"They're fine," Charlene said, wiping at my forehead once again.
"Are they..." my voice drifted off as I tore my eyes away from them.
"They're perfect," mother said, kissing my forehead.
Father smiled down at me. "You did a marvelous job. Our kingdoms now have a beautiful princess and a handsome prince."
"Bring them to me. I need to see them."
The wet nurse, Lady Anne, reached into one of the small beds and produced a tiny, squirming babe. The cradle itself was beautifully adorned with white satin and lace. The tiny bundle let out a high pitched cry as he was brought over.
"Majesty, your son, Connall."
The dark haired boy stared up at me with the most amazing green eyes. His creamy complexion was smooth and just perfect. I reached up with trembling hand and grasped his tiny fingers. They were so soft and fragile. His skin so soft and new.
"Hello, my beautiful son."
Lady Anne returned my son to his cradle and brought out my daughter from her place of rest. Her cradle was adorned in a pink satin and lace. The little bundle didn't squirm as much as the boy. She cooed and blinked up at me, almost as though she recognized me. She had hair. Shaggy hair that stuck up every which way and it was the most shocking shade of red and such clear blue eyes. She was indeed her father's daughter. As I continued to examine her I noticed a small mark on her shoulder. It was a jagged swirl in such a dark shade of red.
"What is that?" I asked, reaching up to touch it.
The spot was smooth.
"Simply a mark from birth, madam. Nothing to worry about."
"It's in such an odd shape."
"Most children are born with some kind of mark, they are all so very different just like every child."
"Perhaps." I pursed my lips and continued staring at the mark.
Something about it did not seem right though. The shape of it seemed so very familiar. I couldn't quite place my finger on why. I struggled to sit up, the room spinning more and more with each movement. My body felt as though it were on fire. I felt so hot from the top of my head to my toes.
"Evelyn, are you alright?" Charlene asked, reaching out to grab my arm.
The moment her hands touched me, she pulled away. "Oh!"
"What's wrong?" James asked.
"She's hot."
"What?" My mother also reached out, placing her hand on my arm. She pulled back, the tips of her fingers had turned red.
I looked to where her hand was, my skin was red.
"What's going on?" I asked. "I'm so hot. Why am I so hot!"
"Get water! The sheets and blankets, they're smoking!" James yelled, ripping the blankets from the bed.
Everything around me was smoking and smoldering. I was on fire. The heat built up from the inside. It felt as though I were about to explode into fire. I leaped from the bed just as my body erupted into a ball of flames. They emanated from my arms, legs, my entire body really. I waited for the pain. I waited for the searing heat to reduce me to nothing but ashes. That never happened though. Nothing happened besides the floor beneath me and the ceiling above me scorching black. My heart pounded in my ears as I attempted to calm myself. The flames subsided. My body returned to normal. The night gown I'd had on was the only thing turned to ash. Everyone in the room stood about staring at me. The wet nurses cowered near the cradles staring at me in horror. Charlene's mouth hung open. Nobody uttered a word. How could they? What was there to say? I was a ball of fire. My body was on fire and I didn't die.
I didn't know what to say.
"Evelyn!" A loud, roaring voice came up to us.
"Draco!" I stumbled to the window and threw open the glass panes. "Where are you?"
The world around me continued to spin and I lost my balance. In a fleeting moment I reached around to grab onto something, anything, to save me. My eyes grew wide as my feet came off the floor and my body tumbled out of the window. James lunged from his spot, reaching for my hand. He tried to save me. He was too late. I plunged from the window head first. The ground quickly approached.
I never reached it though. A clawed hand reached out and caught me as I neared the hard dirt below.
"I have you." Draco held my weak body in his grasp his claws keeping me safe.
"I don't understand what's going on."
"Changes, Ellie. You're going through a lot of changes."
"Why?"
"You died. For a moment you, and I, died."
"So? Why does that mean I'm going through changes?"
"Once you died, you became a dragon."
"What?" I tried to lift my head to look at him. I couldn't though.
I flopped back in his scaly palms and watched the sky above.
"It's hard to understand and I'm not sure how it will happen since they brought you back."
"How did they bring me back?"
"The potion from the witch. She gave James something stronger than what he thought."
"The witch. This all started with her."
"It was destined to happen," Draco said, swooping down near the ocean as we flew further and further away from the castle.
"Where are we going?"
"To the elders."
I tried to speak again. My body was too weak. I was so tired. My eyes slid close as the wind blew through my hair.
Chapter 45
Sleep held me strong. I didn't know how long I had been sleeping. The flames were what roused me from slumber. My eyes fluttered open and wanted to scream. Green, blue, red and orange flames engulfed my body. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized I was not burning up. I wasn't dying. I tried to sit up. I tried to move.
"Wh-what's going on?" I asked, my throat feeling like it was on fire.
"Don't resist, Ellie. This will help," a soothing voice said from somewhere beyond the flames.
"I don't understand what's happening."
"It's time," another voice said.
My mind whirled. I was confused and lost as to what was happening. "Time? I don't understand. Time for what?"
"For you to give up your earthly body."
"My earth...you mean die? You want me to die!" I shrieked.
"No, you silly child. You already died. Your life ended."
"But, I'm alive. I'm talking. I'm here." I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince them or myself.
I felt alive. I saw my children. My husband. My parents. Oh, God. My children. I couldn't leave them. They're so small. They need me. My country needs me. I pushed myself up and slowly stood. My legs shook as the flames followed me. She swirled about my body not like they wanted to take over and destroy me, but gently caressed my skin as if it were kissing every part of me. The clothes I had were all that burned. Looking up, I saw the dragon elders. They stood in a circle around me, blowing their fire. I stood before them, naked and scared. Unsure what was going to happen. Holding my arms up, I noticed them shimmer. It wasn't very obvious, but the shimmer was there. My entire body shimmered. Nothing changed though. I knelt before the elders and sobbed. Part of me worried for my family. Part of me worried about changing. I wasn't even sure if I was ready to become, whatever I would become. I shook and trembled as the ritual continued for what felt like forever. But, as all things go, it eventually ended.
"I don't understand."
"What is there to not understand?" a brilliantly red dragon asked from off to my left.
"I'm, I'm still human."
"That is merely the form that you have retained."
"What? I'm confused."
"You were not born dragon. You will always have a piece of your humanity," Syrrith said, stepping forward from amongst the rest.
"Syrrith. What am I?"
She reached out a scaly arm and let a claw rest on my heart, which seemed to glow brighter than my shimmering skin.
"You are everything, yet nothing," Fafnir said, standing next to Syrrith.
"Everything and nothing?"
"Just as your children are everything yet nothing."
"My children?"I inquired. "They're babies."
"They are born of dragon riders. Of the dragon heart. It is quite unusual, there has never been more than one of you at a time."
"They're not normal." The babies unusually bright blonde hair made a bit more sense.
"Normal they shall never be. They are both dragon and human. The connection between the human world and ours."
"So what am I?" I asked.
"The protector. You are mother. The children will be what bridges our two worlds. They will keep peace."
"I don't know what to do."
Fafnir placed his claw on my forehead. "Use your mind. Remember that you are dragon. You are human. The advantage you have over us is that you blend in. You will have our strength. Our power."
"Your power?" I asked.
"Yes. All dragons have power. You died. You have become dragon."
"Alright. So the moment I died, I became a dragon. But I'll stay as a human with your powers?"
"Exactly," Syrrith replied, nodding her massive head.
"You must return. Danger is still imminent."
"Danger? Who?"
"The ones who cannot die. The ones who tried to kill your mother and father." a green dragon said from behind Fafnir.
"The ones who cannot die. The ones who killed Elizabeth and have been hunting me."
Syrrith nodded her head yet again.
"The Guild."
"Yes."
"How do I kill those who cannot be killed?"
"The one who made them as they are. She can reverse it."
I sighed heavily. The ones who have been interfering with my life since everything began. The witches.
"I shall seek them out."
Draco and I turned to leave. The sky was dark as clouds loomed on the horizon. The time had come for me to finish my mother's work. I am an assassins daughter. I am a dragon rider. The dragon heart. Protector of our realms. My life wasn't the only one at stake.
Can I die?
My children. My parents. James. The girls that the Guild retained after my escapade. I must save them all. It was time to stop hiding and waiting.
Chapter 46
"I have no desire to see those witches again."
"Our best option is to see Priscilla. She is the more cooperative and smart of the sisters."
"I don't," my voice trailed off as a searing pain shot through my back.
I dropped to my knees and clawed at the ground as the pain intensified. I let out a scream as the pain gave way to what felt like my skin ripping apart.
"Evelyn? Evelyn what's wrong?"
"My back!"
The fabric of my gown ripped down the back. A cold breeze blew across my now exposed skin.
"Oh, well that's different," Draco said as I attempted to stand.
I struggled to stand as my upper body felt so different. By back itched fiercely. I reached around to scratch, but stopped at what I felt. Something protruded from my back.
"What? What is this! What is this?" I screamed.
I pulled on the protrusion, surprised to find that it stretched. I continued to pull out and around. The strange thing that was attached to me was covered in feathers. Velvety soft feathers of the most beautiful azure.
"Why do I have feathers? What is this!"
"Well, Evelyn, it seems you have wings."
"Wings? Me? How is that possible? I didn't have wings before."
"You do now," he replied.
"Why?" I sank back to my knees, confused and feeling so very overwhelmed.
Draco shook his mighty head. "I do not know, Evelyn."
"Do they work?" I inquired, yanking on the feathers. A sharp pain shot through my shoulders when I pulled a little too hard.
"There's only one way to find out."
I nodded as Draco knelt to one knee. I climbed upon his back and held on as he dove off the cliff, soaring higher and higher into the sky. As we fly above the clouds, I stood on Draco's back. The wind whipped about, swirling my hair about my body. The wind was cold so high. I looked down and realized that only the chemise from beneath my gown remained. I didn't mind so much. The scales that I'd seen earlier shimmered and shined beneath the nearly shear fabric. They covered my stomach, my thighs, and half of my chest. My finger nails had grown at an alarming rate. Not quite claws, but much longer than I was used to. Taking a deep breath, I let myself fall from Draco's back. The clouds enveloped me as I fell toward the ground below. Draco dove toward me, keeping pace with me as I fell.
"What now?" I asked.
"Try to use them."
"That's your best advice? I'm plummeting toward the hard ground. I could die!"
"Try to open your wings!"
"How?"
"You need to figure it out."
The ground grew closer and closer with each passing second. My heart sped up as I tried to figure out how to use my wings. The trees grew larger and larger till I was smacked in the face by a passing branch. I could feel the blood rise to the surface as mighty claws wrapped about my body, slowing my approaching demise. Just as quickly as I fell, I was rising. I held onto my face as Draco lifted me above the clouds once again.
"You couldn't have grabbed me any earlier?" I asked.
He chuckled a bit. "I gave you time to realize how impertinent it is for you to not always rely on me."
"Not rely on you? You're my dragon! My partner."
"Yes, but there will be times that I will not be able to aid you. You must learn."
I sighed as he placed me upon his back. I wiped the blood off my hand onto the chemise. The fabric quickly absorbed the crimson liquid leaving a stain behind. Taking a deep breath, I leapt once again. I focused on the wings and not the ground below. Using my strength I pushed them out.
"Oh! I did it!"
"Almost. Now fly! See yourself flapping the wings. See yourself willing them to carry you high."
"Okay," I shouted at the dragon who flew beside me. I closed my eyes and focused on seeing myself flying high.
I could feel the wings flap. My body no longer fell but lifted high. I was flying. Draco and I soared above the clouds across the ocean. It seemed to take just a short while for the castle to come back into view. Draco directed me to a spire to land on. Neither of us was sure what others would think of my new found accessories. As I landed hard on my butt, Draco shimmered invisible and landed near the barn. I only knew by the large dust cloud that floated up around him. I suppressed a laugh as a stable boy fell from the force of Draco's wings. He scrambled to his feet and looked around frantically before scurrying off. The door that led inside was open and the passage clear. I tiptoed down the spiraling stone to the floor below. I paused at the door and listened. Guards marched past. Their armor clanked as they made their way down the hall. Once it had been quiet for some time I slowly pushed the door open and walked along the wall. I had to go down one more floor to get to my own chambers. The staircase was only a few feet away. I could make it.
As I crept down the stairs I heard Charlotte's voice.
She can't see me!
I held my breath and pressed myself against the wall as hard as I could. Which was surprisingly difficult with the wings. As her voice faded, I hurried down the rest of the stairs and ran for my door.
"Evelyn?" A voice asked as I pulled the door shut behind me.
I ran for the changing area and hid behind the divider just as the door opened.
"Evelyn? Is that you?"
"Um, yes, it's me."
"Where did you go?" Charlotte asked.
"Well, there's something I need to show you. Just don't scream. Okay?"
"Why would I scream?" she asked.
Taking a deep breath I stepped out from behind the screen. Her eyes grew as large as saucers.
"So, I had a bit of a change."
"You have wings."
<
br /> "And scales." I removed the chemise and pursed my lips as she clasped her hand to her mouth.
She moved her hand for a moment. "I don't understand."
"I don't either. Not really."
"How did that happen?"
"A lot of dragon fire."
"Are you a dragon?" she asked.
"Kind of. When I died the changing process started."
"You didn't die. You're alive."
"I did die. Momentarily."
"And now you're a dragon?"
"Now I'm part dragon. Not fully."
"Your mother is going to be really mad."
I sighed heavily. "I know."
"How are you going to hide your wings?"
I shrugged. "I have no idea."
"Well, lets start by getting you bathed."
I nodded and climbed into the large metal basin as she called for water. How was I going to tell anyone about any of this? How could I hide the wings?
Chapter Forty-Seven
I tried to sit the metal tub; however, the newly formed wings got in the way. No matter which way I sat, they were there and sitting on them hurt. Sighing heavily, I stood as the water cascaded off my body. My newly scaled skin shone in the firelight.
"What's wrong, my queen?"
"What's wrong? Look at these things!" I bellowed, grabbing the feathered wings and shaking them.
I tugged a bit too hard and pulled them at the shoulder blade.
"Ouch." I sunk into the basin again and cried. "What am I?"
"You're something special."
"Special? Look at me, Charlene! I'm not special. I'm a monster."
"Evelyn, you are not a monster. You a queen. You are a mother. You are part dragon. How many people can say they are part dragon?"
I shook my head, "What is so great about all of this?"
I held up the wings, shaking them again.
Charlene knelt next to me, dragging a cloth across my shimmering shoulders. "You are an amazing queen and the protector of your people. Look at you, Evelyn. You having wings. You are the only one who can defeat the Guild. You died, yet you live."
The Defender's Daughter: The Defender's Book 2 Page 25
