The Dragon Slayer

By Andy Coltart

'There is always risk, without it no great deeds are done.'

In this second book in the Dragon Warrior series, seven years have passed. Kora and Tristan have settled into Celtic life in their home by the loch. Their first child, Mia is now growing up, and is keen to train as a warrior, like her mother. However, their life is disrupted when, during a visit to the Highlands, Kora discovers the body of a murdered dragon. A search of the mountains reveals signs of a mysterious killer. Will Kora and her daughter be able to stop this assassin before he strikes again? Can they do so alone, or will they need help? Join Kora and her family on their next thrilling adventure - in pursuit of the Dragon Slayer!

• Language: English
• Publisher: NewGenerationPublishing
• Release date: Sep 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781800312371

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Family by the Loch

The autumn sun was shining through the cracks in the large log house, letting its rays scatter throughout the room. In the light Kora could see her husband, Tristan, and her seven-year-old daughter, Nia, lying next to her in the furs. Sitting up she could hear Ignatius and Luna, her two dragons, stirring at the other end of the house.

Nia opened her eyes and gazed up at her mother sitting in the rays of sunlight. Kora looked like an angel with her flowing brown hair.

‘Hello, my beautiful girl,’ said Kora, catching her daughter’s eye.

Nia smiled. ‘Morning, Mummy,’ she said.

‘Nia, do you know what day it is today?’ asked Kora.

‘Of course, Mummy, it’s my birthday,’ she replied.

‘Aye, it is, sweetheart. Come on, let’s leave Daddy to sleep and go to the loch,’ said Kora.

They got out from the bed of furs and crept out of the house. Walking hand in hand in their single-piece night garments, they made their way to the edge of the loch. The loch was huge and stretched out for miles in front of them. Once there, they washed their faces in the cool, clear water. It was a great way to start the day, although less so in the dead of winter. As they wiped the excess water from their eyes, they noticed they’d been joined at the water’s edge.

‘Iggy!’ said Kora, turning to hug the front leg of her beloved dragon.

‘Good morning,’ he replied.

‘Luna!’ shouted Nia, jumping up and running to the slightly smaller female dragon.

‘I thought I heard you two stirring,’ said Kora.

‘I was about to say the same,’ said Ignatius. ‘What have you planned for Nia’s birthday?’

‘Angus and Freya are taking care of that in the settlement,’ said Kora. ‘They want us all there this afternoon.’

‘Will Lockie be there?’ asked Nia.

‘Aye, I’m sure she will,’ said Kora.

Soon after Kora had given birth to Nia, her best friend Freya announced she was pregnant. She, like Kora, had a baby girl, called Locklyn. The two girls were about ten months apart in age and were the best of friends.

‘So, we’ve time for a ride in the mountains?’ said Iggy.

‘Always,’ said Kora, smiling at him.

Kora had discovered Iggy’s egg near the Saxon village she grew up in. She was just a girl back then. When the egg hatched Kora was curled up around it sleeping. She woke to find a baby dragon asleep against her tummy. From that day on the two of them had been inseparable. Tristan and Kora had raised Iggy together until she’d had to flee her village. She came of age the day before her fourteenth birthday. Her father had planned to marry her to an elder’s son, but she was in love with Tristan. So, rather than face an unhappy marriage, she left with Iggy, who then became her guardian. She returned, having made friends with the Celts, to save her village from a Viking attack. As a reward, her father granted her permission to choose her husband. She and Tristan had now been married for eight years.

‘Let me get this one dressed and fed, and perhaps she and Luna could join us?’ said Kora. Luna sat nodding at the idea.

‘Of course,’ said Iggy.

Nia and her mother walked back towards the house to see Tristan appear, bleary eyed in the doorway.

‘Good morning, husband,’ said Kora.

‘My Lady,’ he replied.

Kora smiled and kissed him. She’d been given the title the Lady of Argyle by the leader of the clan they were now part of, Lord Argyle. She’d earned this by saving his army and their main settlement from a Viking attack when she was just fifteen years old. However, she was known by his army, and most of the Celts, as the Dragon Warrior.

‘Go and wash that face of yours,’ she said to Tristan, ‘while I get this one dressed.’ She rubbed her hand on Nia’s head as she spoke.

After he’d left the house, Kora and Nia got changed from their night garments into leggings and tunics – not normally clothes worn by girls, but Kora had never been one for traditions. She had dressed Nia in clothes she could wear to fly a dragon. Kora wanted her daughter to be as skilled and confident as she was on the back of a dragon. Nia had grown up around dragons. Luna was only small when Nia was born and they had been raised together.

‘Come on, let’s see what your father is up to and get some breakfast,’ said Kora.

Nia followed her mother back out of the house to see her father returning from his morning wash at the loch.

‘I’ll be with you in a minute,’ he said, wandering into the house to get dressed.

Kora sat by a fire she’d lit, cooking breakfast for her family. Both the dragons had come to lie down near the fire and rest in the warmth of the morning sun. Kora enjoyed this time of day, when everyone was together. Nia was climbing on Luna. The dragon didn’t seem to mind, in fact she was used to it. Ever since Nia could crawl, she’d headed for Luna. The two seemed to share a special bond, similar to the one Kora had with Ignatius.

‘Right,’ said Tristan, lifting Nia off Luna’s back. ‘Come and sit with me and your mum and eat your breakfast.’

‘What are you doing today?’ Kora asked Tristan.

‘Helping Angus with the new houses for the settlement. It’s going to take another year to improve the houses for everyone,’ replied Tristan. ‘What are you planning on doing?’

‘Giving Nia a riding lesson,’ replied Kora.

‘Horse or dragon?’ said Tristan, knowing full well what the answer would be.

‘Dragon, of course,’ said Kora.

‘Daft question, I guess,’ he said.

‘It was a bit,’ she said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

‘So, should I meet you at Angus and Freya’s house later, or call home first?’ asked Tristan.

‘You may as well meet us there,’ said Kora. ‘It’ll give you and Angus a little longer that way.’

‘Very well,’ said Tristan. He got up and hugged Kora and Nia. ‘Happy birthday, little one,’ he said, before setting off through the woods that surrounded their house. Once he’d gone the girls cleared away breakfast before saddling the dragons ready for their riding lesson.

Kora helped her daughter into the saddle and strapped her in. Kora had learnt to ride her dragon when she was fourteen. Back then, she had ridden Ignatius bareback. But since being part of the Celtic community, she’d had saddles made for Iggy and Luna. This made learning to ride much safer for Nia, who was still quite small.

‘Okay, are you ready, sweetheart?’ said Kora as she sat down in her saddle on Iggy.

‘Yes, Mummy,’ said Nia.

‘Right, let’s get going, then,’ said Kora.

They both held on to their dragons’ necks as both Iggy and Luna flapped their wings and took to the air. This was only Nia’s second time flying, so Kora was still quite anxious that her daughter was safe.

‘Relax,’ said Iggy, ‘Luna will look after her.’

‘I am relaxed,’ replied Kora.

‘Yeah, right,’ said her dragon. ‘You’re as relaxed as a deer being hunted in the forest.’

‘Okay, so maybe I’m a little worried about Nia,’ she replied. ‘But what do you expect? I am her mother!’

‘I wouldn’t expect anything else, to be honest. You know how I felt looking after you now,’ said Iggy.

‘Aye, I do and I’ll always be grateful for that,’ said Kora.

When Kora had left her Saxon village, Iggy had protected her. He’d hunted for their food and provided extra for her to sell. With the money, she had been able to buy clothes and eventually a sword. But this was a lifetime ago now. There had been relative peace since the Celts had driven the Viking armies south. Word had spread of the Dragon Warrior and how she’d wiped out every Viking advance. These days, life was at a gentler pace, which, with a young child to raise, suited Kora completely.

‘How are you doing over there?’ she asked her daughter.

‘I’m fine, Mummy,’ came the reply.

‘Okay, let’s head towards the mountains,’ said Kora.

Iggy turned and Luna followed, as they rose up from just above the surface of the loch and soared into the air.

‘Morning there, laddie,’ said Angus, as he greeted Tristan at the door to his home. ‘Come on in.’

‘Morning, Tristan,’ said Freya. ‘How’s wee Nia this morning?’ Excited for her birthday, I hope.’

‘To be honest, I think she was more excited about flying with Luna than anything else this morning. We are all looking forward to spending the afternoon with you both and young Locklyn, though,’ said Tristan.

‘Well, I have a wee surprise for you all later,’ said Freya, sounding excited.

‘I cannae wait to see what it is,’ replied Tristan. Nearly six years living among the Celts had resulted in him picking up the accent and language. He sounded more Celt than Saxon now.

‘Right, we’d better get our tools if we’re going to get any work done today,’ said Angus. The two men set off to start work on a house in the settlement, leaving Freya to prepare for Nia’s birthday celebration.

Coming in to land on the mountainside, Iggy and Luna stretched their wings to glide down gently. Once they’d landed, Kora got down from Iggy’s back and helped Nia down from Luna.

They sat down on the steep grassy slopes looking out across the loch, the eastern woods and the settlement beyond.

‘It’s really pretty here, Mummy,’ said Nia.

‘Aye, it is,’ she replied. Kora could remember a time when the view in front of them had been filled with smoke and fire and the tumult of battle.

After they’d rested a while, Kora and Nia flew the dragons back to their house by the loch. Kora had made Nia a special dress to wear for her birthday at Angus and Freya’s house. Later that afternoon, she helped her daughter get changed before the dragons took them over the woods to the settlement.

When they arrived, they found Tristan, Angus, Freya and Locklyn waiting for them.

‘Happy seventh birthday, Nia,’ said Freya.

‘Thank you, Aunty Freya,’ she replied.

Although Angus and Freya weren’t family, they’d looked after Kora as if she was their daughter. As a result, Kora had encouraged Nia to call them Aunty and Uncle as if they were family.

‘Nia, I have a wee surprise for you,’ said Freya.

‘Oh, what is it?’ asked Nia.

‘Close your eyes and I’ll fetch it,’ she said. ‘Oh, Kora and Tristan, you need to close your eyes too.’

The three of them stood with their eyes shut, waiting to be told when they could open them. They could hear mumbling and the shuffling of feet.

‘Okay,’ said Freya, ‘open your eyes.’

As they opened their eyes they couldn’t quite believe the sight before them. Standing there, as large as life, were Kora’s parents and Tristan’s mother. Alongside them was Lord Argyle.

‘Mum, Dad! What are you doing here?’ said Kora, in disbelief. She ran and hugged her mum.

‘Lord Argyle arranged to bring us here, for Nia’s birthday. We’ve wanted to meet our granddaughter and see where you live for so long,’ replied her mum.

After they’d hugged and said hello, Kora and Tristan introduced Nia to her three grandparents. Tristan’s father had been killed in a Viking raid when he and Kora were sixteen.

‘Lord Argyle, thank you for arranging this,’ said Kora.

‘My pleasure,’ he replied.

Everyone had a fantastic afternoon and evening together. Freya had even prepared food for the two dragons. Nia introduced her grandparents to Luna, a dragon none of them had met before. At the end of the day, the three grandparents returned to Kora’s house with Tristan and Nia. They would be staying for several days before Lord Argyle’s soldiers escorted them home.

Chapter 2

Grandparents

‘Can I sleep with grandma?’ asked Nia.

Tristan looked at his mother. ‘That’s fine with me,’ she replied.

‘Okay, as it’s your birthday,’ said Kora. ‘But just for tonight.’

‘Thank you, Mummy,’ said Nia.

‘Don’t thank me, thank your grandma. She’s the one who’ll have to put up with you wriggling around all night!’ said Kora.

‘I don’t wriggle,’ said Nia.

‘Yes, you do!’ said Kora and Tristan together. The moment they’d spoken they started to laugh. Nia didn’t see the funny side, as she stood with a pout on her face.

Everyone found a space to sleep in the one large room. Kora had plenty of furs for her parents, Nia and Tristan’s mum and her and Tristan to all stay warm. Once everyone was comfortable, they settled down for the night.

‘What’s they noise?’ asked Kora’s father, in the dark.

‘Oh, that’s Luna snoring at the other end of the house,’ replied Kora. Nia giggled at the conversation her mum and grandpa were having.

‘How do you sleep with that?’ asked her father.

‘Oh, I’m used to it,’ said Kora.

‘I guess you would be,’ he said.

‘Good night, Dad,’ she said.

Nia was the first to wake in the morning. She crawled out of the furs she’d been under with grandma. Moments later she was wriggling her way in between her mum and dad, waking them both in the process.

‘Hello, beautiful, how are you this morning?’ said Tristan.

‘I’m fine,’ said Kora and Nia together. They started to laugh.

‘Shhh, you’ll wake the grandparents! Let’s get up and go to the loch,’ whispered Tristan.

The three of them climbed out of the furs and made their way out of the house. It was another clear autumn day. The sun was shining brightly, its rays dancing on the surface of the loch. They watched from the water’s edge as the ripples carried the sunlight to their feet.

‘Look, Mummy,’ said Nia, pointing at a fish swimming nearby.

‘That gives me an idea,’ said Tristan. ‘Shall I take your father fishing today?’

‘That would be good,’ said Kora. ‘It’ll give us girls some time together.’

The three of them washed at the edge of the loch before walking back to the house. Everyone else was beginning to stir now.

‘Luna!’ shouted Nia, as the dragon walked into view. She was followed by the larger one, Ignatius.

‘Morning,’ said Iggy.

‘Morning,’ replied Kora, before kissing him on the nose.

Tristan lit a fire and then he and Nia fetched more wood to keep it burning. Kora and her mother prepared breakfast for everyone.

While they sat eating some warm broth and bread, Tristan suggested going fishing to Kora’s dad, Torr.

‘I’d like that,’ he replied. ‘I’ve never fished in a loch before. Is it very different to river fishing?’

‘Completely,’ said Tristan, ‘but I think you’ll enjoy it.’

‘And what are we going to do, while they’re fishing?’ asked Kora’s mum.

‘We are going on a picnic in the mountains,’ said Kora.

‘The mountains! I don’t think I could walk that far,’ said her mum, looking up at the snow-capped mountains around them.

‘Don’t worry, Mum, we’re not walking,’ said Kora.

‘Then how are we getting there?’ asked her mum.

‘On dragons!’ said Nia enthusiastically.

‘Oh my,’ said Kora’s mum. She’d never ridden a dragon before and the idea scared her somewhat.

‘You’ll be fine, Mum. Trust me,’ said Kora.

After breakfast Tristan and Torr set off along the side of the loch, leaving the girls to sort their picnic food. They walked some distance along the water’s edge before Tristan came to stop.

‘This will do,’ he said. ‘The water deepens quickly near here.’

Taking off his boots and rolling his lower garment up above his knees, Tristan waded into the water holding his spear. Torr did the same. He stood a short distance from his son in law and watched. Tristan was holding his spear, ready to plunge it into the water. He was watching what was happening below the surface, intently. Suddenly, he thrust his spear, and when he lifted it there was a large fish attached.

‘Fantastic,’ said Torr.

‘Thanks,’ replied Tristan. ‘The trick is to keep really still, so the fish don’t realise you’re there. Give it a go.’

Kora’s father copied what Tristan had done and watched the water closely. Suddenly, he plunged his spear, raising it with a fish attached.

‘Nice one,’ said Tristan.

Back at the house, the girls were ready to leave for their picnic.

‘Come on Nana,’ said Nia, talking hold of Kora’s mum’s hand.

Kora and Nia carried the cloth bags with the food they’d prepared. Iggy and Luna were sat by the Loch. When the women reached them, Kora strapped the food to Iggy’s saddle.

‘Okay, Mum, why don’t you ride with me, and Nia can take Grandma,’ said Kora.

The two Grandmothers looked up at the two dragons.

‘I’m really not sure about this,’ said Tristan’s mum.

‘Me neither,’ said Kora’s mum.

‘You’ll both be fine, trust me,’ said Kora.

‘Come