Legend of the Great Dragon (13 page)

He shrugged. “Easy way out.”
I'm sure there's a reason for all of the tests. You need to train and grow stronger so you can win, but if I told you that, would you believe me? I can't influence how she views the world. She has to find her own answers so that they mean something.

 

 

Mikko was climbing a mountain. N
ot something she would normally
do
,
but that was her first tip-off that she was having another dream. The second was that the air wasn't thin, and the temperature wasn't cold even though she was on a snow covered peak. As she grabbed hold of the protruding rock wall above her, she felt a subtle heat and her lungs took in the fullest breath she'd ever experienced in her life.

The red and blue roses were back. Instead of following her around, blooming on the ground as she moved, they were tied together in a corsage she wore on her wrist. Knowing her parents were with her gave her a new kind of strength. If only she could take the courage from the dream world into the real one.

“Mikko, you down there?” The unmistakable, smooth voice of Lee called down to her.

Grunting rather than replying, she hoisted herself up onto a large ledge overlooking the land of Aero below. Lee was there on the ledge with her, his body seemed to melt into the mountain face behind him. He took a step toward her and a shiver ran down her spine.

His pretty, blue-eyed gaze wandered over her body. “You look more amazing every time I see you. Feeling better? I heard you were sick.”

“You know a lot about me, and somehow I know nothing about you,” she said.

“Nah, you know stuff. I'm an open book. You just need the courage to read. I've noticed you've done a lot of that today — reading, I mean.”

She narrowed her eyes. “The Great Evil.”

“If you believe in fairytales, yes, that's me. But I'm just a guy trying to impress a girl. Normal, but different, just like you. We're practically the same. Both of us born pure dragon, both with unimaginable power. And most importantly, we both know what it's like to be alienated wherever we go and not have a real family to help us along. I'm an orphan too, an only child, and shunned by my people. I'm sure all of this is sounding familiar.” Lee folded his arms in front of him, a smirk formed on his lips.

Mikko held onto herself, the chill from the snow finally starting to set in. “I'm not alone.”

He scoffed. “Whatever you want to tell yourself, sweetheart.”

“I'm not,” she protested.

The smirk left his face and was replaced by a cold, dark stare. His jaw clenched, as did his fists. “I've noticed that actually. You're right, you aren't alone. There are two men traveling with you. For someone who's supposed to be pure and good, you sure act like a little hussy.”

“It's not like that. Teo is my—”

“I don't want to hear your excuses!” Lee screamed at her. He stomped closer, the ground beneath them quaking with each step. “Do you think either of them
really
cares about you? Your brother thinks you're nothing more than a novelty, something to show off when all of this is over. And that other guy? To him you're nothing more than a hot—”

Without thinking, Mikko raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face. Each of them glared at the other, and the wind picked up speed, blowing her hair around her.

“Don't ever talk about my family like that again. One should not pass judgment on another.” The slight growl in her tone frightened her, like it had come from a place beyond the physical realm. Of course, she was in a dream, so that might have been why. Regardless, she had tapped into a new kind of power somehow when he sparked the rage inside of her. Lee was crossing some serious lines with his accusations.

She wasn't sure how she expected him to react, but laughing was not one of them. His laugh was deep and also took on an inhuman sort of gravelly tone to it. He grabbed her shoulders, squeezing her so tight it started to hurt. The flowers on her wrist began to glow and soon Lee screeched, falling backward onto the ground.

“I'm doing all of this for you! And you repay me by shacking up with two guys? This is not okay, Mikko. Perhaps you need some punishment to help you come back to your senses?” Lee dug his hands into the snow and the earth began to shake.

The ledge Mikko stood on started to crack and before she could run to safety, it crumbled beneath her feet, sending her tumbling into the open air as the mountain fell apart around her. When all hope felt lost, she landed on the back of a dragon right before she hit the snowy rocks below. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and just before she returned to the waking world she caught sight of a pearly white wing.

****

Mikko awoke gasping for air. Her chest heaved as she worked on calming herself down. Next to her, lying on the floor, Teo also woke up.

He rubbed at his eyes and frowned. “What's wrong? Bad dream?”

“Yes,” she breathed out. “Inero, the moon, we have to leave.
Now
!”

“It's the middle of the night, and the hunters are still nearby. We can come up with a plan in the morning.”

“You don't understand. If we don't go now we're all going to die.” She leapt off of the couch to wake Ichi, but he beat her to the punch because he was already watching from the doorway. “We—”

Ichi nodded. “I heard you. We have to go. There's a pack resting along the back wall and another in my room. You and Teo take those. I'm going to transform.”

“I can—” she began, wanting to explain she could easily fly them out.

“Your magic still needs to recuperate. Just do what I say and stop wasting time,” he snapped and then spun on his heel to head outside.

Thankfully, Teo had been listening too because he had both of the packs in his hands. He handed one to her and then put the other over his shoulders. That was when the ground began to shake and a loud deafening rumble could be heard. Without hesitation, they ran out of the house just as the support beams began to crack. The glass shattered around them. Mikko shielded her face with her hands as she ran
toward
the
majestic white dragon waiting in the clearing. She gasped when she noticed how Ichi glistened in the moonlight. He looked like he was covered in pearls.

She shook her head. “It can't be.”

Teo broke her from her trance, pulling on her arm roughly before pushing her onto Ichi's back. He mounted the dragon, staying close behind her, and both clung to the scales for their lives. They rose with great speed above the trees and straight up toward the clouds. Mikko looked up and watched in horror as the mountain above Ichi's valley broke in half and crumbled to the ground. Snow, dust, trees, and mist kicked up off of the earth below them. Both Mikko and Teo shrieked as debris rose up and surrounded them, nicking their bare skin.

Eventually, Ichi was able to out
fly the cloud created from the avalanche. He eased up and she relaxed her grip on his scales.

Not wanting to watch the destruction of the Aero Mountains any longer, she whispered, “Take us to Terran.”

 

 

Ichitaca flew hard and fast toward Terran country. Such a flight should have taken him seven hours to arrive. He got there in five and a half. By the time he found a suitable landing spot on the outskirts of Terran City, he was beyond exhausted. He couldn't remember half the trip because he was running on pure adrenaline alone. His mind had shut off soon after he'd left Aero's airspace. Sometimes at the border between nations there was an air patrol to monitor the dragons entering and exiting. If there had been one at the Terran border, Ichi missed him.
Perhaps security was lax because news of the disaster has already spread. I would think the Internet would have the world informed within five minutes after the fact. There will be a lot of refugees. How much of Aero was buried in the avalanche? The tallest mountain in the range collapsed, perhaps others as well. My home is destroyed.

Sadness washed over him. All of the family mementos were officially gone. He'd wanted it to happen, but he didn't expect it to hurt so much. Everything was gone, and not by his own hands. The entire situation was out of his control, and that did not sit well one bit. If he had been the one to get rid of his family's things, then he might feel differently. Instead, his whole life was buried and would not be found again for a long time — if ever. A few things he'd saved in his pack, but there were a number of objects he had planned on taking with him still.

He breathed deeply, trying to catch his breath from the flight as well as keep his emotions at bay. Panic rose in his chest as his heart rate increased and his lungs struggled for air.
My life is gone. It's like it never happened.
His sense of reality was now thin and fragile.
I need to remain strong for Mikko. Breaking down won't do anyone any good. There will be time to mourn later.

Mikko. Just thinking about her relaxed him and brought a smile to his face. Once he was calm and his passengers were off of his back, he transformed back into his human shape. Returning to his human body also helped him cope with the events that had just taken place.

“I'm going to call my dad to come pick us up,” Teo said, pulling out his cell phone and walking away from the group. Ichi wouldn't complain too much about it. A ride beat walking back to civilization.

With a sigh, he sat down on the grass. “Are you okay?” He gazed up at Mikko and had a hard time reading her expression. There were red rims around her eyes like she had been crying, but her face was eerily stoic.

She sat down next to him and nodded. “Are you okay?”

“Tired,” he admitted. “Nothing I won't survive, though. By the time our ride gets here, I'll be much better.”

“I don't mean because of the flight,” she whispered.

He lay down, stretching out his body and looking up at the blue sky. “It sucks, what happened. There's not a whole lot I can do to change things. I wish I could have had a proper goodbye. I wish more people could have been saved. I wish a lot of things could be different, but it's all out of my control — which is the part that sucks the most I should add. When you've been living on your own for as long as I have, relinquishing your life to whatever fate hands you is hard.”

Laughing, Mikko lay next to him and yawned. “My life has never been my own. It seems like I'm in charge of what happens to me, but we both know better. There's no such thing as coincidence or random chance. Things happen for a reason. Rather than marching to my own drum, I've made a conscious effort to listen before doing. Somehow the message gets to me, even when I don't realize it at the time.”

“How do you know you're listening right?” he asked, genuinely wanting to know the answer.

“I don't until after the fact. That's faith, though. Believing in something without solid logic to go on.”

“Kind of like love,” he said softly.

She glanced at him. “Kind of.”

“I love you.” The words left his mouth without him thinking about it first. Not the smartest move on his part, but once they were said, he couldn't take them back. He didn't want to. Ichi meant each of those three words with all of his being.

Mikko propped herself up on an elbow and stared down at him. “Excuse me?”

Swallowing, Ichi said it again, “I love you.”

A small giggle left her mouth, and he wasn't sure if that was a good reaction or a bad one. “I think you should get some sleep. The trip has obviously made you so tired you don't even know what you're saying anymore.”

He rolled his eyes and rolled his body so he faced away from her. “Tired, yes, but I'm aware of what I'm feeling. I love you, and I'm not giving up on us. A nap is probably a good idea while I wait, and I'll remember to tell you exactly how I feel again once I'm coherent. Maybe then you'll take it more seriously.”

Defeated, but not surprised, Ichi closed his eyes so he could rest.
Of course she doesn't believe me. It came out of the blue after a near death experience. She probably thinks I only feel anything for her because of the trauma. Why did I have to open my big mouth?

Because she needed to know
, a small voice said within him. Which was new, considering he'd never had much intuition when it came to emotional matters. Then again, he'd never had to before then.

Ichi yawned, curling his body up to keep warm.
Your life isn't gone. You still breathe. You still hold the memories of your family. They may be buried from the rest of the world, but the rest of the world doesn't matter in this situation either. Those who care, remember, and that is
a
beautiful legacy to hold onto. Don't be sad. You have to let go or you will never be able to meet your purpose. Hmm, purpose. What is mine? Why do I suddenly feel so strange inside? Like there is a fire burning inside of my chest, and like I have another voice inside of my head? Have I finally snapped?

He had to suppress a small chuckle.
No, I'm finally listening.

 

 

It took three hours for Teo's father to reach them at the clearing they'd landed in. Mikko had fallen asleep beside Ichi while Teo kept watch. Being home again in Terran was nice. She hadn't been away for too long, but all of the drama that had happened over such a short period of time made it feel like an eternity since she'd last been home.

After she'd reassured her godfather that she was unhurt, she took a nice long bubble bath, and then went straight to bed without saying more than goodnight to anyone. She didn't feel up to talking about much of anything. It would have to happen eventually, but she needed some time to herself first so she could collect her thoughts. Clearly, her traveling companions needed to do the same.
Ichi… thinking he loves me.
She shook her head, but smiled all the same.

The next morning she slept in, relishing in the peace, warmth, and comfort of her own bed. Lying there made everything seem like nothing more than a bad dream and she pretended just that as she enjoyed the warm sunshine on her face. When she absolutely couldn't wait any longer, she went to the kitchen. Reality hit her once more.

Ichi wouldn't look at her. That was the first thing she noticed, but she had a hard time deciphering if it was because he was upset from her rejection or simply too tired to do much else. She settled on exhaustion once she saw the dark circles around his eyes and the way his head kept drooping while he stirred his cereal. In fact, when his gaze met hers, he smiled so brightly she wondered if perhaps she'd imagined his confession in the first place.

Next to Ichi was Teo, who was busy reading more of the Holy Book with his father. In hushed voices she could barely hear them talking about theories.

“—and so I'm wondering which city it's speaking of. Terran or Oceina. One disaster has happened in each place and—” Teo said.

Mikko cleared her throat and Teo shut the book on his hand. He winced and put the Holy Book out of her sight. A rather forced smile appeared on his face, along with a lot of fake enthusiasm.

“Morning!” He laughed and there was a slight shake in his voice.

“Did you sleep well?” Uncle Tyson asked.

She nodded. “And what about you all?”

“I slept great!” Teo said with a firm nod.

Ichi grunted. “I slept. That's all that matters.”

Her heart ached listening to him speak. “I've been trying to block everything from my mind for the time being,” she confessed. He shrugged and ate a spoonful of soggy cereal. Mikko sat across from him, reaching for a banana in the middle of the table so she could have something to nibble on.

“I'm glad you're awake and okay,” he said.

“I should be saying that to you,” she mumbled. “You're the one who flew us here so quickly, saved our lives.”

“You woke us up, and because you like to be Miss Tough Pants, I'm concerned you didn't get enough recovery time from the poison.”

Uncle Tyson's eyebrows rose. “Poison?”

“I told you we were attacked by hunters, Dad,” Teo said.

“Yes, but I didn't know she had been poisoned by them.”

Teo sighed. “We're all okay, and that's what's most important right now.” He paused. “Mikko, how did you know about the avalanche before it was going to happen?”

What little appetite she had, left her. She carefully set the banana down on an empty plate. “I had a dream, much like I dreamed about everything else before it happened.”

Ichi briefly closed his eyes before picking up his bowl of cereal and taking it to the sink. “I'll be in the shower if you need me.”

With a groan, Mikko buried her face into her hands. “Do we have to talk about this all the time, Teo?”

“We don't talk about it all the time,” Teo mumbled. “But it's kind of important. It might be a clue about what we can expect, something, anything?”

“I just woke up. Ichi's home has been
destroyed
. And all you want to talk about is a grand quest that isn't yours to take?” Mikko snapped. She hadn't meant for her tone to come across as harsh, but her patience was starting to become thin, and the fear inside of her beginning to grow. “So many innocent lives were lost yesterday. It's just not a priority for me right now.”

Teo averted his gaze to his hands. “It should be, because if we can understand your dreams early enough, then we can prevent more innocent people from being killed. I'm only trying to help.”

“You're overwhelming me!”

“You're overwhelming yourself.”

She glared at him. “Can we have one conversation where we don't talk about my divine duty to humanity please?” Before Teo could open his mouth, she held up a hand. With the other, she picked up her banana then stood. “Actually, we'll talk later. I need to be alone.”

“But—”

“Teo, give her some time,” her Uncle Tyson said gently.

Mikko nodded her thanks to her uncle before walking out of the room. Waiting in the hallway, right outside of the door, was Ichi. She let out a yelp, startled, as she walked right into him. His strong arms steadied her, and relief filled her when she heard him laughing.

He gazed down at her, his dark eyes softening in expression. “I didn't mean to startle you.”

“I thought you were showering,” she mumbled and her cheeks felt unbelievably warm.

“Trust me, that's still part of the plan. I don't know about you, but the shower is sometimes one of the few places I feel good about myself. Right now, I feel pretty crummy.”

“So do I.” She couldn't stop holding his gaze. It was like she could see herself through his eyes, and she definitely liked what she saw. Strong, beautiful, feminine, that's what she recognized in his gentle gaze. She liked being viewed as a normal woman by someone. The negativity she had held inside of her barely a minute before was fast starting to melt away.
Normal, but different, like me.
Isn't that what Lee had said? I have to find him somehow.

Ichi rubbed her arms for a moment before letting go of her all together. “I was hoping you'd leave soon after me. It's been about twenty-four hours since I told you I love you. I wanted to tell you again. I mean it, I love you.” Rather than let her respond, he placed a finger over her lips. “You're not ready, I get that, but I'm still going to tell you at least one time every day so there's no doubt in your mind how I feel about you.” He caressed her cheek and she thought he might kiss her. Instead, he backed away from her, a smile never leaving his face, until he turned the corner and was out of her sight.

Her heart pounded wildly inside of her chest. Whatever it was she felt around Ichi, it was definitely new. Watching him leave was hard, even if he wasn't going far away. At the same time, she also felt relief. If she let herself get caught up in him, he could easily distract her from everything.

What about me, Mikko? You can't forget about everything we've gone through,
a voice said inside of her head. It reminded her of Lee. Was he communicating with her via telepathy? Was that even possible?

She shivered. “I'm imagining things, and nothing more.”