The Quickening

by Antonia Tiranth

  "What I am is seriously pissed,” I snarled, stomping on his instep and shoving as hard as I could against his chest.

  I wasn't sure it was going to work, but he staggered back. I wasted no time, taking the opening. I dashed to the crate, grabbed the egg and ran out the door. Maedhros roared as I pounded up the steps. I didn't take the time to figure out what he was yelling, I just ran, clutching the egg to my chest. The front door loomed before me. I saw the chain was pulled. I shifted the egg and fumbled with it.

  "Come on, come on,” I urged myself. Finally, the chain fell away. I pushed open the door and ran down the walkway to the pavement. I chanced a glance over my shoulder and saw Maedhros standing on the porch, his arm outstretched, holding the Reds back. He wasn't coming after me? Surprising, but there was no time to wonder about it now.

  I ran until my legs threatened to give out, until my lungs burned with every breath of cold air and still I ran. I knew running to exhaustion might cause me to drop the egg cradled in my arms, and I started looking for a dark alleyway I could hide in.

  Ahead of me loomed two buildings and between them the dark alley of my prayers. I turned into an alleyway, leaned against the wall. As I gasped for breath I examined the egg. It still felt warm, but I wondered if the cold October air would hurt it? I couldn't remember if the basement had been warm or cool.

  I felt Rikashi approaching, and I hoped like hell it was Aer and Shirak. I couldn't run anymore. I hid behind a dumpster, holding my breath, as two Rikashi spiraled down to land. If it was Maedhros and his cohorts maybe I could get the jump on them. I found some newspaper in the dumpster, made a nest for the egg and waited.

  As they circled through a light I saw that one was navy blue and the other deep violet. They landed in the alley and shifted to hybrid form. I grabbed the egg and stepped out of my hiding spot.

  "Thank God!"

  "Phi!"

  I didn't care that I was mad at him. I didn't care that he'd hurt me. I didn't care about anything except being held by him. I threw myself into his arms, egg cradled in one arm, the other around Aer.

  His relief was evident in the strength of his embrace. His wings curled around me. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"

  I shook my head against his chest, fighting tears. I wouldn't cry, damn it. I just wouldn't. “I'm all right."

  A growl rumbled his chest. “I'll kill him."

  Shirak's voice rose over the growl. “What are you carrying?"

  I pushed away from Aer, his wings still curved around me protectively and held out the egg.

  "That's no Rikashi egg,” Aer said.

  I shook my head. “It's a dragon egg. We should get it inside though, shouldn't we?"

  Shirak shook his head slowly. “I do not know. We are Gwindor. The Tinuviel know about caring for eggs. Where did it come from?"

  "Maedhros has them."

  "Them?"

  "Yeah, he's got more. I heard multiple voices saying it was almost time, and he said that ‘they’ were close to hatching. I think we need to get away from here. I'm pretty sure I pissed him off.” I couldn't feel any more Rikashi approaching but that didn't mean he wasn't sending his henchmen after me.

  Aer looked at Shirak. “Do you think the motel is still safe?"

  "We will never make it there without being seen. Maedhros has a Tasartir with him, if any humans see us, they will pluck the image from their minds and find us despite my block."

  "So?” I said.

  "Phi—"

  I held up a hand, stopping his argument. “Let them see you. Once we get there, you can go little and we can go somewhere else. He can search the motel ‘til he's blue in the face, and we'll be gone."

  They looked at me and then each other, considering my plan. “It has merit,” Shirak said, tapping his chin.

  "We'd be breaking the Erestor.” Aer threw his brother's words back at him. I knew he didn't care about that.

  "Maybe it is time we did. We will use Josie's plan."

  "Shir ... call me Josie again and I'll slug you.” I tried to look intimidating but knew it was impossible. No one holding a soccer ball sized egg, in the arms of a man with his wings around her could possibly look intimidating.

  "She will,” Aer agreed. “She's not kidding."

  Shirak raised his hands. “Forgive me. Shall we go?"

  I nodded and Aer did the same, stepping away and holding out his hand to me. For a moment I just stared at it. His smile faded, but he didn't drop his hand. When I reached for it, it felt ... right.

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  Chapter 14

  Aerandir Cirdan Gwindor

  We walked the streets, avoiding traffic where we could. I was so relieved to have Josephine back, safe and unharmed that I didn't care where we went. It was late evening on a Sunday and not many people were out.

  We'd turned a corner and run into a man who looked stoned and smelled of pot. I held my breath waiting for his reaction.

  "Holy shit, dudes!"

  "Good evening.” Shirak's attention was completely on the man in front of us, and I recognized the feeling of calm projecting from him.

  I felt Phi tense, and I squeezed her hand comfortingly. If it came to it, I'd pick her up and fly us out of here. The Council would have a coronary, but I was past caring.

  "Dude, where did you get those kick-ass costumes?"

  I opened my mouth to reply and then shut it dumbfound. Costumes? Shirak looked at me, but I shook my head and looked at Phi.

  Her brows furrowed in thought and then her face brightened. “Yes, costumes, we're on our way to a Halloween party. We found them online."

  Halloween? I almost laughed. Tomorrow was Halloween, we didn't have to hide our hybrid forms. Everyone would think we had on some elaborate and expensive costumes.

  "Rock on.” The stoner gave us the peace sign as he went on his way.

  "So,” Phi muttered from my side, “which one of you has the horseshoe up their ass and who swallowed a four leaf clover for breakfast ‘cause it sure as hell wasn't me."

  I burst into laughter. Making a smart-ass comment when she was nervous was typical Phi and told me more about her mood than anything else could have. After a couple seconds, she started laughing too, and to my surprise even Shirak managed a chuckle.

  We avoided people less after that and got several compliments on our costumes, including an invitation to a bar that was having a costume contest.

  After we got back to the hotel room, I reluctantly let go of Phi's hand. She immediately went to the bed, making a nest of covers for the Great Dragon egg. I still couldn't believe it was true. The Great Dragons were not completely extinct. Phi sat cross-legged beside the egg, stroking it with one hand.

  "I believe,” Shirak began, “that we will be safe here for a time. Josephine can warn us if any Rikashi are approaching."

  "What if they send their humans after us?” I challenged.

  "They will not. Maedhros would not trust them to keep the egg safe. Stealing that egg was the smartest thing you could have done, Josephine."

  I nodded agreement. “Then we need to see about getting something to eat."

  "Leave that to me,” Shirak replied. “Now, if you will excuse me, I feel filthy."

  My brother disappeared into the bathroom, and I chuckled. Some things never changed. To Shirak, showers were the place to do one's best thinking. After he was gone, silence thundered in the room. I walked over to the bed and sit down on the other side of the egg, reaching out to touch it reverently. “I'm glad you're safe."

  Phi nodded, licking her lips. I thought she was going to say something but when she didn't, I continued. “I'm sorry."

  "I'm sorry too,” she said quietly. “I shouldn't have run out on you like that. It was stupid."

  "No, you were angry and had every reason to be. I was a jackass."

  "Yeah, you were, but so was I.” She raised her eyes from the egg and met my gaze. I leaned forward, drawn to her.

  "We could
have saved ourselves a lot of trouble if we had been honest with each other, huh?” I asked, leaning closer still.

  "Yeah,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

  She closed the last of the distance between us, and our lips met. I never imagined a kiss could be so sweet. I put my hand on the back of her neck, deepening the kiss and preventing her from pulling away from me, though she offered no resistance. She returned the kiss with equal fire. Without breaking the kiss, I scooted around the egg, wrapping my other arm around her waist. Her arms circled my neck as she pressed against me. I lost track of the minutes as I kissed her, but sadly, it ended and she pressed her forehead to mine, our noses touching.

  "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that,” I breathed.

  She laughed. “Probably not as long as I have."

  I loosened my grip on her, and she sat back. “Now what?"

  She shrugged, running her fingers down my arm, raising goose bumps and trailing fire along my skin. “We'll figure it out."

  I sat there looking at her, free now to admire her as I always had in secret. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and she looked more beautiful now than ever. It was about time I told her so. “You're beautiful, you know that?"

  "Shut it,” she grumbled, her cheeks turning even redder.

  "Come on, can't I tell you you're beautiful?” I whined.

  She ducked her head. “Maybe, but right now I feel gross. I think we should go back to my house to get some clothes."

  "It is possible they will be watching the house."

  She threw up her hands. “So, what are we supposed to do? We have no clothes, no food and no money to get them. This room is only paid up through tonight."

  "I'm not saying we won't do it, I'm just saying we'll have to be careful about it."

  The bathroom door opened, letting out a cloud of steam as Shirak sauntered back into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. I didn't like the idea of him parading in front of my girl in just a towel.

  "Much better."

  I shook my head at him. “You are hopeless, you know that, Shir? Did you consider grabbing clothes at anytime?” I felt Phi shaking with laughter at our exchange and relaxed.

  He just snorted at me and sat on the other bed. “Now, did Maedhros say anything about his plans?"

  I groaned. Just like him not to let anyone get any rest before bombarding them with questions. “Would you let her rest?"

  Phi put her hand on my arm. “No, it's all right. Actually, he didn't tell me much of anything. In fact, he seemed to expect me to ask and made a point to tell me he wouldn't be telling me anything. But—"

  Her “but” hung in the air, as she seemed distracted by the egg, reaching again to touch it.

  "But what?” I prompted.

  She shook her head and blinked, looking at me. “Sorry. He said he felt drawn to me. What does that mean?"

  "Maedhros is a Tinuviel,” I explained. “The Guardians. They cared for the dragon eggs. They could sense them, hear the hatchlings thoughts. Great Dragons were not the best parents, they would often lay clutches and leave them."

  "And what does that have to do with anything?"

  Shirak continued the explanation. “They also can sense the presence of other Rikashi. Something you seem to be able to do as well, Josephine."

  He fell silent, thinking. Phi looked at me and I shrugged, having no idea where my brother was going with this.

  "You seem to have all the abilities of a Tinuviel Rikashi. The only possible explanation for that is you have Rikashi blood."

  Both Phi and I stared at him after exchanging puzzled looks. How could that be? As far as I knew, even before the Erestor, no human and Rikashi pairing had ever resulted in a child. “Shirak, that's ridiculous."

  "Not as much as you might think, brother.” He examined his nails, and I knew we were going to get a history lesson. I hoped it was a brief one. “Before the Erestor, human and Rikashi matings happened. Not frequently, but there were some. A few of those matings did produce offspring. Many of those offspring did not survive their first years. Of the ones that did, some exhibited traits of their Rikashi parent while others did not. It is possible that, at some point, a child lived and Josephine is a descendant of such a pairing. Though why there is no record of her family line in the Council records, I do not know."

  "Would that explain my dreams?"

  "Ah, yes, it may very well,” Shirak replied, giving me a thoughtful look

  "Let Shirak see your dreams, Phi.” It would be easier for him to see them than try to explain. If one of her ancestors had been Rikashi, then it made sense for her to be having the dreams, only they were blood memories, not dreams.

  She looked at Shirak then back at me, cocking an eyebrow. “How?"

  I shrugged. “I'll let him explain."

  Shirak rolled his eyes. “Ignoramus,” he muttered, rising and moving to kneel in front of her. “Close your eyes and think about the dreams. I will do the rest."

  She nodded her head slowly. “All right.” She sounded dubious but closed her eyes.

  I waited, almost holding my breath so I didn't break Shirak's concentration. I knew it was difficult for him to share Phi's memories and keep up the shield that protected us from the Tasartir working with Maedhros.

  I sat still as long as I could, how long Shirak would be examining her dreams there was no way to know. The old style clock's numbers clicked over loudly, they'd been at it for five minutes.

  I needed to get my mind off the fact that Shir was running around in Phi's mind—even though it had been my idea. My time would be better spent thinking about the traitor. He had three other Rikashi working with him, but did he have more? What exactly was he up to? Was he really killing Rikashi or just incapacitating them in some way? So many questions and so few answers.

  "Well,” Shirak's voice broke the silence. “You are certainly dreaming of a troubled time."

  "The Melwasul?” I asked, and he nodded. From her descriptions, I'd figured it was probably that.

  "So, what is it?” Phi asked.

  "You are a descendant of a Rikashi. The female you become in your dream is your ancestor,” Shirak said, rising and returning to his place on the other bed.

  "Any idea who?"

  "Meranwe,” he replied.

  "Who was she?” Phi asked. “What happened to her? What did she do? I always feel so guilty, so sad when I wake up from these dreams."

  "She was the reason the Melwasul began,” Shirak said.

  At his answer, my jaw dropped for the second time that day.

  Josephine frowned. “What do you mean?"

  "Meranwe's involvement in the extermination is a secret known by only a few Tasartir,” Shirak began.

  "So, exactly how do you know?” I interrupted.

  Shirak grinned. “I am special, remember?"

  "Yeah, you're special all right,” I grumbled.

  Shirak often threw his telepathic abilities in my face. He'd done it since we were hatchlings, even before we knew that it was a rare ability among Elessar. And then he'd been sent off to live with that Tasartir in England. After that, it was a good thing there was an ocean between us, because I probably would have choked him.

  "Go on,” Phi urged, punching my arm.

  "Meranwe was very young, barely at mating age when it all started. Some Rikashi and Great Dragons were, as all beings are subject to, greedy and cruel. They tormented and used the humans in their territories. Some humans grew tired of it but without knowing the secrets of the hatching caves, they knew there would always be more dragons. The caves were well guarded by Tinuviel and Carnesir. So, one human seduced Meranwe, used her to gain access to the caves and tricked her into revealing Rikashi weaknesses."

  "She was a Tasartir, right?"

  This time it was Phi who interrupted. Shirak nodded.

  Phi paused and thought for a moment. My headstrong, impulsive friend was gone. Now Phi thought things through before speaking—most of the time.


  "So, why didn't she just read his mind?"

  "Because it is rude to invade another's mind without permission, and she was in love with him. She trusted him."

  The rules of the Erestor made more sense now. All of them were to prevent another mistake like Meranwe's. “So, she had a child by this human and—"

  "And apparently the child survived to have children of its own, thus resulting in Josephine,” Shirak finished.

  "What happened to her?” Phi's voice was filled with sadness.

  It was killing me that there was nothing I could say or do to make it better. Racial memories can be a bitch. There is not one damn thing you can do to change them, Phi was just learning that.

  "No one knows. She disappeared after the Council convened and ratified the Erestor."

  Phi and Shirak became silent, lost in their own thoughts, when one occurred to me. If Phi was part Rikashi then I was free to love her, right? As part Rikashi, being with her wouldn't violate the Erestor. Not that I gave a damn anyway. The Council could do their worst. It wouldn't change the fact that I loved her, and I wasn't letting her go ever again.

  "So, what's our next move?” I asked.

  Both Shirak and Phi turned to look at me.

  "First, we're going to my house to get some clothes and money.” Phi's tone indicated she thought I was an idiot for not remembering.

  "And then we find Maedhros and discover how many Rikashi he has murdered,” Shirak added.

  I nodded. Sounded like a good plan to me. “Let's figure out something to carry this egg in so it doesn't freeze and we're off."

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  Chapter 15

  Josephine Erlina Moreau

  We walked back to my house, following the same route we had taken last night. Had it really only been last night? We walked single file through the woods. Both Aer and Shirak were in hybrid form, Aer in front, Shirak behind. The plan was that if Mr. Creepy or his goons attacked, Aer would hold them off while Shirak took me to safety. I hadn't liked that idea until they reminded me that I would be carrying the egg, and that egg remaining safe was more important than anything else, including my prickly pride.