by Sariah Skye
He began describing his role and purpose as a Loremaster to those that remained, while I disappeared into the room attached to the office/library.
Another room that was larger than appeared, it was a bathroom with a large stone shower and a rather formidable bathtub before a window overlooking the grounds below.
Gabriel let out a whistle. "Not too shabby…" he said, setting the robes down an ivory colored chaise and winking at me before shutting the door behind me.
I let out a relieved breath, and willed myself to change back into a human, feeling a slight squeezing feeling as everything squished down to size. I was left on all fours on the marble floor, and I quickly stood up and reached for the robes. I held them up to admire; they were embroidered in silver along the edges with Celtic knotwork and vines, and appeared to be very carefully and lovingly made; no detail went untouched. I draped them over my shoulders, and latched the silver buckle at the neck and noticed unlike typical dragon robes, they had buttons down the front and sleeves. I also noticed a small pair of shorts remained on the chaise.
"Huh…it’s almost like they were waiting for me." I stopped at that thought, before I grabbed them and slipped them over my legs. For all I know, they just may have been.
The robes fell over my body and surprisingly weren’t matronly as most robes were, they hugged every curve but draped tastefully so not to reveal too much. They also had a large hood I could pull loosely over my head. I pulled my hair out and let it fall down my back. It was unfortunate I had no shoes but the floor was smooth and cool and felt good on my feet (after switching back from dragon, my human feet always felt a little sore after putting up with all that extra weight).
I emerged from the bathroom and joined my friends who were listening intently to Finnian talk.
"Did I miss anything?" I piped up, re-joining them.
Finnian smiled and clapped his hands together, looking pleased. "Oh they fit. Marvelous. Hildie will be so thrilled!"
"Hildie?"
"She’s one of our town seamstresses, she makes ceremonial robes and dresses and all things of that sort," Finnian explained.
"What is she? Does she have some sort of powers to make things?" Gabriel questioned, while looking at me, I watched his eyes trail the length of my body. I tried to hide my enjoyment at that.
"Well, she’s a dryad so…I assume so," he said, as if that explained it all.
Finnian explained a little more about the Loremasters, and about the history of Castle Danger as a magical safe-haven…it actually stood here longer than the actual unincorporated town did, but the earlier loggers of the area as they were being shipped in on boats looked at the rock formations and in the early fog of morning, they appeared like castle turrets overlooking the immense lake…hence the name Castle Danger. They took on the name themselves when it was named by humans figuring it was appropriate. But the safe-haven had actually existed for hundreds of years prior—this one and a handful of others scattered over this world (and a few more on a couple others—meaning other planets. I was so stunned I couldn’t even speak at that one. Fairies and nymphs were one thing; aliens were another!), originally beginning as a safe place for the Loremasters to look and watch over history, and keep their records of happenings; later they became havens for mystical creatures who were threatened or being persecuted.
Finnian glanced at the wall clock overhead. "Well, it’s almost time for Market. I do hope you’ll come, after you get settled in of course," he said, nodding towards Kiarra. "Kiarra will show you to where you’ll be staying, and I’ve already sent some one off to fetch the rest of your bags from your vehicle."
"How did—" I started, but just threw up my hands. "I’m sure you know pretty much everything."
Finnian smirked. "Nearly everything. I know you’re plagued by something very frightening, but I’m afraid I cannot tell you what it is—yet."
"Yet?" Gabriel sounded hopeful. "You mean, you think you can, eventually?"
Finnian nodded. "These dreams…they are not normal; they aren’t anything we’ve seen in a while. A long while. I will have to enter your mind to see what it is for myself before I can say anything else."
"Enter my mind? Like a Vulcan mind-meld?" I asked, swallowing nervously.
Daniel whooped. "Oh my god she’s like a female Gabriel…."
Gabriel glowered at his brother and punched him playfully in the shoulder.
"Whatever it is seems to happen while I’m sleeping," I explained.
"That is curious…but not unheard of. Whatever it is I suspect will have a difficult time getting through our borders, but if they’re attacking in the dream-dimension well…that’s another story. After you’ve settled in, would you mind terribly if I tried? I assure you, it won’t be painful, it will feel like you’re asleep and in a dream that I just happen to be in."
I nodded. "Yes. Please."
"Is it safe?" Gabriel asked cautiously.
"Oh, quite…for someone inexperienced it would be quite dangerous but I’ve been doing this for…well a long time," he said with a laugh. "Kiarra?"
"Are you all ready?" she asked us, and we nodded.
"In honor of Mabon, after Market we are serving a feast in the town square followed by music and dancing today…not everyone follows the traditions but even if you don’t, it’s a lot of fun. I hope you’ll consider going to that as well. It’s a good way to meet a lot of the people of our town."
Living on Earth for so long, I completely forgot about Mabon…which is basically a minor fall holiday in the Pagan calendar. A lot of dragons were moving away from the old traditions but we still celebrated the bigger ones…Mabon usually warranted an official dinner at the palace, some spelled wine and the castle walls would be decorated in reds and burnt oranges and sunny golds.
"Do I have to be in dragon form?" I asked.
Finnian grinned. "Only if you wish to."
I cheered. "Yay!"
He snickered. "It is nice meeting all of you. Do let me know if the accommodations aren’t acceptable, we will find you something more to your liking."
"I’m sure it will be fine," I said as Kiarra led us out the doorway, back down the expanded hallway and outside again.
"It’s just a little ways away," she said, leading us through what I assumed was the outskirts of town. We encountered no more people or…magic beings but just backsides of brick and wooden buildings until we reached a long, log cabin type building with a handful of doors on the outside placed every few feet or so.
"There are hallways connecting all the rooms, like a hotel," she explained, as she hovered her hand—or, her front foot—in front of a doorknob of the first door and it opened automatically. She stepped aside and I was the first to step in.
Although the outside looked about the size of a small motel, the inside again was much larger. I stood in a rustically-decorated living room, complete with a log-trimmed sofa (it was like a cushion set on stripped, sanded and polished birch logs), a tall stone fireplace and all the amenities of home like a fridge, a wood burning stove, cabinetry, etc. The one thing I noticed—no electricity. Or it didn’t seem to have electricity. I wasn’t quite sure how the fridge was powered, then….
"The guest rooms are totally empty, so you have your pick of however many you want. Share, or not—there is plenty of room. There are two bedrooms to each living space, with full sized beds, bookshelves, a desk and even wi-fi hookups," Kiarra explained.
"Wi-fi?" Daniel echoed my surprise. "But there’s no electricity?"
Kiarra chuckled. "Well, there is…it’s just powered by magic and spells. We’re not hooked up to any power grid. Most here in Castle Danger choose not to use modern conveniences—the Loremasters don’t have much of a choice, they kind of have to—but most of the residents choose not to, although they can at any time if they wish. We have plenty of oil lamps, lanterns—whatever is needed to make you comfortable," she said. She crossed the other side of the room to a door that opened to a long hallway, and opene
d it. This exit didn’t seem to require any magic. "As long as you’re in the building, you will not need any magic to enter. But once you leave you will need to be attuned to the doorknob to allow entry. I will do that with each of you before Market if you should decide to go of course. No pressure. I am going, however so I will need to have you attuned before then, if that’s okay?" She looked at each of us in turn and we all nodded.
Sona came patting through the doorway and leaped up on the plush green velveteen sofa and curled up with a satisfied sigh. I chuckled.
"Okay, clearly this is Leo and Sona’s room…the rest of you just pick wherever you want with whoever or no one, whatever," Kiarra said. Daniel and Maxxus shuffled out the doorway, leaving the rest of us behind.
"I’m staying here, obviously," Gabriel said. "I’ll sleep on the floor if I have to."
"You really think it’ll come to me here? There seems to be a lot of magic protection here, I don’t know—" I began, but Gabriel cut me off.
"No. Even Finnian said himself he wasn’t quite sure what it was. So until we know for sure, I’m not taking any chances. I don’t care if it’s decent or not— "
It was Kiarra’s turn to cut him off, "Gabriel, you don’t have to be defensive, we don’t have the same rules and hangups in our society as humans. You wish to stay with Leo, no one will even bat an eye, I assure you." I glanced over at the rest of the group and sure enough, no one was batting an eye but Maxxus did have a curious look on his face. I mouthed a "What?" at him and he just forced a smile and shook his head, indicating nothing or never-mind.
Gabriel crossed his arms across his chest and fixed his mouth in a thin line, appeased. "Okay, then."
"Relationships are different to magic folks. Some are polyamorous. Others are not. Some have been together for years, others only a few days. Some bounce around with each other, some stay within their race and others don’t care. It’s…whatever makes you happy. Plus, even though the Order is new to you, Leo—we’ve all known about it for some time. So we’re aware of Gabriel’s function to you, if nothing else. It is all completely fine," Kiarra explained.
I frowned. "Sure wish someone had clued me in on all that," I muttered under my breath. Kiarra heard me but she pretended not to notice.
"Well…I’ll start with the other boys and get them attuned. You get settled in. Your things will be here shortly," Kiarra said, disappearing through the doorway. "See you in a bit," she said, leaving Gabriel and me alone in the room.
"Wow…so…" Gabriel said uncertainly, throwing himself down on the couch. "This is…something, huh?"
I crossed my arms over my chest and observed my surroundings. The colors were warm and comforting, maroon and rust reds, pine green and everything appeared so rustic. You could almost feel the energy from each piece of furniture, each piece of artwork. I tip toed across the room and held my hands over a glass oil lamp, the globe around artfully formed and colorful on top of an iron base. I closed my eyes and let my hands hover a moment. I could almost see the person who made it…small, colorful wings, small, feminine features and a pretty smile, with sky-blue eyes. I smiled at the thought. Then my eyes flew open. Wait…I couldn’t really be seeing who made this could I? I’ve never seen anyone here before, how could I—
Gabriel cut my train of thought off. "What are you thinking about?"
I let my hands fall to my sides and shrugged. "Oh. Nothing. It’s a nice little lamp."
His brow wrinkled, unconvinced. "Right."
My feet were starting to get a little cold, and I could feel the hardness of the wooden floor under them. I was really wishing for some sandals right now. I glanced down at my feet and caught a glimpse at my boobs under the slinky fabric. It was fairly unforgiving in the modesty department, and you could see my nipples quite well. Sure, many of the beings here didn’t have the same hang ups as I did but suddenly, I was very much wishing for my bra, new underwear and my black flip-flops. I crossed my arms back over my chest to hide my chest, and I sauntered to a room that was attached on the west side.
It was simple a room, with its own little wood burning stove (I took it that no one used natural gas or propane heaters here) and a full-size bed with handcrafted navy blue quilt, with stars sewn on to it and fluffy pillows. The same bare, polished logs that made up the frame of the sofa and tables in the next room made up the walls of this bedroom, except for the opening on the north side. Gold drapes adorned each side. I peeked outside, under me was a gravel path, alined with wildflowers and willow trees. A human (at least, they appeared to be human) appeared with a wooden wheelbarrow with bags of flowers and vegetables sticking out of them. A small child joyfully trailed behind her, they both had the same blonde hair and golden skin. The adult paused and turned my way. She caught my eye and offered a nod and small smile.
I responded with a little wave, and she and the child continued on their way.
"Well, at least everyone seems friendly," I said under my breath. I pulled the curtains shut over the window, blocking out the afternoon sunlight. I heard a light thud and swiveled around to see its origin.
"I’ll be damned…" My backpack and duffel bag along with a bag of Gabriel’s and his laptop case magically had appeared on the bed. I called to Gabriel.
"What the—they weren’t here when we got here, were they?" he asked, amazed and I shook my head.
"No, they weren’t," I said in confusion.
Gabriel grinned. "Awesome! Must have been a spell!" He clapped his hands together, giddily and opened up his case, producing the computer and setting it on the bed. "Looks fine. Wow!"
I just shrugged, not quite sure how to react to all this new sorcery. However, I did smile to myself, seeing how happy it made Gabriel; like just a short while ago, when he was openly able to perform magic for the little boy on the outskirts of town. I reached for my duffel bag and unzipped it, relieved to see that my stuff too was unscathed. I rummaged for some new underwear and my sandals at the bottom. I pulled them out happily, and went back in for a new t-shirt and jeans.
"You’re not going to wear that?" Gabriel asked, sounding disappointed, his lower lip slightly puffed out.
I smiled wryly. "Why?"
"Because it’s…well…" he coughed uncomfortably, his eyes involuntarily betraying him as they trailed to my breasts.
I shrugged. "Well, it is comfortable, except for the lack of underwear."
"There’s no underwear?" Gabriel let out a groan, covering his face with his hands and uttering a few unintelligible words. He threw himself down on the bed. "I can’t take it. Just…take me. Now."
I raised a brow. "Really?" Feeling mischievous, I sauntered over to him on the bed, unbuttoning one of the buttons near the neck as I sat next to him, exposing some of my human flesh to him.
Gabriel reached out but I swatted his hand away. "Ha. Forget that, Kiarra will be back any second," I said, leaning over to place a kiss on his forehead. He tried to grab my waist and pull me back towards him but I yanked myself away.
"Tip on dealing with dragons? Do not start something you cannot finish. It’s not a pretty picture," I advised, leaning over him and grabbing my clothing. I headed for the small room next to this one which I assumed was the bathroom, leaving him to swear and groan. I laughed, shutting the door behind me. "We do bite!"
It was a bathroom, with a claw-footed tub along one wall, a small bowl sink next to that and a mirror over it, shelves lining both walls. I assumed this was a combination of a bathroom and closet, and there was s door that undoubtedly led into the second bedroom. I peeked my head in momentarily, it was essentially the same bedroom except with the furniture on opposite sides to this one, with green and red linens and trees on the quilt instead of stars.
I pulled my head back in and noticed a stack of linens already taking up two of the shelves. I reached for one, and noticed it was the same soft velvet as the robes I was already wearing, though this time in a deep midnight blue. Under was another set in deep purple, and red, and a couple
more in white.
I grabbed the set of red and tossed into the bedroom at Gabriel on the bed. "Here. I’ll wear these if you were those."
He held them up in front of him. "Really?"
I nodded. "Do you have a jacket or anything?"
He groaned and slapped his palm against his forehead. "No…"
"Well, there you go. They’re deceptively warm," I said. I shut the door behind me and pulled on my own underwear, twisted myself into one of my ugly beige bras (when all this was over, I really needed to get new underwear I thought to myself) and pulled on my jeans. I took the robes off momentarily to pull on my t-shirt and thought again. The luscious fabric felt really good against my skin. I tossed the tee on the floor and was satisfied with the jeans and sandals (and of course, underwear). For some reason, the robes felt a little more appropriate for this town (and I was pretty sure there wasn’t anyone with a t-shirt that said "Real Vampires Don’t Sparkle" on it, and being I wasn’t 100% sure if there were vampires here or if they really existed, I didn’t want to accidentally piss one off. I liked my blood inside my body, thank you very much).
I exited the room to see Sona pat in, looking content, tail upright and twitching on her end. She jumped up on the bed and made herself comfortable on one of the pillows.
"Perhaps we’ll be switching rooms," I said, with a laugh.
Gabriel appeared in the door frame, the red robes draped over his broad shoulders. He scowled. "Is there another color? I feel like Little Red Riding Hood."
I snorted. "There’s green."
He considered this and nodded. I grabbed for the green ones and we exchanged.
"These really are nice," he said, rubbing the fabric of the sleeve with the opposite palm. "Whoever made these really put a lot of work into them."
I nodded. "Yes." There was a knock at the door to the hallway. I figured it was Kiarra and I hollered for her to come in.