by Jensine Odom
Caedryn will see the truth, Alarr assures me. Give him time.
Listening to my thoughts, eh? I banter, a glimmer of joy finding its way into my heart.
You think very loud sometimes, Alarr jests back, laughing.
I give a short, half-hearted laugh, then sigh, letting the hatchet slip from my hand. I just wish he would talk to me, or at the least let me heal him. I sit suddenly and begin to cry, the events of the day finally catching up with me. I had hoped he trusted me enough to give me the benefit of the doubt. “Had loved me enough,” I whisper aloud, leaning back against the tree I was just hacking to pieces and gazing up into the clouds.
“I do love you,” Caedryn speaks suddenly, the scent of crushed pine needles filling the air as he gingerly sits beside me. “I trust you.” He finally looks at me, eyes glistening with tears, and takes my hand with his good one. “I’m sorry for how I was earlier. Will you heal me?”
“Of course I will,” I say through my tears, relief washing over me.
Straddling Caedryn’s legs, I slide a hand under his shirt, resting my palm against the plane of his stomach. My healing magic begins to flow, and I gasp as pain races across my chest, making me falter.
With his strength renewed, Caedryn catches me before I fall, and his strong arms encompass me, pressing my body flush with his.
“I take it you’re not mad at me anymore,” I say tentatively, letting him cradle me.
“I was never mad at you,” he confesses, caressing my back. “Confused by your choice; hurt by your secret; distrustful of our new companion, but never angry. Not with you.” I’m angry with myself, for not seeing the truth, the words, meant only for his mind, echo inside of mine.
Letting all of me melt into him, and risking scaring him off, I allow my mind to brush against his. Shock and uncertainty push back, blocking him from me like a barricaded door, and I fear he’ll pull away. Maybe even dump me on my ass and run.
Caedryn takes a deep breath, his chest expanding against mine, and he calms himself, opening the door to let me in. In the well of his mind burns an inky black flame, silver light pooling around it.
What would you have done if I told you last night I was an Esper? I ask, and patiently wait for Caedryn to work through his roiling emotions and thoughts.
I would have denied it, he finally confesses, his uncertainty tainted with awe.
But you couldn’t deny it today.
I could not, he agrees. I understand why you withheld the information, though.
Nothing but love and support flows from him now, and I sit up to look him in the eye. What changed your mind about this? I trail my fingers across his chest where his injury was just moments ago.
With a smile, he takes my hand and pulls me back into his embrace. Baldure.
What?!
A short laugh rumbles through his chest at my shock. He came to me, revealing an injury on his leg that has left him permanently damaged. There’s an unexpected pang of pity. If you watch him walk closely, you can see his limp. He hides it well, but he’s tired.
“Thank you,” I switch to speaking, pressing off his chest to meet his gaze again.
“For what?” Caedryn asks, happiness and confusion warring on his face.
“For trying.” I smile at him, smoothing away his bewilderment. “I promise I won’t keep anymore secrets from you.”
“I will always be honest with you.” Caedryn pulls me in closer, pressing his forehead to mine. “I love you, Xerxia,” he says softly, all the emotions he held back all day pouring into me.
“I love you, Caedryn,” I return, happiness and relief bringing tears to my eyes, and kiss him deeply.
Caedryn wipes away the tears that spill down my cheeks, kissing me softly one more time. “Let’s return to camp. We have a fire to start.”
Begin Again
TOSSING the hatchet on top of the wood, I sling my bag over a shoulder and take Caedryn’s hand, walking beside him back to camp, the underside of the clouds turning a bright red as the sun begins to set. Baldure’s still out in the field where I told him to stay, hands clasped behind his back as he watches everyone at the fire that’s already roaring, filling the area with sweet cedar smoke.
Caedryn tenses when we approach him, years of conditioning overriding his logic, but he actively fights his fear down, making himself relax. I smile and squeeze his hand, sending him a tendril of approval.
Baldure dips his head with respect to me as we pass and takes a few steps away to give Caedryn a wide berth. Caedryn stops abruptly, his face impassive, but I know what he intends.
“You’re not a prisoner, Baldure,” he says civilly, which is the best I could hope for right now. “Join us at the fire.”
Baldure’s taken aback by this sudden acceptance, and uncertainty taints the air.
“It’s alright. We don’t bite,” I assure him jokingly. “Alright; some of us do.” I look playfully at Caedryn. “I promise to make them behave, though.”
That gets him. Baldure chuckles, shaking his head, and gestures for us to lead, his heavy footsteps following a few paces behind us, one thud coming ever so slightly faster than the other.
Alarr, do you think I can heal old wounds, like the one on Baldure’s leg, or his eye? I send quickly along our link. I don’t know where Alarr went, but he disappeared sometime right after Caedryn showed up.
I am unsure, but I know you will try soon, so we shall see, he answers humorously.
I laugh slightly at how well Alarr knows me despite the short amount of time since he and Caedryn found me.
“What are you giggling about?” Mary teases, glancing scandalously between Caedryn and me, then surprise flickers in her wide eyes as Baldure steps into the circle of light behind us.
“It’s right behind me, isn’t it?” I joke back at her, eyes wide with feigned fear, and Mary smirks, shaking her head.
“What took you so long?” Zebulon yells from the other side of the fire as I set the bag of wood down beside the pile they made.
I glance at Caedryn in answer and get a conspiratorial smile from Zebulon.
“If you had waited a few more moments, you would’ve found the pile of wood that was already here,” Tristin adds, just getting back to the fire from the woods in the opposite direction.
“If I had stayed a few more moments, I would’ve punched someone in the face,” I retort, feeling echoes of shame from Caedryn and slight surprise from Baldure.
“What about now?” Mary asks in all seriousness.
“Now I want food, and sleep. In that order.” I flash a smile at her.
“Well, good thing I brought these,” Tristin says, swinging around several long, thin sticks he has sharpened to a point.
“Why?” I ask suspiciously.
“For these,” Zebulon exclaims, pulling a bag of giant marshmallows from his bag.
“Where did you get those?!” I ask, matching his excitement.
“I got them from the Trader and wanted to save them for a special occasion. This seems as good a time as any.” Zebulon smiles, taking a stick from Tristin and stabbing a marshmallow.
The Knights watch curiously as we stake the sweet treats and set them in the fire, taking joy in seeing how many times we can roast one before there’s nothing left. Tristin stabs his second marshmallow, leaving it in the fire until it’s completely black.
“This marshmallow’s on fire,” he sings, waving the flaming ball of sugar in the air in an attempt to put it out, but all he ends up doing is sending a fireball into the grasses as the marshmallow slips off his stick.
We laugh as he runs after it, comedically screaming as he stomps out the small fire that ensues.
“What did we learn today?” I jest as Tristin rejoins the party at the fire.
“That marshmallows can also be used as weapons,” he answers triumphantly, making me laugh and nearly drop the rest of my own marshmallow in the fire.
After finishing off the fourth and final round of my marshmallow, I t
ake a second one and motion for Caedryn to join me.
“Your turn.” I hand him the skewered marshmallow, pushing the stick towards the fire.
Mary grabs Kerric and Turhion, placing a marshmallow topped scepter in each of their hands. I laugh as Turhion simply sets his on fire with a thought and Kerric smashes his into Tristin’s, making a fiery mess that falls into the flames.
Feeling an extra dose of glee, I turn to find Caedryn watching me, a lazy smile on his face and his eyes aglow. “Oh Gods,” I yell suddenly, falling into more hysterical laughter. “Pull it out before it’s too late!”
“That’s what she said,” Tristin comments with a giggle as Caedryn yanks his marshmallow out of the fire.
Before he can blow out the flames, the over-hot marshmallow goops off the stick, heading for the ground. Without a second thought, I catch the gooey, flaming treat.
Caedryn panics, grabbing my hand and snuffing the fire with his own. With some trepidation, he lifts his hand off mine, finding nothing but the charred remains of the marshmallow; my hand is completely intact. His eyes go wide, and I continue to laugh, now sounding like a lunatic.
“I’m fireproof,” I say around a few more giggles, and try to wiggle my melted marshmallow entombed fingers. “That didn’t even hurt!”
Caedryn starts to laugh with me, and I pry the burnt sugar off my hand, feeding some of it to him. He chews it thoughtfully then nods and continues to clean off my fingers, licking them one at a time.
“Get a tent,” Zebulon yells at us playfully.
I stick my tongue out at him and dramatically kiss Caedryn, my heart racing with exuberance and excitement. Caedryn smiles drunkenly at me when I let him go, then there’s a sudden pang of loneliness that isn’t his or mine. It’s Baldure’s.
Caedryn’s still smiling, a little softer now, and he kisses me gently. Go. His thoughts brush against mine. Let him be one of us.
Now you’re just abusing my power. I give him a playful smile and kiss him one more time. Thank you.
Baldure’s standing at the edge of the firelight, watching our shenanigans with some sadness, and he looks bashfully at me as I step beside him.
“I’m sorry,” I say without preamble.
“For what?” he asks, confusion flickering in his one eye.
“I didn’t think about who or what I was taking you away from when I asked you to join me.”
“I did,” he assures me, smiling kindly. “It’s for my sister, and my clan, that I do this. All I want is for there to be peace. Drustana used cunning words to convince us she would do this, but you have shown me the truth. If I must sacrifice being with my people for some time so that we succeed, so be it.”
“If we succeed, it’ll be our people. There won’t be any division.”
Baldure chuckles lightly. “You are ambitious, Little One.”
“Thanks!” I flash a broad smile and surprise him by taking his large hand in mine. “Now, come on; be one of us.”
With some uncertainty, he lets me lead him to the fire. I take my place beside Caedryn and move Baldure to my left, handing him a fresh skewer and sticking a marshmallow on top.
Baldure looks reluctant, and everyone watches with enraptured silence as he sticks his treat in the edge of the fire. With impeccable timing, he lifts the marshmallow out right as its engulfed in flames, snuffing the fire with a flick of his wrist. Pulling just the crunchy shell off, he eats it easily in one bite.
He swallows slowly, looking uncertain at the sticky remains, then shrugs and puts the marshmallow in the fire again. Tristin roars with laughter, breaking the tense silence, and Zebulon joins soon after, the both of them grabbing more marshmallows and joining Baldure in roasting them.
Not everyone is as accepting of Baldure as they are, though. Turhion’s on the opposite side of the fire, watching him distrustfully, and Mary still looks less than thrilled at his presence. Zebulon tries to reassure her, but she refuses, twisting away from his touch and stepping nearer Kerric. With a scowl, Zebulon shakes his head and angrily stabs another marshmallow.
“Alright,” I say loudly, and fight the urge to laugh as Tristin looks like a kid caught in the cookie jar. “I know today was hard for everyone, but we need to let the past go.” I look at Mary. “What once was is gone.” I look at Turhion. “All we have now is what will be, and that’s under our control. For the most part.” I flash a quick smile. “Caedryn was right the day he found me. I need to unite all dragonkind to save the world. I plan on doing just that, not to simply save the world, but to save dragonkind; to save us.”
“This is easy for you to say, never having known the bloody conflict between us and the Honorless,” Turhion interjects.
“You’re right. I may not have lived it physically, but I see it in the memories I’m given. It’s a self-made conflict, perpetuated by misinformation and simply not knowing any better,” I counter. “I know this transition will be difficult, but we’ll take baby steps. Get to know Baldure. Ask him about his life. I guarantee you’ll find you’re not so different.”
Turhion glares at me for a moment before walking away, gold scales glittering as he shifts at the edge of the light and flies to the top of the hill that overlooks our camp.
“Turhion will be hard to dissuade of his hatred,” Kerric says, coming around the fire. “Honorless killed our parents.”
“Why aren’t you angry, then?” I ask.
“I was very young, not having come of age yet, and barely knew them. Turhion was the eldest, and already a Knight.” Kerric shrugs, the small motion speaking more than words ever could. “I can also see the truth in what you say. Turhion will eventually understand.”
“He just has to come to the realization himself,” I finish for Kerric, smiling at his surprise.
“How do you do that?” Kerric asks, genuine curiosity in his lavender eyes.
“In this case, I just know what Turhion’s going through,” I explain, and surprise flickers across Baldure’s face, gone just as fast as it appeared, making me doubt I even saw it. “Most times I get an impression from a person, or animal. If I touch them, I get a better read, and I’ve come to find out I can speak directly to someone if I’m touching them. I can show you, if you want.”
I hold my hand out and Kerric looks indecisively at it, then steps closer, placing his palm on mine. Like with Caedryn, I let my mind gently brush against his and wait for him to let me in. Unlike with Caedryn, Kerric jumps at the chance to learn more about my forbidden talent, opening up to me at once; the bright red flame of his soul blazing strongly.
This is astonishing, he comes through first, excitement lacing his mental voice. What else can you do through this link?
In answer, I show him a fairly recent memory; the first day we discovered dragons were real.
That was me. He sounds both amazed and ashamed. Had I killed you that day…
But you didn’t, I assert, sending him a small buff of reassurance.
You can affect our emotions. He states like a biologist noting traits of a new species.
Yes, but notice the lack of mind control. I let humor fill my words.
Have you tried?
I didn’t expect that question. Umm. No.
That answer alone vindicates you. His voice is light, almost forgiving. Try to mind control me.
What?! This isn’t going the way I thought it would.
How do you know you can’t do something if you haven’t tried? Kerric reasons.
Let’s say I can control your mind. What happens if I can’t give it back?
I have faith in you.
That simple statement breaks me into a million pieces. Kerric takes my free hand, giving me a stronger connection, and opens his mind completely to me. Memories flash through my mind’s eye and I struggle to not watch them, focusing instead on planting new ideas that he must follow through on.
Kiss me. It’s simple enough but not something he would do normally, and I add the extreme need to do it, like having to br
eathe.
Several emotions flicker through our link, unease and fear at the top. Then a sudden memory of a young woman with deep brown hair and aqua eyes flashes across my vision, and Kerric pulls away, closing himself off as he removes his hands from mine.
“I’m sorry,” I say first, not sure if he was afraid of what I did or what I saw.
“Don’t be,” he assures me, but his hearts not in it. “We now know you can’t control minds.”
“No, but I did something that scared you, and I’m sorry for that.” I resist the urge to reach out and assure him. That might make things worse.
“I forgive you, then,” Kerric says calmly, lightly touching my shoulder. “I suggest we all get to know the feel of your mind, when we’re comfortable with the idea.” His eyes dart to someone behind me, and I know it’s Turhion even before he rejoins us at the fire, his bright presence in my awareness a pale gold now. “Also, if you feel capable, Xerxia, we should train on how to repel one such as you.” There’s no malice in this suggestion, only a true want to give our team an edge.
“I agree with the Knight,” Baldure adds, nodding to Kerric. “We need every advantage over Drustana we can acquire.”
“His name is Kerric, and I’m game. We’ll start tomorrow, though. Tonight, we need to eat something that’s not just sugar.” I take the bag of marshmallows before the boys can eat them all, ignoring their indignant protests. “Then get tucked in before this storm hits.”
On que, lightning arcs slowly from the ground up, resembling a tree, and I count the seconds until its thunder reaches us. Thirty. Now divide by five. Or was it three? I can’t remember, so the storm’s either six or ten miles out.
In my distraction, Zebulon snuck up behind me, and now tries to snatch the rest of the marshmallows back. Sensing his intentions, I grab his wrist in an iron grip the moment he goes for the bag.