The Dream Keeper's Dragon

2. A Spark

At the far end of their vegetable garden, among the thorny reek of tomato plants, Aurelie sat cross-legged and very irritably attempted to push the fire within her out of her palms. The sodden earth coated her legs like stockings.

The power of three dragons clung to her insides and boiled beneath her skin, but out of stubbornness that it acquired right from Aurelie's core, it refused to come out.

Why will you not just work? Her pulse rose. She yanked her upper arms to her chest, held her breath, and tightened her stomach. The vein in her temple hardened and pulsed.

She had practiced for years. Exhausted all of her ideas and came very close to pulling out her hair on more than one occasion. Well, the latter was not her fault entirely. When the magic stirred within her, it thrust her emotions into a wild, destructive spiral and the longer she kept trying to conjure the fire, the harder it was for her to stop.

Aurelie pushed again, harder this time. Her pulse slowed, but the pounding in her temples knocked harder. Specs of red appeared in her vision as her eyes filled with the shade of molten fire.

Aurelie exhaled, releasing a cloud of steam into the night sky. You will work. You will! Sweat soaked through the fabric of her dress. A drop rolled down her forehead, and onto her nose. She dragged her fingers across her round cheeks, scratching her skin.

Her chest felt tight with anger.

"Work!" she shrieked, her throat raw from the earlier tantrum. "What kind of a dragon can't conjure fire? Stupid, stupid!" Aurelie grabbed her hair and pulled, yanking out strands that tangled around her fingers. Steam rose from her heated skin and rose over her eyes, hiding the garden behind it.

Breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, Aurelie tried to calm herself. The power within her churned, unhappy with the decision. Anger, heavy as stone, pressed into her chest. She dug her hands into the grass, twisted her fingers, and ripped it from the earth.

"Aurelie!" Aunt Elizabeth yelled from the steps of the cabin.

A spark as little as a firefly flashed in Aurelie's hand, leaving a thin line of white smoke behind.

"What are you doing out there?"

"Did you see?" Aurelie squealed. Sliding her sleeve across her upper lip, she wiped away some of the mud and moisture. "It just happened . . . almost!"

"You're still not ready?" Aunt Elizabeth said, standing in line with the candlelight coming from the kitchen table. Aurelie only saw her silhouette, but by Elizabeth's tone, she knew what expression her shadowed face hid.

"I thought I was staying home." They had talked about whether or not she accompany them about three times, always coming up with a different answer.

Aurelie stood and walked toward the cabin. She almost felt a slight pang of regret. Almost. The spark was worth her aching scalp, and the hot stinging that crept up her face. She pressed her hands against her cheeks, and let out a painful, "Owwe."

"Kaiden wanted you to come."

"I can go if needed." She was getting closer now. Aunt Elizabeth wore her best dress, a light blue V-neck that fluttered wildly when she walked. Her uncle must have managed to warm her up to the idea of him taking the job.

Aurelie barely made it up the wooden steps before Aunt Elizabeth put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her from moving any further. "My God, look at you!" Aunt Elizabeth's sharp brows rose up. They made her look angry by nature but Aurelie could not remember the last time she actually saw her mad. "Did you have a fight with a thorn bush?"