ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES BOOK 3: THE DRAGON'S KEEPER
Chapter 9.5

Herman….

Herman lifted up his head and inhaled the cool and crisp morning air. It filled every inch of his lungs. He never thought there was a day when he actually missed breathing fresh air. Well, that was what he got for being cooked up in the cellar for the past four days. His joints still throbbed and every other sense in his body was fine-tuned. His skin was extra sensitive even to the whispering air brushing lightly against the hairs and his ears picked up even the rustling of leaves in the forest as little fur-balls scurried around looking for food. Herman smelled the coming rains and a shudder went down his body. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder and he cringed at the impact. Feror appeared beside him, his face ragged but his eyes bright and sharp.

“You ready for your first gallop?” He asked Herman.

Herman grinned and nodded. “More than you could ever imagine.”

Feror chuckled as Remington and Vicious flanked him on either side. “Fucking clown.” He muttered the barked. “Let’s go!”

The three males sprinted down the plains and leaped into the air. Herman watched in amazement as the males called for their change in midair. The earth trembled as they landed, their hooves clapping hard against the damp and dewy grass. Herman breathed in hard. He had never had the opportunity to be around other centaurs apart from his family. His grandfather decided to move his entire family into the city from the Lore Highlands right after he was assigned in the army. He worked hard until he made it into the Royal Army for the King. It was a more intimate circle for the King. His grandfather had three sons and they all joined the army after him. Three of Herman’s cousins were already in the army but he wasn’t sure where they were posted. Herman was always seen as the weak link in the family but his father had always been proud of him. It didn’t matter to him if Herman made it to the army or not but Herman was determined to prove everyone wrong. With his grandfather, father and uncles no longer of that world, he together with his cousins were the last remaining males of the family. Two more females were born to one of his uncle but they didn’t even want to hear anything with the word army in it! Herman smiled fondly when he remembered them.

“Come on, foal!” Feror called to him, his brown pelt slick in the morning light. Herman could see the strength in the male as his hooves ate up the distance.

Herman was still rusty in his change. He was, after all, a pureblood beast. Centaurs were unlike the other beasts such as the dragon, the phoenix, the lycans and the cats. Centaurs beast bodies merged with their human bodies. They couldn’t communicate with their alter egos like the rest. Heck, they are almost shifters! But Centaurs were no shifters. They still had to learn to will their beast bodies like every other beast. Mind-commands called for the change, bent and stretched a hoof and swiped the tail. That took a while to learn, unlike in shifters where they took the form of an animal or creature but they controlled their shifter bodies like the way they would their human forms.

Herman concentrated on his change and felt it rippling against his skin. Bones popped and he bit back the pain that swarmed his joints. The pain was bearable now that he had already pulled his change in the cellar. Fur rippled around his enlarging and elongating body and hooves knocked lightly on the grass underneath him. It still felt foreign for him to be in that body and he still couldn’t control some movements--like the flipping tail behind him! He ran his hands over the fur that covered him from below his navel down to the rest of his body. He was glad his transformation didn’t make him monstrous like some of the centaurs. He wasn’t lean like Feror either. He was more of Remington’s build with coiling and trembling muscles bunching and stretching around him.

“Come on, princess.” Vicious chuckled. “Let’s go!”

Herman smirked at the male. Herman couldn’t help but admire his new body in the light. The champagne colored pelt shimmered in the morning light, making him look mesmerizing. Now that he had passed puberty, he was able to replace a mate and his hormones would start raging beyond control. The thoughts turned towards a certain human female sleeping peacefully somewhere in the royal residence. A sad smile appeared on his face as he commanded his body to move forward. He should have seen the connection from the beginning. When Feror came to take him out that morning, he asked him where Tegan was and Feror grimly told him about what happened when Commander Drake claimed Maya as his mate. Tegan was trying to help the two of them at the infirmary.

Herman liked Maya a lot. The thoughts of her were what kept him alive long enough to make his first transformation. He wanted to impress her with his new body even though he wasn’t her mate. Feror must have seen his sorrow because the male chuckled and patted him lightly on his shoulder telling him how cruel life could be. It was as if the male had gone through the same thing.

Herman managed to catch up with the males, not because he was that fast but rather because they were trotting.

“Don’t force yourself to move.” Feror turned to him. “Let your beast body carry you where you want to go. It is your greatest weapon as it is your greatest weakness. You have to learn to tune your intentions and thoughts in harmony with the actions you want to take.”

Easier said than done…Herman thought as he kept on tripping on his hooves or have his hind legs buckle and fold under him.

“Pony!” Remington smirked at him.

Feror grinned as they all trotted to a stop and turned to him. “Believe me when I say you don’t want that name following you for the rest of your life. Don’t will your beast body as if it is not a part of you. It is you. Will it as a whole, not as individual parts. Picture what you want to do and how you want to do it. This is not a battlefield, its a track.”

Herman breathed in hard began to concentrate. He was stronger now. He was a pureblood centaur, stronger than most centaurs. He needed to do this if was ever going to stand a chance of being in the Royal Army--

Suddenly the front hooves kicked up in the air and his hind hooves held him up without staggering.

“Whoa!” Remington moved away. “Watch it blondie!”

“Sorry.” Herman rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“What were you thinking about?” Feror asked curiously.

Herman shrugged. “Honour? I have to make it into the Royal Army.”

“You need to prove yourself first, kid.” Feror smirked.

Herman felt his body sway to the side and his hind hooves buckling under him again as something heavy slammed against him. Vicious snorted and his mouth curled in a malicious smile. “Am I going to enjoy whipping you into shape!”

Herman narrowed his eyes at the male. “Do your worst.”

“Come on, ladies. Practice starts in thirty minutes. Herman you have to do thirty laps before then.” Feror said and Herman grunted in frustration as he staggered back onto his hooves. “Go!”

Herman felt Remington smack his side and ignored him as he began galloping down the plains.

Herman collapsed on his bed with exhaustion. Oh, how he missed his soft bed. He could still remember the cold hard stone floor against his back and the freezing water shocking him out of his unconscious state. He could still hear Tegan’s voice echo around the vaulted walls and ceilings of the cellar. The smell was terrible and the air thick and foul. It was traumatic. Something like that could never be forgotten and Herman was glad it was long over. Herman managed to finish the thirty laps but not in the thirty minutes that he was given. At that moment, every muscle on his body pulsed with fatigue. His heart wouldn’t stop hammering so hard in his chest and sweat ran down his body in rivulets.

Suddenly his door was yanked open and a small whimper escaped from the person who had annoyingly disturbed his sleep. Herman’s eyes opened and a grin began to form on his face when he saw who it was.

“Oh, my poor boy!” His mother had one hand on her tummy and the other over her trembling mouth. Tears and shock danced in her eyes as she looked at him. “Oh heaven’s you are big!”

Herman managed to pull his aching body up and tower over his mother. “I told you, you’ll be proud of me.”

Abigail grinned and the action caused the tears to come down her cheeks. She rushed forward and hugged him. Herman had to bend down to hug his seemingly smaller mother and pulled her from the floor.

She yelped and chuckled then looked at him and cupped his cheeks. “I was so worried.”

“I was in good hands. I owe it to Tegan, Feror, Remington and Vicious.” Herman sighed softly.

Abigail nodded. “I owe them a great deal for what they have done.”

“There you are!” A familiar voice shrieked from the window and a fond smile appeared on Herman’s face. “I have been searching everywhere for you? Do you know how tough it is for someone like me to go around looking for you? I should use my haze on you so that you learn your lesson!”

“I missed you too, Twiska. Plus, I don’t see why you need to go around flying and annoying everyone in your bug form when you can take the human form.” Herman rolled his eyes as Twiska appeared, buzzing in front of him.

She shrugged her shoulders. “My human form doesn’t have wings, plus I hate walking--but I missed you.” She flew right onto Herman and her tiny hands went around Herman’s neck.

Abigail brushed a finger on Twiska’s hair lovingly and turned to her son. “She went back to stealing food when you went away.”

“Twiska!” Herman glowered at her, a growl emanating surprising him and everyone else in the room.

Twiska placed two tight fists under her chin and gave him the puppy eyes. “I was hungry and depressed! Plus Abigail told me about what was happening to you. I went to the temple everyday to ask the Priestess to cast a protective spell for you.”

Herman felt his stomach flutter as he looked down at Twiska. He reached forward and touched her tiny cheek lightly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. My, you are so big now!” Her tiny mouth formed an O as she looked at him.

Herman smiled rather smugly. “I know right. Can’t wait to show myself to Maya.”

“Maya?” Twiska asked. “The human female?”

Herman nodded. “Yep. I wonder what she would say?”

Twiska’s wings began to beat angrily behind her as she moved closer to her, her anger very evident. “And why do you want to do that? You were my friend first, not her! I will not stand here and let her steal my friend from me! Wait until I get my pot of Spax!”

“Uh--Herman--” Abigail started and Herman shook his head to her with a sad smile on his face.

“I know. Feror told me. I just want her to see me like this and not like some lanky little boy.” Herman assured her.

Abigail nodded softly and touched his arm. “She’ll be very proud of you. Why don’t you get some rest?”

Herman nodded and soon his mother left the room.

“Do you like her that much, Herman?” A small voice asked as he turned to his bed.

“Yes, Twiska. I like her very much.” Herman crawled up over his bed and slumped over it.

“Even more than me?” Her voice cracked and squeaked.

Herman smiled in the middle of falling asleep and muttered. “I love you, Twiska.” But he was not conscious long enough to see the brightly shining smile on Twiska’s face. Her little wings carried her towards Herman and she landed on his back. She curled into a ball between his shoulder blades, something she did every time she was sleepy but now there was more space for her there. She sighed contently and drifted to sleep.

Herman had missed both lunch and dinner that day. By the time he gained consciousness, the moon was up in the air, shrouded mysteriously by a fog that promised of more rains to come. Herman quietly made his way towards the kitchens. He knew his mother must have left something for him being as worried over him as she was.

The corridors and hallways were quite with only the soft muttering of the helpers and the guards and also the occasional laughter and muffled talks that went on in the entertainment room. Herman finally arrived to the kitchen and discovered he wasn’t the only one eating late. Drake, the commander was sitting oblivious to everything that was happening around him. Herman found himself stopping at the door. That was the male that was mated to the one female Herman’s heart twisted for. Herman should have been angry but instead, he felt sad because no one had any choice in the mate the Heavens chose for them.

Herman didn’t feel like he was ready and he would have turned away if Twiska didn’t sneeze so loudly on his shoulder. She jumped up and scanned around exclaiming.

“Periwinkle!” She sneezed again and again.

Twiska was mysteriously affected by periwinkles and Herman couldn’t figure out why.

Drake turned to them, his eyes widening lightly as he eyed him from head to toe. Herman straightened and entered the kitchen.

“You are a little late for dinner, commander.” He told him.

Drake ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “So are you. Congratulations on surviving your transformation. You packed up quite well.”

Herman managed a small smile as he pulled out some left overs from one of the fridges to whip something up quickly. “Now I have all the qualifications to make it into the Royal Army.”

“Everyone of those males you see in the Royal army had to work their way up from the bottom. No one got the golden ticket to get to where they are now. You are no different.” Drake told him grimly.

Herman shrugged his shoulders. “Everyone has to start somewhere. I don’t mind—but I will promise you this. I will make it to the Royal Army.”

“I love your enthusiasm, kid.” Drake groaned as he stretched and watched while Twiska went around ravaging through everything. “What’s up with her?”

“She’s searching for periwinkles.” Herman answered watching as Twiska zoomed from one corner of the kitchen to the other.

“Periwinkles?” Drake asked in confusion.

Herman chuckled. “She’s affected by them. She sneezes a lot and finally she loses her abilities and has to take her human--” Before Herman could finish Twiska’s body stretched and molded itself until she was in her human form and she plopped onto the floor with a dull thud.

A groan escaped her lips as she staggered to her feet while rubbing her nose.

“Crap!” She sniveled looking down at herself while pulling her overly long green hair over her shoulder so that it didn’t sweep the floor.

Twiska preferred her pixie form but occasionally, she turned into her human form and Herman was graced by her beauty. She lifted her head up and looked at Drake then narrowed her eyes.

“Are you getting back at me because I used my red haze on you the last time?” she asked him.

Drake was taken aback. “Now why would I do that?”

“Then why are you carrying periwinkles?” she crossed her arms over her chest, her pale green toga wrapped over one shoulder and reaching just above her knees.

“I am not carrying periwinkles.” Drake sighed tiredly.

Herman held a piece of sandwich to Twiska. “You are always grumpy when you are hungry, Twiska.”

Twiska reluctantly took the sandwich and bite into it while sitting a little distance away from Drake. Herman could see that Twiska still suspected Drake of the periwinkles but Herman couldn’t see the male carrying any flower for that matter. Very few people knew the effect periwinkles had on Twiska and Herman doubted it very much that Drake would know about it.

“I heard Maya is in the infirmary again? How is she doing?” Herman asked cautiously. He didn’t want the other male to read his distress that Maya was injured again but at the same time he was curious to know how she was.

Drake shrugged one of his shoulder and now that Herman looked at him closely he wondered how Drake was still sitting. He looked like he hadn’t been sleeping for a while. He couldn’t blame the male. His mate has been in and out of the infirmary like nothing before. “She has been stable for a while now. Akira hasn’t called me back there so I guess her condition is steady.”

“What...happened?” Herman pulled a chair and sat on it. This was all new to him because before his transformation he could barely understand what emotions were involved between two people but now, thanks to surviving the change, every emotion in him had been enhanced a tenth-fold!

Drake took a sip of what Herman first thought was apple juice until he got this bitter-sweet scent of it. “I hurt her.”

Drake was not the person to hurt someone so easily. Though Herman had not been around him long enough to know what he is about, he was very sure Drake didn’t mean to hurt Maya on purpose...maybe that was the reason why he was drowning his misery in alcohol.

“Jerk.” Twiska muttered between her bites.

Drake turned to her and growled in warning. Twiska yelped and jumped off her chair. She glowered at him before she hummed softly and made her way out.

“You have to bare with her. Twiska is not the easiest pixie to get along with.” Herman stated softly then went back to the serious conversation. “I know you didn’t mean it.”

Drake flashed his teeth to Herman as he settled back but his distress was very evident. “Maybe I did. I mean the mating bond becomes intolerable with time if you have to yet claimed your mate. I knew of that and I kept on prolonging it and now, this has happened.”

“Maya is a fighter. She will make it alright. If Sophia and Tegan were able to make it, you and Maya will survive this too.” Herman assured him.

“I have never heard of a human mating with a dragon before. This is the first but I feel like I need to return to my realm and meet with one of the Dragon Historians about this. Perhaps they might be able to help.” Drake said.

Herman nodded in understanding. “Commander I need to tell you something.”

“You don’t have to.” Drake said quietly eyeing him intensely. “I knew of it from before. I saw it in the way to acted in front of her.”

Herman swallowed hard. “I didn’t know she was your mate or I wouldn’t have allowed it to happen.”

“No one has control over love, Herman. That is one thing you will have to learn the hard in the years to come.” Drake chuckled bitterly.

“Has it ever happened to you?” Herman asked curiously. For the many years that the commander had lived, it must have happened at least once.

“It hasn’t happened to me but I know many males who have gone through it.” Drake said.

Herman nodded and sighed. “But I know she is in good hands. She’s with you.”

Drake and Herman looked at each other for what felt like centuries before finally Drake gulped down the remaining of his liquor before he got up.

“I’m turning in for the night--”

“Commander!” One of the warriors came rushing into kitchen. “Dragons are coming our way!”

Drake straightened up and Herman was amazed at how fast the male was able to take on his position once more. “How many?”

“At least five.” The warrior answered.

“Have they shown aggression? Could you tell if they are Rogues?” Drake asked.

The warrior shook his head. “They are in the outskirts of the royal grounds. They have not entered. It is as if they are waiting for something.”

A soft growl escaped Drake’s lips as he stalked out. “Get Ryuu, Uther and Blaze! Get this place secured and on lock-down immediately!”

Herman’s face blanched as he watched the male stalk out. Were they under attack? Was this his opportunity to show off his skills? Herman found himself running after them.