Seeking The Dragon

by Sarah J. Stone

  “Yes,” she told him, leaning against him and looking dreamily into the fire.

  Nights like this with her were perfection. They read until it began to grow late. Adding more wood to the fire, they made love on the rug in front of it and fell asleep until the morning light awakened them. They had barely stirred when someone began pounding on the front door. Maggie looked at him, as clueless as to who it might be as he. She frowned at her state of being half dressed.

  “Go on and get yourself decent. I’ll see who it is,” he told her.

  Maggie grabbed the remnants of the clothes she had shed, while he finished putting his own clothes on and made his way to the door. Checking to see if she was properly up the stairs and out of sight, he reached to open the door just as the pounding began again.

  “Okay. Okay! Give me a minute!”

  It grew quiet outside the door as he placed his skeleton key into the lock and opened it, almost slamming against the wall with the weight of the door being caught by a powerful gust as the snow and ice flew inside the opening along with the violent wind. He was shocked as Cassi heaved herself inside the door and collapsed on a nearby chair.

  “Cassi? Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I thought I was going to blow away for a moment. I tried to shift into my dragon form in hopes that the extra weight would bear me down into the snow, and it almost tore my right wing off!” she groaned, rubbing at her shoulder.

  “Let me see,” he said, concerned that she had done grievous harm to herself.

  “No. No. I’m fine. I shifted back before it was too late and latched onto a nearby tree until it subsided for a bit.”

  “What are you doing out in this?” he asked, his brow furrowed to form a knot between his eyes.

  “I’ve been helping Mr. Baker out over at his restaurant. He’s been a bit under the weather. He asked me to go over to his house and retrieve a few bags of spices he had run out of, and it wasn’t so bad when I headed out. It just came up so suddenly! Your inn was the only thing that I could even see in the heavy snow. I had to practically crawl here to keep from flying away!”

  “Good grief. Okay, well get over by the fire and thaw out. I’ll throw some more logs on it to get it going a bit stronger. We’ve only just awoken.”

  Cassi looked around, spotting the empty wine bottle and goblets sitting on the hearth and the blanket still stretched across the rug. A knowing smile crossed her face.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve implanted myself into your alone time.”

  “No, of course you haven’t. We just fell asleep last night in here by the fire where it was warm,” Tio replied, his face flushing despite his attempt to make light of it.

  “I see,” Cassi said, a little smile still playing across her face.

  “Cassi! What are you doing here?” Maggie exclaimed as she came back down the stairs, glancing inquisitively toward Tio.

  “I just sort of blew in,” Cassi laughed.

  “I imagine so. It looks a fright out there. Can I get you something warm to drink? Some broth? Tea, perhaps?”

  “Some tea would be grand,” Cassi replied as she walked over and began to warm her hands by the fire. “I will get out of your hair as soon as I can thaw a bit to make it on back to town.”

  “Nonsense. Take all the time you need and wait until this storm clears. I’ll get your spices to Mr. Baker,” Tio told her.

  “Oh, no. I couldn’t ask you to do that. It’s horrible out there!”

  “Don’t worry about me. I can get through snow like none other.”

  Cassi shot a worried look at Maggie, but Maggie just smiled and shrugged. There was no reason for her to be concerned about it, as she was fully aware that he would shift into his tiger form and carry the spices into town. The wind might affect the wingspan of a dragon, but it was one place where the tiger had an advantage, with being low to the ground and stealthy.

  “I just wouldn’t forgive myself if anything happened,” she said.

  “Nothing will. You just stay here as long as you need and keep warm. I’ll be back before you know it. Where are the spices?”

  Cassi reluctantly handed him a small burlap satchel. He laid it on the table and smiled at her.

  “Let me get into some warmer things, and I’ll get on my way. We can’t keep the patrons waiting!”

  “Thank you, Tio. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

  “My pleasure,” he assured her before grabbing his travel bag and heading to their private chambers to put on his heavy clothes for travel.

  Though he knew he would slip out of them and shift once out of sight, he had to keep up appearances. A few moments later, he returned, kissing Maggie on the cheek and heading out. Slipping into the woods nearby, he stripped down and stuffed his clothes in his travel bag, along with the spices. He shifted and grabbed the bag between his powerful jaws, running quickly through the underbrush, away from the heavy drifts outside the thick trees. Getting as close to the restaurant as he could within the woods, he stopped and shifted, quickly jumping back into his clothes before taking the spices inside.

  “Oh, I feel horrible about sending her out in this,” Mr. Baker told him when he explained how he had ended up with them.

  “She’s fine. She said it wasn’t this bad when she left, that it just came up all of a sudden.”

  “Yes, it seems to have. How did you manage to get here in this nonsense?” the man marveled.

  “I’m just used to it, I suppose,” Tio replied, shrugging off the question.

  “Well, how about I get you a hot tea or cider and let you warm yourself before you go back out?”

  Tio was very anxious to get back to the inn and spend more time with Cassi, but it would seem odd if he made it back too quickly. He accepted the offer, settling into a table near a large iron stove and waiting. A moment later, Mr. Baker delivered a steaming hot cider and a large crust of bread slathered in thick, sweet cream. It was a treat, and he was more than happy to accept. He took his time to enjoy it before saying his goodbyes.

  “Cassi may be at the inn for a while until this clears, so you might want to let her family know if they come looking for her,” Tio told him.

  “I’ll make sure they get word,” Mr. Baker said with a nod as he stirred a large pot on the stove nearby.

  “Thank you for the bread and cider. It was delicious,” Tio told him.

  “You’re welcome. In fact, you are welcome to come in for a bite on the house anytime,” Mr. Baker told him. “Anyone who takes care of Cassi is a friend, in my book.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Baker. I’ll see you soon.”

  Tio returned to the inn, grateful to see that Cassi was still there. She and Maggie were sitting by the fire, sipping teas, and chatting away about some new material down at the mercantile that was ‘just exquisite,’ in their words.

  “Ah, you did make it back,” Cassi said as he stumbled into the front door, fighting to keep the door from slamming violently inward before heaving it shut again.

  “I did. I got the spices to Mr. Baker and asked him to let your family know you are safe.”

  “Oh, good. I feel like I’m with family here,” Cassi remarked innocently.

  Tio had to turn away for a moment, pretending to shed his heavy cloak so that she couldn’t see the water that threatened to trickle down his cheeks. He quickly regained his composure before turning back around, causing both of the women to laugh at him for some unknown reason.

  “Must have been quite a trip,” Cassi laughed.

  “What? Why?” he asked, not understanding.

  “Love, your shirt is on backwards,” Maggie chuckled.

  Tio frowned down at it to see they were correct and joined them in laughing. Cassi would assume he was better at navigating his dragon through a storm than she had been and had stripped to shift. Of course, she would be partially right.

  Chapter 13

  After Cassi’s day at the inn, Tio really struggled to keep his secret. No mat
ter what he had told Maggie, whatever promises he had asked her to make, he was becoming increasingly compelled to reveal himself to his mother. There had been a moment when she was leaving that he had almost thought she might know.

  “What is that on your shoulder?” she had asked, reaching up to pluck something free and holding it up in front of her eyes to look at. “It looks like a…” her voice trailed off.

  “Like a what?” he asked, before he got a better glimpse of what she held firmly between her fingers.

  “Like a tiger hair,” she replied uncertainly.

  “No clue,” he replied, his heart racing. “Doubtful there are any tigers in this part of the world.”

  She looked at him, studied his face closely, and then glanced away. He wasn’t sure if she could see the truth or if she was just reflecting on the one tiger she had known to be here before. Perhaps she wondered if he had come back, and how Tio had come into contact with him.

  “I suppose you are right,” she replied unconvincingly. “Anyway. I appreciate the hospitality. It seems to have settled down out there, so I should be able to fly home now.”

  “Be careful,” Tio told her, watching as she made her way out the door.

  He waited a few moments, giving her time to shift and get airborne. Then he stepped out to look up at her. There it was, the vision his father had described to him. The vivid colors of her peacock dragon stood out against the snow-covered land below her. It was beautiful, and he watched her as far as he could before returning to the inn to find Maggie looking at him with a sadness in her eyes.

  “Are you okay, my love?” she asked him.

  “I am,” he told her softly, pulling her close to him and hugging her close.

  “I know it must have been a mixture of sweetness and sorrow to spend the day with her in such close quarters,” Maggie replied.

  “It was, but it was good. I’m content with it,” he replied.

  What he didn’t tell Maggie was that he had wavered in his insistence that his mother never be told who he was. He had wanted to tell her so many times during the visit, but then she had plucked that single tiger hair from his shoulder, and he realized just how devastating it might be for her. He could see the anguish flowed over her person as she considered the possibility that Khalil might be nearby. In that moment, he knew it was too late to ever tell her the truth.

  So, his secret remained squashed. Soon, the incident had faded a bit in his mind, and then came the day when he was focused on other life events.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Yes. I’m certain of it,” Maggie told him.

  A broad smile spread across his face as he picked her up and twirled her around for a moment before realizing he might hurt her and sitting her delicately back down on the floor.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t do that now.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m with child, not turning into a fragile flower.”

  “You’ll be treated like a fragile flower!” he assured her.

  “I’ll be fine. I’m not the first woman to have a baby.”

  “You are the first woman to have my baby!” he replied, kissing her cheek.

  “Well, that’s a relief to know. I’d hate to find there are little bastards roaming around the countryside that will someday be landing on our doorstep.”

  “No doorstep children. I promise,” he laughed. “Come on. This calls for a celebration!”

  “Where?”

  “Let’s go to Mr. Baker’s restaurant and tell Cassi the news.”

  “You don’t want to go tell my father first?”

  “No,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Me neither, honestly. He’ll be thrilled about it, though.”

  “I know he will. Not as thrilled as I am, but close.”

  “I’m pretty excited about it myself,” she told him.

  They made their way into the next village, where they found Cassi at the pub rather than the restaurant. She was arguing with her father, and it didn’t look like she was winning.

  “I think that maybe we should wait,” Tio whispered to Maggie.

  “I think you are right,” she told him as they both slipped back through the doors and made their way over to the restaurant instead. Even if they didn’t reveal their big news just yet, they could at least celebrate with a nice meal.

  “Tio, Maggie! Good to see you!” Mr. Baker said heartily. The place was almost empty when they had come in, and he was in a nearby corner having a quiet discussion with a man who returned to the kitchen when they came in. He was wearing an apron, so they assumed he must be the cook.

  “You too, Mr. Baker. What’s good today?” Tio asked.

  He rattled off the preparations for the day, and they each agreed on a portion of meat pie and bread. He nodded and went off to the kitchen to get their food ready for them as they sat and chatted between themselves.

  “What will we name our baby?” he asked.

  “If it’s a boy, I’d really like to name it after your father, but I know we can’t,” she said.

  “It would be nice, but I can’t risk recognition of the name as more than coincidence.”

  “What about if it’s a girl?” she asked.

  “I have no idea!” he laughed. “I’m just too excited about it right now I guess. We will have plenty of time to pick out a name.”

  “Yes, we will,” she giggled.

  Their conversation was disrupted as the doors flew open and a visibly angry Cassi stormed inside. She didn’t even notice them sitting there, but instead barreled straight into the kitchen. A moment later, she stumbled back out, looking less angry. Instead, she looked a bit horrified by something. Seconds later, Mr. Baker emerged from the kitchen and approached her.

  “Cassi,” he began to say, a worried look on his face.

  She held her hand up toward him and shook her head, turning and practically running out of the restaurant. Mr. Baker scowled and returned to the kitchen. Not long after, he returned with their food. He seemed perplexed by something, but attempted to put on a pleasant face.

  “Mr. Baker, are you okay?” Tio asked, concerned about his rather gray appearance.

  “What? Oh, yes. I’m fine. Sorry. Just a bit of a misunderstanding,” he replied.

  “With Cassi?” Tio asked, equally as concerned about her.

  “Yes, a bit. It will be fine, though. Enjoy your meal,” he said, walking away quickly.

  “What do you think all of that was about?” Maggie whispered across the table.

  “I don’t know, but it didn’t look like it was very pleasant for anyone,” Tio told her.

  He and Maggie began eating their meals and tried to dismiss the odd events that seemed to be taking place around them. Instead, they put it out of their minds and began discussing plans for the baby.

  “We will need a room for the baby,” Maggie told him.

  “Yes, but we can’t afford to give up a room currently set up for lodgers,” Tio told her.

  Though they did well at the inn these days, they had just come off the hard winter and would be going back into one by the time the baby was born.

  “How about instead of giving one up, we gain one?” she offered.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “The piano room downstairs. It is huge and has an adjoining area that is open other than a sofa and chair.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Let’s move the piano out into the main parlor for people to enjoy. It will get much more use there, and it will free up the room it was in. We can make our private quarters in there with the adjoining area set up as the baby’s room. With that done, we can rent out our current room.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you’ve already been thinking about this?” he laughed.

  “Because I have,” she admitted bashfully.

  “I think it is a brilliant idea. We’ll get it all set up this week and go ahead and start renting out our existing room while we fix up the baby’s
room.”

  “Wonderful! Thank you!”

  “I will love doing it for you, for us, for our baby.”

  “Are you scared?” she asked, out of the blue.

  “A bit,” he admitted.

  “Me too,” she told him with an apprehensive smile.

  “It will be fine. We will get through whatever we need to and make it work,” he told her, knowing that her bigger concern was having a baby that shifted into a tiger, not the actual process itself.

  “I know we will,” she said softly.

  They finished their food and tried to pay for it, but Mr. Baker refused to accept their coins. They thanked him and left, not having told anyone their big news, but still excited beyond measure. Back at the inn, they began moving things from the room downstairs. Lauren brought her husband, who was oddly sober for a change, to help move the heavy things once they told her the good news. By the end of the day, they had everything transitioned, and it was only a matter of sorting them out properly.

  Tio was working upstairs to get the new room ready for lodgers, while Maggie put the smaller things away in the room downstairs. He was surprised when she came up less than a half hour later and asked how long before the room was finished.

  “Well, I am repairing a few things, and it still needs fresh linens and a washstand,” he told her. “Why?”

  “We have a guest that needs to check in,” she told him.

  “Just tell them that we won’t have a room until tomorrow. I won’t be finished here until morning.”

  “It’s Cassi,” she told him.

  Tio stopped what he was doing and looked at her with a confused expression.

  “Why is Cassi here? Her family has properties all over the village and plenty of relatives to stay with,” he said.

  “I don’t know exactly. She just said she had a spat with her family and that she had gone to Mr. Baker to see if she could stay at his home for a few days, but something happened.”

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. She didn’t seem to want to say. It must have been whatever caused her to run out while we were there,” Maggie replied.

  Tio sighed and nodded. Putting down his tools, he surveyed the room and looked back at Maggie with a look of exasperation.