Dragon Embraced

by Viola Grace

  The elder had a cup of tea next to him, and he sipped at it before he looked Zzara in the eye.

  He spoke in the language of the Deep, and he asked, “You are asking about the wave of destruction?”

  She cocked her head at him. “I am.”

  When she switched from her common tongue to theirs, Uhrman smiled. “Sit. Yutin, get us something to eat. Your dragon and your grandfather are hungry.”

  Zzara sat next to the elder, and when the food was brought to them, he began to speak.

  Chapter Nine

  The food was lightly spiced, very pretty, and Zzara couldn’t identify any of it. Uhrman dove in with an expression of delight in his features. The folk of the Deep didn’t wrinkle, but they weathered. They lost the brightness of youth and faded.

  “Why do you want to know about what happened?” He switched his language to Continent Common.

  “I want to know so that I can prepare if the magic that will be used will go sideways. If magic destroyed the city, then it lurks in the soil and stone.”

  “What would happen if you cast a spell and it snagged in the magic?” He asked her with an amused smile.

  “It could blow the top six inches off the surface where Horcross used to be.”

  “Ah, that would be annoying. All right. This was a dueling ground between mages and dragons.”

  Zzara’s mouth opened in shock. “What?”

  “You heard me. Now eat, it is getting cold.”

  She picked up her three-tined fork and dug in. It really was quite good.

  He asked while she ate. “Does that make things harder for you?”

  She shook her head slowly. “No, it makes them easier for me. Now, the city was already empty, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “And the city dwellers left because the water disappeared.”

  Uhrman quirked his lips. “Yes.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Did they know you were here?”

  He grinned happily. “No.”

  She sighed and kept eating. The heat of the spices was slowly compounding. “So, you dried them out.”

  “We did.”

  “And if I start a city here? If I invite those who have ended up with no family or no city to call their own? Will we find water?”

  He looked at her. “Will you pay us to assist in the city’s upkeep?”

  She cocked her head and glanced over at Yutin. The speaker was staring at them in surprise and looking very uneasy at the subject matter.

  “What do you think would be fair?” She asked him slyly.

  “One drop of blood per year delivered to the speaker.”

  “One every five years, and I will help with the healing of anyone who suffers an untimely injury.”

  “Untimely?”

  “If you are six hundred years old or more and you fade away one night, that is natural. If you were helping us move some stones and one fell on your head or arm, I would heal you. That is what I mean by untimely.”

  He smiled. “I will put it to the other elders, and the speaker will have the answer to you by dawn.”

  “Excellent. Now, tell me about the battles. What kind of dragons, what kind of mages, and were there any creatures involved?”

  He nodded and began to regale her with tales of duels in the dust. She smiled, gasped, and laughed, finally feeling that she still needed to do something.

  “I do not mean to be rude, Elder Uhrman, but I have to do something. I think I just realized what it is.”

  Yutin got to her feet. “Do you need me?”

  “No. Enjoy your meal. I just have to finish the spell and then talk to my mother. I have left something unsaid.”

  Understanding lit Yutin’s eyes. “I see. I will remain at a distance then.”

  “Thank you. And please thank those who prepared dinner. It was lovely.”

  Two men and a woman stood up from next to the cooking hearth, and they bowed. She inclined her head in return, and then, she made her way to the surface and the tasks she had set herself.

  She returned to the workshop and grinned at Althu. “I thought you would be off duty by now.”

  “I wanted to see this and record everything.”

  Zzara looked at the mix and watched it. It was grey, and there were tiny bubbles of silver coming through.

  “My timing is bizarrely appropriate.”

  “I was just about to have someone fetch you. I saw the first silver bubble three minutes ago.”

  “It’s fine. We have half an hour before the silver takes over and starts to set.” She flipped the cover off the prepared frame and verified once again that it was level.

  The mix had bubbled to a third of the original volume, and the silver began to slowly appear with more and more movement.

  They didn’t speak, they just watched the spell in its final stage of being a liquid, and when the mix began to swirl clockwise, Zzara quickly lifted the bowl and poured the contents into the frame. The swirling continued for two minutes, and then, the motion stopped, and the mirror began to take shape.

  Zzara stepped back, and she exhaled slowly. “Eighteen more hours, and it will be cured and ready to use.”

  Althu stared. “I didn’t think it was going to actually work.”

  Zzara laughed. “Neither did I.”

  They giggled together, and Zzara felt the joy of a small sliver of success. This was her original creation. She hadn’t picked it out of a book or seen it on a scroll. She had an idea and had done the research to make it happen. It was a first.

  Her scepter had been the result of a normal spell that had been supercharged by her bloodlines. The copying mirror was going to be in a class by itself.

  Once she had finished chuckling, she carefully covered the setting surface with a flat piece of wood. “And now, there is nothing to see until I open it.”

  Althu sighed. “Right. I will continue my vigil now, but if the speaker sends me relief, that would be great.”

  Zzara patted her on the shoulder and smiled. “I will see what I can do.”

  She stretched before she left and went out to complete the second of the tasks that were beating at her mind.

  She closed the door to the workshop behind her and walked to her mother’s grave.

  The dirt was quiet, the same charcoal silt that was everywhere else in Horcross. There was a bit of soil from feet beneath where she was standing, but the mix was still. There was no life to it.

  “Hi, Mom. This isn’t how I imagined our final conversation, but you are in the ground now, and your body can do what it will do. You are resting now, and that is the last and only gift left that I can give you.”

  She inhaled and picked up her chatelaine. “Once, hundreds of years ago, this place was a battleground, a dueling site where creatures and dragons and mages could come and attack each other without fear of witnesses. When they fought, they shed magic. That magic ended up in the soil. That same soil is packed around you.”

  She knelt and touched the dirt. “This is your final resting place, and no one is going to interfere with that. So, as I have been looking into what your people are and how they work, I have found out that they go into the soil, and the family moves in around them. Since your family is far away, I am going to boost the signal for you, to help you become part of them once again.”

  She lifted her hand up, freed the blade, and slashed it across her fingertips. She flicked out the bright drops over the entire span of her burial. “This blood is to call your family, the hedge fey. They will come to you and treat you as their own once again. This blood is waking them and pulling at them, and waking your cold body and bringing your buried body into bloom. Whatever would normally happen over weeks and months will happen overnight. My last gift to you, Mom, is helping your afterlife go according to plan and tradition. Here’s hoping that your people forget their snit and come to celebrate your life.”

  She finished flicking enough blood to trade for a lifetime of support from the Deep, and she smiled,
making a face at the thought of being a living commodity.

  She made a fist, and the bleeding slowed and stopped. The skin healed quickly. The ground under her feet hummed slightly, and the blood spread across the surface of the burial site. This is where she wanted her power, so this is where it would be.

  The sense of insistent urgency faded, and she took a few steps back and sat down. She didn’t speak to her mother, but she felt the pulse of the call running through the earth and summoning her mother’s people.

  Aylona Acular deserved to have that call answered.

  When her hand had completely healed itself, she got up and returned to her house. The dawn was still a few hours away, but if the spell completed, she was going to need all her energy. She had a personal library to build up after all.

  She washed off the remaining blood and pulled on her nightdress before taking her design book with her to bed. She designed a library as the center of the city and continued to spread out in a spiral that reached the outer edge of Horcross and left plenty of room for expansion in the same pattern. Walkways cut across the spiral and allowed relatively easy access from the outer rim to the inner core.

  She was smiling as she let herself go to sleep. Her day had been very productive. She had earned her rest.

  Emory was sitting in the chair next to her bed and reading a book. “Ah, you are awake.”

  She rubbed her eyes and sat up. “Why are you in here?”

  “The Deep were worried. They smelled blood on the wind.”

  She stretched and yawned. “I thought Yutin was watching me.”

  “She had to attend a meeting of the elders. They felt that tremendous power had been released.”

  She nodded. “That would have been me properly memorializing my mother. There is one chance to call her people, so I used it.”

  He looked at her and raised his brows. “You called them?”

  “I did.”

  “How?”

  “With blood. My blood over the churned soil of Horcross.”

  He nodded. “I see.”

  She smiled brightly. “Now, I just have to wait and see if they answer.”

  “Are you expecting them to?”

  She shrugged. “Not particularly, but there is always a chance. A choice made in anger should not be the last memory of her.”

  Emory inclined his head. “I agree.”

  “Good because it is done. I sent out the call, and if they answer, I will tell them about her last twenty-one years if they wish to know.” She wiggled her toes and frowned. “Why are you here?”

  “I followed the scent of blood.”

  “You thought I was injured?”

  “I had to keep the folk of the Deep from gathering. Your blood is like catnip, it promises so much.”

  “I thought you said they were worried?”

  “They were. They thought you might have injured yourself. It was an emotional day.”

  She stared at him. “So, they think my answer to an emotional storm is to injure myself? Great.”

  She got up, stalked to her wardrobe, and pulled out her last set of clean clothing. “Lovely. I am going to have to go back to Rekker to do laundry.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  She took a shower and combed her hair into a straight and solid wave. When she emerged from the bathroom, Emory was gone. Sighing in relief, she walked into the living space and stopped when she saw him making breakfast.

  She didn’t speak, but she sat when he nodded toward the table. He carefully poured water over an inverted porcelain cone, and she smelled coffee in the room.

  Five minutes later, she had eggs, toast, coffee, and a very quiet Emory sitting across from her.

  “I will make it clear to the Deep that you will not injure yourself. It is just that they know how your mother passed.”

  “It isn’t hereditary. She was in a situation that she felt she couldn’t get out of, and she wanted to make sure that I wasn’t restrained by loyalty to her or my father. It was very effective as a tool, but I still wish she hadn’t done it.” She made her way through breakfast.

  “I will make it clear.”

  “No, I will make it clear. I have done what I have done to protect myself, to keep myself alive. I would not have fought this hard if I hadn’t actually wanted to give up. There were plenty of opportunities for me to simply give in. That isn’t what my mother wanted for me.”

  “You are doing it for her?”

  She chuckled. “I am doing it for myself. I will make myself independent, I will stand tall, and I will not give in to any of the Byall family machinations.”

  He smiled. “That is music to my ears.”

  She finished her coffee and got to her feet. “Well, with that out of the way, let’s do the dishes, and then, I want to check on my spell. I am sure that Aeli is beyond curious.”

  “That sounds delightful. I will dry.”

  They spent four minutes with the dishes, and then, they were on their way to the workshop. It was time to see if the new start to her life was as easy as she thought it would be.

  Chapter Ten

  The mirror was still hot, but it had settled into a stable form. It was time to open the door once again.

  She moved the stones into position and activated them. The doorway flashed into being, and on the other side was Aeli, sitting at her worktable and reading.

  “Well, it seems to be stable.” Zzara just got it out when Aeli wrapped her arms around her in a bone-cracking hug.

  “I was so worried. I have heard that your father headed over to Horcross.”

  “You have very big ears. Yes, he was here. He is now gone,” she spoke through the squeezing.

  “Are you all right?”

  Zzara inhaled and gently pried her friend away. “Yes. I am getting there. I hate to ask this, but I need to come over to wash my laundry. Black isn’t that forgiving when you are sweating and dirty.”

  Aeli smiled. “Of course. We can also get the rest of your stuff together and move it over. Are you going to stay in Horcross?”

  “Yes, if it isn’t too much of a problem. I am really finding my feet there.”

  “If we keep the portal open, it will be easier for you to stock up on what you need. When do you want to start shopping?” Aeli’s eyes lit up.

  Zzara laughed. “In a few days. I need to get my clothes and any books you are willing to part with.”

  Aeli chuckled. “Can we leave the doorway open?”

  “If you like.” Zzara looked at her. “It worked. The spell seems to have set.”

  Aeli blinked. “Seriously? Is it usable?”

  “It is hot. We have to let it sit for the next six hours or so. That is just a guess.”

  Her friend nodded. “You generally have a pretty accurate guessing strategy.”

  “I also have a plan that I want your input on. Maybe Grand Master Mage Warrok’s as well.”

  Aeli raised her brows. “Should I get him now?”

  “No. This is just a mental exercise right now.” It wasn’t, but Aeli could find that out later.

  “Great. Did you eat, or did you want something?”

  “Emory made me breakfast.”

  Aeli smiled slightly. “Did he?”

  “Yes. It was the least he could do after he insulted me. That is another matter. Come on through, and I will show you the progress on the mirror.”

  Aeli did not need to be asked twice.

  Thobin was crouched on duty, and Aeli didn’t see him until Zzara made the introductions. “Aelemilial Warrok, this is Thobin. He and other volunteer members of the Deep have been keeping notes as to the progression of colour. Anyone who attempts the spell in the future will have a clear path to watch for.”

  Aeli smiled and inclined her head. “I am slightly surprised to see you out and about during daylight.”

  Thobin chuckled. “This is once-in-a-thousand-years magic. We are all delighted to have witnessed it.”

  Aeli grinned. “Me too, bu
t this is an exceptional era.”

  “It is an honour to meet you, Mage Warrok.” Thobin remained kneeling on the counter.

  “May I ask, what are you monitoring?” Aeli looked over at the covered mirror.

  “Heat. It is not cooling at the rate of glass, nor metal, nor wood. The ingredients have created something completely new and fascinating. I have been very pleased to be a part of this process. Once it is complete, we will take our recorded information and present it to Miss Zzara. She can add it to her records of the spell and have a complete set of cause and effect.”

  Zzara smiled. “I think I am going to keep the ingredients and the observations far apart. I might need to have the books created for me because I am worried about the mage guild, but it isn’t a common thing. Most can get the books they want, as they want them.”

  Aeli frowned. “You won’t put the spell in the archive?”

  Zzara looked at her. “Do you really think I should? The spell will find its way to those who need it.”

  Aeli nodded. “I will think about it.”

  “If you honestly think that it is the best thing to do, I will do it, but putting that much power at the touch of some of the mages that I have met over the last few weeks would be terrifying.” Zzara murmured it as she went to the experiment that was now as hot as an object removed from an oven.

  She got the leather gloves that she kept for this purpose and lifted the top layer, setting it to the side.

  Aeli examined the silver surface, and she smiled. “I can see myself.”

  “Good. So, the mirror part is working.”

  Aeli nodded that Zzara could cover the experiment, and when it was set, they walked outside.

  “Why is it still so hot? My calculations should have had it ready to use by now.”

  Zzara chuckled. “I added an extra incantation. It is locating every magical tome on the earth. It should be done near sundown.”

  Aeli blinked. “Every magical tome?”

  “Every one that exists, whether folks know where it is or not. My mom used to talk about an herbal that she remembered hearing about as a child. If there is a copy of it somewhere in the world, I want my own copy of it.”