by K L Rymer
Nora closes her eyes, hugging the green egg to her chest. It wedges between her big boobs. “Oh, I don’t think I can do this...”
Damien breathes a sigh, offering his hands out. “I’ll do it. You take a seat, Nora.”
The gorgon watches him doe-eyed. Tears shine in her big, green eyes. “D-Damien?”
The demon smirks. “My own fire can’t hurt me after all. Come on, pass me the egg. You’re Tinkerbell’s closest friend after all. It’s the least I can do.”
I narrow my eyes. Actually, I’m Tinkerbell’s best friend...
Teardrops leak from the gorgon, and I hear Felicity sighing happily, “That’s my Damien...”
Nora squeezes her eyelids tight shut, passing Zelina to Damien. “I’m... I’m sorry for threatening to turn you into stone. You really are a good person, Damien. I’m sorry for ever thinking you weren’t good enough for my friend...”
That’s true. Nora did say that Damien didn’t deserve Felicity when he bailed on us all in year one and broke the poor pixie’s heart.
How times have changed.
Now look at us all; we’ve even recruited the most popular girl at school.
We’re so going to be the most popular, badass house at the academy when we return. Everyone will be crying to join us.
Damien smiles tightly. “That’s okay, Nora. You were probably right.”
“Oh, Damien, don’t say that. You are good enough for me.”
He looks to his little pixie, but that forced smile doesn’t leave his face. “Means the world, Tinkerbell...”
The demon takes the green egg from Nora’s hand and approaches the flames. He closes his eyes, breathing in the scent of his own fire, then drops the egg.
He steps back once the fire changes form. It rises several feet, turning a bright jade green, and Nora gasps.
“It’s... it’s Zelina!”
A crack runs down the length of the egg, and soon a little claw pokes out. A baby dragon wails from inside, and I savor the sound.
So precious.
The egg continues to crack as the baby dragon scratches desperately at the shell, eager to escape and meet her rider.
All these babies have been in suspended animation for thousands of years. It’s only understandable that they want out immediately.
Finally, she bursts from the egg, shaking fragments from her smooth, scaly body, and I can’t stop staring at her colors.
Her scales are iridescent and seem to shine an array of bright colors. Her most notable color is green, just like her beautiful shell and the eyes of her new gorgon rider, Nora.
Nora cries crocodile tears as her baby dragon leaps from the flames, crawling straight toward her.
The gorgon scoops her up in her arms, promising her that they will be best friends forever.
I smile.
If only Brynmawr and Gwyneira were here to see this. They’ve just become the subordinate parents of a fourth baby dragon.
Chapter 17 - Matthew
I sit across from Myrddin in a fancy diner, one with a jukebox and everything, and I could get used to the ambience. There are even pictures of old rock stars like Elvis and James Dean.
It really is retro and hip in here. I remember the 50s well, considering I was still alive back then, being two-hundred years old and all.
I’ve seen two centuries in my lifetime. I saw the rise and fall of the Industrial Revolution, the invention of the automobile, and both World Wars I and II.
The powerful wizard sitting across from me though has seen two millenniums, yet he still looks no older than forty-five.
No one knows how he does it; it has puzzled the magical/supernatural community for years. My own father is only five-hundred years old and looks decrepit.
I shake my head as he wolfs down a tray of fries, slurping on a strawberry sundae with a swirly straw. He eats crap and can still stay in shape. That’s not unusual for most supernaturals I guess, but we still have to be careful.
“Simply delicious. I bet you’re jealous you never tried the sundae now too, hey, Mr Humphrey?”
I gaze down at my burger and coke. I haven’t even touched my food yet.
Myrddin offered to pay, of course (who am I to deny a date with Merlin?).
If only my father could see me now.
“Matthew, eat. You must be famished after searching for Bryn for so long.”
I meet the wizard’s sparkling green eyes, seeing his daughter’s staring back at me. I sigh.
“I can’t. I can’t even contemplate eating right now, Professor.”
“Please, call me Myrddin...”
My head shoots up in pleasant surprise. The old man winks, placing another fry in his mouth. His eyes roll back into his skull. “So divine...”
I blink. “I... I can’t call you by your first name.”
“Why not? We’re not at school, and besides... I’m not exactly your headmaster anymore. Your father is now.”
My blood simmers when I think about that smug bastard sitting behind Myrddin’s desk, and now I pick up my burger in anger, and bite.
Merlin’s fucking beard... that is good food. It hits all the right spots.
Myrddin beams. “See? I told you that you’d like it, Mr. Humphrey.”
I take another bite, watching him over my burger. I swallow, then say. “You were right, Mr Emrys.”
The wizard’s eyes enlarge. He still calls me Mr Humphrey; it only seems fair to use his sir name after all.
He chuckles then sips his swirly straw. We finish the rest of our food in silence as we both sit back, glancing around the diner.
A family with two crying toddlers sits across from us. One child peers up, and Myrddin pulls her faces. The baby laughs.
I roll my eyes. There’s just not a bad bone in this man’s body. He makes everything look so easy and flawless.
“So, Matthew... about that talk.”
I rattle the remnants of my empty glass, knowing that it would come to this. There was no avoiding the talk after all.
I look up, my grey finding his hazel. “You... you knew... didn’t you? That I was going to backstab you all.”
Myrddin leans back in the booth, wrapping an arm around the upholstered frame. “Yes. What can I say? I’m intuitive like that.”
I narrow my eyes. “So why didn’t you stop me? Stop my father? You could have really come in handy, you know.”
He shakes his head, sitting forward. “I think you misheard me. I never said I could see the future. I had no idea what your father was planning. I mean, the Black Dragon? Even I thought that was just a legend, and I’m a legend myself. I’m Merlin for crying out loud!”
The waitress looks up from behind the cash register. Myrddin chuckles, flashing her a winning smile. The young girl flutters her eyes and goes back to counting change.
I guess it’s true what they say; Myrddin does have a way with the ladies.
The wizard contemplates me now, his mind wandering elsewhere. “They say the Black Dragon was the first devil of the land. Even before Damien’s delightful father acquired the role.”
I cringe when he mentions Hellborne and his unholy father. They’re hardly delightful.
Myrddin peeks my way again, grinning from ear to ear. You wouldn’t think there was a war brewing with the way he acts. He’s just so blasé about everything.
He even was both of the times I beat the shit out of him. Every time I swung a punch his way, he would applaud me and say, “Good throw, Mr Humphrey!”
I squeeze my eyes, fighting off a sudden surge of emotion. “I’m... sorry... that I couldn’t be stronger. That I couldn’t fight his hold over me... I truly did want to make a truce, but then my old man got through to me again, squeezing my mother’s essence. I feel it... every time he presses his cold fingers around her beautiful soul. It hurts.”
Myrddin’s face cracks at my words. “Well... you and your mother are both connected after all. It’s universal. All mothers leave a trace of their souls in thei
r children...”
“Still, I apologise. But I promise to make it right again, Profess... Myr... I mean, Mr Emrys. I will help you and Bryn defeat my father and kill him. And I will get my mother’s soul back.”
A sad, misty sheen takes over the wizard’s eyes. “I believe you, Matthew. After all, you are courageous by spirit. Hence why I sent you to Audacious rather than Mendacious. As a half-human child, you should have been in the same house with the likes of Damien Hellborne, yet I had other plans for you. As the prophesied rider of the evil White Dragon... I wanted to test you. To see if you could outshine your fate and prove me wrong.”
I wipe my face, gazing around the diner. No one pays us any heed, the strange, oddball pair who talk of magic and prophecies.
“You probably should have sent me to Mendacious all along. I’m probably an even worse monster than Hellborne right now,” I say.
Truth be told, I would have preferred to be in Mendacious. I would have been with Bryn instead of Macson and all those other asshats. We would have worn black blazers together, the best couple at the academy...
Myrddin smiles tightly. “About your mother, Matthew... I know that you see it too, but... there’s only a small chance that you may be able to save her. Her soul has been separated from her body for far too long now. Humans are fragile creatures after all. She... may never wake again...”
I swallow, drawing deep breaths as the blood rushes through my head.
“No... you’re wrong. So long as there’s a small chance... I’ll take it.”
The skin crinkles around Myrddin’s eyes as he gives me that warm, fatherly smile, and now he reaches across, squeezing my shoulder. “Of course, Matthew. Of course. Let us hope.”
A lump clogs my throat when a memory of my mother flashes through my mind, her long, brown hair flapping in the wind as her grey eyes glint with laughter.
She truly was a beautiful woman.
I got my looks from her, but I still don’t hold a candle to her beauty. I’m nothing but a poor imitation after all.
Speaking of pretty women, I gaze back up at Myrddin and smirk.
He quirks a brow. “Matthew?”
“Bryn’s mother still has the hots for you. I thought you ought to know, Professor, so you can save her from that glorified pig. Bryn really wasn’t exaggerating when she talked about her stepfather.”
Sadness makes a home inside the wizard’s eyes now, and he dips his head. It’s like I’ve figured out how to suck the life out of him. Kind of like the time he sucked my powers from me.
“I see...” he says.
I chuckle, leaning back in my own seat as I stare out the window.
It looks like I will be with Bryn and Gwyneira sooner than I hoped.
Chapter 18 - Bryn
Brynmawr and Gwyneira soon arrived back at camp, and they were surprised to find yet another baby dragon.
Our horde is only getting bigger and bigger.
We have six dragons now in total. Only three more to go.
Brynmawr was the first to lean his neck down, and nuzzle noses with the pretty green dragon.
“Why, hello there... and what may we call you?”
Nora smiles enthusiastically. “Zelina!”
The Red Dragon chuckles. “Pretty name for a pretty little girl...”
Zelina wags her tail happily, squeaking back up at Brynmawr in pure delight.
She really is precious.
Sparkle Hearts gets jealous as she stomps over to stand by her new sister’s side, pining for a compliment from Brynmawr too.
He chortles. “Don’t worry, Sparkle Hearts. I haven’t forgotten you. You’re both beautiful girls.”
Both dragon babies squeal, and it seems my dragon is a natural with children. Little girls especially (he is a ladies’ man after all).
He better make the most of it while they’re still small and cute like this. As soon as both of those girls hit their teens, they won’t be his little princesses any more...
Gwyneira watches the baby girls just as smitten as my dragon, especially when they start play fighting, yet she still keeps her distance.
She’s the opposite of Brynmawr. She stays as far away as she can from the babies. Even now as they try to play with her, she backs off, readying her wings to take flight.
I study the she-dragon carefully, taking note of that heavenly glow of hers again.
I think it’s time I got them to confess. We’ve all been on the road together for weeks now. We’re a team after all, so no more secrets.
Time to get everything out in the open.
I take a breath. “Brynmawr, Gwyneira... it’s time to talk.”
Both dragons look my way. Brynmawr was just in the middle of pulling Zelina and Sparkle Hearts away from Gwyneira with his teeth, and now he holds them up by the tails.
Yet he doesn’t hurt them. He’s surprisingly gentle as they swing from his jaws, squirming to get free, and they could easily fit inside his mouth.
The Red Dragon cocks his head sideways, still carrying those wiggling babies inside his mouth. “Hm?”
I sigh. “Put the babies down and listen. I think there’s something you and Gwyneira need to tell us all.”
Brynmawr drops his head in shame, and now he lets Zelina and Sparkle Hearts go. They cry up at him in protest, and already I can see signs of their rebellious teen years. Zelina even produces a tiny spark of fire, but the Red Dragon sighs, blowing them both away.
They roll like tumbleweeds.
“Fine... we will tell you all...”
He peers at his mate, and she, too, looks just as guilty as she comes to stand by his side.
We take a seat around the fire, waiting for them to speak. Angelina and Zahara sit side by side, partners in crime. Damien stands to his feet, Shadow Stalker hanging off his shoulder like a hawk. Jack boxes with Buddy, his eyes riveted on the dragons. Sparkle Hearts and Zelina run back to their mommies.
Thomas looks as eager as I am to hear what the dragons have to say. After all, he’s been as suspicious as I am about their behavior.
“Well... you know how Gwyneira has been throwing up and not feeling quite like herself?”
I nod. “Yes. Not to mention how ridiculously shiny her scales have been lately, but continue, Brynmawr...”
At my words, the she-dragon glances at her scales curiously, trying to see their shine. She shrugs her wings when she doesn’t see it, then focuses her attention back on camp.
My dragon swallows hard, and I observe the lump going down his long throat. “Well, you remember that earth-shattering coitus that Gwyn and I had a few weeks back, right, Bryn?”
I wince. “Yes... please don’t remind me...”
It was also at the same time that Mattie and I had sex too, but that’s beside the point. An image of my dragon doing it is not what I need right now.
Damien makes a sound of amusement. “Nice, Bryndog... The best kind of sex there is, hey, Tinkerbell...”
Felicity gasps, covering Sparkle Hearts’ ears. Nora does the same with Zelina.
“Damien! I told you not in front of the babies!”
I roll my eyes, dismissing the two. “Shut up! So, you were saying, Brynmawr?”
The dragon lets out a great, big huff, and the fire almost blows out. “Well... Gwyneira and I... we...”
“We’re going to be parents,” the White Dragon answers for him.
A hush spreads through camp. No one utters a sound for a while. Only the babies continue to make noise.
Felicity blinks. “You... you mean that you’re...?”
Gwyneira nods. “Yes... I am pregnant.”
Again, shock and confusion flows through camp as we all look at the she-dragon’s belly.
I did think she was getting kind of chubby.
Gwyneira hisses, baring her fangs. “Stop staring at it!”
We all do as she says at once, and look the other way. You don’t mess with the White Dragon bitch after all.
“So, you’re having
an egg?” Felicity asks, and it just sounds so silly.
They’re having an egg.
Seriously...
It seems female dragons incubate their eggs for a few weeks before they lay them. They’re not quite viviparous but not oviparous either.
Sorry, I’m talking in zoology again.
As I’ve said, Dragons are neither mammal, bird, or lizard. They belong to their own, separate evolutionary timeline. One that surpasses our own.
“That’s right, Felicity,” Brynmawr replies. “And Gwyneira is close to laying our egg. The incubation time will soon be over.”
The pixie’s blue eyes sparkle. “So, do you mean that Sparkle Hearts will have a new brother or sister?”
“And Zelina too,” Nora adds.
“Don’t forget Shadow Stalker...” Damien chimes in.
“And Buddy.”
That deep, gruff voice came from Jack.
Brynmawr rolls his giant, golden eyes. “Yes. All your dragons will have a new brother or sister.”
The news settles around camp, and soon there are smiles all around.
Well, the more dragons the merrier, I say.
The only one who doesn’t look happy is Angelina, and I glare at her.
“Great. Another dragon...”
Gwyneira scoffs at the vampire. “That’s rich, considering you were looking so eager during the egg hunt the other day...”
The vampire bitch rises to her feet. “What can I say? I was feeling left out. That doesn’t mean I really want a dragon. I just don’t like to lose.”
She saunters off to her tent. As she passes Damien, Shadow Stalker hisses at her, and for once the wyvern and I are on the same page.
She hisses back. “Oh, fuck off, creep.”
Damien snaps. “Don’t talk to him like that!”
Angelina deadpans him then zips down her tent, disappearing inside.
She really is a heartless bitch, but I know she is lying through her perfect teeth. She totally does want a dragon. I see the way she looks at Sparkle Hearts every now and then, just as besotted as the rest of us.
Don’t worry... the day she hears her baby dragon calling to her, she’ll change her mind.
It’s magnetic after all. As the others have described.
