Dragon Embraced Read online

  Zzara inhaled and exhaled slowly.

  Aeli frowned. “Are you all right?”

  “Just memorizing the taste of freedom.” She grinned, and they made their way back to the manor.

  “Why memorizing?”

  Zzara was honest. “I need to know what I am fighting for because this life of mine is not going to be a smooth one.”

  Aeli couldn’t answer to that, so they walked in silence with Teymor walking behind at a safe but reactive distance. It was just part of Zzara’s new life. Freedom... with a catch.

  Chapter Four

  With Aeli’s help, the spell to copy any spell or book that Zzara needed took shape. There were herbs needed to keep the purity of the information and minerals used to keep the focus.

  When everything had been written out, gone over, and the ingredients compared to other works in the lexicon, Aeli smiled. “This is a completely new spell.”

  Zzara looked up from their calculations. “What?”

  “You have designed a completely new brand of spell. Physical data transfer.”

  “I thought that data machines could do most of that.”

  “With regular text and images, sure. Not with a magical text.” Aeli pointed to all of the books around them. “We can only hand copy these. This spell is a tremendous possibility.”

  Zzara chuckled. “No pressure. I want to cast this in Horcross, though.”

  “Any particular reason?”

  “Sure. If it does work, and I can copy books that I am thinking about, I will need them there, not here.”

  Aeli paused. “You still want to move there? The council is letting you stay.”

  Zzara chuckled. “I want a place where no one can tell me that my staying or going is their decision.”

  “What about the Deep? It is their territory.”

  Zzara smiled softly. “They want me. My blood has given them a boost, and they are now my welcoming people. They are building me a home.”

  “You didn’t say house.”

  “That wasn’t what they offered me. They offered me a home.” She felt the reverence for the word as it left her lips.

  “It means that much to you?”

  “It does. I have had the life I had tried to plan yanked away, my dragon wanted a life of her own, my father wants control of my dragon, the dragons wanted control of me, and the mages want to suppress me. The Deep simply want me to be in their territory and healthy. They don’t need my magic beyond what I have already given them. They have gotten what they were after and are now just delighted to host me.”

  “Host?”

  “Well, it is likely that I will die long before they do.”

  Aeli chuckled. “If you say so. That begs the question, if your mother is a Hedge Fey and your father was a dragon, why did your dragon rise at all? Mine went off when Trin woke up, but yours was already up and around. She shouldn’t have been able to rise until the diamond called out to us.”

  “I have done some research and given it some thought. I think it has to do with my mother giving everything to him. She kept nothing back from him. If she tied herself to him before my birth, there might have been magic involved in my conception.” Zzara shrugged. “I am no longer concerning myself with how I got here. I am focusing on my future and less on my past.” She smiled and looked at her friend. “My future is going to be great.”

  It was exciting to step through the gateway and into Horcross as the sun set. The feeling of finally being safe on paper, as Aeli put it, was freeing, but the air of Horcross smelled like freedom. True freedom.

  Horcross was a place she could make herself at home.

  The copying spell was going to take three days, start to finish. Zzara was going to be on her own. It was like the camping she used to do as a teen in her back yard. She was close to help if she needed it but far enough away to feel independent.

  “Okay, so close the door on this side. If you need anything, just open the door on this side, and I will come running. Speaking of coming running, Emory said he would meet us here.”

  “He’s going to be here?”

  “Despite your legal confirmation, I don’t want to leave you here alone. Emory can do food runs if nothing else.”

  Zzara chuckled. “Right. Well, did you want to help me get started or is this goodbye for three days?”

  “It is goodbye for three days unless you need me. Call any time, but you have the water, supplies, and equipment here to survive. Emory can get you whatever else you need, and I believe the Deep are waiting for you.”

  Zzara was going to ask how she knew, but there was the sound of a throat clearing in the door to the workshop that let in the air of Horcross. Yutin was smiling. “It is good to see you again. You are looking well, Mage.”

  Aeli walked forward and extended her hand to the speaker for the Deep. “You are looking a little different, Speaker.”

  Yutin had continued to evolve in the short time since Zzara had seen her last. Her hair was now a deep blood-red that echoed Zzara’s own.

  Zzara watched the two women shake hands. There was a lot of power in that handshake, on both parts. Both women were smiling when Aeli stepped back.

  “Well, Yutin, she is in your custody while she works on this spell. Keep her safe, or we will have words.”

  “She is safe with us. We are becoming her people, after all.” Yutin smiled.

  Aeli gave Zzara a slow smile. “Good. She needs more of her own people. Well, I wish you good casting, and I will come if you need me.”

  Zzara nodded. “Thank you. I hope I can complete the spell successfully.”

  Aeli smiled. “Don’t forget to lock the door behind me.”

  Zzara followed Aeli to the door, hugged her, and when Aeli was on the other end of the gateway, Zzara shifted the stone on the right to one side, and the door between cities disappeared into a flat stone wall.

  She exhaled slowly and walked back to the doorway that was warded against unauthorized incursion. Aeli had reached through for the handshake, but that door was now restricted for the Deep.

  Zzara looked at the supplies, clothing, and camping gear that she had brought, as well as the equipment for the spell. “Well, I am guessing I should organize this.”

  Yutin stepped through the ward with a smile. “We will help you set up for your stay.”

  “How did you do that?”

  Yutin grinned. “We are you now. We can go where you need us to go, so you set up, and we will set up your residence for your stay.”

  “I have a residence?” Zzara chuckled.

  “It is taking shape.” Yutin picked up a bag, and another of the Deep came up behind her, taking another bag. One by one, all of Zzara’s cargo left her workspace.

  She unloaded her equipment, took out the page that contained the details of the spell, and began to set out her supplies. It was going to take days for the spell to be ready, so the sooner she started, the less time she would have to spend without hot water.

  She reached for the scales and began to measure one ingredient at a time. Each step had to be stirred into the existing mass, so she had a lot of mixing to do. One error along the way could destroy the entire spell. No pressure.

  Emory appeared in the doorway seven hours later. “Zzara, are you all right?”

  She looked at him and nodded, patting the side of the bowl carefully. “All done and percolating away.”

  He chuckled and crouched in front of her. “I meant, why are you sitting on the floor?”

  “Oh. That. I got tired.”

  She tried to stand up, but her legs were out in front of her, and she didn’t know how to get to up.

  Emory smiled. “May I assist you?”

  “I think so. Where did the Deep put my stuff?”

  He grinned and took her hands, helping her to her feet. She swayed and staggered, so he gripped her by the elbow. “Come on. The Deep have planned a surprise for you. They have been fidgeting because you haven’t finished your work.”

&
nbsp; “All done. It needs to burble now.” Deep inside, she winced at the sing-song of her voice. She sounded like a drunk child.

  “Well, I don’t think you will appreciate their efforts properly tonight, but perhaps when you wake, you will enjoy your new surroundings.”

  He walked her toward a structure that was not broken and derelict, or it looked like it was but as if it had been made to look that way.

  “What is that?”

  “That is the home that the Deep have crafted for you.” He walked her to the door, and she could make out the mechanism in the dim light.

  “Where is the light coming from?”

  “They have installed lichen and stones that give off ambient light. You can investigate after you rest.”

  He triggered the door by pressing the stone she had identified. The door swung open, and a soft and glowing light spilled outward. Twenty members of the Deep were there to greet her, but Emory said something that she couldn’t hear over the roaring in her ears.

  They looked concerned while they moved from side to side, but then, everything went white and then black.

  Chapter Five

  Everything hurt. Zzara woke with an ache in every part of her body. Even her nails were sore. Emory was seated next to the bed, and he smiled as she struggled to sit up against the headboard.

  “Excellent. It has only taken you ten hours to come back to yourself. Yutin and the others were beginning to get worried.”

  She looked up at the ceiling where bright light was coming in. Based on the angle, it was a few hours after noon. “Where am I?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  “Remember what?”

  “This is your house. The Deep built it for you.”

  She looked at the walls. “They didn’t build it, they grew it. Summoned, I suppose, is a better term.”

  “That is a fair assessment. I was supervising to make sure that there were no unexpected entrances or exits created in the plan.”

  She flipped the bedding aside and was slightly amused by the black nightwear. It was a plain black cotton gown that reached her ankles when she stood. “So, who put me in the nightgown?”

  “Yutin. She cleaned off the residue of the ingredients, brushed your hair, and put you in the gown. She said it was like taking care of one of her own children again but with much filthier nails.” He smiled.

  Her clothing was hanging in a wardrobe, and there was a new piece that she hadn’t recognized. It was a long vest, but the neckline was lined with glossy black feathers. There was the feel of magic in them, but it wasn’t the kind of thing she had felt before.

  “Ah, that is a new design that Mirbella sent over.”

  She touched the feathers lightly and smiled. “They tickle.”

  “I am glad you like it, and I am sure she will be pleased as well.”

  She looked at her clothes and pulled an armful out. “Right. Well, you get out of here, and I will get changed.”

  He chuckled. “There is a bathroom through that doorway.”

  “As in... running water?”

  He nodded. “Full bathroom with all conveniences.”

  She was suspicious, but when she pressed the protruding rock, the door slid open, and she walked into a room made of polished stone that held a shower, toilet, and a sink. It was more than she had hoped for, so she set aside the clothing and got into the shower. The water was warm. She ran her fingers through her hair to loosen the last of the minerals from her scalp.

  When she turned off the water, she stood, dripping wet but clean. “Damn. Did not bring a towel.”

  She looked at the nightgown and shrugged. It was going to be the sacrifice.

  Dressed and wearing the new vest with the feathers, she pinned her hair up and out of the way. She still looked exhausted, but she had earned that look. The spell had been progressing on the predicted schedule when she had left it the night before.

  She took the damp nightgown with her and carried it to the bed, draping it over the post.

  Emory had a dazed expression on his features. “You look...”

  “Tired?”

  “I was going to say wonderful.”

  She smiled. “Well, this outfit is great. The feathers restrict the type of hairstyle that I can wear, but other than that, there seems to be a full range of movement. Daring cut, though.”

  Emory smiled. “Setting a new trend for Horcross. Apparently, Mirbella likes to make a statement.”

  “Well, as long as my backside isn’t visible to all and sundry. I don’t think that this outfit would be comfortable on the streets of Rekker.”

  “It isn’t all that different from what Aelemilial wears.”

  She ran her hands over the sides of the vest. “I guess not.”

  “Are you ready for the tour?”

  “They have already given me what I was looking for. A place to sleep and running water. Those were the dreams on my hit list.”

  Emory opened the door that would allow them to leave the bedroom. She followed him into a wide-open space that was roofed with that silvery-cream crystal that let light flood in.

  She murmured softly. “Where did they get that crystal?”

  “I don’t know. They seem to have grown it, just as they did everything here.” He smiled.

  She walked through the open space and noted that an alcove for a small office had been designed, as well as an expansive kitchen. The plumbing was in the kitchen but nothing else.

  “They are going to complete your home, but they had to start with the units you would need immediately.”

  “Bed and bath.”

  “Right. Did you want to check on your experiment?”

  “Definitely. It should be brilliant blue by now.”

  “And then, I will show you the extent of my culinary skills by preparing breakfast.”

  She grinned. “Great. Now, how do we get out?”

  He walked to a distant wall and pressed one of the smooth stones that gave the doors away. The light outside was enticing, so she followed his lead and walked out to see Horcross in the daylight.

  The silt that covered the stone was a strange bluish-grey with light touching it. She looked around and could see the footprints of dozens of adults in the silt. It had been a busy night.

  “How did I get to the house?”

  “I steadied you, but you made it under your own power.” He smiled, walking near her.

  She looked at him, and he was rather smug about something, but it wasn’t handling her in her sleep. He wouldn’t do that.

  “What is that smile on your lips? It is lurking in the corners as if something happened very recently, and it is just what you had planned.”

  Emory grinned. “I am not planning anything. I am merely here to watch over you.”

  She snorted and continued her walk to the workshop.

  The door was ajar, and when she pushed it open, there was a dark bundle of fabric next to the bowl of slowly bubbling paste.

  As Zzara cautiously entered, the figure moved, took out a notepad, and scribbled. The hands were the charcoal-grey of the Deep, but the voluminous folds of robes were something she had not seen before.

  “Althu just came on duty.” Emory smiled.

  Zzara walked in and looked at the robin’s egg blue of the spell. The notes were legible, and they said, bright blue.

  She looked at the figure who was sitting on the work table and watching the spell as it bubbled away. “You are recording every stage of the spell?”

  “Yes, miss.”

  “Why?”

  “Mr. Emory has let us know how important this spell is and that it is one that will be fought for in times to come.”

  Zzara sighed. “We don’t even know if it works yet. Won’t know for two more days, at least.”

  Althu nodded. “We are here in four-hour shifts. We will make the notes. You can continue to make Horcross your home.”

  “Why is it so important that I am here?”

  “Having th
e blood dragon here is what we have all hoped for. We were fading, and you have brought us back. We have been waiting for that for quite a while, keeping quiet so as not to burn out what energies we had hoarded. Now, we can return to the world when it is dark.”

  Althu tugged at her hood.

  “Oh. That explains that. I haven’t seen that clothing mix before.”

  Althu chuckled. “We have dozens of different clothing styles, but we tend to stick to the ones that won’t scandalize those around us.”

  “Sensible. So, you are just going to stare into my spell and make notes?”

  Althu’s hands started to write. “Of course. The shade is now that of peacock. I am guessing that the spell will learn all the colours of the rainbow?”

  “And magic. All the colours of magic.” Zzara smiled. “They come last. I will be watching for that because it means it is almost done.”

  “How would you describe them? I mean, so we know when to make sure you are here?”

  “When you see them with oil slick refraction inside them.”

  “Ah. Yes, we can watch for that.” Althu made another note as the colour shifted slightly.

  “So, you are watching all the changes.”

  “All. It is the least we can do. You have started a wave of new population. Our folk are excited.”

  “New population?”

  Althu looked at her with hot coals in her gaze. “Yes. We lose interest in breeding when there is no energy in our people. With your blood, we now have a vein of magic we have not previously tapped. Our mating pairs are getting frisky again.”

  Emory chuckled. “A boon to your population.”

  “Indeed. Your spell is safe with me if you want to go and take a walk around your new home.”

  “Um, I am just visiting.”

  Althu nodded. “You are, but you don’t have to be. Horcross is waiting for you to embrace it.”

  She felt a little odd at the thought and left her workroom. She walked out, and the sun was still bright. She looked left then right and finally headed north. She walked to the edge of the dead land and looked out over the golden sands that spun outward. Emory’s steps were behind her.