Chapter 9 #2
“It makes perfect sense,” Quickthorn argued. “If my flames kept the High Fae from crossing the broken wards, they can stop Napoleon's troops, too. Without hurting any of them.”
“True,” Frederica said carefully. Dragonfire was a potent weapon, no question about it, but if Quickthorn accidentally killed anyone, it would mean the end to her freedom - and their companionship. That thought was unbearable.
“All I need is practice. We were taught as nestlings how to use our fire for smelting metal, but aiming the flame while flying is harder than you would think.”
“It sounds well-nigh impossible to me!” Frederica exclaimed.
“But I improved, even during those few passes I made that day, and I know I can do even better if only I can experiment a little. That requires open land no one cares about.”
“What if the fire spreads, though?”
Quickthorn snorted, a bit of flame exuding from her nostrils. “Dragonfire will only burn where it is cast. I need your help, though.”
“What can I do?”
“If I am to travel to empty lands, you must go with me. Unless Darcy agrees to let me burn his moors again, and he did not seem to like it the first time.”
Of course. A dragon needed to be at its Nest or with its companion. The question had just not arisen before. “Of course I will go with you. Where?”
The dragon hesitated. “There are empty moors north of here. Not near the Nest; they would not approve.”
Now that was a surprise. “They disagree? And you are doing it anyway?”
Quickthorn pawed the floor. “They are old sticks-in-the-mud. Nothing must ever change, according to them. We must huddle for safety inside our Nests and never, ever take any risks. It is ridiculous! Dragons are not built to hide ourselves away forever.”
Interesting. Frederica had always assumed all the dragons agreed on what they were doing, but of course no group of individuals could do that. Quickly restructuring her thinking, she said, “And you do not like that.”
“No! Have you never wondered why only Rowan and I remained here of all our agemates? The others left as soon as they could, for Nests where they could have more freedom. And now Rowan will be going, too.” A forlorn note entered her aura.
“Other Nests are different?”
“The ones in more isolated areas, yes, like your Scottish Highlands where they can put bindings on the nearby crofters. Roderick has told me about the Nest in Gwynedd, where the dragons can go out among the townspeople. But here there are too many humans, too many travelers on the roads, too many nearby cities. That made us the center of dragon affairs before the Great Concealment. Now we are a dragon backwater, cowering in our caves like beasts, afraid even to take wing in our own form except on the darkest moonless nights.” Her body tightened, as if she had tasted something bitter.
“It is not right!” Frederica agreed, though she was not certain what other choice there might be.
And then the corollary struck her. Quickthorn's Nest was conveniently located for Frederica, not only near Pemberley where she was a welcome visitor, but also close enough to Matlock that she could still see her dragon frequently.
Only a few days from London, should she need to go there.
But was her convenience chaining Quickthorn to a Nest that effectively imprisoned her?
Carefully she asked, “Would you rather be part of another Nest?”
Quickthorn swung her tail hard enough to make a small table by the wall crash to the floor.
“I want this Nest to change. Every generation, the boldest and cleverest seek out more freedom elsewhere, leaving only the most cautious and timid behind. The ones who remain are shaken by Cerridwen, a Seer in their own Nest, and by being the hosts for the first dragon from across the world and all the knowledge she brings.”
“I had no idea. Have you always thought this way?”
The dragon tilted her head to one side, considering.
“To a degree, yes. Meeting Cerridwen opened my eyes, and then bonding with you. Now I can see how much I have missed all my life. Like travelling with you when we accompanied Companion Elizabeth until she reached France. I saw the sea - or at least the Channel. I smelled the salt air and sensed the fish in the water. Something I had never thought possible! And that was only because you had broken the rules by coming to the Nest and asking to become a Companion. Otherwise I would still be trapped.”
Frederica threw her arms around as much of Quickthorn's torso as she could reach, which was not very much.
“It was the best thing I have ever done. You have changed my life, too.” In so many ways, in showing her someone could see inside her head and still find her lovable, still want her company.
That she would never be alone again, even if Roderick was gone forever.
Satisfaction filled Quickthorn's aura, but something was still troubling the dragon. “With the mad Dragon Emperor coming, does it not make sense that I should learn to hone my dragonfire - even if it means breaking the rules?”
Caught up in her enthusiasm, Frederica exclaimed, “Indeed it does! And I will be proud to assist you.” Even though the thought of dragonfire raking through the sky was unnerving. But so was facing the High King of Faerie and a mad dragon. “We will do it!”