Chapter Four
Daire rose from a wheelchair outside the hospital, clutching a vase of flowers given to him by the hospital staff, who’d pitied him for having no visitors.
Doc strapped him into the seat of a car. Daire’s heart pounded.
“It’s okay,” Doc said, patting Daire’s shoulder. “I’m a safe driver, what most folks around these parts refer to as slow.”
Was Griffin not safe? Or maybe the deer on Terra weren’t the docile creatures found in Adrakus.
Doc got in the other side beneath some kind of wheel, pushed a button, and a growl emerged, similar to a contented dragon. The vehicle moved.
“Relax.” Doc gave a reassuring smile, then returned his gaze out the front window…windshield.
Daire let out a relieved sigh when the hospital disappeared from view in the side mirror.
They passed a few buildings before Doc turned the car to the left down a narrower road.
Names and concepts entered Daire’s mind, words and ideas from this world.
Had Sakaris helped him understand, or had this world somehow indoctrinated new arrivals?
He should’ve paid more attention when his older brother Elouan spoke of his visits here.
The vehicle eventually slowed, leaving a hard-surface road for a dirt one. Daire turned in his seat as much as the soreness in his body allowed, taking in the flat land, the trees lining both sides of the road, some he recognized, others he didn’t.
“Does Terra have four seasons like Adrakus?” he asked.
“Yes,” Doc replied. “Though they vary in different parts of the world, or even different regions of this country.”
“Country?”
“Remember the program you watched with the drawing of a map?”
“The one with the silly songs?”
“Yes. It’s geared toward children, but the information works for someone new to the area too. We live in Alabama, which is in the lower part of the country, so our winters are milder than, say, Michigan, in the top part of the country.”
“Do we get snow?”
“Rarely.”
No snow? “I’ll miss snow. We got snow during three of the four seasons in High Reaches. Some distant mountain peaks always stayed snow-capped.”
“Ah, yes. You mentioned being from the mountains.”
“Mountain Meadows was the closest court, with part of their area more hills than mountains. Northern Crags was to the northeast, with Rocky Ridges just below, more rock than vegetation. What season is this?”
“It’s late September, so we've just started fall.”
Snows would soon fall back home, yet Daire felt comfortable in a cotton shirt without a jacket here in Ala…Alabama?
The trees gradually grew sparser until they came to a clearing with a single-story log cabin in the center.
Short logs lay in neat stacks against one wall, with several outbuildings flanking the cabin.
A vehicle sat in front of the building, different from Doc’s car.
Dents and scratches marred the nearest side.
Doc stopped the car. “We’re here.” He nodded toward the vehicle. “That’s Nate’s truck I told you about. She isn’t pretty, but she runs.”
Daire exited the doctor’s car, still a bit disoriented and quite thankful to be alive, judging by the photos he’d seen of Griffin’s car. “Totaled,” he’d heard someone say. He’d also heard, “Miracle he’s alive.”
“Welcome to Terra outside of a hospital.” Doc met Daire at the front of the car.
Daire had heard of Terra from others who’d come here. Few reportedly returned, although Elouan, Teron, and Father had. Maybe the ones who didn’t hadn’t wanted to.
Doc had provided clothing, in particular a long-sleeved shirt to hide the burns on Daire’s arms and across his chest. The bandages on his face were to appease the medical staff, who would’ve remarked on how quickly he’d healed.
The wounds from alpha fire took more time.
“It’s not much, but Nate built and loved this place.” Affection filled Doc’s tone whenever he spoke of Nate. “He left everything you see to Griff…to you. Any idea what you’ll do?”
“No, Sakaris didn’t tell me.”
“Sakaris? The one who brought you?”
“Yes. What did Nate do in our world? Why did he leave our realm?” Had he left for adventure? To escape justice?
“He left to avoid an unwanted arranged marriage but fell in love with a local here on Terra. He started a business, then adopted a human child. His son left for college and never came back, feeling more comfortable in a big city than this remote area. He kept in touch but fell in with a dangerous crowd. Died of an overdose about ten years ago. His death nearly gutted Nate.” Doc gave a sniff, raising his face toward the sky and blinking a few times.
He continued after a few moments. “Anyway, Nate only found out about Griffin when the son died, and Nate and Griffin spoke a lot since then. Nate left him this cabin, the small construction business, and other things. He died before Griffin arrived. No one knows Griff, only that Nate had a grandson. You appear to be about his age, and because of the circumstances, no one will question you. You resemble the image on the driver’s license closely enough. ”
With those hideous scars went unsaid. The image showed a man with similar brown hair to Daire’s, with brown eyes a few shades darker than Daire’s gold.
A trick of lighting could explain the difference.
Height might prove an issue, if anyone cared enough to question, as the license showed six feet and Daire stood six-foot-two when the nurse took his measurements in the hospital.
“They aren’t suspicious enough.” If only Daire’s father had been more suspicious of Uncle Urien.
“You’ll have to get used to being Griffin Hodges.” Doc gave an apologetic shrug. “The hospital filed insurance forms under that name.”
No father, no brothers, not even the comfort of another dragon. Daire nodded, looking away.
Doc lifted Daire’s chin with two fingers. “I can’t understand what you’re going through, but I know it’s awful. I’m here. Whatever you need. Nate was my friend. I want to be your friend, too. I learned from him not to ask too many questions, but I’m willing to listen.”
Daire paused, taking in the surroundings.
They’d passed several large houses on the way here, but this little log cabin appeared a poor relation: small, squat, sitting near what appeared to be a river, off by itself.
The metal roof showed signs of rust. Daire knew little about human habitations, but the cabin reminded him of what humans built back home, except for the roof.
Had he ever actually spoken with a human in the dragon realm? He’d once accidentally flown over a few of their houses, scaring a pen full of sheep.
He nodded toward a spot behind the cabin. “That’s a river, right?” The scent of water reached his nose. At least some of his dragon senses still worked here.
“It’s the Cahaba River,” Doc said.
Cahaba? Where was…Oh. No longer in the dragon realm. Of course, Daire wouldn’t know the name. “I need to…”
“I know,” Doc said, placing a soothing hand on Daire’s arm. “I’ll go with you, but go slowly, all right? You’ve been through one hell of an ordeal. I’ve already performed this ritual for Nate. He’d left instructions.”
Together they picked their way over sticks and fallen leaves to the water’s edge.
Who knew whether anyone performed this rite back home for Griffin.
Even strangers deserved a proper sendoff.
Daire crouched, dipping his fingers into the water, then lifted them, letting droplets fall.
“Dearest Goddess, please return my father to your sacred mountain to reunite with my mother. Let your judgment find him worthy of his rest.”
He repeated the motion with the water. “Dearest Goddess, please return my friend Ywain to your sacred mountain to reunite with his kin. Let your judgment find him worthy of his rest.”
Falling to both knees, Daire added, “Please keep my brothers in your care. Protect them, so that we may see each other again one day. Cast your judgment upon our enemies.” He placed an arm over his chest, a military salute.
Finally, he said, “Goddess, I don’t know if you have dominion over humans, or if he had his own deities, but take Griffin Hodges unto yourself, especially if his remains are now in the dragon realm. I owe him much.”
Daire stayed in that position for a while, staring out at the slow-moving water. Back home there would’ve been burning incense, chanting, and one by one, court members would toss flowers into the water, or holly berries in the winter.
One by one, Daire plucked flowers from the vase, tossing them into the water to honor the dead. Then he lifted his chin, closing his eyes and keening as much as his human throat allowed, half expecting other voices to join in.
None did.
Wind rustled in the trees, and dampness cooled his knees. A lone duck paddled by, as alone as Daire felt. The sun kissed his face, and he breathed deeply of the scent of the woods.
Alive. He lived when he should have died. But what of home? Would he ever see High Reaches again?
The pale dragon who’d come to his aid came to mind. Had the dragon lived, or died in the alpha’s fire like Daire nearly had? He said a last prayer: “Goddess, protect the dragon who saved me. Mete out justice to the unjust.”
Daire let the tears flow after weeks of pent-up grief, letting them mix with the water. He cried for the lost, for his family, and even for himself, and the loss of his purpose in life.
The sun had begun to sink below the horizon when Doc placed a hand on Daire’s shoulder. The temperature had fallen along with the sun. “We need to go now. Let’s see your home and get you settled in.”
They strode slowly uphill, resting when one or both needed, back to the little cabin. At first, Daire thought Doc went slow on his account, until noticing the strain around Doc’s eyes and mouth. Daire slowed further until the strain lifted.