by Isaac Winter
I wondered if the Tears worked as a two-way transportation method. They had to, right? I still remembered the night I saw the first Tear in the library. If Reavers could go through the Tear into our world, then so could Mabel.
Please let her be safe, I whispered to myself in silent prayer.
Tris and Fel locked themselves away in another room as soon as they returned, leaving me and Cael alone in the living area. I looked across the long table at him. He had his head buried in his hands as he flipped through the pages of one of Fel’s many books.
Even in crisis, he was always reading. I’d admired that quality about him at the Academy, but this world called for action. I scooted over to where he sat, my legs dangling over the wooden bench. He didn’t look up from his reading.
“Talk to me, Cael.” I said, putting my hands on my hips the way I did when his translations were late.
He huffed in amusement, setting the book down. “Still doing that, are you?”
“What happened back there?”
“If I knew I’d tell you.”
“Is it really gone, then?”
“I’m gonna kill him.”
I blinked. That came out of nowhere. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate.
“Crane, I mean. ‘The Author’, they all call him. What he’s doing here...it’s not right. This world wasn’t meant to run this way. It’s tearing itself apart just to compensate. Look at what’s happening. Look at what’s happened to you.”
“I’ve made the best of it with what I have. Turns out I’m good with animals.” I shrugged.
“You always were,” Cael said, smiling.
“Maybe your powers will come back. Languages were your thing, Cael. You can get the Runes back. You can. I’m sure of it.”
He shook his head sadly and closed the book on the table, rising to leave. “I wish I believed that.”
“Wait!” I called out, digging into my bag. “There’s something I need to show you.”
He turned, his face a mask of annoyance. “What.”
“When I was out with Mabel, before...when you were gone with Tris....I found this.”
I took out the egg and placed it on the table. It made a metallic clunk as I sat it down. The shell was even warmer than I remembered.
Cael didn’t move. “What...is that?”
“I think it’s an egg.” I said, caressing the surface. “Here, feel.” I grabbed his dusky hand and placed it over the egg. His eyes widened.
“Where did you find that? Do the others know?”
“No. I had just brought it back when the Tear started. I was going to inspect it alone, but...” I sighed, memories of Mabel and I playing Welkieball flashing through my mind. “Mabel would have known what to do with it.”
“Hey,” Cael said. He stepped forward and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “It’s not your fault, okay? And she’s home now. Perhaps she can organize something from the other side, you know? Gather the forces back at the Academy. They need to know what’s coming.”
A shiver ran down my spine as I thought about everyone I’d left behind on Earth. My family. My friends. My colleagues. “I hope you’re right.”
“She’s been here for longer than any of us. She’ll figure something out.”
We sat in silence, staring at the egg on the table. Tris and Fel were still nowhere to be found.
“Hear that?” I said, pressing my ear close to the shell. A soft, low humming sound rumbled through the shell.
“What?” He leaned in close and his mouth dropped open. “What if that creature is dangerous? You don’t know anything about it. Is it really a good idea to have it laying around in here?”
I drew the egg into my arms, away from Cael’s judging glare. “You’re one to talk.”
The shell began to vibrate in my hands like my old cell phone. But stronger. It rumbled through my skin all the way down to my bones, but I couldn’t let go. The shell began to glow a soft yellow color, throwing light on the table and my armor. It lifted itself out of my arms, floating right in front of my face. I could do nothing but stop and stare as it vibrated and shone.
Then with a burst of light, the shell exploded.
Fragments of shell flew in all directions, some catching in the rings of my armor or falling into my hair. But that’s not what I was focused on.
A high-pitched screech cut through the air as a golden creature tumbled onto the table. It was covered in some sort of clear slime from the egg, and still curled up in a fetal position. As I stepped closer, the same burst of energy that spiked through me when picking up the egg returned, shooting through my every pore.
Mine.
The creature unfurled and a single burgundy eye opened. It was slit through the middle with a glittering black pupil, like a cat’s. Only this was no cat.
It raised its head and unfurled one shimmering wing, then another, wobbling like a toddler on four tiny legs. It blinked at me and made a little hiccuping sound, tottering toward me. Those red orbs latched onto mine and held me there, imprisoned like an insect in sap. It couldn’t be...
A dragon.
My hand reached out of my sleeves, almost of its own volition. The beauty of this creature had ensnared me, body and soul. There was nothing I could do to resist it, and I didn’t know that I wanted to. My arm fully extended, my fingers shaking, the baby dragon wobbled forward and butt his head against my hand, chirping happily.
> Familiar Unlocked: Baby Dragonling.
> By rescuing the Golden Egg and developing the Animal Affinity skill, you have gained a Familiar. This creature will stay by your side and serve as an extension of your abilities, provided you treat him well.
> Choose a name for your familiar: __________
The cursor blinked in front of me. Familiar. I couldn’t believe it. This little baby...was mine? Was I meant to find it, then?
I tore my gaze away from the dragon just long enough to see Cael staring him in wonder. “They do exist,” he breathed.
And now I needed to name him. The dragon sported metallic golden scales like the egg that had housed him. His eyes glittered a deep red like the richest ruby, almost iridescent in the light. He was beautiful.
I tried out a few different sounds on my tongue, admiring the perfect combination of red and gold. Power, elegance, beauty, ferocity...
“Aurelius.” I said, turning to Cael. “His name will be Aurelius.”
Cael’s lips quirked up in a smile. “Aurelius, huh? Using the Latin root for gold.”
I grinned at him. “I know. You taught me.”
He huffed and shrugged his shoulders. “You remembered. And here I thought all those translations were for nothing more than your own ego.” Cael winked.
I rolled my eyes at that, and Aurelius did at the same time. Almost as if he knew how I was feeling.
“Now take that thing outside before it lights the whole basement on fire.”
Aurelius leapt toward me, but stumbled and fell off the table, knocking a chair the floor as he went.
Fel burst out of the other room, looking rather cross. “What the devil is going on out here?” He stopped when he saw the dragonling. “My word...”
Tris followed him out, gasping when she saw the dragonling crawling across the floor.
“Is that...?”
“A dragon, yes,” I said proudly, bending down to pick him up. He perched on my arm with a little help, his sharp talons pressing into my sleeves. I’d need to do something about that. “His name is Aurelius. He’s my familiar.”
Tris’s mouth still hung open and Fel blew out a breath that bristled his mustache. “A familiar...I’ve heard of them, but never seen one! And at such a low level, too...hmmm...” Fel rubbed his chin vigorously and stepped toward me. “May I?”
“I’m not sure he’s ready to deal with lots of people yet,” I said, holding him close. “He was just born.”
“Right here?” Fel said when his eyes caught the slime and shell fragments on the t
able. “I do hope you’re going to clean that up...”
“I will. I promise.”
“And no fire-breathing in the house, you hear me?” Fel raised an eyebrow and waggled a finger at me. “I mean it.”
“Of course,” I nodded. “I’m just going out to the garden, I won’t be long.”
Fel hummed in acknowledgement and I moved toward the door.
“Oh, and Laurie?” Tris called when my hand was on the doorknob. Great, what did she want?
“Congratulations,” Tris said, and I thought I could see the hint of blush coloring her cheeks. Was she finally warming up to me? I could only hope.
“Thank you,” I said, and pushed my way out the door, my baby dragon resting on my arm.
The dust in the air from the Tear had dissipated, leaving only a few clouds hanging low in the sky. I sat down on a sawed-off tree stump we used as a seat and stroked Aurelius’s golden head. The scales were smooth and shiny, the texture like a firm silicone beneath my hands. He was beautiful. Aurelius blinked up at me with those wide red eyes and hung open his mouth, a long tongue lolling out.
“Hey, Aurelius,” I cooed at him, running a hand down the spines of his back. They were blunt and rounded now, but I imagined them sharpening as he grew.
Oh, gods. He was going to grow.
And I knew nothing about dragons.
I took a deep breath, allowing Auri’s calm eyes and warm scales to soothe me.
“Welcome to The Veil, little one.” I said, tracing the shape of his wings. He shifted and opened his mouth wide in what looked like a yawn. The most adorable screech escaped when he did so, like a sleepy songbird.
Images flashed through my mind like a fuzzy projector or a bad hallucination. Fields. Fire. Food. There wasn’t much there, and it wasn’t very coherent, but it clearly portrayed a certain set of feelings.
“Is that how you talk, hmm?”
Squawk!
It dawned upon me that I had no idea what this dragon liked to eat. Hell, I didn’t even know dragons existed. In this world or my own. I only assumed they’d eat meat, right? I knocked on the door and Fel poked his head out.
“Something the matter?”
“Could you go and fetch some meat from the kitchen?”
He disappeared back into the basement without another word.
Aurelius fluttered his wings, lifting for only a moment off my arm before faltering and resting again on my sleeve.
“It’s okay, little one. You’ll learn.” I stroked his head and stared off into the garden. What a journey it had been. From my old job at the Academy to becoming a gnome with a baby dragon familiar, so many things had changed. And yet, in some ways, things had stayed much the same. I may have been in another body, but my feelings, my thoughts were still the same. I retained many of the skills I’d learned back on Earth, like my affinity with animals. Tiredness draped over me like a blanket. This was perhaps the first time I’d really had a moment to rest and reflect. Who was I going to become in this strange new world? How would I change?
The sound of the door opening broke me out of my reverie. “Got some scraps from the kitchen. See if he’ll eat these.”
Fel placed a plate on the ground, never taking his eyes off the dragon. “You have a rare gift, you know.” He said finally. “Take care of that little one.”
I glowed with pride. “I will.” I promised. He tore his gaze away from Aurelius, bowed his head, and went back indoors.
The dragon on my shoulder sniffed the air and squawked again, turning to face me.
“Fel brought you some food. Go on, have a bite.” He hopped off my shoulder and landed on all fours. Good, he was learning. He shuffled over to the plate of red meat and sniffed it, then drew his head back as if it were poison.
He hissed.
“What is it, Auri? You don’t want it?”
He turned away from the plate and began to wander his way around the garden. I let him explore, winding through the vines, pots, and bushes we had growing in the small plot. Aurelius sniffed each plant in turn, moving through them like an assembly line. Finally, he stopped at the blackberry bush, eyes alight as he sniffed it and then looked back at me. Was he asking for permission?
“You want the berries?” I asked, tilting my head.
He yipped and chomped off a mouthful of the berries, thorns and all. Red juices smeared across his face like blood, but his tongue lolled out like a happy dog. A hiccuping sound echoed from his throat and a tiny puff of flame came out, catching me off guard. Smoke rose from his nostrils as he tottered over to me, face smeared with blackberry juices.
“You eat berries, but not meat?” I watched him in awe. “Don’t tell me you’re a vegetarian dragon!” In response he hiccuped again and chomped at the nearby tomato plant. He laid his head down on my arm, smearing tomato and berry juices on my sleeve. The way he looked up at me with those ruby eyes melted any annoyance I might have had.
“Watch it!” I laughed, wiping at the stain. I couldn’t stop watching him, though. I had never had children, but I assumed this must be what mothers felt for their newborns. He was beautiful. He was amazing. He was perfect. And he was mine.
So entranced I was watching my baby dragon, that I didn’t notice the hooded man approaching the fence and the grin that split across his face.
22
Laurie
“Look what we have here,” The voice drawled and I looked up, flinching. I’d been so distracted by Aurelius I hadn’t noticed anyone approaching.
And there stood the man I least wanted to see.
He threw back the hood so I could see the gaze of his shining eyes, his sunken sockets, his ruined face.
Alcazar.
I crawled backward like a crab, holding Auri close to my chest. What was he doing here? How did he find me? Fel said this garden was protected...
“Confused on how I found you? Don’t be.” He walked through the fence as if it were made of fog, striding toward me like a ghost. Chill fear rooted me to the spot. “I’ve been tracking you this whole time, darling. Planted a tracker on you while you slept. Thanks for leading me here, by the way.” Pure malice split his face in two with a nasty grin.
It was at that moment that Fel decided to come check on me. “Hey Laurie, just coming to check if you needed any—” He froze, eyes wide as he saw Alcazar standing there. In our supposedly protected garden. “What is the meaning of this,” he whispered. “Tris! Come quick!”
She bounded out the door with Cael in tow. Great. Just great.
“Tell them, Laurie,” Alcazar taunted, turning to me. “Tell them.”
My heart sunk into my stomach. He had me right where he wanted me.
“You’re a fucking spy? For Alcazar?” Tris cried, starting toward me. Fel held her back but I still felt the rage pouring off of her. Cael’s face fell so suddenly I had to look away.
“No, it’s not that, I just—” I stammered as I tried to get the words out. They had to understand!
“She’s working for me,” Alcazar drawled.
“He’s lying!” I screeched. Tris grabbed me and slammed me against the wall, making my head spin.
“I should cut your throat right here,” she growled. I panted as fear surged through me, legs kicking as she lifted me off the ground.
“I didn’t—” I rasped, trying to get the words out. “Let me—”
“Put her down.” Cael commanded. Tris dropped me and I fell roughly to the dirt, right on my tailbone. Ow. I wheezed in a few shaky breaths, rubbing my throat.
“Let’s hear what she has to say.” Cael glared at me with narrowed eyes, but at least he wasn’t trying to slit my throat.
“I was lost. Alone. I didn’t know where I was, what to do.”
“So you ARE a spy!” Tris yelled.
“As soon as I found out he was after you, I came to warn you! I wanted to save you!”
Cael’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“I’m serious!” I pleaded. “I’d never want to ha
rm you, any of you!”
“And yet she’s been wearing a tracker this whole time...” Alcazar mused.
I froze.
“I planted it on you while you were under my care. Think of it as a little extra insurance. And you led me right to the hideout I’ve been seeking all these years. Why else do you think I let you go?”
I faltered, looking back and forth between him and my new friends behind me. Cael, Tris, and Fel all looked ready to fight, but I wasn’t sure if they wanted to fight Alcazar or me.
Or both.
“I didn’t know anything about the tracker, I swear! How can I prove that?”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Fel growled, this time looking past me to Alcazar. “Let’s send this bastard back to hell!”
Fel charged first, swinging his hammer in a wide arc with a throaty war cry. Instead of crushing his ribs, the hammer flew through only air as Alcazar disappeared with a blink. Fel tumbled forward with the momentum, and Alcazar blinked into existence again. This time he appeared right behind Tris. Alcazar wrapped a hand around her mouth and pinned her arms to her sides.
“I’ve got what I need,” Alcazar said, daring us to challenge him. Tris’s hands clawed at him, trying to break free, but his grip was too strong. “If you kill me, she goes too. Choose wisely.”
Fel roared in anger. “Let her go!”
“She stole from me! It’s only fair I take something in return.”
“I stole nothing, you bastard!” Tris cried between a series of raspy coughs. “You imprisoned my father! You tortured him! You trapped him in that god-forsaken stone!”
“Language,” he chastised, running a sharp claw across her cheek. I could see even from back here that it drew blood.
That was it. I couldn’t stand by and let him kill her! I bared my teeth and sent an image of claws and blood to Aurelius, who leapt toward Alcazar in a flash. He latched onto Alcazar’s head with a screech. The dragon distracted him long enough for him to loosen his grip on Tris and she spun out of his grasp, eyes burning with hatred.
Alcazar grabbed at his head and seized the dragon, flinging it away like a rag doll. Aurelius collided with the wall and tumbled to the ground. I felt it, too. It was like part of my body had been crushed, as well. His pain was my pain.
