261. Of growth, regrets and a little bit of companionship

Cassandra Pendragon 

"Because I want to come. I know you think, we'd slow you down, but you aren't the only one, who's changed. I tried to use your gift to resist the magic and… just watch." Her eyes closed again with a resounding click, like metal hitting metal. Confused I shared a look with Aurelia, who seemed to be just as surprised by the dragoness' behaviour as I was. We didn't have to wait long for an explanation, though.

In the centre of her chest, a flickering, silvery light appeared, just above her carbuncle. A moment later, intricately woven lines spread across her scales, like the growing roots of a tree. My mouth fell open and I couldn't suppress an awestruck yelp, when the light pooled near her ruff until it resembled nothing more than a pond of liquid stars, a shimmering halo surrounding her. Viyara growled deep in her throat, her muscles twitching beneath her scaly hide. A shiver ran along her spine, her tail nearly tearing down the burned walls behind her. From one second to the next, the glowing lines shifted and swelled until they resembled silvery rivers meandering through her ruff.

The light dimmed but didn't vanish, as she opened her eye again and huffed with satisfaction and exhaustion. "There. I might not be able to carry you anywhere you want to go, just yet, but a quick trip to a neighbouring island shouldn't be too difficult." As if in a trance, I extended my hand and traced the smoothly flowing currents of energy with my fingertips.

"They're… do you… what," I stammered, unable to make heads or tails of her display. She grinned wolfishly, or rather dragonishly, apparently pleased with her efforts. 

"I told you, I've tried to actively use your energy. It didn't work quiet as intended, I couldn't cope with the amount I would have had to use to break the spells, but I can bolster my own magic, a little at least. Which means I can easily carry you there and back again within the hour," she finished smugly.

I felt the velvety flow beneath my fingers, the power radiating off her skin strong enough to make my fur rise. My lips twisted into a smile to match hers and when our eyes met, I simply said: "well then, let's go." A trickle of energy reached my legs and with a jump, I stood on her back, just behind the base of her neck. "You coming or what," I called down to Aurelia, eager to fly, to be gone and return, as fast as possible. "The dwarfs will take care of everything around here, we're not needed for the moment. Or do you want to stay?" Suddenly, the vampire was behind me, her lips close to my ear.

"I've never ridden a dragon before, without a battle waiting for us. I wouldn't miss it, not even for all the blood in the world. But what about your sister and her friends? Won't they skin you alive, if they see you leave without them?"

"Probably, but that sounds like a tomorrow problem. I'm not going to oblige their every whim and despite their maturity, they're still kids." The kitsune in question were by now happily dragging Liz along, searching for someone to tell them, where to take her. "Besides, they have someone to look after. They'll be fine. I'll apologise in the morning."

A minute later, the flickering lights of Free Land, its sounds and smells vanished behind a curtain of darkness and rain, Viyara streaking through the sky like a golden spear. Her speed had improved tremendously and judging from the easy, almost leisurely movements of her serpentine body, she wasn't even trying, yet. Soon, the world became nothing but inky blackness, the continuous downpour the only indication we hadn't crossed over into another world.

There were no stars, no moon, no source of light, as if we were the only beings in a lifeless void. I had settled down, my arms wrapped around Viyara's neck. My balance was good enough, that I didn't actually need the additional support, but I was longing for the physical contact, despite her presence in the depths of my mind. The evening had been… devastating and I just wanted a moment of peace and quiet in the company of my friends. I didn't even feel the need to talk, allowing the constant stream of thoughts, flowing between Aurelia and Viyara, to pass me by. Instead, I turned my focus inward, caressingly embracing the fluttering images, trickling through my tattoo. I didn't invoke the link, I wanted Ahri to sleep and heal, but her presence, however faint, made me feel better, loved, like the embrace of the morning sun after a chilly night.

"Soon," I breathed. "Soon I'll be by your side, again." 

While she dreamed, not of her past but out future, I gradually switched gears, the constant thrum of power in my veins, ever present since I had arrived, slowly abating. My eyelids became heavy, and the cold of the night suddenly seemed like a warm, velvety blanket. The whole ordeal was catching up to me and I knew, I wouldn't manage to stay awake for much longer, my body telling me in no unclear terms, that it had had enough and needed rest. Not yet, though.

I wouldn't rest until I held her in my arms again and we were safely on our way back. Until then, I'd push through. A couple of hours wouldn't kill me and I could deal with the discomfort. I had been exhausted before, come to think of it, it had actually become something of a regular occurrence. Smiling tiredly, I allowed my head to drop onto Viyara's scales and my mind to wander, imaging the scent of pine trees and the soft touch of the woman I loved.

Before I knew it, I felt Viyara angle her body downwards, a minuscule light, somewhere in the impenetrable blackness her intended target. The smell of trees and grass, wild flowers and wet fur tickled my nostrils and with a yawn, I sat back up. Without the stars, it was impossible to judge, how long we had been in the air, but to me, it felt as if only a few minutes had passed. Dark shapes and even darker shadows appeared below us, the forest, I had woken up in, a silent, looming guardian of the small grove, Lyra had created.

Gently, I extended my thoughts and guided Viyara towards a clearing I remembered close by, large enough for her towering, draconic form. As soon as her paws touched the soaked ground, the thicket rustled and a tall, beautiful elven woman broke through. She didn't show even the slightest sign of fear and uncaringly approached the gargantuan lizard, arms spread wide.

"You made it," she cried and engulfed me in a hug, the very moment I jumped down from Viyara's back. A little surprised by her exuberant greeting, I chuckled quietly and returned the embrace. 

"Of course I did. Did you doubt me?" She shook her head like a puppy, her long tresses sending droplets of water flying everywhere, just as Aurelia landed softly behind me.

"Never! And those are your friends?" She disentangled herself and gracefully bowed from the hip. "I'm Lyra. You must be Viyara, the child of Shafeer, am I right?" The dragoness knew, whom she was facing, a mixture of guilt, uncertainty and a bit of curiosity swirling through her mind.

"I am," she replied telepathically, before her body shone a brilliant gold, like a miniature sun, and transformed. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with her own voice, albeit a bit awkwardly, and returned the bow. "Before anything else, please, I want to apologise. I never knew…" the elf princess interrupted her by grabbing her shoulders and unceremoniously pulling her into her arms. The girl was much too surprised to react.

"No need. You were a child, weren't you," Lyra said, while she sought my gaze. I confirmed her suspicions with a nod. The elf laughed brightly and continued: "you still are, in a way. I've long since made my peace with what happened and your father wasn't even the one who trapped me in the first place. His only crime was never trying to free me and I'm definitely not going to ruin my third encounter with a living being in ages over a pointless grudge. If you really want to, you can make up for it by carrying me, as well. If there's one thing I miss, it's my wings. I'd love to fly again." Perplexed, Viyara nodded mutely before she tentatively asked:

"You're not… I didn't expect… aren't you… bitter?" The elf only chuckled.

"Why? I'm alive, I'm awake, I can talk and I can use my magic. I've already outlived all those cretins who cursed me, in the first place. Plus, I've met two beings, the likes of which I've never seen before, an honest to god dragoness and… you," she gesticulated in Aurelia's direction, "whatever you are." I had to bite my tongue, the derogative way she spoke about the ancient vampire, who could probably tear her to shreds without breaking a sweat, was hilarious, after a very suicidal fashion. "Why should I be bitter? But let's postpone the interrogation, I don't know about you, but I don't particularly enjoy the rain and you could dry yourselves off near the fire. I've even made some more stew. You can ask Cassandra, my cooking isn't half bad."

"It definitely isn't and I wouldn't mind another bowl," I immediately confirmed. I couldn't stop myself from inquiring, though: "anything happened? Did she wake?"

"Not once, come on, you can see for yourself. She's sleeping like a rock, but she has mumbled your name, a few times." She was already moving and added over her shoulder: "I've kept her warm but that girl is hotter than flames, quite literally. I hope that's normal for her, otherwise she might be in trouble." I smiled happily and said to her retreating back:

"No need to worry." With a hand full of quick steps, I caught up to her. "That's perfectly fine. Thanks, Lyra. Thank you for keeping an eye on her. I couldn't have left her alone."

"Don't mention it. She might have been a bit boring, unless you're into snoring… sleeping beauties, but I still very much enjoyed not being alone. You don't plan on leaving me on this rock, do you?"

"Of course not. We'll take you back to a city, not too far from here. Once you had the chance to sleep in a real bed, we can talk about the future. If you want, we can leave you some gold and you can make your own way or you can stick with us. I gotta warn you though, I'm going to head towards the Emerald Island, the home of the elves, pretty soon. I don't know much about your past, but I can imagine, that you're not overly keen on returning to the people, who," I gestured vaguely up and down.

"Cursed and imprisoned me?"

"Yeah, that. Most of my family will probably be returning to where my brother made a home for himself. A small colony, but truth be told, I don't even know where it is, exactly. Can't be too far away, though. They'll gladly take you with them, but the decision is yours. No need to rush, though. It'll still be a couple of days before anything happens." We trotted in silence, side by side, the muffled footfalls behind us the only noise, until I smelled smoke and heard the cracking of a fire. A second later, a warm light illuminated the night, as we entered the protected, living grotto, Lyra had created, a cozy sanctuary, filled with the scent of flowers and nature.

It hadn't changed much since I had opened my eyes, only this time, the pot on the fire smelled like thyme and rosemary with a hint of mint and a stunning kitsune with platinum hair and red highlights laid on the makeshift bed. Grinning madly, I dashed to her side, completely ignoring the knowing smiles of my companions. When the scent of pine trees enveloped me and the heat of her skin warmed me to my core, I felt a single tear run down my cheek. We had made it. We were still together. Everything else didn't really matter.

I crouched down and tugged a strand of her hair behind her ear, caressing the soft, fluffy appendage in the process. Gods, how I had missed her. I closed my eyes and kissed her forehead gently, whispering: "I love you." For a few seconds, I remained still, cherishing the feel of her hot, smooth skin against my lips, her scent in my nose and the firm but subtle shape beneath my fingertips. She was perfect and she was whole, her wounds gone. My smile widened even further and when I opened my eyes again, I stared right into a translucent fire of emerald and azure.

"Hi there," she whispered. "Did you save the world while I was asleep?" I hung my head, the fire her gaze had ignited in my veins petering out, like a candle in the wind.

"No… I managed to protect our family. They're safe, but… Ahri, he's here. I couldn't…" she silenced me with a kiss.

"Don't," she breathed against my lips. "That's more than enough."

"You don't know half of it," I replied morosely. "He… so many died. Alassara's children, the mercenaries, who dared to help…" the improvised blankets, she was resting under, rustled, when she moved. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down into a heartfelt embrace, her tails encircling my waist. My eyes burned with unshed tears and I bit my lip to suppress a sob, but as soon as I felt her body nestle up against mine, I couldn't hold it in, any longer. I cried like a child, who had finally found its way out of the woods and back home, the terrifying memories of what had been gradually giving way to bone deep exhaustion.

For a while, I completely forgot where I was, cathartic tears obscuring my vision, while I snuggled into her embrace, the lingering shadows in my mind melting under her warmth, like snow under a midday sun. She held me tight, her hands tracing circles across my back, while her silky voice whispered words of encouragement in my ear. I didn't underhand much, but in the end, it didn't matter. She wanted me to know, that I wasn't alone, that I'd never be, and I felt all she wanted to convey, all of it and more. By the Great Fox, I loved the girl and I had no idea how I could possibly have deserved her. She didn't even care what had happened, she believed in me and somehow she managed to convince me to believe in myself, with nothing more than a touch. To me, she was the saviour I had tried to become to others, except she didn't fail.

"You have no idea how much I needed that," I finally whispered, my voice hoarse and cracked. "Sometimes I think, you're the only reason why I even manage to go on. I'm so sorry. After everything you endured, I still couldn't…"

"Shush, now. You did what you could and that's more than anyone else could have done. You don't have to save the whole world, Cassy, you can't, but I love you for trying. I love you so much it hurts, so please, don't make it worse. Just… as long as you return to my side, we can figure everything else out. You did well, Cassandra. None of us would be alive without you."

I felt another soft touch on my shoulder and when I looked around, bleary eyed, I saw Viyara, Aurelia and Lyra surrounding us, the dragoness' hand caressing my skin. "She's right, you know," she said. "Without you, I'd be a slave or dead. I know, it's not my place to say, but I'm proud of you and I'm proud of belonging to your family." She took my hand and chastely pressed her lips against my skin: "whatever else you might be, to me, you truly are an angel."

"And a saviour," Lyra added, her beautiful face filled with understanding. "I'm not even sure what happened, but I can tell you this: I was bound in darkness for more years than I care to count and within days of meeting you, I'm free and whole, something I didn't even believe was possible."

Even Aurelia smiled at me: "you already know, I owe you my life and more, but that's not… Cassy, you comforted me, when I felt lost. You were there, when I needed someone to tell me, everything would work out, eventually. Allow me to do the same. As long as you're alive, we'll find a way, because all of us are with you, until the very end… never doubt it, not even for a second."