Petals in the Wind

Chapter 2: Crown of lies

   The mountains held many beauties but I found my favorite. The exact spot I had seen Gregory in a dream of his when I was searching for him through the woods a couple months back. He had been taken by a demon when we were in the woods together, when I found him he was possessed by a demon, a demon we now know as Orion. I've lost so many people in the past couple of months, it was almost overwhelming having to push on.

   The waterfall ran down the mountain with a rush, the swimming hole at the bottom of the waterfall was lined up with rocks and of course there were butterflies swarming everywhere. Only they weren't just blue, but gold, lavender, and even opal like my wings. "Isn't it breathtaking? To finally see water so clear and blue, grass alive and growing?" Blade asked as he walked a crossed a small beam that laid over the rushing river, fish of all colors gliding freely through the water.

   There were no estates here, no man made homes or shops, just nature and the mountains that stretched before us. "I still wonder how you survived in the dark days, not a home unturned or a chapel rotted."

   "The mountains granted us everything we needed plus those demons were no match to hundreds of shapeshifting dragons," Ash said as the breeze caught in his dark hair.

   "Is the shift painful?"

   "Of course," Blade snorted as if I should know. "The worst part is the days that follow, most newer dragons can't control when they shift or when they shift back. The longest I have been stuck in my dragon form was two weeks. Two agonizing bloody weeks."

   "There's a price to all strength," Ash mused as he cupped a rose in his hand. I watched as he  admired the scorching red petals, his thumb grazing the thorns. "Where is your friend Gregory? Was he too good for a proper tour?" He dropped the rose to his side and walked off, Blade squishing it under his foot.

   There was only a slight thread of panic as I concocted a lie, "Gregory isn't feeling well, he stayed in our rooms."

We were given different bedrooms but Gregory and I couldn't find it in ourselves to really trust Ash or his guards just yet, we took shifts at night. As of right now Gregory  was venturing Ash's Manor, finding whatever he could if there was anything to be found. I felt bad letting him snoop. With peace also comes trust but there was something off about this lord he made me feel uneasy. Sometimes it came across my mind that maybe I just dont know when to stop looking for reasons not to trust people.

   "That's too bad the town is having a Dance of the Dead tomorrow night and you are expected to join, actually required."

   "What's a Dance of the Dead?"

   Ash's grey eyes flickered with amusement and wonder, "A celebration for the dead. Its held every month its how we mourn without mourning," he shrugged still not looking at me. I hated how he made me feel as if I wasnt even around just a foreign nuances he had to have around. "Everyone dresses their best and dances the night away you actually have some old friends excited to see you."

   "I do?" I frowned hopefully no more long lost children Lorelie had.

   "Some people who fought by your side, or should I say Lorelei's against the late King Marvis." I guess it could be useful getting to know more people, more alliances within this alliance.

   "Why haven't I seen anyone shift?" I hated to pry but how else was I supposed to learn?

   "It hasn't been needed," Ash frowned. "Why, curious?"

   "Of course I am, I've never seen a dragon in this lifetime." Its so weird saying that. Could you imagine having hundreds of lifetimes you could never get back? At least this was the last, I'm not completely immortal there is one way to kill me but no one knows how for the most part. So I'll be living an immortal life pretty much, doomed to outlive almost everyone. Fae age incredibly slow most reaching to the age of three hundred without looking a day over forty.