by Jade White
“I have yet to thank you both for what you did for the temple. I doubt we would have been able to hold off those creatures without your aid,” she said, inclining her head in their direction.
“I’m sure they wouldn’t have even been here if it weren’t for me,” Eleri replied, her mouth twisting in a bitter grimace. “So it was the least I could do.”
“We can never know that for sure,” the archdruid said easily. “If not now, we would certainly have come into opposition with Dywell later, as all of us who serve the gods must fight against the darkness in our turn. However, you aided us when we were unprepared. If those creatures come again, we will be ready, and for that, we have you both to thank. So, we will do whatever we can to aid you.” Her eyes settled on Carwin. “I know what you require, champion of Ceridwen, and I will gladly give whatever information I can, though much remains hidden to me. However,” she continued, her eyes sliding to Eleri, “I am not sure what to offer you, Eleri, daughter of Glaw, because I do not know your plans. I know Rhian has told you that you would be welcome here as an initiate.”
“Yes,” Eleri said, her cheeks coloring, “I do appreciate the offer, but...” she paused, fearing anything she said would sound foolish, and Carwin laid a hand on her arm.
“Eleri and I have decided to continue our journey together,” he said in a tone that suggested he couldn’t quite believe what he was saying.
“Good,” the archdruid said with a relieved smile, making both their mouths fall open in shock. “I was hoping you’d come to that conclusion on your own rather than me having to convince you.”
“Why?” Carwin sputtered. “Not that I’m not grateful, but I expected you would be disappointed that Eleri was not choosing to remain.”
“She would be an asset to the temple, but sometimes we must put the good of others above our own self-interest. The gods have granted me visions. You will need her before the end, and she you. Your destinies are tied. I would not presume to interfere.”
Carwin drew in a quiet breath, hope warring with disbelief, and Eleri placed her hand over his. As their fingers intertwined, he felt peace descend. What would be, would be. At least they would be together.
The archdruid gave them a satisfied smile. “Now, let us speak on your next step. You asked me for information, but I have been unable to discover much to aid you. As you suspected, Dywell has harnessed some sort of powerful magic to extend his life and his abilities, but the omens regarding the source of this power are unclear. However, I believe there is one place where you will find not only answers, but possibly more tangible aid. My suggestion is that you travel to Afallach and drink from the Well of Truth.”
Carwin sighed. “That is a long and perilous journey. You are sure there is no other way?”
“It is the best way, if not the easiest. There will be many tests once you arrive on the Isle of Apples, for the Well may not be approached by the unworthy,” the archdruid admitted. “I believe that together, you will be more than up to the challenge. As for the distance, I have an idea as to how that obstacle may be overcome.”
********************
So that was how Eleri found herself watching, with no dearth of amusement, a group of people in the courtyard trying to puzzle out how to build a saddle for a dragon. Carwin put up with the whole ordeal with surprising good grace, considering several people were crawling all over him making measurements with pieces of string. Meanwhile, it seemed that people had come from miles around just to get a glimpse of him in his dragon form.
Finally, the tanner, the saddler, and the blacksmith had come to an agreement about the design and material requirements and promised to deliver the finished product in a fortnight. The druids had shooed everyone out of the courtyard, leaving Carwin and Eleri alone. She approached him with keen interest, having not yet had the opportunity to be so close to him while he was a dragon.
It was a surreal feeling. He turned his head in her direction, his cat-like eyes focusing on her, and she reached out to place her hand on his snout. The scales were pleasantly warm, even in the cool air of evening.
“Are you afraid?” he asked, his voice echoing inside her head though his mouth had not moved. Perhaps dragon mouths were not built for speaking. She let her hand slide upward to rest on his brow, leaning against his cheek. His head was nearly as large as her whole body, and she could see the gleam of dagger-sharp teeth in his jaw, but in her heart, she knew this was the man she loved.
“I’m afraid of flying,” she admitted, stroking the scales on his forehead. His eyelids drooped in pleasure, and she smiled. “But of you? Never. I would love you if you were twice as large and covered in spikes.”
“Beloved,” he said, and even in her mind, his voice was thick with feeling. “You are so brave. I would never let you fall.” He nuzzled against her like a large cat, nearly knocking her over with his affection, and she held onto his nose, laughing.
“I trust you to take care of me. It’s me that I don’t trust. I’ve never been fond of heights, but I much prefer this outcome to staying behind, so I will try to keep my terrified screaming to a minimum.”
“I’m not sure what I have done to deserve such trust, but I am glad to have it. I will keep you safe, and you might come to like flying, once you get accustomed to it.”
“We’ll see,” she said with an arched eyebrow, resting her cheek against the warmth of his scales, and for a moment, they simply stood in silence.
“I suppose I should come back to myself so the druids can use their courtyard. Stand back.” Eleri kissed his nose and backed away several paces. Just as before, there was a tangible pulse of magic, and the scales flew away in a glittering swirl, leaving Carwin kneeling in the center. Even without having a recent battle to wear on him, the transformation was tiring, and she could see him sag with exhaustion as she approached and draped a cloak over his shoulders. His arm slipped around her waist and pulled her down onto his lap.
“I thought you wanted to leave the courtyard,” she said in mock indignation, and he grinned down at her playfully.
“I do,” he said, brushing her cheek with his thumb. “For one thing, I’d like to have dinner, but after several hours of being poked, prodded, and climbed over, I think I deserve a kiss. Or several.” It was a marvelous feeling, being allowed to indulge in all of his affectionate impulses with her instead of having to hide them. He hoped she never tired of it.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. “That is a reward I am happy to give,” she said, meeting his lips with joyful abandon.
CHAPTER SEVEN
of clothing.
“Are you all right, Eleri?” he asked.
“I’m fine. As long as I keep my eyes closed,” she shouted over the roar of the wind.
He chuckled. “I’m sure it looks frightening, but I assure you that you are completely safe. Besides, you’re missing a spectacular sunrise.”
She let out a deep breath. The steady thump of Carwin’s heartbeat thundered in her ear, reminding her of other times together and of the fact that, no matter what form he took, this was the man she loved and trusted above all others. She opened her eyes again, this time directing them away from the ground and toward the horizon. “Oh,” she gasped.
The red disk of the sun seemed to sit on the rim of the world like a coin balanced on its edge. The sky was tinted rose and gold, and the wisps of cloud that glided over the trees were glowing like flames. Eleri had grown up surrounded by trees and mountains, but she had never seen a sunrise like this.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said, more to herself than to Carwin, as the wind was too loud to allow much conversation, but now that her eyes were focused ahead of her, she could see one of his grass-green eyes was pointed in her direction. She grinned at him.
“I take it you approve?” he said with a rumbled of relieved laughter. “Just don’t look at the ground, and you’ll be fine.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
After a week of traveling in this
manner, even looking down at the ground rushing by had ceased to be frightening. From her perch on Carwin’s back, she experienced parts of the world she would never have known in her old life. They watched a pack of wolves hunting a herd of deer across a wide plain and bears fishing in a mountain stream.
Occasionally, they would fly over a solitary shepherd leading his flock to summer pasture or a group of farmers taking their goods to market, but Carwin tried to avoid settled areas as much as he could. Not only would it be rude to frighten people for no reason, but there was always the chance that one of them would be injured by a lucky archer.
Luckily for Eleri, riding dragonback was much more comfortable than riding Myfanwy. Not that scales were particularly kind to her backside, but the ability to change positions while traveling allowed her to avoid getting too sore. This meant they only had to make one stop at midday, but of course, they still made a camp every night.
Despite the danger looming, neither of them could remember a time when they had been happier, sleeping together under the stars every night and spending long hours in conversation while they flew. Eleri found that if she stretched out and laid her head against the side of Carwin’s neck, she didn’t have to shout to be heard.
On the fifth day of travel, she had nearly fallen asleep basking in the warmth emanating from his scales when she was jolted back to awareness by an abrupt decrease in speed. “What going on?” she asked blearily, blinking and stretching.
“Look out to the horizon. There’s a storm ahead,” he replied. The sky had grown forbiddingly dark, and she could smell rain on the wind. “It looks bad. We’ll have to land for now.”
Eleri had barely slid to the ground when the rain started to patter against the leaves overhead. A loud crack of thunder made her jump. “I don’t think the trees are going to provide much shelter from this weather. Silly of us not bring a tent.”
Carwin snorted. “We won’t need a tent. Just get the saddle off and spread that extra oilcloth on the ground.”
That night, she slept curled in the curve of a dragon’s neck, listening to the rain fall on the outstretched wing membrane above her. Lightning flashed golden through the translucent skin. Though she would miss the feeling of his skin against her back and the touch of his hands when morning came, it was soothing to be literally surrounded by his presence.
She had never felt more protected or cherished, but part of her felt like she was missing out. The more they traveled together, the more she realized that, though Carwin had been born a man, he was no longer just a human. His dragon form was now an intrinsic part of his being, and rather than be threatened by it, she found herself wishing to join in.
*******************
Nine days after departing from the temple, there was a change in the air. The wind blew into Carwin’s face as he flew, carrying the scent of salt. They reached the shore just as night was falling, and luck was with them—the weather had turned, and the air was warm even in the evening. Once their gear was unloaded and he had returned to himself, Eleri ran to the shore with an expression of childlike wonder.
He followed after her, unable to quite suppress a grin.
“Have you never seen the ocean before?” he asked as he came up behind her. She was staring out across the dark water in awe, watching the sunset cast the waves in fiery hues.
“No,” she said in a hushed voice. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “I’ve always wanted to see it, but I never had the chance. It’s a long journey from the keep, after all. I take it you’ve seen it before?”
“The lands of my birth are right on the coast. I could hear the waves outside my window every night. Being here almost feels like a homecoming,” he said, closing his eyes and trying, for a moment, to remember anything past the heartfelt pang of nostalgia. There was nothing but a few vague snippets: the sound of a voice, a flash of color, and the smell of fish.
“Do you miss it?” she asked, her hazel eyes peering up at him in concern. He smiled and traced his thumb over the curve of her cheek before looking back out across the waves.
“I miss the stability of it, I suppose. The sense that I have put down roots somewhere, and that there is a place I can always return to,” he admitted. “But I don’t miss that place in particular, not anymore. All of the others things about home, the important ones, anyway, I have found again, right here.” He pressed his hand over her heart, and she placed her hand over it. They stood in silence for a long time, watching the tide come in.
The next morning, they woke to a cloudless sky and a day that promised to turn hot. Good weather for flying. “With any luck, we should reach Afallach in the late afternoon, but there will be no place to stop in the middle of the ocean, so you might want to carry some food along with you,” he warned Eleri as he prepared to transform.
“I’m less worried about that than about what will happen when we get there,” she said with a shiver. “Even in my home, there were stories about the Isle of Apples and the mysterious beings and perilous enchantments to be found there.”
“It is dangerous,” he agreed. “I have never traveled there myself, but I know it is an ancient and magical place. Still, I don’t think the archdruid would lead us astray. As long as we stay together, she believed we would be able to find the knowledge we need.” He took her hands and gathered them to his chest, pressing a kiss to her forehead, and she leaned into him with a sigh.
“I suppose we won’t know until we get there,” she said finally. “But no amount of magic is going to keep me from you,” she said, suddenly fierce.
“Nor I you,” he promised with a smile. It was not even a lie. Unfortunately, death was not magic, but, Carwin told himself, he would continue to watch over her from the beyond. Some part of him knew, in a place deeper than his bones, that they were meant to be together, and not even Ceridwen could keep them apart forever. He would wait for her on the other side for as long as it took, but now was certainly not the time to tell her. With that in mind, he kissed her deeply before he made the change again. It seemed to get easier every time, and now he donned his dragon wings as naturally as stepping from one room to another.
A moment after, he turned his scaled head to watch Eleri lifting the saddle onto his neck and buckling all the straps and saddlebags. Part of him was bothered to see her working so hard, especially when he, by necessity, could do nothing to help, but Carwin had not failed to notice how his beloved had blossomed, growing in confidence and, to him, even in beauty, as she was given more things to do.
He had been raised, much as Eleri had, to believe that women were frail creatures to be sheltered and loved. As for the tales of female warriors and chiefs of old, they had been written off as allegory. Carwin wasn’t so sure of that anymore. Perhaps they’d been doing their mothers, daughters, and wives a disservice. He felt sure that Ceridwen would agree that women were just as capable as men in any sphere.
He felt the saddle shift against his scales as Eleri’s slight weight settled against his neck, and he turned his head to look at her. She gave him a nervous smile as she clipped herself onto the saddle. “Are you ready to leave, then?” he asked, trying not to let his own anxiety seep into his words. She nodded, and he launched himself into the air.
******************
The sea was boring. Eleri had been wowed by it at the shore: the crashing waves, the ebb and flow of the tide, the incomprehensible vastness. But now that that they had been flying over the open ocean for several hours, she found it to be as bland and featureless as a large, blue carpet. It was still huge, but there wasn’t much going on.
“Sea voyages are much more exciting in stories,” she grumbled. “Full of adventure, mystery, and romance. Consider my expectations dashed.” Carwin rumbled with laughter.
“Tiresome as it is, I’m sure you’re aware that anything that would add excitement to this trip would undoubtedly be unpleasant.”
“I know,” she replied with a long-suffering sigh.
Another hour passed, perhaps two, and she was half-asleep in the saddle when it happened. Fog materialized out of nowhere, enveloping them in thick, white damp. She could barely see her hands stretched out in front of her. “What’s happening?”
“We must be nearly there,” Carwin said, and she could tell he was struggling to keep his voice steady. “This isn’t natural weather.”
“It does seem a little weird, but how do you know for sure?”
“Dragons are creatures of magic. When I’m in this form, I can sense it. The air is practically humming with magical energy. Besides, I cannot think of a better way to shield an island from visitors.”