by Viola Grace
Aeli fidgeted. “Can I help? Please?”
Kreelo nodded. “If sandwiches are fine with you, assemble them to your satisfaction, and I will take care of the dishes.”
Sighing with relief, she assembled a ham and turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato with mayonnaise and a sprinkling of crumbled bacon. She caught Kreelo’s glance, and she slid the first one toward him while working on the next for herself.
“You don’t have to...” He eyed the sandwich longingly.
“There. Mine is made.” She cut hers into quarters and lifted one wedge to her lips. “Thank you for providing a meal.”
He nodded. “You are welcome, Miss Warrok.”
“Please, call me Aeli, or Aelemilial, but usually only my father calls me that.”
“Aeli then. Please call me Nole, or Nolesander if you prefer, but only my grandmother uses the entire name.” He inclined his head.
She blinked. “I had forgotten that Kreelo is your last name, not your first.”
“Well, we have just cut through a number of formalities today.” Nole smiled.
“Yes, in the weirdest way.” She ate her first wedge of sandwich and then worked on the next. Nole finished his sandwich in a few bites, and while she had one of her pieces wedged in her mouth, she made him a second.
“That looks bizarre, but you are good at it.” He was watching her work while she ate.
She took her bite and then set down the rest on her plate. “A lot of the herbs that I work with aren’t good to ingest, so I just got into the habit of holding my food out of the way if it was portable.”
She slid his second sandwich over to him.
She ate her sandwich and started to put the food away.
He mumbled, “Leave it. I will do it.”
She smiled. “I have time. You are still eating.”
The food was put back where she had seen it removed from the cooler. He scooped up the dishes and started washing while she was settling things and tidying up the crumbs that had escaped the plates.
“You were not kidding about the gadgets.”
He laughed. “No, I wasn’t. We are followers of the latest techniques and equipment. Do you ever use your magic for chores?”
“Oh, lord, no. That takes too much effort. It would take me longer to draw the glyphs for a complex task than it would to just wash the damned dishes.”
“Fair enough. Does it take a lot of energy?”
She was going to answer him when there was a knock at the door, wherever the door was.
Nole nodded and wiped his hands dry before he left the kitchen and went to answer it.
Aeli was left staring after him and wondering when he had decided that she was the one he wanted when dragons were supposed to lock themselves to other dragons. Until today, she had just been a mage’s daughter. Most importantly... when had the courtship started and why the hell hadn’t she noticed?
Chapter Six
Aeli’s first impression of the curator was that she had tremendous power. Her second impression of the woman was that the curator hated being outside of the city.
Aeli had addressed enough master mages to act appropriately. She walked over to the woman and bowed deeply from the waist. “Thank you for coming to help me.”
The curator made a tsk sound. “It is no trouble, child, but look at me and let me see what we are dealing with.”
Aeli stood with her arms at her sides and her head high. She was an inch taller than the curator, but she felt like a toddler.
The woman looked her over and smiled. “Well, you are an earth dragon, but let’s just see what kind. Give me your hands.”
Aeli extended her hands, and they were gripped tightly. She felt the power of the other woman move over her. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, it was the tumbling of smooth pebbles across her skin.
“Ah, plants and earth are your particular skills. I do believe that you are descended from one of my cousins, in fact. I will look into it after we see to your transformation.”
Aeli blinked. “Will I have to fly?”
“Oh, no, dear. You will not have to fly. Your wings are strictly a matter of form. If you are what I am reading that you are, you can move through the earth.”
There was a choked noise from the hall. Aeli looked to see a shocked expression on Kreelo’s face. “An earth dragon?”
The curator murmured, “With the rise of the diamond, the exotics will become more and more frequent.”
“Will she be bronze or silver?”
The woman shook her head. “Nothing like that. Now if you would join me in the gardens, we will see to your transformation, and I will attempt to get you some information on the history of your dragon type.”
Aeli took in a deep breath. “Just tell me what I need to do.”
The curator took her arm and walked her outside. “First, pet, you are going to have to get naked. Your clothing isn’t going to survive your shift.”
Aeli looked back at Nole, but he wasn’t there.
“I believe he has decided to err on the side of modesty.”
Aeli swallowed and looked at the other woman. “Just get naked?”
“The rest will follow quickly. If it helps, once you are naked, you can crouch. I seem to recall it assisting me during my first shift.”
They were now over fifty feet from the house, and the curator stopped. “Here is acceptable.”
Aeli let the mage candidate robes slide from her shoulders before folding them. She undid her blouse, unbuckled her belt, and worked her way down to her chemise, corset, and boots. She hesitated for a minute before undoing her corset and then her boots. Her chemise was whipped off and over her head before Aeli quickly folded it.
The air chilled the skin that had been pressed against the fabric, and she shivered.
The curator made sure she was naked, and then, she said, “All right. Open your mind to the world around you, feel the grass, the wind, and the nearby water. Listen to it and let it pull you.”
Following earlier directions, Aeli crouched and touched the grass with her fingers. There was something else in the world around them. There was magic.
Aeli opened herself up to the magic as well as the wind and soil, and she felt something wake inside her.
“That’s it. Welcome to the world, sister. Wake and walk the soil that birthed you.”
Whatever was rising inside, Aeli didn’t wait for a second invitation. Magic worked with the dragon to create a body sculpted of rich wood and vibrant flowers.
Aeli looked around her with eyes that saw via an entirely new spectrum. The curator was vivid green with hot swirls of purple and blue.
A noise from near the house made her turn her head in time to see the glorious gold and royal blue that was Kreelo taking her picture.
She cocked her head in surprise.
The curator smiled. “He knows you can’t see yourself. You are amazing, by the way. I would not have suspected that you could integrate so many elements with magic. Your body appears to be some kind of dense hardwood, the spines down your back are a pine variant, there are flowers around your ears and neck, and your wings are layers of leaves. How do you feel?”
Aeli took a few steps, extended her neck, and exhaled. Glyphs appeared, and she heard her voice say, “I feel fine, thank you, Curator.”
She laughed, and small balls of magic emerged, floated free, and then burst in bright sparks.
“Excellent, then, we are done for now. I want you to take all that energy and let it simply drift away from you. It will return the next time you call it.”
The soothing tones were necessary as Aeli tried to remember her original body. She took in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly with the magic that she was composed of.
Looking at the world as she got smaller, she was still surprised when Nole walked up to her and threw a cloak over her still wooden shoulders. When she was crouching on the ground, she was covered in black fabric that smelled like Nole.
She stoo
d up on shaking legs, but the curator nodded. “Excellent first shift. Now rest, eat, and then practice again tomorrow.”
“We don’t have time for me to get the hang of this. So, what am I?”
The curator tilted her head. “I would classify you as a magic arboreal dragon, but the labs at the capitol will have to figure that out for certain. Are you amenable to bloodwork?”
Aeli nodded. “Sure. How long does it take?”
“Probably a week.”
Nole cleared his throat. “We don’t have a week. The mages are building strength, and we don’t want them to create an incident that would preclude mages being allowed in the country.”
The curator inclined her head. “Fine, I brought a kit with me. Provide the samples, and I will get the examinations underway. I will get the tests run as quickly as I can.”
“What do you need from me?”
“Gather your clothing and meet me inside. I will have the kit ready for blood, hair, and saliva samples.”
Nole cocked his head. “That is not usual for the guild.”
“This isn’t a guild test. I am going to have the lab at the museum run diagnostics on it.”
Nole looked surprised. “You can do that?”
“Not every dragon wants to register with the guild, Councillor Kreelo. There are many who enjoy a nice and normal life, out of the public eye.” The curator smiled tightly.
Aeli smiled. “There are?”
“Oh, yes. None the same type as you. Your mix of magic and arboreal dragon is quite stunning. And extremely large.”
Aeli nodded and began looking for her clothing. The pile appeared flatter than it had been. “Did I step on this?”
Nole helped her gather her garments. “Your tail landed on them. I have never seen a dragon like you, by the way. I thought the few arboreal dragons lived far north of here.”
The curator called out. “Time is wasting. I need to be going.”
Aeli held her clothing to her and pinned the cloak together with two fingers. She walked with Nole back to the kitchen where the curator waited with a small tool kit that was open to expose a collection of vials.
Aeli stepped forward and slid her arm out of the cloak. The curator nodded and quickly disinfected the area before using a syringe to withdraw a vial of blood. The swab was just as quick, and then, two hairs were yanked from the coloured part of her hair.
Aeli looked over at Nole. “Where I can get dressed again?”
He smiled and gestured to one of the entrances to the hall. “Third door on the right.”
She nodded and pattered off with her feet slapping on the tile. The hard floor of the kitchen yielded to the soft and polished wood of the hallway. In the guestroom, behind the closed door, she worked on getting dressed. It was always easier to take clothing off than to put on items that had already been worn.
When she checked her reflection in the full mirror, she was satisfied that her dirty and rumpled clothes were in place. She folded the cloak over her arm and returned to the kitchen.
Nole was still speaking to the curator.
The woman was stern. “She is going to need a change of clothes before she is presented to the council.”
Aeli was going to add to the conversation, but a searing pain ran through her mind. She dropped to the ground with her head clenched in her hands. Someone was trying to get through the ward.
Only a heartbeat passed before Nole was at her side. “What is it?”
“Someone is exceedingly angry and is trying to get in to share it.”
The curator nodded. “I will be on my way.”
Nole glanced at her. “Can’t you help us?”
“This is not my fight. I am bound from interfering with my own beast. I will leave here, and once on the other side of the ward, I will attempt to distract the offending dragon. It is all that I am able to manage.”
Nole nodded. “Thank you. It will give us a chance to decide on a course of action.”
Aeli staggered to her feet. “He has gone for now, but there are pressure waves. There are four of them testing different points.”
The curator took her kit and tucked it under her arm. “Just let your dragon deal with them, pet. She will know what to do.”
Aeli nodded. “Thank you for your help.”
“Thank me when this is over. For now, I have given you another being to manage. Listen to her advice and believe her when she says she can take action.”
Aeli smiled. “I will.”
“Good. Be well. I will call when I have any news but not for several hours. Be patient.”
She smiled one last time and left the house.
Aeli looked to Nole. “Does your dragon give you advice?”
“No, he just likes to go fast.”
“Ah. Do you mind if I go out to the garden and try to get in touch with her again?”
“If that is where she speaks to you, by all means.”
Aeli kept her mind on the dragons circling above her shielding but her focus on the dragon in her mind. She walked into the gardens and tried to get in touch with the power inside.
It was odd, but now that she was concentrating on her own thoughts, it was obvious that something was helping her.
Um, hello? It seemed appropriate to be polite.
Yes?
You have always been there, haven’t you?
I have, and I am delighted that you studied magic. It will make our work much easier.
Aeli paused. I assumed that my magic came from you.
No, it stems from your bloodline, more respected and ancient than most around here can boast.
Finally, she asked the question. What are we?
We are something dragon and something not, and our creation was started hundreds of years ago. We were not born of a woman; we were birthed by a tree.
What?!
You could not have failed to hear me. You are not dragon born; you were not technically born in the bipedal sense.
She worked out the implications. So my father screwed a tree?
No, don’t be stupid, your father mated with a dryad maiden. She had you in their way. It takes longer so that you may absorb the magic of the world around you.
Holy smokes. Rekker City was at the conjunction point of ley lines. That would have been a lot of power to soak in. She was going to ask her father for the particulars.
So, we don’t fly. Her statement was precise.
Who says we don’t? We don’t do it often, we need a special shape for it, but we can fly.
How do we travel, usually?
Via the earth. You simply walk into it and think about your destination. The earth recognizes us and moves us through it. It is an efficient way to travel. Now, when can we have our mate?
Our what?
The golden one who looks at us with his soul in his eyes. When can we claim him as our own?
Aeli looked back toward the house where Nole was waiting. Probably we can work on that after we undo what I did.
Very well. I am looking forward to a mate of my own.
Aeli felt a little nervous about the determination in the voice in her mind. She didn’t continue the conversation; they had said what needed to be said.
Her dragon whispered, I will be here if we need to defend ourselves.
Aeli appreciated the sentiment. Thank you.
I will also take control when we need to return to your city. You are not ready for that type of transport yet.
I will say you are correct there. Can you at least give me an idea of how it happens?
Images filled her mind of merging with the soil and grasses and moving through the vast connection of particles.
Aeli fell to her knees and threw up.
Chapter Seven
Aeli was sitting in the kitchen with a cold compress on the back of her neck. She had apologized six times already.
Nole sat across from her. “What happened?”
“She explained how we travel. It is terrifying.” Aeli s
huddered.
“Don’t you simply walk or run?”
She looked at him, seeing the genuine curiosity in his features. “No, we don’t. That is for short distances only. To get back to Rekker City, I will be moving through the earth itself, on a molecular level, and on the other side, we will use the local earth to put me back together.”
Nole’s expression froze. “You can’t do that.”
“Oh, I can do that. She showed me how in great detail.” She shivered. “She also promised that she would take over when that time kicked in.”
“It is too dangerous.”
She felt herself sit up straight and look at him with a perplexed expression. Weirdly, her voice was not her own. “It is the way my kind have travelled since the dragons walked the earth. We have always moved beneath it, untouched by weather, fire, or flood. When the soil turned to mud, we moved through the rock. When the rock wouldn’t hold us, we skimmed through the lichen, when that gave way to forest, we walked through the roots of trees. We are unwavering, inexorable, the stuff of life itself, and Aelemilial is one of us.”
Nole shook his head. “That type of travel sounds dangerous.”
The dragon spoke again. “It is not negotiable.” The air around them shook as a boom of power came out of Aeli in waves.
Nole held up his hands. “Understood. I meant no disrespect. It is simply that Aelemilial has had many stressful changes in her life. I also do not want her arriving there alone.”
“Now that we have spoken, she will never be alone again. I will take care of her. I need her to find a mate so that I may continue the line.”
Through her own eyes, she could see Nole’s expression soften. “You need her to find a mate quickly?”
“I do not have seasons as the others do. If I do not take advantage of my time, I will not have children at all, and the world needs more of us. The need for husbandry of the earth is growing.”
“Cannot other earth dragons help?”
“They are not what I am. They are bound to the earth, I am born of it.” Her tone rang in the room, and Aeli decided that that was enough.