by Amy Hale
“Nah, don’t worry about that. Everyone has it covered. And since tomorrow is also your birthday, I thought it’d be good to do something special today. Something I think you need to see.”
“Oh, okay. Let me check with Mom.” I turned to see Mom walking up behind us.
“Yes, you should go. Aunt Jetta will take good care of you, and I’ll see you back here tonight.” She wiped her hands on a dish towel.
“Seriously? You don’t want me to work and learn all about the process of doing for others?” My sarcasm did not go unnoticed, but it did surprise me how easily she was willing to let me off the hook.
“Seriously. You’ve learned that plenty. It’s not every year you get a Cold Moon Ball and your sixteenth birthday all in one day. There are other lessons to learn today.” She looked at Aunt Jetta, and it felt like an unspoken message passed between them.
“Okay then,” I said. “What do I need to wear?”
Aunt Jetta smiled. “Something very comfortable and loose.”
Loose? Well, this should be good.
I jogged to my room and quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants, T-shirt with hoodie, and my favorite tennis shoes. In less than ten minutes, I had returned to the doorway with Mom and Aunt Jetta.
“Okie dokie. I’m all set. Teach me, oh master,” I said with a mock bow.
Aunt Jetta chuckled and motioned for me to exit the doorway before her. I did, but not before turning to give my mom a big hug. “I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you, too,” she whispered back and planted a kiss in my hair.
We’d been hiking up the side of a ridge in the woods outside of town for almost an hour. My legs grew tired, and I realized how badly I needed to start a cardio routine of some kind. Aunt Jetta moved ahead of me with ease.
“Hurry up, slowpoke. I have something cool to show you.” She waved me forward.
I huffed in annoyance. “I’m coming.”
She waited until I reached the spot where she stood and let me catch my breath. “Look.”
I raised my eyes, and my mouth fell open. Before me stood a gorgeous waterfall—three, actually. They weren’t tall, not like the great falls the town was named for. The water had partially frozen, but I hadn’t noticed the cold. Again, my dragon kept me comfortable. With each day, I started to like my dragon more and more.
“This is called Small’s Falls. Isn’t it beautiful?” Aunt Jetta placed her hands on her hips and gazed at the falls with a fondness in her eyes that I’d not previously seen before.
“It is beautiful. Is this a special place?” I studied her face.
“It is. Very much so. How did you know?” She moved next to me and put an arm around me.
“The look on your face. You seem happy to see it.” It embarrassed me a little to admit I was so in tune with her expressions. It seemed odd to be so familiar with her, considering I didn’t know her that well.
“It will soon be a special place for you, too.” She gave me a brief squeeze before she stepped aside. “Follow me.”
I stretched a moment, then fell in step behind her. We walked in silence, the only sounds being the occasional animal running to avoid crossing paths with us, or the crunch of leaves and frost under our feet.
As we approached the falls, she stopped, clearing the overgrown path in front of her. “Wow, it’s been a while since anyone has been here. We’ll be changing that.”
I watched her pull dead vines and various small branches out of the way as we walked. We stopped, and she pointed out a very narrow outcropping of rocks that trailed down the small cliff connecting to the falls. She stepped out onto one, and my heart stopped.
“What are you doing? That looks dangerous.” I felt my anxiety creep up, and I reached to touch my opal, then realized I’d left it at home. I feared losing it in the mountains.
“It’s okay, Zoey. I know the steps don’t look like much, but not everything is as it appears. Come here.” She motioned for me to take her hand.
I slowly approached her, and she grasped my hand in hers. “Do you trust me?”
Fear robbed me of my voice, but I also felt sure Aunt Jetta would never put me in danger. I nodded.
“Good. Hang on to my hand tightly.” She squeezed my hand for reassurance. Before I knew what happened, she yanked me toward her and down on the ledge.
My heart felt like it’d leapt into my throat. I looked down at the tiny ledge we stood on, only it wasn’t tiny. It was more like a landing than a ledge. Plenty of room for both of us.
“See? It’s an optical illusion. You can’t see the steps until you’re right up on them.” She winked at me.
“Cool.” I gazed down to see several larger steps that led all the way to the bottom of the falls.
“Okay, ready to see something really awesome?” Her enthusiasm once again spread over me.
“I am.” I still reeled a little in shock over the freaky stairs, but I did my best to push past that.
I followed her to the bottom, where we were close enough to the water to feel the occasional splash. She turned to me and took my hand once more, leading me to a door-sized opening in the rock. She pulled a small flashlight from her pocket and clicked it on. With two quick steps, she moved inside and was completely swallowed by the darkness.
“Aunt Jetta? Where’d you go?” I willed myself to remain calm. “I can’t see you.”
As if by magic, her arm thrust through the darkness. “Take my hand again. It’ll make sense once you’re inside.”
I grabbed hold of her with both hands and let her lead me through the curtain of inky blackness. It surrounded me like a thick obsidian fog, and then suddenly we were in a small cave, her flashlight illuminating most of the room.
“How . . . I mean . . . I couldn’t see the light from outside.” I moved my gaze from the room to the dark doorway.
“It’s witchcraft.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down at me, and I rolled my eyes.
“No, really,” I said, “how does it work?”
“I wasn’t kidding. It’s witchcraft. The Luna Coven has helped us keep this cave a secret. It’s all ours.” She gestured around us. “And you haven’t even seen the best part.”
“Really? It’s our cave?” I walked closer to her.
“Yep. Let me show you the main room.” She shined the light in the direction of a larger opening, and from where I stood, I could see tiny specks of light.
“What is that?” Curiosity won out over fear, and I moved forward.
Aunt Jetta walked right behind me. We passed through the opening, and she pulled out a lighter. She held it up, and that’s when I saw the torches lining the wall. I watched her light each one until the entire room became bathed in a flickering amber light.
Once more, she shone her flashlight on the opposite wall, and it sparkled. “Go take a closer look,” she urged.
I slowly walked forward while she kept the light focused in front of me. When I reached the wall, I extended my hand and ran my fingers over the rough texture. It was comprised of dirt and rock, but something else pushed through—something embedded within.
“That’s kimberlite.” She watched me as I ruffled through my memories. I’d heard that name somewhere before, but I couldn’t place it.
I turned to look at her. “I don’t get it.”
“Diamonds. Kimberlite contains diamonds.” She spoke calmly, but I could see the elation in her eyes.
“No way!” I hopped up and down a bit. “We own all these diamonds?”
“We do. How do you think we pay for our lifestyle? The pawn shop hasn’t been that lucrative. Although to be fair, your Grandpa Mills was a whiz with investments. So, he’s probably earned as much as we’ve pulled from this cave.”
“Whoa.” I couldn’t believe its beauty.
“There’s more.” She motioned for me to follow her once again.
We approached another opening and stepped through. She lit a few more torches while I stayed in place. When she lit the
last one, she turned to me. “Ta da.”
I looked around and gasped. “This cave is huge.”
“It is. And look at that end.” She pointed in a direction, I didn’t know which since I’d lost my bearings inside the cave, and I walked toward it, noticing a light at the end. The closer I approached, the lighter it became. I could also hear water running.
“We’re behind the falls?” Way cool!
“We are,” she said. “And again, no one can get in here. Just us dragons.”
“People don’t stumble upon it by accident?” I asked.
“A few have, but the spell protects it. All anyone else can see is a small, dark, and empty cave. Pretty cool, huh?”
I nodded. Beyond cool. Simply amazing.
She sat down on a large rock. “Humans have learned to avoid it all together. The water is fatal to them.”
“So. Cool.”
She motioned to me to join her. “Zoey, we need to talk.”
That phrase is never good.
“Okay.” I made my way next to her and sat down.
“Being a dragon shifter can take some getting used to. The hardest part is making the transition from human to dragon. It’s something you have to practice the first few times.” She reached down and clasped my hand. “It’s not as scary as it sounds, but it’s not something you can just practice out in the open. This cave gives us plenty of room for that.”
“Oh. So, this is our training space.” I suddenly worried about the pain that might be involved in shifting. It wasn’t something I’d considered before.
“Yes, exactly. I brought you here today to practice.” Her tone held excitement.
“What?” I jumped up. “I’m not ready for that. My birthday isn’t until tomorrow.” I started to panic again.
“Sweetheart, you could have shifted anytime you wanted to this past couple of weeks. You just didn’t know how.” She clasped her hands in front of her.
I looked at her and took a deep breath. “Does it hurt?”
She shrugged. “It can be a little uncomfortable for your human form, but nothing you can’t handle. I promise.”
I nodded, still a bit apprehensive. “Okay.”
“Let me help you. I’ll explain how you do it, then I’ll change. You can follow me.”
I nodded again.
“So first, you take off your clothes, unless you want to be without wearable clothes when you return to your human form.” She started stripping, and I focused my view on the dirt in front of me. “Zoey, don’t let this embarrass you. It’s part of the process. Animals don’t wear clothes, and they aren’t embarrassed to see each other. You shouldn’t be, either. At least, not in this instance.” She folded up her clothing and placed them on the rock she had just sat on. “Now look at me.”
I looked up and tried to focus on her face. Even though I shouldn’t have been embarrassed, I was.
“Think of your dragon. Talk to it. Allow it to come forward in your mind. Once you’ve freed it in your thoughts, you’ll be able to free it physically, too. Now watch.”
She stood back and closed her eyes. Within moments she began to change shape before my eyes. She groaned a little, but it didn’t sound like she suffered. Her hands became huge claws with long talons while her arms morphed into muscular legs that jutted out in front of her. Her legs followed a similar pattern. Her head thrashed back and changed from the face I was now familiar with to one of a giant, fierce reptile. A crown of thorny looking scales wrapped from one side of her jaw to the other. Powerful wings poked out from her shoulder blades, and her tail grew to almost the length of her body. Aunt Jetta’s scales were white with a blueish tint to match her eyes. Snout to tail, she had to be forty feet long and twenty feet high. She opened her mighty jaws and I saw the gleam of enormous teeth. Some were smooth like fangs, while others featured a serrated edge. She was beautiful and terrifying all at once.
I took a few steps back, and she gently placed her monstrous head in front of me. I reached out and touched her snout. “Aunt Jetta?”
She snorted, and frosty air rushed from her nostrils. I recognized it, as it looked like the same stuff I blew on my burn that fateful day I learned about my true identity.
She blinked one large, pale blue reptilian eye at me and gave my hand a small nudge.
I instantly felt less afraid. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
I stood back and took off my clothes, trying to concentrate on anything but the fact that I was naked in a half-frozen cave. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine what my dragon might look like. A vision began to form in my mind. A white dragon with iridescent scales stepped forward and bowed to me. I bowed back and reached forward to touch it. It lowered its head and allowed me to stroke its magnificent crown.
“Are you my dragon?” I asked. It nodded its head. “Will you promise to keep me safe?”
It nodded once again.
I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around its neck in an embrace. I could feel the affection my dragon had for my human form, and all my fears dissipated. In seconds, we were melding together. I felt my muscles and bones expanding and pulling, but it wasn’t horrible. Along with a little pain, it felt like finally getting a good stretch after a long nap. My bones creaked slightly, and I felt some popping.
When I mustered the courage to open my eyes, I was looking up, only slightly, at my Aunt Jetta. She spoke to me, and I felt relief that we could still communicate in this form, albeit telepathically.
“You’re beautiful, Zoey. One of the most beautiful dragons I’ve ever seen.” She pushed her head against mine and rubbed our cheeks together.
“Am I?” I wished I had a mirror.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
“A little weird, but good. Really good.” I felt like smiling, although I had to assume that I couldn’t physically smile. Maybe human Zoey smiled for me, somewhere inside.
“Do you feel like getting some exercise?” She stamped her feet for emphasis. “I’m dying to stretch out my wings.”
“Can we do that? I thought you said we shouldn’t be seen outside of the cave.” I wiggled my wings a little, testing how they felt. I could only move them minutely, thanks to the now cramped space in the cave.
“That’s true. But we have one more trick up our sleeves. Camouflage.” She lifted one front leg and pointed a claw at the falls at the end of the cave. “We can exit that way.”
She lumbered past me, and I awkwardly followed, still getting used to walking on four large legs. She pushed her head through the water of the falls and then back inside, shaking the water off like a dog would after a bath. “We’re good. We’ll step out into the water, then I’ll show you how to trigger your camouflage.”
She pushed her way through the falls, with me close behind her. We both sat in roughly knee-deep water. Well, knee deep for a twenty-foot-tall creature. I glanced down at my rippled reflection in the water. As she’d said, beautiful. I now stared back at the dragon I’d envisioned in my mind. My coloring was pure as snow, with iridescent scales that matched the streaks in my human form’s hair. My eyes were more a marbled grey and contained even less blue than my human form did. My crown of horns mimicked Jetta’s, but was smaller, as was the rest of my sizing. I turned my head and opened my jaw, inspecting the copious number of teeth that now filled my mouth.
“See? You’re stunning.” She stepped a bit closer. “When you’re a full adult, at age twenty, you’ll be the same size as I am. You’re not all that far from it now. I’d estimate you’re close to sixteen or seventeen feet tall.”
I looked back at my reflection in awe.
“So,” she said, “to hide within your surroundings, simply scan the area around you and mentally choose a camouflage. Your body will do the rest.”
She stepped onto the bank, and I followed her. She glanced around us, then disappeared. But she wasn’t completely gone. I could sense her and see little things that gave her away, but I felt sure that was another perk to being a dragon
. We could still see each other, for the most part, but others couldn’t.
I followed her lead. I didn’t feel different, but when I looked at my claws, they appeared transparent. I could still see them, yet I couldn’t. It felt surreal.
Jetta stretched her wings out and sighed in bliss. “It’s been so long.” She shifted her head toward mine. “Are you ready for more?”
I couldn’t help but be excited. “Yes. Totally.”
“Good. Let’s fly.”
Chapter 9
I followed Aunt Jetta to a higher altitude, practicing my camouflage techniques along the way. I could shift from dead leaves to snow, to trees, to water, and back again. I could even make one part of myself resemble the trees, while another part of me looked like the ground. I loved it. We were totally undetectable, outside of the sounds we made as we traversed the mountainside. Even then I was surprised at how nimble we could be for such large creatures. We weren’t nearly as noisy as I’d expected we’d be.
We reached a cliff, and she stopped to face the open air that stretched out in front of us. I could see the entire town from where we were perched.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.
“It truly is.” She turned her head toward me and pushed her forehead to mine in an affectionate gesture. “I hope you’ll give it a chance, Zoey. Havenwood Falls is an amazing place, once you settle in.”
I nodded as I pulled my face from hers.
“I’d miss you if you left, but I’d also understand.” Aunt Jetta spoke softly in my mind. “Your grandpa can be a tyrant when he doesn’t get his way. He can make life very difficult, if he chooses to.”
“I have no plans to leave. Not at the moment. I guess time will tell.”
“Good.” She nodded in front of us. “Then let’s get a closer look.” She moved to the edge and stepped off into nothingness.
My breath hitched as I waited for her to reemerge in my sightline. Then suddenly she appeared, hovering just above me, flapping her beautiful wings with a grace I could only hope to achieve.