9. Fixing It
FIXING IT
The evening sky stretched far below, pink and clear except for the giant cotton clouds that looked as if they’d hold her weight.
Thea found the archdruid in the small building that acted as Vaelen's headquarters, where she often stayed, though it was not a homey kind of environment. Maps lined the walls, adorned with red strings and markers that Thea had not learned the meaning of yet.
“You come alone, which means your plan didn’t work,” Vaelen greeted her.
Thea sighed. “No. It didn’t.”
“Go see Starspark. You have the scent of her on you. It might be enough to convince him to eat.”
“He’s still not doing well?” Thea asked, worry sinking her stomach.
“Worse,” Vaelen reported. “He's snapping at anyone that comes near. Still won't take food.”
Stubborn. Just like his Tethered, Thea thought.
Vaelen sighed, shaking her head. “I can compel him to eat, but that's only a salve for a deeper issue.”
“How do we make him trust us?” Thea asked.
Vaelen shrugged. “He won’t. Not unless his Tethered is here.
This just confirms what we already knew,” Vaelen said, and closed the book she was holding, tapping the fingers of her burn-scarred hand against it.
“Dragons need their Tethered,” Vaelen said, finally glancing up to meet Thea's gaze. “Tell me about your visit.”
“I caught her by the orchard. It was an… alright conversation." Her hand itched with the feel of Aaryn's lips on her palm. "Up until she tried to convince me to return, claiming she’d talk to the prince about a lesser punishment or some bullshit.” Thea’s lip curled.
Aaryn was frustrating. Infuriating! How stupid could she be, following the crown so blindly, refusing to question anything? Accepting their word at face value?
“Wipe that sneer off your face,” Vaelen said, and Thea caught herself. “Do not forget your empathy. You’ve said it yourself: the crown provides Aaryn with a life she once only could’ve imagined. She feels indebted.”
“They branded her,” Thea argued. If she tried, she could still feel the weight of Aaryn's hand in her own, feel the jaggedness of the scar beneath her fingertip.
“The Tethered don’t see it that way, and you know it. To them, it is an honor.”
Thea refrained from rolling her eyes simply because she knew Vaelen would have something to say about it.
“Aaryn did say something interesting,” Thea remembered, and pursed her lips. “She knows Starspark isn't eating.”
Vaelen’s brow furrowed. “Was this just a passing remark?”
Thea wavered. “I don’t know. The way she said it seemed… pointed.”
“Hmm. It might be worth asking around about. Shall I go with you to visit Starspark? We can bother some of the Awakened,” Vaelen suggested.
Thea perked up, nodding. Anything to distract her from that look on Aaryn's face. Where is my fucking dragon, Thea?
“Walk with me,” Vaelen said, and rounded the table.
Thea gladly followed her out the door. Vaelen locked up with a key hanging around her neck before she tucked it beneath her tunic.
As they walked, just about every person greeted Vaelen with smiles, but the archdruid didn't slow to chat.
They used the teleportation rune and arrived at the Dragons’ Nest, the largest of all the isles because of its inhabitants.
Thea grinned—as she often found herself doing on this isle—as they arrived.
A green dragon was lounging on a rock, sun bathing in slumber. A blue one was wrestling with a red one with such fervor that they created a purple blur in the tall grasses. Two druids stood off to the side, hands on their hips as they watched on.
“Oh, scales, be nice!” one scolded.
The dragons did not care, and chuffed as if they were laughing as they continued.
Throwing their hands up, the druids took a seat on the rocks nearby, content to wait out the dragons’ playful energy.
Further in, a gold dragon was snorting happily as he was brushed, even rolling over to show his belly.
In the waters, a black dragon cooled off as the sun shone down on him, his head resting on the grassy earth as his body was submerged. Alongside him was his Awakened, a man Thea had worked with plenty of times in the past.
Thea’s heart beat with affection for each one of them. Small cottages dotted the land as well, where the Awakened lived.
“Archdruid Vaelen,” a woman greeted as they approached. “How are you?”
“Just fine, Marina. How is everyone today?”
She waved a hand out at the dragons. “Everyone’s in good spirits. Enjoying the nice weather. All except one, as I’m sure you’re well aware.”
“Can we see him?”
“Of course; come this way. No improvement, though.”
The smile slipped off Thea’s face and she guided her gaze down toward the path they were walking as guilt rippled through her. Thea had failed him again, despite her efforts to convince Aaryn to come with her.
Scales! If only I’d thought the plan through better. If only Thea had done a better job of earning his trust before trying to take him away. It was supposed to be a silent exit, not filled with explosions and a hasty retreat.
I'll fix it, she vowed, and not for the first time.
Starspark came into view, his black scales reflecting the sunlight in a shimmer of colors she knew so well. Sage and deep rose and rich purple.
He was not wrestling, napping, or soaking in the water. He simply… laid there, beneath a thicket of trees, in the shade. It was the spot he’d chosen upon arrival and apparently had not left.
As they approached, though, he picked his head up, and his long neck curved, big eyes landing on… Thea.
His nostrils flared and the huff he let out was both mournful and annoyed at the same time. He nudged her with his snout, breath ruffling Thea’s cloak.
“Hey, buddy,” she said softly, and carefully reached out to him. Before she could pet him, he pulled his head away before returning it to sniff her. Her touch was not welcome, but her scent was.
“He misses his Tethered,” Vaelen said, and Thea’s throat went tight, tears welling.
She hated the pain this creature was in due to her own actions.
“His Tethered seems to know that he won't let us care for him, offering accurate details,” Vaelen reported. “Do you think her claim has merit?”
Marina shrugged. "It's certainly possible. I think many of us who have awakened have a deep connection with our dragons. In some cases, that bond can extend past the physical. It's magic, after all."
Thea swallowed her own emotions and glanced at Vaelen for answers, but the archdruid had that look in her eye, the one that meant she was just as curious as Thea.
"How do you think this one is manifesting? Senses? Visions?"
"I think it depends on the connection. With Moonbeam, I am aware of him always, like a second beating heart alongside my own." She glanced down sadly at Starspark. "But I've never been apart from him. Who’s to say what form our connection would take if we were separated."
Vaelen's brow furrowed. "Well. In the meantime, please be careful what information we divulge around Starspark. We know he means well, but at the moment his Tethered is conflicted. It would be in our best interest not to reveal something vital for her to overhear."
Marina nodded, almost reaching out to Starspark, but thinking better of it when he grumbled.
"Right. We'll continue to monitor him, try to entice him with blooms or something. It's been four days. We might need to take more… aggressive measures soon."
Thea stared at Starspark, his big, sad eyes. Please let us take care of you, she begged silently.