Mercury looked at him, those violet eyes gigantic. “I want to go home.”
He was trying to parse that when, suddenly, Mercury rushed him.
The burst of speed so quick that he barely saw it before the dragon had crashed into him, was wrapping around him, wings and tail, squeezing him, those eyes huge again.
“I said, I want to go home.”
Then everything went black.
Chapter
Two
“Oof.”
Mercury landed hard, the huge dragon on top of him. Talon, which was a fabulous name, slumped down on him, passed out cold. He supposed that someone’s first time sliding might take a toll on them. It was hard, slipping from one space to another.
Talon should try doing it when he had to pull the space out of someone else’s mind.
He looked around after he wiggled out from under the big, beautiful oaf who had rescued him, and he admired the shiny platinum scales laced with scars and the big, boofy head. Then he saw the mountains, and his jaw dropped, awe filling him.
Then he saw about twenty zillion angry dragons swarming at him, and he thought, right, time to leave, time to go.
He zipped up into the air, made it about six feet, and then collapsed, the magic leaving him in a rush. Fuck.
At least he was off the patio thing and now clinging to a balcony. If he just let go and put his wings out, maybe he’d catch a little swell and be able to get farther. Soar away or even just glide a bit.
A roar sounded, and it made him shiver with awareness. Not fear. Then Talon was in the air, hovering above him. Protecting him.
You are safe, hailee. Come down. There will be a hot bath and food.
He stared at Talon.They’re not going to eat me?
No one is going to eat you.Talon sounded very sure.That was very clever what you did, being able to find home so easily. Now come. We’ll find you some food and some warm clothes.
Talon seemed very much like a dragon someone could trust, and he was so empty inside. He let go of the balcony, Talon catching him easily.I tried to fly away, but I’m out of magic now.
I imagine it’s very difficult to do whatever you did.
Sliding.
What?
It’s called sliding. I wanted to go home, and when I said home, you thought of here, and we slid together.Because he couldn’t do it on his own. He needed someone to show him where to go.
He was just a mirror after all.
He wasn’t real.
Well, I was very impressed.Suddenly they were on the ground, and Talon was human-sized again, carrying him as if he weighed nothing, even in his dragon form. He thought Talon had to be very important for no one to even question what he was doing.
Where are we going?
We’re going to find some soup. I think soup would be very tasty right now. How do you feel about potato soup with bacon, chives, and a little bit of cheese?
He thought he was going to die, just the sound of that was magical, wondrous, absolutely, unequivocally a yes in his book.
That sounds amazing.
