by Eden Glenn
Yet, somehow I’ve managed the impossible, finding two women for you to marry. Their family evidently values gold more than the rumors about your birth defect, to sacrifice two of their younger daughters. The first of you to have issue will be declared King and this whole messy business will be settled.”
“Are you planning on us bonding with these women?”
“Bonding? Goddess recognized mating is fairytale nonsense fed to the “suppressed” masses for a sugar tit.”
She air quoted “suppressed”. Goddess how he hated the air quotes thing.
“There’s no truth to that prophesy or writings. These females were selected as breeding stock, nothing more. They’re from acceptable genetic lines that have had a limited number of recessives. I don’t even care if you like them.
“You just have to impregnate them, either one of you, either one of them. They’re both young, healthy and not too disagreeable to look at. The bonus is I’ve been assured they’re both fairly obedient and tractable as well. The best I can hope for is one of you produces something I can mold into appropriate leadership material.
“They are in the anteroom, you may meet them or not. But, you shall marry them at Winter Solstice. I’ve been diligently monitoring them. They should be fertile, if you do your wedding night duty I can plan for a spring announcement of issue. I can only hope your freakiness hasn’t made you sterile as well.”
Ethan wanted to drive his fist into the wall, or maybe her sneering expression. He spoke through clenched teeth. “We’re not going along with this charade and we’re certainly not going to marry some docile cows you’ve picked out for us.”
“You will do as I command or your titles will be stripped from you…”
Caleb scoffed with a mental arrow to Ethan, as if that would even matter at this point.
“And while that might not get your attention. I think you’ve got a little secret that you might want to continue to keep under wraps, unless you wish to be a specimen on display. It’s one thing to have your defect rumored about, quite another to have it revealed for everyone to ridicule.
“I’m sure you’d not enjoy the testing that would be required to diagnose your mutant shifting pattern, would you? But perhaps they can figure out a way to separate you into two proper dragons. Humm? Shall we give that a go?” She paused allowing the effect of her threat to sink in. “You’re a two headed freak and you’ll do what I say. Do I make myself clear?”
Ethan drug his brother through the side door to shut off the shrill sound of the Queen’s screaming insults. Best to avoid meeting the two chattel offerings as well. Caleb’s grin split his face like he’d just been given a birthday surprise.
“You can clue me in at any time what you’re smiling about. From my perspective we’re up to our eyeballs in females who all want something from us that we don’t want to give and the one female we’ve got an itch for, doesn’t want us.”
“Alright my brother, you are evidently distracted by your lust for the fair Wren. That and dancing to dodge the two maidens who aren’t “too disagreeable” to look at, to have heard what our gentile mother revealed.”
He did the air quotes thing on “too disagreeable” and “gentile mother” just to irritate Ethan. Ethan wanted to break Caleb’s fingers for the cliché dramatics. “You are just wrong on so many levels. Spill it.” He growled.
“The Bitch Queen just confirmed that there is a prophecy and writings that address our current situation. We just have to find them.”
“I think a visit to the Watcher’s is long past due.”
“My thoughts precisely. Let’s see what our old friend Phargo has to say about the matter. Perhaps he can guide us to a neutral contact within the Watchers. I have no doubt he’s kept his mind sharp on the politics of the matter.”
≽∞≼
Caleb picked a path around a pile of rubble. They’d made their way down to an old section of the underground city. Surprised at the humble circumstances they’d found their aging mentor. The Solidarian dragon shifter who’d left his position, his status and even his family to travel to the other side of the veil as their ward and protector during the early years of their assignment.
He’d trained them, looked after them and in moments protected them as his own sons while they’d learned to accept their exile and control their unique shifting pattern in secret. How many years had it been since they’d seen him? Time had so quickly rushed by.
Caleb glanced at his brother to confirm his thoughts were traveling a similar road while looking at the weed encrusted walk way and crumbling steps. Tapping on the door to hear a bellow from within that could have been either a come in or go away in its non-descript behind-the-door echo.
Evidently no one was answering to usher visitors in. He pushed the wood to ease it open and listened to be greeted by a wheezing fluid filled cough from the other room. He pushed on through with Ethan behind him.
The coughing gave way to the firm baritone voice he remembered so well. It’s grumbled roughness dismissing all affection. “It’s about time you got here. I was about to come and find you both to knock your heads in.”
Caleb turned the corner into the room and knew their friend kept company with another that would soon escort him on his journey beyond. His voice haunted the gaunt husk that’d become the body of the man they once knew so well.
Standing by his bedside was an ancient woman stooped, gnarled like a character of a person that defined, crone. The infamous Verucca Toadswizzler.
She grinned, “Ah, no doubt even she dragons in heat wouldn’t have kept these young warriors away. Perhaps they’ve finally discovered the questions they’ve needed to ask.”
Yes, for the first time in their lives they didn’t have much else but questions. “We need some answers.” Caleb knew the information was going to cost them more than gold and in ways that would likely change them forever.
Another phlegm filled cough robbed Phargo of breath before he could ground out. “Good we have much we must speak about and very little time.”
≽∞≼
The first day Wren busied herself with mindless tasks in the store while her thoughts chewed over everything she’d been told by the three-- preposterous.
The second day she’d convinced herself it was a totally ridiculous tall-tale concocted for an obscure reason she wasn’t privileged to. But no, Wren had ordered Ethan and Caleb out. They’d complied with bristled intensity and walked away, just walked away. No, more like, stalked away while glaring daggers at Izzy. They’d not come back.
Wren wasn’t sure if she was madder about the crazy story they’d told her or that they hadn’t bothered to come back. She fumed. Izzy who now sat behind the counter had returned to Salynne’s each day, not saying anything and allowing Wren time. For all she knew the woman had sat outside her door each night as well. She’d come close to throwing Izzy out too.
But a part of her recognized that Izzy had been Wren’s one true friend even if she’d not been totally forthcoming about her situation. She’d clung to the fact that she didn’t want their friendship wiped aside with one morning of complete and utter twilight zone bizarro.
By the fourth day she’d been ready to chalk it all off to a hallucination over bad sushi. Except it wasn’t a preposterous tall-tale or a hallucination. Izzy showed up at Salynne’s every day in stark proof that the experience if not the facts they’d revealed, were true.
The fifth day, Sunday she’d cleaned her apartment from top to bottom and put everything away. She’d stopped short of rearranging storage boxes in the attic. She’d finally stopped, showered and dropped exhausted into bed, not sure she’d even eaten all day and not caring that her hair was still wet.
Then by the sixth day she lapsed into a depressed funk. Waking up with her hair in an uncontrollable cloud of curls and tangles as only hair that’s been slept on wet can achieve. Wren cried while she took the band aids off her mostly healed cuts.
She’d passed up on an opportu
nity to grab life. She’d have to forget about them somehow. Now she’d dwindle into a boring nothingness of existence. That lasted two miserable days.
Wednesday dawned and she admitted to herself that she was never going to be able to forget them. She missed them both in a fierce way. She’d have to face it, she hungered for the sound of their melodic voices, the intimacy of their touch, the thrill that tingled through her in their presence.
What they’d told her didn’t seem all that unbelievable any longer. She was willing to listen to the absurdity of their story and suspend disbelief just a crack more if it would mean their return. They weren’t, so she’d have to just go find them. They’d figure a way, between the three of them, to get past the craziness.
“So, do you know where the two of them are? Can you get them to come back?” It was the first she’d spoken to Izzy all week. If she could talk to them, now that she was calmer, maybe there was a way to prove their story.
Izzy opened her mouth to answer just as the front door bell tinkled.
A woman who looked something like the Lord of The Rings elven character Arwen dressed up as Lady Galadriel ready for a rennefaire festival walked in the door. Okay, floated would be a more apt description of the way she moved.
Her long black hair pulled back from her face by an intricately woven yet simple crown of hammered wire and gems. Her ears definitely peaked with points. Fantastic prosthesis or maybe she was a diehard cosplayer who’d actually had the elf ear surgery.
Ouch. Wren frowned. There weren’t any Renaissance fairs being held in the area in October. With an ethereal grace the woman glided across the floor. Wren noted that Izzy’s mouth hung open like a star stuck fan girl.
The woman cocked her head, “My chosen daughter, your distress has called me to this existence.” Her concerned demeanor was inconsistent with her words and amused smile.
Wren noted Izzy reached over the counter and grabbed a pad of paper and a pen from the drawer behind the wooden bar.
Who was this person?
“You have a destiny that will unfold in the course of events. It is enough that you have been set aside as a sentinel to our people to open a new era and dispensation of time. Choose your inner circle well.” She stared at Izzy for a long moment before nodding her head in recognition. “As I see you have already begun to do.”
Wren put her hands on her hips. What the hell? “This can’t be happening. This is one of those prankster things isn’t it? Who set this up?” Wren walked around the room looking for hidden cameras or microphones.
“I’m being punked.” She’d just cleaned the store from top to bottom over the course of the past week and found nothing unusual or out of place.
“You’re an actress, right? And as soon as I buy the gag everyone’s going to pop out and yell ‘Gotcha’, right?” But who would set up such an elaborate ruse?
The woman turned with a scowl “Be still.” Which was apparently Goddess-talk for shut-up.
“I am Gelfin. You’ve made the acquaintance of mine own lineage sons, Caleb and Ethan. Your journey will be long and fraught with hardship.”
Wasn’t that how every quest call started out? She’d played D & D in college, Games always started with ominous sounding calls to action, same song different verse.
The woman continued. “Sacrifice will be required from all.”
Okay she’d humor them and go along with the gag. Then when the video rolled they’d see what a good sport she’d been and everyone would get a guffaw haha laugh. This thing must have taken months to set up. Ethan and Caleb were probably in on it.
For actors they’d really played up their roles. The stair thing was quite a risk. Then she thought to the afternoon of sex with them, well that kind of went over the line. She wanted to smack them. At least if they were part of this elaborate ruse, they weren’t dragon shape shifters.
While the Goddess had been talking she floated over to the fireplace. Wren wished she knew how the woman did that. Izzy continued to scribble furiously on her piece of paper.
The woman’s voice rang with authority. “Your powers will manifest in the course of your discovery.” She stretched up to bring down the decorative sword hanging over the mantle.
“I renew this vestige of authority and office as it once belonged to your ancestor and former guardian of the people. Learn the heritage you’re born unto and wield your powers with wisdom and grace.” She turned handing the sword to Wren.
She took it and held it aloft like Conan the Barbarian, hamming it up for the video and feeling very other worldly.
Wren almost giggled and glanced over her shoulder at the Goddess actress. The woman looked different somehow. Wren stared trying to grasp what exactly had changed and couldn’t quite call it to focus. There was an unspecific familiarity about her.
That’s when Wednesday once again diverged into that alternate place of twisted reality just like the previous one. Two things happened simultaneously.
The blade flamed with an arc of bright green light while it warmed and tingled down her arms. A swirled symbol δ erupted in the metal of the blade beneath the quillon block.
Wren clearly heard the Goddess’ sharp intake of breath “How peculiar.”
C-G could make that happen on film but this was real life and the mark was emerging literally in front of her eyes. The green light glided down the fuller and out the point in an arch of power descending over Izzy.
The Goddess continued as if the events weren’t startling her as well. “This blade is yours to use to focus the will of your authority. It will aid you in discovering the varied powers you are heir to. The foremost is the power over transition.”
The light drenched around Izzy’s head and shoulders. Her look erupted as startled then dissolved into horror. When the blinding light cleared, a silver dragon the size of a great dane stood where Izzy had been leaning.
With her generous wing span Wren just hoped she didn’t take a notion to try to fly around the room. Well, there was her proof. Somehow, Wren though dragons should be much larger than that. Evidently there was a lot she didn’t understand. A small enchanting voice erupted from the dragon.
“Please, Wren, please don’t tell anyone.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Wren couldn’t believe what she saw. Izzy dropped to the floor once more surrounded by the green glowing ball of light arching back into the tip of the sword. As the brightness faded Wren was comforted to see her friend looking completely normal, two hands, two legs, no wings and a somewhat chagrin expression.
The Goddess spoke gently, “Remember my vessel go forward and claim your path.” Then with a motion of her hand the air in front of her split like a curtain. She moved through the parted space and disappeared.
As the remnant of light sucked back into the blade, Wren stumbled catching herself against the counter.
“What the fuck just happened?” Wren didn’t often throw out the F-bomb, an indicator of just how rattled she was. She had a sword. A wild reverenced awe surrounded her. A freaking Goddess person gave her a sword. She felt a little giddy. Technically it has been her sword all along, she just hadn’t noticed it.
The edge of the blade was dull much like any replica ceremonial blade. Still it was a beautiful sword. She lifted the blade again and swung it as she twirled around. And she didn’t miss her guess that the mark emerging on the metal had surprised the Goddess.
Wren wasn’t quite sure what to believe, but definitely she was embroiled in strangeness bigger than the world she’d accepted as real. She was determined to go with it and find out more. She tested the blade with a downward swoop.
It was incredibly light in her hands. She had no strain or problem swinging it, odd. When she examined the thing it had a heavy substance of quality. Yet in action it was light as a plastic toy. She tested it again. Yep easy peasy. She swept her arm lifting the steel into the air one handed like her favorite bad ass TV heroine from Netflix. Zena!
Warrior Queen, Whispered
across her mind. She laughed.
“Wren? Are you listening to me? You can’t tell anyone what I turned into.”
Her thrall over the gift had completely distracted her from Izzy.
“Humm? What’s that.” She lowered the blade to focus on the here and now to find Izzy in a complete emotional melt down, tears streaming down her face.
“Please please, promise me you won’t tell anyone that I shifted into a tiny freak of a dragon.”
“That was tiny?” How big were other dragon shifters?
“Wren please, I’ve risked everything, sacrificed so much, to keep from being revealed. I’m defective and being a woman can’t even think of what would happen if people from my world found out.”
“Sure, sure Iz. I won’t tell.” That seemed to calm her friend a little.
“Swear?” Izzy wiped the tears from her eyes. “You won’t tell anyone, ever.”
“I promise Izzy, I won’t tell anyone. You’re secret is safe with me.”
Wren didn’t make promises lightly. She’d never tell even if she didn’t understand Izzy’s reasons for the secret.
The door to the shop rattled as if stuck and blocking someone from gaining access. The distraction caused her to lower the blade, suddenly heavy, holding its weight like a croquet mallet. The walnut door flew open allowing Caleb and Ethan to tumble in and rush toward her clearly in a state of testosterone overload and ready to do battle on her behalf.
She was relieved to see their stubborn, bossy, way too alpha selves and fought the urge to reveal her inner sissy-girl by breaking down in tears. Wren wanted to run into their arms and feel the comfort and safety of their embrace. All those emotions assailed her giving way to a healthy dose of pissed off. Where had they been for a freaking week while she’d grieved their absence? They hadn’t cared enough to come back and try to convince her in some tangible way that what they’d told her was true?
The sword, she lifted it mesmerized by the flash of steel. What might it do in contact with Ethan and Caleb? Dare she even tempt the magic?
