Chapter 8
Copyright © Gem Higa 2011
It felt like a lifetime until she was able to peel her eyes open, only to be bombarded with the morning light streaming through the trees, blinding her. She shot her hand up in an attempt to cover her eyes from the brightness of the sun. Confusion emerged as everything came into full focus; the haziness that surrounded her vision slowly edged their way back. The ground below was cold and damp beneath her pale skin, making her whole body shiver. The wind whispered past her flesh bringing a chill up and through her exposed body.
Shock rolled through her. My exposed body!
Looking down at her bare flesh she saw no blanket, animal skin, or clothing hanging off of her. She was naked as the day she was born. Confusion turned into embarrassment, as she used her dirt-smudged arms to cover whatever modest pride remained. The memories of the night’s events slowly came back, as snippets of what happened emerged. It took a few moments for things to become clear, and the fleeting thoughts to stop jumping around in her head. It was hard to concentrate when the only thing that she could keep her mind on was finding something to cover her nudity.
As she walked, flashes of the night’s events streamed through; it allowed her to remember why she was standing in this forest, completely naked and covered in mud. She vividly recalled being attached to her dragon on their rapid descent towards the ground, and the harsh reality that she would be dead by the time the forest floor collided with their falling bodies. When the wings burned off her dragon’s body, even the tiniest flicker of hope died out and pushed her closer towards death’s awaiting arms. At the last second she remembered him twisting his head and shooting blue fire towards the ground. She remembered the warmth his belly produced at the charging of the blow and the heat that engulfed them as it sent her vision straight into oblivion.
She recalled a scalding pain on her stomach as something burned its way onto her skin. Peering down at the place on her abdomen, just before where it turned into her thighs, was a symbol. Placing only fingertips to feel the seal, she carefully traced the lines that etched her flesh. She knew it for what is was. It was hard to forget this symbol, as it was what led her here; it was the dragon’s mark.
Whatever had happened the night before, she knew one thing for certain: she should have been dead. Falling from an enormous height should have been enough to send her to the other side. But, there was also the other matter of falling into a blanket of fire that engulfed them, as if they were pieces of wood burning in a hearth.
Nothing felt different within her; everything seemed to working just as it did when first coming here. Spinning around in a circle, she tried scanning for her dragon. She wondered where he could have landed if they were so close to each other when they fell, but then again he could have woken before her.
Whatever expectations she had anticipated of a bonding, this was the last thing she would have considered. Her embarrassment for the nudity she produced quickly wore off as she went in search for her spirit animal, or at least she hoped was her animal. Trudging through the forest terrain she noticed that this was where they met during their first meeting. The small clearing past the wall of vines that kept this place hidden, the waterfall off in the distance, and the trees that grew up high; all these things were just as she remembered it, nothing had changed.
Deciding that he would be back and have no problem finding her, she made up her mind to clean up a bit. Heading down to the lake, she stepped on many twigs and rocks that scraped the bottom of her feet; they were not dainty like the noble’s daughters, but instead were calloused and rough from the years of hunting and traveling. It was not something she minded so much, as she always wore shoes to cover them when in public. Her hands were similar; not as smooth as theirs, but were scratched and bruised from the intense sparring sessions with her father. Those were more difficult to hide, but she did so efficiently at times using leather gloves.
Finally she reached the shore of the lake. Seeing as she had no clothes to remove she immediately jumped in the water, glad for the chill it brought to her skin. The sudden temperature change to her body made her stand still, until she could get used to the cold. Once adjusted to the water she swam her way over to the waterfall that cascaded down the cliffside. It was not far, just a few strokes through the water and she would be there. When finally reaching it she tested the slipperiness of the rocks surrounding it, and heaved herself out. Slowly she made her way on the trail of rocks that formed right below the waterfall.
Whatever this place was, it was a piece of heaven. It was what her father would have called Camelot; a place of perfection. She’d heard of the many stories that told of such a place, but never once thought it was possible it could exist. If man got their grasps on this, it would no longer be the Utopia it is now; they would find ways to destroy such beauty and morph it into the chaotic society she lived in.
The strength and heaviness of the falls beat down, as she welcomed the small amount of pain it put on her back. She used her hands to roughly scrub the mud off her body, trying to be as thorough as possible. Running her hands through her hair brought a great sense of pleasure as the twigs and pieces of leaves came off. There was no better feeling than a good bath after a long day. After she had examined herself and made sure all the dirt was off, she jumped into the lake and swam back to shore.
She stepped out of the cold waters, and was assaulted by the chilly winds that prickled her skin numbing her from head to toe. Reaching back, she grabbed her hair and squeezed the excess water from the locks that hung past her shoulders. The breeze that blew by would eventually dry her body from the droplets of water that still clung onto her skin. It was not the coldness of the wind that sent a chill through her, but from the immediate shift in temperature once again.
Familiar power washed over her. She knew something was coming; better yet she was pretty sure she knew who. On cue, her dragon stepped through the trees and into the clearing by the shores of the lake. She didn’t bother covering herself; she felt a peace and understanding with her dragon that wasn’t there before. This was whom she would protect and give herself completely to. The dragon was now her spirit animal and everything about that made her smile inside.
He still was the same massive dragon she knew only hours before, but something between them had drastically changed. The scared girl she once had been was now gone. She was replaced with a stronger and more mature version of herself; if not on the outside, but then certainly on the inside. The girl before would have covered herself and have tried to be modest with her nudity. But, this fiery woman she had become would do no such thing.
Something had certainly changed within her. She felt more confident in herself and what she was doing. Though, if that came from the bond or the stress that had finally lifted, she didn’t know. She felt more alive and stronger than ever.
The dragon moved closer to her, as the sun made his coat shine. A big animal like that should have moved with heavy strides, but his movements were eerily graceful. He had the same toothy grin for her; it made her chuckle to see she could find humor from the teeth of a dragon. He stopped in front of her, sniffing her hair. She reached her hands out to welcome him back; he made his way down to the mark on the side of her stomach and rubbed it with the tip of his head.
You’ve been marked.
The voice that resonated in her mind startled her, causing a squeak to come out at the unfamiliar feeling of their mind-speak. Trying hard not to throw another surprised face his way, she settled for a smile instead. Warm emotions spread through her, filling every pore with magical energy. Something stirred within her, as she tried to make sense of the sensations she was feeling.
“You can speak with me now?” She asked.
He chuckled. ‘Yes, I can. The bonding is almost complete.’
She gasped, startled that he could easily hear the words spoken through her mind, like they were said aloud.
‘I thought what we just went through was the bonding,’ she thought in her head, not talking to anyone in particular.
‘It was only a part of it,’ He said, shaking his head.
‘Don’t act so surprised, of course I can read your thoughts. You can read and talk to mine as well,’ he tilted his head to the side. ‘Try it.’
She nodded, concentrating as hard as possible; directing her energy towards the dragon as she spoke, ‘Um, can you hear me?’
His raspy voice filled her ears, as he started laughing. It wasn’t like sandpaper rubbing against each other, it was more like her dad’s voice; it sounded old world, but youthful all in one. It was the sound of someone in their prime. It was of a boy, but yet not like an old man. ‘Yes, I can hear you perfectly clear. You don’t have to try so hard; I can easily pick up on what you’re saying.’
Her cheeks flushed, embarrassed. ‘Anyways, you were saying?’
‘Oh, right. Well, our falling was a sort of rebirth.’ His voice turned sheepish as he continued, ‘Sorry, by the way for that, I couldn’t tell you what was to happen or else it would have defeated the purpose of being “reborn”. Anyways, the rebirth is for your spirit. For both our spirits to bond, each of us must be pure, or else it won’t work.’
She nodded, letting him continue.
‘As of now, your spirit is clean and nothing taints it. It allows us to fully merge with one another.’
“Then what…I mean,” she started to say aloud, but continued in her head, ‘I mean, what’s next then?’
‘The merge,’ he replied.
‘What is the merge?’ She asked.
‘It is when both our spirits come into contact with one another, and intertwine. There is no going back after that moment. Our lives will be connected, and if something happens to either one of us, the other would be brought down as well.’
She still couldn’t understand where all his knowledge came from. So she asked him, ‘If we were born on the same day, then how is it you know so much?’
He sat back on his hind legs and went down to lie on all fours; his head propped up, as he leveled it with her. ‘Some of my memories came from the dragon that birthed me. Though, most of the dragons are already born with the knowledge of the bonding. It’s like breathing. But, most of my memories did come from my mother, who was actually your mother’s dragon.’
He caught her off guard once again, stealing the breath right out of her. She stilled, unable to speak. At one point she just closed her eyes and breathed. At the sound of the word ‘mother’ it shocked her. Completely making her muscles unable to move.
He regarded her calmly, patiently waiting for her to reply.
Steadying her voice, she spoke, ‘What happened to my mother?’
The whole world froze around them as he cast his eyes to the ground. She was bombarded with a feeling of sadness. She didn’t know how she felt it, or where it came from, but it pushed through her like it was her own emotion. ‘Are those my feelings or yours?’
‘Mine. You will be able to sense me as I can easily sense you.’
She looked at him steadily. ‘I need you tell me.’
He sighed, but told her the story. ‘This is from the memories of my mother, and it is only what I have been able to access.’
She nodded.
‘You’re mother was a renowned queen in our world. She was fair, but compassionate. You look so much like her. Her hair was a bit shorter than yours, but the same color as my hide. Your eyes are from your father, he too was a well-loved king. Though both ruled, only your mother was born with royal blood, and your father only married into it. No one can merely sit and control this empire; they have to have the blood to maintain order. Dragons used to live in this world, coexisting with humans; it was a peaceful union between all. Until, your king decided he wanted that power for himself.’
Her face turned into a scowl when the story turned to the king.
‘A portal once connected our worlds, it existed as a gateway for dragon riders and dragons to commute through. The dragons roamed freely in both lands, never having to worry about imprisonment. Seeing one was like eating a meal, it happened a few times a day and never bothered you. Most dragons had riders, but some didn’t, and lived a long and free life. Until, one day, the king sought advice from a dark mage who told him that he could harness the dragon’s powers.’ He stopped talking and as she felt a tickle in her head. ‘I can read your mind, and it tells me that you’ve already heard the story about what the king did.’
She still found it eerie that he could be in her head so easily, but she was slowly getting used to the feeling. So, she merely nodded in acknowledgement and let him go on with the story.
He nodded once and continued. ‘Well, your mother didn’t want him killing any more dragons and their riders; those were her people and she had to protect them. She used a lot of magic to link her mind with the remaining survivors and told them to cross through to the dragon land. But, unfortunately the king had found a way to travel through the portal, even without being born a rider. Your mother was afraid of the harm he could cause if he made it through the gates, so she thought of a plan. At this point she was pregnant with you, so she waited a couple more days until you were born. After you came, she snuck through the portal, then into the forests and used her magic to fortify a safe place for her to leave us
He turned his head and scanned the haven surrounding them. This is what she built for me to grow up in. Someplace safe, where only you would be able to pass through and find me.
Her mother was smart, she thought. After awhile of standing so long her legs finally wanted to give out, so she sat on the ground and crossed them. Her dragon laid his head on the ground next to her. She started mindlessly stroking it as she spoke to him. ‘How did my mother know that someone would find me in the middle of nowhere?’
‘She sensed it,’ he replied. ‘Somehow, she knew you would be found, and only hoped everything would turn out for the best. She had faith.’
He seemed to relax under her touch, closing his eyes ever so slightly as she moved her fingers, making circles on his skin. ‘So, what happened to my parents?’ She asked solemnly.
Opening his eyes slightly, he looked at her. She felt remorse coming from him, but slowly receded as he told her. ‘The portal needed to be closed, and in all the years the gates have never been shut. The queen used all her magical energy to close the portal; even after the king gave all his power to her, it wasn’t enough. Both their dragons stood by them and let their energies collide with theirs, which allowed the gates to finally close. They both put all their focus and energy into closing the portal that their very life essence had been sucked out. A few moments after the gates were closed they slowly burned away, and their dragons followed soon after. All of them became ash and floated through the wind.’ He made sure she was looking at him and his voice became deadly serious. ‘You are last of the dragon line, and only you can open the portal and balance out this mess.’
Her brows scrunched in confusion, as her mouth turned into a grim line. How did her mother, a queen of all things, expect her to do this? She wasn’t anything special. How could she balance the world if she already took forever to look for her own dragon? Better yet, why should she if the king might cause destruction by coming through the portal?
She couldn’t think clearly. Then she remembered that she didn’t have any clothes on and used that as an excuse to have some time for herself. Turning to her dragon she asked him if there was any way her clothes might have survived the fire. He shook his head, but told her to wait a second.
A few minutes passed until he popped out of the forest and walked towards her, carrying a bag in his mouth. He dropped it at her feet. She picked it up and found a hunting outfit made of finer cloth and a lot of more feminine than her usual hunting outfits. It was embroidered beautifully; the seams were expertly weaved, etchings of gold covered the outfit’s linings. The color was dyed amazingly, as it seemed it mimicked the pallet of the trees almost perfectly. She was used to a man’s outfit; a shirt, vest and some tight leggings with heavy boots. This was like a noble’s dress, but was cut above the knee, which was odd. The knee length boots were light, but made of tough material. She would be able to move more agile with these. The top of the dress looked like a corset, but was a lot looser. It had strings in the middle that could be tied tight if she wanted. She preferred not to and instead put an undershirt, so no one could see through. The dress had long sleeves and the whole outfit fit perfectly. Thanks mom, she thought.
As she was strapping the boots, her dragon walked away without a word. She continued to lace the boots and waited for him to return. A few moments later he emerged and held something shiny in his mouth. He came to a stop in front of her and dropped the things to the ground.
Her daggers! All three of them lay on the floor in front of her, and she couldn’t help but cry at the sight of them. She ran to her dragon and hugged him, barely able to stop tearing up. He nuzzled her neck, comforting her. She turned and picked up the weapons. She strapped the dagger her father gave her on the belt that also came from the bag. Like her father showed her, she made an inseam in her boots and stored her daggers in each one. She felt more complete now.
The dragon laid on all four once again, leveling his head with hers. He waited. She felt his presence in her mind, as not a smooth caress, but a nudge for her to let him continue. ‘Okay I get it,’ she said, ‘how am I supposed to do any of this? I’m not trained in this particular skill. I just found out that I could even do magic!’
‘Yes, you can train to be better at magical arts, but you also have that ability already locked inside of you. It is up to you to fully release it and have it aid you.’
She crossed her arms. ‘I don’t understand why do I have to open the portal, when we know the king could easily invade the dragon lands?’
He looked at her, dumfounded. ‘You don’t know? I mean, I know you don’t know much, but surely you’ve been noticing more people dying than usual?’
She returned the look, staring at him with more shock than she was possible. ‘Well, people die all the time. It’s a terrible world we live in.’
‘Yes, but have you noticed anything unusual in how these people die? Unexplained deaths, like they just dropped down?’
She tried recalling all those times she’d been sent out on routine summons. When she arrived at their homes their family said that they were complaining of chest trouble and one day they just dropped. Looking back she realized all the deaths were of people her age. Gasping, she turned to her dragon with a sense of urgency. How could she have so blind?
‘Do you mean to tell me that the deaths that have been occurring are because of people unable to bond with their dragons?’
He nodded gravely. ‘All the dragons that are being born in our world can’t lead their riders to them because they cannot cross the portals. The dragons are diminishing in numbers as well, because once the rider dies the dragon follows. The only dragons surviving now are the rider less ones. I hope you understand the responsibility you have, not only for these people, or yourself, but also to your mother who gave her life willingly to save everyone. Do not let both my mother, and your parents deaths go in vain.’
His determination fueled something inside and willed her to go on. Something stirred in her heart, that the mere thought of losing this battle would not be acceptable. She needed to do this not only for her lineage, but also for herself and her people. She looked at him. ‘Let’s finish the bonding.’
He gave her one of his toothy grins; a mischievous smile played on his mouth. She didn’t know whether if it was from the thought of saving the future of their people, or what was about to happen she didn’t care. It was time for her to take the reigns and walk her own path.
His voice entered her mind as he stood. ‘Place your hands on me.’ She raised and laid them on his head. ‘Good, now close your eyes.’ She did. ‘Imagine our energies colliding, both our souls twisting together becoming one.’ Her heart quickened, as did her breath. She wanted to open her eyes, but his words stopped her. ‘Concentrate and do not let go no matter what you feel. Now, try to think of spirit taking a physical form. What do you see?’
She was out of breath, but answered. Wings, she replied.
He chuckled. ‘As do I. Think of your wings merging with mine, and let them collide with one another.’
It took awhile, but she got it. ‘Okay, they’re together,’ she said.
‘Let them merge into one entity. Have them fly as one.’
She gasped a searing pain in her head threatened to make her fall to the ground. But, she held on and let it course through her body, as she tried holding back a scream. It was painful; it was like her back was being branded. Tears streamed down her face, as she tried so hard not to take her hands off the dragon. Then suddenly it was over. In her mind the dragon wings had become one even larger form than what she imagined.
Slowly, she opened her eyes to find her dragon peeling his open as well. She breathed heavy as the pain fully receded. She hadn’t even noticed that they both were on the ground, she guessed at some point the pain got unbearable for their bodies. Cautiously she pulled her hands back, still baffled as to what just transpired between them. ‘Wha…what happened?’ She asked him.
‘The bonding is complete.’
Still not understanding what that meant, she eyed him questioningly.
‘It means, now we have each others spirit infused within us. If you die, I will die soon after, and it’s the same the other way around. But, as queen…’
She choked on her own saliva at the word ‘queen’. Knowing full well that when he told her she had a responsibility to uphold the title, she never really imagined what it would be like as a ruler. The lives of so many rested in her ability to fight this evil that has plagued all of her people. But, she admitted as much as it was a sin to be vain, she liked the way queen sounded. Thought, it held so much weight, she would accept it if that meant saving the many lives that were being wasted.
‘…. queen, you have more power than the mere dragon rider. They have spirit within them and the ability to communicate with only their dragon. But, you have so much more than that.’
She perked up at the sound of that. ‘I do?’
‘Well, yes, of course. You don’t expect to rule a whole kingdom with just telepathy and riding a dragon do you?’
That made sense. ‘Guess not.’
‘Your mark is also different from the others, the others are only branded with the wings, but yours have the crown, proving to everyone you are of the royal blood.’
This is really turning out to be quite the adventure, she thought. ‘What else has changed?’
‘Your hair and eyes are a different color,’ he answered nonchalantly.
Reaching back for her hair, she clutched the end of it and stared in awe. The once chestnut strands had darkened into an obsidian color, just like her dragon. Her skin paled a tad more when pared with her new, darker her. She wished she had a mirror so she could see her eyes, but she was still curious. ‘What color are my irises?’ She asked.
‘Exactly like mine, lavender.’
Wow, she thought. Never in her life had she met someone with lavender eyes. How would she explain this to everyone back home? Let them deal with it she thought. ‘Is that all?’
‘Of course not. I’m sure now you know that since we are one, we share similarities. Color for one. Your hair is the color of my hide and your eyes are like mine, as you know.’
She nodded acknowledging him.
‘You have many defensive abilities, as well as ones for fighting. Your spirit power can aid you in many ways. Shielding for one. You can create a magical shield, should you need to defend yourself. For fighting, you can call upon fire.’
Her eyes twinkled at the possibilities of having fire magic. She’d seen the mages use it and it always fascinated her, how they could call upon the flames without burning their hand. She also thought of the ways she could defend herself against Talen.
‘Did I get fire from you?’ She asked him.
He nodded, clearly amused. ‘You can use the blue fire to attack with, like I can. I know you like archery, and if you draw the right amount of energy you can create an arrow with your spirit power. It hardly ever misses, and will definitely be of use to you in a fight.’
She was sure he could practically feel her shouting with glee at the prospects of using her new powers. But, she just couldn’t contain it, especially inside where he had easy access.
‘One, more thing,’ he said. ‘Remember, you are the Dragon queen and all dragons heed your call. Whether they have riders or not, they will listen to you. Also, if you ever need me, we can easily talk using telepathy. No matter how far the distance.’
Accepting the responsibility of being queen had added more weight on her shoulders, but that didn’t seem to pull her down. It added a sense of purpose to her life that hadn’t been there before. It added a clarity that she thought wouldn’t have been possible to find. But, now, it stood there before her, extending a hand out for her to grasp. And she would without a doubt, take it’s hand and move forward.
The weakness she felt before coming here was gone. No longer did she think that handling this would be too difficult, because now, she knew it was possible.
Her second day was nearly coming to an end. The sun was setting, as dusk quickly approached. Maybe it’s time to go back, she thought. But, for some odd reason she felt that it wasn’t time yet. She wasn’t ready to face the world with her powers being so new. She felt defenseless.
They had a built a fire together. She collected the wood, while he lighted it. Blue spitfire might have come from his mouth, but a perfectly red, warm flame was before her. She had gone hunting in the woods, hoping that somehow this haven supplied animals, but her dragon assured her there was an abundant supply. There wouldn’t have been any way he could survive without them. He hunted for her, as he thought it would be quicker in the air than her on the ground, blindly running through the dark.
She cut the meat, giving him the raw part, while she cooked hers over the fire. Finally feeling stuffed, she snuggled next to her dragon. He wrapped his body around her like the night before, laying his head close to her legs as she put her hand on him. ‘I think I’ll stay awhile,’ she decided. ‘I think I’ll practice my powers. It seems safer to do it here, than out there.’
‘I think that’s a great plan,’ he murmured already half asleep. ‘Take as long as you need.’
Turning to her side, she didn’t bother replying. He would know how she was feeling anyways. She moved to the gap between his body and neck, as she nestled closer to him. Before she fell asleep she asked him one more question. ‘I never asked, what was your name?’
At first she thought he was asleep, but then he spoke. ‘That’s your job. What would you like to call me?’ His voice was thick with sleep.
That made her think. She stayed silent for a bit, till it hit her. ‘I think I’ll call you Trinity. Rin, for short.’
He opened one eye to look at her, curiously. ‘Does the name have meaning?’
Smiling she said, ‘Yes, a Trinity has three parts that make it a whole. In our case the first is me, second is you and the third is our bond. Together, we make a trinity.’
His raspy voice filled her mind, as his mouth curved into a smile. ‘I love it.’
They both fell into a soundless sleep. No nightmares came, only a good night’s rest. It was what they both needed, and they deserved it. Tomorrow was a new day and it would mark as the start of this dragon heir’s legacy.