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At the end of the Long Night, the dragons of High Mountain, like many flights across the known worlds, sought to cement their control over ancestral homelands long dominated by humans. Low Mountain Eerie was established for that purpose, built in the peeks above the modern city of Westwind. The site chosen was an ancient garrison, once used by the dragons to control the strategically important Westwind Pass, from which they extorted tribute from passing armies. Today, the pass still holds a toll road owned by the dragons.
- History of the Greater Continent
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Chapter 24:
Dragon’s Delight
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#24.1 – Friday, the First day of the 11th Month, the 32nd day of Fall…
On the night of the school dance, Scarlet wished she could just have a break from it all. Her mother insisted that was exactly why Scarlet had to go, but her nerves were so frazzled she couldn’t agree.
Fortunately, Esperanza was a dragon, and dragons were known for keeping their promises. Esperanza promised her a hot date and that the dress would look amazing on her.
Scarlet felt less than convinced about the dress.
It wasn’t actually short, not really. It came perfectly to just above her knees, but was so poofy that it simply looked shorter. Scarlet thought this may be due some visual trick or eldritch magic.
It was also strapless.
Scarlet had never worn a strapless dress before. In the back of her mind she always secretly believed they were held up by glue or tape or something. Lacking any reasonable anchoring points she felt terrified it would slip down.
The awkwardness around the shoulders felt especially unnerving. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, if she bent her knees just right the top of the dress disappeared beneath the lip of the mirror, and it looked like she didn’t have anything on at all.
“Damnit, mom, why’d ya have to put my hair up?” Scarlet mumbled to herself.
But the dress was red. Not quite crimson, but red enough. Paired with black shoes and a black headband, it gave her that strange sense of confidence she couldn’t place. A sort of selfness she hadn’t felt since the night of the reception. These colors seized her, empowered her. She did not know why.
For the rest of the ensemble Scarlet had a small clutch purse(empty)(also black), but wanted one more thing.
Going out into the late fall cold should call for some fashionable outerwear. Which Scarlet did not have. A nice half-cloak would be perfect; but Scarlet’s old half-cloak(covered in cartoon ducks) still fit, and her mother refused to buy her a new one.
Instead, Scarlet opened her closet and ran her hand over the delicate nightshade shawl. This particular week, a warm breeze blew up off the southern desert and swirled into the city. For now it made the evening air pleasant enough, but in a few more weeks it would mix with the snow off the mountains and create the violent thunder storms that gave the valley its name*. Lacking anything she really wanted to wear, Scarlet returned the shawl to her closet, confident(in this and nothing else abut the night) that she wouldn’t need it.
All in all, though, it felt better to try and look pretty than to try and look scary.
Esperanza said she would arrive at five. Scarlet paused to examine what little there was of her figure one last time. On any given day, she avoided mirrors as best she could. In Scarlet’s mind’s eye, she appeared as a crude stick-figure drawing with scribbled on hair in crayon. She had difficulty shaking this feeling. Before tonight, the only other time she’d felt like a real young woman was when she went to the Keep with Emmerich. But tonight she felt the same way, though not quite as elegant or refined. Tonight, the girl looking back at her seemed normal. Not ordinary, normal.
Scarlet wasn’t sure she liked that feeling either, but at least she had confidence.
She headed to the front of the house, obsessively checking every clock as she went, including the one on the microwave that never worked right. Her mom and dad were on the couch, chatting casually about Ann’s latest bird guide, while Scarlet paced around the tiled entryway.
“Those sound like flats,” Ann commented. “Didn’t like your heels?”
“As desperate as I am to even be mistaken for five feet tall, I don’t want to take the chance,” Scarlet said. “If I fall down—yeah, there’s nowhere on the continent I’ll be safe from the teasing.”
As she paced about, Scarlet forced herself to banish from her mind the thought that she was walking over the spot where Emmerich died. On the floor, beneath the table beside the door, lay a small scrap of folded paper. Desperate for anything to distract her, Scarlet went to retrieve it. At first, she thought it was probably trash.
Obviously trash, really.
Risking all her dignity, she bent down to grab it, and the memory hit her like a freight train. The slip of paper Emmerich had been holding, that he’d been trying to hand to her when…
Scarlet turned her gaze to the ceiling and took several deep breaths. She was not going to cry, that wasn’t her anymore. The fear existed, but she had to face it and rise.
Scarlet opened the note.
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Scarlet,
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You carry a power deep inside of you. One day, you will do great things with it. Keep the power safe.
- Amarir
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Before she could dwell on the words any further, two massive air-bursts down the road signaled the arrival of her companion for the evening. Her parents still didn’t know where she got her date from. Scarlet ran outside to watch, but didn’t catch sight of the transformation. Instead, she only saw Esperanza walking proudly down the street with a teen boy in tow.
“He does have hair,” Scarlet mumbled as she retreated into the house to wait for them.
“Scarlet, a word,” Roy gestured, indicating for Scarlet to come over to him. “Are you taking a dragon to the Fall Ball?”
Scarlet looked at the floor. “Maybe.”
“Scarlet,” Roy said. “The point of this exercise was to try doing something ‘normal’.”
“Well, I tried, and I failed,” Scarlet shrugged.
Before Roy could reply, the doorbell sounded, and Ann quickly showed in their guests. Esperanza dressed casually in her tiny skirt and ridiculous amount of jewelry, but her companion…
For the most part, he looked normal enough. He wore well-fitted suit, a bow-tie which he managed to make work, and hair gelled into spikes. She found the hairstyle somewhat off-putting, but Scarlet understood dragons couldn’t fully control that.
All told, though, he did look cute! Esperanza had come through in that area.
Esperanza danced in, kissed Ann on the cheek, gave Roy a huge hug, and excitedly introduced her companion. “Guys, gals, this is Kruzolor Orange-Fang, of the High Mountain Flight; out of Janul, by Fradron.”
“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Kruz said as he bowed to Roy and Ann.
Scarlet, being quite practiced by now, flawlessly recited her own dragon name as well as her parent’s. Even her father told her he was a little impressed. Every Arindell resident took basic dragonology† as part of their education, but few learned proper introductions.
“So, how did you manage to get roped into this, son?” Roy asked the dragon boy. Ann tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a disapproving look.
“She asked,” Kruz pointed at Esperanza. “To be honest, I was kind of expecting another dragon, but this is nice.”
“This is how dragons generally find someone to mate with,” Esperanza said.
The room fell silent.
Scarlet blushed and examined the grandfather clock to her left.
“I meant by introductions,” Esperanza explained. “You wait for a friend to find you someone who looks like a good fit. At home I’m known as quite the match-maker!” Esperanza grinned and tapped Kruz, pointing to the corsage he carried.
“Oh, right,” Kruz nodded, flashing Scarlet a smile. “Espy was kind enough to fill me in on the appropriate uumen rituals. This is for you.”
He took the elaborate, decorated flower from the small plastic container and moved to pin it on Scarlet’s dress. Her heart pounded as his fingers brushed her skin, pulling out the top a bit to get the pin through on the other side. All those concerns about strapless dresses surfaced, and she began to again dread the deep, palpable embarrassment from the night of the reception.
“It’s fine!” Scarlet squealed, moving back and crushing the corsage against her chest. The still open safety pin stabbed her skin and she let out a yelp of pain. With trembling hands, she tried to fix it. After an unnervingly long time, her mother arrived and finished pinning the thing. Despite the sudden, extreme shock, Scarlet managed to regain her composure.
“Ahem,” she gulped. “T-thank you.”
Kruz smiled. “I was gonna get it right. You can trust me, I won’t let you down this evening.”
“Well, we’re trusting you, too,” Roy commented, putting a hand on the young boy’s shoulder. “No mischief.” He paused a moment and leaned in to speak. “No ‘mating’.”
“Oh, you needn’t be concerned about mating, sir,” Kruz said confidently and at full volume. “A dragon would never take a mate at my age. It would be impossible.”
Scarlet, despite her considerable humiliation, had to pop in with a question.
“What defines that in dragons?” she asked. “Because the ‘red’ phase of your lifecycle can last up to two centuries. I couldn’t imagine being in middle school for that long.”
“Really, it just comes down to completing the pilgrimage,” Kruz replied. “Once a dragon becomes part of the Legacy, they’re recognized as having entered adulthood.”
“Wish I could be recognized as a grown-up dragon,” Scarlet said.
“Scarlet!” Ann scolded.
In one of those ancient traditions, Scarlet’s mother brought out the camera. Scarlet felt emboldened, at least, by the knowledge that one of the few surviving images of Sapphire Drembilla(one of the last Ten before the Long Night) was a picture of her, at thirteen, posing beside an un-named boy in her parent’s living room before going off to a middle school dance. Though Scarlet never expected to be famous for anything, that connection to the past made her smile.
Kruz, meanwhile, for all his sirs and manners, did not act at all shy when it came to physical contact. He certainly didn’t put his hands anywhere uncouth, but he was quick to give Scarlet full-body hugs and to put his arm around her middle or shoulders.
Being still uncomfortable with the strapless dress, having his hand touch her bare skin made her tingle. Outside her parents, Scarlet rarely experienced physical contact. She always assumed she didn’t like to be touched. But in some way, Kruz felt warmly welcoming with how he embraced her. The lack of hesitation, the openness. She’d been told by her classmates no boy would every lay a finger on her(ironic, given the fight).
After a lengthy photo shoot in which Scarlet spent most of the time blushing as bright as her dress, the adults drove the kids to the school. “Now, let’s be very clear,” Ann spoke from the passenger seat. “This is not a ‘date’, Scarlet is thirteen, she is not allowed to date or to have a boyfriend. You are her companion to the dance and nothing more.”
“Understood,” Kruz nodded.
Roy and Ann left Scarlet and her not-date in the parking lot, and the time came.
Kruz offered Scarlet his arm as they headed for the gymnasium. Again, just as Esperanza promised, Scarlet found herself feeling far and away more secure. Still a juvenile by dragon standards, compared to a human he was tall, confident, and very good looking.
While Scarlet didn’t own much jewelry, she elected to wear her Antiquarian medallion, on the basis that wearing solid gold next to a dragon made her look extra posh.
It felt good.
Her legs were freezing, so she made Kruz walk fast. At this late afternoon hour the lights were on in the small building across the campus that housed the school’s faculty offices. Having never attended an after-school event, but well aware of gossip, Scarlet knew this meant the ever-vigilant chaperones were hanging out somewhere away from all the annoying children. In fairness, there should be only so much trouble a gym full of awkward middle-schoolers could get in to. The dance being less well-supervised than when they ate lunch in the gym on a rainy day amused Scarlet to no end.
The path up to the gym featured balloon arches, and the room where kids normally did pushups was garishly decorated with more construction paper and streamers than were strictly necessary.
The mocking glares of her school mates felt like fingernails being dragged across her exposed skin as Scarlet walked through the door. She’d never been to a dance before, coming alone would be social suicide. With Kruz’s arm around hers, she could see the questioning looks in the eyes of the few kids she got close to. None dared speak to her, but she could see the surprise. Where did Scarlet Jusenkyou of all people get a date?
It didn’t matter, then, that he was a setup. He had brought her, and she needed that.
“Why do all the little boys have swords?” Kruz asked once they got inside.
“They’re faux-swords,” Scarlet made a slight growl in the back of her throat. “Just a wooden scabbard piece and a cheap hilt. It’s part of formal men’s attire, ok? But girls can’t wear swords because it isn’t ‘fashionable’.”
“That’s dumb,” Kruz commented.
“RIGHT?!”
They began a slow circuit of the room, Kruz keeping Scarlet on his arm while he smiled and generally looked handsome. The pair attracted no shortage of odd looks. In addition to being dressed much better than the other boys in attendance(who had mostly collared shirts and borrowed sport coats to go with their pretend swords), he had the sort of confidence about him that nor human middle school boy could match.
It didn’t take long before the stairs from other girls turned jealous.
“Why are they staring?” Kruz whispered.
“I should probably have warned you sooner, but I’m not real popular,” Scarlet replied. “You’re a new face, they haven’t seen you anywhere. I don’t think anyone expected to see me here, let alone with such a—well let alone with anyone.”
“Why attend an event like this, then?” Kruz asked. “If not for the social aspects?”
“Free punch,” Scarlet shrugged, grabbing a plastic cup from the table as they passed. “What about you?”
“The chance to travel, see the uuman world,” Kruz said, giving Scarlet’s arm an affectionate squeeze. “Low Mountain’s not that far from Sun’s Beacon, but it’s not that close, either. Espy and Irinu brought me up here two days ago. Normally I wouldn’t get to leave the eerie until my pilgrimage, so this is fun.”
As they stood awkwardly near the snack table, a girl came around and handed them a ticket, not even making eye contact. Just shoved it into Scarlet’s hand and moved on.
“What’s that for?” Kruz asked. “Are we going to experience the ancient uumen tradition of the ‘door prize’?”
Scarlet glanced at the ticket and turned bright red, then crumpled it.
Ex-friend Bethany, head of the student body and chief organizer of the dance, snuck in am honest-to-god make-out room. Technically it was a ‘couples-only themed winter maze’, but what the hell else were a bunch of teens going to do in a dark room full of tiny alcoves and no adult supervision?
Of course, Scarlet couldn’t say any of that, because she barely knew Kruz. So instead she just say “No,” and quietly disposed of the maze ticket.
“What about dancing, then?” Kruz asked, just as the music turned slow.
Forcing a smile, Scarlet let him lead her out onto the floor. It brought back bittersweet memories of dancing with Emmerich, and she found herself looking at the floor to keep Kruz from seeing the tears in her eyes.
Perhaps sensing something amiss, Kruz pulled her steadily closer until she rested her head against his chest.
He smelled smoky.
Ok, he was a dragon. They tended to do that. He didn’t smell bad, or even strong. Kind of like… catching a little hint of sweet-smelling burning wood on the wind in a cold night.
She had her arms draped over his shoulders, and he had his around her mid-section. She didn’t like how low one of them had drifted, but other than that she felt good.
The music changed again to something with a faster beat, and Kruz moved away from Scarlet, waiting to see how she’d react. Scarlet had taken dancing lessons with her father a few years back and was not entirely lost when it came to this kind of music. For reasons she could not explain, being with Kruz made her feel confident enough to show off.
Now came the real reason Scarlet selected flats: she was neither graceful nor coordinated enough to dance well. So she settled for enjoying doing it poorly. She always loved dancing in concept, and prior to middle school really looked forward to the notion of school dances. She dreamed of having a boyfriend in summer time to visit the under-eighteen dance halls that sprang up all over the city. For now, she would play out her fantasies on the dance floor with Kruz.
Soon, she and Kruz were spinning a sliding with ease. They probably looked downright silly, but with Kruz there to catch her Scarlet didn’t care. It took her a while to notice, but the other couples out on the floor weren’t doing much beside gyrating awkwardly next to each other. Being the only ones with the courage to try and actually dance, they drew an audience.
As soon as she saw it, it made Scarlet feel more than a little uncomfortable.
Having resolved to retreat from the dance floor once the current song ended, Scarlet went to finish a last move, then watched as Chet kicked one of Kruz’s legs out from under him.
Kruz went down, executed a perfect shoulder role, and came back up on his feet as if the whole thing had been choreographed. Turning around, he slapped both hands against his chest and generated a wave of air that instantly blasted his suit free of dust.
Then he set his eyes on Chet. His voice stayed amicable. “Kindly tell me that was an accident.”
“Oh, yeah, totally,” Chet chuckled. “Definitely an accident. These guys here saw it.” He pointed at several of his friends.
“Well, please do watch where you’re going,” Kruz replied. He straightened his jacket and patted out a few wrinkles. “It took me all day to learn how to make this suit.”
“What, you MAKE your own clothes?!” Chet burst out laughing.
Without a word, Kruz folded his arms and his suit turned white.
Chet looked taken aback for a moment, then turned to Scarlet. “I see you still gotta go underground to find your dates.”
Scarlet clenched her hands into fists and started to stomp towards him, but Kruz stopped her.
As if on cue, another slow song started, and Kruz pulled her into a tight embrace. He started dancing as though the whole incident never happened.
“Why didn’t you kick his ass?” Scarlet whispered, raising her chin.
“Because Espy made me promise to make sure you had a good time,” Kruz replied.
“I would have a fantastic time watching you kick his ass,” Scarlet grumbled.
“Espy warned me you had some problems with that guy,” Kruz replied. “If I need too, I’ll scare him off. In the meantime, I hope you’re still having fun.”
Scarlet moved in closer to give him a big hug, but noticed there were still people watching.
Pulling back a little, Scarlet put both her hands on the sides of Kruz’s face. Partly to show the jerks staring at them who could have a better time, but mostly just because she suddenly wanted to, Scarlet stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his.
He returned the kiss and held her tight to steady her. His lips were soft and his breath warm, with a scent just the slightest bit like smoke. Having never kissed a boy, Scarlet did not know if she was doing it right, but it sure felt good.
“I think,” Kruz whispered as they parted. “That this means I have to do the honorable thing… and become your boyfriend. Is that not the uuman custom?”
“Totally,” Scarlet lied.
After dancing a little longer, she realized Chet and Bethany and their crew were still following her around, though she could see Bethany’s face twisted more with jealousy than hatred.
With her arms still draped around Kruz’s shoulders, Scarlet gazed longingly into his eyes.
And then Chet punched Kruz.
A year older, he had a good twenty pounds of Kruz and a lot of muscle. He came in from behind, got Kruz’s attention, and then planted his fist squarely in the middle of the dragon’s face.
“Ok,” Kruz replied. “Guessing that was not an accident.”
“You’re bloody-well right!” Chet shouted, punching Kruz again. Chet was no Dragoon Lancer, but did seem to have some martial training and could put a lot of weight into his punches.
For his part, Kruz looked like he’d been hit by a wiffle ball.
“Can we consider a different way of resolving our conflict?” Kruz suggested. “I’m pretty sure I haven’t done anything to you.”
“You ruined my big game!” Chet screamed, throwing his whole body into another blow that, to any outside observer, clearly did more damage to his own fist than to Kruz’s unflinching face.
“You understand that what you’re doing here is really dangerous, right?” Kruz asked.
“Messing with me is dangerous!” Chet yelled, striking with his other fist. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. In a flash, Scarlet realized it was no faux ornament. No fire-forged battle weapon, either. Just a cheap cold-pressed and machine sharpened blade bolted on to an ornamental hilt. Coated in a simple silvering agent, kind of like a really big fork. A hundred wingbeats at any shopping mall in the city*, but just as deadly as the real thing.
As if timed to the music, the gym went quiet and filled with the sound of steel scraping on steel as he drew the sword.
Scarlet forced herself to swallow and tried to get behind Kruz.
“You know what?” Chet announced in a low voice. “I think it’s time to slay the dragon.”
“Listen, friend, I’m not exactly clear on the rules,” Kruz stepped forward and used his arm to push Scarlet firmly out of danger. “But I’m fairly sure if you hit me with that, I’m legally entitled to eat you in self-defense.”
Chet gripped the hilt of his fake sword with both hands and raised it up over his head. His voice broke as he let out a not very menacing war cry and prepared to charge.
“All right, friend,” Kruz brought up a hand and filled it with roiling fire. “Let’s do this.”
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* #24.2 *
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Scarlet and Kruz sat on the curb when Roy’s car arrived. Behind them, fire trucks were still working to extinguish the gymnasium. Scarlet stood up and stuck her head in her father’s window.
Roy looked exhausted, while Ann dressed uncharacteristically in a hooded sweatshirt and staring fixedly out the passenger-side window.
“What happened to you guys?” Scarlet asked.
Esperanza jumped up between the two seats and grabbed the Jusenkyous into a big hug, giving them both exaggerated, slobbery kisses on the cheeks.
“Hiyeee!” she squealed. “I didn’t have anything planned for the evening, so I decided to get to know your folks!”
“Ok,” Scarlet shrugged. “But we should probably get going before the city watch shows up.”
“Before you say anything,” Kruz said to Esperanza. “I didn’t start it.”
Scarlet pulled the back door open and Esperanza slid over to the far side. Scarlet ended up in the middle.
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Esperanza giggled. “Why, cuz he got into a fight and set the school on fire?”
“No, cuz he FINISHED a fight!” Scarlet grinned excitedly, throwing her arms around Kruz and snuggling his shoulder.
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* #24.3 *
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Scarlet stood on her sidewalk, enjoying the chilled night air. Her parents left her and Kruz outside while they parked the car, affording them a few minutes privacy. She gazed into Kruz’s eyes, but the moment dissipated and she frowned. “This was wonderful… but I don’t think the relationship is going to work.”
“Yeah,” Kruz agreed. “I’m preparing for my pilgrimage, I may be gone for years. That’s a lot in uumen time… I think.”
Scarlet giggled nervously. “I’m also going on a trip.” She stepped away from him and offered her hand. “Can we… promise to be friends?”
Kruz smiled at her and took the hand, drawing her close instead of shaking it. With their noses nearly touching he looked deeply into her eyes. “Friends who still kiss?”
Scarlet scrunched up her face and extended her lips towards his. “Deal!”
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End:
Chapter Twenty-Four
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