No rock drawings of old. No caves to explore. I go over it and over it, combing the cracks in the rock to make sure I’m not missing a passageway. I fly up and over the ravine, but barren stone goes on for miles.
Am I misremembering? Is that even a word? Kaya would know.
I swallow the ache in my throat and press a hand against my mate mark. It is incredibly uncomfortable being away from her. I didn’t think this through. Some say the pain is the worst thing one can experience when the mark is fresh. I don’t feel physically weak, though. Just a pain of the heart and soul. Maybe fordragon shifters, it’s different. Perhaps my kind don’t react the same way with the marks.
The wind bites at my chin and cheeks, but I’m always warm enough to deal with the cold. I simply stoke the fire within me, and I’m as toasty as I would be lying in the sun by the Leafshire River. I can’t stoke contentedness or happiness, though. Only Kaya could rouse such emotions in me now.
I walk slowly down the ravine again, looking for tracks of any kind. My own boot prints have likely ruined my chances on that front; I wish I had thought of that first. Small cloven prints tell me there is a deer-like creature nearby. The paws of a wolf or a large dog are stuck in the dried mud near a bend in the stone. Not fresh.
Wait. What’s that?
A print ahead of the wolf’s paws looks decidedly like bare feet. My heart beats in my ears. Behind the footprints, a swathe of dirt has been smeared as if the walker had a tail. A tail like mine, heavy and dragging the ground if one doesn’t lift it.
I can’t breathe.
“Eh, you there,” a voice says.
My pulse takes on a frenetic pace, and I whirl to see a male with wings, horns, and scales like mine.
Another dragon shifter.
“You all right? Just visiting? You’ll need to get a pass from the gate.”
He is walking toward me and it’s like looking in a mirror.
I can’t find any words at first and he’s staring at me like I’m mad. Maybe I am. Between the ache of being so far from Kaya and the shock of seeing another of my kind in the flesh, I’m truly shaken.
“Wh-where is the gate? I can’t see any entrances. And what am I visiting exactly? I just…” I clear my throat. “Someone told me about this place.”
The male blinks at me like he’s not sure how to respond. “Are you injured?”
“No, why?”
“Because it’s the usual type of gate for our kind. Firebreath entry.”
I just stare right back at him because I’m lost.
He gives me a sympathetic look, turns toward the stone wall of the ravine and breathes fire in a slow and steady stream over a wide area. Sparks dance over the rock, then come together to show a massive arch. Another arch partially appears beside this one and yet another on the other side. Through the arch, on the far side, dragon shifter females, younglings, and adult males like me walk in the sunlight. Buildings in every color of the rainbow line cobblestone streets, not too different from the streets at home.
The male with me puts a hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”
“No, I’m not.” A hysterical laugh bubbles out of me. I wish I could show this to Kaya.
“Come on. I’m Joaquin, House of Stars. I’ll show you around. Where are you from?”
He leads me through the magical gate and into the city. The buildings are tall like those in Kingstown.
“I’m Cyrus. From Leafshire Cove,” I finally answer.
“Haven’t heard of it.”
Dragon shifters fly overhead, greeting one another and carrying satchels and small younglings through the air. Two small males blow fire at one another, and a female, I assume is their mother, pulls them apart, squawking at them about manners.
“It’s near the Veil crossover.”
He whistles and raises his eyebrows. “You flew a long way. I bet your head will straighten out once you get some food and drink.”
“No, you don’t understand. I’ve never seen another dragon shifter. I have never seen a Firebreath gate.”
