Ember of Hope
Chapter 23

To lighten the blow Raegan had just landed on her best friend, she decided to do a sleep over. The girls planned to have a movie marathon night. And what best could they watch on a movie marathon if not Harry Potter. So they ordered some pizza, fries and soda and settled in Sarah’s bed for their fun night.

“So what do you think about all the things I just told you?”

“I don’t know – it’s some heavy shit – a lot to take in, but one thing I know for sure is that you aren’t crazy – at least not yet” Sarah smirked. “I believe you”.

“Well I gotta tell you something more”.

“You gotta be kidding me” Sarah sounded amused “You wanna kill me with surprise overdose or what?”

Raegan just laughed nervously.

“What? Some fancy ass dragon bit you and you’re pooping rainbows?” Sarah laughed.

Dragons aren’t like unicorns, you dumbass” she rolled her eyes.

“You turned into a were-dragon or some shit? Show me, show me”.

“Trust me Sarah if that were the case I wouldn’t fit in this apartment in my dragon form – they are huge”.

“Why am I not surprised”.

Well, what she was about to tell her best friend was just as crazy and strange as the idea Sarah just gave.

“Ok spit it out”.

“They are kind of were-dragons, I mean they can shift forms – human to dragon and back again”. She started. “In their world there are kingdoms. The one I went to was under a curse from a witch and because of that curse they couldn’t shift into their human forms and were stuck in their dragon forms until or unless they get their mates to love them unconditionally in their dragon form”.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa – stop right there – hold up – you said earlier that their mates were human, right? What human would love a dragon dude?

“Not necessarily, no. There are female dragons too, but they are few and far between so mostly their mates are humans. But when they complete the mating their life spans are linked together and the humans live as long as their mates. They get a little strength from their dragon mates too but that’s just it. Otherwise they are pretty normal” Raegan explained, “They really are not that scary. I mean on the outside they do look scary, but on the inside they are really just like us… just as humane as we are… maybe even more so than many of our humans. They are beautiful creatures inside and out. All of them”. She smiled at a memory.

“Okay, so enlighten me more about these lovely dragons of yours”.

“You know they have this huge arena like the colosseum, but way bigger than that. Val took me there when I recovered from my injuries and I was in so much awe my mouth almost hit the ground, it was hanging so low. And then he introduced me to their trainer; this huge man who looked like he didn’t even know what a smile even meant; General Roth. He even trained me afterwards” Sarah didn’t get a single sentence in while Raegan was droning on and on about her adventures in the fairyland.

“… and he didn’t mess around girl, he always looked ready to eat you alive if you so much as blinked during the training…”

“Only that he could have eaten you alive if he really wanted” Sarah chimed in.

“Pfft no, they don’t eat humans. Maybe the Velarians” the level of nonchalance in that sentence was astounding. “Any way I made him so pissed every time I was their training with him. I could tell by his face that he really wanted to get rid of me sometimes” She continued; unaware of the growing size of her best friend’s eyes.

“How on earth can you even tell the expressions on a dragon’s face? They are dragons for God’s sake; like Smaug from The Lord of the Rings right? And Smaug was so hideous no one could even think of deciphering his expressions”.

“Oh no, no, no Sarah, you got it all wrong. Trust me they are nothing like that ugly thing. They are beautiful and magnificent.” Raegan smiled, oh she could tell every expression on Valiance’s face alright – “You can – I don’t know but their eyes might give them away if you know how to look”.

“And you know how to look, how exactly?”

“Oh man, I guess I should just take you there so you can see for yourself”.

“Oh I’m okay in my normal boring human world – thank you very much”.

“When did you become such a pussy?” Raegan mocked.

“So you were telling me something before you trailed off”.

“Yeah – mates – well, I – umm – did I tell you about Valiance?”

“Yeah you’ve mentioned him like a hundred times already, why?”

“He is the coolest among his kind. He is a lightning breather, you know. His lightening can burn even the toughest dragon hide. Wicked right?

“Yeah you told me that too”.

“I did? Oh – well, you know he kind of became a very good friend of mine”. She smiled at his memory. “You know, he has a way with words. He tells the coolest stories”. And on and on she raved about Valiance.

“You talk about him like you’ve fallen in love with him or something” Sarah laughed.

“What? NO” Raegan defended a bit too loudly.

“Whoa easy girl, easy I was just kidding”. Sarah nudged her playfully but Raegan was stuck on that one word “love”. She had said to Valiance that no sane human could love a dragon. Was she becoming just that? – A mindless human. No, it wasn’t love; she just missed him that’s all. She reassured herself.

“You wanna come with me?” she reluctantly asked her friend and braced herself for her reaction.

“Where to?” Sarah asked casually.

“To Evreux”. She said in a barely audible voice but Sarah heard it alright.

“WHAT?” she screamed “what on earth are you talking about Raegan?”

“I’m going back there. I can’t not go Sarah. I have to go”.

“Why?”

“I feel like I don’t belong here anymore. There was a reason I got injured that day and there was a reason nobody could replace me and Valiance did. I don’t know how and why he crossed the veil that day because dragons don’t usually venture in our world. He cloaked himself so nobody could see him but why did he came here in the first place? Fate took me there Sarah. When I was there I felt like I finally belong somewhere. It felt like I was finally home”.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about sweetie, you just got back. You’re just missing that place and those people you met there, that’s all”. Sarah tried to reason.

“Sarah I know the difference between missing something and the sense of belonging. You wouldn’t understand. I guess it’s too much for you to take it all in at once”.

“Yes – yes it is too much for me – and it is too much for you too honey – just give yourself some time to think things over”.

“Trust me I have been thinking since before I came back” she sighed and took Sarah’s hands in hers, “I need to go back Sarah, maybe then I’ll know what to do”.

“Okay – okay – you might be right, but how do you even go into some other world anyway?”

“Well I’ll have to go back to where I got injured. The portal is near that place”

“How come no one has ever found it out then?”

“Because you need a special talisman containing dragon blood to be able to see it and cross it, no human is able to see it otherwise” Raegan explained.

“Wow man! Some serious shit huh”. Sarah was trying hard to take it all in. “So – I’m assuming you have one such talisman? So where is it? Show me”.

“It’s at my place, tucked away for safe keeping. Valiance gave it to me just before I left. In case I ever wanted to go back there”. Raegan replied, once again thinking back to the parting moment and the pained and sad look in her dragon’s eyes.

Her dragon… whoa, where did that come from”

She forced herself out of her memory lane and into the present where her friend was probably half way down to freaking out, but Sarah surprised her by saying:

“I’ll go with you”

“Sorry, what?”

“Yeah, I’ll go with you. I’m not letting you go alone”.

“Sarah it’s ok. You don’t have to do this for me. You have a life here”.

“Oh come on, Ray. You think I’ll miss a chance to visit a fantasy land? How often such things happen to us humans anyway? NEVER” Sarah laughed.

“Okay but there’s this one teeny tiny problem. We only have one talisman”.

“Oh don’t worry. You’ll go in and send it back out for me. I’ll wait a little longer in this plain boring as hell human world”.

“What about your parents? What are you going to tell them?”

“Oh don’t you remember the two return tickets to Paris we won in that lottery? Well we’ll be going to avail that offer as a last vacation of job-free life”.

“You’re insane” Raegan shook her head at her friend’s eagerness. “Well then start packing; we are going on an adventure Bilbo Baggins”.

“My pleasure Gandalf”, Sarah bowed low at her waist and Raegan bowed back.

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