Dragon Song

by Denna Holm

  “I won’t be late, Mom. I’m just scouting out the trails so I know where to go on the horse when we get it.” Faith blew a kiss at her mom when she walked into the kitchen carrying her coffee cup, then hurried out the door before she could change her mind, or Mark woke up.

  *

  When she finally stepped out of the tree line into the open, Faith looked up at the side of the steep mountain. She couldn’t see Aeson or the silver blankets that should have stood out like a sore thumb. Her heart did a stutter beat when she looked through her binoculars toward the spot where she’d left him last night. Nothing.

  Maybe his family had found him. Though a part of her felt happy for him, another part of her would miss learning more about Aeson and his kind. She already knew they weren’t the monsters her parents had made them out to be this morning.

  Maybe people were the real monsters. Humans.

  “Well, shoot, Axel,” she said to the shepherd. “Maybe he just moved.” Though she couldn’t see how, not with a broken wrist and ankle. “Might as well climb up there and take a look around.” She hefted her heavy pack higher on her shoulders, using the long straight stick she’d found to help her navigate the loose rock on the ground. “What if a bear or cougar had been drawn in by his blood? What if his flame thing didn’t work?

  What if he was dead?

  “Good grief, Faith, stop trying to scare yourself.” She felt sure his parents had probably shown up last night and taken him home. Aeson had said they only came out at night in their dragon forms.

  Sweating by the time she reached the little flat spot where she’d found Aeson yesterday, Faith leaned over and tried to control her breathing. He wasn’t anywhere in sight, nor was anything she’d left behind for him. Not even a wrapper could be seen to prove anyone had ever been there. Faith walked over to the rock face Aeson had been pressed up against and searched the area for blood, but she found nothing.

  She sat on a boulder and slipped out of her pack, dropping it to the ground. Maybe she’d eat one of her sandwiches, since she hadn’t bothered with breakfast, then go ahead and find a way back up to the top of the ridge. She never did get a chance to look around, though her heart wasn’t really in it now. Yesterday, anger had been driving Faith. Today, she’d been excited.

  Now she just felt let down, and a little depressed.

  Just as she’d unwrapped one of the ham and cheese sandwiches, Axel jumped up and growled, his hackles raised, lips pulled back from sharp fangs. Faith jumped up and turned to where the dog was staring, her heart in her throat even as she reached for the bear spray attached to her belt.

  “Oh my God,” she said when Aeson peeked out from behind two large boulders. “You scared the pee out of me.”

  He actually glanced down at her pants, his turquoise eyes widening.

  “No!” Faith said quickly, her face growing warm. “Not really. It’s just a saying.” Though she supposed some people really did pee if scared bad enough. Hopefully it would never happen to her.

  “You came alone?” he asked, his voice sounding a little stronger than yesterday.

  “Of course. I promised you I would.” She smiled, but he didn’t smile back. “Did you think I wouldn’t? Is that why you moved?”

  “I wasn’t sure,” he said softly. “You aren’t anything like what my parents described when speaking about humans outside our clan.” He hobbled out into the open, her jacket wrapped around his waist, the sleeves tied in back so it worked kind of like a loin cloth. She could see sweat breaking out over his forehead as he hopped closer. He breathed out deeply as he took a seat on a boulder next to hers.

  “What do your parents say about us?” Faith asked, digging into her pack for a roast beef sandwich. Couldn’t be worse than what hers had said about his people.

  “Humans have always hunted our kind. They are scared of us, even though we would never hurt one of you, not unless we were being forced to defend ourselves. My people just want to be left alone.”

  She thought about the place where they were holding one of the dragons, probably a relative of Aeson’s. His uncle. Her dad hadn’t said, but she suspected now it was a military hospital, or jail. Who knew what terrible things they were doing to him there? Faith opened the sandwich bag and handed it to Aeson. “Hope you like roast beef.”

  “Thank you,” he said, accepting the sandwich.

  “How are you walking, anyway?” Though she supposed, technically, he was hopping.

  “We heal fast, though it takes a lot of energy.” She saw he was struggling to get the sandwich out with his claws.

  “Here, let me help you.” She set her own sandwich on her knee and took his back, slipping the sandwich out of the plastic before passing it back. “Sorry, I’m not used to nails like those. Guess you guys don’t use plastic bags much, huh?”

  He shook his head. Faith noticed his face looked a bit haggard, his already sharp features even more defined, black circles developing under his eyes.

  “I didn’t know what you would like on yours, so I just put a little mayo on the bread.”

  “Mayo?” he said, bringing the sandwich to his mouth and sniffing.

  “The white stuff. It helps make it not so dry.”

  He nodded, taking a huge bite. Faith took a bite out of her own, then reached for two bottles of water, passing one over to Aeson. “Do you like it?”

  “The meat is very good. I’m not sure about the … mayo. It has a peculiar taste.”

  “Yeah, I suppose it is kind of an acquired taste. We had a Japanese exchange student stay with us last year. She didn’t care for mayo either. I can scrape it off if you like.”

  “No, this is fine. Thank you.”

  It must have been because he just about inhaled it. Faith reached in the bag and took another one out of the package. Good thing she’d made plenty.

  “So your leg must be feeling better, huh?”

  “Much, yes. I should be able to remove the splint tomorrow. I’ll be able to walk home in another day or so.”

  “Good. Wish we could heal so fast.” Though she wasn’t thrilled with the thought of him leaving. Faith had a feeling she’d never see Aeson again. Which probably wouldn’t be a bad thing for him if humans were really hunting his people. Duh, Faith told herself, mentally slapping her forehead. Of course they were being hunted. And my Dad is right smack dab in the middle of it.

  Faith finished her own sandwich, trying to decide whether to tell Aeson what she’d learned this morning. Would he hate her for what her father was a part of? “Did you tell me one of your uncles came up missing around here?”

  He stared at her with those strange turquoise eyes, the pupil briefly elongating, like his other half was trying to peek through.

  “I don’t mean to pry into your business, Aeson. It’s just…” She didn’t finish, not wanting him to think badly of her family.

  “My sire’s brother went hunting alone one night about eight months ago. He never came back, and we could find no trace of him.”

  “You think humans got him?” She found it hard now to look him in the eye, afraid he’d read the truth in hers.

  “Humans are a serpent’s only real enemy. We are considered at the top of the food chain. Someone must have spotted him even though we only hunt at night in our serpent form, and we try to stay low to the ground to avoid radar.”

  Faith opened her mouth, then closed it again, struggling to find the words. “I overheard my parents talking in the kitchen this morning. I’m sure they didn’t know I was there.” She glanced up, seeing his intense gaze locked on her face. “Dad is a doctor, a scientist. He sometimes works for the military. I told you that yesterday. I think he mostly works in research, though.”

  “What did you hear?” he asked softly.

  “That they were keeping a serpent in one of their medical research facilities. I think that’s why they moved us from Portland to here. I don’t know what they are doing with him, but I … I don’t think it’s good. The timing sounds
about right for it to be your uncle.”

  “How long have they kept him caged?” Aeson asked, his tone lowered, anger present. Would he hurt her now, blame her for what was being done to his uncle?

  “I don’t know for sure. I know my parents started looking for a place to buy over here around January, but they could have been holding him for longer than that.”

  “Can you find out where he is being held?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. But you’ll never be able to get in. It’s a military building. They’ll have soldiers all over the place. With guns.” Surely even a fire-breathing dragon couldn’t fight against guns.

  “Just find out where he’s being held. My family will handle the soldiers.”

  Faith felt a chill. “Um, Aeson, my dad works there. I don’t want to see him get hurt.” She didn’t want to see anyone get hurt, including Aeson’s uncle.

  Before he could reply, Axel jumped up, barking as he took off running down the hill.

  “Faith!” a voice called out.

  “Oh, shit,” she hissed. “Hurry up, hide behind those boulders. It’s my little brother. Dammit, he must have followed me.”

  “I see you, Faith. Ha-ha, you thought you were gonna sneak out without me. Guess I showed you. Hang on, I’ll be right up.” His voice sounded far away, but she could hear every word. And if he could see her, he could see Aeson.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said. “Don’t hurt him, Aeson. He’s a pest, but he’s still my little brother.” She reached into her pack and pulled out the sweats. “Here, put these on. He won’t see your wings then.” She jerked off her baseball cap, planning to use it to hide his horn nubs. “Shoot,” she said, seeing he was struggling to get his clawed feet into the narrow hold of the pant leg. “Here, let me help you.” She tried not to think about his nakedness behind her coat, closing her eyes as she rolled the pants up his thighs.

  Aeson used her shoulders to stand on one foot, removing the coat before he pulled up the sweats. They were snug, and Faith could easily see his junk through the material, but they’d have to do. “Here, hold your arms up,” she said, drawing the oversized sweatshirt over his arms and shoulders. “It won’t hurt your wings, will it?”

  “No. It is uncomfortable, but it won’t hurt me.”

  After easing the shirt over his folded wings, Faith helped Aeson sit, placing her hat on his head, his black hair a little wild around his shoulders. She should have brought a hairbrush.

  Hearing Axel and Mark fighting to get up the hill, she cast one last glance at Aeson, her heart dropping when she noticed the clawed fingers and toes. Not much she could do to hide those lethal things. And Mark would definitely notice the fangs. “Try not to smile,” she said, then turned to face her brother.

  “Hey,” Mark said, grinning at Faith, then looking around her shoulder to Aeson. “Trying to hide a boyfriend from Mom and Dad?”

  “Shut up, Mark. I’m not hiding anyone. This is Aeson. He’s been camping up here with his family. I met him yesterday.”

  “Hi,” Mark said, smirking at Faith. “So, where’s your family?”

  “They’re not far,” Aeson said, a hint of a threat behind his tone. He was obviously not pleased to see Mark. Maybe it would be better if they were just open with her brother. There was no way she could keep this secret unless Mark thought he was a part of it.

  CHAPTER 7

  Aeson struggled not to show his hurt and anger as Faith’s brother stepped into view. The human boy looked to be several years younger than her, no malice showing on his youthful features when he grinned at his sister. Faith, on the other hand, appeared irritated with her brother. So maybe she hadn’t purposely led him to Aeson, but it didn’t help lessen his worry over being discovered. He was still far too weak to attempt to walk home, and Aeson didn’t want to risk leading humans to his clan by trying to shift and fly. Probably not a good idea anyway, considering what had happened to land him in this situation.

  “Well,” her brother said, looking smug as his sister scowled at him. “Ain’t you gonna introduce me to your new boyfriend?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend, you idiot.” Faith looked toward Aeson, her pale face changing to a becoming red. “I am so sorry for this. I shoulda made sure the little twerp wasn’t following me. Brothers can be such pests, especially little brothers.”

  As an only child, Aeson wouldn’t know. Serpents struggled to procreate. His parents had been lucky to have him. Which was why there were so few of them left.

  “Mark, this is Aeson. He got hurt bad falling … down that steep bank behind us. Aeson, this is Mark, my pesky younger brother.” She glared at Mark before adding, “And you better not say a word to Mom or Dad about this or the next time you go to town, I’ll smash all your model airplanes.”

  Mark scowled. Faith’s brother had light brown eyes instead of green, though he had the same dark auburn hair, his cut short instead of worn long like Aeson’s own. “Why didn’t you get help if he’s hurt?” He turned his curious gaze to Aeson. “Did you stay up here by yourself last night? Weren’t you scared?”

  “Aeson ain’t a baby like you,” Faith said.

  “Wow, look at those claws on your feet,” Mark said, taking a step closer. “Are those real?”

  “Crap,” Faith said, rubbing at her brow. “This ain’t gonna work.”

  “What ain’t?” Mark asked.

  “Look, Mark, maybe you can actually help me here for a change.” She glanced toward Aeson, who worked hard to hide his rising panic. His parents wouldn’t be happy to learn he’d interacted with one human, let alone two. “Why don’t you take off your hat, Aeson,” Faith said.

  Aeson stared between Faith and her brother, trying to figure out if he should just shift forms and try to fly. He could stay low to the ground. He wasn’t as big as an adult in serpent form, and there weren’t many humans around this area, so maybe no one would notice.

  He flinched when Faith reached out to touch his arm. “Mark won’t say anything, Aeson. He’ll be as excited as me to learn more about you.”

  “Learn what?” Mark said, stepping even closer, his expression more curious than teasing now.

  Aeson nodded, not pulling away when Faith took his hand and squeezed. “You okay?” she whispered, leaning closer.

  “I will be,” Aeson replied.

  “What’s goin’ on, guys,” Mark said, starting to look a little worried. “You ain’t up here hiding from the cops, are you? Did you rob a bank or something?”

  “Don’t be stupid, Mark. What the hell is wrong with you?” Faith released a slow breath, then focused on Aeson. “Go ahead, take the hat off. It’ll be okay.”

  Aeson reached up to remove the hat, not taking his gaze from her brother. He fought not to squeeze the glands in his throat to prepare his flame.

  Mark frowned, stepping even closer. “Whoa, what happened to your forehead, dude?” Then he dropped his gaze to Aeson’s eyes, his own opening wide in surprise. “Are those … are those real or contacts? They look real?”

  “They aren’t contacts,” Faith replied for Aeson. “Um, Mark, I think you better sit down a sec’. This is going to come as a shock. I know it did for me.”

  Mark stared between his sister and Aeson a moment before sitting on one of the loose boulders dotting the area.

  “Aeson isn’t like us. He and his family are dragon shifters. He really did get hurt in a fall.” She glanced up at the sky. “From up there. I’m trying to help him so he can get back home to his parents, so you can’t say anything to Mom or Dad. Okay?”

  “Why not? Maybe they could help too.”

  “No, they can’t. If people find out about Aeson, if the military finds out, then they’ll lock him up. They’ll experiment on him.”

  Mark paled. “Oh, shit, Dad works for the military, doesn’t he?”

  “No kidding. And watch your mouth. Mom won’t like it if she hears you cursing.”

  “As if you don’t,” he snapped back. He waved his sister away. �
�How do you know those are real?” He touched his own forehead. “I’ve seen shows where people have those things put in on purpose. They can wear contacts to make their eyes look like cats too.” He frowned, turning a suspicious gaze to Faith. “Are you guys pulling my leg?”

  Aeson glanced down at the boy’s leg, having no idea what he was talking about. Obviously, neither he nor Faith were pulling on anyone’s leg.

  Faith sighed, standing. “Come here, idiot, let me show you his wings.” She turned to Aeson. “Do you mind? If we don’t, we’re gonna end up playing twenty questions.”

  When he nodded, she walked over and lifted the back of his shirt. Mark stared, his mouth dropping open. “Oh, man, I wish I had some of those. Can you really fly?” He looked pale as he walked back to his boulder and sat down.

  “I can’t fly yet in my human form. My muscles need to mature more.”

  “Then how did you fly?”

  “I already told you,” Faith said. “He can turn into a dragon.”

  “No way. Really? Can I see?”

  “I’m too weak to shift forms right now. It is forbidden for us to change to our serpent form during the day anyway. Someone could see us.”

  Mark lifted his chin, his gaze locked on Aeson’s forehead. “Will those grow, or do you keep them filed, like Hell Boy does?”

  “Hell Boy?” Aeson said, looking to Faith for clarification.

  She closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead. “Good grief. Hell Boy is a character out of a movie. He’s not real.”

  “Yeah, but he’s cool,” Mark said, his eyes lighting up. “Do you watch movies where you’re from, Aeson?”

  He shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t be possible, but I have overheard some of the humans we live with talk about them.”

  “You have humans living with you?” Faith asked, her expression surprised.

  “Yes,” Aeson said, feeling uncomfortable with this line of questioning. They needed humans, not only to help gain access to necessary supplies, but for procreation. If not for inbreeding with humans, his kind would have died out centuries ago. But they were suffering for it. Some of their males no longer grew horns or wings. Some of them were incapable of shifting forms or producing fire. Unfortunately, most still looked too alien to fit in with human society.