by M. J. Caan
Torie opened the door to her large study slowly, poking her head in to look around. Nothing appeared to have been disturbed. She half expected her books to be torn to shreds and holes to have been gnawed into the walls and furniture. Wasn’t that what many of her friends had stated happened when they got a new puppy and had embarked on house training it?
“I made him a little spot under the desk. Just to try and make him comfortable.”
“Interesting,” said Elion. “Your instincts were to make him a nest I see. Well, they were spot on. Dragons like to feel enclosed. That’s why you often find them in hollowed out dens or small caves.”
Torie moved to cross the room towards the desk.
“Not yet,” said Elion. “Give me just a second.”
The vampire stepped forward and glanced around the room, taking the massive space in. Torie wasn’t sure, but for just a moment she thought his eyes seemed to sparkle as the gold moats seemed to expand. Then, closing his eyes, he took in several slow, deep breaths, his nostrils quivering slightly with each inhalation.
Finally, he turned back to Torie with a smile and a nod. “Okay, if you would bring him over, that would be great.”
Torie moved across the room and ducked down behind the desk.
Leo was crouched there, but he wasn’t asleep. His bright, emerald eyes shone in the shadows beneath the desk, and Torie could just make out the wagging of his tail. At least he was happy to see her, so that had to be a plus.
Torie extended her hand and as usual he scampered up her arm to perch on her shoulder. She stood up, cooing slightly to him, and walked over to Jasmin and Fionna, who immediately began to make a fuss over him, forgetting about the vampire in the room with them, and her teakwood stake.
“Oh there’s the cutie little guy,” she exclaimed. Torie laughed. You would have thought she had brought out a baby instead of a scaly reptile. Even Jasmin seemed to forget herself as she moved over to scratch and pet Leo’s little head.
They felt his body stiffen and realized that the dragon eyes had lit on Elion’s lithe form.
The dragon issued a slight hiss and his body seemed to vibrate. In a flash, he leapt from Torie’s shoulder, down her arm to land on the floor. Dropping to all fours, he slowly began to advance on Elion, his tiny body seemed incapable of producing the deep, rumble that came from within.
Torie immediately moved to grab him, but Elion waved her off, indicating that it was okay. Reluctantly, she stood, watching as Leo continued his slow advance.
Once the dragon reached Elion, it sniffed at his feet and then walked in a circle around the vampire, sniffing all the while. Once satisfied, it again stopped to face Elion, raising up on its hind legs. The vampire bent down to pick him up, holding him in the palm of one hand.
“Interesting,” said Elion.
“What?” asked Elric. “What’s so interesting?”
“You mean other than a vampire holding a dragon?” said Jasmin, dryly. “Nope, nothing to see here.”
Elion ignored her as he studied the creature in his hand. “What is interesting is his response to me. Elric, did he respond like this to you? Or to you, Fionna?”
Both of them shook their head.
“Maybe it senses danger,” said Fionna, her eyes narrowing at the vampire.
“No, I don’t think that is the case,” Elion said, ignoring the dig that was sent his way. “I believe it is reacting based on Torie’s feelings. It is reading her and acting accordingly.”
“But I am the one who invited you in. I’m not afraid of you,” Torie said.
“But you were. And if you were to search your feelings, I’m betting that you are still a little apprehensive about me.”
“Well, considering the only other vampire I’ve ever known tried to kill me, yes.”
At those words, the dragon again vibrated in Elion’s hand, issuing a slight hiss. Elion smiled, locking eyes with the dragon, and then deliberately looking away, letting him know that he meant no harm.
“Dragons are incredibly empathic creatures. Some would say that their empathy rises to the level of telepathy in some cases. He is feeding off what you are feeling. That was why it had to check me out for itself, make sure I passed the sniff test, so to speak.”
“So, you’re saying that this little creature is somehow bonded to Torie?” asked Jasmin.
“Like a familiar? I knew it!” exclaimed Fionna.
“No. Nothing like a familiar. Dragons are not familiars to witches. It is like a human wanting to have a wolf or a lion for a pet. Sure, they can become a pet, but they never lose who they are, and the human is always aware of this, knowing that at any time if they let their guard down, things could end up very…bloody,” Elion said. “But a familiar is an extension of a witch; part of her being. But an extension with its own will and personality. Dragons are dragons. They only bond with other dragons.”
“Then how do you explain this?” said Jasmin.
Elion thought for a moment.
“Torie, how do you know this is a male? At this age, it is impossible to tell. Also, why did you pick the name Leo?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s just something I felt,” she replied. “And now that I think about what you said, something doesn’t make sense. Leo had a very hostile reaction to a guest I have staying here in the house. That was someone that I have no negative feelings about at all, so why would he go after her. She couldn’t hurt anyone if she tried.”
This caught Elion’s attention and he looked up from the dragon, locking eyes with Torie.
“And when he had this reaction, what did you do?”
Torie looked around, biting the inside of her lip.
“Torie, what did you do?” asked Jasmin.
“Well, I was worried about Effie and started thinking what if Leo is just aggressive towards humans so I might have just cast a tiny hex to keep him from doing harm.”
Jasmin let out a deep sigh but said nothing.
“You subjugated his will,” said Elion, returning his attention to the dragon. “Or at least you tried to.”
“What no, nothing like that. I would never do that. I just didn’t want him hurting anyone until we knew more about him, that’s all.”
“Well, it wouldn’t have worked, even if you tried. Dragons are fairly immune to most forms of magic,” Elion said.
“So, then what she did was no big deal, right?” asked Elric.
Elion thought for a moment before answering.
“I said it wouldn’t work. I didn’t say that it wouldn’t have some kind of effect on him. As I said, dragons are incredibly empathetic. Since this one is so very young, it would have taken what you did as an invitation.”
“An invitation to what?” said Torie.
“Mind meld. Your hex incantation created a bond that would normally not exist in nature. It would have never worked on a grown dragon, of course, because they would have developed their own personalities. But with a baby? You just imprinted on the creature, and so now it thinks it’s part of you.”
Torie let out a deep breath staring at Leo. “So how do I break the imprint? Another spell, maybe?”
“Absolutely not,” said Elion. “More magic could confuse him even more. Who knows what he might become.”
Before anyone could say anything more, they heard a rustling behind them. Effie was standing in the doorway, one hand bracing her against the wall. Her face was upturned slightly, her head tilted in Torie’s direction.
“Torie, is that you? I heard strange voices and became frightened.”
Leo saw the old woman at the same time as everyone else. The little dragon narrowed its green eyes and leapt to the ground. Before anyone could stop him, he reared back and blew a large, orange fireball in her direction.
11
Elric moved first, throwing himself at Effie with all the speed he could muster. To Elion, he might as well have been standing still, however.
The vampire’s form blurred as he raced to place him
self between the blind woman and the fireball. The flames struck his back, breaking into a shower of sparks that fell harmlessly to the ground. Elion’s jacket and shirt were incinerated upon contact, and his skin began to bubble, reminding Torie of a post of slowly simmering spaghetti sauce.
In an instant it was over. Torie rushed forward to scoop up Leo.
“No, Leo! Bad dra…kitty. You don’t do that,” she peeked around Elion at Effie. The older woman seemed fine, her face contorted in confusion.
“Torie, what’s going on. Was that your cat acting up again? And who are these people? Why is it so hot in here?” She was within inches of Elion’s form, but was unaware he was there. Silently, the vampire backed away from her as she slowly inched into the room, feeling the space before her with one hand.
“Oh, it’s just me, Fionna.” She rushed forward and took Effie’s hand. “Jasmin and I just stopped by to help Torie plan a party.”
“Oh, Fionna, hello dear. But I thought I heard a man’s voice?”
“Oh, that’s me, ma’am,” said Elric, stepping forward to stand next to Fionna. “I’m just here helping with the furniture moving and installation.”
“Oh, a party! I do love a good party. I hope I get an invite.”
“Oh, you are going to be the guest of honor,” said Fionna. “But what say we get you back to your bed? Or what if I take you out onto the patio for some fresh air? It’s a beautiful evening.”
Effie’s gray eyes grew large with excitement. “Oh yes, I would like that. If it’s not too much of a problem for you.”
“Not at all,” Fionna said, turning the woman around and leading her down the hall. She cast a look over her shoulder at Torie and shrugged. “I won’t keep her outside too long.”
Once they were gone from sight, Jasmin was the first to speak up.
“What the hell just happened? Did that little critter just try to flash-fry that old woman?”
“I don’t understand where that came from,” said Torie. “You see, I am not the least bit apprehensive towards Effie, and he reacts like this. I don’t get it.”
“Interesting indeed,” said Elion, his voice low as he looked down the corridor where Fionna and Effie had disappeared.
“Oh my god, your skin,” said Jasmin as she moved over to stand beside Elion.
Torie and Elric turned their attention back to Elion’s charred and blistering flesh. Torie put a hand to her mouth in shock. The burns had deepened but at least it no longer resembled a rolling boil. She placed Leo down so she could get a better look at the vampire.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I can already feel it healing,” said Elion.
He was right. Even as they watched, patches of charred skin were slowly beginning to return to the normal olive tone, matching the rest of his body. The blisters bubbled, working their way through the healing process as well.
“That’s incredible,” said Jasmin. “Does it hurt?”
“Yes, but not as much as you might think.”
“So, you’re immune to dragon fire,” said Jasmin.
“To baby dragon fire,” corrected Elion. “I don’t think I’d have the same outcome with a fully grown one.”
“But this tells us that this dragon is dangerous,” said Elric. “What do we do with it?”
Torie frowned, not liking the implication in Elric’s words. “We don’t do anything with it except find out why he’s here, and where he belongs.”
“I wasn’t implying anything else,” said Elric. “But that was a little extreme. I mean, he literally breathed fire.”
“That’s what dragons do,” said Elion. “Among other things.”
“Like what?” asked Torie. “What else do you know about them?”
“They are poisonous as well,” replied the vampire. “The same sacs in their throats that produce fire are also capable of creating a toxin. Also, the spikes in their tails are detachable; a quick whip of their tale can send them flying like razor sharp, unbreakable pieces of shrapnel.”
The room was silent as all eyes fell on Leo. The dragon had returned to his perch on Torie’s shoulder and was contentedly playing with a strand of her hair.
“Well, other than the fire, he hasn’t shown any proclivities for all that,” said Torie, reaching up to absentmindedly pet him.
“Yet,” said Jasmin.
Torie ignored her, turning her attention back to Elion. “What about his parents? How would a dragon have appeared on my doorstop like this?”
“I’ve been thinking about that, and I don’t really have a good answer. Dragons this age are almost always under the protection of their mother. As you can imagine, they are incredibly protective creatures; so I can’t imagine one handing their child over to someone.”
“So, the mother is probably dead,” said Elric.
Elion shrugged. “I can’t see any other way that a baby would come to be here in Singing Falls. And as far as that goes, dragons are not native to North Carolina. Truthfully, with the possible exception of the northern California coast, and parts of Alaska, they aren’t native to the Americas at all. They are almost exclusively found in Africa and Asia. The ones that are here in the States are transplants, brought here by traders from the aforementioned countries and stranded; I, myself, have only ever seen one. She was so old that she barely moved. Her body had become part of the rock around her. The tribes that knew of her existence worshiped her as a living spirit. But those people died off long ago, and to my knowledge, no one else knew of her existence.”
Torie frowned. “How long ago are we talking?”
Elion thought for a moment. “Maybe, four or five hundred years ago. And as I said, she was ancient at that time.”
“Wait, how old does that make you?” asked Jasmin.
Elion didn’t immediately answer. “Let’s just say that I left my homeland during the great wars because I was tired of the bloodshed. I made my way here long before your country was officially discovered.”
“What wars are we talking about? World wars…or what?” said Jasmin.
“The Crusades.”
Torie saw Jasmin’s jaw drop. After some quick math, so did hers.
“And I was considered very old at that point. Even I am not entirely sure how old I am. And dragons, some that I have heard of at least, are far older than me. They predate all supernatural creatures by millennia.”
“But they aren’t magical, right?” asked Jasmin.
“Depends on what you mean by magical. Do they cast spells or manipulate magic the way you do? No. But they are part of the ecosystem that allows magic to exist. You might say they are the sun-source of all mystical powers. The fact that your magic exists in this world is due to their presence.”
“So that’s why they are pretty much immune to magic then,” said Torie. “But why would Leo have been susceptible to my spells then?”
Elion shook his head. “I have no idea. Unless it has to do with his age, as I said.”
“So, all of that still does not tell us how Leo got here,” said Torie, looking at the little dragon, “or why he was so aggressive towards a human.”
“I have a feeling there are a lot of questions that remain to be answered here,” said Elion. “Questions that you probably haven’t thought to ask yet.”
Something in his tone and the wording he used scratched at the back of Torie’s mind; something she had forgotten but was on the verge of remembering.
“Oh well, thank you for the info,” said Elric. “I guess we better head back to Trinity Cove so you can get settled in before sunrise, huh?”
Elion glanced at the werewolf, but then turned to Torie.
“Torie, if you would be okay with it, I would like to stay. Just for a bit. I would like to observe your little dragon a little more, if that would be alright.”
Torie and Jasmin exchanged nervous looks. Thankfully, Fionna was still outside, because they could only imagine the response she would have given.
“I promise I won’t be any trouble,”
Elion said. “You will hardly even know I’m here. Plus, I don’t eat anything, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Well, technically, that isn’t true,” said Elric.
His demeanor had changed completely. Gone was the buddy-buddy attitude he had displayed with Elion earlier. He had quickly morphed into the creature that protected his mate with his life.
Elion waved his hand dismissively in the air. “Elric, you know that I don’t feed very often, and when I do it’s only on animals. Usually the old and dying ones that would not have lasted much longer anyway.”
“Somehow that doesn’t give me a lot of confidence, so the answer is no,” Jasmin said.
“Um, I have to agree,” said Elric. “We really should be heading back.”
“Is that what you want, Torie?” asked Elion, not bothering to look at her friends.
She looked at him hard, weighing her options. On one hand, she wanted to learn all she could about Leo in order to help him. On the other hand, there was the thought of death by vampire, and she really wasn’t very keen on that. But, searching her feelings, something told her she could trust Elion. She knew her answer as soon as he asked the question.
“He can stay. But just until we figure out what to do with Leo.”
Jasmin clicked her tongue, shaking her head. Elric said nothing, but Torie could see his eyes darken as he looked around the room.
“But I don’t know where you’ll sleep or what you’ll need. I don’t have a coffin or a room that is blacked out from the light.”
“I don’t sleep in a coffin, Torie. I also don’t need a room that is blacked out. A normal guest room is fine.”
“Wait, so you aren’t afraid of the sun?” asked Jasmin.
Elion shook his head. “Of course not. You won’t find me lying outside soaking up the rays, but at my age, sunlight is uncomfortable to be exposed to; but it won’t kill me.”
Jasmin gave Torie a look that let her know they were probably both having the same thought.
If sunlight can’t kill him, what can?
“Well, then I guess that settles it?” said Jasmin as she gathered her purse and headed for the door. “I’ll be back in just a bit with my things.”
