As soon as they had ended, Zaendra volunteered to do the cleanup. “I can’t help, and I’m not changing, so I might as well stay out of the way,” she observed.
“Right,” Amicia agreed, suddenly anxious at their plans. Fetching the book out of her bed, she placed it on the end of the table and flipped to the marked page. “Ok, so the directions say we need to stand in a circle with me in the center. You will all need to know the chant, but it’s short,” she added, giving them the words.
When they all could repeat them easily, she moved on, “Ok, I think we are ready. We circle, we chant, and we all focus our energy on the desired outcome. That’s it.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Rey laughed with delight, heading off into the clearing between their camp and the cave to select their location.
“I think I’ll stay clear as well,” Hayt interjected, accepting his wife’s hand as she joined them.
“Aye,” the Mate agreed, “you two and Oldrilin go sit by the fire. The rest of us will take care of this.”
Standing about half way between their beds and the mouth of the cave, Amicia shivered. “I’m ready. Form the circle around me, and we can begin.”
Lamwen and Meena took opposite sides from each other, as did Rey and Piers. Happy and Grumpy also stood across, and Yimath and Animir took the last two positions, also on opposite sides. Her palms tingling, Ami turned in a slow circle, taking each of them in. Her heart racing, she could not remember the night she had been transformed before even though she had read about it.
In the back of her mind, she swore the memory should be there. Maybe I blocked it out, she mused. If the experience had been terrifying or traumatic, she might have.
“Maybe they erased my memory of all of it,” she speculated aloud, her apprehension apparent.
“Yes, I do think they could have removed all your memories,” Rey agreed, wringing his hands while anxiously awaiting the attempt.
“Relax,” Piers commanded, noting the tension the couple shared.
“We are in place,” Lamwen took charge, ready to see his beloved Kaliwyn returned. “Begin,” he breathed, chanting the words that would do the trick.
Moving slowly, the group walked around her, each of them quietly uttering the charm. Standing perfectly still, her heart pounded within her chest. She felt lightheaded and dizzy at the same time, and for a moment, she thought she might faint. Collapsing at the knees, she fell forwards, landing on her hands on all fours.
“Oh God!” she screamed, a terrible rumbling in her gut. “I feel it,” she sobbed, driven to tears. “Don’t stop,” she warned, her eyes stinging with moisture as she began to weep.
Driven by her pleas, Rey clenched his fists and resisted the urge to run to her. He knew they must complete the ritual now that it had begun, or at least he figured they did. On the other side of her, he could see Piers clearly now that she had fallen to the ground. The other man’s face formed into a heavy scowl as he shouted the words to the spell.
Matching his fervor, Rey shouted back for all the good it would do. It had suddenly occurred to him that neither he nor the Mate had any magical ability, and he doubted their participation would have any affect, one way or the other. We’re only here for moral support, he mused just before a pure white light shot out from the center of the circle, knocking all but the dragon off their feet.
Using the back of his left hand to shade his eyes, Rey managed to sit up. Before him, he could see the outline of a shape. Amicia. An instant later, it was gone, and a large golden dragon with dark red accents stood before him. “Oh shit,” he breathed, as if he had doubted they would succeed. “Ami?” he called in dismay.
Sitting back, the new dragon screamed, blasting flame into the air. Her chest on fire, her vision blurred as she stared at the stars above. Panting, she closed her eyes and fought to slow her inhalations. When she had control, she leaned forward, placing her front legs firmly on the ground. Turning in a slow circle, she felt ungainly, then realized her wings were throwing her off balance.
Using the muscles in her back, she pushed against them, raising them above her until they brushed against one another; then she lowered them slowly until she found a position that felt comfortable.
“Damn, these things are heavy,” she said aloud.
“Ami!” Rey screamed, stumbling forward and wrapping his arms around the nearest leg. “Oh, thank God. I thought we had killed you.”
“No, I’m fine –” she began, stopping when she realized her voice was different. “I don’t sound like me,” she observed, using her appendage to push her husband away. “Give me some room, will you? I don’t even know how all of this works yet.”
“Oh, Ami,” he sobbed, taking a few steps back.
“She’s beautiful,” Lamwen huffed, crying dragon tears of his own.
His eyes roving from the ground up to take all of her in, Piers agreed, “Yes, quite lovely for a… dragon.”
To Each His Own
“Dear God, it worked!” Reynard exclaimed, stepping back to give her some room, as requested.
Clamping him on the shoulder, Piers beamed, “Of course it worked. Did you have any doubts?”
Rubbing his face, the younger man stammered, “No, I guess not. I mean, I just didn’t expect this. And what’s wrong with her?”
“Nothing,” Yimath explained. “She just needs to adjust to her new body.”
“I’m next,” Piers spoke up. “Let’s reform the circle and do mine and then Rey. That way we can all be going through this recovery process at the same time.”
Her eyes filled with concern, Meena didn’t bother to argue. She could influence her husband about some things at some moments, but she knew when his mind was set. “Let’s move over and reform then,” she advised.
Taking a position to the north of the newly restored dragoness, each partner stood across from each other once again, save Rey, who stepped out and stayed behind with his wife. Daring to inch back to her, he knelt a few feet from her and asked, “Is there anything I can do for you, love?”
“I’m getting the hang of it,” she growled, then raised her massive head to stare at him with her large emerald eyes. “I’m sorry. That sounded rougher than I intended. I’m not very good at any of this,” she laughed, hoping to ease her words.
“It’s ok. We’ll all go through it,” he soothed, seeing that they already had the Mate transfigured. “Wow, he’s big,” he observed, indicating their friend with a stiff digit.
Inside the second ring, a massive black dragon with black accents stood, lifting and lowering his wings slowly. Large enough to contend with Lamwen, the difference gave them some perspective, as Kaliwyn’s form almost appeared dainty compared to the two males.
“I guess I’m up,” Rey chuckled anxiously, rubbing his hands on his pants as he stood. “I’ll see you on the other side,” he called over his shoulder as he marched farther north and waited for them to change him as well.
Again, the circle was formed and again the chant was made. Even more quickly, as the group appeared to be gaining skill with each attempt, Reynard was transformed into a magnificent dragon of pale yellow scales and deep green trim. His size not quite the match for the others, he had a more slender and lean construction, as if he were built for speed and agility rather than raw strength.
Flapping his new wings, the younger man yelped, “Man, this feels good!” Leaping into the air, he worked the wide structures easily, hovering a few feet off the ground before he pushed for more.
Watching him take flight, Piers’s smoky black eyes narrowed, and he quickly followed. Spiraling upwards, the pair met and rolled around each other midair a few hundred feet up before they turned and made a straight line for the coast.
“This is great!” Piers shouted as they flew, reaching the water in a matter of minutes. Out in the distance, he could see Dragon Rock as a mass of darkness jutting out of the rolling waves. “Let’s land and get our bearings,” he suggested.
“Aye,”
Rey agreed, pulling up and landing next to him on the small piece of land. Walking in a circle, he explored the area and got a feel for his new legs, using the back pair to do most of the work while the front balanced and kept him up.
“We’ll be ready to attack the dragons in no time,” the Mate predicted, fully impressed with their prowess.
“Aye,” Rey said again, “but I don’t understand what was taking Amicia so long to figure all this out. I mean, it all works fine to me,” he laughed, despite his concern.
“I don’t know,” the other man-turned-dragon offered, taking a seat and staring out across the waves. His mood ebbed as his adrenaline rush subsided, and he exhaled a loud breath. “I’ve missed the ocean,” he confessed. “As much as I love Meena, the sea was my first wife, and I have been away from her many days.”
“You were a sailor for a long time,” Rey agreed, also sitting to rest.
“Half my life. More than half.”
“One long adventure,” the younger man observed.
“Aye,” the Mate breathed, his gaze into the distance unwavering. “I wish Bally could have been here for this. He would have loved to be a dragon, getting the chance to fly.”
“Oh yeah,” Rey laughed heartily. “That boy did love getting into things. This would have been all fun and games to him for sure.”
“You miss him a great deal,” Piers observed, shifting to look over the pale dragon next to him in more detail. “I wonder how it decides what color and build to make us. You’re a bit scrawny if you ask me.”
Grateful for the change in subject, the Rey-dragon laughed, peering down at himself. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m scrawny as the real me as well. Makes me curious if we were to change back and did this again, would we get the same dragon bodies the second time around.”
An instant later, they both had the same thought at the same time. His voice less than firm, Piers spoke the concern. “Do you suppose we will get our old bodies back when we transfigure back into our human forms?”
“It’s a hell of a time to wonder that!” Rey snapped. His heart pounding against his ribs, he had to admit, they should have thought of it before they leapt at the chance to fly.
Heaving a deep sigh, Piers observed, “Well, it’s a bit late now. We should get back to camp. We can check on Ami and plan our next move. We’ll just have to worry about what we’re going to look like at the end later.”
“Aye,” Rey agreed, leaping into the air to follow the first mate home.
After watching the pair of males disappear in the distance, Amicia sat up and stretched once more. As soon as the men had been transformed, they had taken off, leaving her behind. Returning to her side, Lamwen helped her make sense of her new body.
“That’s it,” he coaxed. “You’re doing better with it,” he praised, suppressing his laughter at her novice motions. He found it difficult to think she had ever carried wings before.
“Yes,” she nodded, flapping the wide appendages and taking in the feel of them as they filled with air and pushed her off the ground. Wanting more, she fought a few more strokes, increasing the distance before she rested back on the earth. “I’ll get it. I guess I’m a slow learner,” she laughed, her fears lessened by the success and his presence. “Thank you for sticking by me.”
“You’re welcome, and you will get it soon enough,” he agreed, edging closer to her and resting his head against her neck. “I shouldn’t touch you.” he informed her, switching to their telepathic connection.
“No. Why not?” she replied in kind.
“It’s improper. But I must admit you are a beautiful dragon.”
“Who’s going to know, or care for that matter?” she giggled. “But thank you.”
Raising his head and staring at her, he appeared lost. “I have waited so long to have you on this side, in your true form as nature intended,” he confessed.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t know,” he pushed, the words tumbling before he could stop them. “I’m in love with you, Kaliwyn. I have been for so long. Perhaps since the first time you stood before me and placed your hand upon me, so brave and without fear. The light within you so strong.”
“That was a long time ago,” she agreed, taking another try at the air and flying around him in a small circle before landing once more.
“Or maybe it was the night you dared the frozen forest to join me and slept beneath my wing,” he continued to reminisce.
“I’m getting better, don’t you think?”
He could tell she was ignoring his observations, purposely choosing not to reply to his confession. “Are you angry that I tell you these things?”
Pausing, she turned to glare at him. “Angry? No. I’m just not sure what good it would do us. My feelings for you run deep as well, but I am married to Rey. Until my issue with him is resolved, speaking of our love for one another gains us nothing,” she rebuked.
“You feel it as well. You wish you could change your mind and be my mate.”
“I didn’t say that,” she spat, turning once before she took a longer flight, landing at the south end of the valley.
Following her, he praised, “That was a good run. Keep working at it, and we’ll be ready to take to Adiarwen in no time.”
“Yes,” she agreed, her pulse thick in her throat. “But you are wrong about Rey. I do not regret my vow with him. I love him as deeply as I love you,” she informed him, her green eyes glaring at him. “Please, do not speak of these things again, as they only serve to distract us from the fight we must face.”
Swallowing, his sorrow at her words might have consumed him if she had not given him the sliver of hope. She had admitted that she loved him, even if she did love the mortal just as much. “Oh no,” he grunted aloud as she took flight, leaving him for the opposite end of their training grounds.
Watching her through the darkness, his keen eyesight remained fixed on her beautiful form. Kaliwyn is a lover of dragon and man. The exact reality of it consumed him, the implications beyond coincidence, and not the teasing idea of it he had toyed with before. But of course, there are those who say it is someone loved by dragon and man, not a lover of.
The altered perspective did little to relieve his dread, as he and the mortal both loved her as surely as she loved them. She’s the one, either way. Could the prophecy be true? If it is, then there is no denying… the destroyer has arrived.
Adiarwen
“Man, this is fun!” Rey shouted as he and Piers landed next to their marshland camp.
“Aye,” the Mate agreed, locating his wife and trotting around her proudly.
“Piers,” she breathed, her heart racing.
“Aye,” he laughed. “In the flesh, or scales as the case may be.”
Swallowing, the wan put on a brave face. “You are handsome in them, love.”
“You think so?” he gloated, striking a pose. “I bet you say that to all the dragons.”
Laughing with him eased her concern, and she held her smile. “Only the gorgeous black ones,” she agreed.
Joining them, Lamwen took charge. “I’ve been visiting Adiarwen using the gnome disguise, and I have identified quite a few who will support us, including Putwyn if he can be believed, and Jarrowan, who remains loyal.”
“Putwyn helped us escape the dragons at Rhong,” Animir pointed out as the rest of the group gathered in. “I believe we can trust him.”
“How many?” Kaliwyn asked, arriving on her stronger legs.
“More than a dozen,” Lamwen quickly counted. “Enough we could mount an offensive once we are ready. But they must remain hidden until then, as a few have been gleaned and killed by Gwirwen’s forces since we began taking sides. The council has become divided, and full civil war rages among our kind.”
“Aye,” Animir agreed. “It is the fighting among the dragons that has allowed Lady Cilithrand to begin her invasion.”
“Let us fly,” Kaliwyn suggested. “We can form up at the dragon caves and hide
inside until the colony has settled to their slumber. From there, it will be easy to take the top and free my father.”
“It may be close, but I doubt it will be easy,” the Mate countered. “We may need to take a few of the others with us now, before they can be discovered. Perhaps this Putwyn and Jarrowan you speak of,” he suggested, raising his large black chin at Lamwen.
“You could be right. They will be good in a fight should we encounter resistance. Meena and the others can transport to us when we are ready and help us bring down the cell,” their resident expert on the dragon cliffs plotted.
“I believe that I can,” the wan agreed, looking around at the others anxiously. “Will you be going with us?” she asked of the three ossci who had been waiting patiently for them to decide their course of action.
The three gnomes had been discussing the matter quietly to the side, but at being pressed for a decision, they appeared ready to provide one. “We should,” Yimath agreed for all. “Our power is strong and may well be needed to destroy the magical bindings of such a prison. He cannot be transpositioned or even freed as long as the stones are in place.”
“My father is to weak for transport, either way,” Kaliwyn pointed out. “When I visited him, he is but a shell of a dragon, and I fear such a move would kill him. He will have to be removed under his own strength, if at all.”
“What about us?” Hayt growled, feeling less than useful at the moment. “Is there anything a dwarf, a nymph, and a siren can do?”
“Aye,” the Mate chuckled, “stay here and guard the camp. We’ve been safe so far, but you never know when that might change.”
“You just don’t want us fighting dragons,” Zaendra accused, her features drawn into a small pout.
“If the fight gets ugly, you’ll be glad I didn’t,” he countered, puffing smoke as he spoke.
Dragon of Eriden - The Complete Collection Page 85
