Dragon Dream

by Elena Van Peborgh

  I remembered the metros didn’t operate at night. Jon understood that, of course, but he still released my hand reluctantly.

  It didn’t take long until he had refreshed himself and put on clean clothes. The four of us left to head to The Capitals: Flora, Zoran, Jon, and I. I didn’t think I would ever return to the wolf community, so I internally said my goodbyes to the wolves who had been kind to me. It was a shame I couldn’t say goodbye to them personally, but Jon hadn’t had that chance either. He left his brother and sister behind, and he would probably never ever see them again.

  In The Seventh Capital, we took Line Two to The Third Capital. Everyone getting out of the metro in The Seventh Capital stared at Zoran. It would be difficult to miss him, of course, and they probably recognised him. However, nobody made a remark about it to us. Apparently, dragons were welcome in The Third Capital while the Capital druids didn’t tolerate any shape-shifters there. Jon was the only shape-shifter now. This was a new experience for him; he had never been in The Capitals before. I noticed he didn’t trust the metro very much. He probably didn’t even know what a metro or a train was. Zoran also had probably never travelled by metro, but he knew the technology The Capital druids used.

  The druids stared at Zoran again while we walked through The Third Capital in the direction of Flora’s house. Neither Flora, nor Zoran seemed to mind the staring, but Jon didn’t feel very comfortable, and neither did I. Both of us had been raised with the idea The Capitals weren’t very accessible for shape-shifters.

  Flora immediately started to work once we were inside her house. She placed a flowerpot filled with soil on the table and asked me to grow a flower. I wondered why I had to do this since I was certain she could do it herself. But it wasn’t very difficult to grow a flower, and it blossomed instantly. Flora went to get a knife and grabbed my hand. She made a small cut in the palm of my hand, my blood slowly dripped onto the soil. I felt the earth react. It drank my blood, thus feeding the flower with it. Next, she took Zoran’s hand and made a deep gash in the palm of his hand. His cut was deeper than mine because I healed slower now. His blood also slowly dripped onto the soil.

  “Take each other’s hands. Make sure your blood mixes with each other,” Flora ordered us.

  We took each other’s hands. She placed her own hands over ours and closed her eyes. She softly hummed a few words from a language I didn’t know. The flower started to burn. It frightened me. Was this supposed to happen? The flower burned to ash, and the fire spread over the soil. Eventually, only ashes were left. Flora released our hands.

  “You can release each other’s hands now. I just have one more thing left to do,” she informed us.

  She went to the kitchen and took the flowerpot with her. Zoran and I released each other’s hands. Both of our cuts had healed. The cut in my hand was barely visible anymore. I squinted my eyes. I shouldn’t have healed that fast. I even felt the pain in my back and shoulders less severely. Would those wounds be healed now as well?

  Flora returned with the flowerpot which she had now filled with water. The ash floated around in the water, giving it a dirty colour. She put the flowerpot back on the table and moved her hands through the air over it. The water immediately changed colour and became transparent again. She first gave it to Zoran who drank from it, and then she gave it to me. I smelled the water to check if it was still regular water. I still thought it was weird to drink the ashes of a burnt flower and earth. The water wasn’t odourless – meaning it wasn’t regular water – but the substance didn’t smell unpleasant; I smelled the earth and the life. I drank the rest of it. It had a rather sweet flavour.

  “It should influence the two of you already,” Flora said.

  “I think she’s healing faster now, just like the other dragons,” was Zoran’s answer.

  “Can I see the wounds on your back for a bit, Tatiana?” Flora asked me.

  I turned around so my back faced her. She pulled my shirt up and quickly examined my back.

  “Indeed. It looks much better already. Can you communicate with each other already?”

  “Why would they be able to telepathically communicate with each other already? Why is she suddenly healing quickly again?” Jon asked.

  “Because this is different from a first engagement. Zoran shares his power with Tatiana, and he heals fast like a dragon normally does. The effects of this engagement are instantly noticeable while it normally takes a while before a connection has completely formed,” Flora replied.

  Hmmm... Would Zoran be able to hear my thoughts already?

  Only when you concentrate. I will never be able to hear your thoughts in as much detail as Avalon is able to, a voice in my head answered.

  This voice sounded different from when I heard Jon’s voice.

  “I can communicate with her now. I only hope a meeting between the druids will happen soon,” Zoran said.

  He sounded rather careless, but I noticed he was worried by the way he spoke. I didn’t really know what he was worried about. I was pretty sure he had a lot on his mind, and that he was also probably grieving the death of his sister.

  “Leave that to me, Zoran,” Flora answered.

  “Well, I will leave then. I will find the way back myself, don’t worry. I will go over the fields between the mountains and The Capitals.”

  Zoran turned around and left the house. I immediately felt better. I had had an uncomfortable, pressing feeling.

  “That feels better, doesn’t it? It’s not a very good idea to be close to Zoran while also being close to Avalon. It causes too much pressure on your soul.”

  “What will happen next, Flora?” Jon asked.

  “Tatiana can’t return to the mountains or the communities. And I don’t think you want to leave her behind or that you can even do that to return on your own to the wolf community. You can stay here until I’ve found a permanent place for you both to stay. I think there’s still some place in The Second Capitals. Avalon, you’re able to work, right?”

  “Of course. I worked in the wolf community. I took care of the water supply. I usually checked the pumps and fixed defects. Sometimes I also helped to dig irrigation channels or worked on the fields.”

  “Very good. You have some technical knowledge but you’re also able to work on the fields during busy periods.”

  “And what about Tatiana?”

  “Tatiana will be a diplomat. She will settle disputes between the different kinds of groups. She can also pass messages from the council in The Fourth Capital to the mountain druids in the mountains. She must be accepted in The Fourth Capital then, but I’ll make sure that happens. I’ll convince the council.”

  Hmmm... That would be about the same job as I had had while I had been living with the dragons in the mountains. Now I might become a messenger between The Capitals and the mountains. I was only worried if Flora had enough influence to arrange this.

  “Flora, you do know Tatiana can’t talk anymore, right?” Jon asked.

  I looked at him angrily. Until now, I hadn’t minded him and Flora talking to each other like I wasn’t here. Until now, he had only asked her what would happen to us.

  Thank you for reminding me I don’t have a voice anymore, Jon, I sneered at him in my mind.

  I knew he had heard that because he involuntarily collapsed a bit, and he gave me a look of apology.

  ‘she doesn’t need to talk. Tatiana, you were a messenger with the dragons, weren’t you?”

  I wondered how Flora knew that, but Bernardus had probably told her. I nodded to answer her question.

  “I will give you something to write with. That’ll probably help make communicating easier already.”

  She disappeared for a brief moment to get a messenger bag. How had she gotten that? Apparently, she could figure out my question by my facial expression.

  “The mountain druids get these bags from us Capital druids. We use the pages from the notebooks for letters we send by pigeon or by using magic. The bags come from
the post offices where the pigeons are situated,” she answered my question while she handed the bag over to me.

  I was glad she made the effort to answer my questions in a clear manner. I had gotten the impression the shape-shifters weren’t supposed to know about this. They probably thought the shape-shifters wouldn’t understand – which would mostly be the case. Shape-shifters actually didn’t care that much about how stuff worked in The Capitals. As long as the system was working and running, they were satisfied.

  The next day, Flora made the necessary arrangements to make sure Jon and I could move into The Capitals permanently. We got our own house in The Second Capital, and Jon could help on the fields just outside The Third Capital. It was far more luxurious here in The Capitals than in the community where I had been raised. Life was better here, and it was nice to have such a positive prospect but there was still a lot of tension between the different kinds of druids and various kinds of shape-shifters. The tension was especially noticeable here in The Capitals, where several species of shape-shifters worked and lived together. Maybe even more so than anywhere else.

  Thirty-one

  It was quiet and calm for a couple of weeks. This was good because I was still recovering from my injuries. Jon worked on the fields while Flora took me to The Fourth Capital or Bernardus took me to the fields just outside The Third Capital.

  Flora usually introduced me to other Capital druids and kept me up to date about the situation in the communities when she came to get me while Bernardus kept me up to date about the situation with the dragons and the different kinds of druids. I didn’t really know why I should be informed about all of this because I couldn’t do anything with that information. They were probably just preparing me and making sure I knew what was going on and happening.

  Apparently, I had some free time today. At least, that’s what I thought. I sat alone on a bench in a small park next to the pond. I was alone because neither Flora nor Bernardus had been at the door of my house this morning, and Jon was working on the fields. I was quite restless with no clue as to why. I would have gone insane if I had stayed inside, so I had gone for a walk. I tried to calm myself down by watching the ripples and the tiny fish in the water. It didn’t help much. The annoying feeling gnawed at me, eating me inside out. Suddenly, I felt an emotion flare up which I couldn’t place. What the hell was going on with me?

  Tatiana, I heard a voice say in my head.

  I was startled. It had been a while since I had heard that voice. Actually, I had almost forgotten I had a connection with Zoran now. It seemed like a part of my mind had been sleeping the past couple of weeks and had finally woken up. My connection to Zoran was wide open now.

  A couple of shape-shifters have gathered together near The First Capital. It looks like there will be a fight. There are also humans nearby so be careful, Zoran continued.

  I felt an invisible force pulling at me towards him; it would lead me to the right place. I instantly jumped up and ran through The Third Capital in the direction of the fields. I could also take the metro, but I felt I would become nauseous if I went underground right now.

  I left The Third Capital through a side entrance which led to the fields. I ran over the fields and tried to find Jon, but I couldn’t. He would eventually feel and notice something was wrong, and then he would be able to find me.

  I continued to run until I left the fields behind me and reached a few trees. I wasn’t in the territory of The Capitals anymore. I undressed myself and immediately turned into a dragon. I made sure to fly between the tops of the trees to keep myself out of sight so the humans wouldn’t notice me. I wondered how they had gotten so close to The Capitals in the first place. Normally the magic from the protection shield should confuse them. I was very close to Zoran now, I could feel that, but I got distracted by a gunshot. Shit. Those were the humans. They were way closer than I had first thought. I knew it was dangerous, but I just needed to check why they had used their guns. They could have wounded a shape-shifter.

  I was completely struck with dismay when I saw the scene. I never could have expected this. The humans had caught a lynx in a net and had gathered around a fatally injured bear. The lynx was also injured and was attempting to free himself. I was first too stunned by the fact I had encountered my parents. They had each transformed into their animal shapes, but I would always be able to recognise them. I had so many questions. What were they doing here? How had they gotten into this?

  My mom in her bear form groaned. She was dying. My father in his lynx form growled while struggling against the net and trying to bite through the ropes. His growls drew the attention of the humans. They now pointed their guns at my dad. No! I directed my full attention to the ground. Everything else around me disappeared. The earth reacted instantly and started shaking. For a moment, the humans were taken aback and panicked, but they recovered fast. Too fast. I decided to fly right above their heads. Now I had their full attention.

  In the meantime, the earth burst open. The ground split in two parts, and one part even rose up. I manipulated the earth in a way so a cliff appeared between the humans and my dad. Walls formed at each side of the cliff. I landed in front of my dad and transformed to my human shape. I quickly got dressed and pulled the net away from him, so he’d be free. He also transformed to his human shape, got dressed and looked at me in surprise.

  “Tatiana? What are you doing here?” he asked.

  I could ask him the same thing, but I couldn’t say anything. Instead of answering him, I flew into his arms and hugged him. He was taken aback at first, but then wrapped his arms around me. I might have had some disagreements with him, and I might have had some issues with his authority, but I was happy to see him now.

  Tatiana? a voice asked in my head.

  Jon’s voice immediately pulled me back to reality. My mom was probably dead by now. She’d transform back into her human shape at any moment now. I released my dad.

  Jon, can you feel where I am?

  Yes, I’m coming to you now.

  No, it’s too dangerous. There are humans here. They’ve killed my mom, and they’ve hurt my dad.

  The three of us can handle them: you, your father, and I.

  Jon sounded very resolute; he wouldn’t tolerate any protest. It didn’t take long before he showed up in his wolf form. He stopped to stare at my father and me. I could feel his doubt about coming closer. He didn’t know for sure if he even wanted to be near my father and if he’d even be allowed to. I blocked the way between my father and Jon before my dad could respond. I prevented him from flying towards Jon.

  “Tatiana? What…?” my father asked in confusion from behind me.

  I raised my index finger as a sign he needed to be patient. I would try to explain it later. Next, I pointed at the wall of soil I had created.

  I have no idea what’s happening behind the other side of that wall, I warned Jon in my mind.

  He nodded and prepared himself. I manipulated the earth, so the walls disappeared. The cliff in the ground closed again. However, there was no one in sight. Apparently, the humans had left. Only my mom still lay on the ground. She still hadn’t transformed to her human shape yet. Maybe she was still alive. My dad immediately ran towards her and kneeled next to her body. Slowly, I walked towards them. Carefully, I placed my hand on my father’s shoulder.

  Then my mom suddenly started to transform, meaning she was dead. When she had fully transformed and had become fully human, my dad first placed his hand over her eyes and then lightly caressed her cheek. I swallowed with effort. This was a heavy and personal moment for him. I couldn’t even imagine how he felt right now and what he was going through. He had shared a part of his soul with her for a long time, and he had lost that part forever now. He got up again and looked at me.

  “Can you…? Can you bury her somehow?” he asked.

  I nodded and focused my mind on the ground. A hole formed under my mom’s body, and once she had fallen in it, I closed it over her. It w
asn’t a nice way to be buried but it was better than just leaving her like that. I turned around to see where Jon was. I felt he was still nearby, but still missed him. I needed him now, more than ever.

  He stood a bit farther away and had folded his arms over each other before his chest. In the meantime, he had also transformed to his human shape and now he waited, watching what was happening. I couldn’t feel his emotions through the connection I had with him, and I couldn’t read his expression either. I drew my father’s attention by poking him. He also directed his attention to Jon now and walked towards him. I followed right behind him.

  “Wolf,” my dad greeted Jon.

  “Lynx,” was Jon’s answer.

  That answer made me give him an angry glare.

  Please be friendly, I said to him through my mind.

  He sighed but still decided to do as I had asked. “I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. We can’t afford to be hostile towards each other, especially with this war which is threatening all of us.”

  Oh, right. The war. I had almost forgotten about that.

  Zoran? I tried to reach Zoran through my mind.

  Yes? I’m still here. I’m trying to calm everyone down, but it’d help a lot if you and that wolf showed up.

  I wondered why everyone often referred to Jon as the wolf. He was a wolf but just the way everyone said that sounded hostile.

  We’ll be right there.

  Jon had narrowed his eyes while I had been communicating with Zoran. Would he have heard the conversation? I didn’t really know what effect my connection with Zoran would have on my connection with Jon.

  “Why do I have the feeling the link between us is closed off?” he asked.

  Oh. Apparently, the connection between us had gotten temporarily cut off while I had communicated with Zoran.

  Zoran, I answered through my mind.