Dragons and Mages: A Limited Edition Anthology

by Pauline Creeden

  It gets easier. Humans do not take the bond easily. Loraj’s voice rumbled in her mind. Rather than just like a regular speaking voice, it vibrated as if presented on a great surround sound system in an expensive theater. The richness in tones created a vibrato in her mind. She leaned into the deep voice, feeling it resonate through her. Loraj brought her next to him, and in that moment she feared ever being parted from him.

  “I shouldn’t have interrupted,” Khalid said. “But I’ve gotten the call. I’m to go to the Academy.”

  His words splashed cold water on her euphoria, and she stepped away from Loraj, already missing the contact with him. “When?”

  “As soon as possible. Eklan is ready to make his appearance. He’s contacted someone. Sonia, she said her name was. I’m going to pack up and probably leave sometime this afternoon. Eklan will not make himself known without me. We need time to bond.” He looked wistful, as if he were already thinking about the dragon and the connection.

  “I—I don’t know what to say. If they called you, then you’ve got to go. We can talk through the radio or through email or phone, I’m sure. Though you will most likely be busy once you and Eklan make your appearance.”

  “I know, right? I can’t believe it. I’ve studied dragons for so long and to have one for my own.” His eyes watered.

  If my son has chosen you, then I can do no less than forgive you for the past. Go with the wind. Be the teacher that we need you to be. Loraj turned to face Khalid. Something passed between them, something she couldn’t feel except as an additional buzzing in the back of her mind.

  “Thank you,” Khalid replied to the dragon, then turned and jogged back down the path toward her house.

  Part of her wanted to go with him, to talk to him about what would happen next. The other part wanted her to curl up next to Loraj and sleep. She pressed her hand to his side. “I’ll be back. I want to play for you.” She followed Khalid, knowing when she returned she’d be bringing her coronet.

  Chapter 16

  In the two weeks since Khalid had gone to the academy, Deanna listened for any news of the dragons. There was none. She worked every day with Loraj, the bond between them growing stronger. Kle had once more taken up residence with her, though she finally installed a doggie door so he could come and go as he wanted without bothering her. A gift from some place in New Mexico arrived, a box with thirty pounds of ground beef along with a note that they had arranged with someone in her area to bring her deliveries of meat, different cuts and types. The note said it’d be coming from Musa Agro Enterprises, and she gaped, wondering just how vast the Musimagium’s reach went. She appreciated it, and so did the dragons because it was clear the meat was of a better quality than the bulk packages she purchased at the store. A knucklebone had been included and Kle grabbed it and flew off to gnaw on it, making contented noises as he did so.

  She lifted her coronet to her lips and played, working on a piece she’d been composing strictly for the dragons. The notes flew from her, evoking images of Kle as he flew between the trees, darting among them like a skier on a downhill course. Then the music slowed and she pictured Loraj rising above the trees, soaring into the sky. They’d flown twice more since the initial bonding and each time had been as exhilarating as the first.

  She let the music fade away and sat in her living room. Outside, a hard, steady rain fell, keeping her indoors. Loraj radiated contentment in the cave, resting on the bed that Leje had made from pine and cedar branches. The smaller dragons nestled around him in a big scaly pile that made her smile when she caught a mental image of it. Kle curled up on her couch, sleeping. His wings twitched with some dream.

  Contentment filled her. This was better than she ever imagined. The stories her grandmother had told about the dragons paled compared to the reality. And what next? Staying here sounded perfect, and yet something told her there was so much more she could do. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She set her instrument down on its case, then went to answer it, thinking maybe Chet had come to check on how she was doing after the storm. They’d been so solicitous, bringing her dishes and freezer meals while she worked to repaint the rooms and finish putting the house back in order. Paula had even come and helped paint when she wasn’t busy with church or other civic activities. Apparently her neighbor was one busy woman.

  A stranger stood on her front doorstep. Dressed in a casual polo shirt and jeans, with brown boots instead of sneakers, he appeared to be some kind of professional. He held a leather portfolio in his arm. A religious person come to try and convert her, she wondered, though there wasn’t any name tag or other evidence. Besides, she lived far enough out that no solicitors ever came. Knowing Loraj would come in the blink of an eye if she called, she opened the door.

  “Hello. Can I help you?”

  “Are you Deanna Cohotes?”

  “I am. And you are?”

  “Brian Melbar. I’m from the Musimagium. Dr. Bijan contacted me. I’m sorry it took so long to come here. Dr. Bijan’s arrival at the academy took us all by surprise. May I come in? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about?”

  Now that she focused on him, she sensed the faint presence of magic. “Sure.” She opened the door wider and moved aside so he could enter. “We can talk in the living room.” Too late, she realized Kle still slept on her couch.

  Brian stopped. “Is that what it looks like?”

  Kle awakened and opened his eyes. He gave a slight squeak.

  “I think it’s okay,” she told the dragon. Loraj reached out to see if she needed anything. She told him to stay in the cave for now. Seeing a large dragon might be more than Brian had bargained for. “I take it you know since you’ve talked to Khalid?” She should have been more careful. One slip up and she could have revealed the dragons’ existence to the wrong people.

  “I know. And it’s an honor to see one, especially one so small.” He glanced toward the dining room table. “We can sit in there if you don’t mind. I don’t want to disturb it.”

  “Thank you.” Something told her she could trust Brian. “Can I get you something?” She grabbed her water glass and topped it off.

  “I’m fine, thanks.” He put the portfolio on the table and opened it. “As you’re aware, Khalid came to the academy to teach us about dragons. While the director thought it was a joke at first—very few outside of those of us in the research arena even know dragons are real—we were quickly proven wrong when one appeared and bonded with Dr. Bijan. We’re told, through him, that there will be more dragons coming. Now that I see the one on your couch, though I suspect that one will be yours when it is grown more, I believe him. For so long we believed the dragons had gone extinct, died out through lack of genetic diversity. Dr. Bijan told you about his research?”

  “Somewhat.” She kept her answers short, not sure how much she should tell him or trust him. The more she’d been reading about the Musimagium, plus listening to the radio frequencies and reading the Radio Arcanum Times, the more she realized the group, like any, had its good and bad people, but overall tried to do the right thing.

  “You are the first person we’ve found in the Americas who is actively working with dragons. There are a few in South America, but those populations are no longer viable and there had been no eggs in decades. We hear that there are still populations in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, but those dragons rarely fly across the ocean because of the energy involved. We’ve talked about transporting some eggs—”

  I shook my head, stopping his words. In the back of my mind, Loraj raised his head, a low rumble coming from him.

  “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

  “We discovered that.” His words, spoken softly, spoke of grave errors in judgment and losses because of it.

  “And where do I fit in? I won’t have my dragons be some kind of experiment. I’m sure Khalid told you as much.”

  Brian smiled. “He did. He also suggested this.” Brian pushed the portfolio acro
ss the table toward me. He pulled out the first paper, which appeared to be some kind of formal letter, and laid it on top. “We would like to make you the Curator of Dragon Magic. Your responsibilities would be to review anything we do regarding dragons and consult with Khalid for the curriculum for the academy. You would have the final say. Nothing we would do would be without your permission. You could remain here, though we’d ask that you interface with the senior staff at the academy, and at Melody and in other Musimagium facilities. You would, if you like, have a staff. You could assemble them here and we’d help with location and housing costs. Or, you could choose people nominated by us at other facilities.”

  Deanna stared at the letter, not sure what she was seeing. Toward the bottom they listed a salary, far more than she’d ever made at a job and ample enough to supplement the funds left behind by her grandparents. She blinked twice.

  Kle awakened and flew over to her. He settled on her shoulder, peering over her shoulder. She doubted he understood the words on the paper, but his cooing sound reassured her she would make the right choice if she accepted this.

  Loraj? What do you think? They want me to have the power to determine how the Musimagium handles dragons.

  In her mind, he blinked sleepily. You know what’s best. We will follow your lead and will feel comfortable with you in charge. He settled back down; the subject closed.

  She looked at Brian, noting how he stared nearly gape-mouthed at Kle. “You’ve never seen one up close, have you?”

  He shook his head. “No, I haven’t. I’ve never seen a dragon, honestly. I worked in labs when Dr. Bijan brought back samples.”

  At the mention of samples, Kle stood and stared at him.

  “We no longer do that,” he quickly added, “unless the dragon gives consent.”

  Kle settled back down.

  “What exactly do you do?” Deanna asked. “What do you envision this project to involve? I’d like to know more before I say yes.” She reached for the papers and began thumbing through them. One of them was a map with noted Musimagium sites marked. Another had a list of the faculty for the academy. On the other side of the folder was an employment contract and some other personnel forms. “Came prepared, did you?” She closed the folder and turned it back toward him.

  “I did. Just in case.” He paused for a moment. “The project hasn’t been defined yet except for what I’ve told you. Basically, we’d put you in charge. You would have the final word on how we handle the dragons. What we can and can’t do. With the unicorns we knew about them for a long time. There’s a Musimagium set of rules regarding their use in magic and how they can be revealed or not to the public or even other mages. We have such a thing for a few other species including socius.”

  “Socius? I’m not familiar with the term.” Already, her lack of formal Musimagium education was showing. “I wasn’t raised like you guys were. My mother hated everything to do with magic. My grandma did the best she could, but it was through a book here or there.”

  “We understand that. It’s not a problem.” Brian’s response reassured her, but only a little.

  “And my word would be law? Dr. Bijan spoke to me of the way things were a long time ago when he worked with dragons. I don’t want them harmed or anything to happen to them.”

  Brian nodded. “Of course. We’re all in agreement on that.”

  “So why are they being introduced to the academy? I was told it was time that they make themselves known. I don’t know why. You’re not thinking of creating any army or anything are you?” She would have laughed aloud except the image of mages on the backs of dragons would scare the non-magical population, and even some mages wouldn’t stop at anything to get a dragon. She frowned. “No, I won’t let them be used like that.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to. You’re in charge. You make all decisions.”

  Deanna took a deep breath. “A staff of my own? A generous salary? And I wouldn’t have to leave? I could stay here.” She thought about her extra bedrooms, how having an assistant might not be a bad thing, and she’d still have room for people to visit. Town wasn’t that far away with several hotels, and she had space, especially if the dragons roamed in the national forest, which she suspected they did.

  “Yes, to all of that.” He flipped open the portfolio and pulled out the employment contract. “Read that over. When you’re ready, sign. I’ve got a few more things in my car I’d like to bring you. If you’ll excuse me.”

  “Of course.” She read the contract and wondered what her grandmother would think about all of this.

  Chapter 17

  Her grandmother sat in her favorite rocking chair, knitting what Deanna had always thought was a very large scarf in beautiful sapphire tones. Now, in her dream, she recognized the snippets of yarn as the twists of fabric embedded in Leje’s bed and realized that they may have been large scarves or blankets, big enough for a dragon. Tears clouded her eyes. It’d been so long since she’d seen her grandmother that even having her come in dreams created a mixture of happiness and sorrow.

  “Deanna, child. Come sit by me. I hear you got a new job. Tell me all about it.” She gestured to the couch covered in a burnt orange fabric that might have been popular in the seventies. It was that old and still looked mostly new.

  Deanna sat, tucking her legs underneath her as she had when she was a child. “Yes. I’m going to be the Curator of Dragon Magic.” She waited to see what her grandmother would think of such a thing. “Isn’t it funny?” She added when her grandmother didn’t answer. “My mother hated magic and the dragons so much, and yet, I will oversee them all. Bet you didn’t expect that.”

  Her grandmother rested her knitting in her lap, then nodded. “Ah, but I did. I knew you were destined for great things. I wish you could have continued your education. That degree would probably come in handy now. But such things weren’t meant to be. Still, Leje told me you were coming home to fulfill all that we expected. I had to trust. I had to believe.” She picked up her knitting as if there had been no interruption. “I’m proud of you, girl. You worked hard on your schooling and when the call came, you answered it. That takes courage, and I knew you were fearless. I still remember you climbing to the top of that big oak tree. Yes just like it was yesterday…” Her words trailed off as her head tilted back, her hands still, the clack-clack of the knitting needles silent for the moment.

  Deanna watched her grandma indulge herself in her memories as she had for much of her later years. Then, she looked Deanna directly in the eyes. “Do not squander this chance, child. Take the opportunity that’s been offered to you. One of my line should be the one who will oversee the dragons. You are the one I had hoped.”

  The dream faded as they do, and when Deanna awakened, she remembered very little except her grandmother being there knitting a scarf for Leje, which seemed far less silly than it might have when she’d been a child, and approval. Lots of approval. Tears dampened her eyes. She dashed them away. Yesterday, she’d left the paper and told Brian she didn’t think she could sign it without further thought. “Let me sleep on it,” she’d told him and with no pressure or concern, he said he’d go back to the hotel and they could meet tomorrow. He’d left a business card and told her to text him when she’d decided.

  She didn’t need to wait any longer. Kle remained sleeping in the bed next to her, tucked next to her pillow. The little orange dragon was becoming quite the house pet. He let himself out the dog door when he needed to go back to the cave or just stretch his wings. Otherwise, he stayed in her house. She enjoyed it. Eventually he’d grow too large for indoors and like Loraj, he’d confine himself to the outdoors.

  “For you, grandma.” She picked up the pen and signed the contract. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was barely six in the morning. Starting her pot of coffee, she quickly dressed in a pair of jeans, thick hiking socks and boots, then put on a t-shirt with a hoodie over it. She’d be in the woods for a while. As soon as the pot filled enough to give her a de
cent travel mug full, she made her coffee, then tucked some granola bars in her pocket. Then, leaving Kle sleeping upstairs, he’d come out when he was ready. She hiked down the path to the cave.

  Loraj lay outside, catching the first rays of sunlight. He opened one eye as she approached. They have come to you. Soon my son will make his presence more fully known. My mate is not far away. She eats in anticipation of her return.

  “How old are you? My grandmother knitted big scarves. She told me they were for friends. But they were for you, weren’t they?”

  We were old when your grandmother was young. The oldest of us have seen civilizations rise and fall. You are being given a great responsibility and we feel that you can see both the immense ripples your actions will have and make the right choices for the times to come. I am not alone when I say that I approve of the path you’re about to be on.

  His words only made more questions than they answered. And yet, hearing Loraj tell her he gave his approval, she knew she was taking a role that’d been meant for her. Whether or not her grandmother had meant it, by keeping her grounded both in the non-magical world where her mother lived and remained, and the magical, she provided a wealth of experience and wisdom. “Thank you. Mind if I join you?”

  Loraj moved a wing. I will share my warmth with you.

  “Good.” Deanna settled herself down, then drank from her large travel mug. The warm, bitter brew slid down her throat. She reached into her pocket and grabbed a granola bar. How many people, she wondered, found the morning sun’s rays with a dragon at their back. From inside the cave the younger dragons stirred. Bats flew back to rest during the day. When she was done here, she’d text. And then they’d truly see what the future held.