Awakened Dragon

by Harmony Raines

  Ruby never forgot her dragon was a beast from ancient times when self-preservation kept you alive and hunting your own meat was the only way to satisfy your hunger.

  “Are you done posing?” Fara asked as she and Magnus approached. Despite her words, there was a look of awe and intimidation on her face. Ruby was tempted to breathe fire and burn the Scots pine to a crisp, just to remind everyone who was in charge, but she resisted. Just.

  “You are amazing,” Magnus told her, reaching out to touch her snout, which her dragon kindly lowered to make it easier for him. Who wouldn’t want their mate stroking their nose like they were a soft, cuddly kitten?

  Ruby’s dragon puffed smoke from her nostrils in contentment, pleased when Magnus didn’t shy away from her. As he ran his hand along her nose, she closed her eyes in pleasure. He could do that all day and she wouldn’t complain. Not one bit.

  “So how do we get on?” Fara asked, breaking up their intimate moment.

  Ruby opened her eyes and surveyed the old woman, trying to decide if there was enough meat on her for a snack.

  Be nice, Ruby warned her.

  I was joking, her dragon replied, puffing smoke in Fara’s face.

  “Charming.” Fara wafted her hand in front of her face, while the dragon bent her leg and angled her body down toward the ground.

  “Here, I’ll help you up,” Magnus said, taking hold of Fara’s hand and leading her around to stand by the side of the dragon.

  “Are you sure it’s safe?” Fara asked as she lifted her leg and placed her foot on the dragon’s foreleg.

  “Ruby won’t hurt you,” Magnus assured her.

  “It’s not Ruby I’m worried about.” Taking hold of her courage, Fara pushed herself up, reaching for one of the spines that ran along the dragon’s back. Her fingers closed around the horny spine, but as she tried to clamber aboard, her center of gravity shifted, and she toppled backward.

  With lightning fast reflexes, Magnus caught her in his arms. “I’ve got you.”

  Fara went limp and rested against him for a moment, before wriggling free. “Let’s try that again.”

  Ruby’s dragon crouched down, lowering her body as close to the ground as she could. Magnus reached out and stroked her shoulder, while he placed his right hand under Fara’s arm and helped her up onto Ruby’s back. There were no protests from Fara, no comments about saving her dignity as she sat straddling the red dragon and adjusted her position until she was comfortable and relatively secure. Although, by the way she gripped the dragon’s spine, Ruby was certain she was scared, nervous about what was to follow.

  With an agile leap, Magnus seated himself behind Fara, and wrapped his right arm around her and held onto the spine with his left hand. Her dragon shivered at his touch, thrilled with the sense of connection between them. If her dragon had any doubts as to whether Magnus was their mate, they were now gone, buried in the dirt that crumbled beneath her huge talons as she took one step forward and then launched herself into the air.

  Fara cried out and then fell silent. The only sound filling the valley was the steady thrum of wings as Ruby rose into the air, skirting the high cliffs, using them as cover as she flew along the length of the valley.

  When she reached the end, she followed a line of trees that clung to a cliffside. They had once sat on top of the cliff, but heavy rain had caused a landslide some years ago, and they now stood in a crumpled heap halfway down the side of the rocky outcrop. They faced in all directions and gave good cover to the dragon as she beat her wings slowly and methodically.

  Her dragon knew where she was heading, the description of the place where Fara had found Magnus was not far from the valley she’d flown through earlier this morning.

  Wait, was it only this morning? So much had happened, so much had changed since her early morning flight. She’d reveled in her freedom and pitied herself for feeling lonely. Meeting her mate had meant she’d lost her freedom to do as she pleased and think of no one else. It also meant that if Magnus stayed with her, she would never know loneliness again.

  How she wished he had his memories. How she wished he would remember his dragon. Or any other shifter, she would settle for that. Because a shifter would never leave.

  Ruby pushed herself faster, the need to get to the valley and check the area out thoroughly strong. When they returned from the mountain later today, she wanted this to be over. She wanted to know all the answers, not just for her own sake, but for Magnus, too.

  But that might bring him heartbreak, her dragon said quietly.

  What do you mean? Ruby asked as the trees ended and she banked, hugging the edge of a cliff. Soon she would have to risk abandoning the scant cover and flying in the open. Between this section of the mountain and the area they were headed, she needed to cover two hundred feet during which time she would be completely exposed.

  When he remembers. Her dragon was in no doubt he would. When he remembers, he will remember it all. Not just the reason he was sent into Ancient Slumber, but also the people he knew, family and friends who are now past.

  And he’ll mourn them. Ruby understood her dragon’s concerns. We’ll be there for him.

  But will we be enough?

  Her dragon closed her mind to Ruby and concentrated all her senses on the surrounding area. They were about to break their cover, and they had to be sure they would not be seen. All shifters were secretive, but the dragons even more so. A bear or a wolf could pass for a real wild animal as long as no one saw them actually shifting. A dragon did not have the same luxury of blending in.

  Confident they were alone, but aware that Fara and her mate were on her back, she broke cover and flew fast and true. The wind whipped at her face, and her lungs burned as her wings beat fast. She hadn’t noticed the added weight until now, but the two passengers she carried slowed her down. Ruby pulled on her energy reserves and forced her muscles to work harder.

  Ahead of her, the next mountain peak grew closer. Her dragon aimed for a valley that ran along the side of the rock like a jagged scar. The space between her and safety grew less with every wing beat, until she counted down, three…two…one.

  Relief swept over her and she slowed, shifting her attention to the two people on her back. Were they okay? Magnus rested the flat of his hand on her side and stroked her scales. “That was amazing.”

  She wanted to tell him he hadn’t seen anything yet. Instead, she opened her mouth and a stream of fire burst out in front of her.

  Fara’s laugh echoed off the sides of the valley. “I’d gladly have you by my side through any fight.”

  Ruby’s dragon grinned and took in a large gulp of air, before spewing it out of her mouth, its red glow lighting up the narrow valley. She didn’t often let off steam like this, but it wasn't often that she had people on her back.

  The first time with our mate, Ruby reminded her.

  The only reply Ruby got back was that her dragon would much rather fly alongside her mate than have him sitting on her back.

  Ruby had no answer for her, only hope that when they reached the place where Fara had found Magnus, they would be able to retrace his steps and find some answers.

  If not, Ruby would tear the mountain apart if she had to. Somewhere, in the mountain range she called her home, was the key. She knew it.

  But knowing is never enough, her dragon reminded her sagely.

  She hated it when her dragon was right. Resigned to their mission, her dragon flew on.

  Chapter Eight – Magnus

  The thrill of flying filled his heart with joy. Magnus wished he could spread his arms wide and jump off Ruby’s back and fly alongside her. What an incredible sense of freedom to simply glide on an air current, and then with a tip of your wings change direction and fly to whatever destination you chose.

  If he wasn’t holding Fara in place, he would let go of his hold on Ruby’s horny spike and raise his hands in the air and whoop.

  Beneath his legs, which gripped tightly around the drago
n’s body, he felt Ruby’s muscles bunch as she drew her wings upward, and then flex as they pressed the air down, enabling her to rise higher and fly faster. Magnus studied every aspect of the dragon’s flight, from the way she turned her sinewy neck to change direction, to the twitch of her tail that acted like a rudder. She fascinated him and he never wanted this journey to end.

  Scratch that. He did want the journey to end but only because he hoped to find answers. Answers that would mean one day he too might fly through the air with his mate. For one thing, Magnus was sure of—this was not his first dragon flight.

  That could mean he had ridden on another dragon’s back. But he doubted that was the truth. His body thrummed with excitement, his muscles resonated with the movement and rhythm of her wings. Purely primal, he instinctively anticipated Ruby’s next movement, no matter how subtle.

  “You don’t have to hold on to me so tight.” Fara’s voice carried to him as the mountain terrain changed. They were leaving behind the green grass and trees. The colors around them became more muted, grays and browns, and then the first patches of snow appeared, clinging to the underneath of large overhangs where the sun’s rays never reached.

  “I don’t want to lose you, Fara,” he yelled back, the wind taking his voice and whisking it away.

  “I didn’t know you cared so much.” She cackled. Her dry voice was no match for the air streaming past them but his arm around her waist felt the rumble of her chest. She was enjoying this, despite her earlier trepidation.

  They rose higher. The sun reflecting on the snow bounced back at them, making him squint. But even through the slits of his eyes, he could see the beauty and magnificence of their surroundings. The bitterly cold wind dragged at the warm coat Fara had loaned him and he wished he’d pulled the hood up around his head. His ears were freezing.

  Then Ruby changed course, her wings angling to take them down toward the mountainside. They were going in to land. Like a buzzard circling a kill, she cruised around in a spiral, each turn taking them lower. Magnus leaned forward and looked down to the side as Fara pointed and called, “That’s it, that’s where I found you.”

  He nodded, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to speak. This was the first thing he remembered. The cold. The bright sun on the snow. The sense of loss. He’d fought to put one foot in front of the other. Not because he was weak. But because, as much as something was pulling him forward, another something was holding him back. He could feel it now, like a heavy weight in his chest.

  Lower, the dragon made a tighter circle, he could see the place she planned to set down. A narrow ledge, with a large drop on one side. If she timed it badly, they might all topple into a snowy abyss. But he trusted her, she knew what she was doing, although from the quickening of Fara’s breath it was doubtful Ruby’s other passenger experienced the same confidence.

  “Close your eyes,” he suggested to Fara. There was no need to shout, the wind no longer robbed him of his voice. They were descending slowly, with Ruby making meticulously small adjustments to compensate for wind speed and downdraft.

  “Are you joking? If we fall, I need to look for a place to grab hold of.” Her voice wobbled with nerves.

  “We won’t fall.”

  “I wish I had your confidence, this is a big old bird to set down on a narrow ledge.” Fara half-turned to speak to him. “It never looked as narrow from down there.”

  He grinned. She was right, flying made you look at the world from a different perspective. “Ready. We might land with a jolt, but we’re fine.”

  Fara nodded, and her breathing stopped for one long moment as Ruby extended her large taloned feet and set down on the packed frozen snow. Extending her claw-like feet, the dragon dug into the ground, gripping the mountainside.

  “Okay, I’m ready to bail,” Fara said, but her hands were frozen around the horny spine. “I can’t move.”

  Magnus didn’t ask if it was through cold or fear. Instead, he took his protective arm from around Fara’s waist and closed both his hands over her gloved hands. Rubbing them with his palms, he helped get the circulation going and then hooked his fingers under her fingertips and levered them off gently.

  “Better?” he asked as she clapped her hands together and rolled her shoulders.

  “A little. I’m as stiff as a corpse.”

  “We are all very much alive.” He chuckled. “I will get down first. Once I am down on the ground, can you follow?” Magnus moved his leg behind him and slid down the dragon’s side, landing on her outstretched leg. She lowered her shoulder a little more, eliciting a sharp yelp from Fara. “Don’t worry, you are not going to fall.”

  Fara looked down at him. “I can’t wait to put my feet down on terra firma. I might run home on four paws when we’re done. The ride was great, but the lack of control is unnerving.”

  Magnus jumped down onto the hard-packed snow. “Come on down.” He held his arms up and beckoned to Fara. The old woman looked down dubiously, but then swung her leg stiffly over the dragon’s back and with her hands sliding down over the red scales, she slipped down onto the dragon’s leg. With barely a pause, she turned and took hold of Magnus’s outstretched hands and jumped heavily to the ground.

  With a sigh, she stood back, surveying the bright red dragon. She was magnificent, perched on the ledge with the backdrop of white snow and gray rock behind her. A slash of color on the bleak but beautiful mountainside.

  Then she was gone. The dragon shimmered out of existence for a split second, leaving Magnus’s heart wounded by the loss. Then the air crackled with static electicrty, and the hairs on his neck stood on end as Ruby materialized in front of him, equally beautiful in her human form.

  “Enjoy the ride?” she asked brightly as she took in their surroundings with her human eyes. “It looks a lot different when you’re this small and vulnerable.”

  “Tell me about it,” Fara replied. “Listen, now that you’re back to being human, I’m gonna shift. Mountains are not appealing to this old gal, but my wolf loves them.” She looked pinched and cold, despite the thick layers of clothing, and when she stepped forward, her legs were stiff.

  “Go for it,” Ruby replied. “You might be able to pick up a scent.”

  Fara nodded and shifted into her wolf. Immediately, she set off up the narrow trail that was no more than a slice of rock jutting out from the high cliff face. Head down, her silver-tipped fur rippled as the wind blew down from the higher peaks.

  “I wanted to tell you how amazing you are,” Magnus blurted out as they watched the wolf roam ahead.

  “Don’t let my dragon hear, she’s already full of herself.” Ruby blushed as she spoke, obviously happy with the compliment. “How are you? You look cold.”

  “I’m okay. I wish I had your dragon blood.” He glanced at her sideways, and then looked back up the trail. “We should follow, in case she gets into trouble.”

  “There’s no one else around,” Ruby replied. “But that might not stop Fara from getting into trouble.”

  “What if there are more like me?” he asked. The thought hadn’t struck him until they flew up the valley and landed here. But for all they knew the mountain could be riddled with caves filled with dormant dragon shifters. Or maybe just dormant men. “What if someone hid an army here?”

  Ruby gave a short, nervous laugh. “Well, that’s a scary thought.” She turned around, surveying the area. “I’ve flown all around this section scouting for dormant dragons. There was only one place I sensed anything.”

  “Which was where?” Magnus asked.

  “About five hundred feet that way.” She pointed in the direction the wolf had gone. “My guess is you woke up because you sensed me.”

  “Because you are my mate and I am a dragon shifter.” He nodded, understanding her theory. “But why no memories and why can’t I shift?”

  “That is why we are here.” She adjusted the straps on her pack.

  “Why don’t we follow the wolf and find out?” Magnus was a
nxious to catch up with Fara.

  “You don’t hear that every day.” Ruby grinned. “Lead on.”

  He struck out along the trail, his boots sinking about an inch into the hardened crust, leaving an indent. When he looked closely at the ground before him, he saw tracks leading down the trail. His tracks. This was what Fara was following. He picked up his pace, and Ruby followed close behind. The further they got, the more eager he was to find out why he had been here. Because sure as eggs were eggs, he had not been walking this trail by accident. The higher they climbed, the narrower the ledge became, until his shoulder brushed against the rock face to his left.

  “Not exactly the kind of place you take a nice relaxing hike, is it?” Ruby called from behind him.

  “No, it is not.” He looked down at the drop to his left. “That is a long way down.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you fall.” Her voice was light, showing no sign of fear. “Not much further to go.”

  She was right, as he rounded the next outcrop, they finally caught up with Fara’s wolf, who was standing next to a small opening in the rock face. He stopped, a sense of foreboding filling him. Was it better to live his life anew, not hampered down by his past? Neither good nor bad, it was like a new life stretching out in front of him.

  Every part of Magnus told him he was a good person, and yet someone had put him to sleep. Dragon shifter or not, he had been sent into a deep sleep for a century or two.

  Unless he was a totally deranged idiot who had decided to go for a walk in the mountains unprepared for the conditions.

  “Are you okay?” Ruby asked from behind him. He could sense her presence, feel the heat from her body as she pressed close to him. And he could smell her. Magnus inhaled deeply, and his mouth watered. He hadn’t experienced this around another person. That had to mean something. It had to mean he was a shifter. And the answer was inside the rock, just a few feet away.