The Finding (30 page)

Jahrra looked up at him in surprise.
When has Jaax ever laughed before?
she wondered, unable to ever remember the dragon looking so much at ease.

“Hey, who are you?” asked the oldest girl when she spotted Jahrra.

Jahrra, who’d been standing back and watching in mild amusement, flinched when the attention was suddenly directed at her. It took her a moment to register what the girl had said.

“I’m, I’m Jahrra.”

She blushed in embarrassment. She wasn’t used to anyone taking such positive interest in her. Usually it was the opposite.

“I’m Samibi,” the girl replied, not at all noticing Jahrra’s awkward discomfort, “and this is my brother Strohm, and my sister Srithe.”

Jahrra smiled and felt her muscles relax. She was so used to the laughter and sneers from the younger children in the schoolyard that it was a treat being so easily accepted here.

Samibi, Strohm and Srithe soon lost interest in their two guests and started a game of tug-o-war with their dog. While the children tried their best to wrestle the rope away from the hound, Jahrra tried to guess their ages. They looked to be four, six and eight in Nesnan years, but like their parents, they could’ve been much older considering the endless life span of elves.

“Samibi, why don’t you go show Jahrra your tree house and your garden?” Yaraa suggested kindly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind a sharply pointed ear.

“Oh! C’mon, it’s grand!” the eldest girl chirped, her face radiating happiness.

The children grabbed Jahrra’s hands and dragged her off behind the cabin to see their world.

Jaax turned to the two elves as soon as the four children were out of sight, and just out of ear shot. “So, what do you think? Will we be able to pull this off?”

“She definitely looks human, but are you absolutely sure Jaax?” Viornen asked quietly, donning a more serious face now that the children were gone.

“Yes, absolutely. I arrived in Crie as soon as I could,” the dragon insisted, “and she was only a week old when I arrived. She had blue eyes as an infant. That could only mean she’s human.”

“After all these years . . .” Viornen said in a quiet voice, his face paling slightly.

“Oh, Jaax,” Yaraa cried, hardly able to hold back her excitement, “finally,
finally
she’s come to us! Jahrra will be the start of a new era, I’m sure of it!”

“Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. She’s still quite young and has much to learn,” Jaax answered. With a more serious and warning tone he continued, “You must understand, she’s been raised believing she is Nesnan. She mustn’t know who she really is until she is ready.”

“You’re right to do so,” Viornen said after a thoughtful pause. “I don’t think she’d be able to comprehend the truth now. We’ll prepare her for that day the best way we can.”

“Very well.” Jaax nodded agreement. “For now, we focus on getting her strong and capable to protect herself. I’m counting on you two, for you are the best ones for this job.”

Yaraa flashed the dragon a look of slight confusion.

“Jaax, we’re flattered by this honor,” she began, her usually smooth brow furrowed, “but surely there must be someone more suited, what about . . .”

“No,” Jaax interrupted, his voice like a whip.

There was a silent pause as the tension in the air nearly solidified.  Finally, Yaraa went on delicately, “She deserves another chance you know, and she’s skilled in more ways than we are . . .” but Yaraa stopped when she saw the threatening look on the dragon’s face. Whatever memory or notion she’d been trying to evoke fell short and stayed buried in her mind.

“I know who you’re thinking of, and that is absolutely not an option.”

Jaax finished this sentence rather harshly with fire building in his nostrils.

Yaraa backed down timidly, something she didn’t often do.

“Besides, the energy it would take to find . . .” Jaax began again, but stopped himself and shook his head to clear it. “No, like I said, it’s not an option.”

Viornen broke the awkward silence that followed with a light-hearted chuckle, “You’ll just have to make do with us then. We’ll start with the basics after tea. Did you test her already Jaax?”

Jaax didn’t answer at first. He was staring at the ground, his thoughts clearly somewhere else. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a sharp breath, releasing a miniscule stream of smoke as he exhaled, “Yes, and I would start at the beginning. She has some skill, but it wouldn’t hurt to start her from the bottom and work your way up.”

“Will you join us for tea, then?” Viornen queried.

“Oh no, I can’t. I have business outside of Oescienne that I’ve neglected for too long as it is. It’s taken precious time stopping in Oescienne at all, but it had been so long since I checked in on the girl,” Jaax said coldly, without emotion.

Yaraa, unable to be fooled by Jaax’s iron facade, smiled lightly. She donned a maternal look and placed a gentle hand on the dragon’s scaly foreleg, “Someday I hope to see you back to your old self Jaax, before . . . well, everything. Until then, promise me that you’ll stop every now and then to relax a little and enjoy this life, however dismal it may seem.”

Jaax gazed back with those silver green eyes of his and said shortly, “Life can’t truly be enjoyed until the Tyrant is purged from his throne. Goodbye Yaraa, Viornen. I’ll see you again, but at what time I don’t know.”

The two elves nodded somberly, as if honoring some ancient code that had been long since forgotten. Jaax returned the gesture just as quietly and just as slowly before turning to leave. As he started back down the lane he spotted Jahrra in the yard behind the cabin, bent over with her hands on her knees, examining the deep blue flowers the elfin children were pointing out to her. He must have lingered too long, because Jahrra turned her head and saw him. She stood up straight, said something to the children, and walked over to the dragon.

“Where are you going?”

Jahrra’s question sounded sincere, catching Jaax a little off guard.

“I have to leave, but you are to stay here and begin your training. I take it you remember how to get home?”

Jahrra’s earnestness vanished the instant Jaax’s sarcasm registered, taking her feelings of disappointment with it.

Her cobalt eyes darkened as she crossed her arms ferociously and took on an unyielding pose, “Oh, so you’re just going to leave me out in the middle of nowhere with perfect strangers while you go off to tend to your “business”?”

Jaax felt the beginning of a dry smile as he turned his gaze down the lane. He took his time to answer, something that chafed at Jahrra’s patience.

“They’re not complete strangers,” he finally said with an amused sigh. “I know them quite well and am not at all worried about leaving you here with them. I just hope they can make something out of you.”

Jahrra had grown too irate to answer, her face turning red like a boiled thermometer.

When she didn’t reply to his rude statement, Jaax continued, “I’ll see you in a few years, if I get a chance to visit this part of Ethoes again. If not, good luck with your training.”

Jaax snapped open his giant wings and lifted effortlessly into the blue sky, leaving a flustered Jahrra to kick at the earth in irritation. She was angry that she had actually felt disappointed he was leaving; angry that she didn’t have a snide reply for him. Now she wished she hadn’t apologized earlier for hitting him so hard with that branch.

Jahrra tilted her head so that she was looking at the canopy of the giant oaks, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly. She was overwhelmingly tempted to gather up Phrym and leave this bright little cottage for good.
Alright
, she thought to herself as the light from the sun filtered through the green leaves and onto her face,
I hate doing anything that Jaax says I have to do, but on the other hand these so called
‘lessons’
could be very useful against the twins.

She smiled as she imagined dropkicking Ellysian and sparring with Eydeth in front of the whole school, only to leave him sprawled in the dust.
Oh yes, that would
definitely
be worth giving into Jaax’s wishes. And besides, it’s not like he’ll be around to spy on me and make his rude comments.

Feeling that Strohm, Samibi and Srithe were quite fine on their own, Jahrra headed back down the shaded lane to where Viornen and Yaraa patiently waited, watching her like a pair of attentive hawks. She felt guilty that they’d been kept waiting as it was, but she didn’t want to approach them when she was still in a temper over Jaax.

Of course, the elves knew this already and used the time it took her to walk up the road to discuss their own private thoughts.

“That dragon sure has gotten into the habit of quick fixes,” Yaraa whispered amusedly to her husband.

“He does seem to be in such a hurry these days,” Viornen answered, just as quietly. “I wonder sometimes if he even thinks his decisions through.”

Yaraa hugged her elbows in thought. “The girl is quite young, that’s for sure, but she has spirit and although I admire her own unique wisdom, there is much she needs to learn.”

“She’ll be alright, I think,” Viornen murmured as Jahrra closed the gap between them, leaving all other speculation for another time.

“Sorry,” Jahrra said bashfully, “your children were so excited about showing me their garden, and then we found the toad . . .”

“Don’t worry about it,” Yaraa cut in kindly. “They do have a way of kidnapping newcomers; we don’t get many visitors out here. Besides, it’s only natural you’d want to talk to Jaax before he left.”

Jahrra flushed at this statement. She hadn’t realized they’d been watching her for so long.

“Oh, well, I wasn’t . . .” she stammered, not wanting to admit she’d wanted to say goodbye to the dragon and feeling a bit ashamed they’d read her secret thoughts so easily.

“He shouldn’t have left you so suddenly like that. You have every right to be angry.” Viornen’s kind smile seemed to relax their surroundings.

“How did you know I was angry?” Jahrra asked humbly, knowing that she’d done her best to let that emotion pass before approaching the couple.

“Well,” Viornen said with an impish grin, “other than the fact that you attacked the road with your foot when Jaax flew off, I was born with the ability to sense the slightest change in moods.”

Jahrra stared blankly. “You can be born with that ability?”

Viornen released a good-natured laugh, and Yaraa smiled along with him.

“I’m sorry!” Jahrra said apologetically, flushing once again. “That was extremely rude of me!”

She was completely mortified by now. These elves could read her emotions like words on a page and she didn’t even know them.

“It’s quite alright, I assure you,” Viornen chuckled. “It’s not as simple as that, so I’ll explain. People, of all races and species, have a chance of being born with magical properties. Some have stronger ties to magic than others and some have none at all. It’s not detectable at first, but once it is, depending on one’s level of magic, they are trained to use it and recognize it.

“Now, elves are more inclined to be magical and so are dragons and dwarves, but that doesn’t exclude all the other races. I myself happened to be born with a slight level of foresight. I can’t read the future; in fact, a mere fortuneteller would put me to shame. What I can do is sense emotions in other people better than most, and I can bring out the good emotions in other living things as well. That’s why our plants and trees seem so happy.”

Viornen waved his hand around gracefully to point out what he was describing. Jahrra eased a little more, eager to learn all she could about these elves.

“But my abilities are nothing compared to Yaraa’s. She can speak to animals.” Viornen gazed at his wife in open admiration.

“You can, really?” Jahrra said excitedly, forgetting all about proper etiquette among new adult acquaintances.

“Now Viornen, I can’t exactly speak to them, but I can touch their minds. Bring me your horse and don’t tell me his name,” Yaraa said calmly, shifting to a more relaxed posture.

Jahrra quickly scurried over to the other side of the road and grabbed Phrym by the reins, leading him grumpily away from the patch of clover he had been devouring.

“Now, this is what I can do.”

Yaraa gently lifted her arm and stretched her hand out flat, placing her palm upon Phrym’s forehead.

Phrym, who was usually twitchy around strangers touching him, acted as if nothing were happening. Then suddenly he became alert and looked Yaraa directly in the eye.

After some time, the elfin woman spoke, “He tells me that you gave him the name Phrym. He also tells me that he’s not a horse, but a semequin, and is glad to have you as a friend.”

Yaraa pulled her hand away from Phrym’s forehead and Jahrra almost cried with happiness. She hugged Phrym’s neck and he nickered lightly as if laughing at Jahrra for ever questioning his fondness.

“You can take him back now. He also told me those are the best clovers he’s ever eaten.”

Yaraa smiled as Jahrra led Phrym back to his snack. Jahrra took her time ambling back to where the two elves stood and gazed longingly at both of them, eager to learn more. Yaraa and Viornen may have thought their own abilities were insubstantial, but she thought they were fantastic.