Page 26 of Finding Her
“This guy.” I patted the dragon we rode’s shoulder. “He’s only a juvenile. One day his paw will be the size of you.” I had only seen one fully grown Blue Horn in person, their numbers still dwindled from the millennia of being prized trophies.
I noticed a creek turning into a small, familiar waterfall and smiled. I knew this part of the island like it was my ownhome. In fact, it had been my temporary home many times. All evidence of my prolonged stays had been lost to time, but otherwise it appeared as I left it.
“We’re almost there. No peeking.” I commanded the dragon to slow down so Faeryn’s hands wouldn’t be needed for balance. Taking them from its neck, I gently guided her palms to rest over her eyes.
Her hands stayed in place with trust, although a tiny squeak passed her lips in surprise as I asked the dragon to descend. I dismounted and stretched out my arms, inhaling the smell of honeysuckle that increased the deeper inland we went.It’s good to be home. Our heavy bag slid off my shoulders to the ground with a soft thud.
I looked up. The view of Faeryn sitting on a dragon, eyes covered, her teeth baring an excited grin, called to a deep part of me. Only life partners were allowed to mount a Pyran’s dragon. I wouldn’t call this dragon “mine” by any means, but having just finished riding it, the thought still triggered a possessive growl in my chest as I gazed at the goddess whom I’d been mounted with moments ago.
“Keep your eyes closed.” I rested my knuckles against her knee so she could easily locate my waiting palms. I made sure I had a secure hold around her elbows before saying, “Hop down. I’ve got you.”
She only hesitated a moment before dropping. Our arms’ brace took most of the impact, but when she stumbled to gain her balance, I let go to steady her by the waist. Her palm pressed against my chest for security. Knowing her eyes were closed, I allowed myself a glance down to where her delicate hand rested over my heart. I hoped she couldn’t feel it begin to beat faster.
After a moment, I stepped away to turn her body to face where I hoped we’d be sleeping for the remainder of our trip. “You can open them now,” I whispered in her ear.
Before us stood a pink-flowered tree unlike the others. It was enormous, with broad branches stretching in all directions and the very top disappearing over the canopy. The base was wide enough to carve a small living space into it, with the lowest branches several feet across in diameter. The smallest of the rich pink flowers and green leaves were the size of my head. Some, large enough to use as a blanket. Hanging from its higher branches were cocoons the size of my fists that glowed in the forest’s shade. The dew on the grass below our bare feet sparkled gold in their presence.
“Isn’t it magical? It’s ancient.”
Faeryn looked up in reverence. I had felt the same way when I first stumbled into this area a decade ago. I could see it through her eyes again, the beauty, the shock, the submission to nature and its majesty.
“I don’t think two days will be enough time to take this all in,” she breathed, twirling in circles. The cocoons sparkled in the reflection of her green eyes like flakes of golden leaf.
“I intend to keep you enchanted,” I said softly, almost to myself. If she stayed by my side, her life would be filled with moments like this. I needed her to understand that. Maybe, we could stay here forever and forget the world existed. There was nothing I wanted more.
The dragon behind us let out a grunt and stomped on the ground, breaking into my daydream.
“Excuse me. I must pay our driver.” I bent over to pull a sealed pouch from our bag. Dragons didn’t love dried meat, but food was food, and they would accept it in return for thetemporary partnership. It didn’t seem wise to pack raw flesh with our other supplies. The dragon gently snatched the chunk I offered and pranced off into the trees.
“How often do you come here?” Faeryn asked. She was running her fingers over the tree’s bark curiously.
“As often as I can.” That had once been true. I continued digging through the bag, pulling out other supplies we would soon need. “I’ve considered establishing a permanent residence.”Now more than ever.
“Are dragons the only other species on the island?” she asked, dipping her face into the velvety petals of a large flower.
“Technically.” I pulled out a small basket. “However, ‘dragon’ covers so many different sizes, textures, colors, and anatomies that it hardly limits the variety.”
“Which is your favorite?” She skipped to my side winsomely.
“I suppose I like them all,” I mused, pulling out sandwiches and a large flask of water. “I think water dragons are particularly strange and beautiful. Although maybe their appeal is simply that I can never seem to get close to one. We passed a lake on the way here that houses a small colony. Sometimes when I’m swimming, I get a glance at one of the females from afar.”
She helped herself to the food I offered. “There’s a lake you can swim in?” She took a hungry bite.
“Only during the spring,”
“So, we have until midnight?” She grinned playfully.
I pondered this. We woulddefinitelyneed to be out of the water by midnight. Not just because of the season change, but because male water dragons were territorial during the autumn mating season. That said, there were plenty of hours before thechange would occur, and early autumn was typically inactive. I had gone swimming many times on the last day of spring, and never felt unsafe. I yearned to experienceeverythingfor the first time again with her.
“We can go after we finish eating. Now, for those native dragons names…”
I found myself repeatedly stealing glances at the pretty forest muse beside me as we strolled through the woods. I didn’t think she noticed, her eyes taking in every detail of our surroundings in fascination. Occasionally, Faeryn tapped my arm and pointed to something that caught her interest so that I could join in her excitement. What a gift, seeing through her fresh eyes, allowing me to appreciate the things that I had become so accustomed to. I knew dragons would be a hot topic on our trip, but her delighted responses to the mundane surprised me. She enthusiastically directed my attention to trickling creeks, large mossy rocks, and trees with sizable burrows in them.
Faeryn’s nymph-like charm was awe-inspiring. Her small feet glided under her floating dress, pressing into the dewy grass with a grace my own could never achieve. She hopped over the fallen branches I repeatedly stepped on. She looked as though she could break out into a skip at any moment. I had hoped she would feel at home here and was overjoyed by how naturally she embraced the environment. This was nothing like her reaction to Virylan—confused and apprehensive. I wasn’t surprised that Eitrea was more relaxing for her. The air vibrated with the positive energy that I had choked out of the house yearsago. I felt hope spark in my chest, which I promptly doused with a bucket of reality.
“So, Graysen.” She twirled to me after some time spent walking silently. “Tell me what about this place makes it so special to you.”
“I have good memories on Eitrea.” I scanned the familiar landmarks of my past. “So many places were tainted by my misery. Here I have nothing but joy.”
