by L J Andrews
I leaned against the rock wall and sighed. “Jade is in some trouble. Remember when we explained about the different kinds of dragons?” Liz nodded. “Well, the lindworms—the bad dragons—they have her. She gave herself up to them to save me. That’s what we’re preparing to do, get her back. We need to find her again.”
“She was taken? That’s awful,” Liz muttered. “Teagan, I don’t know… I don’t know if I can watch you…fight these things. I’m not blind, I can see how everyone here carries weapons. You’re going to fight against these lindworms—aren’t you?”
I hugged her tight and pulled back a thick blanket hanging over the opening to her space. “I’m not going to lie and say no. You have to realize, though, it won’t be my first fight. I’ve faced them before. I have to get her back, Aunt Liz. It’s impossible to explain how powerful the bond is, but I can’t let her stay there.”
Liz closed her eyes and hung her head. “Maybe you can explain more tomorrow. Talk of you going into danger, oh, it causes such an ache in my heart.”
I nodded and hugged her tight once more. “We can talk in the morning. I’m sure you’re tired. It’s been a long day. Oh, actually, I was curious—what did you do with all the kids?”
Liz covered a yawn and moved toward the thick quilts making a decent bed. “It was the strangest thing. Two days ago, the case worker for each child came and said it was time for new placements. My house was empty of children by dinner. I spent the last day or so trying to understand what had happened. Then I was taken by dragons. So I have a hunch Haitian had a little something to do with it all if he knew your friends were coming. But, no worries. The children are safe.”
I chuckled and backed away. “I’m glad you’re here, Aunt Liz. Truly.”
“Me too, T. Me too.”
Back at the pit, a beautiful cerulean fire blazed. Sapphire and Onyx sat next to my parents. I smiled seeing Gaia lean against Thane’s shoulder while Thane’s powerful arms wrapped around her body. Raffi and Dash were once more inseparable. Leoch stood behind Thane while Eisha sat on his opposite side. Everyone was laughing, and I soon saw why.
Mitch stood in front of the small crowd muttering about something excitedly. Now that Aunt Liz was in the cave, Mitch wasn’t the only human in a sea of mages and dragons. Even if I worried about my friend because he couldn’t shift forms or didn’t have the ability to battle with energy, I was still glad he was here.
Mitch seemed overjoyed Sapphire had returned. Sapphire had been a close part of Mitch’s life for two years—and even with the truth out that Mitch’s mentor was a royal dragon, their relationship hadn’t changed much.
I inched a little closer, smiling when I finally heard what Mitch was going on about. He clutched a pair of silver knives tight in his hand.
“Okay, now watch,” he said. “Gaia, are you watching?”
She nodded and chuckled. “Yes, I’m watching.”
“Okay, because I’ve been working on this with Athika, like, all day,” Mitch gasped. “Oh Teagan, good, sit down and watch too.”
I thought I was being sneaky, but Mitch eyed me through the flames and nodded for me to join. I found a spot next to Gaia and smiled when she placed a hand on my back. Her energy filled me immediately with calming warmth.
“So, Athika gave me a few pointers after we broke through the prison,” Mitch muttered. “I’m pretty accurate now. Ready?” Mitch raised both knives over his head, tossing one at the tall wooden beam. I thought I heard him shout “wham” when the knife blade buried deep into the beam. “Now with a spin,” he said, rolling on his heel. Yes, I’d heard him right. When Mitch tossed the second knife, he clearly shouted “kablam”.
Sapphire started clapping, but Mitch waved him away. “I’m not done. Okay, that took down two lindworms, but there’s more. What do I do—what’s that you say? There’s two more knives behind my back?” I laughed, shaking my head when Mitch ripped two black steel knives from his belt. Raising his hands over his head, he glared at the beam. “Cross throw,” he shouted, crossing the knives over his head, and tossing them at the same time. The blades were swift, one striking the mark perfectly, the other a little off, but still lodged deep into the wood.
Mitch opened his arms wide, faced his audience, and bowed deeply. Gaia laughed and clapped lightly. “Very well done.”
“You were a little off on that last one,” Raffi grumbled, though the corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk.
“Off?” Mitch snarled, checking the four knives locked in the beam. “Come on, if I was aiming at the heart, it would have pierced the heart and the lungs. Perfect, in my book.”
“For a human, I guess,” Raffi muttered, though I was positive he said it just to irritate Mitch.
“Well, this human can stay. Well done,” Thane bellowed.
Mitch flushed. I noticed how easily my friend had fallen into a relationship with Thane and Gaia. In turn, I enjoyed how they treated him like he was just part of the family. Mitch needed a family; we all did.
“You better watch it, Raff, Mitch is starting to rival your knife skills,” Sapphire laughed.
Raffi huffed, and Dash shoved his shoulder with a smile on his face. “You all have no sight. Thane, Leoch you have to back me,” Raffi said. “Come on, I wouldn’t be off.”
Leoch crossed his arms over his broad chest, and Thane simply leaned against the stone wall, even more relaxed with Gaia.
“Raffi, I think you may need to accept a human has skills as strong as yours,” Leoch said.
“What!” Raffi gasped. “Mitch, tomorrow we will see who is better at throwing knives.”
Mitch smirked pompously. “Fine by me. If I win, you have to carry all my knives for a day and say I’m the best to all your warrior pals.”
Raffi narrowed his eyes. “Fine. If I win, you will polish every inch of my blade—and my scales—and you will tell everyone, including the mages, I am superior.”
Mitch rolled his eyes, but smiled. “You’re on.”
We all laughed, except Eisha. I watched curiously as she tapped Thane’s arm, and offered a sheepish smile. “It is good to see you again, Thane.”
There was a friendly connection between Thane and Eisha. I knew Eisha’s mate had been a warrior, but as the unspoken words mounted between them, I wondered what troubled Eisha—her brows pulled together and her weak smile faded.
“And you, Eisha,” Thane said softly.
Eisha forced a chuckle. “Of course, I never imagined fate would bring your son into our lives before meeting you again.” Eisha smiled at me, even winked. “I always liked Teagan. We were close from the start.”
I scoffed and heard Raffi and Dash both offer throaty chuckles.
“What?” Thane asked glancing about. “Is that not true?”
I shook my head. “Not exactly. For a long time I thought Eisha was Jade’s mom—and to her I was just a troubled boy at Sapphire’s reform house trying to seduce her daughter. Then the marks came,” I said with a glance at Eisha. “I think Eisha fought even harder to keep me away.”
“We helped,” Raffi added.
“I think Raffi’s words were, he would promise to kill me if I came around Jade again,” I added, though I saw Raffi flush when Thane glanced at his warrior.
“I didn’t know,” Raffi exclaimed. “We didn’t know anything. I was protecting the queen.”
Eisha cleared her throat but wasn’t looking at Thane. Her eyes fell to Gaia. “I recognized Teagan’s marks as mage. I didn’t want to accept it. Gaia, I…was unfair to you so long ago. I blamed you for many things that happened. I never released that resentment until…until Teagan came to us.” Silence settled around the fire as we watched the two women face each other. Eisha smiled, her voice trembling a bit when she spoke again. “You have only ever protected our people. I find myself incredibly pleased that you united with Thane. I hope you will forgive me for my hardness toward the mage people. Without Teagan—without the mages who have come to us—I can’t imagine where we might be.”
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Gaia smiled, and a burst of affectionate energy encompassed the pit when my mother took hold of Eisha’s hands. “There was never anything to forgive, Eisha. Thank you for helping Teagan when we could not be there.”
Conversation flowed again. Eisha relaxed and teased with Leoch about memories while Raffi and Mitch egged the other over their competition. I listened to all the easy conversations until Gaia whispered close to me. “Is Liz settled alright?”
I nodded. “She’s okay. I think what you did earlier really helped.”
Gaia smiled, but there was something playful in her eyes. “Would you like to see what I showed her?”
My eyes widened, and even Thane seemed interested. “Your memories?”
Gaia nodded. “It will be different for you though, because although you can’t remember now, you also have many of the same memories.”
I coughed against the burn of emotion pressing on my chest. “I would see what it was like before…everything?” Gaia nodded, her eyes soft, but excited. Thane leaned on his knees, watching us curiously, but he didn’t say anything. I smiled and nodded. “Okay, yes. I want to see everything.”
The pit was quiet, everyone’s interest piqued as they watched Gaia kneel in front of me, her slender hands resting on the sides of my head. “Just relax,” she whispered. “When you want to show thoughts or memories, all you must do is keep a firm hold on the other person, and relive the time with the emotions and memory strong in your own mind. Now, I will show you everything.”
Gaia closed her eyes, and I followed. My body relaxed when her energy filled my veins. Something rose from my own energy and locked with hers. My mind fell into darkness, but then slowly an image came into my mind as clear as if I were standing in the scene myself.
Gaia and Thane stood on a ledge. I felt a somber energy. Gaia’s hair was loose around her face, and she wore a long, gilded robe. Thane had bandages around his ribs, and he clutched firmly to the elemental stone blade I’d seen Bron holding.
“Thane, you and your warriors will be safe. Promise me,” the image of Gaia whispered. I startled slightly, but Gaia’s hold on my head only strengthened. I hadn’t expected to hear actual conversations of the past.
The image of Thane stared into the distance. His voice was weaker than it was now, probably due to his injuries. “You shall know if I am safe. I’m coming with you.”
With the single statement, my heart burst with Thane and Gaia’s vow to be allies in the uncertain future they faced after the divide of their people.
The vision shifted. Time had noticeably passed. Thane was stronger, his voice powerful like the present. I was overcome with an undeniable affection as Gaia’s memory came to life in my thoughts. Thane was watching her from across a room. It seemed like a comfortable room, certainly not the icy cave. He approached carefully, dropping his blade on the ground. I sensed Gaia’s nerves heighten in her memory; I could practically feel her heart race when she locked on Thane’s gaze.
As though he didn’t know how to act, Thane cautiously took Gaia’s hand in his own, his fingers folding with hers as his other hand slowly cupped the side of her face.
“I can’t deny this any longer,” he confessed.
Passionate tension mounted between them—tension I’d felt just as powerfully with Jade. The past Gaia lowered her eyes and shook her head. “It’s not the way,” she began. “We can’t act on these feelings.”
Thane stepped closer to Gaia in my thoughts. Though no one knew what I was seeing, I smiled.
Like he was speaking through a wall of water, I heard Sapphire’s voice in the background. “He must be seeing something good.”
I was. I was watching the beginning of what would become my family.
“Who is to say what we can do?” Gaia’s memory of Thane whispered.
“Our people,” she argued, but there wasn’t any power in her words. “Tradition, I suppose.”
“Our people respect both you and me. Gaia, if you think we’ve concealed this bond from any of them,” Thane said with a smile, rolling up one of his sleeves to reveal one of his mage seals. “Well, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. And as for tradition, I’m positive going back to the way things were is not the right choice. Why not make our own traditions?”
Gaia drew in a breath when Thane leaned his forehead against her own. I witnessed the slow, cautious, passionate way they shared their first kiss. The memory brought a comforting joy to my soul, but also an ache as Gaia’s memories clashed with my own of Jade. Though the past was calming my spirit, when it was over Jade wouldn’t be there.
The scene changed again. This time, a memory of my own collided with Gaia’s. I could see two perspectives. She was unlocking my concealed memories of childhood. Thane was holding a young child on his shoulders—me. He laughed trying to help young me reach for a piece of fruit from a high tree limb. I could remember feeling like a giant sitting on his shoulders. As a boy, I knew my father was a dragon—I smiled remembering the rush of air the first time Thane took me to the sky. A memory I didn’t even know I had.
“Ask for it, son,” Gaia’s past voice called sweetly. “It will listen to you.”
I watched myself as a young child close my eyes. The tighter Gaia held my head, the more I remembered. In my memories, I watched my small body call to the mage energy burning inside. The memory was so potent my arms trembled as the surge of the past filled my small body. Then I squealed when the limb bent and I could reach the fruit. Thane cheered and tossed me above his head.
Love.
That was all I felt as Gaia offered countless memories. Like water in a sieve, my own memories as a child flew through my thoughts. I saw what life was like growing with the warriors, mages, and my parents day after day.
Gaia released me for a moment, and I opened my eyes. She wiped away a tear and smiled. “Do you still remember?”
I nodded, my voice cracking slightly. “I can see things from when I was young. Don’t stop,” I begged.
“The next memories are not pleasant,” she whispered.
I clasped her hands and met her eye. “I want to know everything.”
Gaia nodded and returned her hands to my head. The peaceful scenes faded and I saw Gaia pacing in front of a roaring fire. Thane was leaning against a window pane, looking to the bright sun. I could feel their torment.
“We could hide,” the Thane of the past whispered.
“Thane, he will find us. I feel it—I’ve seen it,” Gaia sobbed, clutching her middle. “He will destroy you—he’ll kill Teagan. But he will leave me alive, just to watch me suffer. I should have killed him—how could I let him live?”
Thane ran a hand through his hair and crossed the room, pulling Gaia tightly against his chest. “Do not blame yourself for any of it, Gaia. Premonitions aren’t always accurate, right?”
“This is more than a premonition,” she whispered. “Every surge of power that lives in my veins is telling me this is true. What if I ignore it, Thane? I couldn’t stop Bron before, but I refuse to watch him destroy our family—our son.”
Thane held her tighter and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Then we protect him. We hide him from it all.”
Gaia nodded, and the next scene I saw racked my heart in anguish.
It was raining, everything felt so cold. I had no memories of the moment. But now, as Gaia revealed the past, I knew it was the moment she’d blocked any truth of my real life away. I heard Gaia sniff as the clear image of me as a young boy, tousled blond hair and wide eyes, stood in front of an old motel door. The quilt was tucked in my hand, and I clutched to a thick envelope. My eyes darted around, and I sensed my peace. Gaia must have taken away my childlike fear as she’d said goodbye.
In the memory, Gaia watched on through the trees. Thane’s arm wrapped around her neck, clutching her to his body. She trembled when the door opened and Aunt Liz’s younger face filled the scene. As I watched the scene unfold, I bit back the sting of tears as the past Gaia sobbed agai
nst Thane’s chest when Aunt Liz quickly dragged me into the warmth of her room.
I clasped my hands around Gaia’s wrists since I couldn’t hold her hand. I knew the desperation—what her memories felt, I now felt deep inside my heart.
The final scene was one of chaos. Many faces that surrounded me now filled my mind. In Gaia’s memory, Leoch swooped in his enormous form toward a hoard of dark mages. Bron stood over Thane, and I heard Gaia scream as she was forced behind a powerful barrier.
“You are my soul, and I am yours,” she shouted through a sob.
Gaia fought ruthlessly against Bron’s mages and his power, but it seemed as though there was little hope. Gaia’s memories filled with shocking dread when she watched Bron dig the stone blade deep into Thane’s chest. Somehow, through the battle, it was clear Bron had overpowered my parents and taken the blade for his own. I was left with the sound of Gaia’s desperate cries, then a final bellow from Thane, before Bron’s wall separated them for years to come.
Slowly, Gaia lowered her hands. My body trembled. Everyone around the fire watched anxiously. I looked at Gaia. I’d known her a matter of weeks, but with my restored memories, knowing the depth of her love for me and how much she had sacrificed, I was filled with pride she was my mother. I pulled her in a tight embrace. Gaia wrapped her arms around me, and I reached for Thane’s shoulder. He smiled and covered my hand with his own.
“Do you remember it?” Of course Mitch would be the one to break up the moment.
I pulled back, releasing a shuddering breath, and nodded. “Everything. I remember everything.” Narrowing my eyes, I thought of the final, miserable memory. “I really want to see Bron again.”
Leoch chuckled and nodded. “We all do.”
“Everyone else will stay back,” Thane grumbled. “Bron belongs to me.”
Gaia shook her head. “Out of everyone here, I think the High Priest and I have the most unfinished business.”
We stayed there, taking turns picking our most desired targets until the early hours of the morning. Mitch and I practically fell asleep the second we flopped onto our quilts. But for me, sleep wouldn’t last.
