But itdoesheal, eventually, thank heavens.
And I have plenty to distract me from the pain.It’s a chaotic few days, finding enough brights and semi-brights for each dragon.But these brights come with the added advantage of already having places to live, at least most of them.
As an added bonus, they don’t have to leave their homes behind.
For the first time, in Australia, we’re not conquering.
We’re integrating.
It’s a land that’s rich in metals like gold and silver, which the earth dragons love.They make visors for all the new recruits—including me—and it’s almost disturbing to see my siblings walking around wearing them.
There are also an abundance of precious gems hiding in the ground in the Northern Territory, and discovering the dragons could easily uncover them, well, that created challenges of its own.Integration is better, but also harder in many ways.
Finding places for the blessed to live has been a bit of a struggle, but with the powered-up earth dragons, even that works out simpler than I expected.Axel—using his earth powers—has already made us an amazing home overlooking the tempestuous Timor Sea.The very first day in our new home, I saw a hugecrocodileswimming in the saltwater.It made me happy to know Azar’s always nearby and that Sammy’s closely watched as well.
Most of the main structure’s made of rock, reshaped and formed from the bedrock up, to exactly the size and form I wanted.There’s a good mix of massive rooms to accommodate several dragon forms, with soaring ceilings and massive doorways through which dragons can fly, slide, or climb, and smaller chambers where I don’t feel like I’m speaking into an airplane hangar.
The front of the house opens over the ocean, but the internal rooms, blocked by fixed red shields that allow me, Sammy, Coral, and Jade to pass, are smaller and more intimate.There are four main rooms in the center, each of them large enough for one dragon, and one human.Coral, Sammy, Jade, and I all live here, with our dragons.That’s not something I ever thought I’d say.
My mother would have a heart attack.
Once my arm’s healed, I spenddaysacting as the intermediary between the blessed and the Australian government, hashing and rehashing the rights we’re allowed and the concessions we’ll offer.Now that they know how adept the earth dragons are at locating and refining precious metals and stones, they have a new set of demands.And of course, they’re keen to employ the water dragons to police the nearby Indian and Timor Seas.It’s a little tiresome, but mostly we’re happy to help after their generosity.
I’m not sure why we even want to stay,Hyperion says when I come back with the latest round of requests.We have the heartstone.We can go home.
“Are you sure?”I ask.“We can’t go home until we confirm that recovering the stone was enough to restore your ability to procreate.”I lift my eyebrows.“Have we had any confirmation of new eggs being laid?”
It takes time,Azar says.From mating, it can be as little as five or six days or as many as a dozen before a female lays an egg.
I think I have quite a lot to learn about dragon biology.“Well, once we’ve confirmed it’s working, we can talk about a timeline for you to leave.”
Forusto leave?Azar frowns.Our bonded will come with us, surely.
“What about you staying here?”I ask.“Why can’t we talk about that?”
We’re working things out with Australia under the belief there are ten thousand of us,Hyperion says.I wonder how they’d feel about eighty thousand more showing up?
Oh, and don’t forget that we’ll actively be making eggs for baby dragons,Azar says.
Are you really sayingdragons?Hyperion rolls his eyes.It’s degrading.
“It’s not,” I say.“It’s just our word for your kind.”
We should probably encourage our people to mate, Azar says.You could set the example for them.He raises his eyebrows.
Hyperion turns his head slowly, his lip curled.Excuse me?
You were happy enough to shove me into mating with Asteria before.
I’m a delight,Asteria says.You’d have been lucky to mate with me.
I can’t help smiling a little, now that Azar seems uninterested in that possibility.He may not remember anything before his factory reset, and he may be stuck in dragon forms still, but I’m making progress.
What are you smiling at?Hyperion snaps.Why would you even want us to stay?
He’s right that I haven’t exactly experienced the warmest welcome from my own family for my new...calling?Is that the right word for being Azar’s bonded, winged human?
“But we have the Prime Minister on our side now,” I say.“He can’t leave Australia, not while he’s still in office.”
