Seeing is Believing

by Sasha L. Miller

  The rest of the room was furnished with a soft-looking padded chair and a small dresser. There was a tiny window next to the bed, letting in light, but Ty didn't think he could twist around to look and straighten himself out after looking, so that would wait.

  It smelled clean, at least, so it was probably a guest room. Hopefully Reid had people checking up on him regularly. He didn't want to wait hours to talk to someone, though with his luck he'd be asleep whenever anyone came to check up on him.

  Stifling a sigh, Ty decided to just go back to sleep. Maybe if he tried to sleep lightly, he'd wake up if anyone came in. Shifting a little, he paused when the door opened quietly. A small, wooden tray preceded Reid into the room, and Ty stared, curious because Reid looked rather grim.

  He was still limping too, and Ty hoped that was more the arrow wound than the burn mark—and that he didn't spontaneously start setting things on fire now that he was awake.

  "You're up," Reid observed, looking a little surprised. There was a tiny bandage on his forehead, and Ty tried to remember Reid being hit on the head.

  "Barely," Ty replied, clearing his throat when the words came out hoarse. "Where are we?"

  "Melari," Reid said, crossing the room to Ty's bedside. He set the tray down on a tiny nightstand that Ty hadn't seen. "You're in the Collegiate's infirmary."

  "The Collegiate?" Ty asked, trying not to eye the food too greedily. He was hungry now that the smell of food was so close. "This is an infirmary?"

  "Yes and yes," Reid answered, smirking. "Hungry?"

  "Yes," Ty admitted, wincing as he shifted. "How long was I out?"

  "It's been about a day and a half," Reid said thoughtfully. "Messengers have been sent out to Ari and Caj, so they'll be heading in. Ytha didn't bother going after them since they don't have magic."

  "Good," Ty muttered. "You did bring that tray of food for me, didn't you?"

  "Thought you'd still be asleep," Reid replied cheerfully. "I brought it for me."

  "Uh-huh." Ty narrowed his eyes. "So you were going to sit in here with my unconscious body and eat?"

  Reid laughed, reaching out and tugging on a bit of Ty's hair. "You're cute when you're annoyed."

  "If you don't feed me, I will eat you. You're closer," Ty threatened. And it was totally the heap of blankets on him that were making his face heat the way it was.

  Reid laughed, but obligingly picked up the tray and set it on Ty's lap. Then, ignoring the chair at the bedside, he clambered up on the bed with Ty, nearly upsetting the tray as he climbed over Ty's legs to settle against the wall.

  "What happens now?" Ty asked, digging into the still-steaming food laid out before him.

  "Now …" Reid paused, looking thoughtful. "You've got a choice. The Collegiate is a school for mages. You can stay here and learn how to control your powers, or you can run off and try to master them by yourself. The Collegiate is half funded by the Vasijile and half by the government. If you want to learn here, you have to be sponsored by one or the other."

  "Sponsored meaning they'd pay my way and I'd work it off after?" Ty interpreted, frowning a little as he continued decimating the plate of food.

  "Yes," Reid confirmed. "It's only a year of service, though of course they'll pay you for any time you work after."

  "Would I be rescuing mages?" Ty asked curiously, and Reid laughed.

  "That's volunteer only," Reid replied cheerfully. "Though about half of the mages we rescue do at least one run at it."

  "Why do you do it?" Ty asked without thinking, still half-focused on his food. "You were rescued?"

  "In a sense, yes," Reid said slowly, studying Ty thoughtfully. "I used to be a power source."

  "A power source," Ty repeated, frowning. "You supplied power for another mage?"

  "Yeah," Reid admitted, reaching out and snagging the steaming cup from Ty's tray. "The King's Mages all have a group of power sources they use to bolster their own energy. I was in one of those groups for a few months before we managed to take the bastard by surprise. There were six of us in the group; I think three of us made it out."

  "That's terrible," Ty said quietly, accepting the cup when Reid passed it to him. "So Ytha would've brought you back to that?"

  "Probably. I think she was angling to keep you for herself. You've got a high energy capacity," Reid said cheerfully. "And fire magic, which isn't very common. Maybe it's something to do with your hair color—"

  "That's not funny," Ty muttered, taking a sip of what turned out to be a rather sweet tea. "I thought you said I was barely worth anything magically."

  "I lied," Reid said with a shrug, smirking a little. "Not like you knew the difference."

  Ty rolled his eyes. He'd bet Reid also made a good rescuer because he was a jackass and made the rescued mages burn off their suppressants quicker.

  "I recommend you go for the schooling so you don't catch anyone else on fire," Reid said after a moment.

  "That was accidental," Ty defended absently, shifting a bit to set the empty tray down on the nightstand. He couldn't hide a wince when the movement set off another sharp pain through his side, and Ty hoped that didn't last too long.

  "Exactly," Reid said, stealing the teacup from Ty and taking another sip. "If you're in a lot of pain, the doctors can medicate you."

  "No," Ty dismissed, frowning at Reid and carefully taking the teacup from him. "It hurts, but not that much. Only when I move."

  "I still haven't decided whether I should hit you for that or thank you," Reid told him gravely.

  "Don't worry about it," Ty muttered, cupping the teacup between his fingers. "It got us here and it's not going to kill me."

  "Right," Reid muttered, his face twisting briefly. Then he suddenly grinned. "Good for one thing at least. The High Circle decided that rescues need to be done in pairs now."

  "Good," Ty said firmly, scowling. "You should have enough mages to teleport people straight there. It's safer."

  "And won't result in emergency teleports into the secret High Circle meeting room," Reid said cheerfully. "During a secret meeting, even."

  "Oh, no," Ty groaned, but he couldn't help laughing a little. At least he'd passed out at that point, though that certainly wasn't much help.

  "Means I have to find a partner though," Reid said, making a face. "Why do all the stupid mages volunteer for rescues?"

  "Um." Ty bit his lip to keep from smiling.

  "Not that it matters too much right now," Reid said thoughtfully. "I've been confined to the campus for six months. Just because I targeted the one room I knew would be safe."

  Ty shook his head, sipping at the now lukewarm tea. "So how long does this training take?"

  "Depends on how fast you master the material," Reid said, smirking. "The smart mages can do it in about three months. Average is six months. Any idea what you'll want to be doing in six months?"

  "You assume I'm only average," Ty pointed out. "I could take just three months to learn it."

  "Or you could go a whole year," Reid countered, and Ty half wanted to smack him for his tone and half wanted to laugh because it seemed Reid couldn't help but be a jerk.

  "So can I volunteer for rescues if I'm working off my year for being sponsored?" Ty asked, trying not to smile too much. That would ruin the little game they were playing.

  "It's all I've ever done," Reid confirmed. "And I've been here for two years."

  "Likely no one else will stoop to taking you as a partner," Ty mused thoughtfully. "Especially if you're not allowed to leave the campus for six months."

  "I'll have you know, I would make an excellent partner," Reid defended haughtily.

  "Is that an offer?" Ty asked, smiling despite himself. Reid smirked, his eyes bright as he watched Ty play with the teacup.

  "Depends," Reid answered. "You're not allowed to set me on fire again."

  Ty laughed. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

  "You set me on fire, Ty," Reid said lecherously, winking. "I'm not likely
to forget that anytime soon."

  Ty blushed, rolling his eyes. "Yes, singed flesh does that to everyone."

  "You're cute when you're mad, but you're cuter when you blush," Reid said, smirking. "And I like your smile, too."

  Ty scowled at him, wondering if maybe he'd made an imprudent decision to partner with Reid. Reid snickered, reaching out to tug on a bit of Ty's hair.

  "You said yourself no one else would have me," Reid drawled, liberating the teacup from Ty's lax grip.

  "That wasn't what I meant," Ty protested half-heartedly.

  "Uh-huh," Reid said, completely disbelieving. He was smirking too, and Ty narrowed his eyes, deciding that if anyone asked what he was doing, he'd blame it on Reid slipping something in his tea.

  "It wasn't," Ty maintained, but he didn't make any move to stop Reid as he shifted closer. "But I guess I'll take it."

  "Oh, yeah, say it like you mean it," Reid said, snickering. Ty couldn't help but laugh a little himself, shifting a painful bit forward to bump noses with Reid. Reid wrinkled his nose, and his kiss was surprisingly gentle as he brushed his lips against Ty's.

  "That's all you're allowed," Ty mumbled, sagging back against his pillows.

  "For now," Reid agreed cheerfully. "You're fragile, I understand."

  "If I could, I would kick you right now," Ty said solemnly. "Get out of my bed, I'm going back to sleep."

  "Yes, princess," Reid agreed cheerfully, clambering over Ty quickly, but not actually running into him. "Sleep well, don't let the bedbugs bite."

  "Go away," Ty huffed out, fighting a laugh. Reid bowed quickly, then scooped up Ty's tray and left with a wink. Ty shook his head, bracing himself before rolling over quickly. He landed on something hard, and Ty winced before digging out the teacup that Reid had left buried among the covers. Smiling, Ty curled his fingers around it and let himself fall asleep again.

  Courting a Dragon

  Joachim tucked the round, ripe fruit into his knapsack, carefully examining the other oranges on the branch. Picking out another, he stood up on his tiptoes and tugged it free of the branch, smiling faintly when it all but fell into his hand at a simple touch.

  Tucking it with the other oranges he'd picked, Joachim hesitated a moment before deciding he had enough to last him a few days. Any longer and the fruit would start to spoil. Humming softly and only slightly off-key, Joachim turned away from the trees and launched himself into the air with a quick, forceful beat of his wings.

  The flight back to the clan's settlement wasn't long, something for which Joachim was grateful. He didn't want to be out in the open for too long; he wanted to minimize the amount of time Iselli could corner him.

  Landing carefully—it was always a little tricky in the small form—Joachim shook the hair out of his eyes and settled his wings comfortably against his back.

  Glancing around quickly, feeling furtive and a little annoyed that he felt the need to skulk about his own dwelling, Joachim started walking to the entrance to the den he and his mother had built when they'd moved here.

  "Good morning, Joachim," Iselli's ever-cheerful voice greeted from behind him. Joachim sighed. He'd been so close, too.

  "Good morning, Iselli," Joachim greeted flatly, turning to face the current bane of his existence.

  Iselli was smiling—smirking, Joachim corrected himself—and generally just being the epitome of the strongest, most handsome and popular dragon in the clan. Iselli could have his pick of paramours, Joachim knew. He also knew Iselli had had quite the pick; he'd never had a lover who'd lasted more than three weeks, much to the amusement and entertainment of the entire clan.

  Joachim didn't play that way, so he was doing his best to ignore Iselli, even if it didn't seem to be working. It actually seemed to make Iselli more persistent, but Joachim wasn't about to give in now.

  "Are you having a good morning, Joachim?" Iselli asked, leering a little. Joachim rolled his eyes. Subtle, Iselli was not.

  "It's been fine," Joachim answered, keeping his words short and clipped. Iselli didn't falter, sauntering across the bit of ground between them. His iridescent blue-green wings shimmered in the sunlight, and Joachim forced himself to stare at Iselli's forehead and not his hips. His own wings itched to shift restlessly, but Joachim ruthlessly ignored the urge.

  "Come with me to the springs?" Iselli asked, cutting straight to the chase today. Joachim sighed, rubbing his fingers against his cheek.

  "No, Iselli," Joachim said, his usual answer.

  Iselli pouted, as he usually did, tilting his head sideways and giving Joachim a speculative look. Then he deviated from the normal script.

  "Afraid?" Iselli asked, more than a small amount of mockery in his voice. Joachim narrowly resisted the urge to rise to that challenge and smack the brat. His wings probably gave him away anyway, tensing behind him. Iselli smirked, giving him a challenging look that probably would have had a younger, more reckless dragon pouncing him out of sheer aggravation. Joachim just scowled, more annoyed than usual.

  "Have a nice day, Iselli," Joachim said stiffly, a little soothed when Iselli's challenging and mocking smirk slid into a look of surprise. Joachim turned away, slipping between the branches of the trees that guarded the entrance to his den, safe in the knowledge that not even Iselli was rude enough to follow him here.

  *~*~*

  "It didn't work," Iselli complained, growling under his breath as he sat down heavily next to Telhin. Telhin just laughed loudly, earning them twin reproving stares from the elderly dragons bathing on the other side of the lower spring.

  "Shut up," Iselli sulked, staring at the water below their perch morosely. "Why is this so hard?"

  "Because Joachim has more than rocks for brains?" Telhin suggested with a grin. "Because you don't know how to deal with someone who isn't throwing themselves at your feet?"

  "But why isn't he?" Iselli asked, knowing he was being petulant but not caring. "He gave off all of the right signals at first. Still does, sometimes."

  Telhin laughed loudly again, earning another dark look from the bathing dragons.

  "Well, perhaps he wants to be wooed," Telhin suggested. "Like, what's-her-name, Marnin did."

  "Maranil," Iselli corrected absently, frowning thoughtfully. "I don't know. I don't think Joachim would be too impressed with sickly flowers."

  "So give him something he likes," Telhin suggested with a shrug. "My sister says she's always seeing him around the orange grove."

  "Wooing him with fruit?" Iselli frowned at Telhin suspiciously. "I don't think that will work."

  "Better than trying to challenge him into a tryst," Telhin said, starting to laugh again. Iselli glared, shoving an elbow into Telhin's ribs.

  "Shut up. It could have worked," Iselli grumbled, shifting the plans in his head. He'd try the fruit gift, if only because he was running out of ideas. Iselli tried not to fidget, staring down at the springs. He really wanted Joachim to smile at him, like he hadn't smiled since his mother had caught the wasting sickness last summer.

  Telhin started snickering at him again, and Iselli sighed loudly, reaching out and pushing Telhin off the ledge and into the deep pool of water below them. Telhin came up squawking and Iselli smirked, settling back to plan the wooing of Joachim.

  *~*~*

  Joachim hesitated at the opening to his den, momentarily debating how much he really needed to eat before sense caught up to him. Really, cowering in his cave like a little girl, what was wrong with him? Stepping outside quickly, Joachim frowned when his eyes immediately landed on Iselli.

  He utterly refused to wonder how long Iselli had been sitting there—long enough to have gotten comfortable where he sat, and that was more than long enough.

  "Hello, Joachim," Iselli greeted cheerfully, smiling brightly as he stood up. Definitely waiting for Joachim, then, and not randomly loitering outside near Joachim's den for no reason.

  "Iselli," Joachim greeted wearily. Perhaps he should give in, just to scare Iselli away. But no, Joachim had
more than enough reminders of how alone he was now that his mother was gone. He didn't need more, and Iselli playing with him for a few weeks definitely would hit all the wrong spots when he moved on.

  "These are for you," Iselli announced, thrusting a small sack into his hands. Joachim blinked, startled by the sudden move, and he barely kept from dropping the sack. The top of it gaped open, displaying brightly colored oranges.

  Joachim stared at the fruit for a moment, confused. Iselli had given him a gift. Of oranges.

  "A token of my affection," Iselli spoke up when Joachim looked up at him.

  Joachim sighed, refusing to think too far into this. Iselli was just trying something new since his other attempts at getting Joachim's attention had failed.

  "Iselli," Joachim started, frowning softly. Iselli's smile faltered, a flicker of… something akin to sadness flashing through his bright eyes. Joachim's chest tightened and he had to remember to breathe for a moment. "I … can't eat these all by myself."

  Iselli blinked, taken aback for a moment before breaking into a bright smile that had Joachim cringing on the inside because it was too happy, and one of the reasons that any dragon in the clan succumbed easily to Iselli's attention.

  "Do you like oranges?" Joachim asked, resigned to being stupid this afternoon. even if it would only encourage Iselli later.

  "Yes," Iselli said slowly, still smiling happily. "Do you want to …" Iselli stopped, looking heartbreakingly nervous for a moment. He glanced down at the bag of oranges curiously, but didn't finish his question.

  "Do I want to what?" Joachim asked, a little mystified that Iselli had stopped. Iselli was bold enough to suggest they go to the springs every time they met—obviously meaning the topmost private springs, not the public bathing springs—so Joachim wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was that Iselli couldn't bring himself to suggest now.

  "The cliffs have a great view," Iselli said, his wings shifting restlessly. "We could eat oranges there?"