“Reptilian? That’s nonsense! She looked perfectly fine at dinner.” Ciara scoffed and the doctor turned to her with his own raised eyebrows.
“See for yourself and tell me if that’s ‘perfectly fine’.” He raised my eyelid again and everyone gasped, Ciara jumping back in shock and a bit of panic. At a fast glance my eye looked perfectly normal. The white of my eye was still white but the iris, which had been a grey-green color, was now a bright, vivid emerald green and my pupil was a black, vertical slit instead of round. The doctor lowered that eyelid and raised the other and then with a deep breath and sigh, he stepped back.
“I don’t know what to tell you. Internally, her body is fighting something otherwise she wouldn’t be feverish. Her blood pressure is fine, perhaps a little low but nothing I’m overly concerned about right now. When she wakes up, call me and I will come back up here.” The young doctor pocketed his pen light, collected the rest of his things and excused himself from the room, leaving the other three standing there, looking at each other in silence.
“My offer stands. I will stay here in case Kailani wakes up. Ciara, love ye look about ready to drop. Perhaps ye should go rest yourself.” Hugh suggested gently, and Ciara nodded, taking Edan’s arm as he guided her out of the room. Once alone, Hugh pulled his stool closer to the fire and sat leaning back against the stone hearth, regarding me as I slept.
“Welcome home lass. But at what cost to us?” he whispered gravely.
A few hours later Hugh was awakened by a rustling of the blankets on the bed and then he heard my bare feet on the stone floor.
“Lass?” he whispered, peering into the darkness where he knew the bed was. I was on the move, of that there was no doubt, and in a big hurry. Without so much as a glance in his direction I took off out of the room in nothing but the nightie that Ciara and the housekeeper Madeline had put on me and Hugh followed at a safe, silent distance to see where I was off to in such a rush.
I had to get out of the house. I knew that without a fraction of a doubt, I needed to get outside. I didn’t know what was happening to me but every cell in my body screamed ‘outside, now!’. At the kitchen door I threw the lock open and yanked the heavy wood door open, throwing myself outside into the cool night air.
“Get some space. Get some privacy. Hide.” I muttered to myself, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings. From somewhere in the distance I could hear the waves crashing on the rocks below the escarpment and I headed towards the sound, knowing a band of trees stood between the house and sea, offering me some semblance of privacy, but for what reason I didn’t know yet. I jogged on the balls of my feet in the wet grass until I was through the stand of trees and in the clearing at the edge of the cliff. I dropped to my hands and knees, feeling suddenly very weak and shaky and hung my head, breathing in the salty sea air as I waited for my racing heart to slow.
Hugh hung back in the trees and watched me collapse to the ground. While the gentleman in him wanted to rush forward to help me, a much wiser part of him told him to stay put. I clearly didn’t know he was there and that meant he was safe. His nerves prickled with anticipation, after all of the stories he had heard as a little boy of the Williams family and their magic shape-shifting powers, he wondered if he was about to be the first of his clan to actually witness the change. Hunkering down behind a bush he made himself comfortable and waited.
“Calm yourself, Lani. Just breathe. Let whatever is happening, happen. Stop trying to fight it.” I coached myself, lifting my head to look out at the silvery waves that rolled ceaselessly towards the shore. I watched them for a long time, letting their rhythm soothe me into a sense of peace. Then, just as I was about to think nothing was going to happen and it had all been a dream, I felt a sharp tingling in my arms and legs and a mild jolt of electricity raced up my spine and across my shoulders. The area around me started to brighten as though a light was growing brighter and I looked around myself in confusion – where was the light coming from? – only to realize it that it was me. My skin glowed and continued to get brighter, until with a loud gasp of surprise and discomfort, a bright flash of light exploded in the clearing, obscuring the view of anyone who could have possibility seen me and when everything went dark again, I looked down at myself, still on my hands and knees – no wait, that wasn’t right.
I was sitting on haunches now, my hands and feet were giant paws with razor-sharp talons, and as I gazed down at myself and the dark scales that covered my body, I had the overwhelming desire to shake myself awake.
“Och, lass look at ye.” My suddenly much sharper ears heard the whispered words from the trees and I spun around, instantly on the defensive, my tail swishing around and I snarled, baring my fangs in warning. Hugh stepped out of the trees slowly, his hands up in a classic sign of peace and he approached me carefully.
“Easy lass, I’m not going to hurt you.” He continued to approach and I growled slightly, lowering my head closer to the ground. He tentatively reached a hand out, keeping his eyes on mine and slowly I reached my head out and he rested his palm between my green eyes.
“Unbelievable.” He whispered in awe, smoothing his hand down the scales on my muzzle. My eyes narrowed to slits and he whistled softly. “You are magnificent. Let me look at ye. I promise I won’t hurt ye.” He kept his voice low and soothing as he started to circle me and I sat completely motionless, watching him from the corner of my eye. He stepped over my long, pointed tail before I curled it up against my hind claws to keep it out of the way and pulled my wings in as close to my body as I could. I turned my head slightly as he came around my other side and he stopped by my rear flank and raised his hand tentatively as though to pet me.
“May I touch you?” he asked respectfully and I bobbed my head once in acquiescence. He ran his hand gently down my back, his hand bumping up and down slightly over the scales that covered my skin. He raised his hand to caress a wing and I twitched, feeling suddenly very vulnerable. “I’m not going to hurt ye.” He repeated, his gaze going to mine and holding it and I nodded again once more, letting him know he could continue. He circled back around to my head and I lowered it down to his level, allowing him to gently run a hand over the tusks that protruded from my snout and the two horns on my forehead that arched slightly up over my head. Then he cupped my muzzle with both hands ever so tenderly and looked into my alien eyes and a grin slowly spread across his face.
“I’ve always wanted to believe the stories but no one in the Cameron family has actually witnessed a dragon in over one hundred years. We have been lucky to live in peaceful times I suppose, so your protection has not been required, though your ancestors were never far away, just in case. But you,” he broke off and shook his head with a look of amazement on his face. “You lass, are everything this old man has ever dreamed of and so much more.” I snorted at his words, and the hot air made him jump back a bit in surprise. He chuckled and then extended his arm outward, his open palm gesturing towards the sea.
“Why not take her out for a bit of a test-drive, lass? Try out those new wings?” he offered and my wings twitched again in eagerness. I had dreamed of this moment my entire life, could I actually do it? I slowly picked myself up off the ground and as I turned towards the open water, I heard Hugh murmur something in appreciation but I didn’t care. The wind was picking up, blowing hard into my face and I narrowed my eyes again against it. I took two steps toward the cliff’s edge and unfolded my wings, twitching them slightly because of how stiff they had become being held so tightly against my body. Then, taking a deep breath, I stretched them out fully and launched myself off the edge, soaring downward towards the waves. I pulled myself up at the last second, feeling the caress of the wave on my belly as I skimmed across the water and for the first time ever, I finally felt free. This was everything I had ever hoped and dreamed it would be. With one powerful swoop of my wings, I was climbing high up into the sky, twirling and somersaulting in the air and I heard Hugh give a woot of celebration as I flew past him.
&nbs
p; “What else can I do?” I thought to myself and as I thought the words I dove back down to the water and came to rest on a large outcropping of rock, too shrouded in sea spray to be visible from above. I dug my claws into the rock for balance in case a large wave should try to unseat me and I thought about all of the stories of fire-breathing dragons. Could I breath fire? I wouldn’t be very fierce if I couldn’t, and then what kind of protector would I be? Summoning all of my strength, I closed my eyes, opened my mouth and on an exhale I shot fire straight out towards the sea, sending vast plumes of steam upward as the fire and water collided. Well, that answered that question.
Turning my head upward, my new eyes could make out a figure on the cliff above and I figured it was Hugh, wondering if he had just lost his pet dragon to the sea. With a chortle, I opened my wings again, gave a few short pumps of them and in no time I was back up on the cliff before him and he was looking at my wet, glistening body like I was a fairytale come true. Which, really, I guess I was.
“So what do we do with ye now, lass? You’re a bit big for the house and the stable is a little too flammable, should ye get a case of the sniffles.” He snickered and I wondered if he had seen my breath of fire, despite my attempt to hide it. I really didn’t want to stay in this form forever, though I loved the ability to fly, and as I thought about my human form, I began to shudder. Hugh backed away quickly, unsure what was coming next, and in the same flash of light that hid my transformation to dragon, I suddenly dropped back into my old female shape again, on my hands and knees in the mud that I had created from dripping water off my scales.
“Kailani? Good god child, you’re sopping wet! Well, I guess ye would be, wouldn’t ye? Here.” Hugh shrugged out of his sweater and helped me into it, then he helped me to my feet and brushed my dripping wet hair back from my eyes, his face trying to hide the big grin I knew he was beaming inside.
“Did that really happen? Or am I delirious and dreaming?” I asked hoarsely and Hugh chuckled and started leading me back to the main house.
“That most definitely happened lass, and in the morning I think we’ll need to talk some.” He took me inside, found a dry towel in a closet and brought me back to the guest room I had so hastily left behind a little earlier. He fretted over me and my shivering, throwing more logs on the fire to boost the heat in the room and I sat on the edge of the bed, towel-drying my hair as I watched him.
“Hugh, I’m fine, really. You should go get some sleep.” I told him finally when he had run out of things to do and he looked at me, a little crestfallen. “I’m not going anywhere any time soon, I promise. I will see you in the morning.” Eventually he sighed and nodded.
“Aye lass, you’re right. You are probably more exhausted than I am. When ye wake in the morning ask Edan to send for me and we’ll talk. Until then, rest.” He came over to me, squeezed my hand and then left my room, pulling the door closed behind himself. When I was sure he was gone, I pulled off his big wool sweater and the damp nightie and hung them both on the back of a few chairs to dry by the fire and then crawled back under the covers. No sooner did my head touch the pillow than I was asleep and dreaming of flying over rainbows and around the sun.
Chapter 4
When I came out of my room the following morning, the smell of bacon, fried potatoes and coffee met me and led me down the hall towards the kitchen. When I walked into the large, bright room Ciara and Edan sat at the marble island talking in low tones and they looked up when they sensed I had joined them.
“Lani! You look so much better this morning!” Ciara jumped up and rushed to give me a hug in relief but she stopped abruptly when she saw my green eyes.
“Quite the trick with the eyes Kailani, ye certainly scared the cabbie half to death yesterday afternoon.” Edan remarked dryly, sipping at his tea and I took Ciara’s hand and gave it a tentative squeeze of reassurance.
“I’m sorry if I look a little different this morning Ciara. I don’t know what happened to me in the taxi last night, I just felt like my head was going to explode. Is it bad?” I bit my lip and looked at her hesitantly and slowly she shook her head.
“Not terribly. The color is beautiful, it’s just the slits for pupils that kind of throws you off.” She admitted and I closed my eyes and turned away. “Lani, wait. I’m being unfair and I apologize. You certainly didn’t do anything to change the way you look so please forgive me. I’m sure by lunchtime I won’t even notice.” She squeezed my hand warmly and I smiled faintly.
“You might want to call your friend Rachel. She has been calling and texting your phone non-stop for the last hour or so.” Edan slid the iPhone across the top of the island towards me and I groaned.
“Oh, I’m in trouble. I completely forgot about her last night.” I woke up the screen and saw that I had 25 texts and just about as many missed calls. The minute I texted her back saying ‘good morning’ my phone lit up with a ring and I bit my lip as I answered it, drifting to the far corner of the kitchen for a bit of privacy.
“LANI! Oh thank god! What the hell happened? Where are you?” Rachel practically shrieked in my ear and I sighed and rubbed my forehead. How was I to explain this to her over the phone?
“Rachel, sweetie calm down. I’m fine. I was leaving the estate yesterday after dinner when I got very sick in the cab and he brought me back here. I guess I passed out because when I woke up this morning I was in one of the Cameron’s guest rooms.”
“So are you going to try to catch up with the rest of the tour? We’re doing Buckingham Palace this morning and it’s going to be amazing! Then, we’re doing a tour of a few of the museums so it should be relatively easy to rejoin us.”
“Rachel,” my voice trailed off in uncertainty and I glanced at Edan who still sat with his tea watching me, an unreadable look in his eyes. When our gazes locked he surprised me with the faintest of smiles and a tiny nod. What was that about? And I could distinctly smell coffee, but everyone had tea, so what was I missing?
“What? I packed up all of your stuff and brought it with us on the train so you won’t have to worry about going back for any of it. Just get another cab and come join us.”
“Rachel, I appreciate that but I don’t know when I’ll be leaving here. I don’t know what made me sick last night and if I’ll be ready to travel right away. And the idea of getting on a train right now does not agree with my stomach.” I fibbed and saw the look of concern that crossed Ciara’s face.
“But we only have today left and then we’re set to fly home!” My friend protested and I sighed.
“I know sweetie, believe me.”
“Well, if you’re going to be away for a little longer, can I borrow your purple sweater?” she asked abruptly and I paused for a second and locked gazes with Edan again.
“Yes, absolutely you can borrow my sweater. I don’t need it right now.”
“Are you sure? I know it’s your favorite.”
“I’m positive. Borrow anything of mine you like.” I agreed easily and Rachel sighed.
“Okay, thanks. Keep in touch with me, you hear? And let me know if there is anything you need.”
“Promise. Love you.” We ended our call and I turned back to my hosts as Ciara slid a cup of coffee in my direction.
“As an American, Alice was pretty sure you’d prefer a cup of coffee this morning over a tea so we hope it’s okay. We don’t really drink the stuff.” She said with a faint wrinkle of her nose and I smiled both in amusement and appreciation, taking the cup and breathing in the delicious smell of it. “Your friend sounds lovely. Very concerned for your well-being.” She commented next and I nodded.
“I’ve always been a mother-hen to our friends, always looking out for them and essentially being over-protective of everything. Rachel is my protector.” I smiled fondly and Edan cleared his throat slightly.
“What was the bit about the borrowed sweater? That sounded a little too off-the-cuff.”
“We have questions we ask each other that sound innocent eno
ugh, but are easy to answer if one of us is in some kind of trouble and can’t come right out and say it.”
“That’s pretty brilliant.” Ciara said in approval and I smiled and nodded.
“Do you work? Go to school? Travel the world and trespass on private properties?” Edan asked next and at the last bit I laughed and shook my head.
“Ironically, both Rachel and I are personal security guards. Where we live in Hawaii, there are always celebrities or high-profile members of society or government that visit on holiday and they want to make sure they’re protected without it looking like they’re surrounded by secret-service type bodyguards. What better way for a young pop star to hang out and relax without worrying about mobs than to have two young women hanging out with her or him that look like friends but we’re actually hired security?” I smiled and the husband and wife laughed. We all turned when the side-door opened and Hugh walked in with Dr. Andarsan on his heels and both men looked at me with very different expressions on their faces.
“You’re awake.” Hugh commented brightly, a mischievous glint in his eye and I nodded once with a small smile before turning to the doctor. I did a quick once-over of him and struggled to bite back a smile. He was what Rachel and I referred to as ‘tall-dark-and-delicious’, maybe a few inches taller than me as well as a little older than me, probably in his early thirties like Edan I guessed, with thick reddish-brown hair, a sharp nose and gentle brown eyes. Those eyes widened slightly in surprise when he saw me standing there and he cleared his throat.
“Good morning. I stopped by to check on Ciara this morning, but also to see how you were doing after last night.” He remarked and I nodded again with a small smile.
“Thank you, that’s very kind of you.”
“Perhaps you’d like to step into the other room with me for a bit of privacy? I’d like to check your blood pressure again and give you a quick physical.” He gestured towards the dining room and we went in there and I sat in one of the high-backed chairs while he set his medical bag down on the table. “How are you feeling this morning? You gave Mr. Cameron and his family quite the scare last night, I understand.” He said conversationally, pulling the blood pressure cuff out of his bag and leaning down a bit, fitting it around my upper arm.
DragonSpell Page 4
