How I Met Hena Chakelithp

Chapter 7. Aranee's Grandmother, the Fortune Teller

Hena and I had seen a dragon on the street that was called a seeker dragon. They were used as watch dragons and they were much faster than the scout dragon I had at the time. I wanted to go trade my scout dragon for a seeker dragon the next day. Hena and I were talking about it and sitting by the fire.
"Hey, what's that ring on your finger?" Hena turned to look at me. I wore a whitish, shimmering ring the same color as Staliku's scales.
"Oh, my soul dragon ring. If I ever took it off, my bond with Staliku would be broken." I said.
"Can you tell me what my soul dragon is?"
"For that you need to see a fortune teller."
"Oh," Hena sounded disappointed.
Then I got an idea.
"Do you want to have a dragon?" I said.
Hena turned again.
"Well I would, but I'm so terrible at riding that it wouldn't make any difference."

"Well, I've been thinking about that," I said, "and I think the reason you've had so much trouble riding is because you and Kudika aren't compatible. Your essence is pretty much the opposite of hers. The reason I'm good at riding is because I learned to ride with the most compatible dragon of all for me: my soul dragon, a light vapor dragon."

"So," said Hena contemplatively, "if I had learned to ride on my soul dragon, I would have an easier time?" 

"Exactly! So if you want, you can get one when I go to Utiiq tomorrow! Then you won't have to ride Kudika everywhere! And the fortune teller, Kull Shalvah, will tell you your soul dragon for cheap because I'm friends with her granddaughter, Aranee!" I was excited.

"Awesome!" Hena said.

The next day, I got up early. I woke up Hena. We quickly got dressed and rode to my friend Aranee's home. Aranee was an aspiring healer who loved acrobatics and lived with her grandmother. 
We walked up the path to the large stone house. Aranee's little rose dragon flitted around the garden. She was just like her human as far as I knew. Aranee was calm, sweet, kind, and very, very pretty. I knocked on the door. Aranee answered. Her bob of shiny gold hair was pulled back in a light pink head band. "Oh, hi, Ri." she said to me. "What's your name?" she said, turning to Hena.
"I'm Hena Chakelithp," Hena said. "I'm from a country called Pastrona."
"Cool," said Aranee.
"Hena would like to see your grandmother," I said.
Aranee escorted us inside. "Her office is in there," she said, pointing to a mahogany door with a silver handle. I quietly went inside, followed by Hena.

The room was lit dimly by a flickering fire in a stone fireplace. The fire heated the room to a hot, but not quite suffocating, temperature. Along the walls were shelves and shelves of books, many dusty. There was one round table, draped with purple velvet. On it was a round crystal ball about eight inches across that looked to be filled with swirling grey fog, along with various amulets. And sitting on a cypress chair, looking into the ball, was the legendary fortune teller herself, Kull Shalvah.
Her hair was long and white, and the expression on her wrinkled face was of rapture. Her eyes were pale grey and swirling, exactly like the crystal ball they were fixed upon. Well, upon isn't the right word. It was more like her eyes were looking into the ball's depths. In her hand was a steaming cup of tea which was filling the room with a rich, herbal aroma.
Suddenly she said in a sharp voice: "Hold! I will continue!" She seemed to be talking to the ball. I could only assume that "hold" meant "hold on because I have something else to do but I'll come back later".
She set down her cup of tea and said mistily,"Hello, Srarori Coreter and Hena Chakelithp. I know your name, Hena, because I felt your presence in the room's Ka aura. Sit down."
Hena looked at me with a freaked-out expression.
I sat on a black velvet cushioned stool and Hena sat on a cypress chair like Kull's.
"Do you have questions for me?" Kull asked in her breathy, airy voice.
"Can you tell me what my soul dragon is?" Hena said.
Kull didn't look at all surprised that Hena didn't have a soul dragon. "You are not from this land, are you?"
"No, I'm from Pastrona."
"Well, let me explain to you the way we organize dragon elements. We map them on a giant grid that has many seperate ranges." 

Kull got up and walked over to one of the many towering bookshelves in the room. She adjusted her spectacles and pulled out a yellowed, folded-up piece of paper. She quickly checked to see if it was the right one, then walked back to the table. She picked up the crystal ball and put it on the floor, then unfolded and spread out the piece of paper with her wrinkled hands. 

"Wow," said Hena.

It was a map of all the dragon types. It was indeed a massive grid that covered the whole table surface. Each square in the grid had writing in it. The print was so small that I could hardly see it. If the room had been lit better, I would have been able to read it clearly, but in the candle light, I had to get right up close to the paper and squint to see it. But what I did see was incredible: In each square, the name of a type of dragon was written, and each range was outlined in bold ink. 

 I felt the same way as Hena did: amazed. I couldn't recall a time I'd ever seen this map in my life. I didn't even have any idea that dragon types were mapped this way.

"Each range is a group of dragon elements that are more or less compatible. There is a crystal range, an emotional range, a nature range, and many other ranges. Some ranges are larger than others. As you can see, each type of dragon has a spot on the grid in its range.  And each range has an opposite, a range that is the least compatible, a range that is nowhere near it on the grid map. For example, the usefulness range and the emotional range are opposites. They are not compatible whatsoever.  Some dragons are more to the right on their range, some to the left, some up, some down. If you want me to tell you yours, put your hand on my crystal ball. We read the lines on palms to map patterns in the grid which lead to the perfect soul dragon."

Kull put away the map and replaced the crystal ball in the center of the table. Hena put her hand on the ball while Kull gazed in. I could hear her muttering something like this:
"Earth?...no. Stone...feel it. Definitely in the crystal range...Diamond? Farther down. Quartz? Farther down. Beryl? Farther right. Topaz? Farther left...Calcite? No, farther up...Garnet? Maybe...no, farther right...Jade? Maybe...jade...I think so... Yes, your soul dragon is definitely jade."
Hena beamed. "Thank you."
Kull opened a drawer in the table and took out a shining round jade ring. "And here is your ring," she said. Hena put it on and smiled still wider.
"It fits perfectly," she said. "Just wondering, my dragon is in the crystal range, right?"

"Yes," Kull said.

"I'm curious, which range is the opposite of the crystal range?"

"The energy range. The energy range includes dragons like light dragons, temperature dragons, and electrum dragons." 

And just like that, Kull went right back to crystal gazing.

"Well, that explains it," I whispered as we walked out of the room.