My dad nodded. “Yes, there are two types of magic that allow a mage to change forms, transformation and shapeshifting, both of which are rare.” He paused. “Shapeshifting is significantly more rare,” he clarified. “With my ability, I can actually take on the true form of another creature for as long as I want. However, my brother is limited on how long he can maintain his humanoid form, because it requires magic to stay like that.”
“Maybe that’s why he left?” I suggested. “Because it was harder to stay with Asher’s mom than he thought?”
My dad considered that. “Honestly, I don’t know.” His brow furrowed again. “He still should have given his son the sigil though.”
Jasmyn and I exchanged a glance, my gaze falling down to the tattoo on her chest, clearly visible due to the brown leather corset she was wearing. It wasn’t as cute as the other corset, not having any frills or bows, but it still looked good on her, especially in contrast to the blue scales on her shoulders.
However, my attention shifted to my ears as I heard those heavy footsteps again. Asher’s steps weren’t ungraceful at all, but it was impossible to hide the weight behind them. I was thankful that I was still light enough to be able to sneak up on Jasmyn if I wanted.
I stood up automatically, not about to let my human dad meet this kid alone, even if I did feel like I could trust him.
“He’s back,” I announced. It wasn’t sunset yet, but that was fine. Close enough.
My dad stood up too, and the two of us headed out the door onto our small porch, with Jasmyn staying hidden inside. Even despite my earlier description of Asher, my dad’s eyes still widened in surprise when he saw him, walking casually towards us across the unkempt yard.
Asher began making a small hand-gesture in front of his chest again as he approached, with my dad mimicking the motion in front of his own chest.
“₹₳₩₦₳€₭₮,” my father stated in an unfamiliar language, almost sounding like a worded growl.
Asher immediately stopped midstep, before replying in kind. “₹₳₩₦₳€₭₮,” he replied uncertainly. Then after a short pause, he continued. “I apologize Mr. Dracul, but I was never taught the dragon’s language. That one greeting is all I know.”
My father waved his hand dismissively. “No matter. It’s been ages since I studied elvish and I couldn’t remember the word used to greet someone younger, never mind someone who might be family.”
Asher revealed his dimples again with a grin. “I suppose it is a little more complicated than both the dragon and human languages,” he agreed.
My father nodded, changing subjects. “My daughter already told me why you’re here, and I don’t have a problem giving you our family crest, since it will only transfer to those of our bloodline. But first, I have one condition.”
Asher’s expression initially lit up, only to become reserved. “What does my uncle wish from me?” he asked.
“I want to know why my brother didn’t give you our family crest, if you happen to know. But more importantly, I want to know why your mother sent you all the way here for it when you’re so young. Alyssa mentioned that your mother said you needed it. Please elaborate.”
The boy hesitated, pursing his lips for a few long seconds, before speaking slowly. “I don’t know what you ask of my father. And as for my mother…” He paused, only to abruptly change subjects. “She is a very powerful mage – with her strong affinity to nature, along with her plant magic, she has perceived many things the elves would kill to keep hidden.”
My father nodded. “There’s no one around who can hear, and I would never do anything to endanger family, even if they aren’t draconic.”
Asher paused again, before taking a few steps closer and lowering his voice. His nervousness had returned, though he wasn’t stammering like when we first met. “The elven throne is empty…” he began, his voice trembling.
My dad nodded again. “Yes, I’m aware of that. Their Sovereign Sigil dismissed the previous ruler for an unknown reason, but hasn’t chosen anyone to rule in some time. What of it?”
The boy shifted his blue eyes around the area, as if confirming we were alone, before speaking even more quietly. “The Supreme Crest has chosen someone,” he whispered. “A person they don’t want to rule. Most of the elves aren’t aware of this, with those currently in power having decided to wait until the chosen dies of natural causes. But there are some who are planning to kill the Heir Apparent in order to force the Supreme Crest to choose one of their own.”
“A sect is planning a revolt?” my father repeated in disbelief.
Asher nodded once sharply.
“And they want to force the next candidate to be one of their sect,” my dad continued, speaking almost to himself. “But that won’t work. Even if the sigil’s chosen dies, they can’t influence the next candidate.”
“They can,” the boy disagreed, only to quickly clarify. “Or at least, my mother said they’ve developed a method to take advantage of the laws binding the seal’s magic. She believes they might succeed, and if they do, then the only way for us to avoid the ensuing conflict is to leave the elven territory – something we can only do safely with your family’s royal sigil.”
My father shook his head again, his tone becoming more firm – almost harsh. “The leaders must know about this. Why has your mother kept this information to herself?!”
Asher took a step back. “Who would believe her?” he exclaimed breathlessly. “Even if she is a powerful mage, she is no noble. And the elves are too proud to believe the words of a pariah who has lived apart from society for many years.”
I gasped, surprised he would talk about his own mother that way, which prompted Asher to meet my gaze briefly and then look away toward the ground. However, after a moment, I realized he was describing how the other elves would view his mother – a ‘nobody’ whose reputation couldn’t be vouched for in a prideful society that seemed to have elaborate social constructs. At least, I assumed as much, given what he had said about greetings varying depending on who was being greeted.
My father was quiet for a long few moments before responding. “Well, I’ll give you our family crest, but…” He paused to glance down at me. “As a prince of the dragons, I can’t ignore this information. Those who currently rule the elves need to be made aware. As part of our treaty, political distress in one magical race is to be treated as a problem for all races.”
“What are you saying?” I asked in disbelief, holding his gaze.
He sighed, looking over my head into the distance. “I may have to tell them myself – they’ll listen to me.”
“You’re going to leave?!” I exclaimed in shock.
His eyes immediately flicked back to mine. “You’ll have to come too – our family will have to go together,” he clarified when he saw my expression, knowing I thought he was implying that we would have to leave Jasmyn behind. “But with your mother gone for an unknown amount of time, it has to be done…” He met Asher’s gaze again. “I won’t involve you or your mother, but I still need you to tell me everything she shared.”
Asher gulped. “But what if they don’t believe the information is reliable. What if they want to know the source?”
“I know an elf who will believe me, and who will respect the tip as given, without prying into where the information came from if I declined to supply my source.”
“Who?” the boy asked quietly. “And are you sure they can even do anything about it?”
My father nodded once sharply. “Yes. Especially considering she was the last crowned royal, before the Sovereign Sigil presumably dismissed her…” He paused, ignoring Asher’s shocked expression, seeming lost in his own thoughts for a moment. “Or, I guess, maybe the truth is that it chose another who they didn’t want to rule. But her name is Aurora Akema, the former queen, and a powerful wind mage that rivals the strength of the fons’radix. If anyone can do something to prevent this atrocity from occurring, it will be her.”
&nbs
p; I interjected. “And there’s no way we can just tell mom? I mean, since she’s already there…”
My dad shook his head, speaking intentionally vague. “Our pigeon is still gone and it won’t know how to get to her new location anyway, not to mention that she has her own situation to deal with. Also, I doubt she’s even with the elves anymore, since she suggested she might travel north.”
“Then how will we talk to her?” I asked seriously.
He ran his fingers through his fiery hair. “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to, sweetie. The best we can do is leave her a note here, in case she returns before we do, but that’s unlikely. Your mother does have a location with a trained bird that’s in the far north of the elven territory, but I doubt she’ll go there right away. Besides, if we leave tomorrow, then we should be back in a couple of weeks, long before she returns.”
Asher finally chimed in again. “A couple of weeks?!” he exclaimed. “It took me longer than that just to get here!”
My dad smiled. “Did you fly over any water?” he wondered.
Asher shook his head. “Well, no. I tried to follow the trails and roads, so I didn’t get lost.”
“Then that’s why it took so long. I admit that we might have to stop occasionally to verify our location, since I’ve never flown to the elves from here, but if we fly over the gulf between here and there, then we’ll save a lot of time.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Wait, we’re going to fly there?”
“Of course. Well, I won’t make you fly – you can ride on my back.”
“But what about…” My voice trailed off, briefly uncertain if I should mention my friend. I supposed Asher would find out about her anyway, since I imagined he might travel most of the way with us, but still. “Jasmyn,” I finished hesitantly.
“She can ride on my back too. She’ll just have to wrap her tail around my neck.”
“Tail around your neck?” Asher repeated. “What kind of person has a tail that long?”
My dad and I exchanged a glance, before I answered. “My best friend is a Naga,” I explained simply. “So technically it’s not her tail – just her body.”
Asher’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.
Chapter 21: Departure
Asher had never met a Naga before, but his reaction didn’t last much longer than when he saw my demon form. He also complimented her much the same he had done with me, prompting her to blush intensely, and causing me to wonder if his comments were more out of politeness than sincerity. Granted, it was undeniable that Jasmyn was beautiful by anyone’s standards, but I had also never seen Asher greet anyone else other than my dad at this point, so it was hard to know for sure.
His attention didn’t stay on her for long though.
Now that he had been invited into the house, he quickly became almost obsessed with all the books my dad had.
When my father saw my confused expression, with me finding it odd that an eleven-year-old would be interested in reading about boring stuff, he explained that it was a dragon thing.
They all had a nearly insatiable curiosity, and apparently the young half-dragon, half-elf was no different.
Later that evening, my father took Asher deep into the forest so he could perform the sigil ritual while they were in their dragon forms. And, from the sound of it, Asher’s experience was much different than mine – a simple, painless process that lasted barely a minute.
Which meant he really was my cousin.
My really tall cousin.
I realized I must have still been a little on edge, possibly due to all the recent danger I’d been exposed too, because when he came back and cheerfully yanked up his shirt to show us the familiar tattoo, I found myself relaxing fully.
Asher hadn’t been lying. He was truly family, and that meant I had an elf aunt too.
For a second, I found myself feeling a little sad that I might never meet her. But then, it suddenly occurred to me that since his mother was wanting to leave the elvish nation, it might be possible the two of them could move here.
The thought made me happy, even though I had no idea if either of them wanted to live in a place like this. It was certainly far away from the dangers my aunt worried about, but I was sure there were far less mundane locations to reside.
After examining the pattern on my cousin’s tan chest for a few long seconds, I finally looked up to meet his gaze, returning the grin. His dimpled smile was even more endearing now that I knew for sure he wasn’t a threat.
However, that sensation was only reinforced even more when my dad offered to let him spend the night in the living room and Asher declined, explaining that he preferred to sleep among the trees, since the elves used magic to make their buildings out of living nature. Apparently, our house being made of dead wood caused him to feel a little uncomfortable, but I found that odd considering he didn’t have the same reaction to books.
Again, I wasn’t certain if he was being sincere or just polite. If it was the latter option, I wouldn’t call it a lie, but instead more like a thoughtful half-truth.
I almost felt as if he was being considerate of the fact that I might be uncomfortable having someone I just met around while I slept – specifically me – since he appeared to be gauging my reaction to his decision.
Maybe because he found me a little intimidating?
He had said my demon form was a little scary after all…
I, of course, didn’t voice my opinion on the subject, and after he met my gaze a few times while explaining, he thanked my dad again for the family crest and wished all of us good night.
Really, the more I was around him, the more I felt like all of his behavior was odd, but not because he had grown up as an elf.
Rather, it was because of his age – his youthful face made it undeniable that he was only eleven like he claimed, but his politeness and physical stature made him feel at least as old as I was – if not older.
As hard as I tried, I couldn’t fully reconcile the mental picture of all the human eleven-year-olds back at school with Asher. They all still seemed very much like little kids, whereas my cousin did not – the opposite in fact. Unlike my peers, both older and younger, he felt like someone responsible who I could count on if needed.
Later that night, Jasmyn and I ended up talking about everything, including how I felt about leaving for a few weeks. Honestly, after my first day of picking up my books and getting my homework, I was relieved to not have to re-experience that embarrassing nightmare again for a while, even if it would put me behind in school. And, maybe all the emotions regarding everything that happened recently would have died down some by the time we returned, making my daily trip a little easier.
The next morning, my dad left first thing to settle matters regarding his job and to speak in private with Mr. Burrows about our imminent departure, since we were attempting to avoid everyone finding out we were gone completely. Rather, it would be better if people believed we were just keeping to ourselves for a while. Otherwise, I imagined our unprotected house might be raided by someone while we were gone. Or worse – someone might try to burn it to the ground.
My dad left just as the sun was rising, because he also needed to make it back in time to meet with the principle, Mr. Harmon, to let him know that after the previous day’s experience, I had decided to ‘stay home’ for a few weeks. I didn’t know if my dad would tell Mr. Harmon the truth or not, but I knew the less people who were aware of our departure, the better.
Asher stopped by shortly later, and we let him inside, only for me to return to packing the few things I wanted to take, including clothing for Jasmyn. I half expected him to become absorbed in my dad’s books again, but he just kind of stood around awkwardly, sneaking peeks at us through my open bedroom door. I wasn’t even transformed, so I felt uneasy to have his eyes on me, though I knew he was watching us both.
When I accidentally blurted out that he was being a little creepy, his face turned red and he apologized pr
ofusely, explaining that he had grown up mostly alone – he wasn’t used to being around people similar in age – only his mother.
I felt bad after that, wishing I had kept my mouth shut, especially since I probably would have found myself staring too if I was around elves, their foreignness making me want to just watch them as they went about their regular mundane tasks. However, I didn’t get the chance to really apologize, because he then quickly asked if we had eaten breakfast yet, only to disappear back outside when I said no.
I sort of wondered if he was going to grow food with his plant magic, so I was shocked when he came back with two skinned rabbits – well, they were pretty mangled too, but skinned nonetheless.
“How did you catch those so fast?” I asked in disbelief, as he produced a small stream of orange flames from his hand to light the hearth. “And is your magic orange?”
He looked up at me in surprise. “How did you know my magic is orange?”
My brow furrowed.
He had already proven himself to be really intelligent for his age, so now I felt like I was the one missing something obvious. “Umm, because the fire you just created was orange…” I said hesitantly.
His expression became just as confused as mine. “Fire is normally orange though.”
“Not mine,” I replied, holding up my hand to carefully create a tiny purple flame on my graying fingertip – I wasn’t about to ignite my whole hand, afraid of blowing up the house on accident.
His eyes widened. “Oh…” He paused, staring at the dancing flare.
“And my mother’s fire is blue,” I added when he didn’t respond.
“I think…” He hesitated, glancing at the hearth. “I might just be making this up, but I feel like I remember reading somewhere that a demon’s fire is different than normal fire magic. The flame I just created was regular fire, but demon fire is more…err, magical…” He paused. “I think.” He emphasized, his sudden lack of confidence a little adorable.
Magicbound to a Snake Girl Page 27