Starbeam

by Adrienne Woods

  She knew. She knew I wasn’t a man.

  I looked like one, but my body didn’t work like a man’s body because my mind wasn’t a man’s mind. I was still Katherine Squires.

  That dragon was going to rat me out. It was just a matter of days.

  That night I sat next to the bold guy, I think his name was Emanual. He was a dragon too, or so I thought. I wasn’t sure.

  His English was broken like Tanya’s but he smiled at me every time our eyes met.

  It was as if he could see straight through my manly mask too. See the fragile woman that was hiding behind Andrew Squires.

  Tanya walked with huge strides, mumbling something in a different language as she glared at me.

  “What is that all about?” Emanual looked down at me. He had a strong European accent.

  “She is on my case, and I don’t know why. Kept asking me what I’m hiding.”

  He looked at Tanya’s figure disappearing around the corner of the log house.

  A screech left the area and trees shuddered as a dragon left the woods.

  “What happened now,” Al saw it too.

  “I think she has a thing for Andrew,” Helmut joked and they all laughed.

  “She is a pain in the ass.” I mumbled.

  “No, not possible?” Emanual said, and that had all of us closeby staring at him.

  “What isn’t possible,” Helmut asked. It seemed that they had a great friendship.

  “I have only heard stories, I’ve never seen it with my own eyes.” He tapped his eyes as if he wasn’t trusting his words. “Dragons have bonds with other dragons.”

  “Yes, we’ve seen that.” Caleb joked and everyone laughed again.

  “No,” Emanual smiled. “Not like that. I mean tight bonds. Not all dragons share this type of bond, real tight.” He clamped his hands together, gripping tightly to show how tight.

  “There are stories, and only stories, more like myths and sometimes, they share this bond with humans.”

  All of us stared at him.

  “My father told me it’s not natural. And if I ever feel like that, I should kill the human.”

  “Wait,” Al said. “You want to tell me that there are dragons that can share a bond with a certain human, what happens?”

  “He said that his father saw it once, when he was a boy, how a dragon and a human came to their colony, to show them a different way. This human had the same lightning coming from his hand the dragon breathed.”

  “A Moon-bolt?” Albert asked.

  I loved his names for the Chromatics.

  Emanual nodded and then he looked at me. “I think Tanya is experiencing the bond with Andrew, that’s why she is this way with him.”

  They all looked at me.

  “No, no, no.” I started denying and laughed. “I am not dragon bond material. Believe me, especially not that dragon.” I got up but all of them wanted me to stay. I didn’t want to listen anymore to this nonsense. It can’t be. She was a Chromatic. She would kill me.

  I went to see if I couldn’t help Issy in the kitchen or assist with the children.

  I had to get away from this absurdity. I could not have a dragon. No way.

  * * *

  ALBERT

  Emanual continued with his story.

  It took us years just for him to trust us after we set him free from my father’s dungeon. He seemed to have a great friendship with Helmut as they shared the same fire, but he just told Helmut that he doesn’t feel that bond with him. It wasn’t that tight. The friendship they had was the kind that grew normally. He never felt that way with any human.

  The way Tanya was acting toward Andrew, those were signs that she didn’t like what she was feeling. Myth or no myths, dragons grew up with this tale.

  “So what you are saying is when a dragon feels threatened by a human, they act like that,” I pointed back to where Tanya flew off, “It’s this bond you are talking about?”

  “She will try to kill him, or he has to try and break her. My father said that the stories my grandfather heard from the dragon, were blasphemous. They tried to kill the human because it seemed to him as if the dragon was under a spell, but the dragon fought against all of them, protecting the human. He would die for that human without thinking twice. So they left and no one has ever seen them since.”

  “He told you what the dragon said.”

  “Little bit.”

  “Emanual?” I begged.

  “He said that after the taming, the dragon would rebel more, but he wouldn’t be able to kill the human. That time was past.”

  “Past?” All of us asked.

  “Like magic is protecting the human from the dragon he tamed. But it will change too, meaning the dragon changed, and that it wasn’t natural after that.”

  “What do you mean wasn’t natural after that?”

  Emanual sighed. He was frustrated. Helmut had taught him English a few years ago, and although his vocabulary was growing on a daily basis, he still struggled with explaining things.

  “The dragon would give his last breath not for the rider to die. He would die instead. It’s not natural, Albert.”

  I got what he was saying. Why hadn’t Bob told me this. If all dragons grew up with this story, why didn’t he share this valuable information with me.

  I’d make a note to ask him.

  I guessed the bond that Bob and I had was normal too as I didn’t share his gift of acid. I didn’t have a gift at all, but it didn’t stop me from taming him.

  He was still wild in many ways that caused me to beat him regularly. That, however, he had shared with me after a year or so.

  It was amazing how they were in a way a lot like us. The good book taught us to punish our children when they were little. It didn’t seem to stop with dragons. But a good beating keeps their dark and sinister side away.

  It broke me every time I had to punish Bob like that, but he begged me when he felt the darkness creeping in.

  I dreaded it each and every time and knew that it was going to come again soon.

  My men knew that I needed a few days to just be alone after that while Bob recovered.

  They weren’t normal beatings either. This was just as evil as some of the Chromatics, but he swore it was the only thing that worked.

  And now this.

  If a Moon-bolt was that good because of a bond, then a bond had to become law. No one could stand in that human and dragon’s way.

  I hunted Andrew down to talk to him.

  He had no idea what he had.

  Tanya was one of the most interesting dragons out there. She could persuade anyone. If you could have someone like that on your side, that type of protection.

  “Can I have a word?” I found him washing dishes.

  “If it’s about that dragon, forget it Al.”

  “What dragon?” Issy asked.

  “Emanual told us about a certain bond.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s a myth Albert.”

  “Not according to his grandfather who saw it with his own eyes.”

  Her eyes grew. “What?”

  “He just told us that, and he thinks the reason why Tanya is the way she is with Andrew is because of that bond.”

  Issy looked at Andrew.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t want a dragon. I’m with Emanual, no offence Al, but it’s not natural.”

  “Hey Bob is one of the best things that ever happened to me. He’s not my pet, Andrew, and I’m not his slave.”

  “The bond really exist?” Issy still sounded shocked.

  I nodded. “You really grew up with stories like that.”

  “More like a warning. It’s not natural for bonds like that, Al. Dragons are supposed to be free.”

  “Yes, yet Metallics always find themselves drawn to humans.”

  She smiled. “Because we know how fragile you are.”

  Andrew and I laughed. “If the bond is real, there is a reason for it, Issy.”

 
; Andrew sighed. “I can’t own a dragon, Al.”

  “You don’t own it idiot. The relationship should be a mutual thing.”

  “Mutual,” he laughed. “Me and Tanya. She is pure hostile when it comes to me, always sniffing me, it’s awkward.” He repelled at that.

  “Well maybe you stink.”

  “I washed this morning. She seriously has some trust issues.”

  “We all know that,” Issy said.

  “And she can speak English,” Andrew said.

  “She what?” Both me and Issy asked.

  “She spoke it clearly this afternoon.”

  “She spoke English.”

  “Yep. So I wonder who is hiding something.”

  I huffed and went back to ask Emanual about what Andrew had claimed but he was nowhere to be found.

  That night I wrote in my journal. About the bond between dragons and humans. I would give anything to have met the two Emanual’s grandfather had seen. A human and his dragon, with a mutual relationship.

  There had to be a place where we could learn about one another, and a brilliant idea, just like that, popped into my mind. A school for dragons and humans.

  But what would the requirements be? There had to be requirements otherwise the school would be crowded.

  Then you open another one Al, a voice in my head said.

  We can let dragons teach humans and humans teach dragons. With the right influence, the Chromatics could be just as noble as the Metallics.

  We were proving it on a daily basis with these kids.

  Subjects were flowing through my mind.

  If we can teach dragons differently, to embrace this bond that dragons call a myth from a young age, then maybe this world would be different.

  And Andrew was the key.

  What was it with this guy?

  He had so many things going for him and yet he wanted none of them.

  My father had always told me that kings were the best kings when they didn’t want to rule.

  Did that mean Andrew would be a better king than any of us?

  He sure was someone to be admired and I told myself that this was what I was feeling for him. It was a deeper kind of admiration. It wasn’t love, it was something different. I wasn’t in love with him. That was it.

  I put down my journal and closed my eyes as I slept on my bed roll.

  I missed Constance, I even missed Bob.

  I kept thinking about the bond and when I got tired, my mind switched to the memory of my lady.

  I didn’t even know her name but I would do anything to dream about her.

  The memory faded and images of the school flashed through my mind.

  It was a different time, a time where dragons and humans were friends like me and Bob, Emanual and Helmut. But none of them were kids.

  They were all teenagers and grown men. It was hard to tell which were students and which were tutors.

  I took some of the classes, the gibberish coming out of the tutors’ mouths didn’t make sense, like it was being taught in a language I didn’t know, but the feelings were joyful, peaceful and I knew, I knew the school existed, even though it was still only in my dreams.

  Chapter 17

  KATIE

  Days passed and Al didn’t stop bugging me about this dragon thing. But he had so many plans and didn’t hesitate one second about sharing them.

  The school was one of the most brilliant ones he had.

  He told us about it around the campfire at night, to the children before bedtime, and they were so excited.

  A part of me missed Goran, but another part not as much as I was falling harder each day for Albert.

  I hated the magic kernels. I wished I could tell him who I was. I couldn’t stop thinking about that night either. But then mother’s warning of what would happen when all this was over jumped into my head.

  I would get hurt as no prince ever married a commoner.

  Prince Louis learned that the hard way when King Alexander discovered that his first love was a dragon.

  They beheaded her and he was forced to marry another.

  It ruined him.

  I didn’t want that for Albert or myself.

  So keeping Katherine a secret for as long as I could was still my first priority.

  The next day a silver dragon flew in hard.

  The ground shook when she landed and when she changed back it was Connie.

  She ran straight into Albert’s arms and kissed him feverishly. I didn’t like it and I was glad that the men around me took it to have a different meaning.

  They started to laugh and I had to push my tears aside and play along, smiling with them.

  “Am I missing something here?”

  “It’s Issy’s twin.” Helmut said. “Constance.”

  “I met her before at the base camp when she healed all of our injured soldiers. Dragons attacked…” I looked at the men and smiled. “I’m sure you know about that already.”

  They laughed as I sneaked a peek at Connie and Al.

  He was with a dragon. What about Drizelda?

  I wanted to throw her back in his face. He was betrothed to her and if Drizelda didn’t mean anything to him, what were the chances that I did.

  “Andrew,” Albert’s voice was right next to me with Issy’s twin in his arm. “I want you to meet Connie, or Constance.”

  “We already met, Al. At the base camp Bill and I went to.”

  “I forgot, sorry.”

  We both laughed.

  “It looks like Goran isn’t the only one with deep admiration for you, Andrew.”

  I huffed as Albert smiled. “What can I say. He kicked my royal butt at archery.”

  Connie laughed. “Oh Al, that must have been so hard on you.”

  “There is nothing wrong with healthy competition, Connie.”

  “I’m sure that is what you tell yourself at night.” Connie teased which had us all laughing, well, I was pretending as my heart was busy breaking just slightly.

  “Connie,” Issy’s voice came from the log house. She ran to her sister and hugged her tightly. “I missed you so much.” She spoke softly to her twin. “What is new, what is happening at Eikenborough.”

  “You were in Eikenborough.” Al asked the question I wanted to.

  “Yes, the need is bad there Al.”

  I looked at his face, he didn’t smile anymore. He was worried, which lifted my heart slightly.

  “I have news too.” She sounded grave, which had me on alert. “But we should speak in private.”

  “Just tell me Connie.”

  She looked at all of us. “Please, in private.” She begged again.

  What news could she possibly have and now we wouldn’t even hear it as Al just nodded.

  I watched them leaving for the log house.

  The kids were playing outside.

  Helmut slapped Emanual on the chest and he closed his eyes.

  I squinted.

  “Dragons can hear exceptionally far.” Helmut whispered and my gaze snapped toward Emanual.

  We all fell super quiet and Emanual shut his eyes tighter.

  “What is it?” Helmut whispered.

  A scream came from the log house. Al? What the hell had Constance told him?

  Helmut got up and went to them. Followed by Caleb.

  “She didn’t make it.”

  “Who didn’t make it?” I asked.

  “He didn’t tell you about his mystery girl?” Emanual asked.

  “What?” I sounded harsh. “Sorry, I’m confused.”

  “It’s a confusing tale.”

  He is crying because that wretched dragon told him, what? I was dead.

  “Constance, tell me.” Albert demanded from the log house loud enough for all of us to hear.

  She stormed out from the log house and Helmut and Caleb came back.

  I knew why she was lying. She wanted him all to herself. He must have told her about the ball. What did she tell him? How could she possibly even
know what had happened to me?

  I didn’t like her. How could she put him through that.

  He followed her with tears streaming down his cheeks. “Please,” he pulled her back. “Just tell me how she died.”

  “I’m not going to do that, Al. You will only blame yourself.”

  He grunted at her and stormed into the forest with Helmut and Caleb after him.

  “So you found her?” Emanual asked as Connie sat on one of the logs looking guilty. Tears glistening in her eyes.

  “I found the girl who won the lottery to that ball in Eikenborough.”

  Maggy? Maggy was still alive.

  “She told me that she’s dead.”

  What? Maggy would never, unless she assumed, which sounds just like Maggy. She must know telling them that I fought in my father’s place in this war would get me killed. That would be the easiest explanation, but why did she tell Albert she didn’t want to give more details? Because she didn’t know any.

  She could’ve just told him she didn’t know.

  Maggy, you idiot. So little faith in me.

  I should feel glad that he was really having these feelings for me, but I wasn’t glad to see him breaking down like this.

  For crying out loud, he hadn’t even seen my face. What if he didn’t even like what he saw.

  But I knew what he was going through. I was miserable for months thinking he was dead.

  I didn’t know if I could go through months with him thinking I was.

  “You got her name at least.” Emanual asked.

  “Katherine. That’s all the girl was willing to tell me.”

  Maggy was still alive. My best friend in this whole world was still alive.

  Maybe just maybe my family...no, you can’t hope like that.

  Hope like that doesn’t exist.

  I didn’t see Al, Helmut or Caleb for the rest of the day, not even that night.

  I helped with the dishes when Connie threw a little tantrum.

  “Constance!” Issy said.

  “For crying out loud, he only discovered her name today. He doesn’t even know what she looks like.”

  “He shared a real connection with her, Connie.”