Dragon's Blood

Chapter One

"I'm home, mother!"

Akari trotted into the small house she shared with her mother, arms full of bread and leafy vegetables.

"Did you bring the greens, dear?" Her mother's voice floated out from the kitchen, airy and sweet.

"Of course, mother. I'm not so forgetful as to leave out the main ingredient of my favorite soup!"

"That's my girl."

Her mother emerged from the kitchen. Though she was getting up in the years, her blue eyes remained sharp, and her dark hair still flowed wavy over her shoulders. "What say we get started right away? Your birthday is only a few days away, and I want everything to be special."

She sighed, squeezing Akari's shoulders in gentle affection. "My only child, turning 19 already. Where has the time gone?"

Akari smiled back at her. "If only the one other thing that could make my birthday perfect were here." She said, a slight bitterness in her voice. Her mother's face fell, and she nervously wiped her hands on her apron.

"Now, Akari. You know your father can't come here."

"But you won't tell me why!" Akari didn't mean to yell, but she'd heard this for years. "I just want to meet him, is that so wrong?"

"Maybe someday." Her mother sounded thoughtful. "Now that you're getting older..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing dear. Why don't you relax, and I'll worry about your birthday soup."

"What am I supposed to do while you're cooking?"

"Why don't you go talk to Tom? He's still your friend, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but he's so much older than me!"

"Only a year or two."

"He's so preoccupied with his dragon hunter training, he barely has time to hang out anymore anyway!"

Akari thought she saw her mother stiffen at mention of dragon hunters, but it was so fleeting that she figured it was her imagination. "I see..."

"I-I mean, I can always go check to see if he's not doing anything now." Akari adjusted her scarf, wrapping it tightly around her neck. "I'll be back."

"Before it's dark!" Her mother called as the door shut behind her.

        Akari sighed gloomily, even as the sun beamed down on her head. She made slow, deliberate strides across the dirt path, kicking up clouds of dust as she walked.

"Whoa there!" Strong arms lifted her off of the ground suddenly, and the familiar booming voice from behind her made her roll her eyes. "You're kicking more dust than Brecka, there, Kari!"

"Tom." She greeted him with a grin. "You can put me down now."

He set her down on the ground, then beamed at her.

"Also, did you really just compare me to your horse?" She asked wryly. "Not the most flattering description."

"Well, I was lying anyway. There's no way you could ever beat Brecka."

The two of them fell easily into a leisurely pace, the way they always did. Tom had been Akari's friend since she could remember, and he'd been the closest thing to a brother she'd ever had. His shoulder length blonde hair swayed as he walked, and she frowned.

"I thought you were going to cut your hair. To be a dragon hunter?"

"I managed to convince Captain York to let me keep it long. I'm just that charming. You'd know all about that."