Safehaven

Chapter 21

I woke the next morning with a dragon sitting on my chest. Yeah, it was as bad as it sounded. Snorting puffs of smoke as he snored, Gwindol sat, asleep, on my chest. It took a moment to register. "Get off, ya great lump!" The poor creature seized up with surprise and gagged on his own smoke. What the heck was that for?! I just shook my head. "Why can't you sleep on your own bed? Look what you did to mine! The blankets are scorched!" Sure enough, the covers were charred where Gwindol had coughed on his smoke. Little wisps of the black fog were still dwindling up. I sighed. "Alright, peep. Chop chop! We've got work to do." Even though it was Sunday, there was plenty to do. First of all, I really wanted to get more info on this dragon business. Gwindol wasn't helping much, just blowing smoke rings every once in a while. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and hauled myself up, though, for some reason, I had an annoying ache in my back. Thanks, Gwindol. Anyway, I changed into a new set of robes and led my friend through the door and down the stairs into the living room. We were the only ones down there. Out of curiosity, I held up my hand examined it. Had I really summoned a huge fireball last night? As if called by just the thought, a small flame ignited itself upon my forefinger. It dance in the slightly drafty room. A little breeze was fluttering around. I had to smile at the fire. After all those years, after thinking to myself that I had no purpose, here it was right in front of me. I had a life, a mission, and an entire world! What else could I have asked for? Gwindol head- butted me in the leg, gently. Let's take a walk. Though I felt uncomfortable leaving without my friends, I obliged. Maybe I could pester the dragon into answering some questions. But how was it so that he knew a whole bunch more than me it we're supposed to by connected and share the same thoughts? That was a mystery to me? Gwindol lead me through the door and into the hallway outside. My back was now pounding rhythmically. Hint, never let a dragon sit on you unless you want back issues for the rest of you life. Together, Gwindol and I strode down the passageways of the castle. "So..." I began. "What do you want to talk about?" The dragon kept walking, but his head leaned to one side like he was thinking. I know you're a little disappointed that I haven't given you all your gifts yet, but timing is perfect around here. You'll understand that later on in your stay here. Self consciously, I rubbed the burn around by neck where the necklace had seared me. The rearing dragon was still there, trapped within the stone that hung on the chain. But the shadow caught in the stone was a dense, dark mark now. Nothing like the faint outline it had been earlier. Did it symbolize that our bond was growing stronger? The two of us kept walking along. We passed the mess hall, which was empty because it was so early, and several vacant classrooms. Finally, we came to the main entrance of the castle. The wooden doors were always open. Gwindol padded out onto the freshly cut grass. I followed. Overhead, clouds were still brewing, but the rain and thunder had ceased. That, of course, was all compliments to Antigone. A wind swept my hair to one side and Gwindol extended his wings, as if ready to glide. Come to think of it, I had never seen the dragon actually fly before! Sadly, though, Gwindol slowly retracted his wings and came to sit at my side. It's a perfect day to go for a flight. He hinted. Can you think of anyone that might want to go for a spin? I was about to oblige, but a searing pain between my shoulder blades stopped me. It felt like someone was holding a hot iron to my back. I could feel my skin slowly starting to bubble. What in the world was happening to me?! As I clawed at my robes to get a better look at my back, I heard somebody calling my name. Sage and Antigone were running across the grass towards me. When they got within a couple of yards, Sage halted and pulled her friend to a stop. She covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, Shiloh! What happened?!" For a moment, I was confused. The intense burning my back had stopped. It had been replaced with a soothing cool sensation. I tried to look at it, but to no avail. Then, I saw my shadow. Even though there was continuous cloud cover for miles, there my shadow was. I gasped. Around my normal figure, two magnificent wings spread out in perfect harmony. The mysterious light ceased, and the shadow dissipated. Sage looked like a fish out of water, gulping air. "But..." Gwindol nosed my hanging hand. I told you timing was important. This is my gift unto you. "It's Gwindol's gift..." I managed to stutter. Beside Sage, Antigone just stood there, face slack. The world could have ended and she would have just stood there! Dash the Pegasus trotted out from behind Sage. Kai did the same. The two soul mates wondered up to Gwindol and sat beside him. Together, the three of them looked curiously at the three of us. After a few moments of dumb silence, Sage spoke. "Well, we originally came out to tell you that I found my physical gift. But you kind of took the wow out of mine." She stole a glance at my wings, which I had yet to see. Were they really that astonishing? "Look at this." Sage said, gesturing to her face and body. Now that she had mentioned it, Sage did look a little different. Her face was more serene and gentle. Her shape was more defined and somehow looked stronger. Her shoulders were broader, and her legs were sturdier. All together, the girl held herself with confidence and assurance. "I got the strength and beauty of a Pegasus." Sage grinned. Her face glowed with a faint aura of health. "Oh, and these." Sage spun, so her back faced me. And there, neatly nestled in the folds of her robes, were two feathered wings. Each shone with unearthly light, and seemed to glow, each feather glittering like is was on show. All in all, with the wings and her new figure, Sage resembled that of an angel. "Cool, right?" The girl grinned over her shoulder at me. "We're twins!" I had to grin at that. Antigone, on the other hand, stood anxiously behind the girl. "What's up with you?" I questioned. "Just along for the ride." She grinned at Sage and I. We had all gone from being the losers of middle school to playing an important role in some prophesy. As I thought, the rest of my friends came barreling towards us. Their eyes literally popped as they spotted us. I pointed to my wings and shrugged. Some of my pals rubbed their eyes in disbelief. I laughed at their reaction. Sage, who was also being gawked at, seemed to be enjoying the attention she was getting. Placing one arm around Sage and the other over Antione's shoulders, I pulled them in close. "Let's go inside and have a nice long chat with everybody. I have a funny feeling that this will take some creative explaining. Besides, I need a new changed of robes. These are ruined." With that, I steered my two friends toward the others. Our beasts followed. Without a doubt, this was going to be another one of those days.