Thus, when I found someone else who stirred my heart, I found myself woefully unprepared. Should I let her know? Get closer? Maybe give her some time to develop her own feelings?
I heard the soft tapping of footsteps, the creaking of old door hinges and the soft jingling of keys. The flop and fluff of blankets and bedding. Then silence.
Now that I had nothing to do but watch the door, I could feel my exhaustion hitting me in waves. Nothing else other than my thoughts, a sleeping Charlotte, and silence. I slowly felt my eyelids weighing down, heavier and heavier until I resigned myself to closing them for a few short moments. I would just take a nap, then I’d be back on guard duty again. Now I understood why Caen always took naps.
Caen.
The last thing before I felt myself pass out in exhaustion was the first time as a dragon, breathless. I saw genuine awe in Caen’s eyes for the first time, looking down at him like humans would look down at ants. Without him, I would’ve been sent crawling home by the first week of the trip. Without him, maybe I would be content living in a great southern city, never to see this crazy, reckless journey of mine through.
Maybe I’d be content flying over to Mithil, a god of scales and ice to punish the church for their arrogance before being put down like a rabid dog.
As I slipped away more and more into the realm of sleep, I felt a soft reassurance. The same warm grasp that few of us Pact Mages shared. Mother.
And then we were no more.
Chapter 10: Young Love
I woke up feeling fine, to my surprise. Aria was right there beside me, but she seemed to have fallen asleep, slumped over on her chair. She was wearing a fancy robe that looked like it was way too big for her, full of religious iconography and beautiful stitching. While other people might find it a beautiful accent to her features, and it was, I thought it looked a bit like Aria was wearing an over decorated blanket. Cute and a little derpy, especially since the sleeves were a lot longer than her arms.
I did a few stretches with my left arm, and nothing. No pain. Ooh, okay, pain. Pain if I stretched it too far. A glance out the window revealed that it was late afternoon, maybe early evening. Our two bags were lying by a dent in the wall, covered by disused letter paper. Aria had gotten something done last night, and oh! There was a letter underneath the door.
I took off my winter coat and proceeded to skim the letter.
To Aria.
Your journey must’ve been long, and due to what we have discussed the last night, I will not be available to pwepxw on this information.
I understand it is in your best interest to minimize contact with the inquisitors. Patrol routes are not set during the day. They appear to return to some centralized area. Be aware that patrols begin as soon as the sun sets. Attached is a map with a few routes back to the church, or to a few safehouses marked below. I would recommend efhed church over safehouses.
sdfiowernxvloersoiem woeirj woeirpodf
woeirjoi
Fuck, how the heck was I supposed to read this weird church script! Okay, more of the letter. Keep working through it.
One of the highlights of our town is Martin’s Restaurant. It’s been closed since the inquisitors arrived but he’s generously opened it to you and your escort.
I grinned. Perfect date idea. Shame about people watching, but I didn’t mind.
seirjpx pqeirjwei werj weirj ozcx wqprlksdk weloosfkl slefkjl kj
Why…
I massaged my frustrated temples. My older brother got to learn a bit of formal script, and then told me it was useless. Would be useful right about now, Kennith!
Dating a dragon had such strange requirements.
I turned to glance at Aria, softly snoring away in her hard-won sleep. It had been a difficult few days for her. I remember cheerful Aria, back when we first met. Instead I’ve been watching her grow more and more stressed.
I wanted to take her out for a nice date. Something low key for a change to take the edge off for a bit. If I were seeing anyone else, I wouldn’t worry about the big picture stuff. Enjoy life, have fun, kick butt. Dating Aria was like dating a problem magnet, through no fault of her own.
I took the time to plot a route for the two of us, avoiding the patrols, followed up by a quick search of our supplies. Searching through the packs was an exercise in disappointment. The battle and the subsequent flight had ruined pretty much everything. Any container weaker than metal had been shattered, punctured, or bent. I was going to have a talk with Aria about airdropping backpacks.
The good news was that we still had some weapons. Two of Caen’s guns made it through the journey intact, though I would need to pay a visit to the local blacksmiths to get them repaired. Mithil was right across the river, so we don’t need rations or anything. It just sucked because I had that tent since I was old enough to camp. Now it was ripped and covered in glass shards. At least I still had the tent poles? Never mind, this one was bent.
The only thing I had managed to save were the books. Despite needing a new spine, Aria’s book was still intact. There was even a fighting manual, a rare read from Caen. In a world of dragon-enforced peace, the only fighting that took place was the personal kind. Manuals like this were not technically illegal but seen as something good folks ought not to have. I paused a moment to whisper a soft thanks to Caen. I didn’t know the man well, but as time passed, I wish I did.
“Gaah…what time is it?” Aria arose from her chair, hand on her head. The slight look of confusion turned to surprise as I greeted her with a wave. Her eyes glittered alive as she froze, like a child that had been caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.
“I…but…” She was fumbling with words, making cute little motions with her hands instead as I gave a little chuckle. I had no idea why she was embarrassed. Maybe she had a dream?
“Well, you looked so adorable sleeping that I didn’t want to wake you up.” I wrapped up Caen’s manual. “Oh, and this letter’s for you.” I handed her the priest’s letter as she rubbed the exhaustion out of her eyes.
“What time is it?” She grasped the letter, skimming through it.
“It’s late afternoon, but could you tell the priest guy not to write in scribbles?” I said as she tucked away the letter into her robe pocket.
“Ugg…okay. That’s not the worst, but I still need to come up with a plan. And I need everyone to be on board with this plan.”
I could see the worry on her face, her frantic mind springing into action. I waited, hoping that she could arrive at the same conclusion as I did. The answer was stupidly obvious.
“Dragon it?” I pointed out as her eyes sparkled in surprise, looking at me both bewildered and aghast.
“What?”
“You know? Turn into a dragon!” I gave a chuckle. How did she not see it! “If you turn into a dragon, then everyone will follow you and you can threaten whomever you wanted! I mean going up against you in dragon form would be pretty stupid, if you ask me.” I watched her trying to process everything, awaiting her answer.
“Uuh, unless there’s something about the whole dragon thing that I’m missing…” I added after staring at her for an eternity. Goddamn it Aria, if you don’t say something I’m going over there to pinch your cheeks.
