Chapter 5 #2
Baldewin shot him that measuring look again, as if weighing how much to tell him. “We don’t have time for a full explanation before reaching your hotel, but will a simple one suffice for now?”
“I think simple is all my brain can handle right now.”
“Very well. Dragons cannot have children with each other. It is only through mages that we are able to bear children.”
Cameron stared at him, a man waiting for a punch line. When none came, he blurted, “Wait, can male mages get pregnant?!” Cameron suddenly had a vision of himself nine months along and carrying twins and ye gods, no.
“What?” Baldewin responded in equal alarm and surprise.
“No! No, I didn’t mean that. We have alternative, magical means for same sex couples to have children.
It’s just that the majority of mages are female, you see.
It’s predominantly through them that we have children.
The other reason mages are so important is that dragons have no ability to work magic.
So we only have the magics we do because of our mage clan members.
Much of our protections and such come from our mages.
Our numbers have dwindled badly over the years.
We’re tough, but not immune to disease or injury.
People sometimes get into accidents or contract a disease even magic can’t cure.
And no mage mates means no children to replenish our population, and it is—” Baldewin sighed and for a moment looked a century older than the late thirties he appeared.
“It breaks my heart, to tell you the truth. Our mages have always been a joy to us. Not only because they help us have children, but because of the magic and wonder they bring with them. Most of us have been without mates for over five hundred years. So few mages survived the war. We protect any we find automatically.”
“But I’m the first you’ve found in five hundred years, or so you said.”
“Correct. It gives me hope to see you. It means magic is trying to revive in the world again. We’ve perhaps latched onto you too strongly, and alarmed you in the process, but you understand now why we did? You—and probably your family as well—are a beacon of hope that we’d given up as lost.”
That did put it into perspective as nothing else had.
He tried to put himself in their shoes. What would it be like to go years upon decades upon centuries, needing something desperately only to not find it?
Where no matter how hard you looked, it was nowhere to be found?
Would it be like googling something and getting a million hits in return?
Congratulations, what you’re looking for is somewhere on Planet Earth.
Good luck. Just the mental image of it left a bad taste in his mouth.
Did that mean he was more comfortable with everything dumped on him today? No way in hell. But he did feel like he at least understood where they were coming from.
Cameron felt like he’d exchanged one set of questions for another, but the hotel was already in sight and he didn’t have much time before Baldewin dropped him off.
He didn’t even know where to begin on his second list of questions.
But he did know that if he didn’t tell his grandmother about this shortly, she’d fly to Germany even with her bad knee just to whack him. So there was that to look forward to.
“I think I need time to process all of this before I’m ready to talk again.”
Baldewin gave him a hopeful smile, the curve of his mouth tentative, brows raised a little. “But you do want to talk again?”
“I have no choice on that, trust me. My sister’s already hyperventilating, she’s so excited, and my grandmother will be in the same boat as soon as I tell her.
” Cameron wasn’t sure about his parents.
They also viewed Halmeoni as crazy. Fifty-fifty odds they’d take it well.
But that was a different problem for a different day. Not today, that was for sure.
“But do you want to talk about it again?” Baldewin asked in a strangely penetrating way.
Did he? Cameron’s brain swam with facts and questions, so it was a little hard to tell right now. “I guess I do. I want to understand it all better.”
“Then please talk with us again.” Baldewin slowed at the curb, coming to a stop in the passenger loading zone.
Cameron opened the door, got one foot out, and then stalled there.
He did feel bad about snapping at Alric earlier.
He felt like he owed the man an apology and maybe a second chance for them to get on a better footing.
Cameron had dreamed about magic being real all throughout his childhood.
It seemed a shame to reject it as an adult just because it didn’t sit well immediately.
Making a quick decision, he turned to look at Baldewin. “Tell Alric to come pick me up at nine a.m. And don’t be late.”
A smile bloomed over Baldewin’s face. “I’ll do that. Here, exchange numbers with me. Just in case.”
With a nod, he paused long enough to give his number to Baldewin and to program both Baldewin’s and Alric’s in return.
Cameron got out, closing the door behind him, and immediately questioned himself.
Did he seriously just tell a dragon king to not be late?
Muttering to himself, he headed for the front lobby doors of the hotel.
“I’ve either got bigger balls than I gave myself credit for or I’m crazy.
The man can roast me if I piss him off. Suck in a breath and bam, charcoal. ”
His phone rang, and he lifted it to see the caller. Halmeoni. Of course, it was. It figured she was still awake. He answered it with resignation. “What, did Cassie call you before going back to sleep?”
“ Yes, because she’s a good grandchild ,” Halmeoni answered in her cute, accented English. She sounded pissed enough to broil him over a spit right now, though. Her accent always got thicker when she was mad. “ What’s this I hear about you meeting dragons ?”
“Yeah…that just happened. I, uh, didn’t know they still were around?” Cameron picked his words carefully, as he was still passing people in the halls, and he didn’t want to speak carelessly. He sped up a little, trying to get to his room so he could talk freely.
Halmeoni sounded beyond excited. If she wasn’t bouncing in her favorite chair, he’d be surprised. “ Which clan ?”
“Hang on just one sec, I’m in the hallway and getting into my room.” He juggled phone and wallet, pulled out the electronic pass key, and let himself into the room. With the door closed behind him, he let out a breath of relief. “Fire Clan.”
Halmeoni made a sound only dogs could hear. “ Fire Clan ! You’re sure ?”
“Veeery sure, trust me on that. One of them went dragon form to prove it to me. Good god, Halmeoni, but they’re huge in dragon form!”
She cackled like a mad witch. “ I’m so glad you finally believe me. ”
Cameron really had no good defense there. So he chose not to comment. “Thing is, Halmeoni, they haven’t seen another mage in five hundred years.”
“ WHAT !”
“Seriously. They’ve been looking this whole time, and right now their clan is in bad shape because no new mages. So they’re latching onto me pretty hard right now because apparently I smell strongly of magic?”
Her excitement somehow impossibly tripled. “ So, you are a mage !”
“No,” he protested, exasperated as he dropped down to sit on the edge of the queen-sized bed. “I—”
“ I always suspected you were. You and your sister. So analytical in how you think, and the way you see the world and can put the pieces together. A mage’s mind. ”
“Will you please focus? The point is, the Noh Clan was known for magic, and once they put it together that I’m a descendent of that clan, and that I have family, they’re now very interested in meeting the rest of you.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. When Halmeoni spoke again, it was with all the wonder and joy of a small child. “ They want to meet me too ?”
Cameron smiled, a little helplessly, because it was cute how excited she was by all of this. And really, he felt like he was helping to make a dream come true for her. “They are literally on the edge of their seats, dying to meet you. They have so many questions for you.”
“ Tell them I’ll look at flights. Damn, I need to get my hair redone first. The purple’s fading. ”
Cameron felt like he needed to give the dragons here a head’s up.
Brace yourself. Halmeoni is coming.