Legend's Awakening

by Jensine Odom

  “Gummy bears,” I yell excitedly, shaking the bag noisily.

  “Woo!” Zebulon jumps around the other corner.

  “Oh my God, guys, calm down,” Mary calls testily from the row next to us, and glares at us through the boxes of food.

  “But gummy bears, Mary!” I shake the bag overly dramatic again.

  “Yay,” she says unenthusiastically, rolling her eyes as she joins us. “Are we done here?”

  “Yeah, if you’ve all gotten what we need.” I get nods of agreement from everyone. “Then let’s go.”

  “Be seeing you, Xerxia,” the Trader says as we walk back by.

  “See ya.” I salute him, knowing we probably won’t see him ever again.

  Caedryn, Turhion, and Kerric are all walking back to the Inn with Todd as we come out.

  “Thanks again, guys,” Todd says, nodding to the three Knights. “Xerxia.” He nods to me. “See you at dinner.”

  “See you later, Todd,” I return with a smile.

  The sun caresses the horizon, bathing everything in a golden glow, and I look longingly out over the open field just beyond the Inn. Just one more stolen moment would be nice, but I have too many things to do before we go to sleep. Such is life.

  Caedryn stops me before I can walk into the apartments. When I raise an inquisitive eyebrow, he takes my backpack from me and hands it to Turhion, then takes my arm in his and walks with me down the dirt tracks that lead towards the field.

  After getting a ways out past the Inn, we stop, the slight breeze rustling in the golden stalks of grasses at our feet. I take a deep breath, wondering if I’ll ever come back after saving the world; if I’ll ever smell the sweet grass in the afternoon sun, or the pungent sunflowers as they sway in the late summer breeze. Until now, I hadn’t really thought about how my life will change.

  Just yesterday morning I was Xerxia, Dragon Scavenger, a nobody trying to survive with the rest of the nobodies. Now I’m a newly awakened Royal dragon, and I don’t even know what that really means, aside from the fact I have to defeat Drustana to save everyone. Then there’s Caedryn, the man, or should I say dragon, who found me; who’s soul calls to mine and sets my heart on fire. All of it’s just so new to me.

  “Xerxia,” Caedryn says, pulling my mind back to the present.

  “Yeah?” I turn and face him, the amber sunset reflecting in his chrome eyes.

  “Were you and Todd—” he trails off, glancing away.

  “A couple?” I finish his question, looking towards the now deep red sunset. “No. I told you I had no lovers.”

  “Why not?” he asks slightly surprised, looking back at me.

  “I need someone who’ll fight beside me, not hide behind me. Or in the corner.” I shrug, meeting his gaze and involuntarily smiling. “I need you.” The words come out before I even know what I’m saying, so just roll with it, leaning into Caedryn and wrapping my arms around his hips.

  “I was unaware I needed someone to fight beside me,” Caedryn admits. “I need you, Xerxia.” He smiles lovingly, gently stroking my cheek.

  A sudden giddiness bubbles up inside of me and I throw my arms around his neck, kissing him soundly. Pulling me firmly into his arms, he returns my kiss passionately, lifting me off my feet for a moment and taking my breath away. I lay my head on his chest with a happy sigh, and he holds me in his arms while we just sit together in the dying light of day.

  “Hey, lovebirds,” Zebulon yells from the apartment door a moment later. “Dinnertime!”

  Caedryn laughs, kissing the top of my head before letting me go, and I take his hand, walking beside him back to the Inn.

  A warm wind kicks up just as we reach the Inn, blasting us with dirt and ripping the large wooden door out of my hand. Caedryn catches it and me, and we stumble inside, drawing the attention of most of the people.

  “It’s windy outside,” I joke, throwing my disheveled hair dramatically out of my face and getting a few laughs.

  Zebulon and Tristin are already sitting at a table, chowing down on tonight’s dinner, which looks like chicken and dumplings. Turhion and Kerric are eating a little more civilized, and Mary sits quietly, poking her food with disinterest.

  “You feeling okay?” I ask her as Caedryn and I sit.

  “Not really,” she says, not meeting my eyes. “Caedryn, are you going to be using the futon tonight?”

  Caedryn looks to me for the answer, lifting his eyebrows in question.

  “It’s all yours, Mary,” I tell her, not blushing at the surprised looks on my brother’s faces.

  “Good. I think I’ll just go to bed, then.” She stands, pushing her bowl away, and walks off.

  “Dibs,” Tristin says, grabbing her discarded food.

  Zebulon follows her, but she turns him away at the door, her voice low and angry. Zebulon comes back, plopping in his chair, confused.

  “Today hit her hard,” I reassure him.

  “Yeah,” he agrees half-heartedly, watching where she disappeared with uncertainty.

  “She’ll be fine by morning,” Tristin dismisses, digging into his stolen seconds.

  Steve appears, quieting our conversation, and sets two steaming bowls of food down in front of Caedryn and me. I smile my thanks, and everyone stays quiet as we eat our dinner.

  ✽✽✽

  Mary’s curled up and asleep on the couch when we get back to the apartments. She was so tired she didn’t even pull out the futon. Zebulon stands beside her, indecisive, hand hovering inches from her shoulder, but settles on giving her one last forlorn glance before disappearing into his room, the light blinking out shortly after. Tristin looks after his brother, shaking his head in exasperation, then turns to me.

  “Well, goodnight.” He salutes me lazily and heads for the other apartment with Turhion and Kerric.

  I turn off the light in the corner of the living room, my eyes adjusting to the dark quicker than they used to. I revel in this newly heightened sense, watching Mary’s slim form rise and fall with her breaths and noticing the small mouse running across the counter, thinking itself unseen in the dark.

  My gaze comes to rest on Caedryn’s silver eyes shining softly in the dark and an easy smile falls on his lips. I beam at him in reply, unable to hide my excitement over these subtle shifts, and take his hand, leading him to our room.

  The moonlight floods in my wide picture window, illuminating the room like sunlight to my more sensitive eyes, and I leave the light off. My clean clothes sit in a folded pile on top of the bed and I quickly stuff them in the top of my backpack sitting on the floor, then strip off my over shirt and leggings, pulling on my sleep shorts. The cool night air settles on my warm skin, which now glimmers slightly like Caedryn’s. What will I look like, I wonder, when I’m a dragon?

  Warm arms encircle me suddenly, and Caedryn holds me against his bare chest, kissing the top of my head.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asks quietly against my ear.

  “Being a dragon,” I answer, turning to face him. “What did I look like, before?”

  “Nothing like you do now.” Caedryn smiles, trailing a finger down my face, and gently kisses me.

  “Fine. Be that way,” I tease, kissing him again.

  Caedryn holds me tighter, running one hand down the length of my back, and a low growl escapes him as I press my body against his, the need in me responding to the need in him. He kisses me once more, less sure and maybe a little afraid, then pulls away.

  “We need to sleep,” he tells me, turning towards the bed to avoid my confused gaze. He’s holding back, but I still can’t figure out why.

  Giving up for now, I take a breath to calm my thrumming body and crawl into bed, gently pulling Caedryn in next to me and holding him in my arms.

  “Goodnight, Caedryn.” I stroke his dark hair back, kissing his forehead as he lays his head on my chest, and he tightens his arms around me, some of his certainty returning.

  “Goodnight, Xerxia.”

  Before We Go
Down

  Istand in a forest clearing, a dwarf among a sea of faceless giants, finding more interest with the curiously arching trees overhead and the soft gray fabric of my dress than in the Royal proceedings I’ve been forced to be a part of. Someone clears their throat and I look immediately up, meeting the soft purple eyes of Sylaena.

  She gives me a reproachful look and I straighten up, paying attention with all my ability. I don’t need her angry with me. Not now, with all that’s happened. She needs to know I can be a dutiful Royal.

  All the clans are here, standing together in this moment, and the only real reason I’m here is because Caedryn has returned. I scan the area, finding him in the middle of the clearing with Turhion and Kerric. They’re standing with the other Knights, guarding a slightly built woman with silver-streaked dark brown hair and several other dragons. Drustana and her Acolytes. Her dark cat’s eyes meet mine, her lips raising in a snarl of a smile, and a chill runs down my spine.

  “We can no longer live in peace with the mortals,” one Royal declares, his voice grave, and points to Drustana, thankfully pulling her wicked gaze away from me. “She has seen to that. It is time for us to retreat, to sleep the slumber of ages, until such a day comes where we can live in peace once more.”

  “I fear Durant is correct,” Sylaena agrees, her voice just as dire. “We can no longer trust the humans. They have grown excessively blood thirsty.”

  “Fools! You are all as weak as the supposed Gods these mortals worship,” Drustana yells in her oddly deep voice, her dark purple eyes flashing ferally. “We should have been their Gods! Had you listened to me, none of this would have come to pass! You forced my hand!”

  Caedryn steps towards her, hand on his sword, and Drustana squares her thin shoulders at him, only coming up to the bottom of his chest. Sylaena steps forward, elegantly tall, her hair such a light shade of lilac it almost looks silver. She waves Caedryn off and he steps back with a scowl, clearly not happy about standing down.

  “No, Drustana, you have forced mine.” This can’t be easy for Sylaena; I always thought her and Drustana to be friends. “You have been deemed Honorless,” Sylaena states with authority. “I banish you and your Acolytes. You will no longer belong to this or any clan. Should you return, you will face death.” She gives a grim nod to the Knights that surround Drustana.

  “This is not over, Sylaena,” Drustana warns, her long, lean face distorted with fury, and her milky brown dress sways as she turns abruptly, pushed by the Knights.

  My heart sinks and tears wet my cheeks as I watch Caedryn leave me again, going with the other Knights to drive Drustana and her Acolytes from our lands. I’m so distraught I pay no heed to the rest of the proceedings, until the clans’ Royals disperse, and I dutifully follow Sylaena back to the castle.

  ✽✽✽

  Caedryn stands with me beneath an old oak tree in the middle of a sweeping golden field, holding my slight body in his arms as the sun’s light fades. Dread fills my heart, for in just a few moments all dragonkind is to go dormant, and I will be separated from Caedryn for an eternity.

  “Allowyn, something doesn’t feel right,” he confides, a worried look on his face as he brushes my hair back. “We should leave; go dormant elsewhere, together.”

  “Caedryn, all you feel is my uncertainty. There’s nothing amiss,” I tell him, my voice girlish and high-pitched. “Besides, we’re dutybound. I must go with the Royals, and you the Knights. We can’t disobey.”

  “Come with me, Allowyn,” he pleads now, growing more desperate, and takes my slender hands in his.

  “No, Caedryn,” I reply angrily, yanking my hands from his. “I’m not Honorless! I will do as I’m told, and you would also do well to listen!”

  The horn sounds in the distance, low and rumbling, signaling the end of our time together. It’s now time for our kind to go dormant. The thought sobers me, and my anger drains away.

  “I love you, Allowyn.” Caedryn smiles ruefully at me.

  My only answer is a girlish giggle and a quick kiss, as it always has been, and Caedryn leads the way back.

  Turhion and Kerric wait, along with a tall woman with raven black hair and bright blue eyes; Caedryn’s sister, Zaara. With one last forlorn look at me, Caedryn follows them, leaving me to follow Alarr to where the Royals will go dormant. We shift, all the other dragons twice my size, and enter our hidden cave. Sylaena watches the procession, her silvery purple dragon form just as elegant as her human form. Being High Royal, she will enter last.

  Once I’m in my place, my eyes close and my heart beats ever slower as I slip into the dormant state, becoming like the stone that surrounds me, time slowing to a crawl. Suddenly, there’s a bright flash of searing hot pain, then nothing, and my life drains from my body.

  ✽✽✽

  I wake with a start, gasping and heart racing as my scattered mind comes back to me, my eyes struggling to focus. Finally able to see, I find myself staring out the large window, the stars blazing brightly in the dark sky with just a faint glow on the edge of the horizon. Dawn isn’t far off.

  Caedryn’s breath falls evenly behind me. He’s still asleep, then. I gently pull back the quilt, carefully swinging my legs around to stand, and quietly walk to the window, making sure to miss the creaky spots in the floor. My body is humming with the unsettling energy of my dreams, and if I don’t let it run its course, I’ll never get back to sleep.

  Venus blazes brightly in the east as the first rays of golden light pierce the darkness, fingers caressing the expansive sky. An owl perches in a barren tree beside the Inn, silhouetted against the coming dawn, and I imagine it hooting with every swivel of its head.

  I watch the bird for a moment, soothed by its presence. I had read somewhere that Owl tells you your ancestors are watching over you. Which ancestors, though? I seem to have acquired a few new ones. The thought brings me an odd mix of comfort and anxiety, but I smile none the less as the bird flies off to find a better roosting spot before the sun rises, passing by the window like a ghost.

  The clouds on the horizon glow a soft peach, heralding the dawn. I should try to get some sleep, even if it is for only an hour. Taking a deep breath in my nose and letting it loudly out my mouth, I turn to go back to bed, but find Caedryn standing behind me. A squeak of surprise escapes me as I jump back, and he catches me as I nearly fall, pulling me protectively against his sleep-warm body.

  “Are you all right, Xerxia?” he asks, searching my face intently.

  “I will be,” I answer with a sigh, but Caedryn doesn’t look so convinced. “I just had more memories. I—” my voice cuts out as the dredged-up emotions from my dreams flood me, and tears involuntarily fall down my cheeks.

  Caedryn softly wipes them away, kissing my forehead, and simply holds me in his arms. I lean into him, laying my head against his bare chest, letting his steadfast presence calm my frayed nerves.

  “I’m sorry,” I suddenly say quietly, barely louder than a whisper.

  “For what?” Caedryn asks, searching my eyes as I straighten to look at him.

  “You told her—me—something was wrong, and I—she—didn’t listen, didn’t—”

  “Trust me,” Caedryn finishes for me, stating a fact. “Allowyn didn’t trust me.” Sorrow flashes in the depths of his eyes, turning them to storm clouds. “She didn’t—”

  “Love you,” I finish for him, finding the last piece of the puzzle. Allowyn never told Caedryn she loved him, and in truth she only loved him like a child loves their favorite blanket or toy. “I trust you,” I profess, smiling sweetly and wiping away the tears that slide down his cheeks. Gazing into his eyes, I gently lay my hand above his heart. “I love you, Caedryn.”

  Like the release of a floodgate, all his emotions pour out into the night, and he holds me tight, kissing me deeply.

  “I love you, Xerxia,” he professes, and my heart bursts into bloom.

  Kissing him again, I press my body against his, and Caedryn lifts me in his powerful
arms, carrying me to the bed.

  I kiss just above his heart as he sets me on my feet, his dragon mark glowing where my lips fall, and gaze up into his shining silver eyes, running my fingers through his hair, lowering his mouth to mine. He kisses me long and slow, his hands finding their way under my tank top, hot palms caressing up my body as he pushes the thin fabric over my head.

  His lips trail across my cheek, kissing the hollow of my jaw, then move lower, flowering kisses along my neck and chest, and a quiet moan escapes me as he runs his hands over my hips, slipping them below the waistband of my shorts and pushing the loose fabric down to fall on the floor with a sigh.

  One tug on the ties of Caedryn’s weird briefs evens the odds as they slide down his muscular legs to pool at his feet, and he growls deep in his throat as I caress up his thighs, just brushing between his legs. His arms snake around my waist and he lifts me against him, laying me back on the bed.

  Climbing on top, he trails kisses up my thigh, kissing once between my legs, and I squeal as his hair tickles my belly. Caedryn chuckles, continuing his ascent as he kisses above my belly button and between my breasts, slowly covering my body with his.

  He kisses between my brows, laying his weight against me, but pauses at my entrance, his uncertainty flickering through me as if it were my own. I wrap my arms around him, pulling our bodies closer, and softly kiss him.

  “Let go,” I whisper against his lips. “You won’t hurt me.”

  My back arches as he comes into me slowly, and I cling to him as an intense energy floods my body, sending a rapid vibration through my lower abdomen that spreads into my entire being, snaking up my spine like liquid fire and erupting in my chest. Our bodies move in rhythm as our hearts beat in unison, our souls becoming one again whilst we make love to one another, glowing like embers in the soft light before dawn.

  ✽✽✽

  I lay there in Caedryn’s arms, the sun shining softly in our window as he runs his fingertips along my side, sending ripples of tingling energy dancing across my skin with every touch.