by Claire Fogel
“Thanks. I wish I could stay here indefinitely and do nothing but draw. But I’ll be back in school in the human world next week.” I laughed. “It’s going to be an easier adjustment this time.”
“It’s usually more difficult?” he asked.
“Yeah. I always dreaded going back to school, but I feel like a different person now. And I have a mythical new friend which feels good, but kind of strange.”
I had a sudden idea. “I need to speak to Rowenna tonight. I want to caution her about flying during the day. I’m really afraid someone outside of Elvenwood might see her.
“I also want to ask her how far away she can hear me singing. There was one night I was sitting on the back porch at home and thought I heard wings overhead. I’d been humming her song and I guess she heard me. But that was at least five miles from her mountain.”
“You want to make sure you can keep Rowenna happy once you’re back in school, right?”
“I won’t have as much time to spend in Elvenwood, but I want her to know she has a friend, that I won’t forget her.”
Adam looked out the window at the darkening sky. It was twilight. “I’ll be glad to walk out there with you if you think she’ll be willing to come close enough for you to talk with her. I think I made her nervous the last time she saw me.”
“I’m sure I can talk her into it. Can we go out there now?”
Smiling, Adam stood and reached for my hand.
It was dusk as we walked through the village. “When are you going home?”
“Day after tomorrow. I’ll need a couple of days to get myself ready for school, catch up with Amy and Kevin, compare class schedules.” I grinned. “Drive over to the Grille for cheeseburgers in my new car. You know. Important stuff.”
He laughed. “Of course. Very important stuff. I’ll try to get away on the weekends as much as possible. I’m looking forward to your senior year too, you know.”
I looked up at him. “Really? It’ll probably be football games, parties, basketball games, more parties. Are you sure you won’t get bored?” I teased.
“Spending time with you is never boring.” He turned those dark blue eyes on me and my stomach did a few flips-flops. I would have to work harder on my mental control. Much harder.
A few minutes later we reached the foot of the mountains where I’d spoken to Rowenna before. Adam let go of my hand and stepped back into the grove of old apple trees when I began to sing. In seconds I heard the familiar sound of huge wings heading in our direction. But rather than landing where she had before, she turned away. I heard her rough voice. Cara, you’re not alone?
“Rowenna, the man is Adam, my friend and bodyguard. He’s a good man.”
I continued to hum the melody of the dragon’s song as she circled overhead, probably deciding whether or not it was safe to land. Gradually she flew lower, finally settling in the same spot she’d landed on before.
Again, she spoke in my mind. Why do you have a bodyguard, Cara?
“There’s an evil man who has caused a lot of trouble for us this year. He hates my father and has tried to take revenge by hurting me. My father wants me to have a bodyguard whenever I’m outside my house, except when I’m here in Elvenwood.”
Her rough voice became louder. Where is this evil man? I will burn him.
“The police have been searching for him for months. He probably left the area. We don’t know where he is now.”
When he comes back, he will burn.
I gulped and took a deep breath. “If and when he comes back, a lot of people will be after him. But there are a couple of other things I wanted to ask you about. I worry you’ll be seen when you fly during the day. Flying after dark will be safer.”
She tilted her huge head to the side, as though she was considering what I’d said.
Her voice in my mind said, Yes, Cara. Night is safer. But if you need me, I will fly at any time, day or night.
“If I need you? Do you mean you want me to call you if I’m in trouble?”
Yes. Always.
“Well, it’s nice to know you’ll be looking out for me. I have one other question to ask.”
She nodded her head once, her golden eyes watching me.
“When I’m at home, outside the forest, and not here in Elvenwood, if I sing for you, will you hear me?”
The rusty sounds I was hearing had to be laughter. Dragons can hear far, far away. I heard my song from your other home. I flew over to listen.
I chuckled. “I wondered why I was hearing wings and feeling magic in the air. I’ll be in school next week and not in Elvenwood as often. But I’ll sing your song from my mother’s house and wherever I may be in Thornewood. I want you to know that I’ll be thinking of you. I won’t forget.”
Cara, who protects you outside Elvenwood?
“I always have a bodyguard with me. It’s either Adam or my friend Ryan, sometimes Gabriel, or Gavin, or Patrick, or Neal. Sometimes it’s my father.”
I thought I heard a bit of surprise in her voice. So many. This is good. She nodded her big head. Please sing for me now, Cara.
As I sang the Dragon’s Song, I saw those large golden eyes close. My father had been right. Rowenna was purring. There was no other word to describe the deep rumbling sound coming from her.
When the last note drifted away, she rose to her feet, lifted her enormous dark wings, and flew away. It was almost dark now, but I was sure she was heading toward her mountain. As usual, I felt magic swirling around us, following the dragon as she flew away. Rowenna’s magic felt like soft silk brushing against my skin.
I was staring off in her direction when a warm hand closed around mine.
“Ready to go now?” he asked.
“Yes.” I laughed. “It seems that Rowenna and I are looking out for each other, doesn’t it? You could hear her voice in your mind, couldn’t you?”
“Your dragon’s voice is very distinct. I would imagine that anyone who’s telepathic will hear her. Your father heard her, didn’t he?”
“Yes, and so did Jason. And that makes me wonder if anyone else in Elvenwood has been hearing a strange voice in his head. Something I should probably ask my father about.”
We walked back to the village, Adam holding my hand. When we reached my father’s cottage, the oil lamps in the sitting room were lit, which meant my father was home.
He looked up from some papers and smiled as we walked in. “Where have you two been this evening?”
“Adam walked me out to the foot of the mountains where I spoke to Rowenna the other day. There were a few things I wanted to talk to her about.”
“There’s hot water. Make yourselves some tea and tell me about it.”
I poured a cup for each of us, and I told my dad everything that Rowenna and I had talked about.
“Since you, Jason, Adam, and I are all telepathic, we’ve all been hearing Rowenna’s voice. Do you think there might be other telepaths in the village who have been hearing her, wondering where the voice is coming from?”
My father’s eyebrows shot up as he considered my question. “I suppose it’s possible. Not all Elves are telepathic.” He hesitated, frowning. “I don’t really want to announce to everyone that there’s a dragon nearby, but I think the Elders should be made aware of her presence. I’ll meet with them tomorrow and ask for their counsel. Tomorrow’s your last day here, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I need to get home and get ready for school. Are you going to ride home with me, Dad?”
“Since I have some things to take care of here, I was thinking Adam could take you home. It will be the weekend, so if Garrett doesn’t need him, he can spend the weekend in camp and be there whenever you need him.” He chuckled. “I’m guessing you’ll be enjoying your new car, won’t you?”
I nodded. He grinned and said, “Well, Adam has strong nerves so I’m sure he can handle it.” Adam looked amused, a slight smirk curving his lips. I rolled my eyes. Maybe some day everyone would forget about that mailbox.
I woke to the sound of rain hitting the windows the next morning. I’d planned to spend my last day in Elvenwood with Ian and Jason, but it was so dark outside, I didn’t think I’d be going anywhere. I still hated rainstorms and the sound of heavy rain was already making me tense.
After I’d washed and dressed, I walked into the sitting room to find a basket of muffins and a bowl of assorted berries sitting on the long table. I was fairly sure I knew where they’d come from. Arlynn was trying to make up for the fight we’d had a few weeks ago. And she’d run over in the rain to make sure I’d have breakfast. She was a very, very good friend. She knew how I felt about storms.
My father must have left early, but there was hot water over the fireplace. As I brought in cups from the kitchen, a tall figure wearing a kind of hooded poncho pushed the door open and ran in, shaking rain all over Roscoe who had been waiting by the door. Roscoe promptly shook water everywhere else.
“Morning, cousin,” said a laughing voice from under the poncho. Jason quickly shrugged out of his rain gear and hung it on a peg by the door. “I hope you’ve made tea,” he said.
I had to smile whenever Jason was around. He was such a delight, always upbeat and happy. “Morning, Jason. You’re just in time for breakfast. Arlynn must have stopped by before I was even awake.”
He winked at me. “It’s always a good idea to stay on good terms with the ladies who cook.”
“Well, sit down and have breakfast with me. Your company is really welcome today.”
As he filled his plate, I said, “I paid our new friend another visit last night. I thought I should warn her about flying during the day. I wouldn’t want some trigger-happy idiot taking a shot at her.”
He nodded. “Yes, I heard Rowenna myself. Even though I didn’t hear what you were saying, it wasn’t too hard to figure out what your conversation was about. It sounded like you’ve gained another protector.”
I shuddered slightly. “Yes, she threatened to burn up Donald Gaynes. Not that he doesn’t deserve it. The fairy tales always told of dragons breathing fire. I guess it’s true.”
Jason smiled grimly. “Well, that’s one weapon your bodyguards don’t have.”
“Yeah, but if I were to get in trouble and call her when I’m outside Blackthorne Forest, there’s no telling how many humans would see her. I really can’t risk that. I suggested that she do her flying after dark, but she insisted that if she’s needed, she’ll fly anytime, day or night. That worries me.”
“Cara, if you’re out in public when you run into trouble, you’ll have at least one bodyguard with you.” He thought for a few seconds. “I don’t think you’ll have to call on her, except as a last resort.”
Jason and I spent the next few hours talking, which helped distract me from the sound of the storm. He had dozens of questions about the human world, especially high school and the usual teenage activities. I knew that many Elves were happy with their lives in Elvenwood and had no desire to venture into the human world. Jason was an exception. He seemed to crave the opportunity to meet new people and experience new things.
“You’ll always be welcome to join me for the weekend school activities; it’ll be fun.”
His eyes sparkled. “You have no idea how exciting this will be for me. Don’t misunderstand; I love Elvenwood. But there’s a sameness to our days and seasons that has become boring. There’s so much out there that I’m afraid I’ll never experience. I’ve been running errands in Thornewood for your father, but it’s not enough.”
He smiled sadly. “And now there isn’t even Amy’s bakery to add some sweetness to my trips to town.”
The fire that destroyed Amy’s family bakery had been on my mind too.
“I know I never mentioned it, but any time you want to ride over to my house to visit with Mom and me, you’ll always be welcome.”
We’d been sitting on the couch as we talked. “Thank you, cousin. I’ll definitely take you up on that.” He was smiling again.
It was getting close to lunchtime when my father rushed in wearing another hooded poncho, and carrying a large covered tray. He grinned as he shrugged off his poncho. “Hope you two are hungry. I stopped at the dining hall on my way home and commandeered some lunch.”
Jason raised one eyebrow. “I’ve been listening to Cara’s stomach for the past half hour. Hope you brought enough.” I narrowed my eyes at Jason and he laughed.
My father set the tray down on the long table and waved us over. “Cara, please bring in some large cups while Jason gets a jug of water from the cold cellar. I’m hungry too. Unfortunately, your breakfast arrived just as I was leaving this morning.”
I uncovered the tray to find two kinds of fresh bread, condiments, sliced turkey, thick sliced tomatoes that were enormous, a block of crumbly white cheese, and several tarts which I assumed were apple. My stomach really was making some embarrassing sounds.
We made thick sandwiches as I asked, “Where were you all morning, Dad?”
“I went to see the Elders, for the reasons we discussed last night.” He looked at Jason. “It occurred to Cara that any of our telepathic Elves might be hearing the dragon’s voice too, so I decided it made sense to meet with the Elders and make them aware of Rowenna’s presence. I would rather keep her a secret, but some of our Elves are undoubtedly wondering where that voice in their head is coming from.”
My father ate twice as much as Jason and I did, so I got up and put water on to boil for tea while we waited for him to finish. I was humming the dragon’s song as I got the tea things ready. When I carried the cups to the table, both my father and cousin were looking amused.
Jason said, “I think you just made a certain dragon happy, cousin. I should have brought my flute with me.”
As I poured the tea, I shook my head. “You know, half the time, I’m not even aware I’m humming that melody. It must be hard-wired in my brain.”
My father finally pushed his plate away and picked up his tea. “To answer your earlier question, the Elders know exactly who the telepaths in Elvenwood are. Once they got past their initial shock, they felt as I do, that letting everyone know about Rowenna would be a mistake.
“Each Elder who is telepathic will visit with each Elf who has that ability—there are only about half a dozen—and explain to them what they’ve been hearing. Those Elves will be sworn to secrecy. At the same time, the Elders will reassure them they have nothing to fear from Rowenna, that she considers herself a protector of our community.”
My father looked at me with a smile. “In case you’re wondering, when my mother lived here, hearing Rowenna’s voice wouldn’t have been a problem. As intuitive as my mother is, she’s never been telepathic. Her relationship with Rowenna must have been through that song; it couldn’t have been through any kind of conversation. I’m sure Rowenna was delighted to learn that you could hear her.”
Just then we heard a sharp crack of thunder and the steady rain turned into a torrent, pounding against everything outside. I cringed, as goose bumps broke out on my arms and I began to feel panicky. I looked at my father. “Can’t you control this? Maybe slow it down or something?”
I knew I sounded frightened. Once again, I could hear rain pounding on the tent my kidnappers had held me in, and my heart pounded in sync with the rain.
He reached across the table and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. His voice was soft as he said, “Sweetheart, we’ve had a fairly dry summer. The rain is needed for our crops. I had to promise our chief gardener I wouldn’t interfere with the rain again. I’m sorry it’s still bothering you. I thought you’d gotten past your rain phobia.”
I thought I had too, but I was becoming more nervous by the minute.
Another figure in a soaked poncho ran through the door, stopping abruptly when he saw my father and Jason.
Adam didn’t even take off his dripping poncho before he looked into my eyes and said, “It’s bad again, isn’t it.” It was a statement, not a question.
I
nodded. “I can handle rain, but not these awful storms. The sound of the rain pounding on everything . . .”
He dropped the poncho on the floor just inside the door and walked over to me. Crouching in front of me, he turned those incredible dark blue eyes on me and whispered, “You need to talk about it, love. All of it.” The look in his eyes told me how concerned he was. He stood and turned to my father.
“Brian, can I have a word.” My father nodded, a pained expression on his face, and led Adam into the kitchen.
While they were out of the room, Jason stood and gently pulled me out of the chair at the table and led me to the couch. As soon as I was curled up in one corner, he put another log on the fire, using a poker to coax the flames higher until I began to feel warmer. He quickly made me a cup of tea, wrapped my cold hands around it, and sat down next to me.
His voice was soft. “I thought you’d recovered from your kidnapping; we all thought so. But you haven’t, have you?” Worry filled his eyes.
I shook my head. The tea had warmed up my hands. I hoped it would warm me up on the inside too. I was sipping the hot tea as my father and Adam returned to the sitting room.
Adam sat down at the other end of the couch, watching me. My father pulled his large easy chair over and set it in front of me. He sat down, clenching his hands in his lap, brows wrinkled. There wasn’t really anything he could do, and I wanted him to understand that.
“Dad, please don’t think my problem is your fault. It’s my problem. I’ll have to figure it out.”
“Sweetheart, Adam pointed out something I should have realized. I blame myself for being so dense.” He looked down at his hands, took a deep breath, and looked up at me with those familiar green eyes.
“Your mother and I never asked you to talk to us about your kidnapping and all the painful things you endured. We didn’t ask for details. We should have. I realize now that I wasn’t just sparing you those memories. I was sparing myself. I didn’t want to hear what you’d suffered. That was selfish of me. Adam believes you won’t recover completely until you’ve talked about all of it.”