have him out in the open.”
“Are you sure that will work?” I asked. I knew cloaking magic existed,
but I thought it was more a magic woven into certain garments, not one a
person could do on command. Then again, I didn’t know much about magic
as a whole.
“It’s worth a shot,” she said with a shrug.
“Alright,” I relented. “Do it.”
“I’d need to go back to my father’s shop, though,” she said, and she bit
her lip. “It takes a lot of energy, so I need my dragon scale.”
“Wait here,” I told her, and I ran inside and retrieved the large red
dragon scale from under my bed.
“You have one?” Kas gasped as I came back out with the scale in my
hand. “Where did you get this?”
“I found it years ago,” I said as I handed it over to her. “The one you
have is pretty similar.”
“Nearly identical,” she whispered as she ran her fingers over the hard
scale.
“Will it work?” I asked, and I hoped we wouldn’t have to waste any
more time.
“I see no reason why it wouldn’t,” she said with a nod.
“Great,” I agreed. “Is there anything else you need?”
“Some dog hair,” she said, and she frowned again. “You wouldn’t
happen to know where to get any of that, would you?”
“Actually, I think I do,” I chuckled, and I started back toward the road,
but quickly turned back. “Blar, you stay here. And stay out of the pumpkin
patch. We’ll be right back.”
“Where are we going?” Kas asked as she jogged to catch up with me.
“Is it safe to leave him alone?”
I looked back at where the little dragon sat and pouted.
“We’ll find out,” I said, though I was confident he would stay where I
told him to. “We’re just going to my neighbor’s home.”
“Neighbor?” Kas questioned and looked around. “It’s pretty secluded
here, where’s your neighbor?”
“You’ll see,” I said as I turned left onto the cobbled street. We walked
for a few minutes, then I turned right onto a path that was only visible if you
knew where to look.
“Whoa,” Kas breathed as we walked down the small trail. “I wouldn’t
have even seen this from the road.”
“That’s kind of the point,” I chuckled.
“Who lives out here anyway?” she asked from behind me as we
navigated our way through the trees.
“Rath, is that you?” a female voice called just then.
“It’s me,” I answered, and I took the last few steps into the clearing.
My neighbor was just as much of a recluse as I was, but for different
reasons. She was an older woman, though how much older I didn’t know, and
her husband had died many years ago, so now she lived alone with her two
dogs. Her name was Larena, and she had long white hair that hung down to
her waist, some wrinkles that decorated her face in a beautiful and somehow
noble way, and light green eyes the color of fresh spring grass. I’d known her
several years, ever since I accidentally wandered onto her property one
evening when I was hunting. Now, I occasionally brought her fruits and vegetables from my garden, and she would send me home with freshly baked
bread.
“Come here, boy,” she chuckled. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen
you.”
“It has,” I agreed, and I pulled the small satchel from my waist. “My
friend here just picked the most delicious apples off my tree, though, and I
thought we should share.”
“Your friend, eh?” Larena asked, and she eyed Kas.
“Larena, this is Kas,” I introduced.
“Nice to meet you,” Kas said, and she held her hand out to the woman.
“Pleasure,” Larena replied, but instead of taking Kas’ hand, she put her
palms on my face and smiled. “It’s good to see you. The boys have missed
you.”
“Boys?” Kas asked, but Larena ignored her and called out for the dogs,
who then came running from the house.
They were small gray dogs that looked nearly identical to each other
“Hello,” I laughed as I reached down to pet the boys as they came right
up to me.
“They’re so cute,” Kas murmured, and she bent down and held out her
hand for them to sniff.
“Snuglar is the one with the white spot,” I said with a point. “And the
other is Smeeglar.”
“Snuglar and Smeeglar?” Kas laughed. “That’s adorable.”
“They seem to like you alright,” Larena said as she watched the dogs
go up to Kas and lick her hand. “You must be okay.”
“I don’t think she likes me,” Kas whispered to me.
“I heard that,” Larena called over her shoulder as she walked into her
small house.
“She doesn’t like anybody,” I laughed.
“I like you!” Larena hollered from inside.
“Will this work?” I whispered to Kas as she petted the dogs.
“Definitely,” she agreed, but a wide smile spread across her face as the
dogs licked her hands and rubbed their snouts against her.
“Make sure you get what you need,” I said, and I stood up and
followed Larena into her house.
It was made of stone just like mine, and I’d helped her fix a few things
here and there, but her husband had built it for them a long time ago, and it
was still incredibly sturdy. It was much larger than my own home, with
several bedrooms and a beautiful kitchen and living area when you first walked in. It had wooden floors, a large fireplace, and an incredibly
comfortable couch to sit on. Her husband had been quite handy, and
whenever I asked about something, Larena would tell me the story about how
her husband made it and where he got the materials, and I’d listen, drink her
homemade mead, and eat bread and cheese.
Larena was in the kitchen gathering a pitcher of water, and when she
saw me, she raised an eyebrow in my direction.
“You know better than to bring women to my house,” she admonished.
“I apologize for the intrusion,” I said sincerely. “Kas is just a friend
and happened to be with me today when I decided to stop by. I thought it
rude to leave her alone.”
“She’s not one of those whores from town you’re always bringing
home, is she?” the old woman asked, and she gave me a playful smile.
“Does she look like that?” I snickered.
“Naw,” she scoffed. “She’s far too pretty. There is also magic about
her. Powerful magic. You be careful, eh? Witches and angels can both seduce
men, you know.”
“Sure,” I muttered, and heat rushed into my cheeks. “And I don’t bring
home whores, they’re just women from town.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a whore, dear,” she chuckled as she picked up a tray with water, glasses, and a loaf of bread wrapped in brown
paper on it. “You’re quite the whore yourself.”
“Larena,” I laughed. “You’re too much sometimes. I think you need to
leave this house more.”
“But then what reason would you have to bring me apples?” she asked
and turned around to flash me a wink befo
re she stepped back outside.
“I’m afraid we can’t stay long,” I said as the old woman set the tray
down on her outdoor table.
“Well, I went through all the trouble of getting us water,” she argued.
“And it’s a warm day, you must be parched. At least have a glass.”
I knew Larena, and I knew we wouldn’t get out any faster by denying
the water. It would be easier to simply drink it and try to escape afterward.
“Alright,” I chuckled. “Just one glass.”
“I am quite thirsty,” Kas said as she stood up and reached for a glass.
“So, Kas, is it?” Larena questioned as she took the apples out of my
small satchel and placed them neatly onto the table.
“Yes, that’s right,” Kas said after she pulled the glass from her lips and
wiped her mouth on her hand.
“And what do you occupy yourself with in Asgard?” Larena asked.
“I work at my father’s shop with him,” the sorceress answered, and she seemed unfazed by Larena’s intrusive question.
“Oh?” Larena hummed, and her light green eyes were curious as she
regarded Kas. “And who’s your father? Maybe I know him.”
“His name is Ramir,” Kas said with a slight smile.
“Ahhh,” Larena drawled as she raised an eyebrow to me, “witches and
angels. I knew you had magic.”
“Many demi-gods have magic,” Kas said, but she looked uncertain. “Is
that a problem?”
“Not a problem per se,” the old woman replied. “But now I am
suspicious of what you’re doing with my Rath here.”
“I’m not doing anything with him,” Kas scoffed, and her eyebrows
pinched together with confusion.
“You better not try any spells on him,” Larena said with narrowed
eyes. “I’ll know.”
“Rath is… my friend,” Kas tried to explain, and she glanced over at me
uncomfortably. “I wouldn’t want to put any spells on him.”
“Good, good,” Larena muttered, and she took a drink of her water.
“Alright, Larena,” I laughed. “I think it’s time for us to go. I’ll bring
you more fruit soon, but we really must be off.”
“Yes,” Kas said. “I need to get back to my father’s shop for the day.”
“Alright,” the old woman sighed. “But you’d better take this bread.”
“That’s alright--” I started, but Larena cut me off.
“Take the bread, child,” she ordered, so I quickly picked up the loaf
and put it in my small satchel.
“Thank you, Larena,” I said with a smile.
“Come see me soon,” she requested as I leaned down to kiss her cheek.
“It was nice to meet you,” Kas said, and she reached down to pet the
dogs one more time.
“Yes,” Larena muttered, and she looked over at me. “You may bring
her again.”
“Alright,” I agreed, though I was quite shocked by her willingness to
have more people at her home. I figured I was in for an earful just with
bringing Kas, but I suspected the old woman actually liked her.
We waved goodbye, and I led Kas back through the trees and toward
my home again. Blar was home alone, and I didn’t want to leave him for any
longer than necessary, since it had already been too long.
“Larena seems to like you a lot,” Kas said as we walked.
“I’ve known her for years.” I shrugged. “Us recluses have an
understanding.”
“Does she have children of her own?” she asked.
“I don’t think so,” I said. “Her husband died a long time ago, and she
never remarried.”
“Ah, I see.” Kas nodded.
“See what?” I asked, and I was curious as to what judgement she’d
made of my friend.
“Oh, nothing,” Kas said. “It just explains why she treats you like her
kid is all.”
“She doesn’t treat me like her kid,” I protested, but when I thought
about it, I came to the conclusion Kas might be right. Larena was always
happy to see me, and often we spent holiday nights together drinking and
sitting by the fire. It was nice to have someone around when you were lonely,
and we were there for each other. It was platonic and strange, but I’d never
thought of it as a maternal like relationship until Kas brought it up.
“Whatever you say,” the beautiful strawberry-blonde chuckled.
“Did you get what you need for the spell?” I asked, and I was eager to
shift the conversation away from myself.
“Yup,” she confirmed, and she held up a small tuft of gray dog fur.
“You didn’t cut their hair, did you?” I asked with wide eyes. Larena
would kill me if Kas had messed up the dog’s coats. She took a lot of pride in
how they were groomed.
“I didn’t need to,” Kas snorted. “Have you seen the way those things
shed?”
“True,” I chuckled, and I looked down at my tunic to see there were
several stray dog hairs attached to me now.
We broke through the trees by my house, and I quickly scanned the
area for Blar. I didn’t see him right away, but I wanted to see if he’d stayed in
the area like I told him to, so I started to wander around the yard and look for
him.
“Um, I found him,” Kas called out, and I walked over to where she
stood near the peach tree.
There on the ground were three piles of peach pits surrounding a
sleeping Blar. I’d told him to stay away from the pumpkins, but I hadn’t said
anything about the peaches.
Sneaky fellow.
I shook my head at his ingenuity. He was a brat, but at least he was
smart. I just had to make sure I was incredibly specific with my commands
from now on, otherwise he’d be the size of my house within a week.
“I’m surprised he hasn’t woken up yet,” Kas whispered.
“I’m not,” I said with an eye roll. The little dragon was absolutely
passed out from eating his weight in peaches. He laid on his back in the grass with a little piece of peach still in his front paws, and I could hear his slight
snores from where I stood above him. He was absolutely adorable, but also a
little blue eating machine.
“We need to move him for the spell,” Kas said.
“Blar,” I grunted, and I reached down and nudged his full stomach.
“Wake up.”
The dragon smacked his lips a couple of times, then he yawned and
stretched before he rolled over and looked up at us.
“Did you enjoy your snack?” Kas teased, but Blar just smiled in return.
“Next time, I’m going to tell you to stay away from the garden
altogether,” I told him as we walked to the middle of my yard where we had
the clearest space.
“I think he just rolled his eyes at you,” Kas laughed as the sassy little
reptile walked between us and sat down.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re right,” I chuckled.
Kas hadn’t been part of the team for long, but I was surprised by how
much I already liked her. She seemed more comfortable with us now than she
had before, and I supposed I was more comfortable with her, too. There was
nothing like a secret to bring people together. We had no choice but to trust
each other at this point, so there was no reason to play games.
&nb
sp; “Okay,” Kas said, and she turned to look at me, “you might want to
step back some. I don’t want to accidentally disguise you as a dog.”
“Say no more,” I laughed, and I looked down at Blar. “Stay there.”
I walked over to my table and took a seat so I could watch what Kas
was about to do. She had the large red dragon scale in one hand and the dog
fur in the other, and I couldn’t help but stare at the curves of her slender body
as she worked. She wore a green sleeveless tunic and black boots that went
up to her knees, and I could clearly see the hourglass shape beneath her
clothing. Her long hair hung down her back in a mane of rich curls, and I
wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch them, since they looked so
soft.
I shook my head to focus on what Kas was up to, and I watched as she
began to mutter under her breath just like she had in the clearing.
Blar looked over at me as if he was bored by the whole ordeal, but I
just gave him a pointed look to tell him to stay in place. We couldn’t walk
around with him as he was, he was getting too big too fast, so disguising him
was our best bet at the moment, and if Kas needed him to stay still, then
that’s what he’d do.
As Kas continued to murmur words I couldn’t make out, her body
started to almost rise like it had before. Her hair lifted from her shoulders just slightly, and the heels of her feet rose from the ground until only her toes
were still connected to the earth.
Slowly, the dog hairs in her hand started to swirl around amidst a flurry
of red sparkly dust. The flurry whipped around in circles at first, and then it
moved over to Blar and began to swirl around him. He rose slightly from the
ground as well, and I had to stifle a laugh at his panicked little face as he tried
to move his legs back toward the ground.
The swirls whipped faster and faster around him until I could no longer
see him at all. It was just a whirl of red before a bright light exploded from
within, and Blar fell to the ground.
Chapter 6
“Is that it?” I asked as I stood up and walked toward him. “He doesn’t
look any different.”
The little dragon looked slightly dazed after what had just happened,
but he definitely didn’t look like a dog. He looked like himself, and I worried
Kas’ magic might not be all I thought it was earlier.