by Sariah Skye
"Huh, that’s weird," I mused. "Must have been a magic surge," I said, knowing fully well that a magic surge was a line of bull. Nothing but someone using the portal could cause it to charge like that.
"I really don’t know," he said. "I’ll ask Nicodemus when I see him again if he noticed anything weird going on. Maybe someone was messing around with it on the other side. I don’t know. It'll be awhile though before I can; I took over for him." He shrugged in confusion, but his face was honest so I just let it slide.
I smiled. "That’s good, have a beer for me, too." I tossed my backpack on the ground and rummaged through it, pulling out the heavy, bright pink robes and flipping them around my shoulders to block out some of the autumn chill, fastening the emerald and silver clasp at the neck.
"What, no dragon form today?" Maxxus asked, knowing fully well I never shifted. Usually it pissed off my parents that I refused and I liked that but also there wasn’t any purpose to it; it wasn’t like I could fly.
"Do I ever?" I questioned rhetorically, and he just laughed.
"No, I guess not," he replied. "What brings you here? Usually you avoid this place like the plague."
I shot him a look. "Now now…is it nice to question a Lady on her business?" I admonished kiddingly. Even though it wasn't required—and, certainly not of me—the children of dragons serving on the court were generally given the unofficial, generic title of Milady and Milord...just a formality more than anything to show respect. No one but Maxxus ever referred to me with a special title and I so loved to give him shit for it every damn time.
Maxxus appeared worried for a second, his blue eyes wide before his face fell into a smile. "Ah you almost had me there!"
I grinned widely and winked at him, as I pulled out my cell phone from my front jeans pocket and dialed my brother’s number.
"Those things work out here?" Maxxus asked in surprise.
I nodded, as my brother answered. "Hey," I said, when I heard his voice. "Come get me. I’m at the South-side Green Knoll portal as usual. ‘Kay?"
"What? Why?" was Braeden’s first response.
"Later!" I insisted. "I need to see Grandfather. Now. It’s an emergency!"
"Are you okay?" My brother was suddenly worried. "I didn’t expect to see you here for…months."
"I am not sure. Yes. No! I don’t know…it’s just…weird. Please come get me!" I demanded.
"Okay! It’s gonna be awhile…I’m in training right now but I can leave shortly. Are you alone?"
"No, not really…guard Baron Maxxus is here. I can wait with him," I said, looking to Maxxus who nodded eagerly. Probably the most excitement he’s had in months. That’s sad because besides being pink I’m the most boring dragon ever.
"Okay. Be there soon." He ended the call.
I chuckled as I shoved the phone back in my pocket. "They really need a light rail system or buses here," I kidded.
"What’s that?"
"Public transportation," I explained.
"Why? When we can—" he almost said fly and then remembered that I couldn’t. His cheeks flushed. "Sorry."
I shrugged. "It’s okay." I sat down cross-legged in a patch of soft grass near him. I caught his eye and offered a smile.
"So…what’s new on Earth lately?" he questioned, trying to make small talk.
"Eh…nothing really." Everything, actually—a new season of shows, some blockbuster movies, a few dozen scandals and even a presidential election but, it wouldn’t be anything he would understand or anyone he’d know. "Do you ever get over there?"
He shook his head. "Naw, I have no reason to go over there, really."
"You should visit, sometime. There are a lot of interesting things…like art and museums and plays and— "
"—TV?" he asked hopefully.
I grinned. I pulled out my smartphone and opened up the Netflix app and handed it to him. "There. Pick a show—anything that looks interesting." The service was sketchy out here at times but I knew we were nearby the tower my grandfather—who loved electronic gadgets and technology—insisted we had installed. And, not that hardly anyone used it, but it was infused with some sort of silver dragon magic that boosted the signal.
His eyes widened as he awkwardly tried to navigate the small touch screen with his rather large fingertips. "I…had no idea there were this many!"
"Oh that? That’s only a handful of them, too," I said with a smirk.
"Wow…." He said, amazed and I laughed. I helped him select the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (thankfully, I splurged on the really good data plan!) and we set the phone in between us in the grass. I smiled widely as he picked one of my very favorite shows and we sat basically silent as we watched.
"This is pretty amazing," Maxxus said, in the last few minutes of the episode, his eyes never leaving the little screen. "TV in the palm of your hand. Frickin’ awesome."
I snorted. "This coming from a dragon who can fly somersaults in the air and can bend dirt at his will. I think most humans would gladly give up their TV in order to have that."
"Really?"
I laughed. "Well come on, you have a computer and stuff, right? They sell those here now. Even Grandfather has the internet."
"Yeah but…well we greens aren’t exactly the most technological dragons…that stuff usually confuses me," he said with a frown. "My sister attempted to teach me how to use her little computer. I ended up snapping it in half." He laughed shortly, a hint of bitterness in his tone. "Well, that was a long time ago, when we actually spoke."
I lifted a brow at his tone and paused, waiting for him to elaborate. When he didn't, I just let it slide. "Well, just find my grandfather. He’s patient, he can help you," I said, as the episode ended and we waited for the next one to begin.
"You think he would?"
"Definitely. I know he’d love to see you again."
He smiled. "Thanks. Then maybe I can come to Minnesota and you can show me how to use this…TV net thing?"
I nodded. "Sure."
We continued watching the episode and were about thirty minutes into it when my brother appeared in front of us in his formidable red dragon form, steam exuding from his nose as he snorted with laughter.
"Oh how I wish I had a camera. You two look ridiculous! Two big ol’ dragons snuggling together over a little, teensy phone!" Braeden laughed, but in his dragon form it sounded like a mixture of roaring and thunder. A little scary it would be if I wasn’t already used to it.
"You're a douche! We're not even in dragon form!" I grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and tossed it into his face. It was barely a dusting but he inhaled and Maxxus had to quickly throw himself over me to protect me chivalrously from the hot, red flame that my brother sneezed out.
"It's all right, we're just joking!" I insisted as Maxxus released me and blushed as my brother gave him a (pretend) dirty look.
Maxxus chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry; it's been awhile since I dealt with the sibling rivalry."
"Can I ask what you were doing?" Braeden questioned, nodding his massive head at my phone.
I lifted it up to his view. "Um…Star Trek…d’uh."
My brother rolled his large, bright green dragon eyes. "You and your human fetishes."
I stuck my tongue out at him playfully. "Bite me, Brae."
Braeden mashed his large jaws at me. "Sure thing, sis. Your human form is nothing more than a swallow for me."
I narrowed my eyes at his challenge. Normally since I felt completely comfortable around my brother, I would have shifted right then and clawed at his snout but—I didn’t want to strip down in front of Maxxus. Although most dragons had no shame in their naked, human forms I had lived on Earth long enough to attain some of their modesty. Besides I had to remain in human form to ride my brother’s back.
"Leo can we go now? Please? I need to meet up with Kiarra soon."
I took my cue and shoved my phone in the front pocket of my backpack and slung it over my shoulders. "Thanks,
Maxxus for hanging out."
"No, thank you…I’ve been so bored here lately you gave me some entertainment," he replied. "Stay safe, Milady Leorah."
I nodded, and my brother squatted on his haunches to allow me to climb on his back. I grasped the base of his large, thick wing and he raised it to give me some height and I managed to toss my leg over him. I pulled out a satin rope from my bag and he allowed me to place it around his neck for me to hang on to. Normally, a human riding a dragon—especially with a harness—was demeaning but neither of us cared, and I wasn’t a real human anyways. It was a common sight to see Braeden and me soaring over the fields of Anarach, so most dragons didn’t give it much thought—other than to bear me scorn since I was such an embarrassment of a dragon.
"Thanks for watching out for her," Braeden said, with a respectful nod at Maxxus. He gave a slight bow in response, and my brother started flapping his wings in order to put some air under him to gain flight.
"Oh and Leo, I’ll ask my partner about that thing when we change shifts and I’ll let you know when you come back through," he yelled after us as we were airborne.
I waved to him in response. "Thank you!" I smiled at him and Maxxus grinned warmly in reply. He bowed his head slightly as Braeden beat his wings and slowly began to take off.
"What is he talking about? What thing?" Braeden called over his shoulder when we were about two stories above the ground. I was a little nervous about being so high up so he normally kept his flying as close to the ground as he could and still have some decent speed.
How ridiculous is that? A dragon—afraid of heights? If it wasn’t me I’d facepalm myself in disgust. Sigh.
"Oh," I tried to be dismissive. "I thought someone had gone through before me, the portal was charged already but he assured me no one had come through on his shift anyways."
"Huh. That’s weird. Probably someone just messing around with it on the other side. Or maybe some black dragon was performing some kind of magic maintenance on Earth with it," Braeden offered.
I doubted it but I pretended to agree with him anyways. "Yeah, you’re probably right. I just wanted to check it out…. just in case."
"Never hurts to check," he said. We spent the rest of the ride to my family’s home in silence as I watched the land spread out and change as we rode gracefully over it.
Rolling green hills and pristine blue streams and waterfalls patterned the landscape, occasionally adorned by a random stone or brick house or castle and a handful of large farmlands broke up the bright green. As much as I hated being here—it sure was beautiful.
We came across a large hill that abruptly broke into a chasm below, giving way to a rushing river whose tributaries fed the farms for the next one hundred miles. On the hill sat a rather formidable, white stone castle that had grayed with age and wear. The sparkled flecks in the stone occasionally caught the bright sun and was nearly blinding as we got closer. Our family home was a semi-large stone structure, resembling castles humans would view in photos of medieval Scotland or Britain. The stone was worn, but strong, in hues of light gray. Slight turrets rose out of the walls, indicating chambers that belonged to my parents, or my brother. I was home.
Chapter 5
Braeden gracefully landed just outside of the large wooden door that hung on heavy iron hinges and lowered himself in order to allow me to slide off his back.
"Home sweet home," Braeden quipped sarcastically, knowing fully well how I felt about being there. It was stunning but…it was a home of much ridicule with the exceptions of course being my brother and grandfather. I didn’t enjoy being there at all anymore. But I was excited about seeing my grandfather, even despite the stress and confusing of the knowledge I had just gained in the past day. Seeing him always made me feel like a carefree dragon, as he never held my color against me. I was just his granddaughter and he was as proud as any grandpa could be—maybe more so, knowing how much I faced on a daily basis he probably felt like he had to overcompensate.
"Thanks," I said.
He paused as I reached for the circular iron pull to open the door.
"You…are going in like that?"
"Like what?" I motioned down towards my grungy shirt and ripped jeans. "Do you think Mother would hate it?"
"Yes," he said simply, trying to stifle a grin.
"Oh. Good." I pulled open the heavy door and entered. I was met by a large great room with two huge stone staircases each leading up to different wings of the fortress. Where the two met on the wall hung a large tapestry of our family’s official crest in black, with our individual signatures on the outside of it; even mine—though they refused to allow me to write it in pink, so I settled for red like Braeden. Close enough.
"Leo!" a husky voice called from atop one of the stairs. I beamed as my grandfather stood at the balcony above and opened his arms. "Come here!"
I quickly dashed up the enormous stairs and threw myself into my grandfather’s human form. He was just as silver as a human as he was in dragon from; with long, silver hair and beard and gray eyes. All of which just blended in with his traditional silver dragon robes he always wore; with the symbol of Anarach on the back of them in black embroidery.
"What brings you here?" he said, in his husky, friendly tone. "Is everything okay?"
I tossed a pointed look at my brother who still waited downstairs. "I gotta go meet up with Kiarra anyways. See you soon," he said, and had turned out the door, it shut with a loud thud behind him.
"I don’t know. Maybe?" Seeing my grandfather’s concern left me feeling befuddled as I struggled to find the words. "Is…is mother here?"
He shook his head. "No, dearest…they are both at Court for the day. Planning the Harvest/ Mabon Festival for the town, you know. But your mother should return later at some point. My son is spending a couple days there; he is helping the Court try to pass a declaration to deny the Brownies access to our homes." He rolled his eyes at that one. Brownies were tiny little elf like beings that lived in forests and pond areas that liked to play tricks on people. Or dragons. Much like Leprechauns (yes, they existed in certain kingdoms in the dragon realm; just not in Anarach) but smaller, and hard to understand with their simple speech. They didn't have the knack for seeking out treasure like Leprechauns did. Leprechauns caused mayhem because they were always on the hunt for something shiny; Brownies just enjoyed it. They also enjoyed treasures themselves; but sought nothing of value. They enjoyed trash and garbage. I liked them; there is a group of them that live in the gardens behind our home. I’d bring them old socks and empty wrappers and they’d play pranks on my parents for me. The best thing was my parents had no idea and it was hilarity to watch them nearly go insane trying to figure out why the tapestry kept falling down or why the door wouldn't stop randomly shutting.
My grandfather scoffed. "Like they'd listen, anyway."
"Right?" I said with a laugh. "Good; glad they'll be gone awhile at least."
My grandfather gestured down a great hallway adorned with antique paintings and some newer photos much to my mother’s chagrin that my grandfather insisted upon to his large series of rooms that all belonged to him. We each had our own chambers, even me although mine was now being used for entertaining guests like I hadn’t even existed. At least they left up all my cheesy human teenager décor. Though, that was probably more Braeden's insistence then anything. Upon entering my grandfather’s chambers, we were met by a large entryway entered into a library and sitting room, with a roaring stone fireplace and several plush chaises and chairs and bookshelves along every wall.
My grandfather carefully rested himself on a red plush chaise and kicked his feet out in front of him. He patiently set his hands in his lap and watched me pace in front of the bookshelf mindlessly.
I was always amazed at my grandfather’s book collection; it would put most local libraries to shame. He had everyone from history to human history—all about the crusades, ancient Rome, Celtic Warriors—classic literature like all volumes of Shakes
peare, the Christian Bible, Charles Dickens and current stuff like Twilight and even 50 Shades of Grey which made me chuckle insanely. Hard to imagine a centuries-old Elder dragon getting into something like that.
Actually I didn’t want to imagine that at all.
"Are you looking for something, dear?" he asked expectantly as I continued to pace, running my fingers along every volume within my reach, tracing my footsteps back towards the earliest parts of his collection which contained ancient texts on dragon history. But I was pretty sure the knowledge wouldn’t be found in a book.
I heaved a heavy sigh. "Not sure. Do you have anything on some old Order of Knights that used to like, help out dragons? Maybe even…dragons like me?"
I expected to swivel around and see him there, mouth and eyes agape, surprised that I’d come up with such an off-the-wall topic but instead he just sat there calmly, a finger on his right hand raised to casually scratch his nose, a smug smile slowly spread underneath the wiry silver hair around his mouth.
I crossed my arms stubbornly. "I take that look to mean you know something."
He laughed softly. "Yes, dear. I’m relieved to finally be able to freely talk about this with you."
Now my mouth fell open. "Finally? What do you mean?"
He waved me off dismissively. "First things first. Did you meet someone?"
I nodded. "Yes he called himself a Knight of some pink Order or something like that."
"Ord na Draconica Dianthus." He offered, and I nodded. He smiled even more widely. "Ah, good. What was his name?"
"Gabriel O’Donnell."
At the name he appeared somewhat surprised. "You're sure that was the name? O'Donnell?"
I nodded slowly, suspicious of his reaction. "Yes, I'm sure. Why?"
A moment of silence before he spoke. "Oh, no real reason, just that I'm familiar with the O'Donnells from long ago. Powerful sorcerers. Noble knights for sure," he said, turning to me and forcing a smile to save face.
"So you know about them? And the Order?" I felt my forehead crease involuntarily at his acknowledgment of Gabriel's family.