by Jensine Odom
“Sing it for me?” Caedryn coaxes, wrapping me a little tighter in his warmth and love. “Please.”
I turn my head, kissing him, and smile. “Alright.” I take a breath, holding his hands in mine, and gaze into the sky, the memories of Mom and Caitlin playing in my mind as I sing.
“My bed is too small for my tiredness.
Give me a hilltop with trees.
Tuck a cloud up under my chin.
Love blow the moon out, please.
Rock me to sleep in a cradle of dreams.
Sing me a lullaby on leaves.
Tuck a cloud up under my chin.
Love, blow the moon out, please.”
“It’s beautiful,” Caedryn whispers, lips brushing against my cheek. “Thank you, Xerxia.”
I absently smile, leaning into Caedryn. That’s the first time I’ve been able to sing it without crying.
The crickets and mountain birds that had all gone quiet in the wake of my song begin to fill the moonlit field with their own chorus once more. Footsteps fall behind us, faint at first, a bright energy signature showing up when Mary gets closer. A moment later she walks by, glancing at Caedryn and me. She quickly averts her eyes when our gazes meet, then ducks inside the tent.
“Mary’s back safe and sound now. Feel better?” I turn slightly to look at Caedryn, a pang of sadness hitting me now that I’ll have to leave his arms.
“Yes.” He pulls me closer, softly kissing me, and lays me back in my blankets. “I don’t have to return to dragon form.” He lays beside me, gathering me in his arms again, and brushes his lips against mine. “We can stay like this, if you wish.”
“I do.” I smile, kissing him, and snuggle deeper into his embrace.
✽✽✽
Sunlight streaks its golden fingers across the clouded sky, gently pulling me from sleep. Careful not to wake Caedryn, I casually stretch and stand, startling a couple foxes playing in the field. They scamper several yards away, then return to their playing, realizing I’m no threat.
They pounce and chase one another, occasionally getting mad when one does something the other doesn’t appreciate, then instantly settling their differences and carrying on. Eventually, their game takes them off into the forest, and I suddenly find myself really needing to pee.
Quietly retrieving some supplies from the tent, I wander off into the woods, making very little noise as I walk through the grass barefoot; the wet ground is cool against my soles, and I revel in the dirt between my toes.
Finding a good spot some ways in I do my thing, then suddenly get the feeling I’m being watched, and slowly stand up straight. It’s not Caedryn, or any of the other Knights; whatever it is, it’s just a small presence in my awareness. It’s also not one of my obnoxious siblings; they’ll sleep all day if I let them. Besides, whatever’s watching me feels wild.
Carefully, I turn around, and what I find makes my heart leap. Laying casually on a boulder just a few yards away is a cougar, curiously observing me. She’s not being aggressive, nor predatory, and not wanting to startle her into doing either, I calmly start to talk to her in as even a tone as I can manage, reigning in my emotions.
“Hello, big kitty. What are you doing? Just chilling, watching me?” She just sits there, amber eyes still staring coolly, and flicks the end of her tail, unfazed by my words. “Well, this has been fun and all, but I’m going to leave now. Please don’t chase me. Or eat me.”
This time she cocks an ear back, then slowly blinks and yawns lazily, showing all her sharp teeth. She shakes her head and stands, walking away without a second thought for me.
I watch her go, taking slow steps in the opposite direction until I’m sure she isn’t going to come back. Turning around, I walk back for camp, fighting the urge to sprint.
Caedryn greets me near the edge of the trees, relief flooding our bond, and he pulls me into a brisk hug, holding me so tight I almost can’t breathe.
“I felt your panic, then nothing at all, and feared the worst,” he explains, looking me over, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
“It’s alright.” I stop his anxious searching, holding him in my arms as he sinks to his knees. “I’m alright.”
“Why couldn’t I feel you?” he asks against my belly.
“There was a cougar, and I calmed myself to keep from startling her. I must have just really calmed myself.”
“You’re getting much stronger; quicker than we thought,” he says, standing back up and gazing into my eyes as he gently caresses my face.
I smile up at Caedryn. “Alarr said the same thing yesterday. How will I know when I’m about to transform?”
“You’ll begin to feel a pulsing energy here.” Caedryn bends down, kissing my chest, just above my heart, making it beat faster. “It will slowly spread throughout your body after that.” He runs a hand up under my tank top, laying his palm flush against my belly, and excitement courses through me. “Your body will heat up, and you’ll begin to glow like an ember. The fire will come right before you shift.”
My chest squeezes a little, the fear from my memories still lingering at the edges of my mind. Caedryn pulls me against him and kisses me softly.
“It will be all right.,” he reassures me.
“I know.” I smile up at him, leaning into his embrace. “It’s not my fear, but Allowyn’s. Alarr reassures me my transformation won’t hurt, and in my memories there wasn’t really anything to fear, but Allowyn was terrified, and that kind of stuck in my mind.”
“Allowyn was terrified of being alone,” Caedryn explains, brushing back some stray hairs and gazing into my eyes. “You won’t be alone. I’ll be with you.”
“I know.” I stand on my toes and kiss him firmly, holding him just as tight as he’s holding me. Light slants through the trees as the sun peeks over the horizon, and with one more kiss I step out of Caedryn’s arms, taking his hand. “Come on. It’s time to get this day rolling.”
Turhion and Kerric are awake by the time we get back to camp, and Alarr’s out in the field eating something. Tristin’s still asleep, laying on his back like a dog. He twitches, scratching his chest with emeraldine claws, and lets out a loud fart, startling a few birds from the tree nearest him. I didn’t even know dragons could fart. Then the stench hits me.
“Really?!” I laugh, picking up a rock and chucking it at him, just missing my target. “That’s rank!”
Tristin laughs, wiggling a bit to get up, then shifts. He makes a funny face, sticking his butt out to the side comedically, and farts again, nearly as loud as the first. I just roll my eyes at him, picking up another rock, and he runs off into the trees.
“Good morning, Xerxia,” Kerric says, giving me a slight bow.
“Good morning, Kerric; Turhion.” I nod to them both, receiving a polite nod from Turhion. “Tristin.” I turn abruptly and narrow my eyes at him just as he steps from the trees, having watched his energy signature get closer.
Surprised, Tristin stops in his tracks, hands going up in surrender. “What’d I do?”
“You existed,” I sneer, trying not to laugh, but failing. Tristin laughs with me and continues to make his way back to camp.
I turn back to my Knights, the smile fading from my lips at the looks on their faces. Then I realize what I did, right in front of them, and fight with all I have to make my expression seem like I’m confused.
“How did you know where he was?” Turhion inquires, his suspicions back.
“Xerxia’s a Seer, like me,” Tristin comes to my aid.
This explanation works for Caedryn and Kerric, but Turhion continues to stare me down. I have a feeling he did know Allowyn was an Esper and didn’t say anything because she was too demure to do anything, but now that’s changed. I’m going to have to play this very carefully.
Zebulon’s tent begins to rustle, and a moment later he pops out, bleary eyed and curly hair disheveled.
“Good morning,” I greet him cheerily, using him as an excuse to get out from und
er the scrutiny of Turhion.
Zebulon just grunts in reply, rubbing his eyes and yawning, then also disappears into the trees.
“Good morning,” Mary says behind me, and smiles drowsily when I turn to look at her.
“Feeling better, I see.”
“Yeah,” she replies, putting her hair up in a ponytail.
“I have some herbs, if you think you’re coming down with something,” I offer.
“Thanks, but I don’t think I’m getting sick. I just have these moments where I just feel— I don’t know—weird.”
“You’re not pregnant, are you?!”
“Oh God, no!” She giggles at my over-dramatization. “Maybe I’m allergic to dragons…” She glares at Caedryn, Turhion, Kerric, and Tristin then laughs. “Just kidding.” She looks back at me. “Maybe I will have some of your herbs, Xerxia; just to see if it helps.”
Relieved to get away from the tension, I retrieve my backpack from Mary’s tent and sit on the ground, rummaging through it until I find my box of herbs and oils. Echinacea and Lavender should do the trick. A little Immortelle, too, and ginger to help with her stomach.
While I carefully fill a few capsules with the powders, Zebulon reappears from the woods, a huge smile splitting his face when he sees Mary. Tristin rolls his eyes and huffs as Zebulon runs the rest of the way to camp.
Zebulon hesitates when he reaches Mary, not sure if it’s okay to touch her until she smiles at him. He hugs her tight, kissing her cheek, and I notice the small touch of jealousy coming from Kerric just before he smothers it. Mary lets Zebulon go, glancing briefly at Kerric, then walks over to me.
“Here,” I hand her the pills and a bottle of water. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Yes, Mom,” she says sarcastically, swallowing the herbs I gave her.
“Alright.” I clap and look to everyone. “Now that we’re all up and moving, let’s eat, pack up, and hit the road!”
“Yes, your Highness,” Tristin jokes.
“It’s your Majesty,” I correct him in a snobby voice.
“Err derr derr,” Tristin teases, crossing his eyes and waving his hands around, laughing when I glare at him.
Out of habit, I grab a bag of granola, tossing a handful in my mouth, then spit it almost immediately out.
“Is the granola bad?” Mary asks, looking at her identical bag in horror.
“I don’t think so. Here, you try it and tell me.” I hand my bag over to Mary.
She looks suspiciously at me, smelling the contents, then takes a small pinch and eats it. “It tastes just fine.” She holds the bag back out for me to take.
I shake my head. “You keep it, then. It tasted extremely nasty to me. Turned my stomach, actually.”
“Are you sure you’re not pregnant?” Mary half jokes, eating more of the granola.
Ignoring the conflicting emotions coming from Caedryn, I laugh and roll my eyes. “I’m not. I’m sure,” I state, and Caedryn’s relief washes over me.
“As your body changes, you’ll require more meat,” he explains, handing me some deer jerky. “You will also find yourself needing to eat less often. That goes for you as well, Tristin.”
“What?!” Tristin asks, his mouth full of food, not paying attention to a word Caedryn was saying.
“Don’t eat all the food,” I tease, taking advantage of his confusion.
“I’m not!” Crumbs fly from his mouth as he yells indignantly.
I laugh at him for a moment. “Caedryn just said you won’t need to eat as often.”
“Oh, okay.” Tristin shrugs, then continues stuffing his face.
“Yeah, we’ll see how that goes.” I laugh shaking my head.
The thick, juicy chunk of deer jerky Caedryn gave me surprisingly sates my hunger, and while the others finish eating, I pack away my bedding and take down the tent I put up the night before. When he’s done eating, Tristin helps me take down and shake out our clothes. Once the dirt’s off, we stuff them into an extra bag, then roshambo for who’s carrying it first. Tristin loses, and we hang it off his backpack.
By the time camp’s completely packed up, the sun’s barely above the horizon, and my family’s already started to wander across the meadow. Tristin’s tormenting Zebulon with a huge grasshopper and Mary’s battling a swarm of gnats. I laugh, and do a final check, making sure we’re not leaving anything behind. We’re good, just one last thing before I join the haphazard procession.
Making sure my bag doesn’t tip me over, I bend down and collect a handful of rocks, stacking them in a small cairn on as flat a spot as I can find while Caedryn watches curiously.
“Xerxia! Let’s go,” Zebulon screeches comically.
“Alright, I’m coming!” I stand, satisfied with my pile of rocks, and head out across the meadow with Caedryn, watching as the rest of our group steps into the dappled light of the forest ahead of us. “Caedryn?”
“What is it, Xerxia?” he asks, concerned about my sudden shift in emotions, and takes my hand.
“Did we—you and Allowyn—have children?” I’m almost afraid of the answer.
“We did not,” Caedryn answers, again with those conflicting emotions. “If there was one thing Allowyn was more afraid of than loving me, it was having offspring, and as the females control when they have children—” He just lifts one shoulder, that simple movement speaking volumes.
“Do you want to have kids?” I’m slightly more afraid of this answer.
Caedryn stops abruptly, pulling me into his arms, and kisses me soundly. “Allowyn never asked me that question,” he admits, giving me a loving smile, and we continue walking. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about having any offspring. What about you, Xerxia? Do you want to have children?” He only looks at me curiously, with no expectations.
“I didn’t ever want to,” I answer truthfully, and Caedryn just looks surprised. “My lifestyle was never conducive to raising a kid, but now that I’m going to live for a very long time, that may change. So, I think my answer is maybe.”
“Maybe, then. Someday,” Caedryn agrees.
“Someday.” I smile, giving him a quick kiss. “We’ll see what fate has in store for us.”
✽✽✽
Mary rolled her ankle on a protruding root about halfway through our descent and is currently riding Alarr. She was pretty freaked out at first, between riding a scaly horse and the magic force that holds you to his back, but she seems to have settled into the feel of it now, riding him with ease.
By the time we reach the hill I inadvertently jumped off yesterday, the clouds are beginning to gather in earnest, and a sticky humidity has settled in. We should expect rain later.
“We fly over,” I decide, bringing the current argument between Zebulon and Mary to a close. “We need to reach the mountain behind Thunder Volcano before these clouds make good on their threat.”
Mary gives Zebulon a haughty, victorious look, then turns to Kerric. She circles her arms around his neck with a little more familiarity than necessary, and they take off. Zebulon watches them angrily for a moment before climbing onto Tristin’s back, joining them in the air.
Caedryn snakes his arms around my waist. With a nod from me, we’re airborne, followed by Turhion.
Once on the other side, we take a break, letting everyone get a drink or bite to eat.
Mary walks around experimentally, testing her ankle. “I can walk on my own now,” she announces. “Thanks for the ride, Alarr.”
You are welcome, he replies kindly.
While Zebulon and Mary eat, I lounge in the shade on a fallen log, watching as Tristin tries his hand at partial transformation and fails miserably. At one point he has his human head, one dragon arm and leg on opposite sides, and tiny wings.
“You look like a dragon Quasimodo!” I roar with laughter.
“Shut up! This is hard,” Tristin yells, his miniature wings fluttering with aggravation, and I just laugh harder.
“Try to imagine the form y
ou want; how much dragon you wish to be. Hold it in your mind as you let the magic flow,” Kerric offers.
Tristin nods, letting his failed attempt go. With a contemplative look, the air ripples around him, shimmering green and purple, and when it clears, Tristin stands there, successfully partially transformed. Unlike Caedryn’s half form, Tristin’s more of an anthropomorphized dragon, about half the size of his full form.
“Well done,” Caedryn compliments both Tristin and Kerric. “This form is best used when you need to be more agile than your full form.”
Tristin agrees and tries out a few more variations until Zebulon and Mary are done, then we get back on the road. Several more, easy miles and we’re at the bottom of the mountain, turning north for the backside of Thunder Volcano.
Without warning, the earth rumbles deep beneath our feet and the ground begins to shake. The quake gets stronger, rattling several of the already decrepit houses near us to the ground. We struggle to stay on our feet, and I fear for a moment the volcano’s going to erupt again.
Instead, the split in the mountain grows wider with a horrendous crack, swallowing at least one hundred more feet of earth and trees, including the meadow we were just camped on this morning. A few more tremors shake the ground as the mountains settle, then the earth goes quiet again.
With the ground steady once more, we move out, putting as much distance between us and the shifting chasm as we can.
✽✽✽
Once we reach the open valley behind Thunder Volcano Caedryn decides we should have patrols up, just to keep an eye out. He takes Tristin with him for the first watch, teaching him how to quick shift.
Caedryn flies low, zipping over our heads, then lands on the road just ahead of us, shifting the moment he touches the ground. Without skipping a beat, he runs a few yards, shifts again, and takes off, swinging around to join Tristin in the sky.
Now it’s Tristin’s turn. He angles low, nearly knocking me over with the draft coming off his bulk; he’s going too fast. The moment he touches down, he shifts, but his feet can’t keep up with his speed, and he trips over himself, hitting the ground hard and rolling a few yards.