Dragonsong Book 1

Chapter Fourteen

When I opened my eyes, I saw Lilly being threatened by Nathan.
"Who are you? Answer me or I slit your throat." He said.
"Hey, I am just a friend. Isabell created me." Lilly said. She looked over at me with pleading eyes.
"I created her. I thought it would be good to have three of us." I said.
"Hey! I am here!" Poppy said angrily.
"Three of us who can hold a sword." I said defensively.
"Good point." She said. I used my magic to make a vine become the string for a small necklace holding the green gem. I gave it to Poppy.
"I don't know what it does, but since you wanted a green necklace too..." I said, handing it to her. The fairy instantly forgot her anger and flew around the shelter in delight.
"Thank you so much! You are the best, Isabell!" She said. I noticed I was back to being human again.
"I am just glad you are happy." I said.
"We better get moving. The only person who ferries people across leaves at noon." Nathan said. He glared at Lilly.
"Who is that!?" He asked as we hopped on dawn.
"Her name is Lilly, and I created her." I said. He just looked at me like I told him that cold water would burn him.
"You are not serious." He said.
"Yeah, I am. You were asleep, and the trees told me to create an army to help the elves. They did most of the work." I said casually.
"You are telling me you made an army?" He said.
"Yeah."
"Awesome!!!" He said. His reaction surprised me.
"Why?" I asked stupidly.
"Because, I can teach you a few things. You see, before, you didn't really understand magic, but now..." he hesitated.
"You have exceeded my level of magic." He said.
"No! You are awesome!" I quickly told him.
"No, not really. I may be a good potions master, but that is about it. It will be really easy for you." He said. His cheeks were slightly red. I felt hot. Not like, emotionally hot, but like the ground just set on fire hot. Nathan coughed. The area around me was smoking.
"Stop it!" He said.
"I am not doing anything!" I called back. The smoke faded and four symbols appeared under my feet and Nathan's.
"The elements symbol." Nathan said.
"What does it mean?" I asked him.
"It means the gods have chosen us for greatness." He replied. I quickly brushed the symbols away as Poppy came over to us.
"Lilly said going out to sea with you puts you at risk." She said.
I stormed over to Lilly and dragged her onto the horse. I created her last night and I did not intend to lose her so soon. We all quickly hopped on and charged at full speed. We were squished, but at least we were not falling off. I navigated the complex road system until we encountered a town of men. Poppy would need a disguise. For now, she hid underneath my hair, but that would not last long. We went to a small pub and rented a room upstairs. Since there was still daylight, Nathan, Lilly, and myself decided to have some fun. Poppy guarded the room. The first thing we did was check out the town square, where a woman was drunkenly singing an old song from the dark days.

"Down in the valley,
Where birds sing with glee,
Down in the valley,
There flows a stream.

Folks gather round,
As magic flys free,
Down in the Valley,
A girl makes history."

I remembered the first verse from my childhood, but the second was definitely made up. Lost in thought, I didn't notice the woman pointing straight at me.
"The prophet has spoken!" A man shouted from the crowd. The woman collapsed, and I was left to face the mob coming towards me alone. Nathan and Lilly were shoved aside as people lifted me up on their shoulders.
"She has been chosen to bring peace!" The man carrying me said.
"Sorry, but I already have a mission to fulfill. I need to get to the coast." I said.
"I know. The prophet wishes to speak with you and the strange three who follow you alone." He said. He carried me to a small hut that smelled of garlic and pine needles. The door was simply a curtain of animal hide. Inside, the smell was so intense that my eyes tested up. The man set me down on a chair and left the room. I could have sworn I saw a cat tail exiting the hut.
"Welcome. I have never been graced with the presence of an elemental before." She said.
"I didn't know I was an elemental until earlier today." I said honestly. Our conversation was interrupted by Lilly and Nathan entering the room.
"Tell me, dragon. What news do you bring of the dragon world?" The old woman asked.
"Ronoro is king." Nathan said bitterly. The woman looked sorry for him.
"I am so sorry for your loss." The woman said. Nathan seemed to notice me, and gave me a guilty look. The woman shifted her attention to Lilly.
"A stunning creation. Your creator must have had an eye for beauty." The woman said, looking Lilly over.
"She's awesome." Lilly said proudly, looking over at me.
"You did this!?" The woman said, astonished.
"Uh, Yeah. I just did what the trees told me to do." I said.
"You haven't even reached your full power, how!?" The woman looked scared of me. Nathan felt pity for me. Lilly had overwhelming pride in me. I was overwhelmed with confusion, secrets, and lies. I curled up into a ball on the chair and squeezed my eyes shut. One moment I was a normal girl, the next I was some legendary thing that was both feared and loved. I just wanted to be me again. I realized they were all staring at me like I was a thunderstorm. I opened my eyes and found them wet with tears. The woman came straight up to me and touched her ancient hand to my face. A few seconds later, she backed away and looked at Nathan in anger.
"You have some explaining to do, young man. How can you expect to keep this up if you are not honest with her?" The woman yelled.
"The man who carried you here will meet you tomorrow. Beware, he will not be where or what you expect." The woman said to me. I was confused, but I nodded. She escorted me out, and dragged Nathan by the ear. We walked back to our apartment, where Nathan explained everything.

"My father, our father, was the original dragon king." Nathan said.
"You are a...." my jaw dropped.
"Yes, I am prince, and rightful heir to the throne. The eldest was killed. I never wanted the position, but it was not Ronoro's to take." Nathan took a deep breath.
"At the same time he and his dragon wife, my mom, was having me, my father decided to live among humans for a while." Nathan said. I didn't like where this was going.
"Your mother's husband was my father in human form." He said. I instantly forgot about my crush on him.
"Before you ask, we are not related to each other technically. Not in blood. My father's magic was passed down, but not his blood." He said quickly. I instantly had a crush on him again.
"Ronoro killed my father in cold blood while he was visiting your mother. Your mother knew about magic, and she was the daughter of Merlin. She must have decided to keep you safe by not telling you." He said.
"If she would have told me then I wouldn't have been stupid enough to go to an unknown cave." I said. I was angry at him.
"The necklace I gave you, the one with one of my scales, makes you unable to detect or use dragon magic. It was mainly to keep the dragons from harming you, but it was also to keep you from discovering the truth. If you took it off, you would be able to see into my mind like I could have if I were a dragon." He said. Steam was practically coming out of my ears. How could he hide all of this from me!?
"It also kept your dragon magic concealed from those who can detect magic. Your mother's magic I could not hide, but I could keep the dragon fire inside of you a secret." He said. My anger melted when I saw Poppy.
"So You are a dragon prince and you are a human dragon princess!? I thought you were just a human and a dryad in disguise!!!" Poppy shouted. She was clearly freaking out, and it was funny to watch.
"Sorry, but we didn't quite trust you at first." Nathan said. Like he didn't trust me. I was his half-sister! Sort of. I ignored the chaos of Nathan trying to calm Poppy and went to sleep. Hopefully, this was just a dream.