Healed by Fire (6 page)

“How did they know where we were? How could
they have known we would be heading this way?” I asked angrily.

Theseus sighed. “That would probably be my
fault.”

Blu’s head whipped around and I saw the
murderous intent in his eyes. “You have two seconds to explain
before I chomp off your head.”

Theseus looked at me with pleading eyes. “I
made a call to the werewolf prince, but spoke quickly before asking
if he was alone. He has an ally who is a vampire, but sometimes his
ally has minions around him who are not loyal. I should have asked
first if it was safe to speak, but we were in a rush and…I am
sorry.”

Blu spoke rapidly in the language of the
dragons, which meant he was saying harsh things he didn’t want me
to hear.

“You should be more careful next time,” I
said softly, “Apparently I’m wanted by the vampires.”

Finally we reached the end of the landmass
and flew out over the ocean. The ocean spread out before us in a
seemingly endless expanse. The winds blew the scent of salt up to
us, making my nose tingle and me sneeze. The sea was powerful and
silent. It was eerie and yet reassuring. The only difference from
the preternatural take over and from when the humans ruled, is that
now the ocean was
much
cleaner.

We flew in silence for the next two hours,
passing over the ocean and mountains until we finally came to the
Lair. The mountain before us was the largest in the world, its peak
over twenty nine thousand feet high. It was also hollow. The
dragons used their magic to hollow out the mountain yet maintain
its stability.

The entrance was over fifteen thousand feet
from the base and only accessible by air. It was also always
covered in snow which made it a massive sight of splendor. Blu told
me that there used to be other mountains around it, but the dragons
thought they made a route for unwanted visitors so the dragons
destroyed all of the mountains within a one hundred mile radius,
leaving the behemoth dragon’s nest by itself.

Blu approached the mountain slowly, making a
wide arc so the guards had time to come to him and check him
out.

Two dragons roared and then swooped down
from above where they’d been making lazy patrolling circles. The
first dragon was green and large, but still smaller than Blu.

“Welcome Draco-Blu. We are honored to escort
you in,” said the green dragon.

The second dragon, a gold colored dragon,
glided besides Blu’s left side. “Hail, leader. I am honored to be
in your presence yet again.” He was closer to Blu’s size and as I
recalled, one of Blu’s friends.

Blu hummed respectfully, confirming my
belief. “I am happy to see you again my friend.”

The golden dragon tilted his head and
flicked his tongue out, trying to catch my scent. “You must be the
girl Draco-Blu is so fond of.”

I bowed my head out of respect and then
smiled at him. “I am Chandra, friend of the dragons.”

The green dragon asked, “How are you faring
at the moment?”

I bowed my head to the dragon and said, “I
am doing alright. My pulse is faster than normal and there is a
pain in my head and heart, but nothing too serious.”

The dragons glided as they approached the
entrance and then formed a single file line with the golden dragon
first, then Blu and then the green dragon. They landed inside the
opening, which was only wide enough for one dragon with his wings
fully extended to land at a time. Blu followed his friend through a
pitch black tunnel which made Theseus and me growl nervously. I
hated confined spaces, especially ones under the ground. My head
throbbed as I recalled walking down a narrow staircase underground
with a man in a situation very similar to this.

I screamed in pain as I tried to recall his
name or what he looked like.

Blu stepped out of the darkness and into the
open mountain where the dragons lived. We stood on a ledge which
dropped off to the bottom of the mountain. Rock outcroppings jutted
out every twenty feet or so which served as nests for the dragons
along the walls of the mountain. The nests were scattered along the
full height and circumference of the mountain’s walls.

Theseus grabbed me and jumped off of Blu’s
back, being careful to keep me from the edge and laid me down in
front of Blu. Blu and the golden dragon pressed their noses to my
head and started humming.

The man in the staircase was connected to
me. I recalled being able to speak telepathically with him, which
was abnormal. I had been afraid and he started glowing. He glowed
because he was a Sidhe! He was tall and he had markings on his
upper body…

“Hatchling!” Blu yelled. “Release the
memory! Release it before it tears you apart!”

Release it? Why would I release it when I
was so close? I could almost see his face. I could… Pain ripped
through my body and stole the breath from my lungs, not even
allowing me to scream.

Theseus bit into my arm and my eyes flew
open, releasing the memory from my grasp. Blu and his friend hummed
loudly, their magic wrapping around me in a soft whirlwind. The
pain eased and then disappeared, allowing me to breathe.

“Speak to me, Chandra,” Theseus whispered,
“Please, say something.”

I lay in stunned silence a moment and then
whispered, “Ow.”

The three dragons and Theseus exhaled in
relief simultaneously, ruffling my hair with their combined
releases of air. Blu rested his muzzle on my chest and whispered,
“You need to be careful, Hatchling. That was too close.”

I patted his muzzle reassuringly and then
stood up slowly. “I’m sorry.”

Theseus cleared his throat and the dragons
turned to look at him. “Would it be alright if I flew down with you
instead of riding?”

My eyes widened and I looked at Blu
hopefully. “Please, Draco-Blu. It has been so long since I’ve
soared,” I pleaded.

Blu locked eyes with his friend a moment as
they communicated telepathically and then nodded his head. “You may
follow us down to the floor level.” Blu looked at me with concern
and asked, “Are you sure you’re alright to fly?”

I smiled and nodded my head vigorously.
“Yes!”

Blu and the other two dragons sprang up and
away from the ledge, extended their wings and soared over the giant
expanse of the open mountain. Theseus pulled his shirt off over his
head and then walked behind me, tearing open slits in my shirt so I
could let my wings out while still keeping my shirt intact and
covering my upper body.

I walked a few steps away from him and
closed my eyes, calming my mind and body. Power flowed within the
mountain and it generously lent me energy. I pictured my back and
imagined my wings sliding from the two slits and expanding
outwards. My back pulsed and then my wings were free. I opened my
eyes and marveled at the colors of my body.

Theseus grunted and I watched as his body
glowed and then his wings released. He smiled at me and then
launched himself from the ledge.

I squatted down and then jumped up as high
as I could, letting out a victorious cry of glee as I soared. I
zipped past the others and made a circle around the entire
mountain. If my calculation was correct, the area of the bas of the
mountain was at least twenty five hundred square feet. Theseus flew
after me and then folded his wings in and plummeted down towards
the bottom. I followed close behind him, but pulled up early to
circle one more time before landing on my feet on the stone
floor.

Blu landed beside me and roared happily. If
I smiled any wider my face would surely split. Mid-smile, I glanced
at the floor of the mountain more carefully. Blu had described the
mountain for me before, but it was incredible to witness first
hand. The ground was solid marble and several large tents were set
up along the outer edge of the floor level.

“Who lives in the tents?” I asked
curiously.

“Friends of the dragons when they visit,”
the golden dragon answered.

I turned to face him and said, “I must
apologize for my rudeness. I have forgotten to ask what I may call
you.”

The golden dragon’s lips pulled back
slightly as he gave me a dragon smile. “Friends call me
Fafnir.”

I frowned as I recalled the name from a
story I’d heard. “Doesn’t that mean greed?”

Fafnir and Blu laughed loudly. Fafnir nodded
his head. “Gold is not only my coloring, but my favorite
treasure.”

I smiled. “Aw, so your treasure holds more
than just jewels and virgins waiting to be devoured?”

Blu snorted. “He wishes he had virgins
again.”

Fafnir sighed. “I do miss those days. Humans
were so much tastier before they developed so many chemicals.”

I turned to the green dragon and bowed. “I
have not forgotten you. What may I call you?”

“I am Ryuu.”

I smiled. “It is a pleasure to meet you Ryuu
and Fafnir. I am honored.”

Ryuu and Fafnir dipped their heads. “We are
honored to meet you as well, Hatchling,” they said in unison.

I’d heard Blu and Fira speak in unison
before, but it was strange to hear other dragons do it as well. Blu
said it was because of their telepathy. Sometimes they finished
sentences for each other as well.

“Chandra,” said five voices at once.

I turned and watched as the five oldest
dragons, so worn with age that they rarely flew and if they did
fly, only made it as far as the first nests two hundred feet
overhead, walked towards me. They were all bi-colored, the only
multicolored dragons I’d ever seen before. Were they more powerful
because they were bi-colored or had they become bi-colored after
becoming the Council? I wasn’t sure since Blu never talked about
it.

The dragons stopped a hundred feet away and
held my gaze. I walked away from Blu and Theseus and dropped to the
ground on my knees and bowed until my forehead touched the ground.
I was shaking inside, but I held my body tight as I bowed. I would
not show fear to the Council. “It is an honor to have an audience
with you, Council of Dragons.”

“We are pleased to finally meet the
hatchling of Draco-Blu,” they answered in unison again. “Please
stand, friend of the dragons, and be easy in our presence. You have
nothing to fear from us.”

I stood up and bowed my head politely.
“Thank you.”

“Please let us look upon your face.”

I took off the talisman to reveal my true
face. The dragons stared at me and hummed in harmony as they each
used their magic in sync to examine me.

I felt like a tuning fork that had been
flicked. Their powers vibrated against me infiltrating my mind and
body. I tried to relax despite my fear so as not to disrupt their
spell.

Images of events I did not remember started
to play across my closed eyelids and made me cry out in pain. I
fell to the ground on my side as the pain blacked out my vision.
The images stopped and the dragons’ magic dissipated.

“You are not ready to face this on your own.
We must wait for him to come,” the Council said.

Theseus picked me up from the ground where I
was laying and carried me as he followed Blu towards one of the
tents.

“Draco-Blu, I…” I began.

“Quiet. You must sleep and wait, Hatchling,”
Blu said with concern and worry evident in his voice.

I closed my eyes and a smile spread across
my face as I whispered, “I can feel him coming.”

Blu snorted in my face and the world went
dark.

~~~

“I want to see her!” yelled a familiar deep,
commanding male voice.

“She is resting,” said Blu angrily.

“I’m awake,” I whispered because I knew both
would hear me.

Blu stuck his head into the opening of the
small tent I was lying in. “How do you feel?” he asked.

“Like I got stepped on by a dragon.”

Blu laughed. “You would not be alive if that
were true, Hatchling.”

“Please, I would just like to see her,” said
the werewolf prince.

Blu sighed. “Are you well enough to have
visitors?”

I smiled at Blu and stood up slowly. “I am.
Thank you for your concern.”

Blu rumbled affectionately at me, much like
a feline would purr.

I changed quickly and then took a deep
breath for courage just as he stepped into the tent. He was even
more handsome than I remembered.

He had started to move towards me, but
stopped and clenched his hands into fists. “How are you
feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” I admitted.

“Did they hurt you?” he asked through
gritted teeth.

I frowned at him. “Did who hurt me?”

His eyes flicked to the side. “The Dragon
Council.”

I stared at him in shock. “They were trying
to help me. I am sure they did not mean to harm me.”

Theseus walked into the tent with a tray of
food, but stopped when he saw the prince. “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t
know you were here.” Theseus dropped his head in submission and
started to leave.

“Wait,” I said. “Is that food for me?”

Theseus looked at the tray and then smiled
nervously. “Yes, sorry. I’ll just leave it.”

I felt the prince watching us as I walked to
Theseus and took the tray from his hands. I kissed Theseus’ cheek
and smiled at him. “Thank you.”

The prince growled softly behind me, but
made no movement besides that.

I ignored him and walked outside to eat
beside Blu who was still standing guard outside of my tent. Blu
moved his tail so I could sit on it while leaning against him to
eat as I’d done many times before. I sat down and patted his side
before eating the meats and fruits on the tray.

“When will I speak to the Council?” the
prince asked. His shoulders were tense and his eyes glowed with
magic.

Why was he so angry? Even if he was my mate,
I hadn’t done anything that was considered inappropriate.