by Sariah Skye
Orion, instead of chiding me let out a peal of laughter. I had met one other unicorn so far—Donovan—but I hadn’t seen much of him since our first day in Castle Danger. Orion was the one I’d introduced Kit to; that day when I promised her she’d meet real unicorns. Apparently, they’d become friends. Or something.
“Yes, that’s me. I figured since we’ve been instructed to flee for your kingdom in the dragon realm, I better practice being in human form. We’re not quite sure if we’re ready to fully reveal what we are, yet. Even to your kind. Yet.” He assured me once again.
I nodded. “I get it. Well, you’re welcome in Anarach, I promise you. You and any remaining unicorn companions you may have.”
He bowed once in appreciation. “Thank you. However, I think it’s just me. There were only three of us here before the Shadows and I’m pretty sure Donovan took off for the Saskatchewan haven and Lissandre hasn’t been seen yet.” He sighed. I wasn’t familiar with the third name. “I assume she just took off for the woods. Her form is brown, so she could easily fit in with other horses if she finds someone to break off her horn.”
My hand flew to my mouth and I gasped in horror. “Break off her horn? That’s terrible!”
“Oh, it’s not as bad as it sounds; they grow back. It’s as painless as clipping a fingernail. Lots of witch wands are made with them. I promise if that’s what she did; she’s fine,” he finished with a chuckle.
Maxxus let out a low whistle. “Well, thank the stars for that.”
Kit looked positively giddy—which was out of place with the downright dark destruction and unhappiness. I wanted to inquire more about Kit’s new “friend”, but we were prompted by Finnian to move on.
“Why the urgency, Finn?” I asked as we walked.
He sighed and looked at me sullenly. “There’s more.”
“More?” I retorted in surprise. He said nothing more and just urged us through the rest of the town.
Kit walked beside me as we trudged through what remained of town. It appeared as if a bomb went off, and slick oil was poured entirely over the wreckage site under a perpetual night sky. Maxxus, with his long legs was slightly in front of me, and Orion, the goddamned unicorn strode to keep up with him. Guy talk or something.
"What is going on with you two?" I questioned, elbowing her as we walked. I swallowed and tried to ignore the destruction around me. Finnian swore it was key that I kept in high spirits because if I fell… the destruction could exasperate and I'd be susceptible. I don't know if that was accurate but being in the center of the destructed town, I felt the pull of the Shadows and I needed to ignore it.
Kit let out a little giggle and I saw her cheeks flush. "I am not sure. After the Shadows—" she shuddered a bit at the mention, "—Orion was the first to find me. He allowed me to ride his back and carried me off to one of the caves. We were the only ones there and ended up chatting for a long time about… well, just life." She sighed dreamily, then glanced at me briefly, looking shamed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be happy, but—"
"—Kit, the Shadows and Cyril want us to be depressed. That means we're more prone to their attacks. The best way to fight it is with happiness, so, if it makes you happy, please, relish in it," I insisted.
She offered a smile. Out of nowhere she let out a sniffle and grabbed my arm, pulling me into her in a tight hug. "Oh, Leorah, I'm so sorry. I keep thinking, had it not been for me, none of this would have ever happened." She sighed into my shoulder.
I frowned, and hugged her back tightly. I closed my eyes and with a slight flick of my hand, pulling at the pink spirit inside I grabbed for some peaceful magic and waved it all over her before speaking earnestly, "Kit, I already told you, if it wasn't you, they would have found another way. Someone weaker, with no mytho powers at all, or any potential. They could have been hurt, or worse… not able to be saved. One way or another, they would have gotten to us. It's just fate; it was their time. You were in the wrong place at the right time for them. That is all. And I will hear no more blame come from you! Understand?"
She pulled away and cocked a brow. "How very… commanding of you." She offered a wink. "You're right, but…"
"—no buts. If anyone is to blame—" I began, but I was cut off.
"—it's me who is to blame if anything; I should have seen this coming. It is, after all, my job to hold the balance." Finnian stopped in his tracks to turn on us. We were just paces from the guest quarters, where Finnian and whatever remained of the Loremasters currently were housed. He waved his hand over a doorknob and urged us to go inside. I hesitated to follow everyone, hearing a strange sound from nearby.
Maxxus noticed my hesitation and hung back with me.
"It sounds…like a sob?" I questioned as Maxxus stood quietly and listened.
"From—around the corner?" he mused, with a shrug. He started to peek around the corner and I followed.
The dragon family that Maxxus and I had watched wistfully in the town square that day before the bonfire, huddled nearby. The mother clutching the little girl in her arms as she sobbed. They hadn't noticed us, yet. I thought about quietly stepping away, but something compelled me to step forward.
The father was the first one to lift his head. He let out a small gasp and pulled at his mate's arm. She too looked surprised and disheveled. The young drake in her arms in human form took that moment to shift into her white dragon form, tearing the dress she'd been wearing. It fell to the ground in a heap, and the son picked it up and wrung it in his hands.
The mother, who I recalled was named Lilethe, bowed her head severely. "Your Majesties, I'm sorry, we—"
"—there's no need to apologize," Maxxus assured her in a calming voice.
"Or revere us. We're just temporary leaders," I continued. "We just heard your daughter crying, and wanted to see what was wrong. Besides the obvious," I finished, motioning around us at the destruction.
The little drake in her arms squirmed and growled; sounding pained.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
The mother sighed, with burden. "Ever since the attack, she's been very… distraught."
I exchanged a worried glance with Maxxus. "Has the seer, Daniel, seen you yet?" he asked.
The father nodded. "He has. He said we were all slightly Shadowtouched of course, but we're responding to treatment. The taint is much less now. But Daxie—"
"She has nightmares." The son finished for him.
My face fell. "I'm… I'm so sorry." We should have been here. Perhaps if we had…
“You should have been evacuated for Anarach; it’s safer there,” I instructed.
Lilethe nodded. “We are. We just wanted to see if any of our things remain before leaving.”
The little white dragon cried out in pain and flung her head against the mother, flailing wildly. I reached out to her, more out of instinct than necessity before I thought twice about it and pulled away.
"If you can help—please," Lilethe pleaded, her eyes teary.
I nodded gently. I stepped closer to them and the little white dragon's eyes widened. She inhaled and smoke began pouring from her nose before she opened her mouth and let loose a stream of white flame, complete with sparks.
I held up my hands out of instinct, calling for my spirit magic to shield me from the white fire. I breathed out gently and waved my own shimmering dragonfire, at her and she promptly ceased her magic.
The father took a step towards me, but Maxxus with his ever-dominant demeanor simply held out a hand and shook his head severely. "Just trust her."
I ignored their exchange and spoke to the little dragon.
"My name is Leorah. What's yours? I promise I won't hurt you. I'll stop my magic if you stop yours. I don't want to get hurt. Okay?" I spoke calmly.
The child drake clamped her mouth shut and, with a wary stare, reluctantly nodded. "Okay."
I gave her a small smile. "What is your name? Daxie?"
She nodded slightly. "Short for Daxira," she replied, her v
oice quiet, yet low in her dragon form.
I grinned. "That's a very pretty name."
She beamed briefly. "Are you a queen?"
I fought the urge to blush, as my hand gently fingered the circlet at my forehead. "Yes, yes I am."
She smiled, a crooked, toothy grin. "That's neat. Do you think I could be a queen someday?"
I chuckled. "Depends. Where are you from? Dreka?"
She nodded. "We live here now; Daddy says they're sorta stupid."
I snorted. Maxxus stifled a laugh behind me. "I have no doubt. Well…" I pulled the circlet off my head and reached over and placed it on her head. "We're going to rebuild Castle Danger, Daxie. And when we do, you can be a princess. For now, you can practice with my crown. I need it back, though, when I leave if that's okay. I'll even make sure Finnian knows it; he'll agree. Or I'll eat him."
Daxie let out a peal of giggles, the circlet was too big and it sat crooked on her head. As it fell over her eyes she let out another giggle. The sound was musical and warmed my heart. "I like Finn, please don't eat him."
I winked at her. "Okay, I won’t. But he'll listen. Until then, you can practice a bit using my crown. Does that sound like fun?"
She beamed. "Yeah!"
"Good. Now, your mom tells us you've been having bad dreams?" I asked, more quietly.
Daxie went sullen. "Yeah. I think about the Shadows and them chasing me."
Lilethe let out a little whimper. I reached out and touched her comfortingly on the arm, letting a little bit of my spirit magic touch her with my hand. She softened slightly and smiled gratefully. I don't know if she knew what I'd done, but, she was still grateful for the gesture.
"Well, Daxie, did you know that as a white dragon, you can use light magic? That light magic can chase those darn, mean, icky ol' Shadows right away. Did you know that?"
Daxie's blue eyes perked up slightly. "Oh? But, I can't make light magic yet."
"You just did—with your fire!" I insisted.
"I did?" She asked, with surprise.
I nodded. "You did. You just need to be more conscious of when you're doing it. You want to try again—as long as you promise not to fricassee me, okay?"
She let out a little giggle and jumped out of her mother’s arms, landing deftly on the ground. "Promise!" The little white dragon trembled excitedly, her short tail swishing back and forth; her wings stretched out at their sides, flapping gently.
We took a couple steps back from her family, and Maxxus and I instructed her to breathe her fire again. As she did, I waved my hands and pushed a stream of my shimmering fire towards it, engulfing the sum of fire and turning it into a bright light in front of her.
"I did it!" she cried out, happily. Involuntarily again, her form switched back to her normal, human self. I knew especially when young dragons were stressed they shifted back and forth without warning. Quickly, I pulled my robes from my shoulders and wrapped them around her. Of course they were way too big, but the dress was torn and couldn't be worn at the moment. She pulled them against her and grinned. "These are nice."
I winked at her. "Perks of being a queen."
She giggled. Without warning, she flung herself at me in a severe embrace.
I winced, taken aback, but a motherly instinct took over that I didn't know I had. I reveled in the attention from an adoring child. Momentarily I imagined in my mind—a similar little girl, perhaps a green or silver like her grandfather—hugging me just like Daxie was right now. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, wishing for a moment that she was my own.
Where the hell was this coming from? I shook the thought from my mind. I closed my eyes and tried to push my spirit magic into her, to push the fear away.
The Shadows will not bother you. They are gone. You are strong enough to fight them away. You are not scared. I repeated this in my head a handful of times before she finally pulled away.
I felt her body relax a bit as she pulled away. "What kind of dragon are you?"
I hesitated briefly, my hand flying to my mark on the back of my neck. I swallowed. I knew that, of course Valessia had apologized for my treatment. I knew that the bullies were gone, mostly. But I could not bring myself to break the little girl's spirit and tell her what I really was.
A strong hand clutched my shoulder, and I felt Maxxus' solid body behind me as he leaned over and spoke to the girl:
"The queen is a pink dragon," he said simply, in a steady voice.
I wanted to shrink, to balk away. I knew what could—what probably would come next.
But it didn't come. Instead, Daxie just gasped and appeared amazed. "Wow! I didn't know there was such a thing!"
"That's because she's the only one," Maxxus spoke. "She's very, very special," he said, giving me a half-smile from the corner of his mouth.
I felt my heart soar at his words. I turned to her and held my head a little higher. Yes, I was special. "I can use spirit magic. You know what—someday, you can too."
She squealed with delight. "Sounds like fun!" The little child flung her arms around me once more in a hug and pulled away, running back to her mother who scooped her up, the robes dragging behind her in the dirt. She smiled at me thankfully.
The other child—the boy—appeared visibly miffed. He appeared about ten years old and was entirely jealous of the attention, it poured off him in waves. He didn't seem bothered by the Shadows, but of course I didn't know. I didn't know what else to do so I leaned over and offered him a platonic peck on the cheek and bowed at the knees slightly at him. "If there's anything you need, please, feel free to ask."
The boys' eyes widened. He grinned from ear to ear.
I heard Maxxus chuckle before he spoke next. “Make sure you make haste to Anarach.”
The father nodded. “We will. And…thank you.” He turned to his wife and they both bowed their heads slightly.
I exchanged thankful looks with Daxie's parents before disappearing into the building, where Finnian stood holding open the door for us.
"Leo—" he started, and I cringed, waiting for the scolding. You shouldn't be using magic right now, you could be susceptible—but it didn't come. Instead he said, as his eyes flipped from his normal blue to a pale green, "That was beautiful, Leo."
"She really is royalty material, isn't she?" Maxxus jibed, as he followed me into the building, Finnian shutting the door behind us.
I smacked him in the arm. "Stop. This is only temporary. I'm no ruler, I just don't believe in being an asshat."
"A good quality to have in a ruler, of course," Finnian insisted. I just snorted and rolled my eyes.
He led us down the slight hallway and into the room Gabriel and I once had shared. I noticed that all the injured Mythos had been removed, probably further down the hall or in Anarach. The room still wasn’t a bedroom again, but an office—Finnian’s office. My brow furrowed. “Wasn’t the headquarters relatively untouched? Why did you move all your stuff here?”
Finnian was somber. “I felt it pertinent to be by my people.”
I nodded knowingly. “Ah, I see. Makes sense.” Besides, who wanted to be alone, amongst all those Shadows anyway?
I admired Finnian’s quick work; I didn’t know how he did it, totally but in the past few days this room had been bedroom, triage center, hospital room and now, office. Tall bookshelves and file cabinets lined the walls, and a long wooden table with chairs sat in the middle of the room. I assumed in the actual bedroom attached would be Finnian’s messy desk, complete with piles of disheveled papers and mounds of junk. I felt a lump in my throat when I think about what had happened—or almost happened in that room.
Me, wrapped in Gabriel's arms, asleep comfortably. Kisses that took my breath away.
I guiltily glanced at Maxxus who didn't seem to notice my trepidation. I adored Gabriel with all my soul, but Maxxus clearly held my heart. I wouldn't feel guilt any longer for things that were beyond my control.
Still, upon entering the room, seeing Gabriel, Daniel, Evie, a
nd another young man I hadn't been acquainted with so far, my heart skipped a tiny beat.
Gabriel offered a reserved smile, but his brother had no reservations. He leaped out of his seat, crossed the room in two long strides and enveloped me in his arms. I let out a little squeal as he lifted my up and swung me around in a circle. "Girl, you look fantabulous!" He set me down after a moment and I gaped open mouthed at him, slapping him in the chest. He was solid for a human and I knew he probably felt nothing but a tickle, but I didn't care.
"You bitch, shaddup!" I scolded kiddingly. “I just saw you what—yesterday?”
Daniel just grinned widely. “That’s too long for family, dear.” He shot a wink towards me before his hand caught Maxxus on the way to the dining room table. He spun the dragon on his heels and gave him a big bear hug, complete with wet smooch on the cheek.
"Ugh, Daniel, come on…must you always do this?" Maxxus spoke with mock disdain; his eyes twinkled to let it be known that he wasn't truly disgruntled with him. I knew that he held the seer in highest esteem; he just didn’t want to encourage Daniel’s overly-friendly behavior.
Daniel just chuckled. "I know, I just saw y'all before the Coronation but you both look so…" he trailed off, grinning widely and winking.
I tried to hide the flush from my cheeks. It would be pretty evident to anyone what had obviously gone down between two bonded dragons, but still it was difficult acknowledging it with Gabriel in the room. Gabriel seemed to have a sullen cloud floating around him, and I didn’t want to contribute anymore to that than I already had. Even though it was he who originally decided we were better off just taking it slow and stopping altogether.
Gabriel had his hands crossed in front of him on the blonde wooden table, and was pretending to be engulfed in a conversation with the unfamiliar gentleman and Evie, but I could see his gaze keep trailing off towards us.
Finnian let out a cough then, and I knew it was time to get down to business. Upon his urging, Maxxus and I took seats around the table, Kit and Orion pulling up their own chairs and sitting scattered nearby.