Dragon Envy

by Kelly Armenta

  Following my internal ramblings, Immy nodded thoughtfully. “Yes you might wish to keep an eye on him, though just because she won’t shift doesn’t equate to her having no talent.”

  I nodded as I chewed my apple. “Maybe she’ll be a healer like Mom.”

  “Healing does run in your family.” Immy informed me. “Your Grandmother is a twice removed granddaughter of the Healing God Diancecht. And your Grandfather is the great grandson of the Fertility God Bris. The Seelie prayed that their union would bring life back to the Sidhe. And it has, or so it seems. Though I believe they did not anticipate the fruit of a union such as your parents. But the Gods are funny that way. When they deign to pay attention, all sorts of mischief ensues. Which,” She told me, pointing her finger and giving me a serious look, “you would do well to remember.”

  Wide-eyed, I nodded and swallowed the apple lest it choke me. Apparently the Gods were real and liked to meddle. Perhaps it would be more accurate to note, they answered petitions in ways one might not anticipate.

  Chapter 15

  “So I was hoping you might help me with a little project I’ve been working on.” Immy told me in between dainty bites of the luscious looking pear she was munching. “And I’d like to introduce you to some of the others who have been assisting me.”

  Taking a moment to ensure I didn’t aspirate the cheese and cracker I was chewing, I refrained from answering. I couldn’t help wondering just what sort of help could the Keeper of History need from me? And was she really sure she wanted my assistance? After all, I’d already broken my soul box and was still deeply considering a nervous breakdown over my potential breeding program extraordinaire. “What sort of project?” I finally asked, wondering if she was going to get around to explaining her earlier comment about other Queens. I hadn’t forgotten about that, even if Goldy might have. Briefly remembering the thousands of little boxes lining the walls caused my shoulders to tense.

  “We can discuss that later. No need to worry yourself. While there may be a few here, they are more concerned with avoiding others of their own kind.”

  Goldy let out a tense sign and while she didn’t move otherwise, I could tell she was listening intently. She was probably waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop, on our head.

  Immy’s gaze dropped to my middle, as if she was addressing my other half directly. “And none of them are fertile. Not anymore. Not for a very very long time.”

  “How many?” I asked, slightly amused at the rude snorting noise that Goldy made. While Immy’s comment may have eased the tension some, I still wasn’t sure if I had cause for concern.

  Immy smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle and hesitated before finally admitting, “Four. There are four prior Queens that reside here upon Earth. Three of them have been slumbering for hundreds of years. The fourth is awake. However, she lives in a cavern beneath Kilimanjaro’s Kibo Mountain, in Africa. And she hasn’t left her den in dragon form for more than three hundred years. I’m not even certain she remembers how to shift, nor cares to. More importantly, none of the four ever successfully bred on your world. Even before they crossed over…they weren’t shining examples of successful breeding queens.”

  Inside me Goldy seemed to mull that over. She must have agreed with Immy’s assessment as she seemed to settle, the tension draining out of her. Meanwhile I was going to have to reassess my title. After all, it seemed I wasn’t the only queen upon Earth. The thought was a bit disconcerting and having to explain the faux pas was probably going to cause issues.

  “Technically that isn’t so.” Immy assured me. “One can only claim the title of Queen should she be able to bear young. And while the others are in fact gold and former queens, Earth is not their home world and none can increase their race here. Therefore they may not claim the title. If they could return to Seriscai they could take up the title once again, even though they remain unfertile. It would be more a Dowager Queen title. Since you were born here, you are indeed the only Dragon Queen upon Earth. The title was passed to you at birth, by virtue of your nature. At this time on Earth, no others exist which meet the necessary criteria.”

  Oh. Well that was a relief, I think. I was Queen because I was born upon Earth and was fertile. And even if I wasn’t fertile I would still be Queen, at least on Earth. And I would remain the only Queen on Earth until I started having little mini-mes that were also gold.

  “Yes, should your offspring be born on Earth you could no longer claim to be the only Queen. However, while these other former Queens can’t ‘technically’ bear young,” she added with a sly look, “I can tell you that one of them did contribute to you, even though it was unknowingly.”

  Oh, again! Guess I should thank Knight for that?

  “No, actually you can thank me.” She grinned then laughed when my jaw dropped open.

  “Whaaat?” I sputtered, and then shook my head when she lifted her hand and waived a finger at the wall behind her.

  “I didn’t technically interfere.” She told me primly. “I just ensured there was a choice available when the demon was tinkering. It was what kept you from becoming male along with the others. Though had he known that, I believe he would have excluded my secret ingredient. In any event, my assistance was perfectly within the scope of my duties as Keeper. After all, it’s difficult to be a keeper if the race you’re keeping dies off.”

  I thought about it for a moment, then sighed and rubbed at my temple gently. Amras was right, what would someone do if they had knowledge of everyone, everywhere? Obviously too much knowledge was so not a good thing, especially in the wrong hands. “Thank you for helping me not to become Knight’s plaything. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.” Especially after having visited Hell.

  Immy nodded agreement. “And that was just a brief visit and in the upper level.” She added, “You don’t even want to know how bad it gets the farther down you go.”

  I suppressed a shudder and thought maybe we should get back to that assistance she needed. After all, there wasn’t anything I could do about the other ex-Queens and obviously things had worked out with the non-beaker, but definite DNA tinkering that had gone on. Maybe it was time to figure out why I was here to start with?

  “Absolutely.” Immy agreed, giving me a nod then pushing herself back into the cushions gently, so as not to injure a wing. She then crossed her legs and took a moment before continuing, “You are aware that there are many worlds.” Her words more a statement than an actual question. “Worlds which boarder this one, and sort of span out in concentric rings from there?”

  I nodded slowly, thinking about Garret and Jace’s home world and how they had arrived here on Earth via the in between place. I mean I knew there were other worlds. I guess I’d never thought about the architectural design of the universe before and how it might be connected. And it had been intimated that our den might quasi-reside near that space, which accounted for its ability to grow at need.

  “Yes,” Immy agreed, “though we call it the Everlasting which is more of a way of describing it, not just a name for it. Wander around in it too long and without guidance, and you could find yourself popping up across the universe on a world that looks nothing like anything you’ve ever seen or imagined.” She advised.

  Jace had told me that the Dragon’s had changed in the Everlasting. The females had grown dangly parts and begged to be ended rather than go on like that. How had the Keeper’s allowed that to happen and was it safe for me?

  Immy glanced down at her pear which was nearly gone. “You were technically told the truth.” She informed me, “but it wasn’t the entire story.” She got up from the couch and motioned for me to follow. We walked to the wall on the far right and she pointed to several rows of ceiling to floor boxes that contained Ataxite.

  The mineral contained in these boxes was a slate grey color, almost black and looked nothing like my piece or that of my soon to be sisters. Were these then the deceased dragons? But wait, hadn’t she said the Ataxite turned a pale
gray? I walked farther down the wall and noticed all of the boxes were the same, until I moved to the wall to the right and began seeing boxes with light grey Ataxite interspersed with rocks that looked like mine. If only dragons resided in this chamber, and these were the deceased and still living, who did all the boxes on the right wall belong to?

  Immy motioned me back to the couch and we seated ourselves. She glanced down at the pear in her hand and told me, “A true Dragons has no soul.” She informed me while I stared back at her and tried to comprehend what she’d just said.

  “Wait, what?” I demanded, leaning forward and clutching the edge of the couch.

  “Remember when your Drake told you that the Everlasting had changed them?” She asked.

  “Yes I remember.” He’d said something about them learning to shift in the Everlasting. That some never changed back. And that it had caused infertility in all their females, which is why I was wondering if the Everlasting would harm me too.

  “It wasn’t the Everlasting that changed them,” she told me softly, “they did it to themselves. Or I should say, their Queen did it to them and they all followed her example, at least all of the dragons from her Kivaij, which is the word dragons use to describe their family unit. It actually means hatchery. Fortunately their Kivaij wasn’t the only one the Keeper’s evacuated, though it was one of the largest on their world. It was also one of two that Academia was responsible for.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond. I mean what could be worse, having something beyond your change you to the point of extinction or you doing it to yourself? “How does this have anything to do with dragons having no souls?” I asked, totally confused.

  Immy nodded then frowned. “Let me clarify something for you. Dragons have no soul because they weren’t created like man. And when I say man, I include the Fey. Dragons, true dragons came to be, from pure magic. And so dragons are magic. In fact, without dragons all things mystic, including the Everlasting, Immortals and Fey would cease to exist. I would cease to exist. And so would you.” She informed me. “Oh, it wouldn’t happen overnight. Magic tends to saturate its surroundings and can linger for a very very long time. But eventually we would all grow old and fade, leaving mortals to inherit the few worlds they currently inhabit. So you can understand why we Keepers are especially interested in you. I’m not sure you understand just how important you truly are to our survival.”

  Good thing I was sitting down or I might have fallen. Nothing like the fate of every Fey…ever, being in your hands. Or should I say ovaries. I thought with an internal wince.

  Immy chuckled softly. “Lexi, it’s not just your ability to reproduce that is so important, though I would be lying if I didn’t say we are excited to see how your offspring turn out. But even if you never reproduce, you yourself are closer to pure magic then any world has seen in more than six hundred years. Since Dragons evacuated their home world! You are magic, and even more important, you can do magic! Just sitting here with you now, I can actually feel your power seeping into the corners of this very room, and that is because of your unique genetics. You seem to have all the traits of a true dragon without the drawbacks.” She appeared to think for a moment then said, “To me, you are like a honey bee.”

  “And how am I like a honey bee?” I asked, not exactly following that logic. And what drawbacks was I missing I wondered.

  Immy smiled and waved her hand and an image of a field of flowers and honey bees appeared in the air before her. “Consider the honey bee,” she told me, “it is the only creature in nature when left to its own devices does absolutely no harm to anyone or anything. In fact it is completely dedicated to one thing, the survival of its species. Did you know that all worker bees are female and in her life a female will fill many roles from nurse, to guard, to scout, to gatherer? All to ensure the Queen can procreate. And over the course of her life a worker bee will pollinate thousands of fruits, vegetables and flowers, ensuring their survival as well? The nectar and pollen they take, is fed to the young so they may continue the cycle. The Honey Bee is to mortals what Dragons are to the Fey. If the Honey Bee were to die off today, all mortal life would follow within the span of three years. I know this to be true, because I’ve seen it happen on other worlds. Bees feed their young, but they also propagate vegetation which feed all living things. Vegetation creates oxygen, without which life dies. In fact,” she told me, and then waved her hand and the peaceful image of bees flitting from flower to flower disappeared. “It’s where Earth was headed before that fortuitous little mishap half a century ago. Too much industrialization causing pollution, with too little attention paid to nature.”

  I tilted my head and looked at her wondering if the Keepers had anything to do with the plague. Hmm, I thought when she smiled back at me. Probably best not to know. “What drawbacks?” I asked, trying to not lose track of the important tidbits she was providing. Not that I’d ever look at a bee the same again. I really had no idea. Three years. Sometimes nature really was amazing. And if what Immy said was true, the irony of one insect carrying the solution to survival for another did not escape me. But I was more curious what was so different about me and pure dragons? That is, aside from the obvious.

  “Yes well for one thing, you weren’t born on Seriscai, which is what the Dragon’s called their home planet. We have a different name for it, but that’s not important.” She told me, giving me a strange look. “You were born, not hatched. And with a little help, you were always destined to be female. Or as you would say, you have no dangly parts. Which the others acquired by wandering around lost in the Everlasting until they ran into an all-male hunting party of Ljósálfar. Fortunately you didn’t have a Queen who envied Elves. One who decided their form was more pleasing than four legs, wings, and a scaly body.”

  Oh sweet Danu! I thought in horror as the pieces just sort of fell into place. “But wait, you said not all of them changed? So there must be others out there that are still…ah, pure?” I asked. “Are you saying that when they changed they were no longer magic?” Because they learned to shift? And if they aren’t magic, what exactly are they?

  She nodded and added, “It seems that your drake’s queen, Queen Homolynth, which incidentally means ‘the Insane’, did a fairly excellent job of living up to her namesake. Homolynth apparently liked the Ljósálfar. And they were delighted to demonstrate how to shift once Homolynth shared her desire to sometimes look like them. As you know, Elves and Dragons have ever had an affinity. And of course most Elves have the ability to shapeshift. When she used magic in the Everlasting to change shape to resemble them, her female form tried to compensate. In their defense, the Elves actually tried to correct her. But she wouldn’t listen, and since there were no females amongst their party…well Homolynth isn’t all that bright anyway.” Immy said then shook her head sadly. “By the time Academia caught up to their group and realized what had happened, Homolynth had convinced her entire Svihelen to change. Their resulting shift warped the females…permanently. I think it pleased Homolynth who couldn’t have cared less. Hateful envious beast, that one.” She muttered with a frown. “But it wasn’t what caused them to grow a soul.”

  “They grew souls?” I asked. That was a thing? How did one grow a soul? “What exactly is a soul?”

  Immy sighed and thought about my question for a moment. “The Dragons have no words for it because it never applied to them. Fey call it the ‘fëa’, it is made up of the soul and sprit which must exist together along with the ‘hröa’ or body. One without the other soon dies. The soul is the immaterial essence of the fëa while the spirt is its animating force. Mortals have little control of their fëa which is why they do not live long. While Elves believe they are bound to Sindasienmar, their home world, and will live as long as that world exists. Personally, I believe they exist because of magic. Though it’s hard to say who is right. Except with the decrease in dragon magic, Sindasienmar which was once known as the fair gateway, has become less of a gateway and more of a st
agnant world. Nothing a healthy shot of dragon essence couldn’t fix, no doubt.” She muttered while I tried to wrap my brain around everything she had just told me. I had wanted information, now it seemed Immy had shared so much that I was going to need time to digest it all.

  Immy nodded at my thought and added, “The Everlasting.”

  “Yes?” I asked, not following.

  “You asked how one ‘grew a soul’.” She offered while all I could manage was a blank stare. “Apparently magical beings that wander about in a magical dimension tend to grow souls.”

  Oh.

  “Yes even Academia isn’t able to figure out how that works. No one knows why. We only know that purely magical beings tend to spark a soul growth when they spend time in the between places. The longer the stay, the more soul they grow.”

  “And because they grow a soul, they become less magical?” I asked, trying to follow the logic. Clearly magic in all its forms had rules I didn’t comprehend. And if Mi and Immy didn’t understand how it all worked, how was I supposed to? Maybe that was the very nature of magic? I thought and sighed.

  “It doesn’t completely eradicate the magic, it just lessens it slightly. Apparently pure magic and souls need to find a balance but can co-exist. But this doesn’t seem to apply to you.” She told me and I sucked in a breath and stared back at her.

  “And you know this how?” I asked.

  “Let’s just say, you’ve somehow managed to make it work for you. I’m sure if you think back you might remember a few instances. And all while already having a full soul, which somehow didn’t prevent you from also developing into a nearly purely magical being.”

  Again, oh!