From Human to Dragon to God

by Eric Vall

“Very well,” Cesar murmured as he trotted to the doors.

  We followed the centaur out of the palace and turned right outside the castle. I hadn’t done much exploring of the city yet since we’d been on a mission since we got here, so I was curious about the rest of Lumin.

  The area we entered now seemed to be like a downtown section with little shops and a market for trading. Most of the shops were closed, though I wasn’t sure if it was because of the time or fear of being kidnapped. We passed a blacksmith’s shop, a few fruit and vegetable stands, and a clothing repair shop. I’d only seen the queen and her children regularly wear clothes so far, but maybe the other centaurs wore clothes out of the city. Since they could shapeshift into a human form, it made sense for them to at least have a few clothes.

  Then we continued past the business section to some farmland, and I was surprised to see livestock, though obviously there were no horses. There were cattle, chickens, and pigs penned up in sections surrounded by rows of freshly planted seeds. They obviously weren’t ready to harvest, but I knew they had some sort of fruit and vegetable supplies ready based on our meals so far. Fruit trees sprouted in random spots among the crops, and I stopped to grab what looked like a kiwi from one of the trees close to the road.

  I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I took a bite, and my stomach growled from the taste of the sweet juice. I groaned and chewed the flesh with fervor. The flavor reminded me of cherries, sweet with just a little sour note right before I swallowed. I paused and grabbed a second fruit from the tree before jogging to catch up with the others.

  “Are you a fruit thief now, my lord?” Alyona teased as she wiped some juice from my chin.

  “I won’t tell if you won’t.” I winked at my future bride.

  Alyona giggled and shook her head.

  About halfway through my second fruit, Cesar stopped in front of a tall, white gate. The gate connected to a white fence that spanned an entire block and hid the building behind it from view.

  “We’re here,” the centaur announced.

  The gate opened in front of us, and he gestured for us to walk in.

  “Aren’t you coming?” I asked as I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

  “No, Lord Evan.” Cesar shook his head. “It is not my business what you learn from the history keepers. I’ll see you back at the castle.”

  With that, the centaur turned and headed back to the queen.

  “What an odd duck,” I mumbled.

  “But he’s not a duck,” Laika said as she squinted at me. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Yes,” I laughed. “It’s just a phrase.”

  “Ah,” the wolf-woman breathed and shook her head. “You say the weirdest things.”

  We walked through the gate and followed the dirt trail up to a simple building with stone steps leading to the front door. The temple was made of a pale stone, though it was not elaborately decorated like the castle, and long pieces of grass covered the windows like curtains. A simple wooden door in the center opened slightly as we climbed the steps, and I felt myself tense.

  These guys might be some musty old history keepers, but recent events had put me on edge.

  “Do we just go in?” Aaliyah asked as we stood in front of the partially open door.

  “I think they know we’re here,” Alyona noted.

  “Indeed,” a tiny voice answered from inside the building.

  Then a small centaur appeared in the doorway, and he looked each of us over without a word. He was almost as small as the queen’s oldest son Archer, but he was obviously an old man. His gray hair was pulled back into a braid that passed his human hips and dangled near his white horse legs. His torso was decorated with some tattoos, though the images were much calmer than those on River’s body. From what I could see, the ink depicted books, sunny skies, and various words and phrases.

  “Hello, I’m Lady Alyona--” the princess began to introduce herself.

  “No need for introductions,” the centaur cut in and waved her off. “We know who you are, princess. Though your dragon must wait outside. I can see he is, ah, different from others of his kind, but I’m afraid my brothers do not have the same tolerance that I do.”

  “I’m not trying to steal anyone’s power,” I argued with a frown. “Who do you think you are?”

  “I believe I’m one of a few with the answers you seek, not to mention the one who opens the door,” the centaur replied in a calm tone. “If you want to receive those answers, you will wait here.”

  I growled and narrowed my eyes. I didn’t like this smug old bastard. Not one bit.

  “My love, I won’t be but a few minutes,” Alyona soothed me.

  “And I’ll go with her,” Aaliyah added.

  “As will I,” Laika said and looked pointedly at the gray-haired centaur. “There’s no problem with that, right?”

  “Demi-Humans are perfectly fine,” he agreed.

  Well, at least we could agree on that. And if any of the history keepers tried to hurt one of my women, I’d burn them alive. That is, if Laika or Aaliyah didn’t kick their asses before I got inside.

  “I’ll wait right here,” I grumbled. “If you need anything, I’ll be in there in a flash, just say the word.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Alyona murmured as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

  I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her hair. Then I leaned over and kissed both Aaliyah’s and Laika’s hands.

  “I mean it,” I reminded them.

  My women smiled at me before they followed the graying centaur inside the temple. The door shut behind them with a thud, and I was left to my own devices.

  I took another bite of my fruit and stared at the door.

  I wondered if that Cesar guy knew I wouldn’t be allowed in. He probably hated me, too, so he might have enjoyed my suffering.

  I paced back and forth on the stone patio in front of the door. There weren’t any chairs, but I doubted I would’ve sat in one anyway. I had too much pent-up energy. Then I remembered the windows and their flimsy grass coverings, so I walked over to the one to the right of the door and leaned against the wall next to it with my ear facing the opening. Maybe I could hear some of the conversation.

  Murmurs echoed around from inside, but all I could tell was that the voices belonged to men. No surprise there, as the queen was the only female in the entire city, but I listened harder and used every ounce of my dragon ability.

  “ … the mark of Gamma … ”

  “ … tried any Novum spells … ”

  “ … could work … ”

  I picked up bits and pieces of conversation, but it was no use. The history keepers were determined to keep me out of the loop for now, so I sighed at the setback and resumed my pacing.

  Once Alyona determined which spell would get rid of the link between the skyraptor and its master, we’d have to move fast. I wasn’t sure if the mage would realize the link was broken, so we needed to have a full plan in place before that. If the skyraptor didn’t care about the hostages once he didn’t have a master, we should be able to just free them.

  I thought about the cages and the way they were attached to the rock when an idea formed.

  I’d already decided I could fly up in my dragon body. The skyraptor had likely put the cages up before putting people in them, so we’d just have to work the same way backwards. I’d fly next to the cages, open them to release the hostages, and then deliver the people to solid ground. Ravi could help me open them since she could fly with me. The only problem would be getting the centaurs to trust me long enough to climb onto me for the ride. I hoped River would be willing to help with that part, but he seemed pretty worked up over the idea that Mona thought we were becoming friendly. He was a hard guy to read.

  I was about on my hundredth lap of the porch when the door creaked open, and I snapped my head around to see the three women walk out as they chattered about what they’d learned inside. They were in high spirits, so I relaxed a bit, but I stil
l kept my eye on the white centaur as he followed them to the doorway.

  “Safe and sound,” the history keeper said to me with a smile, and his blue eyes twinkled with amusement.

  “Yeah, thanks,” I muttered before I returned my attention to the women. “So, what did you find out?”

  “Oh, Evan!” Alyona gushed. “Their history keeping is amazing!”

  “They really do just have it all memorized,” Aaliyah added.

  “That whole building, and not a single book,” Laika mused, and even the stoic wolf seemed impressed by the inner workings of the temple.

  “Thank you, Senan,” Alyona called to the old centaur, who waved and shut the door.

  I led the women down the stairs to start walking back to the castle.

  “Alright, besides learning how awesome the history keepers are,” I chuckled, “what else did you discover?”

  “Well, do you remember the Novum spell I used in Tikal?” Alyona asked.

  “Uh, kind of,” I admitted with a shrug. “That’s really your area of expertise.”

  “Well, basically, I can use a smaller Novum spell to purify the skyraptor,” the princess enthused. “Even if it didn’t have the mark, the spell would cleanse it of all magical ties. The only downside is the mage will likely notice he no longer has the connection with the beast.”

  “I thought about that,” I replied. “We just have to make sure we already know what we’re going to do next at that point.”

  “We need to have a full plan in place,” Laika agreed with a nod. “I hate to leave the centaurs there for too long, but we may need to at least wait until the mage makes some kind of move.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” I conceded. “It won’t be easy to get the centaurs on board, but if we don’t know who the master is before we sever the link, then we’ll just be looking for the next creature he takes under his control.”

  “How will we know who the master is?” Alyona asked.

  “If the skyraptor is taking people for him, then it’s probably delivering them to him, too,” I replied with a frown. “So, we need to find out how often the skyraptor takes someone back out of the cage.”

  I summoned a messenger dragon and thought twice before I decided to whisper my message, so the sound of my voice wouldn’t draw the skyraptor’s attention to my undercover spies back in the creature’s cave.

  “Tell Ravi and Nike to ask the prisoners how often someone is taken out of the cages,” I told the little silvery dragon.

  The magical messenger nodded and zoomed out of my hand to the mountains.

  “Once we get that answer, we should know enough to make a plan,” Laika said as her gray wolf ears twitched atop her head.

  “I have most of a plan put together.” I grinned. “I had all that alone time to think.”

  “Oh?” Alyona laughed. “I’m glad you took advantage of it. What did you come up with?”

  “Well, the skyraptor obviously uses that system because he can fly up to the cages,” I started. “And so can I. I’ll fly to the cages in my dragon form, Ravi can unlock them since she can fly with me, and I’ll give them a ride back to the ground.”

  “Brilliant!” Aaliyah commended me before a frown marred her feline face. “But don’t the centaurs hate you?”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “That was the only problem I found, too. If they don’t trust me, they won’t want to hitch a ride on me, especially in my dragon body.”

  “Well, you’ll just have to practice your diplomacy,” Alyona teased, and her violet eyes glittered. “Aren’t you trying to improve that skill, anyway?”

  “Hey, I was very diplomatic today,” I countered with an exaggerated pout. “River and I were friends for at least an hour.”

  “That might be a new record for you,” my future wife giggled.

  “Now, if only I can get on the queen’s good side for a little longer, then maybe the rest of them will trust me,” I mused.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” the princess soothed me. “You always do.”

  “You won my father over,” Aaliyah pointed out. “And that’s no easy feat, since he’s a stubborn old lion.”

  “And you rebuilt an entire city that had no idea who you were,” Laika added. “So, you can definitely get in the good graces of that centaur queen.”

  The women’s words gave me a boost of confidence. I could win over Mona. She wasn’t any different from the other leaders I’d worked with. She may be stubborn and have a history with my species, but I was the future king of Rahma. She’d just have to understand I only wanted the best for all my people.

  So, I continued our walk back to the castle with a renewed sense of purpose.

  We strolled up to the castle doors, and I pushed through. I could hear the queen and River from the dining hall as they argued about the prisoner rescue, but when we entered the room, they cut the conversation short.

  “Well?” Mona demanded as she turned to me and stood with her hands on her hips.

  I was drawn to the way she had her hips cocked to the side. She’d changed back into the golden outfit, and the shiny scales draped perfectly over her hourglass body. Her chestnut hair fell in waves down her sides, and her green eyes caught mine as she noticed my stare. Her cheeks flushed, and then she looked down at the map on the table.

  “Your history keepers are magnificent,” Alyona breathed. “We found the spell to break the tie between the mage and the skyraptor.”

  “So, what are we waiting for?” the queen asked.

  “We’re waiting to see when the skyraptor delivers the hostages to its master,” I explained. “If we sever the spell now, the mage could just use another creature. We have to work our way up the ladder, so to speak.”

  “And leave my people there?” Mona asked with a scowl. “Haven’t they been held captive long enough?”

  “I understand that part is difficult.” I held her gaze as I spoke gently. “I have my people there now, too. They’ll let us know if anything happens, I promise.”

  Before she could respond, a small, fiery bird flew in the window and landed on the table in front of me. Its beak opened, and we all heard Ravi’s whispered message.

  “The prisoners said the skyraptor has been taking one hostage out every night to bring a new one in,” the bird reported. Then a small flame emerged from its feet, and the magical messenger disappeared.

  “See, we won’t have to wait long,” I told the queen. “The beast waits until nightfall, probably to avoid being seen. It’s how he’s lived up there for so long undetected.”

  Mona looked out the window, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head as the sun started to set.

  “Your Highness, we’re here to help,” Alyona offered. “It doesn’t help anyone if we only do part of the job.”

  “Fine,” the queen hissed and crossed her arms over her chest. “We will wait.”

  “Then I’ll be in the room working on spells,” the princess announced. “I need to make sure I use the right one, and I want to prepare a few attack spells for whoever we encounter. It takes a fairly powerful mage to complete a control spell.”

  “Okay.” I wrapped my arm around her waist and kissed her. “I’ll come get you when it’s time.”

  I looked up from my future bride to see the queen watching our kiss intently. Well, that was an interesting turn of events. I just might be able to get her on my side after all.

  “I’ll go with her,” Laika advised.

  I nodded, and the two women left the dining hall.

  “Can we at least eat while we’re waiting?” Aaliyah groaned, and her round ears flattened against her head. “I’m famished.”

  “I haven’t sent out any more hunters since last night’s incident,” the queen murmured. “But there’s food in the kitchen.”

  “I’ll show you,” River suggested, and the centaur led my lioness from the dining hall to the kitchen and left the queen and me all alone.

  “You didn’t
want any food?” Mona asked as she shifted her weight to the other hip.

  I watched the movement without looking away before I answered. “No, I have a different appetite at the moment.”

  “Oh.” The queen blushed again before she studied me carefully. “You are an interesting creature, Lord Evan.”

  “I told you, I’m nothing like the dragons you’re familiar with.” I grinned.

  “By that you mean you aren’t trying to kill us or steal anything?” Mona asked as she raised an eyebrow.

  “Exactly,” I confirmed with a wink. “I’m here to please.”

  The centaur queen blushed for the third time and cleared her throat as she looked back down at the map.

  I walked brazenly close to her and peered at the map over her shoulder.

  “Has something changed here?” I teased and breathed onto her bare skin.

  I watched as goosebumps rose on her shoulder and traveled down her arm.

  “No,” she replied as she rubbed her arm. “I just don’t know what to think of you, Lord Evan. And you’re engaged to the princess.”

  “Don’t think so much,” I whispered into her ear. “I’m an easy-going guy, and she loves when I add to our family, just ask her.”

  Mona leaned back against me and sighed, and I trailed a clawed finger from her shoulder down her exposed back. She shuddered at the touch, so I continued south and dragged my hand over her round ass before I grazed the back of her thigh.

  Then we both heard the clip-clop of River’s return.

  Mona instantly scooted away from me and plopped into a chair at the dining table.

  I sighed at the interruption and pretended to look at the map again as River and Aaliyah walked back into the room.

  If the queen wanted to play this game, I’d play along.

  For a while.

  “Once we get word from your phoenix, I’ll send the Sagittarius Order with you,” Mona announced, and it was like we’d been talking about the rescue operation the whole time.

  “Your Highness, if I may,” River answered before I could. “The Order doesn’t need any more help from the dragon. The princess should be able to cast the spell from here, and then we can take care of our own people.”