Chapter Four

Safina

I woke with a start. The air was warmer here. The weight of it stuck to my skin like moss to a rock. The dawn broke, illuminating the sky with warm hues of orange and crimson, reflecting across the endless ocean.

Mother"s wings still flapped, although slower.

I knew the dragon queen was tiring.

How far had we traveled? Where was Mother taking us?

The rhythm of Mother"s wings came to a slow stop as we made a gentle descent.

Turning on my belly, I winced at the deep, painful throbbing in my arm and again when my smooth human skin chafed against spiny scales. I wrapped my good arm around my mother"s neck, knowing we would soon dive for landing.

But Mother took her time, gliding in slow, smooth circles until we landed on the water"s surface.

The Dragon Queen dipped her head beneath the gentle waves and grunted, a long, deep sound that rippled the water around us.

I arched a brow. I"d never heard such a noise before.

Mother came up for air and shook her scales.

I giggled in delight. The water was mild and refreshing.

Turning her long neck, Mother plucked me off her back, gently cradling me in her jowls, and dropped me in the water.

I sank like a stone. I screamed, swallowing a salty gulp of water.

Instinctively, I broke to dragon form, struggling against the burning pain in my left wing as I flapped to the surface.

A wall of water rushed over my head, stinging my eyes and filling my mouth with more bitterness.

I roared in protest. Dragons were meant to fly, not swim. Why had Mother tossed me in the sea?

The dragon queen chuckled, merriment dancing in her amber eyes.

I could not repress a grin. How long since I"d heard my mother laugh? Since we"d frolicked together? With each passing day, the dragon queen grew more somber. My heart warmed to see my mother happy once more, even if it was at my expense.

Fearing I'd capsize at any moment, I struggled to keep my head afloat while fighting the pain that shot up my broken wing and made me feel out of balance.

Mother"s eyes darkened, her jowls setting in a grim line. Let me see your wing.

I edged closer, dipping my head beneath my mother"s chin, placing my cheek against the heart I knew as well as my own.

Mother latched one strong talon onto my wing as her chest rose and expanded with air. I winced, anticipating what was to come.

With a slow, steady breath, Mother worked the magic of her healing fires.

I tried to shift beneath the burning weight, but Mother"s grip was strong.

The flames ebbed. The burning soothed. My broken wing was just a memory.

I nuzzled my mother"s neck, purring against her glistening scales.

I loved her so.

Then I pushed off, flapping my wings until I broke free of the water. A torrent of droplets shook from my scales as I flapped harder, rising higher still. I laughed in delight as water rained down on Mother"s head.

Mother reared up, snapping at my talons with spiky teeth.

I laughed louder as I flew just out of Mother"s reach.

I was Safina, dragon princess. Invincible!

Do not stray far, child. I sense mortals may be near.

My heart lurched, and my wings stuttered. Was there no place Mother and I could be safe? I was tired of human hatred, of their ignorance. Anger surged and heated my scales. I was a mighty dragon princess. I would not fear mortals.

I puffed out my chest, speaking with all the regality befitting a dragon royal.

Then I shall burn them to a crisp!

These humans spear giant sea whales, daughter. They will make easy work out of slaying a hatchling dragon.

A hatchling? I didn't consider myself a hatchling. I was nearly my mother's height and girth at seventeen summers. Still, my bravery waned ever so slightly as I swallowed a knot in my throat. Perhaps I should stay close to the queen. Just in case.

I will not fly far.

Mother"s heavy eyes narrowed, her fanged jowls hinting at a smile. Stay within my dragon"s eye.

Aye, Mother.

I flew circles above my mother"s head, my superior gaze keeping watch for the two of us as I took note of every curious bird that flew by. I would do my duty as a dragon royal, keeping the queen and myself safe. That was why I stayed so close to my mother. Not out of fear of mortals. Nay, never out of fear.

My gaze wandered west. A flock of white birds made a sudden shift in direction. I could tell by the erratic flapping of their wings, they"d spied us. I arched back and roared. The birds fluttered faster and farther away. Inwardly, I smiled. They were no match for a dragon princess.

My sight shifted east to the rising sun. Water on the horizon rose in vapors, pulled from the sea by the giant glowing abyss.

On the north horizon, I thought I saw a thin shoreline, but the distance was too great for even my dragon eyes to discern island from illusion.

I sensed the change, a shift in my environment. My nostrils flared as I inhaled deeply. A new scent, powerful and strange. I spun a quick circle but saw nothing amiss in the sky.

I chanced a look down and sucked in a gasp at the sight.

So consumed had I been in watching the sky for threats, I hadn"t thought of danger from below. As the dragon queen floated aimlessly in the ocean"s current, I clearly made out the form of something giant and monstrous rising beneath my mother"s talons.

Mother!I cried. A monster is beneath you!

The dragon queen didn't look down, only issued me a command. Come down, child.

Obeying the queen, I flew down until I was above my mother's head. I reminded myself I was a dragon royal and aiding the queen was my duty, though the blood pumping through my wings went cold from fright.

The water bubbled and boiled and made a great rumbling sound as the monster drew closer to the surface.

Icy fear swept through me and emptied my mind of all rational thought. I tried to steady the erratic flapping of my wings while remaining tethered to my mother.

A large pointy head bobbed above the sea, just within reach of Mother"s wingspan. The head was pink and splotchy with dark teardrop-shaped eyes. Several long, wavy tendrils rose up around the monster. Each strand had a pattern of strange bubbly circles on one side.

I thought those were part of the monster"s hair, for they appeared too floppy to be of any use.

Fiona? The creature spoke as we did, through thought. The monster"s droopy eyes focused on the dragon queen. 'Tis been a long time, My Deity.

Mother sighed. Much too long, Graechen.

Mother was friends with this sea creature? Why had she never mentioned this before?

Mortals still do not take kindly to dragon folk?

The sea monster"s question was not laced with disbelief. She sounded all too knowing of mortal prejudice.

Nay, Graechen. Mother"s heavy jowls turned a frown. We need a place of safekeeping.

One long bubbly tendril came out of the water and cradled Mother"s chin. Where is the dragon warrior I once knew?

Gone is she. The dragon queen shook her head, a tear slipping down her snout. I am Mother now.

I see. Several more floppy tendrils came out of the water. One wiped away Mother"s tear, others stroked the back of her neck.

I had never seen so many legs on a creature, except for spiders. Perhaps she was a sea spider of some kind. I lurched, wondering if the monster was poisonous, too. Instinctively, I flapped my wings harder, putting more distance between us.

My breath caught when Graechen"s large black eyes shifted to me. The princess is frightened of me. Have you not told her of the stewards?

Nay. She knows little of our culture. We are all that is left of dragonkind. Mother arched her long neck and gently tugged my talon, pulling me closer. Safina, this is Graechen, steward of the sea and friend to dragon.

Even though Graechen was not majestic like a beautiful, scaly dragon, she had a calming aura that reminded me of my mother.

I decided I would like the monster. Have you need for all those legs?

Graechen made a gurgling sound which I thought to be laughter.

They come in handy when I am crushing my prey.

I gasped. A knot of panic coiled in my stomach.

A long tendril came out of the water, cupping my chin.

I wanted to put more air beneath my wings, fly away from this strange creature and her slimy clutches, but something in the monster"s inky gaze soothed my fears. I could not understand the calm which settled in my heart.

You should never fear me, princess, Graechen purred. We monsters protect one another. She patted my head, then her long extremity flopped back into the water. She turned her dark gaze to the dragon queen. Build your cocoon, dragon mother. I will keep watch.

Mother exhaled slowly, bowing her head to the monster. Thank you, friend.

I flew down to meet my mother"s gaze. What is a cocoon, Mother?

Come to me. Press your head against my heart. Mother opened her generous wingspan, motioning for me to come near. I will form a cocoon to keep us safe.

I obeyed, flying into the cradle of my mother"s wings and snuggling against her chest. What will happen to us in this cocoon?

Mother nuzzled my neck, purring against my ear. We will sink to the bottom of the ocean.

I gasped. I cannot breathe underwater.

Mother purred deeper. The cocoon will give us breath.

Panic rose in my chest. But what about food?

The cocoon's membranes will nourish us as a mother feeds her babe in the womb,Mother cooed.

My heart felt near to bursting. I had spent the better part of my seventeen summers confined to a human shell and now I was to be trapped underwater with strange creatures. Not to fly! Not to soar to the heavens!

I don"t want to go underwater, Mother. I want to fly!

Nay, child. As Mother spoke, she snuggled me tightly to her chest. Flying is too dangerous. The mortals want us dead, and I can no longer trust you to guard our secret.

I"m sorry, Mother. Tears stung my eyes and flowed freely down my snout. I"ll not do it again. I promise.

The air around me grew thicker, then darkened. I struggled to pull away from my mother"s grasp, but an invisible binding force kept me in place.

Hush, my sweet. Mother cooed. We will come up when it is safe.

How long will that be? I sobbed.

I heard a thump and then a splash. All at once, I felt weightless. My body spun, a cyclone of dizziness twisting inside my head. I clung tightly to the dragon queen, focusing all my energy on the heavy beating of my mother"s heart.

Mother nuzzled my neck. When the world is ready for dragons, we will surface.

The world may never be ready, Fiona, Graechen"s voice echoed around us.

We must be patient, Graechen. Mother sighed, the steady pulse of her heart slowing to nearly a stop. Our time will come.

* * *

Duncan

England–1447

"MAKE WAY FOR THE DRAGONSLAYER!"

I followed the knight into the large darkened hall, lit only by a small fire at one end. I was told 'twas a meeting place of some sort. Many villagers had gathered here. Tots with grimy faces clung to their mothers" worn skirts. Old bony men with scraggly beards leaned on gnarled canes.

As I did whenever I came upon a new village, I scanned each face, hoping they had disguised themselves among them.

My heart lurched at the sight of a slender woman with fiery curls who was stirring embers in the hearth.

Ignoring the others, I lengthened my stride until I was almost upon her.

She turned but the massive riot of hair obscured her face. She raced to the side of a very fat monk seated near the fire in an ornate wooden chair.

I knew the monk was of some importance to the gathering villagers. I could tell by the regal way the priest carried himself and the gold rings on his fingers and fine embroidery of his robes.

The monk snapped his fingers, and the redheaded woman filled his goblet with wine.

My heart sank when the woman brushed aside her hair, revealing a pock-marked face. She was not my lass.

"By King"s command," the knight beside me bellowed. "The dragonslayer has come seeking answers."

The monk glared sideways at me. "You are too late." He spoke with slurred words. "You should have been here when the monster tried to eat our children!"

A lie. My dragon mate and child had proven time and again they didn't seek to harm humankind. "When were these dragons last seen?"

"Yesternight." The monk took a long gulp of wine, spilling some of it down the many folds of his chin. Handing the goblet to the servant girl, he wiped his face with the back of a sleeve. "They have flown over the sea, and I doubt we'll see the likes of them again."

I was not to be deterred. Over seventeen years of searching, and I"d never come so close. I was not about to give up now. I knew they had most likely flown to a nearby island. "Tell me," I pressed. "Were they whole and in good health?"

The priest belched into stubby fingers. "Why does that concern you?"

I did my best to maintain an impassive face. "I simply wish to know if they were injured by yer men."

The priest fixed me with a pointed glare. "Aye, the child was injured."

I had come against many formidable foes in my lifetime. I had battled three-headed monsters, giants, and dragons alike. Never had I felt the bone-crushing panic that pulsed through my veins now. For the first time in my life, my knees weakened.

"Was it a mortal wound?" I asked through a strained voice.

"Nay. I could only wish. The children merely pelted the demon spawn with rocks."

I released a slow breath, but the stiffness which had coiled around my spine remained, for now I would need to begin my quest anew.

"We were all fooled by their cunning and magic," the priest rambled. "They disguise themselves as humans." The priest thrust a flabby arm into the air. "Witches, they are!"

"Do you forget Fiona healed my sickly son who could not walk?" a woman called from one of the darkened corners of the room.

"And she eased the pain in your bones." The redheaded servant spoke as she refilled the monk"s goblet.

"Mark my words, the pain will return tenfold." The priest"s meaty jowls shook as he bellowed. "No good can come of the devil"s magic!"

I was growing ever tired of the monk's babbling. "I thank ye for yer time." I bowed stiffly. "I must bid ye a good day."

"A good day?" the monk snarled. "Pray, tell me, how am I to have a good day? I can't even shut my eyes, for fear those flame-haired harpies will haunt my sleep."

I arched a brow. "Harpies? I was told they were beautiful lasses." Though I no longer carried my dragon-slaying sword, at that moment I very much wished for one, so I could run it through the priest.

"Aye." The monk snorted. "Fair in face, skin pale as the moon, hair aglow like the fiery embers of their deadly dragon"s breath."

"Their eyes were different," the servant said as if she were lost in a distant memory. "Fiona"s were a honeyed gold, but the child"s were of the softest blue, like the summer sky."

The monk nodded, grunting in agreement. "Odd. I"ve never seen another with eyes so pale." He trailed off, narrowing his beady orbs at me through puffy slits.

I shifted slightly, feeling the heavy weight of the priest"s assessing glare. Behind me, the soft murmurs of the crowd grew louder.

They were speaking of my eyes.

I glared at the crowd. Then, squaring my shoulders, I faced the monk with a direct gaze. If he wanted to judge me, so be it.

The monk ran stubby fingers across his rounded chin. "Tell me, dragonslayer, where are your shield and sword?"

"I"ve other weapons to fight these dragons."

"Then perhaps you should be on your way." He laughed, waving me away with a dismissive flick of the wrist. "Find them, if you can."

I thanked the priest through a frozen smile, trying desperately to mask the pain which had struck my chest like a lead stone.

She was gone.

Aye, the monk was right. Fiona was a witch.

A deceiver.

A dragon.

Cursed me, she had, to a life of immortal misery. But I would not end my hunt. Even if it took me a thousand years, I would find my dragoness and child.

They could not hide from me forever.