Fuse, page 4
“Well, I’m being honest too.”
No, you aren’t. You’re asking to be turned into lunch.
“If you were going to kill me, you would have done it by now.” She turned her back on him and kept walking forward. She hid her fear well, and she suspected that made the dragon respect her more. Or maybe she was completely wrong, and he would burn her alive.
Six
They stopped at nightfall.
Cora couldn’t see where she was going without a torch. Without light, she would be walking aimlessly in the dark. Progressing through the rough mountain terrain wouldn’t be smart if she didn’t know where she was stepping.
Flare never seemed fatigued, but he didn’t complain when she decided to stop for the night. They found a grassy area near a cliff face. The fog had settled in, giving them an extra blanket of invisibility. It would be impossible to track Cora under those circumstances.
She had a thin blanket to keep her warm, and she used her pack as a pillow. She lay on her side and stared at the dragon sitting a few feet away. He was curled into a ball with his head resting on the tip of his tail. His eyes were open, watching her just as she was watching him.
She’d been thinking about what he’d said for the entire day. Could he be right? Could she really be a hybrid? She’d always been different from everyone else in the village. Could that be why?
What troubles you?
Her eyes moved to his. “What makes you think anything is troubling me?”
You furrow your brow when you’re stressed.
Could he really read her that well? They’d only been together for an afternoon. “I was thinking about what you said. About me being elvish.”
What about it?
“I’ve always felt different from everyone else. Like I don’t completely fit in.”
Your brash personality probably turns them away.
She gave him a cold look. “Would you stop insulting me?”
Just being honest.
“Well, be a little less honest.”
I can try.
“Anyway…I don’t know where I come from, so I guess it’s possible.”
Clarify your meaning.
“My guardian said he found me abandoned at the gate. He took me in and raised me as his own. He doesn’t know who my parents are or where I came from. All he knew was my name because it was left in a letter.”
What else did the letter say?
“Nothing.”
Flare adjusted his position against the rock wall, his eyes still on her. It’s unlikely an elf would ever abandon her child. It’s very rare for them to have children at all, let alone toss them aside like an overproduced commodity.
“Then why would my parents leave me?” As much as it shamed her to admit it, it still bothered her that her parents didn’t want her. Dorian took her in and was a wonderful guardian, but he wasn’t her father. Every gathering in the village was full of families, and it pained her to know she’d never had one of her own.
I don’t have the answer you seek.
Cora looked up at the stars because she couldn’t stand his yellow eyes any longer.
But it wasn’t because they didn’t love you.
She slowly turned back to him, caught off guard by the gentleness of his words. “What?”
An elf would never abandon their child unless they had no other choice. They were trying to protect you from something. What, I do not know.
That hope was enough to make her heart swell in longing. In her dreams, she pictured the loving eyes of her parents staring fondly at her. They were reunited as a family, and everything was finally as it should be. “You really believe that?”
I do. Flare continued to stare at her, his colossal eyes glued to her face. But I also believe they are no longer on this earth. They would have come back for you by now if they were living and breathing. The fact that they haven’t after all this time can only mean one thing.
The painful truth of his words hit her right in the chest. It was a fear she’d been prepared for. Her parents didn’t want to come back for her, or they weren’t alive to come back for her. Either possibility was devastating. “You’re probably right.” She turned on her side and faced the opposite way from the dragon, hiding the tears that began to leak from the corners of her eyes. She kept her silence and allowed them to fall down her cheeks and to the soil beneath her. Crying wasn’t in her nature, and she certainly didn’t do it in front of anyone else.
As a dragon, Flare could sense vibrations in the atmosphere. Without even looking at her, he could sense her agony. It hummed in the air surrounding her, and it was loud enough to press painfully on his ears. He could feel every tear as it fell down her cheek.
He could feel everything.
“How’s your wing?” Cora gripped the edges of the rock and climbed over the wall. It took most of her concentration to scale the mountain and get to the top of the rise.
Flare climbed over it in just a few seconds, his body packed with the muscle to move mountains. It’s fine.
“We’re almost there. It’ll be better soon.”
A slight tone of panic colored his voice. Will my scales still be glorious?
Sometimes it felt like she was talking to two different people. There was the calm and collected version of the dragon, and then there was the rude and vain version of the same beast. “Yes, they’ll be fine.”
Will I have a scar? I can’t have a scar.
“I’ll make sure you don’t have a scar. Don’t worry.”
Flare released a deep breath that sounded like a sigh.
Cora made it to the top of the cliff then brushed the dirt off her pants. “So, can you read my mind all the time?”
No. I can’t read minds.
“But you’re doing it now.”
No. I’m speaking into your mind. You’re responding verbally.
“So, could I communicate with you the way you’re communicating with me? Just by thinking in my mind?”
Yes. But I don’t suggest it.
“Why?”
Unless you’re skilled with mind craft, I can hear your other thoughts, thoughts you may not want to share.
“So, you can read minds.”
Flare’s facial expressions didn’t change much as a dragon, but he could manipulate the air around him, change the tone. Right now, he was clearly irritated. No. It’s how I converse with humans and other dragons. Humans can choose to communicate internally, but most of them don’t know how. They just respond out loud.
“They don’t know how? Then how come I know?”
Flare shook his head slightly. I don’t have an answer to that.
Cora grabbed her water sack from her bag and took a drink. “Would you like some?”
Flare glanced at it. No. That’s a mere drop for me.
She returned it to her pack. “Suit yourself.”
I can sense people’s thoughts and emotions but only if they are willing. And I can’t look into their minds and see anything I want, such as the past. I can only feel whatever that person is thinking in that moment of time.
“Couldn’t you force yourself into a mind and manipulate it?”
Yes. But I never would.
“Why not?”
It’s rude.
“The whole thing sounds complicated.”
Not really. Sharing your mind with someone else is the most personal thing two beings can do. It belies a level of trust that can’t be explained in words. When two beings agree to that level of communication, they usually possess a profound relationship.
“So…could I penetrate your mind?”
He snorted. Not unless I allowed you to. My mind is much stronger than yours.
Cora shot him a glare.
I don’t mean that as an insult. Dragons are distinct. The level of security around our minds is impenetrable. Our anatomy is simply different. The only opponent who could break me would be another dragon. But of course, a dragon would never do such a thing. It’s our only rule.
“Your only rule?”
The only rule our society abides by.
“So, that means you could kill each other?”
Yes.
“And that’s something you do?” Killing was illegal among humans. It surprised her that ferocious beasts didn’t practice the same law. Bloodshed must have been common during the days of the dragons’ reign.
Never.
“Then why isn’t it a law?”
Why have a law for something that never happens?
“Just a precaution.”
Not worth our time.
“Do you have any other powers?”
Flare stepped forward and continued their journey, dismissing the question. You ask a lot of questions.
“I’m curious. Before yesterday, I didn’t know dragons still existed.”
We are remarkable creatures.
She rolled her eyes.
I saw that.
“Like I care.”
He swatted her playfully with his tail and made her trip.
Cora caught herself before she hit the ground. “Jerk.”
Child.
She jumped to her feet then brushed the dirt off her hands. “You’re lucky I’m still willing to fix your wing.”
And you’re lucky I’m still willing not to burn you alive.
She adjusted her pack before she resumed their path to the river. She had a hole in the knee of her pants from climbing the rock face. When she’d left Vax, she didn’t have time to grab everything she might need. Hopefully, Dorian would bring extra supplies. “When a dragon and a human fuse together, do they have that level of communication?”
Yes.
“Have you ever fused with a human?”
Flare flinched slightly, clearly offended by the inquiry. Again, you ask a lot of questions.
“I’m just curious. I learned that it used to be common between dragons and humans…before we went maniacal.”
If I wanted you to know that information, I would have presented it long ago.
Cora didn’t understand that response at all, but she assumed it was a complicated no. “For what it’s worth, everyone in my village hates the king for what he did to the dragons, including me.”
Flare didn’t respond outwardly to that information.
“I’m sorry.” Cora knew Flare must feel alone. Even if there were other dragons in the world, there couldn’t be many. She couldn’t imagine that type of loneliness, to be one of the last remaining people of her species.
No need to apologize.
“If there were ever an uprising against the king, you would have the support of many humans.”
I know.
“And you would have my support as well.” Flare was abrasive and harsh at times, but she was beginning to realize he was harmless. What happened to his race was a crime, and he deserved justice for it.
I appreciate that.
She faced forward again and heard the faint sound of a stream in the distance. “We’re almost there.”
Good. I need a bath.
They reached the stream and lay under the large willow tree that provided plenty of shade as well as cover from unfriendly eyes. Flare extended his wing out so Cora would have access to the wound located at the base.
“I’m going to clean it, so it doesn’t get infected.”
My scales prevent such diseases.
“Well, let’s clean it just to be on the safe side.” She grabbed a fresh piece of cloth from her bag then soaked it in the river. After she squeezed out the extra water, she attended to the pierce in his hide.
Flare didn’t flinch as she treated him. He stared across the water and watched the sun move in the sky.
Cora wiped away the dried blood and scabs and examined the wound more closely. Most of the area was singed from the fire that struck his scales. It was black and reeked of burned flesh.
It’s bad, isn’t it?
“It’s not as simple as I thought.”
Flare took a deep breath in disappointment.
“But I think I can fix it. I just need a special plant.”
What?
“Root tip. It’s good for burns.”
Maybe for humans. But not for dragons.
“It’s worth a shot.” She set the cloth down then headed deep into the trees. She knew basic information about plant lore from the town’s workshops. While her main occupation was a blacksmith, she was interested in all realms of academia.
When she located the root, she yanked it from the ground then returned to where Flare lay. “I found it.”
That was fast.
“Looks like I’m intelligent after all.” She pulled the root from the leaves then ground it into dust with a rock. Once the particles looked like grains of sand, she wiped them across the wound, letting the burned flesh absorb it.
Is it supposed to burn?
“Yes.”
Flare continued resting his chin on his claws.
She let the root tip absorb into the wound then grabbed the long, slender leaves she removed. “Now I’m going to stitch it up.”
What does that mean?
“I’m going to force the wound to close. It’ll heal faster, and there won’t be a scar.”
I’ve never heard of that.
“It’s something I figured out on my own.” She began to work, piercing either side of the wound and tying it together, closing the wound so nothing could get inside. The root tip would remove the ash from the scales and promote the healthy regrowth of new scales. She’d never worked on a dragon before, but she could only assume his physiology was similar to her own. “All done.”
Flare turned his head so he could examine it himself. It looks the same.
“You need to give it time to heal on its own.”
How long until my scales are more beautiful than the world itself? He flipped again, changing his personality almost immediately.
“At least a few weeks. This is a nasty cut.”
He snorted in disappointment then faced forward again.
“Just be patient, Flare. It’ll be back to normal in no time.” She rubbed his massive flank and felt the muscle through the hard scales.
Still upset, Flare remained silent.
She packed up her supplies and saved the remaining root tip for a later time. It was a good plant to have on hand. “I’m going to take a bath.” She hadn’t bathed in a few days, and she was beginning to feel the grease in her hair and the dirt under her fingernails.
Flare didn’t acknowledge her words, still in a sour mood.
Cora walked to the edge of the water then began to undress. She stripped off her shirt and undergarment then moved to her pants. She removed everything, including her final undergarment. Since Flare was just a dragon, she didn’t see the harm. He was technically a male, but that was irrelevant if he was a different species.
She walked into the water then turned around to look at Flare. “The water feels nice.”
Flare stared at her hard, unblinking. He took in every inch of her, looking her up and down. The look he gave her was different, far more intimate than ever before. Then he quickly jerked his head in the opposite direction like he was ashamed for looking at all.
After she dried off and combed her hair, she changed into a new set of clothes and washed the old ones in the river. Flare was still facing the opposite direction, looking into the trees.
The tension rose with every passing minute, and Cora realized she’d made a deadly mistake. Somehow, she’d offended him without meaning to. She hung her clothes in a tree to dry, then approached him. “Flare.”
He didn’t turn her way. Yes?
“I’m sorry about before…with the bathing.”
Still like a bird about to swoop down on its prey, he didn’t move.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
You didn’t make me uncomfortable.
She didn’t? “It just seemed like…”
You’re a beautiful woman, Cora. Surely, your limited intelligence hasn’t stopped you from realizing that.
The first compliment made her forget about the second insult. “What does that matter? I’m a hybrid, and you’re a dragon.”
It matters.
“But why? I see you naked all the time.”
It just does. Now, can we end this conversation? He claimed he wasn’t uncomfortable with her nakedness, but he was clearly uncomfortable talking about it.
“I just wanted to apologize.”
Apology accepted.
Cora didn’t press it further because it was clear he didn’t want to listen. She walked back to her pack then pulled out a bag of seeds. “I have some nuts. Would you like some?”
I don’t eat nuts.
“What do you eat?”
Meat.
“Are you hungry?”
I haven’t eaten in over a week. Since I can’t fly, I can’t hunt.
“I can get you something.”
Flare released another sarcastic snort, which Cora realized was his version of a laugh. I eat bears, goats, deer, and mountain lions. No, you can’t get that for me.
The offense burned in her blood. His assumption that she had a bow but didn’t know how to use it irritated her to her very core. She tossed the nuts on the ground and rose to her feet. “Wait and see.”
Flare eyed her with his magnetic orbs. Now isn’t the time to do something rash.
“It’s not rash. I’ve done it before.”
You won’t prove anything if you die in the attempt.
“Do you ever shut up?” She pulled her bow off her back and held it at her side.
Smoke rose from his nostrils.
She pulled an arrow from her quiver then marched into the trees. “I’ll see you at lunchtime.”
Half an hour later, Cora returned to the campsite with a black bear in tow. She pulled it along on a blanket, using her strong legs for power. She kept her back straight as she pulled, dragging it across the dirt until she stopped in front of Flare.
She faced him head on and crossed her arms over her chest, victory in her eyes.
Flare stared at the bear, seeing the arrow pierced right through its skull. Only a skilled archer could have pulled off that accuracy. The ability to launch an arrow at that velocity was commendable.
