I remained in my room that day, buried under my covers despite the sweltering heat. When they finally returned, it was dark out and the chirping of crickets filled the air.
Mom and I waited at the front door, clutching one another. Dad appeared first, looking like he’d seen a ghost. Trailing behind him was Trey, and next to him was Nicolas, who carried a wrapped bundle in his arms.
It took me a moment to realize the bundle was my sister. Next to me, Mom let out a wail. Her sisters—my aunts—flocked around her, words of condolence spilling from their lips. My vision went blurry with tears, but then Trey was there, leading me around to the side of the house, away from the others.
“I can’t do this,” I confessed. “I just need… I need…” But I didn’t know what I needed.
Somehow, Trey did. He folded me in his arms and let me cry on his shoulder. He didn’t say a single word, but he still managed to comfort me.
***
My parents and I wanted a small funeral for Maya, but in the end it seemed like the entire city showed up at the beach that day. A human had never been killed by a dragon before and amongst the condolences were whispers of fear. More than once I heard someone ask, “Are we safe now?”
But then the most extraordinary thing happened. My parents, Trey, Nicolas, and I were standing at the head of the crowd, the waves lapping at our bare feet. Maya’s shrouded body was resting on a wooden raft, waiting for us to push it into the ocean for her final journey when the sound of thunder filled the air. Everyone looked to the skies, confused, because there wasn’t a cloud to be seen for miles.
Then dragons appeared, one after the other. Some people shrieked and fled, but most of us remained where we were, stunned.
Senia dropped down next to me, carrying the hatchling by the scruff of his neck. She placed him down in the wet sand and he ran to me, nearly knocking me over. It’d only been four days since I’d last seen him, but I swore he’d doubled in size since then. His eyes had also changed color, turning from black to blue, like his father’s.
“Hello, you,” I said, hugging him. I could still pick him up, but he definitely weighed more. “What are they feeding you?”
Another dragon dropped down next to Senia. Aristo. I flinched and stared at Senia, wondering if Aristo was here to scold me for luring his son down the mountains unattended.
“Nerine,” the gray-scaled dragon said. His voice silenced the crowd, and everyone turned their gaze to Aristo. The other dragons landed silently behind the crowd, watching as well.
“Y-Yes?” I asked, shaking. Trey stood next to me, shoulder to shoulder, and after a moment’s hesitation, Nicolas joined me on my other side. I hadn’t exchanged a single word with him since his return, mainly because he’d been avoiding me. Honestly, I didn’t mind simply because I didn’t know what to say to him when he was grieving as much as I was.
Even the hatchling had gone quiet as we waited for Aristo to speak. Imagine my surprise when, instead of saying anything, the great dragon lowered his body to the sand, just as Senia had done. She glanced at Aristo and followed suit, as did the other dragons who were flanking us.
“We are truly sorry for what happened to your sister,” Aristo said. “It was my fault, and I am prepared to face the consequences.”
Alarmed, I looked at Senia, but she was avoiding my gaze. “What consequences?”
“I will leave the mountains,” Aristo said.
I tightened my hold on the hatchling. “I don’t understand.”
“I am the leader of this clan. Something like this, this act of senseless violence, never should have happened under my watch. But it did. Because of me.” The dragon raised his head, holding my stare with his ice-blue eyes. “I was ready to give up on my children, which Grendel and Uster encouraged. Instead of letting their words poison my ears, I should have listened to my mate or her sister. If I’d done that, both Aster and Maya would still be alive today.” His gaze moved to the hatchling I carried. “Along with my two other children.”
“So you want to leave? How will that fix anything?” I asked. “And what about your child who lived? He already lost his mother. Do you think he should be without his father, too?”
Aristo grimaced, as if my words physically wounded him. While I didn’t want to cause him any pain, I was glad he was listening to me and understood what I meant.
“Aristo, I accept your apology,” I said, “but please don’t make your son an orphan. I don’t see how punishing yourself by leaving the mountains is going to help. It won’t bring my sister or Aster or the other two hatchlings back.” I took a step closer to him, lowering my voice. “Please don’t spend the rest of your life blaming yourself for this. Yes, you wanted to give up on the eggs, but you changed your mind. Aristo, you changed your mind. That should count for something, shouldn’t it?”
He studied me for a long moment before nodding.
“What happened was awful, but it was an accident,” I said. “I truly believe they hadn’t meant to kill my sister or Aster. I wish Grendel and Ulster had stayed away from Aster’s cave that night, but I can’t blame you for what happened, even if you’re the leader. Being a leader doesn’t mean you control your clan’s every thought and movement. That’s not how it works.”
Even though I’d been speaking quietly, I realized everyone was leaning forward, straining to hear my every word. I flushed and looked to my parents, wondering if they were the ones Aristo should have been speaking with. They were the ones who’d lost their eldest child.
But when I glanced at them to make sure this was all right, they were giving me teary smiles. “When did you grow up?” Dad asked. “My brilliant, selfless daughter.”
“We love you,” Mom whispered before they hugged me. I was still holding the hatchling, and he squeaked, startling us into laughter.
“Is this Aster’s son?” Dad held out a hand, which the hatchling sniffed curiously. “What a handsome lad.”
“Your daughter saved him,” Senia said, her eyes gleaming brightly. “And they are quite attached to one another. If it’s all right, we’d like to come visit Nerine.”
“Senia?” I gasped. “What about waiting until he was older?”
“That little imp,” she growled. “He keeps sneaking out to find you. I’m exhausted already, and he’s only four days old.”
While my heart soared at Senia’s words, my parents exchanged worried glances. “Mom? Dad?” I asked, squeezing my hands into fists. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just…” Mom trailed off, swiping a tear from her cheek. How quickly her laughter had turned to tears. “We already lost one daughter to the dragons. We can’t lose you, too, Neri.”
My mouth parted with surprise. I hadn’t even thought of that.
What a terrible, selfish monster I was. Hadn’t my parents been through enough already?
Senia was watching my parents, her expression a mixture of sadness and determination. “I understand your reservations, but these two… They need one another. I strongly believe my nephew will help your daughter heal. And she will help guide him as he grows into a dragon that would make my sister proud.” She dipped her head, bowing to my parents. “I swear to you, nothing will happen to your daughter.”
A dragon’s promise was not something to be taken lightly. My parents stifled gasps of surprise, once again looking at one another as they silently communicated. I held my breath, the hatchling studying the situation with a sharp look in his eyes. He was quiet, as if he understood the seriousness of the situation.
My parents nodded, both blinking back tears. “We would never keep them apart,” Dad said. “We could never do that to either of them. Not when it’s so obvious how much they already care for one another.”
As I felt a surge of relief, the hatchling’s head bobbed up and down and he let out a loud squeak that was pure joy. We all smiled at that before the mood turned somber again.
Those who had known Maya had already said goodbye before the dragons’ arrival,
and now the only ones who were left to speak were my parents, Trey, Nicolas, and me.
Trey went first, kneeling in front of Maya’s shrouded body as he spoke quietly to her. The rest of us kept a respectful distance as we waited for him to finish. The hatchling watched everything from where he rested in my arms.
After Trey finished, he stood, brushed the sand from his knees, and joined me, his eyes red-rimmed. His parents came forward and his mom hugged her son tightly while his dad, seeing me looking, gave me a sympathetic nod. Trey’s parents had spoken to my parents for a long time this morning before we’d come down to the beach. They’d been shocked by Maya’s death and, like so many others, had pledged their help to my parents. But my parents were like me; they needed time to mourn alone.
Nicolas went next, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. I wondered what his final moments with my sister had been like. Had Maya gotten the chance to tell Nicolas that Aristo wanted to give the eggs more time? And had they reconciled? I hoped so, for both of their sakes.
When Nicolas finished, he kissed his fingers before touching the shroud. Then he backed away, walked past me, my parents, and his own parents without saying anything, and kept going. I wanted to call out, to tell him to stay, but Mom shook her head at me. “We all mourn in different ways, Neri.”
I’d been jealous of Nicolas for stealing away my sister, but at that moment, I felt awful for him. He loved her; I knew that. I’d always known that. He was hurting, just like I was hurting. As I tightened my grip on the hatchling before stepping forward, I knew eventually I would have to reach out to Nicolas if he wouldn’t come to me first. Maybe I could take away some of his pain, and he could do the same for me.
I knew it would take a long time to heal, and we would probably never again be entirely whole, but together, maybe we could start that process.
Chapter Sixteen
I stood in front of my sister’s wrapped body as the waves pounded against the surf. It was scary how brief our lives were. Just eighteen years, and my sister was already gone.
“So, Maya,” I said, “look who came to say goodbye.” The hatchling sniffed at the shroud before making a small, sad noise. “You never got to meet him, but this is one of Aster’s babies. He hatched, just like you and Aster knew he would. He’s a fighter, this one. Even after the egg was cracked during the fight, he still managed to survive. And look at him. Isn’t he amazing?”
The hatchling looked up at me as a tear rolled down my cheek and splashed against the top of his head. “I just wish… I wish you’d survived, too. It doesn’t seem fair that I’m the one standing here holding Aster’s baby when she was your dragon. When you were the one who stayed up in the mountains with those eggs waiting for them to hatch. You never gave up hope; you knew they would hatch. But you never got to see what was inside, and that is so unfair. I…” My voice broke off and I had to steady myself before trying again. “I feel really guilty that I’m alive, Maya. And I know you’re probably really angry at me for saying that, but it’s true. You shouldn’t have sent me away. You should have been the one to take the egg and run. And maybe that’s what you planned to do, but then that dragon…” I shook my head. I couldn’t say what had happened to my sister aloud. “But maybe I shouldn’t have listened to you. The one time in my life where I actually listened to you, and look what happened. I should have stayed put, tried to grab another egg, and waited until I knew you were next to me before I left. And then maybe you’d still be alive.
“Or,” I said with a sigh, “maybe we’d both be dead. And this little one never would have survived. So I don’t know if I should be mad at myself for listening to you, mad at you for ordering me to go, or happy that you were brave enough to send me away. Maybe you knew, Maya. You knew how dire the situation was, and you saved my life.” I glanced at the hatchling. “Our lives. So how can I be mad at you for that?”
I trailed off, staring at the water. The sun was reflecting off the deep blue waves; even on this sad and horrible day, it was still beautiful. Maya had always loved the beach, had always said she’d wanted to explore the waters. Now she finally would.
“I will make you proud,” I said, standing a little straighter. The hatchling copied my posture, climbing up so his front feet rested on my shoulder while he nuzzled my neck with his face. “I won’t throw away this chance you gave me. Me and this dragon… We’re going to live our lives, Maya, so make sure you watch us.”
I put the dragon down so I could hug the shroud. “Goodbye, my sister. I love you.”
Sobbing openly, I scooped the hatchling back up and returned to my parents. They gathered me into their arms again and we rocked back and forth, crying, as all of Meradell and the dragons looked on.
***
After my parents spent their final moments with Maya, the raft was pushed into the ocean. My stomach clenched as the raft sailed away from us. I knew Maya was gone, but this made it final.
When the raft was about one hundred yards away, the dragons lifted their heads in the air and roared in unison. The noise was deafening and unlike anything I’d ever heard before. My sister would have loved it. In my arms, the hatchling tried to copy the noise, but all he succeeded in making was a squeak. I smiled at him through my tears.
People started drifting from the beach, heading back to Meradell. My parents, Trey, and our closest friends and family remained, watching the raft grow smaller and smaller. When it was a dot on the horizon, the dragons took flight, heading back to the mountains. Only Senia and the hatchling remained.
When we could no longer see the raft, the rest of us left the beach and headed home. But when I rounded the corner and saw the crush of people already gathered on our lawn, my feet slowed to a stop. I didn’t want another day of hugs and tears and casserole dishes and hearing how sorry they were for my loss. I just wanted to go somewhere quiet with Trey, the hatchling, and Senia. When I told my parents this, they hesitated, and I thought for a moment that they would ask me to stay. Then their eyes traveled to Senia, who stood by the road, watching us. Maybe they recalled Senia’s promise to keep me safe, because all they said was, “Don’t stay out too late.”
Now it was my turn to pause. I wished I could reassure Mom and Dad that I would be all right, but did I really know that for a fact? Even with Senia’s pledge to protect me? Aster had made a similar promise and we’d thought Maya would be safe in the mountains. But sometimes, no matter how hard we tried to protect our loved ones, things happened that were out of our control. Again I wondered if I was being selfish, making my parents worry about me while they were still reeling from losing Maya. But if I didn’t go, if I stayed here, I would suffocate.
“Neri.” When I continued to stand there, torn, Mom touched me on the arm. “Go. It’s all right.”
I hugged first her, then Dad. “I love you both so much. And I’m always going to come home, no matter what.”
“We know,” Dad said, petting the top of the hatchling’s head. “We trust you, Neri.”
“And we love you, too,” Mom added.
After hugging them both again, I headed for the lake in the center of the city with Trey and Senia trailing behind me while I carried the hatchling. It was hot, and my long, black skirt made me hotter still. Already Trey was shucking off his vest to reveal a plain cotton shirt underneath. At the lake’s edge, I placed the hatchling on the ground and scooped up a handful of water to splash my face. The hatchling, after watching me, tried to imitate my movements, but he only managed to land, face-first, into the water. Clucking impatiently, Senia picked him up by the scruff of his neck, like a mother cat carrying her kitten, and plopped him back down on the shore.
The hatchling squeaked and ran back into the water, diving in and drenching my skirt in the process.
Sighing, Senia sat down and gave me a look. “Don’t let him drown,” she said before shutting her eyes.
“Like I would!” I chased after the hatchling. “Come here, you.” He thought we were playing a game and ran
off down the shore. Cursing as I slipped on a patch of mud, I slid off my shoes, lifted my skirt, and followed him.
Trey joined us, trying to block the hatchling from the other side. This excited the baby dragon even more, and he ran circles around us, hooting and squeaking up a storm. When he saw a gaggle of geese resting by the lake’s edge, the hatchling made a beeline for them. The geese honked in alarm, flapping their wings and heading into the air before the hatchling could reach them. A few black and white feathers rained down from the sky and the hatchling snapped at them.
Trey and I exchanged bemused glances. “I’m glad he’s here,” my best friend said. “He’s a good distraction.”
“The best.”
We watched the hatchling playing with the feathers. Eventually, he realized we were standing there and came running back, a feather hanging from his jaw and mud streaked across his gray scales. “Look at you,” I scolded. “You’re a mess.”
The hatchling dropped the feather to honk loudly, startling both Trey and me. He sounded so much like the geese he’d just scared away that it was uncanny. I couldn’t help myself; I started laughing.
And I couldn’t stop.
The laughter turned to tears, and I knelt there, clutching my stomach. I felt guilty for laughing when I’d just said goodbye to my sister. It was too soon. It was wrong.
“It’s all right,” Trey said, kneeling next to me.
I wiped some of my tears away with my fingertips. “Is it? Why should I be allowed to have fun when Maya is dead?”
“Neri.” Trey shook his head. “Do you really think your sister would want you to be miserable?”
“I don’t know.” The hatchling’s goose feather blew in my direction and I snatched it from the air, running my finger across the length of it. It was soft and tickled, but the quill was strong, tough. Even if I tried to bend it in half, I knew I wouldn’t be able to.
My sister had always been the strong one. I was the reckless one, the jealous one. I’d watched her grow up and leave to be with Aster and Nicolas, and I’d resented her for that. Instead of forging my own path, I’d focused my energy on what she had. And now that she was gone, I was lost. “Who am I supposed to follow now, Trey?”
Run and Touch the Sky (Smoke and Mirrors Novella Book 2) Page 10
