The Witch's Dragon

by Melania Tolan

  I met real-life sirens, my link to Traian was broken, and then that witch…

  “Three o’clock. You see the lone polar bear?” Padrick spoke, bringing me back to the present.

  “Yes.” I focused in on the furry mammal two miles away from our location.

  His white coat appeared brown and shabby. The bear also had a mild limp as he walked across the beach below. Originally, we’d talked about hunting seals, but Padrick thought I needed something more substantial after everything that had happened in the last twelve hours.

  “He’s old and ready to die. Also, south of here, in the forest just on the other side of that ridge, are two herds with about one to three hundred red deer each. We can substitute seals with deer for Argo. Should keep him going until we are ready to leave.”

  “Why are you telling us this?” I asked.

  “You need to be very careful of how you hunt, as to not be noticed.” He pointed to the island just off the shore. “There are two wildlife cameras on that beach. Three along the cliffs north of here for a Svalbard rock ptarmigan colony observation. I’d suggest staying away from those areas. Occasionally, you might see a science expedition boat come into this bay. They usually only come during daylight hours, and you should be sleeping then.”

  “Fair enough.” I stood up. “I will put that polar bear out of his old age and I’ll get a deer for Argo, but when I get back, we need to talk.”

  “Yes, we do,” Argo agreed. “I can hunt my own deer.”

  “You are not going hunting without me.” I gave my dragon a stern look. “At least not tonight.”

  “And the next thing I’m teaching you is how to block intrusive minds.” Padrick joined the silent conversation.

  I nodded. “Agreed.”

  I leapt off the cliff and landed three hundred feet below, as if I’d been doing this my whole life. From there, I took long jumps all the way down the mountain to the beach. Fresh air, open sky, and the thrill of the hunt were the perfect recipe for happiness and contentment after being underground and cooped up for so many weeks.

  When I reached the partially icy shoreline, I crouched behind a large boulder as I observed my prey, who was easily twice my size. This would be my biggest hunt to date. My throat burned in anticipation.

  The massive bear sensed my presence immediately and reared up on his hind legs, letting out a challenging snort.

  I stepped out from my hiding place and faced the creature. In my human form, I would have been a goner, but as a strigoi, the tables had turned.

  “Sorry, fella,” I whispered.

  “My time has come. Make it quick.” The bear lowered back down to all fours and bowed his head, exposing his neck.

  “What?” I stood there stunned.

  “You heard me, lady. Make it quick. I’m ready to go.”

  “It was so much easier to hunt when I couldn’t hear my prey’s thoughts,” I murmured.

  I wish I could say I felt conflicted enough to back away. Alas, my primal needs took over, and I attacked the large creature in one blow, breaking its spine.

  “Thank you.”

  That was the last thing I heard before the spark of life within him disappeared. Guilt and regret filled my mouth with each pull of blood. I’d hunted plenty, so why did I feel so bad about taking this life? Was it because he had sacrificed himself to me?

  Why did he do that?

  I consumed the last drop, sating my hunger for the next several days, provided I didn’t do anymore crazy magic. Thank you. I placed a hand on his face.

  “Don’t burn him yet. We need the fur.” Padrick approached with Argo jumping around like a happy pup behind him.

  I stood up and wiped the few drops of blood from my mouth. “He communicated with me right before I killed him. Am I going to hear all the animals’ thoughts when I hunt now?”

  “Welcome to the world of magic.” Padrick smirked. “Isn’t it great seeing how everything is interconnected? The circle of life and all that shit.”

  “Not really. Makes me want to go vegan, but I can’t. This sucks.” I ran a hand through my ponytail. “I guess I’d better go procure dinner for you, too.” I glanced at Argo.

  “I could come with you.” He looked up at me with hopeful eyes.

  “Not tonight,” Padrick and I said at the same time.

  “Fine.” He let out a puff of smoke. “Guess I’ll keep the elf company.”

  “Why can’t he just eat the bear meat?” I asked Padrick.

  “Nice try.” He pulled out a knife from his boot. “You drained all the blood, so there isn’t much nutrition here besides the bones. Go feed your dragon, please.”

  Cranky.

  “I heard that.”

  Ugh. I jumped up on a boulder. “I’ll be back.”

  Renewed from my meal, I scaled the side of the mountain and hurried down the other side in no time. Sure enough, fifty yards down, at the edge of the forest, I found a small herd of ninety-six deer resting for the night. New babies curled up with their mamas, while a few bucks stood guard here and there, munching on a few green blades of grass that had popped up through the snow.

  Dammit, this is going to be hard. I didn’t want to hurt these sweet creatures. Circle of life and shit. I sang “Twinkle Little Star” in my head to keep myself from hearing any thoughts as I crept up to the lone buck farthest away from the rest of the herd and snapped his neck as quickly as possible.

  I wasn’t fast or quiet enough, because half of the herd jumped to their feet, heads turned in my direction. I let the body of the buck fall on me and waited until everyone settled down again, and then, ever so slowly, I pulled my prey up the mountain until we were enough of a distance away I could hoist him up on my shoulder and run off.

  When I reached the beach again, Padrick had completely skinned the bear. A dirty white pelt in the beast's shape lay next to its carcass. The site almost turned my stomach.

  Argo ran up. “I’m so hungry.”

  “Not yet,” Padrick said. “I need to get his pelt, too.”

  “For what?” I dropped the deer on the iced-over rocks.

  “We will be here a while and we need bedding. The cold might not bother you, but I’m a warm-blooded elf.” He snapped the antlers off and tossed them by the bear pelt. “You can start the fire for your leftovers.”

  I turned my back to him and stared at the remains at my feet for a few minutes before closing my eyes. I remembered how it felt when Traian kissed me when I had last visited him. My hands took a while to start buzzing, but once they did, I could hear the crackles of sparks falling from my hands. Before I opened my eyes, the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

  “Let’s get these dried off so we can use them.” Padrick handed me the deer pelt while he threw a handful of green powder from a pouch at his waist onto the fire I’d created. The moment the stuff touched the flames, the blaze grew hot and turned an emerald color. “Hold the smooth side toward the fire.” He grabbed the bear pelt and held it up next to the flames while Argo finally got his dinner.

  “What is that stuff?” I asked.

  “It’s a flammable concoction I made. In this case, it amplifies your spark and adds heat, which is what we need to tan these pelts. Also, there is boric acid to help with the process.”

  I’d never tanned an animal skin, so I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Padrick guided me through each step. For a vegetarian, he knew an awful lot about this process.

  “So, what are you going to eat?” I asked.

  “I have my vegan power bars and wheatgrass powder. That will keep me going for a couple of months,” he replied.

  The sun was just below the northern horizon, teasing us with orange, pink, and purple skies. I could hear the calling of the gulls in the distance while the frigid waters of the Barents Sea lapped at the icy shoreline. The smells of tanning hides, fish, and the burning carcass mixed with chemicals from Padrick’s concoction.

  “The sun will be up soon, you should get back to the cav
e.” Padrick set the bear pelt on a nearby bolder. “I can finish up here.”

  I’m ready for a long nap. Argo chomped on the last piece of meat. Thanks for dinner.

  You’re welcome.

  Padrick took the deer skin from me. “And no dream walking to your lover.”

  I tossed my now free hands in the air. “I can’t.”

  “I know, but don’t even try.”

  “I wasn’t going to.” I frowned, feeling the disconnection. “I don’t like this.” My eyes stung, and I whirled away from Padrick before he saw the pink drops.

  Even though I moved fast, he was faster. He stood right before me the next moment and placed his arms around me.

  “I’m sorry.” He pressed my head against the flannel shirt that covered his chest. “I’ve been pushing you too hard, and you haven’t had a chance to catch your breath.”

  I didn’t want to be hugged, I just wanted to be left alone, to have a moment without people inside my head or pieces of my spirit being ripped away from me. But I couldn’t push him away either, so I let him hold me as the floodgates burst open.

  Chapter 15

  “Stop fidgeting,” Padrick scolded. “You won’t be able to focus if you keep bouncing your knees like that.”

  “Sorry,” I said, trying to keep my knees still as I sat in lotus position in front of the elf.

  We’d started the mental block training inside a snowy cave outside of the mountain cavern we used for our home. I felt like my brain would explode if I had to hear another one of Storm’s inner monologues or Argo’s well-meaning suggestions. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my companions, and I’d do anything for them—heck, I was even grateful for this new ability to hear thoughts. However, I also needed to maintain my sanity.

  Focusing back on my body, I tried to hold still, but couldn’t. Every muscle twitched and contracted.

  “What did I say?” Padrick placed both hands on my knees, holding them down. “What is going on? Why can’t you focus?”

  My eyes flew open, and I glared at Padrick. “What’s going on? Ha.” I rubbed my jaw. “Oh, I don’t know. Only that the bond with the man I love has been completely severed and I can’t feel him anymore. Though it was awful feeling his pain, at least I knew he was alive. Now I don’t know what’s happening. Oh, not to mention I had a siren probing around in my mind. And then before that, I got attacked by some witch in the tunnels, who carved the word ‘whore’ across my stomach. And let’s not forget the scions!

  “But wait, there’s more! Ever since Argo has joined us, I’ve had nonstop conversations and commentary inside my head that doesn’t belong to me. And I can’t leave out traveling across the ocean to a remote island in a part of the world I’ve never been to. Also, I can’t even go hunting anymore without hearing my prey’s thoughts! So, yeah.” I tapped my chin with my pointer finger. “I wonder why I can’t hold still?”

  I hadn’t meant to shout and took a deep breath.

  “Everything’s just too much,” I finished.

  Padrick’s grip on my knees softened, and then he lifted his hands, placing them on my shoulders.

  “I’m sorry. Much has happened in the last twenty-four hours, and you haven’t had time to adjust to all the changes or even rest. And I keep pushing you. It’s understandable why you would be upset at me and emotional, but I mean you no ill will.” His green eyes focused in on me. “I’m trying to help. The sooner we get you and your dragon trained, and he’s grown to his full length, then we can put a plan in action to free Traian.”

  I felt a bit bad for yelling at Padrick, but not too bad because I was still annoyed.

  I sighed and dropped my gaze to my hands. “I… I don’t know if I can handle any more of this, Padrick. You all seem to think I’m this strong person. I’m really not. Just a few months ago, I had a weak heart and knew I didn’t have much longer to live. Heck, I coded on the table several times after just falling and hitting my head. One little cut, and I would just bleed and bleed and bleed.” I shuddered, remembering all the effort it took to keep me alive back then. “Sure, I’m physically stronger now, but emotionally and mentally, I’m not so sure. I don’t know how much more of this magic world I can take. Apparently, I’m supposed to do some great stuff. Yet…”

  Padrick squeezed my shoulders. “I know, hon, I know. You’ve had so much thrown at you in such a short time. I don’t blame you for feeling overwhelmed. When you feel like the world is too big, remember to ground yourself. You know I’m also here for you. Always have been, always will be. Until my dying breath, I will fight for you.”

  I met his gaze and held it. “Why? Why do you care about me so much?”

  “I care about you because you are our only hope, but also because you are someone that has shown me many good things about life when I was ready to give up. Yes, Eva told me all about you and what you would do, and become, but she never told me you would also steal my heart.”

  This statement took me aback. Steal his heart? What does that mean?

  “I’m sorry I’ve been grumpy,” he continued. “Just been a little worried.”

  “About what?”

  Padrick’s gaze dropped to the spot on the ground between us before he met my eyes again. “I’m not worried about us or you. I know that you will find the strength within you to do what needs to be done. However, I discovered something about myself.”

  I really hoped he wasn’t about to profess his undying love right then, because I thought I might just go flying through the roof of our cave from all the pressure I was under.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Padrick rolled his eyes. “I do love you, but not like that.”

  “Thank goodness!” I sighed. “I don’t know if I’d be able to handle it if you had a thing for me too.” I half laughed.

  A little smile crept at the corners of Padrick’s lips. It was the first time I’d seen him warm up since we’d left Africa.

  “I think I have found the one.”

  “What?” My mouth fell open. “Who?”

  Padrick swallowed and glanced to the side. “Ari.”

  “Really?” I smiled.

  I thought about it for a moment, remembering the little look between them. Oh yeah, there was some serious chemistry there. I had little experience with that, but looking back… Yes, that look they’d exchanged on the boat on the Black Sea made perfect sense.

  “What does he think?” I asked.

  Padrick’s cheeks took on a slightly rosy tone—something I had never witnessed them do before. “I don’t know. His heartbeat tends to pick up a notch when I’m around, but I don’t know if that means anything. Gah.” He waved a hand. “Enough about me, we are here for another purpose.” He tapped my forehead with his finger.

  “So, you’re into wolves, huh?” I gave him a smirk.

  “Stop stalling.” Padrick’s cheeks deepened to a rosier color. “We need to focus, here.”

  Oh, I enjoyed this too much. I’d never seen him this flustered. He must have been seriously bitten by the love bug.

  “Come on, you know all about my life. I want to hear about yours.”

  “It’s not important.” Padrick fidgeted with his hands.

  I hadn’t seen him this nervous about anything, but I hadn’t seen him in the context of romance, either.

  I reached out and placed my hand over his. “Your story is just as important as mine. I care and want to know.”

  Padrick looked up, his green eyes studying mine. “Thank you. No one has ever said something that nice before.”

  “You must not have a lot of friends.”

  “I don’t.” He sighed. “I’ve done some terrible things, Everly. I’m not the person you think I am… or at least, I wasn’t always.”

  I leaned in. “We all have things in our past we regret, Padrick. It’s okay. No one’s perfect.”

  “Can we get back to training?”

  I squeezed his hand and sat back. If he wasn’t ready to talk, I wouldn’t push him. “Okay, l
et’s do this thing. But just so you know, I think it’s cute that an elf and a wolf fell in love.”

  “I don’t know if he actually feels the same way about me.” Padrick rolled his shoulders and sat up straight. “But I can hope.”

  “I suspect he does. If I’m wrong, then he’s not for you.” I placed my hands on my knees, palms up. “You deserve to be loved.” And by golly, I will do whatever it takes to make sure you have your happily ever after.

  “Thank you, now let’s get back to training.” Padrick’s voice had a serious firmness, the kind I didn’t want to mess around with. “Okay, close your eyes and focus on your internal sound.”

  I followed his guidance and turned my attention inward to the subtle hum that was always there—my signature sound.

  He paused for a moment, waiting for me to go deeper into my focus. “Okay, now I want you to imagine a wall coming up from the ground, encasing your entire body. Then imagine a roof coming over the top and sealing you in a little, safe compartment.”

  “Does it matter what color this wall is?” I asked.

  “Funny you should ask. To help you focus, imagine a silver wall like your energy aura. Watch it form a protective bubble that will keep you safe from energetic attacks and prodding minds.”

  “Okay. I think I got it,” I whispered, feeling a warm cocoon around my body and mind.

  The next moment, the wall I had erected around me shattered as Padrick’s voice boomed inside my head.

  “Well, that was a good first attempt, but you need more practice. You’ve gotta make this wall stronger. I barely poked through your barrier, and it crumbled.”

  “Son of a bitch,” I cursed out loud.

  This would not be easy. We went through several rounds. I tried different colors of ‘bricks,’ only to have Padrick smash through them as quickly as he had the first time. After an hour of practicing, my mind was so tired that I couldn’t handle anymore.

  “I need to go to bed,” I declared. “I don’t think I can stay awake much longer.”