Drakon_Awakening

by Erik Schubach

  A beautiful dragon of blue and yellow flame gracefully glided down on wings of fire to my side and landed gently. The flames faded, revealing possibly the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her eyes were red with long black slits and her smile, framed by an unruly mane of red hair, was one of excitement and greeting.

  I stood in shock in front of this magnificent woman. She reached out a hand and laid it on my cheek. I wanted to lean into the contact. She smiled sweetly as her red eyes became sparkling green. “Greetings child. It is time for the awakening.” She tilted her head as she looked at me. She looked surprised. “Has it truly been so long?”

  I looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean? Who are you?”

  She smiled again. “I am Caragh, Queen of the Dragons. We went into hiding as humans so very long ago. But your being here means the awakening has begun. The Drakon can now walk among men again. You are my child. And the new queen. There can be only one female per clan.” Then she looked sad. “The Eire are the last clan of the Drakon. It is up to you to shepherd them in this new time, and to protect humankind.”

  I stared at her in shock. “I'm... I'm a... dragon?”

  She laughed in mirth. “Of course you are. Our kind has apparently slept for far longer that I could have imagined.”

  It was then that I realized we were both speaking the Old Irish.

  When I went to ask her to explain more, she just smiled and said, “I will visit again. Right now your soul bond is worried about you. Go to her.”

  I could hear Quinn's voice calling my name from far away as Caragh burst into a majestic flaming dragon again and took to the sky as the dream faded. “Come on you impulsive, hard headed, Irish tempered woman! Wake up Myra.”

  I woke up in my bed in the safe house with a bandage on my left arm and a new shirt on. My bra straps were cutting into my shoulders. My head was in Quinn's lap and I could taste her concern in my mind. Dear lord in heaven she is beautiful. I reached a hand up and cupped her cheek. She leaned into it and closed her eyes. Then she suddenly shook her head and looked at me. “Are you projecting your...” She paused. “Never mind. Glad you could join the party. We need to get moving. The safe house has sort of been compromised you know.”

  I grinned at her and looked at my arm. She shook her head and I knew her answer before she said it. I sort of felt the relief in her. “It is already healing but I bandaged it so the other agents don't see. I told them it was a minor graze.” She paused and looked at me fondly. “You healed me... and took the injury upon yourself.”

  I nodded and stood. I noticed she was in her 'hot agent' garb already. I looked at myself and gave a shy grin. “Umm, who changed my clothes?”

  She blushed a little and then straightened up. “I did. Don't worry, you don't have anything I don't.” She paused then added comically, “Except scales.” Oh my lord. I barely stopped myself from snorting at that.

  I scolded her with my eyes, though I was greatly amused, and she hesitated again. “I'm probably losing it, but are you laughing?”

  I tilted my head. “I guess I am.” Were we feeling each other? She was my protector, I knew in my soul now more than ever that she equated to safety for me. Then we both chose to ignore it and made our way out into the mess of agents and crime scene investigators. Quinn bent down for a second and pocketed something then led me into the garage. The main door had been bent and forced open. That explains the attacker from the garage.

  We got into the SUV and proceeded to back out and travel in a randomized route to who knows where. We were flanked by other vehicles and I saw a helicopter zig zagging over the city. I looked back and saw all my research and my bag of clothing were in the back seat.

  I looked at my protector. “I saw her Quinn. In a dream. I saw Caragh. She said... she said I was a dragon.”

  She tilted her head and looked at me then back at the road. She was digesting the information. We arrived at another safe house, this time on the outskirts of the city. It was a small, charming little house with an attached garage. We pulled into the garage and the door closed then she turned to look at me apologetically. “Home sweet home. I'm sorry, but we won't be leaving here until this is all comes to a conclusion. We can't risk having you out in the open again where they can track our movements.”

  I understood, but I didn't like it. Why was I locked up and the bad guy was out there somewhere, free. The thought barely got out when Quinn said, “We'll get him. You won't be penned up long.” Then she paused. “You didn't actually say...” Then she shook her head and led the way into the little two bedroom house. Curtains were drawn over every window like the last place.

  I could feel her intense mood. She was laser focused. It had to be my imagination. I chanced looking stupid. “Since the attack tonight. Have you felt... I don't know, it sounds stupid. But have you felt more... in tune with me? I swear I can feel your moods.” I paused. “Never mind, I sound ridiculous.”

  She shook her head as she swept the rooms with a hand on the weapon at her hip. “Actually I have. And some of your moods have been ummm... contradictory to the situation at times. Is this an elemental or dragon thing?”

  I shrugged. “I don't know.” Then my mind drifted to what I had read earlier on the scrolls. The blood tie? I remembered Quinn's bloody hand covering my bleeding arm. Is this what it meant by 'the same' or 'as one', did we somehow create this blood tie?

  She turned around and said by force of habit. “Clear.” Then she tilted her head. “Blood tie? Explain.”

  I blinked at her. “I didn't say that out loud.” Then I added. “In the scrolls, it referred to a special bond between a dragon and a human. But there were portions of the writings missing. The gist of it was they would be 'as one.' Shite, are we somehow bonded to each other now? Caragh said something about a soul bond.”

  She rolled her eyes humorously. “Just great, now will I experience your temper in three dimensions?”

  Why the cheeky... “There'll be none of that nonsense now.” The taste of her amusement was divine as I chastised her.

  The sun was coming up and none of us could sleep. We settled in at the dining room table and pulled out our research and hunkered down to work when Quinn got a call. When she hung, up she informed me that there have been three more reports of shard shock incidents across the globe in the past couple days. One in Stockholm, one in Prague, and one in London.

  There was also a bizarre report of the Russian military accidentally killing a professor at Lomonosov University in Moscow. The soldiers reported a large stone, winged lizard going berserk in the library and they opened fire on it and took it down in a maelstrom of automatic weapons fire. When they checked on the body, they only found the bullet riddled corpse of the professor they must have hit by mistake. The creature had seemingly escaped.

  I cringed. That's how humans are, they see something they don't understand so they kill it. The poor professor was probably just freaking out when the dragon abilities manifested themselves.

  She informed me that Interpol was taking the other three into protective custody until we could stop Blaine and they were currently raiding Blaine's house and businesses in London.

  I was really getting into the translation of the second scroll by mid morning. Quinn forced me to stop for breakfast. I tried to protest, but she assaulted me with her concern for me through our strange link. I squinted my eyes at her for cheating and using our newly discovered link that way, and I could taste her delightful amusement as we ate.

  I had to go to the bathroom to adjust the straps of my bra, it was getting too uncomfortable. I looked in the mirror and stopped for a second. Were my breasts bigger? Probably just a little extra fat from how badly I have been eating since I arrived in Denver. But I still smiled a little at what I saw. I wasn't quite as flat as a board right now. My A cups seemed to be flirting at the edge of a B cup now.

  Then we went back to work. It seems the scroll was a first hand account of Saint George's peace mission to the dra
gons of the Eire. During the talks. Marauders continually attacked the dragons. Killing them one at a time. George had come up with a plan to keep the peace with the leader of the original elementals, Caragh, Queen of the Dragons.

  They seemed to have been developing a romantic relationship during this time. That solidified for me my supposition that the Drakon were human in form,

  It was the dragon magic that the humans feared. If that were gone, then they would have no reason to attack. Some sort of enchantment was formed by an oath of the blood. Some human blood and dragon blood were needed. The essence of dragon magic would be locked away in a stone... the Fire Stone. Leaving the dragons as human and no longer a perceived threat to humanity. Then Saint George could take Caragh's hand in marriage when she became human.

  Once humanity had grown, to be able to accept the dragons and the magic they wield to protect the land... there would be an awakening. That resonated with the dream I had, Caragh spoke of the awakening. I was starting to think my dream was actually real. But I also wondered if this was really supposed to be the time of the awakening. Mankind would be even more adverse to dragons and actual magic than in the past. I doubt man could ever co-exist with another race that they perceived as dangerous.

  I wonder if it was the accidental breaking of the Fire Stone that has brought forth the premature awakening.

  Around lunch, Quinn guilted me into taking a break. I was about to complain, but she was looking too damn cute with that little smirk on her face. Whoa, did she just blush? Mmmm that tastes good. She pushed me toward the couch. “Hey, enough of that kind of thinking. Lunch is on the way.”

  As we waited, she pulled up a news station on the television. Finally, the night caught up with me and I nodded off while we waited for the food.

  I was on a mountaintop, looking down over a cliff to the valley below. “Jaysus!” I backpedaled and fell unceremoniously on my arse. My lord. I'm terrified of heights, this was a nightmare.

  A chuckling beside me made me snap my head toward its source. Through my panic I was shocked to see Caragh sitting beside me, picking some wildflowers out of the grass covering the ground. “Why are you so afraid?” She stood and offered her hand to me and helped me stand. She just smiled as she was weaving the flowers together in a band.

  I looked at her. Making sure not to look down into the valley. I pushed her question aside. “Do you know what Blaine is after? What is a blood tie? Is it this soul bond you were speaking of.?”

  She chuckled again, her red dragon eyes changed to green human eyes. “So many questions. I do not know of this Blaine. But the blood tie, surely you know of it if you pledged yourself to your soul bond.”

  I squinted at her. “I didn't pledge myself to anyone.”

  She looked confused. “But the blood tie only works if the feelings already exist on both ends. You are now one.”

  I had no clue what she was talking about and I clenched my fists with my arms firmly at my side to control my temper. I felt a crinkle in the dress I was apparently wearing now. I grabbed a piece of paper from the sash that was tied at my waist. It was a picture of Reginald Blaine, but he was dressed in some sort of armor.

  I held it out to her to see. “This is Reginald Blaine, he is killing people who have started an awakening. We don't know what he is after, but it has something to do with the Fire Stone.”

  Her eyes went wide in alarm and recognition as she blurted out. “Get away from him! You are in danger!” She placed the crown of flowers that she had just woven, on my head. “You are now the Queen of the Dragons! Fly! Command the skies!” Then she pushed me off the cliff.

  I woke with a start and Quinn was standing in front of me with her weapon drawn, her eyes darting all around the room. I smiled and reached up and placed a hand on her arm. “It's ok Quinn it was just a bad dream.”

  She hesitated and then relaxed. I smiled at her protectiveness over me as she holstered her weapon and sat back down beside me. She whispered hoarsely, “You were terrified.”

  I lowered my head. “I'm sorry.” Then I brightened. “I saw Caragh again. She recognized Blaine and said I was in great danger. That's one for me 'duh' pile. But then she threw me off a cliff and told me to fly. I'm terrified of heights, I don't know why she would be doin' that ta me.”

  Quinn was comforting me in my mind and she placed a hand lightly on my arm. We both jumped a little at the knock at the door. She grinned, I got the impression she was telling me “Your eyes.” I realized that everything was enhanced since I had woke up. “Oh. Sorry.” I grinned and my world became smaller. She squeezed my arm reassuringly then went to the door.

  She checked the peephole, and as always her hand was on her weapon when she did so then she opened the door and accepted the bag of food from another agent. She closed and locked the door and grinned at me. “Burgers.”

  I snorted. After all of this is over I'm going to have to start eating better. I glanced apologetically down to my new girls, I would miss them when I lost this extra weight I was gaining.

  I looked up and Quinn was looking at me with a crooked smile and a playful glow in her mind. “They do seem a little bigger than when I first met you.”

  I could feel the burn of a blush making its way down my neck. “There'll be none of that now you surly wench. And keep out of me head. There's food to be eaten.” She opened the bag and threw a french fry at me. Which I deftly caught without even thinking about it. I grinned and popped it into my mouth. Then we sat down to eat.

  Our conversations during lunch were extremely odd, tasting each others feelings and moods as the topics progressed. She finally stopped and asked. “Is this... permanent?”

  I chuckled. “Like I'd be knowing any more than you on the subject?” She grinned and I got the distinct impression she was blowing a raspberry at me. “Oh, now that's real mature Agent Trask.”

  She acted innocent as she went to take another bite of burger. “Surely, I have no clue what you are talking about Doctor O'Connell.” I grinned and ate, feeling a warm glow around her I was getting quite comfortable with.

  We sat back down to do our respective work back at the table. Quinn was coordinating with the Bureau. They were not having any luck finding how Blaine was getting around. They suspected privately chartered planes. The man was using all cash since he wasn't leaving an electronic footprint to track.

  The surviving attackers from last night claimed to have no memory of what happened or vague dreamlike recollections. They were just average people with no link to each other. They had strength and fighting skill last night that were beyond any of their backgrounds. Neither did any of the other dead men and women from the attack.

  I had finished with the second scroll. Apparently it took the blood of a dragon and the blood of a human to seal the dragon spirits away in the Fire Stone. So Caragh and Saint George performed the spell. Binding them to the stone.

  But then something horrendous happened. The druids found the bodies of all of the newly human dragons in the caves of the Drakon the next morning, including Caragh's, and the Fire Stone had vanished. Saint George was heartbroken and returned to England to inform people of the death of the last of the dragons.

  I was reflecting upon how sad it was that lovers were torn apart like that when my iPad started chirping a video call. It was Mei, I smiled and I looked at the time as I accepted the call. It was after hours at the museum.

  I opened my mouth to greet Mei when my blood ran cold. Mei was standing there with a thrall rune mark on her forehead, holding a knife to her own throat. She was smiling though like nothing was going on. “Hi Myra, Reggie says he wants to propose a trade to you.” Quinn was suddenly beside me, making a call on her phone.

  I was freaking out but trying to be calm. “Mei. Please, put the knife down.”

  In her normal cheerful voice she said, “Oh I can't do that. He said I was supposed to kill myself in front of you if you didn't agree to meet him for the trade.”

  She seemed obliviou
s to what she was actually saying and doing, acting like this was just a normal conversation. She slowly started moving the knife and I could see blood starting to coat the blade.

  I shouted, “No! Stop! Ok! What does he want? What is this trade?”

  She stopped and said, “He'll trade me for you and the new shard from the Fire Stone that showed up today. He needs your heart.” She held up a little box in her other hand with a little smile. “He has half of it already.”

  I could hear Quinn quietly telling her team to get to the museum and to detain Mei and to be gentle.

  Shite, shite, shite! “Fine! I'll do it... just put down the knife.”

  She shook her head. “Not until he has you. Just get to Steamboat Springs before midnight for your next set of instructions. Come alone or I have to kill myself, he'll know if you don't” Then she cut the connection. I was barely aware of the flickering of flames around me and my heightened senses.

  I whispered, “Oh me lord.” I started crying. Quinn was instantly there hugging me and soothing my mind. Her scent told me I was safe, but I was so terrified for Mei.

  Then I realized I was afire and touching Quinn. I yanked back so I didn't burn her, but she held on, soothing me. “Shhhh... it's ok. I don't feel them.” I looked at her through my tears. She was right. The flames weren't affecting her though the floor was smoldering where I stood.

  I concentrated and the flames died out. Then I whimpered, “Quinn, he has Mei.”

  She nodded. “I understand. We can't let you meet with Blaine. It is too dangerous.”

  What!? They were going to let Mei die? I yelled “NO!” My fist came down on the table, splintering its top and snapping a leg. Our items tumbled to the ground in a clatter. Almost instantly two agents were inside with weapons drawn. I caught the impression of her saying “Your eyes.” and I willed away my senses before the men could see. Quinn just stood between me and them with a hand in a fist pointing back at them, an apparent 'hold' signal. They holstered their weapons and retreated back out the door.