***
I woke to Ash kissing me. It was the nicest alarm clock I’d ever had. I smiled lazily and opened my eyes. The sky was starting to brighten with the first pink rays hitting the ground. I shivered. It was colder than it had been when we had fallen asleep and somehow, my blanket had fallen off in the night. I pulled it back over the pair of us and covered our heads. Morning could wait a little while longer.
Eventually, the others woke up and came out of their huts, winking at us still under our blankets on the ground.
“I guess it’s time to get up.” Ash grinned. “Let’s go and collect some wood for the fire. I’m starving, and the quicker we get the fire going, the quicker we get to eat.”
I pulled the blankets off and stretched. He was right. I was hungry, too. Sticks for firewood were easy to find. There were plenty of them on the ground around the village. I stayed alongside Ash but found it difficult to keep up with him. Not because he was working so fast, but because I was still depleted from losing so much blood. I was confident that the bleeding had stopped, although I didn’t want to unwrap the bandages to check. I had thought that a long night’s sleep would make me feel better, but I still felt drowsy. Setting the dragons free had taken more out of me that I cared to admit, and yet there were still so many to go.
Ash saw me struggling. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a little tired, that’s all.”
“Come on. Let’s get back to the fire pit. You’ll feel better after breakfast.”
I hoped he was right.
Alpha was there when we got back and he took the sticks from us gratefully. He started the fire and he and a few of the others made some food. I wanted to ask him if Morganna had decided to come with us, but I didn’t want to anger him.
Ash didn’t have the same worries. “Is Morganna coming back with us?”
Alpha threw some roots into the cauldron. “Yes. You have gotten your way. Morganna is coming with you. We all are. The Wolvren are coming too.
Chapter Twenty
“No,” said Spear firmly. “The Wolvren can’t come. We have enough problems without taking a wolf pack with us. It’s Morganna only.”
Alpha stood, baring his teeth. “How dare you insult us.”
“I didn’t insult you,” replied Spear. “I merely said that we don’t need your help. We have to go in quietly, and I don’t think adding any more people will be of use to us.”
“You called us a pack of wolves. We are so much more than that and you know it. You are shifters just like us, so please don’t think you are superior.”
I watched the exchange between the two men. Both had so much anger within them. Sensing a fight and the possible loss of Morganna to our cause, I stood and made my way over to them, positioning myself between the huge men.
“Spear, there is no way we are going to be able to go in quietly. The Slayers are already waiting for us to attack. The time for stealth is over. However much I don’t want to use force against my own people, I think we all have to be realistic, knowing that they will be using force against us. Having the Wolvren as back-up can only help”—I turned to Alpha— “as long as you realize that brute force is our last option. I wanted Morganna to come so she can speak to the Slayers and make them see sense. The Slayers have no real knowledge or fear of the Wolvren, so it shouldn’t be a problem for you to come along. I know you want to keep Morganna safe. So, do I. I want to keep everyone safe.”
Alpha growled but backed down. Spear gave me a filthy look which I ignored. He liked being in charge and he wasn’t taking kindly to being told what to do by me. Still, it made sense for the Wolvren to come. Between the dragons and the wolves, we rivaled the numbers of people in Dronias if you didn’t count the small children there. Maybe if they saw all of us, they would think twice before attacking again.
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about the next part of our plan,” said Ash, still sitting by the fire. I resumed my place next to him. “We need to find a time when they are all together. It will be easier to talk to them that way, rather than scaring them by trying to round them up.”
“Fantastic idea, Ash,” replied Morganna. I noticed she had sat close to Alpha and was holding his hand. I wasn’t sure if it was mere affection or if she was doing it to hold him back. He still seemed pretty put out by Spear’s words. She turned to me. “Do the Slayers still have town meetings?”
“Yes,” I replied, suddenly feeling excited. “Everyone gathers in the village green in the summer. In the winter or in bad weather, they use the town hall. The next one is...” I calculated the days. “Tomorrow evening at six.”
“That doesn’t give us much time,” concluded Morganna. “We can either set off now and hope to make it in time, or we can put it off a week.”
“I don’t want to put it off any longer,” I said. It’s been going on long enough. It has to stop now.”
Morganna nodded. “I agree. So we set off today. We need to make a plan and pack supplies. It’s a long walk. Alpha, can you get your best men and have them pack supplies for our journey. We’ll need provisions for the way back, too, as I’m not planning to stay very long.”
Alpha nodded and gathered up the Wolvren.
“We need to let the rest of the dragons know,” said Spear. “There are only a few of us here, but there are more that are willing to fight in Frokontas.”
I thought about his plan. “I think you are right. Can you and the others fly on ahead to prep the other dragons? Ash and I will follow behind with the Wolvren and Morganna. We can meet at six o’clock outside Dronias’ town lines. By the time we go in, the town meeting will be already underway. I know I said that we will need force and that might be the case, but if there is any way Morganna can make the Slayers see sense, I’d like to keep the force down to a minimum. These are still my friends and family.”
“We know, sweetheart.” Morganna came over and wrapped her arm around me.
“Fine,” butted in Spear. “We’ll head off now if you are sure you are happy being left with the wolves.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine. Thank you for helping me find Morganna. Having her on our side will make all the difference.”
“No problem. We will see you tomorrow night.” He gathered up the other dragons. I watched as they took their things behind some bushes to undress and transform. Ash stood.
“I should go help them attach their bags.” He followed them behind the bushes just as the sickening sound of their bones crunching let me know they were changing. A few minutes later and they flew up into the air and back to the place they called home.
Ash came back. It felt so serene and quiet without either the dragons or the Wolvren. I’d have been happier if it was just the three of us going back, but we would be overpowered as soon as we set foot in the village. Ash wouldn’t have stood a chance, and though I’d like to think that my old friends would let me live, I wasn’t so sure anymore. I sighed heavily.
“What’s the matter?” asked Morganna warmly.
“I just don’t understand how all this has happened. It wasn’t long ago I was just a normal girl with my whole life mapped out ahead of me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life and now...” I trailed off.
“You were planning to be a murderer,” Ash reminded me. “Things have changed so drastically because, for the first time in hundreds of years, someone has taken the time to get to know the dragons and has stood up for what is right. You should be proud of yourself.”
I knew he was right, but deep down I felt like things might have been simpler if I’d just left well enough alone. The dragons could look after themselves without me. “I should have just left things the way they were. You are all big enough to fight without my help.”
“There are a hundred dragons without souls locked in a compound in the forest. If what you said was true, that wouldn’t be the case. It’s because of you that we have saved the ones we have, and it’s because of you, we are able to fight for the rest.”
“He’s right, you know,” said Morganna. “I didn’t think anyone would be able to talk me into going back to Dronias, but you did. You really are a remarkable girl.”
I smiled weakly at the pair of them. It was kind of sweet that they were both trying to make me feel better, but it wasn’t getting us any closer to freeing the dragons. “Thanks, guys. Sorry for being so down. We need to come up with a plan because if we let Spear and Alpha charge in, there will be chaos.”
Morganna smirked. “Yes, you are probably right. What do you have in mind?”
“Well, we’ve told the dragons six o’clock. The Wolvren think the same. Why don’t we go into the village earlier, just you and me, and talk to the leaders?”
“Not a chance!” said Ash immediately. “I’m not going to let you go in alone.”
“I won’t be alone. Morganna will be with me. If they won’t listen to me, they’ll listen to her.”
“They know you are with the dragons. They’ll attack you on sight.”
I sighed. “Some of them, yes, but I was thinking we should go and see Xander.”
Morganna’s eyes widened like saucers. “Xander? Why?”
“Because he will listen to you. Because he’s one of the elders, and if he has any feelings left for you, he’ll hear what you have to say.”
“I can’t go back to him. His wife...his children...”
“I’m not asking you to start up your affair again. I think it’s best we keep that to ourselves. But if you can make him see sense before the meeting, maybe we’ll have a chance to stop the violence before it starts.”
Morganna was silent for a minute. I could see I’d touched a nerve with her. “Xander was my soulmate,” she whispered, looking around to make sure Alpha wasn’t within hearing range. When she was satisfied he wasn’t, she continued. “I knew we shouldn’t have been doing what we were doing. I knew he had children and I hated myself the whole time, but it was so difficult to stop.”
“It was a long time ago,” I said, not wanting to get into a conversation with her about her past infidelity.
“It was, but it’s still raw for me. I was going to break it off before your father even found out, but the thought of it nearly killed me. Your father gave me the push I needed to leave.”
“This isn’t about you,” I replied, feeling a little annoyed. While I could sympathize with her about her lost love, the lives of the dragons and the Slayers were more important. “This is about doing what is right and saving lives. You only have to talk to him for a few minutes. I’ll be with you the whole time.”
She sighed heavily. I could see her struggling with this. Whatever had happened with herself and Xander had clearly made a huge impact. “Of course.” She smiled now, but it was a resigned smile. “You are right. It would do me no good to try to talk to your father. Just let me talk to him alone.”
“You aren’t going to try to start anything up again, are you?” I asked, my voice heavy with suspicion.
She laughed lightly, but with no humor. “No, but there are some things I’d like to say to him while I have the chance. I’d like to tell him the real reason I left and I’d like to wish him well, that’s all!” she added when she saw the skepticism on my face.
“Fine, but you can’t be long. We have to join the others at the meeting. Maybe you can think about what you want to say on the journey back.”
“I already know.”
“We’re packed,” said Alpha, joining us. “We’ve got supplies to last us for four days. If all goes well, we won’t need it all. Here are your bags.” He threw Ash’s and my bags at our feet.
“Can you use magic to travel with us?” I asked Morganna.
“No. I don’t have enough to transport us all. We’ll have to go by foot if you can show us the way.”
“I guess there is no time like the present,” I replied, standing. Ash got to his feet and ran around the same bush the other dragons had transformed behind earlier. He emerged in his dragon form with his clothes between his teeth. I carefully extracted them and placed them in his bag. Then, after slinging it over my shoulder along with mine, I jumped onto his back.
I’d never been more ready to fly away. I missed the sensation of soaring through the sky. Ash took off and hovered, waiting for the Wolvren to collect themselves. We flew slowly over the thick forest, occasionally dipping below the tree line when it became thick, to see if the Wolvren and Morganna were keeping up. We had to fly painstakingly slow, but it wasn’t long until we were out of the forest entirely. Ash flew in circles, waiting for them to emerge from the canopy of trees, and when they did, he landed so I could speak with Morganna.
“We will fly on ahead for a while and set up a camp. If you continue due south and look out for our campfire smoke, you’ll be able to find us.”
Morganna nodded and we took off again. This time at breakneck speed. Ash swooped while I laughed, enjoying every second of our freedom. This was what I loved more than anything in the world. When the sky began to darken, we landed and built a fire. In a couple of hours, the Wolvren would catch us up, but until then I had Ash all to myself.
Chapter Twenty-One
“This is what we are fighting for,” I whispered as Ash put another log on the fire.
“For flames?” Ash asked playfully. “Because I’ve got plenty of those.”
“No, for this!” I waved my hand.
“For what?” he asked, confused.
“For freedom, for a chance to be together without it being a problem.”
“It doesn’t matter how much of a problem being with you is to anyone else. I won’t leave you, no matter what other people think.”
My heart lifted and I snuggled closer to him. “I know, but there will be others like us. People from the village who fall in love with someone who isn’t a Slayer. Look at Morganna. She’s with a wolf. We need to change the attitudes of the people there, not just for us, but for future generations. I don’t want my children growing up in a town full of prejudice. I want to live in a community of tolerance and acceptance.”
“So, we are having children now?” Ash teased, making me grin. “Seriously though, do you really think it’s possible?”
“I don’t know. People are set in their ways, but that’s what we are going to try to do. They can’t change if they don’t know the truth.”
Ash didn’t answer. He put his arm around me and we sat like that, keeping warm by the fire until the Wolvren caught up with us. They set up tents and one by one, we all fell asleep.
The next morning it was decided that we all walk to Dronias together. There was no point in Ash flying if we would only have to wait for hours on the outskirts. The journey was long and it made me realize how easy I’d had it flying upon Ash’s back.
Eventually, I recognized the pathway on the very edge of the village. We were close enough to see the houses, tiny in the distance, but far enough away that no one spotted us.
“We should set up a camp here. It’s not time to go for another couple of hours. We told the dragons six.” Morganna began the arduous task of unpacking the tents again.
“I hadn’t wanted to camp,” replied Alpha, “but my men are exhausted. We’ll do what we have to do and set off home tomorrow morning.”
He took the tent from her and unfolded it. While he was busy in his task, Morganna and I took it as our cue to leave. We needed to get away from the Wolvren while they were all busy. With any luck, Ash would be able to stall them once they saw that we were gone.
I gave Ash a quick kiss and took off down the dusty road with Morganna by my side.
“Do you know what you are going to say?” I asked her once we were safely out of earshot.
“Not a clue.” She kept her eyes on the road ahead, not blinking, but I could sense her nerves underneath her cool exterior. I knew it wasn’t the fear of death or fighting that scared her, but the thought of seeing the man who she had once considered her soulmate.
Unlike Morganna, who was s
ilent for much of the walk into town, my head was filled with imagined conversations and plans. I wasn’t sure how any of this was going to go, but I was aiming for it to be peaceful. I couldn’t stand the thought of any more bloodshed on either side. All the scenarios played over and over again in my head and as the town got nearer, my sense of fear increased.
“Xander lives on the edge of town,” I said, pointing to a quaint cottage on the border.
“I remember,” was all Morganna said. The house seemed quiet as we walked up the front path. I glanced at the other houses farther down the road and saw no one, although a couple had smoke pouring out of their chimneys, indicating that there was someone in there.
Morganna took a deep breath and knocked solidly on the door. I knew Xander and his family very well. If things went wrong with Morganna, I hoped that my presence would help matters. Then I remembered that my name was mud in town too.
The door opened before I had time to back out. Xander’s eyes widened as he took in Morganna in front of him.
“You’ve got nerve, coming back here,” said a voice from just behind Xander. Louisa, Xander’s wife, came into view, pushing him to the side. She blocked the doorway, hands firmly planted on her hips.
I guess she found out.
“Louisa, I...”
“Don’t ‘Louisa’ me,” Xander’s wife shouted, cutting Morganna off. “I thought you were dead. I can’t say the thought of it upset me. You should go back from wherever you came from.”
“Louisa,” I began. She turned and noticed me for the first time. The scowl she gave me was matched in intensity to the one she gave Morganna.
“So, you brought her back, did you? I can’t say I’m surprised. First, you bring dragons into the village, and now you are bringing this piece of muck.” I had to give her credit. She was a tiny woman, at least two feet shorter than Morganna, and yet she wasn’t scared, even though the pair of us had our swords with us and all she was brandishing was a wooden spoon covered with what looked like cake batter.
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