by Maia Starr
“You could… deal me in?” she asked.
I eyed Tardis, and he shrugged. “The more, the merrier!” he shouted and did ask she asked. We didn’t know she would give us a run for our money by the end of the night. I suspected foul play but couldn’t prove otherwise. “I fold,” Tardis said with a defeated laugh as he tossed his cards onto the table.
“Best three out of five?” she asked with her childish grin.
“You women really know how to take away the pride, don’t you?” Tardis chuckled. He nodded and said, “Deal me in.”
She shuffled the deck and then began dealing the cards. I grabbed my hand from her and watched as she slipped her unwanted cards to the bottom of the deck. She seemed so resilient and almost unreadable in her expressions. Shy when she smiled, her emotions were almost hidden within her timid demeanor.
Unless she was talking to me, of course, then she would release her inner beast.
She spoke endlessly about books she’d read and anecdotes about her learning to become a nurse and quips about growing up with her sister. She revealed notable conversations she’d had with my brother and how much she was enjoying being on Udora. It was almost like she’d relented to being a real, likable person all of the sudden.
I looked at her square chin and noticed a smile creeping on her lips. With an over exaggerated sigh, I said, “She’s on fire tonight!”
Rosalyn smiled slightly and tossed a card into a pile.
“A far cry from the stories I’ve heard about you,” Tardis teased as he tossed a card to her and received a replacement.
“What,” she gestured to me with a flirtatious grin and asked, “He spreading rumors that I’m a bad poker player?”
“Worse,” Tardis widened his eyes, scales dulling under the fading window light. “A bore.”
She looked at me and gave a mock gasp, touching my skin with a lighthearted slap and sending a rush of goosebumps along my arm. “Rude,” she announced with mock offense.
“Um. Do you know Rilark?” Tardis said, nudging me with an annoying smirk and the pair of them laughed.
“I’m fairly certain I’ve been keeping him on his toes,” she said, slower now. “Did he tell you about what happened?” She paused and corrected, “The bombing.”
“Everyone here knows,” I rolled my eyes. “Why else do they think we’re on our way to the great beyond?”
She flushed and seemed embarrassed. “Oh, right. I forgot.”
“Yeah she’s kept in interesting, all right,” I laughed and flopped my cards down on the table. “We’ve got a rebel bombing on our hands; you get me?” I said jovially as I leaned into the table, setting my arms over their cards. “We’ve got injuries, and a stampede happening, civil unrest, and you know what princess cried about when we got back to Galsthenn’s?”
Tardis frowned, and an unsure smile crept at the corner of his lips, his eyes flicking to a now indignant Rosalyn.
“What?”
“A ring,” I finished with a comical raise of my brows.
Tardis grinned but didn’t know whether or not to laugh. “Really?” he breathed out in surprise and looked to Rosalyn for an explanation.
“Best part is, I’ve had to hear about it for the last two days. Every day whining about this ring. Sorry to say, darlin’, but you’re going to have to open your mind to other avenues of importance if you’re going to help rule the world.”
The brunette looked down at the table timidly, and she bit her top lip and scraped her teeth down until they returned to the safety of her mouth. She cocked her head and said, “That was my sister’s ring.” Her voice grew thick with emotion as she looked at me with tears threatening to spill. “She died, and that was all she left me. And still, you would rather mock my loss then show any real emotion about something?”
I’d never seen Tardis’ eyes avert so quickly before. He hung his head awkwardly and gave me a lecturing glare.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Rosalyn pushed her chair back loudly and stood from the table. “I think the company is making me ill.”
“You know, that was the happiest I’ve ever seen her,” I said, gesturing to the chesty girl now disappearing from the room. “Minus the end there.”
Tardis scowled at me and whipped his cards down on the table before grabbing his jacket from the seat and slipping it on quickly. “You’re a real jerk, Ry.”
“Aw, come on,” I laughed.
“Why didn’t you just give her the ring?”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a black velvet bag I’d been carrying the silver band around in. In truth, I’d spent hours at the bombing site looking for the stupid thing; I’d even enlisted Tardis’ help. We’d scoured the tarmac and the roadways. Finally, I went back to the monitor she’d spoken to Sarra Hayes on and found it sitting there next to the video screen. She’d been fiddling with it the whole day and must have taken it off to give her finger a rest.
“I’m waiting on it.”
“Why?” He scoffed. “You gonna blackmail her with it?”
“No,” I said slowly. “But I have a working theory.”
“Oh, here we go.” Tardis set a foot on the chair he once occupied and hunched down, so his arms were resting on his thigh. “Enlighten me, oh wise one.”
“She likes me,” I said confidently.
Tardis stared at me for a moment as if waiting for me to say I was joking before he brushed his hands through his short brown hair and burst into heavy laughter. My face fell at the reaction, and I protested, “What?!”
“Her?” He laughed harder, slapping his own leg just to bug me. “She hates you, Ry.”
“For now,” I shrugged, only feeling the slight weight of embarrassment from my friend’s scornful laughter. “But you’ll see.”
“Never gonna happen, first of all,” he protested. “Second, she’s obviously in love with the guy.”
I squinted. “I don’t think so.”
“Okay, whatever. She’s not,” he rolled his eyes. “But she can’t stand you.”
“Then why come play cards with us?”
“Do I even need to say it?” My friend brushed his hands along his chest as to imply she was coming to catch a glimpse of his killer bod before he waved his own joke off.
“I’m gonna take everything from him,” I nodded. “Or at least give her a night worth remembering.”
Tardis’ chuckles died down, and he narrowed his brows derisively at me. “You’re not serious? You’re going to screw her…. Why?”
I stared at him as though the answer should be obvious and he looked truly disgusted, which only made me feel more inclined to go through with it.
“Look, Rilark,” he leaned into our table and spoke in hushed whispers. “I know you hate the guy but, this could get you in trouble. He’s your brother, and you want to take his chosen? You’re asking for a slaying.”
I leaned in equally as far to meet his face so that my breath hit his skin as I enunciated, “You are a rebel.” I paused. “And I’m supposed to be taking solid advice from you?”
The blue and yellow dragon shook his head and took his leave from me, turning just before the sliding doors closed behind him, giving him just enough time to reiterate: “Never gonna happen.”
The hours wore on, and I spent the rest of the night in my quarters, alone. I toyed with the silly ring I’d gone out of my way to get and stared at the inscription inside. DO DECIDE, it read.
In truth, I’d questioned why I ever got the trinket to begin with. Was it to win her over to bed her or was it because she’d saved the dragon back after the fire?
I sighed deeply into the air. Now I was stuck taking her to the other side of the planet. Galsthenn assured me we had no choice but to go to Vennolyn’s Tomb. And so here we were, shuttled and landing some 1500 miles north according to our master’s will. It was some 10 hours by private shuttle to be welcomed by one of the only things I feared: the Vennolyn.
These were a species of shifter that lived fa
r north. They were fuller dragons than we were and were said to be some of the most powerful Weredragons on Udora. They didn’t breed; they had no interest in dulling their offspring’s power or appearance by mating with humans.
These dragons didn’t follow the Koth and weren’t under an alliance with Earth like we were. They were free. I envied that, in a way.
Kotorna, their leader, was a great green dragon full of shimmering scales. He looked more human than I thought he would, but the dragon in him scared me. He had claws, not hands, and each of his massive wings were bigger than his entire body. His legs were thick, and his body was full of muscles. There was a reptilian quality to his every move.
He had a long forehead with spines that spiked back in rows down his head and back. His jaw was massive and covered in teeth. Looking into his beady eyes, I couldn't imagine Galsthenn talking to them. The guy was scared enough of his own origins.
The Vennolyn made a celebration of Rosalyn’s arrival. Yet another party was to be thrown in her honor tomorrow night. Yet another formal even I had to bore my way through. For now, however, we would be greeted at the runway by their chief.
One by one the dragons took turns kissing beautiful Rosalyn’s ringless hand and welcomed her to their land. It wasn’t until one spotted me standing behind her that I started to grit my teeth.
"What are you, boy?" the blue dragon asked, extending his long scaly arms to crack his knuckles. "You there," he pointed at me.
"Me?"
Kotorna gave a nod.
"My name is Rilark, the red dragon. I-"
"You're a Vennolyn!" he cheered happily and approached me with vim and vigor, an easy and playful countenance about him. "Some kind of half-breed, for certain-"
"Excuse me?" I blinked, cutting him off.
If she didn't hate me right now, I was almost positive Rosalyn would have been laughing at my expense, but as I looked over, I noticed she wasn't even smiling.
"Oh yes," Kotorna muttered to a nearby shifter but continued to nod as he inspected me, moving his head around. "A Vennolyn for certain."
A small crowd began to gather, and suddenly I was being poked and prodded by a group of old shifters. I smirked uncomfortably, trying my best to be polite as I pulled my body away from their touch. "I... yeah, thanks but, I don't think so," I stammered. "I'm dragon born."
"Yeah, a true dragon born. Look at those horns," a pink dragon said with ease, reaching out and audaciously grabbing them.
My head swayed ridiculously as he touched them, and I wanted desperately to smack his hands away from me, but inside I smiled like an idiot. I looked up and could see an unwilling smile creeping onto Rosalyn’s full lips as she watched a group of Vennolyn grabbing at my head. What a sight we must have been making.
Then I realized, I was glad she was smiling. In fact, I was glad we were gone from the city center and I would finally have the opportunity to really be alone with her.
The only thing I wasn’t glad about were these idiots grabbing my horns.
Chapter Eight
Rosalyn
Spring was in bloom on the other side of Udora, and the sun shone longer during the day. The moss had crawled across the land, and the flowers sprang into action, sapping up every ounce of sun they could before the frost returned. The sky lit up with purples and blues as midday was upon us.
We’d been here for several days now, and the Vennolyn had decided to throw a great welcome in our honor. They took us to a stone carved estate out in the vineyards and lit off fireworks and colored smoke to celebrate the union between Galsthenn and their people. They seemed to have no idea about the attack that had happened in the city center. They were just happy to have an ally.
I was treated like royalty, and I found the dragons here to be laid back, charming, and fun. They wanted nothing more than to dance and tell tales around a great purple bonfire about the first human to come to Udora and how dragons used to roam many planets. They were healthy and in-tune with their powers. I was immediately enamored with their lifestyle and had every intention of insisting that Galsthenn and I live here when things settled down back home.
The party was grand in a different way than the buffets and champagne fountains back in the Koth district. They were more in tune with nature. Glow stones lit up the river in front of us, and they had a massive hedge maze in their castle garden. The party took place outside in a stone arena, and various shifters beat on old drums and sang a native song to their people.
I had almost forgotten about the bane of my existence that was Rilark when suddenly his friend came up to me. He wore a blue and gold suit that looked like it was plucked right out of the French Revolution. His hair was slicked back and for once, somebody in Rilark’s camp looked like an absolute gentleman.
“I would be absolutely remiss if I didn’t ask the most beautiful girl for a dance,” he said with a sweet smile and extended his hand to mind.
“But of course,” I blushed and took his hand eagerly. We didn’t know the steps but he twirled me in his grasp, and we jumped and danced to the festive music.
“I’m sorry about Rilark the other day,” he shrugged suddenly, leaning in so I could hear him over the wild music.
“Don’t apologize for him!” I snapped. “He’s his own man. He should be doing so himself.”
“Well,” he breathed and gripped my waist. “Don’t hold your breath.”
“And yet you defend him!”
“Hey!” He burst forth with laughter. “I thought you said I wasn’t supposed to answer for him!”
“Well, you’ve put your foot in your mouth now,” I giggled.
“He’s really not so bad. He’s just... been through some stuff.”
“Haven’t we all?” I said simply, and it seemed enough to give the man pause. He shrugged helplessly, and I sighed. “Let’s not let talk of him ruin our night.”
No sooner did the words leave my mouth did I see Rilark on the dancefloor with a scantily clad nurse in his arms. I tried to pay attention to Tardis’ conversation, but every time he spun me around, my eyes and thoughts couldn’t help but turn to that ridiculous red dragon.
He danced with Tianna, a beautiful girl from Riddell with long legs and dark, perfect skin. Her hair was up in wild curls, and her dress dipped down in-between her breasts like she was at some kind of awards show. I felt a hot disgust rise up in me that I couldn’t seem to silence.
My fury only seemed to fester as Rilark made his way over to us on the dancefloor with the woman. He slipped his hand down her backside and leaned in to kiss her. She reciprocated, and I watched as their tongues met, both leaning deeper into the embrace.
“Seriously?” I snapped as things looked like they were about to become X-rated. My outburst made both jump in surprise, breaking their kiss.
Tianna looked at me with confusion, and Rilark offered me his patented, arrogant smile. I pressed my eyes shut at the gesture and calmly excused myself from poor Tardis’ company.
I left the party and made my way to the endless green gardens. The dark of the night crept over the gardens, covering everything with a mysterious blue light and a thick fog that I was sure would make their hedge maze feel that much more difficult to navigate.
The more I thought about it, I realized I didn’t know why his exchange bothered me so much. A sharp twinge in my stomach reminded me of jealousy, though I couldn’t fathom why I would be. I could only chalk it up to missing Galsthenn.
Pink flowers that were bigger than my body blossomed and tilted toward the moons to catch the light in the dark. I touched them gingerly and took in their honey sweet scent before stepping farther into the flora and fauna.
I felt my dress sweep against the moss below and marveled at the vast gardens and Udorian flowers until I heard footsteps behind me.
The planet had been so welcoming to me, yet I was still taken aback by the noise. Startled, I turned without thought and saw Rilark approaching me. He wore a navy suit and had the jacket off and slung o
ver his arm.
“Oh,” my face fell. “It’s you. Sorry, did I–”
“That’s a first,” he interrupted with a wry grin.
I narrowed my gaze at him and rolled my eyes. “I was going to say… did I interrupt your lay for the night? I didn’t know I had the displeasure of being in your company.”
The red dragon stared at me for a second before letting out an exasperated sigh, embarrassed somehow.
“What is it?” I frowned as he began to fiddle with something in his hands.
“I’m not on duty,” he said with a laugh. “Though I’m sure you’re well aware I feel just as much disdain being around you as you do me.”
“Great!” I exclaimed, spinning on my heel. “And you just said you’re not on duty so… Bye!”
“Well, not that you deserve it, but,” I heard him shuffle behind me and slowly approach until he grabbed my arm. He pulled a ring into view, cradling it delicately between his index and thumb. “I wanted to give you this.”
I gasped audibly and approached him, snatching the ring from his fingers and inspecting it closely. As I turned the gold against the glowstones that lined the rooftop, I could see the glimmer of my sister’s inscription. DO DECIDE. I stared at it in wonder and slipped it on, securing it at the base of my finger.
“I can’t believe you found it,” I breathed in awe as I stared down at the trinket I had convinced myself was gone forever, emotions overwhelming me. Something in my soul stirred that made me feel safe and secure once more. As though with the simple trinket I knew who I was again. I looked up at Rilark and saw his eyes soften in a way I hadn’t before.
“Where… where did you get this?”
“After I brought you to Galsthenn… I spent the night looking for it.”
My heart swelled with gratitude, looking at the shifter with pure, touched appreciation. Then I realized… he’d had it all this time. “That was five days ago,” I said with a dawning realization.