Firebird

Chapter 18

Beckett

I woke up the next morning feeling... new. Everything felt different. Sharper, even. I didn't move and just laid there listening. I could hear dragons flying around outside and the gardeners working below the window. It took me a second to realize that Kyla was laying next to me, breathing still even. After a few minutes, I opened my eyes. The colors of the room were brighter. The moment I turned my head, Kyla woke up.

"Good morning." She said with a sleepy smile. "How are you feeling?" I smiled at her and pulled her closer.

"Strange but good." I told her. "Everything seems so much brighter and clearer."

"You'll get used to that pretty soon." She said with a laugh. I watched as she crawled out of the bed. "Come on, let's get up."

I laughed with her and got out of the bed. She gave my shoulder a playful shove. I shook my head at her as she walked back to her room to get changed. I quickly cleaned myself up and got dressed, noting how fast my body responded now. I could hear loud footsteps coming down the hall and a second later, my door flew open. Zane stood there panting.

"Boss you need to come with me." He said in between breaths. "It's Drake."

"What's happened?" I asked, running up to him. "Is he okay?"

"He's more than okay." He said, still trying to catch his breath. Kyla ran in, dressed in riding leathers.

"What's wrong?" She asked, a worried look plastered on her face.

"Zane said something about Drake." I told her. I watched the worry slip away and a smile break out across her face.

"I forgot about this part." She said, reaching for my hand. "Come on. Zane, lead the way."

Together, we took off running through the halls. My mind was racing all over the place. I know Zane said Drake was okay but I couldn't stop the worry that went through my mind. As soon as we were outside, my eyes landed on Tanwen. Her back was too us and her wings were slightly spread out. She didn't turn to look as Kyla reached her side, laughing with joy. I ran straight past Tanwen and slammed to a halt.

There, a mere few feet away, was a very large black dragon. Drake. He was a full sized dragon now and he was beautiful. He was slightly curled up but the moment he saw me, he uncurled and stood up. Joy flooded my body and I knew it came from him. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I just saw him last night after I returned and he was still small.

"Well hello there, friend." I said, extended my hand to him. "How is this possible?" I turned to Kyla, looking for answers.

"You made the Descent." She said, like it was so obvious. I still must of looked confused because she smiled before continuing. "Since you made the Descent, it fueled his growth. It's happened in the past with others who have gone through the same thing. If you had remained human, then he would have had a shorter life span. Now he will live much longer."

I nodded along as she spoke, taking it all in. I turned back to him and just stared. He moved away and started turning slowly, showing me his full body. When his back was fully to me, he spread his wings wide. I was in awe of him. I could hear Kyla talking to some of the handlers to get him measured and to bring a spare saddle. I said nothing as the handlers started moving around him. He got anxious at one point but I did my best to send him calming feelings. When a handler showed up with a spare saddle, he got excited. Kyla stepped up to help him get fitted. I could faintly hear him hum when she got close, something like love flooded through me. I smiled at that. Soon enough, the saddle was on and Kyla was ushering me forward.

As soon as I was in the saddle, I knew this was where I belonged. I looked out and saw that a lot more people were there now. There were some dragons near too. I was too focused on Drake to notice when they approached. The king and queen were there, beaming. It took only a second to realize they also had their riding leathers on. Kyla climbed into the saddle on Tanwens back. Within minutes, others the king and queen were also in their saddles.

"After you." Kyla yelled to me, smiling wildly.

"Alright, Drake. Ready to do this?" I asked. His answer was a loud roar. After spreading his wings wide, he shot up into the sky. I didn't need to look behind me to know the others followed. My heart soared with him. I smiled to myself, knowing I had finally found my home.