by Terry Spear
And fall out of the sky? Great.
“Now you see how he’s turning out of the circle? He wants you to practice a figure eight. One way and then the other. Do it as smoothly as you can.” Olaf had to shout for her to hear him as she flew farther away until they were closer to where he was again.
She envisioned him having laryngitis when he returned to the game site. She wondered what he was thinking about, concerning this whole business with her. She wasn’t from around here, hadn’t ever been to the games, was clearly a beginner, yet here Alton was kissing her in front of everyone.
She felt her whole body heat with mortification at the thought that more than just Willow had witnessed it. What if Halloran had? Or Ena and Brett? Would they suspect something was off with her too? Especially since she was certain they would know who Alton was seeing in a courtship way.
Alton suddenly was in her face, flapping his wings, hovering. What? Had she done something wrong?
Olaf wasn’t saying anything, just watching the two of them.
Alton was stunning, his brown eyes watching her, his violet scales striking, even if he wasn’t happy with them. She remembered what Olaf had said about him attracting females because of the color, and even the girl at the registration area had told her boyfriend if he’d been that color, she would have married him.
Then Kayla wondered if she looked like his sister instead of a mate. Horrors. Not that she wanted to look like his mate either.
What am I supposed to do? She wished Olaf would say something.
“You’re doing great,” Olaf finally said. “You’re keeping your balance and holding your hover. That’s really hard to do for a new dragon.”
That’s what she was doing? She thought this was easy. The circling and figure eights too. But she knew that it wasn’t the turns so much as concentrating on the way the wind lifted her wings. That’s what would get her into trouble.
Then Alton pulled away from her and did the weirdest thing. He flew up and down like an undulating serpent.
“That’s to feel the current and do short dives and follow up with going up again, up and a little ways forward and down, and so forth. It takes practice to be able to control shorter distance moves. It’s much easier to fly a long distance, then dive down, then level out, then soar upward again. This teaches you more control while you’re experimenting with the wind.”
This was weird. She felt like she was going to be seasick. Then Alton turned and smiled at her in a dragon way. She realized just how many facial expressions a dragon could have too. They could raise brows and smile, frown, the whole gamut of expressions.
When he landed on the ground, she did too. Then both of them shifted.
“Good landing,” Olaf said. “That’s important too. Takeoffs and landings.”
“How did I do on takeoff?”
“Like a pro,” Alton said. And he sounded like he meant it.
Which made her feel so much better.
“Okay, now some practice with your fire,” Alton said. “But I’ll let Olaf show you, and I’ll comment from down here.”
She realized she really liked the way Alton showed her how to do things. He was infinitely patient. She braced for this next part because fire was so dangerous. She didn’t want to catch anything on fire, though she knew the dragons were shielded from burns.
For a good half hour, maybe longer, she flew high above toward clouds that had formed a hole and she could no longer hear what Alton had to say, so she just followed Olaf’s lead. He blew fire through the hole. And then before it closed up, she hurried to do so too. That was the trouble with clouds. The wind was moving them around so much, it was hard to use them as a target.
When they finally finished, they landed on the ground near Alton. “Well done,” he said. “Now for your final lesson. It’s time to practice smoking.”
She frowned at him. Only when she was annoyed could she puff a bit of smoke. She didn’t realize she could, until she huffed in her dragon form when she hadn’t liked something Sigrid had told her.
“You breathe out smoke instead of fire.” Alton showed her how he could form perfect rings of smoke, one after another.
“Showoff.”
Then Olaf showed her how he could blow a smoke ring through a larger one.
She tried, but all she could do was blow a little billow of it, no rings. Nothing cute.
Both of the guys shook their heads. “Don’t sign up for any of the smoking games,” Alton said.
Which made her want to prove she could do it.
“We’d better get back and turn in her game sheet,” Olaf said, and they both looked it over and marked the things she could try.
“I need to sign up for my barracks too.”
“No. You’ll stay with me,” Alton said.
Her jaw dropped. In a castle? With the dragon fae? If her mother ever knew, she’d have a heart attack.
Olaf chuckled. “Alton couldn’t decide whether he wanted to stay in the comfort of his castle or the barracks where he could learn more about his competition. Looks like he’s got another reason to stay at home now.”
“What about you? Are you going to check out your competition?” Kayla asked.
“Not me. I never worry about it. I’d much prefer my own bed to that of the bunk beds in the barracks. No one to carry out my wishes. The food is average. I love the games, hope I never tire of them, but I still want to enjoy my own accommodations.”
“Have you ever won any of the competitions?”
“Several.”
She glanced at Alton.
“More than his.”
“But you win by checking out those who are competing against you. Will this handicap you?”
“Nope. I was seriously leaning toward staying home.”
“He’s hurting still from the bolt in his side, if he didn’t tell you,” Olaf said. “I already suggested he’d get more rest being in his own bed at night.”
Kayla stared at Alton in disbelief. “You’re hurting still and you’re out here helping me to improve my skills? And you’re still competing in the games in the expert competitions?”
“He can’t let it go. If he had two broken wings, he’d still be flying.” Olaf smirked.
“If I had two broken wings, I’m sure I would be at home resting. Are you ready to go?” Alton asked, sounding annoyed with his friend.
“Won’t I be in trouble for not staying in the barracks?”
“I’ll let them know where you’ll be. And Willow also, since you’ve made friends with her, and she might be worried about you.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Do you want to fly there? Get some more practice in that way?” Alton asked.
“Sure, that would be great.” Though her wings ached from using them, and when she shifted, her arms were sore from the exercise.
“See you at the first qualification test in a couple of hours?” Olaf asked Alton.
“Yeah, see you there.”
The three of them shifted and then they flew back to the area where they were holding the registration, except that Alton broke away from Olaf and headed due east and Kayla quickly caught up to him. Not once did his scales change colors, and she wondered when they would again.
When she saw the castle ahead, she suspected it was his, no one else’s. What a way to live as a dragon in a castle like that, the four main towers on the castle walls stretching to the heavens, the keep in the center covered in a copper roof that glistened in the sunlight.
She knew the jobs they took on could be dangerous, nothing like her planting lavender fields unless she burned herself with the weed wacker. Just like his mission to rescue the human and Muriel. She wondered what he was paid for his help in the venture. Shouldn’t she have gotten paid too?
Yes. Alton should pay her back her jewelry. Maybe that’s why he was bringing her here. So she could show him which was hers. Then again, would he even have the treasure here? Or hidden somewhere else?
As s
oon as they landed in the inner courtyard, they shifted and men and women came out to greet him.
“My butler, Ferdinand.”
The man bowed. He wore a navy blue suit and his hair was silver. “My pleasure, mistress.” He bowed again, but his eyes glanced in Alton’s direction as if questioning why she was brought here.
“Lydia is Cook. She makes astounding dishes.”
The redheaded middle-aged woman smiled and curtseyed, her blue eyes also shifting to Alton.
“Please prepare the meal at once. We’re headed back to the prequalification trials right after we eat.”
“Right away, sir.” She hurried off.
“These are my maids: Kitty, Belle, and Dorinda.”
The ladies all curtseyed.
“And my man-at-arms, Solomon, who is in charge of all the soldiers under my command when we’re not at battle.”
“You have soldiers?”
“Yes, a garrison of them. I maintain them for my queen if she’s in need of a force. Come, let’s go inside and Kitty can show you your quarters.”
“Thanks. You really don’t have to—“
“I do. For your protection.”
“If you really want to protect me, why don’t you just give me my locket, and I’ll be on my way.”
“You need to prove to yourself that you can do this. It can build character.”
She snorted.
“You were fascinated by us practicing. I’m giving you the opportunity to have some fun with it. You’d never be able to do this otherwise, would you?”
“No.” And she had to agree she was having fun. After this, she would go back to being strictly a golden fae, working on her lavender gardens, and spreading the joy they would bring. She loved that too, but this was just pure fun for a change.
Alton showed Kayla his gardens while Cook prepared the meal. “Okay, you say Sigrid made you the way you are.”
“Temporarily.”
“You know she fought me for your locket. I couldn’t have been more surprised when out of nowhere, this falcon comes and attacks me.”
“For my locket? Are you sure? She never mentioned a thing about it to me.” Kayla glanced at the mermaid fountain and paused to watch the water flowing from her pitcher.
“Yes. Why would she want your locket?”
“To make me owe her? That’s how she works. I don’t know. She can’t use my locket to make my lavender fields grow for her own benefit. I was gifted with the ability when I was born.”
“Why would she want to make a deal with me to give her both of the lockets? I thought she was supposed to be your friend.”
“She’s an odd sort. She lives by herself, creates potions for all sort of things from encouraging people to love someone to even having a baby—according to Tanya. She says the queen’s baby was the result of Sigrid’s magic, but no one has said for certain. She also can cast all kinds of spells. As you can see with me. So why won’t you just give me my locket?”
Alton took her hand and walked her through more of the gardens. “I don’t want you to go home right away, now that you’re here. I never knew anyone who wasn’t a dragon who would continually imperil herself to come to the dragon fae territory. I have to admit you intrigue me.”
“I’m not doing this to intrigue you, dragon. I’m doing this to get my locket back. It means everything to me. Didn’t you hear the part I told you about how it makes my lavender plants grow? Without it, I would be banished from the kingdom.”
Alton shook his head. “I can’t imagine they would do that to you.”
“Well they can! What are you going to tell people about how you know me? Here I am someone unknown to everyone and then there you are kissing me in front of them.”
“Smooth move, don’t you agree?” Alton was smiling down at her warmly, not cockily, or she would have socked him.
“No, I don’t. I think it’s going to cause all kinds of speculation and all kinds of questions are going to be asked now.”
“So we tell them the truth.” He guided her into a maze of evergreen shrubs at least twelve feet tall.
She gazed up at the shrubs that stretched to the sky. It was amazing. “No way. Are you crazy? Don’t you remember what happened the last time you told them I was a golden fae? Here I save your life and they want to throw me in the dungeon!”
“The truth in part, I should say. You saved my life a while back. Which you did. It’s been like four or five days. And you and I haven’t seen each other in a while. Some four or five days. We just connected. Which we did—over the locket.”
“How was I supposed to have saved you?”
“Fae seers, like you did. Only that time you distracted the fae seers and the bolt missed me. So see? Almost the same story. Easier to remember that way.”
“And why did no one else see me?”
“Most dragon shifters go on missions alone, unless there is a need for more of us to get involved. When anyone from the royal houses are missing, lots more of us are out looking for them.”
“Okay, so if anyone asks how long ago we met?”
He smiled. “Couldn’t have been too long ago or I would have kissed you before that.”
“You are so conceited.”
He laughed. “You don’t remember the exact time.”
“Did you recognize me when you saw me?” She still worried about that because he seemed to know right away who she was.
“You mean you’re worried someone else might recognize you. I don’t know. At the farmer’s market when you saw me flying overhead, you didn’t look to me like Kayla. But you weren’t afraid of me, just like Sigrid wasn’t and you were with her. Then when I returned, I overheard you and Sigrid talking and you had said the oddest thing, making it sound as though you were Kayla and not some other friend of Sigrid’s.” He stopped her and held both her hands. “I believe though once I saw you up close, smelled your sweet lavender scent, looked into your blue eyes, and heard you speak, I would have known beyond a doubt it was you.”
“What about the others who had seen me?”
“Brett, Ena? Maybe Muriel? They might know you. And Ryker, as observant as he is. But Halloran? Probably not. He didn’t see you for hardly any length of time, did he?”
“No.”
They heard footfalls, but Alton released only one of her hands. Was he really going to pretend they were courting so he could protect her? Even in front of his staff? Then again, she supposed that was a good idea if he thought one of them might turn her in if someone learned what she really was. She liked that he was. It made up some for him not giving her locket back. Yet, some part of her liked that he wanted to see her a while longer.
Ferdinand called out, “Supper is ready.”
“Coming!” Alton smiled at Kayla. “That’s the first time he’s ever announced the meal from a distance. He must be afraid to interrupt us.”
Kayla headed for the castle. “We’ll have to let him know nothing was going on!”
When they sat down to eat, she marveled at the crystal water glasses and gold-edged dishes. She was used to her mother’s plain green clay dishes and mugs, nothing fancy.
The food was much more extravagant than she and her mother ate also. Wild boar served with new red potatoes, gravy, small loaves of white bread, hearts of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, and red cabbage made into a salad, all fit for a king and queen. Or in this case, a wealthy dragon.
She suspected he always ate like this. That it wasn’t anything special for her visit.
Two of the maids stood by watching them, as if waiting to serve them further.
“I’m fine, aren’t you?” Kayla asked, not seeing the point of making the servants wait for more orders when she truly didn’t believe they would need anything else.
Alton smiled at her, then motioned to the women that they could go. They inclined their heads, smiled at her, and then left.
“Thank you,” she said to Alton.
“You are going to totally spo
il my staff. Then what will I ever do with them?”
Kayla thought he was teasing about it.
After they finished eating, Alton asked, “Are you ready to go back to the registration area?” Alton asked.
The maids cleared away the dishes.
“Sure.”
“No transporting. Let’s fly. That will allow you to practice some more.”
“What about people saying something about your scale pigment if we show up wearing the same color?”
“They’re saying enough as it is. I’ll just continue to ignore them like before.”
“You sure it doesn’t bother you?” She was certain it did as they walked out into the courtyard.
“No. Maybe we’ll start a trend, only no one else but us would have our shade of scales.” Then he frowned. “Why do you have that color? Surely you had a choice.”
“It’s the color of the lavender blossoms. A medium violet. I love that color above all else. Though I don’t normally wear a lot of it in my wardrobe. For this, I wanted that one.”
“I guess it makes sense. I wonder if she could change mine back to the way it was.”
“Sky blue? Beautiful.” Then she frowned at him before they shifted and flew off. “You don’t think this has anything to do with Sigrid, do you? That she enchanted your scales so that you would continue to change colors until you returned her locket?”
Alton gaped at Kayla for a moment. “By the gods. What if she is the reason for this?”
Kayla raised her brows in question. “So do we take her locket back to her and ask her?”
“No. After the games are done, I’ll show you my treasure, and you can tell me which lockets are the two of yours. I owe it to you, not to her.”
“What if she doesn’t change you back to the way you were before?”
“I’m getting used to it. Maybe not so much the violet color, but I think some of the others are pretty cool. It’s made me somewhat of a celebrity around here.” He looked a little worried, frowning a bit. “The time is approaching for you to prequalify for your games. Are you ready?”
