His heart swelled with pride. Whenever she spoke of such things, he could almost believe it. “Thank you, akra.”
She smiled and this time it reached her frozen eyes. “Trust in your destiny, Urian. For it will find you. Even if you hide from it.”
September 3, 9512 BC
Xyn drew up short as she found Urian in their usual meeting spot on a blanket he’d spread out near the dark falls that fed part of Apollymi’s mirror. While that part wasn’t unusual, the fact that he’d brought food with him was, especially since he could neither eat nor drink it. This was something he used to do for his mother while she lived here.
Not for her.
What is this?
Smiling, he pushed himself to his feet. “Happy birthday!”
She scowled at his words, confused by them.Pardon?
His smile widened to where she could see his fangs. “Well, since you don’t know when you were born and you always take care to remember the date of my birth, I decided that I’d give you one of your own. So I designate today as yours. Happy birthday, Xyn.”
Tears blurred her vision at his kindness. Worse? Tenderness choked her. She didn’t know what to say. No one had ever been so thoughtful before. She almost changed out of her dragon form and back into her human skin, but caught herself.
There was no telling how he might react. While he knew she had a lot of powers, he didn’t know the full extent of them. And she’d never bothered to tell him that she could make herself appear human. In fact, there was much she’d kept from him out of fear of what he’d think and how he’d react if he knew the truth—such as who her parents really were.
He would hate me forever.
That she couldn’t bear. Urian was all she had in this world where she was cut off from everything and everyone. He was her only friend. Apollymi had seen to it that even with her extensive powers, she couldn’t Bane-Cry to her brothers to help her. She had no escape.
No hope.
Urian was her sole comfort. Her light in this abysmal darkness. The irony of that, given his name, wasn’t lost on her. And it was only part of why he meant as much to her as he did.
“Are you crying?”
She blinked the moisture away, not wanting him to see her weakness.Of course not. The stench of you is what makes my eyes water.
Urian laughed. He never took offense at her teasing because he knew she didn’t mean it. She could never really insult him. “I don’t believe you.”
You should. When was the last time you bathed, anyway?
Tsking, he shook his head at her as he feigned insult. “Fine then, I shall eat this alone.”
You don’t eat.
“Oh yeah. I forgot.”
Flopping down by his side while taking care not to harm him with her dragon’s body, she nosed at the food, which actually was very tasty.Thank you, Uri.
Urian smiled at his irritable dragon. He didn’t know why he found her cantankerous nature so amusing when such demeanor from his brothers drove him to outright violence.
Yet he adored her.
Everything about her, even her insults.
And he loved doing things for her whenever he could. Large or small, it made no never-mind to him.
Happy that he’d pleased her, he climbed onto her back and lay against her spine, between her wings so that he could scratch between them where she couldn’t reach.
She let out a contented sigh and spread her black wings wide on the dark grass. Her sides began to vibrate in a soothing way that was a dragon’s equivalent to a purr. The first time he’d discovered it, she’d almost rolled over and killed him.
Now, they’d found a happy compromise that allowed him to scratch her back and her to lie peacefully without causing him injury.
