Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
A s Emily lay upon the cool, mossy ground, her senses attuned to the symphony of nature unfolding around her, she found solace in the tranquil embrace of the forest. The once-still air now stirred with the gentle caress of the wind, its whispers weaving through the towering trees like a melody of ancient lore.
She could feel Logan gathering his thoughts and knew it was difficult to talk about the mother he had loved so much and lost.
In the quiet stillness of the night, a chorus of nocturnal creatures began to stir, their voices rising in harmonious unity to fill the air with the sweet sounds of the wild. Night crickets joined in with their rhythmic chirping, a comforting backdrop to the symphony of nature’s song.
Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted its haunting call, its mournful cry echoing through the darkness like a lonesome lament. Amidst the melancholy, there was a sense of harmony, a reminder that nature possessed an innate resilience that transcended the fleeting chaos of the world.
As Emily listened to the melodic cadence of the forest, she felt a profound sense of peace wash over her, a gentle reminder that she was but a small part of a vast and intricate tapestry woven by the hands of time itself.
Logan pulled his hands back and folded them in his lap. Despite being naked and in the middle of the forest, he seemed to blend into his environment as if he were more at home here than in the city.
“My mother had the power of transmutation. It is a rare and sought-after gift. All druids can learn to take another form, but only for a short amount of time. But those with this power can alter themselves and other objects at will. It is a powerful and sacred gift.”
She inched closer to him so she could lay her head on his thigh. She wanted to be closer to him, but she also wanted to hear more of his mother’s story. As soon as he said the word transmutation, she knew that was what she had done. Altered her own body to fit the picture of the wolves she had seen in her head.
Logan glanced up at the night sky. “She loved to take a wolf’s form as well. My mother even had a male follow her home one day in hopes of mating her. She was beautiful in any form she took. My father attempted to run the young wolf off, but the male was quite set on her.”
What did he do? Her words formed in his mind as easily as if she were human.
“My father was forced to shift into his dragon form. The young wolf was smart enough to understand my mother had a mate that was stronger than him, and he ran off. He found a suitable female a few seasons later.”
I’m glad your father didn’t hurt him.
“Of course not. That incident was regaled for many years afterward. My father considered the wolf to be highly intelligent and could understand his interest in my mother. In fact, when that wolf became too old to hunt for himself, my father fed him. He outlived the generation of his pack. ”
She was quiet for a moment. This doesn’t feel like you described with your dragon. I feel as though the wilderness calls to me, and instinct takes over, but I am still me.
“Because you are. The power of transmutation gives you the ability to be any living thing, within reason, but it is always you. A dragon is born with his animal and as much as I wished it otherwise, I can not shift into any other form.”
You wish you could? she asked.
“Oh yes. My mother would experiment by shifting into any animal she could that was in her size range. She couldn’t become a mouse or a canary, unless it was one that was five times its normal size.”
But your dragon is massive, and you are, well, big, but not enormous.
“That is due to a combination of our dragon and its magical abilities. Transmutation is altering your form, but your size is more limited.”
Tell me more about your mother and her skills.
Logan nodded. “Like all druids, she had a disc. It is one of the few the dragons still possess. It was hidden before her death, and while I didn’t understand at the time, she told me not to tell Lothos where she had placed it. Now I know she suspected he would turn.”
I’m sorry.
“Don’t be. That was his choice. My mother’s gift was a blessing. She had the power to help other druids that did not possess the power of transmutation to learn and sustain a shift longer.”
The pearl.
“Yes. I guess she could have chosen anything to be her conduit, but she loved pearls. She made them purple in honor of my father’s color. She loved him and us with all her heart and we were all blessed to have had her in our life. ”
How do they work?
“Once created, the pearl dissolves into its host and boosts a druid’s power. Usually, that is for transmutation, but she created a few for other purposes. The one you absorbed was the one she created for me.”
I should have told you.
“It’s alright, Emily. It was destined to be yours. I should have figured it out sooner. My mother helped many druids make their first shift to dragon form, and for that, everyone adored her.”
But she shifted into other animals as well.
“Yes. She ran as a gazelle, and a buffalo. A wild boar and even a zebra.”
Emily was quiet for a moment. I should never have touched the pearl. I don’t know what came over me. I have never done that before.
Logan placed his hand on her back. “You don’t need to apologize. You absorbed the pearl because you are my mate. She created it for you. It recognized you when you were near. Hell, it may have called to you, which was why you felt compelled to touch it. I would have given it to you at our bonding ceremony, anyway.”
It’s like opening a Christmas Gift on the twenty-third.
Logan chuckled. “I suppose it is, but you did not do it on purpose. I didn’t realize the pearl was my mother’s until you opened the safe, and I felt her power. It is secure now and where it’s meant to be.”
His voice was intoxicating, and she found she wanted to be closer to him, but in his form, not this one.
With a determination of will, Emily called upon the ancient magic that lay dormant within her, a primal force pulsating beneath the surface of her lupine form. As she reached for her humanity, the fur that had covered her receded like the ebbing tide, yielding to the soft embrace of her human skin .
As her bones realigned with a subtle shift, Emily felt a twinge of discomfort ripple through her form, a fleeting reminder of the tumultuous transformation she had endured. Yet the pain was but a whisper compared to the agonizing ordeal of her descent down the stairs.
With each passing moment, Emily’s human form began to coalesce, the contours of her body reshaping themselves to comprise her true guise.
And as she emerged from the crucible of her transformation, Emily felt a profound sense of relief wash over her, a quiet reassurance that she had reclaimed control over her destiny. She understood that she was more than just a creature of the wild; she was a being of boundless potential, capable of traversing the realms of both human and beast.
She smiled up at Logan until she shivered and snapped her hands to her chest. She had shredded her clothing during the transformation, and she was just as naked as Logan.
He flicked his wrist, and clothes formed on both of them before he pulled her against his body.
“You said that you didn’t display any signs of your power, but my mother noticed subtle shifts in her muscular makeup prior to her emergence.”
Emily nodded. “I never considered it was anything other than a weird ability. I have heard of humans who can do it as well, so I didn’t read much into it.”
“How did it start?”
“The jobs my uncle was sending me on were getting harder and harder. There was one a few months ago where I was almost caught. But as I was about to be discovered, I altered my facial features, and the guards thought I was a building employee. They had pictures of my face, but I have no idea where they got them.”
“Do you think your uncle would double-cross you?”
“No way. Not before he got his payday. Not until I paid my debt, then our agreement is over and I am fair game. He has a very specific work ethic. He never moves against anyone he has a contract with.”
Logan sighed. “Altering your own tissue is the first sign of transmutation. But you are correct that some humans have mastered this skill over decades of training.”
“I guess it was stupid of me to think I just discovered how to do it, but it seemed more plausible than me having magic.”
“Of course. You had no idea about your heritage, and the temple can’t sense you because your magic is always in flux. Most druids gravitate to one element, no matter their power, but you are all of them at once.”
“I am sorry about the pearl.”
“Don’t be. When you are stronger, you may be able to produce them yourself. Perhaps my mother knew you would have this power, and that is why she left it for you. She had a unique connection to nature, different from the other druids.”
“I like being a wolf. I can’t wait to try other forms, and I would like to try a dragon, but it seems a lot more complicated. When I try to form the image in my mind, it falls apart.”
“You did not grow up with dragons. You have yet to understand the mechanics of how our bodies move, but you understand a wolf. It is just a larger dog. Even a cat would be simple for you, but there are no flying serpents for you to draw knowledge from until I teach you.”
She smiled at him. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“As am I,” Logan said.
Emily glanced at the moss and ran her hand over it for a moment. “What will Lothos do now that the pearl is gone, and he failed to acquire me?”
“There was a time when I could predict my brother’s actions, but I never suspected he had turned. His ploy was quite convincing, and that should have alerted me. In truth, I think I looked the other way because I didn’t want to believe him capable of this.”
“Nobody wants to see the ugly side of someone they love. Trust me, I know. The first year working for my uncle was a real eye-opener. I learned some pretty hard truths.”
“I am sorry, Emily. All I can promise is that life is over, and we have a much brighter one ahead.”
She placed her hand over his. “I know. Just give me some time to adjust to... all this. It’s a lot for a simple thief from Whistler.”
“Whistler?”
“We lived there when I was younger. I am an excellent skier, in case you need lessons.”
He laughed. “I look forward to you teaching me, but be patient. Dragons are not overly fond of lying in the snow.”
She leaned closer. “The whole point is to stay on your skis, not to fall.”
He kissed her, and the forest melted away at the touch of his lips. She could have lost herself right there, but she pulled back.
“You didn’t answer my question. What will Lothos do now that he lost the pearl?”
Logan sighed. “He will seek power elsewhere. He was looking to unlock the pearl’s power, but he didn’t know that he never could.”
“Why?”
“Because it was made for one druid. For you.”