by Viola Grace
She hung up and tried to stand. The floor came rushing toward her, and she was really tired of the sensation.
She dimly heard voices and the shuffle of footsteps squeaking toward her. Oh goody.
Kabyl woke in a bed with a stranger at her side. The woman had hair nearly as white as Kabyl’s and brilliant blue eyes. “Ah, you are awake. Hello, Kabyl Ambermarle.”
She recognized the voice. “Trin?”
The woman smiled. “You are still in the adaptation portion of your transformation. Oh, and your mother is here.”
“What? How?”
“I arrived at your town, introduced myself, and when she told me where you were, I offered to fly her. Here we are.”
Kabyl blinked. “Do you know how my dad is doing?”
“He is pulling through rather well. There was another wolf here for the transfusion.” Trin chuckled. “I think I found out where most of the humans live. It seems that ninety percent of the population has no magic.”
“Eighty percent. It is eighty percent of the population out here.” She looked down and groaned. “Why am I in a gown?”
“Hospital procedure. I have to send them a signal, so they can begin to bring in your meals.” Trin clicked a nearby switch.
“Meals?”
“You have expended far more calories than you had accessible. You are blacking out because you are simply hungry. So, consider that you need one meal, your beast needs three while you are getting used to her. So, four meals, three times a day, plus snacks.”
“So, I will spend my life eating?”
“Just a few weeks. It is going to be hard to keep up.” Trin chuckled. “I had access to unlimited pastry, so it was easier for me.”
Three trolleys were pushed into her room by nervous service personnel. Trin stood and smiled. “I am going to make sure that you get this in you, and then, we are going to have a chat.”
Kabyl paused, “Did my mother make any of this?”
Trin quirked her lips. “No. Why?”
Kabyl grabbed the first tray and plowed through the food, barely chewing the soft meals and swallowing as soon as she could.
Trin’s eyes got wide, and the next tray disappeared the same way.
Kabyl eventually got to her tenth serving, and she slowed down, tasting the food for the first time. It wasn’t bad, just on the softer side.
“Why did you ask if your mother made any of it?”
Kabyl looked to make sure her mom wasn’t going to come in. “Mom was raised to be a housewife, mother, and socialite. She now lives on the frontier as the manager of the general store. It was enough of an adjustment. My dad and I do all the cooking.”
Trin smiled and pushed the carts outside the room. “It sounds like his recovery is a matter of survival.”
“It truly is.” She chuckled and leaned back. Her body was relaxed, and she felt better. She hadn’t realized how brittle she had felt until Trin had mentioned multiple meals. Her lizard brain had shrieked in agreement. She had really needed food.
Trin sat back in the chair and said, “Now that the feeding frenzy is over, are you ready to talk?”
Kabyl wrinkled her nose and sat up in bed. “I guess that it is time to discuss my new facts of life.”
“I am not discussing the birds and the bees, just dragons and destruction. Frankly, it is a lot easier to talk about crushing vehicles than it is anything else.”
Kabyl smiled and looked at her. “You had me at crushing. Go on.”
Chapter Six
“The first thing that you need to know is that you are going to have a temper. It comes and goes, but the beasts rise and ride behind your eyes if you let them. It is best to take some time and get to know them.”
Kabyl nodded. “When my father was injured, we came to an agreement. I was emotional, and she kept me calm. I wanted to raze the forests until I found the beast that hurt him, but she agreed to get him to safety first.”
“So, she is assisting you in revenge?”
“The same or a related beast struck me a few days ago. Maybe two. That is what triggered the dragon to wake. She defended me, and I got both of us back to town.”
Trin nodded. “That is excellent. You are already working together.”
“Yes, but so far, we are in an action mode. When it is just the day-to-day, I have no idea what will happen. Heck, she might melt.”
Trin laughed and then realized that Kabyl wasn’t joking. “What, exactly, is your dragon’s type, to your understanding?”
“Frost. My body looks like it is covered in hoarfrost.”
“You said you defended yourself. What did it look like?”
“A liquid fog that froze things on contact. The second blast shattered it.”
“You were human during the attack?”
“I was. It was like a really wet yawn with concussive force.”
Trin grinned. “That’s vivid.”
“That is what it felt like, only there was a lot of panic, pain, and anger behind it. She roared, using me, and together, we got the hell out of there.”
“But no shifting.”
“No. We watched Doc Weathering, and she showed me how to do it.”
Trin chuckled. “Folks who were raised with it think that we need another dragon. Really, all we need is for someone to tell us to let the dragon take over for a while and to trust something that has been inside us all the time.”
Kabyl chuckled. “Yeah, that is what I figured out when I had to learn to fly. I just let her take over, and she and I worked together to get to my dad.”
“No attack was needed?”
“No. I don’t attack peacekeeper stations or hospitals.”
“You didn’t suffer fatigue on the way?”
Kabyl tried to remember the flight. “No. I was using the air currents to glide most of the way. It is pretty much downhill from our town.”
“Okay. Cool. So, in your daily work, you work out a bit.”
Kabyl chuckled and gave her a short outline of the daily tasks that she performed, from running deliveries to hauling around joints of meat that weighed nearly as much as she did.
“Wow. Cool. I repair small mechanisms and coffee equipment.” Trin smiled.
“What kind of dragon are you? Or are you the diamond dragon?”
“You have guessed it. I came in case you and your dragon had any issues communicating.”
“Why?”
“It’s my job. That is what my dragon does, she can assist or control other dragons. So, you didn’t need that help, just a prod to be aware of how you feel. If you feel lightheaded or jittery, eat something.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Trin chuckled. “When you have gained a bit of strength, I would like to meet your dragon.”
“Sure. Can I go and see my parents?”
Trin nodded. “Two doors down on your left.”
Kabyl swung her legs out of bed, looked around, and found the robe folded where her feet had just been. She tied the robe on and got to her feet. Walking a few steps before a pair of slippers smacked her in the back. “Don’t forget these.”
She grimaced at the other woman and put the slippers on. Outside her room was a strange man who nodded politely. “Miss Ambermarle.”
Trin followed her and gestured to the man. “This is my husband. Brommin.”
He inclined his head and smiled. “Pleased to more formally meet you, Miss.”
“Call me, Kabyl. Pleased to meet you as well. Now, I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to see my father.”
He stepped aside, and she padded down the hall to her dad’s room. Her mother was sitting and holding her husband’s hand, whispering softly to him. Kabyl entered the room, and her mother slowly turned to her and smiled weakly. “He’s awake.”
Kabyl walked over to stand next to her mother and smiled at her father’s swollen face. She could see both of his eyes focusing on her under the swelling of the stitches that bisected his face from top to bottom.
&n
bsp; “Well, you look like shit.”
He chuckled and then winced. “I hear that you were my emergency lift.”
“I just needed to practice, so I put your life on the line to do it.” She smiled softly.
“Thanks for coming for me. It made the difference.”
“Well. I was on light duties, so lifting your butt was fine. You are as dainty as a rose petal.” She gripped his hand.
Her mother exhaled. “Kabyl, just cry with me already.”
Her mother had given an order, so Kabyl let her tears of relief flow.
The door to her father’s room closed, and they were left to console each other in private.
* * * *
Trin looked at her husband. “Brommin, that young woman has a lot of raw power at her disposal, but I am getting the hunch that it is linked to this geographic location. She is very in touch with the land here.”
He gave her a wry look. “Are you saying that to avoid her having to go to the capitol for training?”
Trin smiled brightly. “I wouldn’t exploit a loophole in the guidelines like that.”
He groaned. “Do you know how much paperwork it will be to get a trainer and guard posted up here?”
She shrugged. “No, how much paperwork, archivist?” She smiled. “You know you love it.”
Brommin sighed. “The senator is not going to be happy.”
“If she broadcasts a stream of liquid nitrogen, he will be petrified.”
Brommin paused. “Is that what you think it is?”
“That fits the description of the effects of her attack. I have attended enough classes at the lab to know what happens when liquid nitrogen is poured over something. She described the second blast as shattering. To me, that says liquid nitrogen. To have a dragon that exhales that when it is irritated makes her a very unlikely candidate to live in a city and live a nice life making more baby dragons.”
Brommin frowned. “Are you saying that one of the Senate Guard should come up here and act as a bodyguard?”
“A tutor and a guide. Temporarily. He also needs to be handy and not a wuss. This is not a place where delicacy goes far.”
“So, he has to be smart, a good teacher, and able to use a hammer?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Basically.”
Kabyl’s voice was calm behind her. “It also wouldn’t hurt if he was fun to look at. If I am getting a tutor, I should want to pay attention.”
Trin looked behind her and then to a grinning Brommin. “How long was she there?”
Kabyl said, “From when you said I needed a tutor and a guide.”
Brommin grunted when he received the light punch to the abdomen. “I will make some calls.”
He left, and Trin looked at Kabyl’s swollen eyes and red cheeks.
Kabyl must have seen her concerned expression because she waved it off. “Tears of relief. My dad is alive, he has all of his extremities in working order, and a few shifts should take care of the worst of the scarring. I, however, need to get back home to find the thing that did that to him.”
Trin frowned. “You are still adapting. It isn’t a good idea.”
“People are dying. Those things are picking off folk who are in the outer areas and working their way in toward the towns. If I don’t stop them, they aren’t going to stop. I saw two. My dad saw three. An aerial assault is going to be the best bet.”
Trin smiled slowly. “Would you like company?”
“How strong are you?”
“We will find out, but I am impervious to damage.”
Kabyl looked down the hall and then back to Trin. “How soon can we go?”
“Let your parents know, and we will return here when we are done. Does that sound sensible?”
Kabyl nodded and headed back into the room. Trin went to find Brommin.
He took one look at her and paused during his dialling. “You are going to do something dangerous.”
“Yes. Not to me, but Mander was injured trying to do simple rounds near the town where Kabyl lives. There is something there killing people, and she wants to take care of it. I want to help her.”
He nodded. “Fine. I will follow as soon as I have finished my calls. Try not to tire Kabyl out, all right? She is still adapting.”
Trin nodded. “She is one tough dragoness. She also has a wicked poker face.”
Brommin smiled. “She reminds me of someone.”
She went up on her toes and kissed him quickly. “Hush. Now finish your calls and come to give us a hand, claw, whatever.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
She wrinkled her nose and said, “Don’t use that tone. I am not your mother.”
“I am very glad. She would have kicked my ass and been flying already.”
Trin chuckled and said, “See you soon.”
She went to her pack, pulled out a spare shirt and trousers. She brought them along when she met Kabyl, and she handed her the clothes. “You are smaller than me, but put these on. They will shift with you and be a little less obvious than bare skin in a snowbank.”
“How will they shift with me?”
“Do you have any mages around here?”
“Not in town, no.”
“Then that is how they will shift with you. Enchantments. Now, get dressed so we can go.”
Kabyl pulled off her clothing there in the hallway and got dressed. Trin blinked a little but nodded. Right. Practicality.
“Okay, let’s fly.”
Chapter Seven
Kabyl had thought her dragon was big and shiny, but Trin was huge with her body coated in diamond. Trin took flight first, and then, she circled, waiting for Kabyl.
She was a little embarrassed at her awkward launch technique, but she put her embarrassment aside and pushed skyward. She shot past Trin, and when she was a few hundred feet up, she aimed for home and began flying.
Trin moved slightly ahead of her and demonstrated a technique for moving her wings. When Kabyl mimicked it, the strain in her dragon’s body eased, and flight became a pleasure and not simply propulsion. The angle and scooping motion also allowed them an increase in speed, and in thirty minutes, they were over her home forest.
Kabyl looked up, and the sun was nearly down. She headed for the places that the shadows touched first, scanning for any signs of life.
In their briefing before they launched, Kabyl had told Trin what they were looking for. A wingless dragon figure that wasn’t quite a dragon and multiple smaller ones.
Kabyl was looking for one with three legs, in particular.
She circled the edge of the villages, waiting for signs of movement, signs of heat.
When she saw the flare of heat and the heartbeat change, she took it as a human in distress.
She whirled and watched the ground, seeing the shadows circling the small cabin. There were trees in the way, so her dragon opened its jaws and roared, the exhalation had been mist the first time; this time, it was a spray of liquid. The shadow beast screamed and jerked back. Its companions were uncertain. She sprayed them on a second pass, listening to the shrieks of pain.
Trin must have caught on because her dragon jetted streams of empty air, sending the dark creatures spinning.
Together, they herded the beasts toward the nearest meadow where they would be able to land.
The creatures balked at entering the meadow. The light wasn’t dark enough for their comfort, or they knew they would be exposed. It was time to use some bait.
Kabyl flew in and landed, folding her wings in. They didn’t come for her, so she shifted back to human.
Kabyl focused on being warm and human, standing in the center of the field and keeping her dragon on standby.
She saw the first creature moving toward her cautiously and then with more speed. She should have been terrified, but the moment its smaller friends joined it in the headlong attack, she got ready. On the ground, her firing distance was one hundred feet. At the speed they were travelling, it was going to be close.
&nb
sp; She watched the beast tumble toward her, limbs coursing and eyes intent. It was after her heat. That was the target.
Seconds stretched out as she got as much information from observing it as she could. When it was at the edge of her zone, she opened her mouth and roared, transforming as she attacked.
She sprayed them all with the liquid that her dragon produced, and when they were immobile and only their eyes were moving, Trin came in and shattered them.
Kabyl landed near them and examined the pieces in her claws. The creatures had no substance, no bones. They were simply charred darkness all the way through.
She changed to human and kept looking, shivering as the cold took hold.
Her dragon mocked her and told her to simply embrace her nature.
Kabyl paused and blinked. Did my brain talk to me?
No, I am your dragon, as much a part of you as that ball of a brain is. You are the master of ice and snow. Embrace it.
Are you sure you aren’t a hallucination?
Yes, yes, I am.
Kabyl grinned. Even her dragon had a dry sense of humour. She focused on the cold outside and the cold inside and let her body simply ignore it.
She walked over the snow, and it no longer melted to her skin. She had a layer of personal cold between herself and the world around her. Reversed insulation.
Finally, she found what she knew had to be there. Something different. “What is this?”
She pulled a charm the size of her palm out of the wreckage of the beast. When the charm was in her hand, the beast disappeared into a heap of ash.
Trin landed and shifted. “What are you doing?”
“I am looking for what these things are. They aren’t alive. Not like what I would classify as alive, anyway.”
She held the charm and went to the two smaller beasts.
“So, what did you find in the first one?”
Kabyl held it out to show her. “Something like this.”
Trin walked up next to her, examined the charm, and helped her.
They dug through the other two, and right where the brain should have been was the charm.
