Being a true shifter isn’t the blessing it may seem. But through pain and darkness Perdita seeks to find her own life despite the ambition of others…
Chapter Ten – The Dragon Queen
Purslane beckoned from the doorway of a log cabin and Mandrake strode over. I waddled along in his wake and about halfway across the clearing he must have noticed I wasn’t with him. He turned around and came back to me.
“Want a lift?”
I nodded and he picked me up under his arm. Once we were inside the cabin, he helped me to crawl out of the heavy embrace of my orc fur coat. Stripping off his own coat he raised an eyebrow at Purslane.
“We decided to move when it occurred to me that we could have been construed to be interfering between houses Lyon and FitzRoy.”
“Ahh. Yes. It doesn’t pay to underestimate your intelligence, my friend.”
Purslane blushed with pleasure.
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
I nodded and so did Mandrake.
“Food will be a few minutes.”
“Thank you. My mate and I need a small talk anyway.”
She moved away tactfully and he turned his attention to me.
“Tell me why you were so upset by Moth staying with her sister, beloved.”
“Because I don’t trust Titania. And because I have a worm in my gut.”
He opened his arms and I burrowed into his embrace.
“Do you want to go back to her?”
“No. I’d only get in the way. The fae hate me because in their minds I have corrupted a child.”
“A child? But surely Moth is older than you.”
“Yes. She is. But according to fae law she is not an adult until she chooses her name and gender.”
“Gender? Isn’t she a girl fae?”
“Well no. Not really. Mothwing is actually non-binary. She chose female pronouns for herself, but she has never formally assigned herself a gender.”
“Formally assigned?”
“Yes. When a fae makes the Choice it stands in front of the silver mirror in Castel Seelie and says ‘my name is X and I am a male/female fae’ and then they are fixed and adult.”
I watched him absorbing that and then he smiled a gentle smile. “Does that mean we are sleeping with a perpetual adolescent?”
“Something like that.”
I felt a sob catching in my throat. “I just want her to be okay, but I understand that it isn’t up to me.”
Mandrake cupped my face in his hands. “She’ll be fine. There’s a lot of steel in that small body.”
I stiffened my spine. “There is and she will be so pissed off if I fall to pieces. Except…”
“Are you worried that you are left without an anchor should you need to Shift?”
“Yes.”
“You need not worry. Moth showed me what to do. And I am physically strong enough to drag you back from wherever.”
That was a relief. It didn’t do much for the aching Moth-shaped hole in my chest, but at least I no longer had to fear spending the rest of my days as a dragon/wolf/bear/whatever.
Mandrake’s perceptiveness surprised me as I heard his voice in my head. ‘I miss her too, and it hurts. But we need to do our bit to support her from here.’
I leaned thankfully on his strength and knew myself blessed to have such a one as he in my life. Once I stopped reacting I could think.
“Tell me about the black dragon.”
“His name is Ba’al and he is wolfshead to every dragon that ever left its egg.”
“It must be bad.”
“It is. He was the Queen’s mate and he tried to usurp her throne by selling her to human skin traders.”
I felt my own skin go cold to think that someone would sell his own mate to those who would skin her alive and sell her golden skin.
“If I ever meet this dragon,” I said, “he’s dead”.
Mandrake kissed my hand.
Purslane came to where we stood.
“There is soup and bread.”
“Thank you.”
We went to the table where there was thick vegetable soup, bread, golden butter, and sharp crumbly cheese. It was delicious, and I ate rather more than is my custom, while Mandrake cleared two bowls of soup and most of a loaf.
When our appetites were satisfied I put my hand on his. “How fares your dragon, beloved? Does he need to eat?”
“Not yet, my heart. Tomorrow perhaps, depending on what we need to do.”
“See your Queen?”
“I’d prefer to do that today. The snow has stopped and I can smell no more in the air. Besides which, something in my gut says there is need to hurry.”
“Then that is what we shall do. I just wish I could bathe and change my clothes first. I’m pretty sure I stink.”
“We both do. Luckily this camp has a bathhouse. And Purslane has had the water heated.”
A brisk hot bath made me feel much better, and when Purslane found me a leather riding suit with fur-lined boots and parka I could have kissed her.
The main part of the wing was to remain in the woodland camp, but two of the oldest and most battle-hardened males were to accompany us.
With me riding Mandrake in dragon form, and him leading the way, we reached Dragonheart before I even had chance to get cold. The two seasoned battle dragons backed themselves into what I thought of as garages – frontless rooms with high roofs and large braziers warming the air – and composed themselves to wait.
Mandrake made the change and held out his hand.
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