“Glad I can provide some comedic relief then.” I cleared another block before I began to regret leaving my room. “This is starting to feel a lot like the running club invite I turned down.”
“Patience.” She pointed to a sign for Lendman Park. “We need open space to practice.”
“That makes sense.” I picked up the pace. “There’s lake access too.”
Lake Harris barely deserved the title, but it was the largest body of water in three counties.
Large enough to quench a fire should a dragon botch their first attempt at summoning.
“That’s the other reason I chose it, but I haven’t had time to explore the area myself.”
“There’s a pavilion for picnicking and a paved path great for bikes. I bet Goldie would love it.”
“You should mention it to Rían. Perhaps you two could bring her here, since you’re the local expert.”
Her suggestion smacked of setting me up with her grandson for a date, but I didn’t mind. Goldie was a mature kid but acting her age for an hour or two would be good for her. And spending time with Rían… I didn’t hate the idea of us maybe eating a lunch I packed with cookies I baked for us.
Though I would have to pat down Goldie and make sure she ate hers and didn’t save them to sell to her friends later.
Anxious I might have an audience for my first bumbling attempt, I scanned the area. As far as I could tell, we were sharing the area with a single fisherman, but I wasn’t too worried about an audience. He was stretched out, unconscious on a yellow poncho. The empty bottle of vodka clued me into the reason.
“We’ll have to report him.” I puffed out my cheeks. “I don’t want him to roll into the water and drown.”
Thanks to copious PSAs on water safety, residents tended to behave themselves near the lake except around the holidays, when booze and fireworks got involved. Sadly, Old Man Jenkins was an exception.
“We’ll keep an eye on him until we finish. We can stop by the police department on our way home.”
“Sounds good to me.” I slowed to a walk alongside Fayne. “So, how does this work?”
“First, if you don’t mind, I would like to see the scale that sent everyone into a tizzy yesterday.”
“Oh.” I lifted my tee, exposing my plain cotton bra, and resisted the urge to ogle myself. “Ta-da.”
“It’s pearlescent.” She hummed. “Scalloped.” She leaned in. “Almost translucent.”
Hope swirled through me that she might have answers. “Does this mean I’m a wish dragon like Mom?”
“There’s not enough pigment to tell for certain.” She smoothed a fingertip over the domed surface. “I’ve never known anyone who presented scales while in human form. This would be a first.” She straightened and motioned for me to lower my shirt. “You’re well past the usual fledging timeline. Perhaps that’s the difference? I’m not sure.”
“This is proof, though.” I chewed the inside of my cheek, wishing I could bite down on my desperation for reassurance after a lifetime wasted on fruitless hope. “I’m a dragon.”
“Darling girl, we already knew that much.” She cupped my jaw. “Through his ignorance and lies, Sartori destroyed your confidence, but we’ll build it up again.” She tapped the center of my chest. “One scale at a time.”
A dull splash drew my attention toward the water, fear for Old Man Jenkins at the forefront of my mind, but he hadn’t budged. Aside from a few ripples, I didn’t see any signs of movement. Must have been a fish. A big one. “I’m not sure I ever had any confidence, but I’m willing to be optimistic.”
“That’s the spirit.” She gripped my hands, linking our fingers. “We’ll begin with a simple exercise you can practice with Rían between our lessons. An energy exchange. How does that sound?”
“You would know best.”
“This is how it works.” She pushed our joined hands toward me. “I send my magic into you.” She pulled our hands to her. “Then you send it back into me.”
“Okay.” I rolled my shoulders, attempting to sound confident. “Sounds easy enough.”
“Your magic will rise to meet mine, and as you grow familiar with the sensation, you’ll learn how to isolate your own unique energy signature. Then we’ll try circulating the two between us.”
Ready for my first lesson, I homed in on the sensation of her touch. “What is its purpose?”
“To call upon your other form, you must be able to touch your magic. This is a first step toward making a connection with that part of yourself. The same is true of summoning fire. To pull from your core to fuel your powers, you must identify that innermost well so you can determine when it’s about to run dry.”
