yes, she briefed me on the situation,” she replied, grateful for the distraction. “You and your husband were attacked, and you suspect someone on the inside had something to do with it.”
“Yes.” Sybil’s nostrils flared, and her eyes glowed briefly with the anger of her dragon. “We can give you more details when we get to the palace.”
“Sure. When do we leave?”
Sybil chuckled. “Now.”
“Now?” Ginny glanced around. “But how … oh.” Oh fuck. Her stomach flipped like a pancake. They were flying to the palace—via Dragon Airlines, apparently.
“Are you all right?” Sybil cocked her head to the side. “You don’t mind, do you? The Northern Isles doesn’t have any commercial flights or ferries, and if we flew you in with the jet, we’d have to explain why you were there. Aleksei thought it would be better if there was no record of your arrival since we still don’t know who our mole is.”
Ginny swallowed hard. “That makes sense. And no, it’s no problem at all. I don’t mind flying.” No, flying wasn’t the problem, after all. It was what was ahead, or rather, what they would be flying over.
The frigid, icy water stretching between them and their destination.
Her lioness backed away, snarling in displeasure, and Ginny couldn’t even find the words to calm it down.
“Are you sure you’re fine, Ginny? You look a little pale. I promise it’s not a long flight. Just thirty minutes until we’re over the main island.”
“I’m sure,” she said flatly, then turned on her heel to walk over to the rock where she had placed her backpack. “Ready when you are.” Yet, the sweat beading on her forehead told her she’d never be ready. As long as we fly high, I’ll be fine.
“Great. I’ll grab onto you. I promise I won’t let go.”
“Thanks, I’m sure it’ll be okay.” It was her that was the problem, after all. With a deep breath, she secured her backpack to her body. Sure enough, when she turned around, Sybil was gone, and the dragon stood by the edge of the cliff. “Here goes nothing,” she murmured under her breath.
Her lioness was calmer as they approached the dragon, perhaps sensing they were in no danger of being devoured by this particular
She held her breath as her heart and stomach suddenly felt like they were trying to switch places as the dragon soared higher and then dipped down. Her eyes shut tight as terror seeped into her veins. Thankfully, Sybil’s dragon quickly found the perfect cruising altitude, and they moved forward at a steadier pace. Instead of thinking of what was below, she concentrated on the fact that she was flying.
Cracking one eye open, she turned her head and looked up. The sky was a perfect blue, and the puffy white clouds were so close she could probably hold her arms out and touch them. It was like being in a plane, but so much better. The wind rushed around her, reminding her of skydiving in New Zealand, except she wasn’t falling. It was exhilarating, and in this moment, she could forget all her troubles.
After what seemed like an eternity, they dipped low and began their descent. She plastered her body tighter against the dragon’s chest, holding her breath until she heard a loud thump and felt the jolt as the massive creature landed.
Her feet touched the ground, and the dragon’s grip loosened. The fact that she could stand up straight without falling over was a miracle, as her knees were like jelly. But at least they were finally on solid ground, and she didn’t even see the ocean as they flew. However, the thought that they were surrounded by the sea set her on edge.
When Christina had told her about this assignment, she’d been eager for the challenge. Even after working nonstop for half a year now, she had no plans of slowing down, not when her work was the only thing keeping her distracted.
Heck, she had even been looking forward to visiting a new country. But that was before her research told her she would be living on an archipelago. The name Northern Isles should have given her a clue.
“Gosh, I really needed that.” Sybil, now fully transformed and dressed, exclaimed. “I don’t get to do much flying these days with my duties, plus Aleksei’s being overprotective with me being pregnant and all.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize,” Ginny said. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Now, c’mon, let’s head inside.” They had landed on a huge balcony, and Sybil led her through the double doors that led into what Ginny assumed was Helgeskar Palace.
“I’m back,” Sybil announced. “And I brought our guest.” Stepping aside, she let Ginny in.
Now or never. Ginny put on her most confident air, hopefully to mask the maelstrom of emotions inside her. “Woo-hoo, that was fun!” she blustered. “Reminds me of skydiving, with less falling. Thanks for the ride, Sybil. We should do it again sometime.”
“Sure,” Sybil chuckled.
“Are you all right? No trouble during your trip?” A tall, handsome man with dark blond hair strode forward, making his way toward Sybil. While he looked harmless in his formal suit, Ginny’s lioness cowed back, as it could tell he was the biggest and most dominant creature in the room. So, this was the dragon king. Intimidating was a mild word to describe him.
The king placed a hand on Sybil’s shoulder. “Sit down, lyubimaya moya. You’ve had a long flight.”
“I’m fine, Aleksei, stop fussing,” she said, then glanced behind him. “Poppy, you accepted the job, I hope?”
Across what looked like the living room of a plush apartment was a brawny giant of a man and a small, pretty woman—Poppy—who nodded. “Uh, yes … but if you don’t mind my asking, what is this about?”
“Oh, right.” Sybil gestured to Ginny. “Everyone, this is Ginny. She’s from the Blackstone Shifter Protection Agency.”
“You’re the undercover agent?” the brawny giant asked. He was even bigger than the king, probably seven feet tall, with shoulders like rocks.
Ugh, of course. She should be used to the reaction by now, but it still irked her when people underestimated her because she was female. “Well, I won’t be undercover for much longer if you shout it out like that.” She marched over to him, hands on her hips. “Or do you think that just because I’m a woman, I can’t find your mole? I’ve been doing this for years now, and I’ve never had my cover blown. Not even my family knows about my job.” She could feel this man—dragon shifter—sizing her up, but she wasn’t going to be intimidated.
“Apologies, I did not mean to imply that you were not capable.” He turned to the king. “But, Your Majesty, I do not understand what Poppy has to do with this.”
“Remember how we were trying to find a suitable position for the undercover agent to take without arousing any suspicion? After much discussion, Sybil and I figured it out: She’s going to replace Poppy as Alric’s nanny.”
“It’s perfect, when you think about it,” Queen Sybil said. “Poppy is our current nanny,” the queen explained to Ginny. “With her taking the teaching position, we’ll have reason to train someone new. And that means Ginny will be able to move around the palace and amongst the staff without any suspicion.”
“That makes sense,” Poppy added. “No one really pays any attention to me, unless I’m with the prince.”
“Of course, Poppy will stay to do her duties and pretend to train you,” Queen Sybil added.
“That’s great! Because I don’t know shit about babies,” Ginny chortled. “But don’t worry, I shouldn’t take too long. If you have a traitor in your midst here, then we can’t waste any time. I’ll sniff him out for you, lickety-split.” She gave herself a week to solve this case. Ten days, tops.
“It’s settled then,” the king said. “Rorik, please inform the rest of the guard of Ginny’s presence so they can assist her in any way possible.”
“Or just tell ’em to stay outta my way,” she snorted. “I work better alone.” And it was better that way. Working alone meant she could make decisions on the fly without having to consult a partner.
And if she was alone, no one else could get hurt.
After saying their goodbyes and the couple left the room, the king turned to Ginny. “I hope you are up to the task.”
“I’ll do my best, Your Majesty.”
Sybil clapped her hands together. “Oh, sorry, I was so excited, I didn’t introduce you properly.” She cleared her throat. “Aleksei, this is Ginny Russel. Ginny, this is my husband and mate, His Majesty, King Aleksei of the Northern Isles.”
“Your Majesty.” She bowed her head in deference. “An honor to meet you.” That’s what you said to royalty, right? She’d never met any king or queen in her life—well, not real ones anyway. She was pretty sure that guy with dreadlocks on that beach in Thailand wasn’t really royalty, even though he proclaimed himself king of the Phi Phi islands and invited her back to his palace–hut made of coconut palms.
“Ginny is actually from Blackstone and a friend of the family,” Sybil continued. “You were in Jason and Matthew’s graduating class, weren’t you, Ginny?”
“My younger brother Gabriel was,” she corrected. “I was in the year ahead.”
“Ah, right,” Sybil said.
“Ms. Russel, thank you for coming on such short notice,” King Aleksei said. “If there is anything we can do to assist your investigation, do let us know.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“But first, we must make the necessary preparations to keep your identity a secret.”
“I’ve arranged for your apartments in the staff wing of the palace. It’s not fancy, I’m afraid,” Sybil said.
“I don’t need to stay in a five-star hotel. I’m sure it’s fine. Besides, it’ll help me blend in better.”
“You can use this day to get settled in,” King Aleksei said. “I’ll arrange for you to meet with the rest of the Dragon Guard first thing tomorrow.”
