Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Dragon awoke.
Awakened by a near-death experience, the dragon spirit in Stryker stirred.
He stretched, listened, and learned. He had been dormant for what seemed centuries.
Now, he was awake and knew he was alive.
He knew because of the incessant voices buzzing around him.
If he was dead, there would be a dark void of nothingness.
The curse of being a dragon that did not die in battle was to experience an eternity of loneliness.
He was also aware of his surroundings. He knew he was in the bedroom of a rooftop apartment. He knew he had a strong connection to the Wizard called Stryker. The two were one. Had always been one, since that day when the boy Stryker had saved a dragon’s egg from a predator.
But now it was time for the dragon to take control. He smelled salty air, heard the sound of traffic and the squawk of seagulls as they searched for food. He was starving. Soon, he cautioned. Soon.
He heard voices in the next room. Through the strong connection with his human side, he knew their names were Rowan and Morgan, but little else.
They had been carrying on a nonstop conversation.
His survival instincts told him they were Wizards and thus his kind’s sworn enemy.
A Wizard’s young were not so bad, curious mostly, but fully grown they killed dragons on sight.
He needed peace and seclusion while he adjusted and recaptured more of his memory of both his human side and his dragon side pasts.
There was a way to silence Rowan and Morgan, of course, but even as he knew they were Wizards, there existed something inside him cautioning that they meant him no harm.
Their concern for him, however, would shift the moment he recovered.
Most likely they would view him as an oddity to study and dissect.
Like so many who did not fit into a preordained set of rules, his kind had been hunted to near-extinction, their ability to adapt and shapeshift their only salvation.
Taking human form was just one more of their many skills.
This world, this reality, killed what was different or what they did not understand.
He risked opening his eyes, the better to identify his captors and his prison.
The bedroom was small, but functional and near a source of food.
There was a door to his left and an open window directly in front of him.
A large dog sat on his haunches, staring in his direction.
Dogs were aware of dragons in whatever form they took and considered them allies.
The animal posed no threat. He might even prove useful.
Their gazes met, and in that instant, he knew the dog’s name was Wiz.
The animal leapt on the bed and settled beside the dragon Stryker’s feet.
“Stryker’s awake,” Morgan said, rushing into his room.
Rowan entered with Morgan and rested his hand protectively on the woman’s shoulder. The tattoo of flames curling around a tree was visible on the back of his hand and marked him as a Fire Wizard.
There was something familiar about the brand.
He shoved it into the dark recesses of his memories to consider later as Morgan sat down next to him on the bed and touched his arm.
He tensed, but caution warned against the impulse to strike.
No one was allowed to touch him without his permission.
His weakened condition advised patience.
There would be another time, a time of his choosing, to take his revenge for his kind’s centuries of persecution.
She leaned closer. “How are you feeling?”
Rowan reached out and drew her back. The dark glasses he wore could not hide the man’s growing wariness. Had Rowan sensed that a dragon had risen?
The Fire Wizard’s voice was tight and low. “Morgan, let him rest.”
“But Rowan…”
The Fire Wizard silenced her with a gesture of his hand and guided her to the far corner of the room. Their voices dropped to whispers. They needn’t have bothered. Stryker’s heightened sense of hearing heard every beat of their hearts, the tension in their voices, and the words they spoke.
Morgan was the first to speak. “Rowan, what is wrong with you? Stryker is awake. We should be with him. He must be very confused.”
“Something’s not right.”
“You are impossible. Do you realize how close Stryker came to dying in the last twenty-four hours? There were moments when I almost believed he had, and now you’re telling me you think something is wrong with him.
Of course something is wrong. He almost died and is in a weakened state while his body heals. ”
“Morgan, there’s something different about him I can’t quite place.”
The woman’s voice sounded unsure, as though trying to convince both the Wizard as well as herself. “Of course he is different. He has been at death’s door since you brought him to me. He survived the Oculist poisoning, when those at the restaurant died a horrible death. Give him time.”
The Fire Wizard clenched and unclenched his fists, reflecting the uncertainty in his voice. “I hope you’re right, but didn’t you notice his eyes?”
“Now you’re being paranoid. Again, there could be any number of reasons for the change in color.
We don’t know that much about the side effects of the Oculist poisoning.
His true color might return as he grows stronger.
Stryker needs our help, and you’re concerned about the color of his eyes? You’re impossible.”
“Then you saw it too. I’ve only seen that shade once before.” His voice trailed off, the silence suspended in the air, ticking off the seconds. The Fire Wizard’s voice dropped even lower. “His eyes are a fluorescent green, like the scales of a…”
Morgan interrupted with an exasperated sigh and glanced toward the bed.
“As usual, you are jumping to conclusions. Sometimes I believe you are the one obsessed with dragons, not Stryker. Besides, you can see for yourself that Wiz likes him, otherwise he would be barking nonstop rather than snoring peacefully. We’re finished talking. ”
Morgan started to leave, but the Fire Wizard stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “I don’t want you going near my brother until I can get help.”
“What are you talking about? Help for what?”
“I want him restrained. Watched.”
Stryker pulled his concentration away from their conversation as they left his bedroom and continued arguing in the living room.
He had heard enough. He was not safe here.
The Fire Wizard called him his brother. How was that possible?
Unlike dragons, Wizards of Rowan’s stature did not mate for life, nor stay to help raise their children.
They did not have families and would be unaware if they had a sibling.
Was the Fire Wizard lying? But for what purpose?
Morgan made references to the Oculist stones, believing he had been infected by them.
Dragons were immune to the Wizard poison. Was that the reason his dormant state had awakened? Regardless, he’d heard enough.
It was time to leave.
One of the most important weapons in a dragon’s arsenal was harnessing the gift of invisibility.
It was the first thing young dragonets learned how to master.
As long as his kind drew breath, they could summon this unique power.
On the moment of their death, however, they turned to ash.
Yet another protective measure developed over the millennia.
Enchanted words were all that was needed to trigger the power to become invisible. Their belief was that one day they would regain their place of honor and respect, before ignorance and misunderstanding had reduced them to fugitives in their own land.
Wiz lifted his head as the dragon Stryker moved from the bed, then paused to scratch Wiz behind the ear. “Thanks for keeping my secret, Wiz. I owe you.”
Making sure Rowan and Morgan were still engaged in their heated discussion, he headed to the kitchen area and hoped he had enough strength to bring forth the gift of dragon invisibility. He whispered the sacred words: “Forever together. Forever at peace.”
Light dimmed, casting the room in shadows that elongated over the walls, curled around corners and spread over the floor like a velvet shroud.
Just when he felt his body change, he saw a strange woman enter the kitchen.
Her black hair shone like polished ebony and her aura molded around her in shades of blue, green and white as she worked.
The dark-haired beauty glanced over in his direction and started to speak, but whatever she was about to say dissolved into screams.
He knew by her panicked expression that she’d witnessed him disappear into thin air. Relieved his strength was returning, he moved toward the open window. Humans rattled so easily. It was one of their charms.
As expected, the Fire Wizard rushed in and scanned the room while Morgan comforted the woman. The Fire Wizard was wasting his time. Stryker had already slipped out the window. The most that was left behind was a thin haze of shadows. Suspended in the air, Stryker’s next greatest gift took hold.
The ability to fly.