Dawn

by Marcus LaGrone

Gavin’s eyes went so wide, Dawn thought they were going to fall out of his skull. He had frozen mid-stride with all of his fur standing on end.

  Dawn suddenly realized what she had said and burst out laughing, “That’s not what I meant! Okay, I’ll turn to face you. Lynn, would you please loosen the back of my dress?”

  Confused but happy to help, Lynn did as she was asked.

  “You think I’m cute. Not weird, not a freak?” interrogated Dawn.

  Gavin nodded sharply.

  With that, a blue flash announced her wings winking into existence. She slowly spread them as far as she could without touching the buildings.

  Lynn gasped, “They are beautiful!”

  Gavin stared with wonder, “I keep asking the same question: Dawn can you get any more incredible?” With a broad smile he embraced Dawn, lifting her off the ground and slowly spun her around.

  Chapter 18

  Dawn pumped her wings hard as she flared for a landing. After the long hours of practice she’d been putting in, she was able to hit it perfectly! As she paused to catch her breath, Heather came running up from the ford to her.

  “Can you carry me up in the sky? Can you, can you, can you?” pleaded the bright-eyed Heather.

  Dawn laughed and tousled her hair lightly, “Not yet, little one. I need to get a lot stronger before I can do that.”

  “But Maria says you must be really strong already.”

  “Well, there is strong and then there is very strong. I need to make sure I could handle both our weights safely. I don’t think Second Mother would let me right now anyway!”

  Maria smiled broadly from her seat by the trees. “Give poor Dawn a chance, little one. She is right: safety first. Falling down the stairs is one thing, falling out of the sky is another.”

  Dawn winked her wings out and tried to close the back of her dress up.

  “Come here, Dawn. Let me help you with that,” beckoned Maria.

  Dawn scampered over to Maria who expertly laced her dress closed. “How’s that?”

  “Much better, thank you.” Dawn suddenly bit her lip, “Um, I never did apologize for not telling you about the wings earlier. I’m very sorry. It seems stupid that I’d tell Gavin before I’d tell you.”

  Maria just smiled as she rearranged Lily, “Actually, you have apologized before. I think this is the third or fourth time. It’s all right; I understand. You started to tell me a dozen times. The important part is you told me, and you did it on your own terms.”

  “Well, it was tell or have someone else leak it out,” murmured Dawn.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. It took a lot of strength to do it. More so in front of Gavin than me. You knew I would love you regardless; Gavin was a perceived risk. And what a low risk it was! He is fifteen, growing fast, and a smart young man. He wasn’t going to be petty or superficial. He is one of Llewellyn’s favorites in class. Do you think Father chooses favorites lightly?”

  Dawn had never thought about that; Father had some strange friends, but they were all wonderful people first and foremost. “It does seem so silly after the fact.”

  “It does indeed. But now it’s over and we move forward.”

  A strange thought suddenly came over Dawn, “Okay, I have a weird question. Father said he never told anyone else, but he never said people didn’t already know about my wings. Did you know about them?”

  Maria laughed softly, “Llewellyn is a bit of a wordsmith isn’t he! To answer your question directly: no, I did not know. Ivy knew and had warned me that you might be even more shy than warranted by your horrible situation, but she never said why. She knew that it was a touchy subject with your late sisters, so she didn’t want to force the situation. Just letting time take its course.”

  “Ivy kept secrets from you? That doesn’t seem right, especially with you being Second Mother.”

  “It wasn’t secrets, per se. It was just one little aspect of you that she felt deserved a bit of privacy. If it had been anything odd, I’m sure she would have told me.”

  Dawn rolled her eyes, “Yeah, we all know what passes for normal around Dad.”

  They all laughed.

  “And, going full circle, the Twins discovered your secret about three weeks ago, but apparently they only told Father.”

  Dawn shook her head, those twins! They were always sneaking around. How did she ever think she could keep a secret with them coming and going!

  “How would you have felt if I had known about your wings, and all those times I knew you were struggling to tell me, I was just leading you along. Do you think I’d be that mean?”

  Dawn laughed and hugged Maria, “No way! You are way too nice.”

  “I’m glad you think so, because you still have reading to finish before your friends get here,” she mock scolded.

  “Yes, ma’am!” smiled Dawn as she dug for her books.

  Dawn rushed to the edge of the meadow to meet Gavin and Lynn. She had finished her reading in the nick of time! Gavin hugged Dawn as they met and Lynn giggled at the pair.

  “What is so funny?” asked Dawn lightheartedly.

  “Oh, just you two,” replied Lynn. “And to think Kate thought she could bust you two up.”

  “She still doing chores at your place?”

  “After nine days her mother finally dismissed her. As much fun as it was for her to be running errands and things, I’m kinda glad just to not have her around.”

  Dawn nodded. The novelty would wear off and then you’d just be stuck with a sourpuss around all morning long. “But nine days? She must have stuck her tail in her mouth a few times. I thought it was just for a week.”

  “Tail in mouth and started to swallow,” laughed Lynn. “She smarted off to my Second Mother on day one, not a good start. But enough of her!”

  Dawn could agree with that! She held hands with Gavin as they walked across the field to where Maria had Lily and Heather was playing with a plush doll.

  Lynn brightened, “May I hold Lily? I didn’t get a chance at the dance.”

  Maria smiled broadly, “Of course!” She carefully passed the half-awake Lily over to the giddy Lynn.

  “I was always the youngest at my house; it is so fun to be around little ones,” beamed Lynn.

  Dawn thought Lynn was glowing as she held the infant in her arms. Maybe it was just her coat getting shiner as Maria predicted. Either way, it was obvious that Lynn was enjoying the moment.

  “Now there is another pair to behold,” prodded Gavin.

  Lynn smiled at the statement, “Oh, I wish! It will be years yet before I have my own.”

  Dawn found Lynn’s mood infectious, “You really do like the little ones, don’t you.”

  “They are just so darling!”

  “Even when the burp and spit up on you?” teased Dawn.

  Lynn smiled back, “Even then! Oh, by the way, my First and Second Mothers both said coming by here twice a week for music lessons was fine, I just need to coordinate with your First Mother.”

  “Good! I’ll be glad to have you over more often,” Dawn said with a smile.

  “That will also give you a chance to play with Lily as well if you like,” suggested Maria.

  Lynn smiled at both ideas, “Lily is such a darling. You’ve only been playing a few months, right? Hopefully it won’t take too long for me to catch up with you. Playing together would be really fun.”

  “Have you two considered playing for the harvest dance?” suggested Maria.

  Dawn laughed, “Could be fun, but I think we will put that in the ‘we will see’ category. Honestly, I’m just looking forward to the next dance.” She gave Gavin a playful hip check.

  “Well, I need to get Heather back in,” began Maria. “Lynn, do you want to carry Lily back to the house for me?”

  “I’d be delighted!”

  With that, the troupe headed back across the bridge and into the forest. The canopy overhead was darker, but still a comforting sight rather than scary. Dawn wasn’t sure if tho
se woods could look scary any more. They were just part of home.

  “You know, come the first of winter, the twins are due. If you want to get your fill of tiny tykes, that will be the time!” observed Dawn. She wanted to make the offer but was worried that the sheer numbers might scare Lynn a little bit. She quickly discovered she was wrong.

  “Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun! And I’m pretty sure Maria and the twins will be open for some free babysitting!”

  “Oh. Oh, yes!” laughed Maria. “Gwen will be around as well, but any and all help will be greatly appreciated.”

  “She could always move in; we have the rooms,” joked Dawn.

  “That is always a possibility,” replied Maria seriously.

  Dawn hadn’t thought much about it, but it was only a matter of time before they would all need to be thinking about their futures. Career choices, where to study or apprentice. Before long she really would be all grown up. She cocked her head and looked at Lynn, “Are you thinking about being a Second Mother?”

  Lynn shrugged. “I have thought about it,” she said with a smile. “It all depends on who is going to be the First Mother.” She gave Dawn a playful poke.

  First Mother. Wow! That would be some responsibility. She took a deep breath and thought about it. “You know, maybe I could.”

  “Of course you could,” interjected Gavin. “There was ever a question?”

  “Well, yes!” replied Dawn. “I have no clue what I could do as a gainful profession.”

  “How about prep school teacher?” suggested Lynn, “We don’t have any in town. You also have a lot of off-world experience. More than any ten people I know. How many languages do you speak?”

  Dawn grimaced, “Speak well? Only eight. I’m passable on another eleven.”

  Lynn laughed heartily, “‘Only eight’ she says! For heaven’s sake, I barely speak two!”

  “And I’m only really good at one,” Gavin interjected. “You are good with books, you know an amazing number of languages―there is a lot you could do.”

  Maria nodded, “Did you ever think about all the visitors we have, the various merchants and travelers as well as those on walkabout or as tourists? If there was someone in town that all those people could go to when they needed help with translations and things, it would be really helpful. Not just for you, but it would also really help the local economy.”

  Wow! Dawn had never thought that something as simple as knowing a few languages could be so helpful. “The only down side is, since I’m here, there isn’t a lot of opportunity to learn more than I already know.”

  “Well, you know the basics and how things are pronounced, all you really need is to expand your vocabulary and make sure your grammar is solid. That sounds like an excuse to buy more books to me,” offered Maria.

  Dawn laughed, Maria always seemed to have a good answer for everything! They made their way into the house, Gavin opening the doors for all. As they entered the main hall, Dawn could see the twins in the kitchen eating.

  “A little early for supper, isn’t it?” murmured Dawn.

  “Maybe,” replied Maria, “but they hardly ate anything for lunch. Their tummies are being a bit grumpy. Not all that unusual.”

  Ivy joined them in the kitchen and Lynn approached her.

  “Mrs. Stratford, both my First and Second Mothers have said it’s all right for me to take music lessons, if you still have time.”

  “Just call me Ivy,” she smiled. “Of course I still have time for you. How does Tuesday and Thursday just before dinner sound to you? You are welcome to stay for dinner afterwards.”

  Lynn beamed at Dawn before replying, “That would be wonderful.”

  “Oh my! It seems Lily has taken to you,” Ivy observed.

  “Yes, she is such a darling.”

  “Even when she burps and spits up?”

  They all laughed. “That is just what Dawn asked. And yes, even then!”

  Chapter 19

  Dawn snarled to herself as someone knocked on the door. It was too early in the morning to be getting up. “Okay, just a second,” she called as she climbed out of bed. Oh! She wanted to sleep… She glanced out her bedroom window, the sun wasn’t even up yet. “This had better be good,” she muttered to herself. She yawned deeply as she opened the door.

  There stood Llewellyn looking cheerful if not bona fide giddy. He had a small bag in his hand and smiled broadly, “Awesome! You are awake already!”

  “That might be due to you knocking so loud on the door, Father. Possible correlation?”

  Llewellyn swished his whiskers, “Um, yeah. I guess I was a little loud, but you were getting ready to get up anyway, right?”

  Dawn cocked an eye at him, “Um, Dad. It is way before sun up. Even when I was sneaking off to practice flying, I never got up this early. You seem giddy to the point of distraction; what can I do for you, Father?”

  Llewellyn grinned broadly, “Um, well, as soon as you have finished breakfast, could you meet me at the Citadel? Toch the Red gave me something I want to play with, and you are the best one at calling gates.”

  “No emergency?”

  “No.”

  “No invasion, nothing on fire…”

  “Eh, no…”

  “What time is it?”

  “Um, a little after three in the morning.”

  Dawn stared at her father, confused and annoyed. “Sure Dad, I’ll meet you at the Citadel. After breakfast. In the meantime I’m going back to bed.”

  “Well, I can cook you breakfast if you like,” offered Llewellyn.

  “Goodnight, Dad…”

  Dawn stared at her food as she poked it with a fork. Drowsy was an understatement. She hadn’t really gotten back to sleep after Llewellyn came by and now she was all but dozing sitting at the table.

  “Are you all right, dear?” asked Maria with more than a little concern in her voice.

  “Father decided to wake me up, just as the owls were getting their second wind. He said he wants me to meet him at the Citadel after breakfast. I tried going back to sleep after he woke me up, but it didn’t turn out so well…”

  Maria laughed, “We should have kept him on a shorter leash. Ivy knew he was going to be giddy about whatever it was Toch had given him, but I didn’t think he’d be waking you up so early.”

  “Dad, on a leash. That is a joke right?”

  “There are ways to keep him under control.”

  “Really.” Dawn drawled with her thickest sarcasm.

  “I’ll explain when you are sixteen…,” Maria flashed Dawn a dirty look.

  Dawn giggled with understanding. “Never mind!”

  “Seriously, if you can help him at the Citadel, I’m sure it’s worth a serious favor or two.”

  “Sounds like it is time to go clothes shopping,” mused Dawn.

  Maria smiled, “Now that is the idea! Just remember to negotiate in advance. He’s very excited, so it should go easily enough.”

  “That seems rude, stringing Dad along.”

  “He woke you at what time?”

  Dawn grinned, “Fair enough!”

  The walk in the summer air felt good. Not quite enough to wipe away the sleepies that were still haunting Dawn, but it was a cheerful enough morning, and the birds were thick and lively. Lynn met her in town and the pair of them made their way to the Citadel. It was always more fun traveling with a friend.

  Allrich was waiting outside in a folding chair hardly showing any sign of his earlier injuries, “Good morning, girls! I suspect you are here because of Llewellyn. He’s inside curled up asleep in front of the blank wall at the far end of the hall.”

  “He’s asleep?” Dawn was more than a little amused.

  “Well, he came down here about three thirty in the morning. Kinda anxious it seems.”

  “Revenge is yours, Dawn,” laughed Lynn. “You get to wake him up!”

  Allrich just laughed, “You know your way, or do you want me to come with you?”

  “We
’re fine,” smiled Dawn. She nodded to Lynn and the pair entered the great hall.

  “I haven’t been back here since we moved. These places are amazing; they are fascinating and scary, both at the same time.”

  “I know what you mean,” Dawn stopped and stared at Lynn. “You’re an Auroran; did the gate do anything weird to you?”

  Lynn laughed, “Not this time, but the very first time I ever went through a gate, it called my name and told me not to be scared. I was five at the time; I think that actually scared me worse!”

  “I’m just glad I’m not the only one. Oh, there he is!” Dawn smirked as she caught sight of Llewellyn curled up on the floor against the far wall. He appeared to be sound asleep so Dawn took great pleasure in not-so-gently pulling his tail.

  Llewellyn woke and rolled over on his back, “Oh, hi! Glad you finally made it! Hey, Lynn, this could be fun. Having an Auroran should make this more fun!”

  “Okay Dad, what is so important that you woke me up at three in the morning?”

  Llewellyn’s fur flickered and churned. It was almost incandescent as he stood and opened a small sack and poured out two small red stones into his hand. They were each about the size of a pea and were glowing on their own accord. “Toch the Red wanted me to see if these still worked.”

  “And they are what? I am needed why?” asked Dawn.

  “Oh, these are gate stones. They’ve been off world for about two hundred years. You did so well with the regular gates I figured you’d have the best chance of talking to them.”

  “Gate stones? As in the ones given to the Shukurae?”

  “Yep, yep! Here, take one. See if you can make contact. Lynn! Try the other!”

  Dawn cocked her head, “Okay, mister ‘I have to wake everyone up at three,’ what is in it for us? Maria said there should be some sort of quid pro quo.”

  “Maria!” Llewellyn pouted, “That’s not fair…”

  “Neither was waking me up at three! The pouting isn’t going to work. Now if you had waited until civilized people got up…”

  “I’m not civilized?” asked Llewellyn as he cocked his head. “Eh. On second thought, don’t answer that question. Okay, fine. A trip to the dress shop for both of you?”