by Meg Ripley
“If you’re sure,” he replied dubiously. “You don’t even have to say I’m your brother. Just say I’m your bodyguard or something.”
“I swear, you were born looking for trouble.” Kaylee’s mother, Naomi, floated into the room. It was easy to see the resemblance between mother and son with her catlike blue eyes and dark hair, even if her build was a much slighter one. “Kaylee, I’m so glad you’re back home! I heard there are some nasty snow storms coming in, and I was afraid your flight would get caught up in them.”
“Snow coming?” Julian looked hopefully out the window. “That sounds perfect! Good weather for studying by the fire.”
“As if you don’t do that all the time, anyway,” his wife reminded him with a loving smile. “Kaylee, what did you find on this expedition?”
Her parents had been so supportive of her interest in archeology, and it made her appreciate them all the more. She knew there was still something out there, something she needed to find, but at least when she was tired of searching, she had a comfortable little spot in the world. “Something that really got me thinking, actually. This tablet is different from all the other ones they found beneath the Great Zimbabwe. It speaks of a shaman that lived among them, a man who came from another world and knew more than they could possibly imagine. He served them for a very long time, what sounds like it was far longer than a normal lifespan for these people, and they believed he had mystical powers.”
“Interesting…” Julian rubbed his jawline as he looked over the photos, scrunching his eyes at the foreign words. “I’m certainly glad you can read it, considering it’s nothing more than chicken scratch to me. What language is it?”
“I really don’t know,” Kaylee admitted. When it came to translating, it hadn’t ever mattered what language it was. She could simply read it, and while her gift let her in on secret knowledge that the rest of the world wasn’t privy to, this facet of it was a bit frustrating. “I’ll have to spend a little time with it to make sure I have a decent translation matrix to give to Dr. Morrick, but I thought it might really help you with your work.”
Julian looked at her curiously, as did her brother and mother. “You know I appreciate any ancient artifacts, but I don’t see how this particular one is relevant.”
Kaylee took a deep breath, hoping that saying the words out loud wouldn’t make them seem silly. They’d made perfect sense inside her head as she’d thought about it on the plane and on the drive back home, but she had yet to determine if her theory was a sound one.
Julian and Naomi had both come from the planet Charok, a place that, at one point, had been populated with dragons. Her father had regaled her with the tales of the craggy red mountains, the deep quiet forests, and the more primitive yet satisfying way of life they’d lived while there. When war and an evil spell had threatened their way of life, it had only been due to the help of a kindly and compassionate wizard that a handful of dragons had escaped to Earth. Julian had been one of them, along with Kaylee when she was just an egg. Naomi had joined him later. Though Julian and the other dragons had adapted to life on Earth fairly well, Julian had never stopped looking for a way to go back to Charok and see if any dragons remained.
“Okay, bear with me here. The account on this tablet isn’t an unusual one. There are stories from all over the world of people who have uncanny powers or who seem to come from somewhere else. Most of the time, we don’t have any real explanation for this. Some say they’re aliens of some sort, and I’ve seen scientists claim that these powerful people were born with some sort of defect that allowed them to access more of their brains than typical humans. I don’t have any real answers, either, but it made me think: What if Varhan came to Earth as well?”
The mention of the rogue wizard who had sent Julian to Earth made her father pause for a moment, but then he shook his head. “I don’t think it would be possible. He was able to send us, but I don’t see how he could’ve been able to send himself. The spell was very precise, and I think he would need someone to perform it on him. I can tell you there weren’t any other wizards on Charok like him, and nobody else would’ve been sympathetic to his cause.”
“Besides that, Varhan said he was sending us here because we were destined to be here,” Naomi added. “He never mentioned that he had a calling on Earth as well.”
“Maybe not,” Kaylee admitted, some of the hope draining from her heart. “But I don’t think it’s entirely outside the realm of possibility. If it were, then you would’ve stopped looking for a way back there yourself. And what does it hurt if we look for him?”
Julian nodded slowly, a smile spreading across his face once again. “I suppose that’s true. I wouldn’t mind seeing my old friend again, and I’d love for him to meet you kids. I think he’d be thrilled to see that we fulfilled our destiny here.”
Jake looked doubtful. “Wouldn’t he have let you know he was here?”
Kaylee shrugged. “Maybe, but this is a big planet full of people. We haven’t exactly charged out into the world and announced ourselves as dragons. How would he know where to find us?”
“That’s true.” Julian was pacing back and forth in front of the fire. “I have to admit that I’m so used to digging through ancient scrolls that I’m not sure how to find someone in the modern age myself. I think I’ll need your help with that, Kaylee.”
“You’ve got it,” she said with a grin. “I wouldn’t miss out on this for the world.”
Naomi gave a light laugh. “You two were always thick as thieves when you had a project to work on. Come on, Jake. Let’s leave them to it. You can help me make dinner, as long as you promise not to eat it all before it hits the table.”
Eager to get to work, Kaylee pulled her laptop out of her bag. She needed to unpack, do laundry, and catch up on her school work, but nothing was more important than the work she had in front of her. “Where do you think we should start? Would he have used his real name?”
But Julian didn’t answer, and when she looked up, he was leaning against the mantel, gazing into the fire.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hmm? Oh, sorry. This has just really got me thinking. You know, at one time, I had some hope that Varhan was around, but I quickly dismissed it. It just didn’t seem likely to me. But now I can’t help but wonder if I’ve actually fulfilled my destiny on Earth at all.”
“What do you mean?” It disturbed Kaylee to think that she might’ve upset her father. They’d always been so close.
“When I first came to Earth with you, I felt the need to go back to Charok. I didn’t quite understand it at the time, but it was because I didn’t have someone to spend my life with. There weren’t any other female dragons here, and I didn’t feel that there were any humans who could possibly be right for me, especially after Naomi and I were already mates back on Charok. She was so ill and had to leave if she wanted to have any possibility of surviving, as you know, so I thought I’d never see her again. But once she arrived here on Earth, all of that changed—yet I still keep looking for a way to go back. Am I betraying what Varhan thought my purpose was? Do I need to just let it go and be satisfied?” He pounded his fist gently against the mantel, making a picture frame jump slightly.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with exploring the possibilities,” Kaylee countered. “And maybe you had more than one destiny. It’s something I think about a lot, honestly.”
“It’s because you’re a dragon,” Julian explained quietly. “We don’t always know exactly what it is that leads us, but it’s like we have a tie to the stars and they pull us around like wagons until we get it all figured out. That’s how Naomi and I knew we were right for each other. It’s how I knew I was doing the right thing by coming to Earth. And it’s how I know there are great things in your future, even though I can’t possibly know what they are.” He smiled at his daughter. “Now, let’s see what we can find.”
Kaylee got so lost in her work, she nearly forgot she had a dinner date
with her cousins that night. She left her father to his studies—because she knew he wouldn’t set the work down whether she stayed or not—and headed out to their favorite restaurant. Tranquility wasn’t like most other establishments, where the sounds of other diners drowned out the conversation from just across the table. Instead, low walls separated each of the tables, like private booths with cushy, leather seating. The soothing background music played just loudly enough to make the diners feel as though they wouldn’t be overheard, but it wasn’t so loud that they had to shout. The plush carpet, dark walls, and ambient lighting made Kaylee feel more as though she’d walked into a cave versus a restaurant.
The maître d’ escorted her to a table in the back corner, where her cohorts were already waiting for her. Finn, Nora and Elliot were raised by the other dragons who’d come from Charok at the same time Kaylee’s father had. They’d grown up closely and saw themselves as cousins.
Kaylee settled in next to Nora, who instantly wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. “I’m so glad you’re back!”
“I was only gone for a week,” Kaylee protested with a smile. “It wasn’t really enough time, honestly.”
“Maybe not,” Finn replied from across the table. He raised his glass, his big blue eyes glowing in the dim light, “but we’re still glad to see you. It’s just not the same when we’re not all here together.”
“Exactly,” Elliot agreed. “Who else can I complain about my parents to that will actually understand? As a matter of fact, my dad will be thrilled to know you’re home. He worries about you when you leave the country like that.”
Her Uncle Beau had always taken on the role of caretaker of the group, often even fussing over his own generation because he was always concerned that everyone was taken care of. “Please tell him it’s very sweet of him,” Kaylee replied.
“I don’t want to hear any complaints about your parents,” Finn said, running a hand through his shaggy blond hair. “It’s almost time for Zimryr, and you know how nutty my mom and dad get over that.” His father, Kaylee’s Uncle Holden, always insisted on having the ceremony at his place. He wanted everyone to be there, no excuses, because he felt it was important. Like the others of his generation, he thought the old ways of Charok still had to be observed.
Nora sighed in sympathy. “Yes, but you know they’re going to drag us all into it as well. I was happy to just go toast marshmallows over a big bonfire, but now that we’re all older, they really want a lot more from us. I can eat until I’m stuffed, and I can even send my desires for the next year up into the universe if I have to, but I don’t think I can possibly listen to them drone on and on about how things used to be back in their day.” She rolled her eyes and picked at her napkin.
“I don’t know,” Kaylee replied. “I mean, it’s not like they’re asking all that much of us. What’s one evening to spend with them? It’s a great time for everyone to get together, if nothing else.”
“I think you’re getting to be just as bad as they are,” Elliot said with an affectionate smile. “Does this mean your dad is any closer to finding a way back to Charok?”
She shook her head, deciding right then not to tell them about her and Julian’s plan to find Varhan. They wouldn’t really want to know, anyway. Though she’d grown up with these people and felt more at home with them than anyone else in the world besides her immediate family, Kaylee knew she still didn’t quite fit in. She didn’t think the same way they did. They loved her and accepted her, and they even knew what she could do with languages, but there was still a certain amount of distance between them. “No, I don’t think so. It’s just a hobby at this point.”
“Good, because I can’t even imagine how much my dad would be driving me up the wall if we actually could go there.” Finn reached into the center of the table, where a waiter had just set down a large appetizer sampler. “He’d be all over me until I agreed to go back.”
“But aren’t you at least a little bit curious about what it would be like?” Kaylee asked. “I mean, we’ve lived on Earth our entire lives, but we actually know there’s more out there. Everyone else can just speculate, but we know.” In her heart, she couldn’t quite even confirm which planet she felt she needed to live on. But she knew there was something demanding that she explore, that she push past her boundaries, that she find the one thing that nobody else knew about. She would be the first one to volunteer if they found a way to go to Charok.
“What we know is that a terrible spell eliminated most of our kind,” Nora commented, snagging up a French fry and dipping it in a thick, cheesy sauce. “Who’s to say the place isn’t completely decimated? What could be there for us now? I mean, my parents are here. You guys are here.”
Kaylee slumped against the soft back of the seat, trying to find a way to explain. There were no words that quite described the tug on her heartstrings, not even when she was trying to understand it herself. How could she make anyone else fathom what she felt? “I guess I’m just curious.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Elliot picked up a tiny tortilla bowl filled with guacamole and topped with shrimp. “Think about it like all those who emigrated to America way back when. I know this girl from school who’s of Irish descent. Even though her family’s been fully American for generations, she’s dead set on going back to see what she considers her homeland. She’s never set foot on it, but she thinks she belongs there.”
“Yes, exactly like that!” Kaylee exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her seat.
“Exactly like that, but,” Elliot put up a finger to stall her thinking process, “the majority of humans are perfectly happy just living as Americans and enjoying what they have here. They don’t have to go back to the motherland to feel fulfilled.”
Kaylee couldn’t argue with that logic, but at least Elliot had given her something to relate to. There were too many questions that were unanswered. What had really happened to the dragons on Charok? Had anyone else escaped the Great Curse? What were things like there now?
She hoped that, someday, she would get to find out.
4
Six Months Later
“Are you ready for this?”
Kaylee looked to her father, who was practically trotting up the steep mountain trail like a child, despite the heavy pack on his back. He’d been impatient during the long flight to New Zealand, shifting uncomfortably in his seat and complaining under his breath that it would’ve been much easier to use his own wings. Now that they were getting close, though, he was filled with a new excitement and energy.
“I’m as ready as I’m ever going to get,” she replied. It had been a long and grueling search, looking for any information they could find about mysterious travelers, suspected aliens, shamanic people with supernatural powers, or simply strangers who had gained notice while passing through town. Kaylee knew it was only through her father’s relentless drive and arduous work that they were on this trail right now, and she hoped it was the right one. She didn’t want to see the disappointment in his face if it wasn’t.
“It should be just around the bend here, if what the man down in the village told us is correct,” Julian puffed.
Kaylee reached out a hand, stopping him on the trail. “Dad, you know there’s a possibility that this won’t be Varhan, right? I mean, we can be fairly certain that whoever does live here is a little different from the rest of the local community, but it doesn’t mean he’s a wizard from another planet. It’s a big risk.” She couldn’t help but focus on the practical side of things in this situation; she needed to in order to keep herself in check.
“Kaylee, I know exactly what you’re doing, and I appreciate it. But there’s absolutely nothing you can do to make me any less excited about this. I’m sure that he’s here. And it’s not because of our hours of research, and it’s not even because the poor man at that restaurant where we stopped for lunch is afraid to come up the mountain. It’s because no matter what we find here, it’ll be something new. Not only t
hat, but it’s an adventure that I got to go on with my daughter. Nothing could be better than that.”
“I only hope I’m that enthusiastic when I’m your age. Come on, then. Let’s see what we can find.”
The trail grew even more narrow and a little steeper as it clung to the mountainside, the cliff face falling away beneath them until it ended in a pristine blue lake. Kaylee tried not to look at it as they forged ahead, concentrating only on the task at hand.
“There it is, just like he said.” Julian pointed as the trail turned into the mountain, revealing a tiny home snug against the rock. It wasn’t much more than a shack, but plants and flowers grew all around it, nearly blending it in with the landscape.
“Okay. Let’s do this.” Kaylee stood half a step behind her father as they approached the door, her stomach jumping up and giving her heart a high-five every few seconds. She had to admit to herself she was just as excited as Julian was. But she knew the likelihood of finding a friendly wizard from a distant planet was a very slim one, and she had to remind herself that they were probably just disturbing some old hermit who would much rather be left alone.
But as soon as the door swung open, Kaylee knew that wasn’t true. She’d had never before laid eyes on the round face, the friendly gray eyes, or the steely hair that receded from a wide forehead. But she immediately knew they’d found the right person, without even asking.
Julian stared for a long moment before he finally swallowed. “Varhan? Is it really you?”
“As I live and breathe!” The stout man just inside the door enveloped Julian in a hard hug. “I’m excited and yet terrified to see you here!”
“Terrified? But why?” Julian looked completely flabbergasted, a state Kaylee had never seen before. He’d always been so calm, collected, and sophisticated. This had thrown him for quite the loop.