“This can’t be real.” I stumbled to find words to describe the fantastical scenery. I hadn’t realized that I’d dropped the dragon’s tail until its head was behind my back, nudging me with its snout toward the meadow of mythical creatures.
“No, I don’t wanna freak them out.” I pushed the dragon’s head away toward the trees behind us, but I realized everyone was looking at us. Slowly I raised my hand and waved gently, hoping they saw a friend and not a foe. Every creature resumed their movements. They didn’t care I was there. Maybe having a dragon at your back was some sort of pass into their world.
I wasn’t comfortable moving closer to the meadow, so I observed from afar. The dragon’s breathing was a balm to my nerves, a constant rhythm to remind me this was real and not a dream. Briefly I thought this would be a nice place to come back to when I needed time away from my great destiny and the pressures it came with.
“If I’m gonna see you again, I think I need to call you something other than dragon.” The dragon lifted his head off the ground.
I’m pretty sure it was a “he.” The vibes I got were not female. He even grunted and huffed like the Fae men I’d met. Then I remembered the name of the man who had a rare dragon’s core. He died according to the book of records but he had a strong name, and I think it needed to be given to another who housed a dragon’s essence inside—an actual dragon.
“How about Desmire? In this book I read recently there was a man who held a dragon’s core inside him. He passed away but the name seems like a strong one.”
The dragon’s stare intensified. I didn’t understand if he wanted me to see or feel something from that look but I got a strange sense that he wanted to say something if he could.
“Or if you have a name, that’s cool, too. Can dragon’s draw? Maybe we can—” I rambled on, about to suggest the dragon spell his name in the dirt. The dragon’s stare had turned from intense to something like really?
“Well, unless you have an issue with it, I’m going to name you Desmire.” There, now that was settled. I had a dragon friend with a name.
“Now, it’s getting late. Would you be so kind as to show me the way back to the palace of Crysia please?” I stood, dusted off the dirt that covered my yoga pants, and looked at the empty meadow now that the sun had set.
Desmire stood and strolled with me next to him, as we followed the path to the palace. I don’t know why Celestine told me to come out here and meet my new friend, but I’m glad she did.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The next day before the sun rose, I sneaked back into the Hallowstags to see if my new friend Desmire was near. I’m sure he knew how to hunt food, but I grabbed a fish on my way out, hoping to stay on his good side. You never knew when having a dragon as a friend would come in handy.
I made it a few steps into the woods when I heard the snap of a trap. The ground flew out from under me and the world turned upside down as I hung from a tree with a rope on my ankle.
“Let me go!” I screamed, my voice bouncing off the trunks of the trees around me.
“Not quite the catch I was hoping for,” a smooth voice crooned from my right.
It was dark, but I could see enough of the Fae standing in front of me. He was tall with pale skin, medium-black hair with horns, and ears sticking up, like something you’d see on a cow or goat. He had a silver ring over his lip like a piercing. Dramens were the only people I knew that had piercings.
“Whoever you are, let me go.” My demand went unheeded by this horned stranger.
“You look like a tough girl; I fear for my life if you were to be set loose. You might scratch my horns.” I saw past his charade. He was a thief, conman, and a swindler. This trap was set for me. He saw me coming. If it was meant for another creature, he would have chosen to do a net, not a single knotted noose to snatch one leg and hoist the body into the air. He would never be able to keep his prey still.
“I promise not to hurt you and your poor ego if you let me go.” The blood in my body was rushing to my head, and the ache would eventually turn into me passing out.
The Fae picked at dirt between his fingers, then threw a knife—my knife—at where the rope hung over the limb of the tree. It sliced with precision and I fell hard. My grunt was not ladylike nor was the string of curses I released onto the thief.
“My name is Emrys, not Cad or Thief-man as you cursed with many other beautiful words.” He bowed one hand behind his back like some nobleman, a smirk on his face.
“You’re trouble,” I added, reaching for my weapon belt. It was gone. My eyes narrowed at the thief, who pulled his hand out from behind his back with my belt and the other knife dangling.
How the hell did he swipe that from me so quickly?
“A little mischief never hurt anyone, did it? Besides when you point fingers at someone, remember you have three pointing back at you.” He leaned up against the tree and tossed the belt my way. This was all for show. He was playing games for the sake of playing them. If he really wanted to mug me or hurt me, he would have done it by now.
“What is a fine lady from the palace doing out before dawn in the woods?” he mused, crossing his leather-clad legs and black boots over one another, his posture relaxed against the tree.
“Looking for my friend.”
“And your friend likes raw fish?” He pointed toward the fish on the ground, dirty from falling out of my hands when I was hoisted up the tree.
“Indeed. Now I’ll take my fish and be on my way.” I stomped over to the fish and snatched it before he could pull some other inconvenient trick out of thin air.
“It was nice meeting you, Sapphira. If you ever find yourself in need of a skilled spider, you can find me at the market.” He lifted two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute and strolled off. I wouldn’t need that prick for anything. I already had a sort of jerk friend on my roster, I didn’t need another.
Did he say my name? I shifted quickly to find the Fae and demand how he knew my name but didn’t find him. Instead of mulling over something I couldn’t do anything about, I grabbed my stuff and started walking.
After an hour of calling out for Desmire, I placed the fish on top of a boulder. At least some creature would get use out of it. Maybe my opportunity with Desmire yesterday was a once-in-a-lifetime magical afternoon with a dragon. I doubt many Fae had been saved by a dragon or watched unicorns. Shrugging off the disappointment that I might never see Desmire again, I walked back to the palace and was met by Najen when I strolled onto the fighting courtyard stones.
“Do I need to have watchdogs on you all the time?” I knew he wasn’t really mad at me.
“I don’t know. All that attention might go to my head.” I winked and walked over to where small hatchets were lined on a shelf.
“You weren’t causing mischief?” It was his job to watch me in Rune’s stead, so I cooled my taunting smile and shook my head.
“No, I took some fish down the woods to feed a creature I met yesterday. That was it.” I didn’t mention my run-in with Emrys.
“A creature. Only you, Sapphira.” Najen shook his head.
“Can you teach me to throw these?” I asked, my fingers running over the smooth wood of the hatchet. I’d seen Tor do it once on our journey, and it looked like fun. When I had tried it, it bounced off the tree and clattered to the ground very anticlimactically.