SINGED
Chapter 23

Then one day, she came to town, sailing in on one of the rare ships to visit Far Reach. Such vessels always brought excitement and the townsfolk were out to watch the newcomers and to sell them things and buy things.

They stayed at the Shark Fin Inn, where I had stayed my first fortnight in town. I now had my own shop with a back door and a basement where my cult to could meet in private.

I watched, hidden among the crowds, as she entered with a familiar blue-eyed child. It was the knight’s paramour. I had only seen her walk to the stairs after the night left and I had been distracted but now watching as she walked confidently and purposefully through the streets, with the boy, who witnessed me feed without fear, with those unnaturally brilliant eyes, I began to suspect.

Could it be them? My prodigal siblings. They both moved with subtle grace, but I could tell. They were not human. I couldn’t read their thoughts, but that didn’t necessarily mean they were dragons. I had not been able to read Miranda’s thoughts either. Thinking of Miranda caused a stab of loneliness to pierce my stony heart. Sometimes bitterness followed but this time I felt a softening. I’d liked her before I suspected she was my sister and the ambivalence lingered despite my spite.

I lingered amongst the merchant stalls all that day, watching the crew. Towards evening her followers left to replace provisions. They were common pirate riffraff, nothing special, their thoughts open and innocent. They did not know what she was. As I considered entering the inn, she burst through the door in a proper fury.

I was surprised to replace myself chuckling as she stormed down the cobblestone street. It was something I would do. I forced the smile from my face with an effort. What was I feeling? This could not happen. She had defied me and abandoned me. I harden my heart and followed her at a distance. She went into a jewelry shop, a high-end establishment. I found myself once again approving, and became cross, but I pushed my unruly emotions aside and ghosted up to the open shop door, just out of sight, to listen.

“Well as I am sure you know, it is very valuable,” the jeweler was saying. “Diamonds don’t often come in such a lustrous rouge.”

I peeked around the corner. I could make out the glittering crimson jewel upon the counter. Could it be the same sanguine gem that Alister and Cayn claimed had been stolen by the knight the harvest past? As the jeweler said such a gem was surely rare indeed. If it was then that the knight must have had it after all and given it to my sister. I knew her name now from the thoughts of her pirate ilk companions. It was Rue. Well she would rue the day she crossed me. I would have that gem. I knew at least this piece was true, but I did not dare believe what they had said about the stone being able to save Miranda. I knew too little. Cayn and Alister were both dead. There was no one left to tell me the rest of the story.

However, I could surmise the jewel was just meant to be another sacrifice for the Dragonking. Perhaps he still wanted it. If so this might be the missing piece that would allow me an audience with sender without a terrible death for myself included.

“Thank you,” Rue was saying, “but I must get back.”

I drifted into an alley and watched from the shadows as she passed. Had she sensed me? I followed the distance she did not return to the end, but instead meandered through the town into the street of warehouses and storage sheds. I was near my safe house, I spotted one of my most trusted followers on the corner. I signaled him.

His name was Clarence, he reminded me too much Sal, his loyalty to me was fanatical. I could not bear to allow myself to grow fond of him. I had been considering killing him quickly and painlessly. I could not afford to grow weak again. However, for now his services were ideal.

“Clarence,” I said softly, “go bring another. I have a target with something I want.”

He nodded and came back moments later with a recruit I had not yet met.

“His name is Mortis,” he said to me.

“Where is this mark?” he snarled. “Clarence tell your snitch we can take it from here.”

This new one obviously did not know me yet. I did look young when fully human. I did not have time to get him straightened out right now though. Rue was almost out of sight, but I knew this back alley. She was headed into a dead-end.

“Come on,” I said and ran after her.

What came next was a surprise. I pondered on it afterwards and it really should not have been but again emotions clouded my judgement. The encounter proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Rue was my sister though. It turned out she knew she was being tailed. This was her way of handling the encounter discreetly.

We tried to seize her. The first thing she did was punch me in the face with the basket hilt of her rapier. She truly took me off guard. I had never faced someone as fast as I was. She was faster than Cayn, much faster than Gribnor. Truthfully, if I had been prepared though, I am probably just slightly faster than she, but with the element of surprise she knocked me to the ground with a single blow.

I was more stunned with shock than hurt. I lay in the dust on my back trying desperately to grapple with my own resolve. I liked her. It was absurd. She abandoned me, and I hated her. She returns and pummels me in the face and I am impressed, and was it affection?

No! This could not be! I had made up my mind. I could not bear to love, to have family and friends. They would only abandon me. As she had before.

I pretended to be unconscious until I could focus, act on my resolve. In the meantime, she quickly disabled Clarence and then after toying with him, disarmed Mortis. She stepped over us and left.

My head was still spinning. More from my warring emotions than that tiny tap on the jaw she’d given me.

I took my frustration out on Mortis. He’d made a bad impression to begin with and, also during the duel, he threatened Rue’s virtue.

No one threatens my sister but me. I made his death quick. Feeding on him. This time must have been the magic number though, or perhaps it was my conflicted emotions, but I could not change back. How odd. Now I was trapped in a half man, half dragon form.

In hindsight, I knew it was my own pride that trapped me in this twilight state between man and dragon, mortal and monster. I could not bear any longer to return to human form, where the emotions bound me in a spider web of remorse and indecision, the strands of the web so fragile and yet so confoundedly resilient. I could not tear free of them, would not. I was unwilling to admit that were precious to me.

Perhaps if the metamorphosis had been pursued for another reason I could have achieved it. I had changed several times since my hatching, but the memories were dreamlike. I just was not ready then.

I know that now as I speak to you. I know if I had only been patient the change would have come when I was ready, but in my pride, I could not admit it, could not wait.

Instead, despite the initial benevolence I had felt toward Rue, I blamed her for this unforeseen irritation. I returned to the nethergrim in a rage.

“Prepare your warriors!” I snarled at Gribnor. “It is time to harvest the village!”

“Warriors still returning from Eastern Marches,” he replied. “Many dead. It was good fight.”

He seemed in a good mood.

“Did you win?” I asked coldly.

“No,” he grinned, “the other grim fought better than expected. Our allies from the Endless Hills took heavy losses because of a human knight who joined the fight. He was a great warrior.”

“A knight?” I said absently,” well gather your remaining warriors or as many as you can. We will attack tomorrow night.”

He grunted.