Dragon?His frown hurts my heart.I remember the first time I ever saw it—it’s just the same now, but it’s also totally different.Because it’snotthe first time for me.We are not dragons.We’re the blessed.
“And to us humans, you’re dragons.”I carefully flip the sword up and over my shoulders, sliding it into the nifty sheath Freya must have magicked thoughtfully for me before flinging me back out into the world I just jacked up.
Hey, that’s my sword.
“Correction.Itwasyour sword.Its partner was stuck in Hyperion the last time I saw it, but you gave them to me before you decided to forget everything, and you can’t have them back.”
Since I have no recollection of giving them to you, I won’t be taking them back.
“Thank goodness for that.”
I can’ttake backwhat was never yours.You may either return my stolen property, or I’ll forcibly take it.
I’m going to ignore that until he actually tries.I glance around at the sun and decide that if I head down the way we came up and follow the line of the beach, I should be able to reach Selfoss in, say, an hour of hard flying with my new wings.I jog and then leap off a ridge, my wings pumping hard, and this time, they’re turned the right way.
That’s probably why it actually works.
Sure, I’m slow compared to Azar’s coasting speed, but I’m just learning.I’m proud of myself.I won’t get stranded on the tops of mountains, on the tops of skyscrapers, or in cells with high windows—not anymore.I’ve become more capable of defending myself in a world with changing rules.
I mean, I didn’t really earn it,per se, but I think just surviving in the world I was chucked into should earn me some accolades.Azar doesn’t flip out, or shriek, or blow a column of fire to incinerate me.He simply drops off the same ledge and glides along beside me.
Did we do this often?
“Fly?”I ask.“Yes.”
Really?Because you’re miserably slow.I hate this.
“Well, speaking of things that are hard, you didn’t used to be this rude.”I scowl.“But we went faster before.You carried me.Just got wings, remember?You’re giving me a good reason to get faster, just to get away from you.”
I could melt you and be done with all this.
“I could stab you.”I refuse to look at him.It hurts too much.“You won’t, though, because you want to know what happened in that volcano and why the earth blessed are so much stronger.”
One massive beat of his wings and he soars out ahead of me and circles around, snapping his wings and flattening out in front of me.I can’t correct as fast as he can, so I slam right into his enormous scaled chest and nearly plummet—again—toward the ground below.
His stupid claw snags meagain, and I’m losing my patience with it.
He is too, it seems.You will tell menow.How did the earth blessed grow stronger?
I wiggle until he releases me, and then I back away slowly.“Iwon’ttell you now.”
He inhales sharply, and I realize he’s about to melt something.
“Melting the side of the mountain won’t change my mind,” I say.“Because I can’t tell you—I don’trememberwhat happened.Unlike you, I remember everything else, so I think it’s just a matter of time before it comes back to me.”
Time?He’s still scowling, but he’s gone from bloodbath to beatdown.
“Human bodies aren’t like your dragon ones.We have a whole bunch of systems that run things.The circulatory system pumps blood through so we can get oxygen and other things to where they need to go.The digestive tract helps food work its way down and sorts it into waste and energy reserves.The lymphatic system keeps us from getting sick.When we experience something traumatic, like being forcibly flung into a volcano, our body shuts down in waves to protect us.”
I know—I studied the feeble human body.
“Then you probably learned about what happens when we go into shock.When your brother hurled you, me, Rufus, and Gordon into the volcano?—”
Hyperion would never do that.He’s defended me for centuries.
“Why ask me questions if you’re convinced you already know the answers to everything?”I start to walk away.
No.You’ll stay.
